Tips about Epcot, Kids, Mousecellaneous, Planning, Saving and Souvenirs

My family has been going to WDW since 1971, so needless to say there are occasions when we are looking for things to do that are outside of the parks, but still in the World. After I read Jack Spence's article on thinking "outside the box," my family came up with this idea that we are going to do over the Labor Day weekend. Prior to our trip we will put the names of the three monorail resort hotels in a hat and each of us will draw a name. Then, on our first evening, after dinner, we will ride the monorail, stopping at each resort hotel, and the person with that hotel name will get to select a "dessert" at a quick stop location to share with the group back in our hotel room. No one knows what was selected and it continues the party well into the evening after leaving the parks. - Betsy Vancura

My favorite tip is to join all the Disney websites and sit back while you receive special offers from Disney. - Cindy, Laurel, MD

My tip for saving money is to sign up for a survey-taking website like SurveySpot.com. This site emails paid survey invites to you. The paid surveys average about $3. I have been a member for just about a year now and have received $100 for the surveys I have taken. Many surveys that are sent aren't paid so make sure that you are focusing on completing the paid ones. Unlike other survey sites, this one is free to join and will not take a cut of your earnings when you wish to get a check mailed. - Abby, Enfield, CT

To help our monthly saving we've cut eating out down to once a week, and even then we usually get carry-out, which saves on beverages and tip. - Adele Camper

Only purchase things once. We repack the light-up toys we bought a few years ago. Same with the water bottle lanyards, pin lanyards, etc. Anything that you will repeatedly need each year, SAVE IT. We have a small container that is decorated as the "Disney Box." Since we drive to WDW, it goes with us every year. As soon as we get home, the autograph books, lanyards, light-up toys, etc. go in the box for the next trip. Taped to the underside of the lid is a list that I start replenishing with the very next grocery trip. I choose one or two things each trip, that way it doesn't eat into our budget (extra batteries, rain ponchos, refills for the first aid kit, and snacks closer to the trip). - DShealer

Each payday we figure out how much we can set aside for Disney gift cards. We purchase these once a month. Sometimes it's $10, sometimes it's $50. If the money goes into the savings account, it might be used for emergencies (like when our son had his two front teeth knocked out on a dare). This way, the vacation money is the vacation money, and it can't go anywhere else. - DShealer

If your bank has a vacation club or Christmas club save money out of your check each week and let it grow. If it takes more than a year to save for the vacation if you have to cash that out each year, just redeposit it for the next year. - Susan E. Kozicki

We have been going to WDW every two years because that's how long it takes us to save the money so that we won't incur debt. I have an online savings account separate from our "real" bank, and have a small amount automatically transferred with each paycheck into my "Disney Vacation Account." I chose a brand that actually pays interest. When it comes time to book the trip, the money is there waiting for us. There is no way we could have gone otherwise -- we stay on a very tight budget all year, and "live frugally" to be able to set aside this Magic Money for our every-two-years adventure. - Trudi Sabaj

My daughter wanted to celebrate her 25th birthday at the Magic Kingdom. Money is tight so we decided to see how cheaply we could do the trip. We did the following:

-- Signed up for coupons from Retailmenot.com
-- Booked a low cost flight on Southwest, and checked often to see if there was a price reduction ( saved $20 a ticket)
-- Used a hotel broker with a discount for the Regal Sun Hotel on Hotel Plaza Road. Paid $205 for three nights (weekend) and it included resort fee (great pool), and taxes. (The cheapest Disney hotel was Pop Century for $109/night.) Since it's on Disney property the transportation was great, and it was an easy walk to Disney Springs.
-- Checked the Goldstar.com web site for entertainment deals.

Having been to Disney many times, and stayed on property many times, I found this trip was almost 45 percent cheaper, and maybe even more stress free than other trips. - Meglowmaniainc

Use coupons at the store. When you get home, put the amount of money you saved using coupons in a jar and save it. Also if you get "buy one get one frees" you could put the free money you saved in the jar. - Susan E. Kozicki

Any time I save money on anything, the amount saved goes into the Disney fund, whether it's 50 cents or $5. - DShealer

We save our change. At the end of every night we empty all the change out of our pockets into our special "Disney" jar. We also toss in any $1 bills. At the end of the month we cash it in and put it into our travel savings account. This past December we pulled out our money from our savings account and had over $400 in there... Also, our tax return always goes straight to travel, no matter what. Since we know we will spend it if we just put it in the bank, I buy Disney gift cards for the amount of the tax return. This way we have the money for Disney and we don't spend it on other things. - Elaine

We save all of our change for the entire time leading up to our trip. We are actually able to save hundreds of dollars doing this -- your pennies add up quickly! Another thing we do takes some discipline, but we can save some major moolah. When we make a purchase using our debit card or checking account, I round up when I enter it. For example, if I have spent $13.50 somewhere, I enter $15 in my check book. Every couple of months I will figure out how much extra is in the checking account and transfer it to savings. It doesn't even feel like we are saving money! - Heather from Ohio

To save up for the trip:

-- If you live in a state where you can get deposits on bottles, do it! Take garbage bags to parks or your kids' soccer games or wherever there are crowds and drinks. Collect the bottles and turn them in. We did this when we lived in NY, and made over $600 for our first trip! As long as they wear gloves, it's also a great way to involve the kids, since they can help.
-- If you use coupons and/or grocery saver cards, take the money you saved and put it away after each trip to the store.
-- If you get "found" money, set it aside for your trip. For example, if we find money in a coat pocket, or in a purse or even on the street, we save it for Disney. My husband collects metal (aluminum, brass, copper, whatever) and turns it in to a local junkyard for cash. My son and I save change when we use cash to buy something. If we save unexpectedly on something we would have paid full price for (I recently got 20% off of something because it had minor damage I didn't really care about), we take the savings and use it for Disney. Wherever you can, even just a few cents, set it aside for your trip. Little bits at a time can add up much more quickly than you'd think. - Eileen Miller

My "Dear Hubby" and I each take $50 allowance each week. I started to put whatever was left from the previous week's $50 in an envelope. Knowing that I was going to hide this money away in seven days helped me to be more aware of my spending throughout the week. Between November and April, I was able to stash away $600 cash for the trip we took last month. I've already started a new envelope for future vacations because this was such an easy way to save money. - Debbie Ragno