Money Saving Hacks

[Mumof4mice]

Do you bring your own car seats with Uber or do they already have them or is it kind of NYC rules where you don’t need them on property?

Thx

https://ridesafertravelvest.com/

Highly recommend purchasing these. They are FMVSS 213 certified child restraints that fit easily into your diaper bag. You will not regret it!

 

[James Rhoades]

Dining credits are good until midnight of the day that you check out of the resort.

So how would you do what the initial person is saying? I dont see the benefit unless the credits dont expire for a while.

 

[zavandor]

So how would you do what the initial person is saying? I dont see the benefit unless the credits dont expire for a while.

You check in the first day and get 3 table service credits. You use one for dinner the first day, one breakfast the next day, one for dinner again the second day. And you get the refillable mug valid for length of stay.
Most people booking the Deluxe Dining Plan find that for long periods it's too much food and start using 2 credits for signatures, which is fine but lowers the savings a lot. 3 credits over two days is the right amount and an opportunity for a good saving, taking into account also the cost of the refillable mug.

 

[disneynutz]

You check in the first day and get 3 table service credits. You use one for dinner the first day, one breakfast the next day, one for dinner again the second day. And you get the refillable mug valid for length of stay.
Most people booking the Deluxe Dining Plan find that for long periods it's too much food and start using 2 credits for signatures, which is fine but lowers the savings a lot. 3 credits over two days is the right amount and an opportunity for a good saving, taking into account also the cost of the refillable mug.

Agreed, we have the deluxe plan for one day in December. We have 6 credits, one for lunch at DS, two for dinner at DS and three for dinner after we move to our next reservation and our daughter joins us. With the deluxe you also get an appetizer and now a booze drink.

Bill

 

[disneyholic family]

i'm confused about the dining plan - how does it work for DVC?
do you have to buy it for the length of stay and for everyone in the room?

.

 

[Matty B13]

i'm confused about the dining plan - how does it work for DVC?
do you have to buy it for the length of stay and for everyone in the room?
.

Both, Dining Plan is required for everyone on the reservation and for the entire lenght of stay.

Some people setup split stays, and use the Dining Plan for the first half of the trip. That way you can go to the high price restaurants and splurge on the first part of your trip and then eat more cost effectively on the second half. Also, the refillable mug is good for 14 days, so you would have that as well.

 

[disneyholic family]

Both, Dining Plan is required for everyone on the reservation and for the entire lenght of stay.

Some people setup split stays, and use the Dining Plan for the first half of the trip. That way you can go to the high price restaurants and splurge on the first part of your trip and then eat more cost effectively on the second half. Also, the refillable mug is good for 14 days, so you would have that as well.

can you use the same mug at different resorts?
say if we start at BLT and then move to SSR?

 

[Matty B13]

can you use the same mug at different resorts?
say if we start at BLT and then move to SSR?

Yep, the mug is good for 14 days from date of activation, at any refillable station at any resort. But..... refillable stations are only found at the quick service restaurants at the resorts,
there are none at the parks that I know of.

At Kidani the refillable station is found in the market place at the main entrance.

 

[disneyholic family]

Yep, the mug is good for 14 days from date of activation, at any refillable station at any resort. But..... refillable stations are only found at the quick service restaurants at the resorts,
there are none at the parks that I know of.

At Kidani the refillable station is found in the market place at the main entrance.

at SSR there is one at the quick service restaurant, but there are also some near the pools..
or at least near the pool by our room...

 

[kboo]

↑
We are actually considering an owners’ locker for our upcoming stays now - we have 5 stays (some short, some long) planned for the next 16 months, so it would be nice to be able to store some things instead of bringing them down each time. (Ponchos,sweatshirts, and cooking utensils and non-perishable things).
Remember to see how much extra those 5 dropoff/pickups will cost, though.

Good point. I assume the plan is 12 months long, and the midlevel plan includes 1 free round trip, so that would be 3 more we'd be paying for in the first 12 months. Depending on whether their DVC deal is still going, it may or may not make sense to do the unlimited RT plan.

 

[Wakey]

Some of our mugs, bought on 23 July were coming up as good until mid September for some reason. Over 10 days we got our money's worth.

Another hack in dining plan is if for some reason your group are split between rooms (say at Poly) , just get deluxe plan for one room, and split the credits up, particularly if you've a couple of kids in the party and pay OOP for them on kids meals (or adults who eat kids meals).

 

[Frederic Civish]

Second this - Uber really. You can get pretty much anywhere on property for $8-12, so you can take it a couple times a day and it's still cheaper than renting a car.

I generally take the bus on the way to the parks when I'm not in a rush, but after a long day of walking I'll happily pay $10 for a private ride on demand back to the hotel.

Are there designated Uber and Lyft and Minnie Van Pickup areas at the Parks? How about the Resorts? How do I find them?

 

[Chrisvee]

It used to be way better bargain...
@ $75 just a few years ago, to $100 still reasonable...Now @ $150 it just means that you'll have to spend more to break even...

So If you plan on going to WDW for multiple trips, or eat at TS restaurants for 7 or 8 nights with a party of four or so, then it might make sense...Me personally with an AP, ( we get 10% on most TS, so the break even point is even larger....

Agree! I’m going to skip it this year.