Biggest tip ever: buy Disney-character trinkets and geegaws at your local stores (Target, Kohl's, etc) prior to your vacation, take them with you, and mete them out to your kids while at the park rather than allowing any of your family to set foot in the souvenir stores more than once. Set a small budget per child for one such visit into the stores while there.

Or you could ditch disney and find a cheaper, nicer, less crowded place to enjoy a family vacation.

@dragonfire81: I think these tips are for people that are already going there. Just a hunch.

@farcast: Or, you could have a great vacation by going to Disney World.

<- former disney guest relations for 7 years.

just down the street from disney a couple of miles, and also across from the downtown disney area at the grocery store shopping center: disney outlet stores - save on souveneirs.

joke among disney cast members: 'you've done the ride, now buy the T-shirts' - all disney rides empty into the gift shop for a reason. walk fast, don't turn your head.

disney buses are sloooooooow and smell like wet bathing suits, but yes, they are free.

best cheap souveniers ever that will keep your kids occupied for hours: autograph book. bring your own or make one if you don't want to buy. standing in line for character signatures will keep the kids out of the gift shops.

@dragonfire81: We went about 3 months ago and it was quite obvious their traffic was way down. Hardly had to wait in line for anything and the shop customers were not buying as many trinkets as normal.

@EllaMcWho: I mean you have to get the ears with your name. I think you can get those at various Disney stores in the mall, but it's just not the same.

@EllaMcWho: But where else can I find a "Bort" license plate than at the theme park?

When I was a kid and my family went on vacation, we never bought lunch anyplace we went. We simply took our own. It's amazing how much lunch for four people can cost while wandering around the Magic Kingdom.

It was never anything too elaborate, either. We did the thing where you take a whole loaf of bread out of the bag, make sandwiches, and then re-stack them in the bread bag. That, a bag of chips, and a few bottles of Gatorade were all it took to keep us kids happy. Oh, and as a bonus, there were no lines to stand in either.

@dragonfire81: Disney Land isn't always crowded. And just 'cuz you don't find it fun doesn't mean others don't. Imagine that!

You like large crowds, screaming kids, bitchin' parents, rides from the 60s? Visit DisneyWorld.

@ryan89:

Feb is a pretty dead time for Disney anyways...

My best Disney money (and time) saver was this book:

[www.touringplans.com]

(that's their website, the book is here:)

[www.amazon.com]

Best 13 bucks I ever spent. Helps you save money and plan your park touring so you hit the popular rides when they are least crowded.

Also, you've got to think about what you're at Disney to do. For us, it's "spend every freaking waking moment at a Disney park", so we usually stay in the cheapest room that will accommodate our family (two adults, three kids). Back when we had two kids, that was a value resort. Now it's a moderate resort. The high priced offer lots of on-property features and such that will go to waste if you spend all your time in the parks.

I'm a Disney dork and have been many times. There is nothing "ghetto" about their less expensive hotels. They are clean and well maintained. A little on the small side, yes. But you're not there to spend time in your hotel room anyway. There cheapest hotel is equivalent to a (nice) Holiday Inn.

One thing worth buying- those huge ass smoked turkey legs! Last time I went (Grad Nite 1996), they were 4 or 5 bucks. Do they still sell those, and for how much? (BTW, a 12 oz can of Coke was $2 in 1996!)

@savdavid: No...that's Disneyland. Disney World isn't like that at all.

@HappyMothersDay_GitEmSteveDave: Attention! We are out of Bort license plates, I repeat, we are out of Bort license plates!

I'm heading out to Disney World on the 22nd so these tips will come in handey!

@catastrophegirl - manic first time home buyer: My sister-in-law did the Disney college "internship" thing and lurved the outlet store. She got all sorts of craziness there for 75% off. Personal Favorites: "Tigger--eres tu?" t-shirt and mug o' the presidents missing Buchanan. Oops. She loves to test people and see if they can figure out who is missing. I sure couldn't.

TFA is little more than shameless advertising. If you stay at a hotel on International Drive, you will probably get your room even cheaper than that, especially if you go during low season (we went in January 1991). Same probably goes for your rental car, assuming you live far enough away to justify a plane ride.

The advantages of having a rental car are legion. For one thing, you are not limited by the boundaries of the Principality of Disney World. Orlando is an interesting place to spend an afternoon, and I heard Kissimmee is as well. Daytona, Cape Canaveral, and the Tampa area are all within an hour's drive. This is important because even if your rugrats can spend an entire week with the Mouse, you can't. Spend one day with the Mouse, and the rest of the week seeing all the other cool stuff in central Florida. Like the full-scale mockup of the Space Shuttle at Canaveral. Give your kids a real educational experience instead of the dumbed-down sanitized version you'd get spending the entire week at Disney World.

The one disadvantage of staying on International Drive is that you can't even get from your hotel to your car without somebody trying to sell you discount tickets and crap, but that's minor. Just say no, for God's sake.

@tomok97: Agree. Small and nothing fancy, but still 'Disney'. Save money on car rentals and the parking fee. Don't remember if you can still get into the park before everyone else if you're staying at one of their hotels/resorts.

If you are flying in you can save money by not renting a car and by staying on site. Only rent a car on days you want to go off-site (ie Cape Kennedy..) When we have driven we have found the best meal and hotel deals in west Kissimmee.

Take your own water bottles and fill up in your hotel room or from fountains.

Disney's meal plan is expensive and only worth it if you plan to make reservations and pig out at each and every meal.

That photo is sick. Mickey Humping a Beachball ride - for kids.

@HurtsSoGood: I mean, there's even a Universal Studios AND a Sea World in Orlando. Why spend the whole week with the Mouse and deny your kids a chance to get pet a dolphin or drenched by an orca?

@FuryOfFirestorm: They do, but I'm pretty sure they're more than that now. ($6?) Nowadays a 20 oz. Coke is $3.

@tomok97: yeah, disneyworld is rides from the 70's, 80's AND 90's.

@humphrmi: wilderness lodge has bunk beds. good for multiple kids. less 'mom, she kicked me in her sleep'

@humphrmi: That book was very useful. We combined it with a RideMax subscription ($15 I think?), and never waited more than 15-20 minutes in line (most of the time our waits were even under 5 minutes), even though we went during the uber-busy Christmas time.

@mechteach: Actually, I just looked it up, and that program is now $19. Probably still worth it for busy times, but not for slow seasons.

@FuryOfFirestorm: Last time I was there I got one of those legs in Frontierland. Sat down to consume the thing and a bird crapped right on it. Kinda took me out of the moment.

@babyruthless: The mug would only be better if Lincoln were doubled over with sparks and hydraulic fluid spurting everywhere.

@catastrophegirl - manic first time home buyer: Expedition Everest, Mission: Space, Toy Story Mania, Soarin' Over California...all built in 2000 or later. But yes, the don't completely tear down the park and rebuild it from scratch every five years.

@babyruthless: I certainly don't miss Buchanan. To this day I've still got my "Free the slaves with Fremont!" bumper sticker on my buggy!

@FuryOfFirestorm:

Yep, they were still 5.50 when I went a year ago. You can get them in Frontierland (MK), Toluca Legs Turkey Co (Disney/Hollywood), The United States (Epcot), and on Discovery Island between Dinoland and Asia (AK).

Yes, I'm a Disney nerd.

@TheTriStatesBestSide_GitEmSteveDave:
I always love a good Simpson Reference

Disney World is one of those vacation places where you know you're going to spend money. The trade-off is a clean park where the employees seem genuinely friendly and want to help you have a good time.

Also, if you plan on staying in the park the entire trip, then WDW offers a free shuttle from MCO to the park for anyone staying on site. They call it Disney's Magical Express, and they'll even pickup your bags from the airport and put them in your room for you so that all you have to do is check in.

@Quake 'n' Shake: @Quake 'n' Shake: I somehow don't think the image above was the original image linked. Dangers in hot linking I suppose.

@drgnfr81: r, y cld gt bttr jb nd mk mr mny s tht gng t chpr plc r wrryng bt pnchng pnns t Dsny Wrld wldn't vn b ncssry!

Having just returned from a Disney World vacation, here are a couple of comments and tips:

1. As stated above, the value resorts on property are most definitely not "ghetto". They are small: two double beds - not queen, and if you put a pack and play up, there's not much room for anything else. The moderates are a nice step up, too. As long as you are staying in ANY Disney hotel, you get to use all of the transportation for free, and you get early entry hours or extra hours after park closing, also for free. As far as I know, there are no extra perks with respect to park admission times or transportation when staying at the nicer resorts. Universal does this, and it really pisses a lot of people off. The Fastpasses at Disney World are the same - everybody in the park has the same chance at Fastpasses - there is no "pay to play" like Universal. In my opinion, Disney is pretty egalitarian with respect to these things.

2. My absolute best money saving tip - if thirsty, ask for "ice water" at any counter service restaurant in the parks. (I generally looked for anywhere with fountain drinks). You can do this without purchasing anything else. Sometimes they will ask if you really want the bottled water, but just say no. Yeah, it's just water with ice, but you just saved $2.49 by not buying a bottle of water. Your two year old will also be entertained by the ice when waiting in line for Dumbo and not try to wander away (wait - that's me. Your mileage may vary).

3. Do your research before you go. We saw way too many pissed off people who couldn't understand why Chef Mickey's (or insert restaurant here) was completely booked. You know why? Most visitors know you can book the restaurants at least 90 days out and unfortunately, you have to plan ahead to make sure you can eat at your favorite restaurant. Again, no preference is given to nicer hotels or bigger spenders - everybody has the same chance to book the restaurants. Plan ahead.

@seandavid010: My parents used to do that. We as kids always wanted McDonalds or something like that though - we never understood why we did that. But when you're older, you realize - feed your family of 4 on less than $10 or spend a lot more at a fast food place. Besides, looking back, nothing tasted better than bologna and American cheese on white bread with Miracle Whip. mmmmm..

@seandavid010: That's the same thing we did at Disney. The only thing we bought there (as a family of 5) was a small order of fries that we all shared in a restaurant when it started raining. The rest of the meals consisted of everything from cookies to sandwiches to McDonald's cheeseburgers and everything inbetween we could fit into a backpack.

I was much younger and I didn't feel neglected or poor or anything with my mom pulling out all sorts of food items when everyone else was buying expensive Disney stuff. The entire family maybe spent $20 in park on tiny things, but in all we came home with more money than what we went with thanks to my thifty mom and her not minding doing timeshare tours (heck those were fun too).

That was best vacation ever.

@tomok97: I've never seen anything even approaching "ghetto" in any of my trips to Disney World.

@seandavid010: Quite literally, "all that and a bag of chips." Kudos to you-dos.

Five minutes from Disney World is a strip of stores. There is a Golden Corral, which is a great buffet that is cheap.

Also, just a tad down the road? A grocery store. Most of the resort rooms at Disney have a fridge. Buy groceries, and at least eat breakfast in the room. We kept milk, fruit, and cereal in our fridge and didn't spend $texas every morning.

@David Anderson: Bully to you! Bully!

A tip that I've used to save money is to purchase the Kid's Meal instead of the regular adult dining options.

They give you plenty of food plus a drink for a few dollars less.

@zibby: Did you tell a cast member? They would have replaced it for free. Don't be afraid to ask!

@savdavid: Rides from the 60s is precisely why I want to go to Disneyland. It's quite a time warp. I love that sorta stuff, like the Haunted Mansion's 60s songs and the Tiki Room. I guess I'm in the minority though, judging from the comments.

@HurtsSoGood: Beware of the cheaper hotels outside of Disney. The Days Inn (both Main Gate East and West) were DUMPS!! The rooms were dirty, smelly, broken plumbing, you name it. The front desk REFUSED to put us in a different room, or do anything about it. The free breakfast in the morning was nothing but a box of doughnuts, and tang or instant coffee. The best part, the free shuttle WAS NOT free. The driver MADE you tip him before you even got on.

The Value hotels in Disney are 100 times better than the flea-bag and bedbug ridden deathtraps outside the park.

Also, Disney runs a promo with Free-Dining. You pay a little more per person for the dining plan, but everyday includes 1-sit down meal, 1-counter service meal, and 1 snack per person. This is good at all the theme parks as well as the hotel food courts. We brought our own breakfast stuff and ate in our room. Then we would have a counter service meal for lunch, and a snack in the afternoon and a sit-down meal for dinner.

Just one caution on the sit-down restaraunts. Most will require a reservation to get seated. If you look around on the internet you'll find numbers to call teh restaraunts and make ressies a few days before hand. The better places want a few weeks prior ressie. Otherwise you'll have a 1-2 hour wait for a table at most places.