Disneyworld Spring Break Trip on a Budget!

So, I've begun investigating spring break destinations for me and my high-school senior friends, and have narrowed it down to the wisconsin dells or disneyworld. I realize they are two entirely different experiences, however, it comes down to the fact that the dells is a good 300-500 dollars cheaper than Disneyworld. So, does anyone have any suggestions for keeping costs down with a disney trip keeping in mind we lack the ability to rent a car, so we need to stay on disney property or at a hotel that offers a shuttle?
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Welcome to Six Flags Great America, home of the fastlane and delay-ja vu! We have now officially been deemed the world-wide wait!

If you stay at a Disney World Resort Hotel, there are busses to everywhere on Disney property- free. My Uncle took 3 of us to Orland from L.A. for just $800/person.

Another way to keep cost down is to pick the parks you really want to go to (the top 3) and just buy tickets for each of them. Otherwise, a Park Hopper (every Disney Park) is $200/person.

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www.CaliforniaCoasterNews.com
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*** This post was edited by GoliathKills 7/23/2003 5:36:39 PM ***

Without seeing exactly what you've priced out so far, it's somewhat difficult to offer advice for saving money.

You *can* rent a car, I believe, but it comes at an extra daily fee. The fee is usually significant enough to double the cost of the rental.

You also didn't say how long you were staying. If you're staying for more than 3 days, it's cheaper to buy a park hopper than individual tickets (with one exception.)

As enough the folks 'round here haven't heard this enough, I just planned my family's vacation to Orlando, so I'm pretty to up-to-date on trip planning and rates and bargains and things. Let me know what information you've gathered, including prices and dates and things -- either here or IM me. Don't e-mail me, I hardly check it.

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--Maddie--
What do I Listen-To?
May the Schwarz be with you.

We stayed the week at Quality Inn - International Drive, and had 4 day park hoppers to WDW and 2 day park hoppers at USF and it cost us around $408 a piece. We got the deal from our local travel agent. If you want even better deals, you can get them from Wal-mart or if you belong to AAA or AARP.
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SW:):)SH Shaddy(president of LEMCCDWBLI)
MidwestInfoGuide.COM

Make friends with someone who works there. :-) Me and my friends went for spring break this year. We got into Disney for 3 days for free and had somewhere to stay.

Ok, so most people dont' have that option. Do a search on one of the hotel web sites like hotels.com. There are a bunch of places in Kissimmee and you can usually find great deals. Last time I went we found the Econolodge for $39 a night, just keep checking. Also, almost all the larger hotels in Kissimmee offer transportation to the park.

HAVE FUN!!!

I went there last year. I know that the All Star Hotels on site are very inexpenisve ($99 a night) and also provide shuttles. We went to three parks (and Universal). The flight was about $180, the hotel starts at $99, and the parks are $50. It can be cheap but its all about the experience. You'll probably have more fun at Disney than Wisconsin Dells. (Its not that great)

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"Welcome back. When the train stops, push down then pull up on your lap bar. Please exit to your right, and down the exit ramp. We thank you for challenging Raging Bull, and enjoy the rest of your day at Six Flags!"

Almost all the hotels in the area have shuttles to the parks, so don't worry about that.

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I hate Mean Streak.

coasterphil said:
Almost all the hotels in the area have shuttles to the parks, so don't worry about that.
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I hate Mean Streak.

Worry about it. :) Most off-site shuttle service is lackluster, infrequent, slow, and unreliable; especially when compared to what's available at Disney Resorts.

That said, staying at Disney Resorts can be as much as 50% more expensive for a low-end hotel. There are far cheaper, better options that still offer adequate transportation. For that, look into rooms on Hotel Plaza Blvd. near Downtown Disney. These are official Disney hotels and eligible for many of the same perks as the rest of the resorts.

Also, if you're willing to take the risk, you can book your room through Priceline.com. If you choose Walt Disney World Area hotels and bid on resorts, you can get a room at some of the areas largest, nicest hotels for a great rate. Hotels in this category include the Swan and Dolphin, the Gaylord Palms, the Marriot World Center, and the Radisson Parkway Resort. I've seen people get these rooms for $60/night.

For advice and information about Priceline.com bidding, check www.biddingfortravel.com. There's nowhere better to get an idea of what sorts of bids win and what bids don't.

Arrange a towncar to transport you from the airport to your hotel. This is approximately $85 round-trip.

Park hopper passes purchased online are discounted over those purchased in person. Do this. Examine the AP discounts that may be available during the time of your visit. It may be worthwhile to invest in a single annual pass and use its discounts on things like other passes, hotel rooms, and dining.

For airfare, check www.qixo.com. It offers a good starting point for comparisons.

Without more detailed information, it's hard to do more to suggest better alternatives. Are you planning on spending any time outside Walt Disney World property?

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--Maddie--
What do I Listen-To?
May the Schwarz be with you.

Yeah but you're better off on site if $99 isnt expenisve for you. But offsite hotels are good to.

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"Welcome back. When the train stops, push down then pull up on your lap bar. Please exit to your right, and down the exit ramp. We thank you for challenging Raging Bull, and enjoy the rest of your day at Six Flags!"

The point is that you don't need to pay rack rates to stay on-site. In this day and age, if you're paying rack rates for *any* hotel room, you're wasting your money.

At Walt Disney World, you can get a bigger room and better amenities, on-site, for $60 or $70.

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--Maddie--
What do I Listen-To?
May the Schwarz be with you.

My last two times to Orlando I rented a convertible Mitsu from Alamo. Cost around $40 a day I think, and it was worth every penny.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com - Luau II Cam 7/19
DELETED! What time does the water show start?

I'm staying at the Coronado Springs on Disney property for $80 a night. Call Disney, they have TONS of sales right now on hotel rooms. If the person you talk to says there isn't anything, thank them and hang up. Then call again and see what the next person tells you.

Intercot.com is a good resource for coupon codes and specials, as is the Sunday paper - there's usually a three letter code to use to get the bargains.

Hope that info helps, and that you have a great time no matter where you end up!!

Keep in mind that Disney doesn't release its discounts so far in advance. Go ahead and book when you're ready but keep an open mind to check in a few weeks before you head out to see you can lower that rate. The best resource I know is MouseSavers to get the latest deals. I'm not sure how old you have to be to book a room on-property but some of the car rental companies will rent you a car at 18 though they will tack on a steep surcharge (until 25).

If you're going to Universal, The Penny Pincher's Guide to IOA might help.

Oh, and the All-Star hotels is $99 rack rate but I've seen it as low as $49 during certian promos. And, good news for you, Pop Century opens later this year and it's supposed to be even cheaper than All Star (though it's just as gaudy-looking). If it's more than just 4 of you heading down, consider one of the many rentable condos and homes in the area.

Jeff said:
My last two times to Orlando I rented a convertible Mitsu from Alamo. Cost around $40 a day I think, and it was worth every penny.

It just goes to show that value is perceived. Jeff thought that the Mitsu convertible was worth every penny at around $40 a day.

Personally I wouldn't pay a penny to drive a Mitsu - for 365 days.

Disclaimer: The above post was not intended to be a plug for Mitsubishi but rather just to remind us all that even though you can buy them with no interest ever and no payment s for a year they still are slow sellers!

But seriously though, If you are looking for ways to save on a Disney trip try

www.mousesavers.com

It is a great site with awesome tips and hints to save on Disney.

Edit: I didn't realize someone had just mentioned that in the next to last post! I swear I scanned the thread and didn't see it mentioned. Right until I posted it.....
*** This post was edited by HardRider 7/25/2003 12:57:44 AM ***

go to www.biddingfortravel.com its a users gude / messageboard for www.priceline.com I found rooms in Orlando near Disney World for $15 per nite, Disney 4 day park hopper tickets are you best value (provided that sometime in the future you plan to return to WDW) you can purchase them at a slight discount on their website www.disneyworld.com

For transportation to and from the airport MEARS has that taken care of at http://www.mearstransportation.com/dw/ its around 10 to 15 to get to and from your hotel. E-Mail me for more help

Sam

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never met a coaster I didn't ride (except Junior Geminii) :(