Crazy ideas to save money at WDW

[tocpe321]

Dress up as a giant mouse and get in free.

[vampiress88]

Originally Posted by loves2plan

The prices you see for Disney now are the same as the prices were during free dining, so the offsite holiday actually works out to be more expensive (not sure if you've included parking in those figures). Disney don't put the prices up to offset free dining. They have 3 rates (for the UK):
Rack rate (what you currently see and what you see before free dining is released)
Rack rate with free dining and a gift card
Rack rate with a room discount/free nights offer - that offer should be coming soon based on previous years

I don't think staying onsite is crazy at all as it depends on what sort of holiday you want. For us, the idea of driving everywhere, dealing with traffic, paying parking fees etc, having to drive out to eat every time we're hungry, being conscious of menu prices and how much money we're spending is not appealing at all and not what we like to do.

I also completely disagree with the previous poster who said an onsite holiday is rigid. It's as rigid as you make it. I actually find our holidays very relaxing and not restricted at all. Plus, you're not trapped onsite, you can leave whether that be via your own car, Uber, Lyft, bus etc.

As you said previously, different holidays suit different people, and neither style of holiday is more right or sensible or less crazy than the other

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They definitely do suit differently people.
Yes if you got free dining in that price for £5727 it would work out about £400? Ish cheaper. That would be counter service though I believe.
Didn’t include park tickets or parking as I just based the spends on what we spent last year and we have annual pass so only paid parking once I think.

For me I liked the privacy of the villa. As I was comparing it to all star music which is bottom hotel. I don’t particularly like hotel pools etc is a main one for us. Same as I wouldn’t like to be in the same room for three weeks as them lot.
It’s gonna kill me on a two week cruise in one room!
Problem is when you try to compare offsite with onsite it’s literally apples and oranges. They are nothing alike and everyone is different.

I think it would be more costly for me if I tried to get a villa on Disney property rather than hotel. Suppose a holiday is as expensive as you make it

Or £35k for yacht club. Wowzer!

[3disneykids]

Originally Posted by loves2plan

The prices you see for Disney now are the same as the prices were during free dining, so the offsite holiday actually works out to be more expensive (not sure if you've included parking in those figures). Disney don't put the prices up to offset free dining. They have 3 rates (for the UK):
Rack rate (what you currently see and what you see before free dining is released)
Rack rate with free dining and a gift card
Rack rate with a room discount/free nights offer - that offer should be coming soon based on previous years

I don't think staying onsite is crazy at all as it depends on what sort of holiday you want. For us, the idea of driving everywhere, dealing with traffic, paying parking fees etc, having to drive out to eat every time we're hungry, being conscious of menu prices and how much money we're spending is not appealing at all and not what we like to do.

I also completely disagree with the previous poster who said an onsite holiday is rigid. It's as rigid as you make it. I actually find our holidays very relaxing and not restricted at all. Plus, you're not trapped onsite, you can leave whether that be via your own car, Uber, Lyft, bus etc.

As you said previously, different holidays suit different people, and neither style of holiday is more right or sensible or less crazy than the other

See more...

My first Disney holiday was off site no car used Lynx buses took packed lunches and tried to do Disney on a budget as my once in a lifetime We stayed at a cheapish B and B offsite I say cheapish it had good reviews (they must have paid for them) it wasn't worth it lol...When I booked I though I had a bargain before I found the DIBB and did the research and found out about the free dining plan

We did it with dining plan last year and wow we loved it (I found the deal of the century) so it worked out similar cost to the first trip.

The Free QSDP really appealed ..especially after your report and the ease of it all made for a much more relaxing holiday than the first.

We don't mind sharing a room with the kids as the hotel is just a base ... which is the same for anywhere ease we have stayed

Our first trip was stressful catching local buses or hotel transfers that were a no show. Or worrying about the cost of the food as we were actually seeing the amount we paid for it We enjoyed it though but nearly as much as onsite... This coming from someone who never wanted to visit overpriced Disney as well. I am an absolute convert.

The DIBB has opened my eyes to so many great deals and ways to research and I am open minded about future onsite and offsite stays to be able to do it again in future.

[3disneykids]

Just wanted to add the craziest way to save money is not going at all

[Mrs Valentine]

We always take our Disney Refillable mugs out with us, so that when we go to another hotel for lunch, we can have the refil coffee/sodas and then have the 'drink' part of the meal and swap it for a cake or extra side. (Didn't do that quiet so much this year as wanted the alcohol) lol.
Never buy bottled water either. Refil your bottle at the water fountains or QS places.

[neatfrk]

Tangible ways to save:

- Don't buy the Park Hopper
- Don't spend a cent on drinks. Ask for ice water at any QS location in the parks. If you don't like the taste of plain FLA water, bring something to flavor it with to the parks.
- Pack your own snacks (hit a Walmart and stock up)
- Tell kids they can buy souvenirs; but wait until the last day or two so they can decide what they really want vs. have to have everything now
- Stretch the DDP. Ex: Restaurantosaurus @ AK, order chili cheese fries (as a snack credit) and a [free] ice water. Then visit the toppings bar and turn that snack into an actual meal.
- Skip the Photopass upsell. Ask Castmembers or other park guests to use your phones\cameras. Most fellow guests are perfectly happy to take your picture (and don't forget to reciprocate by offering to take theirs)
- Try to control your FOMO. You aren't missing that much not opting for the fireworks party...believe me.

[7SeasSailor]

There are signs in the car psrks at Disney Springs clearly stating that you cannot leave vehicles overnight. You are in danger of being towed and paying a lot more money than the cost of parking.

[chmurf]

Originally Posted by 3disneykids

Just wanted to add the craziest way to save money is not going at all

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well I wouldn't rank that as a "crazy idea", but rather put it in the "sensible idea" drawer.

Disney has us priced out a couple of years ago. We still go to florida, around 3 to 4 weeks each year, but we then switched resorts. We now only do Universal on annual passes, as well as maybe a MNSSHP for a quick disney fix if the dates are right; Our son has discovered that fun spot and doing karts all day with 5 minutes wait was actually more fun than riding tomorrowland speedway 3 times with 15 minutes wait each time ... and that's just an example

we do know that, at some point, it will all be too expensive for us, and we are very much aware that, it savins becomes too much of an issue, and we are in a position that we need to find any way to make the budget fit ... then it's time we either postpone our trip, and consider not going at all

because, with over 10 trips under our belts as a family (and many more for myself alone) I am very much aware that, a perfectly planned budget is such a beautilful thing before you leave your house on departure day ... but you're probably better off leaving that budget on the kitchen counter, because it will go "bang" before the first fireworks goes bang, on the very first park day

when I budget for a stay, I always inflate it by 20%

But if I'm in a position to try and cut costs ... it's like in the industry when you cut corners ...it's perfect recipe for catastrophy, and you might as well postpone, or totally rethink


my bottomline here, as crazy as it will seem for some (and it will sound so sensible for others) is that I do my budget, for WHAT I NEED on a path of least resistance (meaning I include car, parking, and all for example) and when I have that budget, I may try to cut some costs, because the money I'll then save, is money I'm gonna bring home for other stuff, or I may use for extras.

If I'm looking at my trip and realise I miss £500 or more to make it fit ... then, yeah as crazy as it seems, I'm not going.

I've done sandwiches, shady offiste hotels, buses, you call it.
I've been there, I've gone back, and I wouldn't advise anyone down that road.

now each is different, and what didn't work for one may be the way to go for others.

but, well, no, it's not a crazy idea actually, it's just basic and common sense

and thank you for pointing that right out. And it's a kind of reminder that there is no vital need to go to disney.

when you need to go to crazy ideas to make the budget fit ... then I have a few ...
rob a bank or maybe grow pot and sell it ... both might get you extended vacations, just make sure the judge agrees to accomodate your sentence by allowing you to receive Disney Plus in your cell :p :p :p (of course this last part was tongue in cheek)

[3disneykids]

Originally Posted by chmurf

well I wouldn't rank that as a "crazy idea", but rather put it in the "sensible idea" drawer.

Disney has us priced out a couple of years ago. We still go to florida, around 3 to 4 weeks each year, but we then switched resorts. We now only do Universal on annual passes, as well as maybe a MNSSHP for a quick disney fix if the dates are right; Our son has discovered that fun spot and doing karts all day with 5 minutes wait was actually more fun than riding tomorrowland speedway 3 times with 15 minutes wait each time ... and that's just an example

we do know that, at some point, it will all be too expensive for us, and we are very much aware that, it savins becomes too much of an issue, and we are in a position that we need to find any way to make the budget fit ... then it's time we either postpone our trip, and consider not going at all

because, with over 10 trips under our belts as a family (and many more for myself alone) I am very much aware that, a perfectly planned budget is such a beautilful thing before you leave your house on departure day ... but you're probably better off leaving that budget on the kitchen counter, because it will go "bang" before the first fireworks goes bang, on the very first park day

when I budget for a stay, I always inflate it by 20%

But if I'm in a position to try and cut costs ... it's like in the industry when you cut corners ...it's perfect recipe for catastrophy, and you might as well postpone, or totally rethink


my bottomline here, as crazy as it will seem for some (and it will sound so sensible for others) is that I do my budget, for WHAT I NEED on a path of least resistance (meaning I include car, parking, and all for example) and when I have that budget, I may try to cut some costs, because the money I'll then save, is money I'm gonna bring home for other stuff, or I may use for extras.

If I'm looking at my trip and realise I miss £500 or more to make it fit ... then, yeah as crazy as it seems, I'm not going.

I've done sandwiches, shady offiste hotels, buses, you call it.
I've been there, I've gone back, and I wouldn't advise anyone down that road.

now each is different, and what didn't work for one may be the way to go for others.

but, well, no, it's not a crazy idea actually, it's just basic and common sense

and thank you for pointing that right out. And it's a kind of reminder that there is no vital need to go to disney.

when you need to go to crazy ideas to make the budget fit ... then I have a few ...
rob a bank or maybe grow pot and sell it ... both might get you extended vacations, just make sure the judge agrees to accomodate your sentence by allowing you to receive Disney Plus in your cell :p :p :p (of course this last part was tongue in cheek)

See more...

Not sure if I have said something to offend you ...
I am very much budget driven as well as practicality driven. If you read my earlier posts I actually said I didn't mind the return journey on the buses,
I would do onsite or offsite and the comment about 1 hotel was our experience with that hotel.
I also don't mind doing packed lunches although it was a lot easier not to have to do that I don't mind if I am sticking to a budget and what I would ideally like couldn't be bought for that budget. I was saying that I preferred a small room at Disney with 'free food' for the convenience. A lot of people would prefer a Villa for the space...which as my family gets older may happen.
I am currently looking into Idrive cheap hotels... like I said in a previous post it is just a room to stay.
I do enjoy the benefits of onsite but it isn't the be all and end all.

I agree that the costs for Disney are ridiculous, but a lot of people think worth it.
There are plenty of reasons why people don't get a car, it doesn't mean they are not 'avoiding the path of least resistance' For me I have anxiety due to a traumatic experience and feel driving abroad is a risk. Just to paint a clear picture it isn't to save myself money though it does do that as well.

Also the post I quoted was a light hearted joke but I do appreciate your comments

[chmurf]

Originally Posted by 3disneykids

Not sure if I have said something to offend you ...

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oh no, absolutely not, and I apologize if I made you feel you offended me, you didn't, not even by a longshot

I merely used your lighthearted joke as a starting point for my own point. (and my point is just my own, and is no judgement or disrespect towards other people's points)

sorry if I made it sound otherwise

cheers.