Also, for souvenirs, we went to Character Warehouse first thing, which helped our (ages 6-13) kids with sticker shock in the parks (“Mom! That only cost $6 at the outlet!”) and the kids had been working to earn their own souvenir money for 9 months. They had skin in the game, which meant they didn’t beg for stuff or waste their money.
That is awesome. I do this with my kids too.. They wanted Disney shirts so I took them to Wal-Mart and we paid $10-$15 a shirt. When they saw the prices at the park... $30 - $60 for many of the shirts they were like WOAH! Teachable moment about what things cost and we had a chat about marketing and convenience fees. lol
Chris Landon I think it is. Once I went and found ears, headbands, tees, mugs and souvenirs for everyone in my family for $165. The next time was more slim pickings, but I still managed baseball caps and pins (my kids are into trading), mugs and tees. Search TH-cam videos right before you go or even once you get there to find out what’s available.
My mom / dad / grandpartens always made me work for my disney spending money too. mowed 3 lawns twice a month every year (grand dad used to take us every year when we were younger) to save up money for my shirts, stuffies, and other merch i would get. its a great lesson to learn from a young age, that money is earned and not just given, and how important budgetting is. (tho gramps wouldnt just...not get us that thing we wanted if we were short. he spoiled us in disney)
Chris Landon It’s hit or miss if the Warehouse will have the kind of things you’re looking for. You should check out TheTimTracker. He’s always posting updates on what’s new or available at the Warehouse and it gives you a general idea of the items and prices you’re looking at for your trip instead of just going in completely blind.
The fact that channels like this exist makes me shake my head even more when so many people visit the parks, and act entirely clueless the entire time. People get pissed at the employees because of their own lack of planning. But clearly the internet is FULL of resources, and there is absolutely no excuse for showing up and expecting every employee to hold your hand over every tiny thing.
While I agree these channels do make things a bit easier...I’d luv to go back to the 90’s where taking a trip to Disney didn’t require 12 months of planning. You booked your trip & did what you wanted. Technology has ruined the exp here now
Another "money saver" that backfires hardcore is buying pin lots on ebay, amazon, etc. They are way way cheaper, I know, but that's because they are almost ALWAYS fake.
The only eBay pins I really liked we're a whole load of sets that a charity shop was auctioning off! Some of them were SO cool, and I got about 60 of them for about 60 quid. Can't argue with that! I know I'll probably end up trading them for fakes though
What’s it matter? Same stuff you end up trading for in the parks. Personally, I don’t want to spend 700 dollars on the same amount of pins I can get on eBay for 25.
:43 YES,YES,YES!!! We realized years ago that eating breakfast in the room and eating just what we wanted and when we wanted saved us money. We have fewer table services per week, but we realized that a combination of table, counter, snacks, and eating in the room satisfies everyone in our group. We never feel that we do without and save at least $400 every trip because we skip the Dining plan.
Yes! it's fun to go all out but I have seen so many people buying up loads of candy with dining plan snack points at the end of the day. We found doing 1 really nice special meal for the day and then planning either to eat at the hotel or just do counter service is really satisfying for our crew. There are so many delicious options that nobody ever feels like they missed out.
Bonn Afide I agree with this! We ate pop tarts and granola bars for breakfast, lunchables and juice boxes for lunch, and went out to dinner every night and we saved SO MUCH MONEY
One thing that really helped me with the “water taste” in the parks/ Orlando was to get one of the filtering water bottles ( the brand I have is Brita) Seriously, it was a life saver. It also meant that you cut back on waste from the plastic ones, and didn’t have to plan to go to a restaurant to find the water because the water bottle would filter out the taste from the fountains, so you could drink it!
The first time you see a kid wrap his mouth around the water fountain and suck the water out, you will decide to get water from more sanitary places. :-D
Don’t let disney profit from your dining plan. Use every single credit! We had like 20 snack credits on our last day and we went to Disney springs and used up all of them on prepackaged snacks.
Get a target Red Card (it's linked to your checking account NOT a credit card no interest rate) it's 5% off all purchases at Target and that includes Gift Cards. Those gift cards mean 5% savings on all total purchases with them at Disney and can be used for EVERYTHING.
We did breakfast before the park.. then Via Napoli in Epcot for lunch and it was a great value for a family of 4. We could barely finish the pizza and they brought us glasses of filtered water when we asked since none of us really wanted soda. We snacked the rest of the day on whatever looked yummy! I probably spent less than $100 all day for the 4 of us.
Yep, we love Via Napoli pizza! Super yummy and the best value for table service because one pizza feeds the whole family. It's a must every time we go! (That and the yummy goodness at Les Halles!)
I'd love to see a video about how to bring the Disney experience home. Fairy lights in the garden, stocking up on Disney themed toiletries from Basin, the availability of Mickey themed foods (cheeses, ice creams, waffles you can buy locally), etc.!
My next trip, I'll definitely be skipping the dinging plan. I've grown up just getting it to make things simple on everyone, but now that I'm taking my sister and footing the bill, I realize it's a LOT of food and it's not cost efficient if you're not ordering the most expensive entrees. My sister and I don't eat beef (those tend to be the higher priced items in my experience), so paying OOP probably would make more sense. My sister and I had a reservation at Morimoto and I didn't realize it was worth 2 points, and when I found that out, I was in awe because all we planned on ordering was lomein, lol. We ordered a cali roll, 2 lomeins and a dessert and our total was $45 plus tip, which was more realistic than using 2 dang dining credits!!! Long story short, if you and your party aren't big eater or big meat eaters, you're probably better off paying OOP and ordering some stuff of amazon.
Also on the subject of free water, sometimes you're going to have to bite the bullet and pay the 3.50. There's not always a nearby water and it gets hot here in Florida. So while I encourage the free water as well, make sure if you can't get to a nearby one and you're feeling nauseous or dizzy you immediately go to the nearest water place to get water, regardless of whether or not you have to pay. (I've had to do it a few times because even as a local, sometimes you overheat and almost faint if you're not prepared.)
Me and my girlfriend always come from Miami to hang out at Disney and what we spend in food trumps the cost of the actual annual pass. Someone on DFB has us trying every restaurant in Disney lol. But this was certainly a helpful video.
WATER-get Life Straw Go bottles. They have a duel system filtration system and u can use water from the fountain for clean, delicious tasting water. You can get ice from any quick service location. Can cost up to $45 per bottle but can pay off over time!!! We all love ours!!
I have had bariatric surgery, and for a brief moment I wondered if my fiance and I should get the DDP for our honeymoon, but I now eat very small amounts and him and I always share food. I don't think we'd ever save on the DDP and I'd probably make myself sick if we did go through with it. I am glad to hear that as an adult, I can order from the kids menu!
Best tip to save on disney dining - put your entire meal budget on disney gift cards. It works like the dining plan because it’s pre-paid so you don’t over spend, and you can determine how much you want to spend based on your budget, how much you typically eat, etc.
Yes ... and purchase the gift cards from a place that gives a benefit. For example, I purchase mine at Kroger (grocery store) and get fuel points ($/gal of savings)
I went to Disney World 3 years ago as a chaperone for my oldest daughter's school band trip and took my youngest daughter as a surprise. We bought $25 gift cards for them to have at each park to spend on what they wanted. That way they knew how much they had to spend. In March my youngest is going for her school trip and mom is chaperoning again.
Something my mom always did was give me and my siblings each a Disney gift card with the same amount on it and told us we could use that to buy what we wanted for souvenirs
We do the same thing - gave the kids a set amount and told them they could spend it for whatever they wanted but once it was gone, no begging. Worked out great! Everyone was happy, no begging.
I have a big sweet tooth and the treats are visually stunning in WDW. So I would share with my bf as to save money, but also to avoid having too many. Also a great way to save money. Pay cash and not with your magic band, or link your band to your debit card and review your banking every night to see how much you’re actually spending. I did this in December when I went, and came home with enough to book my next trip.
I'm planning to take a refillable water bottle + take advantage of the free water during my college program. Buying souvenirs ahead of time only saves you room in your luggage.
Everywhere I went as a kid I knew to only ask for a pressed penny or postcard because I knew my parents wouldn’t spend any more $ than that and now I still collect those 2 things to this day 😂
As a solo traveler I already have an advantage when it comes to money saving. But a BIG one for me in restaurants is to order from the appetizer menu...especially for lunch. You usually save at least $10-$15 per meal and nine times out of ten the appetizers are huge and make more than an adequate meal.
I'm grateful you do videos like this. I don't blame Disney for cooking up schemes like the Disney Dining Plan, but I do recognize how many people sign up for this which enables Disney to keep this sort of thing going. Imagine if everyone ran the numbers and did some common sense math in advance. I'm hoping people stop enabling their own financial peril.
We always rent a car. Go to Walmart which is 10 minutes away from Old Key West and boom got our groceries for the week. We balance normal eating with some good stuff that Disney has to offer. It saves a ton. And with the added bonus of the rental car we have free rain to do as we please.
Hey AJ I am finally on my normal account, I wanted to let you know I had a great time in Disney World with you giving me tips even though it was rainy, we went for 7 days and about 3 weeks ago. I miss Disney but just wanted to thank you for everything.
I’m a big fan of the dining plan. Not necessarily because it might be cheaper but because it’s so convenient. You don’t have to look at menu prices and worry about each dollar so much. Eat what you want hassle free. At least for me.
That’s how I feel too except that for me it’s the only way my husband will relax enough to enjoy vacation. Otherwise he stresses so much about the money being spend that no one enjoys our vacation
Back in 2010, my husband and I got the Deluxe Dining Plan. For 9 days! Omg. We had 16 reservations which included 8 Signature restaurants (missed one due to having too much fun at Rose & Crown and La Cava del Tequila!) and it was NUTS but when we sat down before our trip and laid out the restaurants we wanted to hit, the entrees we would like to have, etc., we added it all up and we saved about $450. It was pretty awesome getting to try all those new places, but probably won't be doing that again haha!
My parents are DVC members. Since they bought into it in 2011, they have used it every year at least once, sometimes twice. Plus, there are 500+ other places to go other than the parks with DVC. Definitely check it out before you invest, but if you’re going to use it, it is worth it!
Please do a video on 1. Expensive vegetarian food ( for DDP) 2. Cheap vegetarian food 3. Cheap and nice Good Neighbour hotels ( I know you are a food blog but still try .
Buy a used dvc if you don’t want to fully invest. We just nabbed 300 more points for $18500! That’s 22 more years of 8 nights in a two bedroom deluxe. Kitchen saves you food costs, washer and dryer save packing, discounts on dining and shopping rock, discounts on annual renewals plus the other many features like discount holiday party tickets and the free dvc night we got in MK complete with food!!!
Back in early April, we stayed at Port Orleans Riverside and ordered from Garden Grocer. There WAS a $6.00 box fee when Bell services brought the groceries to our room.
We stayed at a value resort and it was the same. However, there was an option (that isnt really advertised) that they will text you and let you know when the groceries are there and you pick them up without charge.
@@stacyr4549 Yes, we've done that for previous trips but this time the groceries were delivered a few hours before we flew into Orlando. We weren't ready to pick up the groceries until we got to the resort and to our room which was several hours later. It seems there was a "storage charge" for the the groceries along with the refrigerated items.
@@jasoncataldi2053 it's only recently that Disney has begun charging to have packages taken to your room. Neither have I ever had Amazon shipped to my Disney resort.
I just love watching these videos! The fantastic filming and editing combined with A.J.'s fantastic presentation and the DFB's research backing her scripts makes these SO ENTERTAINING....and helps us enjoy a bit of the Disney Magic between park trips. A.J. , take care of that voice it's absolutely golden!! Glad that you enjoy your work so much. So many would agree....you have an awesome job!! Cheers!
Robyn Graves did you know that she doesn’t actually eat the food that she reviews? She takes a bite, takes a photo, and throws it away. She’s a dishonest reviewer and by far the worst parks blogger.
We bring the Brita filter water bottles and it takes the Florida “flavor” out of the water. We just hook them onto the belt or back packs. They are light weight and we loved them. Perfect!
Me and my partner choose to do the dining plan even though we knew we’d lose money, simply for the peace of mind knowing that it was all paid ahead and we didn’t have to budget that out during the trip. We’re both light eaters, and I’m vegetarian, so we definitely lost money, but we found it was worth it
My sister and I do the dining plan when we go just for that reason. We did the counter service dining plan last time we went, and it was probably the best version in terms of saving money, but this time we're getting the table service option so we can rest in air conditioning during the worst heat of the day - more money, but so much less cranky!
Buy a notebook, the best souvenirs are character photos and signatures. Also, bring a water bottle with you and fill it at soda fountains in restaurants or in the resorts where they usually have big caraffes of filtered water. Pack lighter, you can always go back to your room if you need something but you don't want to be hauling a backpack through security, or around the park all day. Character dining can get pretty expensive, so make sure to go over the menu before booking, and not to overdo it. Book your meals during "off" times. Late breakfasts and lunches, early dinners, etc. This helps avoid the waits and frees you up to go on rides while a lot of people are eating.
Book the room you want early and watch for discounts=Yup! Booked a basic package in October. Then they offered “sun and fun” package after New Years so I called and got 30% off. We then extended our stay and added the dining plan!!!
Yes! Thank you for talking about the dining plan! Everyone tries to cram it down your throat but it almost never saves money & if it does it’s very little. Does it work for some? I’m sure it does! But on our last trip adding the dining plan was going to be an additional $1200 for the 2 of us, so instead we put $1000 on 2 Disney gift cards so that way it would be “pre paid” for but we wouldn’t be forced to use it on food. Ended up only using about $800 of it even with character meals, 3 nice sit down dinners, Flower & garden snacks, & drinking around the world. Way better than spending the $1200 on the dining plan with less restrictions! So I always tell everyone to do the math! Look at menu’s & add it up! 😁
The main thing here is to really know your family or group. Are you going to be eating enough to justify the cost? How long are you going to be there? Where will you be eating?
This was well over 20 years ago, when I was a kid the rule my parents set for souvenirs was that we could only purchase them on the last day. That way there was no chance of spending our budget and then falling in love with another item later.
We always take advantage of the free water but with a Brita filter bottle. From our experience it seems to filter out most of what makes the water taste funny, but it’s still going to be up to personal taste. Definitely worth a try!
We took our own water bottles into the parks. We froze some before had so we didn’t need cooler packs. It worked great and we didn’t have to buy water in the park.
i'm super late on this but a fun tip about the water ... fill your mugs to the very top with ice and then fill your mug/bottle with HOT water! tastes delicious! most likely you'll only be able to do this at your resort but at least your day starts out with yummy water. for some reason the water in pandora tasted very good as well as the fill station at pizzerizzo!
Don't know about anything at WDW, but at Disneyland I know Blue Bayou has had specific split plate charges, although back when your meal came with an appetizer that meant both people splitting the plate got their own. Not sure what is like now with the current menu.
Our first time on the plan, Dad personally tabulated the meal costs and checked how much we saved. We were on free dining because he was skeptical - especially as I’m a bit picky - but it worked out, we loved it.
One thing we did on my first trip was split meals. But it was great when you had 2 diabetic people who needed to eat often. We nibbled throughout the park and didnt break the bank.
I was very upset when I found out about the free water around the park. I took my wife and kids to Magic Kingdom in August and it was brutally hot. I stopped so many times to buy water that I lost count and with buying 4 bottles at a time a time before I knew it I spent over $100 on WATER!! I'm so glad I learned this tip I'd much rather spend the $$ in the gift shop for the kids.
We usually get the Disney Dining plan, but recently as it has increased I wanted to see if it was really worth it. I figured for three people eating a mix of table service and quick service for four days out of pocket would cost about $750. This included at least two meals a day and snacks. Disney charges $1170 for the same thing. Also, free dining offer is not always a great deal. For this deal you must have park hopper tickets and only get the quick service dining plan if you stay at Value or Moderate (you can upgrade for cheaper but still).
This is the first time I e seen Shades of Green (or even a picture of it haha) so that was cool! I really wish you would talk about it more since so many people don’t realize they can utilize it!
I do believe I noticed that in order to buy the non-Florida resident TIW discount card you need to be a DVC member or an annual pass holder anyway. So you are already getting a 10% discount on the food. Therefore you’d need to spend about $1500 on food in a year since you’d only be netting an additional 10% (caveat being that alcohol is discounted with a TIW card but not the other standard discounts). Am I right here?
For me and my family of eight we figured it out that the Disney Dining Plan only cost about $80 per person a day which was way under what we would have spent had we paid for all of our meals. Also, if you are not a dessert person like most of my family most restaurants will let you add a salad to your entree in place of a dessert
On a recent trip we used the case of water bottles we brought far quicker then we planned. We had a car and stayed at Pop Century. We called the Speedway station that was close to us and surprisingly a case if water was not terrible in price! I highly suggest going there if you don’t want to haul water and seek out a grocery store or Walmart.
Tables in Wonderland also includes free Valet parking when dining at a resort. That's normally $30 bucks not including tip. So if you dine at resorts USE VALET it's just easier especially during rainy season.
Thanks for the tip! I never realized the free Disney dining plan forces you to buy park hopper which can be super expensive when you're bring the family.
Cool, another vid. Love these. AJ, I am an AP that lives close to the parks in central Florida. I have learned so much from you and your videos. Keep them coming please.
Here's a tip for kiddo souvenirs...consider turning the giving of the pre-purchased souvenirs into a game. Kids can close their eyes and reach into a bag to pick 1 of the pre-purchased souvenirs or maybe you offer various Disney themes (Lion King/Moana/etc.) and ask them to pick the theme before revealing that souvenir. Just some ways to make the revealing of the souvenirs fun by offering some surprise and choice. :)
Bradley Lauzon IKR - NZ here. Imagine being able to go to a restaurant, order a $20 dish and pay with a twenty dollar note. No “added tax” and definitely no tip.
Honestly, fuck tips. Especially in Disney. Their prices are so expensive, they make more than enough profit to pay their employees properly, if they don't that's not my problem.
I’m a super light eater but all my family eats lots. Every time we’ve been to Disney we’ve used more than the Disney dining plan, because everyone just eats my leftovers and I’m a snack monster. Not for everyone but if you snack a lot and if your family can eat leftovers of the small eaters it helps a ton
I think the key thing here is that every family is different. If it's just you or your and an SO or you just don't eat a lot, you don't need it. If you're a large group and you all eat a lot, then yeah, you probably need it.
Don't forget that those discounts do not stack. So If your Annual Pass or your DVC discount on the meal is 10% than the Tables in Wonderland card is only doubling that discount. That means it can take up to $1500 to break even depending on where you eat. However with it covering 10 people, and table service meals costing 40-50 per person you could easily break even with a group of 10 in less than 4 meals.
We gave up on the meal plan because we always seemed to end up not using it all, or we'd force ourselves to buy food we didn't really want in order to use it up.
If you or someone in your party is on a diet the deluxe dining plan might be wasteful. I was left with 20 extra meals because my sister was on a diet & didn’t want to eat all that food. But I did the regular dining plan on a diet & I was able to stay on my diet program & use up all our meals. Of course I allowed myself a cheat dessert occasionally because I was on vacation.
The dining plan can be good depending on what you do with it. My planned trip we got it with the intent of trying all the things all at once that we were interested in. Then if we ever come back those expensive places are a pass unless we REALLY enjoyed them. Everything is lumped in with my package at so each week I just pay on the entire thing and my brain can't guilt me over food costs. I did a trip two years ago and found myself cancelling ADRs because I looked at the prices ahead of time and felt so guilty about the cost, so I ended up trying basically nothing and we had several nights we had to stop on the way back to the hotel to buy fast food. :(
The Water tip will really come in handy. My mom has heavily implied that when we go to Disney World, we'll be flying in and I know don't think Airports allow bottle water on the plane and I wasn't looking forward to drinking Florida water since I am picky. So having concierge services? Omg I am so looking into that. I am fine with Disani watter.
the Disney Dining plan is pretty great. we got lucky as well, we got that early this year deal they had where we got free meal plan. Without the 700 USD we saved from the deal, we were going to save almost 500 (thanks to your tips of more expensive restaurants, + the fact that we like to endulge on alcohol.) - so we are saving almsot 1200 for the 2 of us on our week of disney!
As far as I'm concerned, regarding the Dining plan, is that unless the table service restaurant offers a superior food experience that you might not get at any other location, than you are overpaying. My family likes to go to Crystal Palace for breakfast on the last day of out stay every year (I can't get my family to stop-it's become a tradition.) This past summer it cost us $172, including gratuity, for that meal. However, I didn't eat any more food at CP than I had eaten the day before when we ate breakfast at Pop Century food court, and that meal cost us $72.50. The food quality was the same at both places, too. It's just that at CP, you are paying for the ambiance and the character experience. Bear that in mind when comparing prices on DP versus OOP. Yak and Yeti Cafe serves some of the same food as the table service Yak and Yeti. The difference in price hinges on ambiance. Ambiance costs extra. If ambiance is not high priority to you, eat counter service and in the room and save yourself moola.
I loved the deluxe dining plan when I got it. My fiance and I went to 4 or 5 signature restaurants and I'm a huge steak fan. (The wagyu strip loin at Jiko omg). There was just a piece of mind knowing all my eating was taken care of no matter where we ended up or what we wanted. For me it was totally worth it, but for some it may not be. I was also able to hook my friend up with a meal when we all went to Mama Melrose, which is a pretty underrated spot by the way!
Yep, the Disney Dining (free) doesn't work for us. Because it costs more for the parkhopper (we usually wouldn't do) and it used to be you could get the free table service for a moderate - but no more. But if you have maybe a larger family it probably would be good.
If you’re at a table service restaurant, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to split. Two adult sized entrees are more than enough for a party of three.
We buy gift cards throughout the year and use those for food. We have found we break even, or save vs. the dining plan... but our kids are little and finicky
There absolutely is a fee to receive a grocery or package delivery, it's $6. And it's an additional $6 to have it delivered to your room. Cast members and resorts may not always charge it for one reason or another but the policy has recently changed.
Wow awesome tips the one that really helped was kids getting adult meals for quick service my oldest is a big eater and would prefer that better while my youngest doesnt eat as much and could share. Thank you! I cant wait til i go back to apply all these awesome tips.
FYI, the annual pass and tables in wonderland is not based on calendar year. Annual pass is 1 year from date of first use to enter a park and the TIW is good through the end of the month one year from purchase day. They are on a rolling year, not calendar year (01/01 through 12/31).
All the times you have mentioned dining plans, I'm surprised you haven't talked about Disney Springs. Last year on our honeymoon, we went to Disney Springs, only to discover that none of the restaurants or snack locations accepted dining plan, not only that but if you had a card linked to your magic band, the stores didn't have band readers, so you still needed your wallet anyhow. Steer clear of Disney Springs, that's my tip to save money and add more fun to your trip.
For the popcorn refillable bucket can u take that park to park and get it refilled for a low price or do u have to buy them at each park and only get the discounted price at that park only
I went to WDW at the end of May for a split trip (so two hotels) and for half the trip I used the dining plan (for the first time ever) and I have such mixed feelings about it! I liked the simplicity of it, but at the same time I honestly didn't like the pressure to maximize my every meal and snack! The first night I went out to dinner and as I looked over the menu I thought the burger sounded good, but it was one of the cheapest items on the menu so I ordered something different simply to get the most out of my credit. My meal was delicious and it was nice that I wasn't having to think about it the reverse way but I did feel a lot of pressure to just order the most expensive item on the menu just because that's probably what I paid for. The second half of the trip I was using Tables in Wonderland (which I wouldn't know existed if it wasn't for this channel, so HUGE thanks!) and I really love Tables in Wonderland! I love so many of the places you can use it at so it was a no brainer when I looked into it (I have more Disney trips planned later in the year also so I know it will pay for itself). Something I'm not sure that was ever mentioned on this channel about Tables in Wonderland that I did not realize is that they actually automatically add 18% gratuity when you use it, which I actually really like! (of course you can always add more to the tip if you wish to)
Those who are also planning to see Universal Orlando, I've researched their dining plans a few times and they're no different: you will not save any money. It's CHEAPER to just grab and pay at the counter whenever you need to.
I have always been scared of the water because of resident comments. It was good to have my reservations acknowledged. Great “keeping it real” video!!!
I understand at the buffet that you can’t split a meal. Obviously because you’ll be eating double the food. But if I’m not that hungry, I order a salad and split my a steak with my husband, I would love to see them try to fight me on that.🙄
Also, for souvenirs, we went to Character Warehouse first thing, which helped our (ages 6-13) kids with sticker shock in the parks (“Mom! That only cost $6 at the outlet!”) and the kids had been working to earn their own souvenir money for 9 months. They had skin in the game, which meant they didn’t beg for stuff or waste their money.
That is awesome. I do this with my kids too.. They wanted Disney shirts so I took them to Wal-Mart and we paid $10-$15 a shirt. When they saw the prices at the park... $30 - $60 for many of the shirts they were like WOAH! Teachable moment about what things cost and we had a chat about marketing and convenience fees. lol
@lebabies Is the Character Warehouse worth the trip? We were thinking of head to it on our next trip.
Chris Landon I think it is. Once I went and found ears, headbands, tees, mugs and souvenirs for everyone in my family for $165. The next time was more slim pickings, but I still managed baseball caps and pins (my kids are into trading), mugs and tees. Search TH-cam videos right before you go or even once you get there to find out what’s available.
My mom / dad / grandpartens always made me work for my disney spending money too. mowed 3 lawns twice a month every year (grand dad used to take us every year when we were younger) to save up money for my shirts, stuffies, and other merch i would get. its a great lesson to learn from a young age, that money is earned and not just given, and how important budgetting is. (tho gramps wouldnt just...not get us that thing we wanted if we were short. he spoiled us in disney)
Chris Landon It’s hit or miss if the Warehouse will have the kind of things you’re looking for. You should check out TheTimTracker. He’s always posting updates on what’s new or available at the Warehouse and it gives you a general idea of the items and prices you’re looking at for your trip instead of just going in completely blind.
The fact that channels like this exist makes me shake my head even more when so many people visit the parks, and act entirely clueless the entire time. People get pissed at the employees because of their own lack of planning. But clearly the internet is FULL of resources, and there is absolutely no excuse for showing up and expecting every employee to hold your hand over every tiny thing.
And before the internet there were Disney guidebooks to buy, which I did, and still do,lol
^^^This!!! As a Florida resident AP holder and a former Disney Cast Member I could not agree more!!!
While I agree these channels do make things a bit easier...I’d luv to go back to the 90’s where taking a trip to Disney didn’t require 12 months of planning. You booked your trip & did what you wanted. Technology has ruined the exp here now
But, that's what I expect when I visit Disney. Turn off the brain and just get shuffled about and wow'd.
Another "money saver" that backfires hardcore is buying pin lots on ebay, amazon, etc. They are way way cheaper, I know, but that's because they are almost ALWAYS fake.
These pin things just sound sort of crazy.
Yes! Agree. I hate when people do this.
The only eBay pins I really liked we're a whole load of sets that a charity shop was auctioning off! Some of them were SO cool, and I got about 60 of them for about 60 quid. Can't argue with that! I know I'll probably end up trading them for fakes though
course so are most the ones you trade with cast members at this point to lol
What’s it matter? Same stuff you end up trading for in the parks. Personally, I don’t want to spend 700 dollars on the same amount of pins I can get on eBay for 25.
:43 YES,YES,YES!!! We realized years ago that eating breakfast in the room and eating just what we wanted and when we wanted saved us money. We have fewer table services per week, but we realized that a combination of table, counter, snacks, and eating in the room satisfies everyone in our group. We never feel that we do without and save at least $400 every trip because we skip the Dining plan.
Yes! it's fun to go all out but I have seen so many people buying up loads of candy with dining plan snack points at the end of the day. We found doing 1 really nice special meal for the day and then planning either to eat at the hotel or just do counter service is really satisfying for our crew. There are so many delicious options that nobody ever feels like they missed out.
Bonn Afide I agree with this! We ate pop tarts and granola bars for breakfast, lunchables and juice boxes for lunch, and went out to dinner every night and we saved SO MUCH MONEY
One thing that really helped me with the “water taste” in the parks/ Orlando was to get one of the filtering water bottles ( the brand I have is Brita) Seriously, it was a life saver. It also meant that you cut back on waste from the plastic ones, and didn’t have to plan to go to a restaurant to find the water because the water bottle would filter out the taste from the fountains, so you could drink it!
I bought the same one for Disney!
Great idea! I'm going to use this tip
The first time you see a kid wrap his mouth around the water fountain and suck the water out, you will decide to get water from more sanitary places. :-D
Traveling Druid You dont have to use those fountains, get free water from quick service or use the bottle fill stations as opposed to the fountain
I have the same bottle, I got it before I went away to college. It's been a LIFESAVER.
Don’t let disney profit from your dining plan. Use every single credit! We had like 20 snack credits on our last day and we went to Disney springs and used up all of them on prepackaged snacks.
One time we had lots of extra, too, and we gave them out to people xD
Get a target Red Card (it's linked to your checking account NOT a credit card no interest rate) it's 5% off all purchases at Target and that includes Gift Cards. Those gift cards mean 5% savings on all total purchases with them at Disney and can be used for EVERYTHING.
We did breakfast before the park.. then Via Napoli in Epcot for lunch and it was a great value for a family of 4. We could barely finish the pizza and they brought us glasses of filtered water when we asked since none of us really wanted soda. We snacked the rest of the day on whatever looked yummy! I probably spent less than $100 all day for the 4 of us.
Yep, we love Via Napoli pizza! Super yummy and the best value for table service because one pizza feeds the whole family. It's a must every time we go! (That and the yummy goodness at Les Halles!)
I'd love to see a video about how to bring the Disney experience home. Fairy lights in the garden, stocking up on Disney themed toiletries from Basin, the availability of Mickey themed foods (cheeses, ice creams, waffles you can buy locally), etc.!
My next trip, I'll definitely be skipping the dinging plan. I've grown up just getting it to make things simple on everyone, but now that I'm taking my sister and footing the bill, I realize it's a LOT of food and it's not cost efficient if you're not ordering the most expensive entrees. My sister and I don't eat beef (those tend to be the higher priced items in my experience), so paying OOP probably would make more sense. My sister and I had a reservation at Morimoto and I didn't realize it was worth 2 points, and when I found that out, I was in awe because all we planned on ordering was lomein, lol. We ordered a cali roll, 2 lomeins and a dessert and our total was $45 plus tip, which was more realistic than using 2 dang dining credits!!! Long story short, if you and your party aren't big eater or big meat eaters, you're probably better off paying OOP and ordering some stuff of amazon.
Also on the subject of free water, sometimes you're going to have to bite the bullet and pay the 3.50. There's not always a nearby water and it gets hot here in Florida. So while I encourage the free water as well, make sure if you can't get to a nearby one and you're feeling nauseous or dizzy you immediately go to the nearest water place to get water, regardless of whether or not you have to pay. (I've had to do it a few times because even as a local, sometimes you overheat and almost faint if you're not prepared.)
Me and my girlfriend always come from Miami to hang out at Disney and what we spend in food trumps the cost of the actual annual pass. Someone on DFB has us trying every restaurant in Disney lol. But this was certainly a helpful video.
WATER-get Life Straw Go bottles. They have a duel system filtration system and u can use water from the fountain for clean, delicious tasting water. You can get ice from any quick service location. Can cost up to $45 per bottle but can pay off over time!!! We all love ours!!
Or just get a Brita filter water bottle for like 5 or 10 bucks. Tastes just fine too.
I have had bariatric surgery, and for a brief moment I wondered if my fiance and I should get the DDP for our honeymoon, but I now eat very small amounts and him and I always share food. I don't think we'd ever save on the DDP and I'd probably make myself sick if we did go through with it.
I am glad to hear that as an adult, I can order from the kids menu!
I'm in the same category. I think I'll just be getting a snack that I can nibble on all day. Even some of the kids meals are too much for me.
Some lf these portions are insane. I'm not sure how anyone eats all of it.
Best tip to save on disney dining - put your entire meal budget on disney gift cards. It works like the dining plan because it’s pre-paid so you don’t over spend, and you can determine how much you want to spend based on your budget, how much you typically eat, etc.
Yes ... and purchase the gift cards from a place that gives a benefit. For example, I purchase mine at Kroger (grocery store) and get fuel points ($/gal of savings)
I went to Disney World 3 years ago as a chaperone for my oldest daughter's school band trip and took my youngest daughter as a surprise. We bought $25 gift cards for them to have at each park to spend on what they wanted. That way they knew how much they had to spend. In March my youngest is going for her school trip and mom is chaperoning again.
Something my mom always did was give me and my siblings each a Disney gift card with the same amount on it and told us we could use that to buy what we wanted for souvenirs
We do the same thing - gave the kids a set amount and told them they could spend it for whatever they wanted but once it was gone, no begging. Worked out great! Everyone was happy, no begging.
My parent did that when we went that way there was no begging for anything and we got to pick what we bought it was pretty nice
I have a big sweet tooth and the treats are visually stunning in WDW. So I would share with my bf as to save money, but also to avoid having too many.
Also a great way to save money. Pay cash and not with your magic band, or link your band to your debit card and review your banking every night to see how much you’re actually spending. I did this in December when I went, and came home with enough to book my next trip.
I'm planning to take a refillable water bottle + take advantage of the free water during my college program. Buying souvenirs ahead of time only saves you room in your luggage.
My husband and I started taking a reusable water bottle with a built in filter! Makes that weird taste much less noticeable!
We do that too! We are from England the water always tasted very chlorinated.
Everywhere I went as a kid I knew to only ask for a pressed penny or postcard because I knew my parents wouldn’t spend any more $ than that and now I still collect those 2 things to this day 😂
As a solo traveler I already have an advantage when it comes to money saving. But a BIG one for me in restaurants is to order from the appetizer menu...especially for lunch. You usually save at least $10-$15 per meal and nine times out of ten the appetizers are huge and make more than an adequate meal.
Splitting meals or getting kids meals has saved us so much money on past disney trips, honestly one of the best ways to save money
I'm grateful you do videos like this. I don't blame Disney for cooking up schemes like the Disney Dining Plan, but I do recognize how many people sign up for this which enables Disney to keep this sort of thing going. Imagine if everyone ran the numbers and did some common sense math in advance. I'm hoping people stop enabling their own financial peril.
They have stopped doing the dining plan!😃
We always rent a car. Go to Walmart which is 10 minutes away from Old Key West and boom got our groceries for the week.
We balance normal eating with some good stuff that Disney has to offer. It saves a ton. And with the added bonus of the rental car we have free rain to do as we please.
Now you can have groceries delivered to your room😃
Hey AJ I am finally on my normal account, I wanted to let you know I had a great time in Disney World with you giving me tips even though it was rainy, we went for 7 days and about 3 weeks ago. I miss Disney but just wanted to thank you for everything.
I’m a big fan of the dining plan. Not necessarily because it might be cheaper but because it’s so convenient. You don’t have to look at menu prices and worry about each dollar so much. Eat what you want hassle free. At least for me.
That’s how I feel too except that for me it’s the only way my husband will relax enough to enjoy vacation. Otherwise he stresses so much about the money being spend that no one enjoys our vacation
Back in 2010, my husband and I got the Deluxe Dining Plan. For 9 days! Omg. We had 16 reservations which included 8 Signature restaurants (missed one due to having too much fun at Rose & Crown and La Cava del Tequila!) and it was NUTS but when we sat down before our trip and laid out the restaurants we wanted to hit, the entrees we would like to have, etc., we added it all up and we saved about $450. It was pretty awesome getting to try all those new places, but probably won't be doing that again haha!
This sounds like something everyone should try at least once.
My parents are DVC members. Since they bought into it in 2011, they have used it every year at least once, sometimes twice. Plus, there are 500+ other places to go other than the parks with DVC. Definitely check it out before you invest, but if you’re going to use it, it is worth it!
Please do a video on
1. Expensive vegetarian food ( for DDP)
2. Cheap vegetarian food
3. Cheap and nice Good Neighbour hotels ( I know you are a food blog but still try .
I use air bnb with an annual pass and it makes it sooooo much cheaper
Michaela McMellan exactly , we cooked in our air bnb
Bri - rangs to match your needs & luxury
Yes!! Using air bnb saves me about 50% of what a disney hotel would be.
Hey AJ
I got my kids saying “ We are going to win Disney.”
We are going in couple months.
How was your trip??
Buy a used dvc if you don’t want to fully invest. We just nabbed 300 more points for $18500! That’s 22 more years of 8 nights in a two bedroom deluxe. Kitchen saves you food costs, washer and dryer save packing, discounts on dining and shopping rock, discounts on annual renewals plus the other many features like discount holiday party tickets and the free dvc night we got in MK complete with food!!!
We bought in October but we can't get most of the discounts since we haven't bought points from Disney.
Back in early April, we stayed at Port Orleans Riverside and ordered from Garden Grocer. There WAS a $6.00 box fee when Bell services brought the groceries to our room.
We stayed at a value resort and it was the same. However, there was an option (that isnt really advertised) that they will text you and let you know when the groceries are there and you pick them up without charge.
@@stacyr4549 Yes, we've done that for previous trips but this time the groceries were delivered a few hours before we flew into Orlando. We weren't ready to pick up the groceries until we got to the resort and to our room which was several hours later. It seems there was a "storage charge" for the the groceries along with the refrigerated items.
FYI, Disney now charges to bring packages up to your rooms.
Dee McGee you mean bring the packages to the gift shop at the resort you’re staying?
@@jasoncataldi2053 if you have packages from Amazon delivered to the resort, the charge you to have them taken to your room.
Dee McGee oh. Never even heard of that. Nor did I have a reason to have my Amazon package to arrive while on vacation.
@@jasoncataldi2053 it's only recently that Disney has begun charging to have packages taken to your room. Neither have I ever had Amazon shipped to my Disney resort.
Think they are referring to Amazon groceries not just regular package delivery. Amazon fresh.
We’re in Walt Disney World right now and we’re following the DFB guide for best snacks. But omg it’s too hot to eat at 90 degrees everyday
Megan Daniel lol. It’s a little rainy this week tho
Yes! We were there last week and we ate once the whole day. We just weren't hungry.
It's why we always planned a large breakfast and then just did snacks through the day
We just returned from Disney World. The real feel was 105 our 1st day. 🤤
COOL!!!!
Read more
I just love watching these videos! The fantastic filming and editing combined with A.J.'s fantastic presentation and the DFB's research backing her scripts makes these SO ENTERTAINING....and helps us enjoy a bit of the Disney Magic between park trips. A.J. , take care of that voice it's absolutely golden!! Glad that you enjoy your work so much. So many would agree....you have an awesome job!! Cheers!
Robyn Graves did you know that she doesn’t actually eat the food that she reviews? She takes a bite, takes a photo, and throws it away. She’s a dishonest reviewer and by far the worst parks blogger.
We bring the Brita filter water bottles and it takes the Florida “flavor” out of the water. We just hook them onto the belt or back packs. They are light weight and we loved them. Perfect!
When I saw the page count on the pdf I was like. Damn! She’s really thought of it all
Me and my partner choose to do the dining plan even though we knew we’d lose money, simply for the peace of mind knowing that it was all paid ahead and we didn’t have to budget that out during the trip. We’re both light eaters, and I’m vegetarian, so we definitely lost money, but we found it was worth it
My sister and I do the dining plan when we go just for that reason. We did the counter service dining plan last time we went, and it was probably the best version in terms of saving money, but this time we're getting the table service option so we can rest in air conditioning during the worst heat of the day - more money, but so much less cranky!
Buy a notebook, the best souvenirs are character photos and signatures. Also, bring a water bottle with you and fill it at soda fountains in restaurants or in the resorts where they usually have big caraffes of filtered water. Pack lighter, you can always go back to your room if you need something but you don't want to be hauling a backpack through security, or around the park all day. Character dining can get pretty expensive, so make sure to go over the menu before booking, and not to overdo it. Book your meals during "off" times. Late breakfasts and lunches, early dinners, etc. This helps avoid the waits and frees you up to go on rides while a lot of people are eating.
I’ve been watching this channel since December when I booked my vacation and I visited disneyworld in August I’m super excited!
Kim Martinez Have fun!
Book the room you want early and watch for discounts=Yup! Booked a basic package in October. Then they offered “sun and fun” package after New Years so I called and got 30% off. We then extended our stay and added the dining plan!!!
Yes! Thank you for talking about the dining plan! Everyone tries to cram it down your throat but it almost never saves money & if it does it’s very little. Does it work for some? I’m sure it does! But on our last trip adding the dining plan was going to be an additional $1200 for the 2 of us, so instead we put $1000 on 2 Disney gift cards so that way it would be “pre paid” for but we wouldn’t be forced to use it on food. Ended up only using about $800 of it even with character meals, 3 nice sit down dinners, Flower & garden snacks, & drinking around the world. Way better than spending the $1200 on the dining plan with less restrictions! So I always tell everyone to do the math! Look at menu’s & add it up! 😁
The main thing here is to really know your family or group. Are you going to be eating enough to justify the cost? How long are you going to be there? Where will you be eating?
This was well over 20 years ago, when I was a kid the rule my parents set for souvenirs was that we could only purchase them on the last day. That way there was no chance of spending our budget and then falling in love with another item later.
We always take a big box of cereal and bowls and spoons from the dollar store. Milk can be purchased easily and it really lowers breakfast costs.
We always take advantage of the free water but with a Brita filter bottle. From our experience it seems to filter out most of what makes the water taste funny, but it’s still going to be up to personal taste. Definitely worth a try!
We took our own water bottles into the parks. We froze some before had so we didn’t need cooler packs. It worked great and we didn’t have to buy water in the park.
i'm super late on this but a fun tip about the water ... fill your mugs to the very top with ice and then fill your mug/bottle with HOT water! tastes delicious! most likely you'll only be able to do this at your resort but at least your day starts out with yummy water. for some reason the water in pandora tasted very good as well as the fill station at pizzerizzo!
Don't know about anything at WDW, but at Disneyland I know Blue Bayou has had specific split plate charges, although back when your meal came with an appetizer that meant both people splitting the plate got their own. Not sure what is like now with the current menu.
Our first time on the plan, Dad personally tabulated the meal costs and checked how much we saved. We were on free dining because he was skeptical - especially as I’m a bit picky - but it worked out, we loved it.
One thing we did on my first trip was split meals. But it was great when you had 2 diabetic people who needed to eat often. We nibbled throughout the park and didnt break the bank.
park @ disney springs !!!! hop on a bus & go to a resort near the park you are going to .
Today makes 1 month till my family and I go to Disneyworld for the first time! I’m so excited!! Thanks for the videos!
Same
78 days for me
The server at 6:50 who is holding the kitchen sink was our server when we sat at the counter on our last trip! She was awesome! 😀
I was very upset when I found out about the free water around the park. I took my wife and kids to Magic Kingdom in August and it was brutally hot. I stopped so many times to buy water that I lost count and with buying 4 bottles at a time a time before I knew it I spent over $100 on WATER!! I'm so glad I learned this tip I'd much rather spend the $$ in the gift shop for the kids.
We usually get the Disney Dining plan, but recently as it has increased I wanted to see if it was really worth it. I figured for three people eating a mix of table service and quick service for four days out of pocket would cost about $750. This included at least two meals a day and snacks. Disney charges $1170 for the same thing. Also, free dining offer is not always a great deal. For this deal you must have park hopper tickets and only get the quick service dining plan if you stay at Value or Moderate (you can upgrade for cheaper but still).
It’s a good thing I enjoy crunching numbers 👍
Going to Disney world tomorrow! 11th trip and still counting! Favorite time of my life! Your channel has helped my family a lot ❤️💕 love ya!
Have fun!!
@@laurens2190 We will! And thank you!
This is the first time I e seen Shades of Green (or even a picture of it haha) so that was cool! I really wish you would talk about it more since so many people don’t realize they can utilize it!
I do believe I noticed that in order to buy the non-Florida resident TIW discount card you need to be a DVC member or an annual pass holder anyway. So you are already getting a 10% discount on the food. Therefore you’d need to spend about $1500 on food in a year since you’d only be netting an additional 10% (caveat being that alcohol is discounted with a TIW card but not the other standard discounts). Am I right here?
Yes. I'm glad I'm not the only one that caught this mistake in the video.
For me and my family of eight we figured it out that the Disney Dining Plan only cost about $80 per person a day which was way under what we would have spent had we paid for all of our meals. Also, if you are not a dessert person like most of my family most restaurants will let you add a salad to your entree in place of a dessert
On a recent trip we used the case of water bottles we brought far quicker then we planned. We had a car and stayed at Pop Century. We called the Speedway station that was close to us and surprisingly a case if water was not terrible in price! I highly suggest going there if you don’t want to haul water and seek out a grocery store or Walmart.
Tables in Wonderland also includes free Valet parking when dining at a resort. That's normally $30 bucks not including tip. So if you dine at resorts USE VALET it's just easier especially during rainy season.
Thanks for the tip! I never realized the free Disney dining plan forces you to buy park hopper which can be super expensive when you're bring the family.
Cool, another vid. Love these. AJ, I am an AP that lives close to the parks in central Florida. I have learned so much from you and your videos. Keep them coming please.
Here's a tip for kiddo souvenirs...consider turning the giving of the pre-purchased souvenirs into a game. Kids can close their eyes and reach into a bag to pick 1 of the pre-purchased souvenirs or maybe you offer various Disney themes (Lion King/Moana/etc.) and ask them to pick the theme before revealing that souvenir. Just some ways to make the revealing of the souvenirs fun by offering some surprise and choice. :)
"Free" dining always saves me about $500!
Don’t forget that tips aren’t included with free dining or prepaid dining packages. The suggested tip is 18%.
Bradley Lauzon IKR - NZ here. Imagine being able to go to a restaurant, order a $20 dish and pay with a twenty dollar note. No “added tax” and definitely no tip.
Honestly, fuck tips. Especially in Disney. Their prices are so expensive, they make more than enough profit to pay their employees properly, if they don't that's not my problem.
I’m a super light eater but all my family eats lots. Every time we’ve been to Disney we’ve used more than the Disney dining plan, because everyone just eats my leftovers and I’m a snack monster. Not for everyone but if you snack a lot and if your family can eat leftovers of the small eaters it helps a ton
I think the key thing here is that every family is different. If it's just you or your and an SO or you just don't eat a lot, you don't need it. If you're a large group and you all eat a lot, then yeah, you probably need it.
Don't forget that those discounts do not stack. So If your Annual Pass or your DVC discount on the meal is 10% than the Tables in Wonderland card is only doubling that discount. That means it can take up to $1500 to break even depending on where you eat. However with it covering 10 people, and table service meals costing 40-50 per person you could easily break even with a group of 10 in less than 4 meals.
We gave up on the meal plan because we always seemed to end up not using it all, or we'd force ourselves to buy food we didn't really want in order to use it up.
If you or someone in your party is on a diet the deluxe dining plan might be wasteful. I was left with 20 extra meals because my sister was on a diet & didn’t want to eat all that food. But I did the regular dining plan on a diet & I was able to stay on my diet program & use up all our meals. Of course I allowed myself a cheat dessert occasionally because I was on vacation.
The dining plan can be good depending on what you do with it. My planned trip we got it with the intent of trying all the things all at once that we were interested in. Then if we ever come back those expensive places are a pass unless we REALLY enjoyed them. Everything is lumped in with my package at so each week I just pay on the entire thing and my brain can't guilt me over food costs.
I did a trip two years ago and found myself cancelling ADRs because I looked at the prices ahead of time and felt so guilty about the cost, so I ended up trying basically nothing and we had several nights we had to stop on the way back to the hotel to buy fast food. :(
The Water tip will really come in handy. My mom has heavily implied that when we go to Disney World, we'll be flying in and I know don't think Airports allow bottle water on the plane and I wasn't looking forward to drinking Florida water since I am picky. So having concierge services? Omg I am so looking into that. I am fine with Disani watter.
Next time can you explain the pin backs and how to tell if there rare. Pls Pls Pls!!! 😁😁😁😁😁😁
the Disney Dining plan is pretty great. we got lucky as well, we got that early this year deal they had where we got free meal plan. Without the 700 USD we saved from the deal, we were going to save almost 500 (thanks to your tips of more expensive restaurants, + the fact that we like to endulge on alcohol.) - so we are saving almsot 1200 for the 2 of us on our week of disney!
I can’t talk to the baby in our family about the budget... Because the baby is my dad, and he wants EVERY star wars item he sees 😂 It’s adorable
As far as I'm concerned, regarding the Dining plan, is that unless the table service restaurant offers a superior food experience that you might not get at any other location, than you are overpaying. My family likes to go to Crystal Palace for breakfast on the last day of out stay every year (I can't get my family to stop-it's become a tradition.) This past summer it cost us $172, including gratuity, for that meal. However, I didn't eat any more food at CP than I had eaten the day before when we ate breakfast at Pop Century food court, and that meal cost us $72.50. The food quality was the same at both places, too. It's just that at CP, you are paying for the ambiance and the character experience. Bear that in mind when comparing prices on DP versus OOP. Yak and Yeti Cafe serves some of the same food as the table service Yak and Yeti. The difference in price hinges on ambiance. Ambiance costs extra. If ambiance is not high priority to you, eat counter service and in the room and save yourself moola.
I loved the deluxe dining plan when I got it. My fiance and I went to 4 or 5 signature restaurants and I'm a huge steak fan. (The wagyu strip loin at Jiko omg). There was just a piece of mind knowing all my eating was taken care of no matter where we ended up or what we wanted. For me it was totally worth it, but for some it may not be. I was also able to hook my friend up with a meal when we all went to Mama Melrose, which is a pretty underrated spot by the way!
Yep, the Disney Dining (free) doesn't work for us. Because it costs more for the parkhopper (we usually wouldn't do) and it used to be you could get the free table service for a moderate - but no more. But if you have maybe a larger family it probably would be good.
Your party size is a big factor in Free Dining; 5ppl in a room will receive much more value than a couple.
the dining plan isn't by person?
If you’re at a table service restaurant, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to split. Two adult sized entrees are more than enough for a party of three.
We buy gift cards throughout the year and use those for food. We have found we break even, or save vs. the dining plan... but our kids are little and finicky
Orlando water tastes like pool water
Just five minutes, I said.
Now I’m running late. 😁
Thank you for making this channel it helped me so much in my trip this past week to Disney World
There absolutely is a fee to receive a grocery or package delivery, it's $6. And it's an additional $6 to have it delivered to your room. Cast members and resorts may not always charge it for one reason or another but the policy has recently changed.
So glad i found this! Ty Aj for your tips and adorable voice!
Wow awesome tips the one that really helped was kids getting adult meals for quick service my oldest is a big eater and would prefer that better while my youngest doesnt eat as much and could share. Thank you! I cant wait til i go back to apply all these awesome tips.
FYI, the annual pass and tables in wonderland is not based on calendar year. Annual pass is 1 year from date of first use to enter a park and the TIW is good through the end of the month one year from purchase day. They are on a rolling year, not calendar year (01/01 through 12/31).
TiW is good til the end of the following month of the following year. For example I bought TiW in early September 2018 and it expires 10/31/2019
All the times you have mentioned dining plans, I'm surprised you haven't talked about Disney Springs. Last year on our honeymoon, we went to Disney Springs, only to discover that none of the restaurants or snack locations accepted dining plan, not only that but if you had a card linked to your magic band, the stores didn't have band readers, so you still needed your wallet anyhow. Steer clear of Disney Springs, that's my tip to save money and add more fun to your trip.
For the popcorn refillable bucket can u take that park to park and get it refilled for a low price or do u have to buy them at each park and only get the discounted price at that park only
One bucket will work at all parks. Even on return trips.
I went to WDW at the end of May for a split trip (so two hotels) and for half the trip I used the dining plan (for the first time ever) and I have such mixed feelings about it! I liked the simplicity of it, but at the same time I honestly didn't like the pressure to maximize my every meal and snack! The first night I went out to dinner and as I looked over the menu I thought the burger sounded good, but it was one of the cheapest items on the menu so I ordered something different simply to get the most out of my credit. My meal was delicious and it was nice that I wasn't having to think about it the reverse way but I did feel a lot of pressure to just order the most expensive item on the menu just because that's probably what I paid for. The second half of the trip I was using Tables in Wonderland (which I wouldn't know existed if it wasn't for this channel, so HUGE thanks!) and I really love Tables in Wonderland! I love so many of the places you can use it at so it was a no brainer when I looked into it (I have more Disney trips planned later in the year also so I know it will pay for itself). Something I'm not sure that was ever mentioned on this channel about Tables in Wonderland that I did not realize is that they actually automatically add 18% gratuity when you use it, which I actually really like! (of course you can always add more to the tip if you wish to)
I need someone to have a talk with me about my budget when I go to Disney 😂
A water bottle with a carbon filter also makes Florida water taste better! We used Britta bottles and it worked out great.
Those who are also planning to see Universal Orlando, I've researched their dining plans a few times and they're no different: you will not save any money. It's CHEAPER to just grab and pay at the counter whenever you need to.
I have always been scared of the water because of resident comments. It was good to have my reservations acknowledged. Great “keeping it real” video!!!
I understand at the buffet that you can’t split a meal. Obviously because you’ll be eating double the food. But if I’m not that hungry, I order a salad and split my a steak with my husband, I would love to see them try to fight me on that.🙄
I split stuff with my husband because we just won't eat all our food on our plates and we do not want to carry leftovers throughout the parks.