How much spending money!

[Sarahwood]

Hi everyone,

I'm a newbie here and am a Disney Virgin, I am going out to Florida on the 8th of April (Friday) and have $3000 for 2 weeks is this enough money to take for 2 adults and 2 children, we already have 7 day passes for disney, and are planning to buy our universal and seaworld tickets there (using our AA cards for discounts)

Many thanks
Sarah:wiggle:

[luvthemouse]

Welcome Sarah! Are you staying on site Disney, or off?

[Slowhand]

Hi Sarah and welcome to the boards. :hello:

A lot depends upon where you are staying and where you decide to eat your meals...eating at the Disney resorts can be expensive!
If you can give us more info about your trip, I am sure that loads of replies will follow.

[Sarahwood]

We have booked a villa, as there are 8 of us in total

Sarah

[Sarahwood]

I Have to boys 8 and 5 the youngest is a very small eater, and I'm hoping he can share a plate, they have their own spending money for souveniers (around $250 each) we also have a car booked for the 2 weeks)

[Cindernaenae]

Have you already paid for the villa and the car rental? The $3,000 is extra?

[Sarahwood]

Yes, everything has been paid for, it's just for spending money and eating out

Sarah

[american idol]

i think you will be just fine :thumbs:

[Alyssa]

You'll be fine. Also I am sure the children can share meals. The portion sizes at Disney seem quite large. My sister and (16 and 12 at the time) were able to share sveral meals. I also worried about whether I 'd have enough too, I would hate to end up needing more money but I am sure you will have more than plenty.

[Huntermom]

You should have plenty.

If you're at a villa, do a quick run to the grocery store and pick up quick breakfast foods-cereal, muffins, bagels, croissants and juice and milk. You'll save at least $15./day on breakfast. You can get 6 muffins in the grocery for the price of one in the parks. It also makes mornings easier if everyone can eat when they're hungry or some people can eat while others use the bathroom. I usually get up early the first morning (I'm always up early-6 is a sleep in) and do the honors.

Also pick up quick snacks for your boys so you can throw a few in your day pack. It'll save lots of time if one is hungry to be able to hand them some crackers rather than standing in line only to find the other is starving after the next attraction. I also hate to throw away food as the park snacks are really big for kids. As parents, I find my husband and I would often skip snacks or will even just get soup and salad for a meal and then eat off the kids-especially when the kids were younger and ordered off the adult menu. If not we'd be throwing away as much as we bought.

I also pick up at least one case of water. I'd rather pay $5./case than $2.50 a bottle in the parks.

I found the big advantage to a villa is that we can keep some semblance of normal meals. After a while my kids get tired of restaurant food-especially when they were younger and chicken tenders and burgers were thier meals of choice.

Relax and enjoy yourselves. if you find you're spending more than planned, you can always have additional meals in the villa-pick up roast chicken and salad at the grocery or even throw together a pot of spaghetti and jarred sauce. We did this when our kids were getting tired and needed some down time. The parks are really stimulating and some kids like to be able to just hang out rather than be on the go all the time.

Diane

[ukwdwnut]

will you be eating out only or cooking at the villa too?

[arcamalpha2003]

Staying in a villa, I think you will be more than covered, we always stay in villa's dont do much cooking in them, thats what you go on holiday to get away from :D

Would agree with some of the tips on here, get packs of bottled water, local gas stations usually have the two for one offer on cans of coca cola and soda's.
Get one of them cooler bags you can fill with ice, put your cans in the cooler bag before you leave for the day out, can save a dollar or more this way.
Ponderosa was the way we started our day, buffet breakfast before getting off to the parks, golden coral for evening meals, cant go far wrong with mcdonalds either imo, wife prefers the chicken burgers and milkshakes in orlando compared to ones in england, she says it tastes like chicken ! :eek:
Regarding the car, dont worry, gas prices are a pleasure! fill up the tank and away you go, the low gas prices gives us more incentive to get out and about.
There are all kind of different things you can do, does not all have to be disney or universal, we did the dolly parton stampede year before last, kids thoroughly loved it!
I'll have to trade in my car for one of her ostriches I think :hehe:
Have a great time, dont forget the trip report when you come back!

Bill.

[ukwdwnut]

bill

how much do you take with you then if you eat out all the time, how many do you have to feed too? if you dont mind me asking, tell me to bog off if you like :lol:

[arcamalpha2003]

bill

how much do you take with you then if you eat out all the time, how many do you have to feed too? if you dont mind me asking, tell me to bog off if you like :lol:

Tell you what, as well as five foot nothing devils in no costumes, we have nosey so and so's too! keith, where are you? what do you think? bog off mike :wink: :wink: :rotfl:


We take enough to make sure we can eat out as regular as possible, we even tip! :hehe:
There are five of us altogether, myself ofcourse :wink: the good lady and the three sons.
Admittedly, ponderosa breakfast is only three of us, the other two dont do breakfast, they prefer to wait til we get around to going past a mcdonalds.
Main meal of the day around the mcdonalds is the golden coral.
We ate in once I think last year, bought some stuff from walmart on h27 and then got baffled by the posh oven, see what happens when you dont eat out mike? :lol:
Now over to you mr nutty :wiggle:


Bill.

[BigThunder]

I can't recommend eating at least one meal a day in your room enough. For us, breakfast was the easiest choice. We are cereal & toast people anyway so why do we need a heavy restaurant meal every morning? We didn't figure we did. I think we probably saved $25 to $30 a day by eating that one meal in & that's basing it on food court prices. We generally splurge for one character breakfast buffet & make it later so it will hold us over for a late lunch & then have dinner in the room. I will miss having a kitchen on our trip to Disneyland.