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lovebrin05
Would love to take my kids to disneyland this summer. For the weekend or a few days. Need a hotel and tickets. Should I book on Disneyland.com or bargin shop online?
Answer
Go to Disneyland.com and do the travel planning thing. You don't need to buy, but then you will be on their list and they will send you special deals. (*this is Disney, and its not much) I recently recieved a coupon for 10% tickets, and last summer they sent me a $10 gift card. But every buck counts with Disney.
Now the disney hotels are great, if you can afford them, but since its obvious you are going on a budget (as I always do), they are probably going to be out of range, especially during the peak time (all summer).
If you can manage it, I reccomend going during the week. Tues, Wed and Thur. are best (or at least better than weekends, again summer is peak time!).
Buy your tickets online through Disney.com, they may give a slight discount for doing the print at home option at least the night before you are going. Not alot saved, but a few bucks here and there add up. You can also look into buying your tickets through Samsclub or Costco. They sometimes have 2 and 3 day hoppers for a few bucks cheaper than through Disney. But at all costs avoid E-Bay and Craigslist. They are most often scams and it would be the worst to be there at the gates and turned away because the tickets are invalid. Only go through trusted sources for ticketed events like this.
As for hotels, there are plenty nearby. Just look on Expedia.com, Travelocity, etc., and you will find tons of listings for hotels. But when you plan on booking the hotel, I suggest doing a check through here to get real reviews of the hotels. Some can be really shady, and others, while nice, can be 10 miles away from the gates, making it inconvenient to get there if you aren't in a car.
Parking at Disney is about $10 (I heard it went up to $11), if you are in a car.
If this is your first trip with the kids, try to plan on doing a character breakfast one of your days there. Its not alot, under $20 each, and it is a buffet, but the kids get lots of face time, and it avoids spending lots of time in the parks to see just one character. Other than that special meal though, I usually eat breakfast out at a fast food restraunt before going in the park, and then walk out of the park at lunch to the McDonalds accross the street, and just have a small snack in Disney in the evening. Dinner is fast food outside (if your even hungry!). I also pack in a small backpack some granola bars, fruit roll ups, etc. for snacking and also make sure to bring the individual packettes of water flavoring (ie. Crystal light stuff, or now they do cool aid, too) and when I'm thirsty, I get a free cup of ice water inside any food service that serves their drinks in cups (not just in bottles).
Another great hint I heard, is that while in the planning stages, parent give allowances, Birthday gifts, etc. partially in Disney Dollars, which can be purchased at any Disney Store (usually at larger malls). The kids can then save this money for the trip and that is their money to buy the endless suvioners with. It puts a limit on what you will spend, teaches them some about dealing with money, and helps spread the expense out before the big trip.
Good luck and Have Fun!
Go to Disneyland.com and do the travel planning thing. You don't need to buy, but then you will be on their list and they will send you special deals. (*this is Disney, and its not much) I recently recieved a coupon for 10% tickets, and last summer they sent me a $10 gift card. But every buck counts with Disney.
Now the disney hotels are great, if you can afford them, but since its obvious you are going on a budget (as I always do), they are probably going to be out of range, especially during the peak time (all summer).
If you can manage it, I reccomend going during the week. Tues, Wed and Thur. are best (or at least better than weekends, again summer is peak time!).
Buy your tickets online through Disney.com, they may give a slight discount for doing the print at home option at least the night before you are going. Not alot saved, but a few bucks here and there add up. You can also look into buying your tickets through Samsclub or Costco. They sometimes have 2 and 3 day hoppers for a few bucks cheaper than through Disney. But at all costs avoid E-Bay and Craigslist. They are most often scams and it would be the worst to be there at the gates and turned away because the tickets are invalid. Only go through trusted sources for ticketed events like this.
As for hotels, there are plenty nearby. Just look on Expedia.com, Travelocity, etc., and you will find tons of listings for hotels. But when you plan on booking the hotel, I suggest doing a check through here to get real reviews of the hotels. Some can be really shady, and others, while nice, can be 10 miles away from the gates, making it inconvenient to get there if you aren't in a car.
Parking at Disney is about $10 (I heard it went up to $11), if you are in a car.
If this is your first trip with the kids, try to plan on doing a character breakfast one of your days there. Its not alot, under $20 each, and it is a buffet, but the kids get lots of face time, and it avoids spending lots of time in the parks to see just one character. Other than that special meal though, I usually eat breakfast out at a fast food restraunt before going in the park, and then walk out of the park at lunch to the McDonalds accross the street, and just have a small snack in Disney in the evening. Dinner is fast food outside (if your even hungry!). I also pack in a small backpack some granola bars, fruit roll ups, etc. for snacking and also make sure to bring the individual packettes of water flavoring (ie. Crystal light stuff, or now they do cool aid, too) and when I'm thirsty, I get a free cup of ice water inside any food service that serves their drinks in cups (not just in bottles).
Another great hint I heard, is that while in the planning stages, parent give allowances, Birthday gifts, etc. partially in Disney Dollars, which can be purchased at any Disney Store (usually at larger malls). The kids can then save this money for the trip and that is their money to buy the endless suvioners with. It puts a limit on what you will spend, teaches them some about dealing with money, and helps spread the expense out before the big trip.
Good luck and Have Fun!
Should I get the Marmot Xenon sleeping bag?
TJ
I will be going on several camping trips soon and also a trip to Yellow Stone for a couple of nights next year. After going to the REI store, I was referred to the Marmot Wm's Xenon sleeping bag. I purchased it but am starting to have second thoughts.
Has anyone had any experience with the Marmot Xenon sleeping bag?
I have looked all over but haven't found any reviews.
Also, I am 5"6, the Marmot Xenon only comes in a regular. Should I just switch for a regular (6") Marmot Helium bag?
Thank you!
Answer
It's a very nice, quality bag. I don't have personal experience with the Xenon, but a friend has the Helium and really likes it.
With size, it's really up to you. If you already have the bag and have tried it at home, and feel the need for more space than go for the Helium. The Xenon and other woman's bags are suppose to be more shaped for the lady's or what not. Gimmicky? Maybe a little. Space is nice but you don't want to much to allow cold air pockets in the bag.
I think your bigger issue is the fact that you purchased from REI. You got ripped off. Yea yea membership program gives you 10% back at the end of the year, but why not save more than that now?
Check out these price comparisons:
http://www.trailspace.com/gear/marmot/xenon/
You can save $80 (or 20%, right now, compared to REI) at Moosejaw. They ship free, have great., knowledgeable customer service and a great return policy.
http://www.trailspace.com/gear/marmot/helium/
Save $100 (25%) right now from Moosejaw. You can even go a step further and get a price match from Sunnysports who will also beat the price by 5%.
Either way you go, there are better deals out there than the big box rei can/will offer.
Another thing, the bags you are looking at are high quality and expensive. I would only recommend spending that much if you plan on using it a lot and/or are doing long distance backpacking. Its overkill and expensive for car camping, low mile weekend trips and such. There are other great down bags out there that don't have to cost so much. The North Face and Kelty make some great down bags for under $200 (though not 850 down fill, 600 is very nice).
Good luck!
It's a very nice, quality bag. I don't have personal experience with the Xenon, but a friend has the Helium and really likes it.
With size, it's really up to you. If you already have the bag and have tried it at home, and feel the need for more space than go for the Helium. The Xenon and other woman's bags are suppose to be more shaped for the lady's or what not. Gimmicky? Maybe a little. Space is nice but you don't want to much to allow cold air pockets in the bag.
I think your bigger issue is the fact that you purchased from REI. You got ripped off. Yea yea membership program gives you 10% back at the end of the year, but why not save more than that now?
Check out these price comparisons:
http://www.trailspace.com/gear/marmot/xenon/
You can save $80 (or 20%, right now, compared to REI) at Moosejaw. They ship free, have great., knowledgeable customer service and a great return policy.
http://www.trailspace.com/gear/marmot/helium/
Save $100 (25%) right now from Moosejaw. You can even go a step further and get a price match from Sunnysports who will also beat the price by 5%.
Either way you go, there are better deals out there than the big box rei can/will offer.
Another thing, the bags you are looking at are high quality and expensive. I would only recommend spending that much if you plan on using it a lot and/or are doing long distance backpacking. Its overkill and expensive for car camping, low mile weekend trips and such. There are other great down bags out there that don't have to cost so much. The North Face and Kelty make some great down bags for under $200 (though not 850 down fill, 600 is very nice).
Good luck!
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Title Post: what's the most inexpensive way to take kids to california disneyland?
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Rating: 95% based on 981 ratings. 4,6 user reviews.
Author: Unknown
Thanks For Coming To My Blog
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