[boilerjeff]

I recommend buying the Disney Dining plan (not the deluxe). If you have a larger family (we have five), it will save you substantial $$$$. We also brought breakfast foods (in a suitcase) and ate breakfast in our cabin. This saved big bucks that could be spent on other "important" items such as Disney souvenirs.

[boilerjeff]

Also, you can check out this website:

MouseMisers - Disney Discounts

There are some helpful tips here.

[grandmael]

We have been to DW recently. Down there 3x since 03 and this last time, stayed in a moderate, rather than deluxe. We use the dining plan & I recommend Magical express-I have bought bottle of water or soda from a vender -refilling from the park's water fountains. Good idea about the wyler's to go for that. We tried the green or garden grocer online services to have 12 pak sodas & snacks delivered to us at our hotel. A bit cheaper that way

[mairinmaureen]

Originally Posted by ddoll

The bottom line is: bringing your own snack does not take money away from the theater..

I never said it was taking money away from the theaters, I said that concession is where theaters make the bulk of their money and that outside food or drink is prohibited. Bringing your own snack is breaking a policy the same as if you were to reuse your refillable mug at a Disney resort after your original stay. In the end, it effects everyone else who follows the rules through increased prices.

[CarolinaTilt]

Originally Posted by schaery

This may seem a little expensive at first but I saved alot of money on my last trip by pre-purchasing the photopass cd for $99. We got lots of pics taken by the photographers - I think about 60 pictures. When I got home, I edited the pics on the Disney photopass site and ordered the cd. I then got them printed online thru dot photo. I ended up getting about 85 disney pics plus 300 of my own ( ) developed for around $40. (They had a 1st timers special). It would have cost so much more just to have to the individual photopass pics developed with Disney.

We did the same thing!! The pre-paid photopass CD was great. We took over 200 pics with photopass and after editing we had more than 400. The $99 was well worth it for us.

[brebre_51]

Sometimes, when we stayed at the resorts, we would do this to save money. When we didn't eat breakfast at the resort food court, we would eat breakfast in our room. If the resort didn't come with a frig, we would order one for our room. We would bring milk, cereal, fruit, instant coffee & sugar substitute. We would have breakfast & coffee in our room.

We would eat a counter lunch inside the park. We snacked during the day, so in the evening we would eat a turkey leg. We were never hungry. The money we saved could be spent on other things inside Disney.

[CarolinaTilt]

Originally Posted by nitaworm

I hate to sound snotty guys but the thought of me and my 4 kids craming in a hotel room and packing extra stuff to save money sounds miserable. Take my advice, rent one of the DVC Villas from Timeshare Rentals, Timeshare Resales, Timeshare Ratings, and Timeshare Reviews - RedWeek.com and cook your breakfast (we usually go grocery shopping and save a ton of $$ on food - we eat out to sit down dinner 2 times). Our kids actually prefer the food we cook in the room, and so do I for the price. We pack lunches - we freeze peanut butter/jelly sandwiches and ham and cheese, and by the time we are ready to eat its fresh and thawed. If you rent a villa you can sometimes negotiate on price, get the same benefits as an owner and not feel cramped and try to squeeze things into a hotel room. I am telling you its hard to go back to the hotel room stay when you rent a villa.

Great tip, we are think of joining DVC and will probably want to rent points one time before we make up our mind. Sounds great!!

[ddoll]

Originally Posted by mairinmaureen

I never said it was taking money away from the theaters, I said that concession is where theaters make the bulk of their money and that outside food or drink is prohibited. Bringing your own snack is breaking a policy the same as if you were to reuse your refillable mug at a Disney resort after your original stay. In the end, it effects everyone else who follows the rules through increased prices.

Nope. Not the same thing at all. One is taking something that doesn't belong to you and one is consuming your own property. It's just the theater makes LESS profit from you and they don't want you to do it. Bringing your own food is not stealing and it is not against the law.

This thread is about saving money and while we don't condone practices that are against the rules, there is still a large distinction between stealing and cutting corners to save money.

[mairinmaureen]

Originally Posted by ddoll

Nope. Not the same thing at all. One is taking something that doesn't belong to you and one is consuming your own property. It's just the theater makes LESS profit from you and they don't want you to do it. Bringing your own food is not stealing and it is not against the law.

This thread is about saving money and while we don't condone practices that are against the rules, there is still a large distinction between stealing and cutting corners to save money.

My point was that using a refillable mug after your original visit and sneaking snacks into movie theaters has the same effect on the people who follow the rules....they end up paying higher prices.

Bringing your own food into the theaters may not be against the law, but the theaters prohibit outside food and drink at their establishments, which is enforceable by law. If you "get caught" "sneaking" it in, they will ask you to take the food back to your car or have you throw it out. If you get snippy, they will ask you to leave, and if you protest, they will call the police and have you removed from the premises.

Yes, you may save money, but the act is still breaking the rules. If it were an acceptable practice, one would not have to sneak around.

Look at it this way:

Would you bring a plate of spaghetti into a restaurant and order a salad and some garlic bread to go with it? Would you bring your own bottle of wine as well?

If you can not afford the price of snacks at the theater, go without them.

[ddoll]

Originally Posted by mairinmaureen

My point was that using a refillable mug after your original visit and sneaking snacks into movie theaters has the same effect on the people who follow the rules....they end up paying higher prices.
.

No, it's not at all the same. Taking soda you have not paid for is stealing. A person who opts to not buy a snack, by either means, is not stealing. There is no loss of revenue there, only potential revenue.

But this thread is about ways to save money. Let's get it back on track.

[mairinmaureen]

Originally Posted by ddoll

But this thread is about ways to save money. Let's get it back on track.

I think that is a good idea. No hard feelings?

[ddoll]

Certainly not.

My most miserly pre-Disney obsession is stalking out the rental car discounts and codes. I have found Southwest to be my best comparison tool. Once I find the best deal from all the car companies, I then go forward with my codes and coupons (mostly Entertainment Book) to get the best deal.

Then I go back 2 weeks before I leave and re-check my price against the newest special offers.

[manita21]

I've seen a lot of people use the refillable mugs from the previous year. This one seems to be a very common one.

[Campbell87]

Originally Posted by manita21

I've seen a lot of people use the refillable mugs from the previous year. This one seems to be a very common one.

I still see families using the old 'Dixie Landings' mugs!

[Big Al]

My #1 tip, buy the book "Disney on a Dime" (I found it at Barnes & Nobles)