How ugly is...

We don't budget, but I know we don't spend that much any more. We usually only have airfare for two from MPLS to Orlando. This last August that was about $400, but for January, it will only be $280, because we got $140 RT tickets on a daily deal that most folks missed. Since we usually take at least two DVC trips a year, I will divide our maintanance fees in half, so figure that at $600 a trip. In August we purchased CDS tickets for ourselves and DS and his SO, so that was about $350. We ate out at Teppanyaki twice, Akershus once, Artists Point once, and Garden Grill once. All breakfasts and a few light meals were done in the villa, so our grocery bill (including snacks and soda) was around $125. We always rent a car, and that was $180 in August. I had another additional expense of an ECV because I was not well enough to walk around the parks this trip. That was an additional $150. We didn't buy souveniers to speak of except for a couple of CD's and a Pal Mickey. That total was only $75.
Totals for 4 adults
Airfare=$400 ( 2 went on FF passes)
rental car=$180
Gas=$32
dues=$600
restaurant meals=$350
groceries and snacks=$125
Souveniers=$75
Miscelaneous park snacks (Mickey bars!) estimate of $60
I always feel like it is our cheapest trips when we go to WDW!

OOPS! I forgot park passes! We have APs, so figure one adult AP at $395 with discount (2 adults, but figure 1/2 for each)
2 5 day hoppers for DS and his SO =$430
That brings the total to $2647

I don't think that's too bad.
 
I think we get some sort of cognitive dissonance, because I don't think we consider the airline tickets (already paid for by the time you go), the dvc (paid for), or the passes (paid for), so we are only thinking a couple of hundred dollars a day for food....if we really added it up, well, I guess that is why we don't think about it!
 
We spent $5,300 for our 15 days in August for our family of six plus an adult friend guest. Five of the seven airfares were paid for with frequent flyer miles, so add $1,125 for what they normally cost if we had to pay for them. We spent the first seven nights at the new Marriott Residence Inn at SeaWorld in a two bedroom unit using Marriott points, so figure about $1,400 more if we paid for that.

Our family are all "adults" in Disney pricing as DD's are now 11, 14, 14, and 17. They can still order kids meals off menu's, but all admission tickets are of the higher cost adult variety. We'd eat breakfast "in" and have snacks and drinks in the room, but for the most part we ate in the parks or at restaurants in the hotels at WDW. We had a lot of $80 tabs for what I would describe as a modest meal. Included in our costs was back to school clothes from the outlet malls of $350 and souvenirs of $400 for the kids and their friends back home. I'm sure we spent $200 or more on the Boardwalk games and sweets. It would have been more, but the funnel cake stand was closed an awful lot due to the afternoon and early evening thunderstorms.

We are going back next August for 16 days split between OKW and BWV. I've already used frequent flyer miles for the six airfares. I'm going to use Marriott points for the minvan rental to save another $800 next year. We'll need park passes, but I'm going to get AP's and hope to have enough Disney Visa Reward points by then to get two for free. We discussed eating in more, but I know that once we get there we won't follow through beyond breakfasts. I'm sure that when all is said and done we'll spend at least $4K despite the savings in some areas.

It's all relative though, the Disney vacation will be a lot less than college tuition for my oldest DD next year :)
 
















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