Tips about Budget, Kids, Mousecellaneous, Resorts and Souvenirs
Some trips to Disney may not include all members of your family, such as the special trip my cousin took her oldest daughter on due to meeting goals with the Girl Scouts. The younger daughter had to stay home. I just had to share what my cousin did for the one at home: She created a gift bag that contained one gift for each day they would be gone. She was allowed to open one gift per day. She was thrilled to receive a gift card to go out to dinner with Grandma, a bracelet, a picture frame with her and Mom in the photo and more! We got an update each night regarding which gift she discovered that day. This was a great way to show that we were thinking of the one left at home, and for her to have some magic of her own. - Shawna Mott
Recently, I have discovered that Disney offers recyclable shopping bags. They're very inexpensive and I find (as a teenager) that they function as great waterproof tote bags! - Jacquelyn
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When we leave Disney with all of our souvenirs, they seem to go by the wayside once we get home, so I have started putting all of the "Disney stuff" away in a bag. When we go back to the magical land, it's ready to pack and take back with us. My kids have usually forgotten about everything, so it seems like new and I don't have to repurchase all the stuff. This also works well with Disney plush toys, hats and light-up gadgets. I also like to purchase Disney-related things throughout the year as I see them and add them to the bag. - Deb Gorman
Stroller rental prices have become outrageous at WDW, and they are way too small for bigger kids! Our solution was to purchase a new stroller that fit our family here at home and sell it when we returned. Our actual spending was only around $25 rather than almost $200 for our 6 night stay. - Joy Clevenger
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Stroller rental prices have become outrageous at WDW, and they are way too small for bigger kids! Our solution was to purchase a new stroller that fit our family here at home and sell it when we returned. Our actual spending was only around $25 rather than almost $200 for our 6 night stay. - Joy Clevenger
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Stay off property. You spend most of your days at the park, so does it really matter where you sleep? Especially in the summer when the parks are open late anyway, the extra magic hours until 2am just doesn't make sense. You can get a great deal in the Disney Springs area or somewhere in Kissimmee for less than $90 per night and have a larger room. We stayed at the Caribe Royale last trip and were pleasantly surprised by the beautiful, newly renovated rooms. Or vacation with another family and rent a condo. It will split your costs in half and you will have more amenities than at a hotel (washer, dryer, fridge, stove). It will also save on money if you bring food and cook your meals at the condo. - Lisa Conley
Seek out free evening entertainment. There are plenty of watering holes that have a band or piano player -- you don't have to hit a place with a cover charge. For example, we've had a lot of fun at the bar at Port Orleans French Quarter without paying a cover charge. Another great option is the Belle Vue Room at the Boardwalk Inn. They often play old radio shows and have board games available. - Hilary Sommer
My husband is the proud owner of an Annual Pass. With the annual pass, he gets discounts on WDW Hotels and on dining in certain WDW restaurants (always ask at each restaurant for the annual pass discount). - Debbie Wills (no, not our Editor, there's another one!)
There is stuff that you can do at Disney that costs no money such as viewing the Electric Water parade, participating in Chip N' Dale's campfire sing-along at Fort Wilderness and watching the movie afterwards and going to Disney Springs just for the atmosphere (fun fountains, entertainment). - Michele Munoz
There is stuff that you can do at Disney that costs no money such as viewing the Electric Water parade, participating in Chip N' Dale's campfire sing-along at Fort Wilderness and watching the movie afterwards and going to Disney Springs just for the atmosphere (fun fountains, entertainment). - Michele Munoz
We went to the Chip and Dale's Campfire Singalong. The event is free. There is singing and dancing for the kids. A gentleman comes out and plays his guitar with Disney type songs. They build 2 fires at each end of the little theater area. You can bring your own marshmallows/smore ingredients. Or you can purchase the makings onsite. If I remember, the S'mores kits were about $12.00. Chip and Dale come around so you can take pictures with your family or get autographs. We missed this the first time we came to Disney but got a chance to participate this last trip. We would recommend this to a family with younger children. My daughter was 12 and still enjoyed it. - Carol Kuhar
We went to the Chip and Dale's Campfire Singalong. The event is free. There is singing and dancing for the kids. A gentleman comes out and plays his guitar with Disney type songs. They build 2 fires at each end of the little theater area. You can bring your own marshmallows/smore ingredients. Or you can purchase the makings onsite. If I remember, the S'mores kits were about $12.00. Chip and Dale come around so you can take pictures with your family or get autographs. We missed this the first time we came to Disney but got a chance to participate this last trip. We would recommend this to a family with younger children. My daughter was 12 and still enjoyed it. - Carol Kuhar
My girls really wanted to do the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique on our last trip to WDW, however with two of them the cost was just too high. Instead, before our trip I purchased sparkle hair spray from Wal-Mart in silver and a can of pink coloring/spray (I think it was $2.97 per can) and brought a small curling iron. While at Disney Springs I purchased two of the small crowns ($10 each) from World of Disney. On the day we were going to our Princess breakfast, I got up early, curled and styled their hair in "up-do's" sprayed with sparkles and color and put in the crowns. They looked just as beautiful as the girls from the BBB and got just as many compliments at a fraction of the cost. They still had their special day, we just did it on a budget and since the crowns were the same ones used at BBB, no one knew the difference! - Susan S.
