How much money should we take to Disney World!?!?

My hushband and I are taking are sons who are six and 1 and half to disney in june. We have already paid for a condo and bought all our tickets. We will be going June 15-20. We will try to eat out only once while we will be down there, and cook for the rest of the time. How much money should we take for the trip? We need to pay for gas, food,etc. we leave 600 miles away... We have already saved up 3,000.00, will we need more?????

I think the amount you have saved should be fine. But I always recommend to take as much as you can as there is always something extra you want and you want it to be a special holiday.

I am good at budgetting myself and I am sure with that much money and condo and tickets paid you should have plenty not to have to worry about budgetting to much and you will be able to do those little extra luxaries.

have a great time. I may bump into you as I am going then as well.

oh okay good but thats plenty

If the tickets and condo are paid for already then that should be enough. Expect to spend about $100 a day for food while in the park. Souvenirs are what you decide to spend. Living only 600 miles away I would think 500 would be enough to get you there and back. If you can save some more I would. what ever you have left, you can always bring home and it is always better to be save than sorry.

If you're thrifty you'll probably do fine on $3,000. However, if you're not, and are accustomed to spending large amounts on incidentals, and yes, even if everything else is already paid for, then, I'd bring at least $5,000. You'll probably spend between $3,000 and $4,000, but the extra gives you a little bit of a cushion. You say you'll only eat out once, but you'll eat out more than that; it just can't be helped. A good rule of thumb is to figure on $100 for four people per day. That's $600 right there. You've also got park incidentals like parking fees, bus fares, food eaten in the park, tips, money for groceries, gas...1200 miles round trip - figure about $350-400 on gas alone. Do you have AAA (Triple A), or a auto safety/insurance for towing at no cost in case of breakdown? Also, you'll buy gifts for yourselves, and for family back home (figure $500-$600). It's not the big costs that get you, it's all those little incidentals.

Sorry, I'm chuckling at this question, because my husband says no matter how much money you bring, they don't let you leave until you've spent it all. ;-)

I don't know where your condo is, but I would caution you about travelling between the Disney parks and your condo. There are some that are very close, but others that can take over 1/2 hour to get to. Just make certain you won't be spending so much time travelling to and from your condo that you eliminate any savings on money from preparing your own food. Remember, those park tickets aren't cheap, you're going at peak times so they'll be crowded, it will take you longer to see and experience stuff.

I would plan on trying to eat in the parks once a day as being more realistic. You can even do that for lunch, which is cheaper. There are some fantastic spots to eat in Epcot, and many of the resorts also have fantastic restaurants as well. Disney's website will list them with $$ telling you the average per person cost. You also want to do a character meal while you're there--your children will have a ball! Yes, it will not be cheap, but it's like those MasterCard commercials--it's priceless.

Have a fun trip!

if everything is already paid for then you have plenty of spending money. enjoy your trip. be careful though your children are very young, make sure you take rest times in the middle of the day for your childrens sake. they will enjoy the experience so much more. dont overload them.

If your accommodations and tickets are paid and you will only be eating once a day, $3000 is going to buy a lot of souvenirs. I think that will be plenty of money for five days. Depending on your gas mileage, gasoline will probably cost $200 - $250.

You'll have a great time!

Food is going to be your big expense. Depending on where you are staying, you aren't going to want to return twice per day to eat. That will cut a lot of time out of your vacation. Not to mention gas and tolls can cost as much as an inexpensive meal depending on how far you are driving. If your condo is close, I definitely recommend going back once per day for nap/rest/swim time. Perhaps you can have breakfast at the condo before setting out and bring some snacks for the kids with you. If you are close enough to drive, go back for a late lunch/nap and plan on dinner in the parks. Yes, Disney food is overpriced (a lot) but you can have casual dining most nights. You can probably feed the four of you for $30 or less for dinner if you watch what you are getting. If you spend a few hours a day shuttling back and forth to your condo, you'll miss a lot of Disney time. Try this webpage: http://www.allears.net They have menus and pricing from many restaurants to help you make a plan before you get there and everyone is starving and crying and you don't know where to go for dinner.

My wife and I are having that same discussion we are going in April for 6 days with our 4 children, but we are staying in Disney and we are getting the meal plan. I say no more that $150 a day but she doesn't agree because this may be the last time we get to go as a family, but all that means is that we are buying junk gifts that we have to lug back.