What splurges are worth it?

[Jankam]

Hi all,
I am trying of course to plan a budget-friendly trip for next August and I'm wondering - what splurges have been "worth it" to your family? There are just so many options (meals, BBB, etc etc) that I have no idea what to prioritize! After paying for tickets and hotel, our budget for the week (7 nights) will be approximately $1000-1200 and that must include food. We have no problem eating breakfast in the room (PBJ & fruit, etc) so that's not a problem.
Thanks for your input, and if there's already an existing thread like this, please send me to it!
Thanks!
Jan

ETA: 2 adults, 2 DSs ages 12 & 9, 1 DD age 6

 

[CodeGoddess]

We use to travel on the cheap to Disney every year. We saved the most on food - in room or McDonalds breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, split a turkey leg and potatoes for dinner. The one thing we use to really splurge on though was a couple snacks/drinks during the week (*drool* ice cream sandwiches) and one major souvenir per person in our family. Never felt like we missed anything.

Even now as we are booking ADRs and other events, I don't think I would miss going again on the cheap. There is so much amazing that I never felt like we missed out on anything.

 

[MomToOne]

BBB is worth it one time if you have a young daughter that will enjoy it. But go for the cheapest package and just wear a princess costume you bought ahead of time, or just a nice dress.

DD15 likes getting her nails done at the Grand Floridian Spa. And we both like the afternoon tea at the hotel there. So we go over for the afternoon (cause I'm too cheap to stay there ), she has her nails done (with my sister if she's visiting with us) while I enjoy some "me time" and an adult beverage or two in a lounge, then we go for tea afterwards.

We like to scatter a regular table service meal here and there between counter service meals. But we don't need a table service meal everyday. Which restaurant is best really depends on your interests - we did a lot of character meals when DD was younger, but I think I overdid it and wouldn't do so many if I could go back in time. More recently, we enjoy going to the movie theater at Downtown Disney and seeing one of the dine-in movies. We do eat breakfast in the room most days, just because it's easier and we can get out to a park faster to beat the crowds. We'll eat a hotel breakfast once or twice just to break it up.

I think a waterpark is worth a visit if you've never been and you are going in hot weather (which it looks like you are!)

Most of the other "extra" experiences we've done have not been worth the cost.

 

[Jankam]

Yes, our travel agency gives a free day at the waterpark, so we're definitely going to do that!

 

[LJSquishy]

With 2 adults and 3 kids staying 7 nights, $1,000-$1,200 is a somewhat tight budget (not difficult to stick to, but without a lot of extras). As 2 adults, we're staying 9 nights and budgeting $1,000 just for food -- which will include a few in-room breakfasts, drinking water only, and having 1CS meal per day and 1TS meal per day most days (or 2CS meals a couple of the days). Also, no desserts or snacks. It works out to about $50 per person per day. Souvenirs, dinner shows, special snacks/desserts, alcohol, etc would all be on top of that amount. So, for your family, you might want to plan to do just a couple of special TS meals spaced throughout your trip that you think everyone would really enjoy and do CS the rest of the trip. Table service restaurants eat up a lot of money...between the cost of the meals themselves and paying gratuity, it's quite a large chunk. I even have myself trying to narrow down our TS reservations because of the commitment and also extra money they cost (we can afford to splurge if we want but I guess I'm a penny pincher at heart. LOL).

There are so many fun free things at Disney like Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom game that your family can do. The cards are yours to keep which might make for a fun little souvenir for the kids. We don't like to pay for a lot of "extras" at Disney...to us, being there is magical enough!

For breakfasts, my husband and I are planning to make our own "packets" of oatmeal in zip-top baggies and then microwave with water in our room. I'm not sure where you're staying or if you'll have a microwave, but we're staying DVC at AKL so we have a microwave and toaster. I don't like all of the sugar in instant oatmeal packets so I'll just pack rolled oats. I also plan to order a kid's breakfast platter on some days for breakfast...I don't need the adult size for breakfast (or maybe my husband and I will share the adult platter). The resorts usually also offer a bowl of oatmeal as well which is usually just a few dollars.

 

[joannamet]

A character buffet has always been our splurge. A hearty meal and great photos. We like Chef Mickeys, Crystal Palace and Tusker House.

 

[cjnix29]

If this is your first trip, you really don't need to splurge, as everything will be new and exciting!!! But a character meal can be a good splurge if you have never done one. I think Crystal Palace and Tusker House are our favorites. Good food, and decent characters. That is a tight budget for food for the week for all of you, so I don't think there will be much room for a lot of extras. Check out the menus on allears.net to figure out what you may spend. To maybe pad that amount, check out the disney gift card deals thread that may help you get a little extra. If your trip isn't until next August, you have some time to perhaps earn some free money! Have a great trip!

 

[RDawn]

We scheduled some character meals for our 6 & 8 year olds, but my almost 40 year old brother LOVED it too. This was his first trip to Disney & he thought it was going to be all for the kids. The Disney magic hit him once Mickey was at our table. I enjoy the pictures of him with the characters as much as I cherish the pics of my children with them.

 

[kathy884]

Call me a poop, but I think the majority of the extras are overpriced. We just do the regular theme parks (I feel like those are great fun and offer a good value), and my one splurge is a Mickey Ice cream bar. // If you go a lot though, you may want to try something different just to do something new.

 

[FrozenDuck]

Hi all,
I am trying of course to plan a budget-friendly trip for next August and I'm wondering - what splurges have been "worth it" to your family? There are just so many options (meals, BBB, etc etc) that I have no idea what to prioritize! After paying for tickets and hotel, our budget for the week (7 nights) will be approximately $1000-1200 and that must include food. We have no problem eating breakfast in the room (PBJ & fruit, etc) so that's not a problem.
Thanks for your input, and if there's already an existing thread like this, please send me to it!
Thanks!
Jan

ETA: 2 adults, 2 DSs ages 12 & 9, 1 DD age 6

I would suggest trying to rebook in the spring, using the free dining promotion as soon as it gets released to the general public. That'll eliminate or reduce your food cost (and 5 people eating at Disney for 7 days will add up quickly!).

 

[PAcpl]

I would suggest trying to rebook in the spring, using the free dining promotion as soon as it gets released to the general public. That'll eliminate or reduce your food cost (and 5 people eating at Disney for 7 days will add up quickly!).

This, this, this. A million times, this! The DDP is a huge savings and I would try to take as much advantage of it as I can.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

The basic package at BBB was so worth it for us. My daughter got an Anna dress from her grandma for Christmas and wore it to her appointment in January.

Character meals are overrated IMO. We've done a few every trip so far, but will probably opt out next time.

Your boys will like the free transportation cards given out by monorail, bus, and boat operators. Ask and you shall receive!

Price out cheaper TS meals and pick the most filling CS options. We never find a ton of room for snacks.

We have always brought most of our "souvenirs" from home where they can be purchased for much less money.

I would not buy park hoppers or water park tickets on your first trip.

 

[Jankam]

Thanks for all of these great suggestions! We've been to WDW before, with 5 & 2 y/o and then with 9/6/3 y/o's. We have never previously had any extra after paying for the reservation itself and used rewards points only to eat for around $700 for a week for all of us previously. It sounds like I may need to re-think my budget a bit though now that the kids are older and we might want to have a splurge here or there. I am definitely doing the GC thing - what a great thread that is! Even if I can get closer to $1400, that would be $200 per day for lunch, dinner, and whatever else might get squeezed in. I love the idea of bringing your own princess dress to BBB. It's so darn hot that time of year that she won't want to wear the dress all day anyway!

 

[robfamily]

I definitely agree to try to get free dining if possible. We have done budget trips staying off site and brought meals in the park. This last trip we were able to go during free dining promotion. It looks like it may be a possibility for your trip. It was so nice to have all the food covered. We did QS and loved it. No reservations and took a lot less time than TS would so we could spend more time in the parks. QS meals have lots of options especially at the resorts. Everyone was happier on this trip. Kids could have whatever snack they wanted and I didn't have to have a strategy to keep within budget.
For souvenirs, I bought some trading pins on ebay and lanyards on ebay. The kids(DD 9 and DS7) loved trading pins and didn't ask to buy any other souvenirs bc they were so intent on looking at the pins on employees in stores instead of all the merchandise.
If you can't get free dining, I would bring some snacks and or lunches into parks. You can also bring water bottles in or ask for cups of ice water for free at qs locations.
ETA: Splurges that are worth it to my kids: Mickey ice cream bars for DS and cupcakes for DD

 

[PatsGirl]

I would do one character meal, whichever one has the characters your kids most like but Chef Mickeys's is always a good choice. Now mind you, I recommend it as a one-time thing at the beginning of your first trip. Its a great way to get autographs and pictures to avoid the meet and greet lines in the parks. My second splurge would be ONE family picture of everyone together. You could do this at Chef Mickeys as well. I would not pack lunches for the parks but you could most likely order three CS meals and split them between the five of you. Check out the menus on allears.net and figure out how to get the best bang for your buck. Places like Rainforest and TRex have meals so large they are easily shared. The only souvenier we have ever purchased is an ornament with the year on it every time we go. Replace dinner one night with the Beaches and Cream Kitchen Sink Sundae? The kids would get a kick out of that.

 

[sk8jdgca]

One splurge...which isn't that expensive is to get the passports in Epcot. They are around $10 each and at each kidcot, the cast member will sign it in their own language.
Buy trading pins in a lot off of eBay. Great way for your kids to interact with cast members. In gift shops, they are more interested in trading pins than buying stuff
Do you have a car? Lots of places close by that are cheaper to eat at. We tend to do early mornings (eat in room) breaks in middle of day ( have a large meal offsite) then go back at night. Sweet tomatoes is a great spot to eat on a budget and get really filled up with yummy foods
Instead if BBB, book a hair cut at the barbershop. Much cheaper and they do a great job and sprinkle you with pixie dust.

 

[marthachick]

I'm like a PP, I think most of the extras are way overpriced. I think we get caught up on these boards and think, well I HAVE to do this or my trip will be a bust. I've decided that just being together as a family and gathering memories, not stuff, is the main thing. I would pick 1 or 2 TS meals that everyone was really interested in and book those. Also, we buy 1 Christmas ornament that best represent each park to us that year. So when we bring them out to decorate the tree, we re-live the memories!

Good luck planning & hope you have a blast!

 

[Minnesota!]

If you have any down days - no park - we really like hanging out at Fort Wilderness for a morning. The breakfast buffet there is cheap, and then the kids run around on the playground, on the beach, play checkers, go to the stables, etc. It's a very relaxing time, and costs minimal - even less if you are not there to eat.

 

[Marionnette]

Call me a poop, but I think the majority of the extras are overpriced. We just do the regular theme parks (I feel like those are great fun and offer a good value), and my one splurge is a Mickey Ice cream bar. // If you go a lot though, you may want to try something different just to do something new.

I have to say that I agree with you to a point.

So many of the oohs and ahhhs that you read about on the disboards are highly overrated. BBB is pretty costly for what amounts to a tightly done bun and some glitter. Pirate League is just a themed makeup session. Even the character buffets are just bad food with some character interaction at a steep price (read Webmaster Leah's recent article about taking a break from character buffets).

So what kind of splurges do I find to be worth the money?

Hoppers - great way to shave some money from a trip if you're looking to economize but if you want a splurge, do the hoppers. It allows you to visit a 1/2-day park (like HS) and visit another park with a late closing time in the same day. This is especially nice when visiting during non-peak times when AK closes as early as 5 PM.
Water Park Fun & More - definitely worth the extra cost if you want to do a couple of days away from the parks, not worth the cost if you're doing a rope-drop-to-park-close park commando whirlwind trip.
Rental Car - relying on Disney transportation can be a drag. An hour to get from one place to another (Disney's recommendation, not mine!)? Twenty minutes or more waiting for a bus? Sometimes it can take 2-3 buses at park closing before you can cram on a vehicle so that you can stand up for the ride to your resort, with the wheels of a jogging stroller jammed into your ankle.
Cab rides - if not renting a car during your stay, a cab ride can be worth the cost just so that you don't have to rely on Disney transportation to get from your own resort to the one where you have a dining reservation. There is no direct resort-to-resort transportation other than within the MK-area resorts and within the Epcot-area resorts (the joys of staying deluxe!).
Staying Deluxe - but only with a really good discount! Location can be a huge factor in being able to get around Disney. Walking to the International Gateway from the YC/BC, or to the MK from CR, is so nice when everyone else is lined up for a mile to catch a bus to the same location.
Bottled Water - generally looked down upon by the Budget Board faithful, but sometimes I'd rather purchase an icy cold bottle from one of the kiosk stands than wait in line for a free cup of ice water or lug a reusable water bottle around all day. Again, it's a personal preference but it's a splurge that I find to be worth it sometimes.​

 

[CodeGoddess]

I love the idea of bringing your own princess dress to BBB. It's so darn hot that time of year that she won't want to wear the dress all day anyway!

There was a thread a bit ago on here about BBB. A lot of posters said they did their own makeover at a salon with their own dress because BBB hair styles and shoes were very uncomfortable. A lot of them said their kids were taking them out/off by mid day. I will see if I can find that thread again.