Trip Reports

Time of Year: Summer
Travel Method: Personal Car
Resort: Offsite, CR
Accommodations: Suite, Standard Room
Ages Represented in Group: Elementary, Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Rookies
Comments: David's report on the "Plachta family dream vacation" is an excellent one for the cost conscious. David was merciless on finding ways to stretch a dollar, without sacrificing the family's enjoyment of the trip. David is a rookie trip report writer (and WDW visitor, for that matter), but he did an excellent job of documenting the trip from a financial point-of-view.

Introduction

We recent ended our 13 day family vacation to Disney World. Our family includes myself, my wife Marilyn, and our children Alex (7), Jonathan (6), and Greg (4). We really anticipated this trip (with help from this newsgroup (RADP) and the internet-available Disney info) and it was our best family vacation to date. It will be very hard to top!

Our budget was a major concern. We wanted to have a great time, first and foremost, but had a tight budget. We decided to try to eat plenty, but prepare many of our meals and save money (our goal was to spend less than $60 per day on food and drinks). More info will follow, but we did much better than our goal! On Sunday and Monday we prepared all our meals (which were simple), ate great, and spent very little.

Travel

We drove down from Ohio starting on Friday afternoon June 13th. We started looking for a hotel to sleep in Charlotte NC. We finally found a room 6 stops later south of Columbia SC, at 2:30 am! I was amazed at all 100+ mile stretch of sold out rooms. The kids didn't complain though and we did sleep well at the Red Roof Inn.

For a nice break the next day, we picniced at St. Simon Island off I-95 in GA. That evening (Sat. June 14) we made it to our cottage off Hwy 192, about 5 miles from Disney World. The cottage was called Snow White Vacation Village and was big and clean but cheap and run down. The kids loved it! There was lots of room to run around, inside and outside. The price was right and it could sleep several more than our 5. We unpacked and swam.

Day One

The next day we went to Blizzard Beach. We had the 5-day hopper pass, and for the first several days decided to go to the water parks to take advantage of the pass. We had a great time. Blizzard Beach had a good mix of things to do for our youngest, our oldest, and as a family together. The lazy tube ride around the park was great as was the family raft ride. We brought our cooler, filled with drinks, snacks, and lunch. We managed to spend no money while staying most of the day. The crowd was fine in the am, but the afternoon was busy and we ended up spending most of our time at Tike's Peak, which was fun for the kids and not too crowded. Alex (who is just over 48") loved "Summit Plummet."

Day Two

Monday, we went to Typhoon Lagoon and loved it also. The kids area was also great although bigger kids controlled the squirt cannons, terrorizing Jonathan. He managed to gain control later however, and got some revenge. Castaway Creek was fun as was the wave pool-except for Greg (4). He went near it once and scraped a knee. We liked Blizzard Beach slightly better.

Day Three

Tuesday we checked out (at 11:00am) and went to the Contemporary. Even though we don't generally care for contemporary styles and art, the hotel was gorgeous as was our room. We got into our room at 11:30am! Our room was a North Garden 1st floor room, close to the tower and with a view of the lagoon and pool. It was a great location as our kids could get outside and play. While the playground was nearby, it was outdated and our kids didn't play on it. We had a discount rate (Marilyn's relative works there) and thought the room was big and great and well worth it. Despite our excitement, the kids prefered the Snow White Villages!

In the afternoon we went to Discovery Island and was impressed. Based on what we read we were not expecting much, but the reptile and bird shows were good-the kids loved the trained raven! Also, there was a great density of animals that was awesome. We were there for 1 ½ to 2 hours, which was just about right.

That evening we splurged as planned and ate at Chef Mickey's. It was fantastic and our favorite restaurant. The boys liked the characters much more than I thought. I'm glad we bought a souvenier book! We explained the all-you-can-eat feature to our kids and they took it too heart. Alex and Jonathan had three plates of food-the last one filled with desserts!

That night when the kids after the kids went to bed we realized why Suites are being built all around the country. One room doesn't cut it! My wife and I wanted to plan the next day and had to meet in the bathroom! Also, the kids are noisy sleepers and we had a hard time getting used to the noise.

Day Four

The next day, Wed. June 18, we struggled to get the kids up early for the early entry to Disney MGM Studios. We ate cereal before we left, packed some healthy snacks and filled up a couple water jugs (the kind that are carried around your neck) with ice. We drove to MGM, and was surprised how long the drive was. The next time we drove we did not follow the Disney signs, which took us down then up and around EPCOT to get to MGM. We walked through MGM gates at 7:55, and beelined to the Tower of Terror (ToT). At 8 am, the line was 75 minutes long. My wife and kids (except Greg (4)) wanted to wait! I said, "no way", and we all went over to the Great Movie Ride. Waited 20 minutes. We liked the gunfight. Next was Star Tours, which was also a 20 minute wait. The kids liked this ride a lot. When we got out around 9, there was already a big line for Indy Jones Stunt Spectacular, which started at 10. Yikes. We went to the Beauty and the Beast, which was seating for a 9:30 show. While I liked the show, Marilyn (wife) didn't and the kids kind of did. The plot jumped around and there was a lull in the middle. After the show we had a snack and made to a couple other rides like the Backlot Tour and the Disney Animation tour. We left at 1 because the crowds were ridiculous. On this our first visit to a major park, we were somewhat disappointed.

We went back to our rooms at the Contemporary and had a nice lunch in the room. The pool was closed for a private function, but were told Disney would take us to any MK Deluxe Resort pool or River Country. Since we were going to RC the next day, we took a boat and swam at Wilderness Lodge, which we had heard so much about. We had a great time there!

Hours later we went back to the Contemporary, changed and had a snack.

No one wanted a nap, so we anxiously hopped on the monorail. Destination: Magic Kingdom. We got there around 5 and went straight to Tomorrowland and had a blast. The lines were nothing compared to MGM. We decided right then we wouldn't wake the kids again to go to another early entry only to wait in huge lines.

Alien Encounter was our first stop as the line said 20 minutes. It was only 10! All our kids went on it-even Greg (4) who is shorter than the height limit. What a fantastic ride. The kids were kind of dazed by what went on, but Marilyn and I laughed at all the effects and were amazed. We went on everything in Tomorrowland and loved it. We ate at Cosmic Rays (spent about $22). We went on a couple of rides in Fantasyland and looked for a spot to watch the 9pm parade. We didn't really have a good spot and had to wait 20 minutes for the parade to start. Jonathan got quite cranky and Greg fell asleep in the stroller. We probably should have left. We didn't enjoy the parade.

Afterward, Jonathan walked heavily knowing he was in trouble and we wandered over to Liberty Square. The kids wanted to keep on going and I sensed they were catching a second wind. Jonathan was given a time out and afterward we went to the Haunted House. It hadn't changed since I saw it 24 years earlier. Greg was scared at first, but he got over it and later thought it was the best ride of all. I made a big deal of the ghost following us out of there. Greg still tells me the ghost is behind me and I still react scared. Cracks him up.

We went on to It's a Small World, Peter Pan, and as many rides in Fantasyland as we could before closing. We were back in our room by 11:30 and slept with grins on our faces.

Day Five

The next day we goofed off until noon, when we had a lunch reservation at Whispering Canyon. We took the boat over, which we again caught immediately. Lunch was very good although it would have been more fun if it was more crowded. The kids did get to have the "pony" race and participated in other things. Spent $45. With part of his $20 gift budget, Alex bought rocks! The other boys had already bought Hercules figures at Wall Mart a couple of days earlier.

We went back to the Contemporary and packed everything for afternoon swimming at River Country, a picnic dinner, and a movie at the "Campout" at Fort Wilderness. We had a great time.

Day Six

The next day (Friday, June 20) we got up early and headed again to Magic Kingdom. We waited for the rope drop and hustled our way to Splash Mountain and then Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. They are great rides. We did almost everything in Frontierland and Adventureland before leaving for the resort for a break.

Back at the Contemporary, we ate, swam (I napped!), and then headed to MGM. It wasn't half as crowded as Wed. We had a great time. Loved Hunchback and Indy Jones shows as they were outstanding! The puppets in Hunchback were very creative. The sets in Indy Jones were huge and great.

We had a good dinner at Pizza Planet and spent only $20. Muppet Vision was next and it was a riot. We always went for the front rows so our kids could see unobstructed and they were out of their seats reaching for everything. This was the best! We made our way to the Tower of Terror and waited the 45 minutes. It was worth it. Marilyn waited with Greg, who didn't want to ride this one. After Alex, Jonathan, and I finished, she was allowed to take them on it with her. The boys were thrilled to ride it again and not have to wait. We saw the fireworks, which were good, and went home to bed. What a great day.

Balance of the Trip

I'm getting discouraged writing these because of some rookie mistakes I've made (in writing and posting the report), compounding my efforts. Thus, I've tried to just summarize what we thought was great and wasn't.

Great Parts of Disney

Favorite park: MGM. Even though we waited in huge lines on our first day there (ToT had a 75 minute wait at 8am), we later learned to avoid the early entry days and really enjoyed ourselves. Almost everything was great at MGM. Our favorites were Tower of Terror (except Greg who didn't go on it), Muppet Vision 3D, Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
New Parade: We think we were at the first or second ever Hercules Parade. We had a great spot to watch the parade (near Star Tours) and, because we were obviously enthusiastic, were given large wooden letters spelling Hercules to raise when Hercules appeared. The parade and music were very good, although the floats were sparse. The most fascinating thing was Hercules himself. He looked just like the cartoon character-even his chin! All his muscles, especially his thighs were enormous. These were real muscles, not the pretend ones Gaston was wearing in Beauty and the Beast.
Magic Kingdom: We loved Tomorrowland and Alien Encounter was my favorite ride of all. The kids liked many of the rides, especially Space Mountain (except Greg who was too short to ride) and, believe it or not, Carousel of Progress! Beyond Tomorrowland, we liked Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and the Haunted Mansion. Many of the rides in the MK were dated but still fun. Two attractions that we were looking forward to but were kind of boring were Jungle Cruise and Tom Sawyer Island, which was surprisingly small.
EPCOT: Future World was fun but probably better for older kids. Honey I Shrunk the Audience was very good. World Showcase did not have activities for kids. Illuminations was outstanding!
Water Parks: We had a great time at the waterparks. All three were nice and all had small kids areas that were great. The kids really got some exercise and enjoyed the many different attractions in and around the pools. Also, they had several family rides that were a lot of fun. It was convenient to bring a cooler, too, with lots of drinks, snacks, and a lunch. We hardly spent a dime at these parks!
Pleasure Island: The Adventurer's Club was fun. Beware: both times we went there it was closed until 9 for a private function. The second time we waited until 9 and it was worth it.
Discovery Island: Very interesting. The island had a huge density of animals that was very impressive.
Worthless On-Site Perk: Early Entry.
Best Perk (at Contemporary): The boat service to Wilderness Lodge, Discovery Island, and Fort Wilderness was excellent.
Conclusion: This vacation was better than we could have imagined and all of us loved DisneyWorld. Best of all, Marilyn and I enjoyed watching our kids react with never ending enthusiasm to all the marvels Disney has to offer.
Cost Savings Strategies

Several months ago, I posted a question: "How Do You Feed a Family of 5 for $60 per Day?" I received several good ideas and used them. In this post, I'll summarize our food and total costs for the budgeteers out there. We more than kept within our budget, ate well, and are very happy!

Hotel: We stayed at the inexpensive, offsite Snow White Vacation Village for the first part of our trip. When we moved to the Contemporary Resort for the rest of the trip, we received a discount rate (Marilyn's relative works at the CR) the next 7 nights. Also, we stayed at a Red Roof Inn for 1 night on the way down and again on the way back.
Other info to know: We bought 5-day hopper passes and took advantage of the 7 day minor park feature, stretching our stay at Disney to 10 days while going to some park every day.
Note the minor parks allow you to bring in a cooler but the major parks don't. We did bring water bottles to the major parks (went around our necks), which came in handy while waiting in lines.
We had a full kitchen at Snow White Villages and we had a refrigerator and our toaster oven at the Contemporary. Also, we brought a cooler and packed a picnic on the way down (steaks that were frozen) and on the way back (hot dogs and chicken kabobs bought in Florida).
Disney Meals: Chef Mickey's (dinner-$77), Cosmic Ray's ($22), Whispering Canyon (lunch- $45), Pizza Planet ($20), Sunshine Season Food Fair at the Land (snack- $10), Cape May Cafe (dinner-$84).
Results: Including all food and beverage expenses, we spent $37 per day for the entire family. For just the days at the Contemporary (without the kitchen), our food costs were $45 per day.
Approach at Major Parks: Ate cereal or bagels & fruit every morning. Brought a late morning snack and water jugs to parks. Came back to the room for lunch (around 1 pm, typically), usually sandwiches, fruit, crackers, and pop. Swam. Went back to the park in the late afternoon and ate dinner there. Only beverages purchased were at mealtimes.
Approach at Minor Park: Ate cereal or bagels & fruit every morning. Packed cooler with 2-liter pop, fruit, sandwiches, snacks. Stayed until 4 or 5 pm and ate out or, while at Snow White Villages, cooked simple dinners.
When you stop for breaks from long drives, the kids need to really run around. Unless you only want to stop at McD's that have playrooms, stopping at a nice park and grilling a nice meal works great and saves money. While the charcoal is burning the kids can play.
We could have had better lunches and saved additional costs if we had a kitchen the whole time. Because of this and, even more importantly, to have two rooms to sleep in (we didn't like sleeping with our noisy kids, who went to bed 1-2 hours before us) we will get an off-site suite/condo/cottage next time for the whole trip. While there, we saw some suite advertisements for well under $100 per night.
Our entire trip cost $2300, not counting wear and tear on our car. If you are only going for 1 week, and you limit your hotel costs to $70-$80 per night, you can do this trip for much less. Staying at the campground would be even cheaper and it looked like a lot of fun.
Saving money on food did not diminish our Disney experience. We ate plenty and had a nice routine which the kids got used too. Also, food and lodging costs in Orlando are no more expensive than Ohio's costs.
Also, we saved one major park day for a later trip!
If you and your family are hesitant of going to Disney because of the expense, I hope this post might help. Our family had a great trip and I'm glad we went now instead of waiting a year.

David Plachta

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