How much cash to bring?

[HLAuburn]

We leave on Friday, and I'm trying to decide how much cash we need to take. It's DH, DD 18months, and myself. We're on the dining plan and most of our other charges will go on our room account. We also have $160 rewards dollars we plan to use on misc stuff.

I know we'll need help w/ bags at the airport and hotel, so we need small bills for tips, but what other things might we need cash for? How much would you take for a week long trip? I know I'm forgetting many things we'll need cash for.

Thanks

 

[tink_n_pooh]

Other than tipping everyone I like to have some cash on hand for using vending machines. Also we did see a few of the little carts (for drinks and ice cream) that did not have the card system hooked up and they could only take cash or disney dollars.

Will you be renting a car? If you do decide to rent a car just be warned that there are toll roads all over the Orlando area and we had an occasion last year were the toll booth at our exit was exact change only!

Odd that I can't think of anything else that you would have to pay for with cash but I seem to have gone through a few hundred dollars of it just last week

 

[goofiecrazy]

When we go we take a 1000 bucks with us and come home with a couple hundred dollars sometimes. Thats with me and my husband. Now the next time we will have the kids so we might take more..

 

[problemchild718]

I brought $300.00 and came home with $220.00. The room was paid for-I charged meals and some gifts on my check card. really only used cash for tips and a couple minor buys for the kids.

 

[yellowfish78]

Last time I went I took $400. Came home with $300. Stayed for 6 nights and only bought stuff to bring home to co-workers and small snack items. I didn't rent a car, took transfers, spent a few bucks for luggage help and some for better tips for some waiters that I thought went above and beyond their call of duty...
Some people say bring $100 a day "just in case" but with being on the dining plan I think $50 a day would be fine...but that's just me!

 

[The Sweetness]

Things you may be doing with cash~

mousekeeping tips daily
luggage assist tips 2x
driver tips (if cabs used)
Extra tips at TS meals (if on DDP)
Also extra sides, kids meal, or a beer etc...
Minor buys like 1 coke or balloon (also a snack cart, not CS)
Pressed coin machines (quarters + pennies?)
Tolls (if driving)
These are just a few things to keep cash on hand for

 

[beattyfamily]

I brought $400 this past trip and came home with $150.

I used the money for:
The airport (food, snacks, magazines, drinks, tips etc...) both ways
Rental car gas and tolls
Unexpected tips (valet, extra sheets, bellhop etc...)
For small snacks at carts (just can't bring myself to charge it to the room)
Some small souvenirs

We charge everything else to the room.

I had already made and filled mousekeeping tip envelopes so that didn't come out of our cash we brought.

I just cannot go on vacation without some cash for unexpected expenses or emergencies.

 

[clkelley]

I usually only bring about $50 cash for a week if I'm flying. I use this for tips to skycap folks and Magical Express folks for the trip down.

Once I arrive, I buy $50 in Disney Dollars on the credit card whenever necessary and get $5s and $10s. For small purchases, you usually get real cash back. I then collect that for tips to Mousekeeping and then tips to skycaps and Magical Express folks for the trip home.

I put everything else on the room key. I love my room charge!! I just wish for counter service, kiosks, and shopping they would install swipe it yourself machines with a PIN #. I think that would speed up small purchases tremendously!!

I also bring a couple of rolls of quarters for laundry. I bring my own soap and dryer sheets.

If I'm driving down, I just make sure I have enough change for tolls on the turnpike and also $50 cash in case for some stupid reason I have to pull into a podunk gas station that doesn't accept credit cards.

Carol

 

[kikakeko]

I have been watching this tread very closely also... I am trying to figure out how much we will need and so I am thinking about this and tell me what you think....

for our family of 5 for 1 week we have the dining plan and I am taking snacks and breakfast things for our room. $50 each for spending money for kids and $200.(total) for us... we are not big shoppers and I am planning on going to the disney outlet. I will budget seperate money for the tolls/gas down and back. It looks like it would be around $350. for all of that round trip and I too am going to pre make my mousekeeping tips so I don't have to pull that out of our money there.

 

[Disneymucks]

Wow is it that much cheaper to have the dining plan? Me and family went last year didnt have dining plan and took $200 a day! This time once again we dont have dining plan and are planning to take $300 a day 10 days.I dont think we buy alot of crap but we get theocasional ice cream bar and small souvineirs but i am now thinking maybe we should start getting dining plan if you can make it for $50 a day..................

 

[indigoxtreme]

The dining plan is great, if you plan for cs's there usually is enough food that you can share and then have some for Breakfast or hav BK in the room. You get a sncak credit which can be water soft drink mickey bar chips or fruit etc. I used extra money for TS meals as our waiters all were super so I left extra tip. The DP has tax and tip included. We only used money for gas to and from, tolls, mousekeeping, small souveniers for use as the DS's and DGD had their money for their souv. 50 each. So we used very little cash.

 

[OregonFamily]

Is dISCOVER & AMERICAN eXPRESS accepted in park? What are Disney Dollars?
We leave for our first time visit Feb 6 2006

 

[Keebles]

Guess it depends too on how much you shop! I take half cash and half plastic, about $1500-2000 on each, and am usually broke by mid week!! Guess that's why I have a room in my house commonly referred to as the "Duck Room" because of all the Donald Duck stuff!! I have to buy one of everything I see and a second one of everything I buy for others (for myself). I scrimp and save up for an entire year so I can go "hog-wild" while I'm there! I pretty much live by my Disney mantra: See, Eat, Shop (not necessarily in that order)!

 

[LaLa]

We bring $1000 with us for a week long trip, even with the Dining Plan. This however, includes gas/traveling expenses both ways, all souvenirs, any extras. We ended up paying OOP for a few meals on our last trip just because we like the TS meals better than CS and wanted more of them, especially at Epcot.

When we got there, we put most of the cash on a Disneyworld Shopping card. We paid for everything with that, and it was a lot easier.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Is dISCOVER & AMERICAN eXPRESS accepted in park

Yes they accept AMEX and I would imagine Discover as well.

I never carry much cash. Plastic is a lot safer and I get those credit card reward bonuses!

 

[Disney Crazy Debbie]

I have a Land/Sea package scheduled in August but we have added two days at WDW. Is the DDP available to me? I was told that the DDP wasn't allowed for the Land/Sea package.

Disney Crazy Debbie

 

[DreamDelta]

We always stay at least a week, so i bring no less that $1000.00. I always bring some money back home, but I'd rather have too much than not enough!

 

[HLAuburn]

Just to follow up in case anyone is interested...

We ended up taking about $400 and came home with quite a bit left over. We put most charges on the room and used rewards points for the rest, but we definitely needed cash for tips and food at the airport etc. With a package that includes dining, it was really nice to have just about everything paid for. We hardly spent any extra. Just my 2 cents

 

[tinkerbell105354]

My fiance and I will be going to Disney for a week in August for our honeymoon. We will be staying at the AKL and are on the DDP. We are paying for the trip ourselves and therefore probably won't really have a lot of extra money for while we are there. How much do you think the two of us can get by on, since our food is pretty much all paid for?

 

[mommyceratops]

We took $300 cash and came home with none

We used our Disney room charge for EVERYTHING

Came home with 2 extra suitcases FULL and out of money

Where did the money go?

(looking around my house at all the extra little stuff my 2DS HAD to have )