I find no matter where you go in life, online, etc the biggest dream vacation desires are to have Orlando vacations. I think it’s the lure of going to the theme parks because I really can’t find any other lure. It’s hot, the threat of hurricanes is almost year round, and there is no beach without having to drive at least an hour either east or west. Orlando is completely landlocked. But as you have read I am a huge Disney fan so I definitely can see the strong desire to go. Unfortunately, not everything there is cheap so let’s talk on how you can cheapen up your vacation to a budget friendlier destination. Here are my tips and tricks that I have learned over the years from my Disney vacations:
- You don’t have to stay on site to go to Disney. In fact many people do not. It is much cheaper to stay slightly off property and drive in each day or stay at a hotel that offers free shuttles to the parks. Last time my family and I went we stayed at a timeshare not too far away and were able to have a real breakfast, pack sandwiches for lunch as well as a few snacks for during the day, and just eat one meal at the parks. We felt so much healthier and happier doing this.
- You know those stupid glow sticks they sell at Disney and other theme parks and Mardi Gras parades? You can pick them up from the Dollar Tree or at Academy (yes the sports store) for $1 or less each! It is much cheaper than the marked up park prices. Buy ahead and pack them in your backpack.
- Souvenirs: No matter what you tell yourself you are going to want to buy some or your kiddos will want them. Why not think ahead and prebuy “presents from Tinkerbell or Mickey”? If you are going to Disney watch Disneyshopping.com or the Disney Store and buy things on sale. Then you can leave “gifts” each night for your kiddo to find when they wake up. They will be so excited over what Tink and Mickey leave that they will be less likely to bug you at the parks since they won’t know what they are getting next!
Posted under
Travel,
budget by Catherine on July 1st, 2008 4:53 pm
It has been about one month since Janet, Kimberly, and I have started our challenge to earn $10 a day online by any means (well within reason!). So how have I done so far? Quite well actually! My earnings tracker (see Earnings Tracker page to the left) has steadily increased in the past month and I am about to break the $1300 mark. I am actually up by almost $200 right now over our targeted number! Once Mike gets his bonus in a few weeks and I make it to the bank to drop in my spot bonus we should have some more to the pot but it won’t be counted in my “earnings” total of course.
I’ve also continued to keep my Sunshine Rewards earnings separately from the rest of the pot and I almost have enough to purchase our Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Tickets. I think another week of surveys and freebie offers will do the trick and I’ll be able to get our tickets! I just can’t believe that Greece may actually become a reality because of our challenge and that we are able to continue to do everything we want during our Disney trip in September. It’s just unbelievable to me. Let’s hope Mike and I can keep this survey habit up.
Posted under
Disney,
Travel by Catherine on July 1st, 2008 9:49 am
Disney announced on Sunday (kind of an odd day) that they will start using Flogos as part of the overall Walt Disney World theming in Orlando. What are Flogos? Well they are like foamy clouds or balloons (soap bubbles & helium) that are formed into shapes like corporate logos and are flown over the geographic area requested by the client. In the case of WDW, Disney plans to have Mickey Mouse Shaped “flogos” released into the air starting in July/August. Sounds pretty cool to me.
Now if you are wondering about how flogos came into existence here is what I have found from various press releases:
A special-effects entrepreneur from Alabama has come up with a way to fill the sky with foamy clouds as big as 4 feet across and shaped like corporate logos — Flogos, as he calls them. Francisco Guerra, who’s also a former magician, developed a machine that produces tiny bubbles filled with air and a little helium, forms the foam into shapes and pumps them into the sky.
If you visit flogos.net you can click on the mickey mouse link and watch a video of the Mickey heads being launched into the sky or you can just check out the photo below. I can’t wait to see if they have any going in September when I am there. These might be the best hidden mickeys ever!
Posted under
Travel by Catherine on June 29th, 2008 5:48 pm
I remember hearing that phrase from my brother while he was in Boy Scouts. After hearing about Mike’s drive from Dallas to Houston on Friday and reading other travelers’ stories on the internet via message boards for the past few years I think the boy scouts might be onto something. One thing that I never think about when i go on road trips is an auto repair place in case my car dies or I’m in an accident in another town. While I can’t prepare for every place I drive through on my journeys, finding a few shops in a few different, large cities might be a good idea. Mike and I keep talking about a trip over to Las Vegas and I think we will have to rent a car for getting around. I think I’ll add looking for an auto body las vegas repair shop to my planning checklist now so I won’t forget. If you are wanting to add this to your checklist which I highly recommend or maybe you need to find a repair shop in your home town check out Collision Repair Experts’ website as it is very simple to use and you can search for shops in all 50 states.
Posted under
Travel by Catherine on June 28th, 2008 6:47 pm
Today at my Sunshine Rewards Forum meet up, one of the girls, Lisa, was talking about how her family has traveled and seen almost every US state and has been to Canada. They accomplished this by driving to their summer vacation destinations each summer in lieu of flying. You see Lisa has a family of 8 so flying would have been very expensive for all of them.
Hearing her talk about their family vacations seeing the US reminded me of the times my family would drive up to Pennsylvania to visit my grandparents. I remember how much I enjoyed looking out the windows from the back seat and seeing the changing scenery as we went from Louisiana further north. Seeing hills turn into mountains, feeling the cooler air when we’d get out and stretch. I really hope my own family will be able to do the same. I’m not sure we’d be able to drive all over but a few places here or there and seeing different parts of the country seem nice. One place that will be on the top of my list is the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I’ve never visited the Atlantic side of the coast for any period of time and North Carolina is just so beautiful that I think it would be great to make that drive.
