Tips about Magic Kingdom, Mousecellaneous and Saving

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

My money-saving tip: Throughout the year make all your purchases on an airlines credit card, rewards card, or no-hassle miles card. I'm talking about your food shopping, gas, everything. This year we're traveling from the Northeast to Orlando by air (four of us) for $20 total because we were able to cash in the miles we accrued. Depending on your card's program you can get rewards certificates for dining, etc., also. Just remember to set aside the money you would have used at the supermarket or wherever to pay the bill at the end of the month. - Laura Fox

To save "free" money before going to Disney, I use my Disney Rewards Visa instead of my debit card. I charge everything I possibly can, write the charges in my checkbook just like I would my debit card, and pay the bill off each month. For our upcoming trip, I have $700 in free money that I can use for meals, room charges, etc. It's a little bit of work but it sure pays off in the end! - Amy Woodward

Magic Kingdom - I recently found out a service that the Magic Kingdom watch store offers. My husband's pin fell out of his glasses. The nearest glasses store was 20 minutes away and we did not have a car. I asked the front desk if there was a watch store in one of the parks. They directed me to the one in the Magic Kingdom. I thought maybe a watch store would have the tools to put the pin back in. The store told me to bring the glasses over. The man had the tools and many pins to try. He fixed the glasses free of charge. We were so, so happy! - Teresa Norman

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

Just a comment on the sale of shuttle launch tickets. Any follower of the shuttle program knows that tickets can sell out quickly. NOT TO FRET! If you don't have a ticket to get onto the Cape Canaveral grounds, you can stop anywhere along the river at any parking area, or park and see the launch. You will see the shuttle as soon as it crosses your horizon and you will hear it. It is an amazing sight! You might even be better off not getting a ticket, because there is always a chance the launch will not happen for some reason. Go to a park, bring a blanket, some coffee (early morning launch) and enjoy the time. Go early and you will meet some interesting people along the way! - Geri Preisser

ALL PARKS - This is a tip for anyone who celebrates a special day or occasion on the same day every year at one of the Disney parks. My wife and I have celebrated every one of our 11 wedding anniversaries at Disneyland. To add to our tradition, we get a Fastpass that is marked for that day and covers the time that we were married, i.e. 4 p.m. Then we have a cast member take a picture of us in front of that attraction at the exact time that we said our "I Do's." Between the photo and the Fastpasses, it makes a nice keepsake of that specific day and time. The only drawback is we can see how we have aged over the years. Go out and CELEBRATE! - Michael Greening

Be careful while driving on Disney property. We were there this past weekend and they had a speed trap set up right before the Contemporary resort. There were four or five sheriffs and one had a radar gun. They had a car pulled over and that person had a ticket in his hand and did not look too happy. The next day we saw two sheriffs over by Pop Century. Just drive the speed limit. - Suzy

In this economy with tight money and budgets, my wife has come up with a solution to get us back to the MAGIC sooner than we expected. Her tip is simple. She clips coupons, seeks out special sales, and other discounts. She keeps up with how much she has saved by using the coupons or the sale discounts and the money she has saved goes into the Eeyore cookie jar in the kitchen, which is set aside for Disney only. I thought she had completely lost it until she showed me how much she had saved and we were back to WDW in only six months. Our local grocery store helps immensely with the process as your savings from coupons and the club membership discounts are printed at the bottom of the receipt. We don't have children, but I could see how you could get the kids involved -- clipping the coupons, organizing them, and searching for them on the internet could be like a scavenger hunt and a lot of fun for the whole family. This could also teach them the value of saving for something they really, really want. - DISNEYDEAN