Disney on a Dime 2013

[AliceNWonderland]

Hello all,
Our family is planning on heading to WDW for our fourth trip this coming June 2013. We are looking at our lowest budget ever! So how can we get more bang for our buck? My thoughts are .... We will upgrade our DL APs to Disney Premier Passports, stay at a value (possibly the Swan/Dolphin) and forgo the dining plan. Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions?

 

[HayGan]

Since parking will be free given your AP, why not considering staying off-site or renting points to stay in a DVC resort. It wouldn't cost you really anymore than staying in a value and having kitchen facitlites at your disposal would save you a ton on food costs.

 

[AliceNWonderland]

Since parking will be free given your AP, why not considering staying off-site or renting points to stay in a DVC resort. It wouldn't cost you really anymore than staying in a value and having kitchen facitlites at your disposal would save you a ton on food costs.

I didn't know I could rent points. I would LOVE to be a DVC gal, alas my NonDH would never go for it. I will look into it. Thanks!

 

[disneychic2]

Hello all,
Our family is planning on heading to WDW for our fourth trip this coming June 2013. We are looking at our lowest budget ever! So how can we get more bang for our buck? My thoughts are .... We will upgrade our DL APs to Disney Premier Passports, stay at a value (possibly the Swan/Dolphin) and forgo the dining plan. Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions?

Depending on how big your family is and ages of the children, you might want to look into the newest value Art of Animation LM rooms. Check out all ears.net to see the menus of all the restaurants so you can plan ahead for places to eat where all the fam will enjoy and that is easy on the budget. You would be eligible for TIW which gives you a discount at lots of TS places. Good luck with your planning!

 

[AliceNWonderland]

Depending on how big your family is and ages of the children, you might want to look into the newest value Art of Animation LM rooms. Check out all ears.net to see the menus of all the restaurants so you can plan ahead for places to eat where all the fam will enjoy and that is easy on the budget. You would be eligible for TIW which gives you a discount at lots of TS places. Good luck with your planning!

We are a small family of three so the LM rooms maybe an option.
I am counting on the discount the DPP will give us on food. Not so much on the merch, we have so much already. lol

 

[Jenzerbenz]

I know everyone says this, but pack your lunch every day.
To make it more fun (if your kids are young) Pack Disney foods.
Beechnut makes a whole line of Disney foods that my 3 year old LOVES!

We also ate instant oatmeal or cereal in the hotel every morning.
We brought glow sticks from the dollar store for night time parades or fantasmic. I even stocked up on extra Disney clothing from WalMart before we went and surprised my daughter with a new t-shirt or PJs every other day. She never asked us to buy her anything except one Jake and the Neverland pirates doll which her Papa bought her.
Hope you have fun!

 

[AliceNWonderland]

Jenzerbenz, I am 40 and I would totally eat that mac & cheese

 

[Colleen27]

Look into Tables In Wonderland for your dining. It would likely save you more than the dining plan while allowing you the freedom to order just what you want, not what the plan includes. It is generally only good at table service restaurants but is also honored at the value food courts and a few of the Animal Kingdom quick service locations.

Renting points from a DVC owner can get you a studio villa in the same price range as a moderate room and you'd have a kitchenette to work with. Even if you don't really cook, just having quick breakfasts and evening snacks in the room can add up to quite a bit of savings. If you're planning on renting a car, staying offsite could save even more; if not, you have to weigh whether the potential transportation issues (including the added cost of airport transportation) are worth the savings.

Packing glow sticks is a good idea, unless you plan on traveling with carry-ons only to save on luggage fees. The stuff that makes glow sticks glow counts as a gel by TSA standards and can't be packed in carry-ons. The same consideration applies to packing food.

 

[Marionnette]

Hello all,
Our family is planning on heading to WDW for our fourth trip this coming June 2013. We are looking at our lowest budget ever! So how can we get more bang for our buck? My thoughts are .... We will upgrade our DL APs to Disney Premier Passports, stay at a value (possibly the Swan/Dolphin) and forgo the dining plan. Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions?

Neither of those options may be the cheapest way to go. If you're really interested in doing the vacation on a shoestring budget, then look at offsite properties for more space and lower costs.

And don't bother with the pass upgrade unless you plan to go back to Disney World again (for a long visit) before they expire. Each Premier Passport costs $871.75 after tax. How much did you pay for your DL AP? You will have to pay the difference in cost, which may not be less than the cost of MYW passes with hopping if you purchase from a reputable ticket seller like Undercovertourist.com.

The Swan and Dolphin are not Disney hotels, and you will not get an AP discount if you stay there. But you can get an AP discount on any of the Disney resorts most of the time. Even with the discount, it still will not compare to staying offsite when it comes to the amount of space you get for your dollar.

And renting DVC points is not as easy as some people would make you think. The rooms with the lowest points per night are snapped up 11 months in advance by DVC members who own at those resorts. You are not going to get a value studio at AKV any time after that unless the gods smile upon you and someone cancels just at the exact moment that the owner you are renting points from inquires about it. And even if that does happen, you will still spend more for that studio room than you would for a room at a value resort for the same period of time.

My advice for going on a limited budget:

• Sign up for the Mousesavers.com monthly email newsletter and then use the link in it to get a better discount on Undercovertourist.com's tickets.
• Look at offsite resorts for cheaper accommodations. Check Tripadvisor.com for reviews before you commit to staying at any of them. Use Hotwire or Hotels.com to book for the lowest possible cost.
• Bring a packed lunch but also make plans for a dinner break at one of the restaurants in the parks. That way, you won't feel deprived but you will save yourself a few $s on your dining costs.
• Set a souvenir budget and don't go over it. It might help if you put your souvenir money on a gift card just to help keep track of your spending.

 

[pat fan]

AoA may be listed as a value, but it is more expensive than a "regular" value.PoP is next down on the $$ tree with the original 3 AllStars being the actual cheapest of the values.

Cheapest is really off-site, but I personally would put my trip off for a year to be able to stay on-site. If you plan it right, the Dining Plan may be free, so that would be my suggestion. Stay on-site at a"real" value and get Free Dining.

 

[ceecee]

One year we got a cheaper rate at POP then ASmo due to the tax rate. The $ per night was the same. If it's 3 people I would think a value resort would be less $ than Swan and Dolphin or renting points.

 

[Colleen27]

And don't bother with the pass upgrade unless you plan to go back to Disney World again (for a long visit) before they expire. Each Premier Passport costs $871.75 after tax. How much did you pay for your DL AP? You will have to pay the difference in cost, which may not be less than the cost of MYW passes with hopping if you purchase from a reputable ticket seller like Undercovertourist.com.

That's a good point. Whether or not the Premier Passport make sense would depend on what type of DL APs they have; upgrading from a full, 365-day AP would make sense, but if they have any of the limited APs separate tickets might be more cost effective.

 

[AliceNWonderland]

That's a good point. Whether or not the Premier Passport make sense would depend on what type of DL APs they have; upgrading from a full, 365-day AP would make sense, but if they have any of the limited APs separate tickets might be more cost effective.

Way to do some Disney math! Yes, we would be upgrading from premium DL AP, so the cost would be about $200.00 per person (two people) for park admission, park hopping, water parks, DQ and AP discounts @ WDW. For a nine day stay, I think it's worth it.

 

[AliceNWonderland]

Look into Tables In Wonderland for your dining. It would likely save you more than the dining plan while allowing you the freedom to order just what you want, not what the plan includes. It is generally only good at table service restaurants but is also honored at the value food courts and a few of the Animal Kingdom quick service locations.

Renting points from a DVC owner can get you a studio villa in the same price range as a moderate room and you'd have a kitchenette to work with. Even if you don't really cook, just having quick breakfasts and evening snacks in the room can add up to quite a bit of savings. If you're planning on renting a car, staying offsite could save even more; if not, you have to weigh whether the potential transportation issues (including the added cost of airport transportation) are worth the savings.

Packing glow sticks is a good idea, unless you plan on traveling with carry-ons only to save on luggage fees. The stuff that makes glow sticks glow counts as a gel by TSA standards and can't be packed in carry-ons. The same consideration applies to packing food.

Am I able to get Tables being a non resident? Oh my, thanks for the heads up on the glo sticks!

 

[AliceNWonderland]

Neither of those options may be the cheapest way to go. If you're really interested in doing the vacation on a shoestring budget, then look at offsite properties for more space and lower costs.

And don't bother with the pass upgrade unless you plan to go back to Disney World again (for a long visit) before they expire. Each Premier Passport costs $871.75 after tax. How much did you pay for your DL AP? You will have to pay the difference in cost, which may not be less than the cost of MYW passes with hopping if you purchase from a reputable ticket seller like Undercovertourist.com.

The Swan and Dolphin are not Disney hotels, and you will not get an AP discount if you stay there. But you can get an AP discount on any of the Disney resorts most of the time. Even with the discount, it still will not compare to staying offsite when it comes to the amount of space you get for your dollar.

And renting DVC points is not as easy as some people would make you think. The rooms with the lowest points per night are snapped up 11 months in advance by DVC members who own at those resorts. You are not going to get a value studio at AKV any time after that unless the gods smile upon you and someone cancels just at the exact moment that the owner you are renting points from inquires about it. And even if that does happen, you will still spend more for that studio room than you would for a room at a value resort for the same period of time.

My advice for going on a limited budget:

• Sign up for the Mousesavers.com monthly email newsletter and then use the link in it to get a better discount on Undercovertourist.com's tickets.
• Look at offsite resorts for cheaper accommodations. Check Tripadvisor.com for reviews before you commit to staying at any of them. Use Hotwire or Hotels.com to book for the lowest possible cost.
• Bring a packed lunch but also make plans for a dinner break at one of the restaurants in the parks. That way, you won't feel deprived but you will save yourself a few $s on your dining costs.
• Set a souvenir budget and don't go over it. It might help if you put your souvenir money on a gift card just to help keep track of your spending.

Super wow! Thank you for the massive post!

 

[cymbaldiva]

Perhaps consider a shorter trip...?


Posted from DISboards.com App for Android

 

[hsmamato2]

swan/dolphin are NOT value resorts..... they charge to park,plus a 14.00 fee per night on top of your rate.... try a value onsite with your AP you'll get a better deal.....

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

You can get Tables in Wonderland, because you are an AP holder, it's $75 for one year and can be used for parties up to 10 people.

I wouldn't recommend renting DVC points that time of year, that isn't cheaper than an AP discount, I checked. With most points going for $13 per point now, it isn't that great of a deal either.

I would choose Pop, watch for discounts, which won't come out until next year. I don't recommend Free Dining, since you pay rack rate on the room, the savings isn't that great and the DDP prices went way up this year, and you have to buy tickets, which doesn't make sense, since you already have AP's that you can upgrade.

$200 per person to upgrade your AP's is a great deal, certainly better than MYW tickets.

 

[brymolmom]

Since parking is free for you - if you really want to go budget - stay offsite. You could do a condo rental for maybe $400 - $700 total or maybe somewhere like Staybridge Suites LBV. Awesome location and we got it for $75 thru travelzoo deal one time. This includes a full, hot breakfast. Between that and having the kitchen and packing our lunch (only needed small lunch since breakfast was so big and filling) - we only paid for 1 meal per day. Since we stayed offsite - we got takeout from nearby restaurants a couple of nights...got CS at the parks a couple of nights and then splurged on one TS meal.

 

[AliceNWonderland]

Ok, I bit the bullet and booked the hotel only this am. I just couldn't resist!!!!
June 8-16 at ASM. It was 1,260 w/o AP discounts, which I will need to apply later. No pins I never get those darn things, so I am going to proceed with caution and keep praying the airfare will drop, drop, drop! Thanks everyone, keep the comments coming. I appreciate it!