Ask:
Hi! We are turning hubbys business trip to Orlando into a family vacation in mid-August. We are staying at the Nickelodeon Hotel (any feedback on that?!) but would like to take one day and hit Disney World. We plan to visit the Magic Kingdom Park. I found some pretty good deals on tickets online, but haven't purchased them yet. Any ideas, tips etc. on saving money once we are inside the park. Are there any good coupon/discount books we should get before going. Any help would be greatly appreciated as we want to make this a fun time for our boys but still stay on some kind of budget!
Thanks!
Answer:
You can purchase tickets ahead of time at your Disney Store. I would NOT try to buy from anywhere other than Disney. There are a lot of fakes out there, I personally won't waste my time doing a time share presentation either.
There are no discount or coupon books fo the Disney theme parks themselves.
If you have a Disney Rewards Visa from Chase, you can transfer the points to your card to have for spending.
If you visit the Dis Boards they have a ton of info. We just got back, 2 weeks ago. It is HOT! Wal-Mart has the spray fans for $4.96. I'd get one for each child, and spare batteries. These run about $16 in the parks!
As for meals, snacks, etc. We took a small cooler with us with water. I also had some craxckers, pretzels, fruit snacks. We refilled water bottles at drinking fountains. The counter service places will give you water also.
Have a DOLE WHIP! Magic Kigdom, in Adventureland. Oh, I wish I could have one now...Pineapple ice cream and pinapple juice...mmmm...
Portions are a good size when you do get a meal. If your kids are small, start by sharing.
We ate at Macaroni Grill, 3 adults and 2 kids, for $48 for dinner one night.. Kids menu is decent, my girls had a drink, grilled chicken, broccoli, pasta, and ice cream for $4 something. Not bad! You can Google this for locations.
Does your hotel offer breakfast? That hotel is a lot of fun in itself from what I hear. Or if you have a fridge/microwave you can make stuff in your room for breakfast if you like.
We rented a stroller, $18 for a double. If you visit another park the same day, show them the receipt, you won't need to pay again. You need park hoppers to do this though. And show your parking tag at the next park, you will park free.
Email or PM me if I can help more! We've gone evey year for the past 5 at least!