Long term budget question

[crosstowner]

Hey everyone,

We are finally putting dreams down to paper in terms of saving for a trip to Disney World. This has been a dream for a while and now it's getting done, exciting!

I just have a couple questions for the sages of this site.

We would like to visit for four days, hopefully in the winter off season (we are from the Twin Cities so we are weird like that). It'll be me, my wife, DD10 and DD8. We'd like to have $6,000 for everything (transportation, lodging, food, etc...)

Is that a realistic price tag to shoot for or am I lowballing it. We're not opposed to doing everything we can to cut costs, but we don't want to get so budget conscious that it'll take the fun out of the vacation.

I'm open to all suggestions, oh wise ones!

 

[CupcakeKelly]

I am not calling myself a "sage" or anything, but a vacation budget always depends on the people.

I'm going the 1st week in December with DH and DD3, and I have a little over $4k budgeted for the 5 night trip (that includes boarding my dog for the week, I include ALL related expenses in my budget). We are doing a 1BR savannah view at AKL, added the park hoppers, and are skipping the dining plan.

I made a spreadsheet to track all of my research (I'm kind of a nerd like that), but it helped when I was comparing prices and trying to fit the pieces together.

Best of luck! I established our budget very early so I could set a weekly savings goal in order to meet that budget.

 

[pocomom]

Hey everyone,

We are finally putting dreams down to paper in terms of saving for a trip to Disney World. This has been a dream for a while and now it's getting done, exciting!

I just have a couple questions for the sages of this site.

We would like to visit for four days, hopefully in the winter off season (we are from the Twin Cities so we are weird like that). It'll be me, my wife, DD10 and DD8. We'd like to have $6,000 for everything (transportation, lodging, food, etc...)

Is that a realistic price tag to shoot for or am I lowballing it. We're not opposed to doing everything we can to cut costs, but we don't want to get so budget conscious that it'll take the fun out of the vacation.

I'm open to all suggestions, oh wise ones!

I think you can have a great vacation on that budget! We typically do a week or more for well under that - but we don't eat in the restaurants much- (not just a budget thing, food allergies/diet)
First I would say skip the water parks and more option on your tickets - florida weather can be to cold for them anyway sometimes in the off season -If it is for 4 days, and with the ages of your kids (old enough to do the parks all day) I would plan on staying onsite despite the expense- that way you can get the most out of your visit. I'm sure you'll get a lot more advice from others- so I'll just say congrats!

 

[elcodfish]

You can break it down like this using this year's pricing:

(4) 4 day NON-hopping tickets right now cost about $1080
Off-Season at POP for 4 nights $432
Moderate for 4 nights could be between $704 and $734
So then it comes down to food and Transportation
It looks like at Southwest, even summer flights are only about $170 each way right now so I think it is safe to say $1500 for flights

So even going with the most expensive rates at a moderate you would have $3300 to use for food or souvenirs.

Get on the mousesavers newsletter to see any deals that come out. Buy the tickets from them using their ticket code as soon as possible to save on any price inflation.

Also, keep your eye on Southwest, sometimes by signing up for their credit cards you can get points to use towards flights. I actually have a ticket for friends for 25,000 points if you are interested, inbox me.

 

[eeyoresmom]

I think your budget will be fine....I would VERY highly recommend staying onsite, the value resorts are very inexpensive off season and try try try to stay at least a week. MK and Epcot take 2 full days each to see and a down day in the middle makes for a great WDW vacation.

 

[crosstowner]

I appreciate all the help. The amount of options available can be incredibly overwhelming so I figured by at least coming up with a number to shoot for it will help narrow things down. It seems like $6k may be a good jumping off point.

Will it make a huge difference if we go in winter opposed to summer? We are more interested in MK and the theme rides more so than the water park so it wouldn't be a deal breaker for us.

More than anything we're just super-geeked to finally getting this in motion.

 

[eeyoresmom]

Besides the last 2 weeks of August, WDW in the summer is very crowded and extremely hot and humid. It also rains (downpours), every afternoon in the summer. I wouldn't recommend summer to a first time visitor. Depending on what week you visit in the winter ( avoid Christmas and President's Week) the crowds should be much lower. However, winter in Orlando is very unpredicatble weather wise. You MAY be able to swim, but between Nov and April it is a crap shoot. You will have to bring both warm and cold weather clothing. I would definitely recommend a winter trip over a summer trip to a first time visitor.

 

[jameyh]

Hi i noticed most responses were to stay on-site, which has pros and cons. My family stayed on-site in 2010 at the All star sports, had a connecting room with inlwas. My opinion is that these rooms were pricey for a standard hotel type room (2 beds, tv, table & vanity area in room adjacent to bathroom). We decided to stay off site for our next trip 9/2013, at Bonnet Creek. Located near DW it is surrounded by disney property buy owned by Wyndham. Found a great price on a 2 bedroom unit including full kitchen, & laundry in room for approx the same rate as a value on-site. not sure if you are planning on renting a car or not, but they do have shuttle service for $5 round trip if needed.
found our price thru vacation strategies . com.

Our Family of 4 has a budget of around $3000 including flights, room, rental car, rental stroller and disney 5 day standard tickets. we are planning on cooking at night, eating breakfast in room and taking lunch & snacks into the parks daily. Our most expensive items is the park tickets.

 

[redmomof4]

Welcome from a fellow Minnesotan! First trip, so exciting. I'm excited just thinking about all the planning you will be doing! I second the notion of staying onsite. Especially with little ones, it just makes things so much easier. We've done both and while I like the extra room, if we weren't going with 15 people total in June we'd be back onsite. However, Bonnet Creek is a bit of an anomaly since its kind of plunked down in the middle of Disney property. May have to try it sometimes. There's just something about total Disney immersion. That's what I like about staying on site. Disney smiles and friendliness everywhere. Sort of like when I'm in World of Disney at Downtown Disney. I feel so happy, it almost makes me tear, ok it does!

 

[jm0925]

Hey everyone,

We are finally putting dreams down to paper in terms of saving for a trip to Disney World. This has been a dream for a while and now it's getting done, exciting!

I just have a couple questions for the sages of this site.

We would like to visit for four days, hopefully in the winter off season (we are from the Twin Cities so we are weird like that). It'll be me, my wife, DD10 and DD8. We'd like to have $6,000 for everything (transportation, lodging, food, etc...)

Is that a realistic price tag to shoot for or am I lowballing it. We're not opposed to doing everything we can to cut costs, but we don't want to get so budget conscious that it'll take the fun out of the vacation.

I'm open to all suggestions, oh wise ones!

I think your budget for 4 nights is very reasonable, of course it all depends on how inexpensive you can get the flight tickets for. I'm from Florida and I can tell you after many visits to WDW, my favorite time to go in is the Winter time. Walking the parks and standing in the lines in the cooler weather is so much more tolerable then being in the heat. The humidity in Orlando can be unbearable in the summer months. If you come in the winter time, I would highly recommend you try coming in early December. I know last year when I went, they offered discounts on the resorts until around the 15th of the month. Everything will be decked out for Christmas and Magic Kingdom will be doing their Mickey Christmas Party event. Hollywood Studios will have their Osborne Light Event which is really cool also.

Disney does such a wonderful job decorating for Christmas. You will love it. I would recommend you stay on-site because it really enhances your Disney vacation. When you look at resorts, take a look at both the value and moderate resorts. The values are nice but if you have the extra room in your budget to pay a little more, go for a moderate. You may want to see if adding a Dining Plan would be a good option also.

 

[LynnTH]

Hey there. Fellow Twin Citian here. For the past 14 years we have gone to Disney every other year during the kids spring break, which is always mid-march. It is busy but doable. Weather can be iffy - most times we have gotten lucky and it has been in the 70's to 80's during the day (cooler in the AM and Evening).

This year we are going with family who lives out of state - going May 28- June 7th. So, this will be the 1st Summer Trip. So, can't wait to compare.

I think for $6000 you could easily do a week if you are able to go for that long. (4 days will go by so fast). With 7-8 days you can go to each park once and have a few days for pool days and extra days to go to the parks you liked best. The tickets are not going to cost much more from a 4 day to a 7 or 8 day ticket. Airfare will be the same. So you need a few more days at hotel and food costs.

Airfare from MSP is a big factor and it will easily be one the biggest expenses. We love that Southwest has finally come to MSP and have used them the last couple of times. I would look at their website and get some ideas of pricing for when you want to go. (of course this changes daily). And as someone else suggested - wait until they are offering 50,000 points again for opening up a Credit Card. I did this and so did DH and that paid for our airfare. Freeing up that expense you can choose to stay longer or at a higher level resort if you want.

We are going for 10 nights and here is our costs:
Airfare - 0 (Southest Points)
Renting DVC Points - Boardwaldk & OKW - $1500
Car Rental - 0 - Using Magical Express & Disney Transportation
Tickets for 7 Days - $1000 ( bought them last year before price increase)
Food/Souveniers/Etc - $1500 (I also have about $500 in Disney Rewards and Gift Cards from Different Reward Sites).

So, for 10 nights - family of 4 (2 Adults, 14DS, 12DD). We are spending about $4000 out of pocket. My kids will have their own spending money but really don't buy much anymore.

So, $6000 is more than doable. Figure out your for sure costs and go from there. It is fun coming up with all the different options.

 

[crosstowner]

So many great suggestions. Thank you! It's very humbling.
It sounds like winter is the way to go, which would be better for us. Before the Twin Cities we lived in Alaska so we love the cooler weather and humidity makes us melt like the Wicked Witch of the West, so that's good to go.

Honestly, we're just excited to take a big vacation eventually. We've done so much moving for jobs and the economy, that now that we have a measure of stability here in Minn, that it's nice to plan something fun for everyone.

On site, moderate, in winter. If you have anything else, let me know, but this is just awesome!

 

[usd2bmd]

If I could put my two cents in, I would think about going in September...It is not very busy and as your first visit I think it's important to not be overwhelmed by the parks AND the amount of people in them.

I have helped people at work plan their trips and have told all of them that if you can avoid it; don't go on school breaks or around the holidays. I have encountered too many people who did not do any research and came back after going during a busy time vowing to NEVER go back because of the crowds.

Disney is an amazing place but it can be extremely daunting and only compounded if you are not prepared for the crowds.

$6000 is more than doable for a trip and you could do a week. I highly recommend a week...you may regret not doing a trip longer than 4 days...it will only leave you wanting more. Take that from someone who knows. Our first trip was only 4 park days and we stayed offsite. all I could think about was getting back there.

Good luck and happy planning...there is a wealth of knowledge on these boards...take full advantage!!

 

[HeatherC]

I also suggest going as long as possible. Disney is HUGE and 4 days with travel involved really isn't much time at all.

That being said, we are a family of five who isually go for at least 10 days and have never spent $6000. We are closer to $3,000 or $4,000.

HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend Bonnet Creek. It IS onsite, just not Disney owned. You can rent a gorgeous villa for about $110 a night including all taxes. Two bedrooms, tow baths, lazy rivers, free mini golf, pool bar, etc. It is truly the best value at Disney. They have a shuttle that you need to pay for, but I would rent a small car for $100 for the week and you will still come out WAY ahead even when you include the parking fees of $14 a day. Can literally save you thousands of dollars without sacrificing anything.

You can even order some groceries to be delivered so you can have breakfast in your jammies and still be at the parks at opening.

Saving so much this way can leave you a lot of extra money for fun stuff like character meals, souvenirs, etc..

I would recommend getting tickets at Undercover Tourist through the mousesavers.com site.

I know people will tell you that staying at a Disney resort keeps you immersed in the magic. I don't think this is such a big deal since you are pretty much still on Disney property. And by the end of the day, it is nice to retreat a bit from all the hustle and bustle. It is, however, literally out your doorstep.

January would a GREAt time...hardly any lines or crowds.

Hope this helps! Have a great time planning!

 

[Marionnette]

So many great suggestions. Thank you! It's very humbling.
It sounds like winter is the way to go, which would be better for us. Before the Twin Cities we lived in Alaska so we love the cooler weather and humidity makes us melt like the Wicked Witch of the West, so that's good to go.

Honestly, we're just excited to take a big vacation eventually. We've done so much moving for jobs and the economy, that now that we have a measure of stability here in Minn, that it's nice to plan something fun for everyone.

On site, moderate, in winter. If you have anything else, let me know, but this is just awesome!

I agree with others that $6K is more than adequate for a 4-day vacation. However, I would try to stay longer if possible. Consider this:

• It will cost you the same amount of money to fly there and back, regardless of how long you stay. I my opinion, travel days can be a waste. You wait around for your flight. You wait around for your transportation to/from the airport. Half of your day (or more) is wasted.
• The cost of additional days on Disney tickets is quite reasonable. You will pay an extra $21/pass to convert a 4-day ticket to a 7-day ticket - $7 per person per additional day!
• The WDW Resort is HUGE! You will only get a taste of it in 4 days and you will exhaust yourselves trying to do as much as possible.

I suggest that you go to the Disney website and price out a vacation package. This will give you an idea of what it will cost to stay onsite. I priced out a trip for mid-December of this year and it came up just over $5800 for a moderate resort room for 7 nights, 7-day base tickets, regular dining plan and round-trip flights MSP/MCO for 4. The cost would be even lower with a room/package discount and booking your own flights.

 

[HeatherC]

I priced out 4 7 Day tickets at Undercover Tourist for about $1200. Bonnet Creek would be about $800 so that is $2000 plus maybe $150 for a car. $2100 not including airfare. Much less than $6000 even if you eat a really nice retaurants every day. and...that is for 7 days!

 

[crosstowner]

Sounds like a week may be more realistic. Great advice everyone.

I'll have to start pricing tickets to see what we can do but I had no idea our dollar could stretch further than I thought there.

There's a reason why you guys are the experts and I'm the newbie.

Either way, I'm going to have breakfast with Winnie the Pooh. That is happening!