Source of my information:
YT channel: DFB guide、Mermaid Nina Travel, Paging Mr. Morrow, DIS Unlimited
Website:
Touringplan.Com 、DIS board
The start of this trip：
We were fully invested in preparing for my wedding until this April. The diet and planning were daunting; I could only think of a trip to WDW during the mess. Initially, I invited my husband and both my parents, but My grandma had some health issues, so we decided that my dad should stay and take care of her; then my husband changed his job and became very busy. So, it made me and my mom two. I started discussing the visa and planning with my mom, and my cousin became interested, too. We submitted their visa applications in early April, but the interviews were arranged for the 28th of August. If they cannot get the visa, I must cancel the trip. With the trip attendees pending, I am not starting more detailed planning. (they both passed!)
Deciding when to visit
Deciding when to visit is the easiest part. We take advantage of the National holiday from 1st October to 7th October. If I take two days off, I will enjoy a 10-day holiday. Perfect.
Deciding where to stay
We stayed in ASM last time, and I decided to try OKW this time. This is the first time I have heard about DVC rentals. I went to Phuket in March with my family, mainly because, as a Marriot Club member, I received a 3-night suite package offer for 200 USD. After We returned, I did some research and rescinded the purchase. During the sales session, however, they mentioned DVC rentals and said that DVC properties can be redeemed with MVC points within the II system. According to my research, it seems common sense among timeshare lovers that DVC points have the best exchange value in the Timeshare market. Wow. It opened the door to a new world for me.
We were left with OKW and SS to choose from when we confirmed the dates. OKW seems nice; it appeals to my authenticity, and we don’t mind the walking and lack of Skyliner.
I got a quotation from David’s; the price was not bad, but it was still slightly higher than we’d like. So, I decided to split our stay. On arrival and the next day, we will stay in some value resort, the four park days + one resort day in OKW, and the last night near the airport.
Budget
So, the budget! For me, every trip starts with a budget. The budget is like a seat belt. I can fully enjoy my trip knowing that I am under control.
The first question is, should I establish my budget assuming my cousin joins us? Technically, if she joins us, the price will only go down. We can share the rooms and the taxi, but the cost of tickets and food per person will remain the same.
I think it’s best that I establish my budget without her, and if she joins us, there will be a delightful saving for me and my mom.
I found the standard “Disney Vacation Cost Estimates for Two Adults” from
Touringplan.com below:
This is a good benchmark. We have already spent three times the money on the flights than five years ago, no thanks to the politicians, and I’m not going to spend more than average.
If I’m not mistaken, OKW roughly falls into the same price range as Value Skyliner. So for me and my mom two adults, four one-day tickets with 1
MNSSHP ticket, our guideline estimate will be 4298 USD. Since we also want to try the TS meals now and then, we should add 304 USD for the “w/ mixed dining” option. And the budget now becomes 4602 USD.
Of course, their estimate excludes our flight tickets. With that taken into consideration, the final number is 8516 USD. With flight tickets purchased and five nights of DVC resort secured, 5213 USD of the budget has already been eaten up. I need to work out how to allocate the rest: 3302 USD.
1. Let’s get the easiest part out of the way first:
Tickets.
Since I’m traveling with my mom and potentially my cousin, who are not big eaters, we are not considering
DDP this time (I’ve always wanted to try, though. I have a strategy related to future DDP, which I will later explain in the ADR section). Then it’s easy. On 14th Aug, my mom’s visa was approved, and I immediately placed the orders. Also, I need to make room for the cost of lightning lanes for each park.
So, the admission budget will be:
No. | Item | Budget in USD | Budget in CNY |
1. | Admissions | 1,719.96 (USD) | 12,314.91 (CNY) |
1.1 | Four-day base tickets（done) | 1,127.98 | 8,076.34 |
1.2 | MNSSHP 2024/10/1（done) | 359.98 | 2,577.46 |
1.3 | Four days Lightinglane（tbd） | 232.00 | 1,661.12 |
2. Then let’s move on to the second easiest:
Transportation.
Regarding the trips from and to MCO, we will obviously choose Mears since it’s significantly cheaper than Lyft or Uber. Transportation should be free since we planned our activities within the WDW neighborhood. We might go to the Outlet on the last day, but it’s not too far from the resort. Hence, I’d imagine 50 USD will be enough for a taxi. So, the transportation budget will be:
No. | Item | Budget in USD | Budget in CNY |
2. | Transportation | 4,030.89 | 28,861.15 |
2.1 | Flight Ticket （done) | 3,913.69 | 28,022.00 |
2.2 | Mears（done) | 67.20 | 481.15 |
2.3 | Taxi | 50.00 | 358.00 |
3. Now, let’s deal with the cost of food. During my last visit, I tried some TS restaurants. And I now have a pretty good idea about what I might like and hate. We are not big eaters, so I will try to avoid all the buffets. We are not traveling with kids, so character meals are unnecessary. I tried Sci-fi Dine-in last time, and I enjoyed it, so I am about to try more interesting TS restaurants, like 50’s Prime Time. So, for a typical day:
Breakfast: One Snack ($8)
Lunch: QS restaurant, one entrée ($15), one shared side ($2.5)
Dinner: TS restaurant, one entrée and one shared something ($40 per person with tax)
Drinks: I’ll utilize the coffee maker in the room in the morning, and my mom will only drink hot water so that we will bring our own thermos.
So, I established that the daily cost of food would be around $65.
No. | Item | Budget in USD | Budget in CNY |
3. | Dining | 975.00 | 6,981.00 |
3.1 | 65USD per day，7.5days | 975.00 | 6,981.00 |
4. With all the math, I can finally determine how much is left for my three other nights'
accommodation. The answer is $490 in total and $163 per night. So it’s clear my only option will be the All-Star sports if I still want to stick to this budget. I don’t hate All-Star resorts at all. Last time I stayed at ASM, and I loved it. I was amazed by the dramatic decoration. I was on wheels the previous time and was surprised by how quickly I could get to the bus stop from my room.
No. | Item | Budget in USD | Budget in CNY |
4. | Accommodation | 1,734.34 | 12,417.91 |
4.1 | ASM, 2024/9/28~30（done) | 489.00 | 2,230.91 |
4.2 | OKW（done)
2024/9/30-2024/10/5 | 1,300.00 | 9,308.00 |
4.3 | Springhills Suite（done)
2024/10/5-6 | 879.00 | 122.77 |
5. We should set some contingency. Let’s say we will spend $10 on other **** every day.
No. | Item | Budget in USD | Budget in CNY |
5. | Contingency | 70.00 | 501.20 |
5.1 | Contingency | 70.00 | 501.20 |
So, all the sections add up to my final budget of $8,530.19, which is pretty close to the Touring
pla.com estimate. Well done,
Touringplan.com.
Deciding Park days:
Epcot and HS: Considering the jet lag and the fact that my mom is an elder, we will take afternoon naps during park days. EEH is the advantage we must take. There will be EEH for Epcot on 30th Sep, and for HS on 2nd Oct.
Resort days: We will leave in the very early morning on 6th Oct and stay near the airport. It makes sense not to go to the parks on 5th Oct. Another resort day will be on 1st Oct. I want to do both Rope and EEH, so I’d better not go to any parks during the day in between (1st Oct).
MK and AK: I want to do MK and MNSSHP separately. With five days crossed out from the calendar, the only options for MNSSHP were 29th Sep /1st Oct, and 3rd Oct. If I go to MNSSHP on 29th Sep or 1st Oct, we will have to stay up for 2 nights consecutively (MNSSHP & EEH). I’m not sure how we can handle it. So, the only option will be 3rd Oct. I think it’s better to go to MK before MNSSHP so my mom and cousin can better understand what’s happening later. So the arrangement will be as below:
Date | Park/Resort |
2028/9/28 | Arriving |
2028/9/29 | MK |
2028/9/30 | Epoct |
2028/10/1 | Resort |
2028/10/2 | HS |
2028/10/3 | MNSSHP |
2028/10/4 | AK |
2028/10/5 | DS |
2028/10/6 | Leaving |
ADR：
I think we will do no TS in Epcot this time regarding In-park-dining. Hey, it’s the International Food & Wine Festival! Also, I don’t think we will do TS in AK. The last time we did Tusker House, it was … meh.
The only TS reservations I made are:
Skipper Canteen 29/9 (DFB guide’s recommendation)
Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ Lunch 1/10 (DFB guide’s recommendation)
50’s Prime Time Café 2/10 (something I have wanted to try since the last visit)
Olivia’s 3/10 (Paging Mr. Morrow’s recommendation)
