Tips about Epcot, Resorts and Saving

BEACH CLUB VILLAS - I just got back from a great four-night stay (my first) at the Beach Club Villas. We had a studio with fridge and microwave but I was very disappointed to see there were no real dishes to use. There were a few paper plates and bowls in the cabinet, and I was able to get plastic utensils, but this didn't help with anything needing to be microwaved. I had brought a few of those macaroni and cheese packets for late night snacks, not realizing that nothing is provided for actually USING the microwave. For those of you heading to a studio, keep this in mind and bring a little microwavable bowl with you, especially if you're planning to use it to cook instant oatmeal or that type of thing for the kids. - Amy Miles

EDITOR'S NOTE: EDITOR'S NOTE: Some readers have reported that housekeeping has delivered dishes on request, so if there's something you need, just ask! It can't hurt!

I shop at a grocery store that has a store discount card. Each week, in addition to my loose change, I "deposit" the amount saved at the grocery store. Boy, has THAT added up fast. My trip next month is paid for. Now I can Christmas shop. - Ann

I'd like to expand on Joanie's idea of saving change. I, too, am a change saver. But let's carry it one step further -- I never spend change! I pay for all my purchases with bills, even if I have the change in my pocket to cover it. At the end of the day, all my change (sometimes as much as $3-$4) goes into a water cooler bottle in our bedroom. Last year, we cashed in over $600 in change and it made the trip to WDW. Eventually, the jug may contain enough to cover Annual Passes so we can get to the World more often! - JPATTI1

Every year, from vacation to vacation, I save change. I have ended up with anywhere from $75 to $210 at the end of the year. I reserve this money for tips. It's money I never missed and money I won't miss giving out as a tip to our driver, to the bellman, to the taxi driver and so on. Joanie

ALL PARKS - I just returned from a trip to WDW. The 3M Company now has a new Post-It Flag Highlighter that includes both a highlighter and Post-It flags in one. It was PERFECT for marking the maps to the parks. I would circle the attraction number with the highlighter and then put a Post-It flag on the number on the map. They are see-though, so they don't cover up the number. The "pen" fit perfectly in my fanny pack! - Leah Price

A few years ago, I went to one of those "paint your own pottery" places in our home town. I selected a jar with a lid, and painted it with Walt Disney World themes, Cinderella Castle, etc. On the lid, I painted the words "Disney Fund." I gave this to my wife as an anniversary gift. All year long we throw our spare change in the jar and then use that change for a special romantic dinner for the two of us on our next WDW trip. This also worked very well as a Christmas gift for my parents this year; although, inside the jar was a reservation confirmation. We bought the entire family a trip to WDW for Christmas to join us for six days in October 2006. I visited Mom's and Dad's house just a few weeks after Christmas and they already had the jar nearly filled with change! I guess dinner will be on them! - Kevin-John Jobczynski

Coronado Springs -At the Coronado Springs Resort, if you want to be assured a seat on the bus, do not go to the main entrance to catch the bus. Go to stop 2, which really is the first stop on the bus route. The main entrance stop is the last stop for the resort and during peak times, the bus is often full by the time it gets to the main entrance (since it has already stopped at three other bus stops). - Rebecca

ALL STAR MOVIES - If you stay at the All-Star Movies Resort, try to stay in the Mighty Ducks area. You are close to the buses for All-Star Music, which are less crowded, and you can choose either bus to return on. You can also choose either food court if one is too busy. The pool is close and not as crowded as the main pool. It is also quiet. The rooms facing the parking and trees are in the shady side of the building and are less expensive. - John Harman

ALL PARKS - I purchased "The Unofficial Guide to WDW" book before our trip. I tore out the pages in the back of the book (the ones that suggest which attractions to see and in which order -- a very valuable tool) and laminated them. I then punched a hole in a corner of each page. As we set off for a certain park for the day, I would attach that set of pages with a binder ring to my fanny pack. I then had a quick reference guide for all the attractions and restaurants in that park. It was outside my fanny pack so I could look at it quickly without having to open my fanny pack each time. It was laminated so if it rained, the pages were not ruined, and they could withstand a lot of abuse. I took along a Sharpie marker and marked off each attraction as we visited it so I could see at a glance where we'd been and where we were supposed to go next. It worked out very well for our trip. - Lisa Kent

I've found a great way to save for our trip. Every time I go to our local mall, we stop by the Disney Store. I purchase Disney Gift cards, as many as I can afford that day. The main reason I do this is I know if I had the cash around the house, it would be spent on something else. This way, it can only be used at Disney. On our last trip, I didn't tell my husband I had done this. Right before our trip, I showed him my stash. On each envelope I had written the name of the restaurant, the time for priority seating and the confirmation number. The envelope contained the exact amount of money for that meal, including tax and tips if it was something like a character breakfast or dinner show. When we got to the restaurant, I just pulled out the envelope and everything was taken care of. With other meals, I just guessed what the meal would cost and marked that envelope Other Dinners. I had one envelope which had $200 worth of Disney gift cards for breakfasts for the eight days, one just for gifts to bring home and one for Tara's spending money. By having her own envelope, she knew she could buy whatever was in that envelope and when it was empty, that was it. By saving little by little over a period of time, we didn't have to charge anything. Alex was thrilled with the idea of no credit card bills and we've already begun saving for our next trip. Each time Tara gets cash or a check for her birthday, Christmas, etc., we go right to the mall. This is the best gift anyone could give her. I've told two friends who've begun to do the same. Hope it works for you! - Tara Gergar

ALL PARKS - On our last trip to Disney we brought our own 2 way radios. This came in extremely handy and we were able to separate and change plans as we needed. We had to share the frequency with quite a few other people, but if you don't mind waiting your turn, it really is a convenient way to communicate if you decide to split up. - Sharmon Simonetti

ALL PARKS - Assign a meeting place IN THE SHADE! Meeting by the fountain at Epcot is great except it can be brutal in the afternoon sun. Better to meet at one of the Innovations cafes where you can stay cool and relax if your party is late. - D. Hamilton

Disney has such a large selection of coin banks. We bought one toward the end of our trip but next time we will buy it on the first day. THEN as we get back to our room or camper each night, all change will go into the bank to begin our savings fund for our next trip. I found that halfway thru this trip I was lugging around a huge change purse of coins that added a heavy load to my backpack. Buying a bank the first day will not only give us a fun sense of "when we come back again" but i won't be lugging all those nickels & dimes around trying to pawn them off on kiosk vendors paying for my stuff. - Amy Miles

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I have 5 children, so going to Disney is a BIG expense for me. One thing I do to cut my expenses is have the children receive Disney Gift Cards for the WHOLE year before our trip. I tell all friends and family members to give them to my children for their birthdays. Also, the tooth fairy, Easter bunny and Santa has even been known to give Disney Gift Cards 🙂 This way, by the time they have received them for the whole year, they have a hefty stash, and Mom and Dad do not have to budget in spending money for them!! - Karen Revis

My husband and I start saving money early. When we write our check in the registry, we always round it up. So say the check was $12.16, we would write it [in our checkbook] for $13 dollars. Then when we are about to go to Disney, we go to the back and get a list of all the checks that cleared and a balance in our account. We have saved at least $1000 (in 1 year) by doing that and we take that on our trip. It makes it easy to save money that way. - Lynda P.