The elephant in the room! That was gold. You have a great sense of humor and we all need to laugh a little. Thank you for fun tips! Paying off as you go with gift cards is great
Dining tip: SHARE! especially effective for couples! We usually order one appy and one entree and share. That way we'll often have room for dessert too ;)
before a disney trip..i buy $5 disney t-shirts at five below..one for every day of my trip..then i have a shirt for everyday and I feel I got a souvenir
When we went for the Christmas party, I bought one of those Christmas light necklaces from there, it wasn't that much different from the ones they sell at the party (even had the different blink settings) for only $5 instead of $15+. Five Below is a great place to get Disney stuff, a little higher quality than the dollar store but still a bargain.
I love talking how to budget Disney! The tip on using a travel agent is a great one! I now refer everyone I know to a Disney travel agent who goes through the extra step of checking for new discounts on your trip every time Disney releases a new one. I almost wish I had used them, it saves you from making so many mistakes. One thing to mention is the value resorts have family suites. I stayed at one back in 2012 at all star music. Before then I did not know they existed. 2 bathrooms (toilets too!) and a dedicated room for the parents. They also have a small area with a fridge and a microwave too so you can eat breakfast there. It's not as nice as a DVC villa but sleeps 6. On park hoppers I was told to never add them. If you want to hop parks after you get there, you can add it to that day's ticket by going to guest services. Many think they have to add them to all the days, but it's not true. I stopped doing it and realized that I used to pay for a 7 day park hopper and only use it 1 or 2 days. When our kids were little we used to buy Disney "souvenirs" locally or online for them and would give them to them to bring to the parks, so they felt like they got something special (which worked for a couple of years). I would even make Rice Krispy treats and cut them with a Mickey cookie cutter and would bring them for snacks to the park. We are glad we get to do the "adulting" version of Disney now, but those "budget" days make up some of our fondest memories.
I've never commented on a TH-cam video in my life, but literally laughed out loud at acknowledging the elephant in the room! So glad to have found your channel in the past couple of weeks.
OMG... elephant in the room 😂😂 That was amazing! Thank you for posting these daily videos 💜💜 My daughter and I have created videos too while we’re at home during this time, also hoping to give others a break from the news 💕
Stayed at the Hilton Lake Buena Vista a few years ago for a conference - really liked it. Hotel was very nice, pool area was excellent, and there's a walking path right to Disney Springs. If you love DS, and you're not necessarily a rope-drop to fireworks kind of vacationer, this would be an excellent option. Yes, they have park shuttles, however you could also take advantage of Disney transpo via DS. Of course, if you're renting a car, you can just drive yourself as well.
I had no idea discount tickets was an option! Super useful! I totally did pizza delivery one night because I was just so exhausted and it ended up being so great and fun and cheaper. Pizza in bed after a long long day is a great cheaper option. As someone who goes to the parks literally alllllll day the value rooms are great because I hardly spend any time at the resort. No shame in saving money by going to a value resort. Absolutely loved taking Disney gift cards leading up to my trip. It helped me budget dining and souvenirs.
We've stayed at Wyndham Bonnet Creek multiple times, and I have a room tour on my channel of a 2 bedroom deluxe on my channel from May of 2017. The resort itself is wonderful, and the units are spacious and lovely. The location can't be beat, and it's right there in the WDW area, so just a quick drive to everywhere. There's even a Walmart a few minutes away for picking up items for the kitchen and bathrooms. With two lazy rivers, multiple pools & hot tubs, not to mention all of the other amenities--well, it's just a great budget option for families that need more room but can't swing a big price tag. The main drawback now is not getting 60 days Fastpass booking, which is what takes me back to the small rooms at Pop. Pop is a favorite of ours, but WBC definitely wins for price, location, and elbow room. Another great video, Jen! Hugs, Kim
Thanks for another non Corona video!! I know I can use those!! We have also done amazing off site vacations. Just 30 day FP booking and driving to the parks. Can be just as fun and also a lot more relaxing. It feels like a lot of TH-cam Disney content is focused on staying onsite and all its perks. We have done that too, both are awesome and have its pro's and cons. So thank you, looking forward to the next video
I'm seriously considering renting an off property house for some time this summer as I agree with you - an off property trip can be just as magical and quite possibly more relaxing!
I've used a few ways to save mainly for the stay which like you said, can save you tonsss of money! I've stayed off property at the Disney affiliate hotel, Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace Disney Springs Area and highly recommend it. When the prices are low and they have their resort fee waived (which they seem to do often) I would suggest that rather than a value resort on property. It's an easy walk to disney springs for all sorts of food, they have a busing system just for that hotel to all the parks and disney springs, their pool is great (including a lazy river!), and they also have their own extra magic hours. Another way we save money is to RENT DVC points for deluxe resorts. It is still on the expensive side but you can save soo much more than booking a deluxe resort direct through disney. We just rented points and stayed in a 1 bedroom suite with a savanna view at AKV for half the cost you would have paid booking through Disney. I've only used David's Vacation Club Rentals but my cousin regularly rents direct with DVC owners through facebook groups. Another way to save on food is to have a set budget by purchasing a gift card in the park and then when it runs out, you've reached your park food budget for that day (you can obviously do this with cash too but cashless is easier IMO).
Fantastic hints, Lauren! Thank you! And I seriously need to start trying some off property hotels as those are a great option when you don't quite have enough DVC points for a stay or don't want to stay on a Friday or Saturday (when points are way higher). And I've used David's before as well, love them.
Great tips and awesome way to stay positive. We do very little buying drinks in the parks, we use the convenience of free ice water for us. We splurge on adult drinks here especially with dinner but we may have to scale that back on some upcoming vacations! Great info about the kids meals at Disney too! Have a great day! ~Dawn
Another option is to have a resort only day which allows families to save a day on purchasing theme park tickets -- enjoy your resort pool, Disney Springs, or maybe even miniature golf. The cost for tickets is reduced per day, but even a ten dollar savings adds up for large families -- and most families need a "break" during a "relaxing" Disney vacation. Nice video, Jen.
I know this is contrary to the spirit of the episode, but after many trips, we have found that the no park-hopper choice is just fine unless - and emphasize _unless_ - you are staying in the Disney Boardwalk area/Epcot Resort hotels, including the Dolphin/Swan, or you really care about about the evening dining options in Epcot World Showcase.
Hi Jen, I laughed out loud about the elephant in the room! Great tips and so helpful as positivity and HOPE is so vital right now! Thank you for all the love and work you put into these videos. You are a bright ray of sunshine!! --Susan
We absolutely LOVE Windsor Hills Resort. About 5 min. drive to Disney and gorgeous amenities. Last trip we rented a 6 bedroom pool home for $250 / night. So much more affordable for our large family than staying on property!! Only down-side was no 60 day fp window...
A tip that I don't hear talked about a lot: When booking a connecting room at the Swan/Dolphin only one resort fee is incurred. Three adjoining rooms? Yep, only one resort fee. This next bit of advice is more money-sucking then money-saving but when booking a deluxe room, like an alcove at the Swan/Dolphin you get access to Disney's Signature Services. This means you can purchase extra fast-passes. I'd much rather spend my money on fast passes than those tiny villas at The Beach Club.
We stayed there too via vacation strategy. Price sounded too good to be true when I booked but apartment was amazing and the property is so beautiful! This was a while ago (2015 I think), paid 1100 USD for 13 night for a deluxe 2 bedroom. Was very proud of myself for getting that deal ;)
Great tip - asking the travel agent about applying future discounts. Would not have thought about that. And the "elephant in the room" thing gave me a much needed laugh!! :-)
The elephant in the room absolutely cracked me up. Loved every part about this video Jen! I’d much rather drop from a Deluxe Resort to a Moderate and made some dining modifications than cancel the trip completely!!
Great video! Love all the tips. I always buy a few gifts during the year from the Disney store sales (Black Friday, after X-mas, Friends & Family) and store those. Then, when we get to Disney, each kiddo will have a present from Mickey on their pillow waiting for them when we arrive. It's a legit Disney gift, but at like 1/3 the cost. We also always do breakfast in our room - juice/milk and donuts/cereal to cut out one park meal a day. We also do 'in-park' souvenirs in the form of pressed pennies :)
I love buying Disney gift cards with my Target Red Card! I actually do a spreadsheet to figure out which meals will be quick service and which meals will be sit down, even checking menus, before we go. I get a gift card to cover all our meals and snacks (daily Mickey ice cream bars are a MUST!) and I love not having a credit card balance to pay off when I get home.
Awesome tips, lady! I'm def thinking hard about what I'm doing for our June visit & if we're going to move it back to September for spooky season. Thank you for all the amazing videos & being so wonderful!
I just stumbled acrossed your channel. You are a ray of sunshine! We are taking my toddler in April of 2021 with his grandparents and we are so excited. It will be his first trip. We have done Disney many of times before but this will be our first with a child :)
Thanks! Some off the wall ideas for future vids; top 10 favorite Disney movies; fave Disney songs; foods you love and foods you dislike; if you could create your own Disney character what would that look like; if you could only keep one pair of mouse ears which would you pick.
I got plush Steamboat Willie Mickey and Minnie off property at one of the nearby Publix. If you always bring your car it's a good option. Edit- also since alot of the sit down restaurant dinners can be huge- def take it back to your room and it can last another meal.
We are big fans of saving $ by eating a kid’s meal - love that you get 2 sides and a drink! We also do bring breakfast food and we are fans of splitting meals because those adult portions are HUGE! Great tips!
Great tips. We love staying on property and since there are only 2 of us we decided a long time ago to always stay at a value resort. For the price we save on rooms it pays for our meals, which we will tend to split so we can eat more variety of things through out the day. We also mostly do counter service meals with a few favorite table service restaurants (sci-fi) which we also split so we can have milkshakes :-) Priorities, you know. :-) You really can save money if you put a little work into planning your trip. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for the uplifting videos! I look forward to watching them every night. It's the bright spot of my day. We have a trip to Disneyland planned in May. Keeping my fingers crossed it happens.
Thanks for keeping us all going and our spirits high 😃 We really enjoyed our stay at Homewood Suites by Hilton Orlando Theme Parks (on Westwood Blvd) on our last trip - a great choice for off property!
A couple tips I use to save money for Disney vacation are 1) Disney reward credit card to get money to use on a Disney vacation (or any other credit card with cash back or travel perks you can allocate towards your trip) and 2) When I shop online I used Rakuten (formerly ebates) to earn cash back and use that towards my vacation.
Great tips. We have an end of May trip planned and I'm holding my breath because I've been planning for a year. Another tip I have is you can use discounted gift cards to even pay DVC dues! We buy the gift cards when our credit card gives 5% back so we save a good amount. Every little bit helps!
Thanks for the video, Jen! Great tips. I've used Undercover Tourist for years, always great service. I am a big on-property gal but did do two (separate) off -property stays for one night last year. The first was off of 192 and I must say the local traffic down there was horrible, and for that reason wouldn't stay in that area again. More recently I stayed at the Clarion Lake Buena Vista just up beyond the Hotel Plaza Blvd area, much better experience overall and generally felt closer to the World.
I look forward to watching your daily video every night as I shut my mind off! Great tips for saving money! We have our next trip planned for November 2020 and its definately a budget friendly vacation. I'm using the target gift card idea frequently online and applying it to my Disney balance.
During my first solo trip in Jan I ate some kids meals; it was perfect and I had a small bottle of water and saved my grapes as a snack as the meal portion was perfect. Really like videos like these thank you
Thanks Jen! Our trip was scheduled to start on 3/14 😔. We did decide to postpone right before Disney announced the closures so that helped our agent get us rebooked for after school lets out... But anyway, WHENEVER we get back there I am looking forward to fewer sit down meals and more kids meals/snacks. I feel it will save us time and money. When our kids were littler I felt one sit down meal a day helped us rest and cool off so they could enjoy the parks a little longer. I also love the Target RedCard discount for gift cards. It's not a huge discount, but it is better than nothing!
Great video! We did almost all these things on our trip this past September. We stayed at the best western in the Disney springs area. It has the extra Disney perks like 60 day fast pass booking. We had friends that were suppose to leave on Saturday 😭 They’re thinking of rescheduling for September. Maybe we’ll be able to go with them with these great tips! 🤞
This was great! I really love having these videos to look forward to! Love talking Disney...definitely puts me in a hopeful mood! These are great tips I will put to good use!
I love me some discounts!! Although, we probably won’t be going until next October, I love these tips! We love staying in the Disney Springs resort area because some have the same benefits as on property. We have stayed at Wyndham Garden, which is walking distance from Disney Springs and has been our go-to for our December trips.
Great vlog!👍❤👏 We have use most of the tips mentioned. I hope people use Undercover Tourist and Mouse Savers they are both great sights to be subscribed to. Thanks for sharing your money saving tips👍❤❤😏🤔😊
This was in 2015 but that summer my Mom and I did a girls trip and we stayed at Avanti International Resort. Shuttle to not only Disney but also Universal.
We have stayed at the Marriott village off property. There are three hotels to choose from. They have a Courtyard, Fairfield Inn, and Spring Hill suites. The hotels have Security and the village is gated. The best part is the hotels are right by the outlet mall with the Disney character warehouse. You can save a lot of money getting your souvenirs at the character warehouse instead of buying them at the parks.
I have a trip booked mid May at pop century. It would be In addition to two dVC trips this year because we have annual passes for the first time. And Ive never been to the flower and garden festival. If that trip does happen it will be budget all the way so this video was perfect!
Love these tips! I think I must always do Disney on a budget bc I stay off property and don’t have a park hopper and I’m always just as happy as can be (& so fiscally responsible 😄😄😄)! I’m going to the Halloween Party with some family this year 🎃 and I love the idea of the Tinkerbell gifts 🧚🏻 So smart!
We're hoping our May trip is still on. We drive most of the time, so we go to Publix and Walmart for breakfast foods, snacks and drinks. We also get a few souvenirs. Our biggest souvenir savings is going to Disney Character Warehouse. They have Disney Parks items. We have found some things that were still in the parks at a fraction of the costs. They also accept Disney gift cards!
We actually enjoy staying at Airbnb rentals... we're 6 hours away, drive so we have transportation, and have annual passes.... so they make good choices for much less $$ when we're not necessarily doing parks every day all day!!
We get a penny pressed wallet outside the parks for under 10.00 and bring a roll of quarters and shiny new pennies and do the pressed pennies everywhere and between that and the autograph book, that is a very inexpensive souvenier.
I love these tips and I’ll be sharing your video with my mom and sister-in-law as we are planning a big extended family trip in 2021! One thing about the kid’s meals- I was on the quick service dining plan on our most recent trip (March 6-11). At some QS locations I was able to use my quick service credit for a kid’s meal (like Satu’li Canteen), but other places (notably Woody’s Lunchbox) I was not permitted to do so! I was told I would need to pay out of pocket if I wanted the kid’s meal. I’m not a huge eater and really prefer smaller, healthier options, so I was disappointed by that! I’m not sure we will do the dining plan next time for that reason.
For our last trip in November’19 I found that buying the discounted gift cards to purchase my BF’s park tickets was cheaper than going through a 3rd party ticket service. This was all due to the added fees that are charged at the end. So always make sure to check and recheck pricing.
Excellent point! I've also noticed it depends on the type of ticket you're getting - for a park hopper the math sometimes works out but for just a base ticket it's rarely of much benefit.
We have a great travel agent and she's always on top of any deals and discounts that come out! So sad I think we have to move our April trip to November :( but I want to upgrade hahaha as now ill have more time to save lol.
If the elephant in the room could fly us to the germ-free Disney bubble..... I saved money with the Four Park Magic Pass.The ticket is active for seven days; during that period you have single day admission to each of the four parks (can visit each park only once). The basic adult price is about $72 dollars lower than a regular four day pass (some differences based on the time of year). It provides just enough time in the parks and leaves time for Disney Springs, a pool or resort hopping day...and some souvenir or adult beverage money for me 🍹
I love the gift card idea! My local grocery store gives us 4x fuel points on gift card purchases. So, a $500 Disney Gift Card gets me a free tank of gas!
Great question! Actually you can! The exception would be at a buffet, but you can absolutely order off the kids meal at any table service restaurant where you order ala carte.
I highly recommend a twitter diet during this time. It can be very bad for anxiety. I know you can’t drop it altogether because you need it for work but you might consider really limiting how much time you spend there at the moment. I am staying away because it was really upsetting me. I hope you are doing well and all of your dear ones are safe & healthy.
Ahh! I wish I could better understand the role of a travel agent. We have booked a DW vacation for Oct (not sure how COVID and our daughter's college will affect that) with an agent we've been through before. We've paid our deposit (we can get that back if we can't go, right?). Our agent found a package for us, but it sounds like it's up to us to find the discounts. Is a Travel Agent worth going through next time?? or should I do my own planning/booking? One idea for Disney gift cards is using the "Shopkick" app.:) I have yet to find out how I can redeem my points (only by e-gift card? or can I transfer that e-card toward my bill? Not sure yet). I would enjoy hearing a topic on your channel about shopping at the Disney Character Outlet. I've never been. Is it worth it?:) Love your purple Minnie ears!! Thanks! Lesa
lrb If you have a vacation package you generally have 30 days before your trip to get a refund. If it’s a room only you have 5 days before u arrive to get a refund. I’m almost certain the travel agent would have to call Disney to cancel on your behalf. You can’t make any changes with Disney when you book with a travel agent as far as your package or having to do with resorts. The Character Warehouse is definitely worth the visit. :)
@@MultiSUNFLOWER18 If we keep our current Disney package and I happen to see a discount that Disney is offering on, for instance, our rooms - do you know if Disney would give me the discount if I call them? Or no since I went through a travel agent? Thx!!
One of my new favorite money saving deals is booking a bounceback/future stay discount. If I’m on a trip, and know I have another trip within the next year I’ll call x8844 from my room phone and book a nice discount for those trips. Was able to save 30% off of our two coming trips which saved us several thousand dollars over the two trips. This was especially useful since my husband and I are staying at Poly, and Poly rarely has a good discount.
The elephant in the room! That was gold. You have a great sense of humor and we all need to laugh a little. Thank you for fun tips! Paying off as you go with gift cards is great
Dining tip: SHARE! especially effective for couples! We usually order one appy and one entree and share. That way we'll often have room for dessert too ;)
before a disney trip..i buy $5 disney t-shirts at five below..one for every day of my trip..then i have a shirt for everyday and I feel I got a souvenir
When we went for the Christmas party, I bought one of those Christmas light necklaces from there, it wasn't that much different from the ones they sell at the party (even had the different blink settings) for only $5 instead of $15+. Five Below is a great place to get Disney stuff, a little higher quality than the dollar store but still a bargain.
I love talking how to budget Disney! The tip on using a travel agent is a great one! I now refer everyone I know to a Disney travel agent who goes through the extra step of checking for new discounts on your trip every time Disney releases a new one. I almost wish I had used them, it saves you from making so many mistakes. One thing to mention is the value resorts have family suites. I stayed at one back in 2012 at all star music. Before then I did not know they existed. 2 bathrooms (toilets too!) and a dedicated room for the parents. They also have a small area with a fridge and a microwave too so you can eat breakfast there. It's not as nice as a DVC villa but sleeps 6. On park hoppers I was told to never add them. If you want to hop parks after you get there, you can add it to that day's ticket by going to guest services. Many think they have to add them to all the days, but it's not true. I stopped doing it and realized that I used to pay for a 7 day park hopper and only use it 1 or 2 days. When our kids were little we used to buy Disney "souvenirs" locally or online for them and would give them to them to bring to the parks, so they felt like they got something special (which worked for a couple of years). I would even make Rice Krispy treats and cut them with a Mickey cookie cutter and would bring them for snacks to the park. We are glad we get to do the "adulting" version of Disney now, but those "budget" days make up some of our fondest memories.
I've never commented on a TH-cam video in my life, but literally laughed out loud at acknowledging the elephant in the room! So glad to have found your channel in the past couple of weeks.
I’m honored to be your first comment!!!! Woohoo! I’m very glad you’re here, Kayla, thank you.🥰
OMG... elephant in the room 😂😂 That was amazing! Thank you for posting these daily videos 💜💜 My daughter and I have created videos too while we’re at home during this time, also hoping to give others a break from the news 💕
Stayed at the Hilton Lake Buena Vista a few years ago for a conference - really liked it. Hotel was very nice, pool area was excellent, and there's a walking path right to Disney Springs. If you love DS, and you're not necessarily a rope-drop to fireworks kind of vacationer, this would be an excellent option. Yes, they have park shuttles, however you could also take advantage of Disney transpo via DS. Of course, if you're renting a car, you can just drive yourself as well.
I had no idea discount tickets was an option! Super useful!
I totally did pizza delivery one night because I was just so exhausted and it ended up being so great and fun and cheaper. Pizza in bed after a long long day is a great cheaper option.
As someone who goes to the parks literally alllllll day the value rooms are great because I hardly spend any time at the resort. No shame in saving money by going to a value resort.
Absolutely loved taking Disney gift cards leading up to my trip. It helped me budget dining and souvenirs.
We've stayed at Wyndham Bonnet Creek multiple times, and I have a room tour on my channel of a 2 bedroom deluxe on my channel from May of 2017. The resort itself is wonderful, and the units are spacious and lovely. The location can't be beat, and it's right there in the WDW area, so just a quick drive to everywhere. There's even a Walmart a few minutes away for picking up items for the kitchen and bathrooms. With two lazy rivers, multiple pools & hot tubs, not to mention all of the other amenities--well, it's just a great budget option for families that need more room but can't swing a big price tag. The main drawback now is not getting 60 days Fastpass booking, which is what takes me back to the small rooms at Pop. Pop is a favorite of ours, but WBC definitely wins for price, location, and elbow room. Another great video, Jen! Hugs, Kim
Thanks for these money saving tips. I already use a lot of these tips but it's always nice to learn new ones.
Thanks for another non Corona video!! I know I can use those!! We have also done amazing off site vacations. Just 30 day FP booking and driving to the parks. Can be just as fun and also a lot more relaxing. It feels like a lot of TH-cam Disney content is focused on staying onsite and all its perks. We have done that too, both are awesome and have its pro's and cons. So thank you, looking forward to the next video
I'm seriously considering renting an off property house for some time this summer as I agree with you - an off property trip can be just as magical and quite possibly more relaxing!
I've used a few ways to save mainly for the stay which like you said, can save you tonsss of money! I've stayed off property at the Disney affiliate hotel, Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace Disney Springs Area and highly recommend it. When the prices are low and they have their resort fee waived (which they seem to do often) I would suggest that rather than a value resort on property. It's an easy walk to disney springs for all sorts of food, they have a busing system just for that hotel to all the parks and disney springs, their pool is great (including a lazy river!), and they also have their own extra magic hours. Another way we save money is to RENT DVC points for deluxe resorts. It is still on the expensive side but you can save soo much more than booking a deluxe resort direct through disney. We just rented points and stayed in a 1 bedroom suite with a savanna view at AKV for half the cost you would have paid booking through Disney. I've only used David's Vacation Club Rentals but my cousin regularly rents direct with DVC owners through facebook groups. Another way to save on food is to have a set budget by purchasing a gift card in the park and then when it runs out, you've reached your park food budget for that day (you can obviously do this with cash too but cashless is easier IMO).
Fantastic hints, Lauren! Thank you! And I seriously need to start trying some off property hotels as those are a great option when you don't quite have enough DVC points for a stay or don't want to stay on a Friday or Saturday (when points are way higher). And I've used David's before as well, love them.
Great tips and awesome way to stay positive. We do very little buying drinks in the parks, we use the convenience of free ice water for us. We splurge on adult drinks here especially with dinner but we may have to scale that back on some upcoming vacations! Great info about the kids meals at Disney too! Have a great day! ~Dawn
🐘😂 Thank you for your daily videos and all the tips!!
Thank you Jen!
Trip is booked for July. My hopes are high! Tough times can’t last forever! 🙌🏿Thanks for this video!
I'm hoping to be there in July as well so fingers crossed, Tiffany!
Another option is to have a resort only day which allows families to save a day on purchasing theme park tickets -- enjoy your resort pool, Disney Springs, or maybe even miniature golf. The cost for tickets is reduced per day, but even a ten dollar savings adds up for large families -- and most families need a "break" during a "relaxing" Disney vacation. Nice video, Jen.
I know this is contrary to the spirit of the episode, but after many trips, we have found that the no park-hopper choice is just fine unless - and emphasize _unless_ - you are staying in the Disney Boardwalk area/Epcot Resort hotels, including the Dolphin/Swan, or you really care about about the evening dining options in Epcot World Showcase.
Hi Jen, I laughed out loud about the elephant in the room! Great tips and so helpful as positivity and HOPE is so vital right now! Thank you for all the love and work you put into these videos. You are a bright ray of sunshine!! --Susan
We absolutely LOVE Windsor Hills Resort. About 5 min. drive to Disney and gorgeous amenities. Last trip we rented a 6 bedroom pool home for $250 / night. So much more affordable for our large family than staying on property!! Only down-side was no 60 day fp window...
Yes, I've considered renting a house many times, Jenn!
A tip that I don't hear talked about a lot: When booking a connecting room at the Swan/Dolphin only one resort fee is incurred. Three adjoining rooms? Yep, only one resort fee. This next bit of advice is more money-sucking then money-saving but when booking a deluxe room, like an alcove at the Swan/Dolphin you get access to Disney's Signature Services. This means you can purchase extra fast-passes. I'd much rather spend my money on fast passes than those tiny villas at The Beach Club.
I had no idea! Great tip!
The elephant in the room 😂 And YES to Wyndham Bonnet Creek! 🙌🏼 Can’t say enough good things!!!
Wyndham not Hilton. Grrrrr. Thanks for making a great video I could refer people to!
We stayed there too via vacation strategy. Price sounded too good to be true when I booked but apartment was amazing and the property is so beautiful! This was a while ago (2015 I think), paid 1100 USD for 13 night for a deluxe 2 bedroom. Was very proud of myself for getting that deal ;)
Thank Jen! And thank you to your TH-cam subscribers... I read all the comments & got a few other cost saving ideas from them.
Great tip - asking the travel agent about applying future discounts. Would not have thought about that. And the "elephant in the room" thing gave me a much needed laugh!! :-)
Yeah getting kind of worn out from “the rona” so figured we all needed a laugh and a break!
The elephant in the room absolutely cracked me up. Loved every part about this video Jen! I’d much rather drop from a Deluxe Resort to a Moderate and made some dining modifications than cancel the trip completely!!
You’re the best advisor I can think of for a WDW vacation. A+++
What a nice compliment, Mary! thank you!
Great video! Love all the tips. I always buy a few gifts during the year from the Disney store sales (Black Friday, after X-mas, Friends & Family) and store those. Then, when we get to Disney, each kiddo will have a present from Mickey on their pillow waiting for them when we arrive. It's a legit Disney gift, but at like 1/3 the cost. We also always do breakfast in our room - juice/milk and donuts/cereal to cut out one park meal a day. We also do 'in-park' souvenirs in the form of pressed pennies :)
Love all this valuable info! Thanks for keeping up with the positivity for us all :)
I love buying Disney gift cards with my Target Red Card! I actually do a spreadsheet to figure out which meals will be quick service and which meals will be sit down, even checking menus, before we go. I get a gift card to cover all our meals and snacks (daily Mickey ice cream bars are a MUST!) and I love not having a credit card balance to pay off when I get home.
Such a timely video, Jen! Love this so much! The gift card hack is definitely my favorite.
Awesome tips, lady! I'm def thinking hard about what I'm doing for our June visit & if we're going to move it back to September for spooky season. Thank you for all the amazing videos & being so wonderful!
Awww thank YOU for being so amazing!!
I just stumbled acrossed your channel. You are a ray of sunshine! We are taking my toddler in April of 2021 with his grandparents and we are so excited. It will be his first trip. We have done Disney many of times before but this will be our first with a child :)
Oh my goodness, that sounds like a magical trip fOR SURE! Happy planning and I'm so glad you found me!
So inspiring as always. Love the “big dose of hope” message. It’s a reminder that things will go back to normal. Thank you. 🤗
YES.........use a travel agent. Coral and Allison are great choices......I use Tabitha at Pixie Vacations.....great choice.
Thanks! Some off the wall ideas for future vids; top 10 favorite Disney movies; fave Disney songs; foods you love and foods you dislike; if you could create your own Disney character what would that look like; if you could only keep one pair of mouse ears which would you pick.
I got plush Steamboat Willie Mickey and Minnie off property at one of the nearby Publix. If you always bring your car it's a good option.
Edit- also since alot of the sit down restaurant dinners can be huge- def take it back to your room and it can last another meal.
You are the avant garde of Disney TH-camrs the way you framed this video taking about what you talked about in the beginning! Score!
Omg I love that thank you!
YES! Budget Disney! We need Disney on a budget! Thank you for the ideas!
You are most welcome, Corrie!
Thank you for this space outside the rabbit hole.
Great tips! Thank you
We are big fans of saving $ by eating a kid’s meal - love that you get 2 sides and a drink! We also do bring breakfast food and we are fans of splitting meals because those adult portions are HUGE!
Great tips!
Great tips. We love staying on property and since there are only 2 of us we decided a long time ago to always stay at a value resort. For the price we save on rooms it pays for our meals, which we will tend to split so we can eat more variety of things through out the day. We also mostly do counter service meals with a few favorite table service restaurants (sci-fi) which we also split so we can have milkshakes :-) Priorities, you know. :-) You really can save money if you put a little work into planning your trip. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much! Your content is such a bright spot in my days.
I’m so glad!! Thank you for watching!
Another great video - Loved all the tips! You look so pretty in purple💜😊
Thank you for doing these videos !! Lots of great information !! 🙏
Thank you for the uplifting videos! I look forward to watching them every night. It's the bright spot of my day. We have a trip to Disneyland planned in May. Keeping my fingers crossed it happens.
Thanks for keeping us all going and our spirits high 😃
We really enjoyed our stay at Homewood Suites by Hilton Orlando Theme Parks (on Westwood Blvd) on our last trip - a great choice for off property!
A couple tips I use to save money for Disney vacation are 1) Disney reward credit card to get money to use on a Disney vacation (or any other credit card with cash back or travel perks you can allocate towards your trip) and 2) When I shop online I used Rakuten (formerly ebates) to earn cash back and use that towards my vacation.
Great tips. We have an end of May trip planned and I'm holding my breath because I've been planning for a year. Another tip I have is you can use discounted gift cards to even pay DVC dues! We buy the gift cards when our credit card gives 5% back so we save a good amount. Every little bit helps!
Thanks for the video, Jen! Great tips. I've used Undercover Tourist for years, always great service. I am a big on-property gal but did do two (separate) off -property stays for one night last year. The first was off of 192 and I must say the local traffic down there was horrible, and for that reason wouldn't stay in that area again. More recently I stayed at the Clarion Lake Buena Vista just up beyond the Hotel Plaza Blvd area, much better experience overall and generally felt closer to the World.
Love the daily videos. I know it's not your normal routine but we appreciate you.
I’m glad I can do it, Lashele!! Thank you for spending a few minutes with me!
Yes.......ANXIETY.....trying so hard to keep positive energy in the house while I’m home for 1 month.
I look forward to watching your daily video every night as I shut my mind off! Great tips for saving money! We have our next trip planned for November 2020 and its definately a budget friendly vacation. I'm using the target gift card idea frequently online and applying it to my Disney balance.
During my first solo trip in Jan I ate some kids meals; it was perfect and I had a small bottle of water and saved my grapes as a snack as the meal portion was perfect. Really like videos like these thank you
I'm so looking forward to these videos at this time in the world!! Thank you so much Jen
Happy to do it, Ashely! Thank you so much for watching!
Thanks Jen! Our trip was scheduled to start on 3/14 😔. We did decide to postpone right before Disney announced the closures so that helped our agent get us rebooked for after school lets out... But anyway, WHENEVER we get back there I am looking forward to fewer sit down meals and more kids meals/snacks. I feel it will save us time and money. When our kids were littler I felt one sit down meal a day helped us rest and cool off so they could enjoy the parks a little longer. I also love the Target RedCard discount for gift cards. It's not a huge discount, but it is better than nothing!
Right?? Better than nothing WE WILL TAKE!! I hope when your trip does finally happen it's the best ever!
Great info! ❤️😘
Great video! We did almost all these things on our trip this past September. We stayed at the best western in the Disney springs area. It has the extra Disney perks like 60 day fast pass booking. We had friends that were suppose to leave on Saturday 😭 They’re thinking of rescheduling for September. Maybe we’ll be able to go with them with these great tips! 🤞
So excited to "see" you again!!
Hurray!!! So glad to be seen, Alison!
This was great! I really love having these videos to look forward to! Love talking Disney...definitely puts me in a hopeful mood! These are great tips I will put to good use!
And a lot of them i use on all our trips even the fancy ones because who wants to spend more money then they have to?? Thanks for watching, Diana!
This was great.
Well thanks, Barb!
I love me some discounts!! Although, we probably won’t be going until next October, I love these tips! We love staying in the Disney Springs resort area because some have the same benefits as on property. We have stayed at Wyndham Garden, which is walking distance from Disney Springs and has been our go-to for our December trips.
All great, helpful tips 😁
I’m so glad, Alyssa!! Thanks for watching!🥰
Love this!
Great vlog!👍❤👏 We have use most of the tips mentioned. I hope people use Undercover Tourist and Mouse Savers they are both great sights to be subscribed to. Thanks for sharing your money saving tips👍❤❤😏🤔😊
This was in 2015 but that summer my Mom and I did a girls trip and we stayed at Avanti International Resort. Shuttle to not only Disney but also Universal.
All star music now has family suites that were recently refurbished and sleep 6 adults!
We have stayed at the Marriott village off property. There are three hotels to choose from. They have a Courtyard, Fairfield Inn, and Spring Hill suites. The hotels have Security and the village is gated. The best part is the hotels are right by the outlet mall with the Disney character warehouse. You can save a lot of money getting your souvenirs at the character warehouse instead of buying them at the parks.
I have a trip booked mid May at pop century. It would be In addition to two dVC trips this year because we have annual passes for the first time. And Ive never been to the flower and garden festival. If that trip does happen it will be budget all the way so this video was perfect!
Love these tips! I think I must always do Disney on a budget bc I stay off property and don’t have a park hopper and I’m always just as happy as can be (& so fiscally responsible 😄😄😄)! I’m going to the Halloween Party with some family this year 🎃 and I love the idea of the Tinkerbell gifts 🧚🏻 So smart!
For young ones it's a fantastic way to motivate good behavior and cut done on the gimmies!
We're hoping our May trip is still on. We drive most of the time, so we go to Publix and Walmart for breakfast foods, snacks and drinks. We also get a few souvenirs. Our biggest souvenir savings is going to Disney Character Warehouse. They have Disney Parks items. We have found some things that were still in the parks at a fraction of the costs. They also accept Disney gift cards!
I didn't realize that! How wonderful!
We love the Rosen center. Its lovely and not really all that expensive. Also, it's very close to SeaWorld
I have heard great things about that hotel! I know Victoria from Disney in Detail stays there sometimes.
We have stayed there as well. We are also DVC members but we were out of points so we booked Rosen to save some money. It turned out very well.
We actually enjoy staying at Airbnb rentals... we're 6 hours away, drive so we have transportation, and have annual passes.... so they make good choices for much less $$ when we're not necessarily doing parks every day all day!!
We get a penny pressed wallet outside the parks for under 10.00 and bring a roll of quarters and shiny new pennies and do the pressed pennies everywhere and between that and the autograph book, that is a very inexpensive souvenier.
I love these tips and I’ll be sharing your video with my mom and sister-in-law as we are planning a big extended family trip in 2021! One thing about the kid’s meals- I was on the quick service dining plan on our most recent trip (March 6-11). At some QS locations I was able to use my quick service credit for a kid’s meal (like Satu’li Canteen), but other places (notably Woody’s Lunchbox) I was not permitted to do so! I was told I would need to pay out of pocket if I wanted the kid’s meal. I’m not a huge eater and really prefer smaller, healthier options, so I was disappointed by that! I’m not sure we will do the dining plan next time for that reason.
That’s super dumb, Stephanie, and one more thing that makes me dislike the dining plan! Thanks for sharing the video and for telling me that!
Yeah, I was bummed! Luckily I have a husband that doesn’t mind taking care of my leftovers! 😉
For our last trip in November’19 I found that buying the discounted gift cards to purchase my BF’s park tickets was cheaper than going through a 3rd party ticket service. This was all due to the added fees that are charged at the end. So always make sure to check and recheck pricing.
Excellent point! I've also noticed it depends on the type of ticket you're getting - for a park hopper the math sometimes works out but for just a base ticket it's rarely of much benefit.
I didn’t think Target was still giving the discount on gift cards anymore.. awesome news
We have a great travel agent and she's always on top of any deals and discounts that come out! So sad I think we have to move our April trip to November :( but I want to upgrade hahaha as now ill have more time to save lol.
That’s a fabulous way to look at it!!
If the elephant in the room could fly us to the germ-free Disney bubble..... I saved money with the Four Park Magic Pass.The ticket is active for seven days; during that period you have single day admission to each of the four parks (can visit each park only once). The basic adult price is about $72 dollars lower than a regular four day pass (some differences based on the time of year). It provides just enough time in the parks and leaves time for Disney Springs, a pool or resort hopping day...and some souvenir or adult beverage money for me 🍹
I forgot about that! Thank you for mentioning it, Kelly!
We are booked for early May and I’m staying at a Disney property for work extra days and not sure if we are going....ughhhhhhh....
I love the gift card idea! My local grocery store gives us 4x fuel points on gift card purchases. So, a $500 Disney Gift Card gets me a free tank of gas!
That sounds like a total win!!!
I’m assuming that adults can only buy kids meals at quick service restaurants and not at table service, correct?
Great question! Actually you can! The exception would be at a buffet, but you can absolutely order off the kids meal at any table service restaurant where you order ala carte.
I highly recommend a twitter diet during this time. It can be very bad for anxiety. I know you can’t drop it altogether because you need it for work but you might consider really limiting how much time you spend there at the moment. I am staying away because it was really upsetting me. I hope you are doing well and all of your dear ones are safe & healthy.
Ahh! I wish I could better understand the role of a travel agent. We have booked a DW vacation for Oct (not sure how COVID and our daughter's college will affect that) with an agent we've been through before. We've paid our deposit (we can get that back if we can't go, right?). Our agent found a package for us, but it sounds like it's up to us to find the discounts. Is a Travel Agent worth going through next time?? or should I do my own planning/booking? One idea for Disney gift cards is using the "Shopkick" app.:) I have yet to find out how I can redeem my points (only by e-gift card? or can I transfer that e-card toward my bill? Not sure yet). I would enjoy hearing a topic on your channel about shopping at the Disney Character Outlet. I've never been. Is it worth it?:) Love your purple Minnie ears!! Thanks! Lesa
lrb If you have a vacation package you generally have 30 days before your trip to get a refund. If it’s a room only you have 5 days before u arrive to get a refund. I’m almost certain the travel agent would have to call Disney to cancel on your behalf. You can’t make any changes with Disney when you book with a travel agent as far as your package or having to do with resorts. The Character Warehouse is definitely worth the visit. :)
@@MultiSUNFLOWER18 If we keep our current Disney package and I happen to see a discount that Disney is offering on, for instance, our rooms - do you know if Disney would give me the discount if I call them? Or no since I went through a travel agent? Thx!!
lrb You would have to go through your travel agent. Any changes you want to contact your travel agent... including any payments.
@@MultiSUNFLOWER18 thank you for the info! Good to know! Will definitely visit the warehouse!
Great vlog! We use the gift cards to pay for our trip. You can put up to $1,000 on each gift card
One of my new favorite money saving deals is booking a bounceback/future stay discount. If I’m on a trip, and know I have another trip within the next year I’ll call x8844 from my room phone and book a nice discount for those trips. Was able to save 30% off of our two coming trips which saved us several thousand dollars over the two trips. This was especially useful since my husband and I are staying at Poly, and Poly rarely has a good discount.
You can put up to 1k on one gift card!
Is it that high?! Well that’s fantastic!
I know! It’s amazing!! Really helps to condense
lol
We buy them all of the time at Sam’s Club. We pay for DVC dues, dining plan, cash stays, etc. and have saved a TON of $$$ over the years!
@@ejmazaba9713 same we buy discounted from Bj's and use for all meals and DVC dues
You can put up to $1000 on a gift card.
I knew it was more than I said! THanks, Kelly!