Family Trip to Disney - Jan 2013 - how we made it affordable

We started 2013 with our very first trip to Walt Disney World. It was a fabulous, exhausting, awesome vacation. My parents we kind enough to make the trek to the happiest place on earth with us. First and foremost.... Parents - this is not a vacation, it's hard work - you will be exhausted upon your return, make sure you have a day or two to rest before heading back to work or school - BUT IT'S SO WORTH IT!!

Being the cheap chic I am, I began my research about 5 months prior to our trip. I wanted to know how I could have the ultimate vacation the cheapest way possible and not miss out on a thing. I do have to pat myself on the back - MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!

In a nut shell here's what we did and how we did it......

I obviously browsed the internet for a few months checking out air fare for us all until we scored a pretty darn good deal with United Airlines - sometimes it pays to book through the airline directly - For our family or 3+ an infant plus my parents, we paid just around $1,000 for a direct flight from Chicago to Orlando.

We talked to a lot of people and spread the word that we were heading to Disney and were looking for accommodations and a friend of ours put us in touch with a friend of hers and we rented her timeshare. We stayed at the beautiful Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort and were lucky to enjoy a 3 bedroom Villa with a full kitchen for under $650 for 6 nights. 

We bought our Disney tickets through a promotion on a website my Mom has access to through her work. We bought 6 day park passes with park hopper for all of us for $1300 and we had the tickets delivered to the Resort (it was cheaper than having them shipped).

I must share this: a quick tip on flying. The airlines allow you to travel with a full diaper bag that includes any necessity for your child. I had pre - poured baby bottles and this was no issue - they did however need to test the water and since I brought five bottles with me (you just never know) I had them situated in one bag inside my diaper bag THIS WAS SO convenient and quick. Instead of unpacking half my bag to get to the bottles and then handing them over individually I just handed them the bag with the bottles and continued to put my shoes back on and grab the rest of my belongings. This way I avoided the stares, and grunts from all of the other travelers standing in line behind us and I had everything together which left less chance of loosing or forgetting any of our bags or children.

When we arrived we took a cab to the resort from the hotel - Short of having a local Orlando friend pick you up - I don't believe there is a cheaper option. The cab fare did cost us around $60 but we all fit, plus our double stroller and all of our luggage. Another great part, being familiar with families traveling to Disney the cab company even had car seats available for infants and children. Gotta keep it safe.
Side NOTE ~ we choose not to rent a car - we only left the resort once and the cost of parking at the resort and Disney was over $30 per day combined and our resort offered a free shuttle to all Disney parks.

Since we were lucky enough to have a full kitchen at our accommodations; when we arrived my Mom and I jumped into a cab and headed to Target. - I reserched the area and found there was a super Target near by,  I chose Target because I feed my 6 month old the Up and Up formula (it's cheaper than all name brand and contains the same ingredients) being able to buy it when we arrived saved me from dragging the entire container down with me. 
I also am VERY familiar with Target and the policies and procedures on coupons and also their products!! YEP - I brought coupons with me to shop while we were on vacation!! -(did you know at Target you can use a manufacturers coupon and a Target coupon on the same product) 

$500 later we were set. Yes, I know that sounds like a lot but believe me I bought diapers, formula, solid baby food, dinner for 6 for 6 nights, breakfast and lunch for 6 for 5 days and PLENTY of beer and wine for the week (don't judge - we were on vacation) - since I had planned every meal and even estimated the amount of beverages we may consume - we never ran out of food and the little we had left over that was unopened we were able to donate to a homeless shelter sponsored by our hotel.

So all in all we roughly spent for 6 nights, 5 days at Disney World, close to $3200 for 5 adults, 1 child and 1 infant  for airfare, accommodations, food, drink, and transportation.... this included an ice cream treat most days at the park. And guess what it was EASY!!

Here's my advice - look online - talk to friends, spread the word that you are planning a trip to Disney - someone you know who knows someone has a timeshare, a condo or even a discount to most major hotels.

I know everyone tells you about the perks for staying on the resort - but we had a very affordable pleasant experience for over half the cost than if we would have stayed on property. We were able to cook dinner every night, we made sandwiches and packed them in a backpack and ate them at the park each day. We didn't participate in the dining plan nor did we feel we missed out. There was so much to pack into each day and we didn't waste any of it standing in line to eat. 

Keep an eye out for my next post about how we spent out days at the park - how I learned to make the best out of each day!!