Money Saving Tips on Accommodations
Don’t stay at one of the theme park properties, Orlandovacation.com offers over 300 vacation homes 15 to 30 minutes away from all the theme parks and Orlando’s hottest destinations. Staying at a Vacation Home rental right out side of the the theme park areas could easily save you hundreds on your vacation lodging
I know this goes against what every other website recommends, but quite frankly most website owners 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, SeaWorld, and Universal Studios. Plus the Orlando hotels know most visitors will want to stay at 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, larger rooms, some type of free meal program, and a full range of kid’s activities. Many of these hotels are much nicer than the Allstar Properties at Disney World, and they are a fraction of the cost. To view a few of these great Orlando Fl hotels please click here.
The earlier you book your vacation the better price you are going to receive. 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.
If you are traveling with 4 or more people in your party; you should look at a Disney condo, townhouse, or Orlando vacation pool villa. It will be cheaper than two hotel rooms plus you will have much more room for everybody to spread out.
Orlando Vacation homes and condos are great money savers, all of our vacation homes and condos have fully functional kitchens so eating in is an option. This will save the average family about $70 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 many condo communities offer private movie theaters, community pools, put-put golf courses. All our vacation homes are outfitted with private pools.
Competition among Orlando hotels is swift. 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 anywhere between $45 and $70 a day on your vacation. Parking at Disney World cost $14 a day, so the free shuttle service alone will save you some serious money on a weekly stay.
Most all national hotel chains have a 100% satisfaction guarantee, this is huge especially if you have a problem while on your vacation. Most locally owned and operated hotels usually do not offer this guarantee.
If you are going to Disney World and Universal while on your Orlando vacation. The hotels near Disney World will offer much better prices and discounts than the hotels near Universal.
Money Saving Tips on Attractions
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 every day, 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.
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 only $4.00 less than the 7 day Park Hopper. So you can get 3 extra days for $4.00. 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, and souvenirs.
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. Click here to see all Orlando attractions.
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 anywhere between $4 off the gate price upwards to $20 off the gate price. Click here to view our discounted Disney World tickets.
If your hotel offers free shuttle service you will want to take advantage of it for parking at the theme parks will cost you $14 per day.
Money Saving Tips on Dining Out in Orlando
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. The more meals you plan on eating outside the park the more money you are going to save.
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.
Orlando has three major city wide guides, and they are all free. This is best place to find great buy one get one free coupons as well as great drink specials.
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.
The best deal in Orlando is the $18 special per person at Universal which includes a movie ticket at the Loews Theater and dinner at one of six restaurants inside City Walk.
Money Saving Tips on Shopping
Orlando has many great shopping malls and three huge outlet centers all 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%.
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.
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 6.5% sales tax (essentially you will be getting your items shipped home for free).
Are you getting the hint yet that all the hotels, restaurants, and store are all competing for your business. Keep your eyes open for coupons and store wide sales (they are going on all the time).