One of the most important things about going to Disney World for any one should be budgeting. Not just of money - but of emotions, relaxation, and most important; stress. You are on vacation ... and ... you are going to "the happiest place on earth" after all. Leave all your worries and your frustrations at home. If your children act up, if someone cuts in line, don't sweat it. I mean ... discipline your child promptly but don't make a scene. I saw so many parents getting unreasonably upset with their children. By making this trip more about them ... you will discover that the trip is about you. Take a moment to understand that piece of zen I just typed.
I will try my best to help you get the most bang for your buck that I can with this review.
First ... having a credit card that rewards you in some way is very important. By reward ... I mean some card that gives you points in a program, frequent flyer miles, or some percent back. (The latter being my choice.) I used my PayPal card to pay for everything ... eventhough most of the trip was paid for by someone else. I had them deposit approximately $1000 into my checking account two weeks before the trip. I used my PayPal card to pay for everything (which if does not have enough funds pulls money from my checking account). Every time I made even a $2 purchase - money was debited from my PayPal accout which gives me 1.5% cash back and in turn also debited from my checking account which gives me 1.5%+ back in rewards points. $1000 only equals $30 ... but hey $30 is $30 right? It helps to offset any unexpected expenses. Purchases at Disney World actually get you higher than 1.5% back through the Visa Extras program. If you have a Visa Debit/ATM Card - you can sign up regardless of which bank you are with.
As mentioned in the previous part of this series (see my other guides) - a travel agent can most likely get you a much better deal on a Disney vacation. Of course, there has to be some sort of middleman markup, but the savings on a Disney World trip is still much greater than you can get on your own. It took me less than 30 minutes to book my hotel and get a few tickets through a local travel agent.
If in or around Greenville South Carolina - I highly regemend Linda Long Travel. Stacy, at Linda Long, was very helpful - quickly finding what I needed and didn't push any premiums or extras on me. If you do use Linda Long Travel - ask for Stacy and tell her you heard about her on this blog.
Previously I suggested buying your Disney tickets through a link in the MouseSavers.ge newsletter. This is only a better deal if you are not buying a Disney package. When talking to a travel agent - make them aware of any savings that you noted in a MouseSaver's newsletter. It's best to print any tips or discounts out so your travel agent can verify them.
One note about staying on Disney property vs staying in a hotel near Disney. If your hotel does not offer a free shuttle service, know that you will be paying $10 to park at each theme park. If you do one park a day ... this equals $40. This was one of the unexpected and unbudgeted expenses that skipped my mind in the planning of this trip. All In all we spent $50 on parking fees. Still ... it was cool to have all the parking receipts lined up on the dashboard like trophies. Remember though that staying on a Disney property that gives you free transportation to the theme parks is like getting a $10 per day bonus because you don't have to pay for parking. Disney shuttle and monorail services also drop you off right at the theme park and in some cases you get to walk through special gates and you are there. Also know that if you stay on property - you get to get in the closest park to your hotel an hour early. You could literally get half the rides finished in this time because the crowds are so much lighter.
While on the topic of driving
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