Saturday, March 28, 2009

Our Favorite Disney World Resorts


For those of you that did not get to see my guest post at http://blog.nickels-n-dimes.com/ well here it is for your viewing pleasure. I hope the information I provide is helpful to you. If you ever have any questions about Disney World feel free to email me at cgtrs@aol.com. I am happy to assist you in your Disney trip plans.


Hello everyone! My name is Tammy and I absolutely love Walt Disney World. With this guest blog I would like to share my family’s two favorite Disney resorts. I have just recently developed my own blog site so that I can share Disney Vacation Deals, money saving tips, and the experience I have gained from my many trips there.

My first visit, to the most wonderful place on earth, was our honeymoon in August of 1990. Since then, I have been there 14 times. I have learned that the best way to go is to stay on Disney property. Disney truly takes great care of their guest.

We have stayed at 3 of the Value resorts and 2 of the Moderate resorts. Our favorite value resort is Pop Century. This resort does not share bus transportation with any other resorts. The other value resorts do and this can lead to long lines to and from the parks. The 50’s building, B and C, are our favorite to stay in at Pop. You should ask to face Hourglass Lake. Here you are able to see the fireworks from Epcot IllumiNations, not to mention it’s very quiet facing the lake and walking path which can be nice after a long day at the parks. Pop Century is the only resort that has a frozen Coke machine. This is one of the highlights for my boys.

If you are looking for a more adult theme, I recommend Port Orleans: French Quarters (our favorite Moderate resort). Port Orleans gives you the feeling of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. It is situated on the bank of the Sassagoula River that offers a free boat ride to Downtown Disney or its sister hotel Port Orleans: Riverside. It is a wonderfully peaceful resort. My parents absolutely love it here as well. You have the opportunity to rent fishing poles, pedal boats, rowboats, bikes, or take a horse drawn carriage ride. The rooms are a bit bigger than at Pop Century but not drastically. The food court is comparable to the value resorts but at Port Orleans you also get the benefit of sit down restaurants.
All moderate resorts have hot tubs where the value resorts do not.
Port Orleans: French Quarter is one of Disney’s smallest resorts. You would not be disappointed with any building on these grounds.

I highly recommend not getting a room that faces the pools at any resort. Disney’s lifeguards go off duty, I believe, about 10 PM. Guest are allowed to stay in the pools and swim at their own risk. It can be very loud. It seems like the noise from the pools echo and when you are trying to get to the parks early the next morning you want your sleep.

Some helpful tips when staying at any Disney resort.

Due to airlines charging for those extra suitcases try cutting down on the number of outfits you bring by doing laundries while you are on vacation. I know the last thing you ladies want to do is laundry, but think of the savings. The laundry facilities are by the pool so while you are enjoying a swim throw your laundry in. Purchase one of those pop up, mesh, clothes hampers. This packs very nicely in your suitcase taking up no room at all and makes it convenient carrying the laundry down to be washed. Bring along some travel size detergent and dryer sheets and you are ready to go.

Disney offers refillable mugs at your resort. The mugs are around $12 each. Unless you plan on being at your hotel a lot I would not invest the money. They don’t hold that much once you put ice in them. Take along those Kool-aid Singles or Crystal Light singles to add to water. These can also be carried into the parks and added to the free cup of ice water you ask for.

We usually eat breakfast in the hotel room or on the bus headed to the parks. I bring Pop Tarts, Quaker Oatmeal Bars, and baggies filled with our favorite cereal, in our suitcases. Capri Suns also pack well to go along with breakfast. These also work well for snacks while in the park to hold you over until lunch or dinner.

Take along a fitted sheet for the bed. When packing the fitted sheet I put a dryer sheet in the suitcase with them so you have a fresh smell when you slip under the covers at night. This also keeps the flat sheets the resorts use from getting all knotted up underneath you when sleeping.

There is not a lot of room on the bathroom counter for shampoos, deodorants and other personal items. Purchase an inexpensive plastic hanging shoe holder and hang it on the bathroom door. This will hold all those items and keep them from clutter up the sink area.

We always take our pillows from home for a better nights sleep. You can purchase the bags that compress the pillows for easier travel. I got mine at WalMart and you simply roll the bag after you sealed it to push the air out. They can be found where you find luggage.

We have also packed at small cooler filled with peanut butter, crackers, chips, bread, jelly, fruit cups, cans of pop and any other non perishable item you can think of and send it on the airplane. We didn’t have any problems but I would call ahead and ask if this is OK for the particular airline you are flying on. When we get there we fill the cooler with ice. For all you Mountain Dew lovers, like my husband, Disney has a contract with Coke so you will not get Pepsi products in the World.

Remember to enjoy yourself and be a kid again!

Wednesday, March 25, 2009


Thank you Cincinnati Cents, for bringing this to our attention. With these offers you can get the movie BOLT for only $6.99!
Buy Bolt at Target for $15.99
use the $5 printable coupon here
submit for $6 rebate with this form
You need to buy a box of pasta, including Ronzoni Smart Taste, Ronzoni, San Giorgio, Creamette, American Beauty, Prince or Skinner but you can usually get a box of Creamette for around $1.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Birthday At WDW



For anyone attending Walt Disney World on their birthday don't forget to register your birthday on their official website (which you can find on the left side of my blog) in order to get your voucher for free admission. Prior to entering the gate go to the will-call window and get your fastpass. Everyone in your party receives the fastpass but all must be present and have your park pass in hand. What a great gift! There are others to choose from but this would be the one I would pick during peak season. Oh by the way the cake my son is holding in the picture was made just for him on his 13th birthday by one of the Disney Bakers. I called Pop Century the week before our arrival and placed the order. They had never heard of a chocolate chip cookie cake so I had to explain. It turned out just wonderful and was $12.00. It was ready to pick up at noon the day of his birthday. He was so surprised.

Make Note

Making plans to go to Walt Disney World? Well make note, McDonalds will be holding their convention this year in Orlando July 12-24. They are not staying on Disney Property but there will be select dates that Disney's Hollywood Studios will be closed to the public and opened only for those attending the convention. They say to expect thousands to attend. On July 15, 19 and 23, Disney Hollywood Studios will be open 7:30 p.m. -midnight for McDonalds employees only.

Something New At Downtown Disney


The new "Aerophile" tethered balloon will begin giving rides at Downtown Disney next week. Prices have been set at $16 for adults and $10 for ages 3-9, plus tax.

I Have A Secret!!


Rumor has it that Walt Disney World's next promo will be FREE DINING!! Yes you heard me correctly, but this is a rumor. Travel will need to take place between August 15 - September 30, 2009. This will be available for booking starting on March 30th.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Disney Pins

If you are headed to Disney and love pin trading I recommend hppydiztrader from eBay for the purchase of Disney Trading Pins. Look to the left side of my blog and you will see her name, click on it and it will take you to her store. I have purchased from her 3 times and was completely happy with everything about the transaction, shipping and quality of the pins. These are the same pins you would buy at Disney that would run you $6.95 to as much as $12.95 each. I recommend buying the $2.50 PER DISNEY PIN GRAB BAG LOT. She is now offering free shipping. This is a buy now special and is not always available. You do not get to pick which pins you want. It is a total surprise but you can tell her if you are purchasing for a boy or girl or even tell her a few of your favorite characters. There is no guarantee on what pins you will get. This pins are new. I am not even headed to Disney and I am thinking of buying. If you have any questions feel free to email her and she can give you the answers. I do not know this person personally but have been extremely happy with my pins and transaction with her. Oh don't delay on purchasing the GRAB BAG LOT. It is only available for 4 more days.



Don't know anything about pin trading? Well I plan to give you the scoop in an upcoming post. So stay tuned!

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Walgreens Shopping Adventure


Ok last night I stopped at Walgreens on my way home from work to get the deals. Here is what I ended up with:
5 bottles of Garnier Conditioner
4 bottles of Garnier Hairspray
1 Garnier Styling Product
2 tubes of Colgate Toothpaste
8 Glade deodorizers

Total savings was $123.42
I paid $6.30 (This was all tax that I owed, products were totally free!)

Here is how it breaks down. Garnier Hair products are on sale for $2.99. I used the $2.00 coupon out of the Walgreens Easy Saver Booklet to bring them down to $.99 each. I then used a $1.00 manufacture coupon for each one making them free. (Still have to pay tax). Same with the Glade products. They were on sale for $7.99. Used the $4.00 coupons out of the Easy Saver Booklet to bring them down to $3.99 then used my $4.00 manufacture coupon for each one making them free also (again have to pay tax). Colgate Total Toothpaste priced at $3.49. Used the Easy Saver Booklet $2.50 coupon bring it down to $.99 each. I then used a manufacture coupon for $1.00 making it free. The other Colgate Toothpaste was on clearance $.62. I used a $.75 manufacture coupon making this item free also with overage that went toward my tax on the item. I ask the clerk why the toothpaste was on clearance because the expiration date was good until 2010. She said the company must be changing the packaging or formula a little bit so they have to clearance. There was a lot of orange tag items in the store (orange tag means clearance). I told her I would be back tomorrow with my coupon box to see what else I could get for free.

For those of you that have never used the Easy Saver Booklet they are located at the front of the store where the sale ad is. These coupons can be matched with manufacture coupons for higher savings.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Photo of the Week



Ever wonder what Main Street at Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom would look like empty, well here it is. My friend Trese and I went on a Mom's Only Weekend December 2007 and was chosen to enter the park before any other guest. It was amazing. It would have been nice if the photo pass photographer would have stepped out of the picture, oh well.

Disney' s New Online Check-in Service

For more information about the new Online Check-In Service call 407-W-DISNEY or your local travel agent or visit www.disneyworld.com. This is a complimentary service allowing you to check-in within 10 days of your arrival date. At that time you can request room preferences (which is not a guarantee)and let them know of your expected arrival time. There will be a special welcome location where you will obtain your room keys and registration material. This is offered at select Walt Disney Resort Hotels and Disney Vacation Club Resorts.

Spring Is In The Air


This is one event I have yet to see and would love to:
Epcot's Flower & Garden Festival - - Starting March 18-May 31, 2009. New in 2009 will be the 'Cinderellabration' Topiary, Pirates Adventure Zone, and Pixie Hollow Playground. There will concerts on the weekends only: 3/20 - 3/22 -- Davy Jones 3/27 - 3/29 -- Paul Revere and the Raiders.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Old Navy

Old Navy has created a new site where you can get coupons. This site went live last Thursday but the coupons were gone very quickly. It is supposed to be updated every Thursday so hopefully you will be able to snag some of these coupons today. There is a trick, you need to hunt for the coupons. The coupons are hidden on the web page. Check on this thread for comments on where people have found coupons. Some of the savings were up to $75 off $100 purchase. WOW! Here is their new website: Old Navy Weekly.

McDonalds

On Fridays between March 6 and April 24, 2009, participating McDonalds locations nationwide will be selling hamburgers for $.49 and cheeseburgers for $.59. There's no limit! Check your local McDonalds to see if they are participating.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Home Depot Kid Clinics

FREE Home Depot Kid Clinic

March 7th @ Home Depot – 9am-noon: Home Depot Raceway

April 4th @ Home Depot -9am-noon: Window Birdhouse.