Are you ready to visit Walt Disney World this summer?
Enjoy the new Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom? How about dining with your favorite characters at Chef Mickey’s? Or even taking in a day or two at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach {the two waterparks at Walt Disney World}?
Now, you and your family can enjoy more time at the Disney Parks for travel from June 16-August 28 (be sure to request Carrie Hurst). Starting today, Disney guests can save up to 35% on their resort stay this summer!
Here are the details:
For stays most nights June 16-August 28th, stay 3-5 nights and receive: Save up to 30% at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, Disney’s Polynesian Resort, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa, and Disney’s Old Key West Resort.
Save 20% at Disney’s Beach Club Villas, Boardwalk Villas, Animal Kingdom Lodge-Kidani Villas, Wilderness Lodge Villas, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Beach Club Resort, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge-Club Level, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort, and Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.
Save 15% at Disney’s All Star Music Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort, and Disney’s All Star Sports Resort
Save 10% at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort and Junior Suites at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
Save even more on stays of 6 nights or more!
Save up to 35% at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, Disney’s Polynesian Resort, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa, and Disney’s Old Key West Resort.
Save 25% at Disney’s Beach Club Villas, Boardwalk Villas, Animal Kingdom Lodge-Kidani Villas, Wilderness Lodge Villas, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Beach Club Resort, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge-Club Level, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort, and Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.
Save 20% at Disney’s All Star Music Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort, and Disney’s All Star Sports Resort
Carrie is a Vacation Specialist with Destinations in Florida-an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. She is always ready to help you find the best deal on your Disney vacation and help you plan your days in the parks, your dining, and so much more. Contact her today at carrie@destinationsinflorida.com for a free quote and more details!
Hello everyone! I’m Carrie, the resident Disney Travel Expert here at Family Friendly Frugality!
I am so excited to bring you some of the best deals from the Disney Parks to make your next Walt Disney World vacation even more affordable! I will be visiting you once a month with the latest Disney travel promotions and discounts, AND once a month with some tips to travel to the Disney parks!
I blog over at My Favorite Finds, and I’d love to see you come and find some JOY in your everyday!
Rock Your Disney Side: What’s better than being at the Magic Kingdom for 24 hours? Knowing you pulled off a super fun Disney trip at a great rate! With all the excitement brewing about the Rock Your Disney Side 24 Hour Event that was released this week, everyone is wanting to visit Walt Disney World for a quick weekend and enjoy the extra time at the Happiest Place on Earth!
You can laugh bigger, scream louder, and stay out all day and all night at this exclusive Magic Kingdom event! And for this event, our preferred travel agency-Destinations in Florida-has group rates at three of the best Disney Resorts:
Disney’s Pop Century Resort starting at $117 per night plus tax
Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort starting at $162.20 per night plus tax
Disney’s Contemporary Resort starting at $303.30 per night plus tax
As a group Guest you have access to special ticket pricing on all pre-purchased group tickets which include one Bonus admission! Not only do you save, but you also get one visit to your choice of the following: DisneyQuest® Indoor Interactive Theme Park, Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park, Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park, Disney’s Wide World of Sports® Complex, or Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course for one round of golf.
Discounted group theme park admission tickets must be prepaid in full at the time of purchase and must be purchased at least 10 days prior to check-in day. Booking for these rates closes on April 15th!
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Disney Offers Free MemoryMaker: A visit to the Walt Disney World® Resort is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to experience your little one’s first magical dream come true.
Guests can get Memory Maker for FREE* when they purchase this kid-size package. Stay at a select Disney’s All-Star Resort hotel, including 3 nights in a standard room and a 2-day Magic Your Way base ticket, and pay only $899 for a family of 3 for stays most nights Aug. 15 – Sept. 30, 2014!
Booking Window:
Feb. 6 – April 20, 2014
Travel Window:
Aug. 15 – Sept. 30, 2014
Ask about other great rates for stays most nights April 27 – June 15, 2014.
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Save Up to 30% on Rooms at the Walt Disney World Resort AND Free Park Tickets:
Guests can save up to 30%* on rooms at select Walt Disney World® Resort hotels. Upgrade to a room and ticket package and get one more ticket day FREE! (Minimum 4-day Magic Your Way ticket required.)
Click HERE for More Offer Details & Receive a Disney Gift Card when you book any of these offers!
This past weekend we were invited out to the Texas Renaissance Festival (Tex Ren Fest). We’ve been several times before and we always have a great time.
This year was SO much more fun though! Our kids are at a really good age and actually enjoyed the shows and the jousting.
Now, Ren Fest can be pricey, but that’s only if you aren’t strategic about things!
Here are my 5 tips to save money at the Tex Ren Fest:
#1 Buy your tickets online, by mail, by phone or at your local Randall’s or Walgreens. Also, plan to go on a Sunday. Pre-order tickets are $17 per adult and $8 per child on Sundays (as opposed to $25 for adults and $12 for kids on Saturdays). Lizzie is still free (she’s 3), but next year we’ll opt for the family 4 pack. This is $40…which breaks down to just $10 per person (as opposed to $50 if you buy the pre-order Sunday tickets individually).
#2 Have a plan. Check the entertainment schedule and make sure you have a game plan for what shows you want to see and what events and contests you want to be present for. This keeps the kiddos from getting bored! Bored kiddos make us spend money 😉
#3 Let’s just be honest here. Who doesn’t go to Ren Fest expecting to EAT?! That’s my favorite part! I could easily spend hundreds of dollars on food and still not try everything I want to try! Remember though, there is always next year. Sit down and check out the Festival Feasting page on the Ren Fest website and decide what you NEED to try. Set a food budget. Stick to your food budget!
#4 Once you get in the door, spending money is totally optional. There are SO many free things to see and do! Walk in out of the stores, see the shows, go to the special events (the Princess tea was a HUGE hit for my daughter!) and the most fun thing to do…PEOPLE WATCH! You won’t find better people watching than at the Texas Ren Fest!
#5 Set a souvenir budget. Chances are, you’ll want to bring something home to remember your experience. Or your kids will. Go in with cash and once it’s gone…it’s gone. No running to the ATM!
Finally, just have fun! The Texas Ren Fest is an experience like no other. It’s a yearly tradition for us and it’s so much fun to watch our children grow and enjoy different things each year.
When they get a bit older, we might even try camping out there!
Also be sure to check out their Themed Events page. This past weekend, the kids were able to trick or treat! It was so much fun!
Be sure to follow The Texas Renaissance Festival on Facebook and Twitter for up to the minute news and festival information!
Disclaimer: We were invited to check out Texas Renaissance Festival at no cost to us. We were under no obligation to post anything about the festival, but truthfully we always have SO much fun there! All opinions are our own!
Do you LOVE fall like I do? The promise of cooler weather always gets me excited to check off items on our Fall Bucket list! This fall bucket list is perfect for families. Great fall activities for kids, for families and all include spending time in nature! (because let’s face it, it’s finally cool enough to go back outside!). Don’t miss out on these super fun fall bucket list items and make some memories with your family today!
In many parts of the country it’s starting to cool off, leaves are starting to change and fall is taking over.
Now I live in south Texas so it’s still as hot as a griddle set to high heat, but we’re seeing some improvements!
The pool water isn’t boiling when we get in, our car thermometers read only 2 digits instead of 3, and if you wake up early enough you can maybe wear pants outside without melting out of them.
The promise is there though. The promise of the cool weather, of the holidays and best of all…cool weather fun!
The fall is one of our favorite times of the year as a family. We have a fall bucket list that we try to fulfill every fall!
Here are some of our favorite Fall Bucket List Activities:
1. Pumpkin Patches:
Starting October 1st, you can’t go 2 miles without hitting a pumpkin patch. They are held by churches, local farms, floral shops, I’ve even seen some attached to grocery stores!
We typically buy our pumpkins through the Mothers Day Out (note: now years later…we buy them from HEB – our local grocery store) that I work at/the kids attend because we get really big ones for a really fantastic price. But pumpkin patches can still be a lot of fun.
They usually have really nice settings for great pictures and sometimes they have games.
There is a farm we go to here in Houston every year named Dewberry Farm. The pumpkin picking is almost an afterthought there! There’s an enormous haystack to climb, playground equipment, farm animals, and wildflower fields. There’s also a huge corn maze, it’s really an amazing place.
We LOVE the zoo. We buy a season pass every year and use and abuse it all fall and spring long. We pay one time and for the rest of the year we get to have a great family fun activity for free.
Best of all, we don’t have to buy anything when we’re there since they allow us to bring in our own food. To find a zoo or aquarium click here.(I know some people have free zoos, if so…take advantage! What an awesome opportunity!)
Houston Zoo membership is $80 a year for a family of five. When you consider you might spend that amount in one outing if you go someplace where you have to pay for admission AND food…it’s really a fantastic deal, and the money goes to support the zoo!
3. Fairs, Festivals and Picnics…oh my!
Fall is the time for Halloween carnivals, fall festivals, company picnics and so much more! Take advantage of these free outdoor events and bring your own drinks and treats and soak in the sights.
It’s easier to avoid spending money with younger ones that don’t quite understand yet that all you have to do is pay some money to get the yummy junk food or the big toys. But even with the older ones, you can try setting clear expectations about what you are willing to spend and what you aren’t willing to spend.
Walk in with cash and once the cash is gone…it’s gone!
Take your camera too, we are big picture takers and some of our best shots are at events like these because the kids are just having so much fun!
We love Texas Ren Fest, the Ballunar festival and in addition to my husband’s company picnic we also enjoy going to Discovery Green for a family picnic.
4. The beach! Or the lake! Or the creek!
…whatever is closest to you!
When it is too cool to go in the water, beaches are often pretty empty of beach goers. Which is the perfect time to go! Grab your sand toys and go run around and play!
We aren’t big fans of the beach in summer, too crowded, too sandy and I have an incredibly irrational fear of birds. It never fails that some well meaning family next to us will decide to feed the birds and our trip ends up cut short (seriously people…go away from other families when you feed birds on the beach! I have an INTENSE, almost comical, fear of birds)
We’re about 35 minutes away from Galveston, so that’s generally where we head when we want to go play by the ocean!
5. Take a road trip.
Fall is the perfect time of the year to just take a short road trip.
Pick a town a bit out of normal driving distance and head on over to check out the sights. Pack a picnic lunch and some fun books and toys for the kids and listen to some good music.
The time I spend with my family in the car sometimes feels so much more focused and precious than time spent at home when I have 50 other things on my to do list. Play car games, sing songs, and just enjoy time as a family with no interruptions.
What do you do in the fall? Share your fall bucket list below!
