Cheapest Way to do Disney

[PrincessSuzanne]

You have a bit of an advantage, There are several options for Florida Residents, plus FL resident discounts for the hotels. Where in North FL do you live? We live in East Central AL at the GA state line and it only takes us 6 to 6.5 hours to get to Disney. Our gas is $150 round trip and we drive a minivan.

I wouldn't rent DVC points, because it is more than a Value. DH and I don't have children and we love Pop and I'm sure we are much older than you. They now have a fridge in the Value rooms. Take breakfast foods, if you eat breakfast, share a CS lunch, DH and I do that sometimes, and only eat maybe one or two special counter service meals. You could also take sandwich stuff, we did this once and it wasn't a big deal. I bring canned Coke from home, because DH is always needing a Coke, I also bring bottled water, and I drink water with my meal anyway, which is free.

Watch for the deals to come out for December, you will probably find something pretty decent for that time frame, the last day is usually a few days before Christmas. The Dec discounts usually come out around August.

 

[Random Ninja]

The All Stars are going to be $554 for Dec 15-20. If it's within budget, try the new Art of Animation for $608; much newer hotel and you can stay you stayed during opening year. Disney puts out discounts for FL residents. Keep an eye out and call the reservation line to add the discount when it comes out. Value resorts are usually 15%-25% off when there is one. Every little bit helps.

Florida Resident Play 4-Day tickets are currently $366.36 for both of you. Hold off on getting tickets until closer to your trip. Disney likes to put out special discounted park tickets for FL. Last year it was $99 for 4 days and it's $130 now. These tickets are good for six month and the park hopper option is $27.50. You can add it at the parks if you decide you want it.

With no discounts, it'll be 920.36 for hotel and tickets. Discounts could knock a good $100 off. Stop off and pick up snacks/breakfast foods on the way down. The value's have fridges now to keep stuff cool. If you drink a lot of coffee or soda, you may want to consider getting the resort mug. Plus you'll have an automatic souvenir. Disney visa card holders have a meet & greet with a free 5x7. You can also ask photopass photographers to use your camera too. Disney has a lot of free/cheap things to do. Check out mousesavers for the list. Definitely do quickrewards. It's not hard to earn a gift card or two every month.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

Go to the Disney website, there is a whole section dedicated to FL residents. There is a $99 ticket deal, but it expires on 4/24/12, but there are plenty of other options listed as well.

You can now make small monthly payments on your tickets since you live in FL, most options are less than $20 a month.

 

[blackacex2]

I stand by renting DVC points. $140 a night will get you a standard room at the boardwalk villas.

It's an extra $200 for the 5 nights compared to staying at the all-stars. But so what? You want to do disney cheaply, not do it so so so cheap that you would deny yourself a deluxe resort on the boardwalk over $200!

 

[sukhakuli]

I must be missing something, because I have never seen DVC rentals to be budget friendly. We'd have to have at least a one bedroom, and for some resorts a 2 bedroom, and those are about 400 points per week. At $13 per point, it is 5200, or $750 a night. We can get a cabin at Ft Wilderness for about 350 a night, or in one room at other deluxes for about the same. There's probably a studio that can house 5 (we'll be 6 on our next trip), but it seems the majority will only allow 4.

Anyway, back to the OP, we've done Disney cheap before we had kids and we had a tighter budget. If the primary concern is money, then stay off site, go during the off season, and eat as much food in the room as possible. Tickets are going to be expensive no matter what, but lodging and food are variables you can control. It would probably save you money to get a room with a microwave and fridge because you can make a lot of food with those 2 things. You can have oatmeal for breakfast, soup and sandwiches for lunch and dinner, and bring water in to the parks to drink. You can still have fun staying off site and eating in the room; we sure did.

 

[YukiPhnx]

A pp mentioned maximizing your time in the parks. So true!

Find a recent copy of the Unnoffical Guide to WDW in your local library and make a note of their touring plans in the back. I followed them on my last trip and was able to do everything I want AND more.

Since you get the FL discount, staying in a Value is a great idea. When staying onsite, you don't need to pay the parking fee in the parks, but why not just take advantage of the buses right? You'll also get to take advantage of Extra Magic Hours which extend your park days.

For food options, what my boyfriend and I did was instead of ordering a meal each during meal times, we would share 1 meal before or after regular meal times to avoid the crowds. We ate less but more often. WDW has GREAT snacks. We only ate 3 full meals on our 8-day trip. Every other meal was made up of snacks!

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

I must be missing something, because I have never seen DVC rentals to be budget friendly. We'd have to have at least a one bedroom, and for some resorts a 2 bedroom, and those are about 400 points per week. At $13 per point, it is 5200, or $750 a night. We can get a cabin at Ft Wilderness for about 350 a night, or in one room at other deluxes for about the same. There's probably a studio that can house 5 (we'll be 6 on our next trip), but it seems the majority will only allow 4.

Anyway, back to the OP, we've done Disney cheap before we had kids and we had a tighter budget. If the primary concern is money, then stay off site, go during the off season, and eat as much food in the room as possible. Tickets are going to be expensive no matter what, but lodging and food are variables you can control. It would probably save you money to get a room with a microwave and fridge because you can make a lot of food with those 2 things. You can have oatmeal for breakfast, soup and sandwiches for lunch and dinner, and bring water in to the parks to drink. You can still have fun staying off site and eating in the room; we sure did.

Well, an inexpensive DVC rental can be done, I paid $10 per point for January 2012 during a slow time, but when I was looking at taking my in-laws in June, it wasn't as cheap, and that time of the year may already be booked up, that is a very popular time. Certainly wouldn't have rented at $13/point.

$200 may be a big deal to them. I can do alot with $200 on a Disney vacation and to us staying at a Value isn't necessarily any different than staying at a Deluxe. We love Pop just as much as we love BWI.

 

[Marionnette]

I stand by renting DVC points. $140 a night will get you a standard room at the boardwalk villas.

It's an extra $200 for the 5 nights compared to staying at the all-stars. But so what? You want to do disney cheaply, not do it so so so cheap that you would deny yourself a deluxe resort on the boardwalk over $200!

You can stand by your statement all that you want. I actually prefer deluxes and find that renting DVC points can be an affordable alternative to hoping for a good discount code.

However, the OP is a college student and $200 is a lot of money to college kids. $200 will cover their food for 3 or more days if they're careful with their money. $200 buys a 2-day adult base ticket.

It may not be a lot of money to you, and believe me when I say that I'm right there with you, but to someone else it could mean the difference between going to Disney and staying home.

 

[feezle]

Not understanding all this "you can't do Disney cheap" crap. We end up always going to Disney because dollar for dollar, we can't find that much of a value vacationing anywhere else.

 

[Nayan]

Not understanding all this "you can't do Disney cheap" crap. We end up always going to Disney because dollar for dollar, we can't find that much of a value vacationing anywhere else.

Disney really isn't cheap. Having just come back from spending 5 days even with discounts and cheap tickets (FL resident) we still spent just under $2k. Value for your money, yes it's cheap when compared to other places but going on vacation anywhere these days is still going to cost you some money. It would have helped though if the OP would have given us a dollar figure.

 

[Marionnette]

Not understanding all this "you can't do Disney cheap" crap. We end up always going to Disney because dollar for dollar, we can't find that much of a value vacationing anywhere else.

Please don't refer to someone's opinion as "crap" just because you don't agree with them.

Park tickets are not cheap and it isn't easy to find (and qualify for) discounts on them. It does no one any good if they can get as far as the park gate but can't enter because the cost of 2 days for a family of 4 is at least $685. There's no getting around that. And while pretty much all of us might agree that you get a lot for you dollar with that ticket, it still costs a family a lot more than it does to spend the week on the beach.

 

[mikkiwikki]

The cheapest trip we ever took was during early December when we stayed offsite at Windsor Hills. We were able to get a 3 bedroom/2 bath condo for $100 a night. I prefer to stay onsite, but you might want to consider Windsor Hills since the condos have kitchens.

Agree - for years we stayed onsite at disney...after we found Windsor Hills there was no going back Im afraid. BUT shhhh!!

 

[feezle]

Please don't refer to someone's opinion as "crap" just because you don't agree with them.

Park tickets are not cheap and it isn't easy to find (and qualify for) discounts on them. It does no one any good if they can get as far as the park gate but can't enter because the cost of 2 days for a family of 4 is at least $685. There's no getting around that. And while pretty much all of us might agree that you get a lot for you dollar with that ticket, it still costs a family a lot more than it does to spend the week on the beach.

Would be a whole different story if people were throwing it out there as an opinion. Go back and read their posts. Sorry, saying that Disney can't be cheap is crap.

Cheap is subjective, but every time we try planning a trip somewhere else, we end up going to Disney anyway because by the time we spend what the other trips would cost, we could afford Disney.

 

[danceintherain]

It's all about priorities. I just had some friends complete a trip to Disney. While they took some of my advice, they didn't take all of it.
They opted to stay at Pop Century and get the Deluxe Dining Plan.
On the same budget, I would have stayed at a Moderate or Deluxe and gotten either the regular dining plan or paid out of pocket for food.
I have no doubt that they had a wonderful trip, but I haven't found out whether or not they regretted that Deluxe Dining Plan or not...

To the OP: Disney has options for most budgets. If you stay at one of the All-Stars, use Florida Resident Tickets, and choose your meals wisely, you can likely do the whole trip for two adults for less than $1500.

5 nights @ around $100/night = $500
2 FL resident tickets = $400
Food = $300-$500 (this will depend a great deal on where and how often you choose to eat)
(Both hotel and tickets may be less depending on the deals that are offered for that time period)

Don't completely disregard staying off property. Since you will have a car, you may still be able to save money by staying off property and driving yourselves to the parks.

The best way to make your decision is list your priorities, and price a few different options. If you share your final calculations with us, we can help you figure out if you are failing to account for some cost.
The Doubletree Guest Suites near DTD, for instance, can be booked sometimes for $79/night including a continental breakfast. They have transportation to and from the parks every 30 minutes, which makes it better than a lot of off property hotels. However, they charge for parking at their hotel, and if you decide to drive to the parks at all, you'll be faced with parking charges there too. It might save you money, or it might not, depending on your habits.
The value resorts, on the other hand, don't come with mini fridges, which could increase your food expense if you would otherwise use a fridge to keep some small items to eat in the room cold.

No one option is the perfect fit for everyone.

 

[torinsmom]

Disney for me is as cheap as renting 1/2 of a house at the beach, not even oceanfront and doing all the things when you go to the beach(mini golf, go carts, waterslide, seafood restaurant, etc) I may do it inexpensively, but it is a always a good time

 

[Marionnette]

Would be a whole different story if people were throwing it out there as an opinion. Go back and read their posts. Sorry, saying that Disney can't be cheap is crap.

Cheap is subjective, but every time we try planning a trip somewhere else, we end up going to Disney anyway because by the time we spend what the other trips would cost, we could afford Disney.

You said it right there yourself. The concept of "cheap" IS subjective. And dismissing the viewpoint of others as "crap" just because you don't agree, is also crap.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

It's all about priorities. I just had some friends complete a trip to Disney. While they took some of my advice, they didn't take all of it.
They opted to stay at Pop Century and get the Deluxe Dining Plan.
On the same budget, I would have stayed at a Moderate or Deluxe and gotten either the regular dining plan or paid out of pocket for food.
I have no doubt that they had a wonderful trip, but I haven't found out whether or not they regretted that Deluxe Dining Plan or not...

To the OP: Disney has options for most budgets. If you stay at one of the All-Stars, use Florida Resident Tickets, and choose your meals wisely, you can likely do the whole trip for two adults for less than $1500.

5 nights @ around $100/night = $500
2 FL resident tickets = $400
Food = $300-$500 (this will depend a great deal on where and how often you choose to eat)
(Both hotel and tickets may be less depending on the deals that are offered for that time period)

Don't completely disregard staying off property. Since you will have a car, you may still be able to save money by staying off property and driving yourselves to the parks.

The best way to make your decision is list your priorities, and price a few different options. If you share your final calculations with us, we can help you figure out if you are failing to account for some cost.
The Doubletree Guest Suites near DTD, for instance, can be booked sometimes for $79/night including a continental breakfast. They have transportation to and from the parks every 30 minutes, which makes it better than a lot of off property hotels. However, they charge for parking at their hotel, and if you decide to drive to the parks at all, you'll be faced with parking charges there too. It might save you money, or it might not, depending on your habits.
The value resorts, on the other hand, don't come with mini fridges, which could increase your food expense if you would otherwise use a fridge to keep some small items to eat in the room cold.

No one option is the perfect fit for everyone.

We taylor our trips around the budget for that trip and the reason we are going. We choose where we stay and whether we will get a dining plan to where we are eating and how much time we wil spend at the resort.

In January, we stayed half the trip at BWI with Deluxe Dining with a military discount and tickets and the other half we rented points at BWV and had regular dining with military tickets. We splurged, because it was a cheaper time of the year to go, it was our 10th anniversary and we had saved quite a while to spend the approx $4000 that trip cost and we enjoyed every minute of it, including some down time at the resort.

Now, we are going back in June for 3 nights with my in-laws, they have not been to WDW, we won't use the dining plan, we are staying at Pop with a military discount and tickets and with longer park hours, we will hardly ever see the resort, except for showering and sleeping, maybe a dip in the pool and a nap, but most if the time we will spend at the parks. This trip will probably cost us less than $2000.

We never stay offsite (too much of a hassle), I can't seem to find the deals everyone else does by the time you add the extra gas, paying for parking at the parks (I don't want to be at the mercy of timed transportation at an offsite hotel), and hotel fees, and there is an advantage for my husband to park and use transportation. There is just the 2 of us, so I see no need for multiple bedrooms and spreading out. I think everyone has to do what fits their family best and it can be done on a small budget, you just have to look at all your options.

I do agree that when all is said and done, we can vacation at Disney for alot less than a beach vacation and I would go out of my mind at the beach for more than a long weekend, but I wouldn't use the word crap.

 

[torinsmom]

We taylor our trips around the budget for that trip and the reason we are going. We choose where we stay and whether we will get a dining plan to where we are eating and how much time we wil spend at the resort.

In January, we stayed half the trip at BWI with Deluxe Dining with a military discount and tickets and the other half we rented points at BWV and had regular dining with military tickets. We splurged, because it was a cheaper time of the year to go, it was our 10th anniversary and we had saved quite a while to spend the approx $4000 that trip cost and we enjoyed every minute of it, including some down time at the resort.

Now, we are going back in June for 3 nights with my in-laws, they have not been to WDW, we won't use the dining plan, we are staying at Pop with a military discount and tickets and with longer park hours, we will hardly ever see the resort, except for showering and sleeping, maybe a dip in the pool and a nap, but most if the time we will spend at the parks. This trip will probably cost us less than $2000.

We never stay offsite, I can't seem to find the deals everyone else does by the time you add the extra gas, paying for parking at the parks (I don't want to be at the mercy of timed transportation at an offsite hotel), and hotel fees, and there is an advantage for my husband to park and use transportation. There is just the 2 of us, so I see no need for multiple bedrooms and spreading out. I think everyone has to do what fits their family best and it can be done on a small budget, you just have to look at all your options.

PrincessSuzanne---Just wanted to say we are taking two first timers this summer as well. I think it will be as much fun for us as it will be for them!

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

PrincessSuzanne---Just wanted to say we are taking two first timers this summer as well. I think it will be as much fun for us as it will be for them!

Well, I don't know my in-laws very well, but I hope they love it as much as we do, my mom did. It will be interesting, to say the least.

 

[sukhakuli]

Well, an inexpensive DVC rental can be done, I paid $10 per point for January 2012 during a slow time, but when I was looking at taking my in-laws in June, it wasn't as cheap, and that time of the year may already be booked up, that is a very popular time. Certainly wouldn't have rented at $13/point.

$200 may be a big deal to them. I can do alot with $200 on a Disney vacation and to us staying at a Value isn't necessarily any different than staying at a Deluxe. We love Pop just as much as we love BWI.

I chose 13 per point because that was what the website a PP poster linked charges. If you can get a studio, you may be able to get a good deal, and for the OP, as college students, that is something that is available to them. but as a medium/large-ish sized family, it is not a reasonable option.

and I agree, for some people 200 is a lot.

Not understanding all this "you can't do Disney cheap" crap. We end up always going to Disney because dollar for dollar, we can't find that much of a value vacationing anywhere else.

You are in a different place in your life than they are. You are older, you have an even older dh, are probably pretty financially stable, have some kids, and so on and so forth. These are very young adults who are in college, not making much money, probably incurring student loan debts, and want to go have a good time. When dh was still in medical school and I was fresh out of college we could not afford more than 1,000 for a vacation. Thankfully, the post 911 travel deals were fabulous, and we got to do some fun things in our budget. I think it still can be done, but it takes careful planning and sacrifice. In the end, being together and creating memories is what the Disney Parks is all about, not fancy resorts and expensive meals. Although, now that the budget allows, we do enjoy that sort of thing.