As a kid (ages 4-16) my grandparents took each grandchild (along w/ the rest of the fam) to DL once the reached a good age. There were 7 of us....plus our parents...and our great grandmother - there was 12 of us on one trip, that was the biggest number at one time. I can't imagine paying the way for 12 people!
We live in AZ, so there was airfare and transportation too. We stayed in a cheap inn, it was actually pretty bad. But it was cheap enough for everyone. There was no internet, no reviews in '93 - she saw a deal & grabbed it. I can remember most of the visits were spent at the Lamplighter Inn, they stayed there in the 60's too when my mom was young. We had to WALK from there (oh my aching feet!)!
We ate at the cheaper establishments & it cost $3 or so for a burger & fries then.
There were no nice dinners out as there are now that I'm an adult. No Blue Bayou for us.
We went home after lunch so the older ones & the little ones could rest. We went back after dinner. Dinner was at a fast food joint or something like that.
We each got one souvenir.
We usually flew in on a Thursday & left on a Saturday. It was a fast trip.
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As an adult I would prefer to try and save money by taking advantage of the continental breakfast, eating a nice lunch and a cheaper dinner. It saves in the long run. I love the convenience of DLH but we usually stayed offsite & used the provided shuttle. The Good Neighbor hotels were less expensive.
After doing DL so frugally as a child I like to splurge now so I don't often try to save money, I do what I can but I don't worry. I just alot myself a budget & use that. I find I spend more money each time I go, b/c I'm treating myself.
I'm sure there's some great idea out there, only thing I can reflect on is my childhood.