Im on a tight budget how does this sound?

[PrincessYiyaBunny]

I havent been to Disney in sooooo long and we really miss it. Were waiting for free dining to be announced and were trying to go as cheap as possible .. Our main agenda is to spend a day in Epcot and a day in Hollwood Studios to see Fantasmic . Weve gone to the MNSSHP twice and thats our MK day ! We arrive at 4 to get in early ...

So far I was just going to do a 4 or 5 night trip MAX and i was going to get the WPF&M option because we love the waterparks too . So we would have done the 3 park days ...and two days at the waterpark. Its only than i realize there really isnt any downtime in those plans..than my mom wanted to join the trip and she is saying why go all the way to Florida to Disney and not spend atleast 7 or more nights there... I started thinking well with the free dining we'd only have to add on room costs..we wont have any more park days but we'd still get to stay in the room ,swim and eat at the restaurants which is a vacay in and of itself. I started thinking well yeah we can plan dinner at 1900 park fare for my dd who loves Cinderella ...and the other days with no parks we can eat at Trex ...or we can do Ohana character breakfast and eat at WPE in downtown disney for dinner ...that would be awesome too and we'd still have the disney quest tickets too ...I didnt particularly enjoy Disney Quest but *shrug* it'd be something to do ...and my mom has cancer so she would like a laid back vacation as opposed to the ones where im like go,go ,go ! Move it!

My mom is not an Epcot fan so she said she is spending that day at MK or AK ... im hoping to change her mind because i love and adore Epcot IDK why she has never liked it ...

So now the vacation has been bumped up to atleast 8 nights ...

Does it sound okay to just have the 2 day park tickets and the MNSSHP tickets? Thats the cheapest i could do it...to hit all the parks i'd like . I like AK as well but to add extra days is extra money..yeah it may seem not alot to you guys but it is to me..

I did a lengthy 9 night vacation before with 7 day park tickets with the WPF&M option and it was great but i cant really afford that.. all i really wanna see is Fantasmic to be honest lol

Would you do a trip like that? An 8 or 9 night trip with only 3 major park days ?

Im also looking forward to the meals... eating out at 1900 park fare...Ohana for breakfast and dinner etc,. I just hope my kids dont complain when were not heading out to a park every morning.

Were going the first week of October ..the MNSSHP tickets are cheapest that week.

 

[worm761]

Personally, that wouldn not work for me. I would want more days in the parks. But do what you want to for your vacation.

As for budget, you might want to remember that those more TS meals means more tip money needed too. Those tips add up quick.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Sure! Sounds great to me. You'll have lots of downtime and there are so many things to do outside of the parks. And then on the park days, you'll be extra motivated to fit in as much as you can. Tickets are expensive!

 

[pjhootch]

I don't know why not, if that is how you want to do it. If you get the free dining and it suits your budget... why not? You know, you can find things to do around Orlando that are budget friendly to keep the kids interested on pool/resort days. You can drive over to a beach for a day-that's a great thing to do with kids if you guys don't live near warm sandy beaches. You can still use your meal credits for breakfast and dinner, and take your snack in the car with you. The first week of October the water is still warm (although it is hurricane season so you would need to be flexible). I would head to the gulf side with kids because the water is calmer there for playing and swimming. If you aren't driving yourself, you can get a week long rental car very economically- or even just rent a car for 24 hours if that is all you need. I would prefer to have a car in Orlando if I was only going to Disney parks 3 out of 7 days.

 

[PrincessYiyaBunny]

No car ..I don't drive and I prefer to just stay on Disney property. We've done Orlando vacations twice so this time we just want to do Disney. It looks like the trip will be cut down to 6 nights or so. I just can't afford the extra days..unless my mom plans to covers them. I'm going to stick to what I can afford which is really just 5 nights. I may nix the wpf&m as well and just stick to the resort pool . I'm sitting here with my calculator budgeting and I have to nix things . Disney is so expensive. I spent way less in the past and those trips were longer and with more park days . I'm getting a tad depressed.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

When we go for 7 nights we only do 3 or 4 park days - ever. My family likes the down time too. We enjoy DTD, Disneyquest, the waterparks, resort pools, real golf and miniature golf. You can also do the campfire/movie with Chip & Dale in Fort Wilderness (free!). I think there is a ton to do in WDW besides just the parks. It truly is a well rounded vacation destination!

I do highly recommend the WPF&M option because it adds so much more to your trip with very little cost. If you can swing it, do it.

 

[gtpoohbear]

My only advice would be to make sure you are going to be content staying at the resort/pool on your down days.

We don't feel the need to go to a park everyday, but without fail, we end up spending more money on "other" things on those days. It would have been cheaper to add a few days to our tickets, lol!

Even if I initially think we'll just hang out and swim, as the trip gets closer I find all sorts of stuff to plan, and suddenly our down day has become very expensive.

 

[pjhootch]

If you enjoy the pool and hanging out at the resort, then go ahead and do it. 5 days of vacation is better than no days. If you are going to be unhappy and wishing you could afford another park day, maybe not a good idea. I do agree that the "down" days can start to get very expensive if you aren't careful.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

So your only day in MK will be on a party night? From 4:00 on? I just can't imagine doing that. Honestly, there's so much to see and do.

I'd actually skip the party and make it a 3rd park day and spend the whole day at MK--on a non-party night of course.

 

[CyndiLooWho]

You know, once you get down there, you can always add a day onto the tickets if you decide you want another day or you find more money in your budget.

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

Are you thinking about staying at a value or a moderate? If you're staying at a value and free dining is offered, you'll only have the quick service plan. You would have to pay the difference to upgrade to the regular dining plan. A 2 day ticket with WPF&M is $272.64 for $26 more you could add PH and try to do AK and DHS in one day. Also there is only about a $16 difference between the cost of a MNSHHP ticket and adding a third day to your tickets. (Assuming you're going in September.) This would get you a third day at a WP too. I would just run all the numbers.

 

[eliza61]

No car ..I don't drive and I prefer to just stay on Disney property. We've done Orlando vacations twice so this time we just want to do Disney. It looks like the trip will be cut down to 6 nights or so. I just can't afford the extra days..unless my mom plans to covers them. I'm going to stick to what I can afford which is really just 5 nights. I may nix the wpf&m as well and just stick to the resort pool . I'm sitting here with my calculator budgeting and I have to nix things . Disney is so expensive. I spent way less in the past and those trips were longer and with more park days . I'm getting a tad depressed.

Ok, this is what I'd do.
1). I'd go Bonnet creek resort. budget board folks have been getting 2 bedroom villas dirt cheap. also very reliable park transportation or even one of the disney best neighbors resort right outside of dtd.
2) free dining stopped be the cheapest option long ago, as previous poster mentioned if you stay at a value your not getting TS
3) go to the budget board. they have tricks on getting disney gc's cheaply and how to save on food

Don't get depressed, you will definitely feel better vacationing the way you can afford

 

[JanaDee]

I havent been to Disney in sooooo long and we really miss it. Were waiting for free dining to be announced and were trying to go as cheap as possible .. Our main agenda is to spend a day in Epcot and a day in Hollwood Studios to see Fantasmic . Weve gone to the MNSSHP twice and thats our MK day ! We arrive at 4 to get in early ...

So far I was just going to do a 4 or 5 night trip MAX and i was going to get the WPF&M option because we love the waterparks too . So we would have done the 3 park days ...and two days at the waterpark. Its only than i realize there really isnt any downtime in those plans..than my mom wanted to join the trip and she is saying why go all the way to Florida to Disney and not spend atleast 7 or more nights there... I started thinking well with the free dining we'd only have to add on room costs..we wont have any more park days but we'd still get to stay in the room ,swim and eat at the restaurants which is a vacay in and of itself. I started thinking well yeah we can plan dinner at 1900 park fare for my dd who loves Cinderella ...and the other days with no parks we can eat at Trex ...or we can do Ohana character breakfast and eat at WPE in downtown disney for dinner ...that would be awesome too and we'd still have the disney quest tickets too ...I didnt particularly enjoy Disney Quest but *shrug* it'd be something to do ...and my mom has cancer so she would like a laid back vacation as opposed to the ones where im like go,go ,go ! Move it!

My mom is not an Epcot fan so she said she is spending that day at MK or AK ... im hoping to change her mind because i love and adore Epcot IDK why she has never liked it ...

So now the vacation has been bumped up to atleast 8 nights ...

Does it sound okay to just have the 2 day park tickets and the MNSSHP tickets? Thats the cheapest i could do it...to hit all the parks i'd like . I like AK as well but to add extra days is extra money..yeah it may seem not alot to you guys but it is to me..

I did a lengthy 9 night vacation before with 7 day park tickets with the WPF&M option and it was great but i cant really afford that.. all i really wanna see is Fantasmic to be honest lol

Would you do a trip like that? An 8 or 9 night trip with only 3 major park days ?

Im also looking forward to the meals... eating out at 1900 park fare...Ohana for breakfast and dinner etc,. I just hope my kids dont complain when were not heading out to a park every morning.

Were going the first week of October ..the MNSSHP tickets are cheapest that week.

It wouldn't work for me. I go to Disney for the parks. If you're on a tight budget, get rid of the MNSSHP and WPF&M options. Also, eating at TS costs money (tips, which add up quickly). Adding days to your tickets is much cheaper.

 

[bababear_50]

Hi
I think your plan will work.
You have been before so you already know what you want to see in those choosen parks.
You can do alot in one night at MNSSHP.
I wish I could go at Halloween Time, it is so much fun!



I want my next holiday to be a much more relaxed one than previous ones.

Here is a rough copy of our plan next year (Spring Break)
We are only doing 2 Theme Parks

Day 1. Arrive ,unpack, plan a nice Resort ADR, (Maybe The Garden Grove,Swan Hotel).
Depending upon how tired we are we may just hop on a boat and head to DTD
for a nice dinner.

Day 2. Theme Park Day (Magic Kingdom)

Day 3. Pool Day and resort activities (Olivia's for Breakfast).

Day 4. Photo Scavenger Hunt in DTD (Disney Springs) ,treats to follow, maybe a movie or bowling.

Day 5. Theme Park day (Epcot)

Day 6. Pool Day and Resort activities

Day 7. Last minute Shopping, Packing, last swim, Magical Express.

Relax and have fun planning
Hugs Mel

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Pardon me for asking but do you not need a ticket for length of stay to get free dining? That is cool. I didn't realise that!

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

Pardon me for asking but do you not need a ticket for length of stay to get free dining? That is cool. I didn't realise that!

You usually only need a 2 day ticket.

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

Ok, this is what I'd do.
1). I'd go Bonnet creek resort. budget board folks have been getting 2 bedroom villas dirt cheap. also very reliable park transportation or even one of the disney best neighbors resort right outside of dtd.
2) free dining stopped be the cheapest option long ago, as previous poster mentioned if you stay at a value your not getting TS
3) go to the budget board. they have tricks on getting disney gc's cheaply and how to save on food

Don't get depressed, you will definitely feel better vacationing the way you can afford

If she doesn't drive, then she might be relying on ME. Staying in a value with free dining can still be a very good deal depending on how many people are in your party.

OP, if you do take your trip don't forget to take advantage of the hotel activities. The 4pm pool party is one of my DD's favorite things. I wouldn't plan on going to a movie or bowling at DTD. Too expensive.

 

[scrappymel]

You definitely don't need to go to a park everyday to have fun at WDW! However, I would drop the MNSSHP and add a full day to the tickets instead. Then you would have 3 park days and 3 waterpark days for just a little more than the original budget. Or if waterparks aren't important to the entire family, you can always dump that expense and add more days to the 3 day tickets for very minimal cost. Good luck!

 

[eliza61]

If she doesn't drive, then she might be relying on ME. Staying in a value with free dining can still be a very good deal depending on how many people are in your party.

OP, if you do take your trip don't forget to take advantage of the hotel activities. The 4pm pool party is one of my DD's favorite things. I wouldn't plan on going to a movie or bowling at DTD. Too expensive.

But she has to remember that if she does free dining at the value, she'll only get cs credit, which means she's going to pay oop for the ts meals
Not a problem just wanted to make her aware

 

[Sarahbelle341]

It all depends on your family and your budget. I think that could be a very relaxing trip. On days I wasn't going to the parks or the waterparks I would plan more sit down meals/character meals and mostly do quick service on park days to maximize park time. 1900 Park Fare (breakfast and dinner have diffferent characters), Cape May, Ohana, Chef Mickey's, and the dinner shows are all great to do on non-park days. Downtown Disney, Disney Quest, the resort pool, resort arcade, the campfire with Chip and Dale, viewing the animals at animal kingdom lodge, dinner shows, BBB, etc are all good options on a non park day.