Some help with saving money please.

[bjgrazi]

Trying to salvage an almost cancelled trip. I have airline tickets, but I'm going to need to change my dates (shorter stay). I have 2 rooms booked at POP, now only need one. With the discount and shorter stay if I cancell one the other room is now paid for. I still need to buy 3 park passes and pay for food.

How can I save money in the parks? Can I do passes and food for under $1500 for 5 days and 5 nights. We'd get there late (after 10PM) on Thursday night and leave midday on Tuesday.

 

[kilee]

Who is going?? How many day park passes do you want to get?? Also, would you need things like airport transfers and tips to come out of the $1500??? It can be done--but you'll have to first plan around what type of tickets you are buying.

 

[lovemygoofy]

Plenty of ways to save money.

Pack some snacks in your luggage to eat either for breakfast or in the park during the day. I packed some juice boxes also but thats by choice. Carry a fanny pack or little backpack with these items in the park. Bring your own water bottles and ask the food vendors to feel them up with cold water. Keeps you hydrated and feels you up without eaitng alot.

Don't eat in the park everyday if you can avoid it. Go back to your hotel and eat at the food court. Their food is okay and is cheaper than the park. If you choose to eat in the park and you can split meals, that saves money too. Usually its too hot to eat much there when its summer anyways so you could possbily get away with just some snack items during the day.

As for the tixs, you can look around at some othe websites and order your tixs before you go for a little discount.

If you need more help, let me know because I'm all about going on a budget. Good luck

Tina

 

[bjgrazi]

It would be me & 2 kids, 15 & 12. We have a ressie with FL Tours. I would get passes for the 4 of 5 days we're there. Using the last day to visit DTD. (I think)

 

[janskin]

The cheapest place I have found for 4 day hopper adult tickets is hotwire savings club. The adult tickets are $208.96. The total for your tickets would be $626.88. You would have to join for a month and then cancel.

You could also buy the quick and casual meal vouchers there for $11.50. Depending on how big eaters your kids are, you may be able to buy two for each meal.

Jan

 

[dizcrazy]

What helped us was having the grocery stop on the way to the resort from the airport. We bought breakfast items and snacks. Also got the Brita water bottles with straps and then filled up in the parks.

Also, sometimes my husband and I split a large soda, which helps cut down on costs. And if I am not really hungry, I get a kids meal. Every dollar helps, right??

Have your kids help you keep track of money. I think you will have enough and it will help them learn to budget! (Something I did not know how to do for years!!!)

 

[MELSMICE]

You may also want to check www.ticketmania.com for park tickets. They have good deals at times, especially if you are Mousesavers Newsletter subscriber. To become a subscriber, go to www.mousesavers.com & click on the link to sign up for their newsletter.

While you'll have to watch your budget, I would think it would be doable on $1500 - & in the meantime continue saving additional money whenever possible (save all your change, save your singles & turn them into Disney $'s - this way you can only spend them in WDW)

Making a grocery stop or bringing a bag packed with snacks/drinks is a good idea. You can actually check a cooler as a piece of luggage - make sure it's hard sided.

Bringing fanny packs into the parks filled with snacks is a real money & time saver. Also, have everyone bring a water bottle - you can find water bottle holders at any sporting goods store. A bottle of water is $2.50 in the parks!

Eat breakfast in your room every morning - cereal, fruit, yogurt, breakfast bars, etc.

When you get counter service, remember you can order ice water for a drink instead of getting a soda & you can also order a "meal minus the fries" which will save about 50 cents per meal. Not much, but sometimes we don't even eat all the fries & it seems like a total waste of food & money as I watch them being thrown into the trash can. Also, anyone can order a child's meal from counter service. Sometimes that is more than enough for me anyway!

There are ways to save a little bit of money here & there. Good luck. I hope everything works out for you.

 

[Gomez Gang]

Our biggest money saver (as well as time) is to eat breakfast in the room/on the way to the bus stop! Even if you can't swing a grocery stop, pack juice boxes and pop tarts, granola or breakfast bars in your suitcase. Before going to bed each night, get ice for your ice bucket and stick as many juice boxes as you will need for the next a.m. In the morning, you will have cold juice and a "to go" meal that you can eat on your way to the bus stop!
I also pack snacks that the kids will carry in their fanny packs.....fruit roll ups, cheese n' crackers, dried fruit, etc. Also, unless your meal comes with a drink, choose water!
Good luck and have fun!

P.S. Have your kids help you save up.....there are 2 brothers on our block who are 13 and 15 and they cut grass for $5 per lawn. They are saving up for a fishing trip later this summer.....have your kids try this out.

 

[ceecee]

$5.00 a lawn............what a deal! We asked a kid to cut ours while we were on vacation and it was $40.00! (we have 3/4 of an acre) that did not include trimming either.
Back to the subject, I think you should be able to do it all for $1500.00 especially if you can get the kids to contribute. My daughter who is 8 was trying to sell lemonade to help us pay for the trampoline we are going to get her!!! (she came up with it all on her own) She said she just wanted to help out. I told her she could sell cans of soda at our gargage sale tomorrow instead..of course it's raining and probably no one will garage sale in the rain!

 

[Mic]

I think you could definitely go and have a great time with only $1500. I recently helped a good friend plan her trip with her family of 6(2 adults, 2 kids over 10, 1 child, and an infant), and they actually brought money home!! She told me the biggest money-saver for them was the collapsable cooler(with wheels)I suggested she purchase at Walmart for @$19. She packed it in her suitcase(folded), and used it in the room for drinks, milk/juice, and fruit, using the free ice from the hotel's ice machine. She also took this cooler to the pool once or twice, filled with fruit and drinks for the kids, so they did not keep running to the food court for snacks(and her older kids were 15 and 13). The cooler returned home as a piece of checked luggage full of dirty laundry! I suggest you give each child a set amount of spending money; $50-75 each should be plenty for a short trip. We once gave our kids a choice of getting $75 each, or getting $50 each and a ticket to Disneyquest. Our 3 older kids(then 13,12, and 10)chose the $50 and DQ tickets. I would use this as a rough budget:

Towncar(w/grocery stop)....$120-130(including tip)
Groceries for room(snacks, quick breakfast foods like cereal, bagels, milk/juice, fruit, and drinks/bottled water)...$75-80
Tickets(4-day hoppers from the Disney Store, with advance purchase discount)................................................$645.39
Food on park days(I suggest $100 per day)......$400
Lunch on last day (maybe at Downtown Disney)...$60
Souvenirs($50 for each child-this is a budget trip)...$100

I think you could spend less than $100 for food on 1 or 2 days. At Animal Kingdom, I suggest you purchase the lunch certificates for $12 each($38 for 3) that include your meal, a drink later, and a snack(popcorn or ice cream). The kids price is $6, if your 12-year-old prefers kids meal items(chicken fingers, pizza, etc.), and it, too, includes the extra drink and snack. If you ordered pizza to eat in the room or by the pool, and paired it with a small bag salad or fruit for dinner one evening, your total cost would likely be $20 or less for the meal(and my kids love doing this, as did my friends' kids). You won't have a car, so I suggest you eat a nice sit-down lunch each day(less expensive than dinner), and food court/counter service for dinner. Definitely eat breakfast in the room most days to save both money and time. Check out Deb Wills' site for current food prices, and let the kids help plan the food budget. We once put our oldest daughter in charge of the entire budget for the week with great results(she was 11 at the time); your kids are definitely old enough to offer some assistance and input. As long as you have the big items covered(flights, room, tickets, transportation), I've found the food budget to be fairly easy to cut down a little if needed. Good luck, and have a great trip!

 

[phorsenuf]

If you aren't making a grocery stop you can always ship a box of non-perishables down to the resort ahead of time. I always do that. They will hold it for you until you check in. You can ship breakfast/granola bars, snacks, juice boxes. Depending on the weight of it it'll probably be about $20. or so.
Also, you can always order a double cheeseburger from the counter restaurants and then purchase a seperate bun for like .69.
I learned that tip on these boards, so somebody correct me on the price if I am wrong. With the topping bars, after you add lettuce, onions and tomatoes you got 2 burgers for a great price.
If you want a good deal on a meal then definatley go to trails end at Ft. Wildreness. It's a buffet and very cheap to all the others. I also found the Plaza rest. pretty afoordable and the sandwiches I thought were big. Splitting a sandwich and adding a cup of soup with also be a good money-saver.
If I think of anything else, I'll let you know!

 

[phorsenuf]

If you aren't making a grocery stop you can always ship a box of non-perishables down to the resort ahead of time. I always do that. They will hold it for you until you check in. You can ship breakfast/granola bars, snacks, juice boxes. Depending on the weight of it it'll probably be about $20. or so.
Also, you can always order a double cheeseburger from the counter restaurants and then purchase a seperate bun for like .69.
I learned that tip on these boards, so somebody correct me on the price if I am wrong. With the topping bars, after you add lettuce, onions and tomatoes you got 2 burgers for a great price.
If you want a good deal on a meal then definatley go to trails end at Ft. Wildreness. It's a buffet and very cheap to all the others. I also found the Plaza rest. pretty afoordable and the sandwiches I thought were big. Splitting a sandwich and adding a cup of soup with also be a good money-saver.
If I think of anything else, I'll let you know!

 

[tarheelmjfan]

The Plaza rest. is a great suggestion. I never eat even half of what I'm given. My family (DH, me, DS12) can purchase 2 sandwiches w/ either fries or potato salad and have more than enough to eat. Also, don't forget about the great "CHEAP" pizza at FW. You can enjoy it down on the beach while watching the floating boat parade or on the porch outside Trails End before or after the campfire movie. I prefer the beach. FW is just a short boat ride from MK.