1. Don’t stay at one of the theme park properties- I know this goes against what every other website recommends, but quite frankly most other writers do not live in Orlando. Investors and national hotel chains have spent a lot of money to have properties right around the main gate of Disney World, Sea World, and Universal Studios. Plus the hotels know most visitors will want to stay on one of the theme parks properties so they have to offer more amenities at a lower price to entice people to stay with them. Many off site hotels offer multiple pools, large rooms, some type of free meal program, and a full range of kid’s activities for as little at a night. If you compare this to the All Star Properties at Walt Disney World, which offers rooms between and 0 a night, and they have very limited service with no swimming pools and only a food court.
2. Book your vacation early- The early you book your vacation the better price you are going to receive on your hotel room. As occupancy rates rise at the hotels so will the prices. If you book 4 to 6 months in advance this should be plenty of time to guarantee yourself the best prices.
3. Large families should look at a suite hotel or a vacation home- If you are traveling with 4 our more people in your party, you should look at a 3 or 4 bedroom condo, townhouse, or pool villa. It will be cheaper than two hotel rooms plus you will have much more room for everybody to spread out.
4. Vacation homes or condos are money savers- Vacation homes and condos are great money savers, for all homes and condos have full kitchens so eating it is an option. This will save the average family about for every meal they decide to eat in, which could be a huge chunk of money especially if you are staying for more than 5 days. Plus most home and condo communities have private movie theaters, community pools, put-put golf courses, and private pools. With so many different options your family
5. Look for the “extras” when booking a hotel- Competition for your business is swift here in Orlando. Most hotels offer a free breakfast or a “kids eat free program” and free shuttle service to Disney World. These little extras can save you about 0 on your vacation so look for them when you are booking a hotel. Parking at Disney World cost a day, so the free shuttle service will save you on a weekly vacation plus the shuttle will drop you off right and the park entrance.
6. Stay at a name brand hotel- Most all national hotel chains have a 100% satisfaction guarantee, this is huge especially if you have a problem while on your stay. Most locally owned and operated hotel usually do not offer this guarantee, plus if the hotel is priced at and everything else is priced at to a night this should send off alarms that the hotel probably is not very nice.
7. The best deals are found near Disney World- If you are going to Disney World and Universal while on your Orlando vacation. The hotels near Disney World will have much better prices and discounts than the hotels near Universal. Many more hotels are located near Walt Disney World than are located near Universal. Competition always drives prices down.
Money Saving Tips on Attractions
1. Do your research before you buy your tickets- Please decided what you and your family want to do before you start buying tickets. If you have really young children you might not want to buy tickets to go to the parks everyday, a day at the parks is a lot on small children and it wears them out really fast. Also, check out the rides and height restrictions before you come. Some parks are geared more toward teenagers while others are geared toward small children.
2. The longer you stay at a particular park the better your daily pricing is- If you are coming to Orlando you might want to consider doing only Disney or only Universal for you will get much better daily prices. For example, if you order a 4 Day Disney Park Hopper our discounted price is 4.00 but if you order a 5 Day Park Hopper the discounted price is 9.00. So you get an extra day for only more, this is a great deal. The theme parks give you better pricing on multiple day passes for they know the longer they can keep you on their property the more money you are going to spend on food, souvenirs, and other such memorabilia.
3. Orlando has 52 different theme parks- When most visitors think of Orlando theme parks they think of the three biggies: Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, and Sea World. In fact, Orlando has over 52 different theme parks which are all fun and some can even be educational. Most everybody is coming to
4. Buy discounted tickets- The absolute best way to save money on your attraction tickets is buy them at a discount. This sounds simple enough but about 45% of all Walt Disney World Visitors buy their tickets at the gate. Most theme park tickets can be purchased for to off the gate price.
5. Use shuttle buses to go to the parks- If your hotel offers free shuttle service you will want to take advantage of it for parking at the theme parks will cost you per day.
Money Saving Tips on Dining Out in Orlando
1. Food is at least 25% more expensive inside the theme parks- We call it the “movie theater theory”, you know once you walk into a movie theater the candy is always 25% more than if you bought it anywhere else. The reason for this is because they got you, once you are inside the theater you can’t leave to go get any candy so if you want something to eat you must pay a premium for it. Well, this is exactly the same at the theme parks where Cokes and bottled water are a pop. The more meals you plan on eating outside the park the more money you are going to save.
2. Competition is swift for your business- Orlando has many, many great restaurants. In fact we have almost too many restaurants so use this to your advantage and keep your eyes peeled for great specials. Highway 192 and I-Drive are the best spots to find many of the top restaurants.
3. Pick up a Free City Guide for great coupon deals- Orlando has three major city wide guides and they are all free. Pick one up; this is best place to find great buy one get one free coupons as well as great drink specials.
4. Enjoy yourself: Orlando has many top restaurants- Some sites recommend saving money by eating dinner at 3pm at the parks. Why do this? Trust me you will spend more in the long run for you will be so hungry before bedtime that you will have to eat again. Orlando has some of the world’s premiere restaurants and many of them are located inside the theme parks. We strongly suggest splurging a night or two and enjoying a great dining experience.
5. If you are going to Universal experience a Dinner and Movie Special- The best deal in Orlando is the special per person at Universal which includes a movie ticket at the Loews Theater and dinner at one of six restaurants inside City Walk.
6. Enjoy a Dinner Show- Arabian Nights has been voted the number 1 dinner show in all Orlando for the past 6 or 7 years. The show is outstanding and you can find discounted tickets for around to for an adult and for children. This is a really good deal considering they offer an all you can eat prime rib feast or chicken dinner, all the fixings, and unlimited beer, wine, and Coke products plus the family gets to experience a first class show.
Money Saving Tips on Shopping
1. Outlet Malls Galore- Orlando has many great shopping malls and three huge outlet centers right near Disney World. Most of the stores at these outlet centers are name brands such as: Nike, DKNY, Brooks Brothers, Gucci, Polo, and many more. If you are looking for some great deals you need to check out some of these stores where most items are discounted 35% to 65%.
2. Buy souvenirs at the end of the vacation- Do yourself a favor and buy your souvenirs at the end of your vacation. This way your kids will know exactly what they want, and it will save you lots of money plus less hassle when trying to pack to car to head home.
3. Ship all the purchases home and save- We suggest you tell the sales clerk that you want the items to be shipped to your house especially if you live out of state. This will save you the hassle of having to pack all your new items and you will also save on the 6% sales tax (essentially you will be getting your items shipped home for free).
4. Competition is Swift- Are you getting the hint yet that we hotels, restaurants, and store are all competing for your business. Keep you eyes open for coupons and store wide sales (they are going on all the time).
