Is it possible for a family of 4 to visit Disney World for under $2,000 TOTAL and still be enjoyable? ?

10 Responses to “Is it possible for a family of 4 to visit Disney World for under $2,000 TOTAL and still be enjoyable? ?”

1. Joseph says:

   May 30, 2009 at 6:35 am

   I don’t really know the answer to your question in regards to the cost of a family of four, but I can give you a bit of advice on some of the questions listed within :

   Package vs separate tickes: Typically, package is the way to go, although you really should look at what everyone is going to enjoy. If you can find a package that everyone would enjoy, go that route. Otherwise, some careful planning and only buying tickets to a few parks instead of several you don’t want can save you a lot of money.

   When to go: I would suggest going during the off season. Early to mid fall would probably be best. Still plenty warm, but you’d avoid the huge crowds that make waiting in line such a nightmare during the summer.

   Hotels: Check out the All-Star hotels. They’re themed (Movies, Music, and Sports). Not the nicest Disney has to offer, but each has a themed pool, bar, and food court, and the shuttles travel there regularly.

   Meal plan: I can’t say this strongly enough. Hell no. The food at the hotels is ridiculously expensive, and to be honest, not all that great, at least not what I had. I would do some smart grocery shopping and bring enough food for at least a couple of meals a day (breakfast and lunch maybe, then go out for dinner). I do highly recommend, however, that you buy the refillable mugs (I think they’re around $12 a piece, but you can refill them as many times as you want for your entire stay. This will save you a LOT of money if you stay at one of Disney’s resorts.

   Fast passes: They are distributed per ride, not park. You go to the ride you want the pass for, get it, and then come back at whatever time is listed on your pass and you hop straight on. I don’t remember them costing anything. You just walk up, get one, then come back. If the lines aren’t very long, it’s not worth it. You could end up waiting longer for your allotted time than it would take you to just stand in line. Plus, Fast Passes are for individual riders only, so you can’t be guaranteed to sit together.

   Father’s disability: Don’t know what to tell you here. Is he wheel-chair bound? I can say that I saw lots of disabled people when I went and they all seemed to be having a great time.

   Agent vs buying yourself: My wife and I booked our trip through a travel agent, though I’m sure you could probably find just as good a deal on your own. We ended up paying right at $2k for the both of us. That included 5 nights at the All-Star Movies resort, two 5-day Park Hopper passes (go to any park as often as you want), and round trip airfare. That was in 2005.

   I would really suggest talking to a travel agent with such a restricted budget and specific requests. They would probably be able to help you out in planning the trip. If you’re wanting to include your souvenirs in that $2000, don’t expect to come home with much. We spent almost another thousand just on food, souvenirs, etc. Granted it was our honeymoon and we splurged, but you get the idea.

   Hope this helps!
   References :
   Honeymooned at Disney World!
2. Indiana Jones says:

   May 30, 2009 at 7:21 am

   to be perfectly honnest i’ve been there 44 times sicne 1986 and $2000 will not cover everything.
   -to fill up the tank crrently i will run you around $50 so multiply that by approximately 7 tanks of gas and right there alone=$250
   -you can get away with about $6 per person per meal at a fast food place outside of the disney world resort. it will cost about $10 for fast food if you eat in disney.
   so 3 meals a day for 4 people at $6 per meal for one day that=$72 per day.
   -i would personally go for 4 days but you have to stay withiin your budget. a 4 day base ticket will run you about $210 per person
   -don’t get the park hpper if you are getting a 4 day pass you don’t need it and it costs about $50 more per person
   -the fastpass system is free. you simply take you park ticket put it into a fastpass machine and it gives it back to you and gives you a slip telling you what time to come back to get into the fastpass line. usually you wait no more than 0-15 minutes when you get a fastpass.
   -its nice to stay on disney property but you will be paying $82 per night at a value resort. btw pop century is the best of the value resorts. if you stay off site you may be able to find a hotel that costs half that price with a coupon. try the city of davenport. its about 10 minutes from disney’s gates. its considered “main gate soulth” of disney world area incase you want to look up where it is and what hotels are there.
   -you can only get a meal plan if you stay on disney property. it is really worth getting. it would cost $38 per day per person
   -for your father you can rent a wheel chair i think its around $20 per day but you can’t take it out of the park for any reason. and all of the rides and attractions have a wheel chair area.
   -it really doesn’t matter if you book it yourself or go through a travel agent.
   -i think late november eaarly december is the best time to go cuz the crowds are light and the christmas season is in full swing at disney world.
   but in april they will announce the disney dining plan promotion that if you go between mid august and the end of september you can get a free meal plan if you stay on disney property of course.
   hope i’ve answer some of your questions.
   
   References :
3. Disney_Princess says:

   May 30, 2009 at 8:11 am

   It would be really difficult to try and get everything included for $2000. At a stretch you may be able to spend 5 days at the most. Depending on what sort of ticket you buy depends on the price. Remember to shop around and look out for the best deals. I am from UK and shopped around and managed to find an old web page from Disney Orlando Ticket deals that had a two-week Disney park hopper. So, I got 6 tickets for our family – with one ticket costing the equivalent to 3 days! So in short I got it for £80 – not sure what the exact exchange rate for dollars is – maybe about $100, but you'll have to check. Always be on the lookout for the tickets. If you don't feel confident about a website, but it does have cheap tickets, go on a reliable website and it you should be able to contact them and quote them the price you've found and they will sell you the tickets at that price. That's what I've done before.

   Fastpasses are completely free. The ticket you use to enter the park is the ticket you will use to get your fastpasses. Selected rides have a fastpass option – often the most busiest or thrill rides! On your map it will have a little FP symbol by it meaning this ride has a fastpass option. Go to the ride of your choice and nearby will be the fastpass booths. Insert your ticket and you will get a fastpass printed. But, beware, you can't get another fastpass for an hour. Then return to the ride at the time given and queue in the fastpass queue. The tickets are slightly different to Universal. Universal charge for their tickets and you can't get another fastpass until the time on the other ticket is up – i.e. if you get a Universal fastpass at 10am and get a fastpass ticket telling you to return at 6pm, you can't get another fastpass until 6pm. But because your father is disabled, you and you family should be able to enter through the exits and get on the ride without having ot queue (only if your father is able to go on the ride, if not then you can't do this).

   The best sort of time to go is in November. If you go in the summer the weather won't be that great. It's usually hot, sticky and humid even in the thunderstorms! About 4pm onwards the thunderstorms strike and can last for ages. Very heavy rain, lots of lightning and loud thunder. In the morning it's slightly cooler and the sun is out for a while. November is cooler and the queues are alot shorter. The parks aren't open for as long but the emptiness of the park makes up for that and you should be able to do everything within that time.

   With your budget you wouldn't be able to afford to stay in the Disney area. You may have to stay quite a bit it and catch buses to the parks, or sometimes the hotels offer transport services to Disney. Buena Vista Resort does and isn't to expensive. Or Holiday Inn would be a bit cheaper.

   There are many cheap places to eat. BIG TIP: Take your own food with you to the parks. Make some sandwiches and take packets of crisps (oh yeah I mean chips for you guys) and bottles of drinks for your lunch. It is very expensive to buy food and drink in the park – on average costing $30 a day! Your hotel may include breakfast and dinner – if not go to Publix and buy the essentials. Sizzler and Ponderosa are brilliant cheap places to eat for breakfast and dinner. Beef 'O Grady's is also a nice cheap place to eat.

   Walmart and Publix sell Disney Souvenirs for a fraction of the price. Also, try going to the shopping outlets, where there are Disney shops with a year long sale on. Also in Downtown Disney there is a shop with gifts for under $10. You can't go wrong.

   Disney is very easy to get around, even with disabled guests. As I mentioned early there is another ride access point for disabeled guests. If your father is unable to ride the ride or 'transfer' you can not use this, without your father actually going on the ride.

   Make sure you buy simple Disney tickets without all the unneeded extras. You may not want to buy the Disney quest tickets and waterpark tickets as they cost extra and are not as good as the four main parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, MGM Studios and Animal Kingdom. These are really fantastic parks and are lots of fun!

   I've been countless times and loved every single second. Going to Disney on a budget is tough, but do able as long as you don't go wild and spend lots of unnecesseries then you may be alright. As you said it is near impossible to predict the price for gas in two years.

   Get saving! You should be able to swing it. But good luck and I hope you and your family have a fantastic trip! Let me know how you get on.
   References :
   Millions of visits!
4. Bluecalamari says:

   May 30, 2009 at 8:50 am

   Yes you can do it. .. for a 7 day trip
   $400 for gas (hopefully less)

   $500 accomodation (villa or condo direct from owner – haggle !)

   $900 Disney 4 or 5 day tix (1 park per day saves money)

   $200 food (we all eat too much anyway so it won’t hurt to cut down for a week – if you have a condo/villa with a kitchen you can live off eggs and bananas for a week cheap ! Don’t buy sodas at the park – take your own water)

   TOTAL $2000 easy peasy … start saving up now and have a great time.
   References :
   http://www.homeaway.com
5. itchianna says:

   May 30, 2009 at 8:59 am

   Hey Lake Charles person I am very close to you in Texas. I hope you were as fortunate with the evacuation of Gustav as we were. Now, to answer your question. You can price your trip at http://www.waltdisneyworld.com (2009 prices just came out so you may have to call to set up the payments for 2010) and it may extend your budget to know that with $200.00 down you can make monthly payments as long as your trip is paid off 45 days before your arrival. As a single parent this is what I always do. I honestly do not think the $2000.00 will cover the entire cost of the trip. Depending on what your drive, you will need to plan on at least four tanks of gas. For me that alone would be almost $200.00 dollars. With the ages of you family you would be paying adult ticket entrance and meal cost. I would check things out on the website, it cost nothing and if you do not make the initial payment nothing is lost.

   I really believe the monthly installments will make your saving easier, if you plan it for the summer you can use your tax return to assist in the cost of the trip. But do not wait that long to begin the planning, if you begin by booking now you have a better chance of getting a value resort. Those go fast, especially during the summer.

   When you make arrangement make sure you inform them of the disabilty, the value resorts have stairs not elevators and they are huge. You will want to get a room as close to the trasportation as possible and a wheel chair accessible tub.
   You can rent a wheel chair at each park, but I do not think the resorts have them. It may be advisable to check into renting one before you leave so he has access to it in the room and at the resort. Most insurances and Medicare will pay for the rental, but the paperwork takes a while I would check into that soon. Disney buses have wheel chair lifts, if you stay off property you will have to drive to the parks and then pay parking.
   References :
6. kellystraveltrips says:

   May 30, 2009 at 9:23 am

   I think you will be able to pull it off, of course depending that gas and disney prices do not sky rocket in 2 years.

   The best time to go is when kids are in school because it is less crowded. I would definitely avoid the summer for that reason as well as the weather is extremely hot. My favorite time is January through May.

   The pop century is my recommendation in the value resorts and caribbean beach and port orleans french quarters for moderate resorts. (I have stayed at them all)

   I checked an average price for April of 2009 for 4 nights, 4 day disney base tickets (no park hopping or water park options) and the low dining plan, which is quick service dining.
   Pop Century was $1800 and the caribbean beach and port orleans were about $2000. So if you pick the low options on things you will be able to still stay within disney, even staying 3 days instead.

   disney extras include: extra park hours, transportation to parks, other resorts, downtown disney, dining at your resort and parks..etc..

   If you are looking to stay close to disney instead, I recommend that you research your hotel first, and make sure they offer a shuttle to the parks (to avoid the parking fee). and maybe even offering a free breakfast (to cut costs), or look into one with a kitchen and bring groceries with you to stock up on.

   average price for 4 tickets and 4 days of a disney base ticket is $876

   http://www.radisson.com/hotels/flkissim ($89-109) has 3 pools, waterslide, kids activities, free shuttle..

   http://www.sheratonsafari.com/ (87-127) pool with slide, free shuttle..safari theme..

   http://www.clarionwaterpark.com/index.shtml (62-106) free shuttle, hotel/waterpark

   http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/advancedsearch?roomResult=none&quickRes=city&_requestid=220896&_requestid=220896 And there is a variety of holiday inn’s that are reasonable and offer shuttle service

   http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/common/Plain?id=PlainMobilityDPage
   -wheelchair/scooter info

   If you want more info, I am a travel agent, email me directly or visit: http://www.kellystraveltrips.piczo.com

   Have Fun!
   
   References :
7. Jessica T says:

   May 30, 2009 at 9:54 am

   I would recommend buying a package (hotel/tickets) directly from Disney. Staying on property does cost more than staying off property, but there are certain “perks” for staying in a Disney Resort. You have access to Extra Magic Hours which is when certain parks are open an hour early or up to three hours after the park officially closes (this is available ONLY for Disney Resort guests), you can use the Disney transportation (buses, monorail, boats) for free which means you won’t have to drive once you get there (which can be nice since the Disney property is huge and you’ll save your gas), and if you purchase anything on Disney property, Disney will deliver it to your room so you don’t have to carry it around the park all day!

   Gas:
   It’s approximately 1660 miles round trip. Let’s say your car holds 12 gallons in your tank and gets 35 mpg on the highway. So 4 tanks should do it, but we’ll estimate 5 tanks of gas (just to be safe) at $5 per gallon (what a sad thought, but again better to estimate high) would be about $300 for gas. Of course, if gas happens to be $3.00 per gallon, then it would drop to $180. You won’t know until it’s time to leave.

   Hotel:
   Disney has specials that they offer throughout the year. Check mousesavers.com often, and also subscribe to receive their monthly newsletter to get more discounts sent to you. I LOVE this website. Right now on the Disney website (link below, under special offers on the left) they have the following package (for this year, they won’t have specials for 2010 until 2010)
   Select Value Resorts:
   5Night/6Day Magic Your Way Package
   $49 a day per person, for a family of 4 in a standard room Total Package Price of $1,168* – save at least $168!
   Available for stays most nights Sept 28 – Oct 1, Nov10 – Nov 22, and Dec 15 – Dec 17, 2008

   So I priced from from Nov. 10 – 15 (for this year) at the Pop Century, the newest value resort) and the price including 3 adults and one 17 year old “child” = $1455 with the Park Hopper Option & $1263 WITHOUT the Park Hopper Option. The park hopper is nice, but you could use the almost $200 difference and put that toward food or gas. So $1263 for the resort hotel and park tickets. If you’re flexible with your dates, you’re more likely to find a good deal!

   Food:
   We always estimate $5 per person for breakfast per day, $10 per person for lunch per day, and $15 per person for dinner per day. So $720 for 4 people to eat for 6 days. This of course depends on where you eat. You can get by on much less than this (Disney portions tend to be large), or if you eat at a sit down meal every meal, then of course it will cost much more.

   Souvenirs:
   Souvenirs are wonderful, but I feel that if you talk to your family, and they are given the option of going to WDW but NOT getting souvenirs OR not going at all, I GUARANTEE they’ll all say they’d rather go and not get any souvenirs. This saves TONS!!! And you never know, after you figure how much gas money you used on the way there, and put aside what you need for the way back, you may be able to get a few things on your last few days there.

   Wheelchairs/Scooter Rentals:
   If your father has a wheelchair already, try to bring this with you. I’ve never had to rent a wheelchair, so I’m not positive on the price, but I’ve heard that the electric scooters cost almost $40 PER DAY! Yikes! If you could figure a way to eliminate this cost, that would help your budget a lot!

   Like others have said, FastPasses are Free. It’s one of the few free things there )

   The Pop Century Resort DOES have elevators, so this won’t be a problem for your father. This resort is wonderful! In fact, I’m planning a trip for my family there next year!

   Your father will have a fantastic time. When you make your reservations with Disney, just let them know that someone in your party has a disability. They’ll be more than happy to accommodate you!

   So $300 for gas, $1263 for resort/tickets, and $720 for food = $2283 for 6 days/5 nights.
   It’s pretty close to your budget, so I think you should be able to work something out. I hope everything works out for you, and feel free to write if you have any more questions.

   References :
   Personal Experience

   http://www.mousesavers.com

   http://bookwdw.reservations.disney.go.com/ibcwdw/en_US/_framework/components/processEngine?startOver=true&gatewayID=landing
8. phmom says:

   May 30, 2009 at 10:42 am

   I hope you can pull this off, because it would be great if the whole family were able to take this trip and experience Disney together. It’s going to be tight getting 4 adults there. I’ve done Disney on a shoestring when we couldn’t afford to eat anything in the parks and ate sandwiches we made. We didn’t buy souvenirs, and we didn’t pay for stroller rental (lugged our own). We cut out every bit of spending possible, and that’s what you’re going to need to do. We still had lots of fun because we were just glad to get to go to Disney. You don’t have to have the expensive meals and full shopping bags of stuff you won’t care about a week after you get home.

   There’s one BIG problem with us budgeting right now for this trip in 2010. All of these things increase in price, including Disney tickets. The good news is that you have time between now and then to save and make up for the inflation. Perhaps you could work as a family on a Disney fund, holding a garage sale and putting aside your windfall money like birthday gifts (individually, of course) for that. At Disboards.com people frequently talk about how their familes come together to make a Disney vacation happen. You might want to check out that community. It works best when the whole family is on board wtih making the trip happen, because you can pick some costs to trim and put toward a Disney savings. You can ask grandparents to give Disney dollars as Christmas/birthday gifts to help you save, and your gifts to each other can be related to the upcoming trip. There are things you might have around the house (video games, clothes) that do better on eBay than a garage sale. If the whole group works together, then it can become a reality much easier.

   TICKETS:
   If the tickets aren’t going to be purchased until 2010, then we have to build in a buffer. Go look at ticket prices and then realize they are going to increase $10 – $20 per person (if not more) by the time you purchase. You can save money at http://www.ticketmania.com over going directly throught Disney. At Ticketmania you might be able to get hoppers for the money you’d get 1 day 1 park passes at Disney, which will really increase your enjoyment of Disney. Definitely compare which is less.

   GAS
   I used to drive from Orange, TX to Orlando, so using those gas costs with our minivan 4 yrs. ago (as well as we can remember) and increasing it for today’s prices. I’d guess it’d be about $400 rt. You also need gas to get around, and it’s going to vary depending on your vehicle, but you can do some calculations on that. Give yourself a tank of gas for the week in Orlando in your estimate.

   FOOD – This is where you cut some big corners and do it yourself. Carry PB sandwiches into the parks, make your food offsite. Eat breakfast in your condo (We much prefer over a hotel and have been able to search out great deals). Pack the Crock Pot, so meals can be thrown in while you’re away at the parks and ready for when you come back for a break. I precooked and froze sloppy joes, taco meat, and spaghetti sauce and put them in our cooler for our drive from TX. They would arrive frozen and made excellent fast meals. It’s nice for mom not to have to cook on vacation. We stock the freezer with Hot Pockets (generics) for fast food. The Disney meal package is no bargain compared to DIY. Disney food is so expensive. See menus at: http://www.allearsnet.com

   ACCOMODATION – Camp in a tent at Fort Wilderness to stay on Disney property or Stay offsite, probably a condo, maybe a timeshare offer to get the price down further. That means your parents putting up with a presentation and being able to tell the sales folks a firm “NO”. You can get a full kitchen for less money than many hotel rooms if you can be sure not to fall for their fast talk. Here’s one I give as example because I’m very familiar with the property and their sales pitches. I prefer Westgate Lakes, but Villas have same floorplans. http://www.thevacationstore.info/westgate_vacation_villas.htm
   You can’t beat that price per night for the quality, but they will talk fast and slick and make it sound like buying there makes sense (it does NOT, and if you analyze it, their math doesn’t always add up. My husband recalculated and caught their “error” and put it right back in their faces, but the vast majority of people don’t catch their omissions). It’s a very nice accomodation and close to Disney. I’ve endured their pitches to have a nicer accomodation and pinch the pennies. Doing that is not for everyone, though. We much prefer having 2 bedrooms, a big screen TV, large jacuzzi tub, and a full kitchen to a small room at All Stars for more money just to stay on site. The kitchen is a big money saver on food. All Stars wants to charge you $10 per day just for a frig, and there are no microwaves in the rooms. You have to go all the way to the food court for access.

   SOUVENIRS:
   Make your own! Yes, I’m serious! In Ep
   References :
   http://www.mousesavers.com
   http://www.allearsnet.com
   http://www.ticketmania.com
   http://www.disboards.com
9. honeebee86 says:

   May 30, 2009 at 11:24 am

   I think it is great that you are trying so hard to take your family to such a magical place. I believe that $2,000 will not be enough especially with Disney raising the prices on everything. Usually theme park tickets go up about 2 times a year, and you can expect to see rising food cost due to the economy. Disney claims you can take a family of four for $1700 during value season for a week (i believe, it may be $1600) but remember, this price only includes the hotel room and basic park tickets. Food, souvenirs, and airfare are not included in the price. Last time I checked you can add the dining plan on and the total becomes around $2,200. Keep saving though, and keep an eye out for deal that Disney offers throughout the year. Usually they offer deals for the spring (free ticket upgrades), summer (free dining), and fall (special price for room and tickets). Some great websites to help you are http://www.intercot.com (an free message board) http://www.allears.net and http://www.mousesavers.com
   References :
   Former Disney Store CM, A Disney addict, I have taken over 12 trips in the past 3 years!
10. Green Eyed Girl says:

    May 30, 2009 at 11:34 am

    I just have a few budget tips for you based on my visits to WDW. First the best time of year to visit as far as crowds go is after Thanksgiving but before Christmas week. The weather is great then, crowds are low & best of all you'll get to enjoy the Christmas decorations. If you stay at a Disney resort, request a fridge (or just bring a cooler – free ice at the hotel) & eat breakfast in your room before you go. Always take your own water bottle to the park; you can refill it at the water fountains. Pop Century is a great place to stay but the rooms are SMALL & they have double beds, not queens. Staying off property may be cheaper, but it won't be as convenient. As far as tickets go, prices will go up between now & 2010 BUT you can buy your tickets now & save them until your trip. Once you use them for the first time they expire within a certain number of days unless you buy a no expiration option. You can have a great time at Disney World without going to the parks every day. Downtown Disney is lots of fun & you can also use Disney transportation to visit the individual resorts. Take a bus from one of the parks to Animal Kingdom lodge to see the animals. The Polynesian, Wilderness Lodge & the Grand Floridian are also worth a visit. The Boardwalk is fun & Fort Wilderness has a petting zoo, nightly campfire (with movies in season), & horseback riding for a fee. I think if you plan carefully (and it sounds like you are!) you can do this & have a great time.

    Edit: My fam kicked me off the computer before I could finish! As far as souvenirs go, my family always buys a magnet from the hotel gift shop. They are inexpensive (usually under $5) and don't clutter up the house. You can also buy a refillable mug at your resort's restaurant. If you are going to be drinking lots of coffee or soda at the hotel, it can save you money & double as a souvenir. My advice is not to waste park time shopping for a souvenir. Downtown Disney has a store of Disney merchandise where everything is $10 or less. Photos are a great souvenir. Find a Disney PhotoPass photographer at the parks & they will take pics of your entire family with your own camera. Because they are usually set up in the best photo spots, you will get great pics – for free! The meal plan is not always a good deal. If you eat breakfast in your room, pack snacks to take to the parks & eat counter-service meals, you can dine more cheaply without the plan. Table service meals are great but they are time-consuming so if you are only going to be there a short time, you may not want to waste time eating. Fast passes are free & fabulous. Always get one when you can.

    I hope this helps you. As you can probably tell, I love WDW & enjoy planning trips there for myself & my friends. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions at all. Good Luck.
    References :