How much $ to save for trip with grandkids

[gottalovepluto]

I'd get the trip upped to a week, if it means you all have to stay offsite so be it. (You have 5 years to see how prices shake out, maybe you'll be able to compromise and go Value.) It's just that I'm thinking that because WDW is a rare trip for your fam 4 days is too short for everything there, kiddos are going to want 2-3 days in MK, adults a day in EP, everyone at least a day in DHS by then, at least a day at AK... especially since airfare is involved!

DHS will have new ride and SWL, MK will have Tron, the new Illuminations will be running, maybe Paint The Night will have made it to MK, etc. A lot of cool stuff is being added to the parks and with each addition it's more time you'll need to spend to see even the best stuff...

 

[Sandiz08]

A family of 4 can get by with a promo for just under 5k. I would at least save 15k, if not 20k, for 12 family members.

 

[Darcy03231]

I priced out a week long trip in 2019 for 2 adults and one child with 7 day park hoppers and the DDP. Came to a little less than $4,000. I'd say you need to save at least $20-$25,000 for a trip in five years to be on the safe side.

We did a cruise with 10 adults last year, 3 ports and an excursion in each port. That ran us about $16,000 and all the food/alcohol was included.

 

[Happy vacationer]

I'm thinking of taking our adult children (no grandchildren yet) in a couple years to celebrate our retirement. Here are the numbers I'm thinking of at this point -- they're certainly not firm since we're two years out:

Rent 3-4 bedroom off-site house with private pool x 7 nights: About $700/week ... might be some fees on top of that.
5-day hopper tickets for 6 people ... will purchase through time share offer, which we've done before: $1,773.66
Throw-away campsite to cover parking and Magic Bands ... we all know this may change: About $250
$125 VISA gift card (not Disney cards so no fear of waste) X 6 people ... for purchasing lunch and snacks in the parks: $750
Groceries for the house: $300

So this is looking like about $3800-4000 for "the big stuff", and -- happily -- that's just about the amount I expect to receive for my unused sick days when I retire.

We're about six hours away, and we'll ask ask the children to drive; since we're going to stay off site, we'll need the cars. Aside from these transportation expenses and their own personal items, they won't NEED to pay for much else. I know my kids, and they'll each insist upon taking the group out to dinner one night. None of us have any interest in souvenirs.

One of our retirement goals is to take "the kids" on a nice vacation every third year (not Disney every time), and this will be the first of many.

 

[Happy vacationer]

I really like the idea of a family trip every third year. We like to travel together but as their families grow that would give them time to do their own immediate family vacations and then look forward to a full family trip down the road.

 

[Happy vacationer]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. They make a lot of sense and have given me a lot to consider. We have never stayed onsite so if I can make that happen I probably will. We probably can skip the meal plan and do the visa gift cards as suggested for each family. It's exciting to think about all the possibilities and as time gets closer we can design a plan. For now I will start saving. Thank you!!

 

[MrsPete]

5 years is a long time. While you are a party of 12 right now, in 5 years that number might grow...

A good point, but I think the OP's wise in saving and searching for ideas right now ... while keeping options open. A year out, it'll be time to get serious about reservations.

For that many people, I would try to save at least $20,000.

That number is insane. $20,000 is a car or a year of college. Not a week's vacation.

I really like the idea of a family trip every third year. We like to travel together but as their families grow that would give them time to do their own immediate family vacations and then look forward to a full family trip down the road.

Yeah, we talked to our kids about that as one of our retirement goals and (of course) they're completely into it. We're planning a Disney trip as our first family vacation /celebration of our retirement. We also want to rent a houseboat for a week, go to Panama ... don't know what else, but it'll be dependent upon when grandchildren arrive too.

 

[Darcy03231]

A good point, but I think the OP's wise in saving and searching for ideas right now ... while keeping options open. A year out, it'll be time to get serious about reservations.

That number is insane. $20,000 is a car or a year of college. Not a week's vacation.

Yeah, we talked to our kids about that as one of our retirement goals and (of course) they're completely into it. We're planning a Disney trip as our first family vacation /celebration of our retirement. We also want to rent a houseboat for a week, go to Panama ... don't know what else, but it'll be dependent upon when grandchildren arrive too.

Not when you're talking about what's essentially an all-inclusive vacation for 12 people. We did a week long cruise last year with 10 people and spent about $16,000 including cruise fare, tips, alcohol package & excursions. That didn't include airfare which ran another $2500. It also didn't include the 4 days/3 nights DH and I spent at WDW. I think $20,000 for 12 people in 5 years may be a bit on the low side.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

$20k is about the average price that the UK-er's spend when they come for 2-3 weeks. So it's perfectly within price range.

My answer is, Save ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL the monies! Disney will try and find a way to get you to spend it anyway.

 

[MrsPete]

Not when you're talking about what's essentially an all-inclusive vacation for 12 people. We did a week long cruise last year with 10 people and spent about $16,000 including cruise fare, tips, alcohol package & excursions. That didn't include airfare which ran another $2500. It also didn't include the 4 days/3 nights DH and I spent at WDW. I think $20,000 for 12 people in 5 years may be a bit on the low side.

$20k is about the average price that the UK-er's spend when they come for 2-3 weeks. So it's perfectly within price range.

My answer is, Save ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL the monies! Disney will try and find a way to get you to spend it anyway.

Nope, I'm sticking with completely insane. Disney is fun, but it is not worth as much as a car you can drive for a decade or a semester of college that'll last your whole life. You can do a Disney trip for less, and -- unless you're just rolling in money -- you should do it for less.

 

[kymom99]

Nope, I'm sticking with completely insane. Disney is fun, but it is not worth as much as a car you can drive for a decade or a semester of college that'll last your whole life. You can do a Disney trip for less, and -- unless you're just rolling in money -- you should do it for less.

I agree and I also don't believe a moderate will be $400 in 5 years. You can get one for $250 now.

It would make more sense to price out a trip for 4 in today's dollars, multiply by 3, and add on a certain percent. Seems like some people are throwing out random numbers. There is no way of knowing for sure.

Also, I know the op wants to pay for an all inclusive trip, but since she/he decided to not do the meal plan, if it was me I would plan to pay x number of table service meals then give a gift card or cash to cover cs and snacks. Let the rest know that they might need to bring a little supplemental money.

I actually think this would make the trip more enjoyable for all. If I knew I was going to pay for some extras I would feel more freedom to do what I really wanted to do. I wouldn't feel bad if my kid wanted a snack but it wasn't in the OPs plan.

 

[Darcy03231]

I am looking to start saving for a family vacation. I want to take my adult children and their kids to Disney in approximately 5 years. We haven't been to Disney as a family since 2004. My grandchildren will be 5 & 6 years old at that time. I want to be able to pay for hotels, airfare, and food plan for everyone when we go. I thought about buying Disney gift cards and just putting them away but I'm not sure if they expire after a certain amount of time or if they start charging a fee if you don't use them within a certain amount of time. I will be saving for 8 adults and 4 kiddos. I won't worry about saving for the airfare until we are closer to the actual time of the trip. My biggest concern is saving for the park fees and hotel and I would like to stay on site since we have never done that. I'm thinking a moderate price hotel, 3 rooms for 4 nights. I'm open to any suggestions on how much to save, best way to save or any other advice you can offer. I use to be so Disney savvy and now I feel like a newbie. Thanks in advance for any tips you have to offer.

I agree and I also don't believe a moderate will be $400 in 5 years. You can get one for $250 now.

It would make more sense to price out a trip for 4 in today's dollars, multiply by 3, and add on a certain percent. Seems like some people are throwing out random numbers. There is no way of knowing for sure.

Also, I know the op wants to pay for an all inclusive trip, but since she/he decided to not do the meal plan, if it was me I would plan to pay x number of table service meals then give a gift card or cash to cover cs and snacks. Let the rest know that they might need to bring a little supplemental money.

I actually think this would make the trip more enjoyable for all. If I knew I was going to pay for some extras I would feel more freedom to do what I really wanted to do. I wouldn't feel bad if my kid wanted a snack but it wasn't in the OPs plan.

I priced out a room 4 nights, 4 day base tickets and QSDP during the first week in May 2019 at the Caribbean Beach Resort. Cost came to a hair under $3200. This is for 2 adults & 2 (Disney) children. Multiplied by 3 it comes to $9,600, without airfare. I don't know where the OP is from, but from Boston we just paid $275/pp roundtrip to Orlando, which would be another $3300, bringing the average total to $12,900. Since both Disney and airfare rates continue to climb I would think $15,000 would probably be a safe number, but I would probably try to save closer to $20,000, just in case. I'd rather have too much money saved than not enough.

 

[MrsPete]

I priced out a room 4 nights, 4 day base tickets and QSDP during the first week in May 2019 at the Caribbean Beach Resort. Cost came to a hair under $3200. This is for 2 adults & 2 (Disney) children. Multiplied by 3 it comes to $9,600, without airfare. I don't know where the OP is from, but from Boston we just paid $275/pp roundtrip to Orlando, which would be another $3300, bringing the average total to $12,900. Since both Disney and airfare rates continue to climb I would think $15,000 would probably be a safe number, but I would probably try to save closer to $20,000, just in case. I'd rather have too much money saved than not enough.

You can absolutely go with Disney's rack room prices and dining plan, or you can have a whole week for considerably less.

On the previous page, I wrote out my notes for 7 days x 6 adults for roughly $4000. Admittedly, we're close enough to drive, and our adult children will be responsible for driving their own cars, but the point is that it's very possible to go to Disney without the huge, huge cost.

 

[happymommy]

If it was me, going with all the family, I would chose a week ( at least 7 nights) because TIME will absolute fly by. And if that meant staying at a Value resort, so be it, Just my opinion of course.

I totally agree. Four nights is not much time at all. I'd look at at LEAST a week, maybe two. You could rent a house with a pool for two weeks for way less than four nights on site. That way, some overlap could occur (say, one adult child's family could do one week, but maybe overlap with the other, grandparents could stay the whole time and have a more relaxed time). You could rent one car (or minivan) and supplement with Uber rides (as it's often much easier to not be joined at the hip the whole time with a large family at Disney, trust me I've been there done that).

You would also save a ton by making simple breakfasts in the house, even grilling dinners and doing carry out from local places that aren't nearly as expensive as Disney. Just maybe do lunches at the parks.

It would cost so much less to do it that way, and you'd have a larger space to spread out and visit.

 

[Darcy03231]

You can absolutely go with Disney's rack room prices and dining plan, or you can have a whole week for considerably less.

On the previous page, I wrote out my notes for 7 days x 6 adults for roughly $4000. Admittedly, we're close enough to drive, and our adult children will be responsible for driving their own cars, but the point is that it's very possible to go to Disney without the huge, huge cost.

I agree that Disney can be done for less by staying off-site and cooking some of your own meals. We're doing that for our upcoming trip. We're going with a group of 14 for a week and won't be spending anywhere near what the OP awill by staying on-site. I've rented an 8 bedroom/5 bath private pool home with a home theater and game room for 8 nights far less than what the OP will pay for 3 rooms for 4 nights at a moderate. We always eat breakfast in and will do some dinners in or off-site as well.

However, the OP specifically said that she wanted to stay on-site, which with a large group will up the cost quite a bit, even if she's able to take advantage of special offers depending on the time of year she goes.

 

[elf]

We have had a few group vacations and have stayed onsite and off. We loved the house we rented with pool etc. But I liked each of us having our own room better. I would agree 7 days is better for a group of this size because things move more slowly with a large group. I like separate rooms even if it's at a value hotel for the privacy factor, especially if you do extend to a week. I love the idea of separate visa cards for food it's the best idea I've heard , it will give everyone the freedom of choosing . Flexibility is the key. Everyone has different energy levels, tolerence and food interest. Maybe when it's time to book call disney large group planning see if you could get rooms close to each other. It's great when the kids can go see grandma down the hall for breakfast, or go play with a cousin in the room next door. My kids still have memories of those trips. Try not to t get dissapointed when one group needs to do there own thing for the day (pool, park, sleep) I also wouldn't expect to spend over a certain amount of hours in park. Some of my kids fondest memories are pooltime with the extended family.
We rented vans and used busses. It's even better now with Uber as an option. Enjoy!