So, I was reading about "Doing Disney on a Budget"...

[Surfinpiratee]

Here are some of the things I'm considering, but wanted your opinions.

1. Stay off site.
Well, we were going to be staying at AoA or POP (which are like, $100 a night during the off season, which I think is actually a very cheap hotel.) So if we stay off site, are we really going to find a niceish hotel for much less than 100 a night?
Also, if we stay off site, we'll have to drive to the parks and pay for parking each say (we'll already have a car since we're driving). How much is parking for a day? And that brings me back to is it worth it staying off site? Or is it cheaper stay on site?

2. Buy 4 day tickets. No park hoppers.
I was originally going to buy a 2 day ticket with a park hopper for each day. I don't feel like we'll spend an entire day at like, Hollywood Studios...I mean, i suppose we COULD but we don't HAVE to. Then that means we'll have to lengthen our vacation if we use a 3 or 4 day park tickets, instead of a 2 day. But i suppose i could look into it..


Any other suggestions? Thank you

 

[crisi]

Parking is fifteen dollars a day and people manage to get pool homes for $600 a week. You can get hotels offseason, decent brand name hotels like Best Westerns and Holiday Inns for $70 a night. Plus, staying off site means that you are more likely to eat off site, and there is huge savings there.

How many times have you been to Disney before? I can do Hollywood Studios in half a day - but we skip most of it. The problem is that our fastpasses for Toy Story Mania are always after lunch, even when we arrive at opening to get them. So its a long half day. I can't do Animal Kingdom in half a day - although a lot of people can - I like to go look at the animals. I can get through MK in half a day - my kids are teens and I've been lots - again, we skip most of it. Epcot still takes a day and a half for us.

The big question - how important is the budget to you? I like staying on site, I like having a five day ticket with hoppers, and it isn't that big of a deal to spend the difference to have those things in our budget - we might eat out a little less, spend a little less on a car, or do less impulse shopping. But if it meant not putting aside money for my kids college, skimping on groceries, or being afraid I wouldn't be able to pay the electric bill, I wouldn't do it.

 

[pat fan]

1. Yes, if you stay off-site you will have to pay each day to park, and I think it is $15 a day now. You may find a nice-ish hotel for less than $100, some may even offer a continental bkfst included, but to me, once you add in the parking and the time spent driving, it is not worth the savings.

2. Hoppers are expensive, no question. If it is about finding ways to cut corners, I would skip the Hopper if there was no other way to cut, otherwise, I would keep them. To me, personally, they are essential. I get more bang for my buck by utilizing AM EMH's then hopping to a non-EMH park in the afternoon. By doing this I get the most out of my time. Lower lines in the EMH, then when it's crowded, I skip over to a less crowded park.

Good luck!

 

[writersblock42]

Most expensive part will be food. This will add up to more than the hotel per day. I would try to plan some food that you can pack to save costs. Bring water bottles and refill them. If you don't like the taste of the water then use those drink packets.

 

[worm761]

Here are some of the things I'm considering, but wanted your opinions.

1. Stay off site.
Well, we were going to be staying at AoA or POP (which are like, $100 a night during the off season, which I think is actually a very cheap hotel.) So if we stay off site, are we really going to find a niceish hotel for much less than 100 a night?
Also, if we stay off site, we'll have to drive to the parks and pay for parking each say (we'll already have a car since we're driving). How much is parking for a day? And that brings me back to is it worth it staying off site? Or is it cheaper stay on site?

2. Buy 4 day tickets. No park hoppers.
I was originally going to buy a 2 day ticket with a park hopper for each day. I don't feel like we'll spend an entire day at like, Hollywood Studios...I mean, i suppose we COULD but we don't HAVE to. Then that means we'll have to lengthen our vacation if we use a 3 or 4 day park tickets, instead of a 2 day. But i suppose i could look into it..


Any other suggestions? Thank you

1. We are not fans of offsite because DH likes not having to drive on vacation after driving us all the way there. There are also extra magic hours. Do you use them? If so, then you lose them if you go offsite.

2. As for this one, it depends on how you look at it. HS is a half day park for us. That means pool time! Which the kids LOVE on vacation. Plus it helps to get a little use out of your hotel costs.

 

[Burnedout]

There are better hotels offsite for the amt of the value motels at Disney even including parking. Eating offsite is far cheaper also.

Park hoppers aren't worth it unless necessary due to time constraints.

 

[mrsabbott]

I think a lot of this depends on your family size. Now that we are a family of 6, staying on site is DEFINATELY not an option for us. Even the value suites are too expensive for us, and that is factoring in $60 for parking at the parks if we stay offsite! Might be worth it if you are a family of 4 or under. Also, some offsite locations offer transportation, so that is also something to consider.

I wouldn't bother with park hoppers. I mean, my kids are young so I just don't see doing the parks (any of them!) in just half a day! If I were going to choose between any option, I'd probably choose the water parks and more.. maybe. Depends on how long your vacation is!

Tickets per day are cheaper the more days you go.. so in a sense you are saving money but only if you are going to actually USE the tickets! If you only have 2 days to spend in the parks then ONLY buy 2 day tickets! Otherwise, you won't really be saving yourself any money at all if you don't get to use the extra.

 

[Surfinpiratee]

Parking is fifteen dollars a day and people manage to get pool homes for $600 a week. You can get hotels offseason, decent brand name hotels like Best Westerns and Holiday Inns for $70 a night. Plus, staying off site means that you are more likely to eat off site, and there is huge savings there.

How many times have you been to Disney before? I can do Hollywood Studios in half a day - but we skip most of it. The problem is that our fastpasses for Toy Story Mania are always after lunch, even when we arrive at opening to get them. So its a long half day. I can't do Animal Kingdom in half a day - although a lot of people can - I like to go look at the animals. I can get through MK in half a day - my kids are teens and I've been lots - again, we skip most of it. Epcot still takes a day and a half for us.

The big question - how important is the budget to you? I like staying on site, I like having a five day ticket with hoppers, and it isn't that big of a deal to spend the difference to have those things in our budget - we might eat out a little less, spend a little less on a car, or do less impulse shopping. But if it meant not putting aside money for my kids college, skimping on groceries, or being afraid I wouldn't be able to pay the electric bill, I wouldn't do it.

We were planning on buying all of our food from the grocery store except maybe 2 meals. On the other hand, staying off site could mean we could get a room with a kitchenette for a lower price...

I've never been to Disney World, I went to Disneyland when I was 8 or 9, 12 years ago or so. But looking at the attractions each park has, there's not a ton we absolutely have to do, we also don't have kids....lol

 

[mrsabbott]

If it were just Hubs and I, then I'd see about maybe getting a moderate.. occasionally, you can find a deal that is around the same price or cheaper then the value resorts!

Also, you'd be surprised at how quickly time flies when you are at the parks! We only had half a day to squeeze in epcot the last time we were there and it didn't feel like we got to do much at all!! And that was with me trying to rush and get as much of it in as I could. We just had plans for that afternoon and couldn't take our time. Also, while fast passes are cool, there is still waiting going on. Sometimes the wait is short, sometimes it is longer. I'd rather NOT put any time constraints on my days in the parks!

 

[ICF]

Look at staying offsite at Windsor Hills.

You should be able to get a condo or town house (w/ private pool) for less per night then the Disney value room. You also get a kitchen and lots of space. From WH, you should be able to be at any park in 5 (AK) - 15 mins. At MK -- you will have to take the boat or monorail from T&T center to the front gate so it will more likely take you 30 mins to get from your room into the park.

Paying $15 for parking sucks, but you'll save more $$'s than that eating a meal or two in the room each day.

 

[powellrj]

Staying off-site doesn't just mean a hotel. We only stay in condos and pool houses and they are always less than a WDW hotel. If you do your homework, you can find something really nice with several bedrooms and bathrooms for less than $100 a night and many of them are just as close as staying on-site.

 

[Theaberdeenkid]

Just throwing this out there, depending on the time of the year, you could probably rent dvc points for your visit and stay within your budget.

 

[crisi]

Are you driving or do you need to rent a car.

I think the real kicker is that if you have your own car, staying offsite is a no brainer if saving money is a high priority.

If you are flying in and would need to rent a car, onsite gives you magical express, but if you stay offsite, you need to rent a car, which can get expensive quickly and that, plus parking, eats up offsite savings over a value pretty quick.

 

[winterwhite]

We figured out one time that staying at the Fairfield Inn Suites in Marriott Village, renting a car, and paying for parking, was less $$ and gave us more opportunity to do other things. I just looked up the current rack rate for high season (xmas week) and it's $84/nt.

Add in $15 for parking and $25 to rent a car, and you're at $124/nt. Add in the ability to go off property and pay half as much for food? Priceless.

Additionally your room will be bigger, free parking, free breakfast. I also think the beds are better.

DVC was one of the most expensive ways we found to stay in the disney environs. Cheaper than onsite not on points, but still 2x or more higher than just staying off property.

 

[cjnix29]

You think there is not a lot of must do's because you don't have kids, but since it is your first trip....you have to account for one thing....Everyone turns into about a 7 year old when they walk down Main Street! Just something that happens with Disney Magic. You may end up with more "must do's" than you think.

 

[wishing4PA]

Sure, offsite you could either save some money (not enough to make it worthwhile for me) or get a bigger room (which you probably don't need if there are only 2 of you) or some additional amenities (exercise room, for example, which Disney's value resorts don't have).

I would stay in the value resort onsite and skip the park hoppers. If you are considering a half day anyhow, book 4 nights, and get the 4 day tickets. On the last day, pack up your car, check out, and get to one of your "half day parks" at rope drop to enjoy a couple of attractions before heading home.

Have you checked out the menus at the value resort food courts? When we stayed at All Star Movies for my first Disney trip in years, I thought the "food court" had surprisingly good meals, and not nearly as expensive as I'd feared. But, we could definitely have saved money if we had just stuck some milk in the fridge and had cereal or something similar for breakfast each day. Just out of curiosity, I looked at the AoA menu on allears just now. For dinner, you could get a large pepperoni pizza for $15.49, or in the morning, various breakfast sandwiches for about $5 to $8 depending on your choice. Yes, it all adds up, but I could see buying a pizza for supper, and eating leftover cold pizza for breakfast. Of course, that may not be your sort of dining.

Whatever you decide, don't stress over it. And have fun!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

We stayed offsite on 192 just East of I4 and could drive to any park (or to TTC at MK) in 15 minutes or less. We paid $586 for 8 nights in a cabin with private bedroom and a sleeping loft and full kitchen in June. Traffic on 192 West o I4 gets very thick. I'd be cautious not to go too far in that direction.

 

[crisi]

You think there is not a lot of must do's because you don't have kids, but since it is your first trip....you have to account for one thing....Everyone turns into about a 7 year old when they walk down Main Street! Just something that happens with Disney Magic. You may end up with more "must do's" than you think.

And people used to Disneyland really don't understand the scale of Disneyworld until they have been.

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

You can stay at Quality SUites Lake Buena Vista in a one bedroom suite that sleeps 6, has a living room and a full kitchen and has hot free breakfast for everybody for around $70 a night.

You can rent a reservation from an owner at Bonnet Creek and stay in a 2 bedroom suite with full kitchen and washer and dryer in a resort with 5 pools, 2 slides and 2 lazy rivers for around $100 a night.

You can go through Homeaway, VRBO or Villa Direct and rent a 4 bedroom home with a game room and private pool for around $120 a night.

Yes you pay $15 a day for parking but it is still cheaper to stay off site.

If you stay in a condo or home with a kitchen you can eat breakfast there every day and maybe fix some dinners there to save more money.

Even renting DVC points will cost you twice as much as staying off site if you pick a one bedroom villa or larger.

 

[dlworth]

There are several options available to you that will save money. I will lead this post to the max Disney experience while not trying to break the bank. The first is stay on site. There are Disney Vacation Club members that will rent points that are not being used so they wont go to waste. If I am guessing right, you plan on going in Jan. 2014, for 2 nights. a DVC resort will run between 18-34 points for a studio (queen bed, sleeper sofa, microwave, sink, fridge). Depending on where the points come from, it would cost between $144-$272 for both nights total ($8 per point, 18-34 points). That would be the cost of an offsite room in the Downtown Disney Area. Staying on-site saves the parking fee.

Bring your own food. The fridge is small, but will hold enough for a couple of days. If you plan on eating on site, the menus with prices can be found on many websites, figure your budget from there. If you plan on eating out anyway, on-site vs off-site pricing is a small difference unless you eat fast food. If not, enjoy the Disney Resort table service places for a decent meal that will run from $40 for 2 to $150 for 2.

If possible, avoid sodas. as mentioned in another post, I carry one water bottle and flavor packets. There are water fountains everywhere and a soda is $2.59-$2.99. (I have a water bottle holder, best $3 investment ever).

I would suggest the hopper for a short stay, if you want to see all the parks. The time of the year for the trip is a slow time at Disney (regulars are laughing), what that means is the crowds are low. You should have no problems riding or seeing any attractions you want. Study the parks and determine what you want to do. Allow 1 hour for each attraction. If you do hop, I would suggest AK in the morning and DHS later the same day. The next day, Epcot in the morning and MK later. If 2 parks are all that fit the budget, once again see what interests you than decide which parks hold the most magic.

Sorry for being long winded, there are many ways to save at Disney, I could go on for several pages. Other posters will give many great ideas. Have fun and enjoy the magic of the mouse.
Another way to save is to avoid Friday and Saturday stays.