If you’re not familiar, UndercoverTourist.com is the most trusted source of discounted tickets to all of the Disney World parks and several other popular Orlando attractions. How much you save of course depends on what tickets you buy, but the average discount for Disney tickets ranges from $5 to $30 per ticket. This represents how much you would save instead of buying your tickets at the gate.

So for example, you can save $17 per ticket on a 4-day adult park hopper ticket, and another $15 for children ages 3-9. If you were traveling with 2 adults and 2 children you would save $64. Sales tax does apply to all orders (just like it would at DW) but shipping is free.

Now the big concern for many is the safety and security of buying tickets from a third party. This is a very legitimate concern but Undercover Tourist has an excellent record. First and foremost they are an authorized Disney ticket broker, which means they get all of their tickets directly from Disney. Another reassurance is their refund policy that allows you to get your money back (minus a 5% handling fee) if your vacation plans change.

In addition to great deals of Disney tickets, Undercover Tourist offers a number of other benefits for Orlando vacationers…

- Free Disney World phone apps to help you navigate long lines and busy parks.
- One-stop shopping for discount tickets to Universal Orlando, Sea World, Gatorland, and Legoland.
- “Frog Tours” are prepared itineraries that get you on the most popular rides quickly.
- Hundreds of helpful tips posted on the Undercover Tourist blog, twitter and facebook pages.

If you aren’t getting a vacation package that includes park tickets then Undercover Tourist is definitely the place to go. Not only will you save money and get free shipping, but their customer service is nice to have in the event you run into any problems.

NOTE: We are NOT associated with any of these contests, so be sure to read the rules of each contest before entering. Some allow multiple submissions while others have stricter guidelines. The list below is in order of expiration date.

Southwest Airlines “Let the Memories Begin” Sweepstakes
Southwest Airlines One is giving away 5 Grand Prize Packages of (1) 5 day/4 night vacation package for up to four persons to either Disney World or Disneyland. Includes airfare, ground transportation from airport, hotel accommodations, and 5-day Magic Your Way Tickets with Park Hopper Option.
Deadline to Enter: Monday, January 30, 2012 at 11:59 p.m.
Click Here to Enter 

Latina “Magical Memories” Vacation Sweepstakes
Latina.com is awarding 1 grand prize winner a vacation package for six persons for 4 nights/5 days to their choice of either Walt Disney World in Orlando or the Disneyland Resort in California. This is a HUGE prize that includes round trip coach airfares, round trip ground transfers, two standard room accommodations, 5-Day Magic Your Way Tickets with Park Hopper Option, $1,000 Disney gift card, Disney VIP Tour Guide for 8 hours on one day, PhotoPass CD and book, and one Disney Character Dining experience.
Deadline to Enter: Wednesday, February 29, 2012 at 5:00 p.m.
Click Here to Enter 

VisitOrlando.com “Orlando Family Vacation” Sweepstakes
Win a Grand Prize of a 4-night trip for 4 people to Orlando, including accommodations at Sheraton Vistana Resort Villas, a rental car, two 1-day admission tickets per person to winner’s choice of Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando or SeaWorld Orlando.
Deadline to Enter: Thursday, March 29, 2012 at 11:59p.m.
Click Here to Enter

Phineas & Ferb “Where’s the Bunny?” Sweepstakes
Win a 4 day/3 night trip for four to Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida on Sponsor-selected dates, to see the Phineas and Ferb attraction. 1 Grand Prize winner receives one standard hotel room accommodations for 3 nights, two 4-Day Magic Your Way Tickets with Park Hopper Option, round-trip coach airfare to Orlando, and airport/hotel ground transfers.
Deadline to Enter: Saturday March 31, 2012 at 11:59p.m.
Click Here to Enter

The special coincides with another milestone at DW. For the first time ever, the park will stay open for 24 hours on February 29th through March 1st. This Leap Year celebration gives families two great incentives to book their vacation in late winter.

Details for the “One More Disney Day” are as follows…
- Purchase of a non-discounted 3-night, 3-day Magic Your Way package is required for eligibility.
- Reservation arrivals must be between February 26 to March 10, 2012.
- Booking must be secured by January 31, 2012.
- Free park tickets are added to your package ticket and must be used within 14 days of initial use.

Details for the Leap Year 24 Hour Celebration include…
- Magic Kingdom Park will be open for 24 hours beginning at 6am on February 29, 2012 through 6am on March 1, 2012.
- Extended hours are valid only for those staying at select Disney Resort Hotels.
- Only select attractions will be open beyond normal park hours.
- Free admission from the One More Disney Day promotion does not have to be used on this day.

Now if you are planning to visit during this time you actually have two discount offers to choose from. You can also opt to save 20% to 30% on Disney Resort Hotels. Special rates are available for most nights between February 21 to March 31, 2012. To secure these rates you must book by January 22, 2012.

Overall, news of the One More Disney Day deal is a good sign for everyone planning a 2012 Disney World Vacation. Even though this particular promotion is only valid in late-winter, it shows that DW is once again getting creative with their discounts. Last year was kind of a ho-hum year when it came to travel incentives. Hopefully this is a sign that 2012 will feature exciting offers like the ones from 2009 and 2010.

Bounceback Offers are dropped off in your room during your vacation. They are designed to entice your family to book another Disney World vacation before leaving to go back home. This is done by offering an exclusive room rate discount or promotion (like free dining plans) when you reserve your next trip during your current stay.

Now the catch is that Disney World Bouncebacks are not given to everyone. It is the DW marketing department which determines who gets an offer sent to their room. The resort managers and housekeeping personnel really have no control over their distribution. Also, most offers require your return visit within 9 months, so it would not work with your annual summer vacation for example.

So what can you do if you don’t receive a Bounceback letter? The easiest thing to do is simply ask for one! Again, the guys and gals at the service desk are not going to be able to give you one, but they can connect you with the marketing department. Depending on the time of year, it might be as simple as a phone call.

Since Bounceback offers are designed to get you back to Disney World in the same calendar year, your best bet to acquire one is between January and July. In 2012, the most commonly reported offer was free dining packages added to vacation packages arriving before September 27th. So everyone visiting after this date is unlikely to receive one. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are all popular times at DW, so my guess is they don’t need to offer any additional incentives for the final months of the year.

So there you go…everything you need to know about Disney World Bounceback offers! This is good knowledge to keep on hand for those years when you expect to visit two or more times.

If you’re not familiar, Groupon offers special savings opportunities at restaurants, spas, and other service-oriented business. Basically they post a deal on their website and if enough people buy it then the coupon is activated.

So how can the average Disney World visitor capitalize on this new technology? It is quite simple actually. Groupon allows you to search for deals by zip code, which means you don’t have to be an Orlando resident in order to participate (you will though need to register for a free account to participate). Simply type in the zip of where you are staying and choose from a wide selection of deals.

I recently entered the zip code for the Swan and Dolphin Resort near Disney World (32830) and here’s what came up…

So as you can see there were numerous offerings or local restaurants. Some deals are better than others, but it is hard to beat 1/2 price ice cream on a summer day! The best part about these “daily deals” websites is that new offers come online throughout the day. You can literally use your smartphone to check for coupons while discussing dinner options with your family.

Now keep in mind that these deals are going to be for merchants outside of the theme park, so this strategy works best for families who are staying offsite. You’ll also find that merchants use Groupon to attract customers during the slowest periods of the day. For example, you might see a $20 gift certificate for only $10 but it might only be valid before 5:00pm. Still, you can save a nice chunk of change (and avoid long lines) by being more flexible with your meal times.

In addition to Groupon, here are some other daily deals sites you might want to register for before you leave for Orlando…

Living Social – Orlando

oDeals – Orlando Deals

Fox TV Orlando

Visit the sweepstakes page and enter your email address in the short form. The next page will contain a choice of vacation themes to choose from, and the third page is where you enter more details and opt-in or out of the notification emails. Once you submit this form you will receive 1 entry into the sweepstakes.

To increase your odds you can also design special Disney World postcards that can be shared via email or facebook. For each card you design and save you get an additional entry for that day.

You can enter your email once per day and design up to five cards per day, for a total of six daily chances to win!

There are three themed Disney vacation packages up for grabs, and you can choose the Disney memories you want to create. The choices are memories for you children, memories for your older kids, or generations of memories with your kids and their grandparents. Only one winner per household.

The grand prize drawing will be held on or around May 14, 2011. The winner will be notified via the contact information provided upon registration.

And while you are visiting weather.com you should checkout their Disney World page, which has a nice collection of tips and advice for planning your vacation.  You can check the average temperature of Orlando for the time you plan to visit, get tips for traveling with children, and even see reviews of the most popular attractions.