How to visit WDW on $2000 budget??

[HelenePA]

I think this budget is too tight for a decent Disney trip, frankly. I wouldn't bother going all that way for two days.

I couldn't imagine driving how many hours to spend 48 hrs at disney. That first day your butt is going to be dragging your not going to have fun. I dont think its possible to have a great trip at this price and this kind of time crunch but hey its your money not ours.

 

[saimore]

Thank you all for the great suggestions. I am going to try van rental one way drop off and changing dates to sometime in August or September. I will let you know which one we end up doing.
Thanks

 

[goofygal531]

Two day park passes is just insane for a Travel Agent to recommend! I would NEVER cut on park passes to a client!! Your going to WDW to go to the PARKS!!! Stay off site if you must, change your dates, but don't skimp on park passes!

 

[ldo]

you most likely will get very high rates after June for the one-way van--it's only good through 6/30/08. But, in a few more weeks, there is a good chance that they will announce free dining---it would be in Sept or very late AUg.

 

[FayeW]

With 4 kids, forget about staying onsite. Six people crowded in one room at Port Orleans will be a complete miserable experience, and will cost waaaaaayyy more than you need to spend. You are travelling a long way, you don't want to be cramped and unhappy when you get there. You will have a vehicle anyway so you might as well stay offsite in nicer accomodations and be more comfortable.

Check out www.skyauction.com. Go to the "search" function and type in keyword "ready". That will bring up the Ready, Set, Go auctions. Select one of the auctions that come up (usually there are 3 current auctions) and scroll down about 1/3 of the page until you see "Click here to see where your next vacation will be". Then you can type in your dates, location, and type of accomodation (I suggest min. 2 bdrm). At the moment, there is nothing coming up for your dates in June, but there are several good ones for Sept. If you go with skyauction you can expect to pay somewhere between $350-$400 for the entire week, and will have a full kitchen for breakfasts and snacks, and in suite laundry.

You can also check out www.floridasunvacationhomes.com, and will find excellent prices for 2 & 3bdrm condos and townhouses for your dates in June for under $100. per night. Most of these are located in Windsor Hills which is something like 4 mins from parking lot to the park entrance at Animal Kingdom. Obviously, WDW is a big place so the other parks are further than that.

The benefit of staying offsite in a condo, aside from the space, is that you will save money by being able to pack cereal and snacks to bring with you in the van so the kids can have breakfast in the suite. You say you don't want to cook, which I totally understand, but you will need to have things for the baby anyway and pouring a bowl of cereal or making some toast isn't really cooking. You would be able to have milk, juice boxes and fresh fruit for the kids. I guarantee that dragging 4 kids out of the hotel room to get breakfast every morning would get old real quick! Being able to throw in a load of laundry would mean packing less clothes for everybody, and you could take more snacks or a case of water.

We never stay onsite, always have a 2bdrm condo (and I only have 2 kids!). Trust me, you won't miss any magic!

 

[goofygal531]

We never stay onsite, always have a 2bdrm condo (and I only have 2 kids!). Trust me, you won't miss any magic!

Oooh, that is so not true! You may convince yourself that since the arrangements suit your budget and family but there is TONS of magic to be had onsite.

 

[PaulaSue]

I am new to the board. This will be our first trip to WDW. Our budget is $2000. We will be driving a rental van so gas and van cost will be $758.00. That leaves us $1242. I would love for us to stay on premise and dine. Does anyone have any suggestions. I really don't want to cook or worry about finding cheap places for us to eat.
Thanks

This is a joke, right? Spending that much for a rental van and gas and not want cheap places to eat.

 

[deedeetoo]

I don't understand the reason for the rental van. That is part of what is killing your budget. Is the problem that your own car is not reliable enough for the trip?

If it were me planning the trip on this budget.... I would drive my own car, try to rent a villa at a place like Windsor Hills, and get park tickets for every day that we were there. I would not skimp on park tickets - that is the whole reason for the trip.

The place I would really try to save is food. Do a grocery shop when you arrive in Orlando. By having your own villa you can have a big breakfast every morning. You probably can't avoid eating on site during the day which is very pricy, but if you eat only counter service lunches and then eat dinners offsite it will save you big $. My family would often even skip lunch if we eat a big enough breakfast - especially in summer when its really hot. Anyone on a budget shouldn't even consider the dining plan. Its very expensive and you can eat much more cheaply without it.

 

[EC0323]

I am new to the board. This will be our first trip to WDW. Our budget is $2000. We will be driving a rental van so gas and van cost will be $758.00. That leaves us $1242. I would love for us to stay on premise and dine. Does anyone have any suggestions. I really don't want to cook or worry about finding cheap places for us to eat.
Thanks

$758 for a Rental van? Have you tried Hotwire or Priceline? How many days that cover? I know vans are more expensive. We went to Boston and got an Suv for less than 50 a day. I can not remember how much exactly. But we almost always get a better deal using Hotwire for rental cars.

 

[Gillian]

If you will have a van, I'd do offsite. A rental townhouse in Windsor Hills should work for your family, you should be able to find one for $125/night or less. You'll have a kitchen, which also helps the budget.
Check the Orlando DIS board here:
http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=15

Plan for the Fall. It will cost you less and be more pleasant than June.

Skip the meal plan, because in addition to the base charges you'll have to pay tips on the table service meals, which can add up for 5 people.

Sign up for the Mousesavers.com newsletter and/or check their website to find out about tickets and how you can save on them. That's going to be your biggest expense.

Oooh, that is so not true! You may convince yourself that since the arrangements suit your budget and family but there is TONS of magic to be had onsite.

There may be magic to be had onsite, but I doubt they'll be able to find it with 6 people in one room. Just my opinion, as we've never stayed onsite with more than the 4 of us, but even that gets tight. And we have stayed offsite in condos and townhomes and even timeshares and they are really lovely.

Have you tried Windsor Hills? We've stayed in Windsor Palms nearby and enjoyed it as much as deluxe resorts onsite. The drive is easy, the kitchen saves money, more bedrooms keeps everyone happy, etc. etc.

 

[Corjack]

$758 for a Rental van?

Ido believe she said this included gas, which makes the price about right.

I have ot say that driving and not flying is NOT the budget friendly way to do things wiht Gas prices so high. We got airline tickets for less than we would have spent on gas.

I would rethink the driving part.

Jackie

 

[Corjack]

Thank you all for the great suggestions. I am going to try van rental one way drop off and changing dates to sometime in August or September. I will let you know which one we end up doing.
Thanks

You might luck out and get free dining in September.

 

[goofygal531]

I would delay this whole trip and save the money for next year and spend double the amount and have an amazing vacation on property with the meal plan with plane tickets!

 

[FayeW]

Oooh, that is so not true! You may convince yourself that since the arrangements suit your budget and family but there is TONS of magic to be had onsite.

Sure there is...and there's tons of magic to be had offsite, too. Four well rested children with a little space to spread out and the ability to grab a snack or cold drink from the fridge, or make a sandwich at the end of a long day, is plenty magical! Two bathrooms and two TV's...also magical.

What I meant was...if they have never stayed onsite, like we haven't, then you can't miss what you never knew. You make your own magic on vacations.

 

[HelenePA]

Ido believe she said this included gas, which makes the price about right.

I have ot say that driving and not flying is NOT the budget friendly way to do things wiht Gas prices so high. We got airline tickets for less than we would have spent on gas.

I would rethink the driving part.

Jackie

Uh speak for yourself. Even at 5$ a gallon I'll only be spending 550$ flying is almost tripple that, last year from philly to mco it cost me less than what it will for me to drive but I can NOT justify spending 1500$ for airline tix. Remember both the OP and I have larger families. If your talking about a family of 2 or 3 sure its MUCH cheaper to fly..

 

[JamesMom]

Sure there is...and there's tons of magic to be had offsite, too. Four well rested children with a little space to spread out and the ability to grab a snack or cold drink from the fridge, or make a sandwich at the end of a long day, is plenty magical! Two bathrooms and two TV's...also magical.

What I meant was...if they have never stayed onsite, like we haven't, then you can't miss what you never knew. You make your own magic on vacations.

I'm going to get the same benefits by renting DVC points for a 2bedroom unit at Old Key West for less than a studio! And I get the MAGIC of onsite

OP - with a family of six, don't you need 2 rooms? Other than suites or DVC - don't the rooms hold max of 4 or 5?

 

[HelenePA]

I'm going to get the same benefits by renting DVC points for a 2bedroom unit at Old Key West for less than a studio! And I get the MAGIC of onsite

Guess which one is paying under 400$ a week (probably less)

 

[Eveningsong]

You don't have to eat on Disney Property. I believe there are lots of restaurants with kids eat free promotions.

The Roadhouse
Beef o Brady's
Fazoli's
Lone Star Steak House
Shoneys
Ponderosa
The Crab House
are a few I can think of

We have stayed off site, and on site and both work well.

I also collect SPG points (the Starwood Preferred Guest Program), and with these points we have free hotel stays at all participating Starwoods hotels. You get points when you stay at their hotels, and I have the MBNA Starwoods reward credit card (no fees) to collect additional points. They have a few partner sites to help collect Starwood points.

Free Accommodation really cuts down on Disney trip costs for a family.

 

[Gillian]

I'm going to get the same benefits by renting DVC points for a 2bedroom unit at Old Key West for less than a studio! And I get the MAGIC of onsite

OP - with a family of six, don't you need 2 rooms? Other than suites or DVC - don't the rooms hold max of 4 or 5?

A 2 BR at OKW, even during the cheapest time of December, at the lowest point rental rate around here ($10) is still $220/night weekdays and more on the weekend. It would be the same during September, so that is something to consider for a family with a slightly larger budget.

They are 5 plus one under 3.

 

[Gillian]

Am I the only one who sees the MAGIC of money in my pocket?