I have written in the past about saving money on Disney souvenirs, since we all know that the souvenir thing may very well be one of the hardest costs to control on vacation. I’ve become its victim, and I’m sure you have too! “Oh-my-gosh, that is the cutest <fill-in-the-blank> ever, I just have to have it!”
Gulp…. You know you’ve said it too, admit it…. 🙂
OK, so now that we have that out of the way, lets talk today about character autographs. Read more
A little over two years ago, I had the crazy idea to start a blog about Walt Disney World. A number of things contributed to this, but the main reasons were probably a couple of questions that I get asked a lot:
Having a friend who knew all about blogs and such, I was encouraged to share my love for the Mouse and my desire to answer those questions, by starting a little blog of my own. First hosted over on Blogger.com, I quickly realized all the things that my little site could do and be, so before long I made the decision to become a “grown-up” website and www.theaffordablemouse.com was born. Read more
Greeting Disney Friends! Today’s tour of the Disney blog-world finds several winter and Holiday related posts, 
some new ways to make your Disney vacation more affordable, and some articles that are just plain fun! I had a blast reading all of these this week and I hope you will too! So get a great big glass of eggnog (spike it if you wish 🙂 ) and sit back and enjoy your weekly round-up of Disney fun!
Starting with our friends at Chip and Company, Brenda (yes “our Brenda”) had two awesome articles about how she keeps the Disney spirit alive at home: My Disney Dream Office and A Very Merry Disney Christmas…at Home!
And Ken had another installment in his series Oldies But Goodies – Keeping The Vacation Affordable (thanks for the shout-out Ken!)
Disney Dispatch offered some great park-touring Tips from the Disney Diva: My Favorite Things, Episode 03
Have you seen how cold it has been in Walt Disney World this week? Fortunately, if you are going and you forget a hat, the Disney Parks Blog has a few ways for you to stay warm: Winter Hats at the Parks: Do You Have a Favorite?
Kelly over at the Disney Guru had some interesting things to share this week. You can find out just how “Disney” you are in Tuesday’s top ten signs you are a Disney geek (and evidently, I am a pretty major Disney geek…. 🙂 )and in Keeping Up With The Magic she had some great ideas on how to keep your Disney vacations fresh (and I learned a few new things too!)
Disney Food Blog gave me some inspiration for our trip in a few weeks. I think my husband is going to enjoy the Holiday Brewer’s Collection Booths in Epcot and this post just added to my already lengthy “must eat” food list: Things I Learned at the Funnel Cake Stand
Growing Up Disney also had multiple helpful articles this week. Team Post: What’s the Best Age for a Child’s First WDW Visit? provided some great guidelines. And if you have ever wondered what would happen if you or someone in your group became sick or injured while at Disney World, then you will want to read Wow, am I glad you’re here!
Shannon at Meltdown Free Disney has an extremely timely post for how to handle things when your kids ask the “big questions”. In Getting Real About Pretending she shows how to handle the situation with gentleness and understanding.
You may be walking a lot at Disney World, but many want to keep to an actual exercise schedule. Pop Century Fan Site has some suggestions if you are staying there: Exercise at Pop Century Resort
In the spirit of the season, Traveling Mamas has some great ideas for Affordable Travel Gifts
Looking for some Holiday fun to share with your family? WDW Daily News tells us how Disney Online Puts Fun and Ease into Holiday Planning with the New ‘All Things Merry: A Guide to the Holidays’
Finally, we were pleased to be part of the latest Disney Blog Carnival #14 where you can find even MORE great Disney bloggers, blogs, and blog posts.
Happy reading and happy weekend! 🙂
Grab your coffee and put your feet up, it’s time to see what the Disney Blog-World had for us this past week. I loved all these posts and I am sure you 
will too! 🙂
To start off, in case you missed my profile earlier this week, Bob at Disney Dispatch has a fantastic series on all of the food at the Food and Wine Festival: Country Cuisine Confidential 2010: All You Need to Know About All There Is to Eat and Drink at the Food & Wine Festival. If you have never been to Food and Wine Festival, do yourself a favor and read this before you go!
Bruce from A WORLD VIEW… Enjoying Walt Disney World discusses how Back Stage Tours provide a deeper, more meaningful experience at Walt Disney World – and it’s fun too.
Always sharing great information related to Disney dining, AJ over at the Disney Food Blog offers some important Tips for Picky Eaters in Disney Parks
Disney 4 Dads has a very touching article this week: Everything I Wanted to Know about Life, I Learned at Disney World
Growing Up Disney has lots of great Disney info if you have little ones to plan for. This is part 2 of a series on *cranky* kids: Minnie Moms: Cranky Kids Part 2
If you haven’t yet seen the great new video series that Chip and Co.and Imaginerding.com have teamed up together on, make sure you find out What’s a Deek? and watch the first installment. Number two will be ready soon!
Chip and Co.also provided some great information in How to prepare your Kids for their First Disney World Vacation as well as some very valuable advice for those of you who may be new to this whole Disney thing: A Disney FastPass Rundown
Lastly, if you missed it earlier this week, take a peek at my post at Chip and Co: Disney + Creativity + Saving Money = Autograph Book Magic
Alrighty everyone: Have a magical weekend!
A number of promotions are set to run out shortly, including Disney’s FREE Dining which must be booked by mid-August. Be sure to make your reservations now so you don’t miss out!
Take a look at the savings from using Restaurant.com at selected Disney property restaurants! In addition, Expedia.com is still running a special Disney sale that you should check out. And be sure to also note the great sales at DisneyStore.com, Hotels.com, and Travelocity for some great ways to save money.
I also want to remind everyone that there is some internet rumbling going on that Disney *may* be raising their ticket prices…..as they have done every year for the past several years….on the first Sunday in August….which is right around the corner. If you have plans to visit Disney World at any point in the future, you can save yourself some money buying tickets now: they won’t expire until you start using them! Undercover Tourist is my recommended source for discounted Disney tickets, as they are reliable, helpful, and offer free shipping. Again, if you can, save yourself some money by getting your tickets before the price increase!
Did you know that you can use Restaurant.com Gift Certificates to save up to 60% off on some meals at Walt Disney World? When you go to the Restaurant.com site and enter “Lake Buena Vista, FL” into the search field, you will find the following Disney property restaurants participating: Todd English’s bluezoo, House of Blues, Garden Grove, Kimonos, Shula’s Steak House , and Il Mulino New York Trattoria.
This is a fantastic promotion that they are currently running: Save 80% Off Restaurant.com $25 Gift Cert. Use code PLATE and pay $2 through 7/31/10. Seriously….paying $2 for a $25 gift certificate???
You can also use Restaurant.com Gift Certificates for local restaurants or any place you happen to be traveling. We have used the certificates on a number of occasions: it’s easy and it is a great way to save money! This is a great chance to stock up for gifts, and get a few for yourself, in addition to using some for your Disney vacation.
Make your Disney items a little more special: Free Personalization Sitewide at DisneyStore.com with Promo Code: FREEPZ.
The Twice Upon a Year Sale is still in effect. Don’t miss the chance to Save up to 50% on over 400 items!
Don’t forget: Buying Disney items at home BEFORE your Disney trip is a great way to save money. 
And you can now save $50 when you become a Disney Rewards Visa Cardmember at DisneyStore.com
Expedia is running a Disney Spotlight where you can find great deals for your vacation, including resorts from $89! – Expires 8/7/10
You may also want to take a look at the Family Getaways for special deals on the top 10 family vacations of which, of course, the Orlando area is one! Save up to 40% on hotels! – Expires 8/21/10
This is a great way to add some money to your vacation: Get a $50 prepaid MasterCard® card with a 3+ night stay at participating hotels! – Expires 7/27/10
In addition, you will want to check out the Expedia Summer Vacation Sale: New Deals & the Lowest hotel prices of the season! – Expires 7/27/10
Travelocity has a great promotion that is valid through the end of July: Orlando Makes Me Smile! $50 off a 3+ night GoodBuy hotel booking to Orlando, Use PROMOCODE: SMILE50. Ends 7/31/10.
You might also want to check out this promotion to see if it is a savings for you: Find Top Secret Hotels in Orlando and save up to 45%.
Summer Sale – Save up to 40% on hotels. Plus book 4+ nights at select hotels and get a free Flip™ camcorder! Use code FLIP5 at checkout.
That’s it for this week. Happy savings!