What's the craziest frugal/budgeted minded thing you've done on your trip?

[ColoradoLime]

Stayed offsite.... 4 times (2 were solo trips, one was only going to use the hotel room for 4-5 hours, the other, we tried offsite). NEVER again.

I wish the cost difference between on and off site wasn't so drastic. I love all the times we have stayed onsite but man the budget takes a hit.

We usually stay somewhere that has breakfast/where we can get supplies for breakfast

We do too but in current times I keep hearing that breakfast consists of granola bars and apples. I need some protein before hitting the park all day! lol

Once we stayed a little further from Disneyland and had to catch the shuttle instead of walk. The wait was horrors!

I so feel you. We did this the first time we went to DL and it really felt like we were waiting around for hours but it was probably only 10 min.

 

[senoragilbert]

When my son was little and we were barely able to afford our trips (to Orlando), we would souvenir shop at Walmart. My son is now 18 and we recently moved. In the bottom of one of his boxes was a well-loved "Sea World" dolphin from one of those Walmart runs.

 

[StormyCA]

I'm planning to take a box of Trader Joe's ABC bars for breakfast the mornings I don't have something else planned and/or snacks. And I'll use the coffee maker in my hotel room.

And this one isn't really cost-cutting, but I'm really thinking I'm going to bring my own gluten-free pita bread so I can get the schwarma in Avengers Campus and transfer it to a pita I can eat.

Back in the old 'Cove Bar' days I was told I could bring my own GP tortilla chips for the Lobster Nachos. They'd put the toppings on a plain plate and I could dip my own chips.

The chips they used back then were fried in contaminated oil. I think the Lamplighter uses GF chips.

 

[ishbit92]

Booking disjointed flights to make it as cheap as possible using a mixture of miles and money. I've booked my husband and I on separate layover flights before, because that's just how it worked with our individual mileage balances. We are coming from Alaska, so airfare is often higher and I do what I can to make it as cheap as possible. Our priority when we are there is food, so we budget to eat out for every meal there and save money in other areas like lodging. I like to book King's Inn or Anaheim Islander. King's Inn in particular has a pre-pay non refundable rate which is discounted pretty well. Yes, it'd be way more convenient to stay across the street on Harbor but I'll stay 10-15 min walk away for multiple hundreds cheaper just so we can buy all the food we want and book lots of dining reservations for nice places. The test later in the trip becomes, do we hobble back to the farther away hotel or cave and call a Lyft/Uber. We have opted to walk back at the cost of blisters from walking 30k steps a day, but the older I get the more I've found myself caving and using rideshare

 

[ComeToSocialize]

Being from out of state, our typical DLR trip is usually fly over Thursday night after work and go to the parks Fri-Sun. To maximize Extra Magic Hour usage, we'd usually book an offsite hotel for Thursday night, but then run over to the Disneyland Hotel or GCH before EMH on Friday, check in and drop off our bags, and then go into the parks during EMH, thus giving us 3 days of EMH for the cost of 2 on-site nights.

Saved a few hundred bucks for that first hotel night, but my wife wasn't very happy making the walk from Harbor Blvd to Disneyland Hotel with our suitcases at 7am so we could be in the park entry line by 8am! She totally understood the $ savings, but didn't understand why I NEEDED to take full advantage of EMH all 3 days

Even worse was when Galaxy's Edge was first opening and we booked GCH just for Saturday night to get a GE reservation, and did Harbor hotels for Friday and Sunday nights to save money.

 

[Jchoma]

This is almost more for convenience than budget, but we have breakfast in the hotel room most mornings. We find it to just be easier and quicker than figuring out where to eat at the park (and dealing with hangry kids) but it’s a good cost-saver, too! We drive down, so it’s super easy to bring bananas/fruit, muffins, yogurt, or whatever we can quickly eat in the room. I’ll also bring Starbucks cold brew. Then by the time we arrive (we always rope drop) everyone is happy and mom and dad are caffeinated. For lunch, I personally don’t like to have a cooler to lug around in the parks now that stroller days are behind us, but packing a few PB&J sandwiches and fruit on some of our days is something we like to do. It does save some pennies but it’s also nice to avoid the lines and time it takes to get lunch etc.

We definitely splurge on all the snacks & always do dinner out, but a few breakfasts & lunches this way help a little with $ and saving time.

 

[disneycat321]

I mean, it's not crazy...but the most frugal thing I do on trips to DLR is stay offsite. We definitely stay onsite at WDW, but our DLR trips are always far less days and rope drop to close, in the parks all day kind of trips.

Some day, I'd like to stay onsite and do a slower/longer trip. It'll happen one day.

 

[Malcon10t]

Crystal, this is brilliant!!! I never thought about this but I could make breakfast tacos here and transport them with ice packs on the flight. Then could microwave at the hotel or in the food area (is there a microwave at the GCH in the QS?). My people get hangray in the morning but I don’t like to stop for breakfast because it takes away ride time!!

The Grand has microwaves in the ice rooms on each floor. We usually get a room across from one and it works great for warming up leftovers.

 

[Blondie58]

Went to WDW last summer for 9 days w/ two friends. Placed food order from Aldi's w/ delivery at VGF. We spent $15.00 each. We had yogurt, grapes, breakfast bars and cuties for breakfast. For lunch or dinner we had cold meat wraps with cheese and lettuce or leftovers. We ordered chips and pretzels too. We ate out the other meal each day and often had left overs too. Aldi delivery was seamless, plan worked great, lots of dollars saved. We did have raspberry whips, ice-cream at Beaches and Cream, and giant cookies from Gasparillas when we had our meals out. Have been back twice since and Aldi's delivery has worked great. We splurged on Space 220 and the New Year's Eve party at CR. One meal a day out works for us.

 

[Epicnemesis]

We bring our own water bottles to the park. I figure that saves us 20-30 bucks per trip and we usually go 2-3 times a month. That adds up!

 

[StormyCA]

For DL I guess the 'craziest' thing I do for 'frugality' reasons is to bring cash. I put my 'daily spends' in my wallet and when it's gone, it's gone. No more spending for me for the day. I wouldn't say my daily budget amount is particularly 'frugal', but it does stop me from spending more than I should.

I've always brought 'hand-food' (donuts, muffins, scones) for breakfast and something for a bedtime snack. Eating breakfast as we get ready or are walking thru DTD saves us wasting good park time in the morning! We usually eat lunch in the parks and an early evening snack in lieu of dinner and that does us until closing, but we do enjoy a little nosh when we get to the room. But even that hasn't been so much for frugality reasons, just that Disney's meals were so HUGE. Now that they've (allegedly) downsized portions, I don't know how if that evening snack will do or if we'll have to figure something else out.

At WDW, all bets are off. We only go every 3 years or so and it's a splurge trip for us all the way. Our 'economy' is dragging the trailer cross country and staying at FtW rather than airfare, rental car, & a deluxe onsite.

 

[LovesTimone]

Lots of ways to cut the budget down...

Breakfast - In room, packaged muffins, protein bar or cereal bars, fruit cups, juice boxes, instant oatmeal and/or grits, cereal and milk... This way they we not starving, and I found that with all the excitement they really did not or would not eat alot when we were sitting down for meals... So at least you got something in them to start the day.

Snacks - Bottled water - yes and yes - in the parks... protein bars, mixed nuts, gold fish crackers, crackers chips, cheese sticks, juice boxes... I had a small collapsible cooler that I have used for years and years, I did have to replace it right before the pandemic. It's was like a large lunch bag, to go along with this, I have these bento box style plastic container that I bring along that have these gel ice packs that attach inside, along with a yeti gel ice or whatever brand to put into cooler, I could bring in cheese sticks, drained fruit cups, pickles slice's, a couple of juice boxes, couple extra bottles of water and a couple canned soda... I have brought along "lunchable" for a quick snack... when the kiddo's were little the cooler went under the stroller, so out of the way... I would say pretty much everything stayed cold or cool for about 6 hours... by then it was all eaten so it worked for us. I also have insulated lunch sack, that fits into the backpack for just a couple items...

Bring all your OTC med's with you... this stuff in the parks is crazy expensive... Stomach med's cover your bases, nausea, indigestion, heart burn.. Tylenol or Ibuprofen, neo-to-go and band-aids with as assortment of size's ... make cover everything for adults and kids both..Double check your prescription med's as well make sure to bring only what you need and maybe a extra day or two... I almost forget sunscreen... good sunscreen is important..

Bottled water, soda, adult beverages, juice boxes in room, drinks in the food courts add up really fast...

Look at the menu's and kinda see what your family will eat... There are alot of reasons... first you don't want to go into a place and realize that they really don't have what your family will eat, especially right now with the supply train and the shortages... So being prepared is a time and money saver... Next up.. Meal sharing which is easily done, even in TS restaurants... just ask for extra plate, and don't forget to tip as if you were not sharing. Appetizer's are a great way to save money, there are a few spots that offer a large appetizer plate or tray, in most you can switch out or add a side of chicken tenders, or maybe a side salad...
Kids meals are they really necessary? ... You can share off your plate, or order a adult meal for them to share...Plenty of times we shared meals, with our kids, and now grandkids... still doing that... One thing is normally we don't order dessert at a TS, we like to sample the treats in the park...

Give the kids a set amount for souvenirs - and once they spend it their done - We would buy them each a T-shirt on us, then give them a set amount...you will be surprised how they really think about what they are buying when they are spending "their money".

The biggest saving is of course transportation really look around for flights and if your driving scope out the gas cost around you..

Resort, and Hotel are costly - so knowing what your family likes are they more into nice hotels for amenities nicer pools with a slide, kids activities, spa, golf course and you are planning on using them... or are you a rope drop to fireworks family, only needing a place to sleep and shower... or are you somewhere in between... really look at what you need verse's what you want... can help you make the right choice...

 

[StarlitNight05]

If we fly in we stay at an off site hotel arrival night and then rideshare to GCH or DLH the next morning. For those types of trips we like to stay near the CVS or Walgreens the night before to load up on bottled water, a few snacks like Chex mix or pretzels, and some adult beverages. I always bring protein bars in my luggage for a quick breakfast. When we fly we always do Southwest, and I'll pack an extra mostly empty suitcase to fill up for these goodies (for transport to the next hotel). If the room isn't ready when we arrive in the morning, we check all our bags with bell services.

Lately we prefer to drive, even though it's about 6 to 7 hours. That way we can bring all of the food and drinks we want with us. I usually stick to things that can be eaten cold (or are shelf stable). Those trips are onsite hotels only...which is maybe why I like them more!

 

[NorthernCalMom]

I guess the craziest thing I do is totally wean myself off coffee the week before our trip. This way, when I do get the overpriced Disney coffee, I get more Ooomphhh! per cup (I’ve also been known to carry Starbucks Via instant packets on me to be able to up the strength of the coffee that I do buy).

 

[Malcon10t]

We drive down, and we often don't leave til late (arriving at 10 or 11pm). If we are doing this, we will book that night off site, and move over in the am. We pack a tote for the night so we don't take suitcases into the Hilton.

 

[StormyCA]

We drive down, and we often don't leave til late (arriving at 10 or 11pm). If we are doing this, we will book that night off site, and move over in the am. We pack a tote for the night so we don't take suitcases into the Hilton.

Agree. NEVER spend the first night at the onsite after a long drive. Our drive is around 7 hours so even arriving around 3pm we figure it's a 'lost day' since we're usually worn out from the drive. Or if we 'pushed' ourselves to go to the Parks until closing we'd probably 'hit the wall' during the next afternoon. Much better to relax and refresh and get a good night's sleep. Then show up at the Grand well before park opening to check in and head to the turnstiles bright eyed and bushy tailed.

 

[Sun_soakin]

When our kids were little they wanted to eat constantly. It saved soooo much time and money packing food. We’d bring easy stuff like bagels, hard boiled eggs, string cheese, yogurt, and lots of fruit. For the parks we’d bring in uncrustables (or a bag of PBJs, sometimes even used goober), trail mix, bars, dried mango, juice boxes, water. Usually better tasting and healthier too.

 

[Sun_soakin]

We drive down, and we often don't leave til late (arriving at 10 or 11pm). If we are doing this, we will book that night off site, and move over in the am. We pack a tote for the night so we don't take suitcases into the Hilton.

Yep! We’ve done this several times too! Even better if you snag a free breakfast on your way out.

 

[Choirmom]

Several years ago, we wanted to take a trip, but didn't have a huge budget. My family, consisting of me, my mom, DS, DD, two sisters and three nieces shared the two bedroom suite at the Camelot. It was crowded, but hey, we're family! Makes the lodging pretty inexpensive when you split it several ways.

 

[Becca1007]

Bring all your OTC med's with you... this stuff in the parks is crazy expensive... Stomach med's cover your bases, nausea, indigestion, heart burn.. Tylenol or Ibuprofen, neo-to-go and band-aids with as assortment of size's ... make cover everything for adults and kids both..Double check your prescription med's as well make sure to bring only what you need and maybe a extra day or two... I almost forget sunscreen... good sunscreen is important..

Just as an FYI, you can actually get some of those meds FOR FREE at the first aid stations. I have been going to disney for YEARS before I ever had a need to go in to First Aid and I didn't realize all of the services they offered.