Budget planning

[Disnewbie_N_MO]

I really want to take my kids to Disney World again. They don't get a spring break like most schools. They have an Easter break. Basically Friday-Monday of Easter weekend. Gonna let them miss an extra day of school so we can have 4 days at Disney. I was wondering if there's any sites I can book through that would be cheaper than going through Disney? I want to stay onsite and use Disney's Magical Express, park to park, and the dining plan. Ran it all through Disney and cheapest I could get was $3000 and some change. I want to try to shave some off that if possible. Any tips would be appreciated.

 

[worm761]

First, know it is very busy at that time. Second, it can be cheaper through sites like Orbitz if they have a code but I don't know if you can get the dining plan through them or not. But honestly, no discounts have come out for that far out. You'd have to wait a while to see what comes out. Maybe go to Mousesavers and look at the historical discounts for Easter time to get a better idea of what you can expect.

 

[Marionnette]

I really want to take my kids to Disney World again. They don't get a spring break like most schools. They have an Easter break. Basically Friday-Monday of Easter weekend. Gonna let them miss an extra day of school so we can have 4 days at Disney. I was wondering if there's any sites I can book through that would be cheaper than going through Disney? I want to stay onsite and use Disney's Magical Express, park to park, and the dining plan. Ran it all through Disney and cheapest I could get was $3000 and some change. I want to try to shave some off that if possible. Any tips would be appreciated.

There aren't any discounts available for next spring yet, but I wouldn't hold out much hope for one that will work for Easter weekend. You could try websites like Expedia, Hotels .com or Orbitz. I've had good luck applying a discount code for those websites to Disney resort stays. Expedia .UK can sometimes be cheaper than the .com version of the website if you have a CC that has a "no foreign transaction fee" benefit. Check out the thread about using Expedia .UK here.

The problem with booking through any of those websites is that you cannot add the dining plan to your reservation. Otherwise, you can enjoy the same benefits that any Disney Resort guest gets, such as EMH, MBs and DME.

 

[verleniahall]

Unless you book through Disney - you cannot get the dining plan

THat weekend will eb SUPER busy becuase its a holiday - would it be better (and give you more time to save) to go over the summer break? just a thought

 

[Eureka]

Easter weekend is expensive too. We went Easter week in 2011 and it cost more than either of our August trips. Good luck planning and have a great time!

 

[amylevan]

4 EXTREMELY busy days at WDW at one of the most expensive times of year...

My budget suggestion: go during the summer or some other time off of school (President's weekend? )

 

[danceintherain]

Yeah, I wouldn't go during Spring Break unless it was your only option, or your only option other than New Years.
Since it's not a full week anyway, you'll likely be able to find another long weekend to go over that would be a better choice.
Higher crowds = higher prices.
We're going over Labor Day, and while I'm not thrilled about the heat, the crowds will be super low most of the week.

 

[Disnewbie_N_MO]

Do they really hike up the prices on Easter weekend?

 

[Marionnette]

Do they really hike up the prices on Easter weekend?

Not for tickets. Well, at least not at the moment. The idea of using a tiered pricing system for tickets has been entertained by Disney. If it comes about, then holiday weekends would be pricier than during less busy times.

Room rates and airfare have always been higher during periods of peak travel and Easter week is one of the biggest peak periods.

Some dining locations will have seasonal pricing, charging more for peak periods like Easter. Not all locations will charge more but most of the character dining and buffets will be pricier during Easter week.

 

[Disnewbie_N_MO]

Thank you Marionette!! I may reconsider until their summer break starts sometime in May 2016.

 

[leebee]

Easter weekend will be busy, and more expensive than non-holiday times. If your kids get out of school in May, go then. Many, many school systems won't be out of school until sometime in June, so May will have smaller crowds than later in the summer- and not be so beastly hot! The prices in May will be better, too, as will availability.

Check out mousesavers.com for tickets from Undercover Tourist. If you sign up for the mousesavers newsletter, you can get a link to UT which will give you slightly cheaper prices than UT's regular prices. We have used UT many times for Disney tickets and they are very reliable. Another way to get cheaper tickets is to go through Disney's YES program, but I am not sure how that works or if it's available during your time- but the ticket prices are amazing!

I would rethink using the dining plan. I know many people love the "no worries" aspect of it, but it's never been a good deal, financially, for my family. I can usually feed 3 of us for about $250 less than what the dining plan would cost. As we fly Southwest (which lets you take 2 suitcases, per person, without baggage fees) I pack breakfast and snack foods and take them with us. Our breakfasts usually consist of mini-bagels and cream cheese/pb/jam, fruit (either fresh or fruit cups), yogurt, cereal. I freeze the yogurt and pack them in an insulated lunch box, with an ice pack, and they ship just fine. (I put the cups in a ziplock bag, just to be safe). I'll buy milk for the cereal at our resort, although DD21 will eat hers with UHT-packaged almond milk). Sometimes we share meals, but only if it'll be enough food to satisfy us- and there are always snacks! Go to allears.net and check out menus/prices and estimate what your family would actually spend on food to determine if the dining plan is a good deal or not.