This week, Jennifer would like us to share how any budget ideas we have for Disney vacations.  Now, I am proud of the fact that I'm a cheapskate!  So, here are some ways we do Disney on a Budget:

*We only get down to Disney World once every few years, so we work on planning and saving for a few years between each trip (yes, we plan from one trip to the next).  We actually have a vacation fund that we keep on a cd in the bank~ this way, we can draw some interest on our original investment and have a little extra when it's time to travel.

*We have a Disney Visa.  If you're familiar with how the Discover cards "pays you back"~ the Disney Visa works the exact same way.  You earn 1% of your purchases back in Disney points (each point = $1)  That might seem like a small percentage, but it really adds up.  We are planning a trip in January of 2009, and will have enough points earned for all of our 6-day park hopper  tickets as well as some character meals and a few other meals in the parks.  This is a GREAT savings!

*Next week's topic is Disney Hotels & Resorts (I'm no expert on that one) so I won't chat long here, BUT we have never stayed on Disney property.  We would have enough points earned on our card to stay on property this trip.  But, we are going with some friends and for $65 per night, per family, we can stay in a 3-bedroom, 2-bath house with private pool.  I can't get a Disney resort for that price.  All the cheaper ones are only for 4 in a family (we have 5) and are small.  This way, we get a full house, lots of space to spread out, AND A kitchen, which brings me to my next point......

*Staying in a house, we can take some of our own foods.  We'll eat breakfast at the house each morning and supper out somewhere each night.  For lunches, we usually carry snack foods and water bottles into the parks.  Disney is one of the only parks I know of that allows you to take snacks and drinks in with you~ this is a HUGE money saver as we all know amusement park food isn't cheap.  We generally snack during the day, on things like  granola bars, etc. then go out somewhere (off site) for a nice sit-down supper.  We will occasionally eat in the parks (and, yes I research beforehand and have a list of the cheapest restaurants and counter service in each park!) but, we've found that, no matter what park we're in, Disney food is all about the same!

*I know some people will say "what about parking?"  Really, I don't think just the cost of parking is enough to turn me off from staying on-site.  I'm not opposed to stayiing on Disney property at all, but so far I haven't been convinced of the reasons that it's best. 

*I touched on this last week, but we have a Disney budget for each of our kids.  We put money in each of their budget containers each week, until they reach our desired amount.  Then, when we go on our trip, they each know exactly how much money they can spend during the week.  This has always worked really great for us, and for the kids.  They like being in charge of their own money and picking their souveneirs.

*We have purposely planned our next trip to fall just before Ian's 3rd birthday (so he'll still be FREE) and Gracie's 9th birthday (so she'll still be a kids' rate).  Be sure to take age into consideration when planning your trip dates.  If you're looking at a time on or around a 3rd or 9th birthday, definitely opt to go BEFORE~ it'll save you a TON of money.

I think people who have never been to Disney World think it's a very expensive vacation.  But, I say, do your research and you really can do Disney on a very affordable budget. 

Share Your Thoughts

May. 11, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Anonymous

Great tips! That's great that you have so many reward dollars! Don't you love using that card? It makes me smile just looking at Mickey when I pay for something!

Lauren from baseballsandbows.blogspot.com

Share Link

May. 12, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Anonymous

I.LOVE.DISNEY! We are planning our trip too. We are going in December and I cannot wait! I enjoyed reading over your list today. We always take our lunch and snacks into the park,I love that about Disney. Do you mind sharing where you normally stay? I know you mentioned renting a house, is this the first time you have done that? When we have gone before we have gone through my uncle who has some sort of thing that allows him to stay in nice places cheap. I think it is RCI, anyway, we stayed at orange Lakes last year for $300 for the whole week. We were hoping that he would be able to help us out this time as well but for whatever reason it is not going to work out. We want to rent a house. I have found a couple online that look really nice and much cheaper than staying at a Disney resort. I would like to stay somewhere where we know what we will be getting. Isn't it awful that you can't always trust sites online. Anyway, I thought I'd see if you had any thoughts on where to stay. Ian is going to have a ball! Great too that he will not yet be 3. Sarah will turn 3 in October and we are not going until December.
Hugs,
Michelle (raisinglittlewomen.com)

Share Link

May. 12, 2008 - Great tips

Posted by ClagettsFLStyle

Hey there. Love the tips.

Ok. I've had so many people ask me for Disney scoop, I set up a new blog about it. Don't know why, there's so much info out there, but this way I can refer my friends and family to my site.

Come check it out:
http://mikkisguidetomickey.blogspot.com/

Share Link

May. 12, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Anonymous

I am very excited reading all of your tips. We just started planning for a trip for late next year, either Sept or Oct. Thanks for sharing these wonderful ideas!
Michele
http://koreamom.blogspot.com

Share Link

May. 12, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by mamaof3

Love the tips - thanks for sharing!
It's been a bit of a bad dream planning a trip to Disney with Mark's family who are not planners...
They think I'm crazy...

Mark and I would love to go down ourselves, too - that sounds like heaven to me. - Chare

Share Link

May. 13, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by SandBetweenMyToes

Wow. $65 per night is great for those accomodations. We usually camp and stay at Fort Wilderness. We've debated back and forth about staying on or off Disney property, but always end up there. Off season it is about $50 per night. Since we're in the camper, we eat breakfast there, and usually go back to the camper and had sandwiches or something to heat up quickly for supper. We saw last time that they now let you take in small coolers, so you could even pack in a lunch and store the cooler in a locker. Most of the fast food there is pretty yuck anyway. We definitely take in our own water, too. One thing we will definitely remember next time~~camera batteries. Ours died~~$15 for 4 AA batteries!!!
You're making me want to go. : )
Letitia

Share Link