Need to plan financially

[New2Disney]

My family (me, husband, 8 year old son and 4 year old daughter) are going to WDW in August 2005. This is our first family vacation aside from visiting other family, so I want to make this extra special. None of us have ever been there, let alone been to Florida, so I am trying to make the most of it.
Can any of your please tell me about how much I could expect to spend while we are there?

Airfare, hotel (All Star Movie Resort), and meals plan are paid for. We are getting in early on Saturday - park all day and then we are leaving on Friday. Just a ball park, since I know it could vary...

Thank you so much for your help.

Terri

 

[ckoncurat]

If this is your first vacation ever and you want it to be special... Do you have to go in August? There are other times of the year that are cheaper, less crowded and less hot.

 

[crisi]

Oh, its so hard to ball park.....

Will your kids or DH do arcade type or Midway type games, my husband can put quarters into those things (makes me cringe when he does)?

We've never bought the photo they take coming off the ride - other people buy every one (at $10 or something each).

Pins are around $6 each. I own maybe three, all given to me.

Princess dresses can get pricey for your daughter - $50 plus the accessories. Budget boarders will tell you to pick one up at WalMart. They aren't nearly as nice, but less than half the cost. A stuffed Mickey - small for around $10, but huge ones in the $1000s.

Snacking your way around the world - add $10 per person per day. Sticking to meals and splitting a Dole Whip and/or Kringle or so, add $10 for the trip.

Will you add alcohol onto you meals not included. Drinks by the pool have been known to run us $40 for the afternoon.

I once bought an animation cell for $400. And I've come home with a $8 shirt off the sale rack and that was it.

 

[ceecee]

This depends on your spending habits. Do you plan to eat counter serve or nicer places? Snacks daily or as a treat? Light spinners, pictures and souvenirs? So many factors even to give a ball park range.

 

[ncbyrne]

Are you renting a car or just using ME to get to WDW from MCO and WDW transportation during the week? Here are some other things to consider when planning your budget - first of all, the meal plan only covers two meals a day. Most people use CS for lunch and TS for dinner. You will have to pay for one meal (usually breakfast) out of pocket. http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menus.htm#res You can look at the All Stars menu with prices at this website.
Snacks are also covered under the meal plan, so you shouldn't need a whole lot of $ for food. However, if you partake of spirits, you will have to pay for that too, as alcoholic beverages are not included in the plan. Drinks in WDW tend to be a bit more expensive that what you'd pay locally.
The park tickets cover all of the amusements at all of the parks - but you need to budget for any souvenirs or photos that you purchase. For some that can be big bucks, for others practically nothing. Almost every single ride and attraction at WDW exits out into a gift shop. It's a genius marketing strategy. How much you spend each day will be determined on how strict/lenient you are with your kids. My advice would be to set a specific amount for each child and then stick to it. Souvenirs at WDW are the most common budget busters!
You'll also need $ for tips for drivers, mousekeeping, etc.
Remember that August is HOT-HOT-HOT in Florida. You may want to bring misting fans with you and be sure to pack lots of sun screen. Both of these items can be pricey in WDW.

 

[welovedis]

Are you going during the promotion period when you can get the free dining with a package?

 

[crisi]

A LOT of people bring pop tarts, cereal bars, etc, and have breakfast in the room. Some go as far as bring a cooler for milk and have cereal. I did this even after I was paying for Deluxe rooms and could afford breakfast without busting the budget - for me its a time saver and convienient (we aren't big early morning eaters). Others work the MYW dining package (assume that is what you have) by using one meal for breakfast and splitting it, and another for lunch and splitting it. Still others pick up breakfast each morning at the hotel or on the way to the parks.

I tip mousekeeping, but its technically not a tipped position, so make up your own mind on that one.

 

[dkrause716]

If your meals are paid for that is a big expense out of the way!

Souvenirs are another expense. You could always get the kids some Disney Dollars ahead of time (tell family, grandparents too!! ) Setting limits ahead of time is always a budget saver.

Enjoy! You will love it!

 

[fac]

Airfare, hotel (All Star Movie Resort), and meals plan are paid for. We are getting in early on Saturday - park all day and then we are leaving on Friday. Just a ball park, since I know it could vary...

Terri

Since no one has given a ball park, I will give it a try.
I am assuming you are using disney transportation as you did not mention car rental. I am also assuming you use the disney dining plan. You didn't mention park tickets, I assumed you have them, if not, we will add park ticket to the total. Therefore I think you will need about $35 a day, it is mainly for breakfast and drinks in the park as it is very hot.

Now the realistic part as someone mentioned it depends on your spending habit.
a. You may not need to pay for the breakfast as you have two young children and with the disney meal plan, you can easily use 2 CS for breakfast and 2 CS for lunch. As someone suggested you can also bring breakfast. -- This will save money.

b. You may spend on souvenirs which can be expensive and I am not sure how much you want to spend. Someone suggested you to buy souvenirs here and bring it to florida, we tried it last year and it was great. Most of the time, my kids just want to buy something.-- This will increase the total spending.

c. If you bring water bottle to the park. -- this will decreas the total spending.

d. Someone mentioned buying photos of the rides, we only bought twice, if you do, it will increase the expenses.

e. It can be very hot, therefore if you did not bring misty fans, you may want to buy them in the park and it is an expense.

f. Last summer, I went in July, and it rained everyday, you may need to buy a poncho if you are not prepared. - This increases the expenses.

g. Given you have a 4 year old, you may want to bring a stroller, other you may need to rent one.

I give it a start, you can adjust up / down. Typically, I think if you have everything paid for, there is not too much to spend if you don't want to spend. However, my suggestion is to be prepared to bring what you may need and you do not need to buy them in the park. On the other hand, as DH used to wonder why I can't buy the stuff in the park (Obviously, he didn't realize it takes away half of the fun.)

My last suggestion is to read this board regularly and you may find out new idea.

Felicia

 

[pinkdiamonds1007]

We budgeted out $200 e/person for souvineers and stuff. *stuff being anything extra we personally want*

 

[It's A Happy Day]

I am going to assume that you are going with the FREE dining plan - if not the 1st thing I would do is to call and check to see if you can upgrade to the free dining - this alone could be a huge savings. If you look at pricing for no dining plan 7 days and dining plan for same amount of time its about $650 so think of all the other stuff that could go towards. I have been searching the forums for money savings and inexpensive tips and it's a GREAT resource I have compiled a document file that I plan on printing before we go of inexpensive if not free things to do or places to see while in WDW. (can email if you would like) Several things I have found here are:
* refillable mug at hotel - free refills at your resort, fill before hitting the park and you won't need drinks till later in early afternoon. Also makes a great souvenir
* where to get kids meals with that extra stuff - sand pail and shovel, glow in the dark frisbee, lunch box, etc. - even though you are paying for the meal it is again a free souvenir - kids love it!
* Several inexpensive things to do in WDW - ie: kidcot stops in Epcot - free, Passport autographs - pick up books from local dollar store or office supply store b4 going - only cost is the book itself.
* Pick up "souvenirs" b4 you go - Disney Store right now has sunglasses, battery fans, watches, lip gloss, and more under $4.00 and tshirts starting at $4.00 and up.
* as the meal plan is grouped into one pot - meaning no distinguishing child or adult - when you get counter service get the 2 kids an adult meal and share. This will enable you to stretch those meals to maybe fit the cost of breakfast into the covered food portion instead of coming out of your pocket.
* I don't know if you have a AAA card but with it you get I think 10% off at some of the shops in DTD - world of disney I think. Plan to get kids souvenirs here so that we can take advantage of that.
* We have decided that no souvenirs until last couple days. This will prevent - hopefully - buyers remorse. If they ask for it for 3 days then it's something they want vs. spur of the moment. We have already purchased disney dollars for the kids and when that runs out thats it for them. Easier for the older child to understand - on the 4 year olds level let then know they can pick out a certain # of items. Let the older one know that they have x amount to spend there now and give them an opportunity to increase it with extra things around the house. There is a store in DTD again that everything in the store is under 10.00 - so you won't have to worry about breaking the bank.
We have planned an extra 20-30.00 per day for food if needed and about $200.00 per person for souvenirs. I really don't intend to spend that much on everything but want to make sure we have enough. With disney dollars already purchased for kids and I'm also getting some rewards $$ on disney visa we'll only need to bring around $700.00 vs. about 1100.00
*** Seriously do some surfing on the boards because there are many tips to be found! ***
Good luck and remember to look at this with kids eyes... they don't see the money that you are spending. Smaller kids are just as happy with free stickers, getting to ride in the front of the monorail, the "free" sand pails, lunchboxes, cups that they can bring home as the light up toy you purchased before you went, to the stuffed Minnie they just had to have in the Magic Kingdom! And the older child will understand better (hopefullY) that you were able to bring them there in the 1st place and that in itself is a gift never mind any memories that they will take away.

 

[New2Disney]

You are all so wonderful and helpful. I know this is going to be the best trip!! We are not renting a car until we leave for Gainsville (Cousins graduation), so we will use whatever transportation that is available for us to get around. Everything else is paid for.

I got a camel pack for my birthday, so I will bring that full of water. I am strange; I LOVE humidity. My family is from New Orleans, so I am familiar with their weather.

Crisi: You mentioned the dresses. My daughter LOVES to dress up, so should I bring some of her costumes? Do other children wear them into the parks?

Its A Happy Day: Can you please send me what you are drafting... It would be SOOOOOOOOooo appreciated!! tmacford 'at' yahoo (the boards would not let me send you my email address

When my kids say they want something, most of the time, I have to say 'no, we don't have the money.' I want this to be different. I have been saving for a while, I just hope I can have enough when we get there.

Thanks again, you all are great!!!!

 

[crisi]

Little girls sometimes wear Princess dresses - usually to character breakfasts. They can get hot and scratchy and impractical in the heat. But these are for sale everywhere, so if your daughter is attracted to that, and you don't want to budget for it, stay out of the shops (especially Tinkerbelle's Treasures!). We own a few Disney dress up outfits from our trips, and they hold up really really well to repeated wear. (My almost six year old still wears the size four Minnie dress we bought when she was three and half, its a little short now, but its lasted two plus years). So, I think they are a good value for a kid who likes dress up, but they are expensive.

 

[momxx5]

A few hints.......most have been posted on the board at some point.....

Target, Walmar, etc have the spray misting fans - they are a must in the August heat. In the parks they are almost $20, at regular stores $3-6.

Target has Igloo brand water bottle holders. Each child had their own to hang over their shoulder. Each morning everyone grabbed a water and was set for most of the day.

Don't forget the rain ponchos - a must in August. We usually purchase the Disney ones and use them the whole trip. The Dollar Tree has some also.

As far as souveniers....we allow each child to purchase 1 toy and 1 t-shirt. We go to Downtown Disney early in the trip and the kids get to "window shop", then later in the trip they get to purchase their toy. I also let them each pick out a t-shirt from their favorite ride - these t-shirst can only be purchased at WDW and become part of their schooll wardrobe. Many t-shirts that have Mickey or princesses on them can be purchased much cheaper at the Disney Store(on sale) or even Walmart, KMart and Target.

We are a family of 7(5 kids) and we spent just under $2,500 for food for the whole week, pictures, toys, snacks, etc. It was our first trip as a big family since youngest was born - so we had a big, bang, blowout trip and did not limit much of the spending.

Wishing you a magical trip.

 

[dwmlaf]

Poncho's. Generally the Dollar Stores sell 2 for $1.00.

I used them on my cruise in May and Yellowstone last year. For 50 cents a piece they are easy to fold and disposable. I practically by them by the "gross". I travel quite a bit and always make sure that I have plenty in every suitcase I own.