It all made sense to me! Enjoying your PTR so far
It's so funny how easy it is to rationalize large expenses when they are Disney related
Sounds like the exact same worries Candi is having. He keeps telling me "what if this?" or "what if that?" My head knows he's right, but my Disney heart says take the leap of faith
!!!! I am appalled! I remember when that pass was $199. What's even worse is the premiere pass is now $849- so you're telling me a WDW pass is only worth $200???
Have you seen the new prices?? A Disneyland Premium pass is $649
It looks like our days of being Disneyland APs are llloonngg gone which makes me SO sad!
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I'm really sorry to hear you've had some unexpected issues come up. That really stinks
I don't know how much more feasible it makes it, but here's a few savings area's that I've found.
1) Do you know you get a DVC discount on food (and several DTD restaurants) of like 15-20%? Over 5 days, that adds up fast! It looks like even if you kept your food options as is, and the discount was only 15% at Disney restaurants, this alone would still save you a little over $100
2) Purchase your park hoppers through Tickets at Work, This will save you an additional $104.99. If you don't have access to Tickets at Work, let me know, I can help you with that.
3) I would change a lot of your meal choices honestly. You're planning A LOT of food at restaurants that take a lot of time, and are quite spendy. I think you could easily cut your food budget in half by doing the following:
- Eat breakfast in your hotel room. Utilize having a car, and make a grocery run to get milk, yogurt, fruit, juice (there's a fridge in the room), cereal, breakfast bars, etc. Also grab some snacks.
- Cut out your Table Service restaurants. Maybe do 1 instead of 1 every day. They're more expensive, take time away from the park, and include gratuity. There are a lot of great counter service places to eat in the park. What types of food do you like- I can help you make some decisions on which one's you'd like to eat at. Also utilize your DVC Discount.
4) With purchasing snacks, I think you could easily change your per day spending from $100 to $60 or even $50.
So, here's what I've got for you:
A) Savings on tickets: $104.99
B) Food Budget: $380
C) Daily Spending:$200
Total Savings: $685
Is driving a possibility? Or reducing your trip by 1 day?
But I love the idea of being able to save $104!!! If you could send me info or how to access it that would be great! He said he would rather cut the trip by a day than spend that much time in the car.
We have a graduation party to attend today and then tomorrow we are off to the Botanical Gardens for a picnic and visit to the butterfly exhibit. I'm excited to see how James reacts to all the butterflies and he always loves sitting on the grass while eating - should be a great day!
) and that, although vacation is always a time when we lay the diets to rest - our stomachs really wouldn't be able to tolerate 3 huge meals a day.), cereal, granola bars, juice, and, possibly, Candi's hot chocolate supplies. These will also serve as items for most of James' snacks when we take breaks in the room each day. Does $60 seem like a reasonable budget for all that? I don't know how much more groceries cost in CA 
But, also because I am such a faithful shopper there that I have their debit card, saving me 5% on each purchase. Oh, and I may or may not be a master at coupon stacking there 
There is a super target on Harbor (the same main road DL is on) down by the Marriott Suites, Outback, Joes Crab Shack, Red Robin. If you turn right on Harbor from the park, and keep going, it'll be on your right. It's maybe 3 minutes from the resort?
I've had January be hit or miss. Sometimes it's chilly, sometimes it's just nice. However I think in the evening if you WANT hot chocolate, you can have it, and be reasonably comfortable having it.
I'm going to PM you some stuff on Tickets at Work
My favorite "quick service" restaurants at Disney are:
- Bangle BBQ (in Adventureland). It's skewered meats and veggies that are SUPER tasty and yummy. There is very limited seating though.
- The Golden Horseshoe (in the Frontier Land/New Orleans Square transition). It's inside, lots of seating, and really yummy.
- Coca Cola Refreshment Corner (best chili dog in the park)
- Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta (near the Grand Californian entrance in DCA). They have lots of options- flat bread pizza, pasta, salad, and right next to them in the same pavillion they have greek options like a gyro, slovaki chicken, etc.
- The Lucky Fortune (in the Wharf area of DCA) they have orange chicken, sweet and sour chicken, etc. It's kind of like a Panda Express, but the meat is much better then Panda.
- Pacific Wharf Cafe (in the wharf area of DCA) DELICIOUS breadbowls, wraps, and salads!
- Taste Pilots Grill (near Soaring). They have one of my favorite salads in the park!
(Sorry- we've been in Tennessee for an emergency trip the last few days, so I haven't had a chance to reply).
Well, it's official, the trip has been cancelled
There are just too many obstacles in the way this time.
We are still trying to recover from our current financial situation and it's just not a smart choice to continue on with it. It breaks my heart in so many ways, but I know it's the right thing to do.
On the bright side of things, I am getting to go to Kansas in September to meet my Niece, Spencer. My sister has her C-section scheduled for August 27. I want to give her and her Husband time to be together as a new family of 3, but she has asked that I come out mid-September to be with her when he has to go back to work. And that is definitely something to look forward to!
Thank you everyone for following along and for trying so hard to help keep this trip a reality for us. It means so much to me!!!
You've got to do what's best for your family. It just means when you do get there, it will be even more special because you were able to overcome so much to do it. We'll be here waiting for an announcement when you are able to go.
