Family first time need help

Scott7263

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jul 30, 2013
Messages
1
Greetings,

We are planning to take a trip to either Disneyland or Disneyworld in February 2014. By no means are we rich, I can hardly afford this, however I have always told my kids we would go and every year we end up not going. I have a steady income and I am able to save some money, I think I will have enough by February.

I will be going along with my fiancee, her mother, and my three children who are 8,6, and 2. To get the best experience out of this where do you recommend we should go? We would like to spend 6 nights if possible. I think we will be driving down we can save $2000 if we drive, but is it worth driving down from Wisconsin with three kids that fight after only a few hours in the car? Which park will allow my kids who are 8 and 6 to go on the most rides? Also is there anything a 2 year old can really do? I will still bring him regardless this will mean so much to them.
 
My comments in pink!

Greetings,

We are planning to take a trip to either Disneyland or Disneyworld in February 2014. By no means are we rich, I can hardly afford this, however I have always told my kids we would go and every year we end up not going. If I could hardly afford this, I would not go. It is hard to disappoint your kids, but, you've got a great opportunity to teach them how to delay gratification until you can afford to go.

I have a steady income and I am able to save some money, I think I will have enough by February.What is your operating budget for this trip? I would say that driving and staying/playing/eating for a week would run you at least 3000 (wild guess based on 750 for the drive down, 750 for a value (assuming your mom books her own room) 1000 for park tickets and about 600 to eat which might be possible if you eat breakfast in your room and quick serves much of the trip). That means that between now and Feb 2014 you will have to set aside about $430 per month. I would recommend checking out the board here on the DIS about staying off site to see if better deals lie there, or with staying onsite. Also, I would check out Disney's website or call them to work up a quote so you know exactly what $$ you're looking at.

I will be going along with my fiancee, her mother, and my three children who are 8,6, and 2. To get the best experience out of this where do you recommend we should go? Probably the value resorts will be the most affordable. I would probably get 2 rooms so your fiancee's mother can have her own space. I'm not sure if the 2 year old counts as a 5th person bumping you up to the suites or not. I'm sure someone here on the DIS will know that answer. There are resorts at every price point, and off site there are also resorts with pools, great amenities and more room so your whole family could stay together.

We would like to spend 6 nights if possible. I think we will be driving down we can save $2000 if we drive, but is it worth driving down from Wisconsin with three kids that fight after only a few hours in the car? Worth it is a relative term. Have you determined the cost based on tolls and gas and whether you're staying overnight somewhere? Some estimates I've seen from the north to the south seems to be 750 or so. Which means that your plane tickets would be around 550 each for the 5 of you, is that right? Or is future MIL included in that 2750? In any event, if it were me, I wouldn't drive. It sounds like torture. But, many families do it, and it allows them to have their car with them which can save money if you're staying off site. I think if it means the difference between going and not going, then by all means, drive.


Which park will allow my kids who are 8 and 6 to go on the most rides? Also is there anything a 2 year old can really do? I will still bring him regardless this will mean so much to them. There are tons of things for all ages. I would recommend getting some books out of the library and trolling around here on the DIS so you can become familiar with all 4 parks and the zillions of things to do.
 
Greetings,

We are planning to take a trip to either Disneyland or Disneyworld in February 2014. By no means are we rich, I can hardly afford this, however I have always told my kids we would go and every year we end up not going. I have a steady income and I am able to save some money, I think I will have enough by February.

I will be going along with my fiancee, her mother, and my three children who are 8,6, and 2. To get the best experience out of this where do you recommend we should go? We would like to spend 6 nights if possible. I think we will be driving down we can save $2000 if we drive, but is it worth driving down from Wisconsin with three kids that fight after only a few hours in the car? Which park will allow my kids who are 8 and 6 to go on the most rides? Also is there anything a 2 year old can really do? I will still bring him regardless this will mean so much to them.

If this is your only time to get to go, I would suggest trying to wait until just before your youngest is 3. BUT, also looking at some of the crowd calendars to find off season when prices and crowds will be lower (February is great for that). That way, he has a bit more chance at enjoying/remembering things. That being said, there is a TON for little ones to do. Any ride that does not have a height requirement is fine. Some rides like Dumbo also have fun waiting areas for kids to play in too.

Check out on Disney's web page for a set of free touring maps. They come on really nice paper and you can also save the files to print later. You can set a search to highlight the things you're really interested in for personalized maps. http://customizedmaps.disney.go.com/

If you can, I would go for DisneyWorld over the DisneyLand, especially since its several hours closer to you if you decide to drive. But there's also just a ton more to do there.

Don't limit yourself to staying on property. You might be able to find a very nice house to rent or villa or something like that for cheaper than staying in 2 rooms at Disney would get you.

Definitely check out the Budget Board and the discounts threads.

Are you paying for future MIL or is she? That might be something to discuss with fiancee. I think if you invited her, I could see you paying, but if she invited herself....

Good luck!
 
Our 6months old were able to go on almost every ride. Disney has very few height restricted rides. We drove in march from northwest Indiana with our three kids 8, 4 and 18 months and it was well worth the savings. We drove 5 hours, 9 hours and then 3.5 hours. We had plenty of time so it wasn't necessary to push the driving. I should add those were drive times and did not include stop times. We paid more for food since we had more meals on the road but we got motel 6 for 50.00 a night so both nights were cheaper than one night arriving late at WDW. We hit the park running when we arrived :)

We stayed at doubletree suites lake buena vista in down town disney and they had excellent shuttle service. Hilton in DtD also has access to extra magic hours if you wanted 2 rooms :)

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards
 

Driving long distance with my kids is like intentionally booking a ticket to crazy town. We keep them busy with movies and ipods. This summer that's all I packed for our 11 hour drive to NC and they were angels! That was the first time they made the trip so smoothly. I used to overpack the car with toys and junk, only to find them whining about a dropped crayon or who's turn it was to use the manga doodle. Ugh!!

We are renting a villa through VRBO.com for $1200 for a full week. Five bedrooms, a pool, three full bathrooms, a game room with a table soccer game, pool table, darts, and the kids bedrooms are all decorated in disney stuff. It is a huge savings, and a lot more space than the AoA suite we had originally booked! My original plan was to stay on site but it was too expensive, as our dates didn't qualify for any significant savings. By using VRBO, the owner can save you a good amount by not having to pay the commission to the property.

We bought discounted season passes to sea world which were only $10 more than a one day ticket, tickets to legoland which gave us the main park as well as the water park and we got three kids free when we bought three adult tickets, we will be doing the Halloween party in MK, and going to HS. Instead of going to the parks every day, we booked a character breakfast at the Poly so the kids get a little extra disney experience without breaking the bank with park tickets. We will hit up downtown disney too, to get a little more free disney atmosphere (minus the million dollars we will inevitably spend on all kinds of awesome, unnecessary stuff). I booked our airfare very early and scored a great deal. $1200 for six tickets from NY.

A good way to spread it out would be to get airfare early for best rates.
Put a deposit down on a villa and have it paid off before you go, making payments here and there.
Buy attraction tickets throughout the year as you can
Get gift cards for nearby restaurants throughout the year also to make it easier on the wallet when you're there
Take advantage of hotel character meals that don't require park admission
Look for an affordable van rental
Consider other parks or attractions in the area that may offer free kids tix with the purchase of an adult ticket

If you three adults are serious enough and all on board with the same savings game plan, you should be fine!
 
Agree with Set1208. Check Vrbo for 4 or 5 bd houses. We usually rent a 5 bd house in Davenport area because of 24 hr Walgreens and Walmart in the area.
If anyone gets sick or we need food, we can get to the store in less than 10 minutes. We don't have to wait for a bus at the end of the day and everyone has their own bedroom and TV. Grandparents have their own room away from everyone, so they can relax whenever they want. We tried staying at a hotel, but no one wants to be the one that has to go down to the pool with the kids or trying to decide what TV program to watch.

Just be patient when looking for a house. Decide what you need and the price you are willing to pay, then skip all the listings that don't meet your criteria. We have rented a 5 bd house in a gated community for less than $120 per night. Some houses now have solar heated pools so no pool heat fee. The last time we went during Thanksgiving week the kids used the pool without need for heating.
 
Also you can explore the option of the Cabins at Fort Wilderness. If you rent a home someone in your group is cooking some of your meals, and the cabins do have a full kitchen. Granted it is not as cost effective as a rental home, but it is an option.
 
My comments in pink!

I disagree with not going if you can hardly afford it. If you can afford it, then go. Talk about a relative term. Hardly means you can, even if its barely. You can teach your 2 year-old delayed-gratification with an ice cream cone, not by taking away their dream vacation.
Anyhow, we go from Wisconsin and you can get airfare for around $160 nonstop AirTran if you are flexible and buy at the right time.
 
Hello fellow Wisconsinite!

As a person who has driven to Disney and back (straight through, made stops only for food and bathrooms) I can say that yes, it will say you money, and yes, it is doable. If that's the route you want to go for, then go for it. But you'll need to make sure you take lots of stops, brings LOTS of snacks and have fun things to do in the car. It's a long drive and it can get a little tedious and a little crazy, but overall if you want to save money it is possible to do!
 
We're a large family (6) and I've found the most economical way to do WDW is as follows:

1. We fly because I just can't do a 26 hour car ride. I have a SW visa and put everything on it for the points. We usually have enough points for at least 3 tickets each year.

2. We rent a house with a private pool. Last time it was $700 for the week inclusive of all taxes and fees.

3. We also rent a minivan. You need a car/van if you're going to stay off-site.

4. We have a big breakfast at the house, snack in the parks, and eat either off-site or at the rental house. I bought a crock pot the first day there ($20 at Walmart) and planned a lot of crock pot meals. It was nice because dinner was pretty much done when we got back to the house. Other inexpensive options are to get a rotisserie chicken, bagged salad, potato/pasta salad at a grocery store and eat them back at the house.
 
I disagree with not going if you can hardly afford it. If you can afford it, then go. Talk about a relative term. Hardly means you can, even if its barely. You can teach your 2 year-old delayed-gratification with an ice cream cone, not by taking away their dream vacation.
Anyhow, we go from Wisconsin and you can get airfare for around $160 nonstop AirTran if you are flexible and buy at the right time.

I do get what you are saying & not trying to argue with you.

For me, We just priced out a food & wine weekend. if we go this year: value resort, 2 day park ticket, very limited spending money.
If we wait & save one more year: (plus i just got a part time job just for vacation money) then we can stay at an Epcot resort, afford the tickets to universal's Horror halloween nights & a ticket to Mickey's Not so scary halloween party.

for me, hardly/barely able to afford, equals skimping out on the vacation i really want.
My DH gets really anxious when we are on a tight budget, so hardly afford for him- increased anxiety about spending while on vacation. not so much fun.


The OP hasn't given us enough info in regards to his budget.
 
Greetings,

We are planning to take a trip to either Disneyland or Disneyworld in February 2014. By no means are we rich, I can hardly afford this, however I have always told my kids we would go and every year we end up not going. I have a steady income and I am able to save some money, I think I will have enough by February.

I will be going along with my fiancee, her mother, and my three children who are 8,6, and 2. To get the best experience out of this where do you recommend we should go? We would like to spend 6 nights if possible. I think we will be driving down we can save $2000 if we drive, but is it worth driving down from Wisconsin with three kids that fight after only a few hours in the car? Which park will allow my kids who are 8 and 6 to go on the most rides? Also is there anything a 2 year old can really do? I will still bring him regardless this will mean so much to them.

My first recommendation with 6 people is to rent a house off property. Your best option on property is two value rooms and renting a house for the week will most likely be less expensive, provide a way to eat/prepare meals for less than eating at the parks and provide more room for everyone to spread out. The only significant benefit you lose is the Extra Magic Hours. With a 2 year old, you may miss those anyway.

If driving makes it easier to afford your vacation, I would say go for it. If you can barely afford to go, spending an extra $2K on airfare seems crazy to me. Just find ways to keep them busy in the car. Maybe some movies, games and activities. Stop every few hours and let them burn off some energy for 15-20 minutes. The longest we drove while my kids were young was 11 hours. They did OK watching movies and playing on the iPad.

As far as things to do for a 2 year old and the kids, MK will provide more constant rides and entertainment. All of the parks have something for everyone, but MK has the most "family" based rides. Depending on what the 6 and 8 year old enjoy, there are things in each park to do. If they are daring and like bigger rides, HS has TSM, Star Wars, ToT, RnR and some good shows. Epcot has Soarin', TT, Nemo, JII, SE and a lot of other things to do. If they enjoy science then Epcot would work well.

My final thought is that if this trip takes a lot of saving and may be your one and only trip while they are young, don't go until you have enough saved to do everything you want to get in. I would rather save a little longer and enjoy the trip stress free than worry about how I will pay it off.

Good luck!
 
I would lean to onsite if you think mil may want to go back to the room before you. It's much easier for her to hop on the bus.
Driving vs flying also has a lot to do with how reliable your car is. You don't want to be halfway there and have a problem. Yes problems can happen with cars at any time but if you have a reliable car it seems less likely. Also make sure you have money for emergencies medical or otherwise. Even if its just plenty of room on a credit card.
 
I do get what you are saying & not trying to argue with you.

For me, We just priced out a food & wine weekend. if we go this year: value resort, 2 day park ticket, very limited spending money.
If we wait & save one more year: (plus i just got a part time job just for vacation money) then we can stay at an Epcot resort, afford the tickets to universal's Horror halloween nights & a ticket to Mickey's Not so scary halloween party.

for me, hardly/barely able to afford, equals skimping out on the vacation i really want.
My DH gets really anxious when we are on a tight budget, so hardly afford for him- increased anxiety about spending while on vacation. not so much fun.


The OP hasn't given us enough info in regards to his budget.

Ahhh. Touché.
 
Honestly... I would just take the kids and fly. spend some quality time with just your kids. Then you could stay in a value resort since you would have 4 people.
 
You may be breaking a cardinal rule, we don't owe our kids college or Disney vacation. With the means we have we assist them in life. Make good decisions now and your children will respect that and be better people. You don't need to be a Disneyland Dad for your kids. Work together to save and go when they are older. You two year old will appreciate being able to remember the trip. I would save two years out if income tax, extra hours, however to go when they are older and you can fly.

After many trips driving, flying, kids arguing and tight budgets......I say you don't need a miserable vacation and divorce before you marry. I wouldn't want to be in the car that long as your kiddo, or with our kiddos. Flying with them will be hard enough.

A trip is usually, $100, per person, per day for basic expenses.
Do you have amusement parks in your area and an overnight stay as a test run. Even that is expensive.

If your budget is tight, you need to think if something happened and funds were needed what would happen. A blown motor, loss of job, uncovered medical, housing changes. All of these things cost us trip cancelations. T
 





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