Walt Disney World Vacation Specials

Image : http://www.flickr.com

This is the time of the year to take advantage of Walt Disney World vacation specials. Summer is approaching and with the kids out of school, there is no better time to enjoy Walt Disney World.

Walt Disney World is running a special this year that includes a free entrance to any one (1) Disney theme park of your choice.

For you vacationers that will be celebrating a birthday this summer, or for the remainder of the year, take advantage of this offer from Walt Disney. The gift is worth at least $65.00. Be advised that Walt Disney World does require proof of birth with a birth certificate preferably. In this recession crisis, this is quite a gift!

Planning for Disney World can get expensive, take it from me I have been there at least 60 times in the last 15 years.

I can tell you that I have never been offered a special like this. I usually get the Florida Resident specials, but they never have allowed any one person to enter the park for free with a promotion. During the 911 tragedy, many of the theme parks across the United States offered Law enforcement, Fire Rescue, and Military personnel the ability to enter some selected theme parks free of charge, but not Walt Disney World. Among those allowed were Sea World, Busch Gardens, Miami Seaquarium, and a few others.

The Walt Disney Park hopper and other tickets are not compatible with the free birthday pass, they can however sell Walt Disney World modified park hoppers. For instance if one in your party qualifies for the free birthday pass, and your Disney trip consists of the 4 day park hopper, the party benefiting from the free ticket, would purchase the three day park hopper.

Walt Disney World vacation specials are available online and in person. Have a safe and fun Disney vacation this Summer.

Disney World Family Vacations

Image : http://www.flickr.com

What kid doesn't want to go to Disney World at least once in their life. And every Mum and Dad just love to take their kids to Disney World because they know those kids are going to have the best time of their life. If the kids are having fun then the Mums and Dads are too. Except maybe when the pocket book starts to get a little light. Once all the readies have gone it is time to hit the credit card. If you have a couple of kids and you want to spend a week and stay on site so you get the most value for your money, it could cost you over $5000 by the time you factor in airfares etc. Have you ever tried to eat at one of those places. Just the meals alone for four of you will set you back a small fortune. I suppose if you have budgeted for a figure and expect to spend it then just relax and enjoy it.

After all it is your annual Disney World family vacation and something that does not come round very often. It is a must at least once when your kids are all at the right age to really appreciate it. It is a magical time for them and something they will remember for ever. You will re-live this vacation many times over the dinner table well into the future. It certainly is special and everyone should make the effort to get there at least once.

It is just that cost that holds many of us back. It is just a lot to have to find for a vacation. There are ways that it can reduced without impacting on your vacation value. I mean you don't want to be staying in a scroungy hotel off site just to save a few bucks. That would really take the shine off of your vacation. But some people have put together guides to help you enjoy your vacation so much more and still save a couple of thousand off the total cost.

Some of these people have actually been working on site at Disney World and know all the ins and outs. I mean if you knew which queue was statistically going to move faster it would be a great help in getting more out of your day. If you knew how to get discounts on accommodation and park tickets you would surely take them. As long as it had no effect on the quality of our vacation we would take any advice we could get especially if we were going save heaps of money.

So do a Google and you will find lots of ideas to save you heaps on your next Disney World family vacation. It is your money and if it was me, a couple of thousand bucks is a lot. Enjoy your vacation. If you save that much you could go again next year. The kids would love that.

Tips on a Truly Magical Disney Vacation

Image : http://www.flickr.com

Disney World is the ultimate family vacation spot for almost every individual, whether young or old. Because it can get expensive, a trip to Disney World is only a once in a lifetime opportunity for most people. If you finally saved enough money for a trip to Los Angeles or Florida for a Disney Vacation, make sure everything goes smoothly and perfectly by following these tips:

Wear light clothing and comfortable walking shoes. It can get hot and sunny in Florida or LA, and it will certainly involve a lot of walking. To avoid yourselves from sweating too much, don light clothing and comfy shoes. Sunscreen and hats are optional, but will certainly be helpful. Heels are a definite no-no.
Similarly, it can get too cold in air conditioned areas, so bring a sweater or jacket.
Plan ahead. List down the attractions you and your kids would love to visit on your Disney Vacation. Label them in your map and create a time-effective route to visit these attractions. However, if something interesting catches your eye along the way, stop and have a look even if it isn't part of itinerary. If not, you could let pass something wonderful.
Bring walkie talkies, pagers, or cell phones. Disney World is a large place, and it's easy to get lost here. If your party plans to split up, these devices are perfect ways to keep in touch.
Use Fast Pass! Fast Pass is Disney's nifty time saving device. The best thing about it is that it's free! It is offered in most theme park rides and shows. All you have to do is insert your pass in the Fast Pass machine and you will get a ticket designating you a time (usually an hour or less) to come back and go through a special line with little or no waiting at all.
Don't forget to bring autograph books! You and your children might want to get their favorite Disney character's autographs, and the characters will willingly sign and take a snapshot with you.
Lockers are available for use at all theme parks throughout the day.
The early bird gets the worm, and this maxim is very much applicable in your Disney vacation. Get to the parks early! That way, you don't have to deal with long queues and annoying crowds.
The dining experience in Disney World is absolutely kid-friendly. All restaurants have high chairs, booster seats, children's menus, plus crayons and coloring books to keep your kids entertained while waiting.
Be sure to stop by Disney's two water theme parks, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. Bring your swimsuit, or maybe two, so you can have some water fun while waiting for the other swimsuit's still drying out.
You can bring your toddler with you during your vacation. The resort has in room babysitting services as well as child care programs like the Mouseketeer Clubhouse and the Never land Club so you and your spouse can enjoy a night out without worrying over your little ones.

Keeping Abreast With Best Travelling Deals

Image : http://www.flickr.com

Seeing how travelling is one of the most incredible experiences, more and more people are now investing their time and money into this activity. When we are regular travelers, it becomes necessary for us to seek affordable air tickets and we are always on the look out for good travel deals. It is not such a difficult thing to find either. We need to research a bit on what are the deals available to us when we travel to a particular location. The best ways to find this out would be to visit the various travel websites, rather than approaching the travel agent.

The travel websites give us a comprehensive list of air fare for all destinations. If we are looking to plan the entire trip which involves airfare, hotel stay, site seeing and food, there are numerous travel deals available at these websites which could be of our interest. These are affordable and cover almost all our requirements. Do not be in a hurry to book a trip until you have done enough research. You can look through 4 to 5 top travel websites and you would get an idea about how it works. Getting a regular fortnightly newsletter from travel websites is also a good way to stay up to speed.

The free newsletters have all the information about the best deals available and if you are not too particular about your destination. You want to holiday at any good location, you can select your destination as per the offers available. Over all you do not really need a travel agent to plan your vacation. Spend some time looking around and you would be able to strike a good deal for yourself. There are many all inclusive trips offered by the travel websites and hotels. These deals are ideal for regular travelers.

Travels magazines are a good source of information of you want to learn more about the destinations and the site seeing. You can plan your entire trip without much effort. When you are going to book your plane tickets, just make sure to check if there is a good offer about hotel stay being included in the ticket charges. Even if it is not, see that you are able to seek maximum discount from the airline. You would come to know about their offers time to time, if you just call their customer service. The airline staff would be more than happy to assist you.

Today's Budget Travel Insider Secrets

Budget travel is the buzz phrase when it comes to planning a vacation today. There are so many ways to actually fit your budget rather than the other way around, and yet some people still have no idea where to begin. What is needed is a frame of reference and this quick guide to budget travel should help you to plan the trip of your dreams for as low a cost as possible.

The purpose behind budget travel is to have the best possible experience and saving money at the same time. This must be done without sacrificing the quality of your travel experience. Many travellers make a game of this and set targets for spending as little as possible for maximum fun and adventure.

The first thing to consider for budget travel is your choice of transportation. Often, the way you travel can account for up to 70% of your total vacation cost. Budget travel forces one to examine the options carefully.

Travelling by car can save you money if the journey is relatively short, but a cross-country jag can really get expensive when one considers the ever fluctuating cost of gas. RV travel can be very enjoyable, especially for families, but cheap it's not when one figures in gas, campground fees, sewage hook-ups etc.
RV travel does bring the many of comforts of home, but at a price. Train Travel is a tremendous bargain and a good choice for those interested in budget travel. Train ticket prices have been greatly discounted to attract more customers. Bus travel can also be a good choice for the budget minded.

An extended stay in one location is another good strategy for budget travel. Using one spot as a home base and traveling to points of interest as day trips can be a lot of fun, offer diverse though related experiences and you can actually save a lot of money by renting an apartment or extended stay accommodation. All this and a central spot that feels like home and is familiar place to rest your head after the day's adventure.

If you have reached senior citizen status, there are numerous discounts available, so be sure to ask. The internet is loaded with discount coupons for entertainment, meals, and more. Many individuals overlook this sort of travel tip and rely on haggling and that's fine too, but coupons can often gain you an equivalent discount without the need to open your mouth. Let's not forget the various travel websites like Travelocity, Priceline, etc. they too can be excellent sources for budget travel opportunities. Some budget minded folks build their entire vacation around the cheap airfare and accommodations they find on those websites.

As you can see there are a number of methods to achieve substantial discounts and great rates for budget travel. So go on out and have a wonderful travel adventure and have fun saving money at the same time!

When's the Best Time to Go to Disney World?

Image : http://www.flickr.com

One of the main questions people ask is 'When is the best time to go to Disney World?' That's a great question - with many answers.

It really depends on a few factors, most especially you - your schedule, time limitations and preferences.

Here are several questions to ask when deciding on a time to go to Disney World.

1) Do You Have Schedule Limitations?

For example, do you have to go when the kids are out of school (March break or in the summer for example)? You may only be able to take vacation from work during certain times of the year.

You may have to coordinate with your family or significant other to agree on a time that works best for everyone. You may also be going to Disney World for a special occasion like a birthday, honeymoon or a special Disney festival.

In this case, you're obviously limited to specific times of the year. However, many people do have at least a little bit of wiggle room when it comes to planning their time to go - which leads to the next question:

2) What's Important to You?

Here's where it comes down to personal preference. You have several factors when choosing the best time to go to Disney World. The most important factors are:

#1 Price - There are certain times of the year where Disney resorts are cheaper than others. (Ticket prices don't tend to change throughout the year - although they usually rise with every year).

These cheaper seasons are obviously the less popular times (for example in January when less people are traveling or during the hot and rainy summer season). If price is important to you, you may want to go around Jan-Feb or July-Sept when resort prices are lowest.

#2 Crowds - Do large crowds bother you or do you feel energized? For most people, crowds can be frustrating.

If you really want to avoid large crowds, be sure to stay away from Disney World during holidays like Christmas, New Years, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Independence Day.

On the flip side, Disney usually has some incredible special shows during these times so if you aren't too concerned about crowds and want a really special experience, you may want to hit the parks during the holidays. If having smaller crowds is important to you, you may want to go around mid-January to Feb, Sept and immediately after Thanksgiving.

In January, people are trying to pay off their Christmas bills so they can't afford to go on vacation. In Sept, kids are back to school. And right after Thanksgiving, people are starting to gear up for Christmas. All these factors make for less crowded parks.

#3 Weather - While almost everyone loves sunny weather - there are certain times during the year that are hotter and stickier than others. There's also the rainy season to consider if you don't want to run into storms at Disney World.

Choosing based on climate can be a tradeoff. For example, August may be cheaper and have less crowds, but it's also extremely hot - almost uncomfortably so. If weather is important to you, you might want to avoid the warmer times and during the rainy season that runs from June to September.

So those are several tips for deciding on the best time to go to Disney World. Again, it really depends on what's important to you. For most people they find it's a trade off between crowd levels, price and weather.

The Secret of Having a Great Time in Krakow the Fun Filled Capital of Poland

Image : http://www.flickr.com

Krakow is a massive city with several districts and is the capital of the Maloposkie (lesser Poland or Little Poland) province in the southern region of Poland. It is Poland's third largest city with a population close to three quarters of a million people. Krakow is on both sides of the Wisla (also known as the Vistula) River.

Krakow is Poland's oldest city with evidence that it people settled there as long ago as 20,000 BC. The locals claim that is was built on the cave of a dragon whom the mythical King Krak had slain. The first official recorded mention of Krakow was in 966 by a Jewish merchant from Spain who said it was an important centre of trade in Slavonic Europe.

There is plenty to see and do in Krakow but the main things I would recommend to do in Krakow are as follows:

If you are in Krakow on a Sunday you must go shopping at the open air flea market at Plac Nowy and Hala Targowa.
When you go to Wawel Castle (which you must) take time just to sit and enjoy the sun on the banks of the Wisla River. You can also if you are more of an adventurous type take a cruise a long the river plus see the dragons lair and the dragon breathe fire.
Take a walk around the Planty which is a large park that surrounds the whole of the Old Town.
Witness Hejnal Mariaki (Trumpet Signal) whilst enjoying a drink. The signal is played live on every full hour and cut suddenly in memory of a trumpeter shot and killed by a Tatar arrow in 1241.
Walk the complete Royal Way from St. Florian's gate down Florianska and across the Rynek Glowny, down Grodzka to Wawel Castle.

Krakow is a great city with so much history and just a great place to explore in safety as you enjoy the architecture and do a bit of people watching. Krakow is a humble city that will capture your heart.

Cheap Vacations on Disney

Image : http://www.flickr.com

Cheap Disney Vacations are Within Your Reach Do you wish that you could afford a Disney Vacation? Well, the chances are that you can! All the magic of Disney doesn't have to come with an exorbitant price tag. With the right planning and ingenuity, Disney vacations can not only be reasonably priced, but even downright cheap. Get started planning your cheap Disney vacations today!

How cheap can a Disney vacation be? And what do you have to do to get one? To begin your planning, you should pick a time of year to take your Disney vacation. The best times are the off-seasons-Hurricane season (August and September), most of January, and October to November are quite times when prices are at their lowest.

Start off by deciding where to stay. Hotels in Orlando have a range of prices, but it's amazing how low prices can be if you stay off-site. It's not unusual to find rooms for $30-40 a night. If you have a large party (6+ people), you might want to consider renting a condo or home; you can often find a 3 or more bedroom vacation home in the same price range as a 2.5 star hotel. When you split the cost between multiple families, the cost can be cheaper than any hotel room available. Similarly, if visiting Disneyland, staying off-site will save you hundreds of dollars a night.

When it comes to meals, there are many cheap options in Orlando. Meals inside the Disney parks can have steep prices, so it's best to plan eating off-site as much as possible. A web search for cheap food in Orlando can help you make a food budget. Getting some basic food items at the local grocery store can also be a great money-saver if you have a fridge in your hotel room.

The biggest cost you will face on a Disney vacation is the actual admission to the Disney parks. The best way to save in this area is to buy multi-day ticket. The price of a one-day ticket to any one of the four Disney World parks is about $80 for an adult. But if you buy an adult 5-day ticket (which allows you to visit one park per day for five days), your cost will be more like $47 per day.

With these tips in mind, you too can enjoy all the magic Disney has to offer. Plan your cheap Disney vacations today!

Affordable Disney Family Vacations

Once you have decided how to arrive at your favorite Disney destination, the next step is to decide how long to stay.

At Disney World in Florida, a week-long stay will keep you busy and entertain your entire family. There is something for everyone at the Walt Disney World Resort, and magical adventures await.

Budget Discussion:

Be sure to include all members of your family in the discussion about where to stay, how long, and even how much to budget. By keeping everyone informed and involved, you are sure to head-off disappointed little ones who may want to do it all, while the budget requires choices and compromises. Study the various resources available about the different Theme Parks, or check out books at the Library about your vacation. Realize you will not be able to get everything in one day, and have everyone one in your party select the most important thing they want to see. Make sure kids know there are many opportunities to purchase merchandise, and the exact amount of money you allot to spend on souvenirs and goodies.

Activity Selections:

You may think you want to stay in the "best" resort, go to every Theme park, and all the extras like the water parks, Downtown Disney, Disney Quest, Pleasure Island, plus all the sports related activities sounds like the way to go, but your budget may be more modest. A few decisions ahead of time, and a couple compromises will go a long way to making everyones dreams come true without breaking the bank.

Choose Theme Park:

Depending on the choices your family makes, you may want to limit how many Theme Parks you will see during your stay. Perhaps you will want to spend the majority of your time at Animal Kingdom, or take younger children to the Magic Kingdom for most of your trip. Maybe you want to experience Disney's Hollywood Studios, or perhaps EPCOT. If you focus on just one or two, and maybe a water park for one day, you can take your time to explore without feeling rushed or that you have to skip things to keep to a tight schedule.

Do not forget that small children will need rest, and so do Mom and Dad! If you build in some "down time", everyone will enjoy being together more. Make sure you choose age-appropriate adventures for every member of the family, and let little ones know in advance that they may not be big enough to go on every adventure - Mom may wait with the younger ones while Dad takes the older kids on certain rides, etc. If they know what to expect, there will be less "fussing" when the time comes to implement your plans.

Choose Admission type:

Decide how many days you want to spend at each Theme Park and that will help you decide on the type of admission ticket that will best fit your needs. A multi-day park-hopper will allow the most flexibility and access, but if you only have a couple days, you may want to focus on just one or two Theme Parks, and limit the amount of "hopping" you will do on this trip.

Remember, it's better to go at a relaxed pace, get the most out of each day, and come back on another vacation rather than exhaust yourself and your kids by trying do too many things, and not enjoying any of them. Spend a little extra time to notice the small details and don't feel rushed. You might not get to everything, but your memories of what you did get to see will be happy, vivid, and you will look forward to your next trip that much more!

Best Time to travel:

You will want select the best time for your family to go. While the Christmas holidays and Fourth of July are truly magical at any Disney Resort, it is also the busiest and most expensive. If you are able to be more flexible, choose a relatively quiet time of year to go, and remember that the middle of summer is peak travel time, and the hottest time to travel to Florida.

Length of stay:

Next choosing your length of stay will help you stay within budget. Seven days may be perfect for some families, but you might have to compromise here and only stay 4 nights. Spending fewer nights may mean you will have less overall expense, but you might feel you have to pack more into each day. The best tip is to go at a comfortable pace, enjoy each choice to the fullest, relax, and realize you may decide to make another trip next year to catch some of the attractions you may have missed this time.

Choose Resort Category:

Next, choose the resort you where you want to stay. Splurge for a real treat for a fewer number of days at one of the Deluxe resorts, or go with a lower price end resort for a longer stay. Either way, you will experience Disney's legendary service and attention to detail. The lower priced resorts are big on atmosphere, fun, and very family friendly - the restaurants are more affordable, less "fancy", and are "kid friendly" meals. The Deluxe hotels offer more formal dining, and cater to a more adult pallet, though of course still plenty of options for the kids. You can dine anywhere on property, so even if you chose a budget hotel, you can always splurge on one fancy dress-up dinner at one of the Deluxe Resorts.

Choose Resort Location:

Besides choosing the price range of the hotel, you will also want to select the location. If your budget dictation only a few days, you will want to maximize your time by staying closest to the areas you plan to visit. While all the transportation on property is convenient and efficient, you will still spend less time getting around if you stay closer to one Theme Park or another. If you have small children with you, consider a resort close enough to your main Theme Park experience so you can go back to the room for afternoon rest time, and maybe a quick dip in the pool.

Planning for you Affordable Disney family vacation is the first step in your adventure!

The Cheapest Ways to See the World - Cheap Holidays

Image : http://www.flickr.com

Looking for a cheap way to travel around the world? Look no further. It has never been easier to book cheap budget vacations to destinations all over the world with minimal hassle.

To start off, the best way to book a cheap vacation is to look for tour operators offering package vacations to different destinations. They make these packages based on the climate, cost and likeability by tourists. So, you will be able to find several kinds of packages, including snowy vacations to exciting beach holidays. Since the tour operators make these bookings in bulk and get discounts for using certain hotels and airlines, it is better to make them book for you as well, because it will be relatively cheaper for you than booking the entire holiday yourself. Remember to buy the holiday package at least a few months before the actual dates, since the packages are cheaper if you buy them in advance. Many tour packages also include discounts for using local stores and services like car rentals etc. Make sure you know what discounts you are eligible for, and that you avail all these offers. If you choose to make your own holiday package, look out for airline and hotel discounts.

Another cheap way to travel around and visit the world is to take part in a home exchange. This is easy to do through internet without using a travel agent, and is a very cheap way to see countries you wouldn't see otherwise. A home exchange is characterized by having two families exchanging homes for a holiday period. In this case, as both families use each other's homes, there are no hotel costs, and also the food costs are substantially reduced since you usually cook at home.

The first thing you need to do for this is to find a website offering an organization that arranges these home exchanges. You can compare what they offer, the charges for membership, and the destinations you can go to. You can exchange anything from a mansion to a yacht. There are several things that you must take care of before you take part in the home exchange. For instance, make sure you understand the kind of home you are getting in exchange. Send pictures of your place to the incoming family, and ask them to send you pictures of their home. Make sure that your insurance is up to date, and that your home covers guests staying in your house etc.

Put away valuables and make a list of all phone numbers that the guests may need like hospital, neighbours, police station. Also, ask a friend or neighbour to greet them, and show them any special features in the house they need to be aware of like a security system or a jammed door. Home exchanges allow you to live like local people and experience the feeling that is often missing when you live in a hotel during a holiday. You can meet the neighbours, and experience life just like the people living in that house. Home exchange makes your holiday not only cheap, but also unique.

So, these were the ways to make sure that you are able to book cheap holidays for yourself anywhere around the world. Hopefully these suggestions will make your next vacation enjoyable and affordable.