After reading everyones post about their trip cost.......

Lilypaige

Mouseketeer
Joined
Sep 25, 2007
Messages
145
I decided I need to look into our trip alittle more (I also noticed a lot of people from WA state, :thumbsup2 ). Nothing is set in stone and this will be our first trip to DL. Here are the details that we want to stick to:

*Plan on going May 7-14, 2008 (give or take a day or two) Staying 6 nights/7 days

*Plan on flying from SEA to JW using Kids Fly Free

*Plan on one character meal, Blue Bayou, ESPN Zone and maybe one more nice dining meal

*Will not be renting a car

We first planned on staying at a GNH, but DH's boss knows someone who "might" be able to help us stay at DLH for cheap, but only a possibility.

What are some other pointers on getting the most out of our trip with the least money? I would love to spend under $3500 as a whole package and seeing a lot of other WA state paying this much I want to how I can do this too??:confused3
 
Well you want to be sure you know various costs. Check out the package prices through disneyland.com, AAA if you belong, Costco Travel if you belong. Then check things a la carte.

If you belong to AAA, always check that rate for hotels you're looking into.

If you have thought of staying at the Howard Johnson hotel (HoJo), when it gets closer (I don't think they have these rates for that timeframe yet), check on the Anaheim HoJo's website (google "hojo anaheim") and use the code SD50 (***the Entertainment Book rate, you have to have the book when you check in***). That's the code for the rate you CAN get at the Anaheim one (only), which can be spectacular. Our two days in Sept, and one of our 4 upcoming days in December, were/are at that rate, and it means a rate of 54 plus taxes vs 119 plus taxes.

Is the kids fly free program available outside of a package? I thought I only saw it "in" packages last year...at any rate, we wouldn't have considered using it, b/c the adult fares for the airline was so incredibly high, compared to what we could have gotten on SW, that I wouldn't have considered it if our trip fell into the right timeframe for the "deal". So be sure you're really checking that out.

If you think there is a chance you might come back next year, you could consider buying Annual Passports, and then schedule your next trip inside the year from the start of your vacation. (of course, looking at black out dates is good to do here, b/c if you travel during those periods you would have to do the premium AP without blackout dates, which is much more expensive than the deluxe AP) Anyway, if that worked, it would mean you get two trips from the AP, rather than buying two sets of tickets. But you don't have to decide that now...you could decide to upgrade from the parkhoppers on the last day of your trip, while you're still in the park. :)

You can get many menus and prices online. I like the menus at dl resort info dot com (they've been blocking that URL so put the pre-"dot" stuff altogether etc), and many of them are updated as of October. It's VERY helpful to get a look at what they have, and what they cost...

Hope that helps as a start!
 
The "Kids fly free" is only offered in a package. I priced it out last year and the year before, and both times it was way cheaper to book seperately because when booking the "kids fly free" package, the hotels rates are extremely high. So yeah, you *might* get a little bit better deal on airfare, but you get screwed big time on hotel rates.

It's better to book a great DING fare or wait for a good Alaska deal and then book the hotel seperately. Especially if you can get a good deal for the DLH. I hope that works out for you!:thumbsup2
 
I think the best way to save money is to stay off site. That is the only way we are able to go so often, and it is usually closer to the parks than DLH and PPH!
 

Is the SD50 the entertainment rate? I did book my room online using the code but I don't have an entertainment book.... Just wondering if I would have to buy one! Thanks.
 
Here are my money saving tips....

1. Take a bottle of water into the park with you and refill it during the day. Water or Soda at DLR is $2.69 each and that really adds up throughout the day!

2. Disneyland is very generous with their meal portions. Many meals are large enough to share. For instance, Plaza Inn has a great fried chicken dinner and you get 3 piece of chicken, mashed potatoes & gravy, veggies and a biscuit. Unless you're a HUGE eater, you'll never finish an entire meal! Share meals when you can.

3. If you're not really that hungry or want to save room for a churro or Dole Whip later, order a kids meal...even if you're an adult! It's OK, you can do this!

4. If you have AAA you can get a 10% or 15% (can't remember which) discount at the Plaza Inn.

Hope that helps!
 
At 7 days stay, you might check the cost of annual passes vs. parkhoppers - I think it's actually cheaper AND if you do that, you should be able to get hotel reservations at Disney hotels (and some neighboring hotels as well) for less too.
 
So you don't need to be a resident of CA to buy an AP? And one more question... we are thinking about coming down in mid-Feb. during Mid-Winter break.. is this considered peak?
 
So you don't need to be a resident of CA to buy an AP? And one more question... we are thinking about coming down in mid-Feb. during Mid-Winter break.. is this considered peak?

Out of state AP costs more. (I think $259) I'm going to get ONE so we can stay on site at an AP rate in Dec.

Back to LilyPaige -

- Might want to check out the price of rental car. Weekly rate might be cheaper than the shuttle. (& it might be handy to have a vehicle if you're gonna be there a week.)

- If you can get the DLH, great. If not, one thing I would contemplate (for our family) if i was to come for 6 nights would be to stay the first 3 nights at a Harbor Blvd. Hotel (cheap, but across the street) & then the final 3 nights at one of the 3 DLR hotels. (preferably nights that would give me at least 2 mornings of EE).

- The dates in early May should be off season, so "deals" might be available. (For example I just booked an AP rate at the Paradise Pier for $129 per night for 12/9 & 12/10). If a "deal" comes down when you are coming, buy ONE AP pass (for $259) & nab the room deal.

What would a 7 day park hopper cost?? (Probably close to $259 anyway)

Have fun!
 
Is the SD50 the entertainment rate? I did book my room online using the code but I don't have an entertainment book.... Just wondering if I would have to buy one! Thanks.

Yes, it's the Entertainment book rate. They asked to see my card when we used that rate.

But you don't have to buy the one for Anaheim; you can buy the one for your area, or, like I've thought of doing, for some area that you might want to visit, when the book is less expensive than your own area (of course then you don't get any non-travel coupons for your own area).
 
Stay at an off site hotel across the street that offers a continental breakfast to get your day started. By staying across the street you won't need a car or have to ride the shuttle. You can also order things like snacks and bottled water to be delivered to your room from safeway.com
 
Staying offiste, you really can get some great deals on hotels. Remember to look online and also call the hotel directly and ask for specials. We stayed at the Camelot Inn and Suites, which was a very short walk and very convenient. It offered a free continental breakfast (not great, but something) and they even have a mini fridge in the room (that they don't charge extra for) if you want to store waters, drinks, etc. They have a mini mart a few hotels down by the Tropicana if you need to by anything. We scheduled a private shuttle through Super Shuttle and it was much less than the cost of renting a car. I think the private shuttle is worth the little bit extra so you are not jammed with lots of extra guests when people are tired and cranky lol.
So, every day we would do the free continental breakfast (I would just have a granola bar that we brought). We would have one nice sit-down meal each day with a PS (we did Cafe Orleans, Carnation Cafe and one character meal). My kids are small and really don't stay late at the parks (we were there in line at least 30 minutes before opening each day, so we were exhausted at night), so on our way home we would grab Quiznos or McDonalds for the kids (right by our hotel) -- much cheaper than in the parks. Or sometimes we would just grab a quick something in the park before we left. Also, in adventureland, they have fruit and veggie packs if you want a light lunch and don't want to spend a ton of money. I am a light eater, so this works for me. It might not for everyone . . .
We booked with getawaytoday for a package for hotel and 3 day parkhopper tickets, and got two EE days this time. It was great!! :wizard:
 
I am from the east side of the state and used to marvel at the rates one could get out of Seattle as compared to Spokane. Now we are in AZ and can just drive.

We just returned from DL in August. We have stayed at the DL, Paradise Pier and Grand Californian as well as the Hyatt, Hilton and Sheraton. This time we got a package using our Disney Visa Card. We drove (since we are in AZ) so didn't mess with airfare this trip as it was cheaper to drive... what we found out was that the package did offer a couple things that were nice. 1) It gave us preferred seating at Alladin in California Adventure which was nice and a few others - can't remember off the top of my head. 2) It also gave us preferred seating at either the DL parade and/or the electric parade. And, the rate we got wasn't bad. It turned out that the room rate was more outside the package. At DL I definitely wouldn't do their Dining Plan --- not worth it.

If your friend can't get you a good deal at the DLH... What you might want to do is work with a Disney specialist who can do some comparisons on packages, etc. for you to help you get the best deal.... both with /without airfare. Plus, they will look for better deals for you as codes are released ... that might help save money. And, remember to make your ADRs (reservation) so you have a slot for your sit down meals. A specialist might also be able to help you with other details of the trip. We've been numerous times, if you have a specific question, just send me a private message.
 
We have went for the last two years first in April and then this year in June.
We used the kids fly free deal through disneyland.com and it cost us about $1800 dollars both times for 2 adults and 2 kids ages 4 and 6. For air, hotel, park tickets, and airport transfers. And then we spent about $1000 for food and other stuff.
 












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