Nicholas’ first trip to Disney, 2008
Once again, I freely admit to being cheap. Like, ridiculously cheap, but I prefer to look at it as being a “good steward of our finances.”
A little back story: We used to live in Florida and have been trying to get back for a visit ever since Abby was born, but money and Eddie’s lack of extra vacation time after taking paternity leave have kept us from going. I am making it my goal to get down there by this time next year spending as little money as humanly possible.
First sign up for a Disney Rewards Visa card. This is the only credit card we use. Use it instead of your ATM card for all of your everyday purchases and pay off the balance at the end of the month. This way you won’t rack up credit card debt and you will earn Disney Dollars. You earn $1 for every $100 you spend normally, but they run deals periodically where you can quadruple your points during certain weeks, etc. Just pay attention to those little fliers they send you in the mail.
In less than 2 years we’ve earned almost 300 Disney dollars, which is enough to pay for a day at the Magic Kingdom for our family. We have friends who have earned A LOT more than that. (I think they make their car payment and mortgage payment on the card every month and then just pay off the balance) You also get discounted merchandise at the Disney store. The more you earn the better because when you cash in your points they send you a gift card that you can use on anything from tickets to food in Disney World.
Next, sign up for the Holiday Inn’s Priority Club Rewards program. Why Holiday Inn? First, because there is a Holiday Inn located in Downtown Disney. Second there will also be Holiday Inns and even better Holiday Inn Expresses (more important because they will cost us less points), along the way for us to stop as we drive (yes, drive it’s way cheaper than buying four plane tickets and we won’t have to pay for a rental car once we get to Florida) from Pennsylvania to Orlando. Third, because we can earn lots of extra points with the way that their program is set up. Finally, the hotel in Orlando allows kids under 12 to eat for free.
Eddie signed up for the Holiday Inn rewards before this business trip and is racking up points that we don’t have to pay for because his company is paying for the hotels he is staying in while traveling for work. We can also earn points by doing our online shopping through their virtual “mall.” (I gave our family members the log-in information as well to help us earn points since my mom and grandmom are avid online shoppers and don’t mind helping.) If we pay for those online purchases with the Disney Visa we earn more Disney Dollars as well as hotel points. Double Whammy!
And Finally, here is some more stuff you should know about Disney World:
1. They don’t care if you bring your own food into the parks. I wouldn’t pack a picnic or anything, but their policy is very loose.
2. You can purchase special event tickets to things like the Not So Scary Halloween Party and Very Merry Christmas Party for about $50 (normal adult price for the Magic Kingdom is $82) and get special limited access to the Magic Kingdom during those events. That means cheaper admission, no lines, and special events like parades, trick or treating, and snow and free hot chocolate on main street. We have been to both of these events and highly recommend either one.
3. Downtown Disney has a free 3,000 square foot play area with Legos and huge Lego statues.
4. There is an entire website, MouseSavers.com, dedicated to sharing good deals at Disney World.
5. Some Disney area restaurants like Tod English’s Bluezoo and the House of Blues participate in Restaurant.com. When restaurant.com runs their frequent 80% off sales you can get a $25 gift certificate for $2.
There you have it. You totally can take your family to Disney World without spending tons of money just by making your daily purchases work a little harder for you. And I intend to.
Disney World has given us some great family memories and I want to include Abby in the tradition.
I was not compensated by Disney or the Holiday Inn, just trying to spread the love 🙂
Great advice! Work smart not harder right? 🙂