Budget trip

[dakcp2001]

I am trying to help a friend plan their first trip to WDW !!!! But I really need some help, since I do not have children. What will it cost for a family of four to have a nice Disney trip? ANy tips or suggestions would be much appreciated, they have two kids, 7 years old and five.

They need to go in July (I know, hot and crowded, but it is when they can both get time off)

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

I am trying to help a friend plan their first trip to WDW !!!! But I really need some help, since I do not have children. What will it cost for a family of four to have a nice Disney trip? ANy tips or suggestions would be much appreciated, they have two kids, 7 years old and five.

They need to go in July (I know, hot and crowded, but it is when they can both get time off)

That would really depend on how long they wanted to stay, if they wanted to stay onsite, how many parks they wanted to visit, how much they eat, etc. People's ideas of "nice" vary a great deal

 

[dakcp2001]

They are trying to keep it under 2000, so I am thinking value resort, or offsite?

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

if they want to go for a week in the summer, they are going to have a really hard time keeping it at $2000.

For a 7 day/ 6 night trip trip at POP it would be 2078.14. That would be a standard view room and length of stay park hoppers. Add the DDP and it would be 2797.90. This doesn't include transportation or spending money.

There is a current deal for July to get 25% off the room at a value.

 

[dakcp2001]

Ok, we are reworking their budget! Thank you for the tip abou the room discount! I am perusing mouse savers now, and trying to prepare them for a more realistic budget!

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

They are going to need to double their original budget if they want to stay for a week and need to fly. They could get a better deal off site on the room costs but park ticket costs won't change. And they also have to factor in rental/gas/tolls/parking and with kids those ages, I wouldn't dream of staying off-property. If they need to nap, that's a lot of work to get back to your hotel. Food is going to run them probably at LEAST $100/day depending on how much they eat and where. Personally we don't do souvies so we save a ton of money there but that is a personal preference.

 

[dakcp2001]

They are going to need to double their original budget if they want to stay for a week and need to fly. They could get a better deal off site on the room costs but park ticket costs won't change. And they also have to factor in rental/gas/tolls/parking and with kids those ages, I wouldn't dream of staying off-property. If they need to nap, that's a lot of work to get back to your hotel. Food is going to run them probably at LEAST $100/day depending on how much they eat and where. Personally we don't do souvies so we save a ton of money there but that is a personal preference.

Lol, I told them 5000 and watched them look shocked. Haha. That way if we can do it for 4, it will sound better. I am surprised how much they charge for childrens tickets! I thought they would be sig less than those for adults. It is soooooo expensive to take your kids to Disney!

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

Lol, I told them 5000 and watched them look shocked. Haha. That way if we can do it for 4, it will sound better. I am surprised how much they charge for childrens tickets! I thought they would be sig less than those for adults. It is soooooo expensive to take your kids to Disney!

Well the key is to watch for deals and make it part of your yearly budget. A once-in-lifetime trip is going to be significantly more because you are going to want to get it all in.

The park tickets aren't deeply discounted for children because there really aren't thrill rides that they can't ride. My DD at 5 could get on every single ride on property. Since she enjoys everything it has to offer, I would expect to pay just as much for her.

 

[Hannathy]

To do a budget first they won't do the dining plan, too expensive. Second no TS meals do all CS. We did this for years!! the CS at Disney is not all burgers.
about $100 should be very doable

I would seriously think about staying off site in JUly it will be cheaper (not going to be luxury but safe and clean). I would also have a car, but the cheapest one possible. This will also allow for some off Disney meals another cost saving and buying stuff for breakfast in the room.

Kids don't need that many souvenirs and parents need none so add $100 for that.

I don't know where they are flying from but you can do it for waaaay less than $5,000 for a week. I would say closer to $3,000 would be realistic. We would never have got to go to Disney if it cost $5,000 for the week.

 

[ohlas]

Lol, I told them 5000 and watched them look shocked. Haha. That way if we can do it for 4, it will sound better. I am surprised how much they charge for childrens tickets! I thought they would be sig less than those for adults. It is soooooo expensive to take your kids to Disney!

lol i was going to say that, word theif lol

 

[lorilori]

When our 3 were that young we didn't buy park hoppers. We also didn't buy tix for every day. Maybe suggest buying just 4 days of tickets and alternating days with days spent at the pool. July can sap the energy out of the best of us!

 

[zscfan]

I agree, I don't think parkhoppers are necessary and sometimes it is nice to have a free day at the pool or DTD or Ft. Wilderness.

 

[NemoMOm]

I have to agree with the op, children's tickets are just a little too high. My DS has just turned 5, we have now bought tickets for the last 3 trips for him. Other than finally being able to ride Kali River Rapids, the height restrictions or maturity of the ride (Haunted mansion) are not suitable for children. Therefore, to charge only 40 less is absurd. Not to mention the limited time in the parks due to the early bed times. I believe that the tickets should be greatly reduced until 7 or 8!




The park tickets aren't deeply discounted for children because there really aren't thrill rides that they can't ride. My DD at 5 could get on every single ride on property. Since she enjoys everything it has to offer, I would expect to pay just as much for her.[/QUOTE]

 

[Eeyore's Wife]

July 11-17 at Pop Century, standard room with five day MYW base tickets comes to $1749.22, without using any current promotions.

Add the Quick Service Dining Plan and the price goes to $2233.18, without using any current promotions.

Use an applicable promotion, and the price would be even less.

Planning the right park each day of the trip would be important, I would suggest they hit the park that the previous day hosted early extra morning hours.

Plan a trip to Downtown Disney to eat at Wolfgang Pucks, see the Lego Store and World's Largest Disney Store. Enjoy the pool and water splash play areas at Pop Century.

We have had family do this type of trip and their kids were not overly thrilled with the counter service food offerings so they tended to use the kid credits to eat meals at the locations that don't offer a kids menu such as Main Street Bakery, Fish Shop in Epcot, and Casey's and use up the kid meal credits in that way. They also used the rest of the kid meal credits for PB&J uncrustables meals and had them for breakfast.

In addition, you can use two counter service meal credits for a pizza meal at Pop's Food Court, carry out, and it will easily feed a family of four, if two are kids.

Since there are two snacks per day per person, including the kids, and the refillable mugs, they ate very well and spent nothing additional out of pocket for the week.

My nieces would get a kids breakfast at the hotel, and take the juice/water to the park with them since they drank their mug in the morning.

Then they used their two snack credits for their afternoon meal and then ate one counter service meal per day.

I have found that staying off site may seem cheaper at first, but when you calculate in the cost of renting a car, filling it with gas, paying tolls and then the hassle of driving in an unfamiliar city, paying for Disney Parking each day (a not inconsiderable amount of money if you are not staying on site) it can all really add to the total cost to the family.

In addition, if one child gets an upset tummy, and you stay on site, one parent can return with that child to the hotel while the well child and a parent can still enjoy the park. If you stay off site, then everyone has to load up and head home if somebody has an upset stomach.

We love Pop Century and the walking lane next to the lake is lovely, there are birds, frogs, ducks, and bunnies all around the resort. The security, safety, and Disneyness of even the budget hotels is delightful.

I hope they can have a wonderful vacation that fits into the family budget.

 

[disneydebbi]

I helped a few friends plan their trip and here's a few tips.
Pop is great for small kids. Nice resort, lots to do, the rooms are small but manageable. The DDP would be around 100.00 a day but would be nice for the adults, so I wouldn't rule it out completely. Using that sit down meal can give the kids a chance to rest. On the flip side, eating bfast in the room and packing lots of snacks can really cut down on food expenses. Is it feasible to plan on driving but watch for last minute plane deals? Depending on the kids-one park a day may be all they can handle.

 

[Eeyore's Wife]

With current % off rooms offer, the above stated week of July 11-17, five day base tickets, magical express, and counter service dining plan comes to $2027.22

 

[hsmamato2]

stay at a value(watch for codes) for a 7 day trip, try to plan a day off in the middle with no parks- don't get hoppers,it's a time waster esp. with little kids-
if I had 7 days(outside of travel days) I'd do 6 park days max
I think the DDP might be a good buy,the kids are cheap,and then they could take them to all the character meals and it would save WAY more more that way-take magic express- I think it's doable-

 

[DisneySouvenir]

staying off site is around 900 a week for a house where you can cook your own meals and get alone time, 250 each for plane tickets on Southwest and cheaper sometimes( depending on the airport location you take off from) on JetBlue and AirTran, volunteer at a local organization online through Disney World promotion and get a free day at the parks and upgrade if you like. Bring a cooler with sandwiches and drink and snacks so you dont have to pay for food at the park, hotwire usually has reasonable car prices.

If you go twice in the same year I recommend buying an annual pass and coming back within 365 days, so you can get twice the use out of the annual pass and free parking.