**** Official 2014 AUGUST - Disneyland thread ****

[scrapshappen]

Just a word of caution about the historic Disney hours that were posted here on DIS. I've been tracking June/July's calendar assuming that the schedule will be similar when we are there because it will still be "summer season".

So far, WOC is only playing once a night this summer at 9:45. Also the other main difference is both parks have been opening at the same time, 8:00 a.m. We used to try to open both parks when DL opened at 8 and DCA at 10, but that won't be possible on this trip unless they change the hours.

 

[disneymath]

Just a word of caution about the historic Disney hours that were posted here on DIS. I've been tracking June/July's calendar assuming that the schedule will be similar when we are there because it will still be "summer season".

So far, WOC is only playing once a night this summer at 9:45. Also the other main difference is both parks have been opening at the same time, 8:00 a.m. We used to try to open both parks when DL opened at 8 and DCA at 10, but that won't be possible on this trip unless they change the hours.

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[wakica]

wow, a lot of discussion since I was here last. I like it!!!

I had to stop thinking Disney for the weekend and get focused on the San Francisco portion of my trip. I was finding it SO depressing cuz of all the hours I've spent trying to find an affordable place to stay there that was close enough we could walk to some places. I have looked on probably 5 different occasions in the past few months and spent like 80% of my weekend looking and FINALLY found something!!! Now I can start getting excited for that portion of our trip

now for some replies...

I'm going August 1-4 with my niece and my cousin! We are staying at the Tropicana! Can't wait!!

Welcome!!!! I will add your information to the first page!

Just paid the balance of our trip so it's official -trip #2 of 2014!

I can start making dining reservation soon too - not going to make too many though

CONGRATS!!!! Nothing like the feeling you get once it's paid off

On the way to school today my son randomly started asking about going back to Disneyland. He told me that it had been "so so so so so very long" since we were there and that he would really love to go back soon.

I did remind him that we are going on vacation in 3 weeks and that some people only get to go to DL once in their lives and that he was really lucky to have gone so many times already.

It was so hard not to spill the secret about our August trip!!!

haha!!! I can't believe how strong you are!!!!

i really wish I had signed up for the disney run 5K Friday morning (29th) -- our return date is the 28th but if I had thought this thru better I should have flown us home on the night of the 29th rather than the 28th

would have been nice to have a 5K disney run under my belt before I do tinkerbell in may -- really excited for that trip!

I'm with you If my husband didn't have a wedding to photograph on the 30th we would have TOTALLY stayed to do the 5K! I was bummed too and wanted to stay a few days longer without them. haha

I am happy to report all the dining reservations we were planning on have been made for the trip. Sunday the 10th is dinner at Steakhouse 55 (was supposed to be Napa Rose but they will be closed during our trip) Tuesday is lunch at Café New Orleans and Wed. dinner at Blue Bayou. We always have one dinner at BB and the other 2 will be the first time at each.

getting closer and closer...I can't wait!!!!

Cool!!! I will add that info to the first page! You never know when another DISer will be in the same place at the same time

Because there are SO MANY onsite guests at WDW at any given time, the extra magic hours tend to be VERY crowded (at least the times of year we tend to go) ... especially the evening ones ... that many park veterans avoid the park with early entry / late closing in favour of a less hectic/crowded experience.

Yep!!! That totally!!!! We always swore off the extra hour parks in WDW. Because all the resort guests would go (they have a LOT of resorts) AND all the guests that are not at a resort but just randomly pick a park are there so by mid day that park is usually the most busy WDW park!

I haven't had a chance to read through the whole thread yet, y'all have been busy. I'm going to CA for an ice skating competition in Burbank in early August so I decided to add a bit of Disneyland time to my trip. This'll be my 2nd trip to CA in recent years (I grew up in Vegas before moving back to FL). The competition is from August 8-10 and I plan to arrive on the 5th or 6th and stay til the 11th. I'm staying at the Extended Stay by Garden Walk because I'll have a rental car and I need a kitchen. I know it'll be a lot of traveling back and forth to the rink but I want the ability to go to DLR around my competition schedule. Now I just have to wait for the schedule to come out so I can plan the rest of my trip.

WELCOME I will add you in for the 5 to the 11. I can change it when you figure your schedule out if you'd like.

 

[wakica]

QOTW.............
question of the week

Are you the type of family that...

1. Sets a budget and & stick to it!

2. Sets an initial budget but adds extras along the way.

3. Sets a budget but throws it out the window part way into the trip.

4. says... Budget? What budget???

feel free to expand and explain.

 

[wakica]

We don't really set a budget.
Instead we spend hours and hours doing our research so we can do everything the cheapest possible way. LOL. (If we can do our trips cheaper ie eat our own food instead of a restaraunt, then we can go on more trips or add more perks to our trip)

For purchasing things in the parks we usually have a list of people we need to purchase things for and again just look for as budget friendly things as we can.

Our DD is told how much money she has for buying stuff for herself. We encourage her to wait til the end of the trip to make decisions to avoid getting something spur of the moment and wishing later she had saved the money for something else. If she absolutely can't decide between certain items at the end we give her the option of paying for the rest of it herself. This usually helps her to decide how badly she wants it cuz she doesn't like speding her own money. LOL

For myself I usually make sure to get myself 1 or two souvies and DH just isn't a spender so will rarely get something for himself unless he finds a really cheap shirt.

Sooo, I guess we don't fit any of those categories. Maybe I should add one saying we don't budget for it but just do everything as cheaply as we can. LOL

 

[gerilyne]

QOTW.............
question of the week

Are you the type of family that...

1. Sets a budget and & stick to it!

2. Sets an initial budget but adds extras along the way.

3. Sets a budget but throws it out the window part way into the trip.

4. says... Budget? What budget???

feel free to expand and explain.

So, I am the type of person who sets a budget but being this is our third year in a row I find it much easier to do and stick to it than say the first year. I try to over estimate how much we will spend on food and souvenirs so that we don't have to worry about it when we are there. The first year we went, I looked up the average price of food for the places we knew we were going to eat at, and then tried to guestimate how much we would need for food daily. The souvenirs budget was pretty easy to stick to as both my DH and I are the type to look at everything and weigh the options of what we want before we commit to buying anything.

Last year, we were blessed with a reservation to Club 33 plus being there a day longer so I just added the cost of the Club 33 dinner and what we spent on average last year to the budget, this year we are staying a day longer again so kind of doing the same thing.

Still, I think I lean towards over budgeting since you never know what may be available at the parks (i.e. Dooney and Burke Haunted Mansion bag, or something like that)

 

[leslieboehm]

Sorry, wrong thread

 

[Aladora]

QOTW............. question of the week Are you the type of family that... 1. Sets a budget and & stick to it! 2. Sets an initial budget but adds extras along the way. 3. Sets a budget but throws it out the window part way into the trip. 4. says... Budget? What budget??? feel free to expand and explain.

I don't really set a budget. This trip is our 6th since August 2011 so I have a pretty good idea of how much it is going to cost.

Our first trip we had just received a huge lump sum of back taxes after our son was diagnosed as being autistic so we decided that since the money was really "his", we would go all out and spend whatever we wanted on the trip. We stayed in a two room suite at the DLH and did whatever we wanted, ate wherever we wanted and did not pay any attention to the cost. I still cringe when I think about how that trip cost as much as my first two cars added together!

After that trip, I have done my research and we have stayed offsite and unless I was able to find a really good deal in flights from Victoria, we have taken a ferry to Seattle and gone from there. We still tend to do two "big" meals, usually one dinner and one character breakfast but we are not big souvenir people so I don't set a budget for meals or souvenirs. We always buy our son a new ear hat and a new Christmas ornament but that is about it. DS has a certain amount of spending money, usually around $40 and when that is gone, he is done.

This trip is our 15th anniversary so we are going to SH55 for dinner, wish we knew someone who could get us into C33 but we went to SH55 for our honeymoon so I am thrilled to be going back!

So the TL;DR version of my answer is: no budget but I've crunched the numbers enough that I know what we are going to spend more or less.

 

[hyperminimalism]

Question of the week. Are you the type of family that...

1. Sets a budget and & stick to it!

Yes. Although I'm not really a "family" so much as it is usually my friend and I who go down to DL/DCA together. We figure out how much it'll be for gas (since we drive down from Oregon), lodging (this time we'll be using points, so no hotel expenses except for parking there), and then we account for PH tickets and food. We set aside a budget for souvenirs and try to use those discounts you get sometimes on the receipt after you've eaten, too.

However, if I do add expenses along the way, it's very small and typically under fifty dollars.

 

[scrapshappen]

Sort of 4. Although we aren't lavish spenders in general so our trips don't generally break the bank. We don't overspend on souvenirs really. I buy teeshirts before we go at the Disneystore but the kids usually get some kind of toy and I usually get a Christmas ornament.

We decided several years back not to even worry about what we spend on food because it is part of the Disneyland experience for us. That being said, we still don't eat at Blue Bayou (because I'm just as happy with Cafe Orleans) or Carthay Circle (because we aren't foodies) so it could be much, much worse. We are doing a character meal and the BBQ this time though.

 

[scrapshappen]

wow, a lot of discussion since I was here last. I like it!!!

I had to stop thinking Disney for the weekend and get focused on the San Francisco portion of my trip. I was finding it SO depressing cuz of all the hours I've spent trying to find an affordable place to stay there that was close enough we could walk to some places. I have looked on probably 5 different occasions in the past few months and spent like 80% of my weekend looking and FINALLY found something!!! Now I can start getting excited for that portion of our trip

San Francisco is ridiculous for hotels. But I do love it there! I grew up in the East Bay and still consider SF my city.

 

[modegard]

QOTW.............
question of the week

Are you the type of family that...

1. Sets a budget and & stick to it!

2. Sets an initial budget but adds extras along the way.

3. Sets a budget but throws it out the window part way into the trip.

4. says... Budget? What budget???

feel free to expand and explain.

I have a budget, but not for sticking to, more for keeping track of. I keep a spreadsheet that lists all costs incurred for a trip. Estimated costs until I pay them off that will all be updated to actual costs by the time the trip is done. I just do it for my own curiousity sake I guess. I usually over estimate food and under estimate souvenirs.

 

[Rubygoose]

QOTW.............
question of the week

Are you the type of family that...

1. Sets a budget and & stick to it!

2. Sets an initial budget but adds extras along the way.

3. Sets a budget but throws it out the window part way into the trip.

4. says... Budget? What budget???

feel free to expand and explain.

I'm going to add a #5 - Deal Seeker. Since this is our 4th trip, I know how much things cost and I've figured out how to get them for as little as possible by using points and miles and any other discounts I can scrape up! We got out flight for 30% of what it should have cost us by using points and a companion fare, we got 3 of our 4 parkhopper passes using Air Miles and got the 4th a Deluxe AP from Way.com and saved $25 (and that was before the price hike.) We're flying in and out on a Thursday, which is one of the cheapest days of the week to fly. I've signed up for free $30 gift certificates for the Patima group and a free sandwich from Earl of Sandwich.

 

[Aladora]

I'm going to add a #5 - Deal Seeker. Since this is our 4th trip, I know how much things cost and I've figured out how to get them for as little as possible by using points and miles and any other discounts I can scrape up! We got out flight for 30% of what it should have cost us by using points and a companion fare, we got 3 of our 4 parkhopper passes using Air Miles and got the 4th a Deluxe AP from Way.com and saved $25 (and that was before the price hike.) We're flying in and out on a Thursday, which is one of the cheapest days of the week to fly. I've signed up for free $30 gift certificates for the Patima group and a free sandwich from Earl of Sandwich.

This exactly!

 

[CaffeinatedMama]

Hi guys! I just booked what I consider to be a last minute trip since I usually plan WDW trips a year in advance for myself and my 9yo. We're going Aug 1st-6th. I have a non-dis question, and I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but has anyone done one of the Hollywood/Warner Bros Studio tours from Anaheim and if so who did you use and how was it? There are so many places offering them but I see mixed reviews online for most of them. Considering the cost it makes me leery without hearing from someone directly that used a company that they liked. TIA

 

[zanzibar138]

I'm another one who doesn't really fit into any of those categories.

With flights we just look out for the best deal, taking into account points earning capability and class of travel as well as price. Sometimes we'll use points for some/all of the trip.

For hotels I usually set a budget per night per person. This varies by location, whether other people are staying with us, and how our cash flow is looking at the time On any given trip usually we'll have a couple of hotels way under budget, and a couple a little over, so it usually works out.

For everything else we just tend to be 'sensible', while allowing ourselves a couple of splurges. For example, on this trip we will be splurging on a Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour. For DLR we'll book a special meal every couple of days (options for this trip include lunch at BB, character breakfast at Storyteller's, and possible Carthay Circle WOC package). Other than that we'll tend to just stick with cheaper QS meals/snacks.

Any souvenirs come out of our own 'pocket money'. This is a small amount of money that we each get per week to cover any personal 'want' spending. So souvenir purchases will depend on how much we've saved individually.

 

[disneymath]

I'm a combo of 2 and 5 ... sets and initial budget, but willing to add on a few extras ... especially if I can search out a deal.

We try to do as much as possible without blowing the bank, but it becomes more of a game of "how much can we do for $x?" than "oh look, we saved $y!".

Just realized that while I was subscribed to this thread, I think the only posts I have made were the ones from the other day that started with my response to nervous first timer.

We're a party of 8 (5 adults, 3 boys), first time to DL but WDW vets. Splitting our stay between DLH and VGC in mid August (no need to post details on first page, thanks). Our non-park days will be spent on a beach/whale watching tour (Anaheim Tours) and a pool day with Pirate's Dinner Adventure (hoping for an August groupon for that)!

 

[croach]

QOTW.............
question of the week

Are you the type of family that...

1. Sets a budget and & stick to it!

2. Sets an initial budget but adds extras along the way.

3. Sets a budget but throws it out the window part way into the trip.

4. says... Budget? What budget???

feel free to expand and explain.

I guess I'm a four because I don't set a budget but I don't go crazy and buy and eat everything I see. I dont buy a lot of souvenirs anymore and I don't do a lot of sit down restaurants so that helps keep the expenses down. Try to be smart with the hotels and flights - switched from GCH to offsite to cut hotel expense in half. Kind of sad about though.

 

[dec2009mama]

QOTW.............
question of the week

Are you the type of family that...

1. Sets a budget and & stick to it!

2. Sets an initial budget but adds extras along the way.

3. Sets a budget but throws it out the window part way into the trip.

4. says... Budget? What budget???

feel free to expand and explain.

I think I'd be a #2 -- I have a budget on how much cash we will carry with us and how much I have remaining to pay off the credit card when I get back home -- BUT I don't go checking the credit card while on the trip to see if I am within budget!
Once I am home and if I go over, oh well -- we always have fun!

On our last trip we over spent on the credit card by about $150 but came home with $300 cash -- so it really all balances itself out in the end!


We don't do alot of sit down table service -- in may we did minnie breakfast and my mother's day dinner at Wine Country Trattoria! Other than that it was counter service all the way......and there are some places where I order the kids meal for myself which is a great deal!

Have to decide what to book for this trip since now I am hooked on Wine Country Trattoria

 

[tiffjoy]

QOTW.............
question of the week

Are you the type of family that...

1. Sets a budget and & stick to it!

2. Sets an initial budget but adds extras along the way.

3. Sets a budget but throws it out the window part way into the trip.

4. says... Budget? What budget???

feel free to expand and explain.

I'm not a budgeter in general; it's just not my nature (it is for my DH though! ). We have a vacation fund for the year, and we like to take at least 3 large vacations and several small ones, so I am always conscious of how choices with one vacation will impact another trip.

While I don't budget, I am all about saving where I can, like using the Orbitz app to get money off the hotel along with promo codes, finding the cheapest ticket prices, using ebates, using my Disney Visa for discounts at the parks, purchasing Disney GCs at Target with our RedCard, off site hotels, eating breakfast in the room, things like that. I pick and choose our "splurges" and try to keep cost in mind even if I don't have an official tracking system where I tally each expenditure.