Saving Money at Amusement Parks

My husband and I don't necessarily spoil our kids, but we don't deprive them either. Every 2 years (or so) we enjoy a trip to Disney World. We aren't rich and we don't make the money to save a tons, but we do enjoy our vacations. I get asked a lot about how we can afford these trips all the time, and I tell them it's pretty easy. So I thought I would share some of our tips. I know some of these will be common sense, but sometimes you think about it and just don't do it. What my husband and I practice really works! In addition to our vacations to Disney World we also have season passes every year to Busch Gardens. We use most of these practices there as well!
When you plan your vacation plan it around a time that is during the off season. This may mean you have to pull your kids out of school, but in the long run you could be saving thousands of dollars. Also think about going during the week and avoiding the weekends. A lot of resorts will increase prices for the weekends and drop them for the weekdays. Check in to also timeshares off of the actual Disney property. Check Craigslist for availabilities as well. And of course, if you have family anywhere near your destination use them! They would probably love the company and you get a free (of course you might want to do something in return!) place to stay. This is our option!!
Flying vs. Driving. This is always a hard decision for us. We fly to many of our vacations but we also tend to drive as well. We have done both to Disney World and find that we like to drive more. It's easier for us to gt around while down there and in the long run it's a lot cheaper for us. It takes us a day to get there and filling up the tank is close to half of a one way ticket prices for our whole family. There are websites now, like http://www.gasbuddy.com/ that will calculate your price for gas for your entire trip.
Park tickets is another big ticket item on your trip. Shop around before you buy. If you're military, use it! If you're a AAA member, use it! There are a ton of options out there as far as tickets, do your research, use the Internet and score a great price! Don't settle on the first thing you see! And remember you don't have to go to the parks every day of your vacation. Most of the time, during a week vacation we only hit the parks 4 of the days. It's just enough for the kids and the tickets are cheaper!
My husband and I pack all our food for our vacation. On or drive we eat snacks in the car and pack sandwiches and drinks in a cooler. This saves tons of money because we are not stopping for fast food or even a sit down meal. And of course all these snacks and drinks were bought on sale with a coupon! :)
While visiting Disney the kids love the character dining, and I think honestly us parents love them just as much! We plan one for everyday that we plan to spend in the parks. Whether it be breakfast, lunch or a dinner we plan something. Then we plan other meals around that. If possible we try and eat breakfast before we even head to the parks. At the Character Dinings a lot of them give you a ton of food! We all fill up, including the kids. These meals will last us most of the day, resulting in us not having to eat more meals. We take snacks with us into the park, granola bars, fruit snacks, string cheese, etc. so that the kids have something to munch on when they are hungry or bored. In the parks we usually only drink water. It's good for you and FREE!!!
Souvenirs! This is a big one, especially when you have kids! Anytime you walk through a store they want EVERYTHING! Our kids now from the get go that they can look but are not aloud to ask for anything. If my husband and I are feeling generous one trip we will tell them ahead of time they have X amount of dollars, after that they have to pay out of their own money. This generous thing doesn't happen much! I posted a couple of days ago about a sale at Disney Store online. I love this website! When I know we are going I constantly check for sales (I get email updates!) and I buy anything and everything before we go. From autograph books to new t-shirts, pins to flip flops. You name it, it's on the website. If you get the sales, its cheaper to get them online then at the parks. Most of the time the kids don't even now, mainly because mine don't have the patience to stand in line to buy anything, so they think I do and it's actually in the backpack already!! And don't forget, if your an Ebates member you get money back on your purchase! You won't get that at the parks!
If you plan on staying at the parks in the evenings beware that the kids are going to want all those light up things! Mine ask all the time, but we come prepared! Before our trip I head over to one of the Dollar stores in town and load up on glow sticks, necklaces, and bracelets. The kids have a new one every night we are there and they don't know that I didn't pay $10 for a glow in the dark necklace! We also have a princess flashlight that the girls have acquired over the years, we bring that with us. It's princess and fits in!
I am sure I am missing some topics somewhere, while I remember them I will come back and add them! And remember if you have some tips please share them! I love learning new ideas!!