How much money do we need to bring now that we have the DDP?

[Momof4girls]

This is our first time onsite with the DDP. I'm TOTALLY at a loss for how much money we'll need. I've budgeted gas in the car and the hotels to and from (we're driving). But, while we're there - how much would be in your comfort level to bring for each day?

We'll probably need a bit for gratuity boosters in the event of good service - which we've always had. Do I need to bring cash for that, or can I put it on my debit card or room key thingy?

Anything else to take into consideration?

 

[mickeysgirl17]

Just bring enough for souvenirs and gas if your driving. I'm bringing about $400 total.

 

[MomofKatie]

Bringing cash for extra tips is a good idea- we used cash last fall. I'm not sure how the CMs can add an extra tip onto your debit card or room key card.

Last year, we were on the DDP for 7 nights. We ate realy well, and ended up having some credits left over (free dining, so we didn't feel like we HAD to use them all up). We ended up spending about $75 extra for the week- mostly on an occasional adult beverage. We did spand some cash on the Food & Wine festival items, but we weren't aware we could have used snack credits for them. We also ate lunch one day at a CS restautant we thought was on the DDP but found out didn't participate.

I'd say, if you aren't going to buy lots of extra snacks, you could probably budget about $10-$20 per day extra. You might not need it, but you will be prepared just in case.

Now, $$ for souvenirs? That depends on your family- some spend practically nothing in a week, some spend hundreds a day!! We spent about $300 for the week on souvenirs, the Pirate cruise for DD, and odds and ends at the gift shop (including about $30 worth of cold medicine for DD and DH ).

Have a great trip!!

 

[Momof4girls]

yeah - we don't usually spend much on souvenirs. I make the kids "shop" for the entire trip and then we buy at the very end (otherwise it's something else that they REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY want, Mom!)

Maybe $100 per kid for that. That should do it. I guess $30 per day for tips and/or snacks? Oh - and mousekeeping.

Thank the Lord Dole Whip and Funnel Cakes are SNACKS! WOO HOO!

Oh, and I just bought our MVMCP tickets online and saved myself $30 by buying in advance. Yay

 

[2GuysSeattle]

Not including rental car, gas, etc. I spent a grand total of $12.00 on my last 4-day trip, for 2 drinks at the pool. I am not really a souvenir shopper, but was really surprised that with the dining plan I really didn't spend any OOP money. Oh yeah, on my way from the airport, I did buy some english muffins, peanut butter, and bananas for breakfasts, maybe $10. That's it for the whole trip $22.00. The DDP is really a great way have all your necessary expenses pre-paid.

 

[tlriv5]

We were at WDW in October (1st time on DDP) and we didn't spend in OOP money on food or snacks for the week. Our DD's had to do jobs at home prior to our trip to earn money for their souveniers, so we only spent cash on our gas and a few extras. We were very happy when we came home with most of our spending money. I loved the DDP! Well, I really loved it because it was free this trip, but I will pay for it if I have to next trip. It was GREAT!

 

[disneyjunkie]

My son and I will be using the DDP again during our next trip. I'm planning an extra $25-$30 per day for OOP items.

We like to have a hot breakfast each morning. I'd rather pay OOP for breakfast than use a CS credit. Instead of using snack credits for bottled water and soda, I'll just use cash. There are some snacks that aren't included in the DDP so we'll use cash for those.

And then there's the souvenir budget.

 

[wdwdancerwannabe]

We are a family of 3 who take advantage of the DDP --
We budget $200/day for the family - this is for snacks, souvenirs, etc. We can get whatever we want, but when it's gone..it's gone - until the next day . A small character plush animal was over $10.00...and the same exact toy at the Disney Store at your mall is about $5 to $6. Everything is a LOT more expensive.

When we went, I swore I didn't need souvenirs!! I was SO wrong! Special picture frames are a must. Also - we spent the $ on the pictures from the rides (if they were good) - they were the only pics we had of the entire family. Take advantage of the pictures that the photographers take of you as a family (again, only if they're good pics).

Buy them AT the parks (upon leaving for the day) - I thought I would come home and buy more off the internet --- instead, I came back to reality and couldn't think of spending any more money....wish I would have bought the pics at the parks!

It's fine to have your things delivered to your room, but it's really easy to accidently overspend this way.

If you have money left over from a previous day, save it for Downtown Disney!!

 

[disneyjunkie]

Welcome to the DIS wdwdancerwannabe