How do you make your trips economical?

[minnieandmickey]

We are planning on going to SSR for Christmas next year and I was doing a budget for the trip, and it was $2800. We are on the west coast and with it being the holidays I figured it will be hard to get a deal on airfare so I figured $325 ppx4, plus tickets for the kids(teens, DH and I have non-exp left over from last year) @ $209 ppx2, then DDP (7n) for $1064. We don't tend to spend alot on goodies since we go so often.

I thought about skipping DDP and just bringing lunches to the park and doing sit down dinners (which I budgeted $100 - $125), but that would save only about $200 - $300, which is alot of money but after groceries for the week and various snacks that you can only get in the parks, I think we would break even. Any suggestions?

[Pennyguy23]

Disney is expensive, But I would suggest keeping the DDP you won't have to worry about food then and you will always spend more then you think.

[Lesia]

What type unit? If a 1 Br with a kitchen, you can do breakfast in the room, take snacks and do your sit down meal at lunch - like a late lunch. Saves $$$$, trust me. Then, you are full and just want a sandwich or such for supper, or take a break and head back to the room for supper (sandwiches or cook). the only evening TS we've done was CP last year, and this year we are eating at Tonys the night before the half marathon so my guys can have pasta.

Even when we went in Jul, at AK, we had breakfast in the room. Cereal and bagels with PB. We bought milk at the store there.

We carried snacks - trail mix, granola bars. Might buy a pretzel for sharing.

Lunch was around 12 or 12:30 - TS, entree only. and we were stuffed.

We would get a dessert somewhere later, like at a bakery or goodie shop.

Then, we might split a CS if the TS was small, but usually, we would head back to the room, and make sandwiches - PB, ham/turkey.

At SSR you will have a fridge in either room.

And, if you go often, if one of you had an AP, you could buy the DDE and save 20% on most of the TS meals.

ETA: we've never done the DDP, and don't plan to. Everyone looks at how much cash they would pay for their meals. But if you are paying cash, are you really gonna order an appetizer/entree/dessert EVERY time? What if their desserts are yucky? So, look at what you would really order at TS if paying cash vs. ordering the full thing.

[kgar2121]

i didn't know that economical was an option at Disney.

[mamacatnv]

Start looking for airfare as soon as it is available, I think some of the major carriers release 300 or so days in advance. I was able to book good flights on Delta out of Reno for $310 w/all taxes pp rt. I booked them in February when they first came out. Our travel dates are during the Christmas Holiday season, we leave next week. :banana:

Southwest doesn't release fares until about 3 months in advance, they can be a good deal or not it just depends. For us if I had waited for SWA we would have saved $2.70 pp and would have had to make more stops. Delta worked out well for us.

We don't use the DDP, it doesn't suit our vacation style, plus we like CS meals. Yes you get a lot of food, but I personally don't think it is the most "economical" way to go. I am planning a couple of character meals but by doing CS and using the food court at our resort, we save money. I have some friends going to Saratoga Springs in 2 weeks and she is shipping a box of breakfast & snack items direct to the resort to have upon their arrival.


Happy planning

[tacomaranch]

I love the idea of shipping the food to the resort. I never had thought of it before. I usually just pack a suitcase full since DS clothes are so little they fit with my bag and we have 3 more to use.

I am going to have water shipped in by Staples, thanks to the suggestions here on the board.

I have the DDE card and we use that instead of the DDP. I am not a big eater and the DS only eats steak, MR.

We are in the middle of nowhere or even worse in a ski town, Jackson Hole, so flights are so expensive. I found Idaho Falls on Delta for $326 and got the aide out of Salt Lake on SW for $250. Shop around, use the airfare reminders and sidestep.

Good luck, April

[3DisneyKids]

The only way you can really save money, given your needs, are to give up the dining plan (as suggested, though I think with teens it would be a good option and would keep it) or airfare. So...my choice would be to travel during VALUE season. Called value for a reason, right? The only other place you can cut is airfare...moving your trip a few weeks earlier or later will save you about 50% in your airfare.

[mamacatnv]

Speaking of Value season - If you are going during the Holidays it is Peak season rates, but if you are staying after January 1 the rates reduce to Value. Book 2 reservations one for Peak and one for Value. You will most likely have to check out of your resort and check back in but if you are staying long into the Value season the savings (imo) would be worth the hassle of the check out/in procedure.

I have a teen who eats non stop and loves the food court just for that reason. He can get what he wants at a reasonable by Disney standards price.

[doubletrouble_vb]

I would skip the dining plan and instead eat a hearty in room meal for breakfast, a hearty late lunch and then eat inexpensively for dinner. You can also share or split meals. No need for every family member to order individually.

[DonnaL]

I agree with using DDE vs. DDP (as long as you have an AP or plan to get one) We go several times a year and we do eat out several times, but, as another above poster said, mostly late lunches rather than dinner. I also ship a box of staples (cereal, peanut butter, jelly, condiments,coffee as well as dry ingredients for several quick dinners (rice, taco makings, pasta) and any spices I need for those dinners (everything goes into Ziplocs to maximize shipping space). By shipping a box ahead I can take advantage of any B1G1 promos at my local stores on items I might need, therefore, really cutting down on cost at the grocery store when we get there. The only items I need to purchase would be fresh breads, rolls, milk, juices. We also order water from Staples (join their Staples Rewards and you get free shipping on the water). I also precook several items and freeze (meatballs, deboned chicken, some ground meat) and take in an insulated Thermos bag as my carryon. The bag I have will keep stuff frozen for up to 20 hours as long as it's packed with other frozen items and tightly. Of course, we're only flying from PA so our flight isn't nearly as long as yours (2 hr drive to airport and 2 hr flight time). Everything is always still frozen when we get there. Just watch that everything is frozen when you're boarding or it might be confiscated. On our last several trips, even with eating out at TS restaurants five times (two breakfasts and three late lunches) we only spent about $500.00 on eating out and that was for six of us (DH, myself, two DS's, one 25 and one 17, and DD, 23 and DGS, 5, using the DDE. If I remember correctly our grocery bill at Winn Dixie was maybe $75. That's certainly a lot less expensive than purchasing the DDP for everyone. And, we ate very good.....breakfast at Boma and Boatwright's, lunches at Liberty Tree Tavern, Olivia's, and offsite at Olive Garden, plus chicken cacciatore, meatball hoagies with tossed salad, homemade chicken soup with crusty fresh bread, turkey club sandwiches,and tacos at our DVC accomodations.

[dumbo71]

I agree with using DDE vs. DDP (as long as you have an AP or plan to get one) We go several times a year and we do eat out several times, but, as another above poster said, mostly late lunches rather than dinner. I also ship a box of staples (cereal, peanut butter, jelly, condiments,coffee as well as dry ingredients for several quick dinners (rice, taco makings, pasta) and any spices I need for those dinners (everything goes into Ziplocs to maximize shipping space). By shipping a box ahead I can take advantage of any B1G1 promos at my local stores on items I might need, therefore, really cutting down on cost at the grocery store when we get there. The only items I need to purchase would be fresh breads, rolls, milk, juices. We also order water from Staples (join their Staples Rewards and you get free shipping on the water). I also precook several items and freeze (meatballs, deboned chicken, some ground meat) and take in an insulated Thermos bag as my carryon. The bag I have will keep stuff frozen for up to 20 hours as long as it's packed with other frozen items and tightly. Of course, we're only flying from PA so our flight isn't nearly as long as yours (2 hr drive to airport and 2 hr flight time). Everything is always still frozen when we get there. Just watch that everything is frozen when you're boarding or it might be confiscated. On our last several trips, even with eating out at TS restaurants five times (two breakfasts and three late lunches) we only spent about $500.00 on eating out and that was for six of us (DH, myself, two DS's, one 25 and one 17, and DD, 23 and DGS, 5, using the DDE. If I remember correctly our grocery bill at Winn Dixie was maybe $75. That's certainly a lot less expensive than purchasing the DDP for everyone. And, we ate very good.....breakfast at Boma and Boatwright's, lunches at Liberty Tree Tavern, Olivia's, and offsite at Olive Garden, plus chicken cacciatore, meatball hoagies with tossed salad, homemade chicken soup with crusty fresh bread, turkey club sandwiches,and tacos at our DVC accomodations.



Sounds good. Would you be oppposed to having a poster named Dumbo71 stopping by? Just want to sample some of that delicious sounding food you are wipping up. I might even bring a bottle of wine. :thumbsup2

[DonnaL]

Dumbo71...we'll be there 1/13 thru 1/20 if you'd like to stop by....staying at VWL this visit......

[DonnaL]

Dumbo71...we'll be there 1/13 thru 1/20 if you'd like to stop by....staying at VWL this visit......


Sorry, double post.........

[jodifla]

A other vote for the DDE over the DDP. A grand for a week's worth of food is an awful lot! Would you spend that much eating at home?

Less than $200 of groceries would proved lunch, breakfast and snacks, and a few dinners two. THen use the DDE to get discounts for your park meals.

[Tamar]

We'd never do the DDP, in part because it's too much food, and in part because you have to commit to a TS reservation EVERY DAY to make sure you get the full value. We just don't travel that way.

We have a late breakfast in the room, and some days our only other meal is an early TS (like 5:30 at Boma). With teenagers I'd definitely plan on a couple of the buffets (Boma's the only buffet we like). We have the DDE card, and in reality that does push us to TS restaurants more often than we otherwise would go, but it's a vacation! Also, I can have a glass of wine and that's 20% off, too.

We also find we can "splurge" at more of the signature restaurants, which are nowhere near twice as expensive as other TS restaurants, with the DDE, and still keep the spend for the day under $40/person (we don't eat red meat, so the most expensive menu items are ruled out right away).

[mikesmom]

Well, first of all, we finally got the airfare thing licked. We got a Southwest Air VISA card and use it for pretty much everything - business expenses,groceries, everything. I pay it off completely every month so the interest doesn't wipe out the savings. Those air miles add up pretty fast as SW is a lot less miles to qualify for a trip and a lot more liberal about seats available on any flight. We literally have not paid for a flight in 5 years.

We never use the DDP, even when DS was a teenager and brought a friend. It's way too much food for us, particularly in hot weather. We have a large cooked breakfast in the room, buy fruit, chips, deli meat, etc so there are plenty of good food choices for the boys. I make large sandwiches they can just grab and run. We also buy soda and water, avoiding expensive drinks in the parks. We usually have 2 TS meals in a week - there are always leftovers that can be taken back to the fridge. The beauty of a 1 bedroom - the kitchen!

We usually get Park Hoppers with non expiring days on them. Each trip usually is only 4 or 5 park days - with a multi day hopper the day 6, 7 etc are really low cost and cover the next trip nicely.

[LIFERBABE]

December is our bonus trip, so we do it on a budget. I total what it would cost us to feed and entertain the kids at home for 2 weeks during Christmas Break, what I would spend after-Christmas shopping, and then we take that amount and go to WDW for 2 weeks with it.

We drive, take food, and grocery money. We have DDE too. We pay cash for our gas, food and room charges. I save up all my rewards and redeem them for gas cards, movie passes, gift cards etc.

Not counting our points, and previously purchased MYW tickets, we can do the entire 2 weeks for less than $1500. That includes 3 Disney Quest Annual Passes for Dh and 2 DS's.

We dont do the parks when they are crowded, but we always have a great time and really enjoy it.

We are in a studio for the first 5 nights and then a 1 bdr for 8 more.

[3DisneyKids]

Well, first of all, we finally got the airfare thing licked. We got a Southwest Air VISA card and use it for pretty much everything - business expenses,groceries, everything. I pay it off completely every month so the interest doesn't wipe out the savings. Those air miles add up pretty fast as SW is a lot less miles to qualify for a trip and a lot more liberal about seats available on any flight. We literally have not paid for a flight in 5 years.

We never use the DDP, even when DS was a teenager and brought a friend. It's way too much food for us, particularly in hot weather. We have a large cooked breakfast in the room, buy fruit, chips, deli meat, etc so there are plenty of good food choices for the boys. I make large sandwiches they can just grab and run. We also buy soda and water, avoiding expensive drinks in the parks. We usually have 2 TS meals in a week - there are always leftovers that can be taken back to the fridge. The beauty of a 1 bedroom - the kitchen!

We usually get Park Hoppers with non expiring days on them. Each trip usually is only 4 or 5 park days - with a multi day hopper the day 6, 7 etc are really low cost and cover the next trip nicely.

Sorry--I don't intend to hijack this thread, so if there is another thread here on the DIS that discusses the SWA card, please let me know. We use the Disney Visa the same way...put absolutely everything on it and pay it off in full each month. We have used it to pay for the dining plan for our last 3 trips...but it sounds like SWA Visa may be even better for us....

[castleri]

Sorry--I don't intend to hijack this thread, so if there is another thread here on the DIS that discusses the SWA card, please let me know. We use the Disney Visa the same way...put absolutely everything on it and pay it off in full each month. We have used it to pay for the dining plan for our last 3 trips...but it sounds like SWA Visa may be even better for us....
You can get the information on the SW site and possibly on the Chase site. With your first purchase you get 4 credits which is a good start to the 16 you need for a trip. Good luck.

[mikesmom]

Sorry--I don't intend to hijack this thread, so if there is another thread here on the DIS that discusses the SWA card, please let me know. We use the Disney Visa the same way...put absolutely everything on it and pay it off in full each month. We have used it to pay for the dining plan for our last 3 trips...but it sounds like SWA Visa may be even better for us....
.. And if you need more personalized info, feel free to PM me. No we don't work for Southwest, but we have had the card for YEARS and really love the free flights.

[beccasmom]

We do breakfast in the room - I actually bring bacon (frozen) with me. I buy eggs and muffins/bagels when we arrive. I also purchase milk, beer (for DH), pre-packaged cheese slices (not our favorite, but in a pinch...), some soda (the 2-liter bottles are $$$$, so not much!!), some bottles of water and snacks such as popcorn, chips, crackers and some donuts for quick dashes out the door on busy mornings. I bring a canister of ice tea mix so the kids don't constantly gulp soda. I also bring a canister of coffee. And I bring packs of popcorn for the microwave and peanut butter. To save on bottled water purchases, I bring our individual Britta bottles, which filter the water from the tap.

We eat either a big lunch or dinner, not both. Earl's is great -
I sometimes purchase 2 sandwiches and eat one the next day because they are filling and reasonably priced. We are fond of the buffets offered, but also enjoy some of the counter service places such as Lotus Blossom Cafe - great food, enough to share or save for later and a relatively good value. Lunch is often much cheaper than dinner and the entrees are not much different.

For tickets, we make the most of our days by park hopping a lot! We try to add pool time every other day or so and enjoy other activities. The limits on luggage weight and carryons have made it a bit easier to avoid over-buying souvenirs.

[bigsmooth]

Many airlines offer companion fare coupons in addition to miles when using their credit cards. May help in getting a direct flight from the west coast. We use Alaska out of Seattle, they offer a $50 companion fare each anniversary year of using your Alaska credit card. Buy one fare, get the second for $50. Plus they fly direct from Seattle to Orlando. I know United offers something similar, don't know if they fly direct from the west coast anywhere. We usually use miles for two tickets, and then pay for two tickets (one at full price, one for $50) to essentially get 4 tickets for the price of 1 + $50.

Like others said, use your card for all purchases (and pay the balance each month) and you can earn the miles pretty fast.

[kimberh]

We have paid for food on our last 5 trips with the Disney Visa card. We own our own busiess... We put every thing we can on it and American Express. With that we can purchase Airline tickets with membership reward points. We have one card that we get a free companion airline ticket, once per year. Ine of us gets the Annual Pass so that we can get discounts with that. I never buy tickets from Disney, unless it is the annual pass. I buy my tickets from the link on mousesavers.

[KristinU]

Dumbo71...we'll be there 1/13 thru 1/20 if you'd like to stop by....staying at VWL this visit......

Darn, DonnaL - we're checking out of VWL on 1/13! We, too, prepare a few meals in our villa. This next time I plan to try something new that a girlfriend of mine made on a recent "girls weekend" (we each get assisgned a meal and she had breakfast). It is a make-ahead baked french toast casserole. Here's the recipe/instructions:

Baked French Toast Casserole with Maple Syrup


1 loaf French Bread (13 to 16 oz)
8 Large Eggs
2 Cups half and half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash salt

Praline topping (recipe follows)
Maple Syrup


Slice French Bread into 20 slices, 1 inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs) Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 X 13 flat baking dish in two rows overlapping the slices.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half –and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Make Praline Topping:

1/2½ pound (2 sticks) butter (softened)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with Maple Syrup.


I plan on lining my baking dish with my new best friend - Reynolds Release Foil. My only logistic issue is the corn syrup - since it is only 2T I certainly don't want to buy a whole bottle, but checking a little container of it could be risky for a sticky mess. I guess I'll put it in a little bottle and triple zip-loc it and hope for the best. I'm planning on throwing my brown sugar, pecans, and spices together in a zip-loc at home (double or triple zip-loc there too!) Hmmm...maybe in the interest of TSA baggage searches I should think about sending a box ahead of time.

Has there ever been a DVC recipe thread? I wonder if we should start one?

[gtrist4life]

I'm having a mental block, could someone explain what TS stands for in reference to TS Restaurants/meals? Table Seating?

[3DisneyKids]

TS = Table Service restaurants (as opposed to CS, which is counter service restaurants). table service restaurants are "sit down" restaurants.