What's the cheapest you've ever done Disney?

[momof3disneyholics]

When I hear about cost cutting methods people are using on their trips I just have to share the story about my first trip to Disney!
I never went to Disney as a child. My parents always said it was too expensive ( I don't think they ever really looked into it). My husband never went to Disney either for the same reasons, so that was one thing we always talked about doing when we were "well off". Well, anyway, it was May of 99 and he is in the army and we were going to leave for Germany in another month for a long tour and we were talking about what can we do that is in our price range before we go. We live in GA so we were thinking either the beach or Six Flags. I was looking in the back of a road map I had at some of the coupons and I saw the Orlando section and saw several hotels listed for 30.00 a night. I thought, this can't be right! I called up and got prices on tickets. We decided to do the 1 day 1 park passes. We got our room for 3 nights and we went to Magic Kingdom one day and Epcot one day and we also hung out at the boardwalk and downtown disney. We only had our son then and he was 2 so of course he was free. We budgeted 50.00 a day on food, which meant we did the free breakfast at the hotel, counter service for lunch and shoney or something like that for dinner. We had a blast and got plenty of souvinears. Our total trip including gas was less than 800.00!
We had such a good time and now when I think about how much our Disney trips cost these days, I think that we enjoyed that first trip just as much as we enjoy the ones we take these days.
I would love if anyone would share their stories!

 

[disneysteve]

I know I posted this story somewhere around here, but who knows where.

In Feb. 2000, I finally got fed up with a bad job situation and quit. About a month later, still unemployed, I came downstairs one Tuesday morning and asked my wife if she wanted to go to WDW. She asked when and I said how about Saturday. I went online and booked the EconoLodge for something like $23.95/nite. We already had AP's so admission wouldn't cost us anything. We loaded up the van with luggage and a bunch of food and hit the road. We were gone for 10 days (including travel time) and I think the whole trip cost us about $1500.

Steve

 

[A Mickeyfan]

Oct of 2001 got a room on Priceline for $15 per night, that included breakfast! (no the room wasn't great, but we weren't in it but to sleep) We are pass holders so we didn't have to get tickets. We brought many snacks with us for lunch as well as bottle water & juice boxes from home. We ate only dinner out, which I am a Disney Dining card holder so we got 20% off our food. We went to the All Star Sports to get pizza & bread sticks for me & 3 kids. Total came to under $17. So add my pizza & room (with tax etc...) came to under $35 per day for 4 of us!!! Now that is CHEAP.... and of course that is what my kids called me!!! Don't get me wrong... I don't do that all the time. I go so often, that is the only way I can afford it. I stay on site, then off site, then on site, then off etc...... Once a year we splurge on a Deluxe resort for 5-7 days...... that is when my kids love me LOL!!

 

[UKDEB]

During the summer of 1992 I came across an advert in one of the Sunday supplements of a major UK broadsheet for the (then still fairly new) EuroDisney (now DLP). Disney had never really appealed to me (I considered myself far too enlightened to sink to such levels! ). However, it <i>did</i> look like a fairytale fantasyland and how could I deprive my two young daughters, aged 7 and 4, the experience?

The next day found me in the offices of my local travel agent. The cost for a four day (onsite) excursion to EuroDisney for our family of four was £1000 (almost $2000 at the exchange rate back then). Hmmm, a little expensive.

"Why don't you look at Walt Disney World in Florida?", asked my oh-so-obliging travel agent. For just £2000 you can spend 2 whole weeks in the glorious Florida sun!

The rest, as they say, is history. In October, 1992 we made our first trip to Orlando. My expectations were nil. We are currently planning our 9th 4500 mile transatlantic crossing (bear in mind that I am <i>terrified</i> of flying!).

I know this isn't cheap compared with you guys, but I thought you might like to hear my story. We still haven't made it to DLP!

 

[momof3disneyholics]

WOW, and I really thought my story was going to be the "cheapest" one!

 

[katrina1122]

Spring break in college (94)...one of my friends had a friend who was a night manager at an I-drive best western or some other similiar chain (don't remember which one). 8 of us piled into 2 cars drove straight thru to Orlando 18 hours only stopping for gas, not food as we'd backed coolers full of food. He had gotten us a rate where we each paid $23 a piece for the entire week (not per night)! He also got us half price 5 day park hopper tickets so they were about $150 if I remember correctly. We ate breakfast in our room, and packed lunches...took breaks by eating out of our cooler in our car in the parking lot. We only bought dinner and since we had prepooled money nothing came out of my pocket that week. I think the prepool was $200 for food and gas. I didn't buy but a few souveniers. I did 7 days for $550, and we actually all got money back from the pool at the end of the week!

 

[Linda/MA]

In January 1995, a friend of ours called my husband and told him that they were going to Orlando for a week in February and got a great deal. He asked if we were interested. They had a 5 y/o DD and so did we as well as an 8 y/o DD. My husband called me and I said check it out. He called and got the info. The trip was for the last week in February (the week after our school vacation, but the kids were young so that was that big of an issue). Well, the four of us got airfare, hotel (Days Inn) and rental car for $800! We went to WDW for 4 days, US for two (one-day free) and Sea World. I think the whole trip cost less than $2500 for four of us.

 

[wdwnutze]

In 1996, dh and I decided to do a trip without the kids. I had vouchers from Delta so 2 rountrip tickets only cost $200. I had passes left over from an earlier trip so we didn't need to pay for those. We went to Seaworld but got the tickets for doing a timeshare presentation. We stayed at the BestWesternInternational for $150 for 5 nights. We only brought about $250 for spending money which included our food and something to but for the kids at home. we came home without a penny left but didn't feel deprived on that trip at all. Would love to do it again. Sometimes simpler is better.

 

[Muffy]

What a great thread. I can't add to it but love reading about your bargain trips! Keep them coming!

 

[miko]

I am so very fortunate to "have" to be in Orlando at least 1 and normally 2-3 times a month to support our facility in the northeast part of town. So if you factor out the cost of my AP many of my trips are "free". I almost always can get to WDW area at least one night every trip. Depending on season that can mean a few hours at EPCOT or MGM or sometimes a few at MK.
Even with the frequent job visits, we will go at least every December (first week or so) and have taken advantage of Marriott and Hyatt programs to stay free at Hotels so basically some vacation trips are cost of meals/gifts only, aifare and rental car can also be obtained thru frequent travel programs.

 

[dturner]

This coming up trip in September, I'm trying to make the cheapest ever (2 adults, 1 child):

Hotel = CbM in DD - 5 nights $111.60
PH's = 3day from Alamo $473.94 + taxes+shipping
Sea World Tickets = Platinum 2yr Passes=monthly from CC (to me that's no money since it's taken out monthly) $0.00
Gas=Dallas-Orlando-Dallas=gas cards from mypoints.com ($50.00 so far, should have most of gas paid for by trip time)
Hotel = Pensacola Beach (2 nights) going to do this on Priceline so figuring/estimating $120.00 for two nights
Spending money = $800.00 (again I'm not counting this money because it's the child tax refund that I was not expecting, thank you Mr. Bush for giving me the money to go to Disney this year)

So, if you look at it from the standpoint of spending/saving money out of my pocket, less than $1,000 for nine days of traveling, not bad in my book.

 

[spiceycat]

back before I joined DVC - I got a nice rate on a tiny little hotel - it came with refrigerator - for around $15 per night - stayed 4 nights - the tickets were much cheaper then so around $125 for all the parks - at WDW it was MK and EPcot - then SW - US was not yet opened.

first time to visit SW - so counting groceries around $200 maybe $225 - plus the gasoline - but that was cheap then too

then I brought DVC - until 2000 we had free tickets to WDW - so I really saved here - we generally always stayed in a studio - the tickets were free and we visite the grocery store - So around $200 per trip.

 

[momofdbsdc]

We went to Disney last September. We drove from Buffalo, spent 10 days at HIFS. We purchased 4 day hoppers for Disney, and the buy one day at Sea World, Get one free (through Sea Worlds web site. (There were 7 of us total-2 adults & 5 children) The total cost of our trip was $3000. Not a cheap vacation, but for a famil of our size, I think pretty reasonable.

 

[vhoffman]

This might not be the cheapest trip of all time, but I'm pleased with the deal I've arranged.

We're going to WDW this Dec. We're using our SWA rapid rewards tickets, so airfare is free. We managed to get the 20.03 rate at Courtyard by Marriott DTD for 5 nights, so that comes to $140.12, including taxes and fees. We have annual passes, so that's paid for. At $100 per day food, I figure $500 to eat. Airport to hotel transfers via Happy limo, using their online coupon, comes to $75. So, total, 140.12 + 500 + 75 = $715.17.

Not bad!! Of course, we'll probably spend more, on things like souveniers, special dinners, shows, etc. But I figure the whole thing will be about $1000. Sure beats the $4000 + we spent last time!

 

[LIFERBABE]

Our first trip to Orlando I was on bestfares.com and found rental car deal thru National. They had an overabundance of cars at MCO and were basically giving one-way rentals away! ($89 for a week and return it at home DFW)
At the time it was myself, DH and DS 1yr. We found cheap one-way air on Valu-Jet (remember them?) for $75 each Ds Free.
We stayed with a Navy friend's parents in Apopka, as we were taking her daughter back to Dallas with us while she was deployed for a few weeks. Beautiful stucco home which they were very proud of and they liked to work in the yard. Very relaxing place to stay!
Animal Kingdom had just opened so we bought 1 day passes for that and paid for parking. The rest of the week we hit Daytona beach twice as we had little ones and they loved playing in the sand.
On the drive home we visited my sister in Atlanta for a night.

Total trip cost us $400!

 

[momof3disneyholics]

I love these stories!

 

[wdwcrazy]

Going pack to when our daughter was in school. We used to call the hotels in the Quest discount book from our automobile club or Entertainment book. Every year we were able to get a hotel in downtown Disney for the week prior to Easter departing on the day after Easter. This meant we would take our daughter out of school for 3 days. It would cost us about $150 in gas and tolls from NY, $200 in hotels and the food was always minimal. We would always go the store and get muffins or cereal with disposable bowls for breakfast. We had a plug in cooler that would keep milk cold. For lunch we would eat the normal park junk and for dinner we would often have a roasted chicken or something like it with salads from the grocery store. Meals would run us around $30-40 a day for the 4 of us. So all in all around 600-650 dollars for Easter time. Not bad. People used to be amazed about the cost of our trips because they were always during the peak Easter time.

 

[Pat_Elliott]

The cheapest trip include using your leftover AP's, so it's a little decieving, but.....October 26-31, 2001:

Air Fare for two: $252 (US Air)
Priceline Room: $179 (Courtyard at Marriot Village)
Food: $ 210
Rental Car: $ 90 (Payless)
Misc (gas/groceries)$ 40

Total: $771 for two adults, 6 nights and seven days.

Do I win?

Disclaimer: ate an earful of granola bars, pop tarts, and cheese crackers. I reccomend, even on the tighest budget, raising the foods stakes a bit....

 

[CdnMom2]

I agree about considering your food more carefully. On our trying-to-be-a-budget 2 1/2 week trip we ate way too much Pizza. Can't come back here to our busy schedules & have 4 kids sick of pizza! Not the lasting memory of WDW I was aiming for!

Pizza en route. Pizza ordered in to hotel 1 rainy eve. B1G1 (or something like that) Pizza from McD's there with coupon Mom has wisely learned about here. Left-over refrigerated pizza at breakfast. Free Pizza special from HIFS (again thank you the great people on the DIS). Pizza from grocery store at Condo... You get the idea. Some great deals, but need to consider variety better ... next time... once I convince DH of the next time!

 

[reldridge]

You talk about cheap!! In 1972 my first wife and I (young and foolish then) drove her '67 VW Beetle to Orlando. We had a small tent that we bought from Sears. Stayed 3 days in a campground about 10 miles from WDW. We spent two days at Magic Kingdom,
and we both thought it was amazing. I really don't remember exactly how much we spent, but in those days we didn't have kids or any money so it couldn't have been much. It seems to me that life and WDW vacations were a lot more laid back in those days. There was no planning at all, no "codes", no packages, just load up and go.