So I have no business planning a trip to WDW but I am anyway. For me, seeing how low I can go, planning the cheapest trip possible is almost as fun as the trip itself.

Before doing anything else (even picking dates) I’d check mousesavers.com (see my entry) for Annual Pass discounts on room rates and I’ll decide when I’m going based on when I can get the best possible deal..  Right now there’s a promotion that would allow me to stay in a moderate resort for $144 per night from now until August 2, 2008 with my AP.

I’d use Continental miles that I’d earned from my Chase Continental VISA to pay for my airline ticket.  That credit card is my passport to the world. I use it like a checking account, paying for everything I possibly can (I used to pay for Lauren’s tuition with it!) and paying the balance every month so that I never pay interest. I get a free trip to Rome every year and more, and I save on other things, like car rentals, but I won’t rent a car this trip.

I’ll save on meals with something I just discovered, the Disney Dining Experience. For $60 a year I will save 20% on my restaurant bill (for me and up to 9 guests) The list of participating restaurants is huge and all of our favorites are on it so that card will more than pay for itself in one trip.

Here’s the application - just fax it to WDW.

I’m going on the cheap(est), so I’ll take Disney’s Magical Express (see my entry) , the free ride from the airport to my resort (and back). If I want to go to Downtown Disney or someplace else that requires long and tedious WDW buses, I’ll spend a few bucks for a cab. No big deal, cab fares are pretty reasonable and easy to get from resorts and parks.

I’d pack a very small carry on suitcase so I wouldn’t have room for souvenirs and so I wouldn’t be tempted to shop.

And so in summary, (as Father Labella likes to say at the end of every sermon) a three day weekend (two nights) could end up costing you $288 plus tax, the cost of a couple of taxis, and meals, which with your Disney’s Dining Experience is now 20% less.

Why wouldn’t you go?  It will practically be less expensive

than if  you had stayed at home that weekend.

right about now...)