I was surfing the web the other day thinking about our upcoming trip to you know, Disney, when I came across a post on Facebook looking for bloggers to review a book from The Disney Moms Natalie Henley called “Strategies for Paying for Disney”. Um sure thing! Who doesn’t like Disney $$ saving tips!
When you got to Disney more than once a year, people start to say “you are going back AGAIN”. Um yes, we are Magical that way. After a few years and many trips we know how to make it work for our family and I am always looking for tips on how to save up for it . I was interested in reading Natalie’s book because when you are one of THOSE Disney families, people ask you for resources and tips.
Lets face it, between the 2 resort areas in the US, there is WAY TOO MUCH INFO to know. I learn something new with each trip. You can start referring your friends and families to this website or that one – there are PLENTY of Disney Sites out there for sure, but I remember planning our first trip, I was VERY overwhelmed with all the information out there. I wish someone had pointed me to something like Natalie’s book!
“Strategies for Paying for Disney” is a GREAT book with just enough park information to help you make the most of your park ticket dollars without causing your head to explode from information! Its got brief but informative info on the resorts and how to figure out which is the right one for you AND I personally LOVED the “do we need a car” discussion – we learned that for ourselves though trial and error.
The book covers BOTH Disneyland in California and Walt Disney World in Florida….because what applies in one resort does not necessarily apply in the other one.
Its organized as follows:
- Meet the Magic
- Do Your Research
- Funding Your Vacation
- Bring the Magic With You
- Keeping Your Funds
With each chapter, you learn what the Disney jargon means and how things work- Fastpasses, Advanced Dining Reservations, DVC, etc. You also get very good practical information on how to decide what is right for you – Stay Onsite?, Rent a Car?, Dining plans, and more! Along with this you are given ways to save towards your vacation – because we all know, Disney is not the cheapest place to go – AND ways to save money while you are there. I loved how each Park was described… Walk in, such in such in on your left….go down the street and the update board is in front of you…I mean its way better than I just wrote, but its just enough to have you use the tools the parks give you for a magical visit.
PLUS it directs you to some great websites when you are ready to expand your knowledge and those places with the most up to date and accurate information. For someone who is new planning a trip to Disneyworld or Disneyland, this book is invaluable….its packed with great info without information overload – seriously a person can go batty planning a Disney vacation. For a veteran, I know what works for our family and have been enough times to know the parks and such but I will admit, there were a couple tips I got when reading too! Each chapter also had a quick summary for easy reference, nice feature!
While there are many books out there regarding Disney vacations, I liked this one was specifically focused on strategies for saving money. I mean you are introduced to all things Disney but there are concrete examples showing you how to save up. Natalie has a background in accounting and she makes it easy to see the ways you can save your money to make the most of a Disney vacation. I asked her what make her book different from the others and her reply:
“I always have enjoyed going to theme parks. When I was a child, my family always had annual passes to our local theme park. Once it closed, the safest and nicest theme park to visit was Disney for trips with my son. The only problem was that Disney was not close by. Determined to get to Disney as often as I could, I began using my accounting background to figure out a way to afford vacations to Disney. I found a variety of ways to save up both before and while on my Disney vacation. With several trips to Disney under my belt, friends and family began asking for advice on how I could afford to go so often. Soon after, I compiled my thoughts into what is now Strategies for Paying for Disney.
The majority of the books available for Disney vacationers focus on touring plans or details of the attractions found within the parks. Instead, my book focused on helping people afford to experience those attractions. Not only will this book help you save the money for your vacation, but also help you decide the best way to use the saved funds once the time comes to book the vacation”
For the money, anyone going to Walt Disney World or Disneyland for the first time should invest a few dollars in some kind of guide IMO. If you are going to spend all that money you might as well get the most for your dollar and have the vacation that is suited JUST FOR YOU. And for the price of this book, you will learn ways to get it back the price plus more AND have a vacation you will love! And you know, if you are one of THOSE Disney people who gets asked FREQUENTLY for information about the parks, this book really is a great resource for giving out info in an organized without overwhelming fashion. I will surely refer it to all my friends.
Its available on Amazon – Free Shipping with Prime – woot woot – or via Kindle edition.
Disclosure: I was provided a copy of the book “Strategies for Paying for Disney” for review from The Disney Moms. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
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