Planning a Trip in 2019? Let's Share Our Budgets!

[mich311e]

I'm back for an update! Here's my original post:

Need (3) 3-day park hoppers $990 (GC)

Hotel for 4 nights - $500

Blue Bayou Fantasmic Package - $216 (GC) (may downgrade to another restaurant/package - but go big for now!)

Disney gift cards for food - $300 (GC)

But I'm going to change my park hopper $ goal to $1080, so I have 3 days of Max Pass x3 paid for. And I rounded up my Fantasmic Package goal to help cover tip (we'll tip more, but just to make it even)

So current gift card goals:

1. (3) 3-day park hoppers -$1080 (GC)
2. Blue Bayou Fantasmic Package - $250 (GC)
3. Disney gift cards for food - $300 (GC)

• TOTAL GIFT CARD GOAL: $1630

For July I added $100 in gift cards. I purchased (2) $50 at Best Buy using the Swagbucks deals. I earned the $100 from Ibotta and Swagbucks.

Current gift card balance $600 out of $1630, 8 months to go!

 

[pigletto]

Updated trip totals ( I changed some plans)

Still owing $4291 usd and $500 cad for dog boarding
Or $6170 Canadian total
Update:
I’m hoping to earn at least $500 in gift cards from PC points toward food totals and $250 from shopping apps/ Swagbucks to cover the hotels on the drive down and back. I will be tracking those earnings here.

Updated “Extra” Earning Totals:
Swagbucks $6.82
CO51 $0 ($22 check pending )
Caddle $1.30 ($20 check pending )
PC Points $30.13
PayPal $50.70

Have - $130.95 of $750 goal. 7 months to go

 

[Pyxie]

Planning our first trip August 11-14 of 2019 with me, my husband, 2 kids, and my brother. We have booked 2 standard rooms at Pop with 3 day park hoppers, the middle dining plan, and memory maker. Everything minus airfare and souvenir money is about $4000 currently, but my brother is paying $1000 of that. I’m budgeting around $1000-$1200 for airfare (my brother is buying his own). So all in all, about $5000-$5500 for the trip which I am paying around $4000 for.

 

[RNBelle]

We are planning on going Feb 1-8 and I had been collecting target gift cards from SB and mypoints to trade in until they changed their policy.

What do you exchange for? Ive done Starbucks and Landry’s since both can be used on property, but what about gift cards that can be used to purchase Disney GC.

 

[Marionnette]

We are planning on going Feb 1-8 and I had been collecting target gift cards from SB and mypoints to trade in until they changed their policy.

What do you exchange for? Ive done Starbucks and Landry’s since both can be used on property, but what about gift cards that can be used to purchase Disney GC.

The virtual Visa can be used on disneygiftcard.com to purchase a GC. You can get eGCs and just combine them with a physical GC you possess. But I like the cute physical GCs and order a $25 GC whenever I redeem at SB the first time each month. After that, it's PayPal for the rest of the month!

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

Hi! This is my first post, but not our first trip, though we haven't been to Disney since 2013!~ Currently booked for 2019 for our first trip as a family of 3.

$2465 8 nights BWV preferred view studio (dvc rental)
$551 2 nights WL studio (dvc rental)
$837 flights
$1160 2 adult 10-day park hopper plus
$169 memory maker
$540 in character meals/buffets/pre-fixe/shows
$1650 in all other food costs - appx $900 in rewards/gift cards = $750 oop food costs

TOTAL $6472 for a 10 night stay all-in. More than we've spent on any other vacation including our honeymoon! BUT it's been 3 years since our last vacation. Disney sure does add up fast. Flights and WL are already paid. Will buy tickets outright in October, BWV will be paid off in December, then will buy memory maker in January.

 

[RNBelle]

Taking a trip while on maternity leave:
January 30-February 1 SSR
February 1-February 8 AKL

Dining dollars $1000
TIW $150
AP (DVC)X2 $1255
Gasoline $125
DVC dues $1300
$3830

(And paving the way for another stay in summer due to the APs, a TIW card, and a few DVC points left).

Cranking back up the swagbucks, mTurk, ebates, writing for HubPages, and side hustles for the next six months!

Gift Cards
$25 Visa
$5 Walmart
$100 Target

 

[QueenIsabella]

I don't know if I can join this thread--we have a trip planned to Universal for next April. (Ducks as people throw rotten tomatoes...) Our youngest will be 13, and the last time we went to Universal, he was too little to ride the Harry Potter ride. Now, he's a huge fan (and 5'7"!), so we'd like to take him.

Details so far:

Budget is $8000
5 nights (I think) in 2 rooms at Royal Pacific. We like our space, and 5 adult-sized people would be very cramped.
DD23 will be flying in from Boston; the rest of us will drive down from NC.
Getting the Big Kahuna type passes in a package through AAA--staying on-site gives us FOTL passes and Early Entry, plus Volcano Bay (water park)
No meal plan
We'll stay in an offsite hotel on the way down/back--mostly to optimize park time.
We have AAA credit cards--right now, we have over $2000 in rewards that we plan to put towards this trip.
Aside from the card rewards, I haven't started putting money away for the trip, beyond the down payment. That's mostly because our "finance year", for lack of a better term, has us getting in $$$ at the beginning of the calendar year. DH gets a yearly bonus that will more than cover the costs.

 

[StacyStrong]

Hi! This is my first post, but not our first trip, though we haven't been to Disney since 2013!~ Currently booked for 2019 for our first trip as a family of 3.

$2465 8 nights BWV preferred view studio (dvc rental)
$551 2 nights WL studio (dvc rental)
$837 flights
$1160 2 adult 10-day park hopper plus
$169 memory maker
$540 in character meals/buffets/pre-fixe/shows
$1650 in all other food costs - appx $900 in rewards/gift cards = $750 oop food costs

TOTAL $6472 for a 10 night stay all-in. More than we've spent on any other vacation including our honeymoon! BUT it's been 3 years since our last vacation. Disney sure does add up fast. Flights and WL are already paid. Will buy tickets outright in October, BWV will be paid off in December, then will buy memory maker in January.

I would look into one of you getting an annual pass. The memory Maker/food discounts might make it worth it. You'd have to run the numbers to be sure.

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

I would look into one of you getting an annual pass. The memory Maker/food discounts might make it worth it. You'd have to run the numbers to be sure.

Someone else actually suggested looking into this recently (and I have to say I'm tempted - it sounds like a wonderful excuse to plan a second trip next year) but I'm not sure if it would work out to our advantage. We're not Florida residents, so it would be $1010 for just one of us to get an annual pass, and $580 for the other to get 10 days park hopper plus so $1590. For two 10-day park hopper plus it's $1160, so it's a $430 difference. I'm not sure 20% off on dining would actually save us anything. Assuming we actually spend $2000 on food, the 20% savings is $400. That said, I can't say I'm not tempted to just get two AP's anyway and then convince my husband we should make the best use of them

 

[StacyStrong]

Someone else actually suggested looking into this recently (and I have to say I'm tempted - it sounds like a wonderful excuse to plan a second trip next year) but I'm not sure if it would work out to our advantage. We're not Florida residents, so it would be $1010 for just one of us to get an annual pass, and $580 for the other to get 10 days park hopper plus so $1590. For two 10-day park hopper plus it's $1160, so it's a $430 difference. I'm not sure 20% off on dining would actually save us anything. Assuming we actually spend $2000 on food, the 20% savings is $400. That said, I can't say I'm not tempted to just get two AP's anyway and then convince my husband we should make the best use of them

Memory Maker is also included so it would only be $261 more. Will you have a car? Or do you souvenir shop?

Definitely don't get it them if it doesn't work out in your favor financially! But it's just a thought.


Multiple trips is always fun...

 

[aml3679]

Our upcoming trip in January (5th through the 12th) is going to cost around $5,000 in all.
This is for myself (57) and my husband (60).
Transportation: $125 - we now only live 90 minutes away. Gas to and from and tolls.
Parking: $0 - we are annual pass holders and have a handicap tag
Hotel: Port Orleans Riverside for 7 nights $1600 - guaranteed king without florida residence discounts -- they do not come out until late Fall
Food: our biggest expense and I am budgeting high so this can fluctuate
breakfast (average $30 per day) for 8 days: $240
lunch (average of $40 per day) for 8 days $320
dinner (average of $100 per day) for 8 days $800
snacks (average of $20 per day) for 8 days $160
beverages non-alcoholic (average of $20 per day) for 8 days $160
Total for food: $1990
Souveniers: $500
Entertainment: $500
$4405.00
Memories: PRICELESS

PLUS - we are annual passholders so are tickets are FREE

 

[Patches Lee]

Planning June 2019, 2 adults and DD10 . 10 days because we don't go every year. Original budget before research was:
Hotel $2500
Tickets $1800
Food $2400 (we do steak and snacks alot)
Tips $200
Flight $1500
Memory Maker $160
Rental car $400
Parking $200
Souviners $1000
Gas $100
Total budget: 10360
So far package at Caribbean with Dining plan will be $6582.66 below budge by $277.34
Buying GC $50 3 packs through Sam's Club will save another 271.17
Again GC through Sam's for souviners, tips, and parking fee will save another $57.
Cashback through CC to buy the GCs will earn other aproximate $86
The flight and rental car I'm currently waiting on because prices are still higher than average.

 

[amalone1013]

Someone else actually suggested looking into this recently (and I have to say I'm tempted - it sounds like a wonderful excuse to plan a second trip next year) but I'm not sure if it would work out to our advantage. We're not Florida residents, so it would be $1010 for just one of us to get an annual pass, and $580 for the other to get 10 days park hopper plus so $1590. For two 10-day park hopper plus it's $1160, so it's a $430 difference. I'm not sure 20% off on dining would actually save us anything. Assuming we actually spend $2000 on food, the 20% savings is $400. That said, I can't say I'm not tempted to just get two AP's anyway and then convince my husband we should make the best use of them

Are you doing the waterparks? Otherwise the regular Platinum AP (no waterparks) is about $905.

I'm an enabler I got us each 7 day PHs but we'll probably end up upgrading them to APs...

Dining is usually a 10% discount and doesn't include alcohol, quick service, or dining/show packages such as Fantasmic/Rivers of Light packages. AP will get 20% off in the shops (including rice krispies if you buy them in a shop... ). Will probably depend on your dining/souvenir spending. This PDF from AllEars is usually on top of all discounts. http://allears.net/pl/disc_dining.pdf

$430-$169 MM = $261 difference. No waterpark AP would be $325-$169MM = $156 difference

Just a thought too... have you checked Undercover Tourist for tickets? It looks like 10 day PH + for 2 adults comes to $1062 vs $1161 from Disney. We've used UCT many times with no issues.

 

[StacyStrong]

April 5-10th 2019 Trip:

Star Wars 10k - $125 (I might do the 1/2 marathon, which is 188. I really need to decide ASAP)
Flight - TBD - Looking for 300 or less round trip with baggage. My mom has a credit she needs to use, but won't have time to use it - so if I fly that airline, I may use it.

2 Bedroom BoardWalk Villa (5th-9th) - Free to me (friends DVC points)
1 Bedroom BoardWalk Villa (9th-10th) - Free to me (friends DVC points)
We may switch to a different resort depending on if another guest joins us. But, it'll still be free to me.

I will have an AP from my December trip. For the sake of argument, the cost is the AP cost - cost of days used for December trip. HOWEVER, that cost is already factored into my December trip and we will also be going in Fall 2019, so I'm not including it in the budget here.

Food: ~400. I estimate it at about $75 per full day. I'll adjust this once the F&G menu and pricing come out.
Souvenirs: I don't really do souvenirs, but I'll estimate $200 for the sake of argument. Most likely way less.

Total: $1025 for room, park tickets (again not including in price because accounted for in prior trip budget) food, souvenirs, race, and flight.

Not too shabby.

We might pick up an extra while we are there depending on what's available. Who knows?!

 

[pigletto]

Updated trip totals ( I changed some plans)

Still owing $4291 usd and $500 cad for dog boarding
Or $6170 Canadian total
Update:
I’m hoping to earn at least $500 in gift cards from PC points toward food totals and $250 from shopping apps/ Swagbucks to cover the hotels on the drive down and back. I will be tracking those earnings here.

Updated “Extra” Earning Totals:
Swagbucks $15.60
CO51 $0 ($22 check pending )
Caddle $2 ($20 check pending )
PC Points $49.38
PayPal $50.70

Have - $159.68 of $750 goal. 7 months to go

 

[kristenrice]

UPDATE

FREE Cash: $105.27
Vacation Savings Balance: $0
GIFT CARD Balance: $70.00

**EDITED: I'm going to change a number... I realized that I have a check from eBates for $10.66 coming on 8/15. I had it listed in my budget for my 2018 trip, but I don't need it for that trip so since it is "free" money, I am going to move it to my vacation account and list it under my "FREE Cash" earnings for my 2019 trip.

UPDATE

FREE Cash: $118.18
Vacation Savings Balance: $0
GIFT CARD Balance: $158.00

I also opened a separate Ally Savings account for my plasma money. Up until now, I had been transferring my plasma earnings into the Ally Vacation MM account (earns 0.90% interest) but it was combined with the "family money" (i.e. the $75 bi-weekly direct deposit) so it was difficult to discern what was truly MY money (plasma $$) and what was the family's money. The plasma account has no ATM access so I cannot make impulse purchases or spontaneous trips to the casino (which was a problem for me in the past, but I have conquered that demon for now) and it is earning 1.80% interest. I can transfer $300 at a time with no fees (plasma card restriction, not Ally's) so that amounts to about once a month. For the purposes of tracking on this thread, my "Vacation Savings Balance" will be a combination of the plasma account and the money market account.

So far, I have 8% of my $3500 saved up in free money. Once we return from our October 2018 trip, if we have any gift card balance left, I will add that to my 2019 budget and that will add to the "free" earnings.

 

[lookame]

Found a travel agent and booked with them. I'll save about $400 woot woot! Makes budgeting so much easier!

Pop Century resort with 5 day park tickets and additional bonus- $2494.31
One day park to park Universal tickets for 4-$675
Memory maker-$169
uber/lyft rides-$500
Southwest flights- $947.84
Food- $1600
Soverniers- $1000
Total- $7386.15

Savings
$75.95-Bank
$809.18-Gift Cards
$3993-Cash
$4.01 paypal
$28.70-Disney Rewards
$36.88-Change
$124.88-Room paid
$185.63-Room Paid-to be refunded
($129.38-Room Paid-to be refunded to Disney Card)
$947.84-Flights Paid
Total saved-$6020.44 without room refunds (with AOA refund $6206.07, with Pop refund-6335.45)
Total left-$1365.71

After refunds through Disney- $6335.45 and we'll have $1050.70 left to be saved

 

[NY Pirate Princess]

Just booked hotel last night for next August 6 nights por garden view (cheapest room for our dates) total about 1700. Yikes! I think that is what our first trip to wdw was total! 7 day hopper through work 455.50 x 3 but expires 12.31.19 so if we dont get to go...5 day hopper 442. Will buy food oop and flights should be covered or nearly so with points. 1700 plus 1366.50 plus 800 for food maybe 200 airlines looking at a ballpark 4066.50. Sigh. Only turn 50 once!

 

[kristenrice]

UPDATE

FREE Cash: $118.18
Vacation Savings Balance: $0
GIFT CARD Balance: $158.00

I also opened a separate Ally Savings account for my plasma money. Up until now, I had been transferring my plasma earnings into the Ally Vacation MM account (earns 0.90% interest) but it was combined with the "family money" (i.e. the $75 bi-weekly direct deposit) so it was difficult to discern what was truly MY money (plasma $$) and what was the family's money. The plasma account has no ATM access so I cannot make impulse purchases or spontaneous trips to the casino (which was a problem for me in the past, but I have conquered that demon for now) and it is earning 1.80% interest. I can transfer $300 at a time with no fees (plasma card restriction, not Ally's) so that amounts to about once a month. For the purposes of tracking on this thread, my "Vacation Savings Balance" will be a combination of the plasma account and the money market account.

So far, I have 8% of my $3500 saved up in free money. Once we return from our October 2018 trip, if we have any gift card balance left, I will add that to my 2019 budget and that will add to the "free" earnings.

I earned some more SwagBucks, a few FWP Target gift cards and some more BB Rewards so my Gift Card balance is climbing. I've earned over 11% of my gift card goal so far and I still have over a year to save.

FREE Cash: $118.18
Vacation Savings Balance: $0
GIFT CARD Balance: $193.00