Disney World :/

[texastumbleweed]

Is there any possible way to stay in a Disney hotel and have a mustachian vacation there?  If maybe, what would you budget??

[MayDay]

We are doing this in June.

We are staying at Caribbean Beach resort, which is a moderate. The value only have only full beds. My parents are coming with us, and required a queen bed, so per their preference we only considered moderates. Rack rate is 200$.

We are getting 75$ in Disney gift cards per day because the resort restaurants are under construction. We didn't care as we'll hit the grocery store and get food there. Then the 75$ a day GC will cover souvenirs, occasional treats, and a few meals out.

Park tickets are expensive, obviously. Not much you can do.

My strategy is to do everything perfectly and never go back. So I am strategizing rides and such to make sure we are very efficient with our time.

The particular GC deal is over, but there is always something- there will be a mid summer discount coming out. You are better off taking a hotel discount and packing your own food, as the Disney food is outrageous and mediocre, from what I've read. The Disney dining plan is only a good value if you would have otherwise eaten all your meals at restaurants.

[skp]

When we did Disney, we did not stay at the resort.  My parents were snow birds and we drove from Madiera Beach (near St Pete) and did a day trip.
A coworker recently stayed at Disney for a week at the resort.  The resort itself while pricey was a destination in itself.  They had kids activities and a great pool.  They didn't get park tickets for everyday.  They hung around their hotel and visited some of the "free" things Disney offers.

[hoping2retire35]

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/campsites-at-fort-wilderness-resort/

$50 a day and just stay out of the paid theme parks. I keep wanting to go, no other family wants to though.

[charis]

Hacking.  My first trip (of just 2) was my introduction to travel hacking because I didn't want to pay for anything except groceries.  The expensive will vary greatly depending on number of people and how "big" you go.  We did what would be considered a budget Disney trip - rented an awesome timeshare off-site (but actually closer than some DW resorts), 3-day non-hoppper tickets, did some select character meals but otherwise ate in our hotel room, one souvenir for kids, and no add-ons or party tickets.  Paid for everything in cc points.

[StacheyStache]

Is there any possible way to stay in a Disney hotel and have a mustachian vacation there?  If maybe, what would you budget??

Depends on a lot of factors:  the Disney hotel you want, budget, the ages/preferences of your family, when you can go, how far in advance you can book etc. 

Off property will always be cheaper than on property but there is something to be said about being "immersed in the Disney magic" (gag I know) from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed.  I've stayed both on and off property and strongly prefer on property, especially as a kid.  Plus the bus system has greatly improved if you don't have a car and free parking at the parks is a nice perk if you decide to drive to the parks.  Extra Magic Hours are also not to be discounted.

The value resorts (All Star, Pop Century etc) can be pretty cheap in the off season (I've seen the All Stars as low as 89/night before taxes) and they all do themeing BIG.  They appeal to kids but not so much to mom and dad.  Keep in mind the value resorts are frequented by school groups and have small rooms with poor sound insulation.  It's not unusual to be woken up by loud groups of teenagers stampeding the breezeways (no interior hallways).  Also if you go during peak season (summers, school holidays) even the values can get kind of pricey.

I'm going to be ultra Unmustachian here:  I think the Deluxe resorts are worth it if you can possibly swing it.  I agree with the PP who said the resort was a destination in and of itself and that goes double for the Deluxes.  My favorites are the Animal Kingdom Lodge and the Wilderness Lodge (both also happen to be the cheapest Deluxes).  Amazing themeing, lots of kids activities (the animals alone at AKL are a huge draw), great pools with slides, fantastic restaurants.  I'm going this Fall and setting several days aside just to enjoy the resort.

Travel hacking is a great suggestion but if that's not an option I'd also recommend renting time share points IF you can book far in advance.  Disney has its own $$$$$$ timeshare program and you can rent unused points from the owners to stay at their 'villas' (on resort property same as the hotel, the difference is you can get a studio one or two bedroom villa with a kitchen).  The cost difference is ridiculous:  a week in a studio about the same size as the regular hotel room at AKL will run you about 1100-1500 if you go during off-peak times.  Expect to spend three times that booking directly with Disney.  Points go fast for the desirable hotels and there's usually no refund if you cancel so you need to be sure you're going to be able to go at that time rain or shine.  There are several sites that handle the transaction for a fee if you wanted extra security that you're not getting scammed or you could contact an owner directly for less money but also less security.  Do some research and book early.  I booked 11 months out for my trip and still didn't get the exact room I wanted. 

TL;DR: Don't go during summers or school holidays.  That alone will save you a bundle.

[StacheyStache]

We are doing this in June.

We are staying at Caribbean Beach resort, which is a moderate. The value only have only full beds. My parents are coming with us, and required a queen bed, so per their preference we only considered moderates. Rack rate is 200$.

We are getting 75$ in Disney gift cards per day because the resort restaurants are under construction. We didn't care as we'll hit the grocery store and get food there. Then the 75$ a day GC will cover souvenirs, occasional treats, and a few meals out.

Park tickets are expensive, obviously. Not much you can do.

My strategy is to do everything perfectly and never go back. So I am strategizing rides and such to make sure we are very efficient with our time.

The particular GC deal is over, but there is always something- there will be a mid summer discount coming out. You are better off taking a hotel discount and packing your own food, as the Disney food is outrageous and mediocre, from what I've read. The Disney dining plan is only a good value if you would have otherwise eaten all your meals at restaurants.

Regarding the food:  agree on outrageous, disagree on mediocre if you know where to go.  The hamburgers and other casual quick service food are nasty and unhealthy but some of the nicer restaurants (Jiko, Boma, Artist Point, Le Ceiler, the vast majority of the food and wine festival) are outstanding.   Bring your own lunches and snacks but definitely select a few carefully researched nice dinners out, you won't be sorry.

[ltt]

Are you flying or driving?  How many people are going?  How long would you stay?  Honestly, I would say it's very hard.  There are specials throughout the year that offer discounts on hotel or discounts on the dining package.  Some of the villas have kitchens where you would be able to purchase groceries and have them delivered and then do some of your own cooking.  That would help you, but then you'd probably be spending more on the lodging.  We've only stayed on-property.  Didn't want to deal with driving in an unfamiliar place.

My cousin has travelled to DW a few times (family of four), has flown down, stayed in a value resort, can't remember if they did the dining package, bought tickets and, of course, purchased souvenirs.  It's been between $5,000-$6,000 for a week.

If you stayed for a shorter period of time and, let's say, decided to stay for 2 days/3 nights and only selected to go to 2 parks, you could cut your costs substantially.

Don't travel over the holidays--too expensive and way too crowded.

 

[kimmarg]

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/campsites-at-fort-wilderness-resort/

$50 a day and just stay out of the paid theme parks. I keep wanting to go, no other family wants to though.

That is the most expensive campsite I have ever heard of!!!!

[texastumbleweed]

Sorry, just checking back.  It would be two adults and three kids.  We could drive or fly I guess, but driving would add one hotel night on the road probably.  Kids age would be between 4 and 8 when we go, probably next year.  All of the tips seems great, but also kind of overwhelming.  That said, I think it could be super fun.

[sovereign]

My family went to Disney World in January 2014, 2015, and 2016.  Both me and my wife spent time in Florida with grandparents growing up and visiting Disney World often.  So we were excited to go back with our son when he was old enough to enjoy it (he was 5 on the first trip).

Since I just found this site a few weeks ago, all three trips very Unmustachian with no travel hacking involved.  It was fun and magical but very expensive.  Essentially, it's like the cost of living in Manhattan.  Everything is expensive (with the exception of the hotel if you stay off-site or in the All-Star resorts).  Without hacking, the hotel was around $100 per night.  Park tickets (Magic Kingdom only) were $100 per person per day.  Food was over $100 per day for our family of three (lunch and dinner in the park).  Our favorite meal was at the Be Our Guest restaurant in the Magic Kingdom during our last visit, which I had tried unsuccessfully to reserve on the two previous trips (it's booked up months in advance).

Even off-season in January, there can still be fairly big crowds.  Our first year we went on a Friday and it was rainy all day, but the very crowded (it had rained all week and Friday was expected to be fair weather, but wasn't).  Other times, crowds were fairly light and we got to go on many more rides (when lines are short, just get back in line and do it again because it might be too long later).  Some lines may go from 5 minutes to over 60 minutes and vice versa during the day depending on where the crowds are going.

One thing that made things faster, is not taking a bag into the park.  There were very long lines to have your bag checked when entering the park.  That alone probably saved a half hour and put us ahead of much of the crowd at the park opening.

I need to start getting travel rewards cards and earning points for our next Disney World vacation...

[Shinplaster]

How long will you be staying?  The ticket price for the parks go down as you add more days - often, it can end up being just $10/day/person by the time you hit 6 days.  You can play around with hotel dates, ticket packages on the Disney site to see what works out most economically.

You can have food shipped from grocery sites, or amazon, and have it arrive the day you arrive - the front desk/concierge services will hold it for you.  Also, in the parks there are always healthy alternatives.  e.g. in the Magic Kingdom, you can find baked potatoes and corn near the Haunted Mansion. Animal Kingdom sells fruit in many places.  You don't always have to eat junk food.  The stores at each hotel also sell bread, cereal, milk, peanut butter, etc.  Slightly more than a regular grocery store, but easy to make breakfast or sandwiches to take with you to the parks.

For advice when to go, how to get the most out of your visit, etc. Josh's advice here is super:  http://www.easywdw.com/easy/ 

[mamagoose]

WDW annual passholder here chiming in...

-Check UndercoverTourist.com for crowd calendars to see if you're going to be waiting in long lines on the dates of your vacation (FYI locals only really go on "green" days to avoid crowds).
-If you fly, taking Uber/Lyft to your WDW resort and then just using the free buses will likely be cheaper than renting a car.
-Staying on-site gets you access to the Extra Magic Hours, which can mean really nice access before/after the crowds.
-When you book a WDW hotel in advance, get online and reserve your Fast Passes ASAP. Annual passholders can only reserve FP a month in advance, I think hotel guests can do it like 6 months out (and you'll need to if you want to ride the new Frozen ride at EPCOT or see Elsa in Magic Kingdom). The whole Fast Pass process is a logistical nightmare (there's an app My Disney Experience, you create an account), that's why you'll see cell phone charging stations throughout the parks and most people walking around with their heads in their phones checking wait times for rides.
-Pack your own snacks and food in the parks, save the dining $$ for the resorts - that's where the best restaurants are. With kids, hands down the best is Ohana at the Polynesian Resort. It's a buffet that comes to you (kinda like Texas de Brasil), and they have a ukelele player who entertains you, and staff members who coordinate games (like rugby with brooms and coconuts) and they will chase your kids around in a big herd while you eat - amazing :) and the food is awesome too.

[Khaetra]

Sorry, just checking back.  It would be two adults and three kids.  We could drive or fly I guess, but driving would add one hotel night on the road probably.  Kids age would be between 4 and 8 when we go, probably next year.  All of the tips seems great, but also kind of overwhelming.  That said, I think it could be super fun.

I would suggest you head to allears.net to start your research.  They have prices, pics of the rooms, menus with all prices (get ready for some huge sticker shock!). what each park has to offer, etc.  It's a really good source for first timers.

[Walsh1122]

My wife's grandparents have been DVC (Disney Vacation Club) members forever and their "home" resort is Old Key West.  We have stayed there twice in the past year and have had a great time, granted our stay was covered by their membership.  That said, even if I had to pay out of pocket I would still go with an upper tier Disney resort. 

As others have mentioned the bus system saves you a very large headache.  It is very efficient, basically a bus to any Disney park every 20 minutes or so.  This great because it allows you to go to and from the park at any point, which may be helpful with children as "meltdowns" do occur during the course of the day.  The resort amenities themselves are also a great perk.  We don't have children but during out last stay (last week) there was an activities coordinator (two people actually) at the pool everyday for a good portion of the day.  They do everything from pool games to tie dying, play music, pretty much anything to keep kids entertained, in addition that pool has a waterslide which the kids love. 

If you are going for 4 days or more I would hit at least three of the parks, with little kids I would prioritize Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, unless they really want to get on the Frozen ride, then Epcot.  Unless you plan to visit multiple parks in one day I wold skip the park hopper pass.  The only reason we get it is because we usually go to Epcot at night to walk around/eat/see fire works. Break the park visits up, have a rest day in between each park if possible or do half days and spend the rest of the time relaxing by the pool.  Staying at the resort will be more than entertaining for the kids.  Pack your lunch/snacks for the parks, that will save you time and money.  Give the bag to one person and the rest of you go through he express lines, it will cut down on wait times. 

As far as Fast Passes go, we were able to reserve them 3 months ahead of time, not sure if that varies due to us being Florida residents.  Utilize your Fast Passes though, this will be a life saver, the earlier you select them the better.  Plus the My Disney Experience App does make things really convenient.  It logs all your fast passes , dinner/lunch reservations, gives you wait times, park maps, etc all on one app. 

The visit is only going to be as stressful as you make it, so don't and have fun.  Try not to cram too much into a day, its going to be impossible to do everything.  Feel free to PM.

[MicroRN]

We are doing this in June.

We are staying at Caribbean Beach resort, which is a moderate. The value only have only full beds. My parents are coming with us, and required a queen bed, so per their preference we only considered moderates. Rack rate is 200$.

We are getting 75$ in Disney gift cards per day because the resort restaurants are under construction. We didn't care as we'll hit the grocery store and get food there. Then the 75$ a day GC will cover souvenirs, occasional treats, and a few meals out.

Park tickets are expensive, obviously. Not much you can do.

My strategy is to do everything perfectly and never go back. So I am strategizing rides and such to make sure we are very efficient with our time.

The particular GC deal is over, but there is always something- there will be a mid summer discount coming out. You are better off taking a hotel discount and packing your own food, as the Disney food is outrageous and mediocre, from what I've read. The Disney dining plan is only a good value if you would have otherwise eaten all your meals at restaurants.

Hey, we're staying there in June as well!  I was thrilled when we got the word about the gift cards.  We plan to do a grocery run for some of our food, and bring snacks every day.  I just can't face eating out every meal for a week.   

I would have been fine with not going to Disney...probably ever...but MrMicro grew up with Disney being a big thing and has been wanting to take the kids for years.  I think it's going to be hot, stressful, and expensive. 

We're saving on travel, because he has a conference in Orlando just prior to the trip, so his plane tickets to and from are covered.  There's a nice park ticket discount for AD military, so we're saving a decent chunk there as well.   

[LiveLean]

Number of years living in Central Florida: 19
Number of children: 2 (14 and 11)
Trips to Disney World: 0

[kpd905]

I would grab one or two Barclays Arrival+ cards now.  You end up with about $560 toward any travel expense after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months.  You can put any of the hotels on the cards and then subtract the cost by using the points.

So this could subtract $1100 or so from your trip.  I really have no idea how much you'd be left paying, but hopefully this would be a nice chunk of it.

[CmFtns]

Number of years living in Central Florida: 19
Number of children: 2 (14 and 11)
Trips to Disney World: 0

agreed, It's amazing how far people will go and what people will pay to come to disney when most people who actually live within a coupule hour drive never go

[Khaetra]

Number of years living in Central Florida: 19
Number of children: 2 (14 and 11)
Trips to Disney World: 0

agreed, It's amazing how far people will go and what people will pay to come to disney when most people who actually live within a coupule hour drive never go

Howdy neighbor!  I've lived here for the better of 40 years and in the early days when Disney had tickets for the rides themselves we would go often, as some of the rides were actually free and it was free to get in.  I did take my son a couple times when the Florida Resident pass was $99 for three days, but with the crowds and food prices soaring we haven't been back in years and have no desire to go.  But I agree, people will go to great lengths to get here and spend insanely, sometimes year after year.

[moof]

Make a budget, plan on setting that pile of money on fire.  Bring a lot of your own food.  Plan on setting the amount of money you budgeted on fire, then go have fun.  There is no real cheap way to have fun in a full on tourist trap other than to not go.

Once you have chosen to go just stick with your budget for food and trinkets and have FUN.  The only thing worse than wasting money at a tourist trap having fun is wasting money at a tourist trap being miserable.

[texastumbleweed]

LOL haha!  I love that setting your money on fire. 

[BabyShark]

My husband and I just got back from a trip a few weeks ago.  Something that's new is you can attach a credit card to your magic band if you're staying on property and then just use your magic band to pay for things.  It's so convenient but super dangerous because it absolutely doesn't feel like you're spending real money. Keep an eye on that.

[Plugging Along]

We just finished Disneyland this week  which we decided we would not worry about costs.   We have been very busy with work and there was not a lot of time to plan, hence the less frugal trips.   However, we did do didneyworld last a coup,e of times ago, went for longer, and spent less.

Neither time have we stayed on site, so you will you will have to figure that out.   We found the food and souvenirs were the biggest discretionary spending.   

Here's my random tips:
- there are a ton of planning g books, one I loved was a trip guide that had itenariries for each park and the age of the family members.   Saved a ton of time
-  have breakfast outside of the park or bring it.   I find for any trip paying for breakfast seems to be the biggest rip off.   Bring your own cereal, oatmeal, etc
- bring your own water, ask for a cup of water to refill.   They have to give it to you and it's free.
- pack whatever food you can, every little bit helps
- if you are staying at night, bring your own glow sticks and glow/light up toys.   I found when it got dark, it was hard to see your kids.   We brought a few packages of glow sticks for the night, and it worked out great
- if you are doing the ears, then get them ahead of time for. The Disney store, or even on line.   To be really frugal, make your own ears on head bands and decorate them the way you want. 
-  for souvenirs, there is an outlet not too far from de, go their first.   
- if you are doing autographs, (I hated the, because there were long line ups for the pictures and autographs), buy your own book from the dollar store, or mini photo albu,  and bring those massive pens.   It makes it easier for the mascots
- if you are doing pin trading, buy them well in advance on eBay, and your kids can trade them with any cast member.
- turkey legs were the best deal.  One whole turkey leg feed my family of 4.   We would have it was some fruit we broiught. 
- bring your own ponchos for the water rides

Most importantly, don't stress out too much.  My first time we went, I planned everything to make sure it was perfect, and didn't miss anything, this last time, very little planning, and the kids enjoyed it just as much. We may have missed a ride or tow, but no big deal.   

[FLBiker]

Number of years living in Central Florida: 19
Number of children: 2 (14 and 11)
Trips to Disney World: 0

agreed, It's amazing how far people will go and what people will pay to come to disney when most people who actually live within a coupule hour drive never go

Howdy neighbor!  I've lived here for the better of 40 years and in the early days when Disney had tickets for the rides themselves we would go often, as some of the rides were actually free and it was free to get in.  I did take my son a couple times when the Florida Resident pass was $99 for three days, but with the crowds and food prices soaring we haven't been back in years and have no desire to go.  But I agree, people will go to great lengths to get here and spend insanely, sometimes year after year.

I'm a relative newb to Florida (8 years) and DD is only 2, but we also haven't been to Disney.  I live like 10 minutes from Busch Gardens in Tampa, which has great roller coasters.  It's been a couple of years, but before DD, DW and I had annual passes a few times.  We'd get one that included parking (for like $120) and another that didn't (for like $89).  It was great fun.  Sometimes we'd have lunch in the park, but that was the only other expense.  That's definitely the direction I'm hoping to steer things in.  Aside from the expense, I really have a hard time with Disney's relentless marketing.  One nice thing about Busch Gardens is the complete lack of licensed characters.

[PoutineLover]

I got to go to Disney world when I was little when my dad had a conference in Florida. We drove down from Windsor, ON with a stop in Memphis to see Graceland (23 hours according to google maps, 17 without the detour). I still remember it as a great vacation even though I must have only been about 8 at the time so my sister was 4. My sister and I were allowed one souvenir each, we both picked the same Minnie Mouse doll. I got an autograph book and so did my sister, but she dropped hers in the "It's a small world" ride so we had to go around and get all the autographs twice. I guess I don't have many tips beyond limit souvenirs, I guess that's how my parents decided to save money. We did try to pack snacks but customs threw out all our fruit at the border, and they wouldn't even let us eat it instead! I think our accommodations were probably free because of the conference and travel was cheaper because we drove. Lots of great memories from that trip, definitely worthwhile even though it is a massive tourist trap.

[MandalayVA]

WDW annual passholder here chiming in...

If you fly, taking Uber/Lyft to your WDW resort and then just using the free buses will likely be cheaper than renting a car.

WARNING--due to regulations neither regular Uber (called Uber X) nor Lyft drivers are allowed to pick up at Orlando's airport, although they can drop off there.  Uber has what's called Uber Select that can pick up at MCO but the price is about the same as a taxi, which won't be cheap.  If you're staying on site, your best bet is using Disney's Magical Express bus service, which is free both ways and pretty efficient--you do have to make reservations.

[Beriberi]

I just want to second the idea of renting DVC points.  It's not cheap compared to just about anything else, but it is cheap compared to staying at a moderate resort.  You can get a one bedroom - with a king bed, a fold out sofa and a twin fold out chair for the cost of a single room.  You have to plan in advance, but it is totally legit.  I used https://www.dvcrequest.com without difficulty - I'm sure there are others. It is totally inflexible - once you are booked you are fully committed.  But the accommodations are amazing (kitchen and washer/dryer in every unit).

[charis]

I just want to second the idea of renting DVC points.  It's not cheap compared to just about anything else, but it is cheap compared to staying at a moderate resort.  You can get a one bedroom - with a king bed, a fold out sofa and a twin fold out chair for the cost of a single room.  You have to plan in advance, but it is totally legit.  I used https://www.dvcrequest.com without difficulty - I'm sure there are others. It is totally inflexible - once you are booked you are fully committed.  But the accommodations are amazing (kitchen and washer/dryer in every unit).

You can also rent points at a nice off-site timeshare for half the cost of renting DVC, like at Bonnet Creek, which has nicer/larger rooms and is essentially located in WDW.  There are no extra magic hours (EMH) or Disney theming, but we found that getting to the parks before opening on days when that particular park had no EMH scheduled gave us a practically empty park with the ability to walk on rides for a while (which is the purpose of EMH anyway).  We like to make pre-park opening character breakfast reservations, which can be expensive, but certainly much less so than paying to stay in a smaller room at Disney resort (not including the cost of breakfast) plus you don't have to wait in line for your kids to meet those characters at the park.

The biggest draw back that I see to staying off-site is not being able to get the most popular fast passes or dining reservations because resort guests get first pic, and they are usually the ones with the most days on their tickets. But it's tricky to get those reservations even if you are resort guest, so that's not a sticking point for me.

[Hvillian]

Some good tips, if you don't mind some credit card hacking:
http://www.richmondsavers.com/take-your-family-to-disney-world-for-free-step-by-step-instructions/

I am not too into it, but did use the Starwood Preferred Guest Card to get a few free nights at the Swan/Dolphin hotel.  While not a Disney property, it is onsite and comes with the perks (extended park hours, park transportation, etc.).  The process was very easy, and I will likely do it again if ever forced to return to Disney.

[FLBiker]

Can I ask a potentially fairly stupid question?  Are kids really into character meals / autographs?  I went to Disney as an 8 year old or so, and I vaguely remember posing for a photo with a character or two, but the idea of waiting in line for an autograph or paying for a meal with some college kid in a costume is wild.  Are kids really super interested in that stuff?  I always just liked the rides...

DD is two, so I suppose I'll find out soon...

[charis]

Can I ask a potentially fairly stupid question?  Are kids really into character meals / autographs?  I went to Disney as an 8 year old or so, and I vaguely remember posing for a photo with a character or two, but the idea of waiting in line for an autograph or paying for a meal with some college kid in a costume is wild.  Are kids really super interested in that stuff?  I always just liked the rides...

DD is two, so I suppose I'll find out soon...

My kids were aged between 2 and 6 when we went and both enjoyed meeting characters.  And I enjoyed it to a certain extent because I could actually sit and enjoy my food because the kids were entertained throughout.  We've never waited in line to meet a character - used fast passes or happened upon a character that had no line.

I can see how an older child, unless they are a huge Disney fan, would not care for it.  I never did.

[StarBright]

I just want to second the idea of renting DVC points.  It's not cheap compared to just about anything else, but it is cheap compared to staying at a moderate resort.  You can get a one bedroom - with a king bed, a fold out sofa and a twin fold out chair for the cost of a single room.  You have to plan in advance, but it is totally legit.  I used https://www.dvcrequest.com without difficulty - I'm sure there are others. It is totally inflexible - once you are booked you are fully committed.  But the accommodations are amazing (kitchen and washer/dryer in every unit).

Thirding this. And all 1 and 2 bedrooms have kitchens so you can do most/all meals at the resort. Using magical express and bringing a lot of our food with us made for a pretty cheap Disney trip.

[MayDay]

I checked prices for doing a vacation club points rental vs. moderate rooms, and the price was nearly the same. Perhaps it varies with time of year.

Plus you are locked in, which made me nervous.

[farmecologist]

I checked prices for doing a vacation club points rental vs. moderate rooms, and the price was nearly the same. Perhaps it varies with time of year.

Plus you are locked in, which made me nervous.

We have rented DVC points three times in the past.  It basically allowed us to stay in a 'deluxe' level hotel at 'value to moderate' prices.  However, lately it seems like the secret is out and the price-per-point is more than it used to be.  It can still be a great value though.

As for tickets, we used to buy a 10 day 'no expiration park hopper' ticket.  This enabled us to use the ticket for multiple trips and we frequently could get 3+ trips out of one ticket!  Unfortunately, they discontinued 'no expiration' tickets a few years ago ( probably due to people like us ) so that 'hack' is gone.  It was great while it lasted though!








 
 

[caracarn]

I just want to second the idea of renting DVC points.  It's not cheap compared to just about anything else, but it is cheap compared to staying at a moderate resort.  You can get a one bedroom - with a king bed, a fold out sofa and a twin fold out chair for the cost of a single room.  You have to plan in advance, but it is totally legit.  I used https://www.dvcrequest.com without difficulty - I'm sure there are others. It is totally inflexible - once you are booked you are fully committed.  But the accommodations are amazing (kitchen and washer/dryer in every unit).

I am a DVC member and a rent my points out every other year.  One of the more popular places is disboards.com and that's where I post my offers.

I wanted to chime in here to refute the "It is totally inflexible" comment.  That is completely false in most cases.  Certainly as you get closer it becomes more difficult, but I allow people to change their mind up to 90 days out (because that's when it becomes very difficult for me to repost points and get a renter and there are restrictions placed on points by DVC is you cancel a reservation within 30 days with them going in a holding account) so it certainly has more lead time than others but most people renting understand this once you explain it. 

With regards to the cost, I do think you need to so the analysis a different way and is the same thing I tell people to do when they are considering buying DVC.  If you are fine staying at the $59/night Ramada then buying or even renting DVC is not a good deal.  If however you compare the rate it would cost you to actually book the SAME room (usually about $500-$700 for a 1BR for example but rises to near $1000 in magic season) then renting is a wonderful option at the going rate of about $12-$13 per point.  I'll be happy to provide more details if anyone is interested but no point in going into a lengthy discussion here if no interest.

I've been a DVC owner since 2001 and think it is the best money we have ever spent.  Only regret was we did not do it sooner and it paid for itself in about 5-7 years and now I am ahead of the game for the next 30+.  As far as being Mustachian, to some degree I'd argue it is quite Mustachian (my lifetime cost is about $5.32/point and with a typical weekday stay being 8-12 points, making is $45 - 70 per night I'd say that's pretty inexpensive especially since that will still be my room cost up to 2042 when everyone else will be paying $200/night at the Ramada).  I can again provide the details of how I calculated this number (it was over 15 years ago so I may not remember the intricate details but if you are evaluating a purchase yourself it can save you developing your own model) if
anyone has interest. 

The rest of the Disney experience is costly for certain.  Step kids had never been before and my wife was even skeptical about the whole "Disney magic", but we've gone twice in the last five years and they immediately clamor to go back.  It's not for everyone but it is surprisingly versatile and I will certainly be going for the rest of my life without kids as it is a ton more fun for adults with all the things to do.  We will also use our DVC points for many other vacations and it has been a great benefit that way and we look forward to European trips and African safaris as we move into retirement. 

[caracarn]

Can I ask a potentially fairly stupid question?  Are kids really into character meals / autographs?  I went to Disney as an 8 year old or so, and I vaguely remember posing for a photo with a character or two, but the idea of waiting in line for an autograph or paying for a meal with some college kid in a costume is wild.  Are kids really super interested in that stuff?  I always just liked the rides...

DD is two, so I suppose I'll find out soon...

It depends.  First trip with the stepkids, my oldest stepdaughter was 13 at the time.  For months before we went all she did was make fun of my kids who were excited about the characters.  As soon as stepdaughter got there we were amazed at the change.  She went in whole hog and became the craziest fanatic about waiting in line for the characters and insisted we wait for every one.  Recently went back with her at 16 and same thing.  All six of our kids love this part of the experience though some are more in to it than other, as noted above.  Some will skip an hour long line, especially in June to see someone they saw last time.  We usually do about 2-3 character meals (it is honestly getting harder to do any table service meals that have not been converted to character meals anymore) and the kids do enjoy the photos and they are some of their favorite to look back on.  Our kids are 19-12 for reference, so it is not just a little kiddie thing.

[farmecologist]

I just want to second the idea of renting DVC points.  It's not cheap compared to just about anything else, but it is cheap compared to staying at a moderate resort.  You can get a one bedroom - with a king bed, a fold out sofa and a twin fold out chair for the cost of a single room.  You have to plan in advance, but it is totally legit.  I used https://www.dvcrequest.com without difficulty - I'm sure there are others. It is totally inflexible - once you are booked you are fully committed.  But the accommodations are amazing (kitchen and washer/dryer in every unit).

I am a DVC member and a rent my points out every other year.  One of the more popular places is disboards.com and that's where I post my offers.

I wanted to chime in here to refute the "It is totally inflexible" comment.  That is completely false in most cases.  Certainly as you get closer it becomes more difficult, but I allow people to change their mind up to 90 days out (because that's when it becomes very difficult for me to repost points and get a renter and there are restrictions placed on points by DVC is you cancel a reservation within 30 days with them going in a holding account) so it certainly has more lead time than others but most people renting understand this once you explain it. 

With regards to the cost, I do think you need to so the analysis a different way and is the same thing I tell people to do when they are considering buying DVC.  If you are fine staying at the $59/night Ramada then buying or even renting DVC is not a good deal.  If however you compare the rate it would cost you to actually book the SAME room (usually about $500-$700 for a 1BR for example but rises to near $1000 in magic season) then renting is a wonderful option at the going rate of about $12-$13 per point.  I'll be happy to provide more details if anyone is interested but no point in going into a lengthy discussion here if no interest.

I've been a DVC owner since 2001 and think it is the best money we have ever spent.  Only regret was we did not do it sooner and it paid for itself in about 5-7 years and now I am ahead of the game for the next 30+.  As far as being Mustachian, to some degree I'd argue it is quite Mustachian (my lifetime cost is about $5.32/point and with a typical weekday stay being 8-12 points, making is $45 - 70 per night I'd say that's pretty inexpensive especially since that will still be my room cost up to 2042 when everyone else will be paying $200/night at the Ramada).  I can again provide the details of how I calculated this number (it was over 15 years ago so I may not remember the intricate details but if you are evaluating a purchase yourself it can save you developing your own model) if
anyone has interest. 

The rest of the Disney experience is costly for certain.  Step kids had never been before and my wife was even skeptical about the whole "Disney magic", but we've gone twice in the last five years and they immediately clamor to go back.  It's not for everyone but it is surprisingly versatile and I will certainly be going for the rest of my life without kids as it is a ton more fun for adults with all the things to do.  We will also use our DVC points for many other vacations and it has been a great benefit that way and we look forward to European trips and African safaris as we move into retirement.

As I understand it, there are also 'yearly maintenance fees' for DVC...just like there are for any other timeshare type arrangement...correct?  Looks to me like the fees are a yearly per-point charge that depends on what your 'home' resort is.

These fees have always turned me off to timeshare ownership in general.  I'm wondering what your experience with fees has been like regarding your DVC ownership.

[caracarn]

I just want to second the idea of renting DVC points.  It's not cheap compared to just about anything else, but it is cheap compared to staying at a moderate resort.  You can get a one bedroom - with a king bed, a fold out sofa and a twin fold out chair for the cost of a single room.  You have to plan in advance, but it is totally legit.  I used https://www.dvcrequest.com without difficulty - I'm sure there are others. It is totally inflexible - once you are booked you are fully committed.  But the accommodations are amazing (kitchen and washer/dryer in every unit).

... cut for length ..

As I understand it, there are also 'yearly maintenance fees' for DVC...just like there are for any other timeshare type arrangement...correct?  Looks to me like the fees are a yearly per-point charge that depends on what your 'home' resort is.

These fees have always turned me off to timeshare in general.  I'm wondering what your experience with fees has been like regarding your DVC ownership.

Yes, there are but this was all in my calculation that resulted in the slightly $5 per point.  Basically when I try to determine if it makes sense to use the points at non-Disney resorts if I can get it for less than the number of points x $5.32 I still book in cash and rent my points.  Otherwise I use them.  My current fees are about $3.85/point this year.  They allow you to pay monthly and the do go up but at a much lower rate than hotel fees.  Basically my monthly charge for the 200 points I have owned we about $75/month when I bought in 2001 and my fees for 2017 are $109.09/month, not a huge increase for a 16 year time frame in my opinion.  You also are not locked in to a given week with DVC like with every other timeshare, including Marriott which was the only other one I heavily considered before settling on DVC. The key is to own a "desired" timeshare so that trades are easy.  When I was a kid my parents has a timeshare and I was originally not interested because I remember my mom on the phone for hours a day for weeks trying to get something and then getting to go to Idaho (which turned out to be great fun but was not where they wanted to go).   The DVC experience is really very different.

[Goldielocks]

We went the first week of January -- immediately after Jan1st, when all the kids have their first week back at school.  Ultimate low season.  We stayed off property, and received so many outrageous deals on car rental, restaurants, hotel prices, etc.   They were just throwing car and other upgrades at us.

Tickets for the parks were purchased using air miles, and was the best value per air mile point used out of all the rewards.

We did end up staying at an RCI resort, OFF property, and it was an AWESOME resort, with very large 2 bedroom apartments, kids pools and play areas, adult areas, gardens, etc.

You can buy RCI points or have someone book you by searching Tug2.net.   Going rate is 1 penny a point, plus booking fees.   I know I could get someone in for around $210 per night for the 2 bedroom place, and $155 per night for the 1 bedroom place.  (Full kitchen).  Other (smaller) places are cheaper, but very close to WDW property.  Here is a snapshot of what I could do for someone else...   others on Tug2.net discount to sell at a loss even further:

With full kitchens...

Summer Bay Resort (15-20 min drive to parks)  $154/night to $210 / night - large resort, large apartments (cheaper on tug2.net)
Silverlake resort (property backs onto Animal kingdom, smaller property than above,4.5 out of 5 star rating, has large pool)  $115-$138/night  (none left on tug2.net)

etc..

[southern granny]

We stayed at the beach and drove to Disney with the kids and grandkids.  The next day we were going to stay at the beach and let just the kids and grandkids go back to Disney for another day.  Every one of them (6) wanted an extra day at the beach instead of another day at Disney.  They all said that they did everything they really wanted to do on the first day. 

[richwink]

Hi,

DON'T GET A MEAL PLAN.

We did and it closes doors not opens them.  Don't want a cookie at lunch - too bad here it is - want a bottle of water... is it worth the point... want two full meals your day at epcot - too bad you only paid for one (unless you took the top of line meal pack).  Go cash you will probably save money and have more freedom.

Depending on the age of your group, try not to fit too much in to each day.  Better to "miss" things than to try get everything and then have to drag tired kids everywhere.  Our kids were 4, 7 and 9, we would run out of steam around 2:00 and head to the hotel to relax.  They would play Lego and we would chill - sometimes we would all nap.

Disney isn't a place you go to save money, but it was a magical - maybe more for us then them. 

My wife and I did go to Disneyland as adults without kids, that was an awesome vacation! 

Richard

[High Income Parent]

We have gone and it is pretty much the opposite of Mustachian philosophy. The entire goal of that 40 square miles is to get you to spend more money.  On that note, it is fun to watch the kids and see the excitement in their faces. If your children love Disney, then I could see it being a bucket list item. 
The cheapest way to do it is stay offsite, buy multiple day park tickets so that each ticket is overall cheaper. You can easily be entertained for four days if you do a four day pass with all the parks there. Don't eat there. If you are going to buy food in the park, there are several snack options that give you the disney food experience without paying for the meals. 
Don't get a meal plan. If that is the typical American diet, its understandable to see why there is an obesity epidemic. 

I would say the number one goal to get the most value for your money is to get there at park opening everyday, stay until 12-1pm and go back to the off site rental condo, campsite or hotel and swim, take a nap, watch a movie but just relax. Then go back in the evening when it cools off.
Have a plan mapped out for the day as in rides and attractions at certain times. You don't have to be super crazy about following it, but it saves a ton of time than walking outside of a ride and then looking at each other for 10 minutes and asking what should we do next. 
You can even budget in some time for "spontaneity".

[rubybeth]

I went to DW at age 5 and age 15 with my family and it was a blast both times. I have fond memories of both trips. I second/third/fourth the folks who said to bring your own food. My mom did this for our trips, and it worked really well (granola bars, fruit, etc.), and she also gave me and my sister a daily allowance for treats/souvenirs, which we were free to use that day or save up--I saved mine for a larger souvenir, my sister used hers every day for ice cream. :) She used some tips books about certain rides and when to get there to avoid lines--I'm sure that info. is online now.

Also, we usually left the parks in the afternoons and went back to our lodging for pool time/naps, and then back to the park in the evening for light shows/parades/whatever else was going on.

[pbkmaine]

Look for t-shirts and other Disney stuff in thrift stores before you go. Pack them and distribute them on arrival. It will stave off $30 t-shirt purchases in the stores. I also echo buying pins on EBay. You can get them for 50 cents each. They are $4-$10 on the property, and since you can trade pins with cast members, it doesn't matter what you start off with. I gave my oldest granddaughter a lanyard with 10 pins when she came down to Disney, and had a blast watching her trade with cast members.

[nobody123]

DW and I took our boys last summer for a week.  Definitely not cheap, but we decided this was a 'once in a lifetime' trip, so we didn't worry too much about the overall cost.  We stayed at a moderate resort, and it was worth it just for the shuttle service.  I don't remember what level meal plan we got, but we ended up with tons of credit left over that we turned to points to buy candy at the gift shop the last day we were there.  Wife and I both agreed we could have gone with a step lower plan, and I often ate heavier meals than I would have after walking around in 90 degree heat just so I got 'value' out of the meal plan.  Be aware that you need to make restaurant reservations pretty much the 180 days out that you're allowed if you want to get in anywhere popular.  As others have pointed out, use one of the many planning websites to ensure you go through the parks in the optimal order, and use the Fast Pass system. 

The only other thing I would recommend is get a double stroller if your kids are under the age of 8.  Little legs get tired, and you'll want somewhere to keep a bag of snacks, ponchos, etc.  I argued with my wife and said if I needed to rent a stroller the kids were too young to go, but it turns out she was right and having one at the parks made it less stressful.

I did sign up for the Disney credit card through Chase which at the time gave you like a $250 credit after spending a certain amount, and also got you access to special character meet and greets in the parks.  We also bought Disney gift cards at the grocery store when grocery stores were in the 5% cash back category on our credit cards, which also earns us discounted gas at the grocery store gas station.  We ended up with 8 or 9 free tanks of gas and a couple hundred reward dollars out of it.

Overall, I thought I was going to hate the trip (I couldn't possibly see how dropping $5-6K could be worth it), but it was absolutely worth the money, IMHO.  Yes, it's a tourist trap, but the staff bends over backwards to make everything perfect.  The parks and resorts are crazy clean.  My boys, who aren't really big into the characters themselves, had fun meeting them at dinner.  Even my older one, who on the way down was pointing out that they're just people in costumes, seemed to enjoy them.

[Pigeon]

I will admit that I love WDW.  We took our kids twice and I would happily go again even with one in college, but our vacations don't line up now. It's a very expensive vacation for us, but we don't take a vacation every year and we usually do something pretty cheap.

Dh is a public school teacher, so we are at a big disadvantage being stuck with school winter/spring vacations.  I'm not going to FL in the summer.  Airfare is higher and the parks are more crowded during school vacation periods.  I would go during an off season if I could.

Get your hands on the Unofficial Guide and spend time with it.  Check out the disboards. The first time we went, I thought that doing all that planning was too complicated and I wanted to be more spontaneous.  Do the planning.  You will see so much more.

We stayed onsite at a moderate and used Disney's free transportation service to and from the airport, and the free bus service in the parks, thus avoiding a car rental.  The onsite resorts are expensive and you get a better value offsite.  But I hate driving, and dh has a long commute and he enjoyed the break from it. 

We didn't do any souvenirs or add-ons.  Disney has endless ways to part you from your money, but we were up-front with the kids that there was so much to do in the parks and at the resorts that we weren't doing/buying more.   We got park tickets for all the days we were there.  Disney's pricing is brilliant as they front load the cost on the first couple of days and adding on days gets progressively cheaper, thus making it less tempting to go elsewhere for a few days.  We got park hopper passes the first time, but that was a total waste of money for us, and staying in the same park all day was fine.  We did a couple of character meals that were enjoyable. 

You can look at the restaurants and prices to see if the meal plan makes any sense for you.  Meals are expensive, but the meal plan would not have saved us money at all.

[BabyShark]

It may be worth looking into having a Disney Travel Agent plan your trip.  My best friend has been going to Disney for years with her family and now she plans trips for other people.  Disney pays her a commission for what she books, but it doesn't cost you any more.  When she was quoting me my hotel and tickets, she was able to give me a better price than the disney website would have done for me directly.

I've also booked through Southwest Vacations and the whole package with flights, hotel and tickets was cheaper and they sometimes run specials.

[farmecologist]

We just got back.  It was very busy on most days...I'd say probably an 8 out of 10 based on our previous trips.  We made full use of our park-hopper tickets.  We split up - wife and older daughter like to take their time window shopping and such.  Myself and our younger son did the 'park warrior' thing.  Final mileage (according to phone) was around 9 miles a day!

Some observations :

• We stayed at Pop Century...one of the on-property 'value' resorts.  We took full advantage of the 'Magical express' transportation service - which was great (no rental car needed).  From what I've read, bus service at 'value' resorts sometimes gets a bad rap.  With that said, it worked great for us.   However, don't expect instant service if you need the bus at prime hours (i.e. - park closing).
• People without park-hopper tickets tend to get 'trapped' at a single park each day.   It was extremely nice to be able to visit another park if the crowds were too high or if we were able to obtain a fastpass in another park ( more on that later ).  This worked so well that I think park-hopper tickets are essential if you go during a peak visitation time.
• We paid extra ($29 for the week) for 'express transportation'.  If you have a park-hopper ticket, this service gets you special buses that pick you up inside your current park and drop you off inside another park.  The obvious benefit is not having to walk all the way out of one park and then all the way back into the other park.  You also get to avoid security when entering the new park.  You also get to see many backstage areas.  This ended up saving us a ton of time.  In fact, my son and I ended up visiting all four parks one day!  We really liked that the Animal Kingdom express bus picks you up towards the far end of the park - near Kilimanjaro Safaris.  I think this is an essential companion to a park-hopper ticket.
• Learn to use the MyDisneyExperience app for fastpasses.  I can't stress this enough.  The trick is to schedule three fastpasses at a single park as early in the day as possible.  After you use the first three you can schedule unlimited fastpasses at any park for the rest of the day ( though you must use one before scheduling the next one ).  There must be many people that don't know about this because there were very long lines at all of the marquee rides ( as in 2+ hour lines ).  Frankly, I can't believe people were standing in some of those lines as it was extremely hot and humid most days we were there.  By making smart use of fastpasses, we were able to completely avoid long lines even though we visited at a peak time of year.  Because you can schedule additional fastpasses at any park, a park-hopper ticket certainly helps here too. 
• This seems like common sense but bring water bottles...or buy one bottle and keep refilling it.  We saw far too many people that were completely unprepared the hot and humid conditions.  WDW must have made a fortune in water sales while we were there.  I honestly don't get why people think they need to buy multiple bottles of water a day ( at $3 each ).

As you can see we are big believers in the park-hopper ticket and the 'express transportation' service.  The one thing we will change next time is to get a shorter duration park-hopper ticket and use it on non-consecutive days (i.e. - take a day off from the parks here and there).   We were able to get so much done in a short period of time that it felt like we ran out of things to do towards the end of the trip! 

[ltt]

Sounds like you had a really good time!!  I've been to DW twice now and have never heard of the express transportation option.  Did you purchase that at the time you purchased your tickets the first day you were there?