Any advice?

[Maude4Disney]

ok..we leave in about 2 1/2 wks I think our budget is just about set. Any advice where we might be able to save more or if I've forgotten anything.

We (myself, DH, DS9, DS2) are traveling down from Michigan and planning 2 nights on the road each way. However we will only have to pay for 1 night each way as we have friends that we are staying w/ on the way down and DH has points for one night free on the way home. We are staying onsite (booked w/ a code) and advance purchase of 4 day park hoppers. so does this look about right...

hotel while traveling 150 75 each night
food while traveling 100 for 3 dinners (we will have our cooler and be stopping at rest areas for picnics and to let everyone blow off some steam, can't really do that at a resteraunt)
gas 300 hopefully the prices will drop and not go up
hotel and tickets at Disney 1100 for six night and 4 day hoppers
food at Disney 100 per day 600 total, breakfast will be in our room and counter service lunch and so far only 2 PS made Ohana's and Le Cellier. 100 could be high for some days and low for the days w/ the PS.
souveniers approx 400 (high end)
and about 550 extra in case of emergency

I finally found the brita water bottles so that will save us $ and we will be taking snacks into the parks too.

I'm trying not to obsess about every little detail, but I don't want to be unprepared either.

Oh yes, also have our ponchos from Dollar Tree.

LOL ok enough babbling....did I forget anything???

Thanks!!

 

[Pat_Elliott]

Maude4Disney

Not that it's any of my business, but isn't obsessing half the fun of the trip? I'm going in June. I got back from our last trip September 27. I started obsessing about this trip on, let me see, September 27th.

Your budget looks good, although the food could be a little tight. With breakfast in room and couter service at every meal, a hundred bucks for four would have it well covered. But with dinner PS's at Ohana's and Le Cellier, you may find $600 for the week a tad light. Maybe not. Then again, I guess that's what the emergency 550$ is for.

The Brita's are a touch of genius. I'd like to meet the person who thought that one up. We hate Florida water (appologies to all native Floridians), and we really, really hate paying for water. The Brita is, therefore, an amazing device.

Only one other comment on the travel budget: you say "
hotel while traveling 150 75 each night." Is it 150 or 75? Or are you saying somewhere in between? $75 can get hairy in some areas. I can't imagine you not being able to find a double room (or do you need two rooms) for $150, but $75 can push it in places like the Baltimore area. Then again, we always spend the night in Walterboro, SC on the way down and get a room for twenty five bucks. So it depends on what you require. Note: there's an amazing amount of hotels in the south, on the 95 corridor, that give "after 10 PM" pricing. So if your troop can go late, you can save money there.

I hope these tips were helpful. You sound like you're pretty well set for the trip. Have a blast!

Pat

 

[HM]

It looks good to me. I think your food budget is just right. We usually figure about $100 for daily meals AND souveniers for the four of us. We mostly eat counter service, do a bunch of sharing since meals are usually huge, and a have a few special restaurant meals and come out fine. -HM

 

[Maude4Disney]

Pat,
it is supposed to be $75 a night- total $150. We only need 1 room. We have never had to pay more than that during our travels to FL.

I figured the nights we ate at Ohana's and LeCellier that we would probably be over budget. But like on the day we do AK, we plan on getting 2 of the meal vouchers $24 total I think for lunch (breakfast in room) so that leaves $76 for dinner, that's a pretty good dinner and could be done half way inexpensively feeing up more money for the days w/ the PS's. We only have 4 of our 6 days planned for parks so we could always do lunch and dinners a little cheaper on off park days if money does get tight, or lighten up on the souveniers I've also thought about doing a breakfast buffet and maybe skipping lunch and just snacking and then having an early dinner. Not sure what we'll end up doing .

As for the water bottles, I have this great site to thank for those. I looked everywhere for them, only to find out here that you need to look in the bathroom dept. at the stores. LOL I never would've found them

Thanks for the help!

 

[kilee]

Go to www.roomsavers.com and you can get coupons for the hotels you will use while traveling. We drove down from NY a few weeks ago and I had alloted $300.00 as my gas and toll money. We had money left in that category. Also, if you are going to do a sit down, the best bet is lunch. It's cheaper than dinner. It will keep you full into the evening, and a light dinner will "top you off". While breakfast is the cheapest sit down bet, by dinner you will be reasonably hungry again.
A sit down lunch for my family of 3, after tip, runs us around $75.00. That is usually for 2 meals, one appetizer, and 3 sodas. We then share the appetizer and the meals. Check out the menu for LeCellier, they are a bit pricey if you really want to stay on a budget.
I too am a planner. I plan out each days budget. So far I have come home w/ a little extra money.

 

[csmommy]

kilee

Can you tell me where you stayed overnight on the trip down? We will be driving down in May & will need to stop for a night. It will be DH, DS(7), DD(4), so I would like a cheap, clean place to stay. Also would you mind telling me how long it took to get to WDW after you spent the night?

Thanks!

 

[frannn]

Make sure you pack sunscreen, aspirin, tumms, band aids, etc. Not only do those things add up if you have to buy them on property, but if you go off property, you also lose valuable time. One year we forgot that Aloe Vera sun gel stuff & had to go to a souvenir shop to buy it, then the next year, we had to go searching for Mayloxx. Have fun!

 

[Lilly's Dad]

no

 

[TRAPPED-PARENT]

I think you have budgeted just fine - I'm sure your food budget is about right too, especially given the ages of the kids. (Ours are 17 & 18 so we always have to pay for 4 ADULTS!!!!)

We drive down from Michigan too (leaving in 3 weeks) and spend one night each way. We've done this many times at this time of year and have always been glad that we have hotel reservations.

Because of the traffic from the North in late March/early April, we have found that the hotels along the interstate have a 24 hr cancellation - also they fill up fast. We normally always stay at Hampton Inns and last year stopped in Elizabethtown at 6:00 pm (really too early, but that's where our reservations were) and they were already turning people away because they were full.

Just a heads up!

 

[Maude4Disney]

trapped-parent
Where is Elizabethtown? We've always tried to wing it with our hotels on the way down and have been lucky so far. Although this year I would like to make some reservations. However, Dh is trying to add a couple of days to his vacation so we can head over to Jacksonville for a couple of days to visit relatives, so at this point I'm not sure which way we are going to go to get to FL. We will be making reservations for on the way home however so that we can use his points for a free room.

Frann - I already have most of that stuff packed. With the exception of sunscreen and mayloxx...but I have that on my shopping list. I definitely do not want to have to spend time looking for that while on vacation. Thanks!

 

[Tandyc]

I'm new at this , but I've already learned soo much. Can someone please explain to me the Brita water deal? I understand the water in Florida is yuck, how does the Brita work? Do you take it into the park with you? Where to you get it? How much is it?

Thanks for all your expert advice.

 

[Pat_Elliott]

Originally posted by Tandyc
how does the Brita work? Do you take it into the park with you? Where to you get it? How much is it?

Glad to help! These little beauties made our Disney trips so much better. They look just like a sport bottle, with the spout top. Only there's a charcoal filter that screws on. It's replaceable, of course. It all but eliminates the sulpher taste that taints Florida water. We take them in the parks, we filter our water in the hotel to make coffee, they're great.

I know you can get them in Walmart. I'm sure they're available in Walgreens, too. And I'm sure many folks here can tell you other locations. I got ours at Walmart. Price was $7.99 with the filter, and spare filters, I think, were three bucks. We've used our bottles on two consecutive trips. We'll probably replace the filters this time, but as of last September, they were going strong.

A hint: don't look in the Sporting Goods section, they tend to be in the house and bath area, for some reason.

pat

 

[beansmom]

we are driving in from Dallas in November and we stay in Pensacola...I have checked out several chains on the net and made ressies at Ramada for $42 per night. A fair price. As long as it's fairly clean, I'm happy. You might try checking out a few of websites for a cheaper place to stay on the drive.

 

[TRAPPED-PARENT]

Hampton Inn
1035 Executive Drive
Elizabethtown, KY

I-65, exit 94 (west)

AAA Rate is $80.10+tax ($87.31)
No smoking, 2 double beds


It's right off the interstate with a few other hotels - easy off/easy on. I think this is in a "dry county" so if you like a nice cold one once you are in your room, you'll have to bring one with you. LOL

Free breakfast.

 

[bobcat]

Your budget looks good. I budget $50/day for one adult and two kids (7 and 10) for meals and we always have plenty. That covers a couple of character meals and a couple of sit downs as well (Le Cellier is a must! )

If you know where you would like to stop for the night you might want to try Priceline.

As far as gas I drove our minivan to WDW in January and I spent $110 for a 2000 mile trip. It was about $30 more than usual.

 

[dandelion]

Originally posted by Pat_Elliott
A hint: don't look in the Sporting Goods section, they tend to be in the house and bath area, for some reason.
pat

That's where I found them yesterday at WalMart, in the area with other water filters and humidifiers. IIRC it was 6.99. Unfortunately I didn't see the replacement filters, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

My kids (3 and 6) were thrilled with it and begged for more drinks from it. Yay!