Planning a trip for my 50th...need advice!

[Mom2JPL]

Hi all! I've been planning a trip for my 50th birthday in December (16th through the 22nd, my b'day is the 20th) and my bff wants to come too! We are a family of 5 so her joining us makes it 6 (even number for rides, lol) and we all agree it would be great to have her along.

Here's my dilemma: When we first started talking about this trip a year ago, it was assumed we'd all just stay in the same room together. Art of Animation suites looked good. As I've started to price out this trip, I find that staying in the AofA room is going to cost my family (the 5 of us) $1200 more than if we stayed at Caribbean Beach (a moderate resort, and the time we're staying free dining will hopefully be offered, which is a plus for us this year with my two oldest being 10 and 12). This would mean that she'd have to book a room for herself, and I'm guessing it would be a value resort. This option would cost her about $1500 compared to the $950 if we split the cost of the suite (divided by 6, and I pay for my 5 and she pays her 1). I honestly can't afford the $1200 difference in staying at AofA. My dilemma is that I don't know how to approach her about this. We've been talking about it for a year and have been excited about the trip. My husband feels I definitely need to be upfront with her on the costs but I'm just nervous to bring it up lol.

Any thought on this from anyone?

Thanks all!!

 

[kirstenb1]

I can't even imagine that many people sharing a bathroom, so I'm the wrong person to say anything!! But I'd tell her immediately, so you guys can figure out plan B. Personally my Plan B would be to rent a house offsite. A lot of them have pools, everyone can spread out a little. Anyway, Happy Birthday, and I hope you have a terrific time!!

 

[Marionnette]

Hi all! I've been planning a trip for my 50th birthday in December (16th through the 22nd, my b'day is the 20th) and my bff wants to come too! We are a family of 5 so her joining us makes it 6 (even number for rides, lol) and we all agree it would be great to have her along.

Here's my dilemma: When we first started talking about this trip a year ago, it was assumed we'd all just stay in the same room together. Art of Animation suites looked good. As I've started to price out this trip, I find that staying in the AofA room is going to cost my family (the 5 of us) $1200 more than if we stayed at Caribbean Beach (a moderate resort, and the time we're staying free dining will hopefully be offered, which is a plus for us this year with my two oldest being 10 and 12). This would mean that she'd have to book a room for herself, and I'm guessing it would be a value resort. This option would cost her about $1500 compared to the $950 if we split the cost of the suite (divided by 6, and I pay for my 5 and she pays her 1). I honestly can't afford the $1200 difference in staying at AofA. My dilemma is that I don't know how to approach her about this. We've been talking about it for a year and have been excited about the trip. My husband feels I definitely need to be upfront with her on the costs but I'm just nervous to bring it up lol.

Any thought on this from anyone?

Thanks all!!

I don't know how you can approach this without hurting your BFF's feelings. She was okay with paying 1/6 the cost of an AoA suite in order to accompany you. You would have paid 100% of the cost of that suite if she didn't go with you. Taking her completely out of the equation, how much would an AoA suite cost you? Compare that with how much a room at CBR will cost you. The difference between the two is your REAL savings, not the $1200 difference between what an AoA suite costs (with her paying part of it) and a CBR room.

Don't be surprised if your friend declines to accompany your family on this trip when you tell her that she won't be sharing a resort, let alone a suite, with you because you've decided to save yourself some money while increasing her costs. If someone did that to me after a year of planning, I'd be very hurt and wonder whether I was only invited to help defray costs to begin with.

 

[Mom2JPL]

I don't know how you can approach this without hurting your BFF's feelings. She was okay with paying 1/6 the cost of an AoA suite in order to accompany you. You would have paid 100% of the cost of that suite if she didn't go with you. Taking her completely out of the equation, how much would an AoA suite cost you? Compare that with how much a room at CBR will cost you. The difference between the two is your REAL savings, not the $1200 difference between what an AoA suite costs (with her paying part of it) and a CBR room.

Don't be surprised if your friend declines to accompany your family on this trip when you tell her that she won't be sharing a resort, let alone a suite, with you because you've decided to save yourself some money while increasing her costs. If someone did that to me after a year of planning, I'd be very hurt and wonder whether I was only invited to help defray costs to begin with.

 

[Mom2JPL]

Sorry, I must not have been clear in my first post. My friend wasn't invited to defray the cost of our trip; I told her that we were going and she asked to come along. I was only looking at the AofA suites to make it easier for her to stay in the same room with us per her request. After researching I realize that the extra $1200 it's going to cost my family to share a room with her is out of our budget. CBR for a family of 5 is $3277.91 (total cost if there is free dining). AofA is $5446.02 (total cost with free dining, upgrading to reg dining plan). Dividing that by 6 is $907.67 per person, that's the price for her and $$4538.35 for us. I'm so torn about this because I don't want to upset her but I don't want to be resentful that I kept it to myself and ate the $1200. I have a family of 5 and $1200 is a lot of $$$.

 

[HM]

How about All Star Music Suites. That would cost less. Or Ft Wilderness Cabins.

I'd also leave off the dining plan.

Get room discount when they come out and pay for food out of pocket.

 

[msmama]

Have you thought about 2 rooms at a value (or even splitting into 2 rooms at a mod)? Is she close enough that you could put some kids in with her? You can request connecting rooms (though not guaranteed). It may cost you a bit more, but maybe less than AoA (you'd have to do the math though).

I assume you've talked rooming with her already? If not, then say this is what we're doing and let her make up her own mind, if you have, well....how close of a friend is she and how much are you willing to spend to keep it that way?!?!

 

[ptlycloudy]

I would tell her exactly how you phrased it here. If it was my BFF I would expect her to just tell me and throw out different ideas to make it work. If she is your BFF she should not have hurt feelings and should be willing to help make it work out. It isn't like it is the last minute. I would explore off site, or 2 adjoining rooms. The only one bathroom would be a big thing for me going with my BFF and her family we aren't that close!

 

[HeatherC]

Why don't you consider Bonnet Creek. You could get a three bedroom villa with two full baths and washer and dryer and full kitchen for about $125 a night including tax. It is next door to the Caribbean Beach Resort.

Even paying for the parking fee at the parks of $17 a day and paying OOP for food you would both come out WAy ahead.

As an example, we are paying $125 a night for 10 nights over Spring Break this April. That is $1250 total plus less than $80 for parking at the Disney parks.

With a kitchen, you could even have breakfast in your jammies and still be at rope drop. And you can always make quick and easy dinners without really cooking.

I think you would also love the resort....pools are amazing...lazy rivers...free mini golf..game room, etc.

Just an idea....

 

[pinkprincess30]

I would tell her exactly how you phrased it here. If it was my BFF I would expect her to just tell me and throw out different ideas to make it work. If she is your BFF she should not have hurt feelings and should be willing to help make it work out. It isn't like it is the last minute. I would explore off site, or 2 adjoining rooms. The only one bathroom would be a big thing for me going with my BFF and her family we aren't that close!

This is exactly what I'm thinking. Approach it like "Hey, we need to talk out some details and get this all figured out. Let's brainstorm!". Approach it from a sincere desire to work it out and find a solution together.

 

[chris31997]

I'm glad someone else mentioned the 2 room option. 6 people and 2 bathrooms.

But Bonnet Creek sounds like a good deal also. Don't assume it would be out of the question

But I agree you will need to talk with your friend.

 

[LuvGoofy6]

Just be honest and tell her that after doing some research you were surprised to see how much extra it would cost you to share a room. Tell her you feel bad because you know that to get the savings yourself you may be costing her more money however with a family of 5 to pay for (5 vs 1) that you have to consider other options. Then ask her to coffee to look at options together, like Bonnet Creek. Chances are she will be understanding when she realizes that she's causing you to spend more money.

 

[DisneyTasha]

If the OP has a family of 5 and is hoping for free dining at her time of trip, I don't think going with an off-site resort at $125 per night is really that much of a savings for her. Two rooms in a Value (not suites, rooms) might be a better option, but still, that free dining saved us a TON when we were there in September, didn't have to worry about cooking (just ate cereal or poptarts, etc for breakfast and had 1 big and 1 smaller meal each day,) and we were a family of 5, as we had my mom with us. We stayed in 2 rooms at Pop, but if it were just myself, hubby and kids, we would have all been in one room in a moderate for cheaper than 2 rooms at a value.

 

[HeatherC]

Unless the OP's family plans on eating a bunch of sit down meals, they ABSOLUTELY would save money at Bonnet Creek. We are a family of five and cannot how believe how much cheaper it is to stay at Bonnet Creek.

We budget $200 a day for food and never use it all. We have breakfast in the villa, lunch at the parks and most dinners out. If they are there for 7 days (just guessing) that would be $1400 for food plus $875 for a three bedroom villa plus $100 for parking. That adds up to $2400. Even doing a character meal or two isn't close to $5000.
And even on vacation, we usually don't hit $200 a day. If we eat breakfast at the villa, lunch at counter service, a snack or two and dinner out, we come in around $150. Then there are days we don't want to sit at a restaurant and just order a pizza for dinner or grill some burgers poolside....while enjoying a cocktail. . those days we spend roughly $70 I am guessing.

OP...I also think you would all love the resort itself. The pools are amazing and the location cannot be beat. Check out some of the pictures of it. Definitely has Disney value or moderate resorts beat.

if you absolutely want to be onsite, that is a different story. But if you are looking for a great alternative to bring your BFF and save some money while having a ton of extra space, it is definitely worth considering.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

Unless the OP's family plans on eating a bunch of sit down meals, they ABSOLUTELY would save money at Bonnet Creek. We are a family of five and cannot how believe how much cheaper it is to stay at Bonnet Creek.

We budget $200 a day for food and never use it all. We have breakfast in the villa, lunch at the parks and most dinners out. If they are there for 7 days (just guessing) that would be $1400 for food plus $875 for a three bedroom villa plus $100 for parking. That adds up to $2400. Even doing a character meal or two isn't close to $5000.
And even on vacation, we usually don't hit $200 a day. If we eat breakfast at the villa, lunch at counter service, a snack or two and dinner out, we come in around $150. Then there are days we don't want to sit at a restaurant and just order a pizza for dinner or grill some burgers poolside....while enjoying a cocktail. . those days we spend roughly $70 I am guessing.

OP...I also think you would all love the resort itself. The pools are amazing and the location cannot be beat. Check out some of the pictures of it. Definitely has Disney value or moderate resorts beat.

if you absolutely want to be onsite, that is a different story. But if you are looking for a great alternative to bring your BFF and save some money while having a ton of extra space, it is definitely worth considering.

Just to point out that the OP's figures likely include tickets, since you have to include tickets with a package reservation that includes dining, and you're not including ticket cost in your $2400 above. Tickets will be quite a chunk of change for a group of 5 Disney adults and 1 child. I'm guessing $2000, not knowing the exact number of days, PH or not, etc.

 

[NewRVLady]

Op-I would simply say that you didt realize that the most a WDW room accommodates is 5 people and we need to talk about costs for another room or staying offsite so all 6 can be together!

 

[kymom99]

Op-I would simply say that you didt realize that the most a WDW room accommodates is 5 people and we need to talk about costs for another room or staying offsite so all 6 can be together!

This is what I would say, too. Just tell her you are rethinking your options and the logistics of your trip, and would she mind sitting down with you and looking at some figures. I am doing this with my step daughter for our next trip. We throw ideas around all the time trying to make the trip the best it can be while saving as much as possible. You aren't locked into anything yet. Don't sweat it. If she is a good friend, she will understand and be flexible.

 

[Mom2JPL]

Thank you everyone for your helpful advice! I sat down yesterday and spreadsheeted (is that a word, lol) out the cost of the trip (I even researched leaving different days to see if that changes the price at all, same amount of nights, but leave/return on different days). Bonnet Creek sounds great but once I figured out the cost of the tickets (two out of three kids are disney adults at 10 and 11), rental car, parking, food (I have a few sit downs I MUST do, it is my 50th birthday after all ) and the price was the same as staying onsite. (I must point out that we are a family of 5 with one bathroom at home so only having one if the room is no big deal, since my kids shower/take a bath at night.) Anyhoo - I met her for lunch today with my spreadsheets in hand and laid it all out for her, explaining that I can't go over my budget of $5000 (which is top of my budget $$$, and includes airfare, tips on dinng and misc.). She understands (she grew up without a lot and is the master budgeter, lol) and we are going to figure out how to make this work...and if we can't she's looking forward to cruising with her hubby lol. Thanks again everyone for your recommendations!

 

[chris31997]

It is great that you were able to chat and come to an understanding. I really hope that it can work out.

 

[DisneyTasha]

Unless the OP's family plans on eating a bunch of sit down meals, they ABSOLUTELY would save money at Bonnet Creek. We are a family of five and cannot how believe how much cheaper it is to stay at Bonnet Creek.

We budget $200 a day for food and never use it all. We have breakfast in the villa, lunch at the parks and most dinners out. If they are there for 7 days (just guessing) that would be $1400 for food plus $875 for a three bedroom villa plus $100 for parking. That adds up to $2400. Even doing a character meal or two isn't close to $5000.
And even on vacation, we usually don't hit $200 a day. If we eat breakfast at the villa, lunch at counter service, a snack or two and dinner out, we come in around $150. Then there are days we don't want to sit at a restaurant and just order a pizza for dinner or grill some burgers poolside....while enjoying a cocktail. . those days we spend roughly $70 I am guessing.

Like someone else said, you're not including tickets. And character meals are expensive. We paid OOP for Liberty Tree, which is a sit-down but NOT character, and it was right at $150 for just us four adults. They charged us nothing for my daughter who is still considered a child, because she literally ate nothing, slept through the whole meal. And that was CHEAPER than most character meals.

Staying off-site is a great thing, if that's what you like. If I get a chance at the free dining, I'll be staying on-site so that I can get those meals. It equals out to about the same, and I don't have to fix any meals, which I would be stuck doing if we stayed off-site. Either that, or missing valuable park time eating elsewhere. We can't afford to stay more than a few days at a time, because of hubby's work, so to me, time=money. You won't catch me sitting around the pool, I do that at home!

we are going to figure out how to make this work...and if we can't she's looking forward to cruising with her hubby lol. Thanks again everyone for your recommendations!

I'm so glad that you talked with her, she understands, and you're both going to try to find a way to make it work, and I surely hope you can. Sounds like a fun trip!