Someone....Please tell me I am not nuts!!!!!

[GaRain]

I have read in some trip reports that people had used vouchers for their meals. Here is a whole thread about them. I am taking a group of 7 - 5 adults, 2 kids - to Chef Mickey's for breakfast. It is my treat - would it be worth it to look into these vouchers?
That, and where do you get them?

Thanks
Lara
(still a newbie to the boards)

 

[disneyjunkie]

I don't think you're nuts.

I print out the menus of the sit down restaurants we'll visit each trip. I check off the things we may order. I take the most expensive things I've checked off, add tax, and tip and that's my budget for that meal.

For counter service places I use the vouchers. I don't really save much with them, but I like having as much prepaid as possible.

There's no way I could go to Disney without a plan. We may not stick to the plan, but I have to have one.

 

[eeyore kelly]

I don't think you are nuts either. As someone who is having a lot of fun planning, changing, and replanning there trip, I am right there with you. Now, if you find a way for DH not to think your crazy, please post it, because mine thinks I am seriously off my rocker.

 

[skiwee1]

Originally posted by robinb
Just so you know ... the PB&J meals are all Uncrustables, previously frozen PB&J sandwiches. We saved money by bringing a ziplock container (not bag) and making our own PB&Js since that's about all my DD ate on this last trip. She even turned her nose up at mac and cheese!

My DD loves Uncrustables more then home made PB&J. I love that Disney sells these as they are so convenient. I used to have to bring peanut butter, jelly and bread and make her one in the room. What a PAIN! I think Uncrustables are worth every penny.

 

[kerry34]

Whew!!!! I am glad that other people are right up there with me on the planning thing. When i first started going to disney with kids i didnt plan anything, when i went last year i did plan some and it went a little smoother. What i have learned with not planning is that it leaves everything open ended and all the kids start shouting out what they want to do, and then arguing with one of the other ones if they dont agree. Now that my four year olds are older and have their own specific likes and dislikes, the last thing i need is all five of them bickering over what will be next. Therefore i need a plan. It has taken me a good few trips to figure this out because I have always been spontaneous. It just doesnt work anymore with five kids.

I asked my husband afterwards if he really thought i was nuts and he laughed and told me that he was just happy that I can enjoy doing that because he wont have to worry about money. We will know that we wont be over spending or dipping into money that we shouldnt be. He said if it will make the vacation that much more carefree then go for it. I am a SAHM and we live off of my husbands salary, so I will be a happy person knowing exactly what to expect to spend, no confusion.

As far as the Uncrustables go... I am in luck because my kids loved them the last time, they thought it was a special treat because they never have them otherwise, so i have no qualms about that at all.

Thanks to all for your input!!!!

 

[robinb]

Originally posted by GaRain
I have read in some trip reports that people had used vouchers for their meals. Here is a whole thread about them. I am taking a group of 7 - 5 adults, 2 kids - to Chef Mickey's for breakfast. It is my treat - would it be worth it to look into these vouchers?
That, and where do you get them?

Thanks
Lara
(still a newbie to the boards)

Lara:
Welcome to the DIS!!

You can find out all about the vouchers and where to get them here:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=435889

I don't think you would save enough on vouchers for Chef Mickey's since breakfast is only $16.99. Vouchers would save you less than $2.50 per adult and cost you a few cents per child. A Breakfast Voucher used on a character breakfast includes the meal, tax and tip and costs $18.25 per adult and $11.00 per child. Chef Mickey's comes out to $20.64 and $10.92 if you were to pay for it without the vouchers.

We used our vouchers at Cinderella's Royal Table and the Storybook Princess Breakfast, both $19.99 and $9.99 before tax and tip. They come out to $24.28 for an adult (a savings of $6) and $12.13 per child (a savings of $1.13). A lot of people don't bother with the children's vouchers since the savings is so small, but I found it very convenient to just drop vouchers on the table for everyone in our party.

Check out Deb Will's great menus over on her website for meal costs: http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menus.htm#res

 

[jann1033]

Originally posted by kerry34
Okay, I think my husband thinks I have gone off my rocker!! I have gone budget mad. I need someone to justify my insanity. I spent an hour tonight trying to figure out if it would be worth getting the meal vouchers for our trip (which, mind you, is not until April). Anyway, all my kids were settled down and i had some free time so, I planned out sample menus for our sit down meals and for counter service with appropriate tax and tip included without vouchers. Wrote them all down in my little disney budget book and brought it to show my husband. He was shocked. He couldnt believe that I actually sat down and did that! He didnt say it but....I think he has come to the conclusion that I am just a bit obsessive here. Probably true, but we have seven people to consider so I want to know what to expect. I have always been a spontaneous person traveling, but we are spending more than usual since we are staying at a resort!! Somebody please tell me that I am not the only one that has done this!!! In the back of my mind, I keep hearing a voice saying " GET A LIFE"!!!!

lol all i can say is my hubby would have agreed with yours till we went last time and saved a bunch and had in his words "our best WDW trip ever" for less $$than we would have paid 10 yrs a go! this time "he" told "me" i better start planning for our trip in Dec!

 

[crisi]

It depends -

Did you enjoy it?

Is the time spent planning worth the dollars you will potentially save?

Is this the type of trip where saving $$ on meals is the difference between eating out and packing peanut butter?

If the answer to any of these is yes, you aren't nuts.

(We go in mid October every other year - and always make PSs - we've seen people turned away at Le Cellier, Boma, Teppenyaki, and San Angel Inn without PSs in mid-October. Columbus weekend in particular has become a madhouse - and with Food and Wine being extended this year, I'd think it would be worse, not better - people were even waiting to get seated at Marrakesh! We called for Spoodles day of and the only time they had available was 5:00pm. Tried to move Le Cellier day of and they were booked solid. Waited 40 minutes to get seated at Boma with a PS. If you want to eat somewhere in particular, get a PS, you can always cancel or even not show.)

 

[Took]

I don't think you're nuts, either, as long as you enjoy doing the planning. Once it stops being fun (a kind of "game"), then you may want to stop. The trip is supposed to be relaxing for you, too.

That said, I find I usually do LOTS of planning and, then, often throw a good deal of it away when I get to WDW. I think, deep down, I just like to plan, but don't really like being bound by rules, if that makes sense. So, some days, we follow the plan and the budget, and,other days, we don't!

Completely inconsistent, I know, but I have a good time with it all!LOL!

took

 

[jann1033]

Originally posted by Took

That said, I find I usually do LOTS of planning and, then, often throw a good deal of it away when I get to WDW. I think, deep down, I just like to plan, but don't really like being bound by rules, if that makes sense. So, some days, we follow the plan and the budget, and,other days, we don't!

Completely inconsistent, I know, but I have a good time with it all!LOL!

took

i do the same! of course there no tempting goodies to throw the budget off sitting and planning on the computer! dion't think i looked at my schedule once when we got there except to find ps times if i forgot them

 

[DVCTiff]

Originally posted by mickeysaver
You are not nuts. Being frugal and an educated consumer doesn't make you nuts. If you have the time to sit down and crunch some numbers to save yourself some money, then go for it.

I completely agree. Although I know my DH sometimes thinks I may be going over the deep end, he's learned that it's all for a good cause that definitely pays off in the end. You go Girl!

PS. I knew you weren't making them decide what to eat that far ahead

 

[Raggedy]

no, your not nuts. They just don't know how much we put into our trip. How much planning it is. My husband is like we will do whatever when we get there. But i feel if you don't plan, you will miss a ton of things. You will also spend way to much money. When we get there my husband has a convention to go to. So i want him to make a schedule. So i will know how many days hopper passes to buy. We are leaving in 25 more days. He keeps telling me i am too tired. I don't need it today. I tell him i have to order them. He doesn't understand that you have to order them in advance, for a savings. Then he complains about how much money i am spending. But when we get there we will be worry free.
Am i the only one going through this? HELP !!!!!! He is driving me nuts. LOL

 

[GaRain]

Originally posted by robinb
Lara:
Welcome to the DIS!!

You can find out all about the vouchers and where to get them here:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=435889

Thank you so much for the welcome and answering my question!!!

 

[JinniLynn33]

I did EXACTLY what you are doing. We are 2A and 2C (twin boys age 11) going for 7 days and I decided that I would get 8 vouchers so we could eat out at B&C and Pepper Market. I didn't think that we would need them during the day based on the menu prices. And I really used a calculator and crunched the numbers!!!

Virginia