The "DIS" in Disney isn't for discount

Let's face it - even a budget a trip to Walt Disney World is pricey. You can rent a house or stay in a hotel. Cook meals in, eat out off site or eat on Disney property. You can juggle your costs, but its still thousands of dollars by the time you're done.

No matter what you do tickes are almost impossible to find at a discount. For several years Disney offered a free day in exchange for a day of volunteerism or on an individual's birthday. What a great advertising campaign! Almost everyone would love a free day at Walt Disney World... at least on paper. In reality these were not great savings to the individual as Disney only discounted value of the lowest cost day - not the value of the most expensive day (the first day). So, on a 7 day ticket you saved about $8.00.

In all fairness, if Disney gave away 1,000,000 of these days then they lost $8,000,000 in potential revenue (or more if people only went for 1 day to maximize the value.) However, each of those people undoubtedly ate something at a park, picked up a souvenir or two... Disney made back their money, I'm sure.

Assuming I've done the math correctly, here are my findings regarding ticket prices on a 7 day ticket for 3 adults & 1 child without park hopper (as of April 29, 2012):

UNDERCOVER TOURIST $1,024.00+ tax & shipping included= TOTAL $1,024.00

Kissimmee Guest Services with promo code  $1,017.53  +7% tax $10.00 shipping =TOTAL  $1,098.76

DIS website  $1,049.00 +7% tax +Must pick up tickets at a Disney will call window= TOTAL $1,122.43

Disney Store in GA $1,049.00 +7% tax+take from store = TOTAL $1,122.43

Kissimmee Guest Services no code $1,049.00+ 7% tax+ $10.00 shipping = TOTAL $1,132.43

Walt Disney World online site $1,049.00 +7% tax+ $15.00 shipping= TOTAL  $1,137.43


The best deal was from Undercover Tourist - a total of $113.43 savings from the Walt Disney World site. That's a pretty nice meal somewhere while you're on vacation.

Walt Disney World -Magic Tricks 2 (Not Rocket Science)

The Pre-emptive Souvenir Strike

The count down to our biennial pilgrimage to Walt Disney World has begun. I honestly enjoy planning for trips - it's the anticipation. I like thinking about what we'll do, where we'll go, etc.  I always order the Disney planning DVD and the free customized maps from the Disney site. The maps come with your family name printed on each one. They are fun to hang on the walls and talk to the girls about what they would like to do at each park. They also make a really nice customized free souvenir.

Next I go to Dollar Tree and stock up on inexpensive Disney themed items. This year I found plastic figurines, digital Disney character watches, swim masks, beach balls & "floaties", Princess jewelry, Mickey & friends coloring books and lots of Cars items. I even found Toy Story tissue packets.I also bought glow necklaces & bracelets (2-5 per pack), battery operated personal fans (batteries included) and cooling neck scarves all for $1 each. I even got a Crayola Recoloritz Princess & the Frog book ( its $19.99 from the online Crayola Store)! Dollar Tree sells  a variety of light up toys (yo yos, etc.) as well as novelty glow sticks like swords and magic wands. Any glowing item is a hit at a nighttime parade or fireworks. I spent about $20 for everything - about the cost of one fancy glow toy at Disney. 

Some of my $1 items

Keeping cool is always a priority at Disney World. All of the parks sell misting fans for about $15-20. Picked up a misting fan at our hometown drugstore for about $7. I  also  ordered a few items from Amazon since we'll be there at a hot time of year. I ordered a Radio Flyer Umbrella Accessoryand a Dreambaby Stroller Fan, White/Blue to attach to Amanda's wheelchair. The total  cost was $33 so the order qualified for Free Super Saver Shipping. If it keeps Amanda happy and cool its worth several times that. So, I'm up to just over $50 before I even hit Florida. Doesn't sound like a money saving strategy, does it?

Next I checked the sale section of Disney Store Online. The deals are good - there is even authentic park merchandise online. Danielle wants "Duffy the Disney Bear" because she has a collection of teddy bears from various places. If we buy one at the park it will cost $30-$45 depending on the accessories. If I buy the clearance 2011 Duffy online it costs only $9.99. Amanda, who loves characters, got a $7 Disney autograph book online and will collect autographs. My souvenirs are always the same. I bought a new $5 lanyard pouch to carry our park passes, Photopass card and my credit card. No point in messing with a wallet or pocket book. This system keeps my hands free and guarantees that I always know where these key items are. No accidentally leaving them on a ride - or being pick pocketed. If you plan it right and score free shipping, you can get more items. This time I found a code for any order ships for free with the purchase of any Marvel product. Add a Spiderman Tshirt for Kevin and I get free shipping! I've spent another $26, but I've got four souvenirs!

I'm up to roughly  $75 - or the cost of 2-3 items in most Park gift stores, but I have tons of stuff. Amanda will collect autographs with her new book.  Danielle will collect pressed pennies. She already has several from Atlanta area attractions so she is excited about expanding her collection. Each pressed penny costs 51 cents - a shiny penny to press and 50 cents to operate the machine. The quest to find a penny pressing machine in each park can be fun. 

Taken by A Photopass Photographer with my camera

This is my big splurge - I immediately get a Photopass from the nearest Photopass photographer (look for anyone in a tan vest with a tripod!). Photopass photographers are all over the parks at key vantage points in front of major icons. They take great - often unique photos. One of my favorites is one of me and Danielle in front of Cinderella castle at night. My own camera never would have managed the color balance in the dark. Getting the pictures taken is free. There is no obligation to buy them - and most of the photographers will also happily take a picture with your own camera as well.

This month (April 2012) Disney offers a Photopass+ package which includes more than I can mention here - and costs more than I care to spend ($199.95). This is probably a good deal if you plan on buying photos from rides, character meals and character spots since you won't have to buy the individual prints and it will include any other photopass pictures you have taken. I think it may also include any photos your little princess gets taken at Bibbiddi Bobbidty Boutique (which cost a pretty penny on their own.) I can barely get Danielle to let me brush her hair - professional hair & makeup are definitely out for this trip! We're also not planning to go on any character meals or  riding the popular rides like Space Mountain or Tower of Terror this time around. So for my family, this would be a huge waste of money.

For about $80 you can make a custom Disney photo album incorporating any of your Photopass pictures as well as any that you upload from your own camera. In the past I've purchased the copyright to the photos to make my own prints from an online photo service like Shutterfly. It looks as if I can still order Digital Photo Downloads for $14.95 each. Sometimes there are discounts for $9.99 downloads listed on their website. Last time I skipped the album and instead purchased the rights to 4 photos that I loved and used them to make prints, holiday cards, etc. I was also able to include them with the pictures we took ourselves when making a photo album on Shutterfly. I know that $40-60 seems like a lot for 4 photos, but its less than half what the CD costs. It depends on how many photos you want.

This is an excellent description of the Photopass program from the Disney Moms Panel comparing both Photopass options.

There will always be things that you or your kids want to buy at the parks. Sometimes buying some things in advance saves you money - other times it just ends up costing you more. It all depends on your focus. Amanda won't ask for souvenirs, but I'll want to buy her some. I try to limit Danielle to one souvenir per park - not per day. That way she gets 4 souvenirs for the trip. Other families set a budget for their kids, but neither of mine have a strong grasp of money yet so this is our strategy for this trip. Maybe next time I'll do things differently.

My Disney Essentials Kit

My friends all think I'm a little silly with my Disney preparations. I can't help myself! I love Disney and getting ready for the trip is all part of the fun as far as I'm concerned.

This year I'm lucky enough to have a friend who will be traveling to Disney World at the same time that we are. We're not traveling together or staying together - our trips just happened to overlap. So, naturally, I felt compelled to include her in my Disney planning. Consider it a little pixie dust...

I made us each a Disney Essentials kit. These kits contain small items that I've found helpful while visiting Walt Disney World parks. Everyone has a different idea of what is absolutely essential and what is overkill. There are a lot of things I could have included in these mini-kits, but didn't for cost or space reasons. I was able to pick up must of these items with a quick trip to WalMart and DollarTree. The small items fit easily into a purse or backpack. Each "kit" cost about $10 to put together.

Here's what I put into each:

• Sunscreen Stick
• Mickey Mouse Band Aids
• Crystal Essence deodorant wipes (let's face it, the most magical place on Earth is also one of the sweatiest places on Earth)
• SafetyTats & a Sharpie pen in case a child wanders off...
• Eco friendly labels for cups, etc.
• Personal battery operated fan
• Tiny bottle of bubbles for waiting in lines (combine with the personal fan for real magic!)
• Individual packets of powdered drink mix (to add to free cups of ice water available at any quick or counter service restaurant)
• Glow sticks, bracelets, etc. for nighttime parades
• Wet wipes
• Hand sanitizer 

Kid's Cinco de Mayo Fiesta!

I think I'd host a party every month if I could afford it. As it is I try to host 3-4 parties a year that aren't birthday parties. I work to keep these casual parties informal, fun and most of all frugal.

Our Cinco de Mayo party was a great example of an inexpensive family friendly get together. We're lucky that May is a warm (sometimes hot!) month in Georgia so we could host our party outside. That meant a minimum of cooking and cleaning for me before the party.

It also allowed me to keep the decorations very minimal. We decorated the back deck with some chili pepper pennants and metallic swirls from Dollar Tree and bought a big sombrero!

The rest of the theme was carried by the menu. We served some wonderful margaritas for the adults - and punch in plastic margarita cups for the kids. Chips, salsa and cheese dips as well as cut veggies completed the snacks.

The main course was quesadillas (for the kids), chicken cottage cheese enchiladas and a black bean & corn salad. If you've never made them quesadillas are just Mexican grilled cheese sandwiches. Simply grill a flour tortilla in a little butter, melt cheese on it and cover with another flour tortilla. Flip to brown both sides and you're done! Of course, you can add other fillings like grilled onions, peppers, etc. but my kids are quesadilla purists.

The black bean & corn salad can be thrown together in just a few minutes. Rinse & drain a can of black beans, add a cup of frozen corn, a dash of cumin and a squeeze of fresh lime. Let stand for corn to fully defrost, then toss and serve. The corn will also place a quick-chill as it defrosts -- no need to refrigerate!

We finished our meal with no egg Mexican brownies. Any brownie mix can be made "Mexican" by adding a teaspoon of cinnamon and a tiny pinch of cayenne.

Chicken Cottage Cheese Enchiladas

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - boiled and shredded
• 1 (7 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
• 1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 cups cottage cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese
• 1 (10 ounce) can red enchilada sauce

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add chicken and saute until browned, then add taco seasoning and diced tomatoes.

In a medium bowl mix sour cream with cottage cheese and season with salt and pepper; stir until well blended.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Place a spoonful of meat mixture, a spoonful of cheese mixture and a bit of shredded cheese into each tortilla. Roll tortillas and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with any remaining meat and cheese mixture, enchilada sauce and shredded cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

NO EGG Mexican Brownies

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• pinch - up to 1/8 teaspoon- cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan. In a heavy saucepan combine the 1/3 cup of flour and water. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until thick. Transfer to a mixing bowl and set aside to cool.

In a small saucepan, melt butter. When butter has melted, add the cocoa and mix until smooth; set aside to cool. Beat the sugar and vanilla into the cooled flour mixture. Stir in the cocoa mixture until well blended. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt and spices, stir into the batter until just blended. Fold in chips if desired. Spread evenly in the prepared pan