Spending $$$

Your question is great because I have never really thought about how much we spend per day. We have one snack one counter and one table service per day. If we want breakfast we eat cereal in our room. The amount of food we end up eating is way more than enough so we never spend any money on food. Now the extras like t-shirts, jewelery, towels and other stuff like that I set a limit of 500.00 for the whole trip and really we never ever spend anywhere close to that much. I usually go to the outlet mall to the discount disney store and buy stuff there so that saves quite a bit. Oh and one other thing if your snacks are not getting spent and you have used up your counter service meals. The quick service restaurants at your resort will have things like soup or chilli as a snack or desert option. I used three snacks to make up a complete meal. Now as well don't forget that just because you will have a refillable mug you still get a drink included with your meal so remember to grab a drink with lid that you can keep for later. I think a lot of people think that the drink mug is included as a drink and miss out on getting what they are intitled to.

I also don't usually set aside spending money per day.

I give each person on the trip an allotment of spending money from my budget (usually $100 to buffer whatever else they saved). I have one marked "Non-DDP Food". To figure out the "Non-DDP Food" amount I usually budget for two alcoholic drinks a day per person, and an extra snack/soda (about $5) per person. I also put some money aside for taxis each trip, because I'm spoiled and sometimes I just don't want to wait for the bus. You can get just about anywhere on property for under $20-$25.

I divide spending money into envelopes or on gift cards per person and give that person the extra money at the beginning of the trip. They can use it on whatever they want, but understand that if they run out, that's it.

On my last trip, I didn't set spending limits, but I did work up a spreadsheet before the trip to estimate how much cash I'd need per day. It worked out pretty well. That included food (no DDP), tips (for maids and train attendants as well as wait staff), parking (stayed offsite to accommodate relatives who wanted to go to Universal), and gas for the car. I did not budget souvenirs; I didn't plan on buying much, but ended up spending a lot because I felt sorry for hubby who had to stay home and work. So I used plastic for that, since I hadn't brought enough cash or travelers checks to cover the bags full of gifts for hubby.

Oh, we don't have kids...so no worrying about the young'uns wanting a new souvenir every day.

That is a really great question . . .

On our last two trips, we had as many signature meals as we could so ended up budgeting to pay for at least one extra meal somewhere. We budget for a nice meal if we decide we want it, about $125 will even get another meal at a signature restaurant if we don't try to eat everything!!

For us, snacks sort of almost work for a meal, but we just weren't completely satisfied. I know that many posters here have done that and are happy. We actually used the snack credits to bring some treats home to our 'peeps' and of course used them ourselves for afternoon ice cream, cup cakes, dole whips, etc.

We always have light breakfast things in the room (cereal & milk with bananas all from Garden Grocer) so that is part of the budget, too. ($70 for the week includes b-fast things, bowls, spoons, coffee creamer, splenda) I actually used part of our regular grocery budget for that month to cover it.

On other trips, we haven't gone the signature route and only budgeted about $500 for trinkets and NO EXTRA MEALS. Of course that just about kills us because we enjoy eating at nice places and that is part of our vacation expectation just about everywhere we go!

For us - EITHER WAY - I always stash some extra cash away to use for surprises.

So - My budget sheet for our last 'tight budget' trip had a misc. budget of $500. My extra stash of $$ was about $200. We came home with $150 cash.

Of course this past year (2011) was a BIG BUDGET trip - a 40th birthday surprise full of lots 'magical' things. Didn't think it would be fair to use that for this comparison!!

I am SUCH a cheap-o. It's pretty rare I'll buy a souvenir outside of the occasional coffee mug, Christmas ornament or photo album so I am not the norm here. We usually budget $50 per day for adult beverages and souvenirs. We usually spend most of it on snacks! This year we are taking a little more since it's DS's first trip and I will probably buy every ridiculous thing that says "First Trip" or he acts interested in for 5 seconds. I am going to come home broke as a joke.

OOoo, budgets and spending money. Eek!

We generally just set a rough budget for the whole trip, and then I ignore it. I mean, then I work to see how I can reduce all the other expenses so I have more left over for fun spending money.

Outside of food and snacks, our biggest expenditures usually are pins, Christmas things and whatever damage I can feel comfortable doing at World of Disney. So maybe $200 for the trip between the 2 of us.

We also usually use cash for Mousekeeping tips - maybe a few dollars a day.

I'm a broke college kid, so I never have much money to spend on my Disney trips. I've never been able to be on the DDP for my trip, so I always come up with other ways to save money. We do however, always have the luxury of driving, so we hit-up a grocery store once we are there to get stuff for breakfast. I also find it useful to take my bookbag to the parks with a few bottles of water so we don't need to buy drinks and it keeps us from drinking so much soda. We also usually take something super sugary like cookies or candy to eat in the afternoons for the energy boost. ...except of course for when we go to Epcot. I usually find myself spending more that day because I just eat everything...

Wow - y'all are awesome! I will tag onto what Jessi said above here, and I may go in search of an earlier thread we had on drinking water at WDW. My mom just got me one of those Brita filter water bottles, and I can't WAIT to take it to the park! Usually we just grin and bear it, and refill water bottles out of the fountains, but this will be as good as bottled water everytime

Well most of you would never do the World like Jan and I did. However we made 4 trips a year of at least 5 nights each, always staying at a value resort and never going to a park. The cost of one such trip, including gas and tolls going and comming was right at $700.00. This is about the average for each trip. That comes to $70.00 per person per day for everything. We loved it but I'm sure some of you will think we were a bit wierd. Just old! Jan has been gone just over a year now but I still do the same trips with a friend or family.
Joe

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JeffC, you're my hero!

OOoo, that's definitely not the word Joe uses....

On my last trip I had two budgets - tips and spending money. Based on suggestion I got from Kristen K, I created tip envelopes. The first envelope was for mousekeeping which I placed $2 / day in. The other was for meal tips and adult beverages. I reviewed all the menus for the restaurants we add ADRs at and determined what I was going to order. I calculated the tip amount and added extra if I was going to have something special with my meal. I sorted the tip money by each day and meal and placed in a one envelope. This money I kept in the room safe and took out what I needed for the day. Each morning, I placed the tip money in two smaller envelopes - one for breakfast / lunch and one for dinner. I always had $40 for spending money each day. It was nice not having to worry about breaking a twenty to have money for a tip. I came home with money.

We had the exact same thing as you did. What we did was we bought Disney Gift Cards. We all had $100 GC, and had an extra $100 for anything else that Mommy and Daddy deemed to be extra that maybe shouldnt be part of each others spendings. Jess came back with money, I used what extra we had for gifts for friends. But as for eating extra.... uggg... we had I think 2 credits left over and used in the Gift Shop and took home on the plane. We did use our debit cards... but I doubt we spent $50. We stuck to our GC's pretty easy... as did the kids.

Oh... and since we did GC's... dont know if your stores do this... but ours... Kroger... does double GC Fuel Perks. I got $1.40 off of gas on my next gas run. So if you have a place that does that,... I HIGHLY recommend the GC route... it also helps you try to stick to only the GC's.

I think it's brilliant, Joe. It just goes to show that there is a Disney trip for every budget. There are so many things to enjoy on property. You can spend as much or as little as you'd like.

SO glad that my system worked for you!!

Yeah last year was the first year that we used giftcards and it worked like a dream... I definatley recommend it.. We all got giftcards with different things on the front so we could tell them apart and they even makes apps for the various smart phones that keep track of how much you have spent and they update instantly. Plus with gift cards you can have people give them to you as gifts and that's like free money for your trip

I am possibly going to Disney for my honeymoon next June and need to know how much extra money I should bring. I keep hearing people talk about table and counter services and snack credits. How do you earn those? Also, is there another way of getting tickets cheaper than ordering from the actual disney site? And where is the best cheapest place to stay? Thanks for your help!!!

Hi Amy! to the WDWFG Forums! You've asked lots of wonderful BIG Questions! Let me see if I can shed a little light, and I'm sure that other members will jump in.

"Best Cheapest Place to Stay" - You're going to want a Disney Value Resort, there are currently 5 of those on property. Disney's Pop Century Resort has a big fan following and many consider it the best of them. However, just across the lake from Pop Century Disney opened a brand new value resort called Disney's Art of Animation. In fact it was just completed and the final rooms opened this past weekend! Since it's so new there aren't a lot of reviews about this property yet, but many that I've read have said that it raises the bar on the Disney value resorts.

When you stay at a Disney hotel and buy your Park Tickets as part of a Disney Package, you can add a feature called the "Disney Dining Plan." This plan allows for you to pre-pay for your meals while on vacation. Instead of paying your bill at the end of a meal with money, you hand the server your Key To The World card and it subtracts a "credit" from your allotment. The standard Disney Dining Plan gives each guest in your party one Table Service Credit, One Counter Service Credit, and One Snack Credit per night of your stay.

Discounted Park Tickets - It's not easy to find hugely discounted Park tickets. However Maple Leaf Tickets is who the WDWFG site owner recommends. It's worth noting that if you buy your park tickets on your own, you won't qualify for the dining plan.

Many of the members of this forum use different methods for booking their Disney vacations, and all of them seem to work. Some use travel agents, some book online or on their own through Disney, some are Disney Vacation Club Members. There's no one right way to do it. I think that for first time Disney guests it can be to your advantage to use a reputable travel agent who is a Disney Authorized Vacation Planner. They'll be able to help you find the best deals that fit the way you want to travel.

As far as "Extra Money" goes, what sort of expenses do you consider "extra'? For my family that's ground transportation to the airport, tips, alcohol, souvenirs, and travel day food costs. But other people may consider other expenses as "extra", no matter what though it all depends on your length of stay.

Amy first congrats on your up coming wedding. The 1 table (or 1 buffet) , 1 counter , 1 snack thing is the Disney Dining Plan. The Deluxe dining plan is 3 table or counter services a day plus 2 snacks a day. The way to make the deluxe plan work is to make as many table serves a day as possible. You have to stay in a Disney Resort to BUY the Dining Plan.

As far as spending goes we usually go with the deluxe plan so food is covered. All we need is souvenirs. On another thread I posted we did about 30-40 per person per day. Now that was a little high on some days but if we saw something special we had money from other days to spend. Example hubby spent 25.00 on a baseball cap and 3.50 on a soda one day. My frozen bananas and mickey bars are covered under snack credits but I still need drinks between meals and I usually get at least one Beauty and the Beast figurine. Last year I was out and it got cold so I bought a hoodie. That was 55.00 for the hoodie. Disney can be expensive.

Okay...the credits you've read about are part of the Disney Dining Plan. You pay up front for your meals and use the DDP credits when you dine at the various Disney World restaurants. You can get all counter service, a mix of counter service and table service, or a deluxe plan that lets you eat wherever you want. And sometimes the DDP is free, usually when park attendance is low, but you need to get a Disney package (room, park passes, meal plan) to qualify. June is probably not a month with free dining.

I'm no expert, but I don't think there's anyplace to get tickets for a significantly lower price than you'll get from Disney.

Cheapest places to stay are off Disney property (check Expedia or Travelocity or whatever). Cheapest places on property are the value resorts - All-Star, Pop Century, Art of Animation. And if you have a tent and don't mind camping on your honeymoon, you can get a good deal at Ft. Wilderness campgroun.

As for extra money, that varies depending on individual tastes. Can you eat cheap and skip souvenirs? Or do you want to splurge a little since this is your honeymoon? Whatever your tastes, plan on having cash on hand for parking (if you stay offsite you'll need to pay to park at WDW), tips (hotel housekeeping, taxi, hotel bellhop, etc.), any meals, snacks, or drinks that you don't want to put on a credit card, souvenirs if you must have some...the usual stuff you'd want cash on hand for on any vacation.

I'm sure other folks will come along with other tips and ideas. Oh...congrats on the upcoming nuptials, and welcome.

Hi Amy, nice to meet you!

Sometimes you can find discounted tickets from undercover tourist, military affiliation, or through AAA if you are a member, but from what I've heard they're not often significant. My friend bought his through AAA, and I think they were $3 less than the list price.

The credits that people talk about refer to the Disney Dining Plan, which is a pay before you go option for meals. You pay a flat fee and it gives you credits to use towards food during your stay. Some people prefer this method, others prefer to pay out of pocket for meals.

The Disney resorts are tiered in value, moderate, and deluxe categories with the values being the least expensive. Then there are the offsite hotels in the Downtown Disney area that are also often comparable prices to values.

Deciding how much money to bring and what to pay for beforehand all depends on your personal vacation style and budget. We're paying out of pocket for meals, keeping a budget of $40 a day each (including all food, snacks, and booze bought on property) and bringing granola bars, instant coffee, and trail mix for breakfast/snacks. We're also staying at Pop Century, which is a value resort.

A lot of it really depends on your own preferences. Everyone here will be happy to put in their thoughts, too.

Congrats on the Maybe Honeymoon trip!!

The whole 'extra money' conversation here is always quite lively. There are so many variables to ask about.
Any idea yet if:

Will you stay on-site? Then will you Drive or use Disney Transportation?
Stay off-site? Drive? Taxi? Other shuttles available?
Package with Dining or without?
Big Eaters? Snackers? Soft drinks? Hard Drinks?
Tickets with Hopper Option? Water Parks?
No Package, and book all separate?
Shopper? Collector?

Each of these will bring with it some different possibilities for extra $$. Best to get the board to chime in here - my experiences are not the same as others; many heads are better for this sort of thing!

All the talk about table service, quick service and snack credits refers to the vacation package dining plan. Depending on the plan that you book (and there are times each year when the dining plan is FREE - if you book a Disney package). For the basic plan each person gets one table service, one quick service and one snack for each day of the package stay. Some restaurants are called Signature meals and those take 2 credits.

If you are not booking a disney package, then the dining plan and credit won't apply to your trip.

As far a discount tickets, Disney keeps a pretty tight hold on their tickets. I haven't heard of any true discounts on them of more than a couple dollars. I do know that there are some shady eBay sorts of sales for unused tickets. That can be BIG trouble, though. I've only bought directly from Disney or through my AAA vacation package.

Ideas out there?

That sounds like a mess just waiting to happen!

I agree, stay away from the eBay tickets, you don't want to get down there and have any question about how you're getting into the park. I highly suggest buying right from Disney.

Hi Amy and welcome to the site. I am going to WDW next October and I am purchasing Disney gift cards to help with my souvenir purchases etc. My plan is to buy $50 in gift cards each month until I leave. That way I won't have to take a lot of cash (but you still need cash for tips). Everyone on this site have their own to save up for extra spending money. Just ask!

Well amy9711, seems like you got a butt load of answers for your questions, so I'll just say . I'll also say stay away from the Ebay tickets and such. Only buy from a reputable authorized ticket seller, and I would just advice buying from Disney. It's usually not worth the aggrivation of a couple of bucks getting them anywhere else.

I'm being this old thread back from the grave.....

This year we are on the dinning plan, I plan to taking $100 dollars a day this includes arrival and departure day. Will this be okay to cover snacks- drinks and a few gifts? I can never budget right.

If the bulk of your dining is paid for, you should be good on $100/day. You'll have gratuity on your TS meal. Not sure how many are in your party, but even at $20/meal and $30 for snacks and water, you still have $50/day for shopping and unless you have big purchases in mind, that's probably sufficient. Remember if you have the Disney VISA that most shop spending that is $50 or more gets you a 10% discount, so it might be a good idea to browse first and bulk your purchases together near the end of your trip.