Disney on a Budget
Mar 14, 2008, 9:14 am
#2
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 317
Staying at one of the cheaper resorts is the way to go. You don't have to pay to park, you get free transportation, more park hours and other benefits. The music, movie, and sports resorts are fine. Pack a lunch each day and put in a backpack or if you have a frig in the room at least do breakfast in the room.
Mar 14, 2008, 9:21 am
#3
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: New England
Programs: American Airlines, Continental, United, Southwest, BA, Marriott Rewards, Hilton Honors, Hyatt
Posts: 272
http://www.mousesavers.com has great information on discounts and what the best packages are. The All Star resorts at Disney are the least expensive, but the rooms are pretty small. They have a cafeteria type set-up so you can feed the kids relatively cheaply, i.e., a box of cereal or a pbj. I've done both resort and off-property and if I had my choice I would find a low price home rental or timeshare promotion (there are a million in Orlando) so I could have access to a fridge, microwave, tv, and pool. Although they won't watch much TV, it is nice to have on a night when it rains or you are back early. The advantage to having a car is that so many restaurants are all you can eat or 2 for 1, which can be handy when you are trying to keep costs down. You can also hit up Walmart for all your supplies and fast food when you are down to your last dollars. Marriott has good timeshare values that include tickets. Google home rental + orlando and it will pull up lots of places.
Mar 14, 2008, 7:12 pm
#6
Join Date: Dec 2000
Posts: 584
In addition to mousesavers, you should check out the Disney Flyertalk equivalent - http://www.disboards.com/ -- Budget Board and Disney Resorts (rates and codes)
Mar 15, 2008, 4:23 pm
#7
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Central Mass
Programs: Independent
Posts: 4,829
A rental car. Everything on property is expensive - with the one ironic exception of gasoline! - and you won't save any money if stay completely on site. So, a few options you have: 1) meals. This is great having a car - you don't have to spend an hour every time you want to leave or go to a park, and instead get in the car and drive right out to 535 and eat lunch there. 2) lodging, by not staying at a Disney resort. You will get a much better room for a much better price. Plus, most will give you at least a refrigerator - and usually a microwave and sometimes a small sink. You will save money by eating breakfasts off site. If distance is the issue, at least look at the resorts in the Disney Village area. However, I realize that the magic of a Disney resort is pretty big, so what you can try to do is stay at 2 different hotels - spread your time between a lower cost off site property and then splurge for a couple of nights on property.
3) Tickets: Not at your length., You CAN save some money by going with an annual pass IF you are going to stay for a long duration, but you need at least 8 or 9 days a year to make that pay off. Annual passes Do give you some breaks on hotel rooms, IF you can find them. But they are not going to be easy to come by in busier times of the year.
With just a 4 day trip, it is going to be hard to squeeze out a lot of savings. Watch what you spend on souvenirs and try to eat as much as you can at least in Disney Marketplace, if not off site completely. If you need things like soda and water, try getting to one of the Hess stations on property - they are cheaper. The value resorts - All Star and Pop Century will be cheaper, but you get smaller rooms and they don't have the same magic as the rest of the resorts. I don't think it is worth the extra price to stay in those versus the resorts off property - if you want the magic, go for the Carribean/Port Dixie resorts.
3) Tickets: Not at your length., You CAN save some money by going with an annual pass IF you are going to stay for a long duration, but you need at least 8 or 9 days a year to make that pay off. Annual passes Do give you some breaks on hotel rooms, IF you can find them. But they are not going to be easy to come by in busier times of the year.
With just a 4 day trip, it is going to be hard to squeeze out a lot of savings. Watch what you spend on souvenirs and try to eat as much as you can at least in Disney Marketplace, if not off site completely. If you need things like soda and water, try getting to one of the Hess stations on property - they are cheaper. The value resorts - All Star and Pop Century will be cheaper, but you get smaller rooms and they don't have the same magic as the rest of the resorts. I don't think it is worth the extra price to stay in those versus the resorts off property - if you want the magic, go for the Carribean/Port Dixie resorts.
Mar 15, 2008, 5:06 pm
#8
Join Date: Jan 2004
Programs: Inventor of the "Eskimojito" featuring Canadian Mint/Buquebus Rowing Team
Posts: 2,894
I second the thought about staying off-property and renting a car. Kissimmee is a good alternative, very close and you'll be able to get hotels for a better deal.
Mar 16, 2008, 5:49 am
#9
Join Date: May 2005
Location: MIA/SJU/MCO
Programs: AA LT PLT; DL GLD, UA nothing, B6 Mosaic; Emerald Club Executive
Posts: 3,331
The cheapest Disney resorts are the All Stars and Pop Century.
As far as Disney ticket deals go, they're few and far between. Your best best is buy multi day passes as the price per day goes down the more days you get.
Check mousesavers.com and disboards.com for more information.
As far as Disney ticket deals go, they're few and far between. Your best best is buy multi day passes as the price per day goes down the more days you get.
Check mousesavers.com and disboards.com for more information.
Mar 16, 2008, 6:31 am
#10
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: AA Lifetime PLT , BA Silver , BD RIP , HH Gold, SPG / Marriott PLT , EF Subscriber
Posts: 6,702
Renting a Car is one of the least Budget items you can do in Disney/Orlando with Parking, Rental, Airport Fees,Tolls,Taxes etc, you are paying almost $60 a Day and most of the time it just sits in a Disney Car Park. The Airport have even just added another $2.50 Rental Facilities Improvement Fee.
I have to disagree with Cloudship, getting from any park to the outside World is still going to take an hour even if you have a car, with Lines, Trams and then walks both ends at The Car Parks. Even on your airport arrival you can be on your way whilst some folks are still in The Car Rental Line. Mid afternoon an hour is not unusual at Dollar or Avis. Hertz is even worse as thats off-site.
Savor the Disney experience and stay on site.
Pick a Value Disney Hotel, use the Magical Express Free Airport Transfers, Go for the Parks that give Disney Guests the extra hour in The Morning. Finally remember Disney Guests get dropped off right at the Gate at The Magic Kingdom this combined with the lack of time required for Parking, Trams, Entry Lines, Monorail can save another One Hour a Day.
I have to disagree with Cloudship, getting from any park to the outside World is still going to take an hour even if you have a car, with Lines, Trams and then walks both ends at The Car Parks. Even on your airport arrival you can be on your way whilst some folks are still in The Car Rental Line. Mid afternoon an hour is not unusual at Dollar or Avis. Hertz is even worse as thats off-site.
Savor the Disney experience and stay on site.
Pick a Value Disney Hotel, use the Magical Express Free Airport Transfers, Go for the Parks that give Disney Guests the extra hour in The Morning. Finally remember Disney Guests get dropped off right at the Gate at The Magic Kingdom this combined with the lack of time required for Parking, Trams, Entry Lines, Monorail can save another One Hour a Day.
Last edited by UncleDude; Mar 16, 2008 at 7:01 am
Mar 16, 2008, 7:09 am
#11
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: NYC
Posts: 9,122
I would check the Swan or Dolphin. You can walk to Epcot from either. Somtimes you can priceline/hotwire them for a good deal.
I also think most people feel you don't save any time or money staying at the Disney budget hotels and they just aren't very good value.
I also think most people feel you don't save any time or money staying at the Disney budget hotels and they just aren't very good value.
Mar 16, 2008, 7:26 am
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: TPA
Programs: Hilton Gold, DL DIrt Medallion
Posts: 38,267
Stay off-site. The on-site hotels are low-quality and high price, in my experience. And UnleDude is dead wrong that it takes an hour to get from park to off-site. We stay off-site in LBV every time, and can get from deep within Magic Kingdom (ie Big Thunder Mountain) to our hotel in about 30 minutes. Other parks are faster. There's no waiting in line for a bus that may or may not come and will probably be overcrowded when it does. Even renting a car and paying for parking you'll come out way ahead financially.
Mar 16, 2008, 9:04 am
#13
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: AA Lifetime PLT , BA Silver , BD RIP , HH Gold, SPG / Marriott PLT , EF Subscriber
Posts: 6,702
Stay off-site. The on-site hotels are low-quality and high price, in my experience. And UnleDude is dead wrong that it takes an hour to get from park to off-site. We stay off-site in LBV every time, and can get from deep within Magic Kingdom (ie Big Thunder Mountain) to our hotel in about 30 minutes. Other parks are faster. There's no waiting in line for a bus that may or may not come and will probably be overcrowded when it does. Even renting a car and paying for parking you'll come out way ahead financially.
The 2 Ferry Boats work on a 15 Minute off peak Cycle and take 9 minutes so that alone could be 24 Minutes. The walk from Thunder Mountain is at least 10 minutes. Then there is the walk from Ferry Boat, even if you are first off thats 3 minutes to the Tram, 5 minutes to load up, then possibly 3 stops before your selected Car Park area. And SRQ managed that into car and to LBV under 30 minutes. The Monorails can be faster but depends on timing and whether they are on Non-Stop to TandTC or via Hotels, but average is 12 minutes including loading and unloading.
There are 8 sets of lights from Magic Kingdom to LBV Entrance..always all at Green for SRQ but average of 15 minutes journey for everybody else.
Guess The Olympic committee needs SRQ's contact details.
Incidentally its 12 minutes from World Showcase Lagoon to The EPCOT Parking Trams, but perhaps SRQ does it in 3.
Last edited by UncleDude; Mar 16, 2008 at 9:22 am
Mar 16, 2008, 2:15 pm
#14
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: New York USA
Posts: 2,933
Cheap is relative (apparently, too, is distance 
)....and your dates of travel are going to be important as to whether you can do this on your budget.
First off, your admission tickets for 4 days are going to be $212 + tax for adults and $178+ for kids under 10. If you intend to park-hop (different parks in one day), your tickets go up to $257+ for adults and $223+ for kids. If you are employed by a large company, have a military background or live in Florida you can get some discounts. AAA membership may give a very slight discount. I personally would not buy tickets from a broker or ebay.
Ticket prices won't change depending on season, and there is NO Senior Citizen discount.
The best rates on-site are, as others have said, at the Pop Century or the 3 All Star resorts. I've stayed in 2 of the All Stars as well as the Pop. Now the rooms are not huge, but I really don't think they are significantly smaller than most normal hotel rooms. And you are barely in the room anyway. The best rates for them begin in early Aug when you can get a room for $82+ tax per night. Be forewarned that if you are 4 adults, they will charge extra for the 3rd and 4th adult, and the beds are not kings.
I personally think you are best off NOT renting a car if you are flying in to MCO and have no plans to venture outside of Disney. Rental cars are not always cheap in MCO, especially if you want something more spacious than a compact, and you will have no need to use it. You will be able to use Magical Express, which is a bus Disney provides for no additional charge from MCO to their hotels, and all of the on-site Disney transportation as well.
You can stay off-site and may be able to save $20-50 per night, but you will be staying in a budget hotel. I've found many in the Kissimmee-Irlo Bronson Hwy. area to be a bit "cheap" and probably would not subject my family to them any more. Plus, the area just isn't so nice.
If you stay off-site, Disney parking is $10 per day.
Food prices really are not as horrible on Disney as people make it out to be....IF you are a budget shopper. Yes, a hamburger is $5.95. It comes with fries, and if you have 2 kids, they can split it. Condiments including pickles, lettuce, tomato are included. Where else are you gonna feed a kid for 3 bucks? Water and soda in the park is under $2.50 per bottle. I feel that is very reasonable (compares nicely to the ballpark or circus, for example). As long as you stay away from expensive character meals, you will be able to eat within your budget. The food courts at Disney's value hotels give good sized portions and you can definitely do breakfast for 4 under $30 (no tipping required). I'd venture to say most people would spend that at their local Denny's.
I have to agree with UncleDude on the timing thing...it's at least a 15 minute walk from Big Thunder to your car door, and that's if you do not have kids in tow. When you leave the park after fireworks/closing, there is a giant rush of confused, weary people and it's just a huge bottleneck of bodies on Main Street. Once you do get to your car, you have to wait to go out the one park exit, and then you are competing with all the buses for road space...trust me, they win every time. I've pretty much abandoned bringing a car to Disney....yes, you may wait for a bus (trust me, you'll be waiting for most everything anyway...Disney is not a relaxing vacation) but Disney makes it very easy to use their transportation.
Have fun. And yes, invariably, you will go over budget...but enjoy! Any vacation is like that.
)....and your dates of travel are going to be important as to whether you can do this on your budget.First off, your admission tickets for 4 days are going to be $212 + tax for adults and $178+ for kids under 10. If you intend to park-hop (different parks in one day), your tickets go up to $257+ for adults and $223+ for kids. If you are employed by a large company, have a military background or live in Florida you can get some discounts. AAA membership may give a very slight discount. I personally would not buy tickets from a broker or ebay.
Ticket prices won't change depending on season, and there is NO Senior Citizen discount.
The best rates on-site are, as others have said, at the Pop Century or the 3 All Star resorts. I've stayed in 2 of the All Stars as well as the Pop. Now the rooms are not huge, but I really don't think they are significantly smaller than most normal hotel rooms. And you are barely in the room anyway. The best rates for them begin in early Aug when you can get a room for $82+ tax per night. Be forewarned that if you are 4 adults, they will charge extra for the 3rd and 4th adult, and the beds are not kings.
I personally think you are best off NOT renting a car if you are flying in to MCO and have no plans to venture outside of Disney. Rental cars are not always cheap in MCO, especially if you want something more spacious than a compact, and you will have no need to use it. You will be able to use Magical Express, which is a bus Disney provides for no additional charge from MCO to their hotels, and all of the on-site Disney transportation as well.
You can stay off-site and may be able to save $20-50 per night, but you will be staying in a budget hotel. I've found many in the Kissimmee-Irlo Bronson Hwy. area to be a bit "cheap" and probably would not subject my family to them any more. Plus, the area just isn't so nice.
If you stay off-site, Disney parking is $10 per day.
Food prices really are not as horrible on Disney as people make it out to be....IF you are a budget shopper. Yes, a hamburger is $5.95. It comes with fries, and if you have 2 kids, they can split it. Condiments including pickles, lettuce, tomato are included. Where else are you gonna feed a kid for 3 bucks? Water and soda in the park is under $2.50 per bottle. I feel that is very reasonable (compares nicely to the ballpark or circus, for example). As long as you stay away from expensive character meals, you will be able to eat within your budget. The food courts at Disney's value hotels give good sized portions and you can definitely do breakfast for 4 under $30 (no tipping required). I'd venture to say most people would spend that at their local Denny's.
I have to agree with UncleDude on the timing thing...it's at least a 15 minute walk from Big Thunder to your car door, and that's if you do not have kids in tow. When you leave the park after fireworks/closing, there is a giant rush of confused, weary people and it's just a huge bottleneck of bodies on Main Street. Once you do get to your car, you have to wait to go out the one park exit, and then you are competing with all the buses for road space...trust me, they win every time. I've pretty much abandoned bringing a car to Disney....yes, you may wait for a bus (trust me, you'll be waiting for most everything anyway...Disney is not a relaxing vacation) but Disney makes it very easy to use their transportation.
Have fun. And yes, invariably, you will go over budget...but enjoy! Any vacation is like that.
Mar 16, 2008, 8:22 pm
#15
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Central Mass
Programs: Independent
Posts: 4,829
Actually, you CAN get a pretty good price on a rental car in Florida if you shop around. Check out the online coupon codes and look for weekend/weekly rates (usually 5 days minimum). And don't be afraid to rent through the offsite locations - just schedule a little more time. There are a ton of fees, but the turnover is high enough in Florida they can offer pretty cheap rates. I usually do a midsize through National for $40 or abouts after everything, and if you go with a cheaper car and cheaper company, you can get significantly less.
As far as getting out of the parks quickly, yes the MK is bad, because you have to either take the monorail or the boat. But certainly Epcot and AK are a doable quick walk - you just have to plan a little so you don't decide to do lunch while you are at the back of the park. I suggest getting a good map and studying Google Earth well - you can actually make good time if you know which roads to take as opposed to the way everyone else goes. But yes, timing is everything - after the fireworks show and Reflections, there is a massive surge of people you will never get through. But that is not likely when you are going to be leaving for lunch or dinner.
In an ideal world you would have the money to stay on property and pamper yourself. But in the real world that is usually not the case. I know of too many people who have had miserable trips because they ran out of money trying to do the total Disney thing, got everyone upset and still didn't manage to accomplish everything they wanted. You are better off leaving a little more for the next trip and not letting Disney get the better of you, which it very well can.
P.S. about the Swan and Dolphin - they both charge for parking - last time I checked it was $11 a day. If you want a decent deal (but alas they only have one bed in the rooms) the Hilton Grand Vacations near Sea World usually runs $79 a night off season, and that includes a micor, refrigerator, and a sink, and really good pools.
As far as getting out of the parks quickly, yes the MK is bad, because you have to either take the monorail or the boat. But certainly Epcot and AK are a doable quick walk - you just have to plan a little so you don't decide to do lunch while you are at the back of the park. I suggest getting a good map and studying Google Earth well - you can actually make good time if you know which roads to take as opposed to the way everyone else goes. But yes, timing is everything - after the fireworks show and Reflections, there is a massive surge of people you will never get through. But that is not likely when you are going to be leaving for lunch or dinner.
In an ideal world you would have the money to stay on property and pamper yourself. But in the real world that is usually not the case. I know of too many people who have had miserable trips because they ran out of money trying to do the total Disney thing, got everyone upset and still didn't manage to accomplish everything they wanted. You are better off leaving a little more for the next trip and not letting Disney get the better of you, which it very well can.
P.S. about the Swan and Dolphin - they both charge for parking - last time I checked it was $11 a day. If you want a decent deal (but alas they only have one bed in the rooms) the Hilton Grand Vacations near Sea World usually runs $79 a night off season, and that includes a micor, refrigerator, and a sink, and really good pools.