– This publication has been provided by the Author for review –

by Kevin Barry

Publisher: Frugal Enterprises, LLC

ISBN: 978-0-9974363-1-0

Pages: 122

Type: Soft Cover

Size: 6″ x 9″

Synopsis: This book was written to help cut the costs of a Disney vacation which will allow more frequent visits, longer stays, and enjoyable trips that won’t break the bank. It serves as a central resource to help vacation planners tackle the largest expenses for every Disney trip: travel, hotels, food, and tickets.

Content: Each chapter focuses on an area where the most costs can be cut. Included are step by step guides to walk you through the strategies to help save money on each of five main areas – Traveling, Park Tickets, Accommodations, Food, and Miscellaneous Expenses.

The Review: This a most thorough piece of work. I don’t want to give any of its secrets away but instead I recommend you buy the book and read it for yourself. It does have tips for everyone, from the well-to-do Disney traveler looking to keep money in the bank to the budget-minded Disney fan who would like to start traveling, or travel a bit more.

The entire premise of the book is to show how a family of four can save well over $2,000 US on their next Disney trip. The only problem I have with that premise is that most people would not be able to use all of the tips on just one trip. The well-to-do people I referenced earlier may be able to as long as they have a lot of money and beyond amazing credit. So it is more likely that budget-minded (or struggling) people, perhaps like you and me, will save only a few hundred dollars or perhaps more on successive trips. Eventually, we would save thousands! This is not a fault with the book, but perhaps with the book’s premise, as the author states this problem himself.

The only thing I would have to mention is the misinformation about Disney’s Vacation Club given in a chapter about renting DVC points. The author gets his math wrong and so advises strongly against a DVC membership saying that it’s never a winning proposition. Many have found just the opposite. This still doesn’t negate the value of the book for those looking to save money on a Disney vacation, for budget-minded people probably won’t buy into a DVC membership anytime soon anyway. So take the chapter with a grain of salt but be sure to read the information about renting DVC points, because it is valid.

Rating: I would give this book a 4.5 stars out of 5 for die-hard Disney travelers who have been everywhere and done everything. There are many many tips for such people that should help to drastically cut expenses.

However, I would give this book only 3 stars out of 5 for the average Disney travelers who don’t have a Brinks truck following them around and lack stellar credit. Most of the tips are either obvious or beyond the ability of such ones to exploit.

However yet again, I would still recommend this book for everyone for only you know what is valid for your situation. Frankly, if the tip to save money isn’t in this book, it isn’t anywhere else!