How to do trip for DH and I....not expensively?

[bigbabyblues]

It would just be DH and I. I thought about this awhile ago, but the situation has changed somewhat. He's going to start medic school next January, and I want us to have a nice trip somewhere, just the two of us, before he does. The next year is going to be rough, he's going to have to quit his good-paying job and take a lesser paying one for the year he's in school, he's going to have to work odd hours, and go to school at the same time, and we have two kids. Thankfully, the classes will be only 2 nights a week with clinicals one day also. This will allow us both to work, even though I may have to pick up more hours for the year. I think we'll need a little break before all this starts, probably in the fall, but we're spending the year trying to get out from the rest of the debt we have as well. It consists of one credit card with a workable balance for us, his car payment, but the car will be paid off in March, and my jeep payment. We're also saving to trade the jeep before he quits his "real" job and get something with a much lower payment.

I'd love to be able to go to Disney, but I just don't know if we can afford to. If we did, we'd use his ff miles for plane tickets, or drive if we can't use ff. If we drive, we'll have the cost of gas and Ohio, we can stay with a relative in GA, so no hotel expenses. When we travel, we always bring most of our food to eat on the road, sandwich stuff, snacks, and drinks and usually at eat in rest areas. I thought we'd stay 4 nights in a value (DH refuses to stay offsite anymore, and I don't want to either), probably POP, and get 2-day MYW tickets; we have 1-day UPH left that they gave us when we lost a day due to Hurricane Jeanne, and we wouldn't visit the parks on our arrival day. Instead we could go to DTD or resort hopping, or just hang around the resort. I am considering adding the dining option, which means I'd have to get the package, but that's ok too. That would be $70 a night, but I don't think we can eat for that, as DH isn't a fan of c/s all the time, and likes at least one sit-down a day. I played with the #'s on disney's site, but of course, it stopped working in the middle, so do you have any thoughts on price? I'm thinking we could get away with around $1000, which sounds like a lot, but might be possible since I have so long to save. If we can't save and pay cash for the trip, any part of the trip, we won't go. I'll have to find somewhere else.

Thoughts?

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

Rack rate for a Value Resort during Value Season (Aug. 28-Oct. 4) is $77 (std. view). Add another 11.5% room tax for POP. For 3 nights that comes to $257.57.

2-day MYW (no hopping, no pluses, expiry) passes for 2 adults =$253.48

3 nights dining option for 2 adults = $210.

Total so far: $710.05.

This leaves you with just under $290 for gas, tolls, additional food and souvenirs. Keeping in mind that the dining option covers 2 meals (one counter & one sitdown) plus a snack per night. If you want to dine at a signature restaurant, that will take 2 of your sitdown options per person.

I would say that it is certainly "doable" for $1000. If you can save more, try to but anything less would be cutting it very close.

 

[bigbabyblues]

Thanks mad4themouse, that's along the lines l was thinking as well. l didn't figure gas into my first estimate because l'd prefer to fly and l know dh would as well. Will just have to work around using the ff miles, and probably get it booked soon. l don't think we'll eat at a signature restaurant, but if we do, we can make it up by paying for a c/s meal instead of another sit down.

Thanks!