I am continuing my series Disney 2011 on a Budget. If you missed the first post, Disney 2011 on a Budget – How to Get There & Where to Stay, be sure to check it out!
Our family is all about budgets! We make one every month and stick too it (well most of the time)! Vacations are supposed to be a fun time. We plan for it and we save for it! Our vacation money is set up front. We normally pay with credit cards, but the money is available to pay them off when the bills come in after the trip. Below is our categories and budgeted amount for each category:
Fuel - $394.63
Tolls and Parking - $69.00
Lodging - $653.00
Breakfasts - $0.00
Lunches - $135.00
Dinners - $170.00
Extra Spending Money (at the parks) - $75.00
Groceries (while in Orlando) - $45.00
Park Tickets - $593.91
TOTAL - $2,135.54
Fuels, Tolls amd Parking – We are driving to Orlando, there are a few tolls along the way, and we need to pay for parking at Disney Parks ($14.00 per day)
Lodging – On the way down, we are stopping half way and staying at a Hampton Inn for free due to my Hilton Honors Points. We rented a condo for 7 nights off Disney property at a Resort. On the way home we are stopping half way and I booked a hotel room through Expedia through a recent Hotel Card deal.
Breakfasts – All breakfasts will be at the hotel (included) or at our condo before leaving for the day. These breakfast items will be packed from home. We do have a reservation for a Character Breakfast at Chef Mickey’s one morning (need to make reservations 6 months in advance). This will be paid for with Disney gift cards received as Christmas gifts.
Lunches – Will be eaten at the theme parks or at the condo on the days we are staying at the Resort and hanging out by the pool. These lunch items will be packed from home.
Dinners – We are grilling at our condo for a planned three nights. We have reservations one night at The Rainforest Café in Downtown Disney. We will use a gift card to pay for this dinner earned with Discover Points!
Extra Spending Money – We are packing drinks and snacks for the parks, but this money will be for those extras that pop up like popcorn, ice cream, souvenirs, etc.
Groceries – We are bringing a cooler from home with hamburgers, hotdogs, steaks, chicken, lunch meat, bacon, sausage, eggs, etc. We are also packing non-perishables food from home that I get on sale. This will include water, pop, juices, juice boxes, snacks, macaroni and cheese, potatoes, cereal, etc. Grocery money will be used to buy items such as milk, ice cream, fruit, frozen pizzas, bread, etc.
Park Tickets – We purchased 3 day base tickets (2 adults and 1 child) through AAA before leaving home. I also have a AAA credit card in which I had $80 in rewards to spend which I applied to the park tickets. I have one child under three and he is FREE!
Did I miss anything you Disney experts out there?
To continue to Part 3 - Our Vacation Scheule...
Is Chef Mickey's inside the Magic Kingdom? I noticed your character breakfast and wanted to offer this tip: When we went to Disney World in January, we "lined up" on the "starting line" each morning WAY before the park opened. We were at the gate on the left (with the train station up above). People with breakfast reservations who tried to get thru were told they had to go to the gate the RIGHT. This was a big hassle for some people as it was absolutely packed. Remember to go to the Right to save time and trouble. Hope this helps!
ReplyDeleteActually Chef Mickey's is inside the Contemporary Resort, but thanks for the advice Mary!
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