For a lot of families across the globe, a trip to one of the many Disney Resorts requires years of planning and saving. Thankfully Disney makes it easy by providing a Vacation Planner feature on it’s web site.
Choosing the Right Hotel Room
The Disney Vacation Planner allows guests to choose their vacation package and customize their Disney experience based on a budget. One way to make Disney more affordable is to plan your visit during the off season.
Fall, winter, and early spring usually are the months of the year to look for deals on Disney Hotel Room rates and vacation packages. Disney Hotel Room Rates are seasonal being that Disneyland Park is most visited during the summer months leaving the fall and winter open with smaller crowds and better deals.
Of course holidays are the exception to getting seasonal deals as they attract a large amount of visitors. The biggest of which are Halloween and Christmas to which Disney goes all out for with decorations, extended hours, and special attractions to entice local Southern California residents to visit.
Don’t Over Spend on Food
Once you have settled on a vacation plan, or your hotel and Disney Passes for your trip you may want to consider how much money to spend on souvenirs and snacks while visiting the parks. At every turn you will see opportunities to shop and twice as many to buy a snack. Fortunately, Disney Parks allow guests to bring in their own snacks.
Of course who can resist the lure of the fresh baked goods while strolling down Main Street or freshly popped popcorn from the street vendors. It might be best to tell the kids they get one snack treat and then ask them what they want the most.
From Mickey Mouse Shaped ice creams to cookies as big as you fist, Disney has it all. You could literally eat all day and not eat the same thing again.
Disney Resorts are also one of the few parks that let you bring snacks into the the parks. Purchase some snacks at the local grocery store for a special treat for the kids and then have them pick just one special snack that you purchase in the park each day to eat.
You can also look into meal plans that are provided by Disney to help you budget your vacation funds. Dining plans range from Character Dining, Premium Character Dining, and other packages that include 6-15 dining choices per person package. Child prices are considerably less than the adults.
Saving on Souvenirs
Another tip to doing Disney on a budget is give each child, and perhaps adult, a spending limit during their visit. By setting a spending limit you can maximize the experience without breaking the piggy bank. If you can, try and keep the spending for the end of the visit.
This way everyone will know exactly what souvenir they want to remember the visit and nobody will be saddled with bags while standing in line for the attractions. If you are a guest of one of the Disney Hotels you can use your room key to make your purchases while having them automatically sent to your room so you don’t have to tote them around the parks.
Want to get more information on a Disney Vacation, order your own Disney Vacation Planning DVD
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By Daniel, Free Stuff Finder Contributor
