Planning a "budget" trip...

[matteasmom]

So in 2012 we sailed on the Disney Fantasy. This was a compromise as DH isn't particularly a Disney fan. We truly adored our time aboard, but I still want to visit WDW before DD "gets too old" (she's almost 9). Since free dining has come up I've been trying to convince DH we should take advantage. I am generally the planner, but am I having a hard time coming up with pricing to show him. For him, it all comes down to dollars so I'd like to compare pricing for onsite vs offsite. The meal plan sounds easy but also expensive. I wouldn't be opposed to either options as long as it as cost effective as possible. Ideally looking for 12/12 ish or Christmas so we can enjoy the decorations, but the dates are quite flexible. Can someone help me out? Its myself, DH & DD (almost 9). Depending on cost we would be looking at 5-7 days, possibly one of those days at Universal

 

[RoyalCanadian]

So in 2012 we sailed on the Disney Fantasy. This was a compromise as DH isn't particularly a Disney fan. We truly adored our time aboard, but I still want to visit WDW before DD "gets too old" (she's almost 9). Since free dining has come up I've been trying to convince DH we should take advantage. I am generally the planner, but am I having a hard time coming up with pricing to show him. For him, it all comes down to dollars so I'd like to compare pricing for onsite vs offsite. The meal plan sounds easy but also expensive. I wouldn't be opposed to either options as long as it as cost effective as possible. Ideally looking for 12/12 ish or Christmas so we can enjoy the decorations, but the dates are quite flexible. Can someone help me out? Its myself, DH & DD (almost 9). Depending on cost we would be looking at 5-7 days, possibly one of those days at Universal

If your DH is not a Disney fan, then taking him to WDW anytime during the 2 weeks around Dec. 25 is not going to help win him over. The park attendance levels are beyond enjoyable & the traffic is a headache. Might I suggest the 1st week of December or the 1st week of January if the Christmas decorations are a draw for you. Crowd levels are much lower. The Christmas decorations go up in November and stay up until around January 6.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[matteasmom]

Thanks for your reply, I think you might be right considering thats what he dislikes the most...crowds. I'll take a look at going at the beginning of December, anyone know what the weather is typically like at that time?

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Weather can be variable. We have one Christmas trip and two January trips (New Years and mid-month) under our belts, and its been a mixed bag. Hot some days. Downright cold (wearing our winter coats and gloves) other days. Pools are heated so we swim regardless....we're Canadian, eh!

I'm a big fan of offsite. Its more peaceful, its WAY more spacious (you will get a 1200 square foot 2 bedroom, 2 bath villa with a full kitchen, laundry facilities, screened balcony, etc. for the same price as a 260 square foot Disney value room), and its far easier on the budget. Dining at Disney is very expensive, table service meals need to be pre-booked months in advance, and food quality does not match the price (the "experience", in things such as character meals, does make up for some of the price difference but not all IMHO). I would stay at an offsite resort, eat select meals at Disney, then dine for the remainder of your meals at the plethora of options in and around the theme parks.

I agree with the PP.....Christmas week is beyond busy. If your DH isn't a huge Disney fan, Disney at Christmas has a good chance of turning him off completely. Crowds are beyond what you can imagine. Some parks will close very early in the day due to capacity.

The Christmas season itself is a wonderful time to visit, so if you can go earlier in the month, you should have a much more positive experience. You would be able to take in a Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party if you wanted.

There's also some great offsite seasonal attractions such as ICE! at Gaylord Palms....super awesome and so festive!

SeaWorld is amazing at Christmas too, and their annual Christmas Celebration is not to be missed. You can have dinner with Santa and Mrs. Claus, have your photo taken inside a snow globe, watch some of their amazing Christmas shows, see it "snow" along the waterfront, be amazed by the Sea of Trees, ride the Polar Express (and visit Santa at the North Pole afterward), all in addition to their regular show and atraction line ups. The nice thing about SeaWorld.....all their holiday events are included in the price of regular admission ticket, so no additional cost (Santa's Fireside Feast, of course....and any food for that mater...would be additional).

When comparing your costs, be sure to factor in the "extras" of both onsite and off (like a car rental for offsite, and things like tips, extra snacks, a third meal of the day, etc. for onsite).

We have done both onsite and off, and even if the costs were the same, it would be offsite for us without a second thought.

 

[dis_guy]

If your DH is not a Disney fan, then taking him to WDW anytime during the 2 weeks around Dec. 25 is not going to help win him over.

You never know. I was a "one and done" guy after going to DL as a teenager. I just found it underwhelming. So much so that I never even considered Disney as a worthwhile way to spend our vacation money while our kids were small. So when my FIL gave us all a WDW trip for Christmas one year, I was touched by their generosity but really did not want to go. I even considered ways to get out of going. In the end I went mostly so I wouldn't hurt any feelings.

I was amazed at the whole experience. From how seamlessly DME got us to the resort, to the level of guest service we received, to well, everything. Sitting one evening at CBR watching a movie, the Epcot fireworks started and I kind of felt sad that we hadn't come while our kids were much younger.

We've gone as a family several more times since then and DW and I and our daughters have gone separately a few times too. Yeah, we'll never get back those years, but we're doing really well making up for lost time.

I'd suggest somehow convincing him it's worth going, stay on site to get the best Disney experience possible, and maybe, just maybe he'll have a similar moment and suddenly just "get it".

 

[westonkamom]

Believe me, I know your pain! I had to beg my DH for our first WDW trip. Now he's the one suggesting it, year after year, lol. I just wanted to add that up until about the 20th of December, crowds are very manageable. It is the only time we have ever visited and we LOVE it! Also, on one planning website that I use, the week you're considering is rated the 3rd best week to visit out of the year. I'm not sure what your budget is, but to stay as cheap as possible you will need to look at value resorts. Pop Century is where we stayed first and was a lot of fun. Also, free dining starts on 12/12, but I would suggest upgrading to the DDP (1 ts, 1cs, 1 snack, 1 refillable mug per person/per night). It's a modest increase in price with a much broader spectrum of choices. I decided to price it out for you how I would do it. Hope this helps give you an idea on pricing!!

Here's the pricing I came up with on the U.S. site:

12/12-12/19 Pop Century (Preferred Pool View)
5-day park passes
Upgraded Dining Plan
Free ME transportation

Total: $2,630.44 USD (before taxes) ($2861.35 CAD)

Additional park days are around $40 usd/day to add on

Also, it would be good to go now if you only plan on only going one time. Disney considers 10 year olds adults and the prices go up. Good luck!!

 

[matteasmom]

Thank you everyone for your opinions, it certainly does help! I truly appreciate the advice that was given for both options. Westonkamom thank you for that pricing! I priced that same option on the site this morning, but came out with $2071.75 USD with an upgrade to the meal plan, with the standard room. If we were to stay offsite a hotel/home with shuttle to the parks would be ideal if anyone has a suggestion? A house with a pool looks wonderful, but again because it comes down to value I need to compare the pricing against onsite vs offsite. Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina can you offer any help with pricing offsite. I'm not too concerned about car rental since I would likely use Airmiles for that portion

 

[matteasmom]

I'd suggest somehow convincing him it's worth going, stay on site to get the best Disney experience possible, and maybe, just maybe he'll have a similar moment and suddenly just "get it". [/QUOTE]

Yes, I'm hoping this happens. It happened for the cruise, it was nothing like he expected and I think it was pleasantly surprising. We tend to stick to all inclusive vacations so I think in his mind thats what a vacation is, this would be a vacation with experience I think!

 

[pigletto]

If your DH is not a Disney fan, then taking him to WDW anytime during the 2 weeks around Dec. 25 is not going to help win him over. The park attendance levels are beyond enjoyable & the traffic is a headache. Might I suggest the 1st week of December or the 1st week of January if the Christmas decorations are a draw for you. Crowd levels are much lower. The Christmas decorations go up in November and stay up until around January 6.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Have to disagree on the crowd assessment for the week of the 12th in December. We've been 9 times. Usually last week of August, once in May, twice in February. We went last year from the 13th to the 23rd. Crowds were on par with any other time we've been. They were absolutely fine until the Saturday before Christmas (I think that was the 21st). I wouldn't hesitate to go that week again. That being said, with free dining you are going to pay rack rate for the room price and you may want to pick another free dining week to take advantage of lower hotel prices. They are very high that week in December.

 

[Cottager]

If you're trying to compare offsite versus on-site focusing on lowest pricing then you should also take into consideration the "room only" pricing for a Disney Value resort rather than a package price like Free Dining. Currently, the room only promotions cover up to October 3rd. The room only pricing covering the end of the year came out on August 1st last year. The discount for a Value this year should be 15% - 20%.

Another factor to consider is Disney World's "Season Dates". Room rates rise and fall throughout the year depending on the traditional demand. This year, your dates could be in the Fall Rate Season which is Nov29 - Dec11 where a standard Value Resort room with no discount (rack rate) on a weekday is $110 taxes included (weekends are $133). If you go later, Dec12 -18 is considered Peak Rate Season and the same room is $152 ($186 weekends).

If you factor in a 20% room only discount when the next promotion is released, the standard Value Resort room would be $88 taxes included ($106.40 weekends). Also consider the savings included with the free return trip from the Orlando airport on Magical Express compared to paying extra for a cab/shuttle/car rental. You'll need a car rental if staying in a house offsite so in addition to the added price of gas, you'll also have to pay $17/day for parking at the parks.

There are a few good reputable websites that you can purchase discount park tickets separately and add them to your My Disney Experience for additional savings as well.

I hope this helps.

 

[Misha72683]

We're planning on going in 2015 and we're on a tight budget. I'm using air miles to pay for our park tickets, we'll be staying in a value resort. We will get a meal plan, because I priced out that it was worth it for us.

We're going with my bff and will be sharing a suite, but I priced it out for our family at about $2500, including flights and meal plan.

 

[Cottager]

We're planning on going in 2015 and we're on a tight budget. I'm using air miles to pay for our park tickets, we'll be staying in a value resort. We will get a meal plan, because I priced out that it was worth it for us.

We're going with my bff and will be sharing a suite, but I priced it out for our family at about $2500, including flights and meal plan.

Depending on how tight of a budget you're on, remember, the size of the food portions tend to be larger than what we are typically accustom to in Canada. When on a budget conscious trip, the wife and I typically share a counter service lunch by splitting a big sandwich and sides and either sharing a drink or buying one each. Breakfast for us is a bagel and cream cheese that we bring in our luggage along with the coffee supplied in the room. Dinner again is a shared counter service meal that is typically over-sized to make it easier to share. The savings with counter service compared to a sit down restaurant where you have to pay a tip can add up. Also, the dining plans force you to buy a drink and dessert which you could save more out of pocket by skipping dessert and drinking water.

 

[Misha72683]

Depending on how tight of a budget you're on, remember, the size of the food portions tend to be larger than what we are typically accustom to in Canada. When on a budget conscious trip, the wife and I typically share a counter service lunch by splitting a big sandwich and sides and either sharing a drink or buying one each. Breakfast for us is a bagel and cream cheese that we bring in our luggage along with the coffee supplied in the room. Dinner again is a shared counter service meal that is typically over-sized to make it easier to share. The savings with counter service compared to a sit down restaurant where you have to pay a tip can add up. Also, the dining plans force you to buy a drink and dessert which you could save more out of pocket by skipping dessert and drinking water.

Not that tight of a budget. We're food people and we definitely normally spend the cost of the DP on food on vacation and we'll definitely want to do a TS restaurant a day. Food is a splurge for us (last time we went on vacation we spent more on food than on our hotel). Though, we'll get some breakfast stuff and eat in our suite (we're not big breakfast people).