Yes, Walt Disney World can be expensive…but there are a few things you can get or do for FREE!  Here are my Top Ten:

10.  Water – Bottles of water currently cost $2.50, but you can get free cups of water at any counter service location – just ask.

9.  Celebration buttons – At the front of every park, at the resorts and Downtown Disney, they will give you a button to show what you’re celebrating.  It can be anything from a birthday or anniversary to a first visit or family reunion.

8.  Trading cards – In the Magic Kingdom you can play “Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom” in which you pick up free trading cards at the Fire Station and use them in a scavenger hunt of sorts around the park, attempting to defeat villains.  The cards are yours to keep and many people collect them.  Similarly, you can collect a souvenir map in Adventureland and play the game “A Pirate's Adventure ~ Treasures of the Seven Seas.”

7.  Campfires – Many of the resorts offer nightly campfires with storytelling and sing-alongs.  While the experience is free of charge, refreshments may be purchased – or you can bring your own.

6.  Movies Under the Stars – Most, if not all, of the Disney resorts now offer nightly outdoor movies.  As with everything, you should check the resort activities guide as there are sometimes changes in schedules.

5.  Kidcot Fun Stops – While you do need a park ticket for this one, you can take away a free souvenir from Epcot.  Each of the 11 countries around World Showcase has a Kidcot Fun Stop where kids can color and decorate a cardboard character on a paint stick (currently it’s Duffy).  They also stamp the sticks with each country’s “passport” stamp.  

4.  Passports – During the Flower & Garden (Spring) and Food & Wine (Fall) Festivals at Epcot, they offer free Passport booklets.  The Passports serve as a guide to show what’s available at each festival location.  When you visit any of the locations in the booklet, they will stamp your Passport.  Note: you do not have to purchase anything at the food booths to get your passport stamped.

3.  Ghiradelli Chocolate – At the Ghiradelli shop in Downtown Disney they hand out those delectable little squares of filled chocolate!  You never know which flavor they might be sampling on any given day, so you might discover a new favorite!

2.  Art classes – At Disney’s Hollywood Studios you can take an art class from a Disney artist!  I discussed this in a previous blog as it’s one of my favorite things to do.  After a 25-minute class, you will walk out with your very own drawing of a Disney character.  You never know which character they’re going to teach in any given class and it may be surprising to learn how well you can draw when you’re talked through it step by step!

1.  Entertainment – Whether it’s in the parks or at Downtown Disney, you can be entertained by some of the best talent anywhere around.  Yes, you need a park ticket to see the shows and concerts in the parks, but you can also see and hear some amazing performers at Downtown Disney and Boardwalk.  School music groups of all ages perform on the Dockside Stage – some of my favorite trips have been with talented high school groups.  Restaurant locations also have wonderful entertainment like the Irish dancers at Raglan Road and street performers at Boardwalk.

My family and I recently spent a long weekend in New Orleans, traveling there primarily for a wedding.  While we packed a lot into just a few days, I’ll admit that we didn’t make the most efficient use of our time.  Having driven through the night, when we arrived in New Orleans around noon, we were pretty hungry, but first wanted to check-in to our hotel, the Hotel Monteleone.  In the heart of the French Quarter, this hotel is beautifully appointed.  While the rooms are not large, they are adequate and provide nice amenities like bathrobes and toiletries.  More about this spot later.  Being the foodies we are and being in a city famous for its restaurants, we were eager to try some storied eateries.  Mother’s Restaurant, famed for their po’ boy sandwiches, was within walking distance of our hotel.  

Dinner was a different story.  We dined at the famed Commander’s Palace, perhaps the most highly acclaimed restaurant in New Orleans.  The service was first-rate, as was most of the food we tried.  We ordered several appetizers, entrees and desserts and shared bites as we love to do.  My favorite thing was the foie gras, beautifully prepared.  The only disappointment was my daughter’s veal dish which was somewhat dry.  Still in search of a decent bread pudding, we tried their “Creole Bread Pudding Soufflé” which was really more soufflé than bread pudding…oh well.

Back at the hotel, the large Carousel Lounge was the perfect spot to hang out, since the wedding party and so many of the guests were staying there.  There’s a bar in the front with barstools that revolve around, hence the name.  Farther back is seating, a second bar and a small stage which frequently hosts a band.  A popular spot, the bar seemed to be a busy place day and night during our entire stay.

Friday ladies lunch at Galatoire’s is an event.  People line up early to put their name on a list for either of two seatings.  We were late, I guess, because by 10:15 we were already assigned to the second seating.  Lucky for us, our friends had openings, so we got into the early seating after all.  The food was delicious and the service, once again, impeccable.  This is why both Commander’s Palace and Galatoire’s show up on every list of the best restaurants in New Orleans.  Try the Crabmeat au Gratin for a rich, creamy seafood delight.  Their Black Bottom Pecan Pie is maybe the best thing we ate in New Orleans, or ever for that matter!  I wish I had the recipe!

Later we walked down to Jackson Square and the French Market area, passing numerous tacky souvenir shops and dingy watering holes.  I’ll admit I’m not a big fan of New Orleans, especially in August.  I found it to be hot, dirty and littered with drunks and druggies.  Don’t get me wrong, I like a good adult libation, but this town takes it to excess.  We had to stop at the famous Café du Monde for beignets and coffee (iced, in this case).  So many people love this place, but on the afternoon we were there it was incredibly crowded and frankly, filthy.  I’m in no hurry to go back.  It’s just fried dough!   We stopped in at a microbrew place for a beer and found dinner at a fairly nice, albeit non-descript family restaurant in the French Quarter.  Back at the hotel, the post-rehearsal dinner party was going strong in the rooftop suite.  We really enjoyed spending time with our friends and meeting new people from the bride’s family.

Since the wedding on Saturday didn’t start until the evening, we had time to drive out to Oak Alley Plantation.  If you don’t have a car, there are companies that offer regularly scheduled tours, leaving New Orleans by motorcoach, but since we had our own car, we drove the 40 minutes or so ourselves.  The 25-acre plantation offers a guided tour of the big house, self-guided walking tour of the reconstructed slave quarters with an exhibit, a restaurant and gift shop. You can also stay overnight in one of the cottages on the grounds.  The beautiful 300-year old oak trees are a sight to behold.

Of course the main reason for our trip to New Orleans was for the wedding of my oldest friend’s oldest son.  The wedding mass in the historic Immaculate Conception Jesuit Church couldn’t have been more beautiful.  Upon exiting the church, we were met with baskets of flip flops for the ladies (so we didn’t have to walk on cobblestone streets in our heels) and coolers of beer and cold water.  A “second line” jazz band led the wedding party and 200+ guests down the streets to the reception, with  motorcycle police blocking off streets to let us pass, tourists taking photos of us and people throwing beads from balconies above us!  The reception at Latrobe’s was a party from start to finish, filled with buffets of fabulous food and a rockin’ band that kept the dance floor full all night.  At the end of the evening, the second line came back and led us from Latrobe’s back to the hotel.  It was a grand event for a wonderful couple!

On our last day in New Orleans, we opted to take the “Hop On, Hop Off” tour on the double-decker bus.  We really should have done this the first day, not only to get an overview of the city, but also because the cemetery tour was closed on Sundays.  We did, however, hop off in the Garden District and did the walking tour there.  We loved hearing the history of the area as well as seeing the beautiful architecture.  We saw both John Goodman’s and Archie Manning’s houses (from the outside, of course!).

For our last dinner in New Orleans we chose the Court of Two Sisters.  The lovely courtyard setting has earned this restaurant the award for “Best Outdoor Dining in New Orleans”.  The waitstaff shows Southern hospitality at its best.  The food was good, but not great, prompting my husband to speculate that many of these New Orleans restaurants are living on their reputation.  If I ever do find myself in New Orleans again, I would try this place for brunch as it has garnered many awards for best brunch.

After dinner we walked down to Frenchman’s Street to find a place we could go for a drink and hear some jazz.  You’d think this would be easy, but we had a 20-year-old in our party, so that limited where we could get in.  Frenchman’s Street is purported to house many clubs where jazz groups play and there was indeed music coming out of many doors.  However, it was already later on a Sunday night, so the musicians stop playing considerably earlier than on weekends.  We did find a place we could all go in and enjoyed listening to some music for a little while.  Take note, though, that this is not a neighborhood you want to walk to alone at night.  It’s advisable to take a taxi.

While I say that I’m in no hurry to go back, I’ll admit that we did have some fun and memorable times during our few days in New Orleans.  I am all too aware of how many people absolutely love New Orleans and I can see why they do.  It does have a certain charm, but I’d avoid August.