Magic on a Budget?

[starshine514]

We went with 5 last time and out hotel would not let us book. We called and the hotel said it was fine, just book with 4 and they would put a note in their books saying 5. No extra cost, hotel room we wanted, no chance of getting in trouble.

Not Anaheim Plaza, but I had a similiar situation at the Quality Inn. They don't have an elevator and the only rooms available to sleep 5 were upstairs. I called, they said they couldn't put a rollaway in the downstairs room available, but if we knew we would be fine using the existing bedding to just put 4 people instead of 5 on the reservation (I did put 3 adults and one child, so I did pay the extra adult fee - we had 3 adults and 2 children). We had no problems there.

However, the Travelodge in La Mesa (I know, not near Disney, but I've stayed there several times ) has reports on Tripadvisor regarding people being kicked out for sneaking in an extra person. So, it's very variable, depending on the motel. I would not risk having an extra person than what was listed as the maximum occupancy of the room without first getting clearance from the motel first.

 

[jordansmomma]

Thanks. I hadn't been looking at getting a reservation yet since we're not sure. I'm going to take care of that today though, because our options are already limited, it seems...



I will look into Minnie's breakfast. How late would be too late to get a reservation for that, do you think? (I've never done a character breakfast) Also, my husband is gluten-free. Is that something they can help him with at the buffet? Would I need to speak to them ahead of time? I'm excited to see that the 2-year-old wouldn't actually cost!

We did this 2 weeks ago. The food was great. If you talk to them, they work with your food issues.

I can't find any info on that. Touring Plans says the 27th and 28th (Weds and Thurs) should be less than 2/10 (with Friday hopping up to 9/10) on the crowd scale. Do you think they're accounting for that?

\

I am not sure. But I am going on a girls trip that weekend and someone has a daughter in the cheer comp.

 

[lisachrystine]

I will look into Minnie's breakfast. How late would be too late to get a reservation for that, do you think? (I've never done a character breakfast) Also, my husband is gluten-free. Is that something they can help him with at the buffet? Would I need to speak to them ahead of time? I'm excited to see that the 2-year-old wouldn't actually cost!

We did our first character meal at Minnie's last December. DS7 and DD3 were newly diagnosed with Celiac when we went, and they were awesome! The chef came out and brought them gluten free Mickey waffles and fresh fruit from the back so no chance of cross contamination. He went through and told us what was GF on the buffet and offered to bring it out fresh from the back. DD was 2 at the time, and even though her meal was free (so she was technically supposed to share with us), she got the same wonderful treatment.

DD3 and my mom and I did Ariel's in October. We left DH, my dad and DS5 and DS7 to play on their own (tight budget and figured they wouldn't care anyway) and wow - if princesses are your DD's thing, that's the way to go. All my DD3 wanted to do was meet princess, but we were doing one day and only DCA, so it was the only way to fit in some princesses. One hour and we had met 5 princesses and had (a very nice gluten free) lunch. She is still talking about her lunch with the princesses. It doesn't work for everyone, but it worked for us, so keep in mind that sometimes splitting your group helps to keep to the budget. So, maybe just you and the DDs do the princess lunch while your DH and DS hit up something else?

All that being said, character meals aren't necessarily cheap and I don't think you're missing out drastically if you skip them. Like others have said, ask at City Hall and get the list of where they'll be. There are plenty of character opportunities in the park if you keep your eyes open and are prepared to seize the moment (which may mean jumping out of a ride line). We happened to meet Aurora on the pathway next to the castle without any advance warning.

All the extras are fun and I certainly stressed when I couldn't do them all, but you're at Disneyland - it's ALL magical. On our December trip, Minnie & Friends was our only splurge. We stayed in a condo off site - shared with my parents to save money (which meant DH and I got the sofa sleeper). Kids got gift cards for Christmas from family and that's what they had to spend on souvineers (I think they each had $20). We only bought one snack (on the last day). We bought one meal a day in the parks; the others we made in the condo. The kids were so overwhlemed with it all that it really didn't matter that we didn't do *everything* In fact, I think everything would have put them over the edge. When DS7 was 3, we went for only one day and didn't have any extras. It was still magical. DS5 was 9months and I remember his amazement at the parade. DS7 still remembers the teacups from that visit. You will have a great time!

 

[californiamomof4grls]

Hello I thought I would share my experience with going to DL with a large family. We are a family of 7. My experience is that for what ever reason when you call the hotels directly they will allow 2 and under stay in a room for 4. If you look on http://www.secure-res.com/res/vn4/a...p0aa00000ggje6gqgy1m_2p4i&scid=1&scdomainid=0 They are directly across the street and have a room for $77 a night. Since your kids are so small you can also sleep them in the bed horizontally instead of vertical and they will all fit. Just tuck the opposite side and open the top and bottom. I put a pillow on the side of the kid at the foot of the bed. Bring some instant Oatmeal with you and red solo cups to make it in. Heat up your water in the microwave for the kiddos and that can be your breakfast and it's pretty cheap. We bring in all of the kids drinks snacks and lunch. We found the kids meals at Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante’ to be pretty reasonable. My kids love Bean and Cheese burritos it was 6.49 for each one and we were able to find Soft Monterey Tacos for 9.99 a piece and they offer free water there. We also found that there were enough kids choices here that they could all find something that they liked for a reasonable price. That's how we did dinner. You can use this link to look at all of the menus to see if you can find a cost effective way to eat one meal in the park with out breaking the bank. http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/dining-disneyland-park.htm These are all of the menus with prices. We always do one Character dinning to kick off the trip. We do yard sales and recycle right before we go and that all goes on Disney Gift Cards that the girls use as souvenir money. Last year they made about $50 each. In years past it was only $20. But once it's gone it's gone. There were plenty of nice things that they could get that they couldn't just go to Target and pick up. I do however pick up a bunch of little Disney things for them to make a goodie bag for them. Coloring books, crayons, small puzzles, ect for the trip up. I also pick up matching Disney T-shirt on Disneystore.com for them all to wear. Do the shows plan ahead that's what will make it special! Have fun!

 

[martikus]

Well for us money wasn't an issue but I'm a cheapskate and I don't think we had any less magic. I think the magic is getting to visit Disneyland. All the rides and shows are free so how much magic can you really miss out on

We stayed offsite (Fairfield Inn) and DS was told he could buy ONE sourvenir under $20 for the trip. He honestly would have been fine with no souvenier.

We ate some cheaper dinners off-site by walking towards Garden Walk and eating at Subway or the McDonalds in front of Fairfield. We ordered delivery pizza one night too.

DH & I shared a lot of lunch meals within the park. We were also on east coast time so we made it to every opening EASILY and left mid-afternoon.

We did splurge on the Minnie's Breakfast and all really enjoyed it. You need to allow at least a hour to see all the characters. But there were so many character opportunities throughout the park that your kids won't know they are missing it if you don't go.

Have a great time!

 

[jordansmomma]

The cheer comp is the USA Jr. nationals. The host hotel is PPH & somewhere in DCA is the comp.

 

[denluvsdisney]

Some of my best memories of going to DL as a teen was when my father would come home from work and say "pack the car, we're going to DL." We lived in Wickenburg, AZ at the time. We were a family of 6 so money was tight, but we always had the best time ever in the park without spending a lot of money. That was in the 70's. Once I married, we would take trips to DL on a very, very tight budget. My favorite picture and memory is one of our son sitting on his father's shoulders while watching a parade. His chin was on my husband's head, while his eyes were enchanted by the magic. He never knew he didn't get all of the "extras" others may of had. He was just content being there. Have a great time when you go. The children will have a wonderful time, no matter what your budget is.

 

[sasywtch]

I have never listed a very small child. (all the daggers can come out now). The beds at the Anaheim Plaza seemed large. I would not worry about 3 small children and 2 adults. The rooms are large and the office is in the front and the rooms in the back.

Yes, our room had a refrigerator and microwave but sometimes you have to ask for it (heard they were eventually getting them in all rooms). We took an ice chest because it's a 7 hour drive so we packed lunch stuff for the drive and bought all stuff before leaving.

My kids are all grown
now and they honestly couldn't tell you which trips were budget and which one's weren't.

At the market place on main street (sorry for caps and typos, keyboard is wierding out tonight), if you buy coffee, keep your receipt and return for free coffee later.

I believe you can change your reservations until the day before but I'm not sure.

 

[Cagirl767]

My kids are now 5 and 7 and have been going since 5 months old and we never really go all out and go to character breakfasts, etc. and they are never the wiser. We wish they'd eat at the nicer restaurants, but they really don't like the food. So don't worry if you're feeling budgeted, noone will know.

Bring some baggies along for splitting the cheaper snacks such as cotton candy (1 is enough for the family) or candy store candies. Lollipops are more budget friendly even those long swirly pretty ones, or dividing one popcorn into the baggies.

We drive from AZ too. Fill up your car in AZ, the gas is cheaper, don't wait until you're half empty on the Cali side.

We either bring food, or grocery shop near Disney. We eat all breakfasts in the hotel and a lot of dinners too. We just prefer it, it's healthier and we get tired of park food. I bring things like lasagna, casserole, chicken and dumplings or even buying a rotisserie chicken, a bag of veggie steamers and a bag of rolls for dinner in the hotel. There are sooo many things you can make in a hotel microwave. My kids fill up their sports bottles with milk before we head out to the park, we use plastic ice cubes.

My dd5, prefers to sleep on an air mattress on the floor rather than the hotel beds that she often falls out of.

The places to cut spending are besides the hotel, with food and drinks. You can bring in your own water bottles and fill up free at any counter service. Bring some flavor packets such as lemonade. If you want to eat in the parks, you can split meals easily between the kids at Rancho Del Zocalo, Plaza Inn. You can add on a side to stretch the meal, as at Rancho, if you got enchiladas, add on a a side of chips or at Plaza Inn add on a roll or side salad. We usually go back to the hotel for dinner, my kids can't last long past dinner time anyway and it's just more relaxing and healtier to eat homemade food in the hotel. Or you may be able to plan a lighter lunch in the parks such as a Mickey pretzel each and splitting a bag of grapes and have a heavier dinner back at the hotel. This way is easier to budget in a bakery snack later on, too.

Have a great time!

 

[Jaina]

I really appreciate everyone's comments and tips! I haven't heard back from the hotel yet, so I might have to call. I hate making phone calls...
Thankfully, drinks aren't a big issue because we drink water almost exclusively. We'll bring character sippies for the kids and refill them and water bottles for us. We should have a fridge, but I don't know about a microwave. I guess we'll find out! Or I could -ask- on that stressful phone call.

 

[Jaina]

I realized I -still- hadn't heard back from the hotel (Anaheim Plaza Inn & Suites) so I finally called and the girl I talked to didn't seem worried at all about us having an additional 2-year-old. I got her name and the time I called, so hopefully we are good to go! It's getting closer... I don't think we're going to tell our kids until we're on our way there. Part of me -really- wants to tell them so someone else will be super excited with me, but my husband really wants it to be a surprise, so... ;-) Maybe we'll just watch ride videos on Youtube. They know we're going "sometime" because we've been talking about it (often) for over 2 years now...

 

[mom2girls1974]

We have to spend our money on food (we have a celiac with a dairy allergy -so it is sit down meals for us ) plus two that are GF/DF for other reasons, very expensive in that department BUT we have a money saving plan with allowances that makes them have alot of spending money that is their own. Our girls get a very small allowence ($5 each week) starting when we get back from a trip (so this was a long time ago for this up comming trip) our kids have to put away $1 a week, then about a year before the trip it goes up to $2 then 6 months it goes to $3 and at 3 months $4 saved. They also save a portion of any birthday or Christmas money always. They end up having alot of spending money -we drive to DL from Canada and stop at lots of fun places, like Target and we never have to buy anything as they have their own spending money, in my youngers case -alot of it- she already has well over $100 saved, and by the time we leave will have enough to buy a couple outfits at Target and a toy or two at DL, plus her "ears". Nice!

 

[sasywtch]

I realized I -still- hadn't heard back from the hotel (Anaheim Plaza Inn & Suites) so I finally called and the girl I talked to didn't seem worried at all about us having an additional 2-year-old. I got her name and the time I called, so hopefully we are good to go! It's getting closer... I don't think we're going to tell our kids until we're on our way there. Part of me -really- wants to tell them so someone else will be super excited with me, but my husband really wants it to be a surprise, so... ;-) Maybe we'll just watch ride videos on Youtube. They know we're going "sometime" because we've been talking about it (often) for over 2 years now...

It's getting closer. One thing you could do now is make some oatmeal/raisin bars for breakfast and freeze them and maybe freeze some cookies for snacks. That way you aren't running around the day before plus the kids get a treat now.

My DIL made some cupcakes the night before and left off the frosting. She put them in a Tupperware and took a can of frosting. At the hotel, they frosted the cupcakes as they wanted one.

Someone told me they saw some Disney toothbrushes and toothpaste at Target. My new plan for our July trip is to be completely packed the night before to include a new toothbrush/toothpaste so I'm not forgetting anything the next morning.

Just remember, your kids will never know it's a budget trip especially if you have a small tupperware in your purse with a cookie or rice krispe treat ready to pull out when they see the bakery window.

Enjoy your trip

 

[Jaina]

It's getting closer. One thing you could do now is make some oatmeal/raisin bars for breakfast and freeze them and maybe freeze some cookies for snacks. That way you aren't running around the day before plus the kids get a treat now.

My DIL made some cupcakes the night before and left off the frosting. She put them in a Tupperware and took a can of frosting. At the hotel, they frosted the cupcakes as they wanted one.

Someone told me they saw some Disney toothbrushes and toothpaste at Target. My new plan for our July trip is to be completely packed the night before to include a new toothbrush/toothpaste so I'm not forgetting anything the next morning.

Just remember, your kids will never know it's a budget trip especially if you have a small tupperware in your purse with a cookie or rice krispe treat ready to pull out when they see the bakery window.

Enjoy your trip

I just saw this - thank you for these tips! They are really fun! I need to start planning out more snacks. I'm getting some things we wouldn't normally buy or let them have (we're slight sugar-crazy parents) like Pop-tarts, the less-healthy granola bars, M&M's, things like that so they'll still be pretty exciting treats. I need to find some good stickers. Sounds like it's also time to hit up a dollar store and see what fun I can find! (And make some oatmeal cookies!)

 

[HMANSION LOVER]

Our 3 kids have been raised on a steady diet of all things Disney (including lots of old Disney cartoons) and we've been talking up Disneyland since they were tiny. Life hasn't gone quite how we thought, and we can't afford it as easily as we thought we'd be able to, but we're still going to try to go the very end of February. (Thanks, tax return!) We haven't said anything, and probably won't until soon before in case the trip falls through.
That being said, we're going to try really hard to make it, and it will probably be at least 3 years before we can afford another trip, at which point they'll be at completely different ages. (They'll be 6.5, 5, and nearly 3 when we go) What are some good ideas for making it a magical trip for them, even though we can't afford things like staying onsite, character meals, (we'll probably only eat in-park once a day to save money) or fancy souvenirs?
A few specific questions:
Can they get a first-time-visit button? Is that at the town hall? Is that special at all, or not worth our time?
I'm confused about the early entry (we'll have 3-day hoppers) vs. EMH. I mostly want to avoid bad experiences, which would include saving much of Fantasyland for our EE and then having it be super crowded. Can someone advise me on the best way to have some short lines? (We'll be going Wed-Thurs-Fri)
How do I find specific princesses? I have never been into princesses (or characters in general) but my girls definitely are, and my oldest DD is obsessed with Aurora... When is a good time for that?
My DH's only must-do is WOC. Any good kid-specific tips for that one? It kind of stresses me out just thinking about it...
We'll have to do child swap quite a bit with the almost-3-year-old. Having never really been at Disneyland with kids young enough for that, that's stressing me a bit too. Is it simple, or can it get complicated?

I've already gotten several souvenirs (including some cute fleece hoodies, since it may be cold while we're there!) at the Disney Store outlet, and plan to have "Mickey" leave something at the room (wherever we find to stay) for them each day. I just want to make sure it's a good experience, and they have some little bits of magic here and there, so they can live on the memories until we can afford another trip!

Any more ideas to make our first family vacation (with all 5 of us) a good experience?

You could introduce your family to pin trading. You can trade pins with cast members as well at various points in the parks and at the hotels were they have boards with pins on them. You can buy pins in bulk for $1.50 a pin at mousepinsonline.com. Then you can trade for pins you see at the parks for ones you want. It is a lot of fun and your children will be interacting with the cast members which they will really enjoy.

 

[Jaina]

I know -nothing- about pin trading. Is there a thread that covers how it works, etiquette, etc.? I -have- a few pins even, but I don't know where there are currently... (We've moved 4 times in 2 years)

 

[profa]

I planned a budget trip last summer for our family of 5. However, because I knew this was THE trip and we wouldn't all go back for 4+ yrs most likely, it included some splurges as well. But where I cut $$ is food and lodging. Not important. We stayed at the Dessert Inn directly across from the entrance. this was important because we were walking there 2x/day and dd was 4. Made it nice to just walk across the street. Also they had a very light breakfast but it got us started and then I packed bananas and granola bars, cheese stix , yogurts , etc. We ate in the park 1x other than Ariel's w/ my DD. We did have ice cream in the park though.
I bought souvenirs and glo sticks at dollar tree before going. Each kid had a pack of qtrs/pennies for the penny press souvenirs.
We had an awesome time.
The penny press (fill a mini m &M container) and the glo sticks were my best souvenir ideas.
Oh and we waited in line at Fantasy Faire to see all the princesses because TIana was there and not at Airel's. It was worth the wait. Oh and I HIGHLY recommend doing the show there. I can't remember what the one we went to was called but after we saw all the princesses we went into this open theatre/stage and they did a short show and then called the kids down to dance w/ the princesses. It was awesome!
I bought disney lanwyards and pins off of ebay. They each came w/ a little coin bag attached. We didn't do pin trading but the kids liked them. They each got the autopia drivers license - super cute - and they fit in the coin bag clear slot.

 

[MrsMears]

I know -nothing- about pin trading. Is there a thread that covers how it works, etiquette, etc.? I -have- a few pins even, but I don't know where there are currently... (We've moved 4 times in 2 years)

This is a good place to start reading..

http://eventservices.disney.go.com/pintrading/page?id=getStarted

 

[tdhickey]

Some suggestions for doing DLR on the cheaper side...

1) Hotel with breakfast included (roam Trip Advisor to see which breakfasts are good and which are crap)

2) Buttons, Buttons, Buttons - seriously, Carsland has them everywhere for free from cast members and many other areas they will hand them out.

3) Penny stretch machinces - again 51 cent souvenirs

4) Character signatures - you can the books for pretty cheap and this is wildly popular with the kids. Take pics of them and when you print them out you can put them by the sigs.

5) Stick with counter service meals and share the bigger one's wherever possible, often kids don't eat much there anyway.

6) They make so much money on drinks there, bring your own water and just drink that.

7) Eating in the park isn't really too much more than eating outside the park...you just have to be smart about it. The Mexican places in each park, the pasta place in DCA, Riverbell Terrace in DLR are all reasonably priced places. Just buy the food though, they rip you on the drinks.

8) If you can afford it get a photo pass plus (in advance order only), $69.95 gets you all the ride photos and any pro character photos in digital format. Google photo pass plus for more info...for a 3 day this is maybe a break even at best, but if you like character visits and ride photos it is really cool and much cheaper than ordering them at the park.

9) Souvenirs are hit and miss. For example, Mickey ears are reasonably priced at the park, even basic embroidery is cheap while some clothes are very pricey. Disney treats can be expensive, anything on a cart is a rip off, but some of the stuff in stores isn't too poorly priced. Go for things that can be shared to get full value (like fresh caramel corn) versus pricey individual treats like $4 ice cream sandwhiches.

 

[tzeitel]

We did a budget trip in Oct 2011. Before we went I (and DH) signed up for Mimi's and Millie's email newsletters - we got tons of coupons for free and discounted meals. Sign up less than 2 weeks before going since they send you a free bfast coupon when you first sign up. There is also this site that has coupons for Anaheim -

http://anaheimoc.org/coupons

I am an overplanner so I had tons of time and was able to do survey/reward sites for gift cards to nearby restaurants and stuff. But I also bought some discounted gift cards to restaurants using this site -

http://www.giftcardgranny.com/


Before we left we went to Target and bought a bunch of snacks and Disney stuff from their Dollar Deals bins. They have small sets that come with a small coloring book, crayons and stickers - great for entertaining the kids during meal times

If you do end up doing a character breakfast maybe do it late morning so it covers breakfast and lunch. We did not do a character bfast, most of the time we went to Mimi's for breakfast. That (and a snack) was enough until dinner time - there is so much to see and do that the last thing you think about is food!

For souveniers we just got DD her DLR ears (she had her WDW already ), a Christmas ornament with the date and a photo frame. When we came home I made a cute photo album for DD on the Walmart website - $9 and they come out super nice. It is a new tradition that I do for her on any trip we take (and also did them for the grandparents!). For a trip I took with my niece (4) I found an autograph book that also holds photos. At the end of the trip she had an autograph book and photo album in one. Her favorite color is purple so I bought a purple Sharpie - she thought that was the most amazing thing ever