Affordable Disney World - Seven Secrets To Save On A Disney World Vacation

A Disney World vacation can be an expensive trip of a lifetime. There are some very easy ways that you can save hundreds of dollars on your next Disney World vacation just by using some basic tips. So how can you be the family who gets better value out of their vacation? How can you avoid the mistakes that most Disney vacationers make?

disney dvd

1. Buy the Right Ticket

DISNEY

There are so many combinations of Disney World tickets available. This is the one area that people have told me time after time that they find the most confusing. You spend hours of research just working out what all the options mean, and then you have to start searching for the best place to buy. If you take some time to understand all the options available you can save yourself hundreds of dollars.

2. Choose the Right Place to Stay

The Disney World hotels are great places to stay - but they can be expensive.

You can save hundreds of dollars and have a great Disney World vacation by staying in a Florida vacation rental home. Why would you want to stay in a small hotel room when you can stay in a beautiful resort Florida vacation rental home close to the Disney parks? Most homes are within 10 or 15 minutes of all the theme parks - so just the same and sometimes closer than the hotels. Plus you will get so much space for you and your family.

Most Florida vacation rental homes have a private swimming pool. Imagine coming home from the parks and relaxing in your own private swimming pool and spa. Many villas are beautifully maintained and are used by the owners as their second home.

3. Get the Right Price for a Flight

Searching for flights can be time consuming and complex. There are many choices which you need to make - which airline, date, route, schedule, and place to book. Explore the options that you have for traveling from a smaller, local airport, and always search different days and times so that you can see the best prices if you are able to be flexible. Take some time to search online to get an idea of the routes available. Many sites allow you to search different dates and airports and then show you the best prices.

4. Save Money on Food

Eating out is a major item on your Disney World vacation budget. There are so many dining opportunities . You can save hundreds of dollars on your dining out budget just by taking a few simple steps. Plan your dining, look out for dining with 'kids eat free' options, use coupons. Staying in a Florida vacation home will save you money on food. Even if you just have one breakfast at the house you will make savings.

5. Do Something For Free

There are free things to do at Disney! You just have to know where to find them. Take a free Disney hotel tour, visit Celebration, take a Disney boat,visit the Boardwalk. These are just a few ideas of things to do which cost you nothing.

6. Avoid the Scams

Unfortunately there are a number of well known scams out there and most of these relate to tickets. You see the line '2 Disney tickets for '. Is it a scam?

A lot of the very discounted ticket deals are related to time share selling. You will be offered a discounted or free ticket in exchange for your 'time' in attending a time share presentation. I feel that my time is worth much more than attending a time share presentation and potentially being subjected to some high pressure sales techniques. I would rather spend my time finding out how to save money. Only buy tickets from Disney or their authorized agents.

7. Time is Money

This well known phrase holds so true for your Walt Disney World vacation. It is no use having an affordable Disney World vacation if you then are too exhausted to enjoy it. Just take some time in planning before you go. If you are familiar with the basic ideas of the layout of the parks and what rides you may want to see when you get there, you are going to have a much more enjoyable vacation.

So now you have the money saving secrets to enjoy a fabulous Disney World family vacation.

Affordable Disney World - Seven Secrets To Save On A Disney World Vacation

Alison Meacham is the author of the Disney Vacation Money Savings Guide She owns luxury Florida vacation rental homes within 5 minutes of Disney. You can view her resort villas at www.windsorpalmsusa.com Sign up for her free newsletter which gives tips, ideas and suggestions on how to save on your Disney World Vacation

DISNEY

Disney World Secrets - Important Facts You Should Know Before You Go to Disney World

Below are some Disney World secrets that everyone should know before booking their vacation. Traveling to a Disney Resort can often be a very spendy vacation unless you know some tips and tricks that will save you time and money. The three tips below will get you started so that you can enjoy an amazing vacation for less.

disney princess

1. Off Season Deals: Everyone knows that going just about anywhere during the off season will save you money; for Disney World this is from August 24th thru September 20th. What most people don't know is that during Disney Worlds off season you can eat free at a Disney Resort. Since meals can be one of the priciest items on any vacation, this is a juicy tidbit that might make it possible for families to save a little and have a great vacation they couldn't otherwise afford. Hotel and package prices are typically lower too so if you can plan your trip during the off season, you will be in for some great savings.

DISNEY

2. Buy Souvenirs for Less: Of course you have to come home with some great souvenirs from your vacation, but these souvenirs don't have to come from inside the park. If you are willing to sacrifice and buy off-site, you can spend a great deal less on Disney items. Buy souvenirs before you enter the park and you can pay for a T-shirt rather than one that will cost you inside. Once inside, you can find some great deals at Mickey's Mart in Downtown Disney; everything at this store is or less.

3. Stay On-Site: A lot of people contemplate whether to stay off-site or on-site when they are planning their vacations. What most believe is that it must be cheaper to stay off-site, but on the contrary, driving and parking will end up costing you more. There are many value properties, like the All Star Resort or Pop Century Resort that are as affordable as an off-site hotel; off season you can book a room for as low as per night. Don't be fooled by logic and what seems to make the most sense, do your homework and shop around and you should be able to book a vacation you can afford.

This article divulged some Disney World secrets that anyone can use to save on their next vacation to the Magic Kingdom. Be sure to look for off season deals if you can be flexible with your travel dates. Buy souvenirs outside of the park if you can and shop around for on-site deals at hotels; often times these locations can be competitive with off-site hotels and will save you money in the long run since you won't have to worry about driving or parking costs.

Disney World Secrets - Important Facts You Should Know Before You Go to Disney World

For more Disney World Secrets, visit Walt Disney World Secrets and you'll discover some ways to make your trip an amazing one!

DISNEY

Chief Architect's Big Three Secrets For Enterprise Architecture Planning

In a previous article "Chief Architect's Big Three Strategic Secrets", the spotlight fell on three biggest risks the Chief Architect needs to manage before moving onto something less tactical. Consider now the area of strategic planning and opportunities in your future state landscape. Three key sources that the chief architect needs to explore are:

CEO's Top Strategic Drivers CIO's Primary Concerns Enterprise Portfolio Management

ENTERPRISE PORTAL

In fact, the CEO owns, knows, eats and breathes their top three strategic drivers. At a time in the economy that we are facing now pure survival may likely be their number one focus. Such drivers might include the area cost savings, as well company stock prices. The chief architect needs to fully understand how these drivers impact or are impacted by the Enterprise Architecture Plan.

Choices made in the areas of infrastructure and solutions will most likely be efficiency based, and risk averse. Creatively considering ways in which the architecture can contribute in the area of competitive tactics is another way in which we can provide value. If the CEO is really focused on their competition's moves, it might be a looming takeover or collapse. How can the strategic plan allow for agility in these types of circumstances? What would it take to expend with a line? A division? Or purchase either?

An additional area of CEO concern is major projects. The CEO realistically needs to keep aware of the biggest corporate expenditures and these may be IT projects. Characteristically these are very high profile projects or large replacement projects. The chief architect should be fully aware of what the CEO's concerns are, and what it is troubling them about the projects. It may be the board's opinion of the project, and where else the money could be better spent.

The second area the chief architect needs to focus on is the concerns of the CIO. It is crucial to have a list of things that keeps this soul up at night as well. Some risky hardware component or some recent security lapse could be top of the list. It might be an employee or staffing issue. Where they are privy, the chief architect needs to explore what can be done in upcoming plans.

Ultimately there is the major issue of job retention as a CIO. Budget cuts and less than stellar IT performance can be used as stimulus to look within the large resource pool available. What can be done to ensure IT performance is not a factor.

A major area of concern to the chief architect should always be enterprise portfolio management. This is the prime source of where strategic future directives will be exposed. The architect needs to comprehend and be fully aware at all times of the biggest opportunities. What was the biggest project or investment identified? What is on that list or that requires the biggest investment AS WELL as the biggest return on investment.

I would suggest that the chief architect to quickly scan that portfolio management list on a monthly basis and retain a list of the quick wins and low hanging fruit. Each of these should be incorporated into whatever future planning is being pursued as the opportunities are available.

You've got to keep the pulse on these critical elements - and keep this in on your laser focus. Continually update your enterprise architecture plan where you can whenever these strategic drivers change.

Happy Architecting!

Chief Architect's Big Three Secrets For Enterprise Architecture Planning

Sharon C. Evans is an Enterprise Architect Coach, Mentor and Trainer. Her forthcoming book "Zoom Factor for Enterprise Architects: How to Focus and Accelerate Your Career" focuses on excellence and perspective for the Enterprise Architect and is due out in November 2009. She is the founder of Firefli Consulting Inc. and her member portal and more great articles and training schedules can be found at http://www.architectbootcamp.com

ENTERPRISE PORTAL