Stroll on Over to Chip and Co. to Chat About Disney Souvenirs

One of the most frustrating things for folks trying to plan affordable Disney vacations is to work so hard trying to save money on every conceivable aspect of their trip….and then have souvenir buying blow the budget completely.

I talk about just this in my post over at Chip and Co. today: Making Sure Your Disney Vacation Souvenirs Don’t Break the Bank:

“There is a way to combat “buy-me-itis” though…but it involves thinking ahead and planning for souvenirs before you ever leave home. There are a number of ways to make your souvenirs actually quite affordable, and if you can plan your purchases as carefully as the rest of your trip, you may not end up blowing your vacation budget on souvenirs. But ya gotta have a plan!”

You can find the rest of the post right here. Come on over to join us, I’d love to hear your thoughts! 🙂

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Readers Tips for Saving Money at Disney World

There are a lot of great Disney bloggers out there with really interesting and helpful information. Recently, Amanda from The Disney College Blog asked her readers to offer their suggestions for saving money at Disney World, since she has a trip planned and is, in her words “a poor college student”. She got lots of great ideas! Here are a few:

Eating Breakfast in Your Room…
“oatmeal packets for breakfast, pb&j’s for lunch, and trail mix for snacks – saves TONS of $$$ (more for #wdw merchandise!)
” – pixienancy on Twitter

“Eat breakfast in the room! Pop Tarts & Rice Krispie Treats work great! :)” – BeOurGuestMike on Twitter

“As do Little Debbie donuts :)” – bill_in_ma on Twitter

“We usually bring cereal & pop tarts & eat breakfast in our room each day (except last day then character bfst)” – mccato on Twitter

You can read the rest of the post and the many helpful affordable Disney vacation tips over at her blog.

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Friday Disney Savings Round-Up for 6/18/2010

In This week’s Disney Savings Round-Up:

There are some great new sales at DisneyStore.com that you won’t want to miss this week! Plus, both Hotels.com and  Travelocity continue their sales from last week. And all the information from the current Disney promotions are noted below as well.

DisneyStore.com Savings and Promotions

DisneyStore.com has two fantastic promotions that you will want to check out!!

Their Twice Upon a Year Sale helps you to Save up to 50% on over 400 items! This sale ends June 27 so make sure you don’t miss out!!

And in honor of the premiere of  Toy Story 3 when you buy any Toy Story item you will get FREE Shipping on your entire order. Use Promo Code: TOYSTORY

Don’t forget: Buying Disney items at home BEFORE your Disney trip is a great way to save money. 🙂

And you can still save $25 when you become a Disney Rewards Visa Cardmember at DisneyStore.com (** See special Disney promotion below for Disney Visa cardmembers!)

Travelocity Special Promotions

Travelocity has several promotions that are still valid. Be sure to note the dates that each offer ends.

Be a Kid Again in the Sunshine State. Orlando Getaways From $299 from Travelocity! Offer ends 6/30.

Orlando Makes Me Smile! $50 off a 3+ night GoodBuy hotel booking to Orlando, minimum $400 spend. Use PROMOCODE: SMILE50. Ends 7/31/10.

They also have a great deal on car rentals: Get up to 33% off Weekend Rentals from National! Offer ends 6/30!

Hotels.com Special Promotions

Hotels.com’s Family Sale offers savings up to 40% on a number of “family friendly” locations including a number of great properties near Disneyland in Anaheim, as well as the popular Sheraton Vistana near Walt Disney World. Please note that this promotion expires 7/5/10

Walt Disney World Savings and Promotions

  • Book a Disney Vacation Package and Get FREE Dining!  Now available for everyone!: Travel between August 15 and Oct. 2. Stay at a Value Resort and receive Free Quick Service Dining Plan. Receive Free Basic Dining when you stay at a Moderate or Deluxe Resort. Minimum 3 night stay, with 2 day ticket.  You must book by August 14. For more information, visit www.disneyworld.com and click on “Special Offers”.
  • Stay through August 14, 2010 Get a 15%-30% discount off regular room rates. You should know that some blackout dates do apply and that not all rates are available at all resorts. You must book by 8/14. For more information, visit www.disneyworld.com and click on “Special Offers”.
  • Stay August 15, 2010 through Oct. 2, 2010 Get a 30%-40% discount off regular room rates. You should know that some blackout dates do apply and that not all rates are available at all resorts. You must book by 10/2. For more information, visit www.disneyworld.com and click on “Special Offers”.
  • Kids Stay and Play for Free“: This special offer has been extended and is now valid for stays most nights May 2 – Oct. 2, 2010. Purchase a 4 night/5 day Magic Your Way vacation package (room and theme park tickets) and a child (age 3-9) stays in the room and gets a 5 day park pass for Free. This is basically providing free tickets for one child of this age…or two if there are two adults in the room…which can be a substantial savings! To receive the package deal, you must book by August 14, 2010. For more information, visit www.disneyworld.com and click on “Special Offers”.
  • Disney Visa Card members can book the “Kids Stay, Play, and Dine Free” package. This special offer has been extended and is now valid for most nights through Oct. 2. It includes a 4 night/5 day Magic Your Way vacation package with room, park tickets, and the Quick Service Dining Plan is included for free. You have until June 30 to book this offer. To book, call 407-934-7639 or your travel agent. (**Don’t have a Disney Visa card yet? See the special promotion below through DisneyStore.com.)
  • Military Discount of up to 40% on select Disney Resort rooms, for stays most nights through Sept. 30, 2010. You must book through July 31, 2010. In addition, active or retired members of the military can get a 4 day park ticket for $99. For more information visit the Military Special Offer page on disneyworld.com.

That’s all for this week. Happy Savings everyone!

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Get the Answers to YOUR Affordable Disney Vacation Questions…and Maybe Win a Disney Gift Card Too!

One of the things I enjoy the most about The Affordable Mouse is the chance that it gives me to help folks plan magical Disney World vacations that they can afford. I love being able to answer questions, provide information, and know that people are learning how a Disney vacation can be affordable. Kind of makes me feel like I am spreading a little pixie dust! 🙂

But as I plan for the coming months, I have come to a realization: in order to be able to really do this well, I need your help…and I am hoping you will be willing to help!

I want to be able to provide the answers your questions. So I am looking for YOUR input to help me decide on what guides I prepare, what tools I find or create, and even what blog posts I write.

I have created a short survey that I would really, really love if you would take a few minutes to complete. It should just take you a minute or two. But doing so will help me provide you with what YOU NEED to save money at Disney World.

This is your chance to have a website, blog, and even planning guides created to answer YOUR needs. 🙂

So if you are willing to help (and haven’t already), simply sign up for my planning guide (see that arrow to the right?), and you will get my free guide as well as a link to the survey. You can also sign up right here.

Oh, one last thing. As a “thank you” for taking the time to fill out the survey, I am offering a little prize. 🙂 Everyone who fills out the survey will be entered into a drawing to receive a $25 Disney gift card. So be sure to enter your email address, so that I can contact you if you are the winner!

Thank you so much for taking a few minutes out of your busy schedule to help me help you! I appreciate your time and I appreciate YOU!

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Visiting the Disney World Resorts: Why Taking a Day Off From the Parks Can be FUN

One of the most affordable things to do at Walt Disney World does not involve visiting any of the theme parks. In fact, you could easily save the money on a day’s worth of Disney park tickets by planning a day to go resort-hotel hopping. Visiting the many, and varied Disney World hotels can provide a fascinating view of the Disney attention to detail, as well as keep everyone in your family entertained in the process.

Many people don’t realize that you can do this. We didn’t either, until we were visiting one year over the Christmas holidays, and someone suggested that we visit the Gingerbread House at the Grand Floridian. We weren’t staying there, but hey, I’m all for stopping by the Grand Floridian! So we decided to actually make a morning of it, and booked a character breakfast at 1900 Park Faire while there. It was a great morning and we left feeling as if there was a lot to explore at that lovely resort that we had not had a chance to do that morning….and so we wanted to go back again.

And this is the thing: Each of the Disney resorts are fascinating examples of fun design, great themes, and extreme attention to detail. Yet most people really don’t take the time to “see” everything each resort has to offer. We’re all too busy running off to the parks at the crack of dawn, touring commando-style each day, and literally falling into bed each night, too exhausted to notice much more than if mousekeeping provided us with any new towel animals. If we do take the time to explore the resort, it is usually to find one of three things: the pool, food, and the gift shop.

There is so much more to see at each resort!

Just a few examples:

Both the Polynesian and Grand Floridian have lovely beaches with hammocks, chairs, and especially in the case of the Polynesian, a fantastic view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks each evening.

Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness offer miles of trails to wander through, and if you want to be a bit more adventurous, for a fee you can take a Segway tour. Or a carriage ride. Plus Wilderness Lodge has an incredible lobby with totem poles and, in season, big roaring fireplaces. It’s the perfect place to relax in a rocking chair with a good book for a bit. (Don’t worry if the kids don’t feel like relaxing, because there is always a TV with Disney movies playing nearby.)

Another fantastic place to visit has to be the Animal Kingdom lodge. There is an amazing variety of African artwork and design spread out all through this beautiful hotel. And even more fun, are the storytellers that share African stories and even crafts throughout the day. Plus there are the animals who are wandering on the Animal Kingdom Lodge’s own savannah: there are observation points spread out around the resort that allow you to spend as much time as you like watching. If your kids love animals, they will love this place.

Then there is the Boardwalk, which has, well, a boardwalk. Lots of fun vendors, games, and performers make this a bustling, busy place to spend a few hours. You can also rent a bike or surrey and go across the bridges to the Yacht and Beach Club for another lovely beach, chairs and hammocks.

And these are just a few. I could literally go on and on, there is just so much to see and explore. I know in 12+ visits I still haven’t seen it all. That’s ok it just gives me more reason to go back again. 🙂

Now if you want to do this, but are wondering about your children being bored, do not worry about this. There is something “kid friendly” at every resort: it’s Disney after all. You can make it an adventure getting there by taking the monorail or a boat if available. Look for “hidden Mickeys.  Plan a meal: many of the resorts have their own great restaurants, and some even offer character meals. If you want to do it less expensively, the moderates and value resorts have counter service. Or just get a snack. Disney has lots of great snacks. 🙂

I do want to address one thing that people do ask about when visiting the resorts and that is “pool hopping”: which means swimming in one of the pools at the resort you are visiting. There are some very strong opinions on the subject of “pool hopping” (which I am not going to get into in this post). Whether you agree with the idea or disagree with the idea, you should know that Disney only permits this in the following situations:

  1. DVC (Disney Vacation Club) members who are staying at one of the DVC resorts on points may pool hop to any other resort pool EXCEPT:  Stormalong Bay at the Yacht and Beach Club, the pool at Beach Club Villas, Bay Cove Pool at Bay Lake Tower (Contemporary), and the pools at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.
  2. Guests of the All Star Resorts may visit any other All Star Resort pool.
  3. Those staying at Port Orleans-Riverside and Port Orleans-French Quarter may use each other’s pool.
  4. Pool hopping is not likely to be permitted during any of the busy holidays, and you should always check with the front desk of your resort first.

So unless one of the above applies to you, it is best to assume that visiting any of the Disney resorts does NOT include visiting that resort’s pool. 🙂

One last thing to think about: at certain times of the year, visiting the Disney resorts is not only recommended, it is almost mandatory. If you are visiting during the Christmas season, be SURE to make the time to do this. You will not regret it!

OK, your turn! What do you think are the best things to “see” when visiting the Disney resorts?

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