Kids Life Tuscaloosa September/ October 2022 | Page 29

along with a $ 10 toaster purchased from Wal-Mart . Toasters and microwaves are available for guests ’ use in the resort food courts , but we prefer to save the time walking back and forth in the morning . As our packed food is consumed during our stay , space is made available for any souvenirs making the trip home . We ’ ve even left the $ 10 toaster behind when necessary . Depending on your budget , you could choose to bring all of your meals and snacks or just bring some to offset the cost of a special meal or two .
TRANSPORTATION TO WDW If you drive your own car to WDW , be sure to also budget for the expense of parking fees at your resort and the parks . Guests staying at a Disney resort hotel will pay overnight parking fees ranging between $ 15- $ 25 depending on the resort category but standard theme park parking is included . If you choose to stay off property , most hotels have similar parking fees but you will also pay the standard daily parking fee of $ 25 ( more for oversized or priority parking ).
If you fly , there are several options from the Orlando airport to your WDW resort . Our favorite method of transportation to WDW resorts , The Magical Express ( a bus shuttle service that was once included at no additional cost in your WDW vacation for guests staying at Disney resort hotels ) is no longer available . The same service is now provided by two companies : Mears Connect www . MearsConnect . com and Sunshine Flyer www . Sunshineflyer . com who each charge $ 32 for adults and $ 27 for children 3-9 ( under 3 ride free ) round trip . You may choose to rent a car from one of the companies located within the airport , just keep in mind that in addition to the parking fees at the resorts you will incur tolls on the way to and from the airport .
OTHER SAVINGS In addition to the ways I ’ ve shared , there are a few other sources for Disney savings . WDW occasionally releases room-only offers exclusively for Chase Disney Visa credit cardholders and Disney + subscribers so being a member of either of those could be beneficial .
If you are not already aware of MouseSavers . com , I highly recommend signing up for their newsletter as they are a fabulous source for saving on all things Disney . A few other great sources for saving on all things Disney I recommend following on social media are : Undercover Tourist @ themeparkfrog Disney On The Dime @ disneyonthedime Disney Tricks Blog @ disney _ tricks Disney Food Blog @ disneyfoodblog ** If you are a Southwest Airlines fan and think the Southwest card may be useful your upcoming travel plans , you may want to look into their business and / or personal card bonus points offers which change periodically and can be quite substantial . I am certainly not here to advocate the use of credit cards for anyone but I figured I might as well put my regular business and personal expenses to work for our year of magical memories . While there are other lower cost airlines , I am a huge fan of Southwest not only because of their fantastic sign up points bonuses and Companion Pass benefits , but find their generous “ 2 checked bags fly free ” and carryon policies make flying so much less stressful than with other airlines . The surprising thing about their new cardmember points bonuses is that they count toward earning the Southwest Companion Pass – a benefit where one person of your choosing flies with you free of charge ( aside from the mandatory $ 5.60 TSA fee each way ). When you qualify for the Companion Pass , it is good for the rest of that calendar year and the entire next calendar year . This means if you time it just right and earn it early in the calendar year , you would get almost 2 full years of use out of it ! Your companion does not have to be the same person and can be changed up to 3 times per year . Southwest offers current cardmember points bonuses for friends who sign up as well . Each of Southwest ’ s cards carry an annual fee so you will definitely want to consider the value of the travel you ’ d receive against that cost . I hope these tips will help make your Walt Disney World vacation even more magical !

If you decide that the travel perks available through a Southwest Airlines credit card is something that will benefit your family , you can sign up and we ’ ll both earn points by scanning here ! www . kidslifemagazine . com

29