If you have ever saved money for or during a vacation to Walt Disney World, you might be a Cheapskate Princesss!
Updated for 2019!
I’m one of those really fortunate people who gets to live with a 50 mile radius of places other people pay thousands of dollars each year to visit. We bought kayaks several years ago as a way to go boating without spending a lot of money, and with spectacular spring weather here, we dragged several kayaks out and drove toward Pensacola, Florida. [Read more…]
In addition to theme park tickets, a hotel room, and food, almost a guaranteed part of the overall expenses for a Disney vacation is souvenir shopping. You will stand in too many gift shops not to bring something home, so then the million dollar questions becomes how much will you spend?
Are you going to bargain souvenir shop or shoot for the stars with a full-out princess extravagance?
There are certainly no shortage of both moderately-low to high-end gift shop merchandise available these days, but when looking for a splurge, the name Lilly Pulitzer is becoming synonymous with Disney Vacation extravagance.
Are you ready for a Lilly?!
Updated for 2018!
Dreaming of taking an Orlando vacation? Now’s the time to start planning!
Trips to Walt Disney World can be expensive, so lots of people are looking to cut corners and costs just to make travel dreams a reality.
Do you like free money? Hey, we do too! That’s why we’ve teamed up with Mike Ellis from Pixie Vacations for our new VIP Treatment. Not only are Mike’s travel planning services 100% FREE to you, he’ll include a bonus that a Cheapskate Princess just can’t refuse! [Read more…]
Updated for 2018!
There are several reasons to stay off-property at Disney World, one of the most important of which can be a lower cost, but if you are traveling with children, paying more money to be closer to the action and surrounded by all the “Disney Magic” of the resorts may be more desirable than saving money. Many people prefer to stay on property just to take advantage of all that Disney World has to offer.
There are lots of goodies for the kids if you stay in the on-property resorts. [Read more…]
Updated for 2018!
Last year, Disney raised their single day ticket prices for 2017 during certain times of the year. Company officials said they hoped this would prevent overcrowding during the busiest times at the theme parks. Ticket prices seem to creep up every year. So where does that leave you and your wallet? [Read more…]
Updated for 2018!
Just how nuts can things get the week of Christmas? More specifically, how busy will it be on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? Let’s talk about wait times, because there will be BOO COODLES of people wandering the parks and resorts, and most of that time, they will be standing in line with you, elbow to elbow, cell phone to iPad.
I wrote down wait-times during the peak holiday week at certain points during the day just to give you some perspective. Granted, this was several years ago now, but let me assure you, 2019 times will not go down. If anything, you may have to wait a tad longer. Looking at slightly older numbers will give you an accurate look at how long you may be standing in line.
Small World 25
Astro Orbiter 50
Big Thunder Mtn 60
Buzz Lightyear 75
Dumbo 35
Tales with Belle 60
Haunted Mansion 40
Jungle Cruise 60
Peter Pan 90
Pirates of the Caribbean 45
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train 120
Splash Mountain 45
Winnie the Pooh 55
Space Mountain 110
Speedway 60
Under the Seas 30
Dinosaur 30
Expedition Everest 55
Kali River Rapids 25
Kilimanjaro Safari 50
Living with the Land 35
Mission: Space 50
Soarin’ 130
Spaceship Earth 35
Test Track 85
Seas with Nemo 35
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 125
Toy Story Mania 75
Great Movie Ride 35
Rock’n’ Roller Coaster 75
Star Tours 40
These people are all waiting in line just to get to the jewelry counter.
Small World 30
Astro Orbiter 50
Big Thunder Mtn 30
Buzz Lightyear 25
Dumbo 20
Tales with Belle 20
Haunted Mansion 20
Jungle Cruise 35
Peter Pan 80
Pirates of the Caribbean 25
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train 70
Space Mtn 90
Splash Mountain 30
Winnie the Pooh 10
Speedway 30
Under the Seas 15
Dinosaur Closed at 7 pm
Living with the Land 10
Mission: Space 45
Soarin’ 90
Spaceship Earth 15
Test Track 80
Seas with Nemo 10
Great Movie Ride 5
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 90
Toy Story Mania 85
Rock’n’ Roller Coaster 60
Star Tours 10
Small World 35
Astro Orbiter 70
Big Thunder Mtn 80
Buzz Lightyear 75
Dumbo 55
Tales with Belle 40
Haunted Mansion 110
Jungle Cruise 50
Monsters Laugh Floor 40
Peter Pan 115
Pirates of the Caribbean 35
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train 150
Space Mountain 190
Splash Mountain 60
Winnie the Pooh
Speedway 60
Under the Seas 45
Dinosaur 40
Expedition Everest 45
Kali River Rapids 10
Kilimanjaro safari 20
Living with the Land 30
Mission: Space 65
Soarin’ 120
Spaceship Earth 45
Test Track 80
Seas with Nemo 35
Great Movie Ride 25
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 40
Toy Story Mania 85
Rock’n’ Roller Coaster 60
Star Tours 50
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Typically Magic Kingdom reaches capacity between 10 and 11 on Christmas Day, where they basically will not allow any new visitors entry into the park. This link will help you understand par closures more accurately. Understanding Disney Park Closure Phases: A Cheapskate Princess Guide
Small World 45
Astro Orbiter 30
Big Thunder Mtn 60
Buzz Lightyear 55
Dumbo 45
Tales with Belle 50
Haunted Mansion 60
Jungle Cruise 90
Peter Pan 90
Pirates of the Caribbean 40
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train 120
Space Mtn 125
Splash Mountain 90
Winnie the Pooh 45
Speedway 50
Under the Seas 50
Dinosaur 20
Expedition Everest 35
Kali River Rapids 50
Kilimanjaro safari 45
Living with the Land 20
Mission: Space 50
Soarin’ 130
Spaceship Earth 25
Test Track 95
Seas with Nemo 30
Great Movie Ride 35
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 150
Toy Story Mania 105
Rock’n’ Roller Coaster 135
Star Tours 30
And just for kicks, I also recorded wait times the day after Christmas, because if you were going on a Disney vacation December 24th and 25th, chances are you will stick around for several more days afterward.
Small World 45
Astro Orbiter 40
Barnstormer 45
Big Thunder Mtn 75
Buzz Lightyear 60
Dumbo 60
Tales with Belle 60
Haunted Mansion 45
Jungle Cruise 80
Magic Carpets 45
Peter Pan 105
Pirates of the Caribbean 50
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train 110
Splash Mountain 115
Splash Mountain 85
Winnie the Pooh 55
Speedway 90
Under the Seas 60
Dinosaur 40
Expedition Everest 35
Kali River Rapids 60
Kilimanjaro Safari 45
Tough to Be a Bug 110
Primevil Whirl 30
Living with the Land 20
Mission: Space 60
Soarin’ 110
Spaceship Earth 20
Test Track 55
Seas with Nemo 15
Great Movie Ride 35
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 80
Toy Story Mania 155
Rock’n’ Roller Coaster 90
Star Tours 45
Mad Tea Party 25
Mickey’s Philharmagic 30
Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor 20
Prince Charming Regal Carousel 15
Stitch’s Great Escape 10
So that’s a lot of waiting, although the wait times will vary in length throughout the day. Obviously things are more quiet at the beginning of the day and rapidly get busier from there.
Curious about closure phases for the parks? Use this link…
So what do you think, visit the Mouse during holidays when the kids are out of school but spend a lot of time waiting or vacation during another time of year when the decorations may not be as spectacular?
To see more of our Cheapskating Guides, use this link.
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Now let our vacation planner help you plan your trip, totally for FREE!Use this link for a free no obligation vacation quote from Mike Ellis, our Disney Vacation Planner with Pixie Vacations.
Updated for 2018!
Tiana fans are racing to grab their Disney Visa cards with the latest addition to the Disney Dooney collection.
While these styles are no longer for sale in 2018, you can get an idea regarding how much you’ll pay for Dooney and Bourke Handbags. And if you are heart broken you will be unable to make a purchase, I would definitely try eBay to see if someone has a gently used version for sale.
Ready for some prices?!
Updated for 2018!
Disney World vacation souvenirs are expensive. As soon as you announce plans for your upcoming Orlando trip, friends will start casually saying, “Hey, bring me something back from Disney World.” Well, now the pressure is on, and you have to decide if you will spend the big bucks or look for small trinkets. $35 t-shirts and $59 sweatshirts will kill your budget; I don’t always fit those items in my budget for myself. You may need to purchase something way less expensive.
I spent a lot of time looking around the gift shops as a child in the 70s, and these sweet items remind me of childhood vacations munching on candy, one of the few items we could afford to buy in the parks on a 1st grade budget.
Say hello to the Disney Parks lollipops! [Read more…]
Updated for 2017!
A while back, author and freelance writer Christy Heitger-Ewing wrote an article for Huff Post Travel called, “For the First Time in Forever… I Did Not Enjoy My Vacation to Disney World.” She described how, as a life long Disney vacation traveler, her most recent trip to the Mouse House was not as enjoyable as she hoped for. “It’s simply gotten too big, too commercial, too regimented.” She noted that through the years, changes have been made which many long time Disney fans haven’t enjoyed so much. “I’m here to tell you that my most recent trip was neither efficient nor pleasurable.“
She provided several reasons why she didn’t have fun-fun-fun at the Happiest Place on Earth. And even after time has passed since she wrote the article, people have problems with some of her same issues.
Even in 2018, Disney Springs is still undergoing a massive shopping and dining transformation, and it’s really cool to see all the progress from up in the air. These photos were taken in early July of 2016. Check out our tip at the end on how not to pay retail prices.
Let’s get this balloon trip started! [Read more…]
Updated for 2018!
Food is expensive at Walt Disney World, but if you look hard enough, you can find some excellent places for a great meal that won’t bust your budget. You want to make a reservation and then drop in Beaches & Cream Soda Shop over at the Beach Club Resort.
What can you get for under $20? Tons of entreés and sides, plus a long list of desserts!
By Erin Johnson
These three words, when put together, create magic and pixie dust for all vacationers dreaming of their next Walt Disney World adventure! You are saving so much money when you buy the Disney Dining Plans for your vacation. But, getting them for free? Are you kidding? That sounds perfect, right? Well, it can be. And sometimes it can be…a little less than perfect.
I have put together a list of pros and cons to help our Cheapskate Princess readers answer some very frequently asked questions. If you are planning your Disney vacation around a possible free dining offer, or you are just trying to learn what free dining is all about, these pros and cons will definitely help! [Read more…]
