College Budget Fall Trip

Leeann S

Earning My Ears
Joined
Mar 25, 2015
Hello everyone! I'm new, so please bare with me :) This isn't DCP related, but I am seeking the expertise of fellow college students.

Two of my friends and I want to go to Disney World for our Fall Break this October to celebrate our senior year. We plan on driving to cut flying costs, but beyond that aren't sure where to spend our money and where to save it. I've been to Disney three times before and I am used to the Deluxe hotel/Parkhopper/airport experience, which I know the three of us can't afford.

So here are my main questions:
  • Value or Moderate resort? And if value, is it worth it to upgrade to the newer Art of Animation or is Pop Century fine? What moderate resorts work best?
  • Dining Plan, yes or no? I'm thinking no, because we don't eat much and I'm thinking we'll only have one full meal in the park a day, bringing our own snacks and breakfast food.
  • Park hopper? Since we'd be there at the Food and Wine Festival in Epcot, it might be nice to hop over there on a whim. But it is more expensive.
  • Three day or two day ticket? We plan on arriving late on a Monday/Sunday night, staying Monday/Tuesday through Wednesday/Thursday, then leaving early Thursday/Friday morning. Are the savings really worth it? Would we enjoy a day just in Downtown Disney?
Finally, and most importantly...is it worth it? Is it truly possible to have a magical Disney trip on a college student's budget? Have any of you tried it? Please let me know your tips, I'd love to hear them!
 
Hi! I'm in college as well, and me and 3 friends are going from August 22nd-28th. I've been to Disney every year since I was 6 months old, so I've been basically everywhere, haha! I went in high school twice too as an 18 year old, and I make minimum wage at my job so this is my third budget trip as a poor young adult LOL!

Here's what we're doing so you can get an idea.

We're driving from Jersey to cut costs. Gas is about $250 round trip. We've done this before.

We arrive the 22nd... no park that day. No park the next day either, the 23rd...probably just Downtown Disney. We're doing a 4 day pass, one day for each park, 24th-27th. If you wanna save, I'd do 3 days and skip Animal Kingdom. Just do one day at each of Epcot, MK, and Hollywood Studios. We're only doing Animal Kingdom because my friends have never been to Disney before and they want to see everything. We're staying at a Value. The values are very nice, I've been staying there a lot lately. We chose All-Star Music. Nice food court, clean rooms, 2 pools, very fun! We leave friday the 28th. No park hopper. Definitely do the dining plan. Saves you a lot of money. Each meal could cost you around $15. Just do the meal plan, even if you don't think you're gonna eat a lot, you will, especially during the food and wine festival. You need the meal plan. But just do quickservice meal plan...the cheapest one. No table services or anything.

It came out to around $720 per person for Disney, and then split the gas money amongst three people and it won't be crazy. Maybe a little over $800. Not bad at all. Have fun. Hope this helped :)
 
This is so helpful, thank you! We were especially unsure what to do about the dining plan, if it would actually save us any money or not, so it's good to hear your thoughts on it. We're meeting tonight to discuss so I'm glad I have more information on it. It sounds like you're going to have a really fun trip!
 
Yes the QS plan should be fine for a short trip you do not need any table service. You could also go without the plan and basically snack or split QS meals. The AlStars are fine. There is really not enough difference to go to POP or AoA for a short trip.
 


I think resort depends on how much time you want to spend in and around the hotel, tbh. Because you can always travel to the other resorts if you want to have a character meal or whatever.
 
  • Value or Moderate resort? And if value, is it worth it to upgrade to the newer Art of Animation or is Pop Century fine? What moderate resorts work best?
  • Dining Plan, yes or no? I'm thinking no, because we don't eat much and I'm thinking we'll only have one full meal in the park a day, bringing our own snacks and breakfast food.
  • Park hopper? Since we'd be there at the Food and Wine Festival in Epcot, it might be nice to hop over there on a whim. But it is more expensive.
  • Three day or two day ticket? We plan on arriving late on a Monday/Sunday night, staying Monday/Tuesday through Wednesday/Thursday, then leaving early Thursday/Friday morning. Are the savings really worth it? Would we enjoy a day just in Downtown Disney?
Finally, and most importantly...is it worth it? Is it truly possible to have a magical Disney trip on a college student's budget? Have any of you tried it? Please let me know your tips, I'd love to hear them!

:welcome:

I've paid for 3 Disney trips myself, two of them in the last 13 months. Spring break '14 and Spring break '15. The first trip was June '11 right after I graduated high school.

Value is fine! Unless you can get an AMAZING discount that would make a moderate cheaper. I stayed at Pop in '11 and '14, in the '50s building. I really like it!

I did the Quick Service dining plan in '11 and '14. The benefit of the QS is that you're more likely to eat all of that food, whereas you could split entree's at Table Service restaurants. it gets to be a bit much when you do the full dining plan.

I think we hopped in '11 but skipped this option in '14. The '11 trip was about a week, whereas '14 was 3 park days.

I would check prices to price out a 3 day vs 2 day ticket, with and without park hopper.

But my recommendation would be to do a 3 day ticket. That way you can hit up DHS or AK, MK, and EPCOT. I feel that MK and EPCOT are must-do's. I treat DHS and AK as half-day parks, even though they could be extended to a full day. The reason my family and I end up doing half-days at those parks is because we spend the evenings in DTD. There's lots to do there shopping and drinks wise! You could still do a 2 day and relax at the resort one day and hit up Downtown a bit later.

My '15 trip is a different story.
 
My boyfriend and I have done two Disney trips during our time in college, and my opinion differs a bit from those above.

First, value hotels are definitely fine. If you are at Disney with friends, chances are you are going for the parks--not for the room! Plus, the value gets you Extra Magic Hours, the buses, etc. No need to pay more when you're on a tight budget unless you want to make that decision. Personally, I've probably stayed at the All Star Music like 10 times and I've never had a problem with it and it's cheaper than Pop or AoA. Also, I recommend using Orbitz to book your room. They usually have a 10-15% discount off of the Disney price which is super helpful. If they don't have one at this point in time, they're bound to release one in the next few weeks.

I have never done the dining plan and I don't think I ever will. Trust me, I love food, but I don't end up spending the amount of the dining plan. I don't usually eat breakfast, and if I do, it's something small. Lunch or dinner I usually do quick service if I'm not with family, with maybe 1 or 2 table service during the trip. I might split a snack here or there with someone and I drink only coffee and water (which is free if you ask for a cup instead of buying a bottle, or you can always refill a bottle). I guess it might be worth it for those who eat three meals a day and drink soda...but it will never come close to those costs for me. I'd recommend looking at menus of places you might want to try and adding up how much it'll be and comparing it to the cost of the DDP. I'll save the money that I would spend on soda/breakfast for some alcoholic drinks, thank you (which don't come in the dining plan, so beware of that).

If you are there for 3 days, I wouldn't do a park hopper unless you REALLY want to visit all 4 parks. Animal Kingdom is my least favorite so I personally skip it if I'm not there for more than 3 days. One day at each of the other parks is good for me. I'd save the cash to use elsewhere. :)

Just my two cents! I'm a big budget person and I'm poor, so I try to pinch pennies in every way possible!

EDIT: I forgot! If you are driving then there is a Walmart or many other convenience stores near property. Buy some bottles of water, cans of soda, sandwich stuff off property and you can save a ton! One trip when I went with my mom, we even bought a coffee pot from Walmart for $8 plus some creamer and coffee because we both drink 1-2 a day. I got some ice from the ice maker and made my own ice coffee to save money because they are around $5 in the park! There are soooo many ways to save and make Disney cheaper, you just gotta consider the options. :)
 


Myself and my roommate just finished planning for a trip in a few weeks, and we are both on a pretty strict "college kid" budget. When I worked it out, we're only spending around $750 a person for 5 days/4 nights with three of those being park days. (but that cost also doesn't include my shopping budget :P)

Honestly, the value resorts are great and you can find really great deals. You can always take a bus and go see the "fancy" resorts.

I don't think the dining plan is necessary unless you are going for the dining experiences and want to add a little more to the cost. I like the quick service dining a lot, and you can always save by bringing snacks and sandwiches and things into the parks, which will cut down on cost.

I think a 3 day ticket is def. worth it in my opinion. If you want to do F&W, a park hopper might be a good idea, but only if you are set on doing all 4 parks in 3 days. Like the above poster said, AK is kind of skippable if you don't have your heart set on all 4. If you only care to see 3 parks, you don't need the park hopper. You can spend a whole day at F&W and not be bored. Save the money you would spend on that park hopper add on and put it to good use, like champagne and great wine at F&W.

It is so worth it to do a trip on a college budget. It's also a great experience! Seeing Disney is so different when you are with friends and celebrating (your senior year, wohoo!) that a traditional family Disney trip. The money is worth it for the memories and fun you will have princess:
 
This is all great stuff to read since me and my friends REALLY wanted to take a trip by ourselves but we didn't really know what to do with the money aspect, thanks for the tips and stuff!
 

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