Budget for June 2016?

[marie822]

Hello all!

Hoping to visit WDW in June of 2016. The last two times DH and I have gone were in September and both times we went there was a free dining offer. DH is a teacher now and we can't go in September anymore but I would like to go for the first two weeks in June (to celebrate our 5 year anniversary early).

I priced out the first two weeks for this June without any discounts at one of the All-Star Resort, 10-day-MYW w/ PH & WP, and Deluxe Dining for two adults. I got a price tag over $6400, and have sticker shock. And of course the price will only go up once the actual rates are released for 2016.

Our biggest concern is that we will save up and pay for this trip and not enjoy ourselves because the crowd level will be higher than in September when we are used to going.

Other than waiting to see if a room discount comes out, are there other discounts to bring this price down?

Also started using Swagbucks to earn some $ to put towards the trip, but I can't imagine it'll make a big impact.

Any advice would be great! Thanks!

 

[dpswift]

Nevermind

 

[hsmamato2]

I don't have a lot of advice except to say don't use the dining plan.... I would think you could go to allears and price out menus,pay oop and save some that way...also I am thinking you could stalk the discount codes threads,and get a room only discount either at disney.com or a 3rd party like orbitz, etc. on sale.... also buy your park tickets at Undercover tourist to save a few bucks.... since you have so much time you should be able to find deals along the way....

 

[kymom99]

Why would you price it without discounts? This year they have discounts going on. Use those rates to get your estimate to a more realistic number. I would also drop the dining plan. Try that and see how things look. Also, book a room only and buy your tickets separate.

I have been crunching numbers for next June as well. I think you can do much better.

 

[katmatry]

Hello all!

Hoping to visit WDW in June of 2016. The last two times DH and I have gone were in September and both times we went there was a free dining offer. DH is a teacher now and we can't go in September anymore but I would like to go for the first two weeks in June (to celebrate our 5 year anniversary early).

I priced out the first two weeks for this June without any discounts at one of the All-Star Resort, 10-day-MYW w/ PH & WP, and Deluxe Dining for two adults. I got a price tag over $6400, and have sticker shock. And of course the price will only go up once the actual rates are released for 2016.

Our biggest concern is that we will save up and pay for this trip and not enjoy ourselves because the crowd level will be higher than in September when we are used to going.

Other than waiting to see if a room discount comes out, are there other discounts to bring this price down?

Also started using Swagbucks to earn some $ to put towards the trip, but I can't imagine it'll make a big impact.

Any advice would be great! Thanks!

 

[peg110]

We are planning a June 2016 trip as well. We will be staying at Fort Wilderness in our 27' TT. Some ways to save. First as others have mentioned drop the Dining Plan. If that's not really an option, do you really need the "Deluxe" dining plan? You can save some $$ by going with the regular Dining Plan (1 TS, 1 QS, 1Snack per person/day). http://**************.net/2010/02/11/the-disney-dining-plan-at-walt-disney-world/
also states, of the dining plans, this is the one that is likely going to save you money. Of course this all depends on how you really want to dine. We found, when we used it in Nov/Dec 2014, that it was MORE than enough food for us. I couldn't imagine using 2 TS a day (Short of the "Special" events/shows that require 2 TS for the ADR).

Also the Undercover Tourist can save you some $$s on your tickets as can AAA. From what I was able to determine, at least for me, the costs for tickets from Undercover Tourist and AAA were about the same. That being said, my employer also offers a nice discount on tickets.

A 7 day MYW base ticket for 4 adults from:
"Work" discount is 1258.88
Undercover Tourist 1383.80
Disney 1427.12

All of the above includes taxes and shipping. So for me I can save 168.24 on tickets from Work as opposed to getting directly from Disney. Even Undercover Tourist saves 43.32. AAA just re-directs me to Disney's Normal Ticket site, but I know last time we got them from AAA and it was about a 100.00 savings over the gate/Disney price.

Another note about the Tickets. Do you really need the Hopper and Water Parks? And while the cost of a 10 day versus a 7 day is minimal, do you really need 10 days? Particularly if you are getting the WP The WP option does not use the "Ticket" entry to the park, so assuming you are staying for 14 days 10 days in the park and 4 days in the Water Parks is a lot of time running and No Down time. We have also found that we don't park hop. There is enough in most parks (at least for us) to keep us in the park for the day. At most, we may want to go back to our lodging (be it camping or a resort) for a break but we can go back into the same park without using another days ticket and no hopping. Hopping is only needed if you go from park A to Park B in the same day. This is only the THEME parks and not the Water parks too. The PH and WP options add about 100 per person to the ticket, so that could save you too unless you absolutely need them.

Did you go through a "Travel Agent"? I ask this because it seems like you have the deluxe Package. While it's nice, it doesn't work well on a budget. While an Agent may be able to get you deals you might not otherwise get, they are also in the business to make money. You are paying them for their work and somewhere it's coming out of that budget. You could certainly save a little more by making your own reservations with the hotels, getting your own tickets (from other than the Disney site) and really thinking about the options you want. Since this is not your first time, you have an idea what to expect as far as what's offered. It's probably going to be busier than in September and it's going to be hotter. Hotter means you may not want to eat as much food (again, get rid of the "Deluxe" dining and opt for lower plan) but you are going to want to DRINK (Water) more.

For our trip in June 2016 we are about $5k - $6K but that includes our "Driving" our camper (from NE Pennsylvania) as well as DDP, Campground, Tickets, and some "Emergency" funds. Our stay will be for 13 days but we are only doing 7 day (no hopper or no wp) but we are also adding Sea World (with their dining plan) on a day. Also if you are going to Universal that would be another reason to shave the 10 day down to a lower number of MYW Tickets.

Sorry this is so long and I hope it helps.

 

[gjaninek]

I am planning of June 2016 as well! You guys seems much further along in planning then we are. Right now we are thinking of driving down the. Staying at one of the all star resorts and doing 5 or 7 days in the parks with no hopper or water parks and no dining plan. Whe I did the math we will be ahead to pay oop for food. I have been before as a child and an adult but this will be the first time I am going as a parent. Bringing our 4 and 6 year old sons for their first time.

 

[edk35]

My suggestion is to also start purchasing Disney gift cards at Target each payday/month. If you can sign up for their RED CARD you can save 5% off each card. I purchase 1-2 cards every two weeks EVERY MONTH. I have been doing this for the past couple of years. It is just like a BILL we pay LOL. That way we always have a good amount saved up that way too. Some months I buy an extra 1-2. Also I have a savings acct. thru Capital ONE ...used to be DiRECT ING. I throw money in there too...out of sight out of mine. Any extra unexpected money goes in there too. I also put the coupon savings in there each month. I keep track in a notebook how much I save each week in coupons at the store. Then once a month I transfer that amount over to the Capital One acct. I also have a certain amt. transferred over every two weeks to coincide with paydays. It all adds up over a year or more's time. The gift card savings is my fave way to save.

 

[Pooh2]

For our Jan trip this year (2 adults), we got a room discount and put the amount we would have paid for the dining plan on a gift card. We ended up having money left on that gift card after buying food and souvenirs. It gave us much more flexibility than going with the dining plan. A few times we split a counter serve meal, then enjoyed a snack later.

 

[TravelMommy]

You may find that in the heat of the summer, you might not want the deluxe dining plan and it will be a lot of time spent going back and forth to restaurants. That is somewhere you could save a substantial amount of $$$. Undercover tourist has been a fantastic source of savings for us, you might want to check out their ticket prices. Hope you have a great trip!