If you can help, might be able to save trip!!

[A1A1]

Hi. Things have changed recently making it very difficult for me to see how we can actually follow through on our trip this summer. Here are the plans:

Fly to Virginia (already paid for plane tickets)
Stay in hotel three nights (126.00 per night includes buffet breakfast)
Drive to South Carolina
Stay in Courtyard one night (80.00)
Finish driving to Hilton Head
Stay on DVC points at Hilton Head resort two nights(no charge)
Drive to WDW
Stay on DVC points at BWV one week (no charge)
Move to CR at great military rate
Drive to HH to stay on points two nights (no charge)
I will have rental car on American Express points (no charge except taxes and fees of $175)

Here's the budget:
(I have budgeted $50 per day for small child and self to eat. )
Food Totalling $1,000.
Park passes around $700
Other entertainment $200 - Promised dd I'd take her to Horseworld and Dolphin cruise.
Tips/gratuitity/parking/taxi to airport - $100
Gasoline - $100
Tax on rental - $175
Cash hotel resservations - $800

Total budget:
$3,075


Please help me pare this down. I need to get closer to $2,000. Is there any chance of that?

[tar heel]

Where in Virginia and SC are you staying? Unless they are touristy areas, $130 sounds VERY high. We do road trips a lot, and I can recommend some medium-price chains that are very consistent. You should be able to do a lot better than $130 without going "cheap." You could also ask your daugher to choose between Horseworld and Dolphin Cruise or eliminate both with the explanation that there's not enough $ this time, so you'll only be able to do Disney. (Kids need to learn this -- I told my son "no" b/c of $ about 10 minutes ago.) I'm assuming you're getting APs, right? If not, there may be some pass savings -- I think there may be special deal for military even.

[DMRick]

Looks to me that the only thing you can pare down is the cost of the hotels before you get to Disney, and the outside trips (horseworld, dolphin cruise). Most everything else you either need to have (park passes) or it's free. You could eat for a little less, if you do take-out types of food, P & B sandwhiches and cereal in your room, and food courts. You could stay at AllStars instead of CR..that would save some money, especially using a code. It's prob still cheaper than the military rate at CR, and certainly safe.
Not sure where you are from, or why you didn't fly directly into Dis...you would save by going directly and staying at AS (or use the points form Hilton Head for Dis) before your other hotels. If you booked with SW, they let you make changes for no charge (other than if the rates have changed). You could then shuttle into Dis and save the taxes on the rental car/gas..that's almost $300 right there, before the shuttle cost.
It's obvious from your last sentence that you want to stay in the hotels you picked..but if you do that, it's ties our hands at trying to help you get the prices down : (

[A1A1]

Thank you very much for your advice. I have been searching this site for budget information. I think I'm a lot leaner than most, well, not *me* particularly, but the budget, I mean.

I decided to take dd to ride the ponies for a couple dollars at Fort Wilderness rather than do the whole thing at Horseworld. Also, the dolphin cruise will have to wait for another trip. If I find that early on in the trip we have been able to "bank" a good chunk of the budget, I might consider adding these in. Also, I will grocery shop, and keep food in the room for cooking. Someone on another thread even suggested bring a small George Foreman grill. I don't know if that's something I could actually stink up my luggage with, but it's an option.

Am I being realistic about the money set aside for food? DD and I usually survive on nutrition bars. I usually eat one meal per day, a nutrition bar or two, and a light something at night like cheese and nuts. DD needs more real food, and I will give her everything she needs to be healthy. She needs more smaller meals for her little belly.

Also, We will be staying in Virginia Beach for the first five nights. I have considered taking a friend up on their offer for us to stay at their house. Not at all ideal, because we would have to sleep in their living room, and they have two early twenties boys. I don't know if that is right for my daughter or me. I wouldn't mind if one of the boys would give up his room, but don't feel comfortable asking for something like that. It wasn't offered either. The second location was a spot I picked from a map that seemed halfway to Hilton Head, Florence , SC. Do you know of anything else there?

I am very freakish about hotels. I am not the Red Roof Inn type now, with myself (female) and my dd. We have both gotten parasitic infections at a hotel before, and I am very concerned about this happening again. Nothing against Red Roof Inn or any other, I am just paranoid.

I guess the big questions now are

Park passes: how many days is enough? Can you do a disney vacation without the parks? Without water parks during the summer?

Are my numbers realistic for food? I will buy groceries.

[vcasey]

The biggest place it looks like you can cut is the hotels and I know you said you are concerned about quality but I would highly recommend Priceline. www.biddingfortravel.com will give you a very accurate idea of what hotels in the areas you are staying are going for as well as what hotel is usually granted. I'm a single mother with a daughter (not sure if you are but at least if I read correct you are travelling that way) and I was really fearful of priceline at first but a friend convinced me and now I love it. I stayed at a 4 * Sheraton hotel at LAX that I had a AAA rate of $90 for at Easter time ironically with Priceline I got the same hotel for $32. Do the research see if it works for you. Also keep checking sites like travelocity and orbitz, I've had hotels go down in price last minute.

Also regarding the food, if you are staying at DVC why not purchase some groceries on your way down? Since you are driving anyway there are far cheaper stores than the ones right at DD. But you should be ok with $50/day estimate since you said your daughter's 'small'. Mine's 9 and we did $50/day for food even before DVC. We tried to just do 2 meals/day and kept fruit and snacks in the room. I just joined DVC (my first trip 'home' is this summer) I'm hoping with the kitchenette to shave the meal costs even lower.

[A1A1]

Thank you for your help. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the concern of kind people.

DD and I will live on peanut butter, which I will bring, celery, carrots, cereal, nutrition bars, cheese and crackers, and other easy to bring stuff. I will cook in the room, eventhough I don't like to do that while on vacation, but if that is how I will be able to go, that's what I will do. I am wondering if I can get that number down even further myself. Since we will have the rental car, I will drive offsite for meals. I have never done that before. Someone suggested Wolfgang Puck Express for a quick bite at DD. We will probably only eat one meal out per day, so I hope to keep it under $50 per day for food.

I checked the rate for the first hotel. It is $111.60 per night and includes full buffet for both of us. If I back out the cost of the buffet, it isn't that bad, and may end up to be our one meal of the day, therefore, I can also bank the cost of the food for that day, or eliminate some of it.

I will check the sites mentioned above. Thanks again!

[idontknow]

$50 seems kind of high for the food, but I wouldn't bring it down any more. If you see that you are not spending that amount, then you can spend it elsewhere when you see fit.

The other thing I see you budgeting high is the park tickets. I'm not sure how long you will be at WDW. I see from you itinerary that you will be at BWV for 1 week, but didn't see how long at CR. If you have a disney club card you can get passes for 5 days for about $219 per adult. (unless my memory is slipping) Child's tickets are cheaper. You could spend about $400 on tickets saving you $300 from your estimate that way. (unless you are planning another trip within the year to take advantage of the APs) There is soooo much more to do than just the parks at WDW. You could make an entire day out of resort hopping, staying at the resort and swimming, Downtown Disney, Fort Wilderness, etc. You could stay on site or go off to play mini golf. (fairly cheap) If you can find tickets that include "pluses", then you could go to a water park and it would already be paid for.

Like the above posters said, the $130 a night at the beginning sounds a little high. Have you checked sites like hotelkingdom, expedia or travelocity for better rates? I know what you mean about being picky. Everyone has their own level of comfort. I, personally, will not eat at McDonald's. Millions of people eat there every day, though, so it can not be that bad, right? LOL But that is my level of comfort.

It sounds like you are going on a long trip. Don't forget to schedule some down time. That could be the difference between having a great trip and having a melt down, if you know what I mean......;)

[NancyIL]

For a limited time, you can order 5-day park hoppers with 4 plus options from Ticketmania through this link to Mousesavers: http://www.ticketmania.com/discountMOUSESAVERS.shtml

You could do the "plus" options (water parks) on non-park days - thus giving you 9 days of activities for only $440.

I also second the idea of using Priceline.com for your hotels in Virginia and SC.

[A1A1]

Thank you! I just tried priceline.com for the first time, and my offer was rejected. I bid really low, so that if the hotel was bad, I would not stay there, and wouldn't be out of pocket very much. I will have to wait the three days now before I can try again.

The $130 I mentioned at the beginning was wrong. It's actually 111.60, and includes full buffet breakfast for two people each morning. I thought if I took out the cost for the breakfast it wasn't so bad. I've been checking rates for other hotels in the area, and they are double and triple that rate. This hotel is not right on the beach, but right across the street, therefore, the price break from the others. You wouldn't believe it, but a Days Inn on the beach is almost $300 per night. This hotel that I've reserved is a historic beautiful place that Ive visited before, but never stayed in. I think it will be worth the extra, but will try priceline again for the SC hotel. It's only one night there, right?

I have planned another trip down next Easter with DD, so I originally planned to do AP's. That may not work out. I have to figure out how many days of use, etc, will make each pass option the best for me.

[wdisneyaholic]

My husband and I took a budget trip several years ago. For 7 nights we only spend less than $300 on food, the whole trip!! We ate at sit down restaurants and counter service. If I may ask, why are you staying so many nights in Virginia and the one night at the Courtyard? Seems like you could drive directly to Hilton Head and save the $70. Good luck on your budget.

You can also save alot on getting food at the grocery stores.

[Jen80370]

Did you say military rates? Are you active duty/retired? Why not rent the barracks at NAS Oceana (Virginia Beach) It is like $8 a day for active duty...or you could stay at Norfolk or Little Creek. There are a dozen military bases in that area and all of them rent barrack space to traveling military. Cheap, clean, save, and it takes $700 off your rate right there. Good luck!

[Jen80370]

Another option is stay in the Pembroke area of Virginia Beach. Only about a ten minute drive from the beach...but MUCH CHEAPER. The oceanfront hotels are swarming in the summer...reminds me of Daytona Beach during spring break. I lived there for four years when my DH was stationed there.

Good luck!

[A1A1]

I am driving all the way through, because I usually fall asleep after three hours. The drive is eight hours+, and I thought it might be too long for dd to sit in the car, as well as for me to drive alone. Florence, SC seemed like half way.

We are staying in VB to visit friends, and bc we used to live there. I want to show DD the naval base where we were stationed, visit our old house. Lots of things to do there. A mini vacation before our vacation, but it is actually something I absolutely *have* to do.


Jen80370---
I may call the bases to inquire about the places there. I thought I remembered something like that, but didn't know if we were eligible. Do you know who I could call for that?

I may just have to call the family friends to sleep on their living room couch. I really don't want to do that with DD. She needs privacy, I think. She'll never sleep like that.


wdisneyaholic--
what sit-downs did you eat at? I've just been checking menus, and noting the ones that I thought would be okay for us when we ate out. I am probably going to be doing a lot of mac n cheese for dd. If you did $300 for a week with two adults, I don't think my $1,000 is unreasonable, and in fact, I can probably go down a lot with just eating grocery store food.

I will definitely be buying at grocery stores. I figure a sandwich lunch or a cereal/egg breakfast can only cost $1-2 dollars per day. I only drink water, so I'll have to do a little detox off of bottled water before we go, so that I can just do tap water. At $2.25 per bottle, I could blow my whole budget on bottled water.


I checked out prices on expedia for the night I need in Florence, and the Microtel is rack rate of $53. That's already thirty dollars less than my Courtyard. I have stayed at Microtel before, and thought it was okay. Tiny room, but all we need is a bed that night.

Thanks for the input.

[bobcat]

As for food I always budget $50 per day for myself and DD 9 and DS 7. We never spend that much. We eat breakfast in the room, cereal/donuts/poptarts, usually counter service for lunch and dinner, although we always have a character meal and a couple of sit down lunches in there as well. I bring a cooler full of fruit, bottled water, juice boxes, and sandwich fixings. Some days we will just eat when we go back to the park to rest and swim. When we go in the summer it is always too hot to eat much. For our drive down I pack a picnic and we stop at a rest area and eat. The kids also get a chance to run around a bit and are ready for more car time.

We bought a Brita fill and Go water bottle for this trip that has a filter in the top so we can fill up with tap water. I have a water pitcher here at home and I like this water better than bottled so this will work well for us.

We don't skimp on food while we are on vacation and we have always had more than enough money. Some of our favorite places to eat are at MK Cosmic Raye's, Columbia Harbor House, and we like to have a character meal at Crystal Palace. Check out the restaurant board for great ideas.

Don't be disapointed if you can't get APs this trip. Our plan last year was to buy them since we are going again this year. However I made a job change and didn't have the money last trip. We bought 5 day park hoppers and have a plus left for this trip. There are so many things to see and do that cost little or no money. Keep researching and you will come up with a workable plan.

[jgates]

OK, I'm still back on the $111.60 hotel room with breakfast here. My recommendation would still be to do something differently there.

1. Have you asked about military discounts at the motels? Often they have the most significant discount.

2. If you are Sam's member, their travel dept has codes that give fantastic discounts not even accessible by their own travel agents.

3. If you don't want the Red Roof, I have never had a complaint with Fairfield Inn by Marriott, Hampton Inn or Holiday Inn Express. (One HIExp the hot water broke next morning but they refunded 50% of rate). I also have really liked Comfort Inns. All four of these should provide a good continental breakfast that will fill you up. Country Inn & Suites by Carlson is also nice.

Regardless - don't just take the first rate at face value. AAA normally offers 10% off. Sam's has grabbed us 15% to 40% off of rooms. My girlfriend frequently gets 50% off for military but you have to ask and show whatever ID they have for him being retired. Do you have an Entertainment book? If your motel offers a 50% off rack for Entertainment book it might pay for itself very quickly. Check their websites - early this year Comfort was offering "home for the holidays" rates (went up thru memorial day even!) which allowed us any room (ON NEW YEARS EVE!) for $49. Only drawback-2nd floor rooms only - who cares. We ended up in a King w/fold out sofa-fridge-micro.

Traveling alone with child I would look for indoor corridors.

I don't do Priceline because I want to know where I will be before I commit. If you want to email me the specific destination with the dates I'll be happy to scrounge around for you to tonite. (jgates@discover-net.net). ?Or do I just check Virginia Beach?

I broke down and purchased the 10 day passes from Paramount International (they tried to deliver today but my dd had her radio to loud to hear the UPS man - AGH!!!!!) These were more expensive but will allow us to come and go more freely in the parks-we don't waterpark.

***WELL, these prices are ridiculous! They do drop about 40% if you get further away from the beach. If you have the vehicle the drive might more than pay for itself.

[tink2dw]

The tap water in Florida is really really RANK!! I swear it made Dd and me sicker than we have Ever been!!

I suggest either a Britta bottle,or at the Super Walmart[they are a grocery store too!!] sells AquaFina Bottled water which is NOT bottled in Florida. It cost $5.00 for 12 bottles[thats $.41 for each bottle] of water that have more oz. than the WDW ones. Also brush your teeth with the Bottled water!!!!!

[idontknow]

Since you are driving, why not pack a box of food from home? (coupons + sale = great prices. LOL) Plus, you could pack a cooler, too. Since all you drink is water, you could pack a case or 2 and just put what you need for the day in the cooler. You could also stop at grocery stores along the way to replenish your supply. Publix in Florida is MUCH cheaper than Gooding's, but Gooding's is the closest to most of the tourist areas. (hence the reason they are so expensive) A lot of people stop at the superwalmarts for food, too. By any chance, do you have one of those crock pots that isn't a crock? We have one that is actually 3 separate pieces. It has a heating base, then the part that holds the food and the lid. The reason I ask is because you can use the base for grilled cheese sandwiches, eggs, bacon, etc. Pretty much anything you could cook in a skillet, you can cook on the base unit. Mine only weights about 2lbs. I love mine, very versitile. (hmmm, making a mental note of that for our budget trip in the fall)

Hey Nancy, great catch on the tickets! I just read a post about them a little bit ago.

[jgates]

Fairfield Inn, Chesapeake which says 6 miles SW of Virginia Beach has $95 per nite for a King room. No military discount. AAA Rate is $69 per night! (I used 7/12, 7/13 & 7/14 because I didn't know your dates). Their rates are actually higher during the week - up in the $80's for AAA.

Weekdays at the Fairfield Inn in VB for 7/9, 10 & 11 run around $75 for AAA for the weeknights. (filled that next weekend).

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

DO make sure you ask if hotels have a military rate. DH is reservist and we have saved TONS on wonderful resorts this way! People can often not believe the deals we get;) ! I also like nice places and love to get the best deal:cool: !

[tink2dw]

taxi to airport - $100

Can you get this amount down?? Why do you need a taxi to the Airport?? Which airport?? Can you arrange something else??

[chris1gill]

I'd also try Priceline for some of your nights... go over to www.biddingfortravel.com & see what the bids have been for 3* or 4* or resorts for your areas... I've gotten some *REALLY* nice resorts for little money!!

About the George Foreman, DO IT... we brought ours to Hawaii with us in February & it was AWESOME... it saved us SO much money.... you can cook so much on it, I was really surprised, as I got the idea here on the DIS. We cooked hot dogs & chicken (I didn't like red meat on the foreman) & we also cooked our veggies & grilled bread on it. You'll have a microwave & can request a toaster at the DVC resorts (you'll have a studio?) You wouldn't believe the amount of food you can cook with just a little bit of creativity.... you won't have to settle for Mac & Cheese!! Stop at the grocery store on your way to the resort & purchase what you'd normally eat... all but red meat will come out great between the foreman & the microwave...

About the park passes, you'll be going back next year right? You might want to get those AP's even though it is more expensive.. you won't have to buy park admission next year...

Go line by line on your budget & see what you can possibly get rid of or reduce...

[A1A1]

Thanks folks! I like you more than most of my family. They just keep telling me not to go. I really need this time this year. Lost a family member in Va Bch, so I'm finally ready to face some of the demons waiting for me there. It's time, and I have to do it.

I am looking at three areas that could be cut down:
1. Hotels before Disney
2. Park Passes
3. Food

Hotels before Disney
I am currently checking the web and some AAA travel books for other, more economical options. I am going to call the bases today to inquire about staying there. Has anyone stayed at a Windham Hotel? There are a few of these, they are about the same price as the Courtyard I reserved, but they have a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you don't like it, you don't pay.

Park Tickets
I am pretty resolved to being unable to affored the AP's this year, eventhough I will have to pay for passes again next year. I just can't afford it this year. The part that makes it difficult, is that I like to go to the parks every day, just to walk around, not necessarily to ride the rides. It's so magical in the parks, I could walk around them forever. I will visit resorts and get a similar feel by trying to find some fun things about each resort. It should prove to be very relaxing.

Food
I think I can do a good job here if I don't get tired of cooking. I will visit the commissary on my way out of Virginia Beach. I think I can stock up on cheap water and other non-perishables. I would like to see exactly how much I can save. This will be my personal challenge. I have checked all the WDW menus that I could find, to see which would be the best deals for us for the times when we would eat out.

The taxi is $20+ each way plus tip. That $100 included all the gratuities for the trip as well. Is that reasonable?

[GAIL HAYDEN]

We usually cook in the unit at DVC and have found you can save a LOT by just shopping at Win Dixie or Super WalMart. You can trim hundreds off your food budget this way, and we eat very very well. See if you can get a friend to drive you to the airport, that will save on parking/taxi and some of the tips.
I would stay on the couch, if your little one is tired enough, she will fall asleep. Heck, if push comes to shove and it does not work out, you can get a motel. But, at least you have tried.
I would not pass up the Horse World trip, but, then again, I have a soft spot for horses and the love little girls have for them. That is a promise I would keep as well as the Cruise. JMHO. :) I would find another way to budget money so I could do this.
Hopefully with all the advice you are receiving here you can trim that budget down to where you want it to be and have a wonderful time. :)

[A1A1]

Thanks Gail! I agree with you that the special experiences that we can have together, like Horse World, are what makes the memories for children. It definitely wouldn't be the food, unless it was a special meal like Cindy's. Thanks alot! I am thinking very hard about all of this.

I have made a shopping list. Since we will have commissary priviledges, I will pick up the non-perishables there along with a styrofoam cooler. Once we get to Hilton Head, or pretty close, I will probably pick up a pack of chicken or other meat to cook in the room. I am seriously considering the George Foreman grill in the suitcase idea. If it gets really stinky from use before we fly back, it was only $14.99, and I wouldn't feel very badly about leaving it there.
I can't imagine spending $1,000 on food if we cook most meals in the room, and maybe eat out about four or so character meals or special buffets like O'hana or Boma. I calculated that those should run about $30-40 each. If we did that, I guess I could plan on about $200-350 in eating out, and maybe, maybe, maybe another $150 in other groceries and the occassional popcorn tub for dd. There! I just cut my food bill in half! I refuse to buy bottled water there because it is so expensive. I will stock up on the drive.

[chris1gill]

I swear you can clean the Foreman really well, and it doesn't smell! We did wrap ours in two plastic grocery bags, but we flew all the way from Hawaii to Boston & our clean clothes didn't smell! It took very little room as well.

I know we go for 12 nights (2 adults, 2 kids) & we never spend more than 300.00 for dinner's out... I figure the groceries we buy would be groceries we'd buy at home, so I don't count that towards our trip costs...

Before we started cooking ourselves, we spent 150.00/day on food alone, can you imagine?

I just checked out biddingfortravel, and Norfolk Downtown - waterfront has two three * hotels, one's a Sheraton & one's a Marriott... it seems you could get one of these for less than 50.00/night, you might definitely want to try for it if it's close to where you'll be...

[A1A1]

Thank you Chris1Gill. You are great, too!

jgates seems to have gone out of his way to look up info for me. I thank you.

[2TxAgs]

Keep working on the hotels. You've mentioned the one for $111 because it has a buffet breakfast, but you've also stated a couple of times that you're light/fussy eaters, so why pay for something that you'll get little benefit from?

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Wal*Mart's bottled water is very inexpensive and really good.
I don't mind the water at WDW, but, everyone is different and will react in a different way. I used to react violently to the water in Springfield Ma, made the horse shows rather unpleasant that year. So, I guess it will depend on your body and the water, like I said, everyone is different.

[robinb]

I don't think you'll like my advise, but here it is ...

Your current plan is to spend 3-5 days at Virginia Beach, 4 days at Hilton Head, 7 days at BWV, 2-4 days at CR, plus a couple more for travel. You seem to be trying to stuff 2 vacations into 2-3 weeks. That was probably OK before whatever happened that necessitated you trim 1/3rd of your budget. I would recommend that instead of having 3 weeks of peanut butter and jelly you decide on either the beach vacation (Virginia Beach & Hilton Head) or the WDW vacation (BWV, CR). You'll still have your vacation, you'll still be able to relax and have fun with your DD but you'll spend less and you'll come back to "real life" in a better place to return to WDW around Easter as planned and "do it right".

[wdisneyaholic]

A1A1,

We chose our sit down meals pretty carefully. If we did a sit down breakfast then we would just do counter service for other meals. Columbia Harbour House in MK was one of our favorite places to eat. We also took advantage of the food court at the hotel. We were never really big on eating anything in our room. Personally now I could do one big meal a day and just little snacks the rest of the day. Stock up on nutra grain bars and bottled water at Wal MArt. They have great prices on snacks. Super Wal MArts have a lot of other food too.

[ceecee]

I agree with Robin...cut down on the days. If your daughter is really young, she'll be tried of all the running anyway. We did 1 6 day trip with a 4 day hopper and had a wonderful time, our daughter was 4 and that was just about right for her. Now that she's older we can do a little more.

[jgates]

OK, I'm back!

I don't know just how business oriented this area is, but have you also checked to see if any of the hotels offer a shuttle to and from the airport? If so, a few $ extra per night on one of those could offset the $100 you are estimating for taxi, etc. I believe in New Orleans the shuttle to the major hotels downtown was $12 per person. (We did tip thou - our bags were HEAVY). I'm doubting the Fairfield etc would have one but there may be one that services a group of hotels.

I do agree with the suggestion that if you are going to be visiting people or seeing people you know, see if you can get at least one way trip to cut those costs down. If you feel guilty about that, run to a gas station and buy them a $10 gas card for a thank you. Still saving $80 or so.

Or do you have enough points to add onto the car rental and pick it up early? Then the taxi could be avoided all together.

I'm afraid I'd be doing the whole vacation too......If I have my heart set on something I doubt I would cut it short.

I haven't re-read the entire thread here again today but when you stay at the Courtyard, remember breakfast is not included there. There is a Fairfield in Florence SC-that includes breakfast. I checked rates for 7/13 (Saturday) (Sorry-that's my birthday-that's why I keep focusing on that time frame!) AAA rates for a king room are $56.05 & up. Government rate is $59 for King, one double or two doubles. You often see them in the bargain motel magazines in the truck stops too. If you could change your Courtyard to a 6PM hold, you might be able to find a bargain with one of the coupons depending on location and save $25 or $30.

Also, I think DD would like the FW ponies too-bet she won't even miss Horseworld. Combine it with an evening with the S'mores by the campfires. You could pick up the stuff yourself at a WM stop.

I know you stated you can't afford the AP's, but if you definitely are going back next spring, the $$ you will be saving with your buddy George Foreman will more than make up for the cost difference and save you hundreds later on.

Since you are willing to drive off-site to eat, remember Ponderosa and ??Sizzler have buffets for bargain prices. Often there are coupon books right inside the doorway that have $1 off coupons in. (I know we stood in the entryway of Ponderosa tearing our coupons out and everyone else walked in and paid full price.)

Now, you know I have to take some of my own advice to heart. We are leaving in July & driving down from Wisconsin for 16 days vacation - spending a fortune and then I have to send my son off to college. But this is the present he wanted.....

Good luck from the cheeseheads!

:D :D :D Jenny

[jgates]

PS, Make sure you have a cellphone - Don't be travelling alone without one!

[dg39]

Everyone here posted great ideas for you for your trip. If you use some of them yu and yur dd can have a wonderful vacation. There is so much to do in wdw without going to the parks every day. We are going for 11 nights and are only getting a 5 day park hopper. We are driving down from NJ and plan on 2-3 character breakfasts, A few sit down dinners and some counter service. I would love to do everything on our upcoming vacation, but funds don't allow us to, so we do what we can afford to do and have just as much fun as the next person. Make a list of your Must do's that you can afford and stick to that. While dining at disney can be expensive, there are places to eat a good meal without going over your budget. The idea of bringing the Foreman grill is a good one. You can have lunch in your room using it. Have bagels and cereal for breakfast and then for dinner you can splurge alittle. Maybe staying off-site would be cheaper for you also. Mousesavers.com has great deals on there website for off-site hotels.

[A1A1]

Hi RobinB. Thank you for your post. I appreciate alternate views. I have thought about the possiblity of shortening the trip. One of the problems is that when you don't "bank" your DVC points within a certain time frame, you lose them. This would be financially awful, because I have already paid the dues on these points, etc, etc, etc. Also the penalty for changing the airline would be pretty big for the two tickets, I think. I will call to find out. So, essentially, I am trying to continue on with the trip, if possible. It is still not a sure thing. I have a lot of phone calls to make. Some of them will have to wait until Monday. Again, thanks!

Ceecee, thanks for advice on days in the parks. I am trying to figure out how many, how much, and when.

[robinb]

I know all about DVC :). I own at OKW and BWV. You can always rent any points you can't use. You can even rent that entire week you already have booked. My in-laws canceled on my 30 days before our start date ... 1 day too late to cancel the reservation and bank. I was still able to find someone to rent my points. You may not be able to get the full $10 per point going rate for "distressed" points, although I did.

Your airline will probably charge you somewhere between $50 and $100 per ticket to cancel :(.

[tink2dw]

A1A1,near our airport there are hotels that advertise Airport Parking. You can Drive there, stay the night,and leave your car Parked at the hotel during your trip. We live close to our airport so several days before departure we went to the hotel and prepaid for our 16 day trip,it cost $40.!! Plus they had security guards watching the cars parked there. On the morning of our trip we arrived 3 hrs before our flight at the Hotel. They called a taxi to drive us to the airport and drop us off in front of our airline!!

Check aroud your airport to see if hotels are offering this service!! Oh and when we got home our battery was so low it couldn't start the car. The hotel had a battery thing to start our car! I was glad we weren't parked in short term parking when that happened!!

Your head must be spinning with all the info you have recieved!! I found this GREAT Disney Vacation Planner for your computer,you can schedule your days,it even has an area for PS,notes, and the pull down menus at the top have a ton of info. Then it will print your plans 1 day at a time.[I would use it for your whole vacation!]
Here is the link to download this small program.
http://www.intercot.com/planner/default.asp

[A1A1]

Thanks Tink2dw! Thanks all!

I did some new and revised calculations!!!! Here they are:

5 day PHP discounted - one adult/one child = $433
Groceries = $150
Dining out = $350
Auto rental taxes and fees = $175
Hotels before Disney and 2 nights CR = $685
Tips for entire trip and cab to/from airport = $100
Other tours = $100


Total -= $1,993 !!!!!!!!!

I'm not sure the amount for eating out is realistic. I am going to add to the food portion as follows:

Dining out for fifteen days at HHI and WDW - one meal per day/$30 per meal x 15 = $450
$15 per day at Va Bch and Florence stop = $75
Groceries for inroom cooking = $150
New food total = $675

New grand total = $2,168

I think this is okay, because I wanted to get closer to $2,000, and we did it! I may have over estimated on the eating out parts, but I'd rather overbudget for it than underbudget. I am still going to look into other accommodations in Va Bch.

[A1A1]

I forgot to mention, that I did call the airline to inquire about shortening the trip by changing the dates, and changing the places to fly in and out of. There were severl different scenarios. They all cost big bucks! The changes were all about $300. I would have had to pay the fee of $100 per ticket PLUS whatever the difference in fare would be.

[BedKnobbery2]

I would really VERY strongly recommend you consider priceline. I'm willing to bet you can cut your hotel expenses at least in half. Since you can designate the quality level of your hotel, you should really have no fear of getting a Red Roof Inn (a 1* hotel *=star). To give you an idea of quality, Priceline 3* hotels are generally marriotts, sheratons, hiltons, and wyndhams. 2.5* is usually a courtyard, sierra suites, candlewood suites. 2* is generally Holiday Inn, Homestead Suites, some Comfort Inns.

You may also want to consider staying off-property after your DVC stay ends; and again, I recommend priceline. It is VERY COMMON for people to get 3* hotels right in the WDW area (Rennaisance, Marriott, Hyatt) for less than $35 per night. Even with a great military rate, it will cost a lot less than the Contemporary.

Regarding food; I think you could even eat out most meals with your $50/day budget. Let's do a quick analysis here:

breakfast--easy to do in your room. fruit, yogurt, breakfast bars, cereal, poptarts--easily less than $5/day for both of you.

lunch--in the parks, at counter service: for DD, a kids meal (average, $6; for you, regular meal, average $10) OR another option is splitting a meal in a sit-down restaurant. For example, RFC, who usually has huge portions: 2 glasses of water, a Rasta Pasta, and your still at under $20, including tip.

dinner--out of the parks EXTREMELY easy to keep under $20 for the 2 of you. So that's a total per day of $45 (or less) for food, with only eating breakfast in your room.

Again, I want to reiterate utilizing priceline. I use it very often, and have stayed in hotels whose rates are $200+ for less than $50 a night. And we are talking some truly beautiful hotels. Read www.biddingfortravel.com thoroughly, and you can be an educated bidder.

Good luck to you. :)

BK

[disneydeb]

i have traveled many times with daughter alone to wdw , if i were you this is how i would do it

1: stay at the hotel in virginia, that includes the breakfast

2: when i was done in virginia i would go to the airport get rid of the rental car and fly to wdw

3: once at the airport i would use something like mears transportation to get to resort, that will cost about 25 for you and 18 for daughter round trip from airport to resort to airport, dont bother with a limo or sedan for 2 people its not really worth it unless you have 3 people with you

4: the money you save from the hotels and rental car you'll not be using will proberly pay for plane fare, and you wont have to worry about driving, and you dont want to get to wdw tired from driving and worrying,

5: i also use to take about 50 dollars per person per day i figured 10 for breakfast aand the other 40 for snacks drinks and lunch and supper, dont forget your child wil only be paying about 4 dollars per meal, also when my child grew up we ate at the taco stand across from pirates of carribean, or we go to tonys and share a pizza, or over to toy story pizza and she would get the pizza, i would eat the salad that came with the meal and we just had to buy extra drink, also we have gone into 50 prime time cafe and ordered 2 bowls of soup and then split a dessert because there huge, also kids meals are cheaper , so you wont spend that much on her, and theres also in the land at epcot little booths with different foods, she could get like the mac and cheese and you could get the baked potato with the fillings.

[A1A1]

Thanks again, all. I have started having panic attacks now. I don't know if it's because I need to have the vacation, or if it's because of the vacation that I have such anxiety. I am making myself crazy.

[chris1gill]

Geezzz, I think you made yourself crazy over it!!! Relax! Listen, we've been to Disney every year for 3 or 4 years with DVC & the most we ever spent on food eating out was 350!! We are two adults & two children, so I think your food estimate is absolutely okay!!

As for the hotels, I agree with everyone else, bid 50.00/night on a 3* Priceline hotel in Virginia (they don't have any 4*, they have the Sheraton Waterfront that seems to be coming up for that area) & for Disney, bid on a Resort, you are absolutely sure to get a really nice hotel, for no more than 80.00/night. I swear we've traveled all over & we're picky, but this is what I'd do!!

Other than that, you are DONE... your trip is planned, I wouldn't add days, take away days, fly into XYZ, I wouldn't do any of that!! It's time for you to do just a little bit of bidding on Priceline, you really can't go wrong if you bid the 3* in Norfolk or the Resort in Disney.

Good luck & go check out www.biddingfortravel.com!!!

[tink2dw]

I'm Sorry, we have flood you with info.Take a deep breath and think of your favorite thing. Breath. You are doing fine! Look at how much you are saving! You deserve this Vacation. Everyone gets the jitters before they leave home. You will do great and have a Blast!!

Can you stand 1 more money saving tip?? I just remembered that several people make reserations or in Disney speak Priority Seating
[by calling the Disney Dining line at WDW Dining
on 407-939-3463] for the last lunch seating,for 2 reasons,1. the last lunch seating is around 4:00pm and that is late enough to call the dinner meal,with snacks later in the room if needed. 2. You get the best of lunch and Dinner especailly at the buffets,but also at the other sit downs if you order just drinks and appitizer. Then order your main meal after the switch over!!

PRIORITY SEATING
Similar to a reservation, except PS only guarantees your party the next available table. It is advisable to check in
15 mins before your stated PS time.

Relax and have a fabulous Trip!!! You have Done Great,now relax!!

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

I think you have done a great job:D ! We have CR booked for the $95 SOG and I think some people can get it for as low as $65 depending on rank. SO, this is a MUST keep ressie as you will never get CR that low. We have paid more for a moderate. Relax and enjoy. I always get nervous until we get going, then it is smooth sailing as things fall into place:p !

[A1A1]

Thank you. I started to tear up reading your kind replies. I have so much on my mind right now. I don't know if it's right to take a vacation when I owe money to just about everyone.

I had a very close family member die last week, and the reality of debt and mortality has set it. It has shaken me, especially with the fact that I have a small child. I am not sure that with my debts that I really deserve to have a vacation. Do people go on vacation when they have debt? Credit card or other?

Things have become very financially complicated for dd and me, and I want to do the best thing for us in the long run. I cherish the times that we spend in WDW. It's like the only time I am not totally preoccupied with the details and problems of our life together.

Again, thanks. My Mother always told me, "You never know what you can do for another person with just a few kind words."

[robinb]

I am not sure that with my debts that I really deserve to have a vacation.

Do you deserve to go? Of course you do! Should you go? That's another question all together. Only you can truely answer that.


Do people go on vacation when they have debt? Credit card or other?

Plenty of people do. Many for the same reasons you want to. A vacation is a holiday from the every day: work, school, debts, etc. I admit that I cringe when I read about someone who is going heavily into debt to finance a Disney vacation.


Things have become very financially complicated for dd and me, and I want to do the best thing for us in the long run.

IMO the best thing to do is to cancel the trip. You can save your airline tickets for next trip at Easter, pay the $100 change fee and fly directly to MCO. Rent your DVC points that will expire on the DVC rental board and apply the money to your debt. Between the 2-3K you'll save by not going on vacation and the other $$ you'll get at $8-$10 per point by renting your DVC points you will make a nice dent in your debt.

Then, plan on a week long vacation nearby to get away. Maybe camping? Kids love WDW, but they love being with their parents even more. Your DD will love to be with you no matter where you go. It's hard to give up WDW, but you'll be going back in less than a year!

Good luck! I hope everything works out for you.

[A1A1]

Hi All. I decided not to take this trip. I had to accept the circumstances and face facts. I will hopefully give the points to a family member with whom I have a personal debt. That will satisfy that one. I feel a lot better. I think I will get season passes to the Six Flags nearby for the summer. Then, I will set aside some money each month after all the bills are paid. When I have enough, I will make the plans for another WDW vacation.

I do appreciate all of your support in trying to help me take the trip on a tight budget. I hope that this thread will help others in the future who might be facing a tight squeeze financially.

Thank you.

[robinb]

I feel a lot better.

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

I think you made the right decision. If giving the points away doesn't work, do try to rent them. I rented points to someone last year and had no problem whatsoever.

Look on the bright side ... now you can plan for that Easter trip!

[GAIL HAYDEN]

a1a,
Call DVC and ask about the "one time" exception to banking your points.
I am sorry you are cancelling your trip, but, I am sure you are doing what is best for you.

[jgates]

A1A1, i'm sending you a hug. If you feel that the equivalent pay-off to the personal debt you owe is the right thing then do it. If not, do the rental of points and then pay that person with cash/check. When you use that season pass to Six Flags, spend the day and eat one lunch at the park and eat the other from sandwiches from home - take the $ from the 'home packed' lunch and stuff that in the Disney jar. Your DD will be soooo excited to watch the $$ in there grow! She may even want to quit eating park meals so the Disney $$ grows quicker!

I know it is a hard situation. In the past, we have gone thru periods of unemployment for my dh, etc when we had a new baby. It wasn't easy. Now, there are still bills every day and I am $583 short of paying my credit card bill for last month. (I think graduation expenses sent that one WAY out there). Plus a ton of stuff more this month. It never ends.

In my own manner here, I have to deal with sending a boy to college this fall for an engineering degree. Estimated cost of education is $13,500 per year. However, in this instance we are going. This is what he wanted for his graduation gift and since he graduated as a Valedictorian (4.0 gpa), how can you deny him? I feel that this trip will run us about $3,500 for 16 days. A lot, but probably the last big trip we will take together - my baby boy is on his way out!

Once school starts this fall though, I am doing some serious Ebaying to try to keep him in food money. (Although he told me the other day that he likes Ramen noodles!!!!- Yeah!!!)

[A1A1]

jgates, I think the nicest people post on the Budget Board. Thank you. I will take your advice on the jar. I have never done the jar thing before, and I think it's a great idea. I am still very sad, because I have been planning this trip since I made ressies in November. We will definitely set some aside for the next trip. Only thing that makes it not so bad is the Dis will keep me planning, and planning, and planning, and that way I won't lose my excitement for next time. I will still keep my budget plan for the next trip, and I will feel better about going then than I would now. I just couldn't do it now. I'd probably have some kind of breakdown on Tower of Terror. Much worse things have happened to me in my life than not being able to go on vacation. It's really not such a big deal, except that I had been so geared up, and was even going to start packing the suitcases to see how much would fit.

Anyway, we'll make the most of our summer together, dd and I, and I will read trip reports etc, to keep current. I always feel like I'm there when I call CRO and hear the music. I could always do that for a cheap thrill! Nope. I will put that money into the change jar.

Thanks, again. Your kindness means alot. Have a Great! trip jgates. Congrats on having such a smart kid! That is definitely something to celebrate with the mouse.

[Gillian]

I've been away in rainly Cleveland & just read this entire thread from start to finish! What a roller coaster ride it's been for you, A1A1! I'm so glad your story had a happy ending. I'm sending you another hug & some pixie dust for your Easter trip :D

jgates, here are some ramen noodles for you & your son:
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gotta love 'em! :cool:

[A1A1]

Thank you very much Gillian........you can never have enough hugs *or* enough pixie dust.....

[NancyIL]

I'm sorry you had to cancel your trip - bit I'm sure you did the right thing. I've never been deep in debt - but I remember how it felt when we were borrowing from Peter to pay Paul- and it can be a very stressful time.

I'm sorry about the loss of your family member. {{{HUGS}}} to you.