Disney on an extreme budget, is it possible?

[Colleen27]

Also, if one is on an "extreme" budget, it stands to reason that they have trouble with basic living expenses. Is it really wise for such people to go on vacation? Particularly to a luxury vacation destination?

"Well, we can't pay the water or gas this month, or feed our kids, but we've got our six week trip to Europe paid off!"

I don't think that necessarily follows. One can be perfectly stable day-to-day but not have enough extra for an expensive vacation, particularly if being diligent about saving for retirement/college. Or one can simply have other priorities (like dance fees, in the OP's case - that's not generally an extracurricular within reach of people who genuinely have nothing extra after covering essentials).

A couple of my trips next year are going to be on a shoestring - value resort, using leftover park tickets, sharing meals, packing breakfast foods & snacks to cut down on buying at the parks, even staying offsite on one of them - because that's how to best afford 4-5 trips to WDW in addition to our whole-family vacation and the other weekend trips elsewhere that we have planned. I'm not on a budget because I can't afford to travel; I'm on a budget because I can't afford to splurge and still take all the trips we want to take.

 

[momof2gr8kids]

If you're an airmiles or aeroplan collector you can use your airmiles towards park tickets, or marlin travel giftcards to use towards a package.

 

[bababear_50]

Just my 2 cents
I think it can be done.


Contact David's DVC rental
http://www.dvcrequest.com/
onsite/ great resorts/ transportation included( ME no car rental)
make a few meals in your room.


CAA Members
buy 1 Day Park Pass and 1 Day Water Park Pass.

One day do a Downtown Disney Day-Movie, Bowling etc .
One Day enjoy the resort pool and resort activities.

Hugs
Mel

 

[Dizisfun]

Of course it is possible, but...


This.

Also, if one is on an "extreme" budget, it stands to reason that they have trouble with basic living expenses. Is it really wise for such people to go on vacation? Particularly to a luxury vacation destination?

"Well, we can't pay the water or gas this month, or feed our kids, but we've got our six week trip to Europe paid off!"

REALLY?!?!?! smh

 

[Marionnette]

Just my 2 cents
I think it can be done.


Contact David's DVC rental
http://www.dvcrequest.com/
onsite/ great resorts/ transportation included( ME no car rental)
make a few meals in your room.


CAA Members
buy 1 Day Park Pass and 1 Day Water Park Pass.

One day do a Downtown Disney Day-Movie, Bowling etc .
One Day enjoy the resort pool and resort activities.

Hugs
Mel

DVC rentals are not cheaper than staying in the Value resorts. The lowest number of points that you would need for 3 nights during Magic Season would be 39 (Sun.-Thurs., AKV Value Studio - almost impossible to get at this date). At $13 per point, that would cost the OP $507. Any other resort or room category would cost you even more. Since DVC owners at AKV book up the 10 value studios at 11 months out, it's doubtful that the OP would be able to get one for July. A non-discounted Value resort room (preferred location) would run $505 for the same time period.

 

[owensamo]

DVC rentals are not cheaper than staying in the Value resorts. The lowest number of points that you would need for 3 nights during Magic Season would be 39 (Sun.-Thurs., AKV Value Studio - almost impossible to get at this date). At $13 per point, that would cost the OP $507. Any other resort or room category would cost you even more. Since DVC owners at AKV book up the 10 value studios at 11 months out, it's doubtful that the OP would be able to get one for July. A non-discounted Value resort room (preferred location) would run $505 for the same time period.

True - but the least expensive DVC room at least has a fridge and microwave. I would actually recommend a 1 bedroom at OKW or SSR if you want to save money on food and cook in the room - they have full kitchens. The extra money spent on renting points for the room (and neither of those resorts book up) would end up being saved in being able to cook in the room rather than eating in the parks.

Also - are there any other families who are interested in adding a few days on the end of the trip? You could look into splitting a villa (either on-site or off-site) post-competition and that would also help with the costs.

Finally, there are the new Value Family Suites, which have kitchenettes much like the DVC studios (fridge, microwave, toaster, coffee maker). You could save some money in food with one of those - but again, without the full kitchen what you can cook is limited.

For tickets, look into the YES program - this is an educational program for kids, and they do offer discounted park tickets in conjunction with the classes.

Good luck! I know what it's like to try to plan in this time-frame! My one recommendation is to get a hotel you want to spend some time at - after the comp (my DD is a dancer so I know what they're like) you might just want to sit around a pool and relax for a couple of days! Even the Disney on-site Value resorts are comfortable enough and have enough to do if you wanted to just skip the parks and hang out there!

 

[lvillotta1]

Going to WDW in the middle of the summer is horrible. We have a account just for traveling. I booked a super cheap trip for Jan. Off season, low crowds. I got airline tickets for $600 for 3 of us R /t. 4 night/5days at Art of Animation for $1100. Total $1700.

 

[bababear_50]

DVC rentals are not cheaper than staying in the Value resorts. The lowest number of points that you would need for 3 nights during Magic Season would be 39 (Sun.-Thurs., AKV Value Studio - almost impossible to get at this date). At $13 per point, that would cost the OP $507. Any other resort or room category would cost you even more. Since DVC owners at AKV book up the 10 value studios at 11 months out, it's doubtful that the OP would be able to get one for July. A non-discounted Value resort room (preferred location) would run $505 for the same time period.

But in my opinion
the DVC resort would give them the option of making a few meals and a value resort would not,thus saving a bit on meal costs. Even studios have a toaster,kettle microwave,fridge etc.
And in my opinion I think the added bonus of hot-tubs and great themed pools is a bonus.
And the boat service and closeness to DTD at OKW is great added bonus.


Pop Century July 14-17 3 nights 4 days including tax is $550.11.Standard Room.

DVC OKW Studio 42 points x 13.00 = $546.00 3 nights 4 days tax included

Hugs Mel

 

[pigletto]

Of course it is possible, but...


This.

Also, if one is on an "extreme" budget, it stands to reason that they have trouble with basic living expenses. Is it really wise for such people to go on vacation? Particularly to a luxury vacation destination?

"Well, we can't pay the water or gas this month, or feed our kids, but we've got our six week trip to Europe paid off!"

Doesn't stand to reason at all really.
I know for us that a budget trip could be for a number of reasons.. all of them falling within the "I only want to spend this much on a trip because.." realm.

We have a set vacation budget. I could put more in it, but it's the number we feel comfortable allotting to vacations. We just went to Disney and brought dd's friend in August. We want to go back in February, have the money to do so, but not to do every single little thing and extra that we want. So be it.. I'm sticking to the budget precisely so that I am not taking from savings, or household bills, or any other line item.

Choosing to do an extremely budget trip seems like a smart idea to me if you were just there and didn't anticipate going back so soon. I wouldn't assume it's because she was going to ignore all of her responsibilities.

 

[Marionnette]

But in my opinion
the DVC resort would give them the option of making a few meals and a value resort would not,thus saving a bit on meal costs. Even studios have a toaster,kettle microwave,fridge etc.
And in my opinion I think the added bonus of hot-tubs and great themed pools is a bonus.
And the boat service and closeness to DTD at OKW is great added bonus.


Pop Century July 14-17 3 nights 4 days including tax is $550.11.Standard Room.

DVC OKW Studio 42 points x 13.00 = $546.00 3 nights 4 days tax included

Hugs Mel

ASMu, same nights, std. room = $451 Could be less if Disney comes out with a room-only discount for those dates.

At least $95 cheaper than an OKW studio. Fridge in room. Microwaves and toasters are available in the food court. Some coffee makers available upon request. And you get mousekeeping service every day.

I will concede that the DVC resorts are nicer, bigger and have more to offer. But is it worth it to have a hot tub? A microwave in the room? Or an awesomely themed pool? IMO, yes! But when someone is looking to do Disney cheaply, I don't think it's worth spending an extra $95 for 3 nights so that they can microwave a couple of Lean Cuisines (or whatever the OP can buy in the General Store - remember, she won't have a car). That $95 would go a long way towards QS meals that no one has to prepare or clean up afterwards.

 

[danda22]

I agree with this.

ditto this. On the flip side if we went away and we continually kept paying out for food, drinks, snacks and a lot of other unnecessary expenses I wouldn't feel relaxed. Instead I would feel wasteful and not to mention bloated. We don't eat out every day at home so I wouldn't do it to our bodies while away either. I see absolutely nothing wrong with coming back to our room to a crockpot of chicken where we can sit at our table as a family and talk about our day and enjoy our moment and not share it with 100 other hungry loud people. Chances are we'd be done with our dinner in our room and relaxing before our names would even be called for a table. Maybe I am alone on this, but to each their own.

 

[meggiebeth]

I have found a pretty good package price.

3 nights at All Star Movies with 2 day base tickets and the quick service DDP. $1573. Not bad considering it includes food. This would be a hassle free way to budget for food, and honestly the price isn't bad.

The same package at Coronado Springs is $1737.


There is IMHO an amount of budget cutting that goes too far and makes the vacation less enjoyable. I think getting the DDP in the package I mentioned would be a hassle free way to go. You dont have to worry about budgeting for food while you are there either since everything is paid in advance.

Or, without the DDP the package would be $1262. That could be another way to go. But if you can deal with only a 2 day ticket, your trip could easily be within budget.

Me...? I'd go for:

3 nights at All Star Movies
2 day base tickets
No DDP

All for $1262

Easily enough for budgeting food in later for a total trip cost of around $1500.

 

[dancin Disney style]

We live just a tiny bit west of Toronto. My DD is a competitive dancer and we have attended nationals at WDW many times. We were just there this past July for 2 weeks and our grand total was $4200 for a family of four.....that included accomodation, airfare, food, car rental, entertainment and even dance entry fees. This was a very expensive trip for us...we go to WDW yearly and it never costs us more than about $2800 for 10-11 days. The main reason for the increase in cost was that it was in July and also airfares went up a fair amount this past year. We had to be there through the 4th of July and that really jacks up the prices. To try something different we rented a 2br at WBC and to save money we cooked about half of our meals.

There have been many good tips so far about making the trip lower cost. One really important thing to know is that the competition should offer deeply discounted park tickets. In my experience they offer them at about a 35-40% discount.

 

[Emteach]

Thanks again everyone for the words of advice. This trip would absolutely not put us in the hole... it is just not as planned as our last trip so would need to be more budgeted in terms of where we stay, length of the stay, dining, souvenirs etc.

We would absolutely be eating outside of the parks (we will probably pack a suitcase full of non-perishables since we will be at another hotel for 7 days before even heading to Disney, if we see this as a possibility). Would probably only do 1 meal at Disney since we know the cost is high. The competition is outside of Disney, in a hotel/conference centre in Orlando so unfortunately no discounted tickets.

We have looked into flights are are able to find those for less than $900 for the 4 of us so that is a start.

Typically when do discount offers come up for the summer? I know it wont be anything spectacular since it is peak season but something is better than nothing. We are also looking into what other families are doing and whether anyone would be interested in perhaps splitting somewhere - it is all just a thought right now.

Looking forward to more advice, it is greatly appreciated and reading all of your posts!

Pigletto, I think you were in the August 2012 Dis-ers group that I was also a part of.

 

[dancin Disney style]

Just because it's not on WDW property does not mean there will not be discounted tickets. I've been to events at the Orlando Convention Center and the Peabody and both offered discounted WDW tickets. It's not likely something you will see become available until the spring. Right now, you could call the comp (or check their website)and ask if they are planning to offer tickets and if so when.

If you are able to secure a flight for under $900 for 4 people you better jump on that. Last July I paid $1300+ for our 4 tickets.

 

[ldo]

You are 5 persons--values only sleep 4 persons and are out except for suite-types. WDW value suites are not really budget-friendly, IMHO. I would look at getting an off-site place--either the same place as the convention (assuming you get a good group rate) or a condo style place--there are tons of them.
You can do breakfast and dinner at the condo. I just did a budget trip with my kids. With just a microwave, you can do a lot--or course, a stove is even better. Some things I took with me on the flights--frozen hotdogs, frozen precooked chickenmeat (sealed in the bag), bock of cheese, carrots, apples, grapes, tortillas, EZ mac and cheese, and lots of bagels, cereals, etc. The hotdogs and chicken did fine for 8+ hrs.
Tickets are the most $$ thing. See if the dance team gets discount tickets. OTherwise, get just the base ticket--no park hopping, etc. you can always add it when you are there. Have fun--you should do it!

 

[chimilady]

Also, if one is on an "extreme" budget, it stands to reason that they have trouble with basic living expenses. Is it really wise for such people to go on vacation? Particularly to a luxury vacation destination?

I absolutely hate posts like this. Disney is like Vegas, you can do it very cheap, and you can live it up and spend a fortune. I've done Vegas both ways and I had fun each time. Our last trip at Disney was very budget, and we had a great time. I stayed onsite but next time I'll likely be moving off site. Cooking wouldn't bother me, as 15 minutes of prep in a crock pot would save us a ton a day and we'd come back to a hot meal. And I don't normally cook at home, so I wouldn't mind doing that on vacation. Every time I'd be prepping a meal, I would think to myself "That just saved me $100" and I would be happy as a clam. Just because YOU have certain priorities doesn't mean everyone else does. I would rather cook every day, save on the dinners and then extend my trip a few days, and I know others would rather cut their trip a few days short so they can stay onsite. I would never spent a ton of money just because I could. Even with a lot of money, I would still be looking to stretch it. That's just how my husband and I are and we love it.

 

[foreUT]

Emteach, this sounds like a very fun trip, even if on a shoe-string budget! The advice provided has been terrific, but I would like to add my vote for a DVC accommodation. There are lots of members who rent for much less than the $13 per point mentioned earlier (points about to expire, small number [which would accommodate you], or just want to get rid of them asap), which makes a possible stay at a lower point resort like OKW in a large studio w/ fridge and microwave a possibility, for less than the value resorts. There are also some very good deals, imo, on meals in the park at some of the counter service restaurants, so you don't have to avoid those completely. No matter whether value or dvc, though, I recommend staying on-site, just for the special hours, which is especially beneficial during the hotter summer months, as you know.

Once you commit, I would also start buying the park tickets early, if possible. Staggering costs is the way I keep those last minute expenses (which always seem to appear) from driving me crazy. Plus, that is a lock on one segment of your costs. Best of luck, and I know you and your family can have a fabulous time at a not so giant cost.

 

[danda22]

yes!! bring on the crock pot and put that $100 in my pocket for something else!

 

[kirstenb1]

One of the things I love about DVC is I can throw together an easy meal that we eat at a leisurely pace while saving some $$$. If we didn't have DVC, I'd look into renting in Windsor Hills or the like to reap the same benefits.

yes!! bring on the crock pot and put that $100 in my pocket for something else!