What Does a WDW Vacation Cost, Really?

[Goes4FastPass]

I read a lot of threads on this board about value vs. deluxe and other cost considerations and add-ons and options preferred view upcharges and I see lots of expressions like 'priceless' and 'worth it'.

I know I personally trick myself about how much I spend when we go to WDW. I pay for my package well in advance, airline tickets on a different credit card, cash for most purchases while on property.

Standing in front of Cinderella's Castle always makes me feel like a kid - but in my extended family I'm the 'kid' who has to make the dollars work.

And It seems from many posts here that your WDW vacations often are a week or longer. We hardly ever get to stay that long.

I'd like to know, if any of you are willing to tell us, what the usual all in total cost door to door is for your usual 'on property' WDW vacation. Transportation to and from WDW, lodging, meals, park admissions, all of the extras, MVMCP, MNSSHP, P&P, pizza delivery, BBB, HDDR, CduS, pin trading, souvenirs, concierge, refillable mugs, photos from ToT and MBYB and everywhere else, water park locker rentals, dole whips, churros, tipping, taxis, ponchos, etc. etc. etc. all in.

I'd like to know, and...

...am I the only one who tricks themselves about their total cost?

[BigRedDad]

I haven't been in a while, but my wife and I honeymooned in 2001 for $3000. That was airfare, AKL on the Savannah, tickets, meals souvenirs, wedding gift, 7 days. We are going for 7 days this Spring. It will be DD2, DW, and myself.

POP: $675
Airfare: $750
Tickets: $560
Meals: $500
Souvenirs: $300
Total: $2785

[mudpuppysmom]

You aren't the only one who tricks yourself about the total cost.....I think I'm a tad delusional too since I spread it out over the course of a few months.

We just came back last week from seven days, so I have a fresh trip in my mind. Now, my sister wants to go in December with her girls and she would like us to go too....I'll have a five year old and a 6 month old in December, so I'll have to account for a tad bit more next time.

Now, I'm kinda afraid to tell you what we just spent "door to door"......but here is what I can run down for you:

Hotel the night before and parking for our car at the hotel $110
Airfare $406 (but I had $130 in credit that I also used from SW)
Rental Car (we love having a car and this was the cheapest I've ever gotten one....$92 for the rental and $30 for gas this trip)
Hotel -- we stay at SOG most of the time and it's on Disney property, but not a Disney hotel, so not sure if you want to count it......$666
plus $30 for parking fee
Supplies from Walmart once we got there:$60
Pirate & Princess Party: $130 (I can't remember exactly, so I took $45x3 which is what I think it is about)
Meals: Now this is pretty tough, because we eat on and off property and we generally do not eat breakfast at a park, we eat in our room....granola bars, fruit, pop tarts, etc... We only ate four sit down meals this trip in the parks (three were planned one was not) and only one of them was an actual sit down (Cali Grill), the others were buffet (Tusker House lunch on a whim, Crystal Palace breakfast and Biergarten lunch). Granted Cali Grill was a really heavy bill too! Anyway, I estimate that all our food in park and out of park PLUS the souvies we bought (which were not our usual this trip) was about $1300.
Tickets: we bought a 10 day hopper no expire (DH uses it when he comes for long weekends, a 10day hopper for DS and an AP for me) for $1200

So, grand total.......ohhhhh, am I going to be surprised when I add all this up.....$3964.....and I try to be budget minded!!!
So there you have it!

[CleveSJM]

Last big trip we took was for 6 days during free dining in 2006.

Transportation: $500 (drive straight thru, gas, misc)
Lodging: $960 (2 connecting Value rooms)
Meals: Free dining was nice (without FD $1000)
Park admissions: $1000ish (4 adult, 1 kid, 1 under 3)
Extras/Souvs/MNSSHP: $1540

Whole ball o' wax: $4000 with Free Dining $5000 without. Disney VISA Card felt the brunt of that, HELOC shortly thereafter... :D

[scootch713]

One adult/two kids.... deluxe hotel, 6 nights, flights from Pittsburgh....all the other stuff(food, souveniers, stroller rental ect...)

about $3000 each year...

memories with my two miracle babies(well not so baby anymore, age almost 6 and 8)..... "priceless".....


(you knew that was coming, didn't you:cloud9:)

[mickey&missy]

Good question!

In all honesty, I believe that our 2006 trip cost us about $10,000. GULP!

We took DH's parents with us and had 2 courtyard view rooms at WL. With airline tickets for 6 people (our family of 4 and the inlaws) limo, our package, meals & snacks, Hoop Dee Doo, MNSSHP on Halloween, DD's trip to BBB (of course she picked the most expense dress), pins, souvenirs, photopass CD, plus all the pre-trip purchases etc, etc, etc,

I spent WAY too much money on souvenirs during that trip. But I got a lot christmas decorations and christmas gifts. Plus, we tend to "go all out." When we go.

In 05 DH's parent took us, we seem to have a they take us - we take them trend going, and we paid for breakfasts, snacks, a few dinners souvenirs, photopass pictures and not much else. We spent somewhere around $1500.

I try very hard not to trick myself about the cost. DH is very nickle and dime and tricking myself would cause an arguement between us. For us its much better to know the cost before we plan, make sure its doable and go from there.

[BelleLovesTheBeast]

I keep all my receipts from my previous trips so that I can budget what to spend on the next one.

Sept 2007 trip:
hotel/tickets 2400
airfair 10 (used free flights)
food and souvenirs 2550 (husband bought me my christmas presents too)

total 4960

It adds up so fast when you are there. I start putting money away when I get back for my next trip.

[WriteDisney]

I'm planning my trip for September right now and adding up costs.

We're staying for 10 days with dining, water parks, park hopper, and accomodations at a moderate hotel (Port Orleans French Quarter) and here's what the total looks like: $2800.

When you add in airfare, its going to be around $3200. And even though it does include meals and snacks, I'm sure I'll end up spending another couple hundred bucks on food and souveners.

For us, this works within our budget for the year. My DBF and I work hard and its our big vacation for the year. We were originally planning on 2 trips, but could only budget one.

Personally, given everything that's included I think its completely worth it. I spend 8 days in london and paris last summer and while my parents paid for most of the trip, the part I was responsible for was astronomical. Considering that disney vacation packages include everything, its completely worth it and then some. Especially given how many options you have to save money (value resorts, not opting for certain perks).

If I was to give any advice to those who think that disney isn't affordable, I would say go during value season! Our trip in march was going to cost more then the one in September, and during value season we were able to add 2 days, water parks, and budget in some tour and special events! :thumbsup:

[AuntDJ]

Nope, I count my self as delusional when it comes to the cost of my Disney trips:

This years per-tally:

2300-Hotel/8 day park hopper/dining plan (POFQ)
750- airfare
50- in room snacks and breakfast items
100-random in park snacks; items not covered by dining plan
400-souvenirs

I estimated high for the souvenirs...but that puts us around 3600...for me and my niece.

Totally worth it for me!

DJ

[WriteDisney]

I forgot to add that most transportation is included (buses or monorail) so you really only need to worry about airfare. Thats a huge savings (gas!). I also love that all entertainment is included (minus special events which you can budget as needed). You never have to worry about what to do, theres usually too much to choose from! :mickey:

[AZ Disney]

We just returned and the package/airfare were all paid in advance. DH and I flew on rewards tickets and my parents bought the boys' tickets for their birthdays. They were only $160 round trip from PHX-MCO.

MYW Package at POFQ $2500 w/Dining for 7nights/8days.
everything else got billed to the room while were there and it was $1222.00. This was souvenirs and extra dining/drinks costs.

Yikes!

[Goofster]

We usually like to keep our costs down by bringing our own breakfasts, eating mostly counter service meals, and keeping a strict budget (per person) for souveniers.

For our upcoming 2/3/08-2/8/08 trip:

Saratoga Springs (renting DVC pts.) - $600
WDW Tickets (non-Park hopper) - $655
Airline Tickets for 5 (from Detroit) - $600
Food (one character buffet - $15 each day for snacks, etc.) - $375
Souveniers - $100.

Total - $2330 This will probably the cheapest it will be as 2009 will require park passes for my son (he'll be turning 3 towards the end of this trip) and then 2010 will require a pass for my youngest son (he just turned 1). So by 2010 we'll be up to about $2730.

[#1donaldfan]

For us, a fam of 5, one being at a child rate right now......from door to door, up and down the east coast, we tend to manage very well on $ 5,000.....it may have been a little more last year, don't remember why...... that's staying at POR, driving down approx 900 miles, staying one night off prop....usually one night back, eats, souviners, ...... yeah, about 5 door to door.....with very little left over....oh yeah, kennell for dogs....???? you pose a very interesting question .........:confused:

[SAHDad]

I'd have to look, but for our last trip, we only had a couple major expenses.

Airfare - major expense, and something I'd have to check. IIRC, ab out $750 (2 adults, 1 preschooler, 1 infant)
Magical Express - free
WL - free, since the in-laws are DVC members, and tend to save points for a couple years so that all the children/SILs can go at once.
Food - almost all free. Not due to free dining, but we use our Disney Visa for a lot of purchases, and just save up the reward points until we take a trip. We did spend some on groceries (mainly diapers, Cheerios, baby food), but less than $100 for a party of 12
Tickets - $400? Something like that. The baby didn't need them, and my wife still had days left from a previous trip.
Souvenirs - I spent $60 on a Goofy's Challenge jacket, my wife got a couple marathon things, and we bought some things for the kids. Call it $150, and I would have change back. We don't buy many, though we do take a lot of pictures.
Misc expenses - $100, but that's to cover my rear, in case we forgot anything
Parking at airport - $100 or so. (Ouch!)
Marathon registration - $425? (I ran the 5k and the Goofy, my wife ran the marathon. That adds up fast. . .)

If we had to pay for lodging, we probably wouldn't stay in WL, but either one of the All Stars or Pop Century or something, unless we could get a good deal.

[kakn7294]

Let's see - guesstimates for what we spent in August 2007:

Airfare: $520 RT on SW for 4 people
Parking at airport: $70
Food at airport: $50
Crocs and Jibbitz at airport: $80
MYW package with free dining: $2300 at POFQ with 9 day PH tickets
P&P party tickets: $180
Souvenirs: I have no clue - at least $800

All together, probably about $4000.00 to $4500.00 - pretty much what I figured but didn't want to know!

[Disneyatic]

Our last trip we had free dining and stayed at Pop so it was a bit cheaper but we went WAY overboard with souvenirs and almost couldn't get everything home!!

Here is the breakdown for our December 08 trip
$3351 for 2 adults, 2 children (ages 9 & 11) 7 nights at POFQ with water view, 8 day park hoppers no water park option, standard dining package
$1600 estimate of round-trip airfare from DFW to Orlando
$200 dining tips
$1200 souvenirs and extras
Total: $6351 YIKES
Hopefully we get a good deal on airfare and can shave off some of the cost that way!

We had decided that we were going to splurge more on this trip and let it be mine and DH's Christmas gift to each other. We are also taking our niece along and she is 11 so she counts as an adult on this trip and that has added some cost.

[conwayjohn71]

Family of 4
7 night Package staying at Port Orleans with dinning plan
2678.92
Additional food
200.00
BBB for 2 girls (it was a birthday present)
270.00
Souviners, everybody had the same amount, at least when we started
600.00, after the trip my wife informed me this number rose to 916.00
We fly free since my sister works for SW Airlines:number1:

so we usally spend around 4000.00 for the group of us

it will be more in 2009 since we are going to stay at either Wilderness Lodge or Animail Kingdom, that is what my wife wanted for our 10th anniversary:cool:

we are not going this year so I am budgeting 6000 for our 2009 une trip:(:marg:

[joonyer]

On our last trip, we (four adult prices) bought the dining plan. We stayed 6 nights at Pop Century, with Park Hopper (with water park) passes, and the dining plan. The price for all of that was right at $2,950.00.
Gas for driving there and back home: $100.00
Food on the road $40.00
Miscellaneous groceries/drinks/snacks we kept in the room: $50.00
Souvenirs, gifts and snacks not covered by dining plan: $525.00
MNSSHP passes (two nights) (worth it) $320.00
Wheelchair rental 2 days(wife sprained her ankle):$16.00
Total Spent: $4,001.00

The dining plan added about $912, and for the amount/choices of food you got, it was worth it, however, it bought way more food than we wanted. We won't purchase it again. We have stayed for a week before buying all our own meals and spent only about $600.00, simply because we don't eat as much food as you get with the plan.

Overall, the memories we make on every trip wre worth it, but we also go other places on vacation that cost much less, although they aren't as magical, and we make great memories there too. I'm just glad we can afford to go to WDW every so often. We're saving & planning now for our first Disney Cruise.

[pogo]

I read a lot of threads on this board about value vs. deluxe and other cost considerations and add-ons and options preferred view upcharges and I see lots of expressions like 'priceless' and 'worth it'.

I know I personally trick myself about how much I spend when we go to WDW. I pay for my package well in advance, airline tickets on a different credit card, cash for most purchases while on property.

Standing in front of Cinderella's Castle always makes me feel like a kid - but in my extended family I'm the 'kid' who has to make the dollars work.

And It seems from many posts here that your WDW vacations often are a week or longer. We hardly ever get to stay that long.

I'd like to know, if any of you are willing to tell us, what the usual all in total cost door to door is for your usual 'on property' WDW vacation. Transportation to and from WDW, lodging, meals, park admissions, all of the extras, MVMCP, MNSSHP, P&P, pizza delivery, BBB, HDDR, CduS, pin trading, souvenirs, concierge, refillable mugs, photos from ToT and MBYB and everywhere else, water park locker rentals, dole whips, churros, tipping, taxis, ponchos, etc. etc. etc. all in.

I'd like to know, and...

...am I the only one who tricks themselves about their total cost?
OK... I'll try to answer this before I read everyone else's response's so it's not affected by theirs.

We (just my DW and I) usually go for five or six nights, and stay in a Mod if we are paying for it. We stayed at the Poly once at McDonalds expense and loved it, but we're not that rich.

Our package (POFQ, 5 nights, 6 day tickets, no park hopper, last year cost us $1,800.

Air fare from Rochester, NY is around $350.

We spent around $400 total on food, drinks and souvies so our cost = about $2,550. Well worth it.

We are trying to go again in April of this year and our estimated expense's are $2,440 and we are planning on driving.

There you have it... I hope this info helps. :D

[BMan62]

Last November DW and I spent 8 days - 7 nights at Pop Century Standard room with MYW + Park Hopper tickets for the 8 days. We did NOT get the meal plan.
Cost $1080

Airfare for 2 BWI (Baltimore) to MCO (Orlando) on Southwest - roundtrip.
Cost $280

Food, drink, etc. at WDW - OOP
Cost $600 (approx.)

Parking for 8 days at airport (BWI)
Cost $72

Total cost for trip: $2,032 (+/- $50)

[BrerGnat]

Our most expensive trip to date was our honeymoon at WL in 2001.

Our final hotel bill was $3750. This included the Honeymoon Suite at WL for 8 nights, and all our food/souvenirs.

We paid approx $470 for our 5 day park hopper plus tickets

We paid $450 for airfare from CA.

We got a Towncar. $140 RT with tax.

We took $300 in cash with us. Spent it all on tips/etc.

That put us at a little over $5000, but for a honeymoon, that's not bad!

Oh, yeah, we also got married AT WDW...to the tune of $10,500. So, yeah, gotta count that too. Parents paid for 1/2 of that, we picked up the rest.

[disneycouple2004]

We are DVC..so we add that in to our costs..for 10 days per year the average for all things is 5,000.00....no matter how you slice it...Thats just me and the wife and we fly every year...we almost always have money left over, but not much :thumbsup:

[RoosMomKanga]

I'm reminded after looking at others numbers that with the new ticket system it really benefits you to take a longer trip (tickets are $$$ with short stays). We used to go for 10 days with the kids and boy could we maximize the old + system (we used to budget $1000/person for a 9-10 day trip).

I budgeted our upcoming trip...2 Adults, 3 nights POFQ, 3D PH + PI (discounted conference tickets), No DDP, frequent flyer ticket= about $1400-1500. So let's just say $500 per day for 2 people not including airfare or souvenirs.

We can have a nice vacation at the beach for the whole family and Grandparents for way less per day. But it isn't Disney!:mickey:

[Noahrk]

We were there during value season in Nov. early Dec 2007 for 10 nights. We stayed at the Poly. We had the following in our party-2 adults, 2 children (one over 10 so he payed adult dining plan rate), and 2 kids under 3 (our twins). Because the twins were under 3 we were able to stay in one room at the Poly. We did do the dining plan. We drove down from Ohio. All together, including souveniers and Christmas presents that we purchased we spent around $7500. A lot more than what we normally spend staying in values. We have already booked our next trip and because the twins will be over 3 we now have to get 2 rooms-ouch:(

[WDWizard]

Having WDW just a 4 hour drive away from us makes our trips much cheaper since we stay in less expensive area hotels and drive up on weekends, so trips for us are usually a thousand dollars or less, depending on what we do and how long we stay.

It's interesting to note that WDW has the most expensive theme park ticket price out of all the Disney theme park resorts worldwide.

Walt Disney World - $71
Disneyland Resort Paris - $69
Disneyland Resort - $66
Tokyo Disney Resort - $54
Hong Kong Disneyland - $37

*Based on single-day adult tickets in U.S. Dollar (USD)*

[Tink#64]

There are four of us, myself, DH, & 2 DS's. Both DS's will count as adults for our trip this year! (Only one was considered an adult for our last trip!) But we'll have around 500 - 600 Disney Visa points that we'll use toward food, or souvenears, so this trip shouldn't cost us any more, even with higher tix!

We stay at a value & average an 8/9 day trip. We fly & park hop, and spend more for souvenears than we do for food! :blush:

We spend around $4,000 - $4,500.00 for each trip! :ack:

[RoosMomKanga]

It's interesting to note that WDW has the most expensive theme park ticket price out of all the Disney theme park resorts worldwide.

Walt Disney World - $71
Disneyland Resort Paris - $69
Disneyland Resort - $66
Tokyo Disney Resort - $54
Hong Kong Disneyland - $37

*Based on single-day adult tickets in U.S. Dollar (USD)*

I think the difference is all in the *fine print- given that our dollar is so weak, I feel a lot better about the price I'm buying them for this trip to WDW, then the trip to Paris (about $100/ticket-yikes, and then I've got to upgrade to PH...6 of us, 1 day, I don't want to think about it :shake::spend:)!

[JWB3]

For the three of us (DW, DS14, me) on our last trip down in Jan 2007 approx:

airfare/parking (Albany, NY on SW): $630
car rental ($120 plus $30 gas): $150
hotel (POR) 7 nights @ $140/night: $980
7 day park tickets @ $244 ea: $732
meals, snacks, souveniers, etc.: $1,200
total: $3,692

And can't wait to go again!!

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

I just booked our Dec. 20-30, 2008 trip
Room, tickets, and Dining (Pop Century) for 3 of us is $3766.00....Also

Rental Car-700 for 2 weeks
Gas-300
tips-200
Out of Pocket Meals-200
Christmas and Spending Money-800
Hotel for return trip-100
MVMCP-150

Grand Total for 3-$6250

[Tygger7]

I wouldn't say I "go all out", but I don't go budget either. Here's the details on our 2006 trip, and upcoming 2008 trip. This is based on me, DH, DD(15), and one of her friends, also 15.

2006 (7 days, 7 nights)
Cost to drive (RT): $300 (with meals)
First night (stayed at AS Music): $85
Woods view, WL, Regular season, on the dining plan (no water parks): $3875
Add'l food: $450
Souvenirs: $700
Total: $5410

We decided that 7 days still wasn't enough, so this year:
2008 (11 days, 11 nights)
Cost to drive (RT): $450 (with meals)
First night (Staying at Pop): $110
Std. view, WL, Regular season, on the dining plan (with water parks): $5950
Add'l food & tips: $1100
Souvenirs: $900
Total: $8510

So, we "cut back" by driving and only going every other year. On "off" years, we stay home and do nothing, so the cost averages out. That being said, our next trip will be more modest...but since this year is our 20th anniversary, we had to splurge a little. :D

[disneyjo-91]

To be honest I am afraid to break out the price...

My DH may never let us go again!!!! :secret:

[adoptionislove]

We are doing the Land n Sea in March:

It will be DH, Myself, DD, DS

Land n Sea: 4 nights at Poly
3 nights on ship (verandah) 7,200

Airfare: 2,400

We are going during spring break so I know that the prices are a little bit higher, but, it is only $, right!!!!:thumbsup:

[mickey&missy]

I was interested to see how the WDW costs add up to other vacations. So I took a look a the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island. This is a place DH and I keep talking about going.

For a water view room the same date we are going to WDW (3/8 - 3/15) the cost is $3430, that's not the cheapest room or the most expensive. Plus the cost of dining, plus activities that cost more (arts & crafts, kids programs, classes, etc) Plus the fact they have a casino. Plus airfare for 5.

We're talking at least $6500.

Personally, I'd rather go to WDW for my $6500 ;)

[illini]

Oh, I'm definitely delusional about it. Just ask my DH.

This past trip, 7 nights at Poly, 2 adults, 3 kids w/dining, driving to WDW from TX was right around $5300. The room/pkg was about $4100, another $800ish on room charges, and about $400 for travel. Had we flown, it would have been about another $1200.

That's definitely not exact, but pretty close. I don't want to know exactly, because then I'd have to admit to it the next trip. :mickey:

[Aurora]

Our last trip was in December: four adults, four days. Our totals were:

Accommodations: $347
Airfare: $715
Food: $714
Tickets: $770
Souvenirs: $800
Transportation: $270
Total: $3,616

Which, by the way, is way more than I thought it would be, especially since we don't pay much for the room. (See below.) But obviously our souvenir total is pretty high.

Here's how it broke down:

We stayed at a DVC resort (parents own) for three nights. Estimated cost: $347. (*See bottom for how I calculate cost for the room.)

We had the dining package which totaled $514 for the four of us. We also spent $80 on snacks for the room (WAY too much, because we ate so well on the dining plan that we almost never wanted any other food). Food at airport and day we got in (that wasn't covered by the dining plan) was another $120.

Airfare (total) was $715 from Chicago.

Tickets were hard to figure, because we used days from a previous trip and bought one new 10-day ticket. We visited the parks for three days. Averaged out for the four of us that was a total of about $770.

I bought about $400 worth of souvenirs, and the rest of my family probably bought another $400.

We had a rental car that cost $230 for four days. Gas was about $40.

We didn't do any extras like MVMCP or tours or anything else.

I think when people write "priceless" and "worth it," they mean it for them. This trip was the only one I have taken with my parents without DH and kids for, well, since before I was married 15 years ago. We had a lovely time and I will never forget it.

For others, no trip is worth such a cost. But they don't mind spending hundreds and sometimes thousands on movie, theater or sports tickets or eating out throughout the year.

It's all subjective.

*I calculate cost for the room per visit this way: Total cost of membership, divided by number of contract years, divided by number of points, added to dollars per point annual dues, multiplied by points used on this trip. I find this is the most direct way to figure out what the approximate room cost is.

[tinkerbell04]

We were there in December, but that was a really short trip, just over a weekend. I will use June's trip to report. We are DVC members so our lodging doesn't cost us per say at the time of the trip, so I don't count that into anything. Also, we have AP's that expire every June, so this trip included those, but the next couple of trips won't. We always take our nephew with us, he is 8 now, he is like our firstborn and our daughter who was 5 at the time of the trip. Next year when Zack is up to adult prices, I am sure we will really start to feel the difference!

My kids really don't ask for many souviners because we are a few times a year. We really loaded up with souviners when they were little, but now they usually choose one thing that they like to take home. We don't tell them no on other things, it just seems like they have so much already. They would rather spend it in the arcarde or on a tatoo or hair wrap:)

Ok...10 nights at WLV with DVC points
DVC dining plan for 10 nights, 2 adults, 2 kids 1000 dollars
Airfare for 4 round trip from BWI-650
Rental Car for the entire trip-135
Groceries for the room, beer, soda, water and snacks etc. 75
Souviners about 300
Misc, arcade cards, hair wraps, crafts at the lodge etc, 150
Total-2310

Annual Passes for 2 adults, 2 children- about 1500

So...grand total is 3810

I am so totally like you though, I really don't want to know and I pay for things ahead of time so it doesn't feel like I am spending that much at one time! We pay for airfare ahead of time. I also take extra money all year and buy Disney Dollars, that is how we pay for dining. So, the money that we take is usually fun money :)

[jpH/keD]

For our Thanksgiving week trip 07 we stayed 8 nights-9days at ASMovies. We went to MVMCP. DD6 went to BBB (270.00)the only thing I kept the receipt for! lol!! We used the DDP. We did about 300.00 in pin trading and about 250.00 spending on souvies. We are a family of 4. 2-kids aged 6 and 4. And we flew from Dulles to Orlando and back.

All together it was about $5,000.00 :sick:

But next time it will be MORE because I refuse to wait in line for All Star bus transportation! We will be staying at the Contemporary! Monorail here we come!! (I know- AK and DHS- I think I will rent a car for those days! $$$)

[Catzle]

Each year it's different, but here's an estimate for a ten day trip for 4 people.

Resort - $2,500
Airfare - $1,000
Food and snacks & drinks - $1,000
Tickets - $1,000
Extra's - $200
Water park tickets $110

Grand total - Approx: $5,800

We pay for airfare a few months before we go and buy one park ticket a month so it doesn't all come at us at once.

[diz_girl]

For my past two trips (the only ones to WDW for the past decade):

Poly - 2007 Value Season
6 nights at WDW - 8 total
Garden View Room - 2000
Tickets - 2 adults - 500
DDP - 500
OOP Food (breakfasts) - 150
Extras/Souveniers - 350
Hotels on Road - 200
Food on Road - 150
Fuel from NJ (Jetta Diesel Baby!) - 150
Total = 4000


WL - 2005 Value Season
5 nights at WDW - 9 total
Standard Room - 1150
Tickets -2 adults - 500
OOP Food - all meals - 700
Extras/Souveniers - 300
Hotels on Road - 400
Food on Road - 250
Fuel from NJ (Jetta Diesel Baby!) - 150
Fuel (DH motorcycle) - 150
Total - 3600

Our next trip is in December. We'll have a toddler with us, so we won't be doing a nice sit-down dinner every night like the past two trips. I plan to take advantage of the great food values at Trail's End, the Crystal Palace and 'Ohana (dinner).

I estimate:
WL - Value Season - 6 nights at WDW w/8 total
Wood's View Room - $1400 (max - poss. future discounts)
Tickets - 2 adults - 820 (I can get 10 day no-expire - which is $41 per day and I can use the remaining 4 or 5 days on my next trip)
OOP Food - all meals - 730
Extras/Souveniers - 400
Hotels on Road - 250
Food on Road - 200
Fuel from NJ (hopefully the Jetta) - 200
Total 4000

These are Deluxes, but the bulk of the cost is not the hotel, so staying at a moderate can save you some $, but not as much as you think.

Good luck with your planning.

[ljv1975]

Here are our estimated costs for our trip the first week of March. (29 days! :woohoo:)

Magic Your Way package for 2 adults and 1 child age 2 (including dining plan, 5 nights at CS with a king bed, and 5 day park tickets with the free park hopper, water parks upgrade): $2043
P&P Tickets: $94
Pre-Paid Photopass: $100
Auto Train to FL (sleeper car, meals included): $695
Gas and Hotel back to PA: $350
Souvenirs and Misc. expenses: $1000

Estimated total: $4282

I rounded up and guessed as well as I could for the unknowns like gas and souvenirs. Depending on the extra things we buy our total could be less. I guess we will have to wait and see. The bulk of everything was paid on the Disney Visa which I paid off with our tax return money. This will give us Disney reward dollars to use as well, which I didn't factor in. I will say this is one of the most expensive trips we've taken, but it is all for our DD :princess:, so it's money well spent!! :mickey:

[IC10]

So I guess we are the family to do it backwards. We decide what we have to spend which was $4000 we knew to have $1000 for spending while we were there so we had $3000 to spend on tickets, DDP and hotel and we let MJ to do their magic.

8 nights with tickets at AKL with park hopper and dining plan. 4 adults or as we like to call it 2 adults and 2 Disney Adults $3700 or under budget!!! $300 to be applied to next trip.

[TikiGoddess]

The only reason we go so often is that my in-laws live in Tampa. We have to go see them every year since they don't travel much, and hey, Tampa is only an hour and a half away from Orlando...

Last year's trip was our longest -- 3 nts at WDW and 6 in Tampa: airfare $475, hotel $627 (WL AAA rate, 3 nts), food, tickets (already had), kennel ($300)... it all ended up being about $1800.

One of my solo trips cost me $650. The Oct Intercot trip I got away with around $375 for 3 nts! Sharing a room helps with cost, plus I ate a lot of bagels brought from home and cheap CS meals. Worth every penny!!!

Our next trip will not be so cheap. We are looking at a week onsite, and we have to buy tickets for 3 of us. So the cost will be $3000-4000, but we have been planning this since my first daughter was born. The money is already sitting and gaining interest as we speak. :)

Interesting thread!
TikiG

[crazeedizneefinatic]

We always go during value season, so that saves a bit right there. Last trip was Sept. '07, we spent 10 days at CBR with an 8 day PH. Total for 3 adults and 1 child age 7= $2600. We budgeted about $100 a day for miscellaneous things, we took $1000 spending money. We came home with about $600, we were on the free dining plan so food was more than covered so the $400 went twords souveniers and an ocassional drink. Airfare from Pgh to Orlando was $405 round trip for the 3 of us. I did not count the 4th person since it was my mother and she paid for that herself. We get a ride to and from the airport so we don't need to pay to park. So here it is:

CBR (10 days 8 day PH) =$1950 (2 adults 1 child my mother paid her portion of $650)
spending money 10 days = $400
airfare round trip = $405
Total = $2755

On a side note this year my son brought along his own money. He brought $200 and can home with about $90. It's amazing to see how he held back when he knew it was his own money.

Not bad in my book for a 10 day vacation! Got the same deal this coming September but we are staying at POR for 10 days 8 day PH for just $650 a person. We always just split the package cost by 4. Now Southwest just has to come through with great airfare!

I have spent more for a trip to Ocean City for 6 days and had much less fun!

[Disney Doll]

I'm actually scared to know myself, but here's what I estimate spending in Oct:
Airfare (3 tickets round trip)=1200.00
Hotel (6 nights POFQ)= 1100.00
Park tickets (2 adult 5 day passes)= $450.00
2 TS Meals= 150.00
MNSSHP= 100.00
Souvenirs= 100.00
TOTAL: 3100.00

I am a firm believer that you can do a Disney trip on a limited budget. We have done it in the past. Usually we go in Feb which is value season so that saves some. I also over budget so that way I feel like I've saved money.

Now for my justifications-:blush:
1. I don't count CS meals or snacks in the budget b/c you have to eat vacation or not and eating out at home isn't free.
2. I teach part time in addition to my regular job so my teaching money becomes our fun money.
3. I too pay a little here and a little there so it's not all one big bill
4. MOST IMPORTANTLY- Some of my favorite childhood memories are of family trips to the world. I love remembering those times and I want my son to have memories like that to look back on.

[merlinmagic4]

Our next trip will cost about 2750.00 for seven nights.

750.00 Timeshare Maintenance Fee (paid)
550.00 Mini Van Rental (we're driving)
400.00 Gas
170.00 P&PP Tickets
140.00 Aquatica Tickets
200.00 BBB (hopefully less if we can get a pirate costume at WOD or ahead of time)
450.00 Food/Souvenirs/Misc. (all counter service meals or at resort and kids will have their own money)

We are using the last of our tickets (non expiring) that we bought in 2005. We used them 8/05, 4/07, 11/07 and now 4/08. I think it will be sticker shock when I have to buy them again for 4/08!

Actually, throw another 100.00 in there because I'll probably give my mother a "stipend" for staying at my house with the dogs!

New Total: 2850.00

[CleveSJM]

... Hotel (6 nights POFQ)= 1100.00
Park tickets (2 adult 5 day passes)= $450.00
...

6 nights and a 5 day pass seem strangely out of place. For $6 ($3 each) more you can get a 6 day and hit a park a little on your in or out day. For $10 ($5 each) you can hit a park on both the in and out days. We do this even if it's just to shop, fireworks, or ride one ride. Even on days we go offsite... :thumbsup:

[Hull-onian]

Good question!!
Air fare for four: $1600.00 Jet Blue
Two rooms All Str Spts: About $1600.00 Using triple AAA discount.
Park Tickets: AP pass: $430.00
Three Park Hopper Tickets: $280.00 each
which equals: $840.00 and $430.00
which equals: $1270.00 for Tickets
Hoop Dee Doo Revue: $256.00
Ten Dinner Ressies: Not too sure yet
Oh, I forgot: Limo to and from airport $200.00
Seaworld: Tickets $212.00Limo to and from Seaworld: 90.00 rd trip Quicksilver of course
Taxi to Poly for breakfast: $20.00 (I hope)
Souvinears: $1000.00
Did I miss anything? Oh yeah, Grandchildren and Darling Daughter: Priceless!!!!

[crltkcagle]

Hotel - 1100
Tickets-800
Transportation - 1000
Look on our kids faces when we finally get there- priceless!

:mickey:

[crltkcagle]

Good question!!
Air fare for four: $1600.00 Jet Blue
Two rooms All Str Spts: About $1600.00 Using triple AAA discount.
Park Tickets: AP pass: $430.00
Three Park Hopper Tickets: $280.00 each
which equals: $840.00 and $430.00
which equals: $1270.00 for Tickets
Hoop Dee Doo Revue: $256.00
Ten Dinner Ressies: Not too sure yet
Oh, I forgot: Limo to and from airport $200.00
Seaworld: Tickets $212.00Limo to and from Seaworld: 90.00 rd trip Quicksilver of course
Taxi to Poly for breakfast: $20.00 (I hope)
Souvinears: $1000.00
Did I miss anything? Oh yeah, Grandchildren and Darling Daughter: Priceless!!!!

Shoot I should have read through the posts before i posted, i thought i was being original. LOL

[BigRedDad]

We just booked another trip this year with our family. It will be 5 days / 4 nights.

WDW: $2750
Air fare: $750
Snacks/Souvenirs: $500
Total: $4000

Resort: Contemporary MK Theme Park View
Dining: Standard Dining (1 TS, 1 CS, 1 Snack)
Tickets: 5-day Park Hopper (no Waterparks or options)

This may go down a little bit if I decide to get an Annual Pass. I have a lot of number crunching to do in the next 5-6 weeks.

[tomorrowschild]

Family of 4 (mom, dad, and 2 teenage children)

Airfare: (We are in Canada- so it is more money for us)- $800 per person

Transportation: Rental car- $300 (compact to midsized)

Accomadation: On Property (moderate)- $130 a night (ave)

Food- Average $140 per day

Spending - $50 per person per day

[Hull-onian]

Shoot I should have read through the posts before i posted, i thought i was being original. LOL

Kelly you are an original, and you are the one and only you. Did that make sense?:notworth:

[AllDisney]

I went with my daughter September 2007. We had free dining during this trip. We stayed at POP for 7 nights and got the 7 day park day park tickets. Got some great airfares from AirTran.

Total cost for trip $2000.00:mickey:

We're beginning to plan our next trip for December 2009:cloud9:

Have fun planning!

[Goes4FastPass]

I've enjoyed reading the replies to this thread.

I believe The Disney Company delivers a quality product... and we all agree the memories we make with our loved ones is priceless.

One of the reasons I asked this question is, it seems whenever a post appears on this board asking for resort choice advice, some people effortlessly reply, "Go for it! We always do a concierge room at a monorail deluxe... it's just so magical."

Unless I missed something I don't think this thread included an all-in total for such a magical experience.

[QTPie68]

I just finished working on my planning spreadsheet for our 7 days in May at Pop Century for two adults and this is our estimate of how much we will spend:

Food: 715
Souvenirs: 200
Sedan service/tips for everyone: 250
Airfare: 250
Hotel: 682
Tickets (hoppers 6 day) 560

Total: $ 2657

Since I have been several times, I pretty much know exactly what I spend. I also make sure to have an extra 10% on hand for if you go over budget, or if DH is begging you for another Pal Mickey, or if you are so tired you would rather take a taxi then wait for the bus.

[Kairi_7378]

One of the reasons I asked this question is, it seems whenever a post appears on this board asking for resort choice advice, some people effortlessly reply, "Go for it! We always do a concierge room at a monorail deluxe... it's just so magical."

Unless I missed something I don't think this thread included an all-in total for such a magical experience.

I have to agree with you... I haven't seen the price tag for "magical" either. If I told my husband that I wanted to do something very expensive because it was "magical", he'd feel my head to see if I have a temperature!

That being said, here is what we spent on our October trip:
-4 nights at POFQ with 5 day hoppers and DDP: $1360
-Airfare from BWI: $325
-Taxi from airport: $40
-Taking in-laws out to dinner to thank them for taking us to the airport at 4:45 AM: $60
-Souvenirs and misc expenses, including tours: $300
Total: $2085. We understand that this was a bit of a splurge for us this year, but we had a ball. We could've done the Poly but didn't see any reason to spend more.

[johnO]

I think it depends on what type of trip youre planning. If youre planning an extravagant trip its going to cost you big time. On the other hand you can make a trip during certin discount periods and spend about $2200 for a family of 4 for 7 days. To me that's quite a bargain for WDW and well worth it.

[sleepingbooty]

I'm pretty comprehensive with my travel budgeting, so I always know exactly what we are going to spend before we go. Here's 08's budget:

Accommodations/tickets:
7 nights Pop Century, MYW+dining (free on bounce back promo): 1500

Travel:
Airfare for four: 800, or if we need to save a bit we can drive for about 400.

Stroller rental: 100

Souvenirs:300

Total: 2300 - 2700 depending on mode of transport

[cinderellagrl]

Evauluation of our last trip:
Seven days/ seven nights at Saratoga Spring two bedroom villa (six people, December 26-January 2)
$7435

Seven day park hoppers for six adults: 1696

Dinning package for six adults: 1600

Minivan rental: 850

gas for week: 100 (including trip to Cocoa beach)
New years eve party atop the contemporary: 2800

Spending money (gifts, beverages, additional snacks): 600

airline tickets: 900

grand total: 14,305

Last large family vacation till the kids can pitch in.... Magical!

[Catzle]

New years Eve party for $2,800 please tell me about it. That's sounds like it was fun!

[bshaw96]

Our last vacation was at ASMovies in 2006. We stayed 12 nights, with the Park Hopper/Water Park Add on. Also did Universal 2 days and Seaworld 1 day. That, plus rental car, plus food/spending, plus airfare (2 adults, 2 kids) costed $5000. We're thrifty and spend less so that we can stay longer, but never feel like we miss out. No way we could afford a stay that long in a deluxe, or even moderate, so for us, it's value and longer stay.

[lwhan4]

I guess we probably spend about $3000 for a family of four. We usually stay 8 or 9 days , with rental car , flight costs and park hoppers.
My husband has a harder time than I do spending money on a vacation. Our first trip our youngest son actually looked at the video camera and while wearing his mouse ears unexpectedly said 'I'm so happy I can't stop smiling'. That's all it took to make it worth every penny. I think that we only live once and the memories I give to my kids are priceless. ( and that video still brings tears to my eyes).

[Wells]

Since we only go every five years (during the anniversary years) we have plenty of time to save for a deluxe trip. Our last trip was in Sept of 2006, so we had the free dining plan (an unexpected bonus!) which helped. For the three of us ( Me, DS and DD) we still spent about $5800.00 for seven days / 1st Class air to-from Detroit / Town car to-from Orlando airport / Polynesian concierge, lagoon view / seven day pass hopper W/ water park option. Plus we had $600.00 of Disney rewards from the credit card.
I don’t mind spending the money for a good quality vacation, my father always said “You should always take the best vacation you can, even if you have to borrow the money because these are the times you will remember for the rest of your life…” and I totally agree with that!
:thumbsup:

[Deesdisney]

I just got back and for 8 nights, 8 day tickets, P&P party, food, 2 rooms at ASMO and souv. for 3 adults and 1 kid came to a $6000 bill. But I would have it no other way. This was the only vacation for this year.

[poohluva]

Our next trip is a land/sea vacation, and breaks down like this:

2 adults and 2 kids (14 & 10)

Hotel (Carribean Beach), stateroom (category 9), and Park hopper tickets: $4,800 (thru AAA)

2 round trip tickets from NH: about $700, we got 2 free from our Southwest Visa points.

Food and souveneers: about $600

We haven't decided on excursions yet, but that could add on another couple hundred depending on what we pick!!

We also had to get passports for this trip so add almost $500 more for those!!

In all so far it's almost $7000, and of course we're picking up some new clothes for the trip!!

But the memories from Disney are always priceless!!!

[mouse-logic]

Most = $14,400 (approximately) for a 5-day, 12 person Grand Gathering at Grand Villa at BWV.

Most recent = $2800 (approx) for 4 day, 5 person President's Day visit in 1 bdrm at BCV

[#1disneyfan]

This year we are doing a land/sea trip, so I know that the $$$ will be far more than we usually spend, but we were expecting that. So here is our approx breakdown for 3:

4 day sea/3 day land (category 6 - deluxe accommodations) with an additional 2 day land add on. Park hopper passes for 4 days, taxes, transfers and insurance - $ 5400.

Airfare from Philadelphia on SW (we have a $160 credit) - $200 (I am holding out for the lowest airfare like last year $49 each way)

Hotel for one night in Philadelphia airport hotel - $110.

Food for the land portion of the trip (4 days) - $500.

Souvenirs - $$$$$ - we have the figure that budget out yet, but I would guess about $300.

Excursions for the sea portion - $ 402.

Passports - $279.

Grand Total approx $7200. GULP!!! Oh well this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Adds up quickly and this is just the approximate total.

[JPooh]

Our last trip was in October for 4 nights and we spent: Air from NY for 4 $595. 4 nights at Pop $260, 4 (2 adults & 2 children) 3 day base & holloween party tickets $950, Trans $0 (use disney transporation) Food & Souveniers $700. Total $2,505. Our next trip will be in August for 8 nights at AKL. It's gonna be a lot more because we have 9 going on that trip an will need 3 rooms.

[cinderellagrl]

New years Eve party for $2,800 please tell me about it. That's sounds like it was fun!

Yes it was a pretty penny, but it was all of our christmas presents. I found a little information about it on intercot, but there is not much else about it online.

It is held in California Grill. The main attraction is the food. Endless buffets of all sorts of edible treasures. We enjoyed lobster, cavier, prime rib, many varieties of shell fish, endless varieties of salads, and much much more. Many things I could not even tell you what they were, as my family is not used to eating gormet food. We did try many things that I had only ever heard of on the food network. The other large draw was the open bar. Although three in our party were unable to drink alcohol, we still enjoyed the endless non-alcoholic frozen drinks!

Once we had our full, it was time for the entertainment. They had a fortune teller, the live statues (like in epcot) for photo opportunities, a cartoonist, dancing, visits from Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy, a fake casino (everyone was given 50,000 dollars in fake money), and a few other things that are slipping my mind! I even got to dance with MINNIE!

The party required men to wear jackets and women cocktail dresses or nice pant outfits. It was really nice actually dinning when people followed the dress code.

Probably the best part of the party was not having a great view for the best fireworks of the year.

The Major downside, once we got done with the party, we like everyone else, sat in two hours of traffic to get back to the resort.

My family and I were really amazed how many people brought their young children to the party. There were many running all over the place, and although we know it is a family place we thought that the party would have been better if they would have restricted it to 16 and up.

Overall we felt like royalty. My father is a farmer, and we have lived in a small town all my life. Treatment like this only comes once in a lifetime.

Ha, just forget one interesting thing that happened at the party. Obviously Disney makes some exceptions for people willing to throw out a little extra money. A women besides us had her two lap dogs with her. At first we thought that she had snuck them in, but her waiter brought the dog a small bowl with some water!

[mjaclyn]

I am definitely one of those people who 'trick' themselves into thinking they're actually spending less - I plan FAR FAR in advance and pay for things right away so it SEEMS like when we actually go, all we're paying for is souveniers. Here is what I think we paid for our most recent trip:

January 2008:
6 Nights at the Beach Club Villas - Renting points from a DVC Member: $924
Basic Meal Plan for 2 Adults and 1 Child: $540
(No ticket costs because we had annual passes from our last trip)
P&P Party: $88
Rental Car for the week: $100
Groceries: $50
Airline Tickets: $430
Extras (Tipping, souveniers, snacks, any travel costs - gas, stuff for the airplane, etc): $600

Total: $2732 - keep in mind that this is not including any park tickets

[Tigger&Stitch]

I'm an accountant, so no fooling myself here! :) WDW is our only vacation each year (though now we live in NZ, it will be every 2 years).

We went on our honeymoon in 2006, and the grand total of that vacation was $100. Yes! We "registered" our honeymoon - including airfare - and by the time we went, the entire thing was paid for. Also, we had about $100 in Disney visa points, and earned $100 by checking out SSR DVC.

We stayed in a Woods Room at the WL for 9 nights, and had hopper/waterpark tickets. The dining plan was free (September).

We bought very few souvenirs/presents - which were our ultimate cost -around $100.


This year, though, we are flying from NZ.
Airfare to LA: NZ$5144 (US$3900)
Airfare LA/MCO: US$800
Renting DVC points ($10/point) for 12 nights: $2150
Tickets: $681.60
Food: $850(estimate)
Subtotal: $8,381

Cost of Club Lounge in LAX during layover: $110
Transportation to/from WDW: free (Mag Exp)
Keys to the Kingdom Tour: $96
Souvenirs: $200 (approx)
Mini Golf: $30 (est)
Bike/Boat rentals: $50 (est)
Subtotal: $486

TOTAL: $8867
(For 2 of us)

Our flights are now the most expensive part of our trip!

[javamama]

Ok this is our upcoming trip for room, and parks only for 9 adults ,1- 4 yo, and my 1 year old is free. A little under 13k, but we are staying in the Poly Princess 2 Bedroom Suite.
Airfare from ORD to MCO is $1700 for 8 of us, 2 others are taking different flights I think they're paying a little over $500.
So just for flying, staying, and park admissions we're at little over $15k.
We plan on doing the DDP, for all 10 of us, my dd will eat off the menu since she's 1.
Souveniers-I'll go by last years total $100 was "free" from our Disney Visa Rewards, plus another $150---that's just my family so dh, I, ds who was 3, and dd was an infant.
Extras-I'm sure was around $300 again for our family of 4(beers, popcorn, icecream, and Crocs for the kids).
I look at it this way, my now 4 year old still talks about his first Disney Trip at least once a week--so like you said it was "priceless" for me to make him so happy, and see his smile from ear to ear when he met MM for the first time.

[GrmGrninGost]

We try to make one long trip (8 or 9 days) per year. We drive down (800+ miles). We usually drive straight through, rougly 12.5 hours. There are 2 adults and 2 children in my family. The last few years, we've tried to go during the free dining, this helps a lot. Figuring in gas, lodging, food, tickets, souveniers and everything else I can think of, we spend between $3,000 and $5,000 per trip. The variance is due to staying at different resorts, how much we spend on souveniers and whether or not we get free dining. All in all, it's worth every penney! :mickey:

[Jillirose]

We spent $8,000, for a family of 4 at BC, for 6 nights - half time a holiday rate. We figured out later, we could have saved $500 if we would have enrolled in the dining plan.