Tuesday Tip-Saving Money at Places Off Walt Disney World Property

Many of you either drive your own car or fly in and get a rental car while staying at Walt Disney World.  This puts you in the position of being able to head off property to check out the surrounding areas.  Want to add some fun extras to your trip?  There are plenty of attractions and restaurants off Disney property that are really great and certainly worth a visit (though I certainly understand staying in that Disney "bubble" to keep the magic going).

Here's a money-saving tip to help you enjoy the rest of the Orlando area: check out all those "coupon" type sites.  Groupon.com will often have area restaurants and/or attractions listed where you can snag attraction tickets or meals for up to half off or even more.  Recently the Pirates Dinner Adventure and Old Town have both posted deals on Groupon.  Living Social is another great site to look for local Orlando area deals-this year they've had deals on tickets for Medieval Times (who doesn't like to watch a good joust with their meal?) and even for Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba at Downtown Disney.  One cool thing about Living Social is that you can usually share the deal you buy with others, and if at least three others purchase the deal from your link, your deal is free.

Another favorite is Restaurant.com where you can purchase restaurant gift certificates for a fraction of their dollar value, like a $10 certificate for $4 or a $25 one for $10...and even if you don't want to go off property, you'll sometimes see certificates for Crossroads at House of Blues in Downtown Disney (usually a $50 certificate for around $20) or the restaurants in the hotels on Hotel Plaza Blvd near Downtown Disney.  And restaurant.com almost always has a discount code out-anywhere from about 30 all the way up to 90% off-to sweeten the deal even more (yes, you read that right-up to 90% off!).

Be sure to check the fine print to see if there are any date restrictions or spending requirements--for example, the House of Blues $50 restaurant certificate usually says you need to spend at least $100, not including alcoholic beverages or tax/tip...but still, if that $50 certificate only costs you $20, you're still saving $30 on that meal (and a great meal at that).  Want to save even more?  If you're a My Coke Rewards member, you can redeem your points for restaurant.com certificates.  Right now, a $50 certificate costs 600 My Coke Rewards points...and that just saved you another $20.

So if you have the ability to head off property, be sure to check out the major deal sites for specials like these to add a little extra fun to your trip.  Even if you're not able to head off property, you may be able to score a great deal on La Nouba or a meal at the House of Blues for an amazing price.

Have you ever used a deal site for specials for your vacation at WDW?  What did you think?  I personally have done many restaurant.com certificates (including House of Blues) and it's always worked out great!

Staying within the "Disney bubble" is always fantastic-but don't overlook the fun deals available off property!