Food/Shuttle/Extras Budget

[fiddlejill]

Hi! My BF and I are (possibly!) going to Disney together for the first time in January. I've been several times before with my family when I was younger (but not for about 10 years). My BF is on a more restricted budget than I am, since he's in his last year of grad school and I'm working. Because my sister's husband is in the military and we would be traveling with them, we have a nice discount at the Dolphin and on 2-day hoppers (which military people can get...my BF and I would have our own room). Also, I have frequent flier miles which bring our airline ticket cost way down. We would be traveling 4 days and 3 nights. Here are my estimates so far for the two of us:

3 nights at the Dolphin: $390-405
2, 2-day hoppers: $160-200?
2 Cirque tickets: $140?
Airline ticket (we split): $172

Shuttle?
Food we bring?
Food at parks/hotel?
Total (so far): $862-917

I'm unsure about how much to realistically budget for food and transporation from the airport. I think we were planning on eating breakfast in our rooms (with snacky food we'd bring) but then probably eating out the other two meals (we'd try to look for inexpensive lunches and maybe have a nice dinner or two while we're there). We were thinking we'd see Cirque on our first night there, then do 2 days in the parks, and then spend the last morning/early afternoon enjoying things in and around the Dolphin before we hopped back on an afternoon flight. (If we had late checkout, I bet there'd be a fee, right? Our flight wouldn't leave the airport till 5pm.)

I've read about having a shuttle stop to pick on groceries/water on the way to the hotel. That sounds good. Who do you recommend for that? Also, how much do you think is realistic to budget for lunch/dinner and any small extras at the parks? Do you think the two of us could do this short 4D, 3N trip for $1400 or less? I know that may be too little, but I want to try to keep costs low so we could both afford it.

Sorry this is so long. Thank you for your ideas. I really appreciate them.

 

[hellow]

HI:

I suggest Tiffany Town Car for the shuttle from the airport. They have a $5 coupon on their site to print out, so the round trip would be $75. It is much nicer than Mears, and I think they still do a grocery stop on the way to the hotel. We used them two years ago and were able to do that. We had a really good experience with them.

Unless you REALLY want to see La Nouba, I would consider saving the money on the tickets to help your budget. There is a list of FREE things to do at WDW on the Mousesavers.com site. You could take a walk to the Boardwalk (easy walk from the Dolphin) on your first night. When I went with my husband (no kids) we thought about spending the extra money for shows but ended up having a great time just enjoying the sites at the resorts, downtown disney and the boardwalk.

Hope this helps, and I am sure there will be lots of other suggestions from this great budget board. Have fun!

 

[travelitis]

You can read menus at www.wdwig.com to help you plan your expenditure. You can pack food and take it on the plane. I worked for a charter airline and checked in coolers constantly. I'd just freeze any meats or juices and take duct tape to close the cooler after the ticket agent has peeked inside. They have tape, but it isn't as good as duct tape. I've packed crushable snacks in plastic shoe boxes inside my luggage, and that worked great, too.

By the time you pay for round-trip transfers for 4 you can probably rent a car, especially if you pay a little extra for a grocery stop. In 8 trips to Disney I've used a shuttle once - never again. To compare cost, go to www.alamo.com. Their website is very user friendly, and their rates are very good. A car will give you the freedom to go to any grocery or restaurant you like including the McDonald's that's so close to AK. You might still prefer the shuttle, but it's worth comparing.