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How do you do Disney on a budget?
2 adults
2 kids (7&8)
November
I'm asking bc I don't have a ton of time to deal with this so I need tips. lol
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Posted 5/19/15 12:39 PM  |
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Long Island Weddings
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BargainMama
LIF Adult
Member since 5/09 15660 total posts
Name:
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How do you do Disney on a budget?
Stay at a Value resort (super tiny rooms though), buy a base ticket (no hopping). Pack breakfast items to eat in your room (Disney resorts have a fridge). Use Disney's Magical Express to get to resort from airport rather than rent a car (free). Book with a room only discount, and buy your tickets separately from various 3rd party vendors (Undercover tourist, etc.). Eat mostly counter service over sit down reservations (Disney character meals are $$$$). Lots of good counter service choices at Disney.
Some will chime in that free dining is running right now which is a good deal if you were planning on buying the dining plan anyway, but that's relative. You have to price it all out both ways. You can likely do cheaper than that since you are paying full price for the room, and you have to add park hoppers.
If you go with a value, I would do Pop Century, or All Star Sports (my kids like Sports, even though we aren't sports fans AT ALL, but they have a surfing section, etc.). Pop Century has it's own bus, All Star Sports will share, but is first on/off, so no having to stand.
Moderate price, Port Orleans French Quarter is a nice place to stay. Compact resort, no bus sharing, nice rooms, double vanities, slide at pool (values don't have pool slides). We just stayed there over Spring Break.
Deluxe isn't budget friendly at all, so I won't go into those 
Message edited 5/19/2015 1:08:15 PM.
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| Posted 5/19/15 1:05 PM |
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Re: How do you do Disney on a budget?
I agree with the PP.
Go when airfare is the cheapest for you.
Use Disney transportation.
Stay at the cheapest room possible.
Bring snacks and/or food for breakfast.
Eat on the run, forget sit down meals.
Don't buy merchandise at Disney, buy it before you go and bring it.
Tickets for the parks get cheaper the longer you stay.
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| Posted 5/19/15 4:20 PM |
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JandJ1224
Member since 6/06 5911 total posts
Name:
Jannette
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Re: How do you do Disney on a budget?
I feel like you can't. The admission tickets alone are a killer. We usually stay value which keeps costs down.
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| Posted 5/19/15 5:29 PM |
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Bridex100
Two Under Two Mommy
Member since 3/08 10420 total posts
Name:
Momx100
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Re: How do you do Disney on a budget?
Stay at a value resort. Don't get parkhopper tickets. Don't go to the parks everyday. Eat breakfast on the go, pack lunch, snacks and drinks.
There are a lot of free/inexpensive things you can do at Disney that does not require being at the actual parks. Resort hopping, pools, Downtown Disney, Boardwalk, etc.
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| Posted 5/19/15 6:11 PM |
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WonderLady
LIF Infant
Member since 1/15 355 total posts
Name:
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How do you do Disney on a budget?
I think value room with free dining. I feel like if you did a moderate or deluxe you may be better off talking the room discount over free dining but imo on the values, even if the room discount is 30%, the free dining is better. Just my 2 cents.
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| Posted 5/19/15 10:33 PM |
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Kelly9904
Mommy to 2 amazing little boys
Member since 5/05 9306 total posts
Name:
Kelly
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Re: How do you do Disney on a budget?
Stay off site at a place with a kitchen
Go shopping and buy breakfast foods, some snacks, juice etc
Plan one character b'fast and eat at the hotel the rest of the mornings. Price out your dinners and eat lunch you pack or go back to hotel to eat in your kitchen
Give the kids gift cards with a set amount and tell them that is their money to manage for treats or toys etc
dont do park hopper
Southwest airfare is currently around $115 one way pp right now so thats a good deal. or drive down to save the money
ETA Last trip we did this stayed off site etc. when we came back I figured out how much we spent on food vs what the meal plan was and we spent a lot less than the meal plan would have cost! Also alot of time with free dining its not truly free because you are paying the full room rate vs a room on sale...
Message edited 5/19/2015 11:02:40 PM.
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| Posted 5/19/15 11:00 PM |
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Re: How do you do Disney on a budget?
Posted by Kelly9904
Stay off site at a place with a kitchen
Go shopping and buy breakfast foods, some snacks, juice etc
Plan one character b'fast and eat at the hotel the rest of the mornings. Price out your dinners and eat lunch you pack or go back to hotel to eat in your kitchen
Give the kids gift cards with a set amount and tell them that is their money to manage for treats or toys etc
dont do park hopper
Southwest airfare is currently around $115 one way pp right now so thats a good deal. or drive down to save the money
ETA Last trip we did this stayed off site etc. when we came back I figured out how much we spent on food vs what the meal plan was and we spent a lot less than the meal plan would have cost! Also alot of time with free dining its not truly free because you are paying the full room rate vs a room on sale...
Even with renting a car it was cheaper?
We can't drive. That would kill us. Plus my Bf's car is a lease and he wouldn't want to put the mileage on the car and it is tiny. lol
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| Posted 5/20/15 10:58 AM |
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lorich
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Member since 6/05 9987 total posts
Name:
Grammie says "Lora Gina"
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Re: How do you do Disney on a budget?
Posted by Kelly9904
Stay off site at a place with a kitchen
Go shopping and buy breakfast foods, some snacks, juice etc
Plan one character b'fast and eat at the hotel the rest of the mornings. Price out your dinners and eat lunch you pack or go back to hotel to eat in your kitchen
Give the kids gift cards with a set amount and tell them that is their money to manage for treats or toys etc
dont do park hopper
Southwest airfare is currently around $115 one way pp right now so thats a good deal. or drive down to save the money
ETA Last trip we did this stayed off site etc. when we came back I figured out how much we spent on food vs what the meal plan was and we spent a lot less than the meal plan would have cost! Also alot of time with free dining its not truly free because you are paying the full room rate vs a room on sale...
This is pretty much what we're doing.
My SIL has two places in Kissimmee that we'll be staying at. I'll save us a lot on meals and of course lodging since it's free.
We want to fly, but it doesn't make sense for us being we'd need to rent a car too, so driving down it is!
We were also advised to pass on the park hopper because it's really not necessary for us being we plan on staying at one park/day.
We kept our reservations to a minimum too. Only doing one character breakfast that we know our DS will love and two dinner reservations. Other than that we're eating at the house or packing something.
We also bought our tickets from Undercover Tourist & that saved us some $ too.
Message edited 5/20/2015 11:09:56 AM.
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| Posted 5/20/15 11:09 AM |
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BargainMama
LIF Adult
Member since 5/09 15660 total posts
Name:
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Re: How do you do Disney on a budget?
Posted by Straightarrow
Posted by Kelly9904
Stay off site at a place with a kitchen
Go shopping and buy breakfast foods, some snacks, juice etc
Plan one character b'fast and eat at the hotel the rest of the mornings. Price out your dinners and eat lunch you pack or go back to hotel to eat in your kitchen
Give the kids gift cards with a set amount and tell them that is their money to manage for treats or toys etc
dont do park hopper
Southwest airfare is currently around $115 one way pp right now so thats a good deal. or drive down to save the money
ETA Last trip we did this stayed off site etc. when we came back I figured out how much we spent on food vs what the meal plan was and we spent a lot less than the meal plan would have cost! Also alot of time with free dining its not truly free because you are paying the full room rate vs a room on sale...
Even with renting a car it was cheaper?
We can't drive. That would kill us. Plus my Bf's car is a lease and he wouldn't want to put the mileage on the car and it is tiny. lol
You also have to pay to park, I believe it's $18 a day now. Also the price of gas, and the tolls (minimal) from the airport to the Disney area. In addition, it's extremely inconvenient to drive a car to the Magic Kingdom. You have to park in the lot, take a tram to the transportation and ticket center (or you could walk, but it's usually really far), then take the boat or the monorail to the magic kingdom. If you stay on site, the bus drops you off right near the gate.
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| Posted 5/20/15 12:16 PM |
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BargainMama
LIF Adult
Member since 5/09 15660 total posts
Name:
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Re: How do you do Disney on a budget?
Also, you could book your room on Orbitz, they often have coupon codes for 15-20% off. Those stack with whatever room discount promotion Disney has going on. It's a room only reservation, and you can buy your tickets through a third party.
Code TRAVELHAPPY gets you 20% off bookings through 12/31 on Orbitz right now. We used a 20% off last Summer and save hundreds
Message edited 5/20/2015 12:31:52 PM.
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| Posted 5/20/15 12:17 PM |
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alli3131
Peanut is here!!!!!!
Member since 5/09 18388 total posts
Name:
Allison
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How do you do Disney on a budget?
I say stay offsite and rent a car. Don't do parks everyday. We stay offsite in a 2bed condo. car was just over $100 for the week. barely used any gas and the money you save on the accommodations and food more than make up for the parking cost. You can park at Downtown disney for free and shuttle from there if you want to save the parking. And you get more room when staying offsite. There is no way I could spend more than a night or 2 in a value resort.
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| Posted 5/20/15 4:15 PM |
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Mill188
LIF Adult
Member since 3/09 3073 total posts
Name:
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Re: How do you do Disney on a budget?
Posted by alli3131
You can park at Downtown disney for free and shuttle from there if you want to save the parking.
Just be aware that Disney doesn't want you to do this, therefore, there are no direct buses from Downtown Disney to any of the parks. You must take a Downtown Disney bus to a hotel and then take another bus to the parks.
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| Posted 5/20/15 4:37 PM |
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Kelly9904
Mommy to 2 amazing little boys
Member since 5/05 9306 total posts
Name:
Kelly
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Re: How do you do Disney on a budget?
Posted by Straightarrow
Even with renting a car it was cheaper?
I would have to look back at the exact number, the car might have been extra but you can get a rental pretty cheap.
I know that the pricing was slightly less for us to stay at the Sheraton Vistana Villages in a 2 bedroom 2 bath suite with one park a day tix for 4 (although our youngest didnt need park tix at the time) as it would have been for us to stay at a basic room at hte Pop Century. (Sheraton was booked through Costco travel)
I personally think having a car of our own is better than relying on disney transportation but thats a personal thing. I have never had any issues with parking and such.
As far as parking fees, for your character breakfast, book at Ohana or Chef Mickey, at the gate tell them you are there for reservations at the restaurant after breakfast hop on the monorail and leave your car there for the day. They will not charge parking to eat at the restaurant.
The amount of money we save on food ( didnt have to eat out for breakfast just bought a few things to make), dinner our first night we just picked up a pizza and had it at the hotel, and just general comfort more than made up for the parking per day. Tolls are under $5 I think, and gas if we filled up with $20 over 4 days thats being generous.
Its about doing not only on a budget but in a way that maximizes your experience. For us with young kids having that extra space was ideal! Kids could sleep and we coudl sit on the balcony and have a drink, or watch a move in the living room. Made it a better vacation for DH and I as well!!!
ETA: alot of hotels aslo do have shuttles to the park free of charge....I have never used them so I can't say anymore than that!
Message edited 5/20/2015 11:41:19 PM.
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| Posted 5/20/15 11:35 PM |
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BargainMama
LIF Adult
Member since 5/09 15660 total posts
Name:
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Re: How do you do Disney on a budget?
Posted by Kelly9904
Posted by Straightarrow
Even with renting a car it was cheaper?
I would have to look back at the exact number, the car might have been extra but you can get a rental pretty cheap.
I know that the pricing was slightly less for us to stay at the Sheraton Vistana Villages in a 2 bedroom 2 bath suite with one park a day tix for 4 (although our youngest didnt need park tix at the time) as it would have been for us to stay at a basic room at hte Pop Century. (Sheraton was booked through Costco travel)
I personally think having a car of our own is better than relying on disney transportation but thats a personal thing. I have never had any issues with parking and such.
As far as parking fees, for your character breakfast, book at Ohana or Chef Mickey, at the gate tell them you are there for reservations at the restaurant after breakfast hop on the monorail and leave your car there for the day. They will not charge parking to eat at the restaurant.
You definitely can't leave your car there all day to avoid having to pay for parking anymore. Especially if you are staying off site. They will give you you a couple of hours to eat your breakfast, but after that, you risk your car being towed. It's not economical to book a character breakfast to avoid parking fees anyway. $18 vs. over $100 for breakfast
As far as off site shuttles. Most drop you off at Epcot, then you have to take the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom. They also don't run that frequently, so you are at the mercy of their schedule.
Message edited 5/21/2015 6:58:06 AM.
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| Posted 5/21/15 6:56 AM |
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JDubs
different, not less
Member since 7/09 13160 total posts
Name:
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Re: How do you do Disney on a budget?
You can stay offsite at a place that has a kitchen so you can eat some meals there. Some of these places will offer shuttles to the parks. I remember I did this years ago.. also it helps to go at an off-peak time so maybe flight and hotel will be cheaper.
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| Posted 5/21/15 9:18 AM |
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Mill188
LIF Adult
Member since 3/09 3073 total posts
Name:
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Re: How do you do Disney on a budget?
Posted by Kelly9904
As far as parking fees, for your character breakfast, book at Ohana or Chef Mickey, at the gate tell them you are there for reservations at the restaurant after breakfast hop on the monorail and leave your car there for the day. They will not charge parking to eat at the restaurant.
The hotels will only let you park there IF you have a CONFIRMED dining reservation, and then you are given 3 hours. After that, your car will be towed.
We just got back 2 weeks ago from the Poly. It was the first time we actually saw cars getting towed (saw it happen on 3 different occasions) for overstaying the 3 hours.
Disney is definitely onto this way of avoiding parking charges and doing everything they can to combat it. We are there at least 2 times a year (we own DVC) and this is the first time we saw it happening.
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| Posted 5/21/15 9:20 AM |
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alli3131
Peanut is here!!!!!!
Member since 5/09 18388 total posts
Name:
Allison
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Re: How do you do Disney on a budget?
Posted by Mill188
Posted by alli3131
You can park at Downtown disney for free and shuttle from there if you want to save the parking.
Just be aware that Disney doesn't want you to do this, therefore, there are no direct buses from Downtown Disney to any of the parks. You must take a Downtown Disney bus to a hotel and then take another bus to the parks.
You do not always have to change buses. I just went and was able to get to animal kingdom without changing.
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| Posted 5/22/15 12:31 PM |
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Mill188
LIF Adult
Member since 3/09 3073 total posts
Name:
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Re: How do you do Disney on a budget?
Posted by alli3131
You do not always have to change buses. I just went and was able to get to animal kingdom without changing.
The AK direct bus is a test service. There are no direct buses from downtown Disney to any other parks.
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| Posted 5/23/15 11:08 AM |
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nycgirl
Angels!
Member since 3/09 7721 total posts
Name:
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Re: How do you do Disney on a budget?
Def stay off site.
Rent a car (off season, it is very inexpensive).
Don't do parks everyday. Try mini golf, pool (though weather in November is hit or miss)
If you have night owl kids, do the Christmas party INSTEAD of MK for one day (lines are much shorter, tickets are cheaper and it is a neat experience).
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| Posted 5/26/15 2:40 PM |
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