Thrifty and Thriving » DISNEY

Disney World: 3-night hotel stay & 2 one-day Disney World Admission tickets only $339

Christy — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:45:38 +0000

I have mentioned previously that keeping an eye on the daily deal sites is a good way to get a great deal on a Disney vacation. There is a deal that just popped up on Groupon that will get you a 3-night stay in the Hilton Garden Inn Lake Beuna Vista and 2 adult one-day admissions to any of the Disney theme parks for only $339. You can also choose a four-night stay for only $399. If I didn’t live all the way on the other side of the United States, I would snatch this one up for a quick little getaway.

Here is what you get with the deal:

Stay for up to four in a king or queen Evolution room

$339 for three nights
$399 for four nightsIncluded in both options:
Two one-day adult passes good for any one Disney theme park

Hotel Amenities:

Heated Caribbean-style pool
Jacuzzi spa
Lounge, restaurant, and poolside bar
Fitness center
Basketball and volleyball court
Free self-parking
Complimentary WiFi

What It’s Worth:

Stay for up to four in a king or queen Evolution room

$339 for three nights (up to $417 value)
$399 for four nights (up to $556 value)
Included in both options:
Two one-day adult passes good for any one Disney theme park ($181 avlue)

Fine Print: Must book by 5/1/12 and complete travel by 6/30/12. Not valid 4/1-4/8. Limit 1 per person, may buy 1 additional as a gift. Limit 1 per visit.

FREE Disney Vacation Planning DVD

Christy — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:26:05 +0000

Click the image about to sign up for a FREE Disney vacation planning DVD. We are HUGE Disney fans and love to try to take a Disney vacation each year. I think it’s even possible to do a Disney Vacation on a Budget.

The Disney vacation planning DVD is not only informative, but it is just plain fun to watch. If you plan to head to Disney soon, or are saving up for a trip in a couple of years I highly recommend this freebie.

Amazon: Kinect Disneyland Adventures Game only $24.99 (50% off)

Christy — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 21:17:19 +0000

Amazon has the Kinect Disneyland Adventures game for only $24.99. This is a new release, and normally retails for $49.99. This will ship for FREE with Super Saver Shipping or Amazon Prime.

Thanks Frugal Living NW!

Get a FREE Disney Cruise Line Vacation Planning DVD

Christy — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 23:54:08 +0000

Request a FREE Disney Cruise Line vacation planning DVD. I just ordered my FREE DVD. My husband and I went to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico in November and we had the best time! We saw a Disney cruise ship on the water each morning, and we thought it would be fun to take our family on a cruise from California to Mexico.

Has anybody been on a Disney cruise (or any other cruise) before? I would love to hear you thoughts!

We’re Back from Disneyland!!!

Christy — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 22:12:34 +0000

We are back from our Disneyland trip, and we had a wonderful time!

We met some characters.

We ate Dole Whips.

We went on lots of rides.

We played in the pool.

We picked up some cute souvenirs.

We had Stormtroopers steal our cute souvenirs.

We even did some pouting! (It wouldn’t be a real Disney vacation without some pouting)

Disney on a Budget: Make your own Autograph Books out of Mini Photo Albums

Christy — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:27:48 +0000

I have mentioned before that we make our own autograph books for our Disney trips and it saves us some money. The Disney autograph books start out at $7, if you need several books that can add up fast. I am sharing the books that I made for our upcoming trip to Disneyland and these are by far my favorite. Plus, they cost me less than $1.00 to make!!!

I found some mini photo albums on clearance at Target for $ .50, and as soon as I saw them I know I wanted to make them into autograph books (Thanks to Kami for the idea she shared last year!). I kept the cover fairly simple, by adding 2 different types of paper and then adding a border to cover where the two papers met.

The Mickey Mouse I used on the cover was from a paint chip from Home Depot (we were checking out paint colors and I saw those cute little Mickey Mouse heads and I knew they would be great as embellishments on the autograph books, so I picked up 2 extra). They came off of the paint chip super easy!

The thing I am most excited about with this new design is that I will be able to include a photo of my kids with the characters right next to the page with the autograph. So fun!!

To get the signatures I just cut several pages of white cardstock into 4×6, we will bring along a Sharpie marker and a clip.

My plan is to use the clip to secure a piece of the cardstock on the back so it is easy to sign. Once they get the signature we will slide it into one of the pages and once I get the photos developed in will go on the opposite page.

I think this system will also come in handy, because sometimes we need to split up because my youngest can’t ride all the rides that the older kids can ride. This way we can have some of the paper with each of us adults, so if we come across a character my son can get an autograph without worrying about having the book with him. Last year, he missed out on a favorite character’s signature, because his Mom has his autograph book and she was riding Space Mountain with his big brothers.

For more ideas for doing Disney on a Budget, click the image above.

I love to hear your creative ideas for getting Disney autographs.

Disney Movie Rewards: $5/1 Beauty and the Beast The Enchanted Christmas Special Blu-ray or DVD

Shelley — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 00:00:54 +0000

Disney Movie Reward Members can get a $5/1 Beauty and the Beast The Enchanted Christmas Special Blu-ray or DVD combo pack coupon. Coupon expires 11/27/11.

Remember if you are not a member of Disney Movie Rewards it is FREE to sign up.

Get your FREE Disney Vacation Planning DVD

Christy — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 21:07:37 +0000

I am sure you know by now that our family loves to spend our family vacations at the Disney Theme Parks!! We have gone every year for the last 3 years, and we also have a trip planned for this winter! My husband and I have also snuck in 2 “kidless” trips to Disneyland the last two years too!

I think the anticipation and planning is part of the fun of a Disney vacation. We enjoy watching Disney documentaries and the Disney planning DVD’s before our trips. Yep, we’re Goofy like that! (pun intended).

You can order a FREE Disney Planning DVD to help you plan and get excited for a your future trip to a Disney Theme Park. I highly recommend the FREE Disney Planning DVD, the Parks are huge and can be overwhelming and it really gives you lots of helpful information.

The Disney Planning DVD includes the following:

Complete tour of the 4 Theme Parks, 2 Water Parks and over 20 Resort hotels at the Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida
A tour of the Disneyland® Resort in California, including 2 enchanting Theme Parks and 3 Resort hotels
Affordable ways to play and stay during your Disney vacation
Plus much more, including pocket-sized planning guides, planning tips, and information on special events.

Are you heading to a Disney Theme Park soon? Will you be visiting Disney World or Disneyland? Make sure you check out all of my Disney on a Budget posts.

Disney Movie Rewards: Get $20 Disney Gift Card for 750 Points

Christy — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 05:04:33 +0000

If you have some Disney Movie Rewards that you have been hanging on to, now would be a great time to redeem them. You can get a 20 Disney gift card for 750 points. I just got mine! The gift card will come in handy when we head to Disneyland. I found the gift card under the “Popular Rewards” category.

The Disney Gift Card can be used at select participating locations at Walt Disney World® Resort, Disneyland® Resort, Disney Cruise Line®, Disney Store locations in the U.S., DisneyStore.com, DisneyPhotoPass.com, and Adventures by Disney. Visit DisneyGiftCard.com for complete terms and conditions. Limit one redemption per member.

Thanks Hip2Save!

Disney Movie Rewards: $5 off Blu-Ray/DVD Coupons (The Lion King + Beauty and the Beast)

Shelley — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 15:13:04 +0000

Disney Movie Rewards is offering a $5 off coupon for Blu-Ray/DVD combo packs on:

Coupons are good until 10/11/2011. If you are not a member of Disney Movie Rewards it is FREE to sign up.

There is also a $5 rebate from Wholly Guacamole when you buy Lion King AND a Wholly Guacamole product. You can also print a $1 off coupon for Wholly Guacamole. Thanks Capital Region Finds!

Disney on a Budget: Update on Ways We are Saving Money for our Winter Disney Trip

Christy — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 20:54:28 +0000

I mentioned that we are heading back to Disneyland this winter, so we can see the resort all decorated for the holidays. We have never been at Christmastime, so we are very excited. We have had this trip planned for several months now, and I think planning in advance is one of the biggest ways you can save money.

Here are a few things we have done to save money on our Disney vacation this time around:

Airline Tickets – We flew JetBlue for the first time in April and we loved it! It was such an enjoyable flight. We knew we wanted to take JetBlue for our trip to Disneyland, so we applied for the JetBlue American Express and earned 2 FREE round-trip tickets, just for applying and using the card. Not too bad! We are also really close to another FREE ticket that we can use on a future trip, because we used the card to buy our airline tickets. We watched the airline rates every week until the price dropped to what we were hoping to pay and then we purchased them.

Airport Parking - The biggest way to save money is to have somebody drop you off at the airport. We have family close by, but we have 7 people in our family, and a 7 seat van, so that doesn’t really leave any room for an extra person, which means we have to park our car at the airport. I was so excited to see this deal pop up on Groupon for airport parking. Yes, I seriously got excited – you can ask my husband, because I am pretty sure I woke him up at midnight to tell him about the deal! Since I had Groupon credits I was able to get our airport parking for FREE.

Paying for the Hotel & Admission – I have said several times that one of the major ways to save money on a Disney vacation is to stay at a non-Disney hotel. This is very easy at Disneyland, because there are so many hotels that are within walking distance of the Park. However, we received a “Pin Code” for 40% off the regular rate of a room at a Disney hotel, so we are staying at the Grand Californian Hotel this time around!! This will be the first time we are within walking distance of the parks, we normally have to drive in and park our car or ride the transit. Our family is giddy! I am hoping my family doesn’t get too attached to the Disney hotel, because I am pretty sure I will go back to my non-Disney hotel ways the next time we visit.

I took advantage of the Albertsons gift card promo they had awhile back, and the one they had recently and I purchased several gift cards that we could use to pay for our hotel and admission into the park. I used money I already had saved for the trip and was able to get a couple of hundred of dollars worth of Catalinas and gift cards that I used at Albertsons for groceries. I took the money I would have normally spend on groceries and added it to our Disney vacation fund.

Money for Meals – I have a Disney Visa that I use to earn Disney Rewards. We currently have $300 in Disney Rewards that we can use for meals. This is FREE money that we earned, since we pay off the bill every month and never pay interest. The credit cards wouldn’t make much sense if we were paying interest. We make the card work for us, not the other way around. I also have plans to bring some cereal and granola bars from home for a quick and easy breakfast a couple of mornings. We also will bring our own snacks into the park like we usually do. This is a shorter trip than our other ones, so we will probably be eating out more than usual, that way we won’t have to worry about running to the store and heading back to the hotel to eat. I am OK with that!

Extras – They have an AMC theater in Downtown Disney, so I took advantage of the movie deal HERE, so we can see a movie on the last day. We have several hours before we have to catch our flight home, but it’s now enough time to warrant an extra day at the parks. I was able to purchase the tickets with credits I had, so the movie will be FREE for all 7 of us. Love that!

I do my best to save money in the planning stages of the vacation, so when I get there I don’t have to worry about pinching pennies on the trip. I can just go, and enjoy! I save money where and when I can beforehand, so we can spend our money on the things that matter most to us, like Dole Whips, Mickey ice cream bars and some fun Disney souveniers!!

We are getting closer, and I can’t wait! Anybody else have a Disney trip planned soon? I would love to hear what you are doing to save money on your trip!

FREE Disney Planning DVD

Christy — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 19:55:54 +0000

I think the anticipation and planning is part of the fun of a Disney vacation too. We enjoy watching Disney documentaries and the Disney planning DVD’s before our trips. Yep, we’re Goofy like that! (pun intended).

The Disney Planning DVD includes the following:

Complete tour of the 4 Theme Parks, 2 Water Parks and over 20 Resort hotels at the Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida
A tour of the Disneyland® Resort in California, including 2 enchanting Theme Parks and 3 Resort hotels
Affordable ways to play and stay during your Disney vacation
Plus much more, including pocket-sized planning guides, planning tips, and information on special events.

Are you heading to a Disney Theme Park soon? Will you be visiting Disney World or Disneyland? Make sure you check out all of my Disney on a Budget posts.

Disney on a Budget: Several Discount Options for Buying Tickets to Disneyland

Christy — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 18:06:12 +0000

Before you purchase your Disneyland Theme Park tickets you will have to decide on a couple of things:

How many days you want to spend at the Parks?
Do you want to use the Park Hopper feature?

The cost per day goes down with each additional day you spend at the park. Here is a break down for 1-Park tickets with a 1-day, 3-day or a 5-day pass. These prices are for ages 10 and up. (ages 3-9 will be cheaper). They also include a discount for purchasing your tickets online (prices at the gate will be higher). These prices were valid as of June 2011.

1-Day Ticket = $80 (cost per day is $80)
3-Day Ticket = $199 (cost per day is $66)
5-Day Ticket = $231 (cost per day is $46)

If you decide to add the Park Hopper feature to your tickets, the cost will be a little more. The Park Hopper allows you to visit both Disneyland and California Adventure on the same day, so you can alternate between the 2 parks. Since the 2 parks are so close to each other we enjoy this feature. If you are trying to save money on your trip, you can easily just go with the one park a day ticket. The price of a 3-Day Park Hopper ticket is $214, which is $14 more than the one-day park ticket.

If you plan on making more than one trip to Disneyland in a year, than you may want to go for an annual passport. You can view the different yearly passport options and their prices on the Disney website.

Here are several options for picking up discount tickets to Disneyland:

California Residents:

If you live in Southern California, you can buy discount tickets to Disneyland. Head on over to the tickets page and enter your zip code in the box on the right hand side of the page.
California residents can also pick up a 4-Day Park Hopper pass with a $50 Disney gift card for only $199 at Costco
Proof of residency is required when you redeem these type of tickets. There are also some black-out dates with these tickets.

Military Discount:

Disney Military Promotional Tickets can be purchased by active and retired U.S. military personnel for themselves and up to five additional family members or friends.
Disney Military Promotional 3-Day Park Hopper Tickets cost $99 each
You can find all the details on this promotion HERE. They have extended the dates of this promotion until September 2012, you can find out more about the extension HERE.

Buy Ahead of time online:

If you are buying a 3-Day or longer Park Hopper ticket, you can get a discount for purchasing them online before you head to the parks.
Not only is it cheaper, but it’s also more convenient. If you choose the print at home option (which is FREE), you will just take the print out of your ticket to the gate and they will exchange it for a real park ticket. No waiting in the ticket line!
You can also choose to have your tickets mailed to you or picked up at will call, both of which have a $5 fee.

Buy Discount Tickets Online at GetawayToday.com:

GetawayToday.com offers discounted tickets for Disneyland. You have the option of buying a package deal or individual tickets.

Buy a Package Deal:

You can do some research ahead of time and see if buying a package deal will save you money. I would price everything individually and then get a quote on a package price. Don’t assume that just because it’s a package you are getting a good deal.
I recommend both Costco Travel and Getaway Today for Disneyland packages. The Costco package includes some extras like a character breakfast, so you will need to take that into account when you are pricing the package.
If you use Getaway Today, you may also want to check for discount codes at RetailMeNot.com.

Buy your tickets though City Pass:

When you buy through City Pass your are not only getting a discount on your Disneyland ticket, but you will also get other attractions at a discount too. (Sea World, Universal Studios, etc.)
You can check out the rates and other attractions available at City Pass to see if this would be a good option for you.

Get a Disney Visa Rewards Card:

I can only recommend this option if you pay the card off in full each month. The amount you would pay in interest each month would not outweigh the benefits you receive.
I received a special offer that gave me a $200 Disney Gift Card for opening a Disney Visa Rewards account (HELLO! $200 in FREE Disney money!! I was all over this one) They are currently offering a $100 statement credit.
You will earn 1% cash back for all the purchases you make with your card. The money is given to you in the form of a Disney Rewards card that can be redeemed at the on tickets, lodging, food or merchandise. You could use the cash back to purchase your Disney Park tickets. It doesn’t sound like much, but it can really add up. I use the Visa to pay all of my monthly bills and then pay it off at the end of each month.
The card also give you other perks and discounts.

Take Advantage of the Albertsons Gift Card Promo (though 6/21/11):

Albertsons is currently running a gift card promo where you will earn a FREE $20 Albertsons Catalina for every $100 in gift cards you purchase. The great news is they sell Disney gift cards!
Learn more about the promo HERE, and also check THIS POST for some important updates.

Check Your Grocery Stores for the Park Hoppers with the old pricing:

Several grocery stores sell the Park Hopper passes, you can find them in with the gift cards.
Since Disney has recently had a price increase on admission prices (on 6/12/11), if you find some of the Park Hoppers with the old pricing, you an pick those up and pay a lower cost than current ticket prices.

Do you know of a way to get Disneyland Park tickets at a discount that I haven’t mentioned here? Please leave a comment and let us know your special tips or tricks for scoring Disneyland tickets for less.

Update to Albertsons Disney Gift Card Promo

Christy — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:01:07 +0000

I mentioned earlier this week that I was using the money we have budgeted for our Disney vacation to pick up Disney gift cards. Right now, when you buy $100 gift cards at Albertsons, you will get a $20 Catalina coupon to use at Albertsons.

The Park Hopper passes did not generate the Catalina, so my store manager called to check on it, and he found out that since they were park passes, they did not consider them to be gift cards. I said the best route would be to pick up $50 Disney gift cards. The only problem is that if you purchase your tickets online, you could only use 3 gift cards at a time, which would not cover the full cost of Park Hopper tickets. You would have to pay the rest with a credit card. I found out that there is an even better option, thanks to reader Jenn. (I seriously love my readers – I always learn some great stuff from all of you!)

If your store carries the Princess version of the Disney gift card, you can load it with any amount ($25 – $1000). If you want to get the full amount for this deal, you would load it with $500, and you will receive (5) $20 Catalinas. It is possible that all stores may not carry this card, but I found it at one of my stores today.

One more thing worth mentioning: The prices of the Disney 3-Day Park Hoppers went up on 6/12/11, but I noticed that my Albertsons still has the passes out with the old pricing, so you may be able to pick those up to save money on the rate increase.

3-Day Park Hopper available at Albertsons (with old pricing)