Please help me plan my "budget" vacation

[PoohDoll]

Hello My name is Shonda and im not new because i've lurked for years but this is my first time posting. Im a single mom of two and living in the great buckeye state


Im having difficulty deciding what to do for our vacation this summer. This past August we spent nine nights at POP with dining plan and WPF&M tickets. We enjoyed the waterparks the most . In fact we spent a ton of time in the wave pool. It was a hit for everyone. We've been to the disney parks twice a year for the past two years so the novelty is wearing off so the waterparks added that freshness for us since we've never been to a waterpark before.

It was a lengthy trip and we enjoyed having all of those days in Florida . It made the plane ticket prices worth it IMO. I dont like spending $700 and spending four or five days on vacation.

So I stupidly did not book the free dining promo for next year while i was at the resort I should've...because now there is obviously no offers for next year and for the same vacay the price came up to over $3100 without discounts. Im sure they'll be free dining again but I dont want to pay on it and than get money back..I'd rather pay with the discount because $3100 seems like it will take forever to pay off.

So im thinking of a Disney Cruise instead for variety. The kids expressed that they want to go on the disney boat. I've always told them its far too expensive and we cant afford it. I also would like to do a Disney cruise...atleast just once . I want to experience Castaway Cay and I want to see my kids enjoy the kids club..which looks AMAZING in photos..I wont be able to get them out of there .

So the four night for Sept. 8th is 1872...VERY reasonable for a disney cruise. In fact I dont think i've ever seen it priced that low .

Four nights seems to me like it will go VERY quickly though ..so this is what im thinking and you guys let me know if it sounds okay.

So ...four night disney cruise (round it up to $2200 or so) ...with two nights at Coco Key resort (so the kids can have some relaxing days off the boat AND we get the waterpark experience too which i know theyre gonna love)...so all in all it would be a six night trip .

Im adding one night at pop century on our arrival day so there's no worrying about missing the boat..and the disney cruise ship will just pick us up from the resort....so i guess that's more like seven nights .

The kids really enjoyed the Nick Hotel last year..so i may swap out Coco Key with the Nick Hotel if i get a good discount.

How does this trip sounds?

I was thinking of maybe doing a day at Universal ..one day 2 parks if my budget allows. Ill figure that one out the closer we get to the trip.

Any suggestions ? Or should i skip the cruise and do what we did last year with the nine nights at disney which gives you way more bang for your buck?

 

[PoohDoll]

Also were not doing ANY excursions on the cruise..or anything that will cost any extra money at all..besides maybe playing bingo . I dont drink alcohol ..ill probaly have one fruity drink on arrival day and that's about it.

We may get off at Nassau and do a quick walk but that's it or we probaly wont even get off the boat besides Castaway Cay.

Next year were doing an 8 nighter to Bahamas and we'll do excursions galore ..but we paid big money for the disney boat so were there specifically for the ship..no excursions.

 

[gisellewannabe]

I like the idea of trying something new. The cruise with 2 nights at Coco Key sound great! Have fun!

 

[rigs32]

Look into the 7 day cruises out of Texas. The price may rival the cost of the FL 4 day.

Edited to add: they include a one day park pass I think for the port canaveral stop.

 

[LynnTH]

How old are your kids? We have not been on a Disney Cruise (because of the cost). I have been on 8-9 cruises and the kids have been on 3. (They are now 13 and 11). We have been on Carnival and Royal Caribbean at about 1/2 the price of Disney. The kids have had a blast on all the ships (we ususally go on the newer ships) So, you may want to look into some of those also.

 

[sissy_ib]

OP, if you do cruise out of Port Canaveral are you using DCL transfers to and from the port? Those are costly at $35 per person each way.

I second looking at DCL out of Galveston. The price will probably be much less.

 

[Marionnette]

Hello My name is Shonda and im not new because i've lurked for years but this is my first time posting. Im a single mom of two and living in the great buckeye state


Im having difficulty deciding what to do for our vacation this summer. This past August we spent nine nights at POP with dining plan and WPF&M tickets. We enjoyed the waterparks the most . In fact we spent a ton of time in the wave pool. It was a hit for everyone. We've been to the disney parks twice a year for the past two years so the novelty is wearing off so the waterparks added that freshness for us since we've never been to a waterpark before.

It was a lengthy trip and we enjoyed having all of those days in Florida . It made the plane ticket prices worth it IMO. I dont like spending $700 and spending four or five days on vacation.

So I stupidly did not book the free dining promo for next year while i was at the resort I should've...because now there is obviously no offers for next year and for the same vacay the price came up to over $3100 without discounts. Im sure they'll be free dining again but I dont want to pay on it and than get money back..I'd rather pay with the discount because $3100 seems like it will take forever to pay off.

So im thinking of a Disney Cruise instead for variety. The kids expressed that they want to go on the disney boat. I've always told them its far too expensive and we cant afford it. I also would like to do a Disney cruise...atleast just once . I want to experience Castaway Cay and I want to see my kids enjoy the kids club..which looks AMAZING in photos..I wont be able to get them out of there .

So the four night for Sept. 8th is 1872...VERY reasonable for a disney cruise. In fact I dont think i've ever seen it priced that low .

Four nights seems to me like it will go VERY quickly though ..so this is what im thinking and you guys let me know if it sounds okay.

So ...four night disney cruise (round it up to $2200 or so) ...with two nights at Coco Key resort (so the kids can have some relaxing days off the boat AND we get the waterpark experience too which i know theyre gonna love)...so all in all it would be a six night trip .

Im adding one night at pop century on our arrival day so there's no worrying about missing the boat..and the disney cruise ship will just pick us up from the resort....so i guess that's more like seven nights .

The kids really enjoyed the Nick Hotel last year..so i may swap out Coco Key with the Nick Hotel if i get a good discount.

How does this trip sounds?

I was thinking of maybe doing a day at Universal ..one day 2 parks if my budget allows. Ill figure that one out the closer we get to the trip.

Any suggestions ? Or should i skip the cruise and do what we did last year with the nine nights at disney which gives you way more bang for your buck?

Also were not doing ANY excursions on the cruise..or anything that will cost any extra money at all..besides maybe playing bingo . I dont drink alcohol ..ill probaly have one fruity drink on arrival day and that's about it.

We may get off at Nassau and do a quick walk but that's it or we probaly wont even get off the boat besides Castaway Cay.

Next year were doing an 8 nighter to Bahamas and we'll do excursions galore ..but we paid big money for the disney boat so were there specifically for the ship..no excursions.

Even though it sounds like a lot of fun, I don't think that you have taken all the hidden costs into consideration.

For instance, Disney will now charge you the minimum amount suggested for gratuities. Apparently, too many people were stiffing their cabin stewards and the dining room staff. The current suggested gratuities for a 4-night cruise are a least $48 per person.

Then there's the cost of that one night at POP (room, food and taxes).

Ground transportation to the port from a Disney resort will cost you $35 per person. There will be additional ground transportation costs for a return trip from the port to whatever hotel you choose in Orlando (about $100 before gratuity for a town car).

Don't forget tips for the drivers and baggage handlers both at the beginning and end of your cruise!

Now, add the cost of a resort for those last couple of days in Orlando. Don't forget to include food.

Once you price all of those things out, you'll probably see that the rack rate for the same number of days in Disney will be the same price or even cheaper. So, if you think that your land/cruise plan will save you money, take a look at all of the costs. It may not be the cost-saver that you first thought it would be.

 

[DisneyEater]

Don't forget about all the tipping on the cruise as well as transfer costs to/from the port.

If only doing 1 night at a Disney hotel, you may want to consider splurging on that part (depending how long you will be there) and going for the Animal Kingdom Lodge or something like that just for a different experience. If you rent DVC points, September can be pretty reasonable. You could even do Bay Lake Tower and watch the MK fireworks that night from the TOWL.

 

[PoohDoll]

Yeah all of that stuff is gonna definetly add up...but we just want to do that disney cruise just ONCE ..It's far too expensive to do year after year no matter how fabulous it is.

I think I can swing it since it's pretty far out. Im changing the post cruise resort to Coco Key instead for something diffrent and the waterpark at Coco Key looks way more fun than the one at Nick.

If we were gonna try do a real budget vacation we'd do 5 nights at Coco Key with tickets to Universal .

I feel awful about pulling the kids from their school the first week and a half it starts but that's when prices are the lowest. If I tried to book the prior the price jumps nearly $350 and that's nothing to sneeze at.

I booked the disney cruise yesterday so were locked in . Im staying AWAY from the disboards and cruise critic boards because I get in this vacation mode thinking where i can barely function without thinking of my upcoming trip..I start planning every little detail and the days drag by so ...i wont be back for several months

Im going to prepay the $200 or so bucks in gratuity and not giving a dime extra ...that's plenty . Bag handlers , drivers etc....not getting a penny from me. Im not rich. Let someone else cover their "tip" . Why does EVERYONE expect a tip nowadays...okay maybe ill give the bag guy a buck or two but drivers arent waitresses..They arent earning 2.14 an hour ...no tip from me .

If I get a drink on the cruise ill tip a dollar ...maybe

Im not too worried about food on our resort days. I plan on ordering take out for dinner . With the gratuities prepaid and the resort prepaid. I plan on bringing just $500 for food/spending money. Were not big souvenir people . Ill buy the kids a couple of DCL tshirts..or maybe not.I can find them online for way cheaper.

 

[PoohDoll]

Even though it sounds like a lot of fun, I don't think that you have taken all the hidden costs into consideration.

For instance, Disney will now charge you the minimum amount suggested for gratuities. Apparently, too many people were stiffing their cabin stewards and the dining room staff. The current suggested gratuities for a 4-night cruise are a least $48 per person.

Then there's the cost of that one night at POP (room, food and taxes).

Ground transportation to the port from a Disney resort will cost you $35 per person. There will be additional ground transportation costs for a return trip from the port to whatever hotel you choose in Orlando (about $100 before gratuity for a town car).

Don't forget tips for the drivers and baggage handlers both at the beginning and end of your cruise!

Now, add the cost of a resort for those last couple of days in Orlando. Don't forget to include food.

Once you price all of those things out, you'll probably see that the rack rate for the same number of days in Disney will be the same price or even cheaper. So, if you think that your land/cruise plan will save you money, take a look at all of the costs. It may not be the cost-saver that you first thought it would be.

I think it evens out to be honest. If I got the discount for the free dining for the same amount of nights it'd be roughly $2600 or so ...than add on all of the tipping you do at the table service and it jumps a couple hundred bucks to roughly $2800

My cruise..the total will be around $2500 . The resort stays will be atleast $300....add food and mears transfers...YIKES....this vacation is going to be atleast $3200 ...oh plus plane tickets

Im only gonna do the Disney Cruise once so ...ill do it. Ill splurge this one time for my kiddos.

 

[rigs32]

If you buy a drink on the cruise you'll have an automatic 15% tip added on.