Introduction
My kids were constantly oohing and aahing when the ad for Disney land Orlando popped on TV. They’ve already been to Disney Land Paris a few times before and were dying to experience the magic of Florida so we decided to make it happen for them.
Let’s be honest, when it comes to family getaways most families can’t afford Disneyland Florida. But as a family of 5, I wanted to make that dream happen without breaking the budget. And in 2018 more than ever, I really wanted to make that dream happen.
Well, I was all ready to go on a nice summer trip with my family but then I realized we definitely can not afford it as it’s the most expensive time of the year to travel in. Florida however has great weather all year round so we decided to go in December which is a cheaper time to travel.
The hotel we stayed at was a big Orlando suites Holiday Inn resort with a giant water park. If you’re on a budget and/or traveling with kids, this place is great.
It is a modern hotel with several spacious suites, an onsite water park with slides, pools that are lifeguarded on duty, an arcade, a 4D theater, a miniature golf course, and kids’ entertainment. It also has a mini market onsite for your supplies and it has a free shuttle service to the theme parks! Book a day before because it gets pretty full.
The hotel is a money saver as kids under 12 stay free and up to 4 children eat free with a paying adult.
The Amazing Parks In Disneyland
Now, about the park tickets. I attempted to purchase them before our vacation but was discouraged by the price tag of over £2000 for the five of us.
Then I learned that attending timeshare seminars was one method to get park tickets cheaper. I choose to pursue this course of action.
When you choose a timeshare, you must consent to hear a salesperson’s pitch in order to purchase a portion of their hotel. When we arrived in Florida, we were forced to accept the salesperson’s 90-minute presentation (Hilton for us). It appears that purchasing the stake will give you access to Hilton hotels across the world. Although we already knew we wouldn’t purchase, you had to agree to pay attention to the salesperson.
You have the option to decline the 90-minute sales presentation and purchase tickets at a discount, which is what we did. We spent £1195 for a week’s worth of park admission, which otherwise would have cost us more than £2,000.
Although it meant we had to squander a portion of our vacation, we didn’t care because we were only there for nine nights.
We enjoyed access to all six theme parks with the tickets: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Disney Blizzard Beach Water Park, and Tycoon Water Park.
Unfortunately, we were unable to attend the water parks because they were closed for renovations. Hence the need for a better term, the four parks that were left were truly amazing when we visited them. You should arrive early because the queues are always enormous!
We brought sandwiches and beverages in a bag to save money as you are allowed to bring your own food into the parks. On certain nights, we also ordered takeout. The hotel provides a refrigerator where you may keep food and a microwave where you can reheat leftovers.
Here are our top money-saving tips to help you visit Orlando this summer
- If you can, try to avoid a summer visit.
- If you choose a connecting flight, you can save money on flight prices.
- Try using a hotel with kids stay free and kids eat free option for a more affordable vacation.
- The night before your shuttle, book it so you can guarantee yourself a seat on it.
- To get discount park tickets, use your timeshare points!