Wwyd?

[GotLabradors]

My husband is so concerned with how much everything related to our WDW trip is going to cost that I'm ready to cancel the whole thing. I want to go and enjoy the parks with my family, but I know I will be miserable if he spends the whole week grumbling every time we have to pay for something. I have already decided on using Disney rewards gift cards to pay for just about everything, so that we're not just whipping out the credit cards at every turn. I actually already have enough to pay for our meals for the week. I still have another year to save up for extras and souvenirs. I'm teaching summer school and it has already been decided that the stipend from that will go towards the trip. Actually, the stipend from this summer alone will cover my budget for the trip. And I still have next summer's stipend to use as well since we're not going until September of 2015. I've actually been thinking about suggesting I take the kids on my own.

WWYD?

 

[Disney Khaleesi]

First off-sorry your husband is being a grump about the whole thing. Ultimately you want your children to enjoy the trip along with yourself and your DH, and if they see him getting grumbly about money they will notice and it won't be as fun.

Disney is expensive. Find out what expenses he's most concerned about, and see if you can do anything about it or help him realize that yes, this is what it's going to cost, but it's for the kids and it'll be fun. If all else fails, suggesting to take the kids on your own isn't a terrible plan.

It certainly would cut costs!

 

[Aliceacc]

OK you have a whole year, right?

Work it so everything is prepaid.

Keep your fingers crossed for free dining, so he can't gripe about the price of food--that's a huge expense. (Plan B: if you don't get free dining, book the DDP anyway, so the wallet isn't coming out for meals.)

Pay off your room and park tickets ahead of time. That way he won't feel the pinch.

For every event from now till your trip, give the each other and the kids Disney gift cards. Christmas, birthdays, Mother's Day, you name it. That way, spending money is all taken care of.

Keep an eye on air fares. I booked ours in January for our trip in 2 weeks, flying Jetblue. I just checked our flights-- the total price was $1220 when I booked and it's now over $2700. Check Kayak.com every single day so that you know what you could be paying for the flights you want, and jump when they go down. I saved $250 on flights by booking on the one day when each ticket went down by $50; they bounced back up the very next day.

The stop talking about it, just do it. Don't give him any reason to worry about it; answer his concerns with "Don't sweat it, honey. I've got it all taken care of."

As far as rooms go, here are the options for a family of 5, pretty much in order from cheapest:
- a Murphy Bed room at POR
- Family suite at All Star Music
- two hopefully-connecting rooms at a value
- Suite at Art of Animation
- Cabin at Fort Wilderness
- Deluxe room in Garden Wing at Contemporary
- Deluxe room at Beach Club, Yacht Club or Boardwalk
- Deluxe room at Poly
- Deluxe room at Grand Floridian.

One other option you'll want to take a look at: Call the Dolphin and ask about the teacher's discount for a Deluxe Alcove room. They sleep 6. (Of course, that kills the idea of the DDP.) It was my plan B before I got a great PIN in 2012-- it cost about as much as a Disney Moderate, but for a Deluxe just a few minutes from Epcot.

The reality is that a trip to WDW, particularly for a family of 5, can be very expensive. I can understand his worry. But if you want to make it happen with minimal family drama, find ways to do it without making him worry.

 

[GotLabradors]

Luckily, we live close enough that we can drive (10-11 hours), so airfare is off the table. When I first mentioned going, he thought the 5 of us could do a week at Disney for $2000. I should have known it would take some convincing then. We're planning to rent DVC, so that we can stay in a deluxe. That will be paid for as soon as I make the reservation. I'm getting the tickets from UT using the the Disney Visa which I can pay off as I purchase. I am still undecided on the dining plan. I am just not sure we would eat that much food.

How much is realistic to spend on souvenirs for kids?

 

[Aliceacc]

It's really up to the parameters you set. If you say, for example, that each can get one sweatshirt and one toy, then you're good at about $75 per child.

We do the gift card thing. Any we don't spend during our week can be applied to our resort bill at the end, so we don't sweat the idea of buying too many.

Oh, and take a look at YES classes. You can save some money off your park tickets, and take a really interesting class in the meantime. Last trip, we did Making Waves with a Marine Career, and found it fascinating. http://www.disneyyouth.com/our-prog...ategories-individual-enrollment,locations-WDW

We didn't do the DDP last trip, and really missed it. (The YES tickets mean you can't book a package, so no DDP.) I felt as though we were hemoraghing money. We tend to use the snack as breakfast-- say, a bagel or croissant. Counter service is lunch. Then we do a nice sit down restaurant as dinner. It gives us family time, to just sit and talk about our day with no one looking at a watch. For us, the DDP is a must, though not everyone on the Dis likes it.

 

[ChitownFamily]

This really sounds like a deeper concern. Is it simply about the money? Or is it more that dh is not invested in family vacations? Maybe he doesn't see the value in the vacation? I agree with the poster who suggested sitting down & addressing dh's specific concerns. I do not think you should take the kids by yourself- I can see that choice masking the real conversation that needs to take place. Best of luck! I have my fingers crossed for you!

 

[MSSANDRA]

I would try to do the DDP if at all possible. It may or may not be the 'best buy" for your family, but it will take away so much stress and allow everyone to order and not be worried about cutting corners and what daddy things about the bill. I would do my best to pay off EVERYTHING well before the trip and have gift cards for the kids for what they are allowed to spend. There have been trips we have spent almost nothing except tip money once we arrive. Maybe even have a gift card for that too.

 

[brettcw23]

Luckily, we live close enough that we can drive (10-11 hours), so airfare is off the table. When I first mentioned going, he thought the 5 of us could do a week at Disney for $2000. I should have known it would take some convincing then. We're planning to rent DVC, so that we can stay in a deluxe. That will be paid for as soon as I make the reservation. I'm getting the tickets from UT using the the Disney Visa which I can pay off as I purchase. I am still undecided on the dining plan. I am just not sure we would eat that much food.

How much is realistic to spend on souvenirs for kids?

It's hard to speculate on souvenir costs. I can range from $10 to $50 depending on what the kid wants.

One thing we do is buy things ahead of time and make them surprise gifts from Disney characters when we are there. We also take things like the glow in the dark bracelets and such for the night time parades as the kids love them and are MUCH cheaper then the gadgets sold around the Parks.

I think you're on the right track for planning your finances. Just stick to it and show your husband the plan. Disney vacations are not cheap, but they are MAGICAL.

 

[brettcw23]

Also, if your kids are <10, the DDP is almost always a great deal. There are tools out there that will also help you to estimate the cost of meals. But if you want to do character meals\buffets, they can get pricey, so again DDP makes it worth while.

And here's a link to my blog where I try and put all of my lessons learned about WDW. It's not a sexy blog but I've used it a lot to help people plan trips.

The Angry Mouse Blog

 

[mjkacmom]

How much is realistic to spend on souvenirs for kids?

I gave my kids a $25 gift card to spend, and they were thrilled (I never let them get anything from gift shops). I think I might have bought them each a t-shirt, too. We rented DVC, and did the dining plan, ONLY because I had 4 kids who were under 10, and at the time, it included appetizers and tip. I'd never do it now (all 5 are considered adults).

 

[GotLabradors]

It's really up to the parameters you set. If you say, for example, that each can get one sweatshirt and one toy, then you're good at about $75 per child.

We do the gift card thing. Any we don't spend during our week can be applied to our resort bill at the end, so we don't sweat the idea of buying too many.

Oh, and take a look at YES classes. You can save some money off your park tickets, and take a really interesting class in the meantime. Last trip, we did Making Waves with a Marine Career, and found it fascinating. http://www.disneyyouth.com/our-prog...ategories-individual-enrollment,locations-WDW

We didn't do the DDP last trip, and really missed it. (The YES tickets mean you can't book a package, so no DDP.) I felt as though we were hemoraghing money. We tend to use the snack as breakfast-- say, a bagel or croissant. Counter service is lunch. Then we do a nice sit down restaurant as dinner. It gives us family time, to just sit and talk about our day with no one looking at a watch. For us, the DDP is a must, though not everyone on the Dis likes it.

This sounds right up the boys' alley. We were already looking at the Behind the Seeds tour in EPCOT. How does it affect tickets if we're buying park hoppers?

 

[GotLabradors]

This really sounds like a deeper concern. Is it simply about the money? Or is it more that dh is not invested in family vacations? Maybe he doesn't see the value in the vacation? I agree with the poster who suggested sitting down & addressing dh's specific concerns. I do not think you should take the kids by yourself- I can see that choice masking the real conversation that needs to take place. Best of luck! I have my fingers crossed for you!

He likes vacations. His preferred destination is a week on Hatteras Island fishing and going to the beach. However, now that the kids are older, I'm ready to switch things up a bit. WDW is about as polar opposite as you can get from a week on Hatteras.

 

[Aliceacc]

This sounds right up the boys' alley. We were already looking at the Behind the Seeds tour in EPCOT. How does it affect tickets if we're buying park hoppers?

OK, I just priced out an 8 day park hopper on one of the YES classes:
2014 Disney Youth Education Series 8 Day Park Hopper Package with Scheduled Epcot Seas Program

$237.81
Qty
per person, for the immediate family.

According to mousesavers, an adult 8 day ticket is $355.71, a child is $344.41, plus $35 per ticket for the parkhopper.

So you save ballpark $150 per person, AND you get to take the class.

Only one person in the family needs to take the class, though I think you can probably find one for each of your kids. What we did was I took the 2 older kids, while my husband took our youngest, all at the same time in the same park.

The tickets are non transferable and non refundable, so be certain you want what you book. Also, be sure you have trip insurance to cover the cost of those tickets should a crisis come up. Some of the classes tend to book quickly, so you'll want to keep an eye on the site to see when next summer's classes open up.

 

[DisneyLvr55]

Maybe you should sit down, talk to him, and find a happy medium. No one *needs* to stay in deluxe. Don't get me wrong - Its nice! Staying at the boardwalk, and being able to walk to Epcot... Heaven.... But its an expencive heaven, that again, isn't 100% necessary. Many of the moderate hotels are very nice, and will cut down on a huge chunk of your cost right there.
I have a husband that tends to "freak out" about things, and money can def. be one of them. No one in his family is a "go with the flow" type. At all. With anything.... Anyway.... I find that sitting down, and getting everything out on the table, really helps.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

Free dining will probably be offered for September, but renting dvc points and paying for dining will be about the same price. You don't need park hoppers for a first trip. The dining plan is a good value for my family and it lets us order what we want without stressing over money.

 

[Lupeix]

Is staying onsite a must for you? By far the greatest money saver is staying offsite. You can stay at the Wyndham bonnet creek, which is on property, for about 120 a night for a 2 bedroom condo. You really should get a car if you do this, but car rental plus parking is much less than the difference between what it costs to rent DVC. That nixes the possibility of the dinning plan, but it is usually more than we will spend daily on food. having a full kitchen allows you o save lots of money on meals. Renting at WBC requires making a reservation quite a bit in advance, something to think about if money is a concern

 

[Saimaeve]

If this is a first trip, your plans may seem very grand.

I usually write out what all I want to do, the cost, any discounts then go through and rate on a scale of 1-Must have 2-would like 3-Not going to ruin the experience. Then I look at my budget, and see what I can fit in.

For instance: Last year was my first trip as an adult and my daughter's first trip.

I really wanted to stay on resort, but I didn't absolutely have to go to the water parks.

I really wanted a nice themed hotel room over Shades of Green. Shades of Green was much much cheaper, so I cut out water parks, and 5 days instead of 7 and was able to do a moderate resort.

I really wanted to do Bibbidi-Bobbidi Boutique, but a VIP tour wasn't a must do.
So I didn't do the tour and was able to go all out at BBB and have dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table on her birthday.


Example:

Cinderella's Royal Table-2
Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween - 1
Water Parks- 3
7 day park pass-3
Moderate or Deluxe Resort -1
Sea World-2
Bibbidi Bobbidi -2
IllumiNations Dessert Party-2
La Nouba-3
Characters in Flight-3
Family Magic Tour-3
Pirate Adventure Tour-3
La Cellier Restaurant-3
Flight instead of drive-1
Car Rental-3

By writing out what is and isn't Extremely important, you'll be able to be 100% honest with what you can cut. It may not be the perfect trip, but if money is a concern, it helps to know what you truly have to have.

 

[Saimaeve]

As far as Souvenirs, last year I gave my daughter a $50 gift card for each day we were there. Once they were gone she was out of luck. Things like BBB, food, necessities I covered. She just had to pay for any souvenir she wanted. (I know that may be high for some people per child, but it was just me and her and my husband was serving overseas so missed her birthday and first trip so we made it extra special)

 

[Julylady]

Is he always reluctant to spend money? Or, is it just for this trip? Is this trip much more expensive than what your family usually does? If it were me, I would have a serious talk with him and let him know that he is putting a major damper on this family vacation. See what he is worried about. If he says that everyone says that WDW is really expensive, then ask what he is willing to spend and stay within that budget if its reasonable. Maybe he is worried that you keep adding things in? For example, "Oh look, we are at Disney when the Halloween Parties start. Let's buy tickets - $350."

Is he worried about one of you losing your job? Or, that you don't have a nest egg of savings built up? Or you are trying to save up for a down payment for a house? Or that your house needs a new roof? Those might be very legitimate concerns and you need to address them together.

I would try to get to the bottom of his concerns. If he just doesn't like to spend any money (my Grandmother was like that), then you need to address that issue as well.

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

Have you told him that he is casting a shadow over the trip? One of my favorite parts is the planning, and that attitude would stress me out. On the flip side, during our first trip, my exH kept adding things to make it more expensive and that stressed me out, too.

I think it would be fair to sit down and set a reasonable budget together, starting with where the money comes from ($X per check). After the budget is set, you should agree to only increase one expense if you decrease another, and he should agree to stop fussing. This MIGHT address his concerns about things getting seemingly more and more expensive. I really loved having almost everything paid for by the time we left for our first trip - when we got there, it was just tips and souvenirs that needed real money.

For a first trip, consider giving the kids incentive to save up their money by offering to double what they save, up to a certain amount (I didn't set a limit and ended up doubling more than I had planned!!!). They will be more conservative spending their own money than they would be with yours.