Back in November, I wrote a post about how to survive Disney World with little kids. The post got a great response, and a good friend of mine (and former Disney cast member) shared some of her own tips, making the list a great starting point for people heading to Disney for the first time, even if they didn’t have kids in tow. But after being at Disney World all weekend for SheCON and a little family vacation, I feel the need to update the list and confess that for years I had it all wrong. If I could re-write that post today, the number one tip would be:
Skip the pricey hotel breakfast. Bring breakfast foods and snacks; eat breakfast in your room. Yep that’s right, it’s a money-saving tip, but more importantly, it’s a time-saving tip. The first few times we went to Disney World with Greenleigh we decided to check out the character dining at our hotel. It was novel and fun, but easily killed 60-90 minutes. And the food was just, um, well…okay. Then the bill would arrive and we realized how much we had spent before we even stepped into the theme park. And when we looked for alternate options that might be a little more cost efficient, we were surprised to find that we spent almost the same amount, with or without the characters.
This trip, I knew I was going to be in a time crunch due to the conference, so I figured we might as well pack some quick and easy breakfast foods. As we were packing up, we thought we might as well throw in a few snacks and maybe a couple bottles of water. Soon we had 3 grocery bags full of food. I wasn’t sure if we needed it all, but decided to go ahead and take it along with us anyway. Probably the best decision we made.
So you might be thinking – Who doesn’t know this? Of course you bring your own food. Well, here’s the part where I was wrong. For years I saw people check in with grocery bags and thought that they really weren’t enjoying their vacation. I thought that eating out was a necessary part of enjoying a vacation. I. Was. So. Wrong. Yes, it’s fun to go do the character dining every now and again. And yes, Disney has some great dining options. But by having breakfast in the room, we were able to make it to the park before 10 am. Plenty of time to have fun before naps. And it was nice to have a small snack waiting for us when we came back to the room. Trust me, we ate out a ton and had some great meals at Disney, but from now on, we’re bringing food – especially breakfast food – with us.
So this is how I save money at Disney. Embarrassing to drag my grocery bags through the lobby of our hotel? Maybe, but we probably saved around $150, this weekend alone, between breakfasts, snacks, and drinks. So worth it.
Just a few of the snacks in our room. I forgot to take a picture of the fridge, but that was pretty packed too.
And now a few other pictures from our trip. I was having so much fun that I forgot my camera (a lot). All of the pictures are from my camera phone, except for the first one.
And my newest obsession – Hidden Mickeys!
But more on that, and a full SheCON rundown (with an awesome giveaway) tomorrow! I promise not to disappear again. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!
I have a post about Disneyland with a baby on my blog: http://mommytoelodie.tumblr.com/post/10472115358/disneyland-with-a-baby
One of my favorite tips is to look into nearby motels. There are several that are very close to the park (walking distance, closer than where you pay to park normally) that have pools and offer waffle breakfasts. For $40 you get parking, breakfast for the family, and a place to sleep- that’s a bargain!
Totally agree with eating breakfast in your room. We try to book hotels which include a continental breakfast since it can really add up!
This is such a great tip! I am glad that I am not the only one that feels a little bit embarrassed about carting my groceries through the hotel lobby, but then I see the savings and I feel better. I’ve even put groceries in a suitcases so i feel a little bit better about it.:) Thanks for linking up today and come back again!
I was mortified when my mother would pack food for a hotel stay when we were younger. Oh little did I know how wise that woman was. Not that I am a mom and footing the bill for our trips I pack breakfast for almost every trip. You are so right, it gets us out the door quicker and saves us loads of money. Plus who doesn’t want a little snack in the hotel room from time to time. Thanks for linking up to #travtipstues today!
I also agree completely – my kids are bigger now but we almost always eat breakfast in our hotel room no matter where we are – it saves all kinds of time and money.
I never know how to tip bellboys for grocery sacks. Does 5 plastic bags equal one regular luggage or should I tip $1 per bag? We usually splurge on one fancy Disney breakfast per trip and eat cereal in the room for the remainder.