Disney Cost Question

[Mimi]

I'm considering to take the kids to WDW next January.

How much is your total budget?  For how many people?
How much did/are you spending on hotel?

[cinco]

I have another tab pricing out right now

We are going as cheap as possible. Rates for early December value room are 108/night. Tickets are pricey. We are thinking 2 days, which is 94/day. 3 day is 91.34, 4 day 73.50, etc. We will be driving and staying at our family beach house in Cape Canaveral for a few days as well. For the mini Disney trip on a budget, family of 5, we are still looking at 1k+. Value wise it makes more sense to stay longer, but my sanity is saying no, no, no.

[Mimi]

May 1, 2014 13:39:19 GMT -5 chilerellanos said:

How old are your kids? That's a big thing because if they're over 10, they're adults. That's a little deal in tickets, but a big bump in food prices!

Two of my kids are over 10! So my budget is huge. Plus, we are staying deluxe, and doing a few days at universal. Splitting time between two parks is going to cost a ton always since the tickets are front loaded.

I'm not sharing my budget because it will scare you. It scares me!

Kids will be 5 and 1. I'm thinking of going around DD's birthday. Do they do/give anything free to a birthday girl?

LOL. I'm still curious about your budget. But it's okay if you don't want to share.

[Mimi]

May 1, 2014 13:43:03 GMT -5 cinco said:

I have another tab pricing out right now

We are going as cheap as possible. Rates for early December value room are 108/night. Tickets are pricey. We are thinking 2 days, which is 94/day. 3 day is 91.34, 4 day 73.50, etc. We will be driving and staying at our family beach house in Cape Canaveral for a few days as well. For the mini Disney trip on a budget, family of 5, we are still looking at 1k+. Value wise it makes more sense to stay longer, but my sanity is saying no, no, no.

$108 for a disney hotel? That sounds great, right?

[cinco]

May 1, 2014 13:48:24 GMT -5 Mimi said:

May 1, 2014 13:43:03 GMT -5 cinco said:

I have another tab pricing out right now

We are going as cheap as possible. Rates for early December value room are 108/night. Tickets are pricey. We are thinking 2 days, which is 94/day. 3 day is 91.34, 4 day 73.50, etc. We will be driving and staying at our family beach house in Cape Canaveral for a few days as well. For the mini Disney trip on a budget, family of 5, we are still looking at 1k+. Value wise it makes more sense to stay longer, but my sanity is saying no, no, no.

$108 for a disney hotel? That sounds great, right?

Yes, the value resorts are cheap. It is the tickets and food that adds up quick. 

[frlcb]

May 1, 2014 13:46:53 GMT -5 Mimi said:

May 1, 2014 13:39:19 GMT -5 chilerellanos said:

How old are your kids? That's a big thing because if they're over 10, they're adults. That's a little deal in tickets, but a big bump in food prices!

Two of my kids are over 10! So my budget is huge. Plus, we are staying deluxe, and doing a few days at universal. Splitting time between two parks is going to cost a ton always since the tickets are front loaded.

I'm not sharing my budget because it will scare you. It scares me!

Kids will be 5 and 1. I'm thinking of going around DD's birthday. Do they do/give anything free to a birthday girl?

LOL. I'm still curious about your budget. But it's okay if you don't want to share.

.

Kids under 3 get in for free

[Mimi]

May 1, 2014 13:47:15 GMT -5 ribollita said:

Read about the Stay Play n Dine deal from this January. Hopefully they will repeat it again.

We haven't decided if we are staying on or off site yet (going with big group) as we wait to see deals.

Cool! When do they usually advertise it? I googled the deal this January and it looks like it was advertised starting in October. Is this right?

[jinxy]

We are planning on going next May. DS will still be 2 so his admission to the parks is free. My parents own a timeshare in Orlando so we will be staying there at a minimal cost. I'm hoping to do the whole week for $3k.

[schrodinger]

Does anyone know if the Costco deals are any good? We're looking at a potential WDW trip in summer 2015.

[cinco]

May 1, 2014 13:51:40 GMT -5 frlcb said:

May 1, 2014 13:46:53 GMT -5 Mimi said:

Kids will be 5 and 1. I'm thinking of going around DD's birthday. Do they do/give anything free to a birthday girl?

LOL. I'm still curious about your budget. But it's okay if you don't want to share.

.

Kids under 3 get in for free

We are going a few weeks before DD2 turns 3, thank goodness! 

[countthestars]

One thing about food to keep in mind is that it doesn't HAVE to be expensive. They allow you to bring food into the parks so you could always pack snacks and/or PB&J in your bag (we did it when I went for spring break in college). Meals can be pretty big (H and I will often share a sandwich and fries for lunch) or kids meals are often filling enough for me to not need a full adult meal at lunch time. You can get tap water at quick serve restaurants for free. Of course you won't want to cheap out for every snack and every meal, but you also don't have to budget $20 per person per meal unless you want to eat at sit down restaurants with characters 3x per day.

[ssmjlm]

We're planning to go May 2015 (hasn't opened to book yet). Currently we are either staying at the Wilderness Lodge or Saratoga Springs.

Current party is 5 adults and 1 2yo (so she is free).

My parents are taking us and my dad is budgeting $10k for everything. Right now it looks like hotel, food plan and tickets will be around $6k for Saratoga Springs in a suite.

I've been talking with Brie's guy, but my mom did go to AAA and got some quotes from them too. I'm also a DOD civilian, so I may be able to get park passes cheaper.

[anna7602]

We've only done EuroDisney. Comparing our Paris travel costs to my friends' Orlando costs, it seems like we came out ahead. There's a train that goes from central Paris to EuroDisney in about 35 minutes, so no need to spring the extra for Disney hotels. 

But, we didn't plan on going to the park every day for 5 days straight. Also, the weather is iffier at EuroDisney than in Florida. 

[ssmjlm]

We're going right after E's 2nd birthday, so I definitely need to get her a pin and have her practice saying "It's my birthday!" to everyone!

[browneyedgirl9]

We have always stayed in a condo off site, which ended up being really cheap and only a 5-7min drive to the parks. We rent a car through Hotwire, which has always been a great deal. We have brought in a lunch to the parks/ drinks/ snacks some days to avoid eating at least 1 meal in the park.

The tickets are what always costs a lot.

[Brie]

May 1, 2014 13:34:47 GMT -5 Mimi said:

I'm considering to take the kids to WDW next January.

How much is your total budget?  For how many people?
How much did/are you spending on hotel?

We are kind of shitty at budgeting LOL.

Our current quote is about $1400 for me, H, and C, 5 nights at Art of Animation, 4 day Park Hopper Pass.

We'd spend about $75-100/day on food and other miscellany.  So probably about $2,000 total.

We are hoping to upgrade with the Disney Dining Promotion so our cost will be about the same at $1400, but minus food, so closer to $1600 probably.

Plane tickets will likely be free or close to it with FF miles and CC reward points.

[readyin07]

When I see these budgets I am glad we live in Florida. We have all the crazy people, but at least we get into Disney cheap :)I don't see how many families afford it. If you don't go during free dining, I don't think the dining plan is usually worth it. Staying on property is a special experience in itself, but if you don't plan to use the hotel a lot, it's not worth it unless budget isn't a concern. We do Disney every year on the VERY cheap. I pack waters, snacks and sometimes lunches, but sometimes you just want a coke and a powerade and that alone will cost you $8.50 (per my experience Monday lol).

[londoncalling]

May 1, 2014 13:51:40 GMT -5 frlcb said:

May 1, 2014 13:46:53 GMT -5 Mimi said:

Kids will be 5 and 1. I'm thinking of going around DD's birthday. Do they do/give anything free to a birthday girl?

LOL. I'm still curious about your budget. But it's okay if you don't want to share.

.

Kids under 3 get in for free

Kids under 3 eat for free at buffet and family style restaurants too!  It makes the $$$ character buffet meals a little easier to handle for me

[lishie]

May 1, 2014 13:43:03 GMT -5 cinco said:

I have another tab pricing out right now

We are going as cheap as possible. Rates for early December value room are 108/night. Tickets are pricey. We are thinking 2 days, which is 94/day. 3 day is 91.34, 4 day 73.50, etc. We will be driving and staying at our family beach house in Cape Canaveral for a few days as well. For the mini Disney trip on a budget, family of 5, we are still looking at 1k+. Value wise it makes more sense to stay longer, but my sanity is saying no, no, no.

I don't know if there are room only deals for early december, but they just released the free dining dates for december, and they start Dec 12.

[holly116]

We went this past January. We did 4 nights in the value art of animation resort at like $100 a night. I booked a little mermaid room and we got upgraded to a cars suite. We spent two days in the park, Magic Kingdom only, 2 adult tickets and one child for DD. We spent one day at downtown disney. The boys were free.

I loaded us up with snacks and had a cooler with drinks since we took in two strollers and had plenty of room. We did a few sit downs including a character meal and a few grab and go type of meals. I don't think we'd ever be interested in a meal plan unless it's free. We just don't need to eat that much and it's a ridiculous amount of food if you make it "worth" it. Just pay as you go unless you have a family of big eaters.

We drove and spent two days getting there and back but used hotel points for the rooms on the way. I'm sure we spent a bunch in gas. All in all, I'd say between $1,500-$2,000 for sure.

[dragonfly08]

Disney isn't cheap, but there are ways to lessen the cost. We always stay at a Value resort...they're clean, fun, and all we need is a place to sleep and shower. I bring LOTS of snacks, so that we usually only have to buy one meal per day, and we stick to counter service for that (which, honestly, my kids prefer most of the time anyway b/c they don't have to eat on a schedule or take time away from touring the parks to go sit down somewhere). The dining plan is only a deal if you plan to eat a lot of sit down - especially character - meals. As for "free dining", you have to price it out...it's not really free b/c then you pay full rack rate on the room. Based on how my family eats, discount room rates with no dining is ALWAYS cheaper. Ice water is free at any CS location, all you need to do is ask, so you don't have to buy bottled. If the taste bothers you, a Crystal Light packet or something like that works great.

If your child is celebrating, you can note it on the resort reservation and any dining reservations. Get an "I'm celebrating" button for him/her to wear at Guest Services. No guarantee anything will happen, but cast members often spread a little Pixie Dust. My girls have gotten cupcakes with candles at meals, autographed pictures of Mickey with a balloon in the room, and one birthday #1 got a free Mickey Ice Cream Bar when the CM at the cart saw her button. In any case, tons of people will offer birthday wishes, which kids love!

[fortmyersbride]

If you have starwood points to use, both Disney Dolphin and Swan are starwood hotels. I love that they're on property and pretty centrally located (walk or boat to Epcot and HS, bus to everything else) but we can still stay on property for free with our preferred loyalty program points

[zarapipe]

We stayed off property.

1000 for a 6 bedroom house 2 miles from disney, parents paid thankfully.

110 parking. It was 17 or so a day

900ish tickets, undercover tourist. 2 adults, 1child, 5 days, no park hopper

150 lunches, 5 lunches at the park, quick service. Avwage $30 per meal for 2 adult meals and 1 child.

25, ice cream from the park on 2 days

125 souveniers, two plush animals, 1 tinkerbell doll, 1 kids plate, bath toys, 2 kids tee shirt.

350 character meals? Hard to say. We did 3 but my parents paid for two of them, so I would guess this.

100 our share of groceries for the house. My parents and sister also paid some. I'm sure my parents paid a larger share.

Gas down and hotels on the road vary so I didn't include those.

[whitepicketfence]

We're planning a trip in October 2015 for 2 adults and 3 kids (ages 5.5, 4, and 1). We're planning to stay at the Wilderness Lodge and have budgeted roughly $6-7k. To be fair though, we haven't been on a vacation since our honeymoon almost 8 years (will be over 9 years by the time we go) ago so we aren't scrimping on any part of this trip.

[Marmee]

We spent around $15k for 2wks...1 wk on property, 1 week at Nickelodeon hotel (1wk car rental because we went to Kennedy Space Center & beach, etc too). 6 day park hopper tickets plus meal plan w/ 3 character meals plus Bippity Boop salon for 2 kids. We had 3 kids (1 under 3) plus 2 adults...flying from Denver in April.

[dcrunnergirl52]

May 1, 2014 18:31:47 GMT -5 whitepicketfence said:

We're planning a trip in October 2015 for 2 adults and 3 kids (ages 5.5, 4, and 1). We're planning to stay at the Wilderness Lodge and have budgeted roughly $6-7k. To be fair though, we haven't been on a vacation since our honeymoon almost 8 years (will be over 9 years by the time we go) ago so we aren't scrimping on any part of this trip.

Just about the same here. We're budgeting about $7K for 2 adults and 3 kids (ages 4, 4, and 15 months) and staying in a 1-bedroom suite at Bay Lake Tower. This includes the regular dining plan. We also haven't been on a real vacation since our honeymoon in 2008, so we're splurging on things.

[Marmee]

May 1, 2014 21:19:30 GMT -5 ribollita said:

May 1, 2014 19:09:32 GMT -5 Marmee said:

We spent around $15k for 2wks...1 wk on property, 1 week at Nickelodeon hotel (1wk car rental because we went to Kennedy Space Center & beach, etc too). 6 day park hopper tickets plus meal plan w/ 3 character meals plus Bippity Boop salon for 2 kids. We had 3 kids (1 under 3) plus 2 adults...flying from Denver in April.

What did you think about the Nickelodeon hotel?

Well it was crazy loud & busy compared to the Hotel at Disney we stayed at (Coronado Springs). But it had 2 pluses...a door to our room (its suite style) so we could get it on & the kids enjoyed the pools & characters. It was fun but definitely not classy...lol.

[Marmee]

May 1, 2014 21:28:57 GMT -5 ribollita said:

Thanks! What characters did they meet?

Dora & Diego, Sponge Bob & his all characters, Blues Clues, Wonder Pets, teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, etc.

[Stingyshark]

May 1, 2014 13:43:03 GMT -5 cinco said:

I have another tab pricing out right now

We are going as cheap as possible. Rates for early December value room are 108/night. Tickets are pricey. We are thinking 2 days, which is 94/day. 3 day is 91.34, 4 day 73.50, etc. We will be driving and staying at our family beach house in Cape Canaveral for a few days as well. For the mini Disney trip on a budget, family of 5, we are still looking at 1k+. Value wise it makes more sense to stay longer, but my sanity is saying no, no, no.

WHEN! 




I don't even know why I'm in this thread.

The price of disney shocks the hell out of me. I can't imagine having to come from another state. barf. 

[Deleted]

Wow, I am surprised by how low some of these figures are. We went over President's Day weekend last Feb. and spent around 8500. We did eat almost every meal out (excluding breakfast but even Starbucks at Disney is $$ I guess ) but we stayed in a suite at AoA. I guess that's why you shouldn't go at a peak time! Lol. 

We're planning to go back in the fall of 2015 and spend about the same except be at a hotel on the monorail this time. Just to experience something different.