I am in planning mode, well anticipating booking mode!
There will be 5 of us going, August 2018. DH, myself and our 3 kids who will be 17, 14 and 12. I told DH we are celebrating him turning 50 that year too and he is cringing! I told him I am hoping for pixie dust. We got engaged at the Poly in 1999 and we went up to the desk to ask a question and the CM commented on my shiny new ring and I said I just got it, she answered my question and we walked away. So he really is turning 50 so I will make note of it and make him wear a friggin button, lol!!
Airfare, I will book in September or Jan/feb. I forget when jet blue releases for the summer (I know in July I will be booking for April when we go see my sister in Ft. Myers). So that should easily be paid off well before we go!
Food-don't do dining, not worth it for my family. I try to stay on top of food costs of places we like to frequent. Last time we went I said $40/meal for the 5 of us and I stayed with in budget except our 2 TS which I planned ahead of time. I don't buy soda at meals, we drink our water kept in the thermos containers. That alone can save $10-$15/meal. We buy the mugs and on pool days if my family wants to drink soda or Powerade all day...go for it! I bring breakfast-oatmeal, cereal, pop tarts, bagels, muffins. I have most of my food budget saved as I have upped the price I need per day (we last went in 2013 and my kids ate off the kids menu and were satisfied). So I am thinking between $55-60/meal or $120/day which does not include our 1-2 TS we will eat at. I have $1000 in free Disney gift cards and $550+ on the Disney visa which I am sure will be in the $600s before we go. My goal is $2000 in 'free' money and I have almost $100 on one site and $25 on another to cash out. That money also includes the mugs, snacks and the little crap we buy to take home.
Room and tickets are my issue. I am not sure what to do. Notice my penny pinching...weLL we stay at the Polynesian, lol! The last time I booked with the agency that gave us a free water park day and saved some $$$ on the room, well quite a bit more then any other discount I have ever had. I have $1000 in cash saved so far (Birthday, anniversary, Mother's Day, Christmas money, loose change between DH and I) which will get me ?? 2 nights+ but my goal is 10 nights. But I would love to stay DVC for the 2 showers and possibly cheaper price. The only issues are will we get a DVC room at the Poly on the dates we want and the fact that my DH likes clean towels daily. I could care less if my kids sleep on the sofa bed/pull out...after all DH and I are paying! Park tickets-I only get a 5 day park hopper. As much as I'd love to go to a park more often, I need my down days. My kids need their down days too since we leave our room by 7-7:15 in the am, return for a mid day break and then back at night. I don't think my kids will nap this trip! But my DH will so I can sit by the pool with them. I only do park day 2 days in a row and then I am toast!
So that is my planning, lol! Oh and my sister and her 2 kids are coming but only for 5-6 days as they have a dog, a rescue and it's a bit skittish with new people. My other sister lives in FL and we need to figure out what do do with her. We can add she and my BiL to my sisters room so they can enjoy the pool with us if need be. But my mother...not sure where she will be in over a year. She has dementia, the dementia that she forgets she has dementia, sundowns at night and can't recall yelling at us in the morning. She still lives at home, hates her caregiver who is there for about 4 hrs each day and has a love hate relationship with her 'boufriend'. We took her to FL in April to my sisters but she it getting more difficult behavior wise as well as ambulatory wise. I don't know if she will be in a nursing home or if my FL sister will want he really to come and she will take her and if she does, that is one too many people to add to my sisters room.
Too many things...