When you're looking into package deals, be SURE you also price things out separately. I realized late in my planning, well after my package was booked, that I could have spent far less money doing things separately (though in my case that was b/c of the amazing special AP rates last September...might never be offered again).
If the hotel you're looking at has a continental breakfast, make sure it's worth it. In Jan I booked what I felt was a good rate at the Carousel, then after the cancelation period was done I found a ridiculously good deal at HoJo (their Entertainment Book rate, which if you call the actual hotel, in-house reservations, can be as low as $59 for a normal room, if they have the dates available). I hoped the $40 difference would be made up by the continental b'fast, but I was very very mistaken. I would have done better to get the HoJo rate and eat a full b'fast in the park, and would still have made out better. (I was solo so traveling with a family the calculations will be different)
If you don't want to bring water with you, you can get free cups of water with ice just about anywhere.
Meals are generally large, and can be shared. Adults can check out the size of the kid's meals, and order those if they wish. I was quite happy with my pasta with marinara kid's meal at the Plaza (though I did supplement with a side salad), and my bean/cheese burrito kid's meal at Rancho del Zocalo was very good and filling. (and with most kid's meals, or at least the two I mentioned, they come in cute plastic mickey-shaped plates, which I wipe out and take home with me...DS will eat almost anything if it's in his Mickey plates, and they have lasted even going through the dishwasher and one was put on a hot burner!)
If you have one of the Disney character warehouses/outlets near you before your trip (there are a couple permanent ones, like one in Fullerton close to DLR, but most of them are temporary), check them out a few times for "souvenirs" that you can pull out of your bags when your kids are clamoring for expensive things. Dollar Stores sometimes have Disney things, though honestly all the recalls for lead recently at dollar stores have really turned me off of those stores... disneyshopping.com has some really good sales, and they have an outlet section of their site. You can get t-shirts,
crocs, flip flops, shoes, and fun things from them, to pop out at opportune moments. That keeps your souvenir costs down, because, while fun, they are expensive!
If you think you'll be there more than once inside a year, keep yourself open to upgrading to an Annual Passport during your trip (while your ticket is still in use). Not only does it save on admission costs for the year, but you get discounts throughout the park, and you an even get AP discounts (sometimes really good, sometimes just "eh") on hotels. Heck, even HoJo offers a 20% discount to AP holders.
