Disney on a BUDGET

[Shouldigo12]

My whole family will go in 2021. My oldest should have his doctorate and teaching, so going in late May after classes get out will make him available. My youngest son will be 26 and plans to "pop the question" to his then 24 year old girlfriend, somewhere in Tomorrowland where he will declare that she is "his future".

Your son planned his proposal 2-3 years in advance?
Edit- No criticism, I think its cute he's that excited haha.

 

[aliceismad]

I misread your initial post when I quoted those POR prices. My brain thought you were going to Florida in July-Aug. I didn't check the WDW site, but hotels.com has ALL-Star Sports for $88 a night in mid-Jan. Plus tax for 5 nights = a little more than $500. (The moderates are $160-$200 per night + tax.)

If you cut down to 2 park days (nonhopping) in mid-January, depending on the days you go, it could be as inexpensive as just over $200 per person, so $400 total.

If you cut down on your nights of hotel, I think you can swing it for $1000.

 

[thomas998]

We started out staying at Low End, all the ALL Stars, graduated to POP, then to POR, and last time Coronado Springs. Hubby's favorite is POR, I'm not fussy as long as the room is clean. We go to the parks early and stay late.

Trouble is if you are down to 80/night hotel budget you won't be staying on-site. The cheapest you'll get on-site that time of the year is All-star for 122... and at that price 4 nights will set you back 488 for the hotel add in the 3 days of tickets at 600 and you've already blown past your 1,000 budget. They will need to do the off-site and at 80/night left for hotels they will have to settle for hotels that aren't always clean.

 

[thomas998]

There are plenty of clean hotels in the area for $50/night.

You might find a clean hotel that is cheap enough, but remember the OP isn't renting a car for this trip they are trying to use whatever bus or shuttle service the hotels have. That is going to cut out a lot of the hotels and leave you with a much more limited number to choose from... If you know of 50/night hotels that are clean and provide the free shuttle service the OP needs then why not share that information, I'm sure a lot of people would like to have it.

Personally I've never seen a hotel in that area that I would want to stay in that was in the 50 dollar price range, but if you know of some let me know which ones.

 

[Goofyernmost]

You might find a clean hotel that is cheap enough, but remember the OP isn't renting a car for this trip they are trying to use whatever bus or shuttle service the hotels have. That is going to cut out a lot of the hotels and leave you with a much more limited number to choose from... If you know of 50/night hotels that are clean and provide the free shuttle service the OP needs then why not share that information, I'm sure a lot of people would like to have it.

Personally I've never seen a hotel in that area that I would want to stay in that was in the 50 dollar price range, but if you know of some let me know which ones.

You are correct, we have all gone off the edge when they only answer is..... OP as you have planned it, it would be easier to get the sun to come up in the west then to spend that much time onsite for $1000.00. Cannot be done without riding a laundry deliver trunk in while hiding in large laundry bags A Team style. Devise a plan B because A ain't gonna work.

 

[Disnee4Me]

You are correct, we have all gone off the edge when they only answer is..... OP as you have planned it, it would be easier to get the sun to come up in the west then to spend that much time onsite for $1000.00. Cannot be done without riding a laundry deliver trunk in while hiding in large laundry bags A Team style. Devise a plan B because A ain't gonna work.

 

[Disnee4Me]

Your son planned his proposal 2-3 years in advance?
Edit- No criticism, I think its cute he's that excited haha.

It was me, not to discourage him from proposing because he would do it sooner, rather than wait, but encouraging him to save enough $$$ for a down payment on a condo before proposing. The thought of young newlyweds living with their parents can be pretty frightening!! But hey my oldest sister did it for 6 years and has two condos in Florida, one of them on the beach in Boca, a condo in Italy, two homes in Westchester County, NY --- one on the lake.

 

[Shouldigo12]

It was me, not to discourage him from proposing because he would do it sooner, rather than wait, but encouraging him to save enough $$$ for a down payment on a condo before proposing. The thought of young newlyweds living with their parents can be pretty frightening!! But hey my oldest sister did it for 6 years and has two condos in Florida, one of them on the beach in Boca, a condo in Italy, two homes in Westchester County, NY --- one on the lake.

Is your sister interested in adopting any adult children? I'm well behaved and can help around the house.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

You might find a clean hotel that is cheap enough, but remember the OP isn't renting a car for this trip they are trying to use whatever bus or shuttle service the hotels have. That is going to cut out a lot of the hotels and leave you with a much more limited number to choose from... If you know of 50/night hotels that are clean and provide the free shuttle service the OP needs then why not share that information, I'm sure a lot of people would like to have it.

Personally I've never seen a hotel in that area that I would want to stay in that was in the 50 dollar price range, but if you know of some let me know which ones.

I already did, and they have a shuttle to WDW, etc.

 

[thomas998]

I already did, and they have a shuttle to WDW, etc.

You mentioned a hotel, Crown Club Inn and gave a 50/night price... When I pulled it up in January the average is 71/night and the fine print says you have to pay a resort fee of 15/night in addition to the 71 room charge... you mentioned it was on Orbitz but I was unable to pull it up on Orbitz. Maybe it was 50/night in the past... but in January of 2019 its higher and the site that pull the prices pulled them from all the major hotel reservation providers. At 71 plus the 15 resort fee you're back to the 86/night cost and they are over budget.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

You mentioned a hotel, Crown Club Inn and gave a 50/night price... When I pulled it up in January the average is 71/night and the fine print says you have to pay a resort fee of 15/night in addition to the 71 room charge... you mentioned it was on Orbitz but I was unable to pull it up on Orbitz. Maybe it was 50/night in the past... but in January of 2019 its higher and the site that pull the prices pulled them from all the major hotel reservation providers. At 71 plus the 15 resort fee you're back to the 86/night cost and they are over budget.

We’ve stayed there sometimes over the last few years. It’s never been more than $55, and that was when I opted for a king sized bed with fridge & microwave.

I also mentioned Priceline. Did you check that one?

I also said no resort fee.

Bottom line: where there’s a will, there’s a way.

 

[thomas998]

Settle down, Beavis.

We’ve stayed there sometimes over the last few years. It’s never been more than $55, and that was when I opted for a king sized bed with fridge & microwave.

I also mentioned Priceline. Did you check that one?

I also said no resort fee.

Keep trying to be contradictory. Bottom line: where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Point is you stated a price which as I stated might have existed in the past but clearly doesn't now... Now you are adding in the caveat that over the last few years... Bottom line is your information is stale and no longer appears to be valid. As for saying no resort fees, maybe they didn't have them in the past but when I pulled up that hotel today it had them listed, which is probably the way they were able to show a lower price because they just popped it back up with the resort fee.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Point is you stated a price which as I stated might have existed in the past but clearly doesn't now... Now you are adding in the caveat that over the last few years... Bottom line is your information is stale and no longer appears to be valid. As for saying no resort fees, maybe they didn't have them in the past but when I pulled up that hotel today it had them listed, which is probably the way they were able to show a lower price because they just popped it back up with the resort fee.

.

You haven’t disproven a thing. You know darned well rates fluctuate throughout the year.

If you can’t find a decent hotel with shuttle for about $50, you aren’t trying very hard.

And yes. “over the past few years” the price has been consistent.

I’m not going to go researching someone else’s vacation to prove a point to some instigator on the Internet. That’s work for which I’m not getting paid.

 

[thomas998]

As i said in the last post $50 hotel (not including tax) with shuttle is highly possible right now.

With the Disney Values i think the lowest I've seen is $79 (not including tax). If you include tax it's around $100 and $113 with parking. Either way it's still $50 cheaper offsite compared to the cheapest Disney value.

Yes you can find some place for 50 a night... I haven't said that isn't possible. I simple said that I would question whether they were acceptable in terms of cleanliness to the OP. I've stayed in super cheap hotels in various cities and my experience was a mix of some that were clean enough to a few where I would take in my own sleeping bag, sleep on top of the bed spread and then wash my sleeping bag as soon as I got home... Cheap hotels are sometimes cheap for a reason. You've responded to a reply to another poster that was adamant that a specific hotel was only $50, and from their website the hotel appeared reasonably clean... but it also didn't appear to be nearly as cheap as the poster claimed.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Really the rooms are not much worse than the All Star Mickey rooms except you pay a lot less.

Yup, that was the point that we were trying to make.... I have never found one that hasn't been fine yet. Maybe lucky or maybe that dire warning has no legs.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Yes you can find some place for 50 a night... I haven't said that isn't possible. I simple said that I would question whether they were acceptable in terms of cleanliness to the OP. I've stayed in super cheap hotels in various cities and my experience was a mix of some that were clean enough to a few where I would take in my own sleeping bag, sleep on top of the bed spread and then wash my sleeping bag as soon as I got home... Cheap hotels are sometimes cheap for a reason. You've responded to a reply to another poster that was adamant that a specific hotel was only $50, and from their website the hotel appeared reasonably clean... but it also didn't appear to be nearly as cheap as the poster claimed.

It was never $50 on their own website. I've tried to book direct and it doesn't work. Five minutes later, go through priceline, $50 every time. $45 or so for a queen bed.

 

[thomas998]

It was never $50 on their own website. I've tried to book direct and it doesn't work. Five minutes later, go through priceline, $50 every time. $45 or so for a queen bed.

As I stated to you previously, I did use hotel booking sites and the cheapest it came up was 71 a night plus 15 a night resort fee... I even tried priceline and after sorting every hotel in the area by price it was nowhere to be seen, though I did stop looking after I made it up to the 70 a night hotels because at that point it was not going to show up for any lower price than it had on the other hotel booking sites. I have no clue why you continue to go on about this Crown Club Inn in Clermont since there is no evidence it is anywhere near the 50/night you paid in the past. Have you considered that it may have raised the rates since you last stayed there?

 

[JoshIFD212]

$1000, Probably not. We were looking to go next year and priced it out for the week of Thanksgiving and figured we could go to Hawaii for a week for the cost. So Disney out priced our family.

 

[yensid67]

My opinion is this...
If the Disney Trip is IMPORTANT to you, I would still go and PRORITIZE all your expenses! You don't HAVE TO stay at POR, stay offsite nearby just outside Hotel Plaza Blvd...Clarion Inn Lake Buena Vista is a decent hotel for just sleeping and showering! Request ground floor for Mom! The hotel has a restaurant, deli, convenience store, game room, bar/grille, 2 pools with a splash zone for kids, 24 hr security! Save money by taking snacks into the parks thus cutting down on snack and meal costs!(I plan 1 Dinner meal per park) Also remember, that WDW charges to have your car parked at the resort hotel you stay in now! I would make sure the hotel offsite has FREE shuttle service!

 

[Nsaudra]

We stayed off site for about 50 a night off international drive we had our car for it was still cheaper to drive, stopped at walmart for lunchables drinks etc. We could have taken uber but it was just better to take the car. The highest expenses were park tickets for us we hit 1000 on tickets alone.