Tips for Disney vacation under $3,000?

[ETsmommy]

Hi all! This would be our first time going, and hubby said that if he meets his work goals for the next 6 months to 1 year, we should be able to have about $3,000 for whatever vacation that I want to plan for next year. This has to include travel, spending money, food, hotels, EVERYTHING!!

(I know that $3,000 might seem like a lot for some, but it seems like every time I look, it's at least $2,000 - $2,500 for the room and food alone! I need budget tips!

Details:

Ideally, I would like to go for my son's birthday, which is April 19th. However, if there are other better (read: cheaper) times to go, I would be open to them. There are three of us, me and hubby, with a 5 year old boy (6 on April 19th). We live in Kansas, so it would be about a 24 hour drive, but probably a ton cheaper. We probably wouldn't be able to stay longer than a week or so.

Questions:

When do PIN codes typically come out? Are they typically the same from year to year? What extras are worth the money (I was thinking about the Pirates League, but didn't really see prices for that online)? What else do I need to consider / plan for?

Any advice?? Thanks so much!!

 

[amy-momofthree]

I think $3000 is very doable. Just watch for those discounts. We (2 adults, 2 kids and a baby) are going for 7 nights, 8 days and our total price Is $2131 which includes dining, value room and 8 day tickets.

Just keep watching for those discounts! Good luck!!

 

[Karenj2]

Hi all! This would be our first time going, and hubby said that if he meets his work goals for the next 6 months to 1 year, we should be able to have about $3,000 for whatever vacation that I want to plan for next year. This has to include travel, spending money, food, hotels, EVERYTHING!!

(I know that $3,000 might seem like a lot for some, but it seems like every time I look, it's at least $2,000 - $2,500 for the room and food alone! I need budget tips!

Details:

Ideally, I would like to go for my son's birthday, which is April 19th. However, if there are other better (read: cheaper) times to go, I would be open to them. There are three of us, me and hubby, with a 5 year old boy (6 on April 19th). We live in Kansas, so it would be about a 24 hour drive, but probably a ton cheaper. We probably wouldn't be able to stay longer than a week or so.

Questions:

When do PIN codes typically come out? Are they typically the same from year to year? What extras are worth the money (I was thinking about the Pirates League, but didn't really see prices for that online)? What else do I need to consider / plan for?

Any advice?? Thanks so much!!

I'm not sure when Easter is next year, but I think April is generally VERY crowded and one of the higher costing months for WDW... If you can go at any time (I have a 1 yo, so I'm not sure if a 5/6 year old is in school yet), I'd look at a different time of year. (September is very nice - we've gone for a week starting on Labor Day, and it was less expensive AND less crowded!)

I'd look into the value hotels, or if you're ok with it (and your son doesn't need naps as badly as mine), you could look offsite for a bigger value.

I can't talk to driving, as I've always flown (but we live in PA). One consideration is that the gas/hotel/road meals and time will cut into your budget and time at WDW. Have you checked into flights? I'd do a cost comparison to see if it's truly cheaper.

As for the extras, I personally think you can wait on those - if it's your first time going, there will be SOOOOOOO much for you to see and do in the parks that you'll miss some of it anyway, and if your son is like my niece and nephew, he'll be just as happy swimming in the hotel pool as he'd be doing the "extra" (and more expensive) stuff. If your son is outgoing, get a haircut w/ gel or glitter at the barbershop on Main Street - he'll get plenty of attention. (Also, get the "1st Visit" pin, too.)

Pin codes are sent by Disney to specific demographics that they'd like to attract - not everyone gets them. There are "deals" out there (like the free dining, or kids stay for free or whatever) that do come out on occasion, but usually during those times that are less busy for the parks, so again, most likely not in April.

 

[*pixie*dust*]

Honestly, unless you are big eaters, you can generally eat for less than the cost of the dining plan. The regular dining plan includes desserts at both meals plus several snacks-- the deluxe is 3 sit-down meals a day--- way more than the average person eats each day. My son is 6 and goes in streak of eating a lot or grazing. Many times when we were on the go we would grab something to share. We ate some sit down meals but still spentless on average than we would have on the dining plan.

Easter is early next year so April 19 ish should be in regular season, not peak. However, pin codes or traveling during value season can save a lot too.

Are you resort linger-ers or are you wanting to see and do as much as possible? Consider a moderate or value room if you won't be having resort days. They are still fun and Disney-esque and will save you alot! You can always visit other resorts if some of the Deluxes strike your fancy.

 

[disneyofcourse]

Check out renting points from DVC owners (I don't have any for rent at this time since I used everything up) You can get points for $10-12 and sometimes less depending on how desperate they are to get rid of points. It gives you bigger accommodations with either mini kitchens or full kitchens. Cook=Save money

 

[Snoozan]

Early May is a great time to visit - all spring vacations are done and Easter is way done so crowds are less. Weather is warmer, but humidity is usually not an issue yet. Stay at a value resort(we love Pop Century), but maybe the new value will be open by then?(across the lake from PC). We usually eat breakfast in the room, but you really need a frig for that. You can rent a frig from Disney or maybe check to see if you can get in on a free frig swap - see threads on this Budget board. Counter service meals have always been fine for my family and many can be shared, if you're all not big eaters. We like to split meals to leave room for snacking!

 

[DawnM]

We drive
Get Y.E.S. tickets
Stay off site in a condo
Eat some of our own food

I can do Disney for much less than $3,000

 

[queenbetsey]

3,000 a great amount to work with. the quick service dining plan is really great. and you are so not stuck with general fast food. just go over the menues, flame tree,puck's express cosmic rays all have great options as do the food courts in alot of the resorts. the nice thing about a dining plan is that you will have already paid up front. My hubby likes to know what the cost is before we leave so a dining plan puts his mind at ease in that regard.
there are some great deals out there you just have to keep looking. when we are getting ready to plan I start scouting deals months before we book anything. are you a AAA member they sometimes have deals. or discounts.mousesavers posts quite a few discounts. we prefer to stay on property so that we don't have to worry about transportation once we get there. also it just seems more magical to us
the best advise I can give you is to start researching now.
back to the quick service plan. what we did last summer was to share meals occasionally. sounds odd but that way we tried some new things and if we liked the place (tangerine cafe for example) we went back later and did it again or if we hated the place we didn't end up throwing out full meals. and we had more than enough food.

 

[crusoe2]

One way to keep costs down is to bring food from home - really easy to do if you're driving. We always pack a cooler and take fixins for sandwiches, salads, fruit, cereal, and snack stuff. We've always done this whether we had a fridge in the room or not. All of the Disney resorts have ice machines with free ice so keeping our food chilled was no problem. We've found that this saves us time and money since we can eat breakfast in the room instead of stopping off at a restaurant or food court. We also get tired of "eating out" for every single meal so we like going back to the room for some simple meals now and then. I would recommend doing this for your first trip rather than being tied to ANY of the dining plans. It will leave you with so much more flexibility. You could also pack picnic meals, snacks, and drinks for your travel days to help keep spending down.

As for extras - as a pp said, I wouldn't schedule a ton of stuff like that for your first trip. On our trip a few weeks ago, we had ADRs for about 5 restaurants, DD did Pirate League and had her heart set on meeting Rapunzel and Flynn, and DH and DS did the Behind the Seeds tour at Epcot. Between trying to make it for all the reservations and appts and also trying to be in the right place at the right time for things like parades and fireworks, we started to feel like we were on a really tight schedule. I wouldn't say don't do any ADRs or to skip all the extra stuff. But be aware that getting around from one place to another can be very time-consuming and lock you into more of a schedule than you might like.

If you decide to do Pirate League, the basic package is about $30 but there are lots of tempting add-ons that cost extra - pictures, costumes, pirate pistols, etc. By the time all was said and done, I spent over $60.

 

[HeatherC]

If you want to stay very cheaply, I would suggest considering staying offsite. If you check on skyauction.com you can easily get a two bedroom villa very close to the parks for about $300 a week TOTAL. That leaves A LOT more money for fun stuff.

If you are driving, you will be better off with your own car and paying the daily parking fee since Disney buses can take you a VERy long time to get from one place to another. Waiting for a bus that makes multiple stops with tired hot hungry children is no fun.

Make sure you sign up for Mousesavers newsletter. Mousesavers.com has a walth of info.

Have a great time planning!

 

[TandLMommy28]

I had priced out 10 nights at Pop for under $2,000. If you can go at a time when (IF!?!) free dining is offered, you could easily have your hotel, food and tickets for under $2K and then you are only having to pay for travel. And if not free dining, packing most of your own food will keep your costs way down. I know if we don't get free dining for next year, we plan to only buy one meal a day and eat the rest in our room.

 

[palavra]

Try free dining and staying at a value resort. Although free dining isn't offered at all times of the year, sometimes, you can get a PIN code for it. We went for 7 nights/8 days during Thanksgiving week 2009. Because of a PIN code,we had free dining. We stayed at All-Star Music and had a blast! We had 7 day non-hopper tickets. Out total package price was just over $1500.00, and we spent about another $600.00, so about $2100.00 total. Oh, and we are a three person family as well-DH, me and DD.

 

[DawnM]

Even cheaper with SkyAuction is when they offer their blowout weeks. If you go to SkyAuction.com type in the search engine, "Vacation Certificates" Right now they are $249.

You purchase them in advance and book when ready and choose what is available. It won't work during peak season though, just be aware.

Dawn

 

[ICF]

Stay in a condo off - site....

 

[ETsmommy]

I'm not sure when Easter is next year, but I think April is generally VERY crowded and one of the higher costing months for WDW... If you can go at any time (I have a 1 yo, so I'm not sure if a 5/6 year old is in school yet), I'd look at a different time of year. (September is very nice - we've gone for a week starting on Labor Day, and it was less expensive AND less crowded!) Yes, he'll be in school, but just kindergarten. If I waited until he was out for the summer, I'm really afraid that it would cost too much. They typically get out the end of May and start in mid-August

I'd look into the value hotels, or if you're ok with it (and your son doesn't need naps as badly as mine), you could look offsite for a bigger value.

I can't talk to driving, as I've always flown (but we live in PA). One consideration is that the gas/hotel/road meals and time will cut into your budget and time at WDW. Have you checked into flights? I'd do a cost comparison to see if it's truly cheaper. I looked at flights a little bit today, and they look like they'd run about $360 a person. I'm going to talk to hubby and find out if I can redeem credit card miles and have that NOT count towards my $3,000.

As for the extras, I personally think you can wait on those - if it's your first time going, there will be SOOOOOOO much for you to see and do in the parks that you'll miss some of it anyway, and if your son is like my niece and nephew, he'll be just as happy swimming in the hotel pool as he'd be doing the "extra" (and more expensive) stuff. If your son is outgoing, get a haircut w/ gel or glitter at the barbershop on Main Street - he'll get plenty of attention. (Also, get the "1st Visit" pin, too.) I'm just afraid that if I skip something that he really wants to do, I'll regret it. This is probably the only time that we'll be able to go to Disney, since hubby isn't a huge fan.

Pin codes are sent by Disney to specific demographics that they'd like to attract - not everyone gets them. There are "deals" out there (like the free dining, or kids stay for free or whatever) that do come out on occasion, but usually during those times that are less busy for the parks, so again, most likely not in April.

Oops, I thought the Pin codes were the specials that they put on their website!

Honestly, unless you are big eaters, you can generally eat for less than the cost of the dining plan. The regular dining plan includes desserts at both meals plus several snacks-- the deluxe is 3 sit-down meals a day--- way more than the average person eats each day. My son is 6 and goes in streak of eating a lot or grazing. Many times when we were on the go we would grab something to share. We ate some sit down meals but still spentless on average than we would have on the dining plan.

Easter is early next year so April 19 ish should be in regular season, not peak. However, pin codes or traveling during value season can save a lot too.

Are you resort linger-ers or are you wanting to see and do as much as possible? Consider a moderate or value room if you won't be having resort days. They are still fun and Disney-esque and will save you alot! You can always visit other resorts if some of the Deluxes strike your fancy. We aren't much about resort lingerers, we would rather be out and doing something. I was planning on doing a value, just because I don't think we'll do much at the resort, and will want to spend the most time in the parks.

We drive
Get Y.E.S. tickets
Stay off site in a condo
Eat some of our own food

I can do Disney for much less than $3,000

What exactly are YES tickets??

One way to keep costs down is to bring food from home - really easy to do if you're driving. We always pack a cooler and take fixins for sandwiches, salads, fruit, cereal, and snack stuff. We've always done this whether we had a fridge in the room or not. All of the Disney resorts have ice machines with free ice so keeping our food chilled was no problem. We've found that this saves us time and money since we can eat breakfast in the room instead of stopping off at a restaurant or food court. We also get tired of "eating out" for every single meal so we like going back to the room for some simple meals now and then. I would recommend doing this for your first trip rather than being tied to ANY of the dining plans. It will leave you with so much more flexibility. You could also pack picnic meals, snacks, and drinks for your travel days to help keep spending down.

As for extras - as a pp said, I wouldn't schedule a ton of stuff like that for your first trip. On our trip a few weeks ago, we had ADRs for about 5 restaurants, DD did Pirate League and had her heart set on meeting Rapunzel and Flynn, and DH and DS did the Behind the Seeds tour at Epcot. Between trying to make it for all the reservations and appts and also trying to be in the right place at the right time for things like parades and fireworks, we started to feel like we were on a really tight schedule. I wouldn't say don't do any ADRs or to skip all the extra stuff. But be aware that getting around from one place to another can be very time-consuming and lock you into more of a schedule than you might like.

If you decide to do Pirate League, the basic package is about $30 but there are lots of tempting add-ons that cost extra - pictures, costumes, pirate pistols, etc. By the time all was said and done, I spent over $60.

Thanks for the information on the Pirates League. I understand what you are saying about the extras, I just want him to be able to experience all that he can right now.

I had priced out 10 nights at Pop for under $2,000. If you can go at a time when (IF!?!) free dining is offered, you could easily have your hotel, food and tickets for under $2K and then you are only having to pay for travel. And if not free dining, packing most of your own food will keep your costs way down. I know if we don't get free dining for next year, we plan to only buy one meal a day and eat the rest in our room.

Is there somewhere that I can look and see historical times that they've offered different specials? Do they typically offer the same types of specials around the same time?

I want to thank everyone for their input. I greatly appreciate it!! I'm probably going to price out different ways and option that we can do. Thanks again!!

 

[DawnM]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2332767

This thread will better explain the Disney YES program.

 

[teachermommy78]

Have your son ask for Disney Gift Cards for Holidays and Bday. We bought a hat for each of our three kids but that was it. Anything else they wanted came out of their own money. It was nice spending about $60 total on souvenirs for the kids! We did do Pirate's League. For the two kids and the pictures it came out to be about $100 with tip. We did the picture because that was the only way they'd put the pictures on photopass. Oh, and research photopass before you go! We did the presale and saved there. That being said, Pirate's League was a fantastic experience that I would do again in a heartbeat. Even my cheapskate husband thought it was great. We bought costumes on ebay before we went. The costumes they sell there are so heavy. I looked for lightweight costumes. My 5 year old's costume came in long sleeves and pants and I just cut the arms and legs in a jagged way so they looked more piratey. I think I spent less than 30 on 4 costumes (my 3 year old was going to do it, but got sick, and I accidentally bought a 4th costume!).

 

[Glenn]

Go to the Disney website & order a planning dvd. This way they have your email address for possible specials. Get a couple Disney planning books from the library like Birnbaums and the Unofficial Guide. Good maps & gives you ideas. Remember you can bring food into the parks. Instead of hauling food from KS look into the various regular grocery's once you get into FL. Just saving on snack & water ads up. Since you will have your car think about eating offsite when your driving to or from a park. Lots of chains in the area & think if your little one is a picky eater. Some of the chains offer special & restaurant.com also have some certificates at a few places. For souvenirs think outlet malls, maybe on the first day as you get in if its on the way. Feel 3000 is fine if you dont have to do things delux. Have fun planning.

 

[Disneylush]

we are a family of 4, we flew, stayed at pop, 10day tickets (2 adult, 1 child), free dining. total cost 1800.

flying from MN to Fl was waaayyy cheaper then the 24 hour drive. We flew 49.00 each way on Air Tran. (450.00)

park tickets (850)

Used magical express so no car rental.

pop room around 50.00 a night.

we were on the dining plan but I sent down a bunch of food and snacks ahead of time. (free)

We have done this this way twice. Once was in January and once in nov.

My best tip is create a separate email account just to sign up for travel deal websites. Then register on every one you can find.

 

[skw444]

If you are willing to go any time of the year, that will help. April is usually one of the more crowded, more expensive times to go. We always go in September when they offer free dining. Our family of 4 is going in September for 7 nights, with Deluxe Dining, staying onsite in a moderate for around $2500. Since we live in GA, we drive down which helps with the cost.