What is your Disney budget once you are at Disney?

[3girlsfun]

I just did our budget for what we will spend once we are at Disney. We have a $1600 budget that includes tips, meals (that aren't on the dining plan), gas, hotels to and from Disney, groceries, souvenirs, and the money in case we decide to add a day to our tickets for our departure day. I'm just curious what others budget for, and how much you have in that budget.

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

I just did our budget for what we will spend once we are at Disney. We have a $1600 budget that includes tips, meals (that aren't on the dining plan), gas, hotels to and from Disney, groceries, souvenirs, and the money in case we decide to add a day to our tickets for our departure day. I'm just curious what others budget for, and how much you have in that budget.

I have had the dining plan my last several trips so the only thing I take is money for tips. I use my disney visa reward card for any souvenirs. I budget for $100 (not including my reward money) and usually leave with money left. We also have no kids and aren't really souvenir people.

 

[3girlsfun]

We budget $50/person for souvenirs, but, we rarely spend it. I often times use that money to book our next vacation. The tips are what kill us because we are a family of 6, so, tipping is quite pricey.

 

[Happyjen27]

Isn't it awful that I don't really have one?

We will be there 7 days, and I planned $1000.00 for food, including estimate on alcoholic drinks, tax and tip. We will need about $100 for souvenirs, if that. We aren't big shoppers, and my kids are't gimme, gimme, gimme kids.

We will have mousekeeping envelops already made up with cash in them so I don't run out bills and have to leave a 10 or something.

Anything else we'll just charge to the room, charge on the card and pay off from the slush fund when we get home.

 

[DisneyFansInLINY]

There is money left for a Disney spending budget once you're trip is paid for?

Just kidding

We use the dining plan and purchase about $1000 in discounted gift cards for tips, drinks, and souvenirs.

 

[Marionnette]

I just did our budget for what we will spend once we are at Disney. We have a $1600 budget that includes tips, meals (that aren't on the dining plan), gas, hotels to and from Disney, groceries, souvenirs, and the money in case we decide to add a day to our tickets for our departure day. I'm just curious what others budget for, and how much you have in that budget.

If you're driving: tolls
If you're offsite: parking

Other possible expenses:

• rental car or taxi cab
• spa treatments
• Downtown Disney entertainment (DisneyQuest, Splitsville, movies, Cirque du Soleil tickets)
• emergency cab fare for the airport in case I miss DME
• emergency fund for OTC medicines when someone gets sick
• extra cash for umbrellas and ponchos when you're in the park and caught in a downpour, gloves for when it gets freezing cold at night in January or a fresh t-shirt because you spilled your Starbucks down the front

 

[Minniesgal]

I do to tend to budget. We go for 15 nights once every 3 years so it is our blow out and if we want something we can have it. I try and plan spending to about $ 3000 but we were nearer $4000 last trip for dining fuel supermarket food and souvenirs

 

[3girlsfun]

When we are there, we normally only go off property for 1 meal, Chevy's, because I LOVE it, and I love their margaritas. We drive down, so, I bring all of our snacks and groceries down with us for breakfasts.

Our first trip, the kids wanted tons of "stuff," but, now they are happy with one or two things, and BBB. I would LOVE to eliminate BBB from the budget because we have done it so many time, but, the girls love it. I have 4 girls, so, I believe it will be in my budget for some time to come.

It doesn't feel like there is money left over to spend once I pay off the trip, but, alas, I make it work! HAHA!!!

Only 29 more days until we are Home!!!

 

[Surfinpiratee]

I'm not sure if I will have a budget.
I plan on just saving up how ever much I can save!
With us though, its just me and DBF, no kids. We're also not buying meals out, maybe breakfast or lunch once in a while, but were driving and bringing.our own foood

 

[dylans mommy]

We do the DDP so we will have our meals "paid for" before we leave. We budget around $500-600 to be safe for gas (we drive down there), souvenirs, snacks, tips and if we get any special adult drinks.

My kids usually have a 50-100 gift card each from their grandparents that is not included in what we budget.

 

[DisneyBride2014]

For transportation -we drive down so we budget $600 for a hotel night on the way down and back as well as fuel for the drive there plus once we are on Disney property.

We have never done the dining plan so all food is out of pocket. We budget an additional $250-300 a day for the two of us which includes all food, drinks, souveniers, extra activities (bowling at splitsville, mini golf etc), and tipping.

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

On our upcoming trip in 2 weeks we will budget $400 for gas. We are driving ugh. We will spend $45 for parking since we park free at the Universal parks with our AP. I have $80 to spend on souvies to bring back for the kids and $500 for food, groceries and tips. We will be staying at Bonnet Creek and will eat breakfast in the room. We will have one CS and one TS meal per day. So for the 2 of us a little over a grand for a 7 night trip.

 

[mom2my3kids]

I am bringing 2000 but that includes gas, hotel on way there (cheap just to sleep)..We are not on dining plan so we have two sit downs scheduled the rest counter service meals..Each child has their own spending money so we are good in that department..We really dont buy alot of extras so I believe we will be good..

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I'm horrible. We didn't budget on our June 2013 trip well at all.

I just brought the credit cards and what we spent, we spent. Then when we got home, I deposited all the cash I'd saved up for the trip and didn't spend while there and took 3 months to pay the rest off on the credit card.

That's pretty much how we've done it the last couple of vacations no matter where we go. It works for us.

Now on my solo trips, I budget like crazy because that money comes from ebay sales, couponing (I get to keep whatever money saved from the my grocery budget) and my fun money.

I budget everything on solo trips - including toll costs if I'm driving and tips for everything from the skycap at the airport to the bartenders at the bars I think I'll be stopping at. And the park N fly at the airport if I'm flying.

 

[kiramay]

I don't really have one. If they don't offer FD I'll pick up about $1000 in gift cards for dinning, and the kids will each get a $50 gc to pick out souvenirs. Anything above that we'll charge, but I'm not expecting much. Last trip everything (dining, tips, alcohol) was charged to our room, and it was around $980.

 

[lvillotta1]

I plan $500 for 5n/6D. We are a family of 3. We fly,use Disney bus,dining plan, value resort,3 days at parks with no hopper. The non park days we spend at DTD and the resort. We do QS dining so no tips for us. Souvenirs not a big deal. We are going in Feb for $1500. I try not to charge anything.

 

[4luv2cdisney]

We don't care much for souvenirs anymore. Maybe a Christmas ornament if I see one I really like or something. The kids already have $50 each in g.c's and plan on bringing $20 of their own $ with. That will likely be plenty for them, too. So, all we will have oop is:

tips
milk
gas
Couple of meals on the road to / from
bowling or movie or mini golf or other?

Honestly, I don't really budget for it, but I expect it to be about $900 or less. These items don't typically come out of the vacation fund. In a week at home, we spend around $450 for food / gas / other anyway. So, we try to be really frugal the week before we leave and the week we get back. We will have most of our gas money from credit card rewards. The other items will go on our credit card to be paid in full out of our normal household budget when the bill comes.

 

[3Gsandme]

My budget for our upcoming trip is 6k for everything. Resort, tickets and dining plan comes to 3400. The remaining 2600 is gas, hotels on the way down and back (2), tips, alcohol and all extras. I'm hoping to come in closer to 5k, but we'd rather over budget to be prepared.

The girls are earning their souvenir money by doing chores and should have a little north of $100 each by the time we go. Dh and I will buy one matching souvenir (I"m thinking ears, but it's hard to say until we get there) but once their money is out, they're done.

 

[mrsabbott]

We budget everything! Have to.

Kids will have whatever spending money they save via gifts or allowance. How much is up to them.

Normally, I'm not big on souvenirs but I will probably go a little nuts at WWoHP.

 

[nansmama]

I budget $100 a day for ADRs (we aren't on the dining plan so usually only have about 3 or 4 of these), in-park snacks, groceries at our villa, souvenirs, and extras (minigolf etc). I don't think we have ever gone over budget. Last couple trips we've been coming in a bit under budget since we don't really buy many souvenirs anymore. ETA: this is for one adult, two teens.