My family and I decided to do a last minute trip to Walt Disney World. Although my sister claims the role of the Extreme Couponer for our family, I did manage to save a ton of money. From scouring websites to reading 800 page guide books, here is how I did it.
At Disney World time is money. I have been studying for this trip like I used to cram for finals in college. I downloaded “The Unofficial Guide: Walt Disney World 2011″ on my nook and read up on all the latest information. I found ways to save time, links to coupons for restaurants, tips on which restaurants to eat at, reviews of the best hotels, etc. I could go on and on. At this point I feel like a Disney expert. I also registered (for a small fee) on www.touringplans.com . This website allowed me to find out what parks are projected to be the busiest on the days I will be there, which rides and shows to do first, how to get the most out of one day, etc. The absolute best part of buying this membership was the Line Application for my smartphone. This application allows me to see how many minutes the line at each ride is in real time! The costs of buying this book and joining the website is without a doubt worth the money.
My husband, son and I are making the 9 hour drive to Orlando by car. However, my cousin from New York needed to fly down. We are bringing her as her graduation present. I was able to purchase her round-trip flight and our hotel on a combination package at www.orbitz.com and saved over two hundred dollars. I bought the package while my husband was sleeping. It was such a great deal that I was afraid to miss out on it. When he woke up and learned how much I got the flight and hotel for, he was convinced I had booked us a hotel in the ghetto. I started to get a little worried myself. I checked with friends who live in Orlando and they were able to assure me that the hotel is fine. It is also one of the top 15 hotels that the guidebook recommends when staying outside of Disney. We should be fine. Really.
Some websites, such as www.theundercovertourist.com have special deals on Disney Tickets. I was able to get one day of tickets free when I purchased three days. The more days you buy tickets for, the better the discount per day. The deals change every couple of days. If you are on a time limit be sure to grab the deal as soon as you see it. Since I am a last minute kind of planner I had to have the tickets overnighted to get to me so I would get them in time. Luckily this was an option.
I hit up my local dollar store to stock up on some things that would cost an arm and a leg if I had to buy them at Disney once we got there. While $7 each at Disney, I was able to get a 2-pack of rain ponchos for one dollar. I also bought us each personal sized battery-operated fans to help beat the heat. I have small bags of snacks for when we get hungry in between meals.
I made a folder of all the coupons I printed out to help save money on restaurants. The general consensus is not to eat at Disney unless you either do not have another choice or have the luxury of not having to worry about costs. I printed a Magic Card from www.orlandocoupon.com to save up to 20% at certain restaurants. I was also able to print coupons from this site as well. Two other websites that had good dining deals are www.alacartecoupon.com and www.restaurant.com .
The total cost of our Disney vacation was hundreds less than what my friends have paid. By willing to sleep and eat outside of Disney we are saving tons alone. Now that all my studying is done I am ready for my final exam. I’m not worried. I already know I passed.
