How much per person/per day?

[mikkishelles]

How much money to you bring to WDW pp/day? We are going down this month and are on the DDP, so no need to budget in food. We are two kids (10 and 11) and one adult. The other adult on our trip has a separate budget. I am thinking $100 per day total. What do you all do?

 

[Gracie09]

What are you including in that number? Food? Tickets? Hotel?
We stay on site and use ddp so we budget $5-600 for four people for eight days. This includes any tips, our garden grocer delivery, and souvenirs - usually ears and something for my girls, a key chain for me, hat for dh and Christmas ornaments for the house.

 

[Darcy03231]

How much money to you bring to WDW pp/day? We are going down this month and are on the DDP, so no need to budget in food. We are two kids (10 and 11) and one adult. The other adult on our trip has a separate budget. I am thinking $100 per day total. What do you all do?

I think $100 a day sounds fine, depending on your spending habits. If you plan to use it for extra snacks/drinks, tips, and an inexpensive souvenir or two you should be fine. If you want lots of souvenirs or are into the more expensive items like Dooney handbags, jewelry, artwork, etc., you'll need a bigger budget. Keep in mind that Disney souvenirs are expensive!

What I find works best for us is to give each child a set amount for souvenirs. We "look" throughout the week and anything they think they want we take a picture of, with the price and location. On the last day we shop. We hit World of Disney first in DTD (and I don't think we've ever had a kid want something that wasn't there). This way there's no buyers remorse when they get dumped out in another gift shop and they see something they really want, but have spent all their money.

 

[Judique]

How much money to you bring to WDW pp/day? We are going down this month and are on the DDP, so no need to budget in food. We are two kids (10 and 11) and one adult. The other adult on our trip has a separate budget. I am thinking $100 per day total. What do you all do?

I think $100 per day for odds and ends should do you fine. For me that would probably take care of all my food since I rarely do a DDP. But then, Disney already has all my money and we have 25 years worth of tshirts and souvenirs, DVC and disney stock to prove it!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Remember that if you are on DDP the specific courses and tax are included. Tips for the server, appetizers and special beverages are not included. Be sure to take that into consideration.

 

[luvmy3]

It definitely depends on what you plan to use the money for. You said you were on the DDP, does that money include extra tips and extra snacks/drinks throughout the day for you? Extra things like BBB or MNSSHP tix, etc? How many days?
I'm going for 8 days, I couldn't imagine spending $800 on each of us for souvenirs. We won't even spend that much each with our food included. I am planning on $100 for each of us (5) for the entire trip for souvenirs. I am not on the DDP so our food is not included in that number.

 

[SEA333]

We have free DDP, and of course the airfare, resort, and transportation are covered 45 days before we arrive, so this is JUST an answer as to how much we are actually budgeting for the 5 days we will be there:

Each of our three kids are getting one $50 giftcard for the trip, (not per day!), to spend any way they want (and I have VOWED to bite my tongue on their decisions!)

Over and above that, we are budgeting $100/day to cover the tip for our 1 table-service-per-day on the DDP, and other incidentals. I'm almost positive that we will use less that that each day. We are a family of 5 (4 "adults" and one "child"), so even if I estimate each TS meal at $175, that's an approx $32 tip (calculated at 18% - no debate needed That will still leave nearly $70/day, or $350 for 5 days, for other things. We are not big souvenier people, and we won't have luggage space for a whole lot of stuff anyway.

 

[texasroni75]

We have earmarked $100/day for the 7 days we are on-site for our family of 5. This is not including hotel and travel expenses - it's purely "in the parks and at the Disney resort" money.

Details behind our budget: We are on QS dining plan. We do only one or two TS meals out of pocket the whole trip. DH and I do not usually drink alcoholic beverages when we are on vacation with the kids, and a small portion is set aside for tips as-needed. We also limit souvenirs to small items like magnets and maybe a small gift for our closest friends. My sister is a DVC member and so she pretty much takes my entire extended family on yearly visits to WDW so nobody in my family needs me to buy them a souvenir! (we go on our own) Not doing the Halloween party. I'm pretty frugal, so I expect to come home with at least half of the money we set aside. But it's there if we decide to do something "extra".

 

[MrEVILdrPorkchop2u]

I think you will be fine. We are a family of 4. We spend about 40.00 a day for tips. We always use the dining plan. Most days we don't buy extra snacks however we buy one or 2 coffees a day. We aren't huge souviner people anymore because we go so often. Kids normally get 50.00 from us ahead of time and we will always allow them to pick out a shirt besides. Everything else is on them. For us, your budget would work out just fine.

 

[squirrel]

I spend way less. I bring one box of cereal and some bowls and spoons. I buy milk and keep it in the fridge. I have even made oatmeal with the hot water at the food court or with hot water from the coffee maker.

I bring some snacks and a bag or two of microwave popcorn. I buy one souviner bucket and use the microwave in the food court to make more and refill.

I save my snack credits for yummy snacks, not breakfast unless I want a large cinnamon bun from Main Street Bakery. I pick it up at night and save for the next morning. I get free ice water to drink and add some Crystal Light or Nestea to it since I find FL water not great.

The rest of the money is for tips and a Music CD, since I don't spend a lot on souviners.

 

[delmar411]

Well many ppl get way more than 1 snack per day plus they buy lots of drinks at $2.50/bottle. So I'd think about how you all eat or plan to eat.

Are you buying breakfast every morning? Is the person outside your family who you are traveling with have the same eating/drinking expectations you have? It is very hard to deny children things like ice cream or soda if other ppl they are traveling with are getting it for themselves.

Are you planning on only drinking the free ice water from the counter services?

Are you packing things for the kids to munch on?

Do you have a plan for kids spending money?

Just things like that. I would think $100/day is plenty for a family to get all the extras and then a few souvenirs.

 

[dhardawa]

My party is one adult, a 13 year old, and a 6 year old. We're on the dining plan and I have never spent a cent extra on food/drinks when on a dining plan. I'll budget about $100 for tips for the week and probably $300 for everything else. I'll likely come home with money leftover.

 

[disneychrista]

Other than meals, we spend less than $100 total in the parks for a 3 day trip (to Disneyland). We don't purchase alcohol, only minimal souviners and only an occasional soft drink or snack.

 

[LJSquishy]

Even with the DDP, you may find you want to purchase a few food items here and there. We used our snack credits for breakfast (mostly yogurt parfaits at CSR), but if you like to snack during the day you may decide to pay OOP for a meal or additional snacks.

I'd say your budgeted amount is high for what you will actually spend unless you plan to spend quite a bit on souveniers. We were two adults on DDP and only spent money on tips, alcohol and $40-$50 in souveniers for our nieces & nephew. There isn't really much to spend money on when you're on the DDP! It's way too much food as it is, so I'd be surprised if your family had room in your tummies for even more! It's good that you've budgeted that amount but I think you'll have a lot left over.

 

[honeybunches]

We usually spend $200 total on tips from the week, then about $100 extra for little things like taking a cab or something. We have the DDP and are not really souvenir people. I give my kids $25 each to spend and they usually don't spend it all. This year my daughter has saved $100 of her allowance to take, so she must be planning to do some shopping. It's nice to have extra money if you need it, so it's good that you have it OP