Season of Disney: On a Dime – Review
This Travel Channel show highlights the ways visitors to the Walt Disney World Resort can attempt to save money while having a great time. “On a Dime” first presents the Magic your way vacation packages as a way to save money. That is not always the case, but it is a convenient way to arrange for a trip to Disney. There are many websites that can provide information on how to construct your own package separately or through a specialty Disney travel agent to save more than if you purchase a package through Disney. Try www.mousesavers.com, www.mouseplanet.com; or www.miceage.com.
The first family we meet in the show is the Jones family. They feature the Animal Kingdom park and the Disney Magical Express shuttle service. The Magical Express is both a blessing and a curse. It is a blessing in that once you check in at your airport, you don’t see your luggage again until is appears in your resort room. As for you and your family – a shuttle is provided to you at no additional charge to take you to your resort. This really allows you to start your vacation the minute you leave the gate at your home airport and you save by not having to rent a car. One point the show makes is to pack a carry-on with those items you may need immediately upon arrival because it may take some time for your luggage to catch up to you.
However, the Magical Express is also a curse in that, without your own rental car, you can only travel where the Disney transportation service can take you. Of course, that means you never leave the resort and only end up at venues that funnel money into Disney’s coffers.
The Joneses stay at the Port Orleans Resort Riverside a – moderate resort. This resort is in the Downtown Disney area of the WDW resort. Don’t forget, the time of year is important as far as resort rates go – a value season will save you money.
Animal Kingdom was featured with the Joneses and they hit all the high spots; Expedition Everest, Lion King show, and the Kilimanjaro safari. If you stay at a resort you can use the extra magic hours. They point out that if you want to save money and shorten your stay a park hopper ticket can help you hit more than one park in one day. The Jones family then hits Disney Studios to ride the Tower of Terror and Rock N Roller Coaster.
Then we are introduced to the Suarez family who is staying at the Fort Wilderness Resort where the family stays in a cabin with a kitchen. They point out that if you arrive late in the day perhaps you would want to save money by not hitting the park that day. The family then goes to Typhoon Lagoon, which provides a segue to allow a segment on resort pools and other water activities. Trails End restaurant was showcased as well as its buffet.
The Kolins are the last family to be profiled. Their vacation was planned entirely through the WDW website where they choose their resort and package. Again, this is very convenient, but there are other methods that can save you more money (mentioned above). They selected a 5 day stay at the Pop Century value resort for about $1600. The show points out there may be cheaper options off property, but that there is value to staying on property. Interestingly, some video from Disney Splurge was used in this show (but most viewers would not even notice the insert shots).
The Kolins ate at Liberty Tavern and used the Disney Your Way Dining Plan. This is asserted as a way to save money. Actually, you end up paying for full service eating, when if you were not regimented by the plan, you could eat at counter service restaurants and save. For instance, a visitor who wanted to save might stop at the Grand Floridian and eat at the Gasparilla Grill where you can get a Mickey Waffle platter for about $6 surrounded by the trappings of Disney’s flagship resort. This is opposed to a character mean full service like Chef Mickey’s will run about $23 for a breakfast. Granted you get more service at Chef Mickey’s, but if you are really traveling on a dime you would want to eat at the value counter-service restaurants – the Gasparilla, the Food and Fun Center at the Contemporary, Captain Cook’s at the Polynesian, or Mara at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Of course, the Pop Century has a food court that is full of inexpensive quick service restaurants.
In any event, although this program sometimes emphasized the convenient over the truly inexpensive, the information was generally helpful and the show itself was enjoyable. This will be a show that will be rerun many times for those Disneyphiles who can’t get enough of the Disney resort.
If you have ever wanted to know what Space Mountain is like with the lights on – just watch this video here.
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