The Coupon Project

Free Disney Vacation planning DVD and customized maps!

 

 

Planning of a Disney trip this year? First, you might wish to request this free vacation planning DVD!

Then, you might want to create free customized maps of the Disney World theme parks or Disneyland. Select your favorite attractions, or use them to plan your day. Then you can print them.

Finally, I wanted to remind you that you can still take advantage of Disney's "give a day, get a day" where you can get a one-day free Disney park admission when you give a day in service to help a local community project. My husband and I are thinking about doing this, and we were pleased at the variety of projects available to participate in - one even meets up at our home church! I guess you could say "it's a small world!" (I hear the groans now....!)  

For additional Disney saving fun, I highly recommend the blog Couponing to Disney! 

Buy 1, get 1 free ski pass when you buy 10 gallons of Shell

 

 

There is a particularly HOT promotion going on at select Shell gas stations! When you buy 10 gallons of gas, you will receive a voucher good for a FREE adult ski lift ticket when you purchase a second adult lift ticket.

Now I'm not a skier, but my husband is so I asked for his input. 

Here are his favorite resorts among the entire participating list:
 
Whistler Blackcomb (B.C.) - if anyone's headed to the Olympics, this might compliment your trip! Husband's absolute favorite winter destination!
Crystal (WA) - stunning views of Mt.Rainier
Copper Mountain (CO)
Silver Mountain (ID)
Winter Park (CO) 
Big White (B.C.)
Steven's Pass (WA)
Grand Targhee (WY) - closest resort to Jackson, one of our favorite family destinations; next to Grand Teton National Park

States with participating resorts include Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Michigan, Wyoming, Colorado, California and also in British Columbia, Canada.
 
Michigan readers, there are quite a few ski resorts participating in your state. My husband is unfamiliar with these, but if anyone can vouch for any of these, please speak up! 

Get a free day at Disney when you give a day volunteering

 

 

Here's a pretty awesome promotion from Disney! They will be giving up to 1 million people a one-day free pass at Disney for spending a day volunteering!

There are a few stipulations (as expected). You must first register through their website, be at least 18 years old, and up to 8 members of your household may be included. Your pass has to be redeemed by December 15, 2010. This offer is good to residents in US, Puerto Rico, and Canada. You can redeem your voucher at either Disneyland or Disney World (do note that if you opt for the latter your voucher is good for ONE theme park only - sorry, no hopper pass!).

Go herefor the full scoop. 

Incidentally, my husband and I LOVE Disney World and are hoping that our hard work saving money and getting financially fit will pay off in a couple years and that we'll be able to take our kids there! (My requirement: no diapers and no naptimes!) Did you know there's another blogger out there with this express goal? Couponing to Disney has currently saved up nearly $2000 for her family's 10-night stay at Pop Century! Way to go! If you are looking to plan a Disney trip, you might well stop by this site for how she's been savvy at doing Disney for less.
 

JetBlue Winter Sale: fares as low as $29 (one way)

Have a hankering to get away? Been putting off visitng Aunt Ella across the country due to lack of funds? Resolve to see a new part of the country in 2010? Right now, JetBlue has a rocking promotion. Book your flight by January 13 (hey...that's my birthday...hint, hint!), and you can score a one-way flight as low as $29. It's part of their "Shake up the New Year" sale.

Since I'm blogging out of Seattle, I'm highlighting deals from SeaTac Airport. (But there are deals for nearly every major city.)

Seattle to Boston: $99
Seattle to Long Beach: $59
Seattle to New York: $99

Be sure to check out all the travel ideas and important stipulations here.

MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas: as low as $51 + $100 dining credit

 

 

Seldom do I post travel offers. But today I stumbled upon one at Dealnews that I think is noteworthy!

Right now, the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas is having a Best of Both Worlds promotion. Dates are from now through April 30, 2010. And the room rates start as low as just $51 per night! What makes this an even better deal is that included in your package you'll receive a $100 dining credit good for its ARIA restaurant. This offer expires on December 24th. 

If you were planning a trip to Vegas, this might be a deal worth considering for you! Go here to search for available dates. 

I've also mentioned this before, but I'm a huge fan of Hotwire! We were able to save hundreds on our rental car on our trip last May and we've also been able to score great hotel rates. I'm including a search box in this post in case you want to jump on the MGM deal and line up cheap air fare and car transportation to complete your cheap lil' getaway!

Southwest Air 72-hour sale

 

From now through October 29th (Thursday), Southwest Airlines is offering great $25/$50/$75/$100 tickets. Restrictions apply (of course). You must travel during select periods in Dec, Jan, and Feb. If you're looking for a cheap getaway, or want to visit friends/family, might be a sale worth looking into.

Here are some example deals I found from Seattle (all are one-way):

Seattle - Los Angeles $75 
Seattle - Chicago $100
Seattle - Houston $100

Visit Southwest to see what's available. Remember, you have until Oct 29 to decide, so hurry!

Now through September 10th: great deals on Alaska Airlines flights!

A friend of mine who works at Alaska Airlines alerted me today of an amazing airfare special!  You must book your flight between now and September 10th and your travel has to be booked for at least 14 days out.  (For instance, if you book today, your travel would need to be on or after September 14th).  And your travel plans must be for this fall and winter (see Alaska Airlines for details and restrictions).

Here are some of the amazing one-way fares that stood out to me.  Since I'm blogging out of the Seattle area, those are the fares I'll focus on.  However, there are great fares to be had in many cities:

Seattle - San Fransisco: $49
Seattle - Chicago: $109
Seattle - New York: $109
Seattle - Orlando: $129
Seattle - Honolulu: $148
Seattle - Mazatlan: $149
Seattle - Kona: $149

View all the special fares over at Alaska Airlines.

Southwest Airlines: HOT 48 hour sale, rates as low as $30 one-way!

I just found out about this awesome deal on airfare over at Dealcatcher:

For 48 hours, every city Southwest flies is on sale!

As an example, a one-way flight from Seattle to Orlando is just $90 ($180 roundtrip).   And some flights are showing as just $30 one-way!  Go here for the complete listing of flight deals. 

Please note that the sale price excludes taxes and fees.

My experience with Hotwire.com: all smiles!

Once you start saving in one area, it's hard to not want to save in other areas, too. 

You might have noticed I was MIA yesterday...well, my husband and I decided to take a little getaway sans kids.  He suggested Vancouver, BC - one of our very favorite cities and just a few hours' drive away.  Typically, I'd just use Expedia or Orbitz, but decided on a whim to try Hotwire.

If you've not used the service, here's a quick rundown.  You plug in your criteria - city, date(s) of stay, number of guests - and it will give you availability listings.  The catch?  You see the general vicinity, the price you'll pay, and the number of stars (based on a 5-star rating system) - but you won't know the hotel name until after you book it!

After chatting with my hubby, we decided to take the little gamble and give it a try.  We selected a 5-star hotel in West Vancouver for $91.  Guess what?  Once I got the hotel name, I went to their website and found their rooms start at around $250 USD - more than twice what we just paid!  I went to Expedia and found their price started around $230 USD.  AND the hotel was right on the waterfront - in the hub of the city.  I was impressed!

My husband was still skeptical.  But when we got to the hotel, we were immediately impressed with their service.  What's more - they UPGRADED us when we got there!  I couldn't believe it.  And when we got to our room - breathtaking views of the water and the city from the 15th floor.  It was absolutely incredible.  I went to sleep watching seaplanes land in the harbor and woke to the sun rising over the mountains - spectucular! 

Needless to say, neither of us wanted to check out the next morning.  We could've easily stayed another week and spent several days just enjoying the beautiful hotel. 

So if you've never tried Hotwire, I highly recommend it.  We will most certainly use it again!