Help us get to Disney next summer!!

[Thinktinknpixiedust]

Hi guys! I need help. We had an amazing vacation this past July... we stayed at CBR had the dining plan... the whole nine yards! We are hooked and REALLY want to go again next August. However we just can't spend what we spent on this last vacation. We are a family of 5 (2 DS, 12 & 15) and (1 DD 3). Our budget really should not go over 3000... I am open to any suggestions you can make... I know you guys can help make sure we get our Disney fix next summer! I already checked online and w/o travel it would be 4700 for a room at POR with dining, etc. Let me have those great ideas! Thanks a bunch!

 

[staci]

Eat bkfst in the room.
Shorten the number of days for your trip.
Wait for a discount code or package deal.
Eat a late lunch at a nice restaurant; often cheaper than dinner.
Bring lots of snacks from home.
Dont drink pop in the parks.
Dont rent a car.
Take away some options from your park tickets (days, no expiration, etc).
Dont do water parks.
Spend a day or two relaxing at the resort and DTD, no admission there.
Sell stuff on EBAY

 

[MKCP5]

I know this won't be popular, but start by staying offsite. Huge savings. Buy a week of timeshare on ebay or from a friend who owns it and have plenty of room for your family and be able to have a few meals at home. That alone knocks off a ton of money!!

 

[thelionqueen]

I consider myself a serious bargain hunter, and I hope my ideas can help.

1st of all, have some money tucked away starting asap; I would say like $200-$300, then wait.

The rates right now for next summer are going to be standard rack rates (for the most part) and will not do you any good to book now.

Watch the DIS boards and Mousesavers for deals (like the free dining) and be flexible with the time you travel.

If travelling in the summer, you can bet there are not going to be many specials, as this is the busiest (and most crowded) time of the year. If you really want to go in Summer, go in late May or early Sept. These are the some of the Best times to get deals.

Once you see a bargain, BOOK IT!! You can always change or transfer deposit if something else comes along.

If you are patient, and do your homework, you can get a much better deal. Hope that helps!!

 

[allaboutmm]

Maybe if you.........
change to a value season
any extra $ you get( birthdays, refunds, coin jar)
look into getting a Disney Visa Rewards card. So if you ever choose to use a credit card for something, at lease you'll get reward $. ( not saying go crazy)
when paying bills each month, make a point of "pay disney fund", even if its only $25, its something.
I know its easier said then done. I hope it works out for you and your family!

AAA has good deals sometimes?

 

[It's A Happy Day]

Can we get a few more details please?
Specific dates that you are available or are you flexible?
What are the must haves...dining vs. non dining, have to stay at the same resort, length of stay, preference of travel - fly/drive...

Going on what you have posted and the basics that Disney tends to run some kind of special end of August/Sept/October I would shoot for that time frame. Work it into the value season as rates will be better. Basic info - Aug 21 - Aug 28 at POR regular room 2 adults, 3 children with 5 day hopper passes comes in just shy of $3500 with dining plan (would go down to $2400 if free dining promo ran again) - would still need to book flights but closer to your 3k budget without any discounts yet - so it is definitely within reach. I would book early to lock in at least your basic price and make nec. changes later when the real deals start coming out. Remember you can change your reservation up to the 45 day out payoff day. I feel that by booking it early and making payments it doesn't hurt as bad as 1 big bill. Keep your budget the same but do a little at a time. Look into ways to make $$$ to designate only towards Disney - your daily $2.00 coffee, buying meals at work, have a yard sale, ask for DD as gifts, rebates, coupons, etc. When you wish upon a star...

 

[deide71]

I agree.

Wait until the dining plan is thrown in free (shows up in august for late august to early oct travel). You can't beat that deal.

 

[Tinkerbelll]

Buy an Annual Pass. I know your probably thinking "I'm trying to SAVE money!! Your Nuts!!"...lol. It may sound stupid, but depending on how long you want to go for and how much you will be spending on tix anyways, it may save you money. The room discounts alone can be really great at certain times of year. Plus, as an AP holder, you are entitled to lots of discounts around the world (i.e. 10% off merchandise at The World of Disney in DTD, 20% off rental car with Alamo, half price mini-golf, 10% off dining at Fultons, Ghirardelli, Planet Hollywood, Portobello Yaht Club, ESPN club, Most of the resturants at the Deluxe resorts and in Epcot, etc.) All these little discounts add up... DBF and I save a ton of $$ with the AP's. And the best part is that most of the discounts only require one person in your party to own the AP, and your whole party gets the discount. But the best part is still the room only discounts.... for example, right now till early Oct., value resorts can be booked for $59.00 a night! Not too shabby.... Good Luck!!

 

[EthansMom]

Well, $3000 would be quite a struggle, but I'll give it a try:

Book an off-site timeshare rental like Cypress Point, which gets good reviews from the Orlando Hotels Board. Bookable on http://www.hotelkingdom.com for $93.22/night (not incl. tax) for a two bedroom (sleeps 6). Room Total for 7 nights: $716.14

Drive to/from WDW. I've done this drive to/from Connecticut. Yes, it was something of a pain, but much less expensive than flying. Estimated Gas Total: $400

Hotels overnight on the road trip: $200

Purchase tickets from a reputable discounter like Ticketmania: http://www.ticketmania.com. 6 day expiry MYW tix with park hopping (4 adult & 1 child) total: $1117.00

Parking fees at parks $8/day: $48

Groceries to cook most breakfasts and dinner at the timeshare: $200.

Counter Service lunch each day should run about $50. Total for lunches: $300

One Character Dinner: $140

Spending money of $50 per person: $250

Total: $3371.14

The best alternative would be if WDW offers free dining again next fall. With free dining and sleeping all five of you in one room at POR, your cost (incl. 6 day park hopper tix) would be $2352.63 for the package. That's a steal. But there's no telling if WDW will be offering the same or any deal next fall.

If you get and use the Disney Visa, you could earn points towards your meals and purchases at WDW, which would reduce your cost. Just make sure to pay your cc in full each month, so you don't have an added burden.

You could have the two older boys earn their own spending money for the trip. Also, if they want to go to DisneyQuest, that is another thing for which they could earn their own money.

Instead of other gifts, the kids could ask for Disney Dollars for Christmas and Birthdays.

Also, getting tickets that don't have park hopping could save $132. You could always take the tickets to Guest Relations and have the park hopping feature added, although you will be charged the full $132 even if you've used days off your tickets already.

I hope this helps!

 

[CarolinaBlue]

Don't do a package (unless you can get the free dining or other discount).
Join AAA so you can at least get a room-only discount (if nothing better comes along).

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

Okay, let's see what we can do.

Book POR for August 27 - Sept. 2, 2006. That's during value season for moderate and value resorts. Use a AAA discount and it will cost you under $750 for the week. It's possible to book at the AAA rate right now for next year.

Buy 5-day MYW base tickets (expiry) from Ticketmania thru the MouseSavers newletter link. The cost will be under $950.

Drive from Rochester to Orlando non-stop, sharing the driving between you (total drive time will be 21 hours). This will save on transportation costs (airfare for 5 on your budget is not realistic) and the cost of a hotel room on the way down and back. Gas and tolls would run you under $300 with today's gas prices. I based this on AAA's Fuel CostTrip Calculator for a 2000 Dodge Caravan going from Rochester to Orlando. Your cost will vary depending on the type of vehicle you drive and the cost of fuel next summer.

That leaves about $1000 for food and souvenirs. If you allow $100/day for food, you can make it with $300 for souvenirs or to compensate for the increase in gas costs. I realize that $100/day is not a lot when you're trying to feed a family of 5 on vacation but it is possible if you have breakfast in the room, pack snacks for the park and eat dinner outside of the Disney complex. Also consider the fact that you will not be buying groceries at home that week. Your weekly grocery budget can be added to this dollar amount to help defray food costs.

You could save a little more on accomodations and have more space to spread out if you decide to stay offsite. That would help with the food budget, since you've got 2 teenage boys to feed. You might also luck out and have a kitchenette in the room, making meal preparation possible.

It will be tight on a budget of $3K but it is not impossible. Certainly, try to find ways to add to your "Disney Fund" during the year so that you can pad the budget a little. Putting aside just an additional $10 per week will net you another $500 by this time next year. It would give you a little more wiggle room and might even be enough to pay for airfare when you add it to a transportation budget of $300.

Good Luck!

 

[Hoosier Mom]

So when the free dining option comes out, is it on the WDW website? Was that offered this August? When I was playing around with quotes on the website, I didn't see any offers.

 

[It's A Happy Day]

The free dining promo went into effect on Aug 21st - I would check mousesavers.com regularly - at least weekly if not daily if your on the computer anyway when seriously looking to book or alter a reservation as it seems like the deals pop up there 1st - this is where I originally found out about it and called my TA before she had even heard about it. If dates are flexible then watching for promotions like this are the best bet of saving some serious money - the AAA discount only saved us about $100.00 at the value resorts - it would save you more at the moderate and deluxe hotels and you would have to weigh your options of what you save on whatever discount vs. the savings on a promotion like the free dining. The Free dining will save us over $1000.00!!! If the OP is going to book something now the biggest thing I will recommend is if you do a room only booking with Disney do NOT buy your tickets from ticketmania until closer to the trip time. The reason I say this is if Disney comes out with a promotion it usually is package based and you must book room and passes together to get the savings. You could alter your original ressie to include it but this would not help you if you have already bought your passes elsewhere. If you want to lock in the money so that you don't spend it elsewhere, puchase disney dollars or apply the money to your room reservation so the money goes towards what is was meant to be used towards or open a savings account to be used to hold only vacation money. You will get back to the magic with all the tips and help here on the boards!!!

 

[keishashadow]

Value Season @ Value Resort; can't beat the price. If your heart is set on more upscale accomodations, rent points from a DVC member for a studio Villa, you could actually cook some of your meals

If "free dining" isn't available, skip breakfast & eat an early lunch @ 11:00 a.m. Counter serve or buffets (H&V) are great deals. If you're not a big eater, get soup/salad, possibly dessert @ a sit-down restaurant.

Monitor air fares, don't be afraid to try the low cost carriers. Skip the rental car & use ME.

MYW w/plus options are great value, as well as AP's if you can swing 2 trips in 1 year's time.

Most important tip: limit the souveniers. Especially, for kids set a budget & stick to it. Let them be part of the planning & if they feel they need more money to spend: ask for Disney Dollars from family for presents or have the kids save their allowances for any extras.

Good Luck.

 

[toesmom]

If you don't spend $5 everyday between now and then... that is $5 x 360 or so days... so you've saved $1800 right there.

So next time the kids want something drive-thru or some extra treat at the grocery store or a little thing at the dollar store... think twice and at only $5 a day not spent, you can save for most of your trip.

Just do not eat out for the next 11 months (it really can be done) and you've paid for your entire trip.

We got back in february and loved it so much we've only had 1 dinner out (and that was takeout) since. I love getting stuff ready at home, and even at the grocery store, I always second guess certain purchases because all the pennies can add up to a lot of savings.

 

[tripplanner2]

Instead of driving, why don't you look into Southwest. Sign up for Ding and their e-mail newsletter. We traveled with 5 (baby on lap) and our bill came to $500 for 4 tickets. If you add the price of gas, were and tear on your car, overnight accomidations for the road trip, you come out even. We traveled during the week instead of on the weekend which saved a bunch. Tuesday is usually a good day to travel. Also, don't rent a car when you arrive. Use Magical Express and the bus service onsite.

 

[It's A Happy Day]

quote: Value Season @ Value Resort; can't beat the price. If your heart is set on more upscale accomodations, rent points from a DVC member for a studio Villa, you could actually cook some of your meals

I thought this too at 1st but with 5 people would need 2 rooms at values or need to go to moderate resorts....

 

[mom2alix]

quote: Value Season @ Value Resort; can't beat the price. If your heart is set on more upscale accomodations, rent points from a DVC member for a studio Villa, you could actually cook some of your meals

I thought this too at 1st but with 5 people would need 2 rooms at values or need to go to moderate resorts....

I believe they will allow 5 people in a 1 bedroom for DVC, which would run 110 points for OKW during the first 2 weeks of August if they stayed Sun-Thu. If you could wait until the 21st and go Sun-Thu, it would only be 100 points. The one bedroom units do have a full kitchen which could also save you money for food if you cook in the room.

 

[phisigprincess]

Just a note on ME - my travel agent said no one knows how long their going to keep it as a complimentary service. We're budgeting extra money for to and from airport transportation just in case.

 

[tripplanner2]

I am pretty sure ME will be in service for the entire Happiest Celebration on Earth which is scheduled to last 18 months and started 5/5/05. I would still be running for August next year.