Thrifty Thursday: Free Family Fun

I love playing tricks and pranks on my family. It doesn’t matter where we are, be it at home or at Disney World, I get a kick out of playing with them. If we were cartoon characters in Toontown, I would make sure we were armed with an ample supply of cream pies, banana peels, trap doors, seltzer bottles and squirting flowers with which to torment one another. The fact that we are not in Toontown doesn’t mean we have to let that stop us. It also doesn’t matter to me that my baby is now a senior in high school and my oldest is 25. I treat them in the same loving way I always have – I terrorize them!

When we visited Disney World in 2000, it was June so it was very hot. I went to my local discount store before the trip and bought us each a spray water bottle to help keep us cool throughout the day. When we would take a rest break, it never failed that one of us would take out our spray bottle and, once the crowd parted the line of fire, start the attack! We had so much fun and those are great memories.

We always visit during the Fall season now so I don’t take spray bottles even though I think we would still have just as much fun with them. There is one way in particular I can still get my fix when I am at the parks with my family: surprise squirts. There are two opportunities for this free play time that I am particularly fond of: one at the Flying Carpets of Aladdin ride in the Magic Kingdom and one at the bridge over the Kali River Rapids ride at Animal Kingdom.

At the Magic Kingdom, just find the large gold camel that is turned away from the magic carpet ride in Adventureland. He has a bad spitting habit – especially with my kids around (tee hee). I think it’s a shame how my camera only stops working when they pose for a picture right in his path. Then I have to make them pose in front of him again for a retake.  Thankfully, they are good sports and they let me annoy them once in a while.

We also really enjoy the Kali River Rapids at the Animal Kingdom, unless it is 50 degrees outside. When I sacrifice my fun and sit out I always find my favorite spot on the bridge right before the end of the ride. There is a button there that you can press to make the elephant spray water on the riders below.

There are endless opportunities for fun at Disney World, as long as you know where to look. Don’t forget to look for these two spots during your next trip and have a great time!

The cost of a little imagination, free; the value of creating memories together, priceless!

Brenda is a native Texan born and raised on the Gulf Coast. She visited Disney World twice as a teenager and always dreamed of growing her family Disney. She took her first-timer husband and their three children to Disney World in 2000 and they now spend every Thanksgiving there. Brenda writes with a comedic twist on various Disney topics. She will be sharing tips she has learned during her travels and also hopes to enlighten people on little-known freebies that Disney has to offer. She wishes she could have met Walt Disney and considers herself to be a student of Walt. In parallel to his dream it is her wish that everyone would take at least one trip to Disney World in order to share in its magic with their families.

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Thrifty Thursday: Disney Rewards Visa 0% Financing for 6 Months Deal

Sometimes timing your Disney vacation is about more than crowds and special rate offers. If your finances are anything like mine, there are certain times of the year when it is just a little easier to pay for a vacation. For my family, this is usually in the Spring — after the Christmas charges have been paid and our tax refund has arrived.

Unfortunately, we are not Spring travelers, as Spring Break crowds and costs are usually a little more than we are willing to go for. We love traveling in the Fall but with the cost of beginning another school year, coupled with the holiday season, it really isn’t feasible for us to pay for a vacation during that time.

Thankfully, the Disney Rewards Visa card has a “zero percent interest for up to 6 months” offer on Disney vacations booked through the Walt Disney Travel Company, your travel agent, or online at Disney sites. This allows us to travel for Thanksgiving and not pay for it until the Spring. This is one of the card perks and is our whole reason for having the card; and it has worked out great.

I am far from being an advocate for credit cards but if you use it strictly for the purpose of buying yourself a little time, it can be a lifesaver. Make a budget for your trip and stick to the limits of what you will be able to pay once your 6 months is up. Then pay it all off before the interest gets charged.

Sometimes saving for a vacation ahead of time is too difficult. Taking advantage of this offer gives you a hassle-free, interest-free alternative. You can find out if this idea might be right for you by visiting information at Disney Rewards Visa. And if you apply at DisneyStore.com you can save $50 when you become a Disney Rewards Visa Cardmember .

Brenda is a native Texan born and raised on the Gulf Coast. She visited Disney World twice as a teenager and always dreamed of growing her family Disney. She took her first-timer husband and their three children to Disney World in 2000 and they now spend every Thanksgiving there. Brenda writes with a comedic twist on various Disney topics. She will be sharing tips she has learned during her travels and also hopes to enlighten people on little-known freebies that Disney has to offer. She wishes she could have met Walt Disney and considers herself to be a student of Walt. In parallel to his dream it is her wish that everyone would take at least one trip to Disney World in order to share in its magic with their families.

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Tuesday Disney Tips: Take a Private Look Inside My Disney Trunk

I am so thrilled to be writing for The Affordable Mouse. Each Tuesday and Thursday I will be sharing as many ideas and tips with you as I can. I decided that for my introductory piece, I would invite you into my home so I can share one of my biggest time-savers with you. It is a large plastic bin I keep up in one of my closets and I call it my Disney Trunk. The contents of this box have been very important to me over our last ten years of traveling to Disney World, so I am going to give you a private look inside.

All of the reusable items we take on our annual trips can be found in here. Since we are a family of 5, you might guess that there are five of each item in the box:

Backpacks

We each have a backpack made of lightweight but strong prolypropylene with a drawstring closure and straps. They weigh less than an ounce when empty and are 15” high by 13” wide. Each person carries one loaded with the items below needed for a day in the parks.

Insulated Lunchbags

We pack our lunch in the mornings on the days we will eat in the parks. We usually pack a juice box, sandwich, bag of chips, fruit, snacks such as nuts, fruit rollups, etc. and maybe even a surprise special treat that I pull out in the morning. Whenever everyone decides they are ready to eat lunch, we can pick a couple of benches and people-watch while we have our lunch. An alternative would be to rent a locker and put all the lunchbags in it and then go to the front of the park when you are ready, but we like to just stop and drop.

Lanyards

We have lanyards to use during Extra Magic Hours (EMH), which is a special privilege for all Disney resort guests. Our lanyards each have a card holder attached for our key to the world (room key) which you must show at each ride during EMH. This saves us the time and trouble of taking out our key at each ride. We have even graduated to extra special ones with blinking lights so I always know where my family is if we accidentally get separated during nighttime EMH.

Rain Ponchos

I purchase these at my local Dollar store a few weeks before our trip but always have extras in the box because we have been blessed with great weather during most of our trips. They are sold two for $1.00 and I usually buy 2 packs for each person. Since most of the time, we may have to use only 1, or at the most 2, we usually have some left over. We keep 2 ponchos in each backpack – one just in case the other breaks.

Ziptop Bags

We use ziptop bags for a couple of reasons and every day we place two in each backpack. One holds our cell phone, camera and anything else we want to keep dry. The second is carried as an extra to put a wet poncho in, if necessary. We can also use the spare if we have any leftover chocolate anything from a meal so we can take it with us for a snack later. If you know me, you know I NEVER waste anything chocolate.

Cell phone pouches

Every person in my family has a cell phone, which I am sure you can understand since my kids range in age from 17 to 25. They can easily get dropped and broken if carried loose in a backpack, so each person has a soft cover pouch. The only time we use our cell phones at Disney is at night (during our chill time at the hotel) or to contact each other if we split up for a while. These pouches keep them from getting damaged hopping onto and off of rides all day.  The only time we use these pouches is at Disney World so when we return home they get put right back into the trunk.

Carabiners

We have a carabiner with a water bottle holder ring for each person. Each of us carries a bottle of water in addition to the drink in our lunch kit. It can always be replenished at the drinking fountains around the parks and, don’t forget, you can also get FREE ice water at any of the quick service locations at any of the parks.  We hook the carabiner to the drawstring cord at the top of our backpack.

Air Freshener

I always take a spray can of air freshener with us. I am sure you can understand why.  Five people (3 males and 2 females) sharing one bathroom — need I say more? Since we are there for only ten days, we usually have enough in the can for the next visit. I replenish this item as needed.

Shoe Organizer

I have an over-the-door shoe organizer I like to use for the bathroom. The organizer has 6 rows of 4 “shoe” slots each. So, for five of us, each person gets a row. That is 4 large slots each to use for our personal bathroom necessities: deodorant, toothbrush, hair gel, hairspray, makeup, face cleanser, etc. It has been very handy to keep us organized since the resort bathroom areas are usually not equipped to handle such a large number of items and, especially, since I don’t want anyone to have to live out of a suitcase for 10 days. I use the bottom row for other items such as bandaids, pain and fever reducer, lotion, etc.

Body Glide/Monistat Soothing Care

These products are used to prevent and combat chafing (like on the inner thigh area). When my kids were young I went ahead and put it on them to keep them from having any discomfort from walking all day, getting wet on rides then taking a while to dry out, etc. We now take them just as a precaution but if we need it, we have it.

Germ-X, sunscreen, lipbalm

We have been carrying Germ-X with us for years, long before Disney installed the antibacterial soap dispensers. We still each carry one out of habit, as well as necessity. I know it is not necessary since the Disney installation but I am a moderate germaphobe so I will not even go there. I also keep sunscreen in my backpack as well as a lipbalm for each person, just in case.

Keeping all of these reusable items organized and in one place throughout the year keeps me from having to fumble around for them when our time finally arrives to go back to Disney World. About five weeks before the trip, I take out the box to see what needs to be replenished. As I was reviewing this article I had to laugh at the sound of having my grown kids put their phones in the pouches and keeping lipbalm in my bag for them. It sounds hilarious, especially when I think of my oldest son who now has his own mortgage, but the thing is that we have been doing it this way for so long that it’s just natural – and when the system works, why change it? Believe me, I don’t pack their suitcases for them and I don’t hold their hand on the way to the bus stop (even though I really miss that).

One thing we all agree on and are very thankful for is that during the Free Dining offer, we get to go to the parks without having to pack a lunch and sometimes we don’t even need to take the backpacks. Free Dining makes everything easy. But, when we are really watching the budget and there is no free dining, these items have saved us time, trouble and lots of money.

I sure hope this look into my Disney trunk will help to make your trip a little easier. Please let me know if you have any questions or ideas to share!

Brenda is a native Texan born and raised on the Gulf Coast. She visited Disney World twice as a teenager and always dreamed of growing her family Disney. She took her first-timer husband and their three children to Disney World in 2000 and they now spend every Thanksgiving there. Brenda writes with a comedic twist on various Disney topics. She will be sharing tips she has learned during her travels and also hopes to enlighten people on little-known freebies that Disney has to offer. She wishes she could have met Walt Disney and considers herself to be a student of Walt. In parallel to his dream it is her wish that everyone would take at least one trip to Disney World in order to share in its magic with their families.

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Affordable Disney Dining: Getting the Most Value for Your Meals

Continuing this series on affordable Disney dining, I wanted to talk today about some ways to get the most for your money when eating, whether with the Dining Plan or paying cash. There are some good deals on food if you plan your meals a bit…

  • Magic Kingdom: There are several choices here for making the most of your dining dollars, places where you can eat for less than $6 (sometimes significantly less). Main Street Bake Shop offers a variety of baked goods as well as breakfast items like quiche or fruit. We have enjoyed the hot dogs with cole slaw and fries at Casey’s Corner, and one of my personal favorites is Columbia Harbor House for their clam chowder or vegetarian chili. For many folks, splitting meals is the best choice for both the wallet and the waistline, and if you wish to do this too, you will want to check out Cosmic Ray’s for their half rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes and vegetables for less than $10.
  • Epcot: Sunshine Seasons in the Land pavilion is probably our family’s personal favorite for the variety of types of food for both breakfast as well as lunch/dinner. You will also find a half rotisserie chicken with two sides as an option here. We also have found some good, economical choices in World Showcase, several for less than $5. Consider croissants, quiches, or fruit/cheese in France, or egg rolls in China.
  • Disney’s Hollywood Studios: An affordable breakfast is easy (and yummy!) at Starring Rolls Bakery where there are tons of miniature baked goods for under $2. Some great options for lunch or dinner include Toluca Legs for a chili dog, Rosie’s All-American Café for soup of the day (a nice change of pace!), Catalina Eddie’s and Toy Story Pizza Planet for (what else?) pizza………any of which will be less than $6.
  • Animal Kingdom: For those who love being able to split meals, look for the half smoked chicken platter at Flame Tree Barbecue for under $10. Other economical food options include Pizzafari’s cheesy break sticks, fruit/cheese at Harambe Fruit Market, egg rolls and fried rice at Anandupur Local Food Café, and the delicious muffins or sweet rolls at Kusafiri: the fruit/cheese plate will be less than $6, and the rest will be less than $4.

You may also want to consider the fruit stands that are in the parks: each has at least one (Magic Kingdom actually has 3). In addition to finding a healthy selection of apples, bananas and oranges, you may also find items like carrots, melons, grapes, strawberries or even yogurt and fruit salad. The best thing is that everything is less than $4, with many of the items being about $1. You can’t beat that value!  🙂

Getting the Most Value from the Dining Plans

What if you are on the Disney Dining Plan? Consider the following tips to make the most of those Dining Plan credits:

  • All of the meal credits for everyone in your party are grouped together, so all credits belong to everyone. This means that you can really use whatever meal credits you want, whenever you want during your trip. It gives you flexibility and options for making the meals work for your family (especially helpful for little ones who may not be hungry when/where everyone else is.)
  • Don’t want the drink that comes with your Quick Service meal? Get a bottle of water to go, and save your snack credit for something else.
  • Likewise, since you will receive dessert with both lunch and dinner, get those to go for a snack later on, and use snack credits for healthy items like fruit, yogurt, or muffins that can be breakfast the next day.
  • Share, share, share. The Dining Plans are a lot of food. Stretch your dollars and avoid over-eating by sharing quick service meals: you may be able to stretch those credits to cover two meals a day!

In addition to all of these tips, I recently asked my Blog readers for their suggestions, and got some wonderful ones!

  • By Kristy: Well, the dining plan can be a great deal, depending on your family. But, especially at CS meals, many can be shared. We will get a couple meals to share for an early lunch and then if we feel hungry a couple meals later for an early dinner and a couple later to keep us going through the parks. That way no one is really full at any time. Our favorites to share are at places like Cosmic Ray’s. The ribs and chicken is plenty for 2 and getting the fresh veggies which are not only tasty, but good for you is great! It would spread your $ for sure and again, no one wants to be too full when you are riding rides.
  • By Amy: My big dining tip is to eat at the expensive dining places for lunch at the latest time possible. That way you can enjoy the delicious food and experience the atmosphere of the dining spots and not have to pay the dinner prices. Our other way to save money is to split meals at counter service places. Our favorite is the rib platter at Flame Tree BBQ.
  • By Teresa: For adults, it’s easy to stock up on items for breakfast and snacks to supplement one meal splurge during the day. Noon meals are cheaper than supper-time dining. Bringing a collapsible cooler or requesting a fridge in your room will help keep items cold. With kids, it’s harder to do so if you can get a deal with the free meal plan that’s your best bet.
  • By Becky: My tip is to order breakfast and snack items from Garden Grocer to be delivered the day you arrive. It’s convenient to eat in your room and much cheaper than the food court.
  • By Dawn: My tip is to bring breakfast items and snack items from home. Eat at the table service places at lunch time since the price will be cheaper than at supper time. Free dining plans are also the best.
  • By Whitney: Don’t think that you have to eat THREE meals a day. Eat a filling breakfast (definitely include a protein!), take ‘brought from home’ snacks to munch on at the park, and then eat a very late lunch/early dinner. What we do is schedule our Character dining either really late (like Breakfast at 10:45 or 11:00) or really early (like a lunch at 11:30) and just skip the other meal.
  • By Christina: I generally try to bring healthy snacks and meals from home. Granola, cereal bars, dried fruit, etc. You can also buy fresh fruit in the parks to add to it. The nice restaurants generally are less crowded and cost less at lunch time, then for dinner, try counter service. One of my favorite dinner items is a turkey leg that you can buy at the Magic Kingdom and the other parks. It’s not expensive, and it’s PLENTY to eat!
  • By DeAnna: If we have access to an in-room fridge, we take advantage of it. One of the best things I’ve found for breakfast are seedless grapes. They’re wonderfully refreshing, they give you a healthy fill-up, without feeling weighted down and miserable like some bigger breakfasts tend to do at times, AND they are kid friendly. You can give them grapes and no need to worry about them staining their clothes before they even make it to the park. Also, if you’re running behind (if you have a “schedule” like us!), they’re a great on-the-go breakfast to take with you on the bus/monorail.
  • By Tammy: I hate wasting money on park food!! We do cereal/donuts/coffee cake in the mornings. I pack sandwiches and snacks. We usually do one character dining and other dinner nights include things we can share ~ like pizza

So there you have it: a few ideas to help you make the most of your meal budget at Disney World. If you have any additional suggestions, please share in the comments below, on our Facebook page or Tweet about it. 🙂

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It’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow

Well actually next week to be precise! 🙂

I am excited to share that there will be some awesome additions to our blog lineup starting next week, thanks to the help from a special Disney friend who will be joining The Affordable Mouse!

I would like to introduce you to Brenda! 🙂

Brenda is a native Texan born and raised on the Gulf Coast. She visited Disney World twice as a teenager and always dreamed of growing her family Disney. She took her first-timer husband and their three children to Disney World in 2000 and they now spend every Thanksgiving there. Brenda writes with a comedic twist on various Disney topics. She will be sharing tips she has learned during her travels and also hopes to enlighten people on little-known freebies that Disney has to offer. She wishes she could have met Walt Disney and considers herself to be a student of Walt. In parallel to his dream it is her wish that everyone would take at least one trip to Disney World in order to share in its magic with their families. Just like Nancy, she loves helping others to plan their Disney family vacations and hopes that anything she offers here will help people to reach that goal. Her new dream is to one day retire so she and her husband can purchase a motor home and live half the year at home and half at the Fort Wilderness Campgrounds.

Some of you may know Brenda from the articles she also writes for Chip and Co. She is an awesome writer and is *very good* at knowing how to have an affordable Disney vacation. 🙂 Needless to say, I am thrilled to have her join me on The Affordable Mouse.

So starting next week, Brenda will be offering two blog posts most weeks: Tuesdays will be a Disney Tips feature and on Thursdays she will share great Disney World “freebies“.

Coinciding with this change is the addition of a new permanent page to The Affordable Mouse: Disney Savings and Promotions. This page will replace the weekly Disney Savings Round Up that I have been doing every Friday, and will be easily accessible at any time by just clicking it right at the top of the page. 🙂 Having this be a permanent page will also allow me to keep it more updated for you, as promotions frequently arise throughout the week, and I hate to bombard you with emails about them all the time. So instead, I will update that page as needed, always highlighting the latest promotions in RED so you can find them quickly. (I will also update our Facebook page for you as they come up as well, just as a heads up, so you don’t miss out.)

Lastly, I will be moving the Disney Fun From Around the World blog round-up to Fridays, as a great way to end the week.

I am really excited about some of these changes, as they will provide you with more great ideas and ways to save money at Disney World, and also are the beginning of some fun things that I hope to have in place for you by the end of the year. As always, thanks for your support!

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