Di$ney Vacation

Right now, Disney has a special where if you stay on Disney property you get the dining plan for free. We've gone twice with that, and I wouldn't go without the dining plan. It takes the stress out of meals. I would work to save money on food - this way, we could eat what we wanted, and no stress. Look into it.

I think you are going to have fun with your three year old, just remember to take it slow and not commit yourself to doing everything.

We always have breakfast in our hotel room (unless we make the decision to have a Character breakfast$$$). Lunch and Dinner in the parks or Downtown Disney. What is great about Disney is that if you go online on their website they will tell you the cost of each restaurant so you can decide what price range is right for you. The best advice I can give you is to call the Disney Dining phone number and make reservations. The last thing you want to do is wait to be seated or find out that a restaurant is full. Disney is extremely helpful and you can tell them what you like to eat, how much you want to spend, what parks you want to visit and they will suggest restaurants to match the experience you want. When you are in the parks, if you decide not to make your reservation, there is no penalty at the majority of the restaurants.

Oh, I am envious, Disney is always fun. Enjoy!

S.,

I took my just turned 6 yo daughter to WDW last year. We flew round trip, 10 days on the resort, 10 day park hopper pass, and all food for $1,000!!! That's it. It is possible to go on a budge and we didnt really even have to budge!!!

Here are the best sites to go too:

www.mousesavers.com
www.disboards.com
www.allearsnet.com

www.undercovertourist.com is the cheapest spot to get tickets. There are only 3 brokers that can legally sell you tickets and they are one BUT if you sign up at Mousesavers they send a newsletter either once or twice a month that gives you a link to Undercover tourist for even CHEAPER tickets! If you cant get it in time let me know i still keep the newsletters and links for anyone that needs them.

I went to all those spots to get cheap stuff and we had a blast without the budget. If you are a AAA member there are discounts too or even military but it wasn't as good as those sites!

Face painting $20, lunch fgure $12 per person. Stuffed animals $19.99 + tax. He will remember part of the trip...

We started going when our daughter was 2 and we went every 2 years until she was 14. Each time if different because interests change. The last 2 times we went, she loved MGM and rarely stopped by MK.

Without knowing where you are staying, I can't give advice on the food. We always stayed at the Polynesian on the monorail line. It was super easy to get too and from MK for a nap, swim, rest. Most of the time we stayed in the Concierge building (pricier) however, food and drink were provided there all day. They had extras out for breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, and dessert. NO WAY were these complete meals but we did snack on a lot of fruit.

Book any character meals asap.

We do eat out a lot. Everything is pricey. We look at it as our vacation, we do not go into debt over it, but we do budget big for extras. When we go on a trip we do it right....it is memorable and we have not been sorry yet.

We go every year and take our kids to one theme park. We have relatives that live down there though. As to how much to budget it depends on how much you want to do. food is expensive there, well everything is expensive. In feburary we took 3 of our 4 kids to sea worls and 2 to disney. (we decided not to take our 1 year old and left him w grammy in daytona) between the 2 places we probably spent close to 1000.00. Our kids are a little older though and want things. we are going again just the 2 of us (yipee!) in a week and a half and are planning to go to universal studio's. we are wondering how much to budget for the 2 of us. good luck and have fun!

((My exp is from DisneyLAND... so take this with a grain of salt))

Once you're through the gate you can spend nothing, or you can drop a grand, easily.

To spend nothing, you eat your lunch in the car/hotel and just don't buy anything while you're there.

OTW... as Liz said, plan about $10 per person for lunch (& I'd recommend bringing in juice boxes and snacks and sunscreen.), $15 for stroller rental (with a $100 CC deposit). $20-30 for a stuffed animal (I recommend getting a "friend" early in the day and putting it on a leash so it doesn't get lost/dropped OR getting one at the very end of the day).

My favorite Disney Trick only works if you're staying close. And that's to leave the park frequently and go back to the hotel for swimming & naps. That way you stay cool and rested throughout the day, and you can end up staying much later than you otherwise would have. If you're staying close, be sure to look into multiday passes. They're massively discounted, and it takes the pressure off. Unless you're a teenager (or a REALLY perky adult) it's impossible to "do" the entire park in a day. Even knowing that ahead of time, though, it's hard not to get swept up!

Have fun!

September is when they offer the free dining plan, I am pretty sure. I had a friend go that way, and it saved so much money!! Call Disney and try to get more information! You son will for sure remember this trip. Esp if you take lots of pictures and create a book to help him remember! Have a great time making memories:)

My Disney tips:

We did stay on propety, and yes, it was pricey. We stayed at the Contemporary Inn and decided that we were only doing Disney once, let's go all the way. But it was convenient to be "right there" in the middle of everything. You didn't mention if you were staying on property, but we bought breakfast food at a grocery store and had cerial, etc. in our room every day. Our room had a small fridge and a microwave, so that helped.

Get the autograph book the minute you walk into the Magic Kingdom. There is a gift shop right at the entrance, buy the one with the slip for photos and the page next to it for the signature. I was also surprised at how many of these characters don't have their own pen, so slip one into your backpack. Sometimes, the characters can appear out of nowhere, so having the book right away helps. It's a great keepsake, you won't regret it.

Book the character breakfast early. These things fill quickly and are ridiculously expensive, but worth it. Unfortunately, I did not get this advice and my kids ended up at one that was at 7:30am on the last day of our trip. They were tired, but they enjoyed the breakfast.

Throw fashion to the wind. You need comfy shoes for Disney.

It's been a few years since we went, but to give you a dollar figure, we EASILY spent at least $200 a day when we were there. But we have great memories and who knows, maybe we will go back!

Finally, do a Disney search of this mamapedia website. There have been many posts about Disney and there is soooo much good info out there!

Have a great time!

Disney vacations are some of our most memorable family trips. Make sure you take a digital camera or lots of film. Enjoy yourself! Try to stay out of the gift shops, so when you get there, skip Main Street and head right into the park. I know that is hard since most rides end in a gift shop. One other thing to consider... if you are not staying on Disney property, the parking is $11 or $12 a day. Try to schedule a character dining experience with some characters that your child recognizes at one of the restaurants. Have fun!