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We got special volunteer buttons
Spring break is now officially over, and I’m back in Boston getting soaked by this seemingly endless rain/wind storm. I have a few posts planned for my recent trip to Florida, and I’d like to start by praising Disney’s “Give a Day. Get a Day” promotion. This promotion started in January and offers the first 1 million people who volunteer at an approved organization a free voucher for a 1 day 1 park ticket during 2010.
My friend’s and I started planning our spring break like typical 21 and 22 year old college seniors. Our requirements: beach, sun, pools, relaxation, drinks, bars, repeat. And we wanted to do this for around $500 each. Every trip we found seemed too expensive, though, and we began thinking about Orlando. Of course. As I’ve said before I’m really a 5 year old. I absolutely love Disney World.
We decided to stay near Universal since they have some bars and clubs at their City Walk, and we might as well go out during our last spring break. I just couldn’t fathom the idea of going to Orlando without going to Disney, though, so I insisted that we try out Disney’s Give a Day Get a Day program to get a free day at Disney. I’d seen the commercials and I really think that it’s definitely one of Disney’s best marketing initiatives yet.
We found an opportunity in Lowell, through the Hands on Network, and spent a few hours organizing decorations from an event that the organization, “Community Teamwork”, had recently held. It was definitely worth it. We were a little scared because we volunteered exactly one week before our trip, and it could take up to 2 weeks to receive the vouchers, but fortunately, the day before we left, we got our emails for our free day at Disney.
The vouchers are good for one day, at one park, but you can upgrade them. We decided to add the park hopper option, which cost a little over $55 with tax. It was worth it. We spent a full day (about 16 hours) in Disney and had tons of fun at Hollywood Studios (always MGM for me) and Magic Kingdom, as well as in Downtown Disney.
The promotion is great because once you have one free day at Disney, you’re going to want more. You can’t do everything in one day at one park, so it’s basically just a great way to save $80. And I’m sure Disney realized this.
I just checked out the website, again, though, and they already reached a million volunteers! The program just started in January, so I guess our trip happened at the right time. I was going to recommend it to everyone traveling to Orlando, but I guess now I can’t. Hopefully Disney will bring it back in the future. It was great to give back to the community, save money, and have fun, all at the same time.
I know that most of the deals I have posted have been for Disney World, but I just can’t resist. Other than Cape Cod, Disney World has been the destination of most of my vacations. And, Disney usually have some of the best deals, too.
Today I found a deal that combines 5 nights at a Disney Resort, 5 days worth of Magic Your Way park tickets, and 5 nights worth of a Disney Dining Plan. The cheapest option includes a stay at a Value Resort (one of those All Star hotels with giant football helmets or guitars) and Disney’s Quick Service Dining Plan (two fast food meals and two snacks) for $535 per adult.
For better accommodations, you can choose the same package at a Moderate Resort (Caribbean Beach Resort, Coronado Springs, etc.) with the Disney Dining Plan (one fast food meal, one snack, and one table service meal) for $716 per adult. Not bad, when a 5 day park ticket costs almost $300.
The stay needs to be between October 2 and November 24, so this deal would work best for families with small children that either aren’t in school or can miss a week of school without too many problems. When I was younger, I went to Disney World a few times during the fall, and it is definitely the best time to go. Good deals, shorter lines, and nice weather.
When the economy is bad, what’s the first to go? I’m no economist, but I would think that people start cutting back on unnecessary luxuries like going out to eat and expensive vacations. In the past year I’ve seen the economy’s impact on both the restaurant and travel industries. As a waitress, I’ve noticed a decrease in tips, and as a travel-lover who frequents trip-booking websites, I’ve noticed a huge increase in the number of deals posted.
In other words, even though the economy sucks, if you have the money to spend, now is the time to travel. You don’t even need a lot of money. I promise.
The other night, one of my friend’s briefly mentioned how she wanted to go to Florida (Orlando to be specific), and I immediately asserted that I could easily find some really cheap trips. Even though we weren’t serious about going on the vacation, as soon as I got home I went online and began searching.
My search quickly revealed even better deals than I imagined. As always, I used expedia.com. I’m sure that hotels.com, Orbitz, and Travelocity have similar deals, but for no particular reason I’ve always stuck with Expedia. I think I just have used their website so many times that I’m more comfortable with its format.
Anyways, I searched for 5 night hotel and flight packages from Boston to Orlando, and I found per person prices that are cheaper than the average roundtrip ticket. I used a week in mid August for my search, and then organized the packages by price. Many of 3 and 3.5 star hotels, some of which include free transportation to the Disney parks and/or free breakfast, are less than $300 per person.
For example, the Radisson Resort Orlando-Celebration, which is a very nice hotel that I’ve stayed at before, is only $277 per person. For a little extra, you can even stay inside Disney World, at the luxurious 4 star Walt Disney World Dolphin for only $393 per night. I stayed there a few years ago, and it was definitely one of the nicer hotels that I stayed at in Orlando, and it’s nice to be within walking distance of MGM (or Hollywood Studios as it’s now called) and a short boat ride away from Epcot.
There were even a few decent hotels for under $250 per person for the hotel and flight, like the Best Western Lakeside or Comfort Inn Lake Buena Vista. How is that possible, when flights are usually at least $200? Thank you bad economy for all of the travel deals.
I’ve been to Orlando way too many times, so unfortuantely I won’t be able to use these amazing deals that I found. Instead I’ll be going to Toronto next month. Why? I’m not sure. We’re only paying $160 each for the hotel though, so I’m not complaining. I don’t even know what there is to do in Toronto, but I’m sure my friend who suggested the trip has some things in mind. In the end, I know it will be fun. I’ve never been there before, and I always enjoy seeing new places. I need to stop automatically thinking of Florida when I think of the word vacation.
I have three addictions: ice cream, Starbucks, and Disney World. Ice cream and Starbucks are cheap, tasty treats, but Disney World is usually a funfilled, expensive vacation. I’m pretty much a five year old. To me, no vacation beats going to magical amusement parks and relaxing in the warm Florida sun. I’ve been to Disney World 7 times in my life (the most recent time was last August), and I already can’t wait to go again.
Today, I just happened to go to expedia.com to check out the latest hotel deals, and I stumbled upon this, one of the best deals I’ve ever seen for Disney resorts. The part about the dining plan is mildly exciting and getting into parks for FREE on your birthday is a good idea, but the hotel deals were what caught my eye. This deal is only good until June 6th, so you better hurry if you want to book your stay. The offer is valid for trips booked through August 8th, perfect for a summer getaway.
I immediately started clicking to find the best hotel for the best price. Although I’ve never stayed at any of these hotels (hotels outside the park are just as nice and MUCH MUCH cheaper), I’ve looked at their pictures, ammenities, and other information countless times, and dreamed of staying there. We did stay at Disney’s Dolphin Resort once, which was very nice, but is not actually part of the Disney brand, even though it’s inside Disney World.
The best deals I found included regular rooms at three moderate level Disney Resorts (3-3.5 stars) for $119 per night at Port Orleans French Quarter and Riverside, Caribbean Beach Resort, and Coronado Springs Resort. My choice would be the Caribbean Beach Resort; I’ve always wanted to go there. The rooms at these resorts are usually around $200 per night, so $119 is a good price.
For those who want a little more room and luxury, a few resorts, including Old Key West Resort and Saratoga Springs Resort, have villas from $179.
The value resorts (the Allstar movie, sports, music hotels) are the cheapest at $104, but those places have never appealed to me. Giant guitars and footballs are just a little too tacky. I’d suggest spending the extra $15 per night for a much better stay.
Hopefully some people get to use this great deal. I’m sure I’ll be posting tons of Disney/Universal/Orlando area reviews and deals in the near future.
