Least Expensive Disney Trip

[iRy]

Our least expensive trip will likely be the one we begin in 11 days:

Lodging: Pop Century: 7 nights: $445
Tickets: Armed Forces Salute Hoppers + WP: $198 (x2 people) = $396
Airfare: Free
Food: Estimated around $600

So, about $1441 for 7 nights/8d days.

 

[Potterholic85]

I apologize, I do mean our hypothetical shot-in-the-dark trip for 2014.

 

[sharadoc]

You may get a better cost per night through Disney if you can get a room discount, we have one for 11/30-12/7 this year, 20% at the cabins. If you're going to get a car anyway, you could look into an offsite room at DTD or Bonnet Creek. There is a "suite" hotel at DTD that would give you space for around the same price or less than a room at Pop. Or you could look into David's Vacation Rentals for a Sunday-Thursday studio points rental that could work out to around the same as a room at Pop. Mousesavers usually has offsite discount links.

Ticket prices will never go down LOL. You can seriously control food costs if necessary. Souvenirs - we buy fridge magnet, maybe a car antenna topper, a T shirt (in December, there's lots of clearance items at World of Disney at DTD too). Photos are the best souvenir.

Good luck!

 

[Tink-n-Belle]

Last trip total $1800 which includes DVC maintence fees, food for entire week ( all breakfasts, 3 lunches and 3 dinners in room) rest out to eat. 2 adults and 2 teenagers

2 nights in studio at Bay Lake Towers DVC
5 Nts at BC in 1BDRM DVC
4 -4 day passes (fl resident deal)
Food for the entire week.
1 day at Seaworld (already had 2013 fun pass)
$60 in gas to drive

 

[ratlenhum]

Our upcoming trip, without the extras of MNSSHP and la nouba is costing me $1783. My son is 11 but is an adult at Disney. That's for 3 adults.

Free airfare thanks to Southwest miles. I use my card for everything and treat it like a debut card. I also earn between 10-15k miles a year through e-rewards

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

I apologize, I do mean our hypothetical shot-in-the-dark trip for 2014.

Hypothetical shot-in-the-dark trip until you find a great deal and book it! Then it is the count down until magic. Plenty of time to search for deals and make it happen.

 

[Dsnyfireman]

We have done a few trips that were pretty cheap. Wife and I in 2009 went for a Sunday to Friday , four day park hopper and DP, one CS and one TS per person per day. With air fair from maine the original quote was around $1800 but I had to wait for my income tax refund to book, we booked on Tuesday left on Sunday and the air fair had gone up so we paid like $2100. We went this February , two adults two kids one under three. Stayed at all star sports, we stayed at POP for the other trips, free dining. Did the same days too, Sunday to Friday. Four day park hoppers and QS dining(free ) air fair from maine photo pass plus and trip insurance we paid about $3200. We went last year for February vacation week, two adult one child, POP , QS dining and five day PH. Same air fair and we spent like $5400!!!! Just goes to show don't go during vacation weeks for schools if you can help it!!!!

 

[MrsDuck]

Most of our trips are inexpensive. It's just DH and I. We are DVC and APs. We pay for gas (about $70 total), tolls ($25ish), and food ($60-100/per day total). We usually go for a long weekend (FL residents about 2.5 hours away) and we typically don't buy "extras."

If we don't use points, we try to go during value season and stay at a value resort (we actually love value resorts).

Our situation isn't the norm (no kids, FL res, etc) but we are fortunate to get to Disney almost monthly.

 

[danacath]

I don't know if this trip can ever be repeated, but THE BEST (aka "cheapest") trip we ever did was in December after the Sept. 11 attacks, and everyone was too scared to fly or go somewhere like WDW... except for penny-pinchers like us.

We bought round-trip airfare from Nebraska to Tampa for $95, got a rock bottom car rental deal (can't remember the exact price) and a room at All Stars for $49/night! On our way from Tampa, we got groceries and a styrofoam cooler so that we could eat all meals in our room, we carried snacks into the parks and had pre-purchased Disney items at Target to use as surprises for the kids during parades, etc. Super easy on the wallet. It was awesome!

The best part was that our kids were young and had never been to WDW before, so they were perfectly content with our low budget trip. In fact, on our last night while waiting for Illuminations, we decided to "splurge" and get something warm (Nachos) to share on a cool evening. DD 4 was thrilled and loudly exclaimed, "Wow, I didn't know they had restaurants here, too!"

Granted, I'm a foodie and I do love to try out different restaurants at WDW whenever I can. But if the choice is between going to WDW on a dime, or not going at all, I'd go on a dime.

 

[larie21]

How do you get a "pin" discount? Any tips?

 

[beef5stew]

Flights : $0. Thanks to the southwest visa card

Hotel: 20% off from AAA

Tickets: free from work ( special circumstances)

Food: garden grocer $250.

No car needed.

I dont think it gets cheaper than that unless staying off property.

 

[scuba]

Good day, all. Let's talk numbers!

...well, maybe not numbers so much...

Think of your least expensive Disney World trip. How did you do it?

For my hypothetical shot-in-the-dark trip for next year for three adults, I have the price at about $850 a person, including food and souvenirs. My third biggest goal in my life right now is to get that number down.

Ok, least expensive Disney trip? had to be 2003, my wife won from a local Cincinnati radio station a 4 day stay at the poly for 4 people with tickets and $100.00 in Disney bucks, airfare was provided by Delta......I know that didn't help you at all but it was our least expensive Disney trip

 

[Potterholic85]

Ok, least expensive Disney trip? had to be 2003, my wife won from a local Cincinnati radio station a 4 day stay at the poly for 4 people with tickets and $100.00 in Disney bucks, airfare was provided by Delta......I know that didn't help you at all but it was our least expensive Disney trip

That's awesome

I looked at flight info as well. Is obviously a bit too early to know the price for our dates, but from what I can tell by looking up crowd calendars and whatnot, the price would be around $880 for the three of us. So that would bump the price up to around $1100 a person.

 

[scuba]

alright, i'll give you some of our main points when booking our trips to Disney.

1.) we always stay on property, regardless of length of stay. We recently books 2 days to the art of animation for a post non-disney cruise. We checked into off site hotels and we like to stay at $70.00-$100.00 per not hotels but the art of animation was $120.00 per night. With free parking for resort guests we quickly made up ther savings if we would have stayed off site.

2.) I'm not opposed to free Disney dining but for us it is more cost effective if we do not have reservations for some of the more expensive dinners to buy al la carte' from quick serves. maybe a rainforest for a late lunch but this 2 day trip to Disney after our cruise would have us spending nearly $300.00 for dining for 1.5 days and I just don't see ourselves eating that much. now if you are going to sit down at the royal table, that can cost >$400.00 and then it would be worth it.

There are just a few things, there are more but I didn't want to bore you with anything you don't need, for instance we drive. Airfare is pretty good these days but the over weight fees and carryon fees drive that final ticket price up to where it isn't feesible for us.

 

[Richfield]

My least expensive is about $5,000 per person.

 

[scuba]

My least expensive is about $5,000 per person.

Wow, were you trying to spend less or tried and that is what you came up with? Are you overseas? never mind you live in Australia

 

[MomofKatie]

Our cheapest overall WDW vacation was a weeklong stay in January 2007. DD and I- she was 8.
Hotel (offsite Hotwire booking), 7 nights: $240
Tickets for both of us- 6 day MYW: $400
Food: $300
Souvenirs: $25
Gas from NC: $125

Total: $1090, or about $77/person per day

 

[TrixyA]

In two weeks, I am going for 3 nights/3 days. I already had an AP, which is why I even considered going. Was able to get airfare with points. 30% AP discount at Pop Century. Loading up suitcase with breakfast and snack foods and carrying a water bottle to refill in parks.

Airfare: free
Tickets: free
Hotel: $300
Food: $100

I already used my AP for 10 days earlier this year, so I'm considering this trip a gimme. But, if you want to be a purist, I'll have used the AP for a total of 13 days and paid about $400 for it a couple years ago (and stuck it in a drawer when my plans at that time fell apart). So, my park tix over the year cost me about $30/day.

I always tell people that are hoping to go to WDW "sometime in the future" to buy tickets now from Undercover or some other agency when you get some extra money. Stick them in the drawer and hold them until you can use them. It's a good way to save for your Disney trip. We buy our tickets without the non-expiration option. If there are days left at the end of our trip, we upgrade at that time to non-expiration and put the tickets away for another future trip. Just put a post-it note on each ticket with info on when used and how much is left.

 

[Pig Pen]

We live 30 miles away and have annual passes. We decided to do a last minute trip this past weekend:

2 nights at Ft. Wilderness (slept in our van) - $95 total with AAA discount.
Dinner at Ohana (we scored a walk-up table) - $90
Ice cream at new shop in France (Epcot) - $12
We brought drinks and food from home for the rest of our meals.

 

[juliebug1997]

Probably $3600 for two adults. We stayed at POR and had the DxDP and hoppers for a Sunday through Saturday trip.

We did get CSR for about $1200 for three-four nights with DxDP on a November trip.