Cheapest time to do Disney?

[la79al]

I am seriously considering taking my DSis to Disney for a couple of days in the next year. She went last summer with my cousin who had annual passes every year since she was born. I think DSis said they went to one park and rode 2 rides. Me, DH, DSS and DSD were supposed to go in June but unless our accountant can do some REAL miracles with our taxes, it looks like that is not going to happen. I would still really like to go to Disney at some point. DH doesn't care if he misses it and DSis would love to go. Since she is not in school anymore, I am wondering when would be the cheapest time for us to go.

 

[luv2nascar]

if free dining is offered again end of august/sept that would be your best bet

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

I second luv2nascar's opinion. Book for Free Dining and it will only cost you about $90 a day for your Value room and all the good food any sane person could ever eat. You then have to buy at least a one day ticket but if you get more days, the more you get the cheaper it gets.

I have heard of follks who only got the one day pass and only went to the parks one day but that would beyond my ken.

Slightly Goofy

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

WDW has several levels of resorts ranging from campgrounds to deluxe. Each has a pricetag to match. If you enjoy camping, you can pitch a tent for as little as $41/night. Or if you like luxurious surroundings, it can skyrocket to over $300.night.

WDW also has between 4 and 5 "seasons", depending on what level of resort you're staying at. The most affordable season at any resort is "Value Season" and its dates vary by resort. For the campsites, Value Season runs from January 1 to February 14, and again, July 29 to November 15 in 2007. For Deluxe Resorts, it runs January 1 to February 14, July 8 to October 3, and November 25 to December 19.

Passes cost the same, regardless of the time of year. Sometimes Disney will offer a promotion on packages which will give you added features on your pass (such as free waterpark admission or park hopping option). If these are features that you would take advantage of, then they can be a money-saver.

Disney has also offered "free dining" in the past. While you would still pay the standard rate for your tickets and an undiscounted price for your room, the amount of money that your family can save on food costs can be worth it. The free dining offers in the past have occurred during Value Season at most of the resorts. Last year it ran during the latter part of August thru the end of September. There's always the possibility of them offering it again this year. If I had the flexibility to choose my dates, I would set my sights on that time of year for a possible trip.

 

[Redwitch]

While I love staying "on-site" -- it might be cheaper to stay off-site, eat a free breakfast in your hotel, buy tics from a broker, eat snacks in the parks that you brought in and eat one main (cheap) meal a day off-site.

I suggest you research costs and make a decision as to what you can afford.

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

I second the offsite notion especially in September. The free dining concept is nice if you tend towards sit down meals but two women probably can do quite a lot of meal splitting and be perfectly satisfied. The purpose of free dining is to avoid giving out massive discounts in September that people ignored anyway (the parks were empty in September...or even after August 15th when college & southern public schools are back in session.

The other argument against free dining is that if your goal is to show DSis all the stuff she missed you would be looking at using up a lot of time trying to get table service.