Help a newbie!

[LilMamiBella]

I'm the newbie and I need some help.
I'm Stephanie and I'm thinking of planning a trip to Disney World for February at the Wilderness Lodge for 4 days. I was thinking that I could get 3- day Park Hopper Passes for the 4 of us. Spend one of the days relaxing or something. I've estimated our costs at being $2400.00
Now, I'd love to have it cheaper than that. I heard about the Premium Annual Passport. Now is it true that I get a percentage off on some restaurants, shopping, Wilderness Lodge and on the different parks? I don't have much time to save money and I want for us to be able to have fun, stay in a nice place, and save a little money. Is it possible?

My estimated costs are for:
Lodging @ $199 a night= $800.00
Tickets for 4 people ( 3- day park hopper) @ $450
Gas $250.00
Souvenirs/misc- $400
Food $500
Total- $2400.00

Does the total look about right? Thanks so much!

 

[tar heel]

Annual pass discounts are SOMETIMES available. It's too early now to know whether there will be any for February, but you can book your room and change to AP rate later. You do NOT have to get the premium pass to get the rates either -- the regular AP is about $100 cheaper. Do you plan to return to WDW within a year? If not, even one AP may not be cost effective unless it's a huge discount.

$250 is a huge amount for gas. What do drive? At today's prices, we would be spending less than half that amount, and I assume we're further away than you -- 560 miles each way for us.

$500 for food is pretty lean but plenty if you do mostly counter service.

Since you're driving, you can bring soft drinks and snacks with you, too. We also do breakfast in the room most mornings (muffins, granola bars, fruit cups, etc.) -- helps with $ and to get us to the parks more quickly. Make sure to bring your road food/drinks, too. We always do that and we also have a rule that no one gets anything from gas stations/convenience stores-- that's a pretty good rule to have in general any way. With a family of 5, those little stops can easily be $15-$20.

 

[NvrBnToWDW]

Since you're only going for a few days, you probably won't spend that much time in your hotel room. So, I suggest staying at a value resort (All-Stars or Pop) for about $99 a night. Then you've just released an extra $400 from your budget.

 

[LilMamiBella]

Originally posted by tar heel
Annual pass discounts are SOMETIMES available. It's too early now to know whether there will be any for February, but you can book your room and change to AP rate later. You do NOT have to get the premium pass to get the rates either -- the regular AP is about $100 cheaper. Do you plan to return to WDW within a year? If not, even one AP may not be cost effective unless it's a huge discount.

$250 is a huge amount for gas. What do drive? At today's prices, we would be spending less than half that amount, and I assume we're further away than you -- 560 miles each way for us.

$500 for food is pretty lean but plenty if you do mostly counter service.

Since you're driving, you can bring soft drinks and snacks with you, too. We also do breakfast in the room most mornings (muffins, granola bars, fruit cups, etc.) -- helps with $ and to get us to the parks more quickly. Make sure to bring your road food/drinks, too. We always do that and we also have a rule that no one gets anything from gas stations/convenience stores-- that's a pretty good rule to have in general any way. With a family of 5, those little stops can easily be $15-$20.

Well, I drive an Expedition. Its a gas hog. We went to Daytona in July and we spent about $200 for gas coming/going. But I added the $50 just in case. So, its not worth it to get the passholder; if its available? Thanks for the suggestions for the food. We live in South Carolina by the way.

 

[LilMamiBella]

Originally posted by NvrBnToWDW
Since you're only going for a few days, you probably won't spend that much time in your hotel room. So, I suggest staying at a value resort (All-Stars or Pop) for about $99 a night. Then you've just released an extra $400 from your budget.

This will be the first time I've ever been to Disney. I just want to have the best possible time. I've read that Wilderness Lodge has been rated as one of the best deluxe hotels. I also like the fact that its closer to the Magic Kingdom.

 

[LisaZoe]

My DD and I stayed at the WL on our recent trip. It was a beautiful resort and I liked the transportation to MK. To the other parks, though, it wasn't nearly as convenient as the AKL which, being so remote, didn't share transportation with other resorts.

It doesn't take much time to save some money on lodging. Keep checking here and mousesavers.com for discount codes. There are usually ones available to the general public that can save quite a bit off rack rate. We were able to get a woods view room at WL for $147 per night - including tax.

You may also be able to get codes based on the state you live in or other affiliations, i.e. Disney Visa card holder, AAA, etc. Some are definitely better than others but anything helps. Many people start with a reservation using a AAA rate and then apply better discounts later as they become available.

Good luck and welcome to the DIS. You've come to the right place for information. I found the site in July when I first began planning our trip and definitely felt prepared by the time we departed.

 

[MELSMICE]

JMO, but I wouldn't get an AP (even one) unless you are definitely planning on returning within the year. I would wait to see if discount codes become available. Keep checking Mousesavers.

I would up your food budget a little bit - just in case, but if you are only doing counter service & no sit down meals you'll probably be okay. Actually, my suggestion would be..............between now & your trip set aside at least $5-$10 a week additional for souvenirs. Turn this money into Disney $'s (hopefully you have a local Disney Store). Use all this money for your souvenirs, miscellaneous & then put the money you would have used for souvenirs towards your food allowance. This just seems to work for me because then I can only spend the Disney $'s at Disney World - plus, my DD's love to spend Disney $'s on the souvenirs.

The Wilderness Lodge is absolutely. We haven't stayed there yet - will be there in April for a brief visit - so I'm not sure about transportation to the other parks, but I do know that MK is very close & I think it is a just a boat ride away to the TTC.

Have fun planning!

 

[LilMamiBella]

Originally posted by MELSMICE
JMO, but I wouldn't get an AP (even one) unless you are definitely planning on returning within the year. I would wait to see if discount codes become available. Keep checking Mousesavers.

Okay! Thanks!


I would up your food budget a little bit - just in case, but if you are only doing counter service & no sit down meals you'll probably be okay. Actually, my suggestion would be..............between now & your trip set aside at least $5-$10 a week additional for souvenirs. Turn this money into Disney $'s (hopefully you have a local Disney Store). Use all this money for your souvenirs, miscellaneous & then put the money you would have used for souvenirs towards your food allowance. This just seems to work for me because then I can only spend the Disney $'s at Disney World - plus, my DD's love to spend Disney $'s on the souvenirs.

How much do you think I'll need for food if we have one sit down meal, 1 counter service, 1 snack each a day? Well, I plan to rent a mini fridge and have some cereal, muffins, milk/juice, and some stuff to make sandwiches.

 

[MELSMICE]

Originally posted by LilMamiBella
How much do you think I'll need for food if we have one sit down meal, 1 counter service, 1 snack each a day? Well, I plan to rent a mini fridge and have some cereal, muffins, milk/juice, and some stuff to make sandwiches.

I think it will depend on the age of your children. $500 will probably be enough, but I always like to have more instead of scrimping.

--ice cream bars are about $2.50 each X 4 = $10.00
--Cokes or water $2.50 each X 4 = $10.00
--actually, it seems like just about everything is between $2-$3 each, so you can figure your snacks to be between $10-$20/day

--Counter service - between $5-7 per meal - kids meals are a little less. You can save if you don't get fries w/ every meal, split drinks or ask for ice water - all depends on what or how much you eat or drink. I am happy w/ a kids meal but I'm not a huge eater.

--Sit down service - we figure $25 per adult depending on what we order & if we want 1 or 2 drinks (I'm not a drinker but will order a frozen daquairi & DH will have a few beers w/ dinner) Do your kids split an adult meal, order kids meals or both order adult meals (again, depends on their age & if they're big eaters or not).

We save money by doing the breakfast in our room also & we do have things for sandwiches, but we are usually there longer than 4 days. For a 4 day trip you may not be in your room too much to do lunch daily or to justify the cost of lunchmeat, bread, etc. We always put snacks & drinks in our room for down time & to take to the pool.

One of the main reasons I would say to budget just a little more is I always say we are not going to go overboard w/ snacks in the parks, but once we are there I can't pass up those great snacks they have - Mickey Bars, Cinnamon Buns in the bakery, Dole Whips, Beaver Tails, Chocolate Covered Rice Krispie Treats, Smoothies, Churros & so much more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Hi Stephanie,

You do NOT need a premium annual pass. You will only be there for 4 days and that is not enough time to do the 4 theme parks and all the water parks etc.

You can get a regular annual pass and still get the rates but keep in mind, the rates are not guaranteed, and AP rates for deluxes are almost always are gone within the first few hours of being released. So if you are not on the ball, checking every day around the usual release times, you might not get them.

Unless you plan to return to WDW within a year, you should probably just get the 3 or 4 day PH and check mousesavers for a hotel code. There are often codes there that are available to everyone. Just make sure you check daily and call as soon as possible when you get the code you want. Book hotel and park pass separately. That will save some $$.

(if you do think you can squeeze in a few more short trips before next year, it may be worth it. Check this site out http://www.allearsnet.com/pl/breakeven.php for info on whether or not this AP would be cost effective for you )

Do you have AAA? You might be able to get a AAA rate for a Disney hotel too. It's worth a shot. Check www.mousesavers.com for more info.

Food is expensive in WDW but that cost is relative to how much you eat and where.

Here are the updated menus for the WDW restaurants http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menus.htm

That should give you some idea as to how much food will cost you. We are two adults and we probably spend about $300- $400 on food in a week. But we also have two sit down meals a day and the occasional drink and snack. For the most part we eat at the moderately priced places but we occasionally have a meal in the castle or a more expensive World Showcase restaurant.

Souvenirs can range in price from $3 antenna toppers and pencils up to thousands of dollars artwork. So that is also relative. My best advice when you are looking for souvenirs is wait until your last day and then shop. That way, you will have had a chance to see everything. Just remember some things are exclusive to certain parks. You can also always order it when you get home. WDW Merchandise http://allearsnet.com/tp/mailorder.htm can find just about anything you see in the parks and ship it to you. So if there is something your kids see and really want, but you don't think you have the budget now, you can always order it from home and surprise them on their birthdays.

The last bit of advice I have is this. WDW is not going anywhere. Being there for only 3-4 days you may feel compelled to try and do it all and see it all. You won't be able to and you should realize that from the get go. I find that the best thing to do is to make a list of what you think you want to do, and then hit those attractions first. You will be going back someday, and if you don't get to every ride and show in all four parks this time, you will do them next time. I always think it's sad when I see first timers rushing around trying to hit every ride and show and never taking a moment to sit back, enjoy a Mickey ice cream bar and watch the smiles on their kids faces. So make sure you spend some time just enjoying the sights and sounds.

Have a great trip!

Sheri

 

[mbb]

renting points to stay at the Wilderness Lodge Villas?

A studio - complete with fridge, microwave and toaster - "costs" 13points/night for the latter part of Feb..you could find a DVCer to rent those points from for as little as $10/point, no tax. Which would bring your accomodations/food costs way down.

Check the DVC rent/trade Board, and the DVC Discussion Board for more info

HTH!!

 

[LilMamiBella]

Great suggestions! Thanks so much!