BTDT Trip to Disney - Cutting cost?

If you went to Disney on a budget, how/where did you cut cost?

Food
Hotel
Etc

What did you cut that was a mistake, what would have done differently?

I would appreciate any tips.

TIA

Re: BTDT Trip to Disney - Cutting cost?

If you don't plan to spend time in the room - cut that by going down a category- but i would put money towards the room IF you plan to spend time there. Get the cheapest view - don't waste the money on the view unless you will spend a lot of time IN the room and it is important to you - most of the time you will be in the parks, pools or sleeping so it really isn't important to spend that money.

Eat in your room - for breakfast- you can ship food (non perishable items items - such as cereal, breakfast bars etc, send bottle water to the hotel from costco for $6 or $7 total - includes shipping and tax) - OR you can use something like Garden Grocer for a grocery shop - this way you can get items like PB and J and bread, milk, juice, yogurt, fruits etc (or whatever you want), soda or whatever items you might want so you won't have to buy them while you are there.

You CAN buy individual containers of cereal or juice and milk but they will cost you a lot at the resorts. You can also either ship snacks with the other food or order it depending on what you are doing (bars, goldfish that type of thing). Then you can eat at least one meal in the room (you could eat breakfast out and lunch in the room depending on your preference). I see people all the time in the parks with their own snacks (just put zip locks with stuff in EJ's bag and say it is your DC's they never gave us a hard time for bringing in small items.)

Bring the bottled water to the parks - if you don't want to just drink water you can get little flavor packets. You can use the bottles for refills at the fountains. You can get cups of ice for free at the Counter service locations in the parks. It is about $2.50 a bottle or more for water - you can get a case of water thru costco sent to your room for $6 or $7 total.

DON"T shop in the parks it is expensive - wait for a disney store sale and buy some clearance things and bring them along and give them to your child on the trip - the disney store sometimes has small stuffed animals for $4 and it is buy one get one. Tee shirts are under $5 as little as $3 sometimes if you time it right.

If you think they want glow sticks or those glow necklaces get those at the dollar store or someplace like target where they are MUCH cheaper than buying them in the parks.

We didn't used to do the dining plan but for US it worked out where we came out ahead by using it. BUT it ONLY works out IF you will do sit downs at more expensive places or you order more expensive items. If you go to lesser expensive places and order the cheapest items it isn't worth it.

Also if you want to eat at a sit down - do so for breakfast OR lunch don't do dinner - dinner is MORE expensive. If you aren't a big eater you could do a big buffet breakfast - bring a snack (or buy one if you have to) and then do a lighter counter service dinner.