It's $100 a day enough for family of 5? Buying souvenirs before trip, really works?

[zdesiree]

I budget out $100 a day for food and souvenirs for a family of five. Do you really think is enough? :confused3 We are staying 10 days.

[Atotty]

We're also a family of 5 and I've got spreadsheets of dining costs for all kinds of places. Are you doing any table service meals, character meals, or the Fantasmic dinner package? If so, that'll take more than your daily budget for just that one meal. Eating lunch at AKL and getting the vouchers (which really save money...these are great) will be $51 for our family.

Check out allearsnet.com and check out some of the menus for the places you're planning on eating and see if your budget works.

[justhat]

My husband and I have spent $100 on food in a day (sometimes less, sometimes more). That doesn't include souvenirs, just food for 2 adults (we generally don't order a meal for our daughter yet, though we did a few times). I would budget more. But we do eat at least one sit down per day so that ups the cost. If you can get by on all counter service you'll be okay.

[disneyfanfamily]

We are a family of 5 and are planning on $100 a day. But we are counter service people. We are only doing 1 sit-down (Cinderella castle breakfast!). We are not HUGE eaters. In fact I am a very small eater along with my youngest DS and DD. I definitely think it is doable! As long as you all do not want to do all table service meals. Good luck!

[Merriwind]

It's probably doable, but I would try to build in some slush money, as you may want a break from counter service at some point. I don't see anyway that you can eat any table service meals on that budget. On the other hand, my DSis's kids eat nothing but chicken fingers and fries, so for them, that budget would probably be fine.

Here's a link to check out menus and prices at WDW. It may help you with your budgeting.

http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menus.htm

Enjoy!

[zdesiree]

I was thinking probably to do the same thing, counter service and 1 sit-down meal (character meal). Thanks a lot for the allears link. I'm printing out the info, so I can plan the meals. Probably I should take some extra cash, just in case. What you guys think of buying the souvenirs before? Does that really work with the kids? :confused3

[pinkdiamonds1007]

I was thinking probably to do the same thing, counter service and 1 sit-down meal (character meal). Thanks a lot for the allears link. I'm printing out the info, so I can plan the meals. Probably I should take some extra cash, just in case. What you guys think of buying the souvenirs before? Does that really work with the kids? :confused3


We (my husband and I ) are taking an early trip to the Disney store to buy souviners before the trip, our daughter is 3.5( at the time of our trip.) So, i don't know as if she will really know the difference. We are going to wrap them up in Disney Wrapping paper and have them waiting for her when she gets back into the room at night. Also, we will get her like maybe $20 a day in Disney Dollors to get a souvineer of her own, or to buy extra snacks, whatever she wants to do with it. We will budget out a little more money, to do some DTD shopping...but personally my pictures are the best souviners I could bring back. Enjoy your trip!
Nicole
:wave2:

[poohkinandpiglet]

What you guys think of buying the souvenirs before? Does that really work with the kids? :confused3

I collect a lot of Disney themed things my kids will enjoy before I go. Then, I leave little treats or surprises for them in the room each day for them to find when we return from the parks.

In addition, they save their allowance in disney dollars to spend on our trip. Each day they have a little bit of money to spend on souvies then we buy them a big thing from World of Disney on our last day. DD usually wants a new princess dress or doll and DS chooses an assortment of stuff.

[EthansMom]

I was thinking probably to do the same thing, counter service and 1 sit-down meal (character meal). Thanks a lot for the allears link. I'm printing out the info, so I can plan the meals. Probably I should take some extra cash, just in case. What you guys think of buying the souvenirs before? Does that really work with the kids? :confused3

Lots of people here like buying souvies before the trip.

I don't really consider something I bought before the trip and carted with us to be a souvenir. I prefer to let each child pick out one medium ($20-$30) toy to purchase at WDW.

On our last trip, DS3.5 spent 4 days comparing the relative merits of different spaceship toys until he found just the right one (X-wing Fighter, $18). DD1 was content to pick out a stuffed character at World of Disney -- we handed her stuffed characters until we found one she wouldn't let us take away from her (stuffed Eyeore, $25). Total souvenir cost: less than $50.

[Laurajean1014]

For water, yes! ;)

[pinkdiamonds1007]

Lots of people here like buying souvies before the trip.

I don't really consider something I bought before the trip and carted with us to be a souvenir. I prefer to let each child pick out one medium ($20-$30) toy to purchase at WDW.

On our last trip, DS3.5 spent 4 days comparing the relative merits of different spaceship toys until he found just the right one (X-wing Fighter, $18). DD1 was content to pick out a stuffed character at World of Disney -- we handed her stuffed characters until we found one she wouldn't let us take away from her (stuffed Eyeore, $25). Total souvenir cost: less than $50.


Hmm..never thought of it like that before...lol, i was just one track mind..thinking of the fun factor of opening the gifts everyday..and then having the cheapness that is not wdw park giftshops. lol But, you have a good point here..maybe just letting them pick out their own gifts would be more memorable!
thanks for the input.
:wave:

[zdesiree]

That's why I'm asking. If I buy souvenirs before the trip, I feel like I'm taking out part of the magic. It's not the same feeling to see the sparks in their eyes :earseek: for something they see and actually can get, than just give them something you chose. I don't know, maybe a happy medium or like EthansMom is the best option.

[StephMK]

Stuff like spinner toys, shirts & fans I bought ahead of time & gave them out as needed. It would have annoyed me to pay full park price when I know what they cost on sale at our home store. We let them pick out one big thing or set at the parks. The two little ones only wanted one main thing each- an Ariel doll & Buzz spaceship & figures. My 10yo wanted to do lots of shopping & was considerably more expensive. I'd recommend DD or a set budget if they're old enough to ask about every gift shop you see!

[mello]

I just sat here last night with a spread sheet and the menus on allears.net, and figured that one sit-down, one counter-service and a snack would cost us about $160 a day. So I'd think if you didn't do the sit-down meal daily you could probably do it on around $100 per day.

I was thinking maybe we'd bring a couple fun little surprises that I've picked up super cheap, to pretend that Mickey or the princesses left a gift in our room, either on the first night, or the last. That's a new idea that I got here and thought it would be fun to try.

Other than that, we've always let the kids pick out one special thing on a trip (when they were younger) or given them a budget to shop with (now that theyr'e old enough to understand the concept). We have not been to WDW, but last year and 3 years ago when we did Disneyland, the boys each had a $50 budget for the whole trip. It was fun to see how they price-compared and really thought things over when they shopped.

: ) melinda

[MamaLema]

We are a family of 5 and we spent $100 a day on food but...our breakfast was included with the hotel, we only ate counter service and it didn't include souveneirs

Just my .02

[lovesdumbo]

What you guys think of buying the souvenirs before? Does that really work with the kids? :confused3

I think it probably depends on the ages of your kids. I've always brought "stuff" with me. I bring the kids new Disney PJ's, new Disney beanie, glow sticks, and some sort of new Disney toy like the plastic figures. I thought it helped to keep them from asking for everything we saw but it may just be that they were too young to ask for much.

[justhat]

Does bringing stuff from home really keep kids from begging for that light spinner, or whatever item it is that they see in the parks and want? My daughter is only 15 months, so we don't really have to get her anything yet cause she can't ask. We did let her pick out a stuffed animal like another poster said (she picked Brer Rabbit, would not let him go in the store, but at home she sleeps with 4 Stitchs in her bed). I'm just thinking that when Madison's older that if she wants one of those spray bottle fans that I could leave all the Disney toys I want to on her bed, but she'll still ask for that spray fan everytime we see one.

[powellrj]

we have never really been a family that bought souvenirs, so the kids never really asked for things. We would buy a few tee shirts from the disney store before we went so they could wear them down there, and then we would go to Beltz and let them get something if they saw a hat or a toy they really wanted. We would look at the shops for a few minutes, but they never really found anything they HAD to have. They both always have spending money and usually come home with most of it.

DH and I never really buy souvenirs so that may have something to do with it. I bought a tee shirt last year from Ron Jon and it amazed everyone because I had never done that before!

[meandtheguys2]

We don't pick up a bunch of stuff either before we go, or at the park. It is just too much to keep track of. The boys wear hats, and can pick one each year, and earn spending money for other special items. But that is usually just a star wars or Indian Jones toy. We discovered early that we didn't need spinners, light sticks, wash cloths, and pvc toys to have a good time, and that we all just got frustrated when we got home and they were forgotten.

[disneykid1961]

Without knowing if you're staying on-site or not, or have access to a car, it's a tough call. We saved a bundle with using our rental car for a pre-hotel stop at Walmart. We let the kids go wild in the Disney souvenir area...where t-shirts are $6.99, squeeze breee (a must for each kid!) around $4.99, toys, autograph books, etc. at great prices. We also stocked up on a case of bottled water, granola bars, dry cereal, fruit, etc. Even wraps and lunch meat becuase we requested a refrigerator to be delivered to our hotel room. We carried in water and munchies, and the excitement combined with the heat, made my kids not so ravenous. They had to be reminded to have a snack and a drink. We took a break every afternoon around 3:00 and swam and ate early dinner off-site, going back around 6:00 for more fun. Kids were so happy just riding rides and never asked for anything in the gift shops. That may sound unusual and I was pleasantly surprised...but they had chosen a lot of things in advance. I'm the one now regretting not buying a t-shirt or 2 that was specific to a ride...my son loves talking about splash mt. and rock n roller coaster with his pals. We did have a character breakfast at Donalds on the 1st morning to kick off the fun. DH laughingly calls that the $100 breakfast, which is not much more than we spent on food for the 5 days we were there. You can save a bunch by bringing in your own water alone! Enjoy!

[pixiepower1971]

I can feed my family of 4 CS lunch and dinner and a snack on $50 a day. That is splitting 2 adult meals at each meal. More then enough food but if someone is REALLY hungry the $$ goes up.

I would only buy mister fan ahead of time UNLESS $$ is too tight to do otherwise. My kids loved picking out spinny toys, autograph book, etc at the parks. They have used them for numerous trips. They also get a $5 a day limit that they can use on ANYTHINg they want and can also bank it for a big item. That has been a hit! They take allowance $$ as well. They tend to buy less when it is their own $$. My girls love the shopping part but really don't buy very much....they just like to look.

[kdtwiss]

we just went with or kids - 2, 5, 6, 11 and we jst explained we would be picking out souveniers the day before we were leaving. I made sure they were able to look so they could pick out just the right one, and also made sure we made it to that store for the last day,but all in all it went quite well.I think people were surprised we got away with that. We only ended p buying a Buzz Lightyear toy ($25) two boxes of Potato Heads and also one set of Mouse Ears. I think the kids did amazingly well, but I think part of it is due to the fact that we are ALWAYS on a tight bdget and they understand well the need to wait to buy things.

[cour10ee]

Why don't you check out the disney dining plan? It's around $35/day for adults, $10/day for kids over 3. It might help keep you close to your budget if you want to eat at table service places -- you get 1 counter service meal, 1 table service meal and one snack per day at a great majority of places, including character meals.

[zdesiree]

Why don't you check out the disney dining plan? It's around $35/day for adults, $10/day for kids over 3. It might help keep you close to your budget if you want to eat at table service places -- you get 1 counter service meal, 1 table service meal and one snack per day at a great majority of places, including character meals.

The problem I have is that I booked through DVC renting points. I don't know if buying vouchers may work. Anyone has experience with these?

[tlbwriter]

Buying souvenirs ahead of time would not work for my daughter. If she saw something she loved, all the Disney geegaws in the world that I had pre-bought wouldn't have satisfied her. Since we went at Christmas, we just told her we'd buy her Christmas gifts down there, so we combined souvenirs and Christmas (though Santa brought a few items as well). I think it would work for young kids, or for those who just want *something* and don't care what it is, but it just seems less fun to me.

[mousy_in_canada]

The problem I have is that I booked through DVC renting points. I don't know if buying vouchers may work. Anyone has experience with these?

If you are staying in a place that has a kitchen then you should be ok with $100 a day. We stayed at FW cabins last time, made a HUGE breakfast before we left for the parks and then the carried snacks in their pouch, and drinks (crystal light w/ the fountain water) ate lunch in the parks at about 2 or so then ate dinner when we got back to the cabin at night. we had planned on $100 day and we always stayed under that (we are a family of 5 too) the kids picked one thing each day to buy in the park we were at.
worked for us (btw my kids were 8,7 & 5) I think picking something themselves is important for them to remember their trip I don't think they would like coming back to something in the cabin, might work for other kids but mine liked picking out their own treats.

[tinker-kyle]

last january ... we budgeted our then 7 DD with $10 a day for the week
the majority of the funds were her own birthday/xmas $$ and the rest disney dollars that santa brought

the rules were 10 per day ... no borrowing ahead

we had a blast watching her calculate her purchases ... the first day (nearly the first minute) she blew $5 on a epcot keychain ... after that she got very serious ... saving up two days for the big tinkerbell pillow rather than buying the small one right away. she was very happy with her purchases and basically there was no begging or whining b/c she knew her budget and she knew what was important to her ... we never had to say no. if she wanted a mickey bar or popcorn above our family snack purchases she'd have to use her $$ (she rarely did)

daddy did "treat" her to hair wrap.

i think it was a great learning experience too :teacher:

[Jsme]

I am budgeting a little over $200 a day. My children have to purchase their own stuff this trip. Most days we will eat breakfast at the resort. I hope this is enough.

[bubba73]

I believe you can do it for $100 a day if you are careful. You may want to do like we do. We bring snacks into the park with us to save money on that. We also bring a couple of bottles of water to save on that. There are a lot of ways to save if you are thrifty.

10 day dance :dancer: :dancer: :thewave: :banana: :banana:

[zdesiree]

Let me give you guys the details so you can have a better idea how it's going to be. We will be staying from Nov 29 - Dec 08 at the OKW 2 bdr Villa Me, DH, DS6, DS4, DD3 + DG, DM, DMIL (but they don't count in the budget ). So I'm definitely will be doing the big breakfast in the hotel room, I'll bring snacks and water to the park, counter service at lunch and I'm still thinking :scratchin about dinner and the souvenirs.

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

We like to do the table service thing at the latest lunch time available (usually close to 3 pm.) This makes a great lunch-dinner. We have breakfast "at home", carry our own water, and snack if we're still hungry any other time of the day. Works well for us. Disney portions are big - consider sharing! If you want to do a character breakfast you can always make it for the latest time possible - a filling brunch, and cheaper than other meals.

Also, have you thought about the DDE card? It might be worth the $50 - $75 to save 20% on table service restaurants, if that's what you want. ::MinnieMo

[shakespeare]

Good advice! I was wondering the same thing myself. I bought some glowsticks, Potato Heads, and other things ahead of time to try and save on some money. I won't tell the kids until we get there and they start asking. The Disney Store has t-shirts with Mickey Mouse on them for $5.00 each. They have them in little kids sizes all the way to adults. Bought some of those also! ::MickeyMo

[mello]

Where did you get your potato heads? Somebody here said BigLots had sets, but I went looking today and didn't find any.

Good advice! I was wondering the same thing myself. I bought some glowsticks, Potato Heads, and other things ahead of time to try and save on some money. I won't tell the kids until we get there and they start asking. The Disney Store has t-shirts with Mickey Mouse on them for $5.00 each. They have them in little kids sizes all the way to adults. Bought some of those also! ::MickeyMo

[pinkdiamonds1007]

I had been bouncing back and forth on ideas after reading Ethansmom's post..but have firmly * lol * decided now to not bring stuff we bought at the disney store with us..* with the exception of the princess dress we are buying for our daughter..and some disney dollars for her.* Oh..and I did like a posters idea on another forum that said to buy glow sticks at the dollar store before you leave..i think those nighttime glow things are a rip..but if you like them then ignore that part. lol
I also liked the idea to buy practical souviners, like kitchen items, and Photo Albums..that way, you don't blow a bunch of moola on something senseless.. But i like the idea that the kids pick out their own gifts at the parks.. we are budgeting $25 a day for our 3.5 year old. *however, her daddy is a sucker for her cute little smile, so if she asks for something more expensive, she will probobly get it! * these men...what will we do with them???!!!
lol
Have a great trip!
Nicole :wave2: