What is the average cost of a Disney Trip???

[kcsmom76]

Hi everyone!! I am a newbie here.

My family and I are starting to plan our Disney vacation. We are planning to go January 23 - 30, 2010.

I have been looking up ticket prices, hotel prices, airline prices and I am in sticker SHOCK!!!! I haven't even added in the cost of food or souvenirs yet and it looks like all the above is going to be around $3,000.00 for 7 days.

I was planning on $2,000.00 total, not including spending money.

I was looking for a 2 bedroom condo/hotel with a kitchen and maybe a private pool. Can Disney my way be done for 7 days on my $2,000.00 budget??

BTW, this will be my dd's first trip to Disney. She is 8 and isn't too much of princess, so the BBB would be nice but I think she would laugh at it.

Also my son is 13 and is too big for all things precious about Disney.

 

[ChrisinNJ]

If you are looking to stay off disney property, you may want to check out the Orlando Hotels & Attractions board.

We went in November & we stayed in a condo in a development called "Windsor Hills." From our condo we could be on disney property in about 5 minutes drive. There are condos, townhomes & villas in Windsor Hills. We rented this one, http://www.mickeyscondo.com/safari/ and we were very happy with the size, accomodations & cleanliness of the condo. We could even see fireworks from the twin bedroom window! We paid about $1300.00 for 12 nights. His rates are on his website & other condos are also available through him & his daughter.

You can also search VRBO.com for condos. And windsor hills has a rental website, but I don't have the link.

Tickets to the park & flights would be your other 2 biggest expenses. There are park ticket discounts available through undercovertourist.com. And if you sign up for the newsletter at mousesavers.com, you will get additional tickets & other hotel information & special rates. They send a newsletter every month with "hot deal" announcements in between.

And being off property, you would need to rent a car as well.

Our last trip cost about $3000.00 for 5 of us (2adults 3 kids under10) for a total of 2 weeks, but we drove down, and used our disney visa rewards points for food & souvenirs. We ate breakfast in the condo & brought our own snacks & drinks into the parks.

Christine

 

[tinker-belle]

It can be done!!! I've gone in January which is value season in the past with my dh & 2 ds and spent about 2K for 10 days there.
We took the auto train down (did NOT get a sleeper car), we stayed in value resorts, and did not get park hoppers, but 7 base tickets to the parks.
We did one character breakfast, but mostly brought our own foods into the parks, though we did get the occasional mickey ears ice cream, ices & popcorn.
IMHO we did not need park hoppers since we planned on being in each park from beginning to end, and we had so many days in the parks. We wanted to be on property but did not need deluxe accomodations since we only planned on being in the hotel for sleeping.
Good luck and enjoy!

 

[gracie1]

Is it only the 3 of you that are going? If so, you could look at staying onsite in a value resort and see what they are offering. Also, there are many people that post on here that stay at windsor hills (I hope that is right!) and they have houses, condos and town homes. I think some of their rates were like $129 a night! Maybe take a look into that.
I am going to stay at Pop century October for 11 nights and staying during peak time and my hotel came to $1015. Now, that is with 40% off for 6 nights of it, but if I didn't have the pin code it would've been $1300. Then park tickets and all. But I did book for december when I was able to use the pin code originally and it was like $700 for all 11 nights. Unfortunately we had to switch!!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

We always stay onsite, so I can't help you with offsite lodging, except that you can check mousesavers.com and allears.net for offsite savings. Checking the Orlando Hotels board like the PP mentioned is also a great idea - Windsor Hills seems to be pretty popular on the DIS. January is value season - you might score a great rate on a Disney resort. If you stay on Disney property and fly into MCO, you can avoid a rental car and use Magical Express from the airport and Disney transportation to the parks.

Tickets - sign up for the mousesavers.com newsletter, which comes out the 15th of each month. There will be a link to Undercover Tourist and special mousesavers.com rates not found by typing www.undercovertourist.com into your browser. UT is less expensive than buying tickets through Disney, and the mousesavers link saves a few dollars more. You can also check AAA if you are a member. Don't expect huge savings on tickets - about half of your budget will be taken up by ticket costs (if there are four of you going). Since you are going for several days, you might choose not to get hopper tickets. The hopper option is 53.25 per ticket, regardless of the number of days.

Food - your DD is considered a child until she turns 10, so she can order off the kid's meal and will also pay the kid's price for character meals and buffets. Many counter service meals are big enough to share, especially if you supplement with a Mickey Bar or some popcorn as a snack. If you decide to stay on site, run the numbers to see if the dining plan makes sense for your family. 2010 rates aren't out yet, but the DDP is about $40 for adults per night and $11 for kids per night. You receive one table service meal (entree, dessert and drink or character meal or buffet), one counter service meal (entree and drink or combo meal, plus dessert) and one snack per night of your stay. It's a great value for kids since a kid's character meal is about $12, plus you get a counter service kid's meal and snack each day. For adults, it depends how and where you eat. Your DS13 is considered an adult and will pay adult price for meals.

If you do not do the DDP, plan to eat breakfast in your room or condo, pack some snacks to take into the parks, bring or ship a case of water (bottled water is 2.50 onsite), and eat breakfast or lunch at character meals instead of dinner - it's cheaper. Eat dinner offsite or at your condo.

My DD9 is SO not the princess type, but she loves doing the funky diva look at BBB while her little sister gets all princess-y. I wouldn't rule it out just yet.

One of the benefits of onsite lodging (besides extra magic hours) is that it is easier to split up - if DS13 wants to go to one park on the last day and DD8 wants to go to another (and you have two adults or feel comfortable letting your DS13 go alone), you can take Disney transportation to where you want to go. We have done this on the last day - one of us takes one child and the other takes the other to do a few last favorite rides. Onsite lodging also makes mid-day breaks very easy, but if you stay close to Disney, it is easy enough with your car or a rental car.

Since you are going in January, parks will close earlier than in the summer, but crowds will be lower. Staying onsite allows you to enter one park an hour early each day and stay 3 hours late at one park each night.

Happy planning!

 

[kcsmom76]

Thank you all for the advice. I have been trying to navigate this site for 2 days and I could hardly get answers to my questions. Thanks for the info. and keep it coming.

 

[mrsklamc]

Where are you flying from and how many of you are there?

 

[kcsmom76]

We will be flying from Charlotte, NC and there will be dh, me, ds13, and dd 8.

 

[Lisa_M]

I think you can stay within your budget, if you really try.

If you are going to stay off site, you may want to consider driving. It will probably be cheaper than flying and you won't have the expense of renting a car. Car rental rates have gone up considerably this year and the best deal I could find was a name your own price via Priceline.

For tickets, I would suggest signing up for the mousesavers.com newsletter. It is monthly and there is a special ticket link in the email newsletter. It seems only a few dollars cheaper than through Disney, but when you factor in no sales tax and free shipping, it's the best deal around. Keep in mind you can still buy a child's ticket for your DD, but your son will need an adult one.

Also, sign up on the Disney site and request the free DVD. You never know if they'll send you a pin code (special deal only for your family). Disney has had quite a few specials this year, you may find it cheaper or comparable to stay on site.

For offsite, I usually go through my parents timeshare, so I don't really have any suggestions other than before you book, read the Tripadvisor.com reviews and ask on the orlando accommodations boards for recommendations.

If you're staying off site, you can save money, by bringing lunch in the parks (no glass and no alcohol) and/or leaving for dinner and coming back. You don't need a park hopper to exit and enter the SAME park on the SAME day.

Spending a day swimming and checking out the Boardwalk and Downtown Disney are both free, fun and relaxing.

Lastly, welcome to the Disboards! Stick around and read often and you'll learn so much (more than you want to know sometimes) really fast!

 

[Planogirl]

There are some great offsite resorts that are very close to the parks but you'll want to make sure that they have a good shuttle service or you'll need a car. You can find decent bargains, be sure to check Travelocity and Expedia too just to see if there are any bargains out there during the time you're going. Be cautious if you look into any of the places on International Drive because traffic can be a nightmare in some areas. I personally don't mind but I know that a lot of people don't want to fight a lot of traffic while on vacation. Keep in mind the parking fees at the parks if you drive too.

Kissimmee is well located as is Lake Buena Vista. Again, it all depends on how much hassle you are willing to deal with. I personally love having my own kitchen and lots of space. I don't cook while on vacation but it's nice to be able to make a cup of tea or a snack when you want to plus having a refrigerator is nice!

 

[ekatiel]

Staying at a value hotel on property for a week, during value season with 8 day basic magic your way tickets (no park hopper) will run you about $1600 (that's this year's prices). Adding the dining package will be about another $900. Have you thought about driving? Map Quest is telling me that it's just over an 8 hour drive. That's easily do-able in one day (especially with kids as old as yours). Driving would save you some serious cash. IMO, the dining plan is TOTALLY worth the $$. We ate at some wonderful restaurants that we wouldn't have even set foot in if we were paying OOP. It was also nice to order whatever we wanted rather than always looking for the cheapest option on the menu. Anyhow, $2500 will get you a value room, tickets for 8 days, and the dining plan-- that's with no discounts-- if they offer a discount code for your time period, it will be cheaper. You could easily drive for under $100 each way-- (I figured it at 20 miles per gallon for 525 miles and $3 per gallon (which is currently on the high side) gas will only cost you $78 each way). If it were me, I'd drive and splurge on the dining plan! --Katie

 

[MadilynnsMomma]

Are you stuck on being off property? If you are open to staying on property and still want the "kitchen" you could opt for a stay at The Wilderness Cabins. For 2 adults and 2 children (13/8) during a value season is $3038.24 (this price includes your base tickets *No Hopper/No Water Parks*, the cabin, transportation to and from the airport and parks *Parking is $12/day for off-site guests*).

If you can lose the thought of "having to have a kitchen" I would HIGHLY suggest staying at Caribbean Beach Resort. The resort is divided into 6 "Villages" and each village has it own quiet pool that is often found empty. Although you will be in one room with two double beds, you should think about how much time will really be spent in your "lodging" choice. You can book Caribbean Beach Resort during a value season for the above 2 adult/2 kids for $2124.74. And another benefit of staying onsite is that you can also add on the Dining Plan - if you added it to this package the total would be: $3041.46 and it would include 7 sit-down table service meals, 7 counter-service meals & 7 snacks per person during your stay.

Also, are you a AAA member? We paid $40 for our membership and through a mailing we found out about their Disney packages. We saved over $400 off our trip for 2 adults and one child (even though my child "doesn't count" due to age). The $40 was well worth saving a few hundred off our dream vacation!

Best of luck & Happy travels!

 

[Priorityonecb]

We drive to WDW from Raleigh. It's about a 7.5 hour trip. We leave around 4am, the kids sleep until about 9am, a movie or two later on the DVD player and we are having lunch in Orlando! That saves us hundreds of dollars on our trips!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

We have driven and flown from Wilmington. While it is way easier to fly (1 1/2 hours nonstop), it is way cheaper to drive. The drive from Charlotte is about 8 hours or so. It will cost you about $1000 to fly from Charlotte and rent a car, which you will need if you want to stay offsite. You can drive for a few hundred, counting gas and extra meals en route.

Some people have reported great condo deals through Sky Auction. I'm not sure how that works, but you might find a deal.

to the DIS!

 

[kcsmom76]

Thanks again everyone!!

Dh and my cars are 10 and 12 years old. We were thinking they wouldn't be good to drive down. So we were looking at renting a van anyway. That is WAYYY more than I want to spend too with the limited miles and payment of gas. So we have a dilemma with getting there.

After I posted, I went through a found some prices and was shocked again at how much it would all cost. My total with taxes was almost $6,900.00. Of course that was with us flying.

Dh almost d*ed when I showed him what I had learned. He told me to keep looking. So I hope there are good deals to be had.

I really don't have to have a kitchen, I don't really want to cook, but if it saves money, I will do it. KWIM? I would really rather have a bedroom all to myself, so I can go collapse at the end of the day. Wishful thinking, huh?

 

[Jennifer in MI]

We currently drive a 10 yo minivan. We drove it to FL in January and are planning to drive it again next January. We just get a tune up at the dealership right before we're supposed to leave. We also have a AAA membership. So, if it breaks down, we figure, we'll get it towed and then rent a car there and drive the rest of the way. We drive from MI for $200 round trip! It's totally worth it for our family.

I'd try to stay on property and get the dining plan if I were you! It's truly a vacation if you do that. That said, we're staying off property next Jan so we can afford a cruise! We got a one week rental for $460 in Windsor Hills. But, I will be doing all of our cooking that week and that won't truly be a vacation for me - until we get on our cruise that is!!

 

[sueh]

Hi everyone!! I am a newbie here.

My family and I are starting to plan our Disney vacation. We are planning to go January 23 - 30, 2010.

Welcome to the boards. You will get ALOT of good information here.

I too will be at Disney the same week as you. I can't wait.
I am also hoping that they have another deal like they did last year. It was the 4/3 deal and you also got a gift certificate to spend in the park.

Have fun planning and have a great trip!

 

[starann]

WE went thru AAA to get a 12 pass. van for our trip and paid a total of $900 for 10 days, unlimited miles. Certainly you could get away with somethign smaller for 4 of you (we had 7- 5 adults, 2 kids).

You may want to look at that vs airfare/renal car once you get there and see which will be cheaper. We drive from PA and are able to do it in 15 hrs.


Yuo could stay value, but it would put you in 1 room, you could also look into the Family suite in a Value.


Also, request the DVD planning guide. I did and now get PIN codes for discounts (this in not a certain thing, some get it, some don't)

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

OK, I just did a quick check of some prices and have a ballpark idea for you:

4 RT tickets from CLT to MCO on Jan 23 and Jan 30, 2010 - $205 each on United - total $820 www.farecast.com

parking at CLT airport - about $10 a day economy? - $80

transfers from MCO to Disney - free using Disney Magical Express

Lodging - value resort in value season (2009 rates) - 82 per night (drops to 70 per night if you have AAA and can get the discount) - 92.25 at Pop with tax (or 78.41 with AAA discount)- $646 or $549 with discount

Upgrade to a moderate resort - 149 per night - 20% AAA discount plus tax = $135 per night - $943 (I got CSR in May for 104 per night with a discount code, so you may get it cheaper)

Tickets - 3 adult 7-day MYW tickets at 229 each (Undercover Tourist) and one child 7-day MYW ticket at 194 (these will be slightly cheaper with the mousesavers link discount, but I can't post the price) - $881

Food - the wild card unless you do DDP (which requires you buy tickets from Disney instead of Undercover Tourist) - DDP will be about $150 per day for your family (based on 2009 rates) - plan on at least $100 per day for food if you are staying onsite without a car. You can spend $100 on a single character meal if you choose, but you can also eat mainly counter service and pack snacks, granola bars, instant oatmeal, cereal, etc. for your room. We almost always eat breakfast in our room. - $700 for planning purposes

Menus with prices can be found at www.allears.net - you can look through them and estimate what you might spend for food.

Grand total - $3030 for a week at a value (no DDP), $3424 for a moderate (assuming AAA discount but no other discount codes). When Disney releases codes, they are typically better than the AAA discount, but you can't always count on them.

This doesn't include incidentals - souveniers, tips, etc., and it assumes $100 per day for food. You can do better if you don't eat at Table Service meals (since you have three adults for dining purposes) and eat some meals in your room. Without a car, you are pretty limited for offsite choices. I'm using 2009 rates - I expect 2010 rates to be 5-10% higher for rooms, but that's just a guess.

This also assumes no Disney Visa points, frequent flyer miles, hotel points, etc.

To make staying offsite worthwhile (budget-wise, not comfort-wise), you would need to balance the $549 room cost and $700 food cost with the need to rent a car (probably at least $200).

 

[Jennifer in MI]

OK, I just did a quick check of some prices and have a ballpark idea for you:

4 RT tickets from CLT to MCO on Jan 23 and Jan 30, 2010 - $205 each on United - total $820 www.farecast.com

parking at CLT airport - about $10 a day economy? - $80

transfers from MCO to Disney - free using Disney Magical Express

Lodging - value resort in value season (2009 rates) - 82 per night (drops to 70 per night if you have AAA and can get the discount) - 92.25 at Pop with tax (or 78.41 with AAA discount)- $646 or $549 with discount

Upgrade to a moderate resort - 149 per night - 20% AAA discount plus tax = $135 per night - $943 (I got CSR in May for 104 per night with a discount code, so you may get it cheaper)

Tickets - 3 adult 7-day MYW tickets at 229 each (Undercover Tourist) and one child 7-day MYW ticket at 194 (these will be slightly cheaper with the mousesavers link discount, but I can't post the price) - $881

Food - the wild card unless you do DDP (which requires you buy tickets from Disney instead of Undercover Tourist) - DDP will be about $150 per day for your family (based on 2009 rates) - plan on at least $100 per day for food if you are staying onsite without a car. You can spend $100 on a single character meal if you choose, but you can also eat mainly counter service and pack snacks, granola bars, instant oatmeal, cereal, etc. for your room. We almost always eat breakfast in our room. - $700 for planning purposes

Menus with prices can be found at www.allears.net - you can look through them and estimate what you might spend for food.

Grand total - $3030 for a week at a value (no DDP), $3424 for a moderate (assuming AAA discount but no other discount codes). When Disney releases codes, they are typically better than the AAA discount, but you can't always count on them.

This doesn't include incidentals - souveniers, tips, etc., and it assumes $100 per day for food. You can do better if you don't eat at Table Service meals (since you have three adults for dining purposes) and eat some meals in your room. Without a car, you are pretty limited for offsite choices. I'm using 2009 rates - I expect 2010 rates to be 5-10% higher for rooms, but that's just a guess.

This also assumes no Disney Visa points, frequent flyer miles, hotel points, etc.

To make staying offsite worthwhile (budget-wise, not comfort-wise), you would need to balance the $549 room cost and $700 food cost with the need to rent a car (probably at least $200).

Wow! Will you please plan my trips for me??? LOL