We have a big family vacation coming up in less than 2 weeks and we are so excited! Along with Kelli’s parents and her sister (and family which includes our 3 amazing nieces and nephew), we are going to Orlando. We have planned this trip for a few years; actually we have talked about the trip for a few years. Somehow the time eluded us and we ended up going somewhere else each year on our annual combined family vacation.
I am sure you know how it is, you “want” to do something but you don’t commit to it and then something else always happens. Well, after my recent bout with breast cancer and some other family member’s situations we realized life is too short to put things off. 2012 is the year!
As I plod my way through the millions of Disney websites and investigate Universal Studios, Cocoa Beach, Sea World and more I wonder what is the best way to approach it. What are money saving tips and tricks we can use? Then it hit me – ask you guys!
So if you have any tip or trick you want to share, please comment below. We’d love your input. How did you save? What did you find out on your trip that you wish you knew before?
We’ll be there 12 days, we already have a condo booked for accomodations and we have 2 rental cars. We are spending 1 day at Magic Kingdom, 1 day at Animal Kingdom, 1 day at each Universal park and 1 day at Sea World. We also want to go to the beach at least 1 day. We are strongly considering returning to Magic Kingdom for the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Have you been to that?
Thanks in advance for your input guys – you rock!
The biggest tip I can give is a fairly obvious one – PACK YOUR OWN FOOD! Whether it’s Magic Kingdom, Sea World, or Universal, they charge an INSANE amount for food. Unless you have the Dining Plans at WDW (which only comes by staying on WDW property), feeding a family of 4 can cost $40-$50 for quick service and $80-$100 for a sit down meal! Pack some park friendly foods (no glass, no perishables, easily packed), bring your own water or a water bottle, and only spend on food if it’s a treat. A trip to WalMart or a local grocery store will save you a TON while there. This way you won’t feel guilty getting that Mickey Mouse ice cream or that Butterbeer from Universal! 🙂
Secondly, I would try and plan out your days at the theme parks. There are TONS of theme park related websites (my favorite is wdwinfo.com) that have theme park maps, ride descriptions, and comments from other users. In the case of the WDWInfo site, they also have a forum with tips from seasoned veterans and rookies alike. By having an idea of which attractions you want to do the most, you can check the maps and plan your way around. In addition, FastPass is your best friend for those really busy rides. You can get a FastPass for later in the day, go to other attractions, then come back at the specific time and get into a much shorter line. Makes for less standing around and less headache!
Go to VisitOrlando.com/magicard site you can get a free magicard there and they also have discounted tickets that you can buy ahead of time (so you don’t have to stand in line when you get to the theme parks). They have loads of information that you can access. Jason is right about bringing to food to the theme parks too though, unless you can get a good deal on the dining plans which are still expensive, but sometimes worth it. Have fun and enjoy yourselves! We are going later too in the year!
Thank you Jason and Debbie!