Need budget guru/Disney help...family of five.

[RadGirl]

Subscribing

 

[lmhall2000]

When are you going?

There are 3 times when you can ALL get the YES rates, even adults, for homeschoolers. Typically Homeschool days are late Sept, late Jan. and then there is a group that is going the 3rd week of November this year that you can tag on with.

We do Disney on the cheap and I post about it often on here. Homeschool tickets for 8 hopppers + waterparks and DQ run about $1,200 for the 5 of us now. We typically stay 2 weeks now once per year.

We also get SkyAuction.com condos for $250 per 7 night stay, so $500 for two weeks, including taxes. We do need to pay DIsney parking, but it is fine for us. We eat most of our own food too, but do have our favorite places to eat counter service and budget for them.

Our typical two week Disney vacation is around $2,000 for two weeks. This takes into account eating our regularly budgeted grocery amount which is not included in the total.

Dawn

Oh my goodness! You are my super budget hero! Two weeks for 2k?! Now I need to go check out SkyAuction!
I am also pricing out Wilderness cabins! Thanks! Off to search more!

 

[khaoskat]

Just an FYI about Wilderness Cabins...I asked on the Resort thread, but their one big bed is only a double (half way between a twin size bed and a full size bed). And I think that is what the pull out couch is as well. The bunk beds are in the same bedroom as the double bed.

I am going to check SkyAuctions as well.

 

[TnTWalter]

I include everything in this total, even souvenirs and gas to get there and back.....$3300.

We rented a 2 bedroom at Bonnet Creek on Ebay. Lovely property IN the Walt Disney World Compound but considered ‘offsite’. We liked it better than Windsor Hills even though it was only 2 bedrooms vs. 3 and we paid slightly more for 1 less night. It felt more like a resort. Amazing Pools, lazy river, pool bar, grills, shuffleboard, activities.

We went spring break so peak season $599 for Sat-Fri; 7 nights, 6 days. It’s going to be really hard to get me back onsite! You could get a Sat-Sat for less off season. I'd be happy to give more information on the seller I used, etc. That is total price $599.

We spent a whopping $468 on eating out in and around the parks!! Crazy! For 5 people for the week. We had snacks and CS meals at Parks and ate at Giordani’s [had $25 restaurant cert. that I got for <$2 but still spent $45...we ate it for lunch and dinner though], Fuddruckers and Earl of Sandwich and the Pollo place for smoothies. I have a detailed breakdown of our dining. We ate well, really enjoyed not spending a lot of time at sit down meals either.

I also spent about $160 on groceries. We did breakfasts, snacks and ONLY 2 dinners at bonnet creek. Enjoyed adult beverages as well. 2 cases of water. I was not a slave to the kitchen. It was great having a glass of wine on our deck with snacks...

Spent most ever on souvenirs $236. And pressed pennies…$33. LOL.

Parking $14 per day for 7 days. Loved the Diamond AAA pass. If you can get one, highly recommend [free with purchase of WDW tix at AAA]. $98 total for parking.

$474 on traveling there and back….food, gas, 2 hotels.

$1272 for 5 7 day base ticketes.

Grand total $3300ish.

7 days 6 nights: Saturday – Friday family of 5 with 4 of us over 10.

 

[TnTWalter]

to be anymore. Sadly, they changed it this year.

And regarding DVC just remember as family of 5, you can only do 1BRs at some of the resorts. The great deals with renting DVC are for the studios [max 4].

 

[loveysbydesign]

When are you going?

There are 3 times when you can ALL get the YES rates, even adults, for homeschoolers. Typically Homeschool days are late Sept, late Jan. and then there is a group that is going the 3rd week of November this year that you can tag on with.

We do Disney on the cheap and I post about it often on here. Homeschool tickets for 8 hopppers + waterparks and DQ run about $1,200 for the 5 of us now. We typically stay 2 weeks now once per year.

We also get SkyAuction.com condos for $250 per 7 night stay, so $500 for two weeks, including taxes. We do need to pay DIsney parking, but it is fine for us. We eat most of our own food too, but do have our favorite places to eat counter service and budget for them.

Our typical two week Disney vacation is around $2,000 for two weeks. This takes into account eating our regularly budgeted grocery amount which is not included in the total.

Dawn

Just curious, which places do you find are the best to book for skyauction? Which ones are the nicest for the price you pay?

 

[lmhall2000]

I include everything in this total, even souvenirs and gas to get there and back.....$3300.

We rented a 2 bedroom at Bonnet Creek on Ebay. Lovely property IN the Walt Disney World Compound but considered ‘offsite’. We liked it better than Windsor Hills even though it was only 2 bedrooms vs. 3 and we paid slightly more for 1 less night. It felt more like a resort. Amazing Pools, lazy river, pool bar, grills, shuffleboard, activities.

We went spring break so peak season $599 for Sat-Fri; 7 nights, 6 days. It’s going to be really hard to get me back onsite! You could get a Sat-Sat for less off season. I'd be happy to give more information on the seller I used, etc. That is total price $599.

We spent a whopping $468 on eating out in and around the parks!! Crazy! For 5 people for the week. We had snacks and CS meals at Parks and ate at Giordani’s [had $25 restaurant cert. that I got for <$2 but still spent $45...we ate it for lunch and dinner though], Fuddruckers and Earl of Sandwich and the Pollo place for smoothies. I have a detailed breakdown of our dining. We ate well, really enjoyed not spending a lot of time at sit down meals either.

I also spent about $160 on groceries. We did breakfasts, snacks and ONLY 2 dinners at bonnet creek. Enjoyed adult beverages as well. 2 cases of water. I was not a slave to the kitchen. It was great having a glass of wine on our deck with snacks...

Spent most ever on souvenirs $236. And pressed pennies…$33. LOL.

Parking $14 per day for 7 days. Loved the Diamond AAA pass. If you can get one, highly recommend [free with purchase of WDW tix at AAA]. $98 total for parking.

$474 on traveling there and back….food, gas, 2 hotels.

$1272 for 5 7 day base ticketes.

Grand total $3300ish.

7 days 6 nights: Saturday – Friday family of 5 with 4 of us over 10.

Yes! Please PM me owners name! Sounds super! We only need park tickets for 5 days travelling Sept. 8-14...pretty slow time...I think we can do this for under $3000!

 

[lmhall2000]

I have pseudo decided!!

Looking at all options!

Importance to our family:
#1. Cost
#2. Convenience (not having to drive to parks)

This is ASSUMING Free Dining is an option, if it does not pop up then we will likely stay at Bonnet Creek for $100 a night and wing it.

Contemporary: Pluses are comfy beds and convenience to our fave park Magic Kingdom. Negatives are cost $5900 for 5 people/5 park day tickets/Magic Plus Dining....Free dining brings it down to
$4200

Fort Wilderness Cabins (Since POR is not an option due to 6'3 son who needs a longer solo bed): These count as Moderates and would likely also offer free dining...$5094 for all the above...with Free dining the total price is:
$3409!!

Woo Hoo!! In the budget!! Our problem is if we do not have free dining, dining costs and arranging ressies/figuring out where to eat can equal a big old headache..I might can get that down to $2100 (Hotel stay plus park tickets) but on vacation I am willing to spend an extra $800 to eat well and not have to cook and clean...I would LOVE to be in a Deluxe room with the comfy beds...but not willing to fork out $800 to do so...

Thanks everyone for your help! Had no clue the Wilderness Cabins could work for us! Thanks!!

 

[brymolmom]

IMO, given your circumstances, you could save a TON staying offsite.

You can get a 2 - 3 bedroom condo for a week for the $500- $600 range.

That will save you at least $1200 on accomodations.

Buy lots of groceries - Eat a LARGE breakfst in room and a couple of nights grab a couple of pizzas to go for dinner.

This will likely save you $400 - $500 on food.

You can get tickets from undercovertourist and save $10-ish per ticket.

That's another $100 savings.

Figure $300 for rental car.

Figure $100 for parking fees.

You might add in $500 extra in costs this way - but would save at least $1500 IMO.

Condo: $500
car: $300
Gas: $30
Parking:$100
tickets: $1430 (save $10 per ticket on 6 day MYW on UT)
Grocery store stop for breakfast, snacks and drinks: $100
On site CS meals (figure $50 x 6 days) = $300
5 onsite restaurants for dinners = $800?? (you can figure this out via menus - highly depends what you order)
TOTAL = $3500

I would suggest cutting back to 2 - 3 sit down meals at the resorts and maybe add in a couple offsite, less expensive places and then the savings would likely be even more than $1000.

 

[monorailsilver]

We are a family of 5 too. This will be the first trip that my soon to be 12 yo will be an adult (far from in IMO...I wish they still had Jr rates).

Anyways, we save by going value season, aka the summer.

We don't do dining, ever. I did think about it but it really wasn't worth it.

We bring our own breakfast foods & I buy milk & put it in our fridge in our room.

I only get a 5 day park hopper & yes I like the park hopper & we go for 8-10 days. We plan a few non park days of sitting by the pool recouping.

I try to be flexible with my days to get good flights although this year I changed my days completely to get a discount thru another TA.

I book a AAA room, it saves a little & every penny helps.

We go to a max of 3 sit down meals each trip.

I think we buy around $100 worth of crap to bring home too.

We stay at the Polynesian too which breaks the bank but I have been saving & my trip is pretty much paid for (well in savings, I only put $400 down so far).

I won't stay outside because I like (dh likes) to not have to drive. We don't want to get in a hot car after a hot day in the park. We like the ability to come back to our room for our mid day break. We primarily do MK & Epcot so the monorail is my favorite ride.

 

[Marionnette]

I have pseudo decided!!

Looking at all options!

Importance to our family:
#1. Cost
#2. Convenience (not having to drive to parks)

This is ASSUMING Free Dining is an option, if it does not pop up then we will likely stay at Bonnet Creek for $100 a night and wing it.

Contemporary: Pluses are comfy beds and convenience to our fave park Magic Kingdom. Negatives are cost $5900 for 5 people/5 park day tickets/Magic Plus Dining....Free dining brings it down to
$4200

Fort Wilderness Cabins (Since POR is not an option due to 6'3 son who needs a longer solo bed): These count as Moderates and would likely also offer free dining...$5094 for all the above...with Free dining the total price is:
$3409!!

Woo Hoo!! In the budget!! Our problem is if we do not have free dining, dining costs and arranging ressies/figuring out where to eat can equal a big old headache..I might can get that down to $2100 (Hotel stay plus park tickets) but on vacation I am willing to spend an extra $800 to eat well and not have to cook and clean...I would LOVE to be in a Deluxe room with the comfy beds...but not willing to fork out $800 to do so...

Thanks everyone for your help! Had no clue the Wilderness Cabins could work for us! Thanks!!

I don't want to burst your bubble, but you may want to take a look at those CR beds. There are 2 queen-size beds in the room and then there is a daybed for the 5th person. You can see pictures of the rooms and the daybed on Disney's website. It looks like a sofa with a back that folds down to form a bed. I'm not sure that it would be comfortable for a 6'3" young man.

The arrangement of the beds in the FW cabins might be a little more comfortable for your family. There is a set of bunk beds and a full-size bed in the bedroom and then a full-size Murphy bed in the living room area. That might be a better fit. You would also have a full kitchen, which will be nice to have for making breakfast, freezing some water bottles and re-heating any leftovers you might have from dinner.

 

[Jenny3]

The Fort Wilderness cabins are awesome; I've stayed there twice. Best perks for us was the convenience of a full kitchen, deck with a grill and the freedom for the kids to run off some steam! Also loved the boat to MK

When we went, it was DH & I, my 8 y/o DD, my 6 month old DD and my SIL and her husband. We took the bedroom (DH and I in the bed, DD8 in the bunk and a pack n play in the closet, lol) and my ILs took the Murphy bed in the Living Room. A bit tight, but perfectly acceptable!

Have a great time - hope it all works out!

 

[dbs1228]

I just wanted to point out that the fee for transportation at BC is now $5.00 per person for a round trip. If you have a large family it could really add to your budget.

Yup looks like they nixed the 12.00 per night mandatory fee because of many many complaints and went with the 5.00PP!

 

[ZachnElli]

I include everything in this total, even souvenirs and gas to get there and back.....$3300.

We rented a 2 bedroom at Bonnet Creek on Ebay. Lovely property IN the Walt Disney World Compound but considered ‘offsite’. We liked it better than Windsor Hills even though it was only 2 bedrooms vs. 3 and we paid slightly more for 1 less night. It felt more like a resort. Amazing Pools, lazy river, pool bar, grills, shuffleboard, activities.

We went spring break so peak season $599 for Sat-Fri; 7 nights, 6 days. It’s going to be really hard to get me back onsite! You could get a Sat-Sat for less off season. I'd be happy to give more information on the seller I used, etc. That is total price $599.

We spent a whopping $468 on eating out in and around the parks!! Crazy! For 5 people for the week. We had snacks and CS meals at Parks and ate at Giordani’s [had $25 restaurant cert. that I got for <$2 but still spent $45...we ate it for lunch and dinner though], Fuddruckers and Earl of Sandwich and the Pollo place for smoothies. I have a detailed breakdown of our dining. We ate well, really enjoyed not spending a lot of time at sit down meals either.

I also spent about $160 on groceries. We did breakfasts, snacks and ONLY 2 dinners at bonnet creek. Enjoyed adult beverages as well. 2 cases of water. I was not a slave to the kitchen. It was great having a glass of wine on our deck with snacks...

Spent most ever on souvenirs $236. And pressed pennies…$33. LOL.

Parking $14 per day for 7 days. Loved the Diamond AAA pass. If you can get one, highly recommend [free with purchase of WDW tix at AAA]. $98 total for parking.

$474 on traveling there and back….food, gas, 2 hotels.

$1272 for 5 7 day base ticketes.

Grand total $3300ish.

7 days 6 nights: Saturday – Friday family of 5 with 4 of us over 10.

Can I have the seller's name too? I got a quote for a 2 bed for March 2014 for $1099. I can't seem to get close to the rates I always see posted on the Dis. Thanks!

 

[lmhall2000]

I don't want to burst your bubble, but you may want to take a look at those CR beds. There are 2 queen-size beds in the room and then there is a daybed for the 5th person. You can see pictures of the rooms and the daybed on Disney's website. It looks like a sofa with a back that folds down to form a bed. I'm not sure that it would be comfortable for a 6'3" young man.

The arrangement of the beds in the FW cabins might be a little more comfortable for your family. There is a set of bunk beds and a full-size bed in the bedroom and then a full-size Murphy bed in the living room area. That might be a better fit. You would also have a full kitchen, which will be nice to have for making breakfast, freezing some water bottles and re-heating any leftovers you might have from dinner.

He is actually the kind of kid who can sleep on a rock! He 'loved' his Philmont experience because he literally loves sleeping on hard ground We have stayed at Poly/Contemporary/OKW/AKL....the Poly and Contemporary had the most dreamy beds! Not sure what they are but they were awesome...their daybeds are longer than the other resorts, too....he slept on the couch bed on the Fantasy and loved it..weird kid.

I agree though! The bed arrangement at the cabins would be great, dh and I would actually be fine with the day bed so we could stay up and watch TV or just have some space away, our son could take the double bed and girls love bunks..at $3400 if Free Dining comes out, it's a great deal for us...showed pictures of them to the girls and they're so excited! My son is a big outdoors kind of kid, always wanted to stay at Wilderness Lodge but their suite for 5 was cost prohibitive...hate that Poly/Contemporary have exploded in price the past 8 years...but c'est la vie!

Still keeping options open just in case no Free Dining...but the convenience of no cooking/cleaning/making our beds is HUGE

 

[Gr8t Fan]

I have pseudo decided!!

Looking at all options!

Importance to our family:
#1. Cost
#2. Convenience (not having to drive to parks)

This is ASSUMING Free Dining is an option, if it does not pop up then we will likely stay at Bonnet Creek for $100 a night and wing it.

Contemporary: Pluses are comfy beds and convenience to our fave park Magic Kingdom. Negatives are cost $5900 for 5 people/5 park day tickets/Magic Plus Dining....Free dining brings it down to
$4200

Fort Wilderness Cabins (Since POR is not an option due to 6'3 son who needs a longer solo bed): These count as Moderates and would likely also offer free dining...$5094 for all the above...with Free dining the total price is:
$3409!!

Woo Hoo!! In the budget!! Our problem is if we do not have free dining, dining costs and arranging ressies/figuring out where to eat can equal a big old headache..I might can get that down to $2100 (Hotel stay plus park tickets) but on vacation I am willing to spend an extra $800 to eat well and not have to cook and clean...I would LOVE to be in a Deluxe room with the comfy beds...but not willing to fork out $800 to do so...

Thanks everyone for your help! Had no clue the Wilderness Cabins could work for us! Thanks!!

I know that you've ruled out POR based on your son's height, but would you be able to take an air mattress for him to sleep on? We always pack a full-size air mattress "just in case" and have used it a few times at POR when one or another of our kids wasn't sleeping well, was kicking too much, etc. There isn't a TON of room there for the mattress, but it's definitely possible. During the day we just stand it up by the bed nearest the wall and it's completely out of the way.

 

[lmhall2000]

I know that you've ruled out POR based on your son's height, but would you be able to take an air mattress for him to sleep on? We always pack a full-size air mattress "just in case" and have used it a few times at POR when one or another of our kids wasn't sleeping well, was kicking too much, etc. There isn't a TON of room there for the mattress, but it's definitely possible. During the day we just stand it up by the bed nearest the wall and it's completely out of the way.

We thought about that but honestly it would be such an inconvenience, we love coming home to a made up room...the pain of losing floor space and son getting the raw deal would not be fair...the Wilderness Cabins provides us all a bed and will be easy to live in, more space and sitting areas.

If I can figure out savings with YES program we might be able to go much cheaper if free dining eludes us...as for now...so excited and it is keeping me disciplined on my diet to hit that goal in 40 more pounds!!

 

[danielle79]

I have pseudo decided!!

Looking at all options!

Importance to our family:
#1. Cost
#2. Convenience (not having to drive to parks)

This is ASSUMING Free Dining is an option, if it does not pop up then we will likely stay at Bonnet Creek for $100 a night and wing it.

Contemporary: Pluses are comfy beds and convenience to our fave park Magic Kingdom. Negatives are cost $5900 for 5 people/5 park day tickets/Magic Plus Dining....Free dining brings it down to
$4200

Fort Wilderness Cabins (Since POR is not an option due to 6'3 son who needs a longer solo bed): These count as Moderates and would likely also offer free dining...$5094 for all the above...with Free dining the total price is:
$3409!!

Woo Hoo!! In the budget!! Our problem is if we do not have free dining, dining costs and arranging ressies/figuring out where to eat can equal a big old headache..I might can get that down to $2100 (Hotel stay plus park tickets) but on vacation I am willing to spend an extra $800 to eat well and not have to cook and clean...I would LOVE to be in a Deluxe room with the comfy beds...but not willing to fork out $800 to do so...

Thanks everyone for your help! Had no clue the Wilderness Cabins could work for us! Thanks!!

We stayed in Fort Wilderness cabins 2 years ago and plan on staying there again in Jan 2014 and we loved them. The kids had their own room in the back to sleep in and my husband and I found the murphy bed in the living room quite comfortable. Our family loves camping and we liked the quiet atmosphere, we never heard kids yelling in the hall or running up and down the hall like you do in a hotel. We liked the porch, hubby and I would sit out there in the mornings before the kids woke up. We did utilize the kitchen quite a bit, ate breakfast every morning in the cabin and at least half of our dinners. Jan 2014 I plan on doing things a little different I don't really like to cook while on vacation so my hubby will be in charge of one dinner and clean up at the cabin and I will be in charge of one more and we will budget for more eating out this time. We did find if we ate a decent size lunch at say 1:30 we stayed full for a while and could eat a grilled cheese or something easy when we got back to the cabin. I hope you love the cabins as much as we did!!!!