Free Dining
What could be cheaper than free dining? Disney World extended their very popular free dining promotion to October 3rd, 2009. With the free dining promotion, you get the basic Disney dining plan included with your Magic-Your-Way package (3 nights or more). With the basic dining plan, each person over 10 years of age in your party receives:
- 1 quick service meal
- 1 snack
- 1 sit-down meal
The number of meals you receive is based on the number of nights you book, so if you book 5 nights, you would get 5 of each of the above mentioned meals.
The free dining plan is a fantastic deal, if you can get it. The free dining packages book up, very fast. You can also purchase the basic or deluxe dining plan and add that to your package, provided you're staying at a Disney World resort. If you're staying on property, the dining plan is the absolute best way to save money on meals, unless you plan to leave the Disney Resort to get an off-property meal.
Off-property Meals
You can save a lot of money on dining during your Disney World vacation by visiting some wonderful off-property restaurants. Your best bet will be to visit the Kissimmee area, as it's closest to the Walt Disney World Resort and will cost the least for transportation.
Also, be sure to check out the local conventions and visitor's bureaus (Kissimmee and Orlando) before you leave home to see if there are any coupons, specials, or events going on during your stay. Plus, you will want to pick up a local paper to find any coupons and promotions from local restaurants.
Alternative Dining
No, this doesn't mean you're going to some strange, new-age dining experience. 
Instead, opt for going to meals at different times. Oftentimes, breakfast and lunch meals will be much less expensive for the same quality food, atmosphere, and service.
Grab lunch at a nice, sit-down restaurant instead of dinner. Not only will you save a few bucks, but you'll get a nice, relaxing break in the middle of the day -- something most families really need at Disney World.
Tomorrow, we'll finish off the series with some discussions about saving money on attractions and recreation.