Call us crazy

Cinderellaluver

New Member
Me and my friends came up with this idea to all take a trip to Disney World!! I know we must be crazy right being only 13 but we figure with some hard work over the summer we can make it happen by Spring Break next Year (March 6-15th)

We were wondering if you had any tips or ways to make money over the summer for us.

Also would Spring Break be a good time to go or would it be too crowded??
 

AstareGod

New Member
Well you could certainly work there, if you were at least 16, that is. That way you could get admission and discounts taken care of. If the laws in your country or state allow you to work at 13, that's what I would suggest. Otherwise, I think you'll have a hard time raising that much money. Disney is expensive.

Spring break can be crowded, but schools have differing weeks that they're off. It's not like July 4 or the December holidays where everyone is at the parks.
 
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sbkline

Well-Known Member
Me and my friends came up with this idea to all take a trip to Disney World!! I know we must be crazy right being only 13 but we figure with some hard work over the summer we can make it happen by Spring Break next Year (March 6-15th)

We were wondering if you had any tips or ways to make money over the summer for us.

Also would Spring Break be a good time to go or would it be too crowded??

I hope you live in Florida, within driving distance of WDW so that you can drive there in the morning then go back home in the evening. But since you'll be only 14 by then, then I wonder who's gonna be doing the driving?

If not, you may have some serious trouble, as a group of underage kids, finding lodging. I'm pretty sure people under 18, by law, cannot check into a hotel without an adult.
 
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maryszhi

Well-Known Member
disney is expensive, so id start saving. i would stay at a value resort. i dont know any other way to help. sorry :( i would ask your mom and dad to call disney and ask for the info dvd and bookeltt, as well as buy a travel book, like unoffical guide, exc.
i would try to contact kingdom consultents to see if there are any deals, as well as mouse savers
 
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AstareGod

New Member
(Quote changed before I had a chance to answer)
Yeah, unless you can live with someone closeby Disney (like around 30 minutes away or less) I would suggest you wait until the college program. And yes, 16 year olds can work at Walt Disney World. I'm not sure about Disneyland or any of the other parks in other countries. You do have to have a parent or legal guardian sign for you and there are probably some other requirements as people under 18 are legally considered minors, not adults.

If you do the College Program you do get to live in one of three (I think) apartment complexes with free bus transportation to WDW. If you want to know more I bet there are a bunch of threads about CP here you can look through.
 
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maryszhi

Well-Known Member
Yeah, unless you can live with someone closeby Disney (like around 30 minutes away or less) I would suggest you wait until the college program. And yes, 16 year olds can work at Walt Disney World. I'm not sure about Disneyland or any of the other parks in other countries. You do have to have a parent or legal guardian sign for you and there are probably some other requirements as people under 18 are legally considered minors, not adults.

If you do the College Program you do get to live in one of three (I think) apartment complexes with free bus transportation to WDW. If you want to know more I bet there are a bunch of threads about CP here you can look through.
thanks
oh and for the original post question, a girl from my school went with friends and her parents and said the allstar suites are really great for big parties
 
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Philo

Well-Known Member
Seems to be quite a lot of negative responses here. I say that you can do it - it just won't be easy. Disney is expensive, no doubt about it but don't let that put you off. There are nearly always people willing to pay for you to do chores like washing cars, cleaning / mowing gardens, babysitting etc. You will have to work mega hard but if you really want to go to Disney then its worth it!

I would seriously look at staying at an off-site hotel that offers a free shuttle. It can be a pain having to get on a bus each morning but at least its a bus to Disney World!

Be sensible about food - eating at CRT or V&A will probably destroy your budget but there are lots of cheaper table service restaurants and plenty of counter service options. Take bottles of water in the parks with you rather than buying drinks and try to stay out of those enticing shops!

I'm not sure if its true for everywhere but here in the UK, you can buy tickets at 2008 prices for 2009 towards the mid-end of the year. Might be worth looking at as long as you know you can afford to go by then
 
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H20Babie

Well-Known Member
First, you need to know exactly how many of you, including the two parents, will be going before you can even start looking at accomodations. At the most, 4-6 people per room in Disney is the norm, and that's including the value family suites and the FW cabins.

Second, how will you be travelling? If it's by air, that's a considerable amount of money. I would propose a deal to your parents ... you save the money for the hotel and your own tickets, and perhaps they can pay for your travel. If they see you working hard to accomplish your goal, you never know :)

Until you figure out the above questions, including a tenttive budget, there is not much more we can do here.

Good luck.
 
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eroyee

Active Member
I agree with the babysitting, lawn mowing, etc. then, how about buying disney dollars or a disney gift card and keep putting the money on that for saving? that way you cant spend it in the meantime. good luck. I am sure its hard at your age but will be well worth it. also, how about a big garage sale??
 
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coltow

Well-Known Member
I agree with the babysitting, lawn mowing, etc. then, how about buying disney dollars or a disney gift card and keep putting the money on that for saving? that way you cant spend it in the meantime. good luck. I am sure its hard at your age but will be well worth it. also, how about a big garage sale??
My sisters when they were little would return bottles and cans for the deposit money they would collect them from the neighbors and family too.
 
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sweetpee_1993

Well-Known Member
First of all, you need to figure out a budget. Do some studying. Find out how many rooms you will need, how much the rooms will likely cost (I don't think 2009 rates have been released yet), ticket costs, food, and incidentals. Then you want to count on having a bit extra for "just in case" money. A lot can go wrong or come up unexpectedly. Once you know your target amount of money start working...a LOT! Like others have said, traveling to WDW is very expensive. A little food for thought: the cheapest, shortest trip my family of 4 ever took cost us about $3K. We drove. We ate cheap and had breakfast in our room. Stayed at a value resort. Brought snacks with us. 2 of the 4 in our party were under 9 years of age so that saved a bunch. Also, this was several years back so rates were lower then on everything. Our most recent trip was this past December and my family of 4 spent in excess of $14K. We stayed in deluxe accomodations, had a 9 night trip, flew 1st class, used the Disney Dining Plan, splurged on the souveniers we wanted, and both my sons are over the age of 9 now. Plus, if one of your friends who are going backs out or doesn't make the target amount to pay their share of the room then it suddenly becomes additional money that you and the remaining people have to pay. Lots to think about.

I don't think it's impossible to do. It will just take a huge committment and a lot of hard work by all of you. If you can find a 5 day a week babysitting gig for the summer that can be a good chunk of money. I know for my 2 boys I used to pay a friend's daughter anywhere from $80 to $100 per week. Also, busy adults are more than willing to shell out money to not do the annoying chores like mowing or walking the dog. My brothers used to make as much as a couple hundred a week by mowing yards over the summer. Also, house cleaning and/or laundry...provided you are any good at these tasks. I'd pay good money to have someone do that stuff for me. Walking the dog is another big pain in my tush I'd pay for. LOL! I liked another poster's idea about a garage sale. See if your family or any other relatives have old junk they don't want and would donate. Then you can have a big garage sale. Sell canned sodas, snacks, or baked goods at your garage sale and you're moving right along. Also, if you post a sign at your sale letting people know that your proceeds are to fund your Dream Walt Disney World Spring Fling I bet people would appreciate your hard work and be more willing to spend more money.

Don't be discouraged. If you work hard enough, anything is possible. Just know that it will be a huuuuge undertaking and be prepared to fight the hard fight. You'll get there. When you do your trip will be that much sweeter! :D

Good luck! :wave:
 
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slappy magoo

Well-Known Member
Seems to be quite a lot of negative responses here. I say that you can do it - it just won't be easy. Disney is expensive, no doubt about it but don't let that put you off. There are nearly always people willing to pay for you to do chores like washing cars, cleaning / mowing gardens, babysitting etc. You will have to work mega hard but if you really want to go to Disney then its worth it!

I don't think the messages are necessarily negative, just realistic. Sure, a 13 year old can raise money for a trip to WDW, but it won't be easy.

My 2 cents? Instead of trying to raise the money necessary for the whole trip, start by doing whatever jobs you can do to raise money for the park admission you want. You can buy those in your local Disney store (if you have one), your local AAA (if your parents are members) or online (with a parents' credit card). As long as you don't lose that park admission, it's good until you actually use it. This way, even if the rest of the friends flake, and it takes you 5 years or more before you can get to WDW yourself, your park tickets are covered (and at today's prices, not the adjusted-for-inflation prices in the future). Once you have your tickets covered, and you know your friends have purchased THEIR tickets (no sense planning further until you know you're all responsible enough to at least get that far), then you can start working towards saving $$$ for the room(s). Not know where you live or how you'll get there, you may also need to save air fare.

I wouldn't say your goal is crazy, but we've no way of knowing anything about you and your friends, how responsible you are, what kind of money you can be expected to make in your neck of the woods doing jobs 13 year-olds can get. When I was 14-15, a sophomore in high school, I got an under-the-table job washing dishes to pay for a band trip to Quebec, and a Spanish class trip to Spain. My mom helped with what she could, and most of my birthday & Xmas presents that year was cash to help pay for the trips, but at least 75% of the money was based on my hands getting all pruney and being chased home by feral cats because I smelled like seafood. That was when minimum wage was $3.35 an hour, and I was getting 3 bucks an hour (but no taxes! Yippee for me!) because you really weren't supposed to work in a kitchen unless you were at least 16. My senior year, I was working in a fast food joint and paid my own way for my senior trip to WDW. Granted, even getting paid under the table will probably get you more money than I got then, but it's not like WDW is CHEAPER than it was when I was a kid. Only you know (or will know) if you can find the kind of work necessary to raise the cash, AND if you have the discipline necessary to NOT pay for immediate things, clothes or video games, etc. And of course, some parents feel, if their kids are earning money, they should contribute to the household. Even if YOUR parents aren't like that, the parents of your friends might be, which will make saving money harder for them.

Better yet, whoever the ringleader is on this plan should try to get all the kids and their parents together to discuss it happening. First of all, you might discover some of the parents have no intention of letting their kids go away without them. On the flip side, you might find some parents who's really want to go and be of greater assistance. They might know people looking for kids to help in their stores, or mow lawns or babysit. And they might be able to help you budget the money necessary to make the trip happen. A lot of guesswork could be removed if your friends and their families get together to discuss it. And if you're lucky, someone will order pizza. :D

Good luck, and just remember to be realistic about the goal. Some of your friends might not have the means to make the money, or the discipline to NOT spend it. It doesn't mean they don't want to go, it means they're teenagers. :) Don't always have your head in the clouds, and always keep your feet planted firmly on the ground.
 
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WTBAD

Active Member
Cinderellaluver, You don't say where you live so suggestions for summer jobs will be limited. But you can always do yard work, cutting grass & racking leaves or washing cars, baby sitting and walking dogs. Tell everyone what your working for. They maybe more likey to give you the job or a tip. It won't be cheap but it can be done. You need to budget your trip. Check out www.wdwinfo.com. Click on the Planning menu. You can get the cost of tickets & hotels rooms. Plus you can lookup menus & get pricing for meals. You don't need to plan out everything but deciding what types of meals, (hamburgers, hotdogs, chinken nuggets, etc) will help you budget the total cost. A budget will also help you save you earnings & not spend it during the summer or school next year. Just keep in mind your budget & what your saving for. I think your going to need between $700 & $800. Good luck.
 
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kasey1988

Well-Known Member
I dont think its impossible, just going to be hard, you need to guarentee that your friends are truly committed to this trip, as well as an adult.
Here are my thoughts on what you should consider:
1)How will you be getting there? Driving, flying, bus, train? Look around some websites for discounted tickets, depending on where you live it can range from a couple hundren upwards to $1000. (try going on airline websites, travelocity, expedia) and just look around at what you can expect for price wise.
2)get a number on how many people are going, id say go with a value resort if your staying on site, that was your transportaion will be included. If your driving down or the adults want to rent a car, then stay off site, somewhere with free breakfast that way you can eliminate the cost of that meal.
3)decide how many days you want to go for, then decide what park tickets you want to have. If your tight on money try maybe only 4 days, with park hopper option and no water park addition. You will just have to plan what you are dead set on seeing, espeically during this busy time of the year. Now if you can save enough spring for the week stay.
4)Pack snacks to bring with you, or stop by a local grocery store when you arrive in orland. If your staying on site id reccomend the refillable mugs, and biying small items for breakfast like bagels (you can toast them in the food court), then maybe granola bars and bottled water to take to the park with you so you dont have to worry about buying snacks in the parks. I do not reccomen the dining plan with your budget.
5)When your saving money maybe give it to your parents or start a savings account so your not tempted to spend it. Id only reccomend buying disney dollars since they dont expire, dont buy any park tickets until everyone is ready to, that way your not stuck with a ticket, so if the trip dosnt happen atleast you can still have the money.
6)I agree with babysitting and try saving pop cans and bottles, get family mebers to as well, it defintally adds up, and try saving coins in a bottle. Ask for money/disney dollars for your birthday/christmas!


Good luck, I had a similar situation, except my friends ended up backing out on me because they thought disney was childish, but in all my planning stages i ended up getting my family very excited and we ended up taking a family trip to disney anyways!
 
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