What Could You Do At WDW with $6000?

[aliceindisneyland]

How long - and how well - can you stay at WDW on $6000? That is my basic no-stress, no-stretch budget because we're also saving for a down payment on a house. We are Disneyland fanatics and this will likely be our only trip to WDW - we wanted to try something a little different from DL and since we moved out of CA it was a natural time to give up our DL APs.

You can read a little bit about our vacationing habits below and tell me I'll be able to stay 1.5 days or just note what your family can do at WDW for $6000.

When? No idea. We have narrowed it down to "hot enough to swim every day" since a big part of our vacation enjoyment is using the resort pools. We home school so school schedule is not an issue.

Parks: All of the major parks at least once and the water parks, plus Universal for 1 day. We may want to do something like visit Kennedy Space Center.

Resort: We won't move between hotels as that is just crazy-making. We're not terribly particular about off site vs. on site. I don't want a kitchen and I must have daily maid service (note the switch from "we" to "I" - for me a vacation means not cooking or cleaning!) An outstanding resort pool is a must because the kids (and we) have been spoiled by the Disneyland Hotel pool!

Transportation: 4 people flying from Phoenix - hoping to offset the flight costs with the 50k Southwest deal. We can rent a car if needed.

Food: At Disneyland we usually spend about $200 a day for our family of 4 (kids will be 8 and 11 for WDW trip). That is with eating breakfast in the room, and eating either lunch or dinner at table service, with the other meal counter service. It also includes alcohol. But since we want to experience the rides and attractions at WDW we'll likely eat primarily at counter service to save time. My very basic calculations say that we would spend a lot more money using Free Dining, since we'd still need to buy cocktails and we will spend at least 1 day outside WDW.

What does $6000 buy your family at WDW?

 

[bumbershoot]

That much money buys me more than one trip (though I'm totally ignoring what we've paid/are paying towards DVC, LOL).

"We are Disneyland fanatics and this will likely be our only trip to WDW "

With 6K I'd create two trips. One trip gets me burned out, and if I'm spending that much I'd rather remember it all and not get sick in the middle (or on the second day, like what happened with our Jan/Feb, last blowout b/c DS is on a dance team that follows the school schedule though we don't, trip).


You don't want to move, but depending on when you're going, you might want to think about moving to Universal's onsite deluxe resort! Stay one night and get the on-site benefits for two days... If you allowed for two days of Universal, it's a lovely benefit.

 

[englanddg]

6k would pay for 1 14 day trips at WDW for me and the kid with Deluxe Dining, all flights and quite a very nice shopping kitty left over.

 

[Aliceacc]

We're a family of 5, traveling end of July through early August.

We put down $200, and with the Summer Special, our balance is $6100.

So, give or take $300, it would buy us:
- 7 nights at the Yacht Club this summer.
- Disney Dining Plan
- 8 day parkhopper passes

As for swimming, Storm along Bay at the Beach/Yacht Club is a kid's dream. (the location makes it an adult's dream.) But also take a look at the Moderates; their pools have slides, and they'll get you more bang for your buck.

Or, plan B: Go during Free Dining in September, and pay full price for a room. (For my family-- 5 "disney adults" all over the age of 10-- Free dining turns out to be about the equivalent of a 55% discount at a Deluxe resort.)

BUT either way, the big issue is transportation. After stalking the Jetblue site for months, I finally caught a day when the airfare went down from $1474 to $1220-- for ONE day in January. That's pretty much the part of your budget that has the least wiggle room. I would start stalking the sites, but figure out what the going price is from Phoenix and enter it into your planning. If prices go down, it gives you more leeway at Disney.

OK, just for fun (because I'm REALLY not in the mood to write any of the 30 College Reccomendations awaiting my attention) I ran some numbers using free dining:
09/10/2014 - 09/16/20142 Adults, 2 ChildrenDisney's Caribbean Beach Resort:
Water or Pool View

Package Includes
•6-night non-discounted room stay
•7-day non-discounted theme park ticket
•Disney Dining Plan (if you book a select Moderate, Deluxe or Deluxe Villa Resort)
Package with a Dining Plan $2,747.18

So that would give you basicaly $3000 for resort, meals, and park tickets, say $2000 for airfare, and $1000 to spare for the Water Parks, Universal and Cape Canaveral. Because you'll be off site during the day for a day or 2, it will free up dining credits a little--you could do a 2 credit meal (say the Hoop De Do Revue or the Luau) and/or have a use the meal plan on both your first and last days. Or plan an early character meal at one of the resorts before you leave for the day.

If you chose to switch to, say the Beach Club, here's what you get:
Garden View Sleeps up to 5
Package with a Dining Plan $3,895.82
So it's $4000 for your resort,meals and tickets, that same $2000 airfare, and you're in at just about $6000. No extra for Water Parks, Universal, or Cape Canaveral.

Or you could take a look at August Dates with the Summer special, and see how they compare. You may do better without the DDP; you'll have to run those numbers.

Lots of other options, but that should help you narrow your focus.

 

[pjlla]

My WDW math usually equals about $1200-$1400/person for a budget trip of 4-6 days. That is eating mostly counter service (plus breakfast in the room with groceries I bring), staying on-site Value or off-site for a similar price, rental car (mid-size), about 5 parks days (with Park Hoppers), cheapest possible SWA flights from MHT to MCO (sometimes I have enough RR Points for a full roundtrip ticket or two). Our splurges usually include one character meal and usually a day away from WDW (SeaWorld has been our go-to, but in the future it will probably be WWOHP at Universal). The biggest things that really change up the budget are the flights and the park tix. ...................P

 

[meriface11]

Since you want hot enough to swim every day and school schedule is not an issue, I would travel the Tuesday after Labor Day. It's one of the lowest crowd weeks of the year. The other sure fire low crowd weeks are end of Jan/early Feb, but weather can be hit or miss. If you wanted to do Sept 2014, you need to book asap as the free dining promotion is out, so rooms may not be available and dining options are booking quickly since you are within the 180 day mark.

 

[Marionnette]

How long - and how well - can you stay at WDW on $6000? That is my basic no-stress, no-stretch budget because we're also saving for a down payment on a house. We are Disneyland fanatics and this will likely be our only trip to WDW - we wanted to try something a little different from DL and since we moved out of CA it was a natural time to give up our DL APs.

You can read a little bit about our vacationing habits below and tell me I'll be able to stay 1.5 days or just note what your family can do at WDW for $6000.

When? No idea. We have narrowed it down to "hot enough to swim every day" since a big part of our vacation enjoyment is using the resort pools. We home school so school schedule is not an issue.

Parks: All of the major parks at least once and the water parks, plus Universal for 1 day. We may want to do something like visit Kennedy Space Center.

Resort: We won't move between hotels as that is just crazy-making. We're not terribly particular about off site vs. on site. I don't want a kitchen and I must have daily maid service (note the switch from "we" to "I" - for me a vacation means not cooking or cleaning!) An outstanding resort pool is a must because the kids (and we) have been spoiled by the Disneyland Hotel pool!

Transportation: 4 people flying from Phoenix - hoping to offset the flight costs with the 50k Southwest deal. We can rent a car if needed.

Food: At Disneyland we usually spend about $200 a day for our family of 4 (kids will be 8 and 11 for WDW trip). That is with eating breakfast in the room, and eating either lunch or dinner at table service, with the other meal counter service. It also includes alcohol. But since we want to experience the rides and attractions at WDW we'll likely eat primarily at counter service to save time. My very basic calculations say that we would spend a lot more money using Free Dining, since we'd still need to buy cocktails and we will spend at least 1 day outside WDW.

What does $6000 buy your family at WDW?

You can do a lot with $6K - even more if you don't need to include airfare in that budget.

Much will depend on where you decide to stay and for how long. You could rent a vacation home for a couple of weeks and have plenty of room to spread out plus a private pool. But if you want pool slides and water features, you will need to stay at a resort of some sort. Onsite will be more expensive and crowded but offsite will be, well, offsite. There aren't a lot of negatives that I can say about offsite other it doesn't have the perks of being onsite such as DME, EMH and free Magic Bands. Onsite resorts run the gamut from "value" to "deluxe". Don't confuse Disney's terminology for what the real world would call these hotels. The Value Resort prices are not such a value and the Deluxe Resorts have a deluxe price tag without the amenities of a true deluxe resort.

Ticket prices are pretty much fixed with some discounts out there. If you want to do the water parks more than once, then having the WPF&M option on your tickets is a must. The price of that add-on is the same whether it is being added to a 3-day ticket or a 10-day ticket. For Universal, you will want to have a park-to-park ticket if you expect to see both HP attractions and ride the Hogwarts Express. Diagon Alley and Hogwarts are in two different parks. You might also want to invest in Universal's version of FOTL access. With only a single day to visit both parks, you're really going to need it. Guests staying in one of Universal's resorts get free FOTL access for the length of their stay. But you don't want to resort hop and I wouldn't recommend staying in a Universal resort for your entire visit if you only intend to go to their parks one day.

Your dining budget sounds reasonable, considering your expectations. You can take a look at the menus and prices here:
http://allears.net/dining/newmenusystem.htm

There is no need to rent a car for your entire stay unless you have issues with using what amounts to "public transportation". Some people very much dislike standing on a crowded, moving vehicle or waiting in cattle lines for a bus at the end of the night. However, you can get by without a car. If I were planning a trip that included a visit to Universal, then I would arrange to rent one for a single day.

Overall, I think that your budget is more than enough to give your a very nice vacation in Disney. Have fun planning!

 

[NeverlandClub23]

... and this will likely be our only trip to WDW...

Yeah, yeah, yeah... That's what they all say .

Our budget (for just the 2 of us) is typically $4,500-$5,000 for 14 days. However, we usually stay at deluxe resorts (or rent DVC points), our flights are usually free with Southwest points, we eat 2 TS meals a day and don't do the dining plan, and we have 4 dogs so boarding them is a big chunk of our vacation budget. And we don't buy any souvenirs.

 

[dbramer]

We are planning a trip for next August. We will stay at POFQ for 8 days, 7 nights. Deluxe Dining Plan for three adults and one child, park hopper, water parks and more option, also. The total is just under 6k. We are driving straight thru so that will be another 250 in gas both ways (from Maryland). Spending cash is not taken into account, but we plan on 700 to 1k for that.

 

[aprincessatlast]

6k would land us a pretty nice vacay at disney for our family.

We have done Disney every which way: on site and off site, dining plan and paying out of pocket (also with TIW card), Annual pass and straight tickets, hoppers and no hoppers, water parks and more and just swimming pools, flying and driving (ouch), value, moderate, and deluxe, 2 day stays to 14 days (way too long for us)- you get the idea. lol

With that amount I would opt for free dinning package at a moderate and like pp mentioned right after labor day when crowds would be down, I would add water parks and more along with hoppers. My magic number is 9-10 nights where I feel like I experienced a lot without feeling rushed. We like our mid day swim breaks or half day water parks to give you a more vacation feel.

FWIW Beach Club was our best stay ever but with the amount you set with having to fly I would go moderate and add days to the stay instead. We like the moderates it just is more walking. Also if you have the water parks added on Stormalong bay does not got as much use.

ETA: We have done Disneyland Hotel as well but it is hard to find a hotel to really compare that to. The swimming area is fantastic and even Beach Club did not have the same amount of slides. You are going to have a hard time finding the slides like you do at DLH. Definitely rule out Value Resorts as those have pools only. No hot tub or slides at those.

 

[mrsbicewdw]

That would be at least a week long vacation for our family of four (but baby needs no tickets). We would stay at a value, use the regular dining plan (1TS, 1QS, 1 snack), and do five days at the parks (so not parks each day, since we like time for relaxing and pool time too). If we did universal we would drop a Disney park day, since our kids just can't do six full days of parks yet. (So four at Disney, 1 at universal). We would have money for some fun gifts and thing too. I would stretch the budget by getting Disney gift cards at target for a steep discount (red card at 5% of combined with earned target gift cards). Our airfare costs almost what a week+tickets+meals does because of where we live.

 

[aliceindisneyland]

Thank you very much for all of the helpful insight! I will look into all of the tips!

I am also trying to either increase my budget or decrease my 6k out of pocket estimate by funneling all of my credit card perks, Kroger fuel points, coupon savings, Ebates, etc. into the vacation fund.

I found a great tip online to buy a $100 prepaid Visas at Kroger (I have Fry's here) and use the Visa to buy a $100 Disney Gift Card when they have 4X Fuel Points (currently through 6/17 here). That way I get 400 points for the Visa and 400 points for the Disney gc = .80 off per gallon. This more than offsets the $5.95 cost of the Visa; it's only an 80 cent bonus if I fuel just my 17 gallon car [over just buying the Disney gc], but if we are able to fill up both cars at once I will save $21.25 on each $100 Visa/Disney purchase! [Plus $1 from purchasing the prepaid Visa with my Disney Visa, and 3% back on the gas from our Costco Amex.] We haven't tried to maximize our fuel purchase using 2 cars yet, so here's hoping that works!

 

[CuteAndFluffy]

Thank you very much for all of the helpful insight! I will look into all of the tips!

I am also trying to either increase my budget or decrease my 6k out of pocket estimate by funneling all of my credit card perks, Kroger fuel points, coupon savings, Ebates, etc. into the vacation fund.

I found a great tip online to buy a $100 prepaid Visas at Kroger (I have Fry's here) and use the Visa to buy a $100 Disney Gift Card when they have 4X Fuel Points (currently through 6/17 here). That way I get 400 points for the Visa and 400 points for the Disney gc = .80 off per gallon. This more than offsets the $5.95 cost of the Visa; it's only an 80 cent bonus if I fuel just my 17 gallon car [over just buying the Disney gc], but if we are able to fill up both cars at once I will save $21.25 on each $100 Visa/Disney purchase! [Plus $1 from purchasing the prepaid Visa with my Disney Visa, and 3% back on the gas from our Costco Amex.] We haven't tried to maximize our fuel purchase using 2 cars yet, so here's hoping that works!

That's awesome!

I will say that it may vary by state...at our store we don't get fuel points for cash cards. At the time I tried it was both visas and Kroger gift cards. I suspect that elsewhere may be different.