This website is great. You can sign up for a free newsletter as well. They have so many ideas on how to save with foods and attractions there as well. Have a great trip!

We've stayed at the Port Orleans hotel before. It was gorgeous and right on the water. We took the boat taxi a few nights for free to Downtown Disney. The pool was great with the King Triton water slide. I liked that we could buy a refillable cup at the Resort and we kept re-filling it from the on-site restaurant as many times as we wanted. The kids loved the big screen tv's in the restaurant that they could sit and watch Disney movies during dinners. It was so nice to just have to hop on the bus to take us to Magic Kingdom and then take the monorail to any park we wanted very quickly.

Glad to hear someone likes it as much as I do! It has info on both Disneyland and Disneyworld. We found a ton of helpful information for our last trip to DL a few years back, and plan to browse around it again for this year's trip.

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Attaining financial freedom is like eating an elephant . . . it takes one bite at a time.

We are going to disney in july and I am really looking for some money saving tips! this is a last min trip for us DH has a work thing in disney and we figuared while they were apying for the hotel and 200 in food plus rental car ans gas we better go.
Keep the tip coming I am taking notes!

I found a good hotel from mousesavers, thanks!

We were planning to go in April before our APs expire, stay 2 nights with my uncle and the rest at a nearby economy hotel. Now my hubby has a work thing down there, so we might go in a few weeks while they're paying for him to fly. But I'm not sure it will be any cheaper. We'd have to buy tickets (ours aren't good on the weekend) and a plane ticket for me, which would cost as much as gas. oh well.

I love teh disboards. We just cancelled our feb trip and we are booking next feb! We like Jan and FEb....VERY LOW CRowds, not hot, and cheaper! Maybe not great swimming weather and morning s can be chilly! For saving money...I do not rec the food plan ...for most it is not cheaper. Also if you consider off site....Have you considered Windsor Hills...You can rent a 2-3 br condo for around 99/night. They are individually owned and some are very nice ....My favorite is one called Mickeys world....very well decorated! Anyway....camping would be very fun and cheap! Nice if you have your own vehicle....It will save you trans time and $ on food! Good luck...please check out the dis boards ...they have a budget forum....there are people that know soooo much on there and they are so helpful! My budget was to keep my trip for 1 week around 2,500 including airfare, mealss, accom, and tickets! Wish me luck...it will be tight but doable!

we went to disney world last may, and it wasn't crowded at all. we paid 3400 for the four of us including airfare,tickets and meal plan. we stayed in caribbean beach resort. we booked it through aaa. they have lots of discounts. we stayed of a week.

another site that's good is Deb's Unofficial Walt Disney World Vacation Information Guide - WDW Planning Guide - Walt Disney World
They have tips about saving money, traveling with kids, tips about what rides will be closed when, and lots of other stuff.
I recommend the book The Unofficial Guide To Disney World.
We stayed at a non Disney hotel that had a kitchenette when we went in 2006 with a family of five. It helped because I brought lots of stuff that we could microwave for the kids like oatmeal or grits or those microwave soup or spaghetti things.
Since water got kind of old for us I bought those sport gatorade bottles or you can use any old water bottles. Then at WalMart I bought the large container of Gatorade powder. Each morning I filled one of those formula containers (the kind that are sectioned off and you can just pop the lid to empty out the serving amt). I filled those with just the right amount for the water bottle then when we were at the park I could just refill the water bottle at the fountains and dump in the gatorade with no mess. Just shake and go.

We use the Disney Dollars for our kids spending money. They know once that is gone, their shopping is done. If they have birthdays coming up you can always suggest that to anyone that asks. Or give them part of their allowance in them.

I have always taken a small cooler with juice boxes and water. Also some small snacks.

If you have a rental car, get out away from the resort to eat. We ate, 3 adults and 2 kids, at Macaroni Grill for $50; which included DH and my SIL having wine. We also went out for bagels in the morning, ordered pizza one night, etc.

If you are there when it is hot, don't buy the mister fans. Get them at Wal Mart (we found over by automotive) for about $4. In the parks they are about $16!

Ask any Cast Member to take a family photo.

Check on all the activities the hotel, campground, has to offer.


Make sure you have extra batteries, you don't want to have to buy in the parks. Or film, if you don't do digital.

You can research all the menus available online, even the Downtown Disney restaurants, gives you an idea what you will spend food wise.

Definitely check those other sites mentioned, they are full of great advice. They have a Families board and a Budget board.

I do think your boys would like MGM, and Animal Kingdom. My girls loved EPCOT, they totally vegged out coloring at certain stops to collect little tags for a "passport". Must have been they'd had too much park hopping!

Also, save quarters adn pennies in a m&m tube to create pressed pennies, we found this a cheap, fun, souvenier!

Another great Travel-Planning tool I use is Reviews of vacations, hotels, resorts, vacation and travel packages - TripAdvisor I've only searched for hotels, but I like reading what other hotel guest have to say about a place. You can also search for reviews on flights, attractions, etc.

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Attaining financial freedom is like eating an elephant . . . it takes one bite at a time.