Where else can I cut cost?

[jsmla]

I forgot to mention that I happen to have a LOT of experience with this-as teens both of our kids were involved in Magical Music Days (I think that's what it was called.) every year and I chaperoned. Many of us were on a budget and lots of snacks were key!

I know we're all different but this, "Your trip is gonna suck big time unless you eat out every meal!" mentality baffles me. We've gone to WDW at least once a year since 1989, done a lot of BYO/eating in and it's never been a problem. In fact, the one time we had the Deluxe Dining Plan we were heartily sick of eating out by about day three.

 

[nalajms]

Filterable water bottles - I wouldn't waste money buying them, if you have them already bring them. Any old water bottle will do. We always carry a stainless steel one. In summer, I ask for a big cup of ice so it's nice and cold for a few hours.

Since you're driving to the parks, I'd pack food in the car. I definitely wouldn't carry lunch around. We have several large soft-sided Costco cooler bags that were $8 each. It would take less time to walk out to the parking lot than going back to the condo. People do this all the time at our local 6 Flags. And I remember my parents doing this at WDW when I was little. Just make sure you have PLENTY of ice packs.

If a theatre employee catches you sneaking in that food, how would you explain that to your kids when it is not allowed.

Agree . Our theaters have large signs all over the entrance and hallways. Most of them are pictures with the circle/slash. Even my 5yr can figure out what it's saying. DH and I would sneak food in when we went before kids came along, but I can't bring myself to do so now. What would I be teaching my kids????

That's why I no longer go to movies. If the kids really want to see it, they either forgo the popcorn + food or we wait for HBO or DVD.

 

[KingofJapan]

Unless you can somehow increase that food budget, I think in addition to eating breakfasts & dinners in the condo, you are going to need to pack lunch at least half those days. Counter service meals are typically at least $12/person = that's $336 in lunches for 4 people over 7 days, leaving next to nothing to buy groceries for breakfast and lunch.

And teens EAT. There are ways to cut down CS costs (sharing meals, not getting fries...) but teens are not necessarily going to be up for that and it would stink to force them and have hungry, whiny girls.

Exactly. She is not dealing with 6 year olds. These are teenage girls who I assume are athletic (mentioned that they play volleyball). They have appetites and when that hunger sets in they will not want to wait an hour to drive back to the hotel. Another thing I noticed that could be cut is the travel ins. Do these girls have health insurance? If traveling international then I can see a need for it since most health insurance will not cover you internationally. Also 250 for a week rental is ridiculous. I have rented suv's in Colorado to use for getting to the resorts in the mountains for less than that. If I was in her situation I would just park at downtown Disney to save money on parking, take a bus to one of the resorts then take the monorail or another bus to the parks.

 

[mjkacmom]

And you wonder why movie theatre prices go up every year. If a theatre employee catches you sneaking in that food, how would you explain that to your kids when it is not allowed.

I've never seen a sign, and I've seen people walk in with coffee cups from Dunkin Donuts. I carry it in a plastic bag - I'm not sneaking it in my purse. If I couldn't bring in candy, the kids would just go without - I'm not buying it there. We've also brought in water bottles into Disney on Ice, instead of paying the $8 or so they charge.

As for not buying food in the parks, most of it isn't very good anyway. It's not like you go to Disney for the food - I'd rather eat a sandwich I brought from home.

 

[jsmla]

If I was in her situation I would just park at downtown Disney to save money on parking, take a bus to one of the resorts then take the monorail or another bus to the parks.

That seems like a much bigger hassle to me than carrying around a few sandwiches for four or so hours and would save you much less than a packed lunch will. I've never done it (AP) but can you even make park opening (This was always key for us.) if you park at DTD?

 

[KingofJapan]

I've never seen a sign, and I've seen people walk in with coffee cups from Dunkin Donuts. I carry it in a plastic bag - I'm not sneaking it in my purse. If I couldn't bring in candy, the kids would just go without - I'm not buying it there. We've also brought in water bottles into Disney on Ice, instead of paying the $8 or so they charge.

As for not buying food in the parks, most of it isn't very good anyway. It's not like you go to Disney for the food - I'd rather eat a sandwich I brought from home.

It's not allowed. Next time ask the usher if you are allowed to bring in outside food. I seriously doubt you are walking in with a bag full of food and water. The reason why it's not allowed is because someone will end up bringing in something that stinks really bad in a theatre like a cheeseburger or a tuna fish sandwich. I once got stuck in a crowded theatre with someone eating an Italian sandwich from subway. Stunk up the whole theatre.

 

[KingofJapan]

That seems like a much bigger hassle to me than carrying around a few sandwiches for four or so hours and would save you much less than a packed lunch will. I've never done it (AP) but can you even make park opening (This was always key for us.) if you park at DTD?

But it will save quite a bit of $$ if they did that. I really don't think teen girls are getting up at the crack of dawn to do rope drop. Most likely sleeping a little then go. That $$ can help out with food. Maybe even a nice birthday dinner in one of the parks.

 

[mjkacmom]

It's not allowed. Next time ask the usher if you are allowed to bring in outside food. I seriously doubt you are walking in with a bag full of food and water. The reason why it's not allowed is because someone will end up bringing in something that stinks really bad in a theatre like a cheeseburger or a tuna fish sandwich. I once got stuck in a crowded theatre with someone eating an Italian sandwich from subway. Stunk up the whole theatre.

That's not the reason. Theaters make most of their money on the concessions, not on the tickets. And yes, I do carry it in a plastic bag.

 

[mjkacmom]

But it will save quite a bit of $$ if they did that. I really don't think teen girls are getting up at the crack of dawn to do rope drop. Most likely sleeping a little then go. That $$ can help out with food. Maybe even a nice birthday dinner in one of the parks.

$4.25 pp per day to park. Parking at DTD will increase their travel time about 3 hours per day (not to mention it's technically now allowed, kind of like sneaking food into the movies...). I wouldn't do it just because of the time and hassle.

 

[KingofJapan]

That's not the reason. Theaters make most of their money on the concessions, not on the tickets. And yes, I do carry it in a plastic bag.

I am not too sure where you live but here in south Florida they don't allow it except in the drive in theaters and the cheap theatres that cater to the elderly due to the movies they run (movies not in theatres anymore but not on DVDs yet).

 

[HM]

I do agree that KingofJapan gave bad advice there.
DTD is not an option for getting out of paying for parking. And I do have a teen girl that wants to be at park opening every day.

But a previous poster did bring up the fact that the OP may have worked in too many days of parking to her budget, since she only plans on 5 day tickets. It is free to park at the water parks, so the days they do those will have no parking fee.

 

[ELSA711]

I am not too sure where you live but here in south Florida they don't allow it except in the drive in theaters and the cheap theatres that cater to the elderly due to the movies they run (movies not in theatres anymore but not on DVDs yet).

I have never seen a sign at my theater either and I bring in my ChickFilA meal with me each and every time
I still buy popcorn from them in my refillable bucket. No one has ever said anything to me

 

[KingofJapan]

I do agree that KingofJapan gave bad advice there.
DTD is not an option for getting out of paying for parking. And I do have a teen girl that wants to be at park opening every day.

But a previous poster did bring up the fact that the OP may have worked in too many days of parking to her budget, since she only plans on 5 day tickets. It is free to park at the water parks, so the days they do those will have no parking fee.

Hey it's $120. She is on a tight budget already. There are other ways around parking for free in Disney but she will have to search google for that. I still don't understand the logic behind purchasing travel insurance for Disney. What could possibly happen that health insurance won't cover, unless they don't have health insurance. Baggage rarely gets lost on direct flights.

 

[kokomos]

Didn't see it mentioned that they can order kids meals at CS. Cuts price of meals in 1/2

 

[jsmla]

But it will save quite a bit of $$ if they did that. I really don't think teen girls are getting up at the crack of dawn to do rope drop. Most likely sleeping a little then go. That $$ can help out with food. Maybe even a nice birthday dinner in one of the parks.

It will save $120 (maybe less) over the course of a week. One CS meal is going to run $50 or so for four Disney "adults". I can pull together enough stuff for a week's worth of BYO lunches AND snacks for four for less than that so we'd net over $300 in savings by bringing in lunches. We actually usually brought in evening meals rather than lunch but same difference.

And you're at WDW where time is most definitely money. My kids got up, we preferred the lower crowds and cooler temps of the morning and tended to do the rope drop/return for lunch and a rest/back to the parks in the evening thing. Let's say, though, that the OP has night owls and they don't get out and about till well after park opening. Parking at Downtown Disney and transferring is going to eat up a good hour or so of spendy park time and that's if you're lucky and don't arrive at a stop just as the bus/monorail/boat pulls away.

Oh, and BYO doesn't have to mean bologna and PB&J every day. We do pasta salads, chicken Caesar wraps, hummus and pita wedges, etc. I've never bought bologna in my life and neither DH nor DD would eat peanut butter.

 

[keelyhealthnut]

Regarding the movie topic, I also bring food into the movies because there isn't a single thing on their menu that falls into our diets. All of the artificial flavors, colors, etc. I want my kids to have as similar of a movie-going experience as their friends. We do purchased bottled water there, though. If the food options improve, then I'd be happy to make my purchase there.

Anyways, regarding Disney, I'd stalk Groupon, Living Social, and other deal websites a few months before the trip to see if there are any deals for nearby restaurants! Also, if you look at what restaurants are in the area, so many restaurants have clubs that you can sign up for. The last time that we went to a coastal town near us, I found a new pizza plate that had just opened, signed up for their email list, and got a coupon for a free large pizza with $20 purchase. We ate dinner there and then had pizza to warm up in our hotel room for the next two days! You have to sign up for a lot of those within a few weeks of going or else their coupons will expire though. What about Ibotta? Do you use that grocery app? You can use their digital coupons and then whatever money you have saved you can transfer to a vacation fund.

Our budget for our family of 4 for our 2016, 13 day trip (6 of those days being Disney World) is $4500 with $650 of that going towards meals. We have a few can't be missed spots that we'd like to eat at and we are going to splurge for one character meal, but I know that we'll physically just feel so much better by bringing a lot of our food into the park and enjoy using that money elsewhere. You can make "brown baggin' it" super interesting...cold pasta salads (Asian, Mexican, Southwestern), quinoa salad, various wraps, falafel hummus veg pitas, various types of pb&J. You can bring in cooked hog dogs in a thermos w/ some buns and then you can buy some french fries from CS restaurant and use some condiments there so it's a full meal. Make chili pie by getting some chili from Columbia Harbour House in MK and put it over fritos with shredded cheese that you can pack in - I think that two bowls of chili would easily stretch between 4 people w/ the fritos and cheese additions. If you make spaghetti and meatballs one night, save some meatballs for lunch the next day. Pop them in a thermos and pack some hearty sandwich rolls and cheese to make meatball sandwiches. Pigs in a blanket are fine eaten at room temp and I am happy eating those at any meal of the day. Fresh fruit, for snacks, is available everywhere but it's so expensive. Even fresh fruit packed in can save a lot of money and is very filling and satisfying on a hot day. I love a previous suggestion of bringing cheese and fruit and buying a baguette at Epcot! That sounds lovely. I'm planning on freezing some homemade lemonade and bringing it for some yummy (and healthier/cheap) slushies during the day. We usually drink plain water, but that can get old when you see everybody else with fun drinks!

Best of luck to you. I think you are doing such a fun and wonderful thing. Y'all are going to have a blast!

 

[ELSA711]

Didn't see it mentioned that they can order kids meals at CS. Cuts price of meals in 1/2

Yep, we've done that too. We don't really do it to save money though.
We graze a lot so one meal at 11am will keep 2/3 of us happy until dinner. We usually just eat cereal in our rooms for breakfast. Bring 2 boxes for our 10 day trip and we are pretty happy with one and a half meals. And ice cream everyday of course

 

[Julylady]

King of Japan - Do you see the irony of suggesting that someone park at DTD to avoid paying parking fees, but then get all upset about someone bringing food into a theatre? My local theatre has no signs about bringing in food and no one hides it. In fact, earlier this year I asked for a sugar free latte. I was told they had no sugar free syrups and suggested the Starbucks kiosk in the mall. And....gas at the Hess station near Disney is always less expensive than what I pay in my hometown.

OP - I have often stayed off -site with teens (boys and girls). We usually had a big breakfast at the condo available. I am an early riser, so I was willing to get up and make pancakes, eggs, French toast (not all the same day!). However, some of the girls decided sleep was more important than food. We fly Southwest so luggage is free. I always took an entire piece of luggage filled with food/snacks which included lots of single serving snacks that the teens could carry into the parks (granola bars, peanut butter crackers, cheese and pretzels, meat sticks, candy bars, trail mix, suckers, chips, peanuts, etc.). They were welcome to take as many as they needed each day with the stipulation that everyone carries their own snacks. (I am not a pack mule). Some kids took 5-6 per day and ate them all before 10am. Others just took 1-2 and came home with them at the end of the day. I bought soda in 2 liter bottles for the condo and strongly suggested that they drink water in the parks.

I also gave each teen a Disney gift card with $10 per day for food. They could choose to share meals and purchase a snack later, or get water rather than soda, or just order a side. It was up to them. If they had money left at the end of the trip, I kept the gift card and gave them cash. If they wanted to buy additional snacks, they had to use their own money. We usually returned to the condo about 3pm, had dinner and returned to the parks about 6pm. We would all pitch in the first night and prepare meals including spaghetti sauce, taco meat, chicken. We also used paper plates exclusively to limit clean up. I would plan 1-2 meals out in the evening, usually pizza at CiCis or Taco Bell. We also have a tradition of leftovers the last night so don't plan any meals for the last day.

We are rope drop people and a couple of times we took teens who struggled to get up in the morning. I would make it clear that we were leaving at 8:15am and if you weren't ready, we would leave you behind. I am a person who keeps her word, and I did. It only happened one time and she went to bed at 11pm the next night instead of watching movies until 2am. I always laid down the ground rules before the trip so that everyone knew what was expected.

I think the single most important way to save money on food is to take your own snacks from home. You can buy them on sale, plus you save money by not having to pay $4 per snack in the park. Bigger eaters can supplement their food budget by taking additional snacks.

I think touring the parks with teens is terrific. You will have so much fun!

 

[Gracie09]

Hey it's $120. She is on a tight budget already. There are other ways around parking for free in Disney but she will have to search google for that. I still don't understand the logic behind purchasing travel insurance for Disney. What could possibly happen that health insurance won't cover, unless they don't have health insurance. Baggage rarely gets lost on direct flights.

If someone is hospitalized due to illness or injury, travel insurance will pay the hotel bills and change fees of those who have to stay to take care of her. If illness or injury prevents them from taking the trip at all, insurance will cover the cost. If someone at home get seriously ill and the trip gets cut short, travel insurance covers it. If luggage gets lost - travel insurance. In some cases, if work prevents you from taking the trip - travel insurance will cover it.

All things health insurance will not cover

 

[KingofJapan]

I am surprised no one said start a go fund me. See those all the time for people wanting to go on vacation. The difference between parking at downtown Disney and bringing food into the park is that your sandwiches, chicken nuggets, burgers, etc stink up the theatre and affect others just trying to watch a movie. Parking at downtown Disney affects no one and the service is even available for everyone, even if you are not staying at the resorts.