The Tightwad’s Guide to Staying Off-Site, Continued

(To return to the first page of this material, click here)

4. Work at finding a discount.

You will almost certainly be able to find a discount for one or more of the hotels on the list you created in step 3.

If your list is large, start looking for good rates at kayak.com or hotels.com.   The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2011, which you were advised on the first page of this entry to buy, lists a number of additional internet resources that focus specifically on the Orlando area.

Once you have narrowed your list and found some reasonable rates, check the individual websites of the hotels you are interested in. These days you will often find the best rates often on the hotels own website.

You do not need to call the hotel for its best rate. Almost all hotels provide better rates on the internet than over the phone—to encourage internet booking, which is much less costly for them than phone booking.

5. Get some help for when it’s ok for you to stop looking for good rates.

One of the more frustrating parts of looking for a deal is knowing when it’s ok to stop—that you are not likely to find a better deal than what you have found so far.

One way to find out how good your deal is is to buy a subscription to the paid part of TouringPlans.com (page down to “The Best Hotel Deals on the Net”) and use their Disney World hotel rate comparison tool.

As they describe it, the tool will “… tell you how good the rate is as compared to other times of the year, and we’ll predict whether the rate is likely to go up or down during the next week.”

THE TIGHTWAD’S GUIDE TO STAYING OFF-SITE AT WALT DISNEY WORLD: OFF-SITE HOMES FOR RENT

You can find multiple-bedroom vacation homes available for short-term rentals in the Orlando area for a fraction of the price of what you’d have to pay to stay in some of the large family options at Walt Disney World, even counting your rental car costs.

Use Testa and Sehlinger’s The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2011 for key tips and tricks to start your search.

Then go to WDWvacationhomes.com, and to AllStarVacationHomes.com,  vrbo.com, and other sites recommended by the Unofficial Guide to search and book.

PAGES: Previous | 1 |   2

PUBLISHED SO FAR IN THE TIGHTWAD’S GUIDE TO WALT DISNEY WORLD

• The Tightwad’s Guide to When to Go to Walt Disney World
• The Tightwad’s Guide to Which Night to Check In
• The Tightwad’s Guide to Where to Stay at Walt Disney World
  • 1. The Tightwad’s Guide to the Best Resort Hotel Bargains
  • 2. The Tightwad’s Guide to Resort Deals and Discounts
  • 3. The Tightwad’s Guide to Getting Deluxe Rooms at Rock Bottom Prices
  • 4. The Tightwad’s Guide to Staying Off-Site
• The Tightwad’s Guide to How Long to Stay at Walt Disney World
• Air Travel 201: The Tightwad’s Guide to Cheap Flights to Walt Disney World
• The Tightwad’s Guide to How to Eat at Walt Disney World
• Planning Your Walt Disney World Budget

PUBLISHED SO FAR IN THE COMFORTABLE GUIDE TO WALT DISNEY WORLD

• The Most Comfortable Time to Go to Walt Disney World
• The Comfortable Guide to How Long to Stay at Walt Disney World
• The Most Comfortable Place to Stayat Walt Disney World:
  • 1. The Options
  • 2. Recommendations
• The Most Comfortable Way to Travelto Walt Disney World
• The Most Comfortable Way to Tour the Theme Parksat Walt Disney World:
  • 1. Minimizing Planning Time
  • 2. Minimizing Advance Planning
  • 3. Reducing Daily Scheduling
  • 4. Eliminating Early Mornings
• Planning Your Walt Disney World Budget

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