Trying to budget...would appreciate help/advice from more experienced WDWs

[torsie24]

Hello All,

Been a while since I've posted here. Mainly because it sucks that no matter how I try I can't make a WDW trip a price that DH is happy to part with....

But he's realised that with DD starting school in Sept 2017 we are going to be much wiser to take a trip to WDW (or maybe DLR but that's a whole different planning nightmare and one I'm not sure we're ready to embark upon) before she does.

So we're aiming to book this time next year for May 2017. Which means now is a great time to get all my prices together so we know what we're spending.

I feel we have 2 options, as any other way I price it we're looking at £5k! Which is a big dent in our savings which I'm not willing to make.

1 - POR/FQ with upgraded DDP - comes at £2500 + £800 tickets - £3300 + flights which I'm hoping we can do for £1700 for the 3 of us......so £5k but includes all our food.

2 - AoA Little Mermaid, with no food, which before DDP was released was £1100 ("free" breakfast pushed it up by £300) - So that's £1900 with tickets so £3600 with flights but no food.

Obviously with a princess with us for the first time we're wanting to do a fair few character meals.
But even with that I can't see we'd spend £1400 ($2100) on food.....obviously though if we had free DDP we'd go to all the meals we fancy whereas without we'd pick maybe 5 must dos. And we'd have the $200 gift card.

Also wondering if maybe getting a car for 10 days or so in the middle could mean we could eat offsite, go to Walmart etc. But not sure if the £250 car hire would be offset by the savings?

I'm really clueless as to which is the better route........

Any words of wisdom?

 

[dixonsontour]

I'd definitely vote for going before she starts school. Flights wise you should be fine outside school hols for £1500ish. Sats week (this week) is a good one as no one takes kids out of school (came back on a virtually empty plane this time of year)
My dd loved the little mermaid room. Resort was ideal for a younger child. I'd probably opt for that and some cheaper offsite eating.
Only way you will do for a lot less is a late deal. Usually late April early may there are some very cheap Thomson flights but won't be staying onsite.

 

[torsie24]

Thanks so much for the reply.

Yeah I've seen incredible last minute flights. And we're very lucky in that our work is very flexible and we probably could go with a weeks notice.

But I want this trip to be perfect and that means 60 day FPs for princesses and characters etc. And I love planning so last minute would make me too nervous I think!

DDs birthday is the very end of April. So thinking it would be nice to maybe be there for that (BBB perhaps)

 

[DLPDreams]

I would also try and go before your DD starts school. Honestly, if you think it's expensive now, wait until you have to budget for flights in school holidays ouch! DH tells me at least twice a week that our holiday this summer is a one off never to be repeated and I've just stopped telling him when I book something else to pay for as he has a heart attack every time!

In some ways I wish we'd gone to WDW before my DDs started school as it is sooo expensive in school holidays and if you can go at a quieter time it's a bonus too. However, neither are good travellers and tbh I think they would have struggled with the long flight and the jet lag at an earlier age. DLP has been amazing for them and us as a family and I'm sure (fingers crossed), that I can get DH to go back there a few times, if not to WDW! We had a ball last Halloween at DLP - it was such a great family time and such fun! Your visits change as your children grow - we can pretty much go on most things as a family of 4 now - it's great! But, they still love the Princesses too - so it's a nice time to go to WDW while they are into everything.

I am a bit confused though - I thought you had booked and were going to stay in a friend's villa instead of onsite - did that not happen?

Good luck with your planning . I am sure you will get there!

 

[dixonsontour]

End of April sounds good. We went first week of May one year. Weather was lovely, crowds fine and flower and garden festival at Epcot. 4 is a good age lots of princess dresses.

 

[Elise79]

To give you an idea of your food budget we spend about $60 for the 3 of us offsite on average for an evening meal. Our iHop breakfasts cost about $25 for the 3 of us but we then don't usually have lunch just a snack.

Our evening meals if we eat in Disney are always $80 plus. Even character breakfasts reach the $60+ mark CS meals are nearly $30 now and that's with us sharing a drink!

None of these really include alcohol just soft drinks.

We also buy big bottles of coke/water/milk for the room from the supermarket which saves over buying a refillable mug. ($18x3 can buy a lot of bottles!!).

My budget is $150 a day to feed the 3 of us for a mix of onsite and offsite dining. It can be done for less if you are good with coupons but I'm not lol

 

[torsie24]

We did reserve the dates for the villa. But after DLRP DH said he just couldn't do a Disney trip staying offsite. And I realised that I would be much happier having the 60 day FPs.

So we're doing DLRP again next year and then have realised its 2017 or possibly never for WDW!

Glad to hear April/May is a great time to visit.

Thanks for the meal price info Tracy. If we don't have DDP we'll certainly get Garden Grocer if we don't get a car. X

 

[dixonsontour]

I aim for $100 a day for offsite eating but would definitely splurge for a few character meals. My 2014 dining on a budget review with photos is in the trip reports section on here.

 

[Sencybil]

We stayed 1 night in AoA and it was great. Any little girl would love it, and the pool(s) were good too. I'd happily stay there again.

I would suggest however that you work out a plan of what you would do under each scenario. You could use the broad brush $60 for dinner offsite value, but actually decide which disney meals you would definitely pay for, and what you would do for the days you don't have a car, where would you eat and look up the online menus and think about what you'd choose and what it would cost. For a fair comparison you probably need to add on 5% to the current prices - as just about everything has an increase annually, so the true 2016 prices will be more than now (for a fair comparison with the 2016 quotes that include free dining).

Then think about what you would do with the dining plan option. Unless you are huge eaters, I'd say 2 QS meals would be enough for the 3 of you for lunch most of the time, so that might leave some credits for breakfasts here and there - or if you did a 2 credit TS thing, like a dinner show, you could still have a QS dinner another night to make up for using the extra TS credit. Then there's all the snacks too, which can cover breakfasts and things you shouldn't miss out on - ice creams and caramel treats, mickey pretzels and funnel cakes etc etc.

You can then see the price difference, and the experience difference and work out whether the dining plan option works for you or not. Going off site to eat takes time too, so don't forget about that, especially with a little one that needs earlier bedtimes. There's also a 'value' for me to not having to think about the cost of your meal which the DDP gives you (I know most / all of the character meals are fixed price buffets but there are others you might want to consider that are a unique experience - and then its nice just to have the steak because you want it rather than ordering the cheapest main course because you feel you should watch the $$). Also there's the joy of seeing someone with a dole whip and just getting one without thinking too much about it. On the other hand, remember you have to pay tips on your TS meals (except any fixed price ones that already include gratuities) with the DDP, so figure on just under 20% of the value of your meal will be an additional cost.

The AoA option will be cheaper, but if you add in car hire and $100+ a day for food the difference might be not so much. And if its a one off big trip that difference might feel like its worth it... but at least you'll know you're making the right choice for you!

Sencybil xx

 

[torsie24]

Thanks Sencybil,

I've started a spreadhsheet and going to total up the meals.

We're on day 3 and $500 (in including Garden Grocer delivery in the cost as we'd need that if no DDP)

DDP and a mod is winning.

Anyone know a reason why CBR is £300 less than the other mods? I think it looks pretty nice.

 

[Elise79]

Just down to popularity Torsie - POR & POFQ are popular and sell out so they charge a premium.

We like CSR for a mod - did 5 stays there

If you are upgrading the DDP how do OKW and SSR compare price wise? You'd have a balcony then too

 

[torsie24]

Thanks Tracy,

SSR and OKW are £200 more than POR/FQ with the DDP upgrade and £500 more than CBR.

I prefer the idea of a mod for the better food courts so CBR is the winner currently!

Ran it by Jack and he says it sounds a plan so I guess until next years prices are out we just have to hold fire. My flight research can start in Ernest next month though!

 

[chmurf]

I prefer the idea of a mod for the better food courts so CBR is the winner currently!

well, if you're in for mods for better food courts, then Port Orleans is a winner.
POR's food court ranks among the best food courts on property, and POFQ is a second food court within short walking distance.

CSR has a good food court too

It's been a couple of years since we last went to CBR but the food court there was barely average. It's not awful, it's just ok, but IMHO it's by far the worst of all F/C at mods.

 

[DLPDreams]

We did reserve the dates for the villa. But after DLRP DH said he just couldn't do a Disney trip staying offsite. And I realised that I would be much happier having the 60 day FPs.

So we're doing DLRP again next year and then have realised its 2017 or possibly never for WDW!

Ah, I see. I can understand why you wouldn't want to be offsite - it's not for everyone. As a compromise would it be worth doing a week at a deluxe so you get DDP (and can fit in all your expensive character meals then), then have a week offsite at your friend's villa? You could still do WDW but on a reduced scale. Just thinking it might work out cheaper - but then again if you weren't planning on getting a car if onsite all the time, then having one for a villa week may not work out? I know you said your friends would give you it really cheap.

We went to DLRP for years with our girls as you know. It just suited us really well while they were small.

Glad you to hear your DH is coming around to the idea - FWIW I like the look of CBR too - I think I would look at it seriously if we were to return. But, agree with Chmurf - when I've been reading up on it - it doesn't get rave reviews for it's food court.

 

[scoobydooby]

A moderate resort with free QS would be the way I would go with your description of what you want. If you're just doing Disney you don't need a car and with such a young child you'll have loads of food. The children's meals are big for toddlers. Actually they are still enough for my 13 year old DD and me often too. The $200 gift card would get you close to two character meals without tip as well. I do agree with Chmurf. POR has by far the best food court of the moderates and you get the bonus of the POFQ food court and at either resort the boat to DTD where your range of good quality QS options increases considerably. My DD's first trip she was 5 but only just. Absolutely magical age to take them.

 

[Wills Mom]

Ah, I see. I can understand why you wouldn't want to be offsite - it's not for everyone. As a compromise would it be worth doing a week at a deluxe so you get DDP (and can fit in all your expensive character meals then), then have a week offsite at your friend's villa? You could still do WDW but on a reduced scale. Just thinking it might work out cheaper - but then again if you weren't planning on getting a car if onsite all the time, then having one for a villa week may not work out? I know you said your friends would give you it really cheap.

We went to DLRP for years with our girls as you know. It just suited us really well while they were small.

Glad you to hear your DH is coming around to the idea - FWIW I like the look of CBR too - I think I would look at it seriously if we were to return. But, agree with Chmurf - when I've been reading up on it - it doesn't get rave reviews for it's food court.

This was the only way DH would agree to a trip. Split stay between offsite and onsite and it came in loads cheaper than a mod with DDP. We have narrowed our dining down to our must dos so thats CP pre rope drop breakfast, CM breakfast on our first onsite morning (we are staying at CR) 'Ohana dinner, BOG dinner and H&V lunch as part of FDP. We will eat breakfast in the villa every morning during the offsite part and we will probably get takeout or cook a little (make sure the kids eat properly at least some of the time while we are away!) Also the extra space and the private pool are massive winners for us with small kids. We saved a packet on the villa so we splurged and went with CR for the last 3 nights - thats about as long as I can manage sharing a room with the boys lol.