Need to do Disney Cheap! HELP!

[nottellin']

I have a Disney addiction, and we just got back from a trip in October. I was thinking today..'Gee, wouldn't it be nice to go to DL for Christmas'.
The problem is hubby already said no more vacations this year (we have gone 4 times). I say if I can do it cheap enough I should be able to go.

We are AP holders, but this time around the Disney properties won't be an option.

So I need help with a budget! We drive from Canada (26 hours) so gas and hotels along the way (both ways) is usually $500.
Hotels at Disney is usually cost us quite a bit , but I was wondering if anyone has stayed at the Super 8 or Travel Lodge? We normally stay at the Tropicana or we have stayed at DLH and GCH. The Tropicana could be an option but the other two are not.

I also need to save on food. So there will be no eating in the park but mostly outside of it. Any tips?

I was *hoping* to try and keep the budget at $2500 or under is this realistic?

Does anyone have any money saving tips? I really need to get DH on board soon or it will be a no-go

Also if you spend Christmas there, do you bring your presents or leave them at home? Are there places to eat (outside of DL) opened on Christmas Day?

TIA

 

[LavenderPeach]

We stayed at the Super 8 on Katella last April during spring break. My MIL payed for it but I believe it was $50/night. I had a few issues (fridge not available even though we reserved it, clock didn't work, unfriendly staff checking us in) but it was pretty clean and the furniture looked fairly new. They have a complimentary breakfast which wasn't anything great but edible and free. I actually brought my own cereal and just used their bowls, spoons and milk. We were able to walk to the park and back with no problem. It's not the closest motel but still walkable, imo.

I've been hearing a lot about Anaheim Plaza recently which seems to be pretty inexpensive but I've never stayed there. It's closer than the super 8.

As far as eating outside the park, I'm actually of the opinion that you can eat just as cheap inside the park but it depends on what you're looking for and how much you eat. For example, DH and I split a sandwich and sides at riverbelle terrace and we each got our own snack later and that was cheaper than when we went out to eat at a chain restaurant in our home town. Part of the reason was because we split it but also because we didn't have to pay tip at RT. Just something to think about. Plus I personally don't like "wasting" time leaving the park to find food. But obviously if it's important for you to have a meal at a regular sit-down restaurant then you would find cheaper places outside the parks. We also have occasionally brought in our own food. You could bring your own sandwiches/snacks for lunch and then split a meal at dinner.

Hope that helps and good luck!

 

[ballarinamom]

I agree about the money for food in the park. There have been tons of posts about cheap eats at the park. I know at Rancho del Zacchalo you can get half a roasted chicken with beans rice and tortillas for $13. More than enough to share. If you go during Christmas, you won;t want to leave the park to eat. Too much time wasted when the park will be crowded. Maybe eat breakfast in the hotel. Take in a sandwich or lunchable for lunch and eat dinner in the park? Somehwere that has good size portions to split. I have heard that folks have ordered a double cheeseburger and asked for an extra bun?

 

[All About The Mouse]

I would think packing lunch is a great option. You have a grocery budget anyway for your regular food right? Pack snacks and bring a case of bottled water. Bring a backpack big enough but not too big to hold your food and snacks in.

Share meals for dinner or order kids meals. I have done this several times and they come with a drink.

I don't know about cheap hotels especially during the holidays but I wonder how many are booked already?

Walking to and from your hotel will save on parking and any shuttle fees.

 

[nottellin']

I've been hearing a lot about Anaheim Plaza recently which seems to be pretty inexpensive but I've never stayed there

You may have just made this possible I checked online and their rates are $472 for 6 nights from Dec 20-26

I talked to hubby and he said book it and he will talk to work to make sure he is off by then

Now I'm just wondering how ppl do gifts? Do you bring all of yours with you? Let the kids open them before you leave?

Any ideas would be helpful

 

[sonnyjane]

You may have just made this possible I checked online and their rates are $472 for 6 nights from Dec 20-26

I talked to hubby and he said book it and he will talk to work to make sure he is off by then

Now I'm just wondering how ppl do gifts? Do you bring all of yours with you? Let the kids open them before you leave?

Any ideas would be helpful

If you were flying, I'd say do them before (or after), but since you are driving, if there is room in your car, I'd bring them with you, or at least a few. There's something to be said about opening a gift on Christmas morning!

 

[firefox2]

Last time I went to the Bahamas with the family for Christmas, we opened the gifts before we went. This was only because you have to deal with customs, and they will want receipts for anything that looks new, if you get a nasty customs officer, they will make you pay duty on anything that looks like you just bought it. They nabbed my sister for things she has taken over the boarder for birthday gifts for her son (they got her on the way back into Canada), and she had to pay alot of duty on it. I would say....play it safe, just in case.

 

[Leofoenget]

Wow, $2500 is considered CHEAP! I'm staying at Anaheim Plaza 2 days for $158, I have a DAP and I am using Visa Disney points for my DS5 ticket, and food and anything else that may come up. So my out of pocket for my Dec 10-12 day trip is probably about $300. Can't even imagine $2500!

 

[firefox2]

Wow, $2500 is considered CHEAP! I'm staying at Anaheim Plaza 2 days for $158, I have a DAP and I am using Visa Disney points for my DS5 ticket, and food and anything else that may come up. So my out of pocket for my Dec 10-12 day trip is probably about $300. Can't even imagine $2500!

Unfortunately, that is what it costs for us Canadians, my husbands Christmas/birthday surprise trip in January is costing me a total of $1900 for 3 days, that is airfare, hotel, 3 day park hopper, bus transfer and 2 center ice anaheim ducks tickets. The Ducks tickets were $220 for 2 of them (before taxes, insurance and shipping), so minus that would still be about $1675 for three days, not including meals or anything.

 

[nottellin']

This was only because you have to deal with customs, and they will want receipts for anything that looks new, if you get a nasty customs officer, they will make you pay duty on anything that looks like you just bought it. They nabbed my sister for things she has taken over the boarder for birthday gifts for her son (they got her on the way back into Canada), and she had to pay alot of duty on it. I would say....play it safe, just in case.

That is a very good point! I'll have to mention that to hubby.

Re:$2500 is cheap, yup unfortunately that is what it will end up costing once you factor in gas all way from Canada, 6 nights hotels and food. We have spent less than that before...sad but true.

 

[Mugglemama]

daaaaang....i wish i could "scrape up" an extra $2500 to go to disneyland for the 5th time this year!!! what do you do for a living?....apparently, i need to change jobs, LOL!!!

 

[LavenderPeach]

You may have just made this possible I checked online and their rates are $472 for 6 nights from Dec 20-26

I talked to hubby and he said book it and he will talk to work to make sure he is off by then

Now I'm just wondering how ppl do gifts? Do you bring all of yours with you? Let the kids open them before you leave?

Any ideas would be helpful

Glad I could help with a suggestion (even though I have no expereince with that hotel).

I've never been on vacation for Christmas but if I did I think I would just bring one or two things to open on Christmas morning since it's hard to pack so much stuff. Maybe you could open the others before you go but keep one for each kid as a surprise for when you get back. You could also bring some wrapping paper with you and find a few things at DLR to give as gifts.

 

[snickerboo]

If you want to save on food (which to me is one of the real variable expenses on vacation) get a suite with a kitchenette. You'll pay more for a suite but you'll save on food. You'd be eating at home anyway so you have to figure the cost of a week's groceries can be spent on Disney groceried without being calculated as an extra expense. We stayed at Staybridge Suites this past trip. They have a full breakfast included & every suite has a kitchenette with a full fridge, microwave, toaster, stove top and dishwasher. The only thing they don't have is an oven. You can buy your groceries at Vons, take lunches to the parks and eat dinner in your hotel suite. This is what we did. We took sandwiches and snacks and water to Disney then had lasagna and salad (or similar) for dinner in hotel and went back to DL for the evening shows. This worked well because we could also change into warmer gear to watch the nighttime events. We pop popcorn in the microwave and take it for our watching Fantasmic snack.

Good luck. I hope you can find something that works for your family. Staybridge Suites is at Katella & I-5 but it's probably not as cheap as somewhere like a Super 8.

 

[Brady's Mom]

We had 5 people with us for our trip 2 weeks ago and stayed at HoJo which doesn't offer breakfast - but has a fridge and microwave. We had breakfast in our hotel room, made sandwiches and brought carrots and celery and apple slices and chips and water bottles into DLR with us. We planned ~ $50 a day for dinner - DH and I frequently share an entree and add a side salad and that is usually plenty for us. DS 13 always has his own meal (he's growing) and DS's 7 and 5 have a kids type meal. It works out to around $50 a day for us. We like Rancho, Taste Pilot's, and Plaza Inn for dinner. We did get corn dogs one night and we did eat at Mimi's one night (which was a little over budget $60), but our other nights were under budget. So it all worked out in the end.

We drive from Utah - which isn't nearly as far as Canada - but we break up our trip into 2 days, so we also have extra hotel costs and food costs as well - it can add up. But, the $300 ish that it costs us to drive instead of flying for $800-1000, is a good savings for us and lets us have more trips to DLR.

My sister stayed at Anaheim Plaza this past summer and said the rooms are big and they had plenty of space, but that the beds weren't super comfy.

If you have room in the car - bring some gifts. It wouldn't really seem like Christmas to my kids without gifts. Although, if we warned them before we went that it would mean that they would get less gifts but get to go to DLR, they would be ecstatic.

 

[Flitterific]

Hi! Have you looked into staying at HoJo's? They have the entertainment rate for as low as $59/night for Dec 23-25th http://www.hojoanaheim.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=14 I'll actually be staying there for the first time this Christmas for the entertainment rate

I don't usually eat outside the Parks but hopefully someone else will be able to help you out with that. Good luck planning!

 

[smiley_face2]

I have a Disney addiction, and we just got back from a trip in October. I was thinking today..'Gee, wouldn't it be nice to go to DL for Christmas'.
The problem is hubby already said no more vacations this year (we have gone 4 times). I say if I can do it cheap enough I should be able to go.

We are AP holders, but this time around the Disney properties won't be an option.

So I need help with a budget! We drive from Canada (26 hours) so gas and hotels along the way (both ways) is usually $500.
Hotels at Disney is usually cost us quite a bit , but I was wondering if anyone has stayed at the Super 8 or Travel Lodge? We normally stay at the Tropicana or we have stayed at DLH and GCH. The Tropicana could be an option but the other two are not.

I also need to save on food. So there will be no eating in the park but mostly outside of it. Any tips?

I was *hoping* to try and keep the budget at $2500 or under is this realistic?

Does anyone have any money saving tips? I really need to get DH on board soon or it will be a no-go

Also if you spend Christmas there, do you bring your presents or leave them at home? Are there places to eat (outside of DL) opened on Christmas Day?

TIA

Wow and I thought we were crazy Canadians... 4 times in one year!! our record still stands at 3. we do the same thing, our drive time is only about 22 hours though.
We have a holiday booked, but have also had a couple of unexpected expenses pop up in the last couple of days...(dear daughter desperately needs a new laptop for school, and with this last storm we had, a section of our roof now needs mending ) so now I'm trying really hard to cut costs, before the whole thing needs to be cut.
We're going from the 29th of dec, to the 9th of jan. the last 6 nights (jan. 3rd-9th) are actually a lot cheaper than the first 5 because we got the entertainment rate at Howard Johnson's. I'm now looking to either book a different hotel, or hoping new rates will come out closer to our dates.
I'll be looking into the Anaheim Plaza...the pictures I've seen look really good.
We usually do a grocery trip to Vons, even if we don't do a lot of eating in the hotel, I just like to have a looksee what's available we can't get here...like nestle quick strawberry powder seriously tastes so much better!! so we do some snacking in the room but no major eating. our food budget is actually exactly the same as our hotel budget at this point, so I really need to pare that back...I was counting on a nice dinner every night at Blue Bayou, or in the Resort hotel restaurants...I think at least half of those will now be Mimi's type meals! Then of course, bad timing but our annual passes need to be renewed, so that's a big expense right there.
The other thing we are considering is waiting till April so we can see the new World of Color show....I had planned on going again in summer to see that though. So many tough decisions!! right now, I have our costs down to $3400 for the 11 nights. we are also considering cutting the last 3 nights just because so many things are going to be closed down for refurb then, but that won't actually save us that much, maybe $300-$400...I guess that's actually a good bit.... it sure adds up quick, when you first look at it, a $100 room turns into $125. with tax and exchange...which is another thing! I'm annoyed the credit cards charge an extra 2% or more for exchange on top of the actual exchange rate!! I can get free travellers cheques and free currency exchange at my bank so I plan on doing that this time, relying a lot less on the cards! 2% on $3000 is an extra $60. or...another dinner at blue bayou!!
Have you checked the thread about coupons? there is a good one from the Rainforest cafe for 10% off....
It's funny to read some of the posts....for us a "cheap" trip there is keeping it to under $3000. I really really wish a cheap trip could actually mean under a thousand!!
oops almost forgot....do not wrap presents to take there...if customs decides to check you, you will have to unwrap everything!!

 

[c&m]

For us, the best time and money saver is having a nice hot breakfast included in the hotel rate. When we were at DL in March, we stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Garden Grove with a bed & breakfast rate. The hot breakfast filled us up quite nicely that we didn't need a big lunch. We went to White Water Snacks at the GCH and shared sandwiches made hot off the grill. We bought 4 for about $7-$8 each and shared between the 8 of us (2 families).

We ate dinner outside the parks, usually Mimi's Cafe or Cheesecake Factory (again, huge portions so we could share).

I like really nice hotels (I'm a 4* girl with a 2* budget)...so I scour around for best deals. The one I really like came out yesterday on Travelzoo.com. It was the Sheraton Garden Grove...$82 includes breakfast. It's a new hotel (opened last year, I think). I know, it's not walking distance, and it's not the popular HOJOs, but it's a good deal for a Starwood property. The icing on top is that it's across the street from Target. We always buy our snacks and water bottles at this Target.

And here I was thinking I was going extreme this year by visiting DL in March and WDW in August. I've been outdone by you fellow BCers -- wow, 3x and 4x! I don't know how I can ever convince my DH to do that! Maybe you can give me some pointers.

 

[nottellin']

we do the same thing, our drive time is only about 22 hours though

You know you are Disney crazy when the drive is 'only' 22 hours!

I'm glad I'm not the only Disney crazy Canuck!

We ended up booking the Anaheim Plaza, and I've talked DH into switching to PP for the last 3 nights. Now I'm not sure if I should do PP or DLH.
Once I really thought about it, I really wanted a 'nice' hotel for Christmas.

 

[smiley_face2]

You know you are Disney crazy when the drive is 'only' 22 hours!

I'm glad I'm not the only Disney crazy Canuck!

We ended up booking the Anaheim Plaza, and I've talked DH into switching to PP for the last 3 nights. Now I'm not sure if I should do PP or DLH.
Once I really thought about it, I really wanted a 'nice' hotel for Christmas.

oh my goodness...you are so like me!! trying to do a "cheap trip" but then switching it up to PP...then thinking well maybe DLH.... I think this is a varient on the snowball effect....
We get pretty much the whole years worth of "chatting" in on that drive...then I don't need to say another word to him for months Just kidding honestly!! we would not be celebrating our 30th anniversary next year if that were the case.... Holy Cow!! Now if that's not a reason to plan a major good Disney vacation I don't know what is!! I have a whole year to plan..it's next Dec. may have to spend at least one night at GC!
Honestly, if it were me, for the price difference, I would do DLH and ask for the Dreams Tower in one of the brand new decorated rooms!! ......I totally agree on wanting a nicer hotel for actual Christmas!! I bet the DLH will be amazing!! maybe do just 2 nights there instead of 3? we have to at least try to stay true to the original topic right?! LOL...or at least change the thread title to Want to do Disney cheap! Help....or Trying (but not succeeding) to do Disney cheap! Help..(oh never mind)

 

[mbfqueen]

Hey ... love reading the responses and gathering everything I can on ideas ..

But I have read that you can take your own food into Disneyland .. I thought that was a no no .. if one can .. that would be great!

Perhaps I read it wrong .. can you clarify please? Thanks in advance!