How Do You Save/Pay For A Disney Vacation?

[jgates]

Is being in a deluxe resort that important or are you just looking for monorail access? I would highly suggest looking at a mod or even All Stars. (I haven't stayed their myself but my aunt spent their last vacation at AS and it was fine.) The difference in a 7 nite stay is significant.

Perhaps a room at my fav's the Swan or Dolphin. Do you qualify for a nurse or teacher discount with your/your spouses occupation? The location is great and you have the Disney transport at your disposal. They also have the Entertainment rates too at 50% off on certain dates. (See the threads on this board).

I'm selling very little on ebay, but what I sell goes for the trip. I thought the trip this summer would be enough for me, but I think I am going to have to go again!

You mentioned the new baby - that should make a difference on your tax refund right off the bat! Figure out the extra refund you will be getting for the new baby and earmark that for Disney.

This sounds pretty gross, but have you considered selling plasma? (Don't anyone throw anything at me). One of the kids I work with at Perkins paid for his rent at college by selling plasma 2x per week. Plus you know someone is benefiting from this. (My son rolls his eyes at me when I suggest this to him - he's not good with needles). This is a viable source of income for many people if you are in a town with a facility to do this. I believe around the college towns near us it is ?$35 per time.

 

[robinb]

I think it's too early to give up on the Contemporary . You can always "downgrade" later if it turns out that finances are tight.

We are also ones who do not go into debt over vacation. We keep a savings account called "Mouse Money". All of our change goes into it, as does all my "mystery shopping" $$, online clicking and most importantly amazon.com marketplace book sales.

 

[dennisnlisab96]

We go every year and what I do is book the room and pay the 1 night deposit. Then I divied the balance up over the next ???months and then I send Disney money every month. We only have 1 credit card and don't want to use that. When we get our tax refund I buy the plane tickets and if there is anything left over I send it to Disney or start buying passes....I hope that helps.

Lisa

 

[Greg K.]

My wife and I opened a special savings account, to which we contribute a couple hundred bucks every month, just for our vacations. (I believe we get a whopping 1.5% interest, too!) To that, we also add some of our tax return. Our vacations typically cost around 5k -- sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less.

We usually book a Disney trip 3-4 mos in advance, once we had an idea of when we'll be able to go.

Money-raising tip: check out selling your old books on Amazon.com. You can make a tiny fortune re-selling there! I haven't used it, but others who have SWEAR by it. It sounds like a great way to make money for your vacation -- and make room on your shelf for more Disney books!

 

[Jen D]

Whatever you do, don't charge it! You heard it here from a reformed (and still paying for it) credit card addict. Now that you have a kid, it's time to get it right financially! We now only use our debit card, never charge anything, all our accounts are closed (with the balances being paid down.) The sad thing is, if we hadn't charged so much when we were younger, and had rejected credit cards to live within our means, we would be in very very nice financial shape now. But, a huge monthly payment goes to pay off our consolidated consumer debt. Ugh! But in just a couple more years we'll be free.

Meanwhile, we live on what we have! Now, I think you can have a great, deluxe vacation for much less-- we went last August and spend just a little over $3000, and I don't think we cut too many corners at all-- and we were paying for a 4 year old and her food and park hopper (luckily your baby won't cost you much.) Here are some things we did:

1) 6 nights instead of 7. It practically feels like a week, and we arrived in the morning on our first day, and left the last flight out on our final day, so we really made the most of those days.

2) We rented dvc points. It was low season-- and we were lucky enough to find a $9 pp deal-- so that cost us $738 for studio accomdations, Boardwalk view, 6 nights. Beautiful, swanky, and the kitchenette saved us on breakfasts (although we still squeezed in pricey CRT!)

3) No rental car. We did TTC, and resolved that if we ever got in a difficult transportation situation (resort-to-resort) we'd call a cab-- we'd still come out ahead money-wise. (We never actually had to do this.) We didn't miss the car. The grocery stop helps.

4) Not sure why you need APs, unless you have another trip planned. If it is for the room rate, well, there are usually codes do the same thing. Or you could get 1 AP. We did great in 7 days with 6 day park hopper plus. On our "day off" we did Blizzard Beach-- I don't think we missed out! We still have unused options. Anyway, PHP are cheaper than APs.

We had plenty of good meals-- CRT, California Grill, Rose and Crown, Brown Derby-- we also did plenty of counter service to keep the budget in check. We even did kids clubs two nights.

As for saving, a little at a time, a little at a time. I would try to pay little installments every month-- one park hopper here, a plane tickets there. And have a savings account, and try to put at least $30 a week in it. This will not pay for the whole trip in 10 months, but it will pay a great deal of it. Hopefully the other expenses you can cover gradually.

 

[wdisneyaholic]

Jen D,

I could use some advice on getting out of debt, can I pm you? or could you pm me?

Thanks

 

[Tig-girl]

I'm with Jen D on this one. Don't charge a vacation! I know it's hard to save, but a little here and there adds up. What I always do, is figure out well in advance of vacation (1 year?) what the whole thing will cost, right down to the food. I'm talking plane tix, hotel, rental car if necessary, food, even misc money for the things you will want to buy. Then I divide that number by the number of paychecks until the date of the trip, and the number you come up with is what you need to save out of every paycheck! Now if it is a number you cannot possibly deal with, then you need to go back and see where you can cut costs. Can you stay at a value or moderate resort instead. (They are ALL nice), do you need the rental car, can you get a good deal on plane tix on the internet, etc. You'll find you can save a lot of money with a lot of research! So you bring that amount out of each paycheck down to something you can live with, and start stashing it away! My DH is always amazed at how I pull it off! But whatever you do, don't give up! You can do it!

 

[jdkdorn]

I would book now and only pay the deposit. The reason for this is that you can always lower the cost of the room if you have only a deposit. They transfer deposits, but not full payments.

Why are you buying an annual pass? You could buy a 7 day hopper for around $100 less and use that. You don't seem to be going more than once a year so the annual pass would be wasted. You could also leave a day early and save the $400 for the plane. Drive your own car down, it would take less than 24 hrs and then you wouldn't have to rent a car.

Thee are lots of ways to make it cheaper. I usually wait and pay it off right before I go.

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

I agree with some of the previous posters, definetly do not take a vacation that will end up as credit card debt. It's just not worth it - you could save that money you would have spent (paying off the CC debt) and use it a year or so later to go on vacation.

We got around $1000 off our 8 night stay at the GF Lagoon View in July with the AP discount. Still not cheap, but, we did not pay full price. So, watch out for those discounts (as you know, anything can happen with them, just as you "lucked" into the $199/night GF for X-mas last year! - I'm still jealous over that one!)

Towncar services are good things to use, too. We used Yourride on our last trip, and I'd definetly use them again. However, bus transportation isn't the best thing out there, and a rental car makes select destinations VERY accessible. You'll need to weigh your needs on that one.

The Contemporary Wing, AKL, and WL will offer the lowest rates for deluxe resorts, especially with discounts. Keep those open as options.

Also, the value and moderate resorts are good options. They help keep prices down, and aren't bad at all. I've stayed at the All-Star Music twice, and see nothing wrong with it. Our rooms have pretty much been quiet, and no real problems (the rooms have been in EXCELLENT condition, which has not been my experience at ANY of the deluxes in the past year or so).

Another good thing to do is avoid the pricy sit down restaurants (CA Grill, Narcossees, Citricos, Yachtsman's, etc). We did this on our last trip, and were amazed at how much we saved (I think the most expensive dinner for the 3 of us was $60 - we've had some $150+ for 3 on previous trips).

Enjoy planning your trip!

 

[perd]

Another idea on adding to your vacation stash and elaborating on the suggestion someone made of saving money on groceries -

If you don't already use coupons - do! Find a store that doubles coupons up to 50 cents and only go there. Now here is the plan: You buy ONLY what is on sale that you also have a couple for that you can double. Okay, at the beginning you have to buy other stuff because you're not stocked up. But after a few weeks of only buying what is only sale that you have a coupon for, you will find that you are pretty well stocked up on most stuff! Buy whatever meat is on sale (of course there won't be a coupon for that, but you can buy it on sale). So maybe only chicken is on sale this weeks - buy five packages of chicken or however much you can afford.

Doing it this way you don't plan menus and then go shopping for what you need, you buy what is on sale and then plan meals from what you have on hand. That way you NEVER pay full price for ANYTHING - EVER!

I have saved SO much money this way. The first week I think I saved $40 and that was halfway knowing what I was doing. Some weeks when there is lots on sale I might spend $150. Other weeks it might be $60. But we always have food in the house.

This also works great for stuff I used to only buy at Wal-Mart - toiletries, etc. I have found that with a double coupon and on sale, it's actually CHEAPER to buy this stuff at the grocery store! Sometimes I do still end up going to Wal-Mart, especially if I need things that haven't gone on sale.

Oh, and one time my DH was whining, saying "I wish V8 would go on sale..." Guess I hadn't bought any for a while!

After shopping this way, it just seems so silly to ever pay full price for anything! You wouldn't believe how cheap I have bought stuff! And it's so nice to be stocked up on everything. When DD needed chocolate chips for school I went out to the freezer, grabbed two bags and handed them to her - didn't have to run to the store and pay $3 a bag - I'd gotten them for something like 90 cents each at some point. When the catsup bottle exploded I didn't have to run to the store for more - I just opened up the pantry and got another bottle out - a bottle of Heinz I paid 28 cents for on sale with coupon!

Anyway, what I would do is shop this way, and whatever your savings are on your grocery receipt, throw that amount in your vacation savings!

 

[Carrieberry]

We also got rid of all of our credit cards and only pay what we can afford for our Disney trips. It is such a relief to go and pay for it and know that there won't be a huge bill sitting at home waiting for me! I agree with all the previous posters about booking your ideal room situation, and then downgrading if it turns out it is too expensive. We will be renting DVC points for our trip in Dec. You might want to consider doing this from someone at the Wilderness Lodge. They have studios there with little kitchettes that would be plenty roomy for your family, and would be great with a baby because they have the little fridge, microwave etc. You could do this for way less than rack rate. I would look into it! Also, we always pay for one nights deposit and send in money whenever we can to pay it off, and this has always left us able to just go down there with food money and money for other incidentals. We always use the town car serive because there is no reason for us to have a car, Disney transportation takes us anywhere we want to go. As the previous poster suggested, rental car rates went way up, with the cheapest I've found for our week as a compact being $165! Thats twice as much as the town car (minus tip)!! Anyway, your trip will be way more relaxing if you know it is mostly paid for before you leave.


We have had good luck selling all of our old stuff (kids clothes, my clothes, electronic items etc) on EBay. In fact we made enough to cover one hopper in one week and we made enough this summer (3 mon) to pay off our DVC rental! And by the way, it is a great place to unload maternity clothes!

 

[dreamflight99]

"WITH LOTS AND LOTS OF DISNEY DOLLAR$!"

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

Originally posted by dreamflight99
"WITH LOTS AND LOTS OF DISNEY DOLLAR$!"

Wow, that would be A LOT of Disney dollars!

 

[sherry8253]

Here is what we do - We try to go off-season or when there are some code room discounts. Then we book with a night's deposit and call in a payment using our debit card whenever we have saved about $200. When tax refund time comes, that goes on it too. Also, each day when we get home all of our change goes into a large jar. In fact, I usually will not spend any change during the day after I buy a soda, cup of coffee, etc. By the end of last year, we had accumulated almost $800 from change in just 12 months. This is our vacation spending money. It seems like you do not miss the change when you throw it in a jar. The other thing that I started to do this year is use coupons at the grocery store. Whatever I save in coupons I put in an envelope. Whenever. I get $50 in the envelope I trade it in for a $50 bill. That way I am not tempted to take money out of it. Also, although the Contemporary is great, if it would be me, I would consider staying at another hotel (ex: Wilderness Lodge or AKL) which is still a deluxe but not quite as expensive because I would rather go to Disney than postpone the trip to stay in a more expensive room. But if you have your heart set on the Contempory, go for it. Good luck on your savings plan.

 

[dreamflight99]

Originally posted by CaliforniaDreaming
Wow, that would be A LOT of Disney dollars!

Hi CALI! Absolutely~ And Scrooge McDuck could carry it all "safely" in his burlap bags marked with the $$$ signs! LOL. Just Having FUN!

 

[crazelion]

I would not charge a vaction. Because debt is hard to get out of. Just me I have learn the hard. I don't charge anthing unless I have to. I would have a change jar save all lose change. Also I would use my tax return to go on the vacation with. That way you won't spending money you don't have. Also another tip make sure all bills is paid up to. That way when go on vation you won't have worry about bills coming in the mail.

I put off my trip of 2002 because I bought a house this year. I won't to get handle on my budget so we diid not go. We is planing on going to in August 2003 if have the money save from our change jar. If do we is going.

Also I would go with the value resort. Your son would love it. The theme is awesome. I love it. I stayed at All-Star Sports resort. Me (28) and (50) love all the large icons. That huge statue of Mickey Mouse is awesome site. I don't we ever would stay at dexlue hotel because it's not hour style.

I hopes that with your decsion. If also fails go wigh a budget trip.

see ya
craze

 

[Poohbearmom]

Whatever you do, don't charge it. My DH & I went on many wonderful vacations during the first few years of our marriage...Unfortunately, we charged most of them. Vacations are addictive and it is too easy to just charge it with the intentions of paying it off over time. We had to make some very hard decisions to get out of the vacation debt we found ourselves in. Now I don't book a trip unless I have the cash to pay for the airfare and at least half of the rest of the trip up front. Then I save up to have the rest of the trip paid for before we leave, plus enough cash for all food, etc. Some of the previous posts have made great suggestions about how to save. I like to write checks to myself any time I have a little extra money left over. It's amazing how fast it can add up. And don't underestimate the power of spare change. We started putting all of our spare change in a piggy bank for our son...after 6 months he had over $400!!

 

[mhopset]

I know a lot of people frown on this, but here goes.

When I write a check for lets say $42 When I subtract it from my checkbook balance I always subtract $5-10 more.

It is easy to keep track of with online banking.

I was able to save $600 and pay off our room doing that.

My wife had no idea I was doing it. She was really worried about having enough cash. I told her not to worry because I had an extra $600 bucks!!

She was very, very appreciative

 

[grinningghost]

We book our room and order our tickets as far in advance as we can. We charge the initial deposit, then pay off the balance by check, a little at a time. It's fairly painless that way, and because it's a vacation, it's easy to be motivated. That way by the time we arrive, all we need to worry about is food and souveniers. We aren't huge on Disney restaurants. We usually do one or two meals at park restaurants. We always drive or rent a car, so we can eat cheaper off site. All in all, the worst expense are the tickets and lodging. If you have those paid off before you get there, you're usually in pretty good shape.

 

[Tig-girl]

I agree with you grinningghost on the "off site eating" to save money. We weighed out the cost of renting a car vs eating every meal onsite, and beleive me, you're better of getting the car! We usually plan on 2 or 3 what we refer to as "BIG" dinners or lunches in the parks or resorts, then for the other dinners we run over to Kissimmee to Pizza Hut, or one of the chain steakhouses, etc. For the most part we do breakfasts at the hotel just because it is easier, but we have been known to go for a breakfast or two off site also. I buget the meals before we go so I have a good idea of what we will spend, and of course we ususally go over a bit, but it works pretty well.