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

[Burnedout]

Skyauction.com you can stay in a one or two bedroom condo for $269 fir the week. We are staying 5 minutes from ak at silver lake. A millio times nicer than the values. Nice kitchen, etc

 

[Surfinpiratee]

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!

Oh my goodness you are so smart! I could do Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios, because I really don't think we HAVE to be there that long... and staying 4 nights goes with my original plan

 

[Surfinpiratee]

Another question that maybe some could answer:
Is it too cold in January-February to go to the water park??
I live in Illinois, and it was 74 degrees the other day, and we went to a water park and were freezing! lol

 

[wishing4PA]

I just checked monthly averages on a weather site, and it listed highs of 71 & 73 for January & February, respectively. But those are averages. Highs could be lower or higher depending on what fronts are where.

We swam in February at All Star Movies, but mostly because DD was 4 and it just seemed the thing to do. It was comfortable for swimming, but just barely, on 2 or 3 days of our 7 day trip.

In January of 2012, we were at the Poly, and just "had to" swim in the Poly pool. They do heat WDW pools, so it wasn't uncomfortable, but again, it wasn't exactly prime swimming weather.

But it could be 85 degrees during your trip! Or 60, lol. You'll just need to check the weather forecast before you leave. One of the 2 water parks will be open (it's my understanding they always close one in the winter and leave the other open -- someone can feel free to correct me if not), it's just up to you to decide whether it's the kind of weather you like to swim in.

 

[Jonathan Swift]

I have a question about staying offsite. How do you get to the park? Assuming you're flying in, you'll either have to rent a car and pay for parking or take a cab or car service. With that added expense, does it still make sense to stay off property than a value resort?

 

[AuroraRora]

We stay on-site because the cost of renting a car would be more than the cost to stay on-site, but we keep it cheap by staying at Pop (and so far we've always got some kind of room discount, or used a Bounce Back etc). We also eat breakfast in the room every morning and keep some food in the room for when we get back late at night so we don't wind up having to buy dinner #2 at the food court, and those little drink packets are a lifesaver - instead of drinking $2.50 cokes non-stop, we drink free water all day. It saved us a lot of money and we felt generally better having drunk water all day instead of soda.

 

[Surfinpiratee]

I have a question about staying offsite. How do you get to the park? Assuming you're flying in, you'll either have to rent a car and pay for parking or take a cab or car service. With that added expense, does it still make sense to stay off property than a value resort?

Yep, pretty much. DBF said when he went to Disney as a kid, one time they stayed off-site and they had a shuttle to Disney. But if I didn't have a car, there's no way i'd be staying off site.
Cost wise, the only reason i'm even considering staying off site would to maybe have a full kitchen, because i plan on cooking all but maybe 2 of my meals. I'd be nice to have more than a fridge and a microwave...

 

[Surfinpiratee]

I just checked monthly averages on a weather site, and it listed highs of 71 & 73 for January & February, respectively. But those are averages. Highs could be lower or higher depending on what fronts are where.

We swam in February at All Star Movies, but mostly because DD was 4 and it just seemed the thing to do. It was comfortable for swimming, but just barely, on 2 or 3 days of our 7 day trip.

In January of 2012, we were at the Poly, and just "had to" swim in the Poly pool. They do heat WDW pools, so it wasn't uncomfortable, but again, it wasn't exactly prime swimming weather.

But it could be 85 degrees during your trip! Or 60, lol. You'll just need to check the weather forecast before you leave. One of the 2 water parks will be open (it's my understanding they always close one in the winter and leave the other open -- someone can feel free to correct me if not), it's just up to you to decide whether it's the kind of weather you like to swim in.

Grrrr, well, how far ahead of time should i buy water park tickets..? I don't really want to buy them when I get there. Unless that's what people normally do...?

 

[wishing4PA]

There's no microwave in the regular value resort rooms. The family suites have kitchenettes, but if you want to heat up anything and are staying in a regular room there, you'd have to run down to the food court.
So a value resort might not work for you.

As for the water park tickets, I'm not sure I'd say that's what people normally do, but if going that time of year, that's what I would do just to avoid paying for water parks if it turns out to be not water park weather. (Check the pricing and other features, it might make sense to upgrade your ticket to have the water parks fun and more instead of just buying a 1 day water park pass. You can do the upgrade after you get there. Imho, if you do end up doing the water park without extending your trip, you're going to have a very busy trip!)

 

[Surfinpiratee]

There's no microwave in the regular value resort rooms. The family suites have kitchenettes, but if you want to heat up anything and are staying in a regular room there, you'd have to run down to the food court.
So a value resort might not work for you.

As for the water park tickets, I'm not sure I'd say that's what people normally do, but if going that time of year, that's what I would do just to avoid paying for water parks if it turns out to be not water park weather. (Check the pricing and other features, it might make sense to upgrade your ticket to have the water parks fun and more instead of just buying a 1 day water park pass. You can do the upgrade after you get there. Imho, if you do end up doing the water park without extending your trip, you're going to have a very busy trip!)

Yes, yes we will haha. I mean, I think we'll be okay haha. I think we'll have 1 full day for MK, and 1 full day for Epcot, and a half day for the other park(s)

 

[LMDisneygirl]

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.

So true!!! My husband and I do most of the same things when the kids are with us that we do when they aren't.

We like staying onsite, even at the value resorts. If you have flexibility on when you go, don't forget to look at special offers like a room discount or free dining (that can help with the trip cost). I know many people love staying offsite, but when we were staying at a nearby Marriott vacation club (for free!) we didn't like that we felt like we were leaving our vacation every time we left WDW.

I'm sure you'll have a great time, whatever you do, and you'll learn lessons that you can use when you come back someday!!

 

[RumpleMom]

With only 4 park days, you will be very busy trying to do it all.

In January, we have had ice on our balcony one year and been in the hot tub the next year. You will need to check the forecast very close to your trip and pack layers of clothes.

Walt Disney World is 42 square miles. I have been to Disneyland, but not California Adventure. It is huge in comparison.

Do not buy waterpark tickets before you go. The weather is just too unpredictable at this time of year.

 

[Burnedout]

I have a question about staying offsite. How do you get to the park? Assuming you're flying in, you'll either have to rent a car and pay for parking or take a cab or car service. With that added expense, does it still make sense to stay off property than a value resort?

You can rent a car on Priceline for under $10 a day. This allows for a grocery run or cheap ff if you are into that sort of thing.

 

[Burnedout]

Grrrr, well, how far ahead of time should i buy water park tickets..? I don't really want to buy them when I get there. Unless that's what people normally do...?

The weather is crazy. don't buy tickets before you go. It is just too iffy

Wdw is a whole different animal than dl you will walk so much more! Everything is so far apart!

Someone mentioned renting dvc points. This is the only way we stay onsite. Animal kingdom villas run least expensive an are by far my favorite because of the setting.

 

[ssawka]

1) You are going to get strong opinions on the on-site vs. off-site debate. Personally, after staying off-site most of my childhood and on-site most of my adult life, I would say that I would have to be getting an incredible deal to ever want to stay off-site again. Although, as you can see by my signature, we are DVC owners so I am a bit biased. There are many reasons that I prefer on-site including:

• No driving on vacation! We live in a very congested area, so not having to drive for an entire week is a huge plus to me!
• No need to rent a car.
• Can usually get to the parks earlier and stay later.
• Not having to look for my car at the end of the day.

2) As for tickets. Why not just buy the two day ticket and decide what you want to do after your first day? As long as there are still days available on your ticket, you can add days or add the park hopper feature.

3) As PPs have said, why not look into renting points from a DVC member. You may find the price to be comparable to the $100 per night you are currently pricing.

4) Weather in Jan/Feb is very "iffy"! We usually travel during this time of year, and the weather has ranged everywhere from the mid 80's to as low as the mid 40's.

 

[Jonathan Swift]

You can rent a car on Priceline for under $10 a day. This allows for a grocery run or cheap ff if you are into that sort of thing.

Wow! I had no idea you could get rentals for that cheap. What about taxes and surcharges? What does it come to a day? I ask because on my last trip, we stayed at an offsite hotel for Universal, but they had a shuttle. I would have liked a car because I had to pay for a shuttle to get to the hotel and again to get to Disney and we didn't have much freedom without transportation. I had gotten prices of $30 a day (before taxes, etc.).

 

[Bete]

I think for shorter stays (less than a week) I would go with staying on-site. For one, you don't have to get to know the area when driving; so, it's easier to stay on-site. You get the magic hour perk when you stay on site. This gives you extra hours at the parks if you are on-site. Look at the schedule and what parks you want to see most and match your time there with the best extra magic hour times. For the morning you get an extra hour over the general public and for the late nights you get three hours more time. Now, if you can't get up early or stay up late this may not matter. We love the extra hours on shorter trips. Getting hoppers help, too. AK park has shorter hours; so, it's easy to park hop to a later park and enjoy more park time. You want to maximize your park hours and staying onsite helps.

I do like staying off site, but it's best with longer trips. What I like off site is the included breakfast. I will admit we tend to stuff ourselves for breakfast and then we don't eat at the parks. We skip lunch and do a late dinner outside of DW. This does save money on meal costs. Disney is quite expensive for eats. More often than not, you get a bigger room off-site. Also, you get a microwave and refrigerator in most of the off site resorts. If you go real cheap with an off-site resort you may be disappointed with a run down place, possible bed bugs, and even worse. You somewhat get what you pay for in the Orlando area.

I don't think there will be great dollar differences staying on-site or off for a short stay. You do get the Disney ambiance by staying on-site. It keeps you in the mood for everything Disney.

After 40 trips to DW and staying at all levels Disney and staying off-site on various levels I think it's all good. It's just what your budget can afford.

 

[Burnedout]

Wow! I had no idea you could get rentals for that cheap. What about taxes and surcharges? What does it come to a day? I ask because on my last trip, we stayed at an offsite hotel for Universal, but they had a shuttle. I would have liked a car because I had to pay for a shuttle to get to the hotel and again to get to Disney and we didn't have much freedom without transportation. I had gotten prices of $30 a day (before taxes, etc.).

In January we got an 8 person minivan (Toyota I think) for $13.50 a day. That included taxes etc. I couldn't believe it. Some friends for an economy for $7 a day

 

[CluelessDisFan]

Our first trip was a budget trip. And we only spent 4 days at Disney as well. It's cheaper to buy 2 day park tickets with Water park and more option versus 4 day park tickets. You can spend 2 days at 2 different parks 1 each day and spend the other 2 days at either water park, or Quest. We've never done quest. For our first trip it consisted of 1 day at MK 1 day at HS and 1 day at TL and 1 day at BB. It was 4 days of fun, just for less money.

 

[Surfinpiratee]

Such great information!!!

I think I'll probably be staying on site. I may look off-site, just for fun. I have time

Also, is there a place, on here or the disney website, where I can see what the resorts are like in case i look into renting DVC points?

I still can't decide if I want to buy a 2 day and just to Epcot and MK, or a 2 day and add in HS or AK? I dont think DBF cares much..lol, he REALLY wants to take me to Universal for whatever reason lol. i'll try anything once! lol