Family Vacation on Budget..

[daystar]

Here's my vacation plans..
My sister and my family are planning a WDW vacation for Nov...My family has 5 people (2 adults & 3 children, 11, 17, 1)..My sister's family of 3 ( 1 adult & 2 children 12, 15)...We would like to stay on property, plus the dinning package and the hopper pass..For 6 nights and seven days...We plan on staying at the movie value resort...We live in New York state and planning on driving to save money on air fair...Is there a good way budgetting or any other vacation package that i could do to save money???

 

[RN4Babies]

Here's my vacation plans..
My sister and my family are planning a WDW vacation for Nov...My family has 5 people (2 adults & 3 children, 11, 17, 1)..My sister's family of 3 ( 1 adult & 2 children 12, 15)...We would like to stay on property, plus the dinning package and the hopper pass..For 6 nights and seven days...We plan on staying at the movie value resort...We live in New York state and planning on driving to save money on air fair...Is there a good way budgetting or any other vacation package that i could do to save money???

Are you all going in one vehicle or caravaning with two? Are you driving straight through or stopping at motels on the way there and back?

 

[daystar]

We are going to rent a 10 passenger van and drive straight through...Figure with us all we could take turns driving...Pack lunches along the way...

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

I personally would remove the hopper option, it's an unnecessary expense on a budget. It's one place you could save some money. Also, the values are a great way to go, and they are FUN!!! We drive from Rochester and it isn't bad at all. Start saving your change now, it adds up so fast. And everytime you think you might want to buy something or the kids do, remind yourself of your trip, it puts you in such a great budget mode. I stash all extra money (coupon savings, unexpected $, b-day $ for DH and I, etc.) And don't foget to go to the under $10 store in DTD for some good deals on souvies!

 

[carj]

I personally would remove the hopper option, it's an unnecessary expense on a budget. It's one place you could save some money. Also, the values are a great way to go, and they are FUN!!! We drive from Rochester and it isn't bad at all. Start saving your change now, it adds up so fast. And everytime you think you might want to buy something or the kids do, remind yourself of your trip, it puts you in such a great budget mode. I stash all extra money (coupon savings, unexpected $, b-day $ for DH and I, etc.) And don't foget to go to the under $10 store in DTD for some good deals on souvies!

I agree about the hopper. We only had one day when we might have hopped. Most of the days we stayed in one park, took a break and then returned to the same park to use fast passes.

I am not sure what the hours or show schedules are like for your travel time, so that may affect your need to have the hoppers.

We stayed at All Star Music on our honeymoon! We also stayed at All Star Sports this summer. I would suggest that you consider staying at Sports if you are planning to use Disney transportation. (I actually preferred to drive our rental car.) Sports is the first of the values picked up so you can almost always get a seat on the bus.

I would say that the dining plan is great if you plan on doing a table service meal every day. If not, then I think that you will come out better paying out of pocket. You should do the math on the dining plan with your group and see what you think.

 

[trennr]

1] Drop the hopper option...I'd say it is very expensive for a feature you probably won't use.

2] While the thought of the dining plan is nice...it cost allot...and the thought of 6 table service dinners make me feel bloated already.

3] With that many people you could stay in an offsite 4-BR house with a private pool for $110-140 a night. More room for everyone to spread out...and you can even do a quick breakfast there.

Now some questions???
Since you are driving from NY...I note you only have 6 nights to 7 days?
So...how many days tickets you talking? 5?

Your arrival day will probably be at night and too late for any park time...and that's = night 1...then after your 6th night...won't you be leaving back home.

Never understood "Days" greater than "Nights" unless you fly with early arrivals and late departures.

 

[daystar]

Yes you are right we probably only need passes for five days, i think...So we should drop the hopper pass...Then the dining...We do plan on eating one sit down meal a day, is that still worth the dining package???I want to make sure the kids eat some what healthy on our trip...As for staying off site would be nice but my DH likes to stay in disney he thinks it's more convient for our families....

 

[Rylee]

Here's my vacation plans..
My sister and my family are planning a WDW vacation for Nov...My family has 5 people (2 adults & 3 children, 11, 17, 1)..My sister's family of 3 ( 1 adult & 2 children 12, 15)...We would like to stay on property, plus the dinning package and the hopper pass..For 6 nights and seven days...We plan on staying at the movie value resort...We live in New York state and planning on driving to save money on air fair...Is there a good way budgetting or any other vacation package that i could do to save money???

Definitely drop the hopper option... that saves your family $200 and your sister's family $150.

Are the kids good eaters or are they picky? All the kids except your baby, would be considered a "Disney Adult," (10 and over) and would pay the adult dining price, approx. $40 for each night of your stay. If they are good eaters, purchase the Dining Plan, if not, you could just plan a couple of Table Service meals and buy mostly counter service meals the rest of the time. (We like the Dining Plan and also like having our meals paid for in advance.)

When in Nov. do you plan to go? Check the room rates for your travel dates... I believe they are higher the week of Thanksgiving.

Can you travel when FREE dining is being offered? August 16 - October 3. It's would be a big savings.

Go to the WDW site, register and request the free planning DVD and make sure you check the box to receive emails from Disney. You might get lucky and receive a pin code for a discount.

Watch this site and check mousesaves to see when discounts become available.

 

[Darcy03231]

With that many people I would stay off-site. We went down in August 2007 with 9 people and rented a 5 bedroom/3 bath private pool home (peak season) for less per night than one room at the value resorts. It was wonderful! We found that driving back and forth from the house to the parks took less time than waiting for the buses on property. We also saved a lot of money by eating some meals in.

I would also drop the park hopper option. I went last fall and never felt the need to hop. There's enough to see and do in one park to keep everyone busy for a day.

 

[RN4Babies]

I agree with a pp who suggested staying offsite. We rented a 4 bedroom, 3 bath 2000 square house when we went to WDW that was 10 minutes from any given park. We had our own pool (with pool toys), a jacuzzi that was great for tired muscles at the end of a day, and a gameroom the kids enjoyed. There was a large TV in the great room, and each bedroom also had a TV. We had a full kitchen, and used it for simple breakfasts (cereal, peanut butter toast, yogurt, fresh berries, etc.) every morning, and packed PBJ sandwiches and dry snacks (goldfish crackers, granola bars, fruit snacks), water and frozen juice boxes for the parks every day. We didn't cook dinner (when my sister and I are on vacation, we don't "cook" ), but ordered pizza one night, got chinese takeout, and did local, non-Disney restasurants for our sit down meals. If we had been on a tighter budget, we certainly would have cooked for dinner. We got CS lunches in the parks; Peco Bill's was our favorite because of the topping bar for burgers. We also LOVED Earl of Sandwich and both Wolfgang Puck Cafe and Wolfgang Puck Express in DTD (along with the Ghiradelli ice cream!)

We paid $750 for the week for the house we rented (all inclusive...taxes, pool and spa heat...there were no hidden fees or add ons). Yes, we had to pay $12/day to park at the WDW parks and didn't have the perks that onsite guests receive. For us, the money we saved and the space we had to spread out was worth it. I much preferred staying in a house vs. a motel room. (It was GREAT to put dd to bed and sit in the jacuzzi relaxing!)

I agree with everyone about dropping the park hopper option. If you at some point decide it's something you need, you can add it on to your tickets at that time.

 

[3boymthr]

Have you checked out AAA, since there are no room discounts available yet this could be a savings for you depending upon room type this could save you 15-20% on the room there is also a small savings on the ticket price. If better deals/discounts become available AAA can switch your booking to the better discount. Plus where you are driving you can save money on the drive down on rooms. I'm saving $15/room using my AAA discount for our stop-overs on the drive down. This would also give you free maps for your drive down a savings of about $5/map. You can save money by not doing the DDP but if you're like me doing one sit down a day you can save money with the DDP. Price it out.

 

[kstugan]

Have you checked out the Nickelodeon hotel? We are staying there at the end of MAy. It looks awesome and is really close to Disney. I got a great deal on yeego.com. It was less expensive than getting 2 rooms at the All-Star resort and looks much more spacious. The kids are really excited about the large waterpark.

 

[rrobin3051]

First off drop the hopper option. I used to buy hopper every time. Last year we hardly used them, and we did it was because I felt we needed to just because we bought them. So no more hopper for us. Secondly I really agree about staying off site. We love it. We go with extended family and we stay in Indian Creek very close and not as expensive as Windsor hills. We go in peak season and staying 11 nights. We have our own pool and spa. We have 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. Total for 11 nights, 12 days is 1400 with all taxes and everything. We love being able to eat breakfast in the house, pack some lunches and either eat dinner at the park or at home. We go in the summer so coming back is usually a must for us. We don't mind cooking. Hubby usually grills while we make side dishes and the kids are swimming. We eat outside, clean up and head back to the parks. It is so great to come home and put the little ones to bed and swim or what not. I think staying off site is wonderful and money saving. If you must stay on site then make sure you bring your own snack, and water. I don't have any other deals to tell you about. But honestly the busing takes so much longer than us driving back home. Have fun

 

[laceemouse]

I would stay on-site, it is so worth it!
Agree about the hoppers, it is too much of a hassle to hop with kids anyway, plus mine never want to leave a park when they see so much there they haven't done yet.

We loved FREE FOOD when we got it, but we never buy the meal plan. Our kids are all considered adults so it is pricey, and one is a non-meat eater (those are always the cheapest meals anyway) and the youngest eats like a bird. We do one sit down meal a day and we still feel like it it not worth the $$$ to buy the plan. We often just eat granola bars for breakfast and a snacky lunch to save room for that one big meal a day!!

Have you looked at the price to rent the van? I would think it would be more than most of us expect it to be.

 

[Atchley]

Drop the park hopper option.
I say stay onsite. It is totally worth the magic.
Keep the DDP. It will be nice to sit down with your group and relax a little each day. Plus all of the meals will be paid for in advance. A great plus for anyone on a budget. At least in my opinion. I love not to have to budget money throughout the entire trip for our meals. We went once without the DDP and will never do it again. Everything will cost twice as much as you budget for and by the end of our trip I was sick of eating hamburgers, fries and chicken nuggets because I didn't want to spend more to buy the better counter service dinner. On the DDP, it is already paid for so you can get what you want.

 

[srwarden1928]

Drop the hopper--not worth it. It costs alot in time and money. There are reasons for it. From your description, I dont think any of them apply to your family.
Drop the DDP--the thought of fourteen desserts in a week UGH! It is soooo much food. You can probably share some or even do all CS.
If you can afford to stay onsite, it would be very nice to do so.

Have a magical vacation.

 

[trennr]

Yes you are right we probably only need passes for five days, i think...So we should drop the hopper pass...Then the dining...We do plan on eating one sit down meal a day, is that still worth the dining package???I want to make sure the kids eat some what healthy on our trip...As for staying off site would be nice but my DH likes to stay in disney he thinks it's more convient for our families....

Don't know the Dining plan vs. paying for 1 Table service number...as I've never done either. I do know one of our favorite sit-down Resturants is not on the DDP list (Rainforest Cafe). Also...having a table service meal per day means you will need Reservations...which tie you to be there at time X...and probably park X.

 

[tricia]

I agree with most in that I would drop the hopper. Also, I would not add the water parks and more to the ticket either, just let the kids swim at the pool everyday. With only 5 or 6 days there won;t be much time for the water parks anyway.

I would keep the plan to stay onsite, as it sounds like your DH would prefer that, and it is just easier in some ways cause of the transportation etc.

If you plan on eating at a TS once a day I would stick with the DDP. If everyone plans to order their own meal from the adult menu it is worth it. It is $40/day for most of your party. If you are eating TS dinners, your entree is going to be over $24, plus beverage $3, dessert $6, then you have Lunch $10, snack $4. That totals up over $40. You can eat for cheaper, but if this is how you are going to eat anyway it is the way to go. We always get it cause I love my TS dinners and don't have to feel gulty about ordering the most expensive thing on the menu if that is what I feel like. I also don't have to restrict what my oldest son orders. He has expensive taste and I sometimes get stingy and hate that he loves crab and steak, and shrimp etc.