Money Saving Tips - Girlfriend visiting for 1 month whilst I'm a CP from UK

[Gotto]

-- I apologise if this is in the wrong area and accept if it is to be removed or sent to a different topic --


Hi all,


I’ll outline the specifics below, but to sum up in one question…


How feasible would it be for my GF to join me out in Orlando for 1 month whilst I am out there working on the Disney College Program?


I apologise in advance for the long post.


Now for the specific details.


We are from the UK.

I am 23, and have visited Orlando around 10 times, most with my parents and once with my best friend. So I know the area pretty well and I am confident with shopping and getting taxi’s to places. This will be my second program as I did it last summer, 2016. My program is June 18th to August 31st.

My GF is 21, she has been to America before, but never Florida and really wants to go and experience everything.

So here is the situation. My parents are looking at coming to visit July 10th for 2 weeks, and originally my GF was going to join them. As I will be a cast member, I can get discounts on Disney hotels, and was looking at either getting 2 rooms or a suite in a value hotel (music has suites?). Alternatively, my parents are thinking of getting a villa. Now, my parents have said that if we get shared accommodation, i.e. villa/suite, then my GF wouldn’t have to pay to stay (as the price is fixed no matter the number of occupants and they would have had to pay that amount anyway).

So this will most likely happen, however, now my GF has spoken to her parents about it, they have said that she should come out for longer than the 2 weeks to experience as much as possible as she might not get chance to go back again for a few years. Obviously, my GF is really excited about doing this, but I am very concerned about how much this will cost as we will have to pay for a further 2 weeks hotel as my parents will have travelled back home. Obviously using my Cast Member discount, I can get 50% off the price, and then splitting it between the 2 of us essentially means that we are both paying 25% of the rooms original price and so will be cheaper for the both of us. But I am aware of how much it may cost for her to “live” out there. Between park tickets, spending money, money for food, transport, and more, I am unsure that it would be wise for her to stay so long.

She keeps saying that she realises how expensive it will be, and that she can dip into her savings, but I really do not know what to do.


So ultimately, I am asking if anyone has any advice whatsoever.

Are there any ways to make this cheaper?

Possibly her getting an Annual Pass?

Sorting accommodation so that it is a cheap as possible?

Anything else that I may not have factored in/thought of?



Thank you so much for reading this, and any help that you can give me.



Have a magical day!

 

[TwoMisfits]

I would book the cheapest value room for the extra 2 weeks with your CM discount (that should run $70-$80/night or roughly $1K-$1.2K for 2 weeks or $600 each). I would also have your GF buy a refillable mug to handle all of her beverage needs (especially morning coffee)...that's $18 for the 2 weeks.

I'd have you take any shelf-stable "extras" your parents might leave after their 2 weeks with you to your new place. And I'd have you buy shelf-stable breakfast, snack, and lunch items you can enjoy at will, even if that means you make an Uber run to the local Walmart (if your parents rent a car and you can do it before they leave, even better). $100 spent here will probably save $1000 over the 2 weeks...even buy some alcohol (that's where you can really run up a bill in the parks)...

Then, you both can plan a nice CS or low end TS meal outing per day and with your CM discount, that shouldn't get too pricey.

For the tickets, the AP seems like the smart play if she's going to go in and out of parks for a month. She'd probably buy that anyway for the 2 weeks, so it's almost sunk cost.

You could probably make it a $1K - $1500/each 2 week extension with everything included if you're happy spending time with her and she's happy staying in the bubble and doing the inexpensive fun there...

 

[ktate82]

Something else to think about might be to consider getting a one bedroom condo offsite. That would give you a kitchen and maybe a washer/dryer that would help to keep food and laundry costs down.

 

[eeyoresmom]

Definitely have her buy the AP. I would stay onsite even if it is a little more money for the transportation issues alone. It will just be so much easier and more enjoyable I would think to not have to take taxis or uber for her. I know when DD did the CP program last year her shifts were crazy. I too would plan on breakfast and one other meal in the room. (What's more American than peanut butter and jelly?) I really don't think it would be that expensive to extend for the two weeks especially considering the exchange rates right now.

 

[leebee]

Will you/she have a car? If so, check airbnb to see if you can find cheaper accommodations for while your GF is here after your parents are gone. I'm thinking that car rental (if she's offsite) will offset the cheaper costs of staying offsite.

 

[starry_solo]

Tickets: Annual Passport for her. See if there is a discount on that if you purchase it as a voucher? This will then include memory maker and she can get downloads of all the pictures taken during the month by PhotoPass photographers.

Accommodations: Unless you can find something for $80/night or less off-site, it'll probably be cheaper for you to get accommodations off-site.

Do you have a car? While you're in the CP, do you have access to a car or can find someone that would drive you & GF to the parks for free (or cheap)? I would usually recommend a car rental, but unless both of you are over 25 years old, it's usually difficult to get one in the US for a cheaper price (with the AP, she would have free parking at any theme park).

Food: If you stay onsite, you'll probably have access to a mini-fridge in the room and a microwave in the food court. That's about it, right? So get cheap eats that can be microwaved. Plan for breakfast in the room (cereal, yogurt, oatmeal, fruit), snacks for the park, lunch in the park, and then dinner back in the room. They have medium sized frozen pizzas that can be microwaved (you'll have to cut them into slices, the whole pizza won't fit into the microwave) that's like $10 so not a bad price. If you're staying on property, get the refillable mug that will be good for sodas, coffee, tea, etc. for the length of stay (14-days). If it is at all possible for your parents to get them while they are there (if they have a rental), that would be great too and save a trip off-property. Otherwise, ubering to the closest Wal*Mart or Target or Aldi shouldn't be too expensive.