Last summer, when we were on vacation in Myrtle Beach, the kids were dying to go to Medieval Times (okay, okay ... maybe I was just a little bit dying to go, too!), but the tickets were like $50 a person. Do the math - that's $350 for the whole fam to go. An awful lot of dough for a chicken dinner! So, we had to cross it off the "To Do" list and put it on the "Wish We Could Do" list. Then, as we were on our way to Margaritaville (seriously - we were really on our way to Margaritaville - it's a restaurant, people!) we saw a sign that said "Free Tickets to Medieval Times" so, of course, we had to stop and check it out. Well, all we had to do to get 5 free tickets was spend 2-3 hours checking out some timeshare unit that we had no intention of purchasing. I don't know about you, but I'll take $250 for 2-3 hours of my time - no problemo there! Now, just so you don't think we are total losers, we did tell the guy when we signed up for the tour of the resort that we had no intention of buying anything and were just in it for the free stuff, and he didn't care. So, everything was on the up and up. So, we went on our tour (at which we told the salesperson from the get go that we were just in it for the free stuff - again, he was totally okay with it and even cut the tour short so we were out of there in about an hour and a half) and, when the tour was over.....SCORE! Five free tix to Medieval Times. That evening, we were digging into whole chickens with our bare hands, cheering for the red knight, and throwing back some good ole' medieval libations! We had such a great time...and Eileen even got a flower from our handsome red knight in shining armor! It was amazing - arguably one of the highlights of our entire vacation....and all made possible by our friends at the timeshare resort.
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| The Kids of the Court! |
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| Enjoying some Medieval libations! |
Since then, we have toured other timeshares and gotten other free deals - we even spent Columbus Day weekend away for free at one of them. Still haven't purchased anything; still continue to tell them upfront that we have no intention of purchasing anything; still no one cares. It's a good deal!
Hey Nik,
ReplyDeleteI think its a great use of your "tools" to find creative ways to get in and enjoy these attractions that are Waaaay overpriced but fun.
J and I did this in FL to get free tickets to the Animal Kingdom.. although I will admit we were not as up front as you all. =) Looks like you had a great time!
You are an inspiration to us all Nicole! With five kids you have to get creative with a budget, and you have certainly mastered the art! I love that the condo guy cut the tour short for you too, that was nice of him. Now I know how to get a discounted vacation, which clearly every social worker needs! The $250 is definitely worth 2-3 hours of time. I doubt there is a clinical SW or CAP SW making that kind of dough for that kind of time (would be nice though!). We do it for the love, not the money, right? Here's to a path and a profession with heart...one that also makes us crafty bargain-hunters on the side!
ReplyDeleteGood point - my creative money saving skills may come in handy in my life as a social worker. Hmmmm.......
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