Wanting to be an annual visitor, best low-cost trip advice?

[rlu929s]

Use or avoid dining plan? Assuming your not going during Free offerings.

Stay on-site or off-site?

We drive from MO.

We have a family of 4.

 

[lucyem]

Off site
Avoid dining plan and eat off site and CS

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Defiantly avoid the DDP.

I would invest in a DVC resale. In 5-6 years you can recoup your investment. We have a DVC and every time I book a trip I always price the same trip with Disney and it took us 5 years to reach our ROI - return on investment. IF we end up with a surplus of points at the end of the year we rent them out. I just rented out our surplus a few months ago and banked $3200.

 

[Pembo]

Love staying offsite at Windsor Hills condos. Never get the dining plan.

 

[Disneychix]

Are you able to go at low cost times or are you tied down to school breaks?

Does your family still enjoy or look forward to character meals?

I also own DVC and love it but I wouldn't put it in the budget category. It really ties you into a Disney vacation every/everyother year. Maybe renting someone else's DVC points could be in the budget category? But you can still do better staying off-site.

 

[dpswift]

We love staying onsite. To us that is a big part of the vacation.

One tip that I read on this board is if you can plan your "annual" trip to use one annual pass. Say go in Sept. this and August next. The biggest cost of tickets is the first few days.

If you read the dining board you can get a lot of advice on getting the most bang for your buck foodwise.

 

[rlu929s]

No we are ok taking are kids out for a week if we must and to beat the heat and crowds we're willing. Thinking of going this November...maybe week after Thanksgiving as we can stay longer without having them out of school more than a week. Otherwise it'll be 1st of November with a shorter stay. We went in May last year and it too hot some days.

Last year we did the DDP and did about every Character meal you can imagine. I think at this point they are not as important if to just get a break from the usual quick service food. Although if eating off-site not a big deal.

Do you guys that do off-site usually leave in the afternoon eat lunch somewhere cheaper and come back? How are you able to eat off-site and still get time at the parks?

We usually leave in the afternoon to allow nap time, although our youngest will be 5, so naps may be going away.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Off site
Avoid dining plan and eat off site and CS

We also drive from MO. Having your own car opens up all sorts of cost saving options.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

- we drive
- bring snacks and fruit
- we share meals - usually 2 CS meals for the 3 of us is plenty of food
- if you can arrange it do an AP that will cover 2 trips - for example trip 1 could be late September one year and trip 2 early September the following year.
- we stay onsite using a room only AP discount at a value resort.

 

[eliza61]

Use or avoid dining plan? Assuming your not going during Free offerings.

Stay on-site or off-site?

We drive from MO.

We have a family of 4.

Alot depends on your family. I have great trips off site. I will always do offsite before I step foot in a value again.


remember though, offsite means you have to factor in parking cost. If you get an AP, remember to check on line to see if there are any discounts at restaurants with the AP.

totally, totally skip the ddp

Also how do you guys like to eat. My family loves breakfast so we can get a big breakfast right at Ihop or shoneys (2 minutes from DTD) and we skip lunch.

I haven't found one restuarnat where me and dh could split a meal successfully. what happens is that while some dishes maybe too much for one, it rarely is enough to satisfy both of us. So generally what happens when we try and split is we supplement the meal with an extra side (no big savings once you do that) or an hour later we are hungry again so we snack (once again nullifying the savings from splitting the meal).
I have all sons and no way are they splitting any thing LOL.

 

[rlu929s]

Where do you normally stay off-site? We found a suite at Lake Buena Vista for about $136 per night after adding up all the costs our tickets and extra parking fees 9days and 8 nights at on-site Art of Animation was only $400 more.

When staying off-site I budgeted about $738 for 9 days of food. $10 for breakfast, $36 for lunch probably CS and $36 for Dinner. If off-site for dinner can do better but budgeted for CS is needed.

I suppose we could do McD's for breakfast or find a hotel with breakfast, CS at parks, and eatch at a $25-$30 restaurant meaning we would not stay late at the parks.

Almost 2,000 of it is park tickets though. We are planning for 5 days at Disney, 2 Days at USF, and 1 day at Legoland. We've been to all and for sure wanted to do all USF this trip. Maybe we cut it down some.

 

[BubMunkeyBles]

Off site in a condo would be cheapest. You can get them for $400 for a week, I've stayed at Blue Heron, Windsor Hills and Silver Lake. All are nice. With a kitchen you can do a cheap breakfast. We've alternated eating in the parks and packing a lunch and doing dinner as we please. If you pack your own lunch a few days you can have extra money to do a sit down character meal or something maybe. If you plan your trips just short of a year apart AP's could save you money in the long run depending on length. May be worth it for at least one ticket as you would get free parking too at the parks.

 

[MrsPete]

Buy annual passes every other year, but plan your trips so that you can get two trips from that purchase.

For example, say you like to visit in June. Buy your passes and visit the last week of June 2014. Your passes will be good until the end of June 2015, so plan your next trip for early June 2015.

On site vs. off site. Both have their merits, though they lead to different trips. On site is a busier, do-more trip. Off site is a more relaxing, family-time trip. The question is, which do you want?

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Where do you normally stay off-site? We found a suite at Lake Buena Vista for about $136 per night after adding up all the costs our tickets and extra parking fees 9days and 8 nights at on-site Art of Animation was only $400 more.

When staying off-site I budgeted about $738 for 9 days of food. $10 for breakfast, $36 for lunch probably CS and $36 for Dinner. If off-site for dinner can do better but budgeted for CS is needed.

I suppose we could do McD's for breakfast or find a hotel with breakfast, CS at parks, and eatch at a $25-$30 restaurant meaning we would not stay late at the parks.

Almost 2,000 of it is park tickets though. We are planning for 5 days at Disney, 2 Days at USF, and 1 day at Legoland. We've been to all and for sure wanted to do all USF this trip. Maybe we cut it down some.

June of 2012, we stayed 8 nights in a cabin for $586 total here:

http://www.tropicalpalmsresortfl.com/

We really liked the cabin, and I highly, HIGHLY recommend staying in this area. It was an easy drive to ALL the parks with virtually zero traffic. Further West on 192 gets very crowded.

If I were trying to go every year, one way I'd cut costs is to do certain things in odd years and other things in even years, or every 3rd year. The annual pass idea is a good one though. But, I would also think about doing Disney exclusively one year, and Universal exclusively another. Or, at the very least, don't do all things all trips. Think of it this way, you're going back in a year so it won't be that long before you have a chance to do whatever it is you're skipping on any particular trip.

We found that a big breakfast can carry us well into the day, although we don't skip lunch. Instead, we'd pick up $5 footlongs from Subway the night before and stash them in a locker in the parks. We'd have those for lunch, and do CS for a late supper, or eat outside the park if we didn't stay until close. If you check my trip report below, you might spot some of the hits & misses in this regard from our trip (along with travel info to/from MO).

 

[mieuxmew]

We love Disney and knew we needed a better, more cost effective way to vacation at Disney so we can go more often. Most expensive is is park tickets and Disney resorts. We purchase annual passes and get 2 (sometimes 3) trips, booking about 50 weeks apart. Parking is free. There are some annual pass room discounts (approx 15-35%). Annual pass members can purchase a Tables in Wonderland card for $100 and save 20% on most table service restaurants and even some counter service locations.

Next big cost was Disney hotels. We used to stay onsite but now stay offsite. Our friends are Marriott vacation club owners and got us a week at Marriott Cypress Harbour for $550 for 7 nights in a 1200 square foot 2 bedroom/2 bath villa. We thought we would miss the Disney theming, but found just the opposite - the kids will pick the MVC 2 bed/2 bath villa with all the cool kid activities any day over staying with Mickey!! They get their own room/bathroom/TV. There is also a full kitchen, living room, washer/dryer in the unit. We have breakfast in our villa every am. Sometimes we come back to the room and swim in the afternoon. Sometimes we do a counter service lunch or snack. Dinner often we eat out. Sometimes, we get take out like Chinese or pizza and eat at our villa, depending what we are in the mood for. Many nights, we do head back to the parks. I am not a fan of renting a house or condo, as the condition is too variable. Whenever we have a maintenance concern, someone is send right up to our villa. We love Marriott Vacation Club.

There a lot of quality timeshares in Orlando you could rent. Best prices are usually when renting directly from an owner. Check eBay, Redweek or TUG for available rentals. Wyndham Bonnet Creek gets great reviews and is closer to the parks than some of the Disney resorts! Sheraton Vistana also gets great reviews.

I pack a water bottle and some granola bars to take into the parks. Often, I have a cooler in the car with soda/water/juice in case anyone gets thirsty heading in to the park or leaving the park. I have never packed a meal, as it is too much work for me planning, packing and carrying it around. We are happy noshing or splitting meals in the parks for lunch. We also drink water with our meals and skip the expensive drinks. If we are headed back to the hotel for swimming in the afternoon, we eat the granola bars and then eat a later lunch or early dinner. If you have big eaters packing a meal may be a great cost saver. YMMV.

We have done the Disney dining plan, but it requires you stay on Disney property and purchase park tickets from Disney. Savings are minimal. Planning and trying a different restaurants every day was great the first few visits. Table service meals require a lot of advanced planning/reservations. The meals take up a lot of time (especially if you have to park hop). We prefer to just choose our favorite handful of Disney dining experiences and get 20% off with Tables in Wonderland. Once again, YYMV.

Many people here on DIS have great advice how to save money going to Disney. This is what has worked for us, but it may not work for your family.

 

[auralia]

I bought a small dvc contract personally. I paid about 70$ per point for enough points to do a week in a studio during low point season every year... For me that was 80 points at old key west good until 2057. My dues are right around 450 a year and the buy in was about 6000$ resale after fees, etc. I did buy the dvc when it was more a buyers market though.

 

[kydisneyfans]

Our strategy was the same as above, buying a small package through DVC. We can do 2 weeks in a studio or 1 week in a more "premium" room, and we will recoup our costs by 2018. We had some 2012 points left that we rented last minute and got enough to pay 2014 dues.

We also plan on doing the AP thing as our next trip is Christmas 2014 and fall break 2015.

As for eating, CS all the way. We will stray off site a few times for something different and will buy a few things at Target for our kitchen, but our food costs aren't much more than eating at home for the week.

We've done offsite a half dozen times and enjoyed most places we stayed, Skyauction is great if you do your research. Buying DVC was a good decision for us with yearly trips and the depressed cost factor though.

 

[Marionnette]

No matter how you dice it, DVC ownership is not "low cost". It is more affordable than paying Disney for a deluxe resort stay, but it is more expensive than paying for a value resort every year.

The resale market is a seller's market right now. A contract that went for $70/pt. a couple of years ago is now selling for $80+/pt. You also have to remember that there are annual dues that need to be paid on those points. The more points you have, the more you will pay in annual dues. This year, my dues will cost me $1K+, whether I use those points or bank them. You have to factor that into your costs.

I happen to like staying onsite and the annual dues + buy-in costs for the re-sale contracts I have were a better way to spend our money rather than paying OOP for a deluxe room every 12-15 months. "80 points at OKW in a studio" for a week is misleading. There are only select seasons where that would be a sufficient number of points to cover a week's stay at OKW and those seasons may not be a time when the OP can (or is willing) to visit. It wouldn't be enough to cover a week in a studio at any time at any of the other resorts.


For someone who wants to have annual "low cost" visits, an offsite rental just makes more sense. You will get more for your money without the ongoing financial obligation that timeshare ownership creates.

We do breakfast in the room and then plan a mid-day meal in the parks. The break allows us to re-charge our batteries and gives us renewed energy to continue touring. We pack snacks for munching when we get hungry between meals and carry filtered water bottles in case we get thirsty. Dinner can be back at the room if you have a kitchen or else in an offsite restaurant if you have a car.

An AP is a definite "must have" if you expect to go to Disney annually. Not only will it give you cheaper "per day" admission to the parks over the course of multiple visits totaling 10 days or more, it will also give you dining discounts and merchandise discounts. Parking is free for AP holders. You will also qualify for unique onsite room discounts, should you choose to stay onsite.

Frequent visits also mean that you are less interested in purchasing souvenirs than you are when you are a casual visitor. You definitely trim your souvenir budget down when you go more often! You also become more familiar with the area, so you learn where to shop for groceries, where to dine and how to travel around the area efficiently.

 

[Disneychix]

Where do you normally stay off-site? We found a suite at Lake Buena Vista for about $136 per night after adding up all the costs our tickets and extra parking fees 9days and 8 nights at on-site Art of Animation was only $400 more.

Almost 2,000 of it is park tickets though. We are planning for 5 days at Disney, 2 Days at USF, and 1 day at Legoland. We've been to all and for sure wanted to do all USF this trip. Maybe we cut it down some.

You throw around that $400 like it's nothing. $400 is a lot of money, for instance it is 1/2 your food budget. If you go the AP route where you can leverage 2 trips within a 12 month calendar then your $2000+ dollars is a one time expense (I know this would go up if buying APs) and then you'd be 'saving' $400 towards food for your next trip. You'd only have to budget hotel and travel and food expenses.

This is how you get to be an annual visitor. By saving that $400 'upgrade' and using it for the next trip.

 

[sunshinehighway]

No matter how you dice it, DVC ownership is not "low cost". It is more affordable than paying Disney for a deluxe resort stay, but it is more expensive than paying for a value resort every year.

The resale market is a seller's market right now. A contract that went for $70/pt. a couple of years ago is now selling for $80+/pt. You also have to remember that there are annual dues that need to be paid on those points. The more points you have, the more you will pay in annual dues. This year, my dues will cost me $1K+, whether I use those points or bank them. You have to factor that into your costs.

I happen to like staying onsite and the annual dues + buy-in costs for the re-sale contracts I have were a better way to spend our money rather than paying OOP for a deluxe room every 12-15 months. "80 points at OKW in a studio" for a week is misleading. There are only select seasons where that would be a sufficient number of points to cover a week's stay at OKW and those seasons may not be a time when the OP can (or is willing) to visit. It wouldn't be enough to cover a week in a studio at any time at any of the other resorts.


For someone who wants to have annual "low cost" visits, an offsite rental just makes more sense. You will get more for your money without the ongoing financial obligation that timeshare ownership creates.

We do breakfast in the room and then plan a mid-day meal in the parks. The break allows us to re-charge our batteries and gives us renewed energy to continue touring. We pack snacks for munching when we get hungry between meals and carry filtered water bottles in case we get thirsty. Dinner can be back at the room if you have a kitchen or else in an offsite restaurant if you have a car.

An AP is a definite "must have" if you expect to go to Disney annually. Not only will it give you cheaper "per day" admission to the parks over the course of multiple visits totaling 10 days or more, it will also give you dining discounts and merchandise discounts. Parking is free for AP holders. You will also qualify for unique onsite room discounts, should you choose to stay onsite.

Frequent visits also mean that you are less interested in purchasing souvenirs than you are when you are a casual visitor. You definitely trim your souvenir budget down when you go more often! You also become more familiar with the area, so you learn where to shop for groceries, where to dine and how to travel around the area efficiently.

I think it really depends on the person and their vacation style to determine if dvc is worth it.

I bought a small resale contact for about $6000 about two years ago. Its 100 points which give me enough to do 2-3 trips with one annual pass depending on where I stay and the time of year. It does take some planning ahead but for me is worth it. Of course I also like to do shorter trips and don't stay over the weekend (more points).
It's a long drive for me so I fly. That means staying off site would involve a car rental. When I factor in a car rental and the time it would take to look up discounts, I feel the car rental and dvc dues cancel each other out.

Of course it was $6000 right off the bat which doesn't really seem budget and like you said resale contacts seem to be higher priced right now.

Getting annual passes and planning so you get more than one trip is probably the best way to go every year.