What's the Worst Disney Budget Advice You Ever Got?

[clanmcculloch]

This thread was supposed to be about bad budget advice, not things your family can't live without on vacation.

I like reading all different types of budget advice because while some things don't apply to me, a lot do.

Telling people how they should and should not answer a question is rude IMO.

People saying what they can and can't live without on vacation is DIRECTLY related to budget advice because while one person may say it's a bad idea to drop something from their trip it's an absolute must for somebody else and vice versa.

For some people the advice to buy mugs is horrible because they won't go get them filled often enough or don't drink the types of drinks offered. For others skipping the mugs is horrible advice because they'll spend a lot more money buying individual drinks than they would have spent on the mugs.

For some people bringing bottled water to the park is horrible budget advice as they're very happy with the free ice water (with or without drink packets). For others the bad budget advice is to drink the free ice water as some won't drink the FL water even with drink packets meaning spending extra money later on to buy the park priced water.

Sharing what we can and can't do without demonstrates these kinds of things. Again, this is directly related to the subject of this thread.

 

[mom2faith]

Nope. Sorry to tell you this but you are wrong. You are not including the additional tax that is charged on top of that $82 per night. I did include it in my calculations.

If you want to compare just the cost of lodging and leave off all the perks and requirements of either side then your rate of $82 per night doesn't include the 13% tax that is also charged. The brings it up to $92.66 per night. For 7 nights that is $648.62 for you onsite stay. The offsite condo we use for that same time period is $474 (with the cleaning fee) for the week or $57 per night. Add the same 13% tax plus and it works out to be $76.51 per night or $535.62 per week. My math seems to indicate that $76 per night is cheaper than $92 per night no matter how you slice it.

If you get into the non-value seasons the difference becomes even more drastic. Take easter for example. The condo is $761 for 7 days with all fees, and taxes. A value resort is $1218. That is a $457 difference. I can almost stay offsite during a non-value season with the savings.

This is of course all trivial as some people such as I think that an offsite condo offers way more than an onsite value resort while other people believe that the extra money spent staying onsite is well worth it for the extra perks. I probably won't change your mind and you probably won't change mine. I have stayed both onsite and offsite and love both. My original point was just that if you are on a budget and need more than just a single room then it is always cheaper to stay offsite.

Keith

I have no plan to get into an arguement, but you did ask for proof that Onsite was less than $114 per night in your original request. That is what I answered. Even with the tax - $82 x 1.13 = $92.66. I do not know why you changed from $114 to $76, but you did ask for math proving that $114 was your per night.

 

[3pletprincesses]

Pigletto
we have a 24 hours drive too. we usually do it none stop as in no hotel night just because we want to get there fast LOL It's not has bad and since you are not driving, you will be able to grab some Zzzz. Dh & I will probably be driving 6 hours and then switch and sleep in between our turns. Since we leave on Friday around 5pm, Dh will drive the first 6 hours while I sleep as I fall asleep as soon as I get in there car, then I will drive all night and dh Drives the morning and I'll drive the afternoon. Our meals are based on driver switching time to cut down on rest time. I just can't justify paying over $2200 for airfare for the 5 of us.

 

[kmacht]

. I do not know why you changed from $114 to $76, but you did ask for math proving that $114 was your per night.

Maybe if you were to read my post before critisizing it you might realize your mistake (not mine). The $114 figure included the cost of a rental car and parking for the week. If you are strictly talking about lodging costs, offsite is cheaper as you pointed out with your $92.66 per night onsite vs $76.51 per night offsite. If you want to include all the other costs and perks then you start getting into car rental / dining plans / busses / extra magic hours / 1 bedroom vs 2 / kitchen vs none / laundry rooms / pools / in seasons vs value / etc.

Keith

 

[mom2faith]

Maybe if you were to read my post before critisizing it you might realize your mistake (not mine). The $114 figure included the cost of a rental car and parking for the week. If you are strictly talking about lodging costs, offsite is cheaper as you pointed out with your $92.66 per night onsite vs $76.51 per night offsite. If you want to include all the other costs and perks then you start getting into car rental / dining plans / busses / extra magic hours / 1 bedroom vs 2 / kitchen vs none / laundry rooms / pools / in seasons vs value / etc.

Keith

Actually read my post again. Staying onsite INCLUDES transportation and Parking, so $114 is the magic number that onsite needs to beat.

$92.66 + $0 Transportation + $0 Parking = $92.66 = still less than $114.

 

[MamaJessie]

Telling people how they should and should not answer a question is rude IMO.

People saying what they can and can't live without on vacation is DIRECTLY related to budget advice because while one person may say it's a bad idea to drop something from their trip it's an absolute must for somebody else and vice versa.

For some people the advice to buy mugs is horrible because they won't go get them filled often enough or don't drink the types of drinks offered. For others skipping the mugs is horrible advice because they'll spend a lot more money buying individual drinks than they would have spent on the mugs.

For some people bringing bottled water to the park is horrible budget advice as they're very happy with the free ice water (with or without drink packets). For others the bad budget advice is to drink the free ice water as some won't drink the FL water even with drink packets meaning spending extra money later on to buy the park priced water.

Sharing what we can and can't do without demonstrates these kinds of things. Again, this is directly related to the subject of this thread.

I was thinking the point of the thread was more along the lines of something that was supposed to save a family money, but didn't, not things they just didn't think were worth skimping on. That wouldn't be BAD advice, just not applicable to a specific family.

And I am not telling people how to answer a question, I just read pages of arguments and thought the point of the thread was lost. If that is indeed the intention of the thread then enjoy.

 

[kmacht]

Actually read my post again. Staying onsite INCLUDES transportation and Parking, so $114 is the magic number that onsite needs to beat.

$92.66 + $0 Transportation + $0 Parking = $92.66 = still less than $114.

That is an apples to oranges comparison. Does your onsite include 2 bedrooms, a living room, full kitchen, and laundry area? How many baths exactly in that onsite value resort? Does that DME bus stop at walmart on the way to the resort so you can buy food and water bottles for the week? Get my point yet?

If not, here it is again. Staying offsite is cheaper than onsite when you consider JUST the lodging cost. If you start getting into haves and have nots when comparing the two you can make an arguement for either side.

Keith

 

[matousm]

Staying on property is important to us! I would not go if I could not stay on property and be totally immersed in DISNEY!

We always do Dining plan- the last 3 years and this year we will do QSDP. The regular DDP is too structured for us. We like that fact that everything is paid for and I do not care if my son gets 2-4 desserts in one day since they are paid for and accounted for already. It may not be cheaper but is certainly EASIER! We can get whatever we want and not worry about the cost!!!!!

Mugs are also a must for us! We love refilling them at all hours. I will say last year at CBR is was further and we did not use them as much but we will always get our money's worth out of them.

Cooking and laundry isa NO-NO to me on vacation! So advice against staying off property was GREAT ADVICE to us on 1st trip and we have followed it ever since! We hate to drive and buses are great!

 

[tlbwriter]

Maybe if you were to read my post before critisizing it you might realize your mistake (not mine). The $114 figure included the cost of a rental car and parking for the week.

Even if the accommodations are not equal (I'm not going to attempt to figure out the value of a laundry room), you should consider the value of transportation, since that is objective and is a required component of the trip (unlike a private pool, extra bedrooms, EMH, etc., which are options that are of great value to some and little or no value to others.)

 

[clanmcculloch]

I was thinking the point of the thread was more along the lines of something that was supposed to save a family money, but didn't, not things they just didn't think were worth skimping on. That wouldn't be BAD advice, just not applicable to a specific family.

And I am not telling people how to answer a question, I just read pages of arguments and thought the point of the thread was lost. If that is indeed the intention of the thread then enjoy.

That's what people are doing. They're saying what advice didn't end up saving them money.

Person A says that the advice to buy refillable mugs ended up costing their family money for reasons abc.

Person B says that the advice to not buy refillable mugs ended up costing their family money for reasons xyz.

Discussing the difference is not arguing. Well, I suppose the mug discussion did degenerate into a bit of an arguement but compared to most mug discussions on the DIS it was pretty tame. Other discussions of differences for various families are not arguements but rather demonstrations of their own experiences with what turned out for the different individuals to be bad budget advice.

Most advice isn't necessarily as black and white as good or bad advice for all. Most advice falls under the umbrella of great for some people but wrong for others.

 

[tlbwriter]

Most advice isn't necessarily as black and white as good or bad advice for all. Most advice falls under the umbrella of great for some people but wrong for others.

Okay, let's think of some money-saving advice that most of us can agree is universally bad. I've actually seen these suggested in other forums or IRL.

Buy your tickets on eBay.

Instead of buying park hoppers, buy extra days. It's cheaper and you can use two "days" to go to different parks on the same day.

Bring cans of corn to eat in the parks.

 

[kmacht]

Even if the accommodations are not equal (I'm not going to attempt to figure out the value of a laundry room), you should consider the value of transportation, since that is objective and is a required component of the trip (unlike a private pool, extra bedrooms, EMH, etc., which are options that are of great value to some and little or no value to others.)

Trying to figure out the value of transportation is just as hard as trying to figure out the value of a laundry room. Some people stay on site and use the bus transportation, others swear they will never set foot on a disney bus and rent a car anyways. Some people offsite rent a car, others use a taxi to get to downtown disney and then the busses from there. Some people drive to disney with their own car and it doesn't matter if they are onsite or off. How much do you value having a private car to get back to your lodging when your child is having a melt down a the end of the day and just needs to get away from it all and there are standing room only on the bus? Is that value off set when you get lost with the car and spend 40 minutes of your vacation trying to find your way back to the parks? There are just too many varaiables to consider it a simple equation.

Keith

 

[MamaJessie]

That's what people are doing. They're saying what advice didn't end up saving them money.

Person A says that the advice to buy refillable mugs ended up costing their family money for reasons abc.

Person B says that the advice to not buy refillable mugs ended up costing their family money for reasons xyz.

Discussing the difference is not arguing. Well, I suppose the mug discussion did degenerate into a bit of an arguement but compared to most mug discussions on the DIS it was pretty tame. Other discussions of differences for various families are not arguements but rather demonstrations of their own experiences with what turned out for the different individuals to be bad budget advice.

Most advice isn't necessarily as black and white as good or bad advice for all. Most advice falls under the umbrella of great for some people but wrong for others.

The refillable mug discussion is a great example of a useful conversation. We don't disagree there I was more talking about the people that say they don't care if it saves money, they don't care to do it. And I certainly don't begrudge anyone the most lavish vacation on earth, I just didn't think it was pertinent to a bad budget advice thread. Then again, neither is our back and forth. I was trying to get the topic back on track, not derail it further I'll shut up now

 

[MamaJessie]

Okay, let's think of some money-saving advice that most of us can agree is universally bad. I've actually seen these suggested in other forums or IRL.

Buy your tickets on eBay.

Instead of buying park hoppers, buy extra days. It's cheaper and you can use two "days" to go to different parks on the same day.

Bring cans of corn to eat in the parks.

These are great

 

[ICF]

you should consider the value of transportation, since that is objective

Having stayed on site once before, I dont know that I'd put much extra value to waiting in line and dealing with all the people to ride those buses.

Magical Express was nice -- that was the only time we've flown down when we've gone to Disney -- but the IMO, disney buses around the parks / hotels are nothing to brag about.

I'd much much much rather stay in an offsite Condo and have the far great room to spread out and also generally I can get from condo to park much quicker then the Disney buses could get me back to one of their hotels.

 

[myheartlivesatwdw]

Bring cans of corn to eat in the parks.

 

[vikkil70]

I can't say that I got any bad Disney budget advice for our trip at all. I think the only advice that I took, that did not work for us, was overpacking "stuff". and by stuff, I mean tylenol, moleskin, glow sticks, fans, etc. It was funny, I HAD to have the qater squirting fans. I was on a quest to find them before we left....I can't even tell you how many times we forgot them in the room. Or forgot about them hanging on the side of my backpack. Yeah.....what seemed SO important before the trip didn't turn out so important.

But, for next time I know what NOT to pack so that's a good thing. I think we can "lighten the load" alot. Bringing the ponchos is an excellent idea...again, if you actually keep them with you! Which, on the only day it rained....we did not. Ours were in the hotel room. ( can you tell, we were just running for the Mouse and left everything behind!!)

sometimes, the best laid plans can go awry.

This was us too. We packed so many things in our park bags that we never touched, but thought for sure we had to bring. We brought glow sticks figuring the kids would want them at night, nope no intererst. Snacks that never got eaten. Water that never got touched due to getting the free ice water that was colder than ours that had been the bag all day...I could go on and on. Next trip I know our park bags will be much smaller and lighter.

 

[DaniB]

I was thinking the point of the thread was more along the lines of something that was supposed to save a family money, but didn't, not things they just didn't think were worth skimping on. That wouldn't be BAD advice, just not applicable to a specific family.

This is how I read the original intent of the thread as well. I noticed the last few pages started off into "debates".

I've never seen this one before. What's the purpose of a pair of room-only shoes?

This is always the tip that mystifies me the most. If my child sees something she loves in the park, she loves THAT. Me drawing a cheap toy from home out of my bag and saying "Surprise! Here's your souvenir for the day!" is not a substitute. It's not a souvenir from her trip, it's a gift someone else picked out and happened to give her at WDW. We have a souvenir budget and save our shopping for one day, and that works for us.

Sorry for the late reply. Honestly, I should have tossed that stupid room-only shoe idea! I kept reading post-after-post about the "horrible gross rugs" in the rooms, and never having been before... believed. No longer! Running shoes and waterproof shoes - that's it. Nothing else needed.

And I totally agree with the souveniors. No child (old enough to know the difference anyways) is going to want the souvenior/toy unless it was *purchased* at a *real* Disney store! Maybe our kids are just that much smarter?

Ohh, that doesn't apply to pre-made/homemade autograph books however. My kids had a blast choosing backgrounds & getting theirs made up.

Staying on property is important to us! I would not go if I could not stay on property and be totally immersed in DISNEY!

Agreed! Especially for a first trip! Until the novelty wears off (if it does!), and as long as we can get discounts to make it worth while, we totally loved staying on-site.

I have tons and tons of advice that I've tried and been a waste of my time:

5) filtered water bottles...these were a pain in my a**. And besides, the water tastes fine in Orlando...try drinking the water in third world countries...you appreciate the water in North America a lot more. We now bring camel pack back packs into the parks, and they work great, and carry 4 litres of water.

7) walkie talkies...didn't work for us...too many people on the same channels. Now we just text.

I will agree with someone else about the over the door hanger for the hotel room...that's genius.

I purchased 4 filtered water bottles from Canadian Tire and brought them with us. Now that was a waste of money! After the first day, we didn't carry them. We always each received a bottle of water (in addition to juice) with our CS breakfast. And we just stopped at QS places to refill the bottles. Never noticed any taste difference.

I'm so glad my husband talked me out of the walkie talkies.

Over-the-door hanging organizer - best tip I received in the resort category!

Didn't read all the responses, but the worst advice I ever got was to get Park Hopper Passes. We spent the extra money for them on our first trip, and never park hopped once.

This can be a yes or no for different families. But I'm firmly in the camp of NO PHs for first visit families now! It was much easier to plan our day to stay in a particular park for the whole day. We would have missed so much hopping around. Now this trip, it's just DH & I so we are purposing planning 3 times we'll hop.

WP&more are a good thing for my family. We always do DisneyQuest one evening at the very least. DD and I will go to a waterpark once every trip. Hubby and Son LOVE the water parks and will probably go a full day and 2 other half days next trip.

Waterparks however, I'm so glad I ignored the advice and purchased this option. We knew our kids would enjoy them so I planned them into our days. Even then I under-estimated just how much they'd love the waterparks! When our DD11 talks about going back, that's the first subject she brings up! If a family is going for a long trip, I will always recommend a day to visit at least one waterpark if not both.

I was looking forward to DisneyQuest but we never made it. So much to do! I could have happily added another 2 days on to our trip.

 

[gabriellyn]

This was us too. We packed so many things in our park bags that we never touched, but thought for sure we had to bring. We brought glow sticks figuring the kids would want them at night, nope no intererst. Snacks that never got eaten. Water that never got touched due to getting the free ice water that was colder than ours that had been the bag all day...I could go on and on. Next trip I know our park bags will be much smaller and lighter.

Same here! Waaay over-packed to be "easier" on the budget. What a waste of money for things we never used. NEVER again! Now that we are stroller-less, it'll be light and easy. I am even considering going without a bag next time!

One thing that I will always pack, no matter what, is a small first aid kit with some wipes, bandaids, ibuprofen, moleskin, and antacid. These have been used with tremendous regularity on all of our trips. My small first aid pack will fit nicely in DH's cargo pocket.

 

[David Brent]

the offsite and onsite debate will always go on. there are TOO MANY variables involved. how many days are you wanting to stay. is it just 2 adults OR a huge family. etc...etc. it's too hard to compare because every family is different in size and wants/needs.

as for me. i have no kids, just me and DGF. it's easier for us to stay onsite. i don't want to stay in a offsite "condo" because i live in one and that's the last place i want to be. i'm on vacation. i don't want to be anywhere that reminds me of home/work/etc.

but like i said...every disney guest has different wants and needs. apples to bananas.