08/05/2024
DISNEY VACATION ON A BUDGET? POSSIBLE? (worth the read!)
Is it possible to do a Disney vacation on a budget? If you do your due diligence researching and planning ahead, we believe it is definitely doable without sacrificing a magical Disney experience. Nobody wants to, nor should have to, go into debt for a vacation, even a Disney World one.
Staying off property is probably the #1 way to save money and Mickey’s Mansion is an amazing alternative to still getting the Disney experience without breaking the bank. The house is emersed in Disney themed rooms, Disney decorations and Disney movies, games, books, puzzles, etc.
The best part is your getting way more than just a hotel room with two beds and maybe a pullout couch. Instead, you will be treated to an 8-bedroom home, with 4.5 baths, your own private pool and spa, game room and outside space under a covered lanai for fresh air, eating and relaxing. Since Mickey’s Mansion can host up to 16 people, the cost does not have to be the burden of just one family. It can be split between extended family and/or good friends. Besides the cost of the house, you can split the cost of food if you decide to cook in the fully equipped kitchen (if you don’t want to eat out every night) or store drinks, snacks and other goodies in the full-size pantry and refrigerator. Be together when you want to be under one roof but retreat to your own private space in your themed bedroom with comfortable bed(s) for some privacy and alone time. I personally relish time by myself, so I fully understand the importance of being able to do that if you are that person. Allow young children to nap in a quiet space while the rest of the family enjoys all the home’s amenities. Even if you are not traveling with 16 people, keep in mind you do not need to use all 8 bedrooms. Even if your group is, say, 10 or less people for example, and you need less bedrooms, staying at Mickey’s Mansion will still be cheaper than staying in a hotel room on property.
Here is an example of costs broken down: Disney All Stars Music Resort (cheapest rate at this time period) November 10-17, 2024 is $1367.71 for 2 adults and 2 children. Daily this would be $195.39 a day or $48.85 per person per day. This includes one queen bed and one queen-size table bed in one room. Mickey’s Mansion, for the same time, one full week, would be a total of $2801.65. That’s $400.14 daily for 10 guests or $40.14 per person. For 16 guests, it would only be $25 per person, per day. As stated above, you get an entire private house all to yourself instead of a small hotel room with limited space and no private outdoor space.
Located in Emerald Island Resort, we are one of the closest resorts to Walt Disney World. This beautiful 24-hour guard gated, family, community is quiet and tranquil with loads of fun within. There are parks for the kids, a nature walking trail, free miniature golf, additional swimming pools, work out room, sauna, sport amenities galore and a Tiki Bar.
You do not have to do a Disney park every single day of your vacation. Not only is it expensive, but it is also exhausting! Breaking up the week with one day at a park and then one day staying home and enjoying your pool and game room and the resort’s sports amenities and clubhouse, will help not only save you a lot of money but also give the family the ability to refresh and be ready for running around the next day. At night, go out for ice cream to our favorite ice cream spot, the local Twistee Treat, walk around Disney Springs for shopping and free Disney entertainment or visit Margaritaville’s Sunset Walk (a stone throws away from EIR) with plenty of restaurants, shops and live music.
We recommend visiting one park at a time instead of buying Park Hoppers. Your budget can go a lot further if you decide to go this route especially if you plan to visit Disney multiple days. One park at a time is cheaper than hoppers and ticket prices go down when you buy more than three days. Be aware of the Disney calendar before you purchase your tickets. Prices will vary depending on the day of the week and the park you visit. Keeping this in mind will help save you more money. Bouncing around from park to park is time consuming and tiring especially if you have little ones. You will get more bang for your buck doing one park at a time by not wasting precious, valuable time leaving one park to get to another. In my opinion, it’s a lot of wasted time, energy and money.
Think about buying Disney gift cards at discounted prices. If you are a member at Costco, BJ’s or Sam’s Club, often you will be able to buy Disney gift cards at a discounted price. It might not seem like much, but it adds up.
Did you know that Disney allows you to bring your own food into the parks? Pack sandwiches, fruit and snacks and bring unbreakable water bottles for free refills. There are lockers available at a reasonable cost if you want to store the food away until you’re ready to eat. This will instantly save you money on the high price of Disney’s food and treats. Keep in mind cooler are not permitted into the parks.
Arriving at the park at the rope drop (before the park opens) will not only give you a head start on your day, but it will also give you the ability to beat some of the long lines. If you can get up and out of the house early, head to your favorite rides first before the lines get too long. Early morning and later at night is when there are less crowds no matter what time of year you are visiting.
A lot of times, crowds will clear the parks if it’s raining. Be prepared with lightweight ponchos available at a much cheaper price from Walmart or Target so you can still stick to your day as planned while staying dry. Bring a jacket and an extra pair of shoes incase you do get wet even if it’s in the middle of the summer. If you head into the AC while being wet, you will be glad to have a jacket to slip on and warm up. Don’t forget the sunscreen, hats and sunglasses for everyone!
Consider buying souvenirs before you head to the parks. You can get a variety of Disney ears, t-shirts and princess costumes at a fraction of the cost from Amazon or the local Walmart or Target located close to Mickey’s Mansion. If you want to do personalized, matching t-shirts, (always such a fun idea and a great way to keep track of your group) our daughter, Kara, would be happy to help you with that. You can check out her page called Corner of Jocelyn or her Instagram page, corner_of_jocelyn. Feel free to also give her a call or send her a text to discuss your ideas or have her help you come up with some suggestions,1-973-464-1842. She also does a load of other personalized gifts such as water bottles, fun draw string bags to carry around Disney, etc. If you can think of it, she can probably make it.
There are pros and cons to taking your kids to Disney when they are really little. This is something personal that each family needs to decide is right for them or not. A huge pro to taking kids under the age of 3 is admission to Disney is FREE! That is a big savings for a family! You may think it’s not worth it because these little ones won’t remember the experience, but you certainly will! I will never forget when we took our 2 year old daughter, Kristy, to Disney for the first time. When she saw Mickey Mouse while we were waiting to be seated for a character breakfast, she broke loose from us and bolted straight into Mickey’s arms. She was thrilled to be hugging him and Mickey was happy to be hugging her right back. Although Kristy doesn’t remember her first encounter with Mickey Mouse or other favorite characters like Snow White, Pluto or Chip & Dale, we have captured these special times with pictures and videos to look back on whenever we want to. Kristy is 33 now and we still love looking back and talking about these very special memories.
If you want your children to remember their Disney experience, particularly their very first time, kids between the ages of 6 and 10 are the perfect ages to visit. No matter how many times we have been to Disney (and we have been there a lot) there is nothing like seeing Disney through the eyes of a child. Watching them light up walking down Main Street wide eyed spotting Cinderella’s Castle for the first time is priceless! They will also be tall enough for most rides and they will most definitely want to go on all the rides they can. You may also want to take advantage of Ride Switch if they don’t want to ride some of the bigger rides, but you do or the littles or too little to ride. You and another adult will be able to take turns riding a particular ride, so you won’t have to miss out on some of your favorites.
The magic of Disney is for every age and can be for every budget. If we can help you plan your Disney vacation, please reach out to us. We will be happy to help you plan a vacation that is right for you and your family! Send us an email: [email protected] , call us or text us at 1-973-768-2338 (JoAnn) or 1-862-345-8877 (Les). We look forward to helping plan your magical Disney vacation and welcoming you to Mickey’s Mansion as our very special guests!
