Realistic budget?

[Our Aussie six]

Hello,
I'm in the process of planning/booking our first ever trip to Disneyland and would love your thoughts on whether our budget is realistic or not.
We are a family of six 2 adults 4 kids (16,14,10 & 1yr ) flying from Adelaide to LA during the last week of November. I'm hoping to get flights in feb when the travel expo is on, really hope to get a good price. Our plan is to spend 8 nights in Anaheim in a 1bedroom suite like Hyatt house, Springhill suites etc (aprox $2200). Will buy 10 day Disney passes and would like to do a day trip to San Diego zoo and another to knottsberry farm.
Then we want to drive to Las Vegas for 3 nights mid week coz it's cheaper and then to LA (magic castle hotel) for 3 nights to do universal studios, Santa Monica, Griffiths observatory, Tar pits etc
Is $18k-$20k doable for a family of six or am I dreaming?
When I do the sums it seems to work but I don't want to book flights next month and then realise I've underestimated the cost. If need be I will drop the Vegas part of our trip but hubby and our teens really want to see it.
I appreciate any advice as this is our first overseas trip and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed but also very excited.

 

[BecBennett]

Yes it's doable - if you're worried look into budget friendly tips for travelling - not just Disney, but everywhere. There are always little things you can do to save money on holidays, like packed lunches instead of restaurants, buying bottled water/drinks from a grocery store instead of the parks etc.

What's your whole budget? What have you budgeted for daily meals/souveneirs/shopping? Have you included your insurance? If you list it all out for us we might be able to point out anything that has been overlooked or let you know how much we each have spent on similar items. I'm thinking flights are going to be around half of your budget.

 

[Our Aussie six]

Yes it's doable - if you're worried look into budget friendly tips for travelling - not just Disney, but everywhere. There are always little things you can do to save money on holidays, like packed lunches instead of restaurants, buying bottled water/drinks from a grocery store instead of the parks etc.

What's your whole budget? What have you budgeted for daily meals/souveneirs/shopping? Have you included your insurance? If you list it all out for us we might be able to point out anything that has been overlooked or let you know how much we each have spent on similar items. I'm thinking flights are going to be around half of your budget.

Thanks for the reply, yes we will be buying food, water from the grocery store first and we will have a full kitchen which will mean we won't have to eat out as much. My whole budget is $20k and I've budgeted $200 a day for food,shopping, souvenirs etc Do you think that is reasonable?
As for travel insurance I've estimated $500 for all six of us.
I wasn't expecting half our budget to go on flights though, I was hoping to spend around $7k for five flights (our 1 yr old won't have her own seat).
Thanks again for your help

 

[5ofus]

I think it's doable, especially if you get a good deal on the flights. We are a family of five, but when we went to DL in 2013 our little one was 2 so didn't count for room occupancy or park tickets. We did that trip for $9000 including airfares. We booked flights with ANZ for just over $5000 for all five of us including SkyCouch (awesome sale!), we used points to fly to Vegas from LA, stayed in Vegas for four or five nights and then back to Anaheim for ten days at Disneyland.

Have you budgeted passports into your costings? I didn't include that in the $9000 and my husband, myself and the little one needed them, adding $500 to the cost My $9000 didn't include daily expenses either, but we ate at IHOP, Maccas and Dennys which kept the cost way down.

 

[Our Aussie six]

I think it's doable, especially if you get a good deal on the flights. We are a family of five, but when we went to DL in 2013 our little one was 2 so didn't count for room occupancy or park tickets. We did that trip for $9000 including airfares. We booked flights with ANZ for just over $5000 for all five of us including SkyCouch (awesome sale!), we used points to fly to Vegas from LA, stayed in Vegas for four or five nights and then back to Anaheim for ten days at Disneyland.

Have you budgeted passports into your costings? I didn't include that in the $9000 and my husband, myself and the little one needed them, adding $500 to the cost My $9000 didn't include daily expenses either, but we ate at IHOP, Maccas and Dennys which kept the cost way down.

Hi, yes I really hope to get a good deal on the flights it will make a big difference.

I think it's doable, especially if you get a good deal on the flights. We are a family of five, but when we went to DL in 2013 our little one was 2 so didn't count for room occupancy or park tickets. We did that trip for $9000 including airfares. We booked flights with ANZ for just over $5000 for all five of us including SkyCouch (awesome sale!), we used points to fly to Vegas from LA, stayed in Vegas for four or five nights and then back to Anaheim for ten days at Disneyland.

Have you budgeted passports into your costings? I didn't include that in the $9000 and my husband, myself and the little one needed them, adding $500 to the cost My $9000 didn't include daily expenses either, but we ate at IHOP, Maccas and Dennys which kept the cost way down.

Hi, yes I really hope to get a good deal on the flights even if it means changing our dates.
How did your 2 yr old cope with the long flight? Our youngest will be 18months when we go.
Yes I know how expensive all our passports are going to cost
We will also eat at the same sort of places and just have a few special dinners booked. I think the rainforest cafe will be a nice place to go.

 

[5ofus]

The 2yo was fine on the flight over, but he did have his own seat. On the way home he was a bit of a pain (to us, not to other passengers) as he didn't want to sleep, just wanted to watch movies and we were all exhausted. He LOVES flying though - on last year's trip (he was 5) he enjoyed the long haul flights far too much for any sane person. He's been asking us when we're going on our next long flight

They were 2, 4 and 6 in 2013 and I took a whole backpack of snacks - they wouldn't eat a single bite of the airline food, personalised colouring and activity books, travel diaries, matchbox cars and our iPad. Last year I took a few snacks (including chewy and lollipops for take off and landing), one colouring book and their iPads and that was all they needed. Your older kids will probably be happy with ipads or the IFE, but I'm betting your baby will need a bit more than that. And try not to stress about it. I was so worried about how my kids would behave on the flights and they were awesome. We even had other passengers comment on their good behaviour when we were getting off - Phew!

 

[PrincessInOz]

I've budgeted $200 a day for food,shopping, souvenirs etc Do you think that is reasonable?

This might be a little under if you're including shopping as well.




As BecBennett suggested, if you have a rough breakdown of the items and a rough ballpark of what you think you might spend, we can probably provide you with a bit more insight.

 

[viaggiamo]

It's doable if you can fares for under $1200 per adult. I would suggest signing up for the hotels you are going to stay at and hope for discount codes for your dates. The beauty with the USA is that you can book very far in advance and then cancel with no charges (generally).

In the destinations you have chosen there are many options for cheaper accommodation.

It will also depend how much you want to buy. We are not big on buying trinkets when we are away, so our budget is taken up on food and experiences. Start to gift your children (and yourselves) money/gift cards for their birthdays this year, or a group experience for an early large Christmas present. (Disneyland)

In LA also check out airbnb, it will be far cheaper than a hotel and give you access to a kitchen. We did this once and eating breakfast at "home" in our pyjamas was so much fun, as was going to the supermarkets and markets. We ate out for lunch and then went home for a simple dinner, as we were all sick of the fatty, sugary, large portions they serve.

Also check out the Cheesecake Factory, the meals are huge and you could easily share.

There are a lot of great threads on this board and the budget board too.

Have fun planning.

 

[Our Aussie six]

This might be a little under if you're including shopping as well.




As BecBennett suggested, if you have a rough breakdown of the items and a rough ballpark of what you think you might spend, we can probably provide you with a bit more insight.

Thanks yes I will post a breakdown of my budget later today

 

[Our Aussie six]

It's doable if you can fares for under $1200 per adult. I would suggest signing up for the hotels you are going to stay at and hope for discount codes for your dates. The beauty with the USA is that you can book very far in advance and then cancel with no charges (generally).

In the destinations you have chosen there are many options for cheaper accommodation.

It will also depend how much you want to buy. We are not big on buying trinkets when we are away, so our budget is taken up on food and experiences. Start to gift your children (and yourselves) money/gift cards for their birthdays this year, or a group experience for an early large Christmas present. (Disneyland)

In LA also check out airbnb, it will be far cheaper than a hotel and give you access to a kitchen. We did this once and eating breakfast at "home" in our pyjamas was so much fun, as was going to the supermarkets and markets. We ate out for lunch and then went home for a simple dinner, as we were all sick of the fatty, sugary, large portions they serve.

Also check out the Cheesecake Factory, the meals are huge and you could easily share.

There are a lot of great threads on this board and the budget board too.

Have fun planning.

Hi thanks, I love the idea of airbnb. What area did you stay in? I know LA is huge so I really have no idea where would be best to base ourselves and would definitely want to be in a safe neighbourhood.

 

[BecBennett]

I love grocery shopping while on holidays. I might be a little crazy but I love it we even spent two days on our first trip to Tokyo searching for grocery type stores, just to see what they were like and what we could buy.

For a 3 year old my daughter is very well travelled, she's been to NZ, the US and Japan, plus many little domestic trips. She's not big on TV (she is a bit more now than she was on any of our holidays) so the IFE and our tablet wasn't used much, and we generally have to entertain her most of the flight - our flight to the US was hard as it screwed up her nap times, and because we had bulk head seats we couldn't move the arm rests to lay her down. So we didn't get much sleep on that flight, and as soon as we boarded the connecting flight we were in meltdown city, I felt so bad for everyone around us, as she just screamed for a good hour. So my advice is to make sure you've got a variety of activities that don't take up much room, she loved colouring at that age so we made sure to take textas and colouring books, but we ended up with textas strewn all around our feet and rolling down the aisle I also second taking lollipops for take off and landings - helps pop their ears. I also agree that you shouldn't expect your little one to eat any provided food (they might and that's a bonus! ) but take snacks with you. Your 1 year old should also allow you to take in water and/or milk over the 100ml limit, they'll just test it on the way through security. Having a little one also tends to speed up security and customs as they tend to send you straight to the front of the lines, which makes airports soooo much easier! However I was told that the flight attendants would store our milk for us for the flight - and they wouldn't. So we only got a little bit of use out of it, before it was no good. Oh and even though the 1 year old wont have their own seat, you'll still need to pay something for them - I can't remember how much it is, but it's like a % of the adult fare. Which is a rip off in my opinion, because what exactly are you paying for?

I like taking extra spending money, simply because everything over there is so much cheaper than we can buy it here - a little less so now with the rate of the dollar, but still cheaper. Clothes and shoes in particular.

 

[Our Aussie six]

I love grocery shopping while on holidays. I might be a little crazy but I love it we even spent two days on our first trip to Tokyo searching for grocery type stores, just to see what they were like and what we could buy.

For a 3 year old my daughter is very well travelled, she's been to NZ, the US and Japan, plus many little domestic trips. She's not big on TV (she is a bit more now than she was on any of our holidays) so the IFE and our tablet wasn't used much, and we generally have to entertain her most of the flight - our flight to the US was hard as it screwed up her nap times, and because we had bulk head seats we couldn't move the arm rests to lay her down. So we didn't get much sleep on that flight, and as soon as we boarded the connecting flight we were in meltdown city, I felt so bad for everyone around us, as she just screamed for a good hour. So my advice is to make sure you've got a variety of activities that don't take up much room, she loved colouring at that age so we made sure to take textas and colouring books, but we ended up with textas strewn all around our feet and rolling down the aisle I also second taking lollipops for take off and landings - helps pop their ears. I also agree that you shouldn't expect your little one to eat any provided food (they might and that's a bonus! ) but take snacks with you. Your 1 year old should also allow you to take in water and/or milk over the 100ml limit, they'll just test it on the way through security. Having a little one also tends to speed up security and customs as they tend to send you straight to the front of the lines, which makes airports soooo much easier! However I was told that the flight attendants would store our milk for us for the flight - and they wouldn't. So we only got a little bit of use out of it, before it was no good. Oh and even though the 1 year old wont have their own seat, you'll still need to pay something for them - I can't remember how much it is, but it's like a % of the adult fare. Which is a rip off in my opinion, because what exactly are you paying for?

I like taking extra spending money, simply because everything over there is so much cheaper than we can buy it here - a little less so now with the rate of the dollar, but still cheaper. Clothes and shoes in particular.

Thanks for the tips on flying with a toddler. I think planning is the key I will make sure I pack lots of things to try and keep her entertained and lots of snacks.
I really hope they will let me store some bottles of milk because I'm sure she will still be needing 1 or 2 bottles at that age. I'm pretty sure I have to pay 10% of the airfare for her but yes she will be on our laps the whole time
I also can't wait to go grocery shopping, even my older kids have said "mum can we please go to a Walmart when we're in America?"

 

[PrincessInOz]

some bottles of milk because I'm sure she will still be needing 1 or 2 bottles at that age.

If she's on formula, just take some of it in a container and tell them what it is when you go through the screening. The stewards will provide water or you can always find it from the water taps on board.

I'm pretty sure I have to pay 10% of the airfare for her but yes she will be on our laps the whole time

If your budget stretches, I'd recommend you pay for the extra seat for her. It will be about 75% of an adult seat. It's a long way to go for her to be sitting your laps the whole way. Besides, it may be nice for you and your family to have a bit of extra room if you pay for her seat. It may allow the kids to rotate and give them some breathing space from each other....if you have two that end up with a bit of a disagreement on the flight.

 

[Our Aussie six]

If she's on formula, just take some of it in a container and tell them what it is when you go through the screening. The stewards will provide water or you can always find it from the water taps on board.




If your budget stretches, I'd recommend you pay for the extra seat for her. It will be about 75% of an adult seat. It's a long way to go for her to be sitting your laps the whole way. Besides, it may be nice for you and your family to have a bit of extra room if you pay for her seat. It may allow the kids to rotate and give them some breathing space from each other....if you have two that end up with a bit of a disagreement on the flight.

It would be much easier if we had a seat for her, I will be booking our flights next month so fingers crossed we can afford to get her one.
By the time we fly she will be on normal cows milk but I would think she will still have a bottle of it to go to sleep and maybe one in the morning, so I'm not sure if I can bring the milk in her bottles and store it in a fridge or maybe I could just bring some toddler formula sachets and do what you said and mix it up with some water.

Also does anyone know if most places count an infant in the total amount of people staying in a room? For example somewhere like Hojo's has a five person maximum but I wonder if our 1yr would count as she will be using a crib.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Hi thanks, I love the idea of airbnb. What area did you stay in? I know LA is huge so I really have no idea where would be best to base ourselves and would definitely want to be in a safe neighbourhood.

Aside from AirBnB, the other short term rental site is Vacation Rentals By Owners (VRBO). https://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/california/los-angeles-county/los-angeles

Where to stay will come to where the rentals are....and most of the popular ones will be in where people tend to want to stay. I think the VRBO link about will show a map on the RHS of the page. That should give you an idea of the more popular areas in Los Angeles.

If you're spending most of your time in Disney, then Anaheim is the obvious choice.

For the attractions you've listed in Los Angeles, they are in that north side of LA, which is generally safe (except for the touristy and occassionally seedy part of hollywood where Grauman's is). So it makes sense to stay that side of LA. Anywhere from Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Westwood through to La Brea/Fairfax and towards Hollywood tend to be popular. It also tends to be pricey.

FWIW - There are a number of decently priced hotels in the El Segundo area, nearer the airport. Might be worth taking a look in that area and seeing if there is anything that suits. This area will just be for a place to sleep and some of the hotels there do offer breakfast in their tariff. There are some decent eating places around El Segundo for dinner and the like....but you will need a car to get around.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Also does anyone know if most places count an infant in the total amount of people staying in a room? For example somewhere like Hojo's has a five person maximum but I wonder if our 1yr would count as she will be using a crib.

You'll be better off asking each establishment directly by email. It may vary depending on how they feel about it.

 

[Our Aussie six]

Aside from AirBnB, the other short term rental site is Vacation Rentals By Owners (VRBO). https://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/california/los-angeles-county/los-angeles

Where to stay will come to where the rentals are....and most of the popular ones will be in where people tend to want to stay. I think the VRBO link about will show a map on the RHS of the page. That should give you an idea of the more popular areas in Los Angeles.

If you're spending most of your time in Disney, then Anaheim is the obvious choice.

For the attractions you've listed in Los Angeles, they are in that north side of LA, which is generally safe (except for the touristy and occassionally seedy part of hollywood where Grauman's is). So it makes sense to stay that side of LA. Anywhere from Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Westwood through to La Brea/Fairfax and towards Hollywood tend to be popular. It also tends to be pricey.

FWIW - There are a number of decently priced hotels in the El Segundo area, nearer the airport. Might be worth taking a look in that area and seeing if there is anything that suits. This area will just be for a place to sleep and some of the hotels there do offer breakfast in their tariff. There are some decent eating places around El Segundo for dinner and the like....but you will need a car to get around.

Thanks I will check VRBO out and El segundo as we will have a car to get around.
I thought Anaheim was no longer able to rent house's for short term rentals or has that not come into effect yet?

 

[PrincessInOz]

Thanks I will check VRBO out and El segundo as we will have a car to get around.
I thought Anaheim was no longer able to rent house's for short term rentals or has that not come into effect yet?

It's pretty much all of California. I think the new regulations came into effect either late 2015 or sometime in 2016; which is why I mentioned the hotels in El Segundo.


ps. FWIW - I have stayed at the Hyatt Place at El Segundo. That was in 2014 and the rate was about US$125 per night. The service was great! I booked 2 nights because we were catching a 10 pm flight out on the second day and we wanted to be able to leave our bags in the room and come back for an afternoon shower before heading to the airport. We checked out at about 6 pm on the second day. The hotel decided to only charge us for the 1 night and waived the second day's charge. If you're interested, I have pictures of the room in the Disneyland TR, link in my siggie below. The Mad Dash TR does cover 3 or 4 trips over the years to Anaheim. I'd recommend that if you do head there, check the quick links in the second post and find the appropriate edition.

 

[Our Aussie six]

It's pretty much all of California. I think the new regulations came into effect either late 2015 or sometime in 2016; which is why I mentioned the hotels in El Segundo.


ps. FWIW - I have stayed at the Hyatt Place at El Segundo. That was in 2014 and the rate was about US$125 per night. The service was great! I booked 2 nights because we were catching a 10 pm flight out on the second day and we wanted to be able to leave our bags in the room and come back for an afternoon shower before heading to the airport. We checked out at about 6 pm on the second day. The hotel decided to only charge us for the 1 night and waived the second day's charge. If you're interested, I have pictures of the room in the Disneyland TR, link in my siggie below. The Mad Dash TR does cover 3 or 4 trips over the years to Anaheim. I'd recommend that if you do head there, check the quick links in the second post and find the appropriate edition.

Wow I just had a quick look through your TR I can't wait to have a proper read through them.
Thanks for telling me about the Hyatt House El segundo, I just checked their rates and it's about $160 US a night which is a lot cheaper than what we were going to pay at the magic castle, obviously it's a bit further away but we will have a car so it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[dabecs]

PiO - you have me looking at Hyatt Place too, I just checked and it would be half the price of our stay at Magic Castle Hotel. I have to weigh up the free snacks, free laundry and convenience but that kind of $$ saving can buy a lot!