We have most of the trip all paid for, except for the HOJO and a little bit of the DLH. One more cost that we'll have that we can't pay in advance is the upgrade to APs for DH and the kids 5 day park hoppers from Airmiles. So, seeing as I've done a LOT of spending (and saving!) I thought this would be a good time to write up a summary of all of my savings strategies.
Airfare:
DH and I had Alaska Airlines Master Cards - we canceled these and still got to keep the points we accumulated because the miles are separate from the credit card. Then, a few months later we decided to get the cards again and we each got 25,000 bonus miles! Annie and I are traveling using a companion fare, while Bryan and Gavin are traveling on "miles" one way and "miles and money" the other way. Our round trip flight for 4 from Victoria to SNA is cost $825 plus $150 for two credit cards in annual fees.
Park tickets:
We accumulated enough Air Miles by shopping at safeway and getting Air Miles AMEX cards at the right time to get bonus miles. We had enough miles for 1 adult 5 day PH and 2 child 5 day PHs. We will upgrade these to APs at the gates when we arrive - then we're set for tickets for next year when we go in July (hopefully.)
I bought my AP through way.com before the ticket prices went up. I had to phone them because I'm Canadian. I got my Deluxe AP for $475, a savings of $25 at the time, but now that the prices have gone up, it turned into a savings of $49.
We got our Legoland tickets online using 2 different codes for "buy adult ticket, get child ticket free". We decided to just do the regular park and not the water park.
Transportation:
We're renting a car at the airport and returning it to DTD. There's no way I'd pay the cash price to do this, which is about $200 a day! So I used Air Miles and had enough miles to get a little car for 4 days. If it's too small, hopefully I can pay cash to upgrade it.
For our return trip to the airport, I'm just planning to get a flat rate taxi voucher from the DLH. I think it's about $35 to SNA.
Hotel:
Although we REALLY wanted to stay at the DLH the whole time, our budget just didn't allow it. So, instead, we're starting off at HOJO for the first 3 nights and then switching to DLH on the Sunday when the rates drop significantly. I was able to get an AP rate at both hotels.
Misc:
We NEED extended medical when we travel to the U.S. It's NOT optional for our family, and came in handy when Annie needed stitches on our 2012 trip. Best $30 I ever spent! This year, I noticed that I can get a year of travel medical for slightly less than buying it twice (kind of like an AP for insurance) so I did that. This will also come in handy if we go to Seattle any time within the year.
Although we REALLY wanted to do the dessert seating for Fantasmic and get a babysitter, DH and I have decided that it's just not in the budget. So, instead, we're going to make the kids stay up late and sit on the ground with us and watch it. I'll probably splurge and get them each a cute popcorn bucket while we're waiting for Fantasmic to start.
Ok, that's all I can think of right now. 41 days until our big trip!