How Many Disney Days Do We Need?

If you're planning a Walt Disney World trip, you may have just now realized that purchasing tickets for your entire family will probably be the most costly part of your vacation. Because it is so costly, I recommend the one-park-per-day rule (so no Park Hopper option, already making your tickets exponentially cheaper) as well as a four-days-for-parks rule (so, you will see each of the four Disney parks on your trip). Rules, rules, rules, right? Obviously you should adjust this for your family, but let me show you why I will always try to stick to this.

The first obvious reason is the cost of the park tickets with no additional options:

Option A:

4-Day Magic Your Way tickets for a family of two adults and two children: $1256.72(includes tax & this is purchased directly through Disney's site)

Option B:

4-Day Magic Your Way tickets for a family of two adults/two children from Undercover Tourist: $1245.80(includes tax PLUS you get a 5th Day for FREE)!

Option C:

Military family? Your costs are further discussed here. The savings is VERY significant vs. purchasing park tickets through other sources.

Thankfully, it doesn't take a mathematician to see that Option B is potentially a better option. I say, "potentially," because the costs many don't consider when adding park days begin to add up. Nonetheless, even if you choose to follow my one-park-per-day and four-days-for-parks rules, buying that second ticket from UT would save you money, even when not using your 5th free day.

What are those other costs you need to consider? Let's take a look:

• Parking: staying off-property will cost you $17 each day. 

• Dining: This article recommends counting $60/adult and $45/child per day to calculate the cost of food on vacation. Let's say that's true - a 5th day at Disney would cost you an additional $210 in food money.

• Souvenirs: Yes, you can just say no. However, if you're anything like me, after 5 days of kids being out of their normal routines, and walking past hundreds of shiny, pretty things, saying, "no," can be wearing. We actually have vowed to say, "Yes!" to as much as possible on vacay (read more here). We encourage our kids to earn their Disney Dimes and we have bought their souvenirs on sale via Target and The Disney Store before going. Nevertheless, you could conservatively spend $40-$50 on a stuffed toy and Mickey balloons.

If your family of four spent all of the above estimates, that 5th day may actually cost you over $270! Could you get away with much less? Absolutely. No souvenirs, and bringing your own foods could significantly impact the cost of a 5th day. You could even squeak by with spending under $40 on that 5th Disney day.

The second, and not-as-obvious reason to not spend a 5th, 6th, or 7th day at Disney World is one that is more...sentimental? Spending one day per park leaves more to see on your next trip! Many people can tour Disney every year, multiple times, and never get burned-out. It is an ever-changing place, afterall. But I love the feeling of leaving some stones unturned and looking forward to the next family adventure. It helps prolong the sense of excitement and wonder to know that we'll have to plan an additional trip in the coming years, just to see what we couldn't on the first trip.

How many days have you spent touring the parks? Was it too long, too short, or just right for your family? 

Saving for WDW with Disney Dimes

Our littles will be 7, 5, 4, and 2 years old when we visit The Mouse. We haven't really done a formal allowance, chore chart, or other variety of those items in our house. We have expectations of them and they know when certain things need to be done, but we have not monetarily rewarded behavior up to this point. When we decided to take them to Disney World, we also decided it was time that they worked towards something. Do we think we have all the parenting answers? Heck no- but this will work for us. That first night that we announced the Disney vacation plans, we also announced Disney Dimes. There was no big fanfare or to-do over announcing the Disney trip. Up to this point, it hasn't been a huge topic of conversation in our house. That said, I love how creative some families are with making this big announcement and I also love how much the gift of going on a family vacation becomes the souvenir in those moments. I am sure we'll announce any other trips to WDW in this manner, just to emphasize that fact: that going on a Disney vacation and having fun with family is the greatest present of all!

So, with the implementation of Disney Dimes, the nightly routine of the girls clearing our dining table after dinner became their first regular task. They earn one Disney Dime for this and are happy to do so. Realizing that this has been a big motivational tool, I now offer Disney Dimes for many tasks and behaviors. I never bribe a child out of a mood with the promise of a Disney Dime, but frankly, parenting is no-holds-barred territory. You do what you do to raise your kids, and I'll do what I do. I try to make everything a choice. You choose to earn the DDs or you don't. No anger or frustration from me when they don't want to comply, but lots of praise and a dime or two when they work for it.

Once the kids earn enough dimes for conversion to a Disney Dollar(not to be confused with official Disney Dollars at Disney resorts), Tinker Bell visits, dusts some Pixie Dust on ol' George, and they're set! For those of us who don't frequently have visits from Tink, some body/hair spray-glitter from the Dollar Tree will suffice for the Pixie Dust! I get to then recycle their dimes back into the pot and they have an extra boost of motivation to see if they ever catch Tink dusting their dollars! If you have a Jake and the Neverland Pirates fan in the family, a "gold doubloon," a.ka., Sacagawea Dollar, is also a fabulous exchange for 10 Disney Dimes! I'm not keen on the official Disney Dollars. My opinion is that kids are already disattached enough from the idea that work begets money. I don't want them to associate play-money with getting anything, as it feels like it negates the work that went into that. That said, if you're gifting a child Disney money, I can completely see why these adorable dollars would be fantastic!

So far, the plan is that we'll match what they earn as a special gift from us. That said, we haven't made this announcement and only plan to do so should their attitudes on vacation warrant such a surprise. Since I bought Disney souvenirs for the kids pre-trip, I know that our shopping in the parks or at Downtown Disney's outlet will be minimal- just the way I like it!

Disney Tickets- Military Deals & Steals

In 2009 Disney created the Armed Forces Salute program for members of the U.S. military and their families. The AFS includes steep discounts on park tickets and 30-40% off Disney resorts. Since I already discussed that our family size prohibits much of a savings on Disney resort rooms (even with a 30-40% discount), I'll focus on the AFS tickets in this post. If you have a smaller family size, the room discount could significantly impact your choice to stay on- or off-property.

Military Tickets:
If you or your spouse is active-duty or retired from the U.S. military (including Reservists, Coast Guardsmen, and National Guardsmen) you are eligible to purchase up to six Military Promotional Tickets during each offer period (current offer valid September 2014-October 2015). Military Promotional Tickets (a.k.a. Armed Forces Salute tickets) have extensive savings:

• 4-Day Park Hopper Ticket for $177 OR
• 4-Day Water Park Fun & More Ticket for $177 OR 
• 4-Day Combo Ticket for $207
• When you buy on base- these are tax free! 
• No expiration date within the 09/2014 - 10/2015 timeframe

Who can use the Armed Forces Salute tickets:

• Anyone accompanying the service member (friends or family!) 
• Anyone accompanying the service member's spouse in absence of the service member

How these tickets activate:

You will receive a voucher upon purchase that can be linked to My Disney Experience to set up your FastPass+ passes, however, you will still have to activate the voucher and exchange it for plastic card tickets at any one of the parks on your first visit. All members of the party using the Armed Forces Salute tickets must be present for activation, but then your party can split up if needed/wanted. 

If your immediate family has more than six individuals, Disney will allow you to purchase additional tickets for them at the above prices. Note that this courtesy is only available for dependent family members. If your family has only two or three members, you could purchase double your needed tickets(up to six) and use them back-to-back on the same trip, allowing for a total of eight park days per person! Just think of the amazing Disney honeymoon a newly married military couple could take with these tickets- 12 blissful days in the Most Magical Place on Earth for just over $1000!

If you need additional days for your park tickets, the Armed Forces Salute Tickets can be upgraded at Walt Disney World to Annual Passes. Otherwise, you can purchase the Magic Your Way tickets at a base ITT office or Shades of Green and receive a small discount (typically about 5%). Note that the MYW tickets with military discount CANNOT be purchased at Walt Disney World gates/ticket offices. 

Let's see some savings in action. My family of six needs 5 tickets (child under 3 is free and we still have one of those!):

• Armed Forces Salute Tickets 4-Day with Park Hopper = $885 (no tax)
• Magic Your Way 4-Day Tickets with Park Hopper = $1901.05 (with FL tax)

To be fair in comparison pricing, you have to really consider which options you'd purchase if you had to buy tickets without any discount. The first thing we'd nix would be the Park Hopper option. Even for an adults-only trip we took, we didn't park-hop. It isn't worth the extra money for the way we tour the parks. For some it is invaluable. You have to decide how your family will visit WDW and if that is important.

If you were willing to fork over $1900 for four days hopping parks, then check out what you can get if you drop that Park Hopper. If I were taking my family of six (one baby) to WDW and I chose to nix the Park Hopper option from my plans look at what I could afford:

• Magic Your Way 10-Day Ticket No Options = $1879.75 (with FL tax) 

Balancing that against my family's needs and our price-range I wanted to know what I could get for all six of us in the $885 range when shopping on Disney's site. My answer: 

• 2-Day MYW Tickets No Options (this actually costs $980 with tax)

If you choose the Armed Forces Salute Tickets with both the Park Hopper and Water Park Fun & More option - you end up getting two additional days (one each for Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach) outside of your four Disney World days plus entry to several other Disney attractions. We don't have a group that is great with swimming yet- so we will save that option for a later trip since it would add $150 to our ticket total. 

The Armed Forces Salute Tickets are an amazing deal for a minimal amount of park days. If you're lucky enough to have a family size (or age group) that will allow two of your six tickets to go to Grandma & Grandpa, just think of the amazing memories you can make together! 

Additionally, this blog is an amazing resource: Military Disney Tips 

How have you made the Armed Forces Salute Tickets work for you? 

Disney's Disc Replacement Program

If you read my Disney Movie Rewards post, you'll know what a great option it is for acquiring free movies with your Rewards points. That isn't the only fantastic thing about DMR though- you can also easily get damaged DVDs and Blu-Rays replaced with Disney's Disc Replacement Program. This program is available to anyone who has purchased a Disney movie, not just those using DMR. However, DMR pre-populates the form that is required to be sent with your disc. Pretty handy if you ask me! 

When you enter a Magic Code into DMR, that disc is automatically registered, however, you can manually register discs for which you no longer have a code. Even though you won't get any Rewards points for discs without a Magic Code, this option consolidates your list of Disney movies in one place, while also making it simple to replace a disc with Disney's Disc Replacement program.

Here's what you need to do to have a disc/discs replaced:

• Print your form through DMR or print the form's blank PDF 
• Enclose a check for $6.95 per DVD or $8.95 per blu-ray (more than one type/disc can be included)
• The damaged disc or discs
• Mail items to:

WDSHE Consumer Relations 

Attn: Disc Replacement Program

P.O. Box 3100

Neenah, WI 54957

You DO NOT need to include:

• Any original packaging
• Any additional undamaged discs from combo-packs

In a few weeks you'll receive a new disc! This is great for movies that are now in The Vault and can't be replaced through an in-store purchase. Just be careful- some movies are now so inexpensive to replace, it may make more sense to pay full-price and get a new Magic Code that can put towards a free DVD/Blu-Ray.

 

Have any of you used the Disc Replacement Program? 

What We're Wearing at the Parks - Part I

I absolutely adore matching family shirts for Walt Disney World vacations.
The only problem is that I don't find it to be super cost-effective. There are a number of reasons for this:

• I like to personalize each tee in my designs, which results in a higher cost
• I often use trademarked characters, which print shops can't print
• Lower cost solutions (freezer-paper stenciling and iron-on transfers) have their limits

I really wanted to wear personalized tees every day we are in the parks. After pricing them out at CustomInk (a company I love!) I realized I just couldn't spend $150 on one day's worth of tees (and forget four day's worth of tees at those rates!). I know you're thinking, "Of course you couldn't do that, crazy woman!" but I was ready to do just that when an alternative idea came to mind. 

My compromise turned out to be this:

Purchase two-days' worth of shirts from the Disney Store and make the remaining two shirts at home. I will customize the Disney Store shirts with iron-ons (more on that in another post!) and will print iron-on transfers at home (these transfers are awesome!) to fully-create shirts for the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. 

These are our shirt options for Epcot (top of post) and Animal Kingdom (below):

They aren't particularly themed for either of these park choices, but they will do! I got a great deal on the chalkboard/mouseketeer tees by using a 25% off coupon code that included free shipping while purchasing these shirts during their Buy 2 or More Tees, Each for $10. The chalkboard tees of Mickey & Minnie only received the 25% off as they weren't included in the sale prices (they are Official Park shirts). The AWESOME thing about buying ear hats BEFORE your trip is that the Disney Store not only allows you to stack your discounts on them, but they always have a running percentage-off deal on specific quantities of Official Park items. Shopping at the Disney Store is going to save us a ton on clothing and souvenirs. More in a later post! 

Ear hats are marked at $13.95 - I paid $9.41 each! 

What have you worn to the parks? What got you the most noticed by Cast Members?

Disney Movie Club - Review Part II

As promised in Part I of my Disney Movie Club review, Part II will show you how I saved money, mistakes to avoid, plus tips & tricks for getting the most movies for your money! Please note that the numbers I'm throwing out to you are for the DVD club option and not the Blu-Ray option. More details on that in Part I!

When I joined DMC, my offer code was pretty great:

• Five Movies for $1 (total, not each!)
• Free Shipping
• Free Olaf Blanket with Free Shipping
• Sixth Movie for $11.95 with Free Shipping (plus it counts as my first obligated purchase!)
• Seventh Movie for $8.95 with Free Shipping

My terms stated I had to purchase four full-price DVDs within 24 months of joining. 
You really have to shop around online to get get the best deals with DMC. If you go straight to their website, you will probably only be offered the 4-for-$1 deal. In my quick search for DMC deals, I found the offer code that will get you the same offer I received.

Enter promo code 27135 and you will receive the same pricing I did 

plus you will get a free Mickey Mouse blanket!             

Here is where strategy comes into play- make sure your initial five movies are the most expensive movies for you to purchase elsewhere even if they aren't the first priorities on your list. I use Amazon Prime for price-comparison when making my selections because we use Amazon Prime frequently in our home.

After completing your initial purchase, and hopefully getting seven movies for around $22, it is best to purchase your obligatory DVDs at this point. Remember that for them to count towards your total, they must cost you $19.95 or more. Use the below image to select the proper settings within your account before placing this order.

Note: If you don't select,"No Discount," only the most expensive movie in your cart will count towards your obligation. The others will be discounted 40%, and while that is a nice savings, it can be even better. Read on!

Now, the last step: play the waiting game! After 30 days of active membership and fulfilling your obligation, DMC will upgrade your account to VIP status.

In VIP status, you will be offered:

• Buy 1 Movie at Regular Price, Get the Rest 60% off
• Free VIP pin

Here are tables that break down and compare costs of Amazon Prime vs. DMC:

TOTAL SAVINGS USING DMC VS. AMAZON PRIME: $150.49! 

At this point, you may decide to terminate your membership. You have to do this over the phone- there are no online options available. You may also decide that this is such a great club, you want to keep your membership active! Just remember to respond to your monthly offers so as not to receive an auto-shipped movie and charge every month.

Stay-tuned for a post on how using Disney Movie Club and Disney Movie Rewards has gotten me free movies! What are your top-five picks for your initial order?

The Disney Store - Save or Splurge?

When I started planning our first trip as a family of six I assumed (incorrectly) that shopping at the Disney Store was far too expensive. I thought that I would save money by shopping for souvenirs at big box stores like Walmart or Target. I couldn't have been more wrong! One fateful evening the Bestie and I entered the Disney Store in our local mall and it was all I could do not to buy everything on sale. I walked away with over $60 in savings on a $100 purchase. That's right, I spent about $40 on $100 worth of Jake and the Neverland Pirates merchandise for DD3 (she is slightly obsessed with this show and her birthday is just weeks before our big vacation!).

Some of the amazing deals I've taken advantage of:

• BOGO for $1 - plush toys
• Buy 2 or more playsets - $10 each (savings of $2.95 each)
• Buy 2 or more tees - $10 each (savings of $2.95-$4.95 each)
• 25% off entire purchase (above and beyond the above-mentioned deals!)
• Free Shipping on $75+ Orders (savings of $9.95+)

UPDATE: New sale today 2/18/15 - Kids' tees for $8 each and adult's tees $12! 

My current order would cost $180 without the savings codes offered but instead, I'll be paying $110! More later on the souvenirs I've picked for our kiddos, ages 2-7 years old!

UPDATE: After placing my order with a ton of savings, I popped into my local Disney Store. I noticed that the Buy 2 or more tees-$10 each deal was much better in-store! In-store was offering each tee at $8, no minimums. After discussing this recent purchase with a Cast Member, the manager said that if I bring my receipt in within 10 days of receiving my order, they'd be able to refund the difference. I will update again with more to let you know how that works out.

Pop over to What We're Wearing at the Parks to see some of my purchases! What are your can't-live-without-it Disney purchases?