A Budget Game

[crisi]

The current food thread has me thinking....we all make choices at Disney about what is important and what is not. Staying on site might be important to one person, eating nice important to another, a third may not care as long as they get the most possible park time. So here is the game.

Every year someone gives you $5000 to take your family to WDW. You can go for as many days as you choose to stretch the money, or you can save the money for several years and only take one Disney trip every X years for X times $5000, but stay in a suite at the Grand Floridian for a week and eat at V&As every night. However, these vacations will be the only big vacations your family takes (i.e. this isn't a "free" trip on whatever you already do).

To put everyone on equal footing, you magically arrive in Orlando (no airfare or gas), but no one has a car (if you want one, you need to rent). Everyone has the same family of two adults and two children the age at which they need to pay adult prices. No one owns DVC or another timeshare or lives in Orlando - you need to pay for your accomodations (and you can't buy a timeshare with the money).

How do you choose to spend it?

 

[TNKBELL]

Interesting.... I think I would have to stay in a Fort Wilderness Cabin, so we would be able to make some easy meals. Not to save money, but sanity(picky kids).I also like to stretch out, even a concierge room at GF only provides so much space. We could stay 10 days with expiring tickets. We are not foodies or big eaters, so we would probably only eat a few table service, mostly counter service meals. That leaves plenty for souvies!

 

[MouseClubMom]

We would stay on property at CSR with 1 or 2 nites at AKL and dine like we normally do - on a budget with 1 or 2 nice meals (LTT, Boma, etc...). We should have enough left over for another trip the next year. Yes we would rent a car b/c we like to have our own transportation - not fans of the Disney bus system at all. We would also buy a nice thank you gift to the person that gave us the money for the trip and have the kids make cards for them too!

MCMom

 

[punkin]

On $5,000, I could do one heck of a trip. I would go during value season and do AKL concierge with a code. One AP for DDE and room code. Stay for seven days and buy 7 day expiring tickets for the hubby and girls w/hopping and plusses for Disney quest (My AP and I don't need DQ-we are going shopping) Meals: Breakfasts- CRT, BOMA, Crystal Palace, PSB (the rest-concierge); Lunches: Brown Derby; SciFi; Plaza; Morrocco; various counter); Dinner: BOMA, CG; Flying Fish; BlueZoo; Jiko.

 

[Princess Glenda]

I would go every year for 10-12 nights and would enjoy staying at different resorts each year although I don't see myself spending the $ for CR, GF or Poly. I'm hooked on WL, Boardwalk and the Beach Club so maybe a split stay between two of my favorites. We would buy the 10 day expiry MYW tickets. I would make 1 PS a day and just "wing it" the rest of the time. We'd still do breakfast in the room on some days and sandwiches by the pool. I would choose not to rent a car and would use Disney transportation although I would miss going to the Disney Outlets.

 

[ncbyrne]

Oh my, what a fun fantasy game! We'd start out the first year with a week at the Boardwalk. We'd add the My Way dining and 5-day My way tickets with 3 Plus option. With the $ left we'd buy tickets to La Nouba. The next year we would stay off site and make it a super budget trip. We'd stay two weeks and eat a lot of counter service.

 

[luv2nascar]

a week in contemporary conciege tower
we'd have a blast

 

[etwinchester]

Please contact me for my address so I can get my $5,000 per year (hehe).

I'll pay for overnight delivery!

 

[newholidayx2]

Next Aug DH, DS (who'll be 14 at the time) and myself will be spending that 5K for our Disney Magic Western Cruise

 

[MickeyMonstersMom]

Great idea! Since I'm not "mathy" I'll have to think about that and get out my calculator...

 

[kandeebunny]

SoG for 10 nights 2 military AP's and a DDE card comes out to about $2000

Breakfast in the room (I travel with my own food!!!) One sit down meal a day and one CS a day. With plenty left for shopping at the scrapbooking store and at pin central!

 

[FigmentGuy]

i would renew my AP's, stay at values-mods for a good 2 weeks and spend the rest on dinning, wishes cruises, backstage tours, souvies etc. hehe, heck thats what Im doing now! haha, go figure. Would be great if someone just gave me the 5,000 then trying to save. hehehehe

 

[HayGan]

We would be staying at the Poly in garden view concierge room for 7 nights during value season on the dining plan with 7 day hopper passes. The extra $$$ left over would be for a few souviners and a couple extra snacks

So who is going to be writing the check for my trip? You could even use your Disney Visa if you like and get the points for your next trip

 

[tigeress2474]

OMG I would have a blast. I would go once a year. Not doing any money counting would be great. I would stay some where like the All Stars or Pop and just have a great time.

Jennifer

 

[Renate_do]

Okay let me try

buying 4 AP´s = 1720,00$
1 DDE = 50$
staying at a Value resort value season with AP-rate for 10 days = 500$
eating for 10 days = 1000$

makes 3270$

from the left over I go a second time within the 12 month the AP is good

staying at a value resort for another 10 days with AP-rate = 500$
food for 10 days = 1000 $

So it will be 20 days at WDW within one year for us

Greets Renate

 

[crisi]

I'll play my own game.

We'd take one expensive vacation every other year. I think I'd stay connecting rooms at the WL - give us enough room to spread out a bit - I'm not a Ft. Wilderness cabins type person, and I don't think I'd rent DVC points (we own, but renting gives me the willies). We'd eat one sit down dinner eat day (Flying Fish, Jiko), a counter service lunch - but I'd probably still have cereal bars and coffee out of the room - we just aren't big breakfast first thing in the morning people, and I'd still have fruit snacks and water in my backpack - seems we always want them 20 minutes into a line. Probably two character meals. One round of golf for four. I still don't think I'd rent a car (we hate to drive), but I would take cabs instead of Disney transportation.

 

[Jodi3530]

I would save for one year then take my brothers and their families and my parents for a short trip(4 days) staying at one of the value resorts. Then we would skip a year again and take DH's family! Year 5 would be for us though. I would love to stay at AKL. I am not sure about the rest of the our trip as we are just working on planning our first trip!! (We are taking my parents!!!)

 

[MickeyMonstersMom]

Oh, so many scenarios opened up to me! I considered a grand Holiday trip to see the decorations, but would save that for the next $5000.

First, AP's for myself, DD 10 and DS 7
Then 7 nights at the Poly in July or August (Value Season) with AP discount
Rental car, cheapest I can get
PS's for 'Ohana and Boma (breakfast and dinner each), Sci Fi, Marrakesh, Chef Mickey's, Boatwright's, and CRT

This puts me at about ~3500. Factor in some more for counter service meals and use the rest toward a more budget-minded trip in April at POP or ASMu.

 

[crisi]

Now that you are thinking... the budget is cut in half.....what stays, what goes?