SUPER Budget trip...could I get away with...????

[SleepyatDVC]

Originally posted by Belle5
First, do you think anyone would notice if all of us would squeeze into one room at Pop Century? (My kids don't mind sleeping on the floor!)

If you really must squeeze 8 into one room, then here's a tip - forget bringing extra bed linens. Your kids are small. Just pick up lots and lots of pool towels.

The room only provides 4 sets of towels. So, you'll need at least 4 more pool towels. Then another 4 to use as bedsheets for the kiddies sleeping on the floor. If they complain about the hardness of the floor, you can layer an extra 5 to 10 towels on top to make a comfy "mattress" for the floor. Then another 4 pool towels to use as blankets.

If you plan on buying souveniers, get the kids some plush toys to serve double duty as pillows. If your budget is tight, just use some folded up towels as pillows. Send your cuter kids down the hall to find mousekeeping and ask sweetly about those towel animals that they only heard about and wouldn't it be great if you can get a different one each day? With luck you'll get enough free towel animal souveniers to take home for everyone.

Remember to get lots of pool towels the first day. If there aren't enough towels down by the pool for your needs and you don't want to wait around for them to restock, don't forget there is usually more than one pool per resort. Another idea would be to pool hop for towels.

My main concern for 8 in a room would be the one bathroom. Make use of the hotel public restrooms. Sneak in and use the gym locker room facilities. Throw the kids in the pool for their bath.

Another idea is to keep an eye out for your neighbors checking out. When you notice someone leaving , stick your foot out to keep the door from locking and when they are out of sight - viola! - an extra room and bathroom for you to use for free for a couple of hours! If the guest used express checkout, you may even be able to use the room phone to call down and request late check out! If the maids try to come in, you can always tell them that yes, the others in your party checked out already but you'll be out soon. A smarter move would be to put the privacy sign up.

Even with using the bathroom solutions above, when kids have to go potty, they have to go - even when the bathroom is occupied. If you can part with some of those refillable bread bags, you'll have an instant porta potty as a back up. I wouldn't recommend using the refillable cups though. Even I have some standards!

Have a great trip. I'm sure you will have wonderful memories. The small living quarters will certainly teach your family on how to get along together. Towel hunting will teach the kids about working together and cooperation!

 

[PoohBearLovinMama]

Why waste $$ for one person to go into the buffet when you can just send in your 3 year old? S/he will be able to eat free and bring out all the food you could need.

Another tip, for getting free snacks. Have your child pretend that they are lost. They should start screaming for mommy or daddy, making sure that they cause a big scene, and when the concerned CM's come over and help calm them down, your children should look up (with the practiced pitiful look from standing outside the gate) and ask if they could have whatever they are hungry for. Make sure that you don't rescue them until they get their snack though.

 

[jann1033]

this is ot persay but I know many "Budget-ears" find it necessary to bring grills and large coolers to the parks and it is quite a hassle to lug them around all day.

the tip is this: if you do not remove the outer labels(Like the "RubberMaid" sticker or save the box and bring them into the parks in the original box,) you can go to guest services after lunch and have them sent to your resort via package pick up FOR FREE!. we just "mention" we bought them at DTD ( ok so that is a little white lie but i do it out of earshot of the children) and we forgot to have them sent...it usually only takes me 1/2 an hr or so to convince the cm( a good hint here is have others in your party pretend to be in line behind you, I have found the longer the "line" the quicker the cms agree). we first stumbled across this gem of a tip when great Grandpa wanted to return his beloved Alpenhorn to ASM( as a founding member of AWDW one of his fondest wishes was to have his yearly picture taken in front of the Castle with his Alpenhorn. of course since this was just before his cataract surgery, it was difficult for him to drive his evc while balancing his 8 ft long alpenhorn..(btw i posted on the "most shocking" thread about the vulgar language one woman used , right in front of my children,when he barely nicked her foot with the ecv!!!...)so anyway, we encouraged a crabby cm(later called guest services on her btw which resulted in upgrade to AKL!) to send it back to our resort( little white lie here by saying Epcot/Norway was the origin of purchase in this case) and it arrived safe and sound For Free with in 24 hrs!...so glad we were able to get those pix of GGP since he passed not long after.,

 

[Local_Girl]

Jann...

I think that obnoxious woman (who verbally attacked your gg'pa) was confused. Can't imagine that gg'pa could've gotten close enough to her with that balancing alpenhorn to run over her foot. Certainly she was merely "goosed" by the instrument (but embarrassed to admit it), and in her surprised state, stepped on her own foot.

 

[CMKN]

Keeping on a bduget can be tough so here are my suggestions! First off, don't even bother to pay park admission - dress your family up as Snow White and the seven dwarfs (workable theme with your family size) and play it off that you are there to do a sing-a-gram for Bob or Susie in one of the far away gift shops! Most likely that will get you in the door. Suggestion #2 - have your kids stand close to any and all food that has fallen on the floor. They are then to proceed to cry in their loudest voices until a) a cast member replaces their food b) a guest nearby feels so overwhelmed with the desire to help that they replace the food for the child! (make sure you do it in several stops throught out the parks - not to draw too much attention and also get diversity in your meals! Suggestion #3 - Have your children approach kind looking older couples and ask them if they can break a $10 bill - when they make an attempt to do so, have your kids frantically pull out their pockets and begin to whimper that they saved all year for that $10 and now it's gone - some people will fall for this one! And my final suggestion #4 - for souvies - go to lost and found and be very nondescriptive on a certain item that you lost (pay close attention to everything you see - send your significant other in a few minutes later to claim all the good stuff)!

We have covered parks, food, money, and gifts- you should be all set!

 

[Trixiezzz]

Bump.

(This is too good to get buried!)

 

[2minnies]

I've now spit hot coffee all over my monitor - this is GREAT!

 

[yecats]

After reading everyone's post about budgeting, this is my idea. Wait until next September for your Disney vacation. It is quite possible that a hurricane may come along thereby providing your family with free food, free entertainment and replacing those days lost on your park tickets due to having to keep all 8 of you in a value room.

This thread is a hoot.

 

[AdventurerKat]

You know, when we are short on money, we just sleep in the gazebo at POR. It has several benches that make up nice into beds and then you could put the little ones on the floor. But be careful, my husband tripped over my four year old last time and busted out his teeth. We're still paying off that dental bill.

 

[Shelby0007]

Sounds like a plan! Go for it! LOL!!

Can we share your room? We're a family of 4 and won't mind sleeping on the floor. But, I call the bathroom 1st in the morning!

Shelby0007

 

[bear74]

LOL this is hillarious. When I realized this was a joke I almost spit soda all over my monitor. I've laughed through all of these post/

 

[jann1033]

Originally posted by AdventurerKat
You know, when we are short on money, we just sleep in the gazebo at POR. It has several benches that make up nice into beds and then you could put the little ones on the floor. But be careful, my husband tripped over my four year old last time and busted out his teeth. We're still paying off that dental bill.

that is an outrage!!!send your dental bill to wdw, obviously it is a dangerous gazebo and they are libel for his teeth...and since there are no signs posted that you can not sleep there for free, you were well within your rights to believe you could camp out there. great budget tip! actually you could finance the past trip and maybe the next 20 with the "pain and suffering" a good lawyer could get you..we all know wdw has plenty of money so what's $1.5 mil to them

 

[Belle5]

Shelby, my thought is, the more the merrier!!! C'mon in! We'll split the cost of the room.

I've also been thinking about the possibility of passing off my 18, 16, 14 and 12 year olds as 9 year olds for theme park pass purposes! (It's all the hormones in the meat these days giving them that facial hair!)

 

[imsayin]

I've also been thinking about the possibility of passing off my 18, 16, 14 and 12 year olds as 9 year olds for theme park pass purposes

I would definitely get the 12 year old in as a 9 year old since his/her birthday is so close to actually being 9. Especially if he has just turned 12.

 

[Jaynerita]

You'll want to do some resort hopping with your family. After a relaxing swim at the GF pool why not engage in a hotel scavenger hunt through the corriders to see what's left over on the room service carts!!! The food's only going to be thrown away and it's a sin to waste, right???

 

[jann1033]

Originally posted by Belle5
Shelby, my thought is, the more the merrier!!! C'mon in! We'll split the cost of the room.

I've also been thinking about the possibility of passing off my 18, 16, 14 and 12 year olds as 9 year olds for theme park pass purposes! (It's all the hormones in the meat these days giving them that facial hair!)

although the meat hormones situation is obviously reasonable, just cause it says "9" on the pass doesn't mean that is official disney policy. the only one i would pay for is the 18 year old since the ambiguous wording could mean if the "sum of the numbers in the age" equals "9", if the size of their shoe is larger than a"9", so many different things! who are they to tell me how to interpret "9"

 

[Belle5]

Once again, you make an excellent point, jann1033!!! This trip should be nearly free by the time I have applied all of this excellent advice!

 

[Ozymoe]

Belle,

What do you mean your trip should be "nearly free"? After I implement all the tips, Disney pays us! ...and we almost always get our own private escort off property to boot. Actually Disney always foots the whole bill for our last night's stay, complete with room service for all our meals!

We do not allow the odd fact that there are no windows in our rooms dampen our enjoyment of this themed event. After all, we ARE being treated to the a Behind the Mickey Bars tour for free!

I just love a bargain, don't you?

 

[arminnie]

Don't bother with taking dry clothes to the parks. They always have tshirts and other stuff in the stores. I'm sure they wouldn't mind you swapping your wet stuff for dry things. It's not like it's stealing as you are trading them something for it.

If you don't get wet on a ride, well you could just do the trade anyway. I'm sure there is someone in the park who would rather have your tshirt (gently used please) than that Disney stuff.

 

[ktglads]

Also, forget about renting strollers. There are tons just sitting outside rides, ready to use. Just take a generic family's name (ie Smith or Jones) and you will be all set. The other families will get another one replaced by Disney so really no problem there.

Hmm, would there be a way to hide a child in a stroller like you hide people in a trunk at the drive in? That would mean no admission fee at all for them!