Tips for Disney Parks & Cruise Lines

My fiance and I stayed at Walt Disney World as part of a business thing, and were able to get a "ConventionEars" ticket for 6 p.m. admission, which we used on our day of arrival. It was half the price of a regular admission, and Magic Kingdom had Extra Magic Hours until 2 a.m. that night, so we got a full day for half-price! Make sure to look into ConventionEars if you're at WDW for business. - Kris

I always book 'room-only' reservations. I find it's the best deal. This vacation I'm using my friend's Disney Vacation Club. I'm paying her $11 per point, which lets me stay somewhere (Animal Kingdom, Kidani Village) I never would have wanted to stay for the price. We're staying in a one-bedroom villa for $315 per night, no tax. That's better than a 40 percent room-only discount! We usually don't skimp on anything when we vacation so if we can save a buck on the big items like tickets and hotel we consider ourselves lucky. I also shop for airfare, from New Jersey well in advance. Three of us are flying from Trenton for a grand total of $353! Advanced planning is everything. - Mary Ann W.

It all begins at home. Every Sunday I do my grocery shopping. I always use coupons, and whatever the value of the coupons are I take out in cash and put it in my Disney travel case. If I feel I cannot take out that much this week I will take out half the value of my coupons. Then when I reach about $50 I buy a gift card for Disney with the cash. I do this because if I leave it, I know it is there and I will tend to spend it! - Michelle G.

Did you know that the cost of booking a vacation with a Disney travel agent is the same as booking a vacation yourself directly through Disney? Sometimes it can even be cheaper, as the agent will watch for discounts to help you get the most value for your hard-earned dollar. - Melissa Weis

My cardinal rule for Disney vacations is to have everything paid for before we leave. I bring a coupon folio with cash for tips for our full service meals, the boys have their spending money, my sister and I have our money. Meals, transportation, park entry, it's ALL paid up already, so we feel like we're staying for free and I know when I get home I won't be facing a mountain of debt. How does this save me money? NO INCIDENTALS, NO SURPRISES. Do I spend more money than others do on their trips? I'm sure I do! I've seen some miraculously affordable plans. But I always come in on or under OUR budget, and to me the workable budget is almost more important than the dollar figure itself. - Susan

We travel in the fall or mid-January when rates are the lowest. If you request a Disney Vacation Club information packet, it lists the cheapest and most expensive times to travel. - Tammy W.

The best tip I've ever read is the "Five Dollar Savings Plan." It's pretty easy: during the year, I try to pay with cash as much as possible. Any time I get a $5 bill as change, it goes into the Mickey Mouse bank on our bookshelf. You'd be surprised how fast it adds up! - Cari

Take advantage of all the discounts -- we use the military and annual passholders' ones regularly. We also stay Sunday through Thursday to avoid "weekend" rates and bonus! -- parks are usually less full weekdays. - Katherine Marshall

Research! Utilize the excellent menu feature here on AllEars.Net. Know what the different restaurants or service counters offer so that you know they serve something both you and your kids like. With the costs of an entree, you definitely don't want your child to tell you they don't like what you ordered. Make a list of the places in each park that satisfy all of your needs. Then, if possible, actually make choices before you go. Stick with what you know works, especially for your kids. - Tom Galloway

When my daughters and I went to Disney World two years ago, we registered our PhotoPass before we left and gave my husband (who couldn't come on the trip) the password. He was able to see where we were each day as the photos were uploaded to the site. We stopped at as many PhotoPass opportunities as possible. It was wonderful. He could see how much fun we were having and that we were safe. They took so many great pictures we bought the CD when we got home. We are going again this summer and plan to do the same. - Denice Gartrell

At the end of our last trip, we had quite a few counter service meals remaining. Since we had a 17 hour drive ahead of us, we went to Disney Springs the morning of our departure. There we used our free dining plan meals that remained. We purchased breakfast pizzas as well as regular pizzas which we later used for lunch [storing them in the cooler and eating cold}. Wolfgang Pucks has great food! This saved us purchasing meals an entire day as we had leftovers. We also earlier in the week spent a day at the coast, using our free dining plan to purchase sandwiches/sides and drinks to take along for a picnic lunch. - Joyce Anderson

Disney's Hollywood Studios - If you are going to Disney Junior Live on Stage, get there to line up early (10-20 minutes before show) to get in. Also, don't sit in the very front because you will not see the whole show. Our little ones couldn't see anything but the tops of the heads of the characters most of the time. Very disappointing. - Steffi Finnerty

We are heading to Disney World for our first trip ever in just a few days. My 9-year-old daughter has Type 1 diabetes and I've used AllEars.Net to research restaurants and menus. I want to pass along something new we just found out from our endocrinologist this morning. Mickey Mouse has a new friend, Coco the Monkey, who's a Type 1 diabetic! My daughter was so excited to hear about this, especially with our upcoming trip... I understand Coco has been a part of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and carries her diabetic supplies in a backpack, and wears a diabetes bracelet, too. Our doctor gave us a free book about Coco -- ask for one for your child at your doctor's office. Thank you Disney and Lilly Diabetes for bringing this very important issue to the public's attention and making a friend of Mickey's seem as normal as all the kids with diabetes want to be. - Sheila Meyle

For more information: www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/2011/07/meet-coco-1st-disney-character-with-diabetes/

If you are staying at Pop Century or Art of Animation, you can ride the other resort's bus from the park to the resort. The bus stops at the parks are next to each other (except AK) and it is a quick walk across Generation Gap bridge. My wife and I would take whichever bus arrived first instead of waiting. For example, we recently stayed at Pop Century (the '60s) and would sometimes ride the AOA bus if it came first, the Pop Century line was really long or if a scooter needed loaded. It only takes a couple minutes to walk from the AOA bus stop across the bridge to the '60s. - Mark

If you are staying at Pop Century or Art of Animation, you can ride the other resort's bus from the park to the resort. The bus stops at the parks are next to each other (except AK) and it is a quick walk across Generation Gap bridge. My wife and I would take whichever bus arrived first instead of waiting. For example, we recently stayed at Pop Century (the '60s) and would sometimes ride the AOA bus if it came first, the Pop Century line was really long or if a scooter needed loaded. It only takes a couple minutes to walk from the AOA bus stop across the bridge to the '60s. - Mark