UGGHH!! Budget Cuts, Please Help!

[zippehsmom]

Well our car just died last week, so DH and I decided it was time to bury his old college car. It really did last a long time (12 years). Well now he just went buck wild and got costly SUV. Soooo, there goes our vacation budget.

I've already started rearranging our plans because he has promised we will still go to WDW. So Budget conscience people please give me help on some more cost cutting tips. This is what I have already done.


1. Took one day off the begining and end of the trip.

2. Switched from Poly/YC to ASM/CR. 4days at ASM ($310), 5 days at CR ($890). and only 4 days at Universal Royal Pacific $617

3. We are driving, the brand new SUV, instead of flying. So that eliminates rental car and airfare. How much does gas usually cost from MIchigan. I requested a triptik from AAA, t6he route takes us through SCarolina, Ncarolina, Virginia, etc.. Any MIchiganders out there know if this is the best way versus I-75 or something?

4. Still confused about what type of passes I will get. I have an AP rate, so if a code does not come out then I will have to get an AP. But I confused whether I should get PAP of AP and water park AP's. (WE're going in August so we definitely doing Water parks alot). Also, if a code does come out should I get a UMP?

Well this is all that I have done. Sorry this has been so long. Please give any and all advice

Thanks

Zippehsmom

 

[zippehsmom]

Dh is confident that we do not need to stop overnight because when he was in college he drove from California to Michigan nonstop

Sooo of course he is all wise and knowing, and if we have to use the bathroom we could grab a cup and just go, 2 yr DD and all

zippehsmom

 

[BelleBeautyandtheBeast]

Those darn DH's!! But I must say I am impressed that he made it 12 years with 1 car!!! My DH thinks a 2 yo car is old.

Depending on what kind of gas milage your DH's new high doller SUV will get I would guess about $120 as a gas budget (that will get you approx. 2600 miles).

Yes, you can drive straight through but it is not something I recommend or would personally enjoy. You can stop & get a very cheap hotel that would not add much to your budget. Driving that many hours is very hard and exhausting! My parents did it w/my brother & I every year since we were 2 & 5 but I would not even attempt it myself. The 12 + hr. drive to Myrtle Beach this summer w/our 2 & 3 yos was not fun!!

We are from NE Ohio and always used that lovely I75 route. It was kinda fun to go through all the different states I love those AAA TripTiks & would assume they show you the best route but I'm not a driving expert LOL.

I don't know which ticket option will be best for you. Hope someone else can help you there!

I hope you get within your new budget! And have a great trip!!!

 

[hercamore]

If you know for sure you are going in August and if you are sure you will use the water parks then, I would buy my PAPs now before the price goes up.

Do you have a disney club card? Might be worht your while to get one and get the discount for PAPs especially if you are buying more than 2 passes.

If it were me, I would also keep the same vacation timeframe and go to a moderate resort instead of the Contemporary. Save some bucks there.


Herc.

 

[zippehsmom]

Thanks Belle, I hope that we will all survive the car trip in one piece. I kind of figured on spending at least $100 for gas. T think we might make it within the budget. We went over it today, so I'll keep my fingers crossed that I don't have to cut any more days.

Herc,

Thanks for the advice. I have seriously been leaning towards that PAP. I really think that is the route we will go. I.m trying to make up my mind quickly because I know SeaWorld just raised their prices and I'm sure WDW will follow suit soon.

Also, initially when we checked into staying at other resorts we were going to do the ASM for all 9 days, but DH said I could try and go for a deluxe. Seeing as the CR was only couple hundred more than moderate, we thought we'd try that. I think staying at a monorail resort might be cool.

Any other advice??

Thanks

Zippehsmom

 

[Disneydenise]

We drove straight thru for years when we were younger. It really was not too bad. The ride home is the killer. I think straight thru is easier on the children. Of course I had easy going children who would sleep most of the time in the car. The car rides ar fun to talk about now that they are teens. It is also fun to look back at the energy we had and wonder where the heck it went. I really don't feel that old... Have a great trip and remember to take lots of activities for thecar. I know your child is only 2 but you will need to have things to occupy her. I think you will enjoy the monorail. If you can afford it it is the way to go. We skrimped on the transportation so we could have the monorail. These is great times and memories you are creating have a wonderful trip.

 

[damiel]

May I suggest that you order an Entertainment book off the internet for Orlando. This way you can save $ on meals while not at WDW. You can also use the hotel discounts for your trip to and from. If you drive straight through, I can tell you that you will arive dead on your feet and your first day or two of vacation will be spent dreaming of the next time you can take a nap. Since your not going untill late summer you have time to make a little extra money by having a garage sale. It is alot easier to sell off your junk when you know the pay off will be a great vacation. Last year I made over $800.00! Keep calling CR, I have managed to get reservations during peak travel times at a deluxe for $190.00 a night. Good luck!

 

[zippehsmom]

Thanks DisneyDenise and Damiel. I appreciate the advice. We will probably end up driving straight through going, but I have allowed an extra day at the end just in case we cannot make it back in one shot. The first day we plan on taking it easy. Hopefully we should arive around 3 am. I'll book an offsite hotel just so we can sleep until check out. And our first full day at the World we don't plan on visiting a park until that evening. So maybe we can recoup a little.

I did get the AP rate at the Contemporary for $890 5 nights that comes to about $178 per night, so I thought that was a pretty good deal.

I am a DC member, so will be able to use the entertainment logo on the back of that card to get discounts at Orlando area restaurants or will I have to order the book?

Thanks

Zippehsmom

 

[mooses41]

Just a tip, if you plan on going next year, buy AP's and scedule your trips 51 weeks apart.

 

[robinb]

First of all, I want to encourage you to rethink driving straight through. What your DH did 12 years ago in college with a bunch of buddies has no correlation with driving with a wife and a 2 year old. I drove from Wisconsin last Dec/Jan with my DH and 2 year old DD and I have to tell you that I got pretty darn tired after 12 hours or so. We planned a stop on the way down just past Atlanta and in Nashville on the way back. We used Priceline to save us $$ on hotels and we had a place to shoot for instead of just "winging it".

You also seem to be a bit "penny wise and pound foolish" by trying to squeeze a dime here or there but still hanging on to your Contemporary reservation. While I agree that $178 is a great rate, it is almost 3 times the price of the previous 4 days at the All Stars! Since you are staying at a deluxe resort at Universal for 4 nights, why not just stay at the All Stars and save yourself $500? The All Stars resorts are really quite nice and your 2 year old will be perfectly happy there. Mine was on our November trip .

You will also have to budget food for 13+ days. That's going to be pretty expensive . We usually spend about $40 per person for a combination of counter food, food courts and a couple of expensive sit-down meals. We eat breakfast in the room or bring our own bagels to the food court. Since you'll be driving down you'll have enough room for a cooler and a toaster.

One more thing ... the PAPs may not be the way to go with a 2 year old. The water parks may not be as much fun as they were pre-baby. One parent will have to stay behind with your DD while the other goes on the slides, tubes, etc. Little kids just like to be in the water . You can get a free life jacket for the duration of your stay at your resort. My DD loved to be able to paddle around on her own! Also, Pleasure Island would be a problem as little kids are discouraged ... or it would cost you an additional $60+ in baby sitting. You'd save another $200+ by going with a regular AP.

I hope that you are able to work something out!

 

[iwant2go2disney]

Ok I had to jump in because my DH is lets face it a cheapskate lol
So I think I have a few budget tips to throw in.
When I started planning this trip I was certain that I wanted to stay onsite,
however the travel agent showed me different when she quoted me a price of 674.00
at the ASMO for 5 nights well needless to say hubby said we had to stay offsite I then found mousesavers and saw it was mentioned about this board where DVC members will actually rent thier points so I checked it out and to my surprise I now have confirmed reservations for Old Key West for 5 nights for 550.00 So I went from a moderate to the home away from home resort for less money. The studio also has a micro, fridge , toaster and of coarse coffee pot oh yes and a private porch or balcony and it is Disney. The ammenities in the room will save us a couple of bucks as well breakfast wise we are not big eaters . Anyhow it is possible you could do the same and rent points . If you did that you wouldn't have to cut your trip short. just a thought for you.
As far as driving is concerned we will be driving from Dallas which is 1600 miles so I figured 105.00 for gas. (wish I could talk DH into flying_) MY 5 DAY PHP WILL BE 641.00 2 ADULTS 1 ds 9& 1dd 2 FOR A GRAND TOTAL OF 1296.00 + 1000.00 FOR SPENDING.
Hope I helped a little bit .
Tammy
27 days to go till I see Mickey YEAH!!!!

 

[damiel]

The only reason you would need an Entertainment book for Orlando is if you plan on going to the casual dining and carryout dining places to eat as they do not take the card you must punch out a coupon. Also, I don't know how you would know what places to go to with out a book. We have a book for our home area and every year when we decide on a vacation spot we order a book for there also. It is great to have an idea about a place before you get there: prices, menu and atmosphere.

 

[tink2dw]

DISNEY CARD ENTERTAINMENT LOGO -----DOES NOT WORK FOR FOOD OR HOTEL IN ORLANDO!!

Check the DC website you will not find anything for Orlando.

You will need to buy a E Book. In a post above there is a post for $10. off on E Books.

 

[zippehsmom]

Well I guess I will be "penny wise and pound foolish" because I just switched from the ASM's back to the BC after seeing the special on the travel channel. So I'll be at the CR and BC. I had actually checked into staying at the ASM all 9 days, but decided against that. I won't save as much money as I thought, but oh well we're only going on vacation once this year and I've planned this one for 2 years. We cut last year's trip out because we built a house. So, now that we have those sensible things like house, car, etcc. etc.. out of the way, we going to go a little crazy.

I really had not considered off site because I really really really wanted to stay on site again. I do think that it would be fun one day to plan a trip spur of the moment and see what good deals I could get offsite.

I have budeted around $150 a day for food, spending money, etcc.. BTW, we will have 12 year old step son with us. I don't think we'll spend that amount, but we'll be prepared just in case.

I guess I am not going to be cutting costs like I thought, but Oh Well. We already have the money set aside, so I figure we're going to go for it.

Thanks for all the helpful hints and tips.

Zippehsmom

 

[mooses41]

Just a tip, at that time you will be able to rent points from dvc members for beach club villas.

 

[robinb]

Or the 2K+ that you're spending on hotels alone would be a nice down payment for the Disney Vacation Club . Pre-sales of the Beach Club Villas just started next week for an opening in August.

Here are some pictures to whet your appetite:
Sue's Beach Club Villas Photos

 

[cforza]

What's the furthest you've driven with your 2 year old? Just keep in mind that she may rebel against being in that car seat for 12 hours! If you can, drive through the night so she will sleep. Some kids (like mine when they were very small), just want OUT of their seats after a while. He screamed at the top of his lungs until we pulled over and let him run around for a bit. We ended up having to do this every 3 hours. You have to be very flexible with a child that age and know that you may not stay on your schedule. Also what kind of SUV? My husband bought a Durango, what a gas hog! It would definitely cost more in gas than in airfare for all 4 of us! Figure out gas, the extra night in the Hotel prior to arrival and meals and you may find it cheaper to fly if you get a good airfare.

 

[kozmo]

Dont give up your cr or bc!!!I would stay less at universal,wdw is what your 2 yr old is going to enjoy!!I would however beg you to reconsider your drive straight thru, i have been to wdw every yr and sometimes 2 and 3 times a yr for 20 yrs ,its jst not safe for dh to drive that many hrs,unless you help,i have no one to help me drive and believe me -i dont know how i made it,and the argueing and crabbiness of the driver on that last 4 hrs can ruin your entire trip(YES -i can get crabby when tired -i admit it)it is too exhausting and an accident can really tear up a budget!I remember that Ohio family going on vacation and wrecking their van-killing everyone on board-including the dog-except for one child -how awful!Dont suggest dh will get tired-you just plan to get room after about 11 hrs or 12 ,he will need little coaxing by then,and if he is stubborn-suggest it again after about 14hrs of driving -bet you can get him to stop-if not -you try and drive a while.

 

[Rex Rules]

As for the budget with the SUV, not trying to be offensive, but to figure a
$120 gas budget from Michigan to Orlanda is dreaming!

We live in the Panhandle area of Florida and have family in the Charlotte, NC
area and make the drive several times a year. We just traded our SUV for a
more practical and roomy minivan. With the Jeep, we would get approx. 17
miles per gallon and it would usually take close to $100 each way. It is an 11
hour drive and just exhausting. Note that gas is usually higher along the inter
state and in Florida.

We could make much longer trips when we were younger, but now it is hard to
just make that 11 hour drive. We have plenty of mandatory stops for bathroom,
stretching, etc. And we often travel with the pooch, so he has to stop and rest
fairly often, as well.

 

[zippehsmom]

Rexrules Yeah, I hear you on the gas thing. I guess I was a little off on the budget there. It does not get as good mileage as my minivan did. It burns gas like crazy. WE got a gas guzzling Yukon Denali XL. SO it is not good on gas.

Kozmo, I do have us leaving about midnight so hopefully kids will sleep through the night. I do plan to help Dh drive. I have it planned so that if we stop for the night it will not throw us off budget. I usually just go along with dh's agenda until the time comes and then we change plans, once he see's that it will not work. I know the drive down will be long and taxing. As a child we always drove to Mississippi, 19+ hours straight through. Yea, I know my parents were crazy!

cforza thanks for the tip. I have kept farewatcher on my email with list with DTW to MCO. I seen a great continental fare of $105, but it was only available until June 5th. It only pooped up one day, so I do check it everyday. I did tell dh that if a fare popped up like that again I would jump on it and buy the tickets. Trust me I'd prefer to fly, so if there are any air sales we'll fly.

Thanks Robin for the tip on DVC. After the inital deposit what would the monthly payments look like. What's the minimum amount of points to purchase? I did request DVC info about a couple of years ago, and I told DH that I definitely want to buy into DVC one day.

mooses41, thanks for the tip about renting DVC points for BCV. I will meander my way over to DVC boards and take a look

Thanks again for all the wonderful advice and tips. All this really helps me weigh my options and look at alternative routes. Thanks again.

zippehsmom