You can make your own full-colored customizable Disney maps for FREE.   You can use the maps to plan out your trip, or to keep as a souvenir.   I plan on making some maps once we return from our trip, so we can highlight some of the rides that were our families favorites!

You can choose to have them delivered to your home, or you can print them out whenever you like.

I thought I would share a some of our vacation photos over the next several days.    Plus, I may have a few tips to go along with some of the photos.   I am kicking off the week with a photo of my oldest, who got a kiss from Minnie Mouse during breakfast at Cape May.

I mentioned that we would be saving all of the gift cards we earned throughout the year, for our Disney World vacation.  Here is the finally tally of all the gift cards we earned.

$415 – Disney gift cards (Applying for (2) Disney Visa’s and accumulated rewards)
$125 – Target gift cards (MyPoints Rewards, Prescription & Target gift card offers)
$100 – The Cheesecake Factory (Rewards from husbands work)
$50 – Panera Bread (Mypoints Rewards)
$50 – Chevron (Auction)
$40 – Visa gift cards (Rewards from husbands work)
$40 – Tully’s gift card (gift)
$25 – American Express gift card (blog giveaway)
$25 – Costco gift card (blog giveaway)
$25 – Aldi (blog giveaway)
$25 – Jamba Juice (gift)
$10 – Walmart (blog giveaway)

Total = $930

That is $930 in gift cards we can add to our vacation fund to help pay for food, gas, groceries, souvenirs and more!  I usually like to save all of my gift cards and use them for Christmas shopping, it’s amazing how fast they can add up when you save them for something special.   Anybody else like to save their gift card for one big event?

Disney has a deal that you can get the Dining Plan for FREE when you book a stay at one of their select resorts during certain dates. We will be visiting the parks during the free dining plan, so this is something we could take advantage of. We have a larger family, so in order to get a room that we would all fit into we would have to stay at the  Disney’s Saratoga Springs, for a whopping total of just over $8900 (that price would include our park tickets and food).  Seriously, that is way to much!!  Plus, we wouldn’t have enough space in the room for all of us comfortably.

I knew we could get a better deal (and more room) if we stayed off property. Plus, we came up with a way to create our own FREE Disney Dining Plan. Since January, I have been saving all of the gift cards we have gotten.  Plus, we have redeemed our reward points for restaurant gift cards.  With the gift cards we saved, we should be able to pay for most of the food during our vacation.

Here is what we have saved so far:
$400 in Disney gift cards ($200 was for applying for a Disney Visa (2) and another $200 in Disney reward dollars we earned) – We will use this money for the Disney themed restaurants we plan to eat at.
$120 in Target gift cards (These came from Target store deals and rewards programs) – We will use this money to buy food that we plan to cook in the home we are renting.  I get to shop at a Super Target! Woo Hoo!
$100 in The Cheesecake Factory gift cards (The came from rewards programs) – This will cover dinner for our family
$75 in Restaurant.com gift certificates – I checked the restaurants in the area and found 2 that would work well for us.
$75 in Visa gift cards – These will help to pay the money that is remaining from our Restaurant.com meals
$50 in Panera Bread gift cards (These gift cards come from Mypoints rewards) – These will give us lunch out.
$25 Costco gift card – I will use this to buy snacks we can take into the park each day

Total = $845 in FREE money for our food

So, we will have our home, which incidentally is WAY bigger than the hotel we would have gotten, with 5 bedrooms,a kitchen, game room, laundry and our own private pool + park tickets + food paid for with gift cards + rental car  + parking it all comes in at right about 1/2 of what it would cost us to stay on property.   That is some serious savings!

Now, I am not saying that the FREE Disney Dining Plan is not a good deal, because it may work out to be a great benefit for some, but for our family by doing a little math and making some different plans we were able to create our vacation for thousands less.

What are your thoughts on the Disney Dining Plan?   Has it been a big money saver for your family?

When you are heading to the Disney Parks, comfortable shoes are a MUST!!! My sister introduced me to Keen shoes about 4 years ago, and now I am IN LOVE!!   I remember when I saw her cute shoes and asked here where she got them, she told me “you won’t like them?”  I said “but they are so cute and I love that your toes are protected. They aren’t wimply flip flops, but they are still summery.”   She then clarified, she told me I would love them because they were so comfortable, but I would NOT love them because of the price (I am a WAY more frugal than my Nordstrom shopping sister).

Keen’s are expensive shoes, but they are so worth it.  They are made well, and incredibly comfortable.    I started with one pair 4 years ago, and I now own 5 pairs. LOVE THEM!!!!   I have also convinced my husband that they are the most fabulous shoes ever and he now owns a pair of Keen hiking boots and  a pair of Keen sandals for our trip.

This pair of Keen Paulina slides was my most recent purchase, and the ones I will be wearing on our trip to Disney World.   If you are interested in some super comfortable shoes for the Disney Parks (or really anywhere) here are a couple of places you can pick some up some Keen’s at a discount.

Rue La La: Get a $10 credit for signing up! (may take 48 hours for credit to show up) Plus, they are currently having a Keen sale with discounts up to 40% off for only 2 more days. (Thanks Steals & Deals!)

ShoeStation.com:Use the code cashboxx for 20% off and free shipping if you spend $59.95.

Sierra Trading Post: They have lots of Keen’s at discounted prices. Use the code ALBTS2KX for an additional 20% off.

Anybody else a big fan of Keen shoes? What brand of shoes to you find super comfortable for all day walking?

If you have a trip planned for Disney World sometime this year or next, it would be a good idea to buy you tickets now. Traditionally, the price of admission has gone up every year during the first weekend in August. The Walt Disney World Magic Your Way tickets do not expire until you start using them, so you could buy them in advance.

It is often hard to find discounts on admission tickets, but it is possible, here are a few recommendations:

Undercover Tourist – They offer discounts on all types of Disney World tickets (I have personally used them, and have been very pleased.)

Sign up for the MouseSavers Newsletter – The newsletter will have a special link for an even greater discount from Undercover Tourist (this months newsletter already went out, I can’t publish the discount, but I can forward the email to you. Please email me if you would like to me to forward it onto you.)

Walt Disney World offers discounts for Florida Residents.

There is no guarantee that the price of admission will go up, but if this year is the same as previous years it should go up a little. If you do have a trip planned and you haven’t purchased your ticket, you might want to do so now, it may end up saving you a little bit of cash.

We will be heading to Disneyworld in a little more than a month and a half. I am sharing a few tips that I have learned that will save you some money once you are inside the parks.

BRING YOUR OWN FOOD

You can bring in your own food into the parks. If you eat your own lunch at the park it will save you some money for goodies like Dole Whip and Mickey Mouse Ice Cream bars (my son’s favorite!). There are a few rules when it comes to bringing items into the parks. You are allowed to bring snacks and food items that do not require heating into the parks. You cannot bring a hard sided cooler or a cooler that is on wheels. Just bring whatever items you want in a soft sided cooler, and you are set to save some money.

HAVE THE PHOTOPASS PHOTOGRAPHERS USE YOUR CAMERA

When you have a PhotoPass Photographer take your photo with their camera, you can also have them take a photo with your own camera.   I found this out for the first time last year when one of the photographers offered to take one with my camera too.   What a guy!  He was very familiar with my camera and even taught me a tip for taking photos in bright sun. It’s not easy getting a photo of the entire family, so I was thrilled that he offered.   We had the same experience with every other Photopass photographer, they had no problem taking a photo with our camera as well.   The Disney Photopass is a great option that Disney offers, but it can get expensive to order all the photos you want.

FREE ICE WATER

You can get FREE ice water at any counter service restaurant within the Disney Parks.   If you aren’t a fan of tap water, you can bring some Crystal Light packets to flavor the water.

WATCH YOUR RECEIPTS FOR COUPONS

The last time my husband and I were at California Adventure, we bought some ice cream  and found a coupon at the bottom of our receipt.  The coupon was for a 20% discount (on a $50 purchase) for one of the souvenir shops within the park.    So, watch your receipts, you might just find a discount.

BRING ALL THE ESSENTIALS

The cost of items are more expensive inside the parks. Make sure you bring everything you need so you don’t have to buy them once you are inside. You will want to bring, batteries, sunscreen, misting fans, rain ponchos, sunglasses and more.

I have the Passporter’s Walt Disney World book, and I love it for planning our Disney vacation. You can currently pick up the previous editions of the Passporter for only $4.00. You can also get FREE shipping when you spend $25 ore more. Check out all the deals HERE. These deals are only available through July 5th.

There aren’t too many changes at the parks and resorts from year to year, so I think it is worth it to save TONS of money by picking up the previous years edition.

If you haven’t joined Disney Movie Rewards, make sure you sign up soon. You can earn points for buying Disney Blu-Rays, DVD and CD’s. You can also earn points anytime you see a Disney movie. You  then redeem your points for Disney merchandise and other rewards.

Today is my birthday and I got an email from Disney Movie Rewards telling me that I can pick one of 5 Disney Blu-Ray’s for FREE (I do have to pay $2.95 for shipping and handling). What a nice surprise!

What rewards have you received from Disney Movie Rewards? I am still fairly new to the program, and I would love to hear your experiences.

When visiting the Disney parks you will need to take into consideration several factors:

• Cost
• Crowds
• Weather
• Special Events

Easy WDW has a great article that explains all the ins and outs of visiting Disney World during each month of the year.   If you are planning a trip to Disney World, I recommend reading Disney World Calendar of Crowds, Cost, Weather and Events.   The article has great information that will help you decide which month would be best for you to visit