Finding myself with some extra time this afternoon, I thought I’d visit my favorite place to write – Cafe Mouse!
It’s been a little while since I’ve posted – not because I haven’t wanted to . . . but merely because the business of being a mom has taken priority.
And by the way – Happy Mothers Day to all of my mommy followers! I hope your day was as magical as mine was!
First and foremost – Disney released some awesome discount deals that are now available to the general public – up to 30% off hotel rooms this summer and free dining in September. If you were thinking about a trip, you should definitely check out the money savings!
Which leads me to my next topic . . . pricing out food for a trip. In the midst of planning for our trip this summer, I was budgeting out meals for our family of 5 (2 adults, 3 children). In estimating the cost of lunch (nothing fancy, just counter service), I constantly arrived at the magical number range of $25.00-$30.00 (remember, we are a family of sharers so my husband and I can easily share an entrée during lunch. See my earlier post “How Many Mickey Bars for $40″ for more money-saving tips on dining).
Fast forward to our trip to the zoo this past Sunday. We grabbed lunch there (it was Mothers Day, after all – a “no-cooking, preparing or even thinking about making food” kind of day) and wouldn’t you know it . . . our total came to $25.00!
Huh. Again, 2 kids meals, a slice of pizza and an adult entrée chicken salad. More than enough for everyone to share.
Coincidence?? Nope – just reaffirmation that we often find ourselves over-buying food and wasting what we don’t eat.
The next time you are getting ready to order for your family – wondering if each person really needs a full “meal” at Disney, the zoo, or any place for that matter – try our approach to sharing and you might find yourself pocketing more money and wasting less food. (By the way, www.allears.net lists the menu for EVERY restaurant location at the Walt Disney World parks and hotels. It’s a great source for trying to gauge the money you’ll need for food during your trip).
Ok, on to the next topic – cheating on Disney. Not that long ago, we were dining out with great friends of ours and talking about plans to visit family in Florida during Thanksgiving. We are going to use this trip to “explore” other Orlando attractions and a stop at Disney is not in the plans (I know, I know, gasp!!!!!)
My friend’s husband chuckled as he said, ”So, you are going to cheat on Disney??” As I booked our hotel near Universal Studios last week, I can answer that question and with an emotional, “Yes. Sadly, I feel EXACTLY like I am cheating on Disney!” It’s the same feeling of guilt you get when you cheat on your favorite hairdresser – c’mon ladies, you know what I mean.
Believe me when I tell you that I am a creature of habit and breaking any routine is hard for me. I found myself frustrated trying to understand how the heck the whole ticketing system worked at Universal (wait, you have to PAY to get fast pass privileges?) Trying to decide whether it was worth staying at one of “their” hotels or not was just as agonizing (wait, can I still get a Mickey Mouse wake up call??)
In fact, I STILL have our reservations booked at the WDW Dolphin hotel, trying to convince myself that we will end up there in the end . . . the place we know, the park we love (ok, maybe I am being a little dramatic).
Sadly, I know I will not win this one. (And if my dear husband is reading this, I swear I will cancel that Dolphin reservation this week.)
At least I’ll have some great info to share with you come December – and instead of posting pictures with Pluto, I’ll just post a picture with Harry Potter (wait, there are no Harry Potter characters to pose next to???)
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