Trying to find the cheapest way to go to Disney World

[DisneyRookie2007]

Try and book for free dining. That'll save you money and you won't need to worry about budgeting for food.

I'm not sure when they offer FD in the US but here it is offered pretty much all summer.

While "free" dining is nice - you end up paying full rate for the rooms. If you can manage to eat breakfast in your room, share some meals (they can be quite large) you can save some $$ for sure.

The largest amount of money for our Disney trips has always been the airfare. If you live reasonably close, driving may get you there cheaper - but you'll spend additional vacation days driving.

I guess you need to set a budget first. Then you'll know how many days you can afford.

 

[d1gitman]

While "free" dining is nice - you end up paying full rate for the rooms...

this is true, but one should always run the numbers first. the actual $$ savings on a value resort usually isn't that much vs. 'free dining' but the x-factor is how much a person would spend OOP for food.

when we have done free DDP in the past, the math always worked to our favor as a family of 4 who eats a lot and stays at values for hte most part.

 

[larryz]

1. Go during "Value" season
2. Stay at a Value resort
3. Consider staying off property
4. Go for a short stay 3-5 days.

5. Drive a cheap rental car
6. Take Greyhound (and leave the driving to them)
7. Hitchhike (of course, you and your mom will have to be the adventurous type...)
8. Take prepared food and eat out of cans/pouches for dinner (if you wear cargo pants, you can stuff an MRE in each side pocket so you can actually eat a full meal in the parks for under $8!).
9. Consider taking a rice cooker and bag of rice -- the water's free in the resorts...

Why do you think I'm trying to find the cheapest way?

Uh, to save money? That's not a bad thing -- lots of people try to get the most for their dollars...

 

[andyman8]

Just running some numbers for the dates Sunday, August 4 to Friday, August 5, 2013...

Hotel: Disney's All-Star Movies Resort
Nightly Rate (weekday): $90/night
Subtotal: $450
Total (with tax): $509

Theme Park Tickets
Undercover Tourist 6-Day Magic Your Way Base Ticket: $280.65 (includes Tax)
Total (for 2 adults): $561.30

Airfare
I'd estimate $150 per person per way of the trip but it really depends on where you're coming from. Adding in an airline tax, I'd estimate it at around $700 or so. You can attempt to take Greyhound depending on where you live or go to college?

Dining
If you were to eat all quick-serivce, then I'd put the price about $20 per meal for two people. For 13 meals, that's about $320.

That would bring the trip total to roughly $2,090. I added in an estimated airfare tax. No free dining will be offered but you'll probably be able to score a 5 or 10% off discount for the hotel room, which might bring the total below $2,000. That's pretty good for 5 nights/6 days! It would help to know where you are departing from, though.

 

[torinsmom]

If you can drive, driving is obviously cheaper. And staying offsite and eating there as well can definitely be cheaper than even free dining. You can get a Priceline hotel for $30/night and eat meals as fast food restaurants offsite or get a one bedroom condo for $60/night and be able to eat by buying groceries for what you would spend at home on groceries. You can save a bit on tickets by using undercover tourist and save money by only doing base tickets. And maybe you can find someone to go with you to share a condo and costs?

You can save towards a trip by cutting out something you normally buy and saving that money--Starbucks, eating out, etc. And/or you can get a second job and put that money aside just for Disney(I do that with babysitting) You can also save change and/or $1 bills--that adds up pretty quickly.

 

[andyman8]

5. Drive a cheap rental car
6. Take Greyhound (and leave the driving to them)
7. Hitchhike (of course, you and your mom will have to be the adventurous type...)
8. Take prepared food and eat out of cans/pouches for dinner (if you wear cargo pants, you can stuff an MRE in each side pocket so you can actually eat a full meal in the parks for under $8!).
9. Consider taking a rice cooker and bag of rice -- the water's free in the resorts...

Uh, to save money? That's not a bad thing -- lots of people try to get the most for their dollars...

Wasn't there a whole thread about this a couple of months ago? Apparently, it's not allowed?

 

[dtum]

I second staying off site. If you want closer to the parks check here-lots of help

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2739937

You can save a ton eating in your own condo. They even have buses that take you to parks.

Windsor Hills also has condos further away (but within 15 drive). After our last ASMo trip, we found off site staying is so much better and cheaper.

Not sure if you will need to do laundry during the week, but condos all come with washer/dryers in the units. You also get a full kitchen and separate bedrooms. Check it out before you jump into onsite.

 

[davedmaine]

Since I've given up on the College Program, I'm trying to find a way to get to Disney World with my mom in an affordable way. I'm in college and my mom is kind of in debt right now. I would like to hear what everyone has to recommend for discounts and packages for the summer. Thanks!

If your mom is in debt, maybe you should hold off for awhile. Apply the money to driving down the debt.

 

[meggiebeth]

While "free" dining is nice - you end up paying full rate for the rooms. If you can manage to eat breakfast in your room, share some meals (they can be quite large) you can save some $$ for sure.

The largest amount of money for our Disney trips has always been the airfare. If you live reasonably close, driving may get you there cheaper - but you'll spend additional vacation days driving.

I guess you need to set a budget first. Then you'll know how many days you can afford.

Sometimes free dining is better value than a room discount. I suppose you just have to crunch the numbers.

Do you not get free dining and a discount over in the states? Last year we got 45% off and free dining. I don't know why they offer us more discounts here.

 

[GovieMom]

While going for a shorter stay would be cheaper, I would recommend a longer stay to get the most value. Because every day past 4 days is not much to upgrade it makes the cost per day much less, so you can have a longer vacation for a small incremental cost!

That applies to the ticket cost only. Each extra day's cost of the hotel plus food is not small; definitely not the 'most value.'

 

[Legendteri]

Here is what my family is doing to save money

1. Staying offsite. We are staying in a three bedroom villa and splitting the costs among three families. Each families' portion will only be $50 a night after fees and taxes.

2. Our villa also has it's own kitchen so we are eating breakfasts at the hotel and a few dinners as well. We are also bringing in our own snacks and drinks. Actually we are bringing the kid's lunches as well since they are so picky.

3. Carpooling to save on the costs of the parking fee.

4. Bought our tickets at Undercover Tourist.

5. Driving our own car.

6. Being careful not to buy too many souvenirs by bringing our own and only a few specific but special ones at the park.

 

[Missyrose]

I pretty much stopped reading after I saw this (bolded sentence). Your mother is in debt but you still want her to take you to WDW? Or are you planning on paying for the whole trip from your own earnings?

Assuming that you aren't asking your mother to assume even more debt, then consider the costs of driving vs flying (not knowing how far away from WDW you live), and bringing/buying some groceries for breakfasts and snacks in your room. I would also suggest that you go over to the budget board for more hints on how to do WDW frugally.

If your mom is in debt, maybe you should hold off for awhile. Apply the money to driving down the debt.

I'm with these two posters. Disney is a very expensive vacation, no matter how much you scrimp. Maybe you and your mom could save some money, pay down her debt (and yours if you have any) and then once you have the money free and clear to pay for a Disney trip, plan the trip to celebrate that.

 

[andyman8]

Oh, some things I wanted to add.

• If you see the Mayor of Main Street USA, ask for his business card, as it serves as a nice FREE souvenir
• Share or split quick-service meals
• Order "iced-water" at QS locations in leu of a soda; it's free and will keep you hydrated
• If you use Greyhound, take a LYNX (Orlando's public transit) bus from the stop across the street from Greyhound to DTD to transfer on to a Disney Bus that will take you to ASMo
• Stay onsite!
• Limit your purchase of souvenirs
• Do not rent a car
• Here are some other good tips http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWrPKNDWpVM&feature=related

 

[rachel09985]

That applies to the ticket cost only. Each extra day's cost of the hotel plus food is not small; definitely not the 'most value.'

Sorry, to us it is!!!!

We always go during Free Dining so food doesn't matter. Also you can spread the cost of airfare out multiple days instead of a shorter visit. We also always stay Value so really we are only paying for the extra nights of hotel, which value is really not much at all!

While this may be a personal viewpoint, it fits my way of thinking, so I posted it. No one else has to agree.

 

[ricktib]

There are always great tips over on the Budget board also.

 

[GranddadTom]

What I would recommend is that you get a job for the summer, finish college, (and if your college is the reason your mom is in debt) after you finish college, get a full time job and help your mom out. DisneyWorld is not something you can afford right now. It will still be there when you can afford it.

 

[torinsmom]

Maybe it is just me, but the OP did not ask if she should go to Disney, just the cheapest way to get there. If I had taken people's advice about the best time to do certain things, I would have never had my son, never bought a house and certainly never have gone to Disney. People have different feelings about debt. Mine is that if I'm paying my bills and not expecting anyone else to do so, it's noone's business but my own whether I have some debt or whether I should go to Disney. You never know if you or your family will be here in five years when the debt is paid down, you know? Just my opinion....

 

[andyman8]

Maybe it is just me, but the OP did not ask if she should go to Disney, just the cheapest way to get there. If I had taken people's advice about the best time to do certain things, I would have never had my son, never bought a house and certainly never have gone to Disney. People have different feelings about debt. Mine is that if I'm paying my bills and not expecting anyone else to do so, it's noone's business but my own whether I have some debt or whether I should go to Disney. You never know if you or your family will be here in five years when the debt is paid down, you know? Just my opinion....

That's what I was thinking. OP asked how she should do WDW not if she should do WDW. Maybe I'm too literal (in reality, I seem to run into the opposite problem) but how can you comment when you don't know the specifics?

 

[saturdaygirl]

Since I've given up on the College Program,

why have you given up on it? have you ever done it before? or do you mean, you're trying to do it again so you can go back?

 

[NJOYURLIFE]

We planned my Dad's first trip to Disneyworld one May about 11 years ago. Something came up and we postponed the trip. He passed away at age 60 within a year of the postponed trip without us ever getting to share Disneyworld with him.

While Disneyworld may always be there, sometimes other things happen that are out of our control.

I love the way these boards go from a person asking for tips on how to have an affordable vacation, to paying off her mom's debt, to her mom is in debt because the OP is in college, to waiting to all debt both mom's and college debt is paid off.

To the OP,
You have rec'd a lot of great tips. You just have to crunch the numbers and if this trip is that important to you, you will do what you got to do (or actually do without certain things) in order to make it work financially.

Good Luck!