Originally Posted By TMICHAEL Hmmm, trip isn't until 2010? Why go uber cheap if it might be your only trip? Seems like there is plenty of time to save up. As for cost cutting, consider spending 3/4 of your stay at a value or off property then bump up to a mod or deluxe for the remainder of your stay. You save money but can still experience the perks and excitement of a Disney property. And I'm with danyoung, adding park hopping is a definite must for the duration.
Originally Posted By kennect Alex, I feel the most important thing to keep in mind is the overall purpose of your trip....Is this a major sort one time deal to WDW or maybe just your first visit? There are so many ways to budget a trip to WDW but that can mean different things for different people... I would suggest that you first try to determine what YOUR budget might be and go from there...What is important to you might not be to another...I think Nat's thought above made a very good comment...Plan on spending a little more than your budget allows...We always go with a budget in mind but we always run over it a bit...Not too much but we always spend more than we think we will...With your trip over a year away I would think you will have plenty of time to take all of these suggestions and see how they could possibly work for you...
Originally Posted By avromark <- admits it I'm a 1 sit down meal and the rest in a back-pack type of WDW visitor. I guess they'll revoke my LP memebership now. Hope you enjoy your trip Alex. If memory serves me Alex is a guy who doesn't mind cramp public transit. I'd say if you want to save money remember MK (if you choose to do it all) and Epcot can be all day affairs. Now is this trip to be 100% Disney time, are you trying to hit all the parks? I'm guessing you're gonna skip the water parks and World of Sports. What are the "must do's" are you going commando or leisurely. Now we tend to do a few nights Poly, the rest in the past camping now offsite. But as you know I'm a cheap guy and I leach off my relations for my accommodations Hope you enjoy your right coast trip.
Originally Posted By Disney Joy I went last September and it was free dining. That from what I have read happens alot after kids go back to school. I had a blast. ALL the kids around alot sure didn't go back to school. :O)) Anyway, I got to eat at lots of nice Disney places I would not have spent that much money on. Free breakfast, and snack plus dinner FREE. There was a threat of a hurricane which almost cancelled the trip. That's the chance you take that time of year. My next WDW will be FREE dining. I saved about $300 mo la's. There are so many deals especially if your days are flexible. Check out disneyland.com mousesavers.com allears.com and here they talk about lots as you know. Above all have fun planning.....that's part of the fun. :O)))
Originally Posted By alexbook Thanks for the tips, folks. I'm nowhere near making actual plans, you understand. I'm at the point where I'm thinking about starting a WDW Travel Fund and putting some money into each week. The thing I'm trying to decide is how much that weekly hit should be. Sounds like if I start putting in $20/week, I should be in the right ballpark. That'd give me about $1,600 by next summer. Once I get closer, I'm sure I'll start posting more specific questions. In the meantime, I guess I need to start lurking in this section more often.
Originally Posted By danyoung I think your ballpark is an excellent one. That's usually what I spend on a 4 or 5 day trip, staying in a moderate and eating pretty large (assuming I'm not buying a new Annual Pass). Keep them questions coming!
Originally Posted By alexbook I'm actually starting to feel the first pre-echo of a panic attack at the thought of staying at a "real" hotel. I've only stayed at hotels a few times in my life, and the last time was over a decade ago. That's another reason I'm inclined to go cheap. The idea of luxury makes me nervous, even when I can afford it. Thanks again to everybody who responded. Here are a few specific responses: >>Hotel- The big choice is on site or off site- Just remember its NOT like anaheim where some off site are closer than on- Its a BIG difference here<< My initial impulse is to only consider off-site, but given the CM discounts I might be able to tap into, plus the added transportation costs, that might turn out to be a false economy. I'll have to run the numbers carefully when the time gets closer. >>I do not know what perks DLR Participants get out here but its always worth looking into..<< For those who are wondering what -em is talking about, I'm an employee of a Disneyland Resort Operating Participant. As a result, I qualify for some CM discounts and not others. Another item to research carefully. >>Do you ever get free tickets working for a DTD Participant? I don't know yours, but our comp tickets include entry to WDW.<< I do get those, sometimes. I thought they were for DL/DCA only, but I'll have to find out if they're good for WDW. I'll have to check on expirations and black-out dates. >>Florida tap water tastes funny!<< Worse than Anaheim? I know people complain about Anaheim tap water, but I drink it (except at work, but that's because of problems specific to this building's plumbing). >>Sleep in the rental car and use public restrooms to take sponge baths!<< Okay, even I'm not willing to go that far. >>As for getting to Orlando and back: 'Greyhound Bus' naturally<< I'd rather do that than fly, actually, but it's not practical cross-country. (Flying is something else I haven't done in a lot of years. Since before 9/11, actually. I understand the experience has changed considerably, and not for the better.) >>(2)get a friend to drop you off at LAX so you won't have to pay long term parking.<< Since I don't own a car, I don't have to pay to park it. >>(4) stop at Costco or Sam's Club and load up on food--- food that can be readily carried in a backpack. Choose your food wisely as you don't want to draw attention at WDW customs('bag check').<< I usually bring in outside food when I go to DLR. Is WDW's bag check stricter? >>Hmmm, trip isn't until 2010? Why go uber cheap if it might be your only trip? Seems like there is plenty of time to save up.<< I'm not really trying to pinch every single penny, but I just wanted to make it clear that I'm not in the same league with some of the posters here. Perhaps "budget conscious traveler" would have been better than "cheapskate" in my first post? >>Is this a major sort one time deal to WDW or maybe just your first visit?<< Given how rarely (and reluctantly) I travel, I'm guessing this is a once-in-a-lifetime. >>But as you know I'm a cheap guy and I leach off my relations for my accommodations << Can I leech off your relations, too? ;-)
Originally Posted By Ursula Yes, Floida tap water is much, much more foul than Anaheim's. Unless you like the taste of sulphur.
Originally Posted By barboy ///Nope- same "rules" apply/// I think you're correct about the same rules being in place for both Anaheim and Orlando but they might be *enforced* differently---- I'm jnust not too sure on that one. I haven't been busted down at customs yet at either Disney destination but then again I haven't exactly tried to carry in a 2 liter bottle of Pepsi with a big bucket of KFC enough to feed a family of 4 either. If one stays on the low things will be 'Kool and the Gang'.
Originally Posted By barboy If only some of you could see first hand what those Disneyland Paris guests bring in.....talk about a smorgasbord! Those Eros. set up 'camp' right there in the park anywhere there is grass----even if it is off limits by means of wrought iron fencing---- and will feast on their 'contraband'. What a sight it is to see for someone used to US Disney parks!
Originally Posted By NikkiLOVESMickey alexbook, I'm a budget concious traveler (we've never stayed in anything above a moderate), and if you visit WDW during the offseason you can save a few dollars. Usually, we spend roughly $900 a person on room and tickets for a weeklong stay. I usually budget about $500-600 for food/drinks and souvenirs, and we eat all of our meals inside the park; we usually eat at least four table service meals per trip as well. I almost always come home with $50-$100.
Originally Posted By avromark Not too long ago while in WDW I was surprised at the cursory glance in our bags, I think maybe he inspected my bag for a nanosecond. Then again it may just depend on who you get. I got in with a decent level of snacks. Your mileage may vary. <- Most expensive room was at the Swan, aka the Mouldy Motley Inn. A *slight* disappointment. That said the only good Westin's I've stayed at were in DC and LA.
Originally Posted By NikkiLOVESMickey It definitely depends on who you get at the bag check. I've had the drive-by experience you're describing, and then I've had checks where I've had to open every pocket on my backpack, plus my camera case.
Originally Posted By NikkiLOVESMickey ^^^^^And my camera case only has room for the digital camera and nothing else - it's not a bag-type thing.
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 My fanny pack has 3 zipper sections, I only unzip one, and noone ever asked me to open the others.
Originally Posted By beamerdog I always think it's funny when they check my service dog's gear. He must look suspicious. Alex, Megabus is expanding throughout the US. Maybe they'll have a route closer to you to save you big bucks. If you book with them far enough in advance, their fee is only $1. They run out of sites right next to the major cities' train stations and are quite nice.
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< Alex, Megabus is expanding throughout the US. Maybe they'll have a route closer to you to save you big bucks. If you book with them far enough in advance, their fee is only $1. They run out of sites right next to the major cities' train stations and are quite nice. >>> You couldn't pay me $1000 to take a bus from California to Florida and back. Also, what would the travel time be, like 5 days each way? Assuming the passenger works and factoring 10 extra days off of work, there's no way that a bus makes sense in this situation, even if it's $1.
