Cheat, Starve, Demand "the free water."

[YesterDark]

If you're going in the summer, like I am (2 weeeeeeeeeks), then you should be drinking a good portion of water every 10-15 minutes. Your first stop after an attraction should be a water fountain or a QS location for water.

 

[MomBitz]

Hmm, we have always had our children as registered guests, but when they became teens we brought a small twin inflatable mattresses for one of them to sleep on. Didn't realize this was an issue. Sorry but my then 14 and 17 year old opposite sex teens didn't want to share a bed.

Nope, nohing wrong with that, in fact I was asking about a family suite because our daughters are already complaining about bed-hogging and we haven't even checked in yet. LOL. They guy who responded to me, assumed I was talking about additional guests and told me to just sneak them in and use rafts instead of paying for a family suite.

 

[MomBitz]

This has been my attitude, too. I do keep running notes on my spending when I'm on vacation because it helps me feel more at ease if I know for certain I'm not going over the money I've set aside for the trip, but I build my budget to allow myself to indulge in the ways I want to indulge. Ditto on not going deluxe or splashing cash at every single turn, but I don't plan a trip unless I'm able to set aside enough money to pay for everything without cutting corners and spending the whole trip feeling like I've got to squeeze every penny.

Yes! It stressed me out reading those comments on the other site... too much thinking about the cost if each bite. We are meal plan people, all the way so we can budget and pay up front then not worry while we are there.

 

[MomBitz]

I can’t believe the lengths people go to, just to save a little bit of money.

I do not come from a wealthy family. Saving for Disney trips was an elaborate, lengthy process, and always involved picking up another job. But my parents had an attitude of, “You shouldn’t worry about spending money on vacation.” We didn’t stay at deluxe hotels or buy lots of souvenirs we didn’t need,* but we weren’t denying ourselves food. That’s hardly a vacation. I understand Disney is expensive, but if you can’t eat in the parks what’s the fun in going?!

*No judgment on those who do! Just emphasizing that we definitely did thrifty Disney trips.

THIS EXACTLY!!!! Especially the souvenir part!! We usually bring home a Christmas tree ornament for the family, and the kids do pin trading. Low cost stuff that lasts. This year we are driving though, so Mommy may finally bring home one of those awesomely fragile Sugar Skulls from Epcot Mexico that I have been eyeing up for YEARS but didnt trust on a plane.

 

[MrsPete]

I hope you embellished plenty ... quite a 'tude in these lines! As to your questions:

Is a family suite worthwhile? Depends:
- How long is your trip? If it's just a few days, you'll probably be "on the go" and a larger /more expensive room wouldn't be worthwhile. If it's a week-long trip, you'll appreciate "spreading out a bit".
- How many people are in your party? If you're a family of 3-4, I think you'll be fine in a standard room. If your kids are teens or you're a larger group, go for the suite. (Note, too, that the suites are kinda limited, and you need to make that ressie fast -- you can always "downsize" to standard room, but the suites will go fast.)
- How strict is your budget? While a larger space is nice, I wouldn't splurge unless I was solidly able to afford all the other parts of the trip.

Quick-service at Hollywood Studios? It's kinda Disney's dining weak spot.
- ABC Commissary is a bargain (for Disney) with loads of seating and air conditioning ... but it's nothing special.
- You can't go wrong with Pizza Rizzo.
- I want to try the Baseline, but their food options seem kinda limited, and you may or may not want a bar atmosphere. And I want to try some of the new Star Wars options.

Refill your popcorn bucket a few times to tide everyone over until you get back to your hotel room each night.
That doesn't sound frugal or healthful; however, we do tend to eat small meals at Disney (kids' meals, sharing a plate, etc.). We do this partially because it's a money-saver and partially because we don't tend to want big meals at Disney (we do tend to go in the hot hot weather). We'd rather split a meal, then have room for a snack later.

Where can I get frozen lemonade in Epcot?
- Just keep your eyes open for kiosks. Frozen lemonade is kinda a theme park staple.
- I LOVE free ice water. I ask for it frequently, and no one has ever been even remotely rude about it -- I certainly wouldn't start spouting off about "the law", especially 'cause I don't think that's true. I'm not hauling warm water bottles all day when I can just ask for water.

THIS EXACTLY!!!! Especially the souvenir part!!
- Okay, I'm with the meanies on the souvenirs. If you really want something, by all means, buy it, but it seems to me that most of the souvenir buying is just consumption for the sake of consumption ... buying something because it's "what you do" on vacation. That type of stuff ends up in next year's yard sales. We decided we'd be a no-souvies family when our girls were toddlers. I really saw the results when they were old enough to go on school and church trips: For so many of the kids, the whole trip became about buying something. I saw kids rush through the aquarium so they could reach the gift shop at the end. I saw a kid who could barely afford the trip spend ALL her spending money at our first stop, which was a gas station ... then she was hurt that other kids still had money. I have NEVER regretted deciding to skip souvenirs.

 

[YawningDodo]

Eh, I do buy souvenirs, but not tons of them and I tend to mostly get trading pins since they're small and I can get enjoyment out of them without cluttering up the house. Ever since we started doing the KonMari thing my attitude toward buying things has changed in general. I don't buy something unless I really love it--not a "oh, this is new and therefor I'm excited about it!" feeling but actually knowing that I'm going to enjoy having it around and want it in the long term. I kept looking and looking for a t-shirt on my last trip because I felt like I wanted one...didn't find a single one that sparked joy, so no t-shirt was purchased. Not going to buy one just for the sake of buying one! Ditto stuffed animals; I have an accidental tradition of buying one on every trip, but ever since I realized that was the case I've gone in with the attitude that I do not need to buy a stuffed animal just to fulfill some kind of personal ritual. So far I've still kept buying one per trip, but I don't do it for the sake of doing it; I only buy the ones I absolutely adore.

 

[MomBitz]

I hope you embellished plenty ... quite a 'tude in these lines! As to your questions:

Is a family suite worthwhile? Depends:
- How long is your trip? If it's just a few days, you'll probably be "on the go" and a larger /more expensive room wouldn't be worthwhile. If it's a week-long trip, you'll appreciate "spreading out a bit".
- How many people are in your party? If you're a family of 3-4, I think you'll be fine in a standard room. If your kids are teens or you're a larger group, go for the suite. (Note, too, that the suites are kinda limited, and you need to make that ressie fast -- you can always "downsize" to standard room, but the suites will go fast.)
- How strict is your budget? While a larger space is nice, I wouldn't splurge unless I was solidly able to afford all the other parts of the trip.

Quick-service at Hollywood Studios? It's kinda Disney's dining weak spot.
- ABC Commissary is a bargain (for Disney) with loads of seating and air conditioning ... but it's nothing special.
- You can't go wrong with Pizza Rizzo.
- I want to try the Baseline, but their food options seem kinda limited, and you may or may not want a bar atmosphere. And I want to try some of the new Star Wars options.

Refill your popcorn bucket a few times to tide everyone over until you get back to your hotel room each night.
That doesn't sound frugal or healthful; however, we do tend to eat small meals at Disney (kids' meals, sharing a plate, etc.). We do this partially because it's a money-saver and partially because we don't tend to want big meals at Disney (we do tend to go in the hot hot weather). We'd rather split a meal, then have room for a snack later.

Where can I get frozen lemonade in Epcot?
- Just keep your eyes open for kiosks. Frozen lemonade is kinda a theme park staple.
- I LOVE free ice water. I ask for it frequently, and no one has ever been even remotely rude about it -- I certainly wouldn't start spouting off about "the law", especially 'cause I don't think that's true. I'm not hauling warm water bottles all day when I can just ask for water.

THIS EXACTLY!!!! Especially the souvenir part!!
- Okay, I'm with the meanies on the souvenirs. If you really want something, by all means, buy it, but it seems to me that most of the souvenir buying is just consumption for the sake of consumption ... buying something because it's "what you do" on vacation. That type of stuff ends up in next year's yard sales. We decided we'd be a no-souvies family when our girls were toddlers. I really saw the results when they were old enough to go on school and church trips: For so many of the kids, the whole trip became about buying something. I saw kids rush through the aquarium so they could reach the gift shop at the end. I saw a kid who could barely afford the trip spend ALL her spending money at our first stop, which was a gas station ... then she was hurt that other kids still had money. I have NEVER regretted deciding to skip souvenirs.

LOL!!! I know, I have never in all of our trips seen anyone hassled when they asked for water. That was a big click on the "unfollow and leave group" button, for sure! I feel sad that there is so much bad advice out there.

 

[KangaFan]

If you find yourself overheating in Epcot, pop into the large store in Japan--they have a huge selection of relatively inexpensive folding fans--some are absolutely beautiful. They take up almost zero room in your bag and we found them quite effective as we continued walking around. I would recommend saving the plastic sleeve they come in to store them, though, in case anything gets wet in your bag. Oh, and they will also write your name in Japanese on the side, so it makes a great souvenir.

 

[YawningDodo]

If you find yourself overheating in Epcot, pop into the large store in Japan--they have a huge selection of relatively inexpensive folding fans--some are absolutely beautiful. They take up almost zero room in your bag and we found them quite effective as we continued walking around. I would recommend saving the plastic sleeve they come in to store them, though, in case anything gets wet in your bag. Oh, and they will also write your name in Japanese on the side, so it makes a great souvenir.

I never thought about simply using a folding fan at WDW! It's funny; I actually bought one a couple years back for a costume and was surprised to discover that they're actually very effective (plus you can snap them open and closed all dramatically). I think I keep having it in my head that only modern tricks like cooling towels and electric fans are worth trying, but there's a reason people used folding fans for centuries!

 

[KangaFan]

I never thought about simply using a folding fan at WDW! It's funny; I actually bought one a couple years back for a costume and was surprised to discover that they're actually very effective (plus you can snap them open and closed all dramatically). I think I keep having it in my head that only modern tricks like cooling towels and electric fans are worth trying, but there's a reason people used folding fans for centuries!

I don’t think I would have thought of it either if we hadn’t been melting on our way to Japan.

 

[Emtgirljen]

If you find yourself overheating in Epcot, pop into the large store in Japan--they have a huge selection of relatively inexpensive folding fans--some are absolutely beautiful. They take up almost zero room in your bag and we found them quite effective as we continued walking around. I would recommend saving the plastic sleeve they come in to store them, though, in case anything gets wet in your bag. Oh, and they will also write your name in Japanese on the side, so it makes a great souvenir.

I get one of those fans from Japan every trip, it's become a tradition. I keep one in my regular purse here at home just in case. They are definitely a perfect souvenir!

 

[Cindyandjp]

On our last trip to Disney we bought one of those spray bottles with a fan. It was a life savor in the park. Now we drop ice cubes in it so that the water is nice and refreshing. We paid too much buying it in the park but you can pick them up in lots of stores before you go. Total game changer.

 

[Nomad70]

THIS EXACTLY!!!! Especially the souvenir part!!
- Okay, I'm with the meanies on the souvenirs. If you really want something, by all means, buy it, but it seems to me that most of the souvenir buying is just consumption for the sake of consumption ... buying something because it's "what you do" on vacation. That type of stuff ends up in next year's yard sales. We decided we'd be a no-souvies family when our girls were toddlers. I really saw the results when they were old enough to go on school and church trips: For so many of the kids, the whole trip became about buying something. I saw kids rush through the aquarium so they could reach the gift shop at the end. I saw a kid who could barely afford the trip spend ALL her spending money at our first stop, which was a gas station ... then she was hurt that other kids still had money. I have NEVER regretted deciding to skip souvenirs.
[/QUOTE]
This is pretty much how we have always been. While we have always had to save well in advance for our vacations, we saved enough to be able to live without worry of how much we are spending. From just a few sit down meals to very few if any souvenirs we never had worries. The souvenirs were never a big part of our Disney trips, pin trading for the kids, maybe a special cup or something along those lines. Our last trip we did purchase a few "luxury" gifts for our grand daughters and daughter (who lived in Germany at the time and couldn't made the trip). But otherwise, an ornament for the Christmas tree and a magnet were really about all we brought home. And I totally understand about the field trip thing, my kids have in the past when they were in school actually bought things for friends because they ran out of money. My thinking on that was, well, if that's what you really wanted to do, it was your money to decide or choose how to spend it. I think in a way it was a learning experience and they were never upset for doing it.

 

[charliebrown]

I saw kids rush through the aquarium so they could reach the gift shop at the end.

Oh no, I was that kid. But I would do it just to flex on the cute girl on the bus.

 

[DizzyDis]

I have gone in July and September, we found that it was really important to take our midday break. So we had success taking a late lunch at Hollywood and Vine in DHS, not the best food ever, but a fabulous midday break with great character interaction and great air conditioning!! The other option is to kind of skip lunch and have a series of icy treats until supper. Mostly Mickey bars and frozen drinks, but our appetites were repressed from the heat, so it worked great for us.

 

[Mleach]

What do you guys think about bringing a coffee maker for the room? Is that on the tacky side of cheap or is it okay? (Not staying in a villa with a multi-cup pot this time.) Staying at the Hilton Bonnet Creek - never stayed offsite before, and read the single serve pot isn't always refreshed every day.

 

[Bjkandma]

What resort? A lot of the resorts now do have a coffee maker in them.

 

[Staren]

I don't see anything wrong with bringing the kind of coffee maker that you prefer if the resort you're staying at doesn't have one or doesn't have the kind you like. Most rooms have some type of coffee maker anyway, and those are much less likely to catch something on fire than a hotplate or toaster.

 

[Eeyorestail77]

Practice with your adorable young daughter how to be spontaneously cute. She will eventually pay off and get you "free stuff.". Mine has been rewarded with back to back ride on Slinky Dog, ice cream from "mickey," and a free trading pin.

 

[Mousemom234]

We've usually brought a small 2-4 cup coffee maker, even if the room is supposed to have one. I don't like trying to make 10 cups for 2 people.

Be prepared to have TSA poke through your suitcase, though Every time we brought the machine, we had that, and only that suitcase opened for inspection.