Cheapest WDW trip 1 week for those staying onsite?

[ptrbryant]

As much as I try, I can't get my budget for 8 days/7 nights at WDW below $3,500. We love, love WL and it wouldn't seem like a WDW trip without staying there (we did it once and don't want to again), so we'll (hopefully) rent points for 5 weeknights at VWL @$130 per night inc. tax. The last 2 nights will probably be at ASMo @$100/night. We'd buy the 7 day PHP, expiring. (Did the 10 day, non-expiring before to split between 2 trips, but really wanted more park days).
A big chunk is the $240 for our petsitter, but I'm hoping to nab the $49 each way airfare on Southwest again.

Anyone want to share there onsite budget for a week?

Thanks!

Karla B.

 

[barkley]

i'm surprised you can get vwl for $130 per night-i'm a dvc member and i thought the weeknite rates for even value season were more than 13 points per night (which at the old average rental rate of $10 per point would be the rate you're looking at-seems most are renting for $11 or higher now).

as for on-site budgeting the following works for us-i do a grocery stop (either we rent a car or i take a taxi once we check in) and grab breakfast stuff and the stuff the kids eat all the time at home (pb&j, canned pasta, bean burritos...), sodas, juice, water and whatever "grown up drinks" dh and i are into at the time. i also grab at least a couple of easy frozen type "family meals" (lasagna, enchiladas..). this way the kids are'nt so apt to want to grab over priced stuff at the parks and will eat before we leave each morning.
it also allows for a couple of evenings wherein we can just pop something into the oven, go down to the pool and relax (the premade cookie dough is a great item to pop in a couple of nights-we have warm chocolate chip cookies while we kick back in our pj's).

we do most of our "dinners" at the latest "lunch" seating-the items are pretty much identical, disney serves huge portions anyway and it's much less expensive (dh and i split alot of entrees too, we both get soup or a salad and split the main dish, the servings are huge). if there's a place we want to eat from that it does'nt matter (to us) if we sit at the restaurant, i tend to get it "to go"-we take it back to the room and save the cost of sodas, dessert... (we love hob food but not the noise level-so it's "shrimp po-boys" to go ).

i do a souvineer budget-not nesc. dollar wise. i tend to get each kid a t-shirt or sweatshirt that i know is acceptable for school use (our private school has restrictions on some characters) and will get them a few smaller items (pens, markers-stuff they can use in the room/at home, a hat, one of those light up things at the BEGINING of the trip so they get some use out of it) but anything else they have a dollar limit for the entire trip and they can decide how to spend it (dd spends much more conservativly on her dime ).

refillable mugs are a waste for us-we tend to make our own coffee, and as far as sodas go-we drink more at the parks than we ever do at the resorts. the money is better spent by buying sodas at the grocery store and stocking the resort fridge.

i buy sample size packages (or tabs if i can find them) of laundry detergent so i don't have to pay the crazy rates for extra boxes at the resort, and i take a supply of any otc meds we could conceivably need (i have a little kid's lunch box that all the meds are kept in and we just pack it for every trip-periodicaly going through to ensure nothing has expired).

airfare from the west coast is a killer-but i realy shop around to get the best deals. i also balance out the cost of using a shuttle service vs. parking at the airport-i've found that with a seven night or longer stay it's cheaper to get door to door transport than to use the airport's long term parking.

 

[ptrbryant]

Since we'll be in a studio most of the time, we also eat an inexpensive breakfast in the room. We bring our Brita-to-go water bottles and refill them at the parks. DS10 doesn't like to drink anything but water (very lucky!), so he even refills his water bottle at restaurants.

Yeah, a studio at VWL during Dream Season is 13 points a night and I just rented them at $10/per point. I know, unbelievable deal!

I thought I'd list my budget broken-down in hopes someone may have some other thoughts:

VWL (5 nts.) $650
ASMo (2 nts, AAA discount) $200 (approx.)
3: 7 day MYW PHP, exp. @236: $708
Airfare (Ding! rate + taxes): $375
Car rental: $140
Pet sitter 8 days@$30/day: $240
Airport parking: $60
5 days Dining Plan: $570 (all our TS restaurants would be on these days)
3 days counter service meals @65/day: $195
Groceries: $74
Gas: $30
8 days of spending for 3 people $30/day (inc. snacks when not on DP): $240

Any more ideas?

Thanks!

Karla B.

 

[disneysteve]

I would skip the dining plan. You can certainly eat cheaper on your own. For the 3 of us (DD is 10), we average $20/person/day for all meals, snacks and beverages. Even if you up that to $75/day for the family, you're at $600 for the week instead of your budgeted $839, so that saves at least $240 and probably more like $300 or so.

8.5% of your budget is pet sitting and airport parking. Is there anything you can do to trim those? Maybe have a friend or relative drive you to the airport.

Other than the food, it is the luxury accomodations that are your big expense. I can't help you there as I don't see the appeal of spending that much to stay onsite. You're budgeting more for one week than we've spent over the past 3 years for our accomodations.

 

[spiceycat]

don't expect your airline to be that cheap - by any means... I have been looking for those rates for our trip this Sept - so far nothing.... so I am driving.

I would get rid of the rental car and use DME - for groceries go with
www.wegoshop.com
www.gardengrocer.com

I like wego shop - despite their extra charges. Going with a grocery deliver service can actually save you money. You only get what is on your list - not what the grocery store is advertising at the time.

luggage services (at allstars) or bell services (VWL) will be happy to move your luggage.

have you considered trying OKW instead of VWL - that will save you some money....

VWL has a queen bed and a double sleeper sofa
OKW has 2 queen beds
both have the kitchennett and balcony.

okw is only bus transportation to the parks.

now when I fly it is just me or me and mother - it is cheaper for us to use the airport shuttle than leave the car at the airport. Now with your entire family it might be cheaper to drive - but always cheap the numbers before you decide.

for your meals you are way overspending

5 days Dining Plan: $570 (all our TS restaurants would be on these days)
3 days counter service meals @65/day: $195
Groceries: $74
8 days of spending for 3 people $30/day (inc. snacks when not on DP): $240

you are spending $1,079 on food. One of the great things about staying in a DVC studio is the kitchennett - use it and cut back on this....

kept the groceries - if you are trying to cut back - that is all.... okay when you go to All stars you will need to eat but try to cut that down too. most people can get by on $50 a day (including TS) so without TS I would say $21 and that includes the snacks. so I am making your 3 days be $189 - but get rid of the $240....

if this is a budget trip - only minimum souveniors allowed - say $10 to $20 per person that is all.....

pet sitter - oh yes.... I use to bring Spicey with me. Northwest would let him fly in the cabin, Delta say he was luggage (which he wasn't), and SW wouldn't let him fly period....

do you have any family or friends that you would consider instead of the pet sitter? I know taken a big chance....

 

[DawnM]

I don't know how much you guys eat but we always share TS meals and CS meals. This is plenty for us. If we get CS in the park we normally will get a double burger and buy an extra bun for .79. We buy a large drink and share it.

We have normally gotten a condo from SkyAuction.com. Will you have a stove/fridge? I am not that familiar with VWL accomodations. We eat b-fast in the room, like you mentioned, take snacks into the parks, eat a late lunch in the park and are out of the parks by a late dinner time (7pm or 8pm). We have pizza or an easy dinner at the condo and have 2 TVs (one for kids and one for adults) and relax/do the pool for the evening.

Our Vet wanted $20 per night for boarding our dog. We found another place that boards for $10 night. Do you have more than one dog? Could you find a housesitter/pay a reliable teen from the neighborhood to come in 2xs per day to feed the dog/s and let them out?

Do you plan to go back this year? Would an AP be a better deal in the long run?

Dawn

 

[Oreo Cookie]

I'm a DVC member and my home resort is VWL ( and I too love it there!)

From your email I get the feeling that you are planning to be on Disney property all week, so I would cancel the car to save some money.

Also, the dog sitter, did you check with any relatives or friends to see if they will watch the pooch? We're very lucky since we have several family and friends who will watch our dog, and they absolutely love him. It's like he goes on vacation too.

I think the biggest area to cut back on is food and dining. I think you could do better off the dining plan then on it. Eating is a big portion of your budget. I think you may want to re-examine this part with your family and see how you can cut back. You do have a kitchenette inside your studio, so maybe you could use that to save on some meals and snacks.

I hope that you are able to get a good deal on air-fare, just remember that the cost of fuel has gone way up so it does have a huge impace on airfares. Also, occupancy rates on planes are way up too.

Good luck with your budge and have a wonderful stay at VWL. We're going home in December.

 

[ptrbryant]

Our spending( that includes snacks) is $30/per day, but that consists mainly of souvenirs---which I try to make sure are practical (i.e. clothing we'd actually wear in the real world, kitchen items I truly use, etc.). Snack-spending is probably about $7 of the $30. So, I guess our biggest question would be the Dining Plan for the first 5 days...I don't think we could trim the $65/day for 3 people much on the remaining days.

DH hates the idea of not having a car...we usually take Saturdays off from the parks and go to church that night---the Catholic church is about 10 minutes away. Previously, when I've priced out the grocery services and cab fare for our needs, it's came out close to the car rental charge. Last year, at $140, it was our highest rental yet. The year before, it was $97 inc. taxes for a week. Still, I can price it out again.

Yeah, the petsitting thing is big. We have two older cats (13 and 12 years old) and one somewhat neurotic dog. Our petsitter actually works at our vet's and is a college student...more importantly, she lets our dog sleep on the bed with her and I think he'd have a nervous breakdown if that didn't happen! I used to pay her $25 a day, but I know she's going through a very rough time financially, is very responsible and trustworthy, so I gave her the $5 a day raise. If I boarded our dog , it would be $18 a day and then I'd have to pay someone to come once a day to the house to feed the cats (they've never been boarded and at their age, I don't think they'd cope well.) and tend to their litter box...it would still be about $28 a day. Although I love my local family members dearly, I don't know any who wants to actually stay overnight and pamper our dog (who also is prone to seizures, I have to admit) properly.

disneysteve, I know that our budgets tend to be similar EXCEPT when it comes to accomodations. Granted, it's quite a bit more than you spend on skyauction, but I think an average of $121.41 a night (inc. taxes) isn't excessive (as opposed to staying in Wilderness Lodge at $299/night, etc.). It's really our only family vacation each year (we also have trips to visit relatives in Philadelphia, Seattle, etc., but that's not the same kind of vacation) and the atmosphere and amentities at WL/VWL are almost as enjoyable as the parks for us. Seriously, I'd consider going there just for a resort vacation if it were just DH and myself.

Sooo, I probably could cut the DP and, as disneysteve said, save $240 or more. I'll look into the possibility of using ME instead of renting a car (wonder if it's still going to be free in May 2007?).

Thanks for the good, detailed suggestions! I appreciate them...

Karla B.

 

[MEM]

Our spending( that includes snacks) is $30/per day, but that consists mainly of souvenirs---which I try to make sure are practical (i.e. clothing we'd actually wear in the real world, kitchen items I truly use, etc.). Snack-spending is probably about $7 of the $30. So, I guess our biggest question would be the Dining Plan for the first 5 days...I don't think we could trim the $65/day for 3 people much on the remaining days.

DH hates the idea of not having a car...we usually take Saturdays off from the parks and go to church that night---the Catholic church is about 10 minutes away. Previously, when I've priced out the grocery services and cab fare for our needs, it's came out close to the car rental charge. Last year, at $140, it was our highest rental yet. The year before, it was $97 inc. taxes for a week. Still, I can price it out again.

Yeah, the petsitting thing is big. We have two older cats (13 and 12 years old) and one somewhat neurotic dog. Our petsitter actually works at our vet's and is a college student...more importantly, she lets our dog sleep on the bed with her and I think he'd have a nervous breakdown if that didn't happen! I used to pay her $25 a day, but I know she's going through a very rough time financially, is very responsible and trustworthy, so I gave her the $5 a day raise. If I boarded our dog , it would be $18 a day and then I'd have to pay someone to come once a day to the house to feed the cats (they've never been boarded and at their age, I don't think they'd cope well.) and tend to their litter box...it would still be about $28 a day. Although I love my local family members dearly, I don't know any who wants to actually stay overnight and pamper our dog (who also is prone to seizures, I have to admit) properly.

disneysteve, I know that our budgets tend to be similar EXCEPT when it comes to accomodations. Granted, it's quite a bit more than you spend on skyauction, but I think an average of $121.41 a night (inc. taxes) isn't excessive (as opposed to staying in Wilderness Lodge at $299/night, etc.). It's really our only family vacation each year (we also have trips to visit relatives in Philadelphia, Seattle, etc., but that's not the same kind of vacation) and the atmosphere and amentities at WL/VWL are almost as enjoyable as the parks for us. Seriously, I'd consider going there just for a resort vacation if it were just DH and myself.

Sooo, I probably could cut the DP and, as disneysteve said, save $240 or more. I'll look into the possibility of using ME instead of renting a car (wonder if it's still going to be free in May 2007?).

Thanks for the good, detailed suggestions! I appreciate them...

Karla B.

Just wanted to say that your petsitter situation sounds like a great arrangement and I would look elsewhere to cut expenses. I just lost my dachshund at age 17 to cancer and during our years together I happily spent $30 a day to board her without worry.

 

[4forWDW]

Sooo, I probably could cut the DP and, as disneysteve said, save $240 or more. I'll look into the possibility of using ME instead of renting a car (wonder if it's still going to be free in May 2007?).

I read where ME will be in service until 2011.

 

[Rebeccapaige!]

Hi, I think you have your budget pretty good. its hard to find a place to shave it, minus like where others have said bring your own breakfast items. I also noticed that ticketmania is offering 4 day tickets with 3 days free, so a 7 day expire ticket, the only problem its not on the park hoppers like you are buying. so if you didn't mind losing the hopping option you could save $100 there, from over 700 to just over 600 for all three of you! I know not much and you might not want to do it, but I thought I might mention it! have fun!! I love park hopping so for me that wouldn't be an option
Becky, Paige and Hailey
POR Feb. 2005
Pop or CSR Feb.2007

 

[DisneyMomOK]

I personally would not lose the DP. My DH and I just went in May and were able to use the plan as DVC members. I think the restaurants are part of the Disney experience and, if possible, the DP should be kept. We spent no additional money on any food or snacks, because the DP was so expansive. Our meals were almost twice as much as the Plan, if we had had to purchase them.

Sharon