What do I add to my budget?

[NeverBeentoDisney]

I have my resort costs, gas, extra hotels on the way there if I need it, meals, park hoppers, and souvenirs. Is there anything that I missed?

I am budgeting about 60 bucks a day for both of us on food? Just my DH and I. Also what about souvenirs. how much is to much etc?

I am overbudgeting on a couple of things just in case. Let me know what you all think.

 

[crazelion]

Tips for the food service people. Tips in general.

 

[disneyeveryyear]

Tips for mousekeeping and bellmen. It is usually $1/person/day for the mousekeeper. I take a new envelope for each day in case it is a different mousekeeper.

I am not sure what hotels you will be staying at, if there will be bellmen, but if so, plan at least $1/bag.

If you plan to do anything more than counter service at WDW, I feel $60/day is too little.

Does your hotel provide breakfast? If not, plan $15.00 for breakfast. Counter service will be $15.00 - $20.00 for lunch. This leaves $25 - $30 for dinner each day. Depending on what you plan to do, counter service in the park, sit down in the parks, or eat outside the parks. Counter service will be fine for that amount. There isn't anyway to eat a sit down dinner in the parks for that amount. If you plan to eat elsewhere, it can easily be done. If you are going to buy groceries for b-fast in your room, or your b-fast is provided, then that helps free up $$ for other meals. It all depends on where you are staying and what your plans are. If you go to allearsnet.com, Deb has menus from the restaurants at WDW. It could help you decide what is a reasonable budget.

Additionally, there are vouchers that are discussed here, that show how two of you could share a $30.00 for a big lunch or even dinner at RFC at AK.

Do you plan to go clubbing at night? If so, that can be quite expensive.

Hope these thoughts help.

 

[WDWorBUST]

You may have included it in your souvenir budget but the pictures you can have taken at the parks. Me and DH spend a fortune on those.....it's the only way we can get a picture of the two of us together.

 

[NeverBeentoDisney]

We will be eating breakfast in the room. We are driving down and we have more than enough room for that type of food. Plus we might only do counter for lunch considering that we might want a mid day break or something. We are thinking to that somedays we might have a larger lunch and only require a light dinner. We share food alot too. I am only doing one character meal and I have that into a different catergory.

I would like the picture in front of the castle that they add in tinkerbell. How much is that one does anyone know?? What other pictures can be taken at the parks?

Thanks for all the input.

 

[dthogue]

You don't mention where you are staying, but if you are offsite, you will need to pay the $7.00/day parking fee at the parks.


Tammy

 

[HookedOnDiz]

If you have a dog, don't forget the cost of boarding if you don't have someone to watch your family pet.

We love our dog, but unfortunately boarding her is one of our biggest expenses... a 10 day trip usually cost about $330. She is a VERY crazy chocolate lab and she is too much to handle for our families.

We could probably find a cheaper kennel for her, but the place we send her to keeps her active all day by letting her play with other dogs her size... other places just have them out of the kennel for a few minutes a day.

Anyway... my point is that don't forget the dog... it can be a budget buster. Its also something to remember if you are thinking of getting a dog.

 

[NeverBeentoDisney]

We are staying at Pop Century so we dont have to worry about parking. I know i have to add in tolls since we are driving. I put aside 50 bucks for that and I know we wont use all of that on tolls but the extra will be nice for souvenirs.

Our cat will be staying at my Moms. She always watches him for us.

I printed out a map for us last night and it should not take us that long to get there just a day. My computer figured out with the price of gas at $2.05 and with my mileage that we would spend 120 bucks each way to get there and back.

All these ideas are helping so much thanks.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Originally posted by HookedOnDiz
If you have a dog, don't forget the cost of boarding if you don't have someone to watch your family pet.

Pet care is normally our biggest vacation expense! I hate to even think about it. We have 2 dogs, which iis over $40/day (I think around $45 since I pay extra for a play session, not to mention the baths that they have before pickup) for the two of them and two cats that we leave at home and have a cat sitter come in once a day at $15 a pop. Last long weekend trip we left our dogs at home and had our cat sitter come over 3 times a day. Still expensive and then our dogs didn't get much people time.

T&B

 

[goofyforlife]

We used to leave our dog in a kennel but then she would be really tired for days afterward. It was a great kennel but she even got sick once. (and yes she did have a kennel cough vaccine.)

When we moved to Maryland we found out that many kennels won't/can't take the dogs outside or charge higher fees for walks.

We've had good luck having a pet sitter. It's a similiar cost to the kennel but I know she's at home in her own bed (ok our bed), drinking our water, and doesn't need an addit bath because of smelling like "kennel disinfectent."

We have her walked twice daily and she's very happy and content when we get home.

 

[WDWorBUST]

I want to say the pictures are about $15 for a 5X7. Give or take a little. And you can get them taken at the front of each park. We have also had our picture taken in the lazy river at Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. And then the parks sometimes have an alternate location....like in front of TOT or the Tree of live at AK.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

goofyforlife. I checked out about 7-8 kennels in the MD suburbs before finding the place about 45 minutes away in Walkersville (north of Frederick) that I was comfortable with. It's still a kennel, for better or for worse, but they seem to know our dogs and it's a small family run operation.

Of course as you know having the dogs at home has it's advantages, too. I do think that my cats must prefer to have the dogs out of the house, though.

I'd love to find a reasonably priced in house pet sitter in my area, but haven't found anyone yet.

T&B

 

[lc1965]

... water & soft drinks & snacks at the carts. "Oh yum! Mickey pops!" "Ick this fountain doesn't taste very good." Etc.

WDWorBUST -- I would recommend that you save on photos by simply asking someone to take your photo. I always find myself taking photos of newlyweds at POR -- there they are at this beautiful, some say romantic, resort & you see the husband photographing the wife & vice versa. And, most families have 1 person who is rarely in the shots. If you want the special effects they add or a pro quality photo, that is of course a different story.

 

[NeverBeentoDisney]

I want to have the picture where they put Tink into it.. I want just one like that to have and frame it on the wall. I dont know when we might get back there so I want something as a daily reminder on my picture wall as to the fun time that I had.

My friend told me that she went with a friend to Disneyland and they had their picture taken like that and the special effect was Stitch coming out of the ground. Either way I can't wait for those.

I know what you mean about the pictures I am always the one taking them. LOL

 

[hockey mom]

If you are going to the water parks include locker rental money.

Pictures on rides I love so I budget $40 so I can buy that cute frame also.

Pop, margaritas, ice-cream, and pop corn are things that I always set money aside for.

 

[yecats]

I would include locker rental for everyday your there ($7.00 with $2.00 given back after returning key). We bring in a bag with rain ponchos, water, snacks (jackets as we usually go in winter) and sometimes I put a pair of pants in there if I am wearing shorts during the day then I can just changed into pants at night if it gets cooler.

 

[goofyforlife]

Tigger&Belle

---sent you a pm.