Disney Savings Tips

Frugal Dad — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 10:00:52 +0000

Our family is in the very early stages of mapping out a Disney World vacation in the next year. Our kids are old enough to enjoy, and remember, the vacation, and we would like to go before they get too old to appreciate it. I’m curious if it is possible to weave some frugality in our Disney vacation plans while still making it a memorable trip for our family. That’s where I need your help finding Disney savings tips.

Photo courtesy of aw101101

Stay Inside or Outside the Park?

At first glance, it seems finding a hotel or other lodging outside of the park seems to make the most sense. However, there are advantages to staying inside the park, too. I’ve taken particular interest to the Animal Kingdom Lodge, but it’s pricey with rates starting at $240 a night (and even higher with “savannah views”).

If we decide to stay five or six nights that could add up to over $1,000 pretty quickly. Then again, since we’ve never been to Disney World, and likely won’t go back for a while, it might be worth the splurge (I can’t believe I just typed that!). Anyone have experience with staying inside or outside the park? Advantages and disadvantages? Any tips savings tips for the Disney resorts?

Finding a Deal On Park Tickets

I noticed at the Disney World website you can purchase a package deal through their “Price Your Dream Vacation” widget. Out of curiosity, I scheduled a six-night stay inside the park with a “5-Day Magic Your Way Ticket with Park Hopper®” pass. We would like to take at least one day off from Disney to visit Sea World. Depending on different room configurations, it looked like the package would cost around $3,500, or $580 a day. Ouch!

Is it cheaper to buy the Park Hopper Pass separately? Are there discounts for those with retired or active military in their family?

Meal Plan or Wing It?

According to the Disney World site there are various meal plans available. I’ve heard horror stories about the meal prices at Disney World, and since I’m normally a dollar-menu kind of guy, the thought of spending tons of money on food hurts. Is the meal plan really a great deal, or do you do better to try to live off snack foods and bottled water (which I think you can take into the park, correct?).

Over time, I plan to compile another post with some of your tips and I’ll be sure to give you credit. And of course after our trip I’ll hopefully have some frugal Disney vacation tips to pass along to all of you. However, at this point in my plans I’m counting on readers to steer me in a frugal direction. Thanks for any travel tips!

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Post by Frugal Dad

Greyhound Bus Tickets Cheaper With Bolt Bus

Frugal Dad — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 16:59:08 +0000

When I was a kid my dad used to come to visit via Greyhound bus (my parents separated when I was young). I developed a bad opinion of bus stations and bus travel in general as part of this experience, but things have really changed. As an alternative to regional air travel, Greyhound bus service offers a comfortable ride free from the annoyances of traveling through our nation’s airports. There are few things as painful to me as being squeezed into an airline’s seat for two hours, waiting for security, and waiting for baggage – and paying an arm and a leg for the privilege.

Bus Seats vs. Airplane Seats

Greyhound buses offer comfortable seating compared to the narrow, uncomfortable seats found on most commercial airliners. In fact, Greyhound bus seats feature headrests, footrests and a reclining option for maximum comfort. And don’t worry, you can actually recline the seats without driving a seat tray into another passengers knees thanks to the added legroom.

Twist Here for Air

Don’t you just love the little twist dials above an airline seat that controls your air? Not only is the air usually warmer than the cabin temperature, it is recycled air probably carrying a collection of germs from everyone on board. Greyhound buses are equipped with air conditioning, and all buses have tinted windows, which help reduce glare and heat build up inside the bus.

Bolt Bus

Greyhound recently introduced a new service called Bolt Bus which features eight daily trips between Washington, DC and New York City. Bolt Bus has acquired a fleet of Prevost X3-45 motor coaches that feature a smooth ride and many amenities aimed at the business traveler:

More Legroom: The standard coach configuration has been updated and seats removed to add about three inches of additional legroom per seat.
Free Wi-Fi: Surf the web while you ride using the provided wi-fi service. Hot spots are being added to address some service interruptions, and file downloads may be slow, but for checking email and surfing the web you can’t beat the price!
Power Up: Standard 110 volt outlets are located throughout the bus to power up your personal electronic devices.

Bolt Bus fares start as low as $1 and vary depending on daily demand. As is true with most travel arrangements, the cheapest fares are secured a week or two in advance of travel. I fully expect these types of services to crop up around the country as gas prices continue to rise and complaints in the airline industry increase. This may also provide an excellent opportunity for daily commuters to turn the driving over to someone else while they spend the time working, relaxing or catching up on Frugal Dad’s latest posts!