Does my budget sound about right?

[StayCool]

Ok, so I've been wanting to do a Disney trip with my family before my kids get too old for a loooong time, but for various reasons it just hasn't worked out. So now I'm lowering my expectations and trying to work with what I have rather than trying to do an all out crazy trip. We are going to drive from NY instead of fly for example.

My husband is a military veteran so the numbers in parentheses will be the potential discounts. There are 4 of us and we are all considered Disney adults.

This is what I have so far:

Dates: October 5-10
Round trip gas: $500
Hotels-2 nights during travel: $250
All Star Movies for 5 nights: $554 ($400)
Tickets: 5 Days - $1200 ($720)
Memory Maker: $150
Food: $1000 (I'm going high because I'd really like to do some nice meals)
Souvies: $4-500

Total: $4154 ($3520)

 

[loveshak22]

Ok, so I've been wanting to do a Disney trip with my family before my kids get too old for a loooong time, but for various reasons it just hasn't worked out. So now I'm lowering my expectations and trying to work with what I have rather than trying to do an all out crazy trip. We are going to drive from NY instead of fly for example.

My husband is a military veteran so the numbers in parentheses will be the potential discounts. There are 4 of us and we are all considered Disney adults.

This is what I have so far:

Dates: October 5-10
Round trip gas: $500
Hotels-2 nights during travel: $250
All Star Movies for 5 nights: $554 ($400)
Tickets: 5 Days - $1200 ($720)
Memory Maker: $150
Food: $1000 (I'm going high because I'd really like to do some nice meals)
Souvies: $4-500

Total: $4154 ($3520)

I think that's a great idea!! Where do you live in NY? It is possible to snag a good deal on flights with enough planning sometimes. If driving is $750, plus food and snacks, it might be worth it to fly just to save time. Or if you have good credit there are several airlines that offer pretty decent introductory deals where you could get enough points to probably get one flight for free and then use that $750 driving/hotel money for the three tickets.

I put fare alerts on airfarewatchdog.com for cities I'm interested in traveling too and you'd be surprised how many tickets pop-up for less than $200 when I give it some time.

With the military discount I'm not sure if you can book a "package" but with the Disney Rewards Card they have an offer right now to get a $200 statement credit with the premier card. If you book a hotel and ticket package on that card you'll then get $200 off basically. You can also finance that package for 6-months with 0% APR. Overall it's not the best rewards card but it can be helpful if used specifically to plan a trip. The card only does the 0% on a vacation package so I'm not sure if you book the hotel and tickets with the military discount if that counts as a package. However, even if you paid for the discounted tickets and hotel on the card you'd still get a $200 statement credit so that's like $200 off.

Plus, if you use the card a lot between now and October you might be able to save up some for a rewards card to use in the park. Plus you can get 10% off at most restaurants and shops at WDW if you use the card in the park.

Also, one thing I did before I went last time was when I went to the groceries or CVS I would add like a $25 Disney gift card at checkout so I spread out some of the cost over time and used the gift cards when I got there. It just helps spread out some of the cost.

 

[cel_disney]

Ok, so I've been wanting to do a Disney trip with my family before my kids get too old for a loooong time, but for various reasons it just hasn't worked out. So now I'm lowering my expectations and trying to work with what I have rather than trying to do an all out crazy trip. We are going to drive from NY instead of fly for example.

My husband is a military veteran so the numbers in parentheses will be the potential discounts. There are 4 of us and we are all considered Disney adults.

This is what I have so far:

Dates: October 5-10
Round trip gas: $500
Hotels-2 nights during travel: $250
All Star Movies for 5 nights: $554 ($400)
Tickets: 5 Days - $1200 ($720)
Memory Maker: $150
Food: $1000 (I'm going high because I'd really like to do some nice meals)
Souvies: $4-500

Total: $4154 ($3520)

Even on our very first trip I don't think we spent that much on souvies...I would probably plan on 50$ each....maybe a bonus 50$ as a family gift. I think it's o,ay to budget the 4-500$ but I think it covers souvies and some 'emergency fund' type items..or other splurges.

Will you do 5 days in the parks? Or will you do the military solute tix? I think they might only be 4 day passes though but maybe that would work and then you could do the Halloween party for the 5th day or maybe a resort day with a trip to chef mickeys for dinner and then hop over to poly or even stay at CR to watch the fireworks if they are on one night...

For food - I think you should take advantage of the fact you are bringing your car and bring stuff for breakfast and park snacks and water. We travel this time every year (we are planning to check out on the 6th actually) and it can be VERY hot so extra water bottles is a must. Maybe even pack some sandwiches for food on the car ride down to help save with Time and money.

 

[StayCool]

I think that's a great idea!! Where do you live in NY? It is possible to snag a good deal on flights with enough planning sometimes. If driving is $750, plus food and snacks, it might be worth it to fly just to save time. Or if you have good credit there are several airlines that offer pretty decent introductory deals where you could get enough points to probably get one flight for free and then use that $750 driving/hotel money for the three tickets.

I put fare alerts on airfarewatchdog.com for cities I'm interested in traveling too and you'd be surprised how many tickets pop-up for less than $200 when I give it some time.

With the military discount I'm not sure if you can book a "package" but with the Disney Rewards Card they have an offer right now to get a $200 statement credit with the premier card. If you book a hotel and ticket package on that card you'll then get $200 off basically. You can also finance that package for 6-months with 0% APR. Overall it's not the best rewards card but it can be helpful if used specifically to plan a trip. The card only does the 0% on a vacation package so I'm not sure if you book the hotel and tickets with the military discount if that counts as a package. However, even if you paid for the discounted tickets and hotel on the card you'd still get a $200 statement credit so that's like $200 off.

Plus, if you use the card a lot between now and October you might be able to save up some for a rewards card to use in the park. Plus you can get 10% off at most restaurants and shops at WDW if you use the card in the park.

Also, one thing I did before I went last time was when I went to the groceries or CVS I would add like a $25 Disney gift card at checkout so I spread out some of the cost over time and used the gift cards when I got there. It just helps spread out some of the cost.

From what I have seen, the cheapest I can get flights out of here is about $1200 and that is in a 3-4 hour travelling radius. Unless I wanted to fly Allegiant, but I have heard so many bad things that I just don't want to take that risk. I will check out the airfare website though. If I could find a good enough deal I would much rather fly.

I'm not interested in credit cards unfortunately. I'm working my way out of debt (just finally graduated from grad school!) and I would rather not have any more temptation! I'm definitely looking at using my Redcard at Target to get some Disney cards and possibly Sam's club too.

Even on our very first trip I don't think we spent that much on souvies...I would probably plan on 50$ each....maybe a bonus 50$ as a family gift. I think it's o,ay to budget the 4-500$ but I think it covers souvies and some 'emergency fund' type items..or other splurges.

Will you do 5 days in the parks? Or will you do the military solute tix? I think they might only be 4 day passes though but maybe that would work and then you could do the Halloween party for the 5th day or maybe a resort day with a trip to chef mickeys for dinner and then hop over to poly or even stay at CR to watch the fireworks if they are on one night...

For food - I think you should take advantage of the fact you are bringing your car and bring stuff for breakfast and park snacks and water. We travel this time every year (we are planning to check out on the 6th actually) and it can be VERY hot so extra water bottles is a must. Maybe even pack some sandwiches for food on the car ride down to help save with Time and money.

I want to use the military salute since it is cheaper than Disney's offer and I can get park hoppers with water parks and Disney quest. This will give me a little flexibility. I would like to do the Halloween party. It just looks like so much fun! I plan to load up on snack and breakfast foods to have in the room. I'm also thinking of having the kids carry the string backpacks and maybe have some snacks with them as well. I know that in the heat I don't eat too much. Plus I am hoping that Food & Wine will be going on then.... That would be fun for a day!

 

[nyrebecca]

We drive from NY every year and your gas and hotel estimates are very good. I will tell you a lot of hotels fill up so if you don't have reservations to stop to keep ph # s with you to call from the car to hold a room when you are about an hour or so from stopping. Depending on where in NY you are and your car your gas will probably be lower than estimated.

One great thing about driving is no worries about what you are packing and luggage fees. You also can pack food and run to a store if needed.

 

[natenapril]

Just curious, but since you are going in October, will the Hero salute tickets still be available? I thought that deal was over the end of Sept? It hasn't been announced if it will be available again. Although I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will be!

 

[loveshak22]

From what I have seen, the cheapest I can get flights out of here is about $1200 and that is in a 3-4 hour travelling radius. Unless I wanted to fly Allegiant, but I have heard so many bad things that I just don't want to take that risk. I will check out the airfare website though. If I could find a good enough deal I would much rather fly.

I'm not interested in credit cards unfortunately. I'm working my way out of debt (just finally graduated from grad school!) and I would rather not have any more temptation! I'm definitely looking at using my Redcard at Target to get some Disney cards and possibly Sam's club too.

Congrats on grad school! Another reason why you deserve the trip!

Smart about the credit cards if you're trying to get out of debt! The rewards are definitely not worth it if you use the card to where you rollover monthly charges and have to pay interest.

I was thinking about finding deals at NYC airports but it sounds like that's a distance for you. $1,200 plus a 3-4 hour drive to the airport is definitely not worth it then. Good luck though - use some of the sites that can do airfare alerts and you never know!

 

[StayCool]

We drive from NY every year and your gas and hotel estimates are very good. I will tell you a lot of hotels fill up so if you don't have reservations to stop to keep ph # s with you to call from the car to hold a room when you are about an hour or so from stopping. Depending on where in NY you are and your car your gas will probably be lower than estimated.

One great thing about driving is no worries about what you are packing and luggage fees. You also can pack food and run to a store if needed.

I live near Binghamton so I'm almost as far south you can get before you leave NY. Do you think it would be a better idea to plan the stops and get the rooms in advance, or will finding one on the way be fine? Tentatively I'm thinking of sleeping all day on Friday, and leaving after the kids get home from school. I like to drive and won't mind taking the night shift. At daybreak, let my hubby take over and I will nap. Then stop for the night somewhere around 4-5pm. That should put us pretty close to Florida hopefully.

Just curious, but since you are going in October, will the Hero salute tickets still be available? I thought that deal was over the end of Sept? It hasn't been announced if it will be available again. Although I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will be!

I will not know about the military tickets until this summer. That is when they have been typically renewed. Crossing my fingers that they offer them again because that will save me a lot! It currently does end at the end of Sept. 2014.

 

[nugov2]

Ok, so I've been wanting to do a Disney trip with my family before my kids get too old for a loooong time, but for various reasons it just hasn't worked out. So now I'm lowering my expectations and trying to work with what I have rather than trying to do an all out crazy trip. We are going to drive from NY instead of fly for example.

My husband is a military veteran so the numbers in parentheses will be the potential discounts. There are 4 of us and we are all considered Disney adults.

This is what I have so far:

Dates: October 5-10
Round trip gas: $500
Hotels-2 nights during travel: $250
All Star Movies for 5 nights: $554 ($400)
Tickets: 5 Days - $1200 ($720)
Memory Maker: $150
Food: $1000 (I'm going high because I'd really like to do some nice meals)
Souvies: $4-500

Total: $4154 ($3520)

I bet you could get a cheaper hotel if you watch hotels.com you could probably stay for a little less at a basic holiday inn type hotel.

My kids hardly wanted a souvenir(I made a bunch of coupons designed by the amazing people here and was lucky if the kids used 2...I was trying to talk them into something and just gave up, so we didn't spend a ton. They did do activities on site. Maybe put some of that $ into a pirate cruise.

 

[Fantastic4]

Check military discounts for your traveling hotels too not always the cheapest but usually is in our experience. We always stay Holiday Inn Express (free breakfast, pool and usually really nice) for less then $100 including all taxes. We're a family of 4.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

I agree that the souvenir budget is too high. That will save you some money.

 

[StayCool]

Check military discounts for your traveling hotels too not always the cheapest but usually is in our experience. We always stay Holiday Inn Express (free breakfast, pool and usually really nice) for less then $100 including all taxes. We're a family of 4.

Thanks, I will check that out. You would think I would use military discounts more often, but I really am naïve about them! And Holiday Inn Express is exactly what I am looking for.

I agree that the souvenir budget is too high. That will save you some money.

Maybe I will just give the 2 kids each a $50 gift card and call it good. If they want more, then they can hit up their grandparents for their birthdays (which are in the summer!) My biggest problem is my husband. He thinks that vacation time is 'how much can I spend' time.

 

[Fantastic4]

Thanks, I will check that out. You would think I would use military discounts more often, but I really am naïve about them! And Holiday Inn Express is exactly what I am looking for.

My theory is to always ask but to be gracious even if they say no. It drives me crazy when military wives act entitled and freak out when a business says no.

 

[polineedyan]

For the gas, we use Giant Eagle (grocer) gas credits, so we would let them accumulate for awhile and get a serious discount on the first leg.
Everything else sounds right.
I do agree with a prior poster. If you think that the driving will be in that 1000dollar range, then price out airfare. If it was a two or three hundred difference in driving and flying, i would fly.
Although, like the pp also said, having a car on property is a huge bonus. Especially if you are not on a dining plan.

 

[leslie826]

The last few years the military salute tickets have been 4 day tickets. But I agree with the PP that said to add a "5th day" by getting tix to MNSSHP. We just did this in November with MVMCP and loved having the extra park time (and the party!).

 

[StayCool]

The last few years the military salute tickets have been 4 day tickets. But I agree with the PP that said to add a "5th day" by getting tix to MNSSHP. We just did this in November with MVMCP and loved having the extra park time (and the party!).

The timeline I am looking at is leaving NY late Friday/early Saturday morning and drive to Savannah, GA. Then crash there on Saturday night and drive the rest of the distance (about 5 hours) to WDW. Then that night do the MNSSHP. So we will still get to see the park on the first day, but not waste tickets when we won't be able to spend the whole day. And I can get a nap in too!

 

[rlu929s]

Another agreement to lower your souvenir budget.

Another hint is to find a Disney Store or Outlet store and stock up ahead of time. We purchased some cool Disney items at the Disney Outlet store, which is about an hour away from us and pulled them out at random times while at DW. Much cheaper! You can also pre-buy a gift card at Sam's and take it to the outlet store to save even more!

 

[tina.tina]

Don't worry about spending your max budget and trying to have the best time ever. Worry about how you're going to save money for your next trip after you fall in love. You'll still have a great time!

Check out allears.net for menus with prices.

On days I planned to eat in the park at a quick service place, I kept in mind a couple of places in each park where I might want to eat. I knew how to get there and I knew what the menu was and that my kids would be able to find something they would eat. It was helpful for staying on budget and not panicking and trying to find something last minute.

For budget purposes, I would even pack sandwiches for the trip down. My kids beg to pack their lunches and I would pitch it to them like I was allowing them to do it rather than as a money saving option.

 

[StayCool]

Don't worry about spending your max budget and trying to have the best time ever. Worry about how you're going to save money for your next trip after you fall in love. You'll still have a great time!

Check out allears.net for menus with prices.

On days I planned to eat in the park at a quick service place, I kept in mind a couple of places in each park where I might want to eat. I knew how to get there and I knew what the menu was and that my kids would be able to find something they would eat. It was helpful for staying on budget and not panicking and trying to find something last minute.

For budget purposes, I would even pack sandwiches for the trip down. My kids beg to pack their lunches and I would pitch it to them like I was allowing them to do it rather than as a money saving option.

I'm hoping that my husband will fall in love with it too! He is the main reason we haven't been yet. I've been dreaming for a long time!

 

[Scooby2002]

To cut the cost a little as well you can go to the Disney Character Warehouse at the outlets right outside of Disney. I have always found some great treasures there for a good bargain.