here we go, first time ever!

[blueandthebeen22]

We are Florida residents, about an hour and a half drive from Disney world. There are 5 of us, hubby and me, 3 kids ages 6, 7 and 9 and we never get anywhere on time. We've never been to Disney because we be poor folk. lol Soooooo this year, we want to do it with our tax refund. But we need the most bang for the buck. Since everything takes longer than it should and car rides over an hour with 3 kids are not fun, we know staying over is best. So the problem areas will be food, drinks and the gimmees. There has GOT to be someone in this forum that knows what I'm talking about and has some tricks up their sleeve. Should we get some kind of pass, stay at the resort, do the meal deals, have a hopper thingie, etc, etc, etc. Should we bring snacks, buy special cups, what is the key to pulling this off without paying thru the nose? I should also note that hubby has a disability so we'll need to rent some kind of electric wheelchair for him. Thank you for your help. We do not want our first and possibly only trip to Disney to come with bad memories and/or stress and with 3 little kids, that's very possible!

 

[mesaboy2]

You pretty much are asking the full gamut of questions in one post. I suggest you look around a bit, do some searches focusing on one subject, and see if you can't find some answers here that way. There is pretty much no right answer to fit all families wrt hoppers, meals, budget, etc. The budget board on this forum may also be helpful given the thrust of several of your questions.

 

[blueandthebeen22]

where is the budget board please? That was my first post so I just wanted to get it all in there! lol

 

[vicki_c]

where is the budget board please? That was my first post so I just wanted to get it all in there! lol

Back up one level from this thread and scroll down the board and you will see it. It's called the Budget Board.

 

[Raenstoirm]

Back up one level from this thread and scroll down the board and you will see it. It's called the Budget Board.

Yup the budget board and the disabilities board are two good places for you to look. There is also a discount codes board under the disney resorts board that might help you. There are a few discounts floating around right now.

Oh and there is nothing wrong with needing a little help with the disney price points. My husband and I are blessed to be able to travel as much as we do, but there was a point that it wasn't so. After my parents got divorced my mom and I were in trouble. She scraped everything we had together to take us to Disney to cheer me up. We packed a huge suitcase full of food (this was before airlines charged for bags) and took advantage of every discount we could find (pre internet that was a challenge). It was a great trip btw, perhaps one of the best (yet oddly I do not have a pic of it in my signature...gotta correct that!)

 

[Rosco1]

The very best of luck! We budget for Disney vacations because it is our family "Happy Place".

There is a gift shop at the end of almost every ride. *sigh*

Here is a trick that I wish I had for my first trip.

We have one time to purchase our Disney goodies. We go down to Downtown Disney one afternoon. The kiddo has a gift card with $50.00 on it--and knows that once it is gone it is gone. This has helped A LOT!

Maybe I should give my hubby a $50.00 gift card too.

Also, for a large family--economy driven--a condo off site can make more financial sense than staying on property--even paying the parking fees.

Remember to relax--and have a wonderful vacation.

 

[redrosesix]

The first thing you have to figure out is when you'll visit, and then where you'll stay (although sometimes that's reversed). With your family size you can't stay in a Value Resort unless you stay in a Family Suite (either at AoA or ASMusic). So you'd be pricing either those or a Mod. If you stay onsite and you can travel any time, you have the benefit of staying when the room rates are the lowest and possibly get free dining too.

But I'd still consider offsite too. Price out both packages as if you'd buy either one. If you don't price them seriously you won't be taking into consideration all the additional costs of staying there.

I wouldn't buy anything right yet -- sometimes package deals include tickets etc. You should be able to price out your trip for the fall in a couple of months, after they've announced any special offers for that time.

We hop but it suits us because we're there at a busy time of year -- it's worth paying the extra price to be able to go to a less crowded park. We bring snacks with us to the park, and water bottles -- that helps A LOT. Since you're driving you would save a lot of money just on those. Even if you did get a free dining special, it's those in between meal snacks that gets expensive.