An avid Walt Disney World Resort visitor with 48 trips to Florida's most famous theme park has revealed a simple booking trick that can take hundreds off the cost of a family holiday.
Mark Patterson, who lives in Southern California and has visited Disney World 48 times in the past six years for work and pleasure, told the Mirror that choosing a hotel with a kitchenette is one of the easiest ways to slash spending.
Kitchenette tip can save up to $200 a day
"All the restaurants at Disney are expensive, so the hotels I like have a kitchenette with a stove and a full-size fridge, so you can buy food and cook it," he said.
"You can then take it into the park with you, and that can save a lot of money. Even if you just take two meals in for the family, that can save you easily $100 (£74.71) to $200 (£149.42) per day."
For a family of four, a 10-night trip to Walt Disney World can cost anywhere from £4,000 to more than £10,000, with per-person prices often ranging from £1,500 to £4,000. The kitchenette strategy, combined with a free hotel breakfast, can help avoid hidden costs that quickly add up.
Flamingo Crossings: a budget-friendly base
Patterson recommends the Flamingo Crossings area for travellers looking for newer, reasonably priced hotels that include breakfast. "The Flamingo Crossings area is my favourite, it's newer, and the hotels are all new, and they all have free breakfast. They offer good, reasonable prices there," he said.
The catch, he said, is that visitors need to drive, get a lift, or take a shuttle bus to the park each day. But with free breakfast included, the extra travel may be worth it.
Disney Springs: handy but with hidden fees
Patterson, who has stayed at 36 different hotels during his Disney World visits, also likes the Disney Springs area. "The Disney Springs area has a range of hotels, right there within walking distance to the shopping area, and it's where pretty much everybody goes to eat at night. It gets very busy and popular, so being able to walk to that is very handy," he said.
However, he said that only one hotel in that area offers free breakfast, and extras such as breakfast, parking and resort fees can quickly add up. "So I might get a hotel for around $100 (£74.71) per night, but will then have to pay for breakfast, which is $28 (£20.92), along with paying for parking, which can be around $25 (£18.68) and a resort fee of around $40 (£29.88). So it can literally double the price of what I thought I was going to pay."
Patterson targets an average hotel rate of around $100 (£74.71) to $200 (£149.42) per night and advises holidaymakers to watch for hidden fees. He documents his trips and money-saving advice on his website, DDadBudget.
