Budget for family of 5

[hmdsnow360]

What should I plan to budget for a family of five staying at a lower costing
Studio villa

 

[TJsMomSarahJane]

That really depends on a lot of factors, like how long you'll be staying, how many days of tickets you'll be getting, how old the members of the family are, etc. Can you give us some more info?

 

[starry_solo]

Finding a studio in DVC that would fit five comfortably

 

[Klayfish]

What should I plan to budget for a family of five staying at a lower costing
Studio villa

What are you referring to? Food? Lodging? Souvenirs? All of the above?

If you're talking lodging, I'll be the first (no surprise ) to throw out the idea of staying off property. You'll get private bedrooms instead of a studio, and pay a ton less.

 

[Marionnette]

What should I plan to budget for a family of five staying at a lower costing
Studio villa

I wouldn’t count on getting a “lower costing” studio villa for the dates you posted on the Rent/Trade board. BWV std. studios are completely booked for your dates.

 

[hmdsnow360]

Thank you. I’m new to points so nit sure what to expect. Are beach club points available for that time? Are there specific villas that arnt as popular

 

[hmdsnow360]

A week early feb. 2adults 3 children over 5. Room & tickets

 

[Marionnette]

A week early feb. 2adults 3 children over 5. Room & tickets

The following studios will accommodate 5 people:

• Grand Floridian
• Polynesian
• Boulder Ridge at Wilderness Lodge
• Beach Club
• Boardwalk

Personally, I wouldn’t cram that many people in a studio and I don’t rent studios to parties of 5 at Boardwalk or Beach Club, or Boulder Ridge where the studios were not originally built to sleep 5.

All except the standard view studios at Boardwalk (those are the “cheap” villas) should still have some availability for your timeframe but I wouldn’t wait too long to book. Keep in mind that rentals cannot be changed, must be paid in full at the time of booking and are non refundable in most cases.

There’s an excellent cost/point calculator on the David’s DVC Rental website. https://www.dvcrequest.com/cost-calculator.asp . You might be able to get an idea of the cost from there. Renting directly from an owner can be less expensive but comes with a slightly higher risk than going thru a 3rd party.

Tickets for 2020 are not available yet. You can visit the Disney website and put the tickets you want into your cart but don’t check out. Disney adds tax (6.5%) in the final steps. You can count on your tickets costing a little more than that number. Disney just did a price increase for tickets but another price hike could come thru before your trip.

 

[Klayfish]

Ticket prices sort of are what they are, so you can do the math there easily. Check places like Undercover Tourist to see if you can get them a bit cheaper, but don't expect any huge discounts.

For lodging, I can't help you with the onsite costs, though I'd presume a studio on property is $250/night and up. I can give you offsite costs. A 3-4 bedroom, 2.5 or 3 bath, roughly 1000-1300sq ft condo/townhouse can easily be found for $100/night including all taxes and fees.

 

[hmdsnow360]

We definitely would like to stay onsite. I’ve stayed both on and off and for the perks of the buses and extra hours I like to stay on site and save the cost of a rental car as well.
I need a nannied for a family for a long time that we’re vacation club members and I suppose I got spoiled staying in the deluxe resorts.

We were looking at the moderates and going directly through Disney however I’m a little overwhelmed with the amount of time spent on the bus in just the resort and the walking with how spreadout it is.
Cost of going directly through Disney without a discount is quite high in through doing some research I discovered the option of renting vacation club points from someone.
When we travel we are not in our room very much of the time we tend to be on the go and like to get as much park time in as we can.
I originally invited my daughter‘s best friend to go with us assuming my not to Disney husband wouldn’t want to go. However he decided he didn’t want to be there for my son‘s first experience he will remember.
So we have my 12 year old daughter and her friend and my 5 year old.
So now we have 5 with much more limited stay options.

 

[Marionnette]

We definitely would like to stay onsite. I’ve stayed both on and off and for the perks of the buses and extra hours I like to stay on site and save the cost of a rental car as well.
I need a nannied for a family for a long time that we’re vacation club members and I suppose I got spoiled staying in the deluxe resorts.

We were looking at the moderates and going directly through Disney however I’m a little overwhelmed with the amount of time spent on the bus in just the resort and the walking with how spreadout it is.
Cost of going directly through Disney without a discount is quite high in through doing some research I discovered the option of renting vacation club points from someone.
When we travel we are not in our room very much of the time we tend to be on the go and like to get as much park time in as we can.
I originally invited my daughter‘s best friend to go with us assuming my not to Disney husband wouldn’t want to go. However he decided he didn’t want to be there for my son‘s first experience he will remember.
So we have my 12 year old daughter and her friend and my 5 year old.
So now we have 5 with much more limited stay options.

I think that I would give some consideration as to how a 12-year-old girl would feel about sharing a hotel room with a adult male who is not her dad. Sleeping, bathing, dressing...that could be a bit uncomfortable in the tight quarters of a studio for your daughter’s friend. Staying offsite will give you more space, more bathrooms and more privacy.

FWIW, EMHs are not the great perk they once were, with Disney granting EMH access to offsite resorts now. And many offsite resorts are actually closer to Disney’s gates than some of the onsite locations.

But if you’re absolutely set on staying onsite, consider one of the Family Suites at ASMu or AoA. Two bathrooms. Kitchenette. Sleeps 6.

 

[hmdsnow360]

I think that I would give some consideration as to how a 12-year-old girl would feel about sharing a hotel room with a adult male who is not her dad. Sleeping, bathing, dressing...that could be a bit uncomfortable in the tight quarters of a studio for your daughter’s friend. Staying offsite will give you more space, more bathrooms and more privacy.

FWIW, EMHs are not the great perk they once were, with Disney granting EMH access to offsite resorts now. And many offsite resorts are actually closer to Disney’s gates than some of the onsite locations.

But if you’re absolutely set on staying onsite, consider one of the Family Suites at ASMu or AoA. Two bathrooms. Kitchenette. Sleeps 6.

 

[hmdsnow360]

Yes our family’s are very close and have been tent camping together a bunch of times. I think she spends more time at our home in the summer than her own. Best Friends since they were 2 So I’m not at all concerned she would be uncomfortable. We consider her our 3rd child.

 

[firefly_ris]

2 moderate resorts will accommodate 5 in one room. Caribbean Beach Resort and Port Orleans Riverside. We stayed at CBR last month -- because there was a discount available, I booked directly through Disney for a rate of $171 per night. However, I usually look on sites like Orbitz first -- often a better deal to be had, and they can email you the correct code to link the reservation in MDE. We didn't rent a car for this trip either, because I had a specific budget I needed to stick to -- plus I was meeting my husband who was already in Florida and traveling alone with 3 children, so I took advantage of Magical Express and the bus system. We were in a Preferred section, and there are bus stops in every area at moderates so IMO it's not really that much walking. And I didn't feel like I spent an excess amount of time on the bus stops (maybe like 5 minutes before heading out towards the parks).

The mod room worked great for us for this trip, but it IS one room.

I've never stayed in a deluxe or a DVC accommodation so I have no advice there. I have looked at places like Old Key West 2 bedroom villas with the thoughts of splitting with another family down the road (it seems to be the least expensive of any other 2 bedroom villas on site). Or perhaps a suite at Art of Animation or All Stars Music as mentioned above -- though AoA suites always seem pricey to me (I think because they are still at a Value with Value amenities -- seems like at that point just pay for the villa, but I guess depends on dates/pricing).

I purchased 6 day, non-hopper tickets for 2 adults and 3 children through Undercover Tourist for $1942. I bought them before they started doing the seasonal pricing on multi-days, so I have no comparison for what that would be now.

Aside from that -- we don't do dining plans or buy a whole bunch of stuff (personally I was disappointed with the merchandise quality compared to my purchases from the late 90's and early 2000's anyway). Each kid got 1 souvenir and I bought a $16 coffee mug. We still do ADRs, get fun snacks, but in moderation. We did an Amazon Prime Now order and ate breakfast in the room every morning. We spent probably $800 on food overall for 7 nights. My kids aren't big eaters and shared a lot of stuff, and we didn't go crazy with alcohol or anything.

Southwest Rapid Rewards points paid for all 5 round trip airfare, just had to pay taxes and fees which was like $45.

So we were at about...
$1200 - room
$1945 - tix
$45 - flight
$800 - food and beverage
$100 - souvenirs

So we were at about $4000 for 7 nights at a moderate resort, 6 days in the park. Having a rental car would have been more convenient, and I could have avoided the bus, but would have added an extra $500 for a minivan, then add in the resort parking charge per night, just wasn't worth it this time. The bus was a bit of a novelty for my kids anyway.

We also enjoy off site stays and I don't particularly miss EMH (I don't think we even did it 1 time this past trip) and when I'm off site I rent a car so Dis transport isn't a factor.

Disney Springs hotels get 60 day Fastpass and are close, and also offer shuttle service, so that is a thought. Doubletree Suites could be good for some room separation if desired.

 

[Shughart]

Are set on using points? POR and POFQ have some rooms that can sleep 5 with a fold down kid's bed. It's under $300/night.

 

[hmdsnow360]

Are set on using points? POR and POFQ have some rooms that can sleep 5 with a fold down kid's bed. It's under $300/night.

I’m not set on using points. I actually teetering between points and booking direct. I’ve stayed both onsite and off site at deluxe and value. Never a moderate. My reasearch and talking with people I know that have stayed at them don’t speak very highly. So I’m feeling deterred. I did miss having a hot tub at the values. I really like the advantage of being able to walk to some parks from boardwalk and beach club. Renting points through David’s or a dvc owner could get a deluxe room at close price to a moderate.

 

[Shughart]

I’m not set on using points. I actually teetering between points and booking direct. I’ve stayed both onsite and off site at deluxe and value. Never a moderate. My reasearch and talking with people I know that have stayed at them don’t speak very highly. So I’m feeling deterred. I did miss having a hot tub at the values. I really like the advantage of being able to walk to some parks from boardwalk and beach club. Renting points through David’s or a dvc owner could get a deluxe room at close price to a moderate.

I have only stayed Value, so I cannot speak as to the comfort/quality of a moderate myself.

 

[hmdsnow360]

2 moderate resorts will accommodate 5 in one room. Caribbean Beach Resort and Port Orleans Riverside. We stayed at CBR last month -- because there was a discount available, I booked directly through Disney for a rate of $171 per night. However, I usually look on sites like Orbitz first -- often a better deal to be had, and they can email you the correct code to link the reservation in MDE. We didn't rent a car for this trip either, because I had a specific budget I needed to stick to -- plus I was meeting my husband who was already in Florida and traveling alone with 3 children, so I took advantage of Magical Express and the bus system. We were in a Preferred section, and there are bus stops in every area at moderates so IMO it's not really that much walking. And I didn't feel like I spent an excess amount of time on the bus stops (maybe like 5 minutes before heading out towards the parks).

The mod room worked great for us for this trip, but it IS one room.

I've never stayed in a deluxe or a DVC accommodation so I have no advice there. I have looked at places like Old Key West 2 bedroom villas with the thoughts of splitting with another family down the road (it seems to be the least expensive of any other 2 bedroom villas on site). Or perhaps a suite at Art of Animation or All Stars Music as mentioned above -- though AoA suites always seem pricey to me (I think because they are still at a Value with Value amenities -- seems like at that point just pay for the villa, but I guess depends on dates/pricing).

I purchased 6 day, non-hopper tickets for 2 adults and 3 children through Undercover Tourist for $1942. I bought them before they started doing the seasonal pricing on multi-days, so I have no comparison for what that would be now.

Aside from that -- we don't do dining plans or buy a whole bunch of stuff (personally I was disappointed with the merchandise quality compared to my purchases from the late 90's and early 2000's anyway). Each kid got 1 souvenir and I bought a $16 coffee mug. We still do ADRs, get fun snacks, but in moderation. We did an Amazon Prime Now order and ate breakfast in the room every morning. We spent probably $800 on food overall for 7 nights. My kids aren't big eaters and shared a lot of stuff, and we didn't go crazy with alcohol or anything.

Southwest Rapid Rewards points paid for all 5 round trip airfare, just had to pay taxes and fees which was like $45.

So we were at about...
$1200 - room
$1945 - tix
$45 - flight
$800 - food and beverage
$100 - souvenirs

So we were at about $4000 for 7 nights at a moderate resort, 6 days in the park. Having a rental car would have been more convenient, and I could have avoided the bus, but would have added an extra $500 for a minivan, then add in the resort parking charge per night, just wasn't worth it this time. The bus was a bit of a novelty for my kids anyway.

We also enjoy off site stays and I don't particularly miss EMH (I don't think we even did it 1 time this past trip) and when I'm off site I rent a car so Dis transport isn't a factor.

Disney Springs hotels get 60 day Fastpass and are close, and also offer shuttle service, so that is a thought. Doubletree Suites could be good for some room separation if desired.

2 moderate resorts will accommodate 5 in one room. Caribbean Beach Resort and Port Orleans Riverside. We stayed at CBR last month -- because there was a discount available, I booked directly through Disney for a rate of $171 per night. However, I usually look on sites like Orbitz first -- often a better deal to be had, and they can email you the correct code to link the reservation in MDE. We didn't rent a car for this trip either, because I had a specific budget I needed to stick to -- plus I was meeting my husband who was already in Florida and traveling alone with 3 children, so I took advantage of Magical Express and the bus system. We were in a Preferred section, and there are bus stops in every area at moderates so IMO it's not really that much walking. And I didn't feel like I spent an excess amount of time on the bus stops (maybe like 5 minutes before heading out towards the parks).

The mod room worked great for us for this trip, but it IS one room.

I've never stayed in a deluxe or a DVC accommodation so I have no advice there. I have looked at places like Old Key West 2 bedroom villas with the thoughts of splitting with another family down the road (it seems to be the least expensive of any other 2 bedroom villas on site). Or perhaps a suite at Art of Animation or All Stars Music as mentioned above -- though AoA suites always seem pricey to me (I think because they are still at a Value with Value amenities -- seems like at that point just pay for the villa, but I guess depends on dates/pricing).

I purchased 6 day, non-hopper tickets for 2 adults and 3 children through Undercover Tourist for $1942. I bought them before they started doing the seasonal pricing on multi-days, so I have no comparison for what that would be now.

Aside from that -- we don't do dining plans or buy a whole bunch of stuff (personally I was disappointed with the merchandise quality compared to my purchases from the late 90's and early 2000's anyway). Each kid got 1 souvenir and I bought a $16 coffee mug. We still do ADRs, get fun snacks, but in moderation. We did an Amazon Prime Now order and ate breakfast in the room every morning. We spent probably $800 on food overall for 7 nights. My kids aren't big eaters and shared a lot of stuff, and we didn't go crazy with alcohol or anything.

Southwest Rapid Rewards points paid for all 5 round trip airfare, just had to pay taxes and fees which was like $45.

So we were at about...
$1200 - room
$1945 - tix
$45 - flight
$800 - food and beverage
$100 - souvenirs

So we were at about $4000 for 7 nights at a moderate resort, 6 days in the park. Having a rental car would have been more convenient, and I could have avoided the bus, but would have added an extra $500 for a minivan, then add in the resort parking charge per night, just wasn't worth it this time. The bus was a bit of a novelty for my kids anyway.

We also enjoy off site stays and I don't particularly miss EMH (I don't think we even did it 1 time this past trip) and when I'm off site I rent a car so Dis transport isn't a factor.

Disney Springs hotels get 60 day Fastpass and are close, and also offer shuttle service, so that is a thought. Doubletree Suites could be good for some room separation if desired.

Wow sounds like you found some great deals! I’m usually good at deal hunting. I’m finding with Disney it’s very hard to do. Maybe I should look at the Disney springs hotels.

 

[firefly_ris]

Wow sounds like you found some great deals! I’m usually good at deal hunting. I’m finding with Disney it’s very hard to do. Maybe I should look at the Disney springs hotels.

It is of course becoming harder and harder. I have to find the deals or we can't go, lol (and we don't go often... or at least not often compared to a lot of people on these boards), so I spent a lot of time trying to make it all work. The Southwest Visa which is what we use to save up those flight points was our saving grace -- round trip flights for 5 people would have added like $1500 to the overall budget, which I am not sure I could have made it work out. And I was originally all set to book off site at Wyndam Bonnet Creek, but I made the CBR thing work when the discount was released in order to remove the rental car cost... a lot of number fudging around to see what would work best. POR was in there too but it was $40 per night more than CBR for my dates. I was checking the Disney site and Orbitz and Priceline every day, multiple times a day. The amenities at Bonnet Creek and the size of the room would have been better, but because I was flying alone, and the ability to cut the rental, is what made it the winner for that trip. There is nothing wrong with the moderates, but if you are used to Deluxes then it might be a little more of an adjustment for you. They still have quick service, table service, pools with water slides, a hot tub, bell services and all that, but rooms have exterior doors, a little bit smaller, etc.

I'm basically no help but I hear you as a fellow family of 5!

 

[hmdsnow360]

It is of course becoming harder and harder. I have to find the deals or we can't go, lol (and we don't go often... or at least not often compared to a lot of people on these boards), so I spent a lot of time trying to make it all work. The Southwest Visa which is what we use to save up those flight points was our saving grace -- round trip flights for 5 people would have added like $1500 to the overall budget, which I am not sure I could have made it work out. And I was originally all set to book off site at Wyndam Bonnet Creek, but I made the CBR thing work when the discount was released in order to remove the rental car cost... a lot of number fudging around to see what would work best. POR was in there too but it was $40 per night more than CBR for my dates. I was checking the Disney site and Orbitz and Priceline every day, multiple times a day. The amenities at Bonnet Creek and the size of the room would have been better, but because I was flying alone, and the ability to cut the rental, is what made it the winner for that trip. There is nothing wrong with the moderates, but if you are used to Deluxes then it might be a little more of an adjustment for you. They still have quick service, table service, pools with water slides, a hot tub, bell services and all that, but rooms have exterior doors, a little bit smaller, etc.

I'm basically no help but I hear you as a fellow family of 5!

I nannied for a very wealthy family for 12 years. So that’s how I got my deluxe fix. I’m a real bargain shopper so finding great deals is my thing.
So talking moderates. What area of CBC did you stay in. How did you feel the walking was around the resort and to the main pool? Also did you find you spent a lot of time on the bus just going through the resort?