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Mouse Chat Disney podcast –
I am back from Australia. Sorry for the late posting of this show. The jet lag is a killer and I still have at least a week to get myself back on a normal schedule. But hey it’s 3 AM and I am up editing our Mouse Chat podcast so figured I would post it up tonight for everyone’s enjoyment during their morning work out or commute into work. So here is Friday’s show a few days late. On this show Lisa, Chris, Lauren and Bob cover how to save money at Disney.
But first here is this weeks Disney News:
Disney Cruise Line. Will it set sail out of Miami soon?
The Disney Fantasy will have its Christening March 1st in New York City. If you go, please send us some photos and video. Are there any Golden Girls still alive that might be the God Mother of the new Disney Fantasy Ship?
Thanks to Chris at the Wakefield Report for the Podcast Review of Mouse Chat last week.
Ways to save money at Disney World.
This main Disney topic was so full of good money saving ideas that I had to cut it down to an hour so your entire Disney vacation would not end up being free. 🙂
Here is the hit list:
– The Disney Dining Plan
– Knowing what to buy with you Snack Credits
– Know when to pay out of pocket and when to use your Disney dining credits.
– Park Hopper, extra days, water park options, who should get them?
– Planning your days to optimize your Disney vacation
– Should you rent your stroller from Disney or from a third party that will drop one off at your resort? Which way saves you money?
– How to save on Disney Trading Pins.
– The Disney Visa Rewards Card allows you to get 6 months interest free and also gives you 1% back on your purchases that you can use towards your Disney vacation or extras while at Disney.
– How to save on food costs at Disney.
– Instead of giving your kids a dessert, why not give them a bottle of water. Yeah Right.
– How to save money on Disney souvenirs for kids. Hint: The answer is not give them a bottle of water.
– Should you rent your stroller from Disney or from a third party that will drop one off at your resort? Which way saves you money?
– Hair Cut at the main street barber shop and the Cool Dude Package as an alternative to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.
– Annual Pass Savings at Disney World.
– Disney Pin Codes, Booking off season and booking with a travel agent that is an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner.
– Book an Exclusive Vacation Special, like this Jersey Week Disney World Vacation Package
UPDATE ON DISNEY CRUISE PORTS FOR 2013
The Disney Magic is headed back to Europe, and Athens, Greece, is just one of the new destinations!
All European cruises depart from Barcelona, Spain, and guests have the option of four-, seven- and 12-night sailings. In addition to a wide variety of cruise lengths, we also have some Disney Cruise Line “firsts” on tap for the 2013 European season taking place onboard our 12-night sailings. Pick your pleasure… one 12-night itinerary includes an overnight stop in Venice, Italy, and a visit to Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast and the other calls on Ephesus, Turkey, the Greek Isles and Athens.
Starting in December 2012, Disney Cruise Line will depart for the first time from Miami! The Disney Wonder will sail four- and five-night cruises from the Port of Miami to the Bahamas and the Western Caribbean.
Ports of call may include Cozumel, Mexico; Grand Cayman; Key West and Nassau, Bahamas, and many of the Caribbean voyages will include a stop at Disney Cruise Line’s private island, Castaway Cay.
What about Alaska?
The Disney Wonder will return to Alaska in May 2013, departing from Vancouver and sailing to Tracy Arm, Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan
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I just finished listening to the podcast and really enjoyed it. Many wonderful ideas for everyone, I especially liked the light sticks to share. Just wanted to give a suggestion for families with young children. We have two kids under the age of 4, and we always park hop. Here is the reason though. We allow our girls the opportunity to nap, and we usually stay at BWV (b/c we have DVC). For one part of the day we go to a park where we ride a bus, and the other part of the day we walk to a park. Even if we stayed at a non-Epcot resort, we would still let them take a nap. Once our children are older and will not need to return to the room for a nap, we might be able to drop the park hopping add-on. But thank you for telling everyone they can add features to their park ticket once they arrive at WDW. Most people do not realize this.
Other notes:
*We Go Shop does take coupons, but you only receive half credit ($1 coupon they will give you a $0.50 credit)
*Disney Visa gives you a 10% discount (online, local Disney Store, and at WDW) when you spend $50+ on merchandise
*Returning to our room for naps allows us to eat in the room for one or two meals a day.
*Food portions at WDW are large. Sharing food or splitting meals is a great option.
Really enjoying your podcast, and each of your personalities.
Hey all, enjoyed the show as always. With that said, I have to disagree about the Disney Dining Plan, and the fact that it was the first thing out of the gate almost prompted me to turn it off before hearing the rest, lol. Simply stated, it’s not really saving you money if you’re eating in a different way that you would otherwise eat to make sure you gets your money’s worth. If I can eat $1200 worth of food for $1000 by using DDP by changing the way that I eat but what I would normally eat would cost $800 for the trip, I’m not really saving money.
Put another way, the question is not “Can I manipulate my dining options to come out ahead on what Disney is charging me for the DDP?,” it is “Given what I do eat, is it cheaper to do DDP or pay out of pocket?” For us, out of pocket has been significantly cheaper, in part because we wouldn’t ordinarily have dessert for every meal (or many meals at all), and because we don’t necessarily gravitate towards the most expensive thing on the menu.