Planning for someone else

MamaBelle4

DIS Veteran
Joined
Feb 29, 2016
I'm trying to come up with some low budget options for my extended family. The kids really want to go, the mom, I think wants to go and dad just plain does not (he hasn't said so, but it's pretty clear and usually he winds up getting whatever he wants).

The "kids" are getting older and older. Oldest will be 18 at the time of the trip. She has a job and offered to pay her part to ease the financial burden. Point being she really wants to go and I want to try to give her mom and dad all the options to make it as affordable as possible so they go.

Problem is, mom's adamant about staying on property and getting the dining plan because that's what we do and we love it. Our kids are almost all still Disney kids (or free), but she'll have 5 Disney adults. I've tried telling her to prepay for her meals and snacks by accruing Disney gift cards, but she wants the dining plan. I tried to price out the Disney Springs hotels, but, to my knowledge you can't add on the dining plan.

I'm even considering upgrading to an annual pass (we are planning two trips within a year's timespan so I may do that ANYWAY) to get her a room discount.

What other options am I overlooking to get the room/package at a cheaper rate? We would be going December 2020. I've also priced out renting DVC points. I just don't know what to say to do. I'd say that I'd take the kids, but it would have to be one at a time because of how large my family is. I don't feel comfortable being responsible for 8 children (the oldest is 18, but the middle child is on the autism spectrum and the youngest would be 11 at the time of travel). Any advice would be greatly appreciated on what discounts I may be overlooking. Thank you!
 
Room only discounts (if available) may be a better deal than dining-plan-included packages.....if their dining style doesn't mesh with adult entree plus dessert plus adult beverage eating, dining plan may not be financially advantageous. Last trip we did not get ddp (my kids are Disney Adults). To have that already paid for feeling, we put what the dining plan would cost in a savings account. We ate throughout the trip knowing it was "covered," charging meals to my cash back credit card (via magic band/resort account). We ate what we wanted, including TS each day (several character meals). When we got the bill, turns out the dining plan cost we set aside covered all the food and then some. We had the bonus of not worrying about tracking credits and whether or not certain menu items could be covered by credits. It was really low stress for me.

FWIW, if free dining was available for a trip, I would certainly crunch numbers before dismissing the option.
 
Last trip we did not get ddp (my kids are Disney Adults). To have that already paid for feeling, we put what the dining plan would cost in a savings account. We ate throughout the trip knowing it was "covered," charging meals to my cash back credit card (via magic band/resort account). We ate what we wanted, including TS each day (several character meals)

That's what I'm trying to convince her, but I do understand. For me, I would be constantly checking that account and watching the money dwindle and get anxious, the dining plan alleviates that for me.

I guess I'll just stalk the discount pages around the time discounts are released for this year so I can compare.
 
We are not dining plan fans because it doesn't pay the way my family eats. However, maybe a package that includes free dining might tempt the Dad to decide to go. Some people see "free" and that's what they want to hear even if it all comes out the same in the end. I also, would not dismiss renting points. A one bedroom with a full kitchen and washer/dryer is nice to have with a family, just need to make sure it sleeps 5.
 


We are not dining plan fans because it doesn't pay the way my family eats. However, maybe a package that includes free dining might tempt the Dad to decide to go. Some people see "free" and that's what they want to hear even if it all comes out the same in the end. I also, would not dismiss renting points. A one bedroom with a full kitchen and washer/dryer is nice to have with a family, just need to make sure it sleeps 5.

Good point! Even if paying rack rate for the room to get free dining means not saving money overall, the idea of getting something free is powerful and can make the whole thing more appealing.
 
December 2020 is going to be rough as there wont' be many/any discounts out there.

My wife helped a co-worker plan a low budget, but on property stay this last summer. I think it was 5 nights at all stars with the free quickservice meal per day and no parkhopper offer they had. They had a good time for a reasonable (for WDW) cost.

Really though, staying on property and getting the dining plan doesn't line up with trying to do WDW affordably. How many people in her family? Not sure if it's 5 or 7 total from your post
 
Does she have ideas of what restaurants she'd want to eat at? I'd suggest that she look up some of the menus at possible restaurants and price out some sample meals. After checking the math she might see that the dining plan would not save her money at all; I know it doesn't for my family and the way my family eats.

So it's a family of 5 (2 parents, 3 kids?) and one kid is an actual adult (would cost more for a 3rd adult in the same room) and the other two kids are "Disney adults?" If you think they would be ok with just one bathroom for the family, I'd suggest checking out the Fort Wilderness cabins. The ability to make a filling breakfast in their room each day could save a lot of money on food. And if they are the type that might want to go back to the room each afternoon for a nap break, they could even have dinner at the cabin before heading back to the parks at night.
 


Check with travel agents for quotes as well. With and without DDP. You can also mock up what the dining plan costs verses what out of pocket could cost.
 
I'm even considering upgrading to an annual pass (we are planning two trips within a year's timespan so I may do that ANYWAY) to get her a room discount.
I'm pretty sure this will only work if you are travelling with them and make the reservations in your name.

do they enjoy camping?
 
I would check out Undercover Tourist for tickets and rooms. The catch is you pay upfront 100%. The room reservations do offer cancellation up to 5 days before check in, in case a better deal pops up. For us, UT beat some agency exclusive rates, but then a couple of months later Disney released a deal that saved us $120. I called UT to cancel and they were super nice, plus my card was credited within 24 hrs.

I've read the AP rate can't be beat, but it is released after other discounts.

Buying discounted GCs will help her pay off her room/package even if she decides to go ahead with the dining plan. (There are ticketless packages that you can do with just a room and dining plan that have the same cancellation policies as a traditional package.) Also, the Disney Visa sometimes offers a $200 GC for opening a new account. (I only recommend this if they are the type of people who do not carry a balance.)

For us, savings on Disney trips are in little chunks that add up. Buying tickets from UT, save $200. Rebook room with discount, save $120. Buy GCs when grocery store offers double fuel perks, save $110 on gas. Use CC rewards for statement credit on airfare, save $550.
 
Another option instead of getting the dinning plan would be to buy Disney Gift cards in the amount that the DDP would cost them. If you buy Disney Gift cards at Target using the Target credit card, you can save 5%. If you have 5 Disney adults going and get the regular dining plan, and they are there for 5-7 nights, you can save around $95 - 132. Then they can just use the Gift Cards to pay for all of their meals. Then, any money they have left on the gift cards towards the end of the trip, they can use that to buy some unplanned souvenirs. pixiedust:

Another thing to think about is this: what if the younger kids don't like what's on the adult menu and want something from the kids menu? With the dining plan, this could be more challenging to work with. Most quick service places will allow the kids over 9 to order off the kids menu when not on the dining plan (I do it all the time as an adult!). With the table service locations, I think this gets a bit more challenging, but I've heard several will allow it. With the dining plan, they will have to pay the Adult price for the dining plan and I'm not sure if they let the kids order off the kids menu if they have the adult dining plan (hopefully someone with experience with this will chime in). If the kids end up eating chicken fingers and mac and cheese for most of their meals, they are going to waste a lot of money on the dining plan.

If they go the route of renting DVC points, they could take a similar approach as what someone above mentioned with the cabins. You could have some food in the room for breakfasts and this alone could save quite a bit. I, personally, don't mind making breakfasts while I'm on vacation, but I don't want to have to make the other meals of the day. I know there are a lot of people that don't mind making their own meals, so it will just depend on what the family wants to do.
 
There are Quck Service Dine Cards that can be purchased if a guest books a package at select Disney Springs and Good Neighbor hotels. Unlike the QSDP, there are no "credits" and no refillable mugs. The card gets loaded with a dollar amount that appears to be about 13% more than what you pay for it. It acts like a gift card with the cost of your purchase being deducted at the time that you buy food at a QS location.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/disney-dining-card/
 
There are Quck Service Dine Cards that can be purchased if a guest books a package at select Disney Springs and Good Neighbor hotels. Unlike the QSDP, there are no "credits" and no refillable mugs. The card gets loaded with a dollar amount that appears to be about 13% more than what you pay for it. It acts like a gift card with the cost of your purchase being deducted at the time that you buy food at a QS location.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/disney-dining-card/
I did not know about this at all! That's a fantastic option as well. Thank you!

I don't mind helping her out and coming up with a ton of options, but I really don't want to if its going to end up being a "Yeah, we aren't going to go".
 

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