Next MouseSavers Budget Plan - How Long?

[Cindy B]

Originally posted by FoodLover
I'd love to hear more about how you did this. If your hotel stay was $1500, how did the remaining $600 cover even your tickets? 3-Day Hopper Plus tickets for 2 adults, 2 kids would cost $643.32.

Or were you perhaps on the FairyTale package that included tickets? That was probably a once-in-a-lifetime deal...

Just puzzled!

Mary
MouseSavers.com

Yes that was the FT package that "included " the UPH. We were originally booked at All Star Sports (our usual), but decided to upgrade to WL .

As much as the flexibility the UPH allowed us, we didn't use it to our full potential. We did all four parks, one afternoon at Blizzard Beach (wasn't that impressed), two/three times at Disney Quest (ok the first time, but wouldn't pay extra for it again).


Personally, we got more of a value, (not only money value, but trip value) trip back in 2001. We stayed offsite at Universal and bought the 5 park flex ticket for 14 days. We stayed 14 days, hit 5 parks, had a lunch and dinner budget of $50 per day, and did it with about $200 left over! (This was also for four people, 2 adults 2 kids!). If I remember correctly, The tickets for four were $500, the hotel was $29/night for 14 nights. Gas, tolls, was about $75 each way.

We were thrilled to go to Universal, Islands of Adventure, Wet n Wild, Sea World, and Busch Gardens.

 

[zurgswife]

Limo budget might be a little low. By the time they add on all the extra fees and gratuities, it's more typically around $110 total.

I wasn't sure about this as we rent a car. $110 doesn't sound bad. I just looked up the Happy Limo rates on your site...

Snacks at $10 a day might be a tiny bit low since two ice creams will run you $6 these days. Depends what you're going to get, but $12 might be safer.

I was remembering $2.50 for ice creams...but it could have been $3....So, $12 sounds OK

Lunch and dinner counter service cost the same. I think $30 per meal is ample unless your kids are big eaters. So you could shave a little off the dinner budget.

Funny you mention this....my family of 6 usually can do Counter service for about $35 max...my kids are light eaters...but I figured not all families share meals

So, with your comments it actually gives us a misc balance of about $46 just in case they need to splurge...

 

[bigsis1970]

Hi I also voted for the 7day 6 night .. being from Maine too we actually stay 10 days 9 nights . I have a current budget of $3685 for 2 adults , a 10 yr old (charge adt prices for all tickets but not meals ) and a 7 yr old from 10-29 to 11-7 ..
Breakdown =
Air from Bos or MHT to Mco = 700
Hotel (HIFS 3 night, Rent BCV 4 nights, WL 2 nights )=955
Car rental (3day)+towncar o/w = 178
5 day hoppers (no plus - have left overs adv.pur.disney.com) 880
MNSSHP = 123
Seaworld = 186
Food ( 4 Q&C for B&C and 6 Breakfast Vouc incl ) 662.50

kids will have own spending money earned before trip ( 75 to 100 - try to make sure for $10 per day or close )

my plan allows for 1 day seaworld, 1 night at MNSSHP , 5 park days, 1 waterpark day plus arrive/depart days .

Normally we are less then this due to single parenthood but my mom is coming this trip and DD was child prices for tickets but is now charged adult ticket prices UGH..

Thanks Mary for the great newsletter and the website !! Michelle

 

[worm761]

i voted 7 nights/ 6 days too. vacation to me tends to be the whole week. i would add in one character meal. we did donald's breakfast at AK. i, too, would love to see a single parent budget. i am a single mom to one DS. i do everything on a budget!

i would use a transfer service unless i was planning on going off site for some dinners. and definitely build in snacks at the parks as part of the budget. you HAVE to have a mickey bar!

thank you mary! for all the hard work you do.

 

[bigsis1970]

just as an FYI I pulled out some notes I had for us single parents and this is what I have down notes from Dec $2,569

Air for 3 = 550
All Star 3 night = 248 w/code and tax
Mod for 4 night = 397 w/code and tax
Rt Xfer to/from airport -= 110
MVMCP = 85 ( 1adt, 2 ch )
Food 75 x 7 = 525 (includ 2 char bfast & 1 char dinner )
5 day hops w/ 2 plus = 654 ( 1 adt, 2 ch )

hope this helps some this could be less depending on airfares, staying in the all stars for entire trip and not attening MVMCP and no char meals or just one ( i got it down to $2,194 )
Michelle

 

[CajunDixie]

I chose 6 nights/5 days.

A character meal?
- Souvenirs?
- Hot breakfasts?
- A nice sit-down meal?
- Snacks?
- Something else?

When our boys were in that age range we let them each choose a character lunch or breakfast. I like getting the kids involved in planning.
Hot breakfasts are a must for DH so we usually end up in the food court except for the year DS chose Donalds @ AK for his character meal.
Boughten snacks are rare but I usually budget $10-15 a day since some days we might split a popcorn and 2 pops. We all carry in water so drinks are rare. Or we might all get a ice cream bar.
We usually end up with at least one ride photo.
For souvenirs we buy the boys each a shirt or hat then the rest of the items they must pay for out of their own spending money. DH and I usually just get a few pins, shirts and usually something from the shop at DTD that is the "Home" store. *These items may or may not come from the Belz Outlet mall....depending on selection* Keep in mind any family collections.....pressed pennies, pins, license plates.
Since we usually get tired of counter service meals we eat some dinners in the room. So WalMart or a grocery is a must for our family no matter where we go. We usually stop to pick up salads in a bag, veggie platter, cottage cheese, gallons of water (we refil our bottles), a rotesserie (SP?) chicken, and sometimes a wicked dessert. Pizza Hut is usually a must have dinner also.
A cost that is usually forgotten is pet sitters/boarding.
I always take my grocery budgeted money and add it to my vacation money for that week.

 

[bobcat]

My budget is for a single parent family. It is more expensive this trip because my DD is now 11 and as the kids are getting bigger we had to up our food budget from $50/day to $70/day.

 

[excitedmom]

pins. you need to budget for the money sucking pins. who knew these things would get so out of control?

 

[Disney Debbie]

Originally posted by excitedmom
pins. you need to budget for the money sucking pins. who knew these things would get so out of control?

LOL! I always by the stupid things and never do anything with them. I don't even wear a lanyard! They're just so cute!

 

[HaleyB]

I'll Play, here is our budget which I considered moderate
Although you can not be sure of a deal, I think most people with moderate budgets would agree that without one it is offsite at a 2* and 5 day PH's which would be close in cost.
We got a deal, Kids Play free Visa deal
2 adults and 2 kids (both under 10)
7 nights at Pop Century
8 day UPH
$1536 incl tax

Food (I have tried to build in some extra in this budget, we don't really eat 3 meals plus a snack a day, more like one meal and two snacks)

Breakfast in room 4 mornings = $10 total
Breakfast in food court 2 mornings, $25 x 2=$50
Breakfast buffet (CRT) using vouchers which save us a few dollars as they include tip and tax, $19.99 x2 + 9.99 x 2=$59.96

Lunch- Counter service all days
$30 x 8= $240

Dinner
Counter 6 nights
$30 x 6= $180
Splurge (of sorts) AK Rainforest Cafe
kids will share with us.
2 Vacation Kingdom Vouchers (adult) = $62
2 extra drinks (for kids) =$5

Snacks x8 days
$5 each per day= 5 x 4 x 8= $160

Soulviners $400 (being realistic here)

Digital prints $50

Unexpected expenses like over the counter med.'s, lost sun screen, whatever $100


Grand total is $2853 for 8 days and seven nights

Add airfare of $200pp and $175 for a rental car and the total is $3828.
(both a guess, we drive the 20 hours to save money, our travel budget is $500 including food, gas, and a night on the road each way, which makes it under $3500)

 

[HaleyB]

So there you have our moderate plan, we could do it on less but don't need or want to. That was where we started. We have decided to add 6 more nights, between HIFS and AKL. 2 nights before our Dream Maker and 4 after it. I thought we might need to rest a bit after 8 park days in a row! So add $700 for hotel costs and $600 for food (another charecter breakfast, Chef Mickey's and a nice meal somewhere off site are in this part of the budget). So much for moderate

I will say that as I worked on the numbers for this trip it became very clear to me that cost per day goes way down as the trip gets longer. And the kids play free deal was a big saver for us!

 

[daniluvsdisney]

I'd love to see an off site comparison to an on site comparison... six or seven nites...
we have always stayed on site, but how much more magic is it really? Are we just a bit lazy or can really feel and experience that much more magic on site?
Keep up the good work... love ya'

 

[Belle5]

I'm looking forward to this. I'll just take your best price and double it for my gang!

Thanks for all you do!

I voted for 7/6. I think there should be one nice breakfast and one nice meal for dinner. (One or the other should be a character meal with kids that age.)

 

[mickeysaver]

I would think that with a family going for several days, you would want to provide a break at some point to let Mom & Dad have an evening out. Don't forget to provide for a sitter service and a nice night out for a grown up dinner and/or some time to explore Pleasure Island.

As for the whole extras thing. Disney is all about making the bucks. So, see the list below of the things that sometimes hit my wallet hard at WDW.

Things I try not to buy, but sometimes/almost always do pickup at Disney.

Mickey Balloons
Charms and Charm Bracelet/Necklaces
Hats
T-Shirts
Anything Stitch
Pins
Lanyards
Turkey Legs
Mickey Bars
Dole Whips
Post Cards
Scrapbook Supplies
Collectible Disney Art/Figurines
Bobbleheads
Car Accessories
Cell Phone Accessories
Lots of fluids - especially in the warmer months!

Can you tell we like to shop? lol Maggie

 

[beachbunny]

Since I have to travel cross-country to get to WDW, my shortest stay would be seven nights. Flying in for just five nights is not even an option. Also, how will you come up with an average airfare?

 

[MrsPete]

Interesting question; however, I think there are too many variables here. Some of us would cut the number of days but wouldn't stay off-site. Some would gladly cut out sit-down meals but wouldn't sacrafice souveniers. Others would choose to stay off-site but won't scrimp on meals.

How about answering the question using these guidelines:

Moderate family; priority: nice meals
Moderate family; priority: deluxe hotel
Moderate family; priority: maximum time in parks

 

[SRUAlmn]

I also chose the 7 night option, and something that I am struggling with as I am trying to plan a trip for my boyfriend and I is creating a moderate/value budget that actually still feels like a vacation. If you are staying offsite and have to drive and park all the time (or wait for shuttles that only run at certain times,) if you have to go searching for offsite restaurants that you can go to any day at home, if you have to pack an extra suitcase of food so you can eat breakfast in your room every day, if you pre-purchase souveniers (as previously mentioned) at the Disney store and stash them, then are you really embracing the whole Disney experience. I think I would like to see an example of a moderate way that you can still enjoy all the Magic! Just my 2 cents.

 

[singitalto]

I chose 7 days but we have found out that we have a better vacation when we go for at least 9 nights. It takes that long for DH to wind down from the real world. We have gone for as short as 4 nights(too short when you add driving 18 hours to and from WDW) and as long as 12 nights.

TIPS I learned on the boards:
We never eat breakfast out except when at HIFS, it saves on time and money.
We only eat sit down 2-3 times per vacation, and it is usually lunch.
Use 3 vouchers at Beaches and Cream for the 4 of us (we use when we are at Epcot)it is a sit down meal at counter service prices with vouchers.
Use vouchers at Rainforeat AK
budget $30 meal for lunch and dinner

Our 8 day/9 nights budgetfor 2 adults and 2 kids 10&12 is:
HIFS ent rate $89+tax= $1000
(We have left over plusses on old passes)
Special passes from WWOS (4) 5day+ $173each= $692
Driving, 2 nights priceline hotel on road- $400
food 8 days x 2 meals-$30 meal = $480
Vouchers 3-Q&C (B&C) $ 34
Vouchers 1 adult and 2 child lunch vouchers
to share at Rainforest Ak $56
snacks $15 dayx10= $150
souv= $100
Total= $2912

 

[AdventurerKat]

I voted for six nights/five days since it is in the middle.

I rarely have breakfast out and frankly, other than maybe a character breakfast out with the kids, is it really worth it to eat out for that meal. IMHO, no. Grab some cereal or cereal bars and you are good to go. It may have something to do with the fact that I travel from the west coast and when I get up, its usually around 9:00 or 10:00 Orlando time so lunch is just round the corner there.

I think however you decide to do it, you could have the "no frills" version (like eating in the room for breakfast everyday) and perhaps the "frills" version which might bring the price up a couple hundred dollars.

I think most people would be more interested in a "budget" trip that included staying onsite. I know you can save alot staying offsite but to me, you are missing the magic.

As an aside, thanks so much for your website Mary. It has saved me SOOOO much money.

 

[powellrj]

I voted for the 5 nights 4 days because I was going on the Saturday - Sunday vacation most people have. Factor in 2 days to drive down and 2 days to drive home ( I live in the mid-west) and that leaves you with this:
Sat and Sun drive time
Monday check-in
Sat check out and drive home

that said, on the trip we took last year we flew down on monday morning and checked out on friday morning and flew home friday night. the cost ran about $580 per person for the entire trip for a family of 4 with 2 adults and 2 children ages 6 and 12.

airfare $123 x 4 Delta out of Indy
room CBR $94 (plus tax)x4 (thanks for the code mary!!)
car rental $124 total (again thanks for the code)
tickets were AAA and I don't remember the exact price but they were 5 day hoppers and I think around $800.
$100 x 4 for food

I didn't include the $40 each child had for spending money because that was their money that they saved and I didn't include the extra $100 my dh and I each had to pay for unseen extras like gas. We did come home with money but I forget how much.

We spent $50 on groceries that were breakfast for each morning and snacks each day at park and in evening.
We did 2 character breakfast that we counted as lunch because we used the last seating of the day. On those days we had a cheap off-site meal for dinner. On our first day we did McD for lunch and Fantasmic package at Hollywood and Vine and one day we did counter lunch and had dinner at Cindys Castle.

For extras we did things like the outlet malls and the hotel pools and downtown disney during the day. I felt it was a fun filled trip that didn't break the bank.

We have taken even cheaper trips where we stayed off-site and used timeshares to get tickets and rooms, so thats why I would call our trip a moderate.

I also wanted to thank-you Mary for all of your great advise!!!