Family, travel, mom blog | Theme Park Mom (Leigh Caldwell)

Free dining can be a great savings for families traveling to Walt Disney World. It’s a deal that has traditionally been offered in the fall, but today, Walt Disney World extended the dates for free dining through many weeks in 2011!

Here are the dates when you can now book free dining at Walt Disney World:

2010

• Oct. 1-7
• Oct. 22-28
• Nov. 12-18
• Nov. 27 – Dec. 2
• Dec. 10-21

2011

• Jan. 1-5
• Jan. 9-13
• Jan. 21 – Feb. 3
• Feb. 11-17
• Feb. 25 – March 3
• May 27 – June 2
• Aug. 19 – Sept. 29

You need to buy at least a 4-night/5-day Magic Your Way package to get free dining at Walt Disney World.

If you stay in a Deluxe or Moderate resort, you will get the Disney Dining Plan for free. If you stay in a Value resort, you get the Quick Service Dining Plan.

Some of these dates will book up very quickly now that this discount has been announced.

My family loves free dining, but it might not be the best deal for every family. I suggest using a Disney-only travel agency to learn the ins and outs of this deal and decide if it’s the right one for you. If you’re looking for an agent, I recommend the Magic Makers at Enchanted Destinations.

CVS.com has an awesome deal on sunscreen this month, and it’s a great time to stock up. If your family slathers it on several times a day all summer, you know how quickly the costs can add up.

Now through July 18, tons of sunscreen is on sale during the Summer Essentials sale at CVS.com – all the national brands and the CVS /pharmacy-exclusive products. I love CVS-brand products. I use many of their OTC medicines, first-aid products and many other items with the CVS label. They save money, and everything I have tried has been high quality.

CVS sent me three of their new suncare products to try, and we love them all:

• CVS/pharmacy Sheer Mist Sunscreen SPF 70 – The spray sunscreens are truly a mom’s best friend, because they are so quick to apply. This one is especially great because it it not greasy at all. CVS says it uses new Solatec technology for long-lasting, photostable sun protection, and that it has been dermatologist tested and provides protection from both UVA and UVB rays.
• CVS/pharmacy Sport Sunscreen On-the-Go SPF 50 – I love, love, love this small tube for travel. At 1.5 ounces, it can be packed in your quart-size bag for liquids at the airport security checkpoint, and it doesn’t take up as much room in your daypack when you are hiking, beaching it or spending time at a theme park. Plus, it has a carbiner clip to attach it to your purse, belt loop or even your key ring. CVS says it is hypoallergenic, water- and sweat-resistant.
• CVS/pharmacy AfterSun Aloe Vera Cooling Gel with Soothing Lidocaine – As much as we try, sometimes sunburns still happen. This gel with lidocaine can take the sting out of a sunburn quickly. This product can also serve double-duty and give quick relief for minor scrapes or bug bites.

More discounts and free shipping

Now through July 11, you can save even bigger on sunscreen by using the coupon code “SUMMER10″ at CVS.com. It will get you $10 off a $50 purchase, as well as free shipping. I was able to order 14 tubes of our favorite CVS brand sunscreens for $50.80.

Win it!

CVS.com will give away one of each of the new suncare products listed above to one lucky Theme Park Mom reader. To enter, leave a comment below telling me why you need free sunscreen.

This giveaway ends at 9 p.m. EST on July 20. I will choose the winning comment using the random number generator at Random.org. I will announce the winner through an update on this post.

The Hilton Bonnet Creek is a new hotel that is bordered on three sides by Walt Disney World property. Needless to say, it’s a great place to stay on a visit to Orlando. There are 1,000 guest rooms, six restaurants and lounges, and a gorgeous pool.

Guests of the Hilton Bonnet Creek can use the Guerlain Spa and Rees Jones golf course at the adjacent Waldorf Astoria Orlando hotel.

This summer, the Hilton is offering room rates as low as $139 per night. Here are some of the packages available:

PACKAGES FOR FAMILIES

• Wandering Wizards Package (from $154 per night) – Would-be wizards can enjoy action-packed days of magic and villains, beginning after a complimentary daily breakfast. Children will receive a spell-casting wand upon arrival, and parents will enjoy a 3pm late checkout to ensure enough time to cast all spells. All hotel guests enjoy complimentary direct transportation to Disney parks and the Kids Eat Free breakfast and dinner special at Harvest Bistro. see website for complete details
• Summer Magic Package (from $169 per night) – Visitors can enjoy even more fun in Orlando with a $25 Disney gift card AND a $50 nightly resort credit. The credit can be used for any resort amenity, including 12 restaurants and lounges, championship golf course, and Spa by Guerlain. All hotel guests enjoy complimentary direct transportation to Disney parks and the Kids Eat Free breakfast and dinner special at Harvest Bistro. see website for complete details
• Family Summer Magic Package (from $189 per night) — Kids eat, play and drink free! A hotel package featuring the resort’s most popular family requests, includes a spacious guest room, complimentary kids’ meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner!) at Harvest Bistro, complimentary kids soft drinks during pool hours; a $10 per child daily arcade credit; and nightly Dive-in Movies at the pool, with free popcorn. What could make it better? How about a $25 Disney gift card (per stay)? All hotel guests enjoy complimentary direct transportation to Disney parks. see website for complete details

PACKAGES FOR GOLFERS

• Summer Golf Bonus (from $139 per night) — Enjoy a spacious guest room, and two complimentary rounds of golf (playable after noon). All hotel guests enjoy complimentary direct transportation to Disney parks, and the Kids Eat Free breakfast and dinner special at Harvest Bistro. see website for complete details
• Unlimited Golf (from $199 per night) — For the golfing enthusiast, the Unlimited Golf Package is a terrific opportunity to hone skills over a weekend. Package includes a day’s unlimited play on the resort’s Rees Jones-designed Championship Golf Course (for each night stay) and unlimited use of the practice facilities. Also included is a $20 per person daily resort credit, which can be used for a spa treatment or at any restaurant or lounge. All hotel guests enjoy complimentary direct transportation to Disney parks and the Kids Eat Free breakfast and dinner special at Harvest Bistro. see website for complete details

PACKAGES FOR COUPLES

• Bed and Breakfast Package (from $159 per night) – Relax in a spacious guestroom featuring the signature Hilton Serenity Bed and refresh in the morning with a breakfast buffet for two adults at Harvest Bistro. All hotel guests enjoy complimentary direct transportation to Disney parks and the Kids Eat Free breakfast and dinner special at Harvest Bistro. see website for complete details
• Romance Package (from $189 per night) – Enjoy a spacious guest room featuring the signature Hilton Serenity Bed, sparkling wine or cider upon arrival, and full in-room breakfast for two. All hotel guests enjoy complimentary direct transportation to Disney parks and the Kids Eat Free breakfast and dinner special at Harvest Bistro. see website for complete details

VALUES FOR FLORIDA RESIDENTS

• Florida Resident Value Rate (from $121 per night) – Florida residents can enjoy fun in their own backyard with the resort’s Florida Resident Special. Endless amenities include golf, spa, swimming pool, lazy river pool, and even nightly Dive-In Movies in the summer. All hotel guests also enjoy complimentary direct transportation to Disney parks and the Kids Eat Free breakfast and dinner special at Harvest Bistro.

I’ve often thought that a larger gas tank would be the secret to saving money on family road trips. Less stops means less trips inside convenience stores. You know what happens there, right? Everyone in the family needs a cold drink and a snack. Figure $3 per person, 4 stops on the trip and it can add up to nearly $50 for a family of four.

We’ve tried to combat this in my family by packing a cooler with drinks and snacks. And, for the most part, that works. But it kind of takes the fun out of it.

That’s why I was excited to hear about the RaceTrac Freefill Cup. You can buy one for $6.99 at any RaceTrac and fill it up for free this summer. The cups hold 20 ounces, and they are well-insulated, so the drinks stay cold.

The Freefill cup can be refilled with any fountain or frozen drink unlimited times until Aug. 1, at any RaceTrac location (and there are more than 200). If you buy one at the start of the summer, you can use it on multiple road trips and save.

I got my Freefill cup last week, and we have been in the middle of a heat wave here. I love carrying it with me to stop for a cold drink when I am out and about.

And who doesn’t love standing in front of the RaceTrac fountains and deciding which drink to get next? I love that they carry my favorite soda, Diet Dr. Pepper. Just for fun, RaceTrac is also inviting you to play bartender at their fountains this summer.

Check out RaceTrac’s Facebook Page for “Kamikaze Missions” that suggest different mixes of fountain and frozen drinks to fill up your RaceTrac Freefill Cup this summer. Your kids will love checking out the different mixes and trying them all.