What splurges are worth it?

[taaren]

The splurge the kids still talk about 3 years later: dinner at Garden Grill. If you're going to do one of the character meals I'd highly recommend a plated one where you are served rather than a buffet. Also Gatorland for boys (off property), afternoon tea at the GF for the girls.

The splurge the adults still talk about 3 years later: we did a fireworks cruise to watch Illuminations which we shared with other DISsers. Such a magical way to see the shows with no crowds and get a tour of the waterways. Thinking next time we'll pick the MK show.

 

[Jankam]

Oh I love the idea of the fireworks cruise!

 

[CandleontheWater]

I would say that none of the TS meals are worth the splurge. People get really caught up in dining at Disney, but it is all hype and very little substance. The food is overpriced and mediocre, and the overall experience has been declining. I would eat CS, or even bring in your own food. On our last trip I got so fed up with paying top dollar for uncrustables meals for my kids that I drove off property, bought a box of uncrustables and a box of pre-sliced apples, and some bagged goldfish, and volia! it was the same meal they were eating for half the price.

It worked out so well for the kids, that I ended up doing the same thing for me and my husband! I bought some nice cheese, some fancy crackers, pre-sliced pepperoni, hummus, pretzels and grapes and chocolate and we had our very own fancy picnic right in the park. It certainly beat park food, and was much cheaper. We just used a soft sided cooler and ice pack, and kept it in the stroller.

One thing food related that I do agree with a previous poster that is worth the splurge is the snacks at Disney. Nothing beats a mickey bar, popcorn, treats from around WS, cupcakes from starring roles! I would keep meals cheap and then splurge on dessert!

 

[momof2gr8kids]

I agree it's a lot of the snacks my kids remember most. Like getting funnel cakes and watching the parade. Or having a dole whip on the Poly Beach. Those kinds of things. Or getting up early for EMH and riding Expedition Everest over and over and over. Jedi training academy. The things my kids talk about and remember most are the ones that didn't cost a lot of $$.

For a character meal I'd suggest a breakfast. Looks like you will have 4 Disney "adults" next trip and there's nothing more aggravating than watching a kid pick at chicken fingers at a $50 meal. LOL

Walking around the boardwalk, checking out the entertainment. Having the kitchen sink for lunch.

I think you could be fine with your budget if you bring stuff for breakfasts in room and don't eat a lot of table service meals (especially buffets!).

 

[RainSW6]

Two splurges I'm glad we paid for were Park Hoppers and dinner at BOG.

But honestly our best 'splurge' was staying at Wilderness Lodge. Definitely worth paying more for, especially since it was right after Christmas and all the decorations were still up! It was perfect. Our room at night had a view of both the MK fireworks, and the Electric Water Parade. On our last night back to the Lodge from MK, the boat we were one stopped in the middle of the water so that we could watch the fireworks- most magical view ever!

One splurge I probably won't bother with again was Pirate's League. It was lots of fun, but I think we would have had just as much fun fitting in another ride or something that is cost-included.

 

[ilovebassets]

Water parks! Both of them are great. Our kids love them, and we all have a really fun time as a family.

Getting a golf cart if you're staying at Fort Wilderness. Is it an absolute necessity? No. But it sure makes the trip more enjoyable.

One thing that I thought definitely wasn't worth it? Cinderella's Royal Table. Blah food and small portions for truly astronomical prices. I mean, I am a small woman, and I still had to get something else to eat after we ate dinner there. I get that it's supposed to be about the castle and the princesses, but it's definitely a one and done experience.

 

[madge]

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

splurges are subjective ... what my family enjoys might not be something your family does. LOL ... my daughter was never, ever interested in BBB, so that didn't appeal to us. Fancy meals don't, either. But what we love is playing mini golf -- like everything else, it's pricier at WDW, so it becomes a splurge item for us. Not knowing the ages of your traveling party, I'd also say that a backstage tour (ie, Keys to the Kingdom) was a splurge we LOVED. Upgrading resorts is something we did in July -- we wanted to stay at Ft Wilderness around the July 4 holiday, so that was our big splurge. Sometimes flying instead of driving is a splurge. It all depends. LOL

not helpful, I'm sure ... but it was fun thinking about how we splurge

 

[madge]

Getting a golf cart if you're staying at Fort Wilderness. Is it an absolute necessity? No. But it sure makes the trip more enjoyable.

my favorite Fort splurge!

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

Since our kids are still young we will definitely do at least 1-2 character meals on our next trip as we enjoy that experience as a family. Breakfast is the least expensive option so we pretty much limit our character meals to breakfast since there are seven of us. We'll probably also do The Pirates League at MK again. It was a fun and immersive makeover experience for my kids and I felt the prices were reasonable. I'm also considering the Fantasmic dining package for our next trip as well.

 

[momtosam]

A rental car to avoid waiting for buses is so worth it to us.

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

splurges are subjective ... what my family enjoys might not be something your family does. LOL ... my daughter was never, ever interested in BBB, so that didn't appeal to us. Fancy meals don't, either. But what we love is playing mini golf -- like everything else, it's pricier at WDW, so it becomes a splurge item for us. Not knowing the ages of your traveling party, I'd also say that a backstage tour (ie, Keys to the Kingdom) was a splurge we LOVED. Upgrading resorts is something we did in July -- we wanted to stay at Ft Wilderness around the July 4 holiday, so that was our big splurge. Sometimes flying instead of driving is a splurge. It all depends. LOL

not helpful, I'm sure ... but it was fun thinking about how we splurge

I definitely agree with that. For our family, buying airline fare for six people was definitely a splurge when we technically could have done the 16 hour drive down from PA. We know several people that have drove to Disney from out our way and swear they won't go any other way, but for our past trips we "splurged" on flying down because we didn't want to give up two days of vacation to being on the road. Now that we are giving driving down much more serious consideration (having to now purchase a 7th ticket makes driving down a much more attractive option ), we are taking notes on ways to make the drive down a fun part of the vacation vs. viewing it as something that will take away from the vacation.

 

[savannie]

I think it depends on what your family enjoys. Some of my personal favorite memories from past trips didn't cost a dime. There are so many awesome little "magical" things at Disney that are completely free. Try looking for some of the little "hidden" things in each park, and point them out to your children. There are lots of extra little things that kids love that won't cost you a penny. For example, you can look for the Kidcot stations in Epcot. They have little crafts for kids to do, and they're completely free. You can find tons of ideas on this board and others. (I may even make a post about this on my blog soon. )

My husband and I tend to prioritize food over other expenses, but we keep our budget very reasonable. We dislike the "theme park food" atmosphere at many of the quick service restaurants, so we like to find the quiet, less icky-feeling restaurants and spend our money there. Because we're on a budget, we normally choose less expensive table service restaurants or nicer quick service ones. (We love The Plaza in MK, Be Our Guest for lunch, the Sci-Fi Dine-in, etc.) I guess that would be our biggest splurge–finding somewhere calm and quiet to eat so we can escape the chaos for a while. We also normally schedule one big family dinner at 'Ohana, Biergarten, or Whispering Canyon, depending on our budget for that particular trip and who we're traveling with.

But, like I said, this is completely subjective. Another poster stated that the food was completely overpriced, and I obviously disagree. I'm not really paying extra for the food, which is normally only okay (though some of it's quite good). I'm really paying more for the experience, and each restaurant definitely has its own unique atmosphere that makes it well worth the money for us.

 

[Our 2 Princesses]

I definitely agree with that. For our family, buying airline fare for six people was definitely a splurge when we technically could have done the 16 hour drive down from PA. We know several people that have drove to Disney from out our way and swear they won't go any other way, but for our past trips we "splurged" on flying down because we didn't want to give up two days of vacation to being on the road. Now that we are giving driving down much more serious consideration (having to now purchase a 7th ticket makes driving down a much more attractive option ), we are taking notes on ways to make the drive down a fun part of the vacation vs. viewing it as something that will take away from the vacation.

We will probably be driving too since we are staying offsite this time. I have found lots of road trip tips and snacks on Pinterest.

 

[Counterfiend]

For me I see meals as the best splurge. Souvenirs unless they are super meaningful are just things you will forget about. But an amazing meal w/ or w/o characters will last.

 

[MulanyBelle]

BBB is it worth it for 3 daughters? Quite pricey, wondering if it's worth the splurge.

 

[magicmomms]

Without knowing your situation and likes I can only tell you what was worth it to my family on a recent trip. If you don't like these sorts of things, just disregard!

We loved having early dinner at The Boathouse (Disney Springs). My hubby got the stuffed Lobster with crab. It was his best meal and for 3 of us dinner was $135 (2 adults and 1 child) which isn't bad for Disney meals anyway. I thought it would have been more. I had the filet and it was delish. We got wonderful sides- the corn was amazing! I know it's just corn, but theirs was really good.

Cab ride home- late night at the parks and people were acting crazy on the buses. $25 got us back to our room and we were happy and safe

The Savannah view at AKL- we went out each morning and evening and enjoyed it so much. I really thought it was a waste, but we used it so much and it set the mood for our trip.

 

[MKay]

When our family of 6 went on a shoestring, our splurge was flying vs driving and going to the Hoop-De-Doo Review. We went on our first night and with 2 teenagers and 2 pre-teens I was afraid it was going to be a bomb out but they all actually loved it and got into the spirit of the show. Our table was the center of the room and the performers interacted with us. Really special memory for us all.
Since then, after several more trips, staying at the Beach Club (great pool, restaurants, amenities) where you can walk into Epcot is a splurge well-worth the cost; this year we are splitting our trip between Pop and BC, ending at BC.

 

[Accident]

I personally view the trip itself as the big splurge. I've had just as much fun and memories of trips with nothing extra added. You tend to remember the family time around meals more than you do the parks (at least that's my most vivid childhood trip memories). Do a nice table service that you can't find back home.

 

[andiraye]

It actually sounds like you have a fairly comfortable budget if your park tickets and hotel are taken care of.

I would do 1 snack per person per day in the parks. They are really fun to enjoy. 1 souvenir per kid (set a budget and let them pick).

Our big splurge has always been 1 character breakfast. Breakfast is cheaper than lunch or dinner but we've loved meeting the characters and not standing in line for it. We also love big breakfasts and aren't so into big lunch or dinner offerings. We do it on a non park day so it isn't rushed.

But honestly I done really see the need to add on all these extras - just being at WDW is super special.

 

[pampam]

You have received some great ideas for saving money, so I won't comment on that. You asked for areas where to splurge, but since I don't know your interests or what excites your family, it's hard to suggest things. I will say that what we enjoy are things that make us laugh. I highly recommend the Hoop de Doo Revue at Fort Wilderness. I'm not sure what the ages of your children are, but it is appropriate for all ages. I remember taking a 12 year old to WDW. He had a lot of health issues and rarely smiled. He enjoyed WDW but never laughed or acted excited until we went to the HDD Revue. He laughed out loud and had the time of his life. Good Memories. The food is fine, and they will bring you lots of it, but we go for the great show.

A second choice is the Bob Jackson show at the RiverRoost Lounge at Port Orleans Riverside. It can be as cheap as you want, especially if you are not heavy drinkers. He is a high energy, piano playing clown that gets the whole audience to sing along with him. If you go to see the show, go early to get a seat.

Another splurge we enjoy are pictures since they re-create happy times. Some special pictures taken by their photographers are nice souveniers.