Disney on a Dime: Money-Saving Secrets for Your Walt Disney World Vacation

I had to respond to some of the nay-sayers that have reviewed this book. We go to Disney a few times a year, and it is by far one of the least vacations that we can take. This book hits the nail on the head! You can DEFINITELY bring in a cooler with your food, and not only will it save you money, but is healthier and better tasting than the burger and fries that you will find at the park. Staying in a rented house is not only less expensive, but infinitely more comfortable for a large group. Most people don't even realize that this is an option. Going to Disney doesn't have to be an all-out spending fest! You can still give your kids the world without paying for it for months on end and spoiling them in the process. Set up limits on when/where to buy souvenirs, bring your own food, find budget accommodations. Once you get to the park it is the same magic for everyone, whether you've spend $1000 to get there or $5000.

I loved this book!! It was not too long and cumbersome to read. It has many wonderful money saving tips that I just didn't think of when planning my trip to Disney with our family of six. It was very helpful for families with small children. I followed some of the author's advice and we did not have one tear from any of our kids! That in itself was enough to purchase the book! There was an earlier review on this book that said something about the author's trying to get people to sneak food into Disney. Well, I never had to "sneak" food in. That was one of my favorite tips! You can bring snacks/food into Disney in your backpack or whatever you are carrying. The Disney workers there that checked our packs said it was okay. Thank goodness!! The 101 free things to do really helped us also. I highly recommend this book to readers.

Anyone who's ever taken a vacation to Disney World or even looked into planning a single day trip knows that it can put quite a strain on the family budget. And sadly, as a result, many will never even attempt to make the trip. As a child (born and raised in South Florida), I had many opportunities to enjoy this spectacular theme park in Orlando, Florida with family or friends. And it was always a wonderful trip that we enjoyed thoroughly! I don't mean to date myself, but this was back when you could pay for all of your food AND your admission ticket with a single $20.00 bill. And, there was also only 1 Disney theme park to visit, the Magic Kingdom, and you could easily do it in one day. Now, there are 4 main theme parks that can be visited; the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and MGM Studios, along with additional water parks and other attractions. At the time of this writing, a single one-day adult ticket to Disney World costs $63.00 (that's not including food or parking, or anything else), and a one-day child ticket (age 3-9) is $52.00. For our family of 6, with three children over the age of 9, that would be $367.00 just for one day's admission! If that sounds like a great deal to you then you probably do not need this book. But, if your jaw is on the floor, and you'd still like to plan a vacation trip to Disney without breaking the bank, then exploring the money-saving options offered in Disney on a Dime would certainly be helpful! Author, Chris Carlson, and his wife Kristal have taken numerous trips to Disney with their family over the years and have written this book to help others make their dream vacation to Disney World a reality... "You can have a wonderful time at Disney World on the budget you can afford. In fact, you'll have a better time because you won't be worrying about how long it's going to take you to pay it off." Money-saving topics in this book include: Plan, Budget & Save (although their budgeting tips are certainly helpful, they did forget to include www.BetterBudgeting.com as a more complete resource!), Travel, Food & Drink, Tickets, Souvenirs, Lodging, Sample Budgets and Menus, and a must have for parents... What to Pack! If you're looking for frugal ideas to make a trip to Disney possible, or even just for more ways to save money on your next visit, Disney on a Dime is absolutely a great resource! Michelle Jones, Founder and Editor of www.BetterBudgeting.com

We've been planning a Disney vacation for our family and when I saw this book I couldn't wait to purchase it. I'm so thankful for this book! With all of the charts and tips it does all the work for you. Before I found the book I searched and couldn't find this great information on the internet. With Disney on a dime we will save hundreds of dollars on our trip. Thank you for writing such an excellent book for all of the Disney fans out there!

I picked up this book from the author's website. There are several hundred tips; some are small and some I've never dreamed of. I found his ticket tables and hotel comparisons to be very useful. But I really liked the tips about dining, souvenirs and the 101 free things to do. I found that my family enjoyed many of the things in that list as much as they enjoyed riding dumbo. The book is great because the author has done a great job of compiling these money-saving tips into one book so I did not have to spend days looking elsewhere. You can search far and wide on the internet for tips to save money but you won't find all of these tips or the instructions on how to use the tips. I loved the book it helped me find ways to afford the Disney World trip I have always promised my family.