Tips for a Walt Disney World Vacation that Fits Any Budget

Many families fantasize about a Disney vacation, but many feel it is not affordable. If that's been your theory, I ask you to think again. I've found some easy ways to trim the cost of that dream vacation.

Here are my top tips for visiting Walt Disney World on the cheap:

Tickets

Disney's 2010 promotion, "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day!" is one of the best free-ticket offers Disney has ever provided.

In an effort to encourage volunteerism, Disney is partnering with local non-profit organizations. Starting January 1, 2010, you'll be able to look up participating organizations on the Disney website (www.disney.com) and schedule a day to volunteer. Once your service has been verified, you will receive a voucher good for one day at one park at either California Disney Land or Florida's Walt Disney World resorts. Families can register up to 8 members, so, if every family member volunteers for a day, each person can receive a free ticket.

Hotels

While many people try to reduce the cost of their Disney vacation by staying off-site, I have found that it is possible to find a reasonable room within the resort, and there are benefits to staying at a Disney resort besides the convenience.

First, parking and in-park transportation is free. That alone saves you $14 on a daily parking pass charged at any of the theme parks. While I will admit, Disney's transportation system, while expansive, is not always the fastest way to get from Point A to Point B, your hotel parking pass is also good at the parks. You can choose to drive to your destination and use the hotel parking pass to waive the $14 fee. The park bus system also provides free transportation to Downtown Disney for those wanting to experience some daytime shopping or an extensive array of nightclubs and restaurants. For those arriving in Orlando by plane, Disney's Magical Express transportation is also available, free of charge, to Disney hotel guests.

In addition, a select park each day opens one hour earlier for hotel guests. Another stays open 3 hours later for those staying in the resort. You must show your room key before boarding rides during these "extra-magic hours", so don't think you'll be able to sneak in if you're not an on-site hotel guest.

If your vacation budget is especially tight, be sure to check out the "value" resorts. The "All-Star Movies", "Pop Century," "All-Star Sports," and "All-Star Music" resorts fall in this category.

All have pools, gift shops, a food court, an arcade, and a concierge to help you purchase tickets to the parks.

To compare the value and deluxe resorts, my family recently stayed at both the "All-Star Sports" resort and at the Beach Club. Truthfully, there are many differences between the two properties, but then, too, there are substantial differences in price.

At the Beach Club, we had luxurious towels in the rooms, and then wonderfully helpful poolside cast members handed us towels as we entered the pool area. (They will also check your room key as you must use the pool facilities at the hotel where you are staying.)

At "All-Star Sports", you use the towels from your room at the pool, which are very thin, and then you must call housekeeping for additional towels for showering, if necessary. Honestly, that was the one complaint I heard from other guests repeatedly. The wait to get towels was very long. In fact, one irate guest gave up and trekked to the front desk herself and demanded more towels.

The Beach Club pool is lined with sand and houses its own lazy river. It also has a slide, which traverses a replica of a wrecked pirate ship. At "All-Star Sports", there are two pools. One, shaped like a baseball diamond with Goofy on the mound guarding a cannon that shoots water, was much quieter during our stay. The large pool behind the main hotel building had many more families, most with young children. Both hotels had lifeguards on duty when we were at the pools.

At the Beach Club, you receive a USA Today delivered to your door each day, Monday through Friday, and there were more than enough bellmen to help you with your luggage. At "All-Star Sports", you can purchase the newspaper for $1.00 in the gift shop, and you wait until someone can deliver your bags to your room on a combined run.

At the Beach Club, you have the convenience of being able to easily walk to the International Gate at Epcot or take a boat ride to Disney Hollywood Studios, in addition to using the bus system. At "All-Star Sports", the bus is your sole means of transportation unless you choose to drive yourself.

At the Beach Club, each room has its own mini-refrigerator and microwave. Not so at "All-Star Sports". Some may, but we were told we were getting a "premium room" when we made our reservation. The room we were given did not even have a table in it.

The Beach Club provides a coffee maker with regular and decaf, as well as two varieties of tea in each room. Not at "All-Star Sports".

Toiletries at The Beach Club include shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and several bars of soap (including both bath and complexion bars). At "All-Star Sports", we received one bottle of shampoo and one bar of soap.

However, if keeping your vacation budget in check is of utmost importance, the "value" resorts are definitely the way to go. Searching for a random date in January 2010, the "value" resorts are booking at $82.00 per night for a standard room. On the same date at the Beach Club, one night's accommodation is $383.00. Regardless of where you make your reservations, if you are a Florida resident, make sure to ask if they are offering a special rate. Unless it's a high traffic season, there usually is a discount or room upgrade available. Again, take into account your $14 parking savings when comparing to other hotels in the Orlando area.

Meals

As with hotels, the selection of restaurants and eateries at Walt Disney World is enormous and runs the price gambit. Still, there are plenty of lower cost options both at the park and at the resorts.

One tip for keeping your food costs down, consider Kids Meals for those in your party with less than hearty appetites. You cannot order from the children's menu at sit-down restaurants, but you can pick them up at counter-service establishments. Most come with an entrée, two side items (my family likes fries and grapes) and a drink.

Another way we keep our dining costs low, we look at combo meals to share. Outside Tower of Terror at Disney's Hollywood Studios, they serve a pizza combo deal that includes a nice side salad. One of my children eats the pizza, and I'll have the salad. It comes out cheaper than ordering the items separately. A simple way to slash beverage costs is to bring in your own bottled water, and, yes, it is allowed.

While the sit-down restaurants at Epcot are wonderful (our favorites are in Mexico, Morocco, and the German buffet), the counter-service spots serve food that is equally as good at a lower cost, and you don't have to tip. Our favorites are tacos from Mexico and eggrolls in Japan. The fish and chips in Britain are pretty good as well.

While I'm not contending that a value-priced Disney vacation is equally luxurious as a high-priced one, I do believe it can be equally enjoyable for every member of your family. And, in my family, any Disney vacation is better than no Disney vacation.