Does this Disney budget sound doable???

[snorris2]

Hi all! We have a trip scheduled for the first week of December. Our lodging is already paid for. We are staying in a 2br villa at Mystic Dunes Resort. It has a full kitchen. We have taken some recent hits money wise, and I am trying to see if we can still make this work. We arrive on December 1 and leaving December 7.


Starting out with $3,700.

Tickets: $1,300
Gas: $500 (700 miles each way; factored in extra for the week there)
BBB: $400
Groceries: $300
Eating out: $300
Parking: $60

This leaves us with about $800 left over for whatever. Does the food budget sound okay? We will probably picnic lunch in the park. Our girls are pretty picky so it makes way more sense to pack some PB&J.

I know we could always cut out BBB. I have to sell the husband on that though. We also already have Christmas par tickets for our last night, so I really want this to work.

Someone told me to not plan on finding food at a grocery store. This sounds ridiculous to me. She did go the first week of June though.

 

[bellasmommy0]

You could save money on BBB, by getting dresses and such ahead of time. I took DD dressed and had the rest done there and she enjoyed it just as much!! And it was much cheaper

 

[snorris2]

You could save money on BBB, by getting dresses and such ahead of time. I took DD dressed and had the rest done there and she enjoyed it just as much!! And it was much cheaper

I keep telling my husband this, but he says he wants them to have the experience. Where did you buy their dresses?

 

[MSSANDRA]

Since you are driving, you can bring much of your food with you and save even more. Start purchasing an item or two extra each time you shop or when ever you find a good sale. Jar pasta sauce, a box of mac & cheese, a case of water etc. Try making and freezing some dishes at home as well. If you make a chicken casserole at home, make two and freeze one to take along in the cooler. Smart shop and cut that grocery number in half. I would cut BBB if my budget was tight but that is a personal choice.

 

[sookie]

I keep telling my husband this, but he says he wants them to have the experience. Where did you buy their dresses?

You can get them right now at Target, Walmart - due to the halloween season. I ordered a tween mad hatter outfit from target with my redcard - free shipping and came in about 3 days.

If you want to order from the Disney store, they are running occasional sells right now.

 

[megan10310]

They can still have the whole experience if you bring a dress. You can even use the changing rooms if you bring the dress. We have done it both ways and it didn't "feel" any different.

 

[snorris2]

Since you are driving, you can bring much of your food with you and save even more. Start purchasing an item or two extra each time you shop or when ever you find a good sale. Jar pasta sauce, a box of mac & cheese, a case of water etc. Try making and freezing some dishes at home as well. If you make a chicken casserole at home, make two and freeze one to take along in the cooler. Smart shop and cut that grocery number in half. I would cut BBB if my budget was tight but that is a personal choice.

My husband has actually mentioned this. Thankfully, our girls are pretty easy to feed. We won't have a ton of room for groceries though. We have a van but 3 adults and 2 kids are going. Our van is not new, so it doesn't have the awesome cargo area in the back. I may try to just buy their dresses now and talk him into that. That alone would help a ton.

Are we crazy for trying on this budget??

 

[kymom99]

Depending on your vehicle, gas shouldn't cost anywhere near $500.

1400 miles at 25 mpg=56 gallons.
$3.50/gallon = $196.
That would leave $300 to spend on gas while you are there for the week.

 

[marmalade]

My husband has actually mentioned this. Thankfully, our girls are pretty easy to feed. We won't have a ton of room for groceries though. We have a van but 3 adults and 2 kids are going. Our van is not new, so it doesn't have the awesome cargo area in the back. I may try to just buy their dresses now and talk him into that. That alone would help a ton.

Are we crazy for trying on this budget??

We have the money in our budget to afford the full BBB experience, but that doesn't mean I am going to do it. I already bought my DD(8) her dress and she could care less where it came from. She is doing the basic package and she will put on her pre-paid for dress and still feel as much as a princess as if we paid a lot more for the full package.

I would cut out the full experience and save yourselves a lot of money. Your DD's will still feel every bit as special.

Cutting down your BBB and the extra $800 I think you will be just fine.

 

[bellasmommy0]

We have done it both ways, DD enjoyed it more in the dress we brought from home, I thnk because I found one that was more comfortable for her. You can buy anywhere with Halloween coming up, order online, disney store...whatever. I got my DD a Snow White ballerina one last time since it was September and it was SO HOT for some of the bigger dresses. They will be more unique doing it this way, it doesn't take away at all in my opinion

 

[bellasmommy0]

Have done BBB both ways, and it doesn't take away at all. In fact my daughter enjoyed not having a dress just like ALL the other little girls. Great easy way to save $$$

 

[bellasmommy0]

Sorry I somehow posted twice,, it said first one didn't work and then it was there...oops

 

[KalamityJane]

I've heard the Disney Princess nightgowns are actually more comfy and look like the Princess dresses anyway - for those worried about itchiness, that might be the way to go.

Linky to them on the Disney Store

 

[dpswift]

We have taken many road trips and have found you need to be creative fitting everything in. One time we rented a condo and my son was going on a camping trip. We fit 6 of us in, bedding, his camping stuff and some food. The worst part was we broke down half way there and had to switch to a rental car.

Our biggest problem is always the stuff the kids take. Either pack for them or go through what they pack and determine if they really need it. I have found that kids do not need as much stuff for car trips as they think.

I would pack at least some food. However unless you shop late at night the stores should not be out. Even at home I notice a difference in stock between morning and night.

I would freeze meals to take just to avoid cooking.

 

[Paigesmom2013]

I would say allocate some money for snacks in the park. I tried to be thrifty and make sure we drank our water bottles but it was nice to buy a cold drink or ice cream treat in the park. We would try to energize the toddler with a fun snack in the afternoon.

 

[scnrc00]

I agree I would buy dresses for BBB before your trip. We are buying our DD's dress before trip, she has already picked it out and I know she will love it just the same as picking it out there. Plus it is saving us some money.

 

[mm1971]

Hi all! We have a trip scheduled for the first week of December. Our lodging is already paid for. We are staying in a 2br villa at Mystic Dunes Resort. It has a full kitchen. We have taken some recent hits money wise, and I am trying to see if we can still make this work. We arrive on December 1 and leaving December 7.


Starting out with $3,700.

Tickets: $1,300
Gas: $500 (700 miles each way; factored in extra for the week there)
BBB: $400
Groceries: $300
Eating out: $300
Parking: $60

This leaves us with about $800 left over for whatever. Does the food budget sound okay? We will probably picnic lunch in the park. Our girls are pretty picky so it makes way more sense to pack some PB&J.

I know we could always cut out BBB. I have to sell the husband on that though. We also already have Christmas par tickets for our last night, so I really want this to work.

Someone told me to not plan on finding food at a grocery store. This sounds ridiculous to me. She did go the first week of June though.

From reading, it looks like you have 3 adults and 2 kids. First, I looked at the pricing for tickets on Undercover Tourist. For 4 day tickets ($60 parking means 4 park days), it is $1,414.75 plus shipping. So the $1,300 may be a little low, but not much. I would suggest however that you go with the 5 days ticket. it is $1 more per ticket. That means an extra park day for $20 total! $5 tix and $15 parking.

Gas looks a little high to me, but it is a van so may be OK.

Saw your comment on BBB so will leave it as is. I think we got the full package when we were there a few years ago and it was closer to $250 for DD. I'm not sure what you are including in the price. I'm sure we bought some extras like shoes and such so $400 may be fine.

Groceries look a little high to me as well. I know my family of 4 can eat 3 meals a day for under $200 a week. You already budgeted money for meals out so I assume breakfasts before you go and at least one meal packed.

Eating out is the big ??. How many meals this would be and where are the important questions. If you are planning on meals outside of the parks and Disney restaurants, then your budget will be lower. For 4 of us, a table service dinner runs around $80-120, counter service more like $50 each meal. Higher end and signature meals more. Outside of Disney, meals will be significantly less.

If you are disciplined about your plans, I would say you can easily do the week on the budget you set. If you decide (and a lot of people do) to eat more at the parks and not leave, then it can get more expensive. I do think you will spend less on gas and can get by with less groceries so maybe it will all wash in the end. Good luck!

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

I don't know of many vans, especially older ones, that will get 25 miles a gallon. Not many cars do. So stick with your gas budget. I drive a Cadillac that gets about 22 miles a gallon and we drive 12 hours to get there and with gas for the week and gas home we spend about $400. The $800 for whatever can be cut way down to a set amount per kid. Say each kid can spend $150 for the week. You just saved another $500 doing that. You can but tons of very cheap Disney souvies in the local Walmarts for one tenth the price in the parks. I think your grocery budget is fine but your going out to eat budget will only cover you for maybe two sit down meals or 4 or 5 CS meals. But I think it is very doable.

 

[snorris2]

From reading, it looks like you have 3 adults and 2 kids. First, I looked at the pricing for tickets on Undercover Tourist. For 4 day tickets ($60 parking means 4 park days), it is $1,414.75 plus shipping. So the $1,300 may be a little low, but not much. I would suggest however that you go with the 5 days ticket. it is $1 more per ticket. That means an extra park day for $20 total! $5 tix and $15 parking.

Gas looks a little high to me, but it is a van so may be OK.

Saw your comment on BBB so will leave it as is. I think we got the full package when we were there a few years ago and it was closer to $250 for DD. I'm not sure what you are including in the price. I'm sure we bought some extras like shoes and such so $400 may be fine.

Groceries look a little high to me as well. I know my family of 4 can eat 3 meals a day for under $200 a week. You already budgeted money for meals out so I assume breakfasts before you go and at least one meal packed.

Eating out is the big ??. How many meals this would be and where are the important questions. If you are planning on meals outside of the parks and Disney restaurants, then your budget will be lower. For 4 of us, a table service dinner runs around $80-120, counter service more like $50 each meal. Higher end and signature meals more. Outside of Disney, meals will be significantly less.

If you are disciplined about your plans, I would say you can easily do the week on the budget you set. If you decide (and a lot of people do) to eat more at the parks and not leave, then it can get more expensive. I do think you will spend less on gas and can get by with less groceries so maybe it will all wash in the end. Good luck!

I get around 18mpg in town in my van. My husband just wanted me to calculate extra. It will take about 5 tanks (a little less than) just to get there and back. It MIT be better. I don't do much interstate driving, so I can't say for sure. DH just wanted to be safe with the calculations. I'm sure our groceries won't actually cost that much. I usually only spend $150/week at home. He is once again just trying to be safe.

The $300 for eating out is just for whenever we feel like eating something different or for snacks in the park. We probably won't really eat meals in Disney at all. It's not worth it for how our girls eat. The ticket price is based on the place we booked through. We booked our villa and tickets through an employee discount program and did so before the prices increased. They said we would be guaranteed the price we booked under.

I'm still stressing about BBB. If it's $250, that will be around $500 total. Both girls are doing it. I really just want to order their dresses. I'll have to work on the hubby.

 

[hsmamato2]

Let's get real....this is the budget board,and Op asked..... If money is tighter than you expected, and cutting back would relieve some stress,then the most logical answer is cut BBB completely ,bring your kids some outfits,and do their hair and makeup for them,then take them to a princess dinner or something. The cost for that would be hundreds less than just taking them there.... or a compromise would be what others mentioned,pay those astronomical prices just for their sparkly hair and makeup,and bring the dresses from home,which are easily found anywhere for a fraction of the cost (did you really say 250.00 per kid?!?!)
EIther way, it would give you some room in your budget. I wouldn't want to be budgeting every single penny at the local grocery store so I could pay for 250.00 costumes and hair gelscared1
In fact if it were me, I'd bring the dresses,take the kids to the barbershop on main street,and pay the 10.00 for sparkly hair gel there...... then I could eat 3 decent dinners somewhere for that cost saved....or use it on gas,etc etc. I hope you have fun OP, no matter what you decide,your kids are gonna have a blast!