Time to get down to brass tacks - Cabins at Fort Wilderness, good choice?

[RMColosimo]

Okay, so life is starting to get calm for my family. My wife is getting ready to sign her contract for her teaching job, so our income is going to go up by about 30%. So I am trying to talk my wife into have our family spend Christmas at Disney.(We can save later, let's do something fun. )

Bad thing is since my wife is a HS Science teacher and we have three kids in school, we have to go when school is out.

I really want to have my kids experience Disney at Christmas, and hopefully infect at least one of my daughters with the Disney bug. (My wife is resisting it, but I am a fan boy.)

So what are the ideas and thoughts on making it special, and still be on a budget?

Here is the basics of what I think I would like to plan:
Arrive at Disney on December 20th (Sunday) - check out December 26th (Saturday)

We would drive from Ohio, so that would mean we leave Saturday, spend the night 1/2 way down and Arrive Sunday. Leave Saturday, and get Sunday/Monday(Depending on when we leave Saturday)

Going:
Me
Wife
3 Daughters (11,8, and 6)

I would like to stay onsite, as I think it adds to the experience, but the last time we went(2 years ago) we stayed off property and it was still very fun.

So any thoughts or ideas. I think my total budget is around $5,000, so with driving expenses, that means about $4,500 for Room/Board/Tickets.

 

[aaarcher86]

With 5 you're already looking at more expensive rooms, which will be peak price during that time - mods/deluxe or family suites. Maybe look into renting DVC points.

I'd pack breakfast food and snacks and drinks to bring down food costs. It's going to be crowded, so if that turns off your family I wouldn't even bother.

I think mvmcp will be over by then. Undercover Tourist would give you a slight discount on tickets. Get base tickets to cut down cost.

 

[thiabelle]

See if there is any free dining availability. It may be gone especially since you need a room for five but it's worth a look.

 

[RookieLady]

You can do this at your budget at a moderate standard room, if you can get free dining. It was released earlier this week. Call and ask for availability at Caribbean Beach or Port Orleans Riverside, which are the moderates that sleep 5. If they don't have it, keep checking back.

If they don't have it, you can still book the standard moderate without a discount for around $1700. If you get your tickets at Undercover Tourist, that's about $1950, which leaves about $850 for food, which I think is inadequate. Try hard for the free dining. It works for you because you are checking in on one of the valid dates.

 

[RMColosimo]

Thanks. I will call and see what I can get. All the ideas are awesome, thanks again.

 

[Kevin355]

I hope you like crowds. Archer nailed it. See if you can get a store to deliver breakfast food/bars/water/Gatorade and that will cut down on food cost. It is beautiful at MK on Christmas day, and the fireworks show is epic, but it took almost 2 hours to leave the park and get back to CBR because the park was at max capacity.

With 5 you're already looking at more expensive rooms, which will be peak price during that time - mods/deluxe or family suites. Maybe look into renting DVC points.

I'd pack breakfast food and snacks and drinks to bring down food costs. It's going to be crowded, so if that turns off your family I wouldn't even bother.

I think mvmcp will be over by then. Undercover Tourist would give you a slight discount on tickets. Get base tickets to cut down cost.

 

[Disney Sheri]

That's awesome-Congratulations to your wife! I had to snicker a little bit. When my husband says he thinks we should go to Disney, I drop everything and book it right then and there! But, I am the spender and he is the saver in our marriage.

 

[saskdw]

This is absolutely doable on that budget with no flights involved for 6 nights.

POR is excluded from the Dec FD dates. See if you can get one of the new 5 people rooms at CBR with FD and this will fit into your budget.

Christmas at WDW is incredible!! We go every year. We actually don't know what WDW is like without the Christmas decor. We have been there 6 of the last 7 Decembers.

The super crazy crowds don't start until around the 23rd usually. So my advice would be hit the parks hard the first 3 days and then take it as it comes the last 3 and just enjoy the atmosphere. I actually thought the Christmas crowds were down a little last year. According to the numbers the WDW resorts were as full as they've ever been, but I found the parks easier to navigate with the exception of AK. All the construction at AK made it very congested .

 

[RookieLady]

I played with your dates because I was curious. They don't have availability for your dates, but it's about $3800 if you go December 21 to 27 at Caribbean Beach. When you check for availability, remember to tweak dates, and resorts will begin to show availability. If you are flexible, you can get free dining.

 

[lovndisney12]

We are in the same situation with DH being a teacher. Our dates this year (driving from Illinois) will be arriving 21st and departing 27th. This will be our third time over basically the same time frame. We were able to get free dining and only have 4. But with flexibility and some budgeting - you certainly should be able to do it. There is a TA with some good discounts during that time frame too which might be a good option - that was our route if we didn't get free dining which would allow us to stay in budget (which is similar to yours).

Budget tips - if you don't get free dining seeing that you have girls and one that is 6 - you certainly can share some meals. Look over on the dining boards and you should be able to find a list of some quick service restaurants that many consider a good "value" in Disney terms. We always brought breakfast (granola bars, cereal bars, oatmeal, etc.) and ate in the room. Since you are driving you should be able to bring your own snacks and breakfast foods.

Overall tip - So that you have an enjoyable trip know that the crowds will be very large but if you avoid mid-day - you should be fine. Take advantage of early hours when parks are the least crowded. As mentioned by an earlier post, take a break from the parks and enjoy the atmosphere of all of WDW by enjoying the resort pool (weather permitting), visiting the various resort holiday decorations, etc.

Enjoy this special trip with your girls!

 

[RMColosimo]

I hope you like crowds. Archer nailed it. See if you can get a store to deliver breakfast food/bars/water/Gatorade and that will cut down on food cost. It is beautiful at MK on Christmas day, and the fireworks show is epic, but it took almost 2 hours to leave the park and get back to CBR because the park was at max capacity.

Not worried about the crowds, we went in June last time, again because not only is my wife a teacher, but my sister and brother in law are as well, and we went with them the last time. So with all the teachers in my family we always have to go when school is out.

We will be driving, so we can go out and buy the food that we need. But what resorts have a kitchenette that we can cook at? Do we have to go to the DVC resorts, or are there regular resorts with these types of amenities?

Again, thanks to everyone for giving me information!

 

[staceyrhood]

You might want to look into a cabin at Fort WIlderness if you can get one, they have full kitchens, and as a bonus the campers go all out decorating, it is awesome to see.

 

[RMColosimo]

That's awesome-Congratulations to your wife! I had to snicker a little bit. When my husband says he thinks we should go to Disney, I drop everything and book it right then and there! But, I am the spender and he is the saver in our marriage.

Hehe.. My wife likes to vacation, but she doesn't like to go to the same place twice. I could just go to Disney for every vacation.

So I have to get her to agree to spend a little of her increased income to go to Disney. I just have to get her to think it is her idea, then she will do a ton of the planning, and I just have to 'offer' suggestions.

 

[MikeTaylor]

My advice would be to go Thanksgiving week. It's less crowded, you don't have to worry about closures due to park capacity, and the decorations for Christmas should be up as well, so you can visit all of the resorts and see their different displays. Upon arriving at home, I think the trip could inspire and drive you to put up your own decorations and maybe get some new ideas.

 

[kerry34]

I have never stayed at the cabins but that could be an option. If you don't want to cook Port Orleans technically sleeps five with the murphy bed that your youngest could sleep on since its not really appropriate for anyone over 5'3". We stayed at the Polynesian for Christmas in 2005 and we had such a great time. The decorations around the resort are awesome. Kids especially loved how it was snowing on Main Street on Christmas night. We had a blast and I would tell anyone considering going to do it at least once, so glad we did.

 

[TiggerTeacher]

People always say it's crowded during Christmas and maybe I'm just desensitized to crowds, but when I went during Christmas, I didn't think it was overly crowded at all...Christmas is certainly doable on a budget, if you do what some people suggested here! Hope you have a great trip!

 

[Hi Pluto]

You could get free dining for around $4800-$5500 at BC/YC/BWI/Cabins at FW/AoA/AS during that time. You could shorten your stay but then you'd miss out on Christmas day. I would book one of those, then keep watching to see if a cheaper one opens up, but I think that is as good as you can get right now.

~Cari~

 

[mickeysimba]

I also read that if your stay overlaps with free dining but the promo expires before your departure, you may have a hiccup, since I don't think free dining works at Christmas. It probably ends sometime between 12/20-12/22.

I am planning on trying the B resort on my next visit. My friend wrote an article with amazing pictures, and I see as low as $88 rooms with bunk beds through Mousesavers. It is right across the street from Downtown Disney which I have always wanted to see at Christmas, but the dang parking garage construction has made it too much trouble. Think of what you could spend all that money on at Disney if you stay off site.

It is fun to do tea at the Grand Floridian at Christmas and visit their gingerbread house in the lobby.

Have a great time!

 

[lovndisney12]

I also read that if your stay overlaps with free dining but the promo expires before your departure, you may have a hiccup, since I don't think free dining works at Christmas. It probably ends sometime between 12/20-12/22.

I am planning on trying the B resort on my next visit. My friend wrote an article with amazing pictures, and I see as low as $88 rooms with bunk beds through Mousesavers. It is right across the street from Downtown Disney which I have always wanted to see at Christmas, but the dang parking garage construction has made it too much trouble. Think of what you could spend all that money on at Disney if you stay off site.

It is fun to do tea at the Grand Floridian at Christmas and visit their gingerbread house in the lobby.

Have a great time!

Free Dining is for the duration of your visit as long as you arrive the last day of the offer. We have done this before and will be utilizing it again this year.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

Hi there,

You've come to the right place - the DIS is very helpful!

I LOVE Christmas at Disney, so I'd love to help you out!

My family's (Dad, mom, and my sister (30) and I (25)) costs us a little over $6k - that includes airfare and the DDP. It's definitely possible to pull off your vaca for that price!

First and foremost, you're picking a great time! Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party ends on December 18th. There's usually a slight lull in the crowds between the end of MVMCP and Christmas Eve. That gives you and your family around 3 or 4 days to hit the parks before the holiday crowds file in! Also, I believe they had free dining last year until December 23rd. This year it runs from Dec. 15th through December 21. I'm not sure of the stipulations. I think you need to stay at least 2 nights to be eligible for free dining - but I'm not sure if you need to be staying at least 2 nights WITHIN those dates to get it. I would call Disney and check!

Don't let the crowds frighten you. YES - Disney is crowded on December 24th and very crowded on December 25th, but my family has never had a problem! We plan everything out and have the parks down to a science, but I'll get to that soon!

I went ahead and put your family's details into the Disney website.

Because of the size of your family, your room choices are a little limited - but let's find something for you!

Right now, the resort with the lowest priced rooms is the Caribbean Beach Resort.
The Standard View includes 2 Queen Beds and 1 Bunk-size pull-down bed. Because you're driving down, you can even pack an air mattress if REALLY necessary - but be careful, because Disney is pretty strict with the occupancy.

Because you're leaving on the 26th, I would only get a 6-day park ticket. If you plan to stay longer on the 26th, you can head to Disney Springs. The 26th is a Saturday. The 26th, 27th and 28th is when most locals that are on break from school start to head to the park. It's much less crowded that Christmas, but it's still pretty crowded. If you don't plan on spending the day at the park, then I don't recommend booking a ticket for the 26th.

With the Resort and the Park ticket, we're currently at $3,402.89. I usually recommend adding a park hopper. When the parks are very crowded, it's nice to have the park hopper as an "insurance policy." Let's say you go to Magic KIngdom and it's PACKED. If you don't have a park hopper, you're kind of stuck there. If you do, you can leave and go to a less crowded park. With the Park Hopper, you're up to $3,743.69. The Park hopper is totally optional. If you think you can go without it, then go without it!

Now comes the tricky part. Everyone eats differently. For my family, the Meal Plan makes sense. It's nice to have and users on this forum can argue for days whether it's worth it or not - but for us, we just like it. I don't know how your family eats and I don't know your preferences. Do you plan on doing a nice meal for Christmas or will a quick service meal suffice? Would you pay OOP or get the meal plan?

Here's how it breaks down:
Total Trip w/Quick Service Meal Plan (w/ Park Hopper): $4,691.87 - A little above your budget, but doable.
Total Trip w/Quick Service Meal Plan (w/o Park Hopper): ~$4,350 - Right in the wheel house

- A QS Meal plan does not cover any Table Services, so if you planned on eating at a nice TS restaurant for dinner, you'd have to pay OOP and add to your expenses.

Let's say you go OOP and stick with all QS meals. On December 25th, you have a nice dinner at a TS restaurant (let's use BOG as an example.)
If you're arriving on December 20th, I'd assume you'd only be eating lunch and dinner, so I'm accounting for 17 QS meals (3 a day, with 2 on Dec. 20th and 1 on Dec. 26th before you leave) and one Table Service (using BOG as an example.)

Total QS estimate: $408
2 Adults (~17 per meal): $289
3 Kids (~$7 per meal): $119

Total TS estimate: $136
2 Adults (~35 per meal): $70
3 Kids (~$15 per meal): $45
Tip: $21

OOP Meals, Ticket, No Park Hopper: $3,946.89
OOP Meals, Ticket, Park Hopper: $4,287.69

If you plan on snacking and buying souvenirs, I'd go without the park hopper. That leaves you with almost $600 for souvenirs, snacks, etc. You can even add on an extra Table Service! The Park Hopper Option works too, but obviously leaves you with less money leftover.

So, it's DOABLE!

I wrote a book last year and always suggest it. If you decide to go, check out my book at survivedisxmas.com. I also blog about Disney on there. The book is FREE, which means you don't have to worry about it cutting into your trip budget .. I just love to help!

***EDIT*** Seeing as a PP said you would get free dining, that lowers the price of your trip EVEN MORE!! I would check to see how it works, though - as you'll be there for 5 days after it ends.