Strategies for Paying for Disney: A Book Review

I recently had the opportunity to read and review the newest book on saving for a Walt Disney World vacation; “Strategies for Paying for Disney” by Natalie Henley.  I am by no means an authority on Disney vacations and all they encompass, but I have planned my fair share of trips, for both my family and many friends, so I felt pretty confident that all the information I would read would be familiar to me.  I was pleasantly surprised by Natalie’s publication and I think you will be to.

Natalie deftly starts us off with a lovely, yet concise description of what the Disney parks entail, including Disneyland.  This nice overview, while not unknown to me, was a great way to introduce the reader to the parks.  The book, “Strategies for Paying for Disney” is broken down into sections or parts that make it easy to refer back to, should the need arise.  Natalie has taken every conceivable subject, isolated it and then expounded on it, making the information easy to understand.   I found this fact to be of great importance for the simple fact that anything related to budgeting can be sort of a drag at times, even if you are budgeting for a vacation.  But this book is definitely not boring and was a pleasure to read.

You will be happy to find that “Strategies for Paying for Disney” can fit any life style and you will be able to implement many, if not all, of Natalie’s money saving tips and suggestions into your everyday life.  Some of her ideas you will already be familiar with; for example learning to brown bag your lunch or cut out buying coffee everyday.  Others may surprise you, like literally asking for a better rate on your mortgage or paying yourself first each month when you get paid.  Natalie provides a nice comparison at the end of each money saving section on just how much you could be saving and all of that goes straight into your Disney fund! 🙂

The book will show you how to continue the magic of saving once you have arrived at a Disney resort.  Tips like utilizing the refrigerator in your resort room by packing simple breakfast items or snacks from home can save you a fair amount of change over a six or seven day vacation.  Making or purchasing a pirate or princess costume before arriving at Disney can still allow your pirate or princess to be enveloped fully in the magic, but not break the bank.  I have done both of these in the past and can tell you first hand of the savings.  A costume bought in Disney World can cost upwards of a hundred dollars.  I purchased a darling princess gown for my daughter after Halloween for our January trip a few years ago.  Not only did I save on the costume ( it was ten dollars), but I was able to use it as a Christmas gift to!

Natalie deftly wraps up all of her money saving ideas by showing you how to apply them when it comes to choosing your Disney resort package, known as a Magic Your Way package.  By far the best value, as many like minded Disney fans will tell you, is to stay on property and include what is best for your family from there.  Natalie’s detailed analysis shows you how to get the best bang for all those bucks you saved.  I was pleasantly surprised to find at the end of “Strategies for Paying for Disney” a comprehensive list of phone numbers and websites that are invaluable to not only the new comer to Disney, but the seasoned planner as well.