cost for budgetting??

[disneywannabe]

Help! no one's on my side for this vacation. My husband thinks we could never afford it without even researching it. My in-laws go EVERY year, alone, without any grandchildren and insist we will pay a small fortune "a down payment on a bigger home" to go. I am looking to drive there, stay 4 or 5 days with myself, DH, a 9 yr. old and 4 yr. old. I want to see enough to to enjoy it, I know I can't have it all in one trip. Can anyone prepare me for budgetting by telling me "you can expect to pay a minimum of $_______"? I need to plan my vacation fund deposits accordingly and am not ready to talk to a travel agent since I don't know if I can conceivably plan to go in 2003 or not.

 

[Karel]

Well. Where are you driving from? What time of year are you thinking? Sometimes you can get a room at All Stars for as low as $55 without taxes, depending on the 'codes'. You can find these over at Mousesavers.com A five day park hopper is 229 for an adult and 184 for a child but if you hunt enough, you can find companies that offer small discounts. You can pay less if you order in advance from Disney. When your son turns 10 though, he's considered an adult. Depending on what kind of food you like, if you want sit down or counter service, you can budget $100 a day for that. A lot of people bring food for their meals.

So around 330 for your hotel, 826 for passes, 500 for five days of food, brings it to $1656. This is a rough estimate. You have to decide how much for soviegners (which I cannot spell!) and extras - water parks, mini golf etc. etc.

 

[worm761]

do you want to stay on or offsite? there are some nice hotels, suites, and vacation rental homes that can be had for very cheap. just something to think about.
did you poke around on www.wdwinfo.com ? there is a link to the dreams unlimited travel agency. they will do everything in their power to get you the lowest price they can at the resort/hotel of you choice.
just a couple things to think about.

and Karel~ WOW!!! i want you to plan my next trip!!!LOL

 

[TomM]

We are going for 9 nights in Feb and our budget is $1,642 (2 adults, 1 child)
camping in a popup @ $29 a night $280 (including tax)
food budget $300 (meals at camper, 2-3 counter maybe a character meal,
Passes 4 day $567 (2 adult 1 child- @ $203 & $161)
gas from Indiana $225 (we pull a camper)
motel down & back $120 (we have driven straight thru)
souveniers/misc $150
Total $1,642

On off days we just kick around, visit resorts, swim (if warm enough) maybe go to a beach, read, our daughter (5) likes to shop so we wander Downtown Disney, ride the monorail, take a boat ride.
Our budget could be trimmed more by driving straight thru (15 hours) few souv. (which is probably likely) and only going to the park for 3 days ($397 for 2 adults & 1 child)
Hang in there. Hope you get to go!
TomM

 

[Karel]

Angela - I think in a previous life, I was a travel agent. >g< No, actually, I'm in full planning mode for our own trip - and my family is tired of hearing about it....

 

[travelitis]

I find it interesting that grandparents who go to WDW yearly would be warning you against it and thus preventing their grandchildren of taking this magical vacation. When I've done the math, Disney is an excellent value for a family vacation. If you compare it to cruising, going to Mexico, or touring just about any city in the U.S., you'll see the value. I'd not only run the numbers for Disney but show him the cost of other vacations to clearly illustrate that. We take vacations every year, and I run the complete numbers for various choices.

In Orlando you can get great deals on accomodations or go for
luxury. www.mousesavers.com can help you save money. I'd get the Orlando Magic Card which will come with a booklet of accomodations that offer discounts for it. You will find homes with pools for very reasonable rates along with almost endless hotel rooms. You can pay as little as $30 a night for a very basic hotel room or pay 10 times that for deluxe on-site. Time of year is important for getting discounts on accomodations.

To Include in the Budget:
Transportation - driving or flying and getting rental car?

Gas - either way you'll use some of this, but you would if you stayed home, too.

Accomodations - Get the Orlando Magic Card which comes with a booklet of accomodations and discounted rates. You can even rent a home with a pool for very reasonable rates. There's a better selection of places to stay in Orlando than anywhere. Pick how much you want to spend or what amenities you want and go from there. We've paid $55/nt for a beautiful 2 bedroom with full kitchen and huge whirlpool tub because we sat through a timeshare presentation. www.mousesavers.com can help you save $$ on-site.

Parking if staying off site - $7/day - If flying, parking for your car at the airport or limo service to airport

Passes - rates are at www.wdwig.com, and sometimes wholesalers can save you a few bucks.

Food - plenty of leeway here. www.wdwig.com has menus, and you can opt to do your own food.

Souvies

Taxes - remember that hotel rooms have taxes, restaurant food has taxes

Stroller - take yours or rent

For your size of family and length of trip I would say you can do this for $1500 - $2000 if you drive and watch the budget. Certainly you could pay more, and if you eat P.B., camp or get a Priceline hotel for $20, and don't buy souvies, you could spend less. If you stay at the Poly, have character meals, go to water parks, and fly, you'll spend a whole lot more.

 

[Local_Girl]

Disneywannabe,

Our family (DH, DS 9, and DD6) is going to WDW the week after Thanksgiving for 8 nights (7 days). We will be on a very tight budget but we really want to do the trip anyway, so I can relate to your situation.

Here's how our budget breaks down and what we're doing to save some $$:

Gas $200 (driving from Michigan)
Motel $120 (1 night each way on the trip, $60 per night)
Hotel $354 (Country Inn & Suites, $39.50 x 8 nights, Ent. rate)
Passes $ 807 (5 day park hoppers, 2 ad./2ch., military rate)
Parking $35 (5 days @ $7 per day)
PS dinners $175 (Chef Mickey and 'Ohana)
Total=$1691

Then add to that food (mostly counter service), souvenirs, and other misc. and I'm figuring on about $2300 total, but hoping to do it for a little less (we aren't big shoppers!). We will have a fridge and micro in the room and plan to bring food and do some meals there and a few picnics. The Country Inn also has free continental breakfast daily. It helps that we have military benefits, but you can also find pretty good rates on passes by shopping around as was suggested. Your hotel costs will be lowest if you go during value season (aka, off-season). Also, if you live within a day's drive of WDW, you won't have the extra motel costs.

In my opinion, you and your family should decide what you want to do the most on this trip and when you want to travel. The food portion of the budget is the most flexible and you can save quite a bit by bringing food from home and/or eating more counter service than sit-down meals.

 

[tink2dw]

Decide whether you want to pay more for the Convinence of a Travel Agent and a package, OR book your own trip at a lower cost by learning how here at the DIS??

 

[POLLY ANN]

Not to overwhelm you, but you could also go over to the DVC Rent/Trade board and have someone book you a studio at one of the DVC Resorts.

I booked our friends a studio with rented points and for 5 nights (Sunday - Friday), it is costing them $360. (That's $72 per night in a deluxe studio). They are staying at Old Key West Resort at the end of January.

The points for each room will vary from season to season, as well as the size room you would want. (They offer studio, 1BR, 2BR, and Grand Villas.)

Give it a shot. You can stay in a very nice resort for a pretty good rate! If you have any more questions that I can answer, you can email me, too.

Good luck!

 

[mcm]

I'm with travelitis. What's up with those grandparents? Do they show the children their vacation pictures and tell them wonderful stories about how they met Mickey.
Make it happen, the kids will only be at that magic age for so long.

 

[BethR]

Welcome to the DIS disneywannabe!

You have already gotten some great guidance here in this thread. I would also suggest that you take some time and search through this board (you can go back months and months and months) or using our search feature and looking for some key words.
I have seen budgets reported that have ranged from $1000 to MUCH higher. It is all in what you are willing to accept for your trip. Do you want to stay on site, or would you be willing to stay off site at the right place for the right price? Do you want to eat every meal "out" or are you willing to prepare some amount of meals yourself - a few? Most? The answer to this will affect your bottom line. Will you fly or drive? What kind of passes do you want? There is alot choices and prices there as well.
So much to think of, we KNOW! But if you are highly motivated and are willing to devote a lot of time to research, I believe that you can have a WDW trip for much less than a down payment on a house.
You do have time on your side. Use it to look over this site, check our other boards as well - the Resort and Restaurant Board, Transportation Board, etc.
Again, WELCOME! We hope to be seeing a lot of you around here!

 

[beansmom]

First, I find it very interesting that a couple who goes EVERY year is telling you that you can't afford it.

Let me also say, that while I cannot give you better money saving advice than the others already have, the memories that you are 'buying' will have no price on them. The looks on your kids' faces will be worth at least a million bucks when they meet Mickey the first time. The $10-20 xmas ornament you bring back home will give you priceless hours of fond memories over the years. The photos in your albums will take you back to the magic over and over for free!

You know what I regret about my (so-far) only trip to WDW? I didn't make it early enough to take my sons before they got grown and moved into their own lives. Also that I didn't make it early enough so that I could take my dad, who always wanted to see Epcot, before he died unexpectedly with cancer.

We spent about $3000 on our trip and every penny was a lifelong investment in the love and happiness of my family.

 

[Jinnyboom]

There are so many ways to save money on a WDW trip....
If you are driving...plan a grocery stop..or bring food items from home...you can do breakfasts in your room to save $$$...pack a toaster for well..toast and pack some pop tarts. We are taking a "hot pot" for things like ramen noodles, hot chocolate, etc...
Check out some discount ticket places on the internet...I have had great experience with www.ticketmania.com
Bring your own water bottles/soda...(pretty pricy in the parks)...you can also bring drink packets and take advantage of the free ice water.
Pack snacks to take with you to the parks....(food can be a big $$ saver if you plan ahead)
Bring a styrofoam cooler that you can fill with hotel ice to keep any perishables fresh...(change the ice every day of course)...
Check out the menus at www.wdwig.com to get a great education on food prices/menus, etc.
Also, check out www.mousesavers.com for more money saving tips.
This very board provides a wealth of information on money saving ideas.
Plan some "free" activities like resort hopping...your kids would love the Fort Wilderness area...petting zoo, etc.
Above all....skip the travel agent....you can do so much better by reserving things seperately and ON YOUR OWN....the people here really know their stuff!!!
Sometime during your trip.....you need to purchase a post card and a stamp.....then drop it in the mailbox to the dear grandparents back home!!!!!
YOU CAN DO THIS............

 

[disneywannabe]

WOW, you guys are soooooo wonderful and helpful. I'm so happy I fell into this site. I certainly didn't mean to "bash" my in-laws, I feel badly now that I shared that fact with the world. Anyway, I feel I am getting a much better picture of it all through all of you. I believe in gathering information and opinions from various sources who have experience in what I want to do and then creating my own personal plan. That, to me, is how things should be handled in every avenue of life. And yes, secretely and admittedly, I do very much want to plan this vacation with minimal input from the grandparents and come home with our own wonderful, memory filled album of photos to share. It is obvious by talking to all of you, we will be having quite a different version of the WDW experience than they do. The most important thing to me isn't where I stay or night-time adult activities. I WANT TO BE A KID AGAIN AND SEE IT ALL HAND IN HAND ON THE SAME LEVEL AS MY KIDS. I can't wait!

 

[Local_Girl]

disneywannabe,

With that attitude, you can't help but have a wonderful trip!! Use the tips you've already received here and continue to post questions as you think of them--there are lots of great, helpful Disney experts here who are more than happy to offer help. And remember most of all what Jinnyboom said, "YOU CAN DO THIS!"

 

[Karel]

Are your inlaws the type that pick up the phone and let the travel agent do all the work? Yes, it can be expensive to go to Disney, if you have the money and don't really care to do the research. Some days it would be nice to be able to do that - Disney has to make money off of someone! It's hard work to research the different aspects but you will gain a lot of good information through these boards.

 

[crazyforgoofy]

I'm a grandma (well, my husband is a grandpa and he lets me share the darling ones.) We've taken Brooke and Clay (twice with Mom and Daddy and once not) to WDW three times and they're only 4 and 7! We don't have a lot of money but we stretch it, we stay at the All Stars, eat mostly counter service (with at least one character meal for the kids and me) and buy a few fun souvenirs and clothes for the kiddos. It's SUCH fun. I echo the others here who encourage you to go on your budget and have a wonderful time. If your husband's parents miss out on the joy of sharing this with their grandchildren it's their loss. Go with a happy heart!

 

[Yvette Q.O.D.]

I'm very excited for you. DH and I think the planning is so much part of the fun of the trip. This site has been a great help to us. DH found a great web site that will help you plan your meal budget wdwig.com (info guide). If you go to dining and click on menus you will see a list of all the WDW restaurants menus. Pick a restaurant and you will see their prices for every meal they serve. Lunch always costs less than dinner so eat your big meal then and save a few $$. Also portions tend to be large so look at what other people are ordering and decide if 2 can share. DH and I like to order appetizers and salad as a meal.

Just my 2 cents hope it helped.

141 days till we are there!

Have fun!!