Help with Budget trip

[kymmyk13]

I want to take DD7 to Disney in October but it will have to be a budget trip, please look over my numbers and see if I am missing something or any suggestions that would be helpful. I will be staying with my sister while we are there. Will eat breakfast before we leave each morning and will have dinner at her house most nights. I will bring water and snacks into the park and we will share an adult lunch cs. Thanks

This one is with me driving

gas 250
hotel 70
travel food 50
disney tickets(6 days) 500
food from grocery store 100
food at parks(30 per day) 180
extras 200
parking 72

total 1422

If we fly it will be about 200-250 more for the tickets and gas for rental car, rental car will be free.

 

[Cin]

There are quite a few toll roads when you get near Orlando, so make sure and have plenty of change on hand for those. I haven't driven it since the 80's though so I don't know the costs and how many toll booths there were.

As far as sharing meals, the burger and fries at Peco's Bill's at the MK are big enough to share. I hear that Cosmic Ray's has a rib/chicken combo that is also sharing sized.
Club Cool at EPCOT has all the samples of ice cold beverages you can taste for free. We liked the lemon honey one from Israel, and I really liked an orange-coke flavored one but can't remember where it was from. We stopped in there a couple of times for free refreshment.

I don't know which hotel you are planning on stopping at, but depending on the room tax you may or may not be able to get in for under $70. Sometimes the tax alone tacks on another $15+. Usually Motel 6 or Super 8 can get you in for what you are budgeting, Holiday Inn or Comfort Inn will be closer to $90 on average.

Maybe budget $30 for your DD to get a t shirt or hat and other little trinket as a souvenir. With $30 she will be able to get 2 or 3 nice items to take home. The China pavilion at EPCOT has a huge store and the best prices on souvenirs and trinkets too.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

hotel 70

Do you plan to stay in a hotel on the way down and again on the way home, or just once?

 

[tlh0726]

I want to take DD7 to Disney in October but it will have to be a budget trip, please look over my numbers and see if I am missing something or any suggestions that would be helpful. I will be staying with my sister while we are there. Will eat breakfast before we leave each morning and will have dinner at her house most nights. I will bring water and snacks into the park and we will share an adult lunch cs. Thanks

This one is with me driving

gas 250
hotel 70
travel food 50
disney tickets(6 days) 500
food from grocery store 100
food at parks(30 per day) 180
extras 200
parking 72

total 1422

If we fly it will be about 200-250 more for the tickets and gas for rental car, rental car will be free.

Not sure how far you are driving from but for me, if the rental car is free, It would be worth 250 (125 each way) not to drive.

Parking is $14 x 6 days would be $84

 

[kymmyk13]

Do you plan to stay in a hotel on the way down and again on the way home, or just once?

just on the way down, we will leave after I get off of work and drive part of the way that night. On the way home we just get up early and drive the whole way in one day.

 

[kymmyk13]

Not sure how far you are driving from but for me, if the rental car is free, It would be worth 250 (125 each way) not to drive.

Parking is $14 x 6 days would be $84

I would love to fly over driving, it is about 11 hours. I can usually fly for cheaper then I quoted but I am just being safe to help me budget and save. by the way I already have about 700.00 saved for the trip, from my change jug and hope to be able to put away at least 100 per month, and will have a yard sale this summer. DD6 does chores to earn her souvie money, I will make her several shirts from the designers on this forum.

Normally we don't have to have such a budget trip with with DD21 in college, there is not alot of extra cash left each month.

 

[DisneyLoverUSA]

You said you will eat BFast before you go to the park, eat dinner at your sister's house and take drinks and snacks in with you. You plan to split a CS meal between the two of you, so where does the $30 a day for park food come in?

ONE CS meal with no drinks is about $8-$10. If you two plan on splitting it then your daily park food budget would be about $10. If you plan on spending $30 a day on food then you can BOTH have your own meal.

And as for airline tickets being $200-$250 MORE if you fly...that would be PER PERSON if you are flying round trip, unless you have airline miles or credit card reward points to pay for the flights. I have never seen ANY airline where you can buy a round trip tickets to Orlando for $100 per person. It is usually more like $200 to $300 per person.

It would be 250 MORE than paying for gas if that is what you meant.

 

[kymmyk13]

You said you will eat BFast before you go to the park, eat dinner at your sister's house and take drinks and snacks in with you. You plan to split a CS meal between the two of you, so where does the $30 a day for park food come in?

ONE CS meal with no drinks is about $8-$10. If you two plan on splitting it then your daily park food budget would be about $10. If you plan on spending $30 a day on food then you can BOTH have your own meal.

And as for airline tickets being $200-$250 MORE if you fly...that would be PER PERSON if you are flying round trip, unless you have airline miles or credit card reward points to pay for the flights. I have never seen ANY airline where you can buy a round trip tickets to Orlando for $100 per person. It is usually more like $200 to $300 per person.

It would be 250 MORE than paying for gas if that is what you meant.

The 30 for food is going to include buying some snacks within the park and I always like to go alittle higher on food and if i end up with extra money at the end great.

the airline tickets would that much more then it would cost to drive. Actually I checked airline ticket prices this morning and tickets on southwest they have some seats that are 100 per person each way from birmingham to Orlando, so 400 before taxes and fees so very doable.

 

[disneysteve]

I think your numbers look spot on. We drive every year, a little farther than you, so I know the drill. I agree that $30 for food is probably high just for lunch and snacks unless you are big eaters or buy some drinks but better to over budget than underbudget.

Have a great time!

 

[tlh0726]

The 30 for food is going to include buying some snacks within the park and I always like to go alittle higher on food and if i end up with extra money at the end great.

the airline tickets would that much more then it would cost to drive. Actually I checked airline ticket prices this morning and tickets on southwest they have some seats that are 100 per person each way from birmingham to Orlando, so 400 before taxes and fees so very doable.

Your figures
Gas 250
Hotel 70
Travel food 50
Driving total $370

Flying $400 **Southwest prices now show including taxes and fees**

saving by driving 11 hours both ways $30


My suggestion - BOOK YOUR FLIGHTS!

 

[Marionnette]

If you're going to be someone's house guest for a week, it would probably be a nice gesture to take them out to dinner or purchase a nice hostess gift for them. I would add a little but of money to the budget to allow for some small thank-you.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Your figures
Gas 250
Hotel 70
Travel food 50
Driving total $370

Flying $400 **Southwest prices now show including taxes and fees**

saving by driving 11 hours both ways $30


My suggestion - BOOK YOUR FLIGHTS!

Meh, convenience of having your own car & not needing to pack light, no fooling with airport delays and security, and we don't even know the OP's proximity to the nearest major airport. I've had flights where my first step was to get in the car & drive 1-2 hours in the opposite direction of my destination, then spend 2 hours at the airport (allowing for a SNAFU at security), then another hour in a delay. If I had jumped in my car instead, I could have been 300 miles up the road by this time.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I would fly. Why spend 22 hours in a car. Also hope you don't get stuck in a traffic jam along the way which could lengthen the amount of time in the car. There is also the possiblity of running into bad weather, (heavy rains or stroms) which could slow down your commute. Remember you are traveling during hurricane season. And yes you could run into a delay flying it there happens to be a hurricane. But at least you won't be stuck in a car trying to make your way through the wicked weather as you try to drive 11 hours to get to Disney. Not to mention the wear and tear on your car.

Last year and just last month we were able to rent a mid-size car from Alamo at Orlando airport for a week and paid less than $90 total!!! Plus gas.

If you are looking at rental car prices now to help you compare which way is cheaper, rental car prices are going to be overly inflated this far out from your travel date. Your best deals on a rental car will come about 2 weeks before you leave. We have been to Disney many many times and we don't book our car until two weeks before we leave. Rental car companies will release their last minutes car rental deals about two weeks before your arrival date.

One other thing to factor in if you drive. In October Florida will be hot so more than likely you will have your A/C on in the car which will increase your fuel budget.

 

[tlh0726]

I would fly. Why spend 22 hours in a car. Also hope you don't get stuck in a traffic jam along the way which could lengthen the amount of time in the car. There is also the possiblity of running into bad weather, (heavy rains or stroms) which could slow down your commute. Remember you are traveling during hurricane season. And yes you could run into a delay flying it there happens to be a hurricane. But at least you won't be stuck in a car trying to make your way through the wicked weather as you try to drive 11 hours to get to Disney. Not to mention the wear and tear on your car.

Last year and just last month we were able to rent a mid-size car from Alamo at Orlando airport for a week and paid less than $90 total!!! Plus gas.

If you are looking at rental car prices now to help you compare which way is cheaper, rental car prices are going to be overly inflated this far out from your travel date. Your best deals on a rental car will come about 2 weeks before you leave. We have been to Disney many many times and we don't book our car until two weeks before we leave. Rental car companies will release their last minutes car rental deals about two weeks before your arrival date.

One other thing to factor in if you drive. In October Florida will be hot so more than likely you will have your A/C on in the car which will increase your fuel budget.

Per the OP, rental car is free, only need to pay for the gas.

 

[kymmyk13]

If you're going to be someone's house guest for a week, it would probably be a nice gesture to take them out to dinner or purchase a nice hostess gift for them. I would add a little but of money to the budget to allow for some small thank-you.

I always bring my sister a bag of goodies and she loves a home cooked meal during the week since she lives alone and doesn't cook.

Meh, convenience of having your own car & not needing to pack light, no fooling with airport delays and security, and we don't even know the OP's proximity to the nearest major airport. I've had flights where my first step was to get in the car & drive 1-2 hours in the opposite direction of my destination, then spend 2 hours at the airport (allowing for a SNAFU at security), then another hour in a delay. If I had jumped in my car instead, I could have been 300 miles up the road by this time.

I do live 1 1/2 hours from the airport but it is inthe direction I would drive anyway.

Last year and just last month we were able to rent a mid-size car from Alamo at Orlando airport for a week and paid less than $90 total!!! Plus gas.

If you are looking at rental car prices now to help you compare which way is cheaper, rental car prices are going to be overly inflated this far out from your travel date. Your best deals on a rental car will come about 2 weeks before you leave. We have been to Disney many many times and we don't book our car until two weeks before we leave. Rental car companies will release their last minutes car rental deals about two weeks before your arrival date.

One other thing to factor in if you drive. In October Florida will be hot so more than likely you will have your A/C on in the car which will increase your fuel budget.

Rental car is free, sis is the marketing maager for a small rental car company and the owner is letting me have the car for free.

 

[NJOYURLIFE]

I have been reading up on the YES education program, and it appears that if you sign your child up for one of the sessions, you can get quite a discount on both of your park tickets. Just something to think about if you need to cut costs.

 

[disneysteve]

it is about 11 hours.

I do live 1 1/2 hours from the airport but it is in the direction I would drive anyway.

So the drive is 11 hours. The first 1-1/2 hours needs to be done whether you fly or drive, so the drive really only adds 9-1/2 hours. You need to get to the airport 2 hours before your flight, so the drive really only adds 7-1/2 hours, and that's assuming your flight leaves on time. Add in the time to claim your bags and get the rental car and get from the airport to your destination and you're probably only looking at saving about 6 hours by flying. No way would I go to the hassle of flying to save 6 hours (or less if there are any flight delays).

 

[butterflies114]

I would fly! I hate long drives! And I enjoy flying.

 

[tlh0726]

So the drive is 11 hours. The first 1-1/2 hours needs to be done whether you fly or drive, so the drive really only adds 9-1/2 hours. You need to get to the airport 2 hours before your flight, so the drive really only adds 7-1/2 hours, and that's assuming your flight leaves on time. Add in the time to claim your bags and get the rental car and get from the airport to your destination and you're probably only looking at saving about 6 hours by flying. No way would I go to the hassle of flying to save 6 hours (or less if there are any flight delays).

Each person is different.

For the minimal difference $30 and airport parking

I would have no problem sitting in an airport for 2 hours. Where I can get up and walk around, grab a snack, use the bathroom, anytime I want.

6 hours is 6 hours. total of 12 round trip.

By flying there is no wear and tear on your car as well.

 

[la79al]

With a 7 year old, I would probably just drive. Would it be cheaper for you to buy groceries before you go and take a cooler in the car? The one thing I am leaving room for in our budget-the plan is to eat dinner at the condo every evening but I know in reality once we get there, I won't want to leave the parks so I will allow some extra money for dinner in the parks too.