[mkstlowe]

I will be going to Disney in Oct of 2005. We are lucky this year since my parents are paying for us to go. They are paying for it all. Resort, air line, and meals. This is the first I've been able to do Disney and not have to worry about the cost other then spending. How much is enough? I have two children and one LARGE CHILD. Also I'm not the spending type I save, save, save. But when in Disney a differnt thing. I've been to disney over 4 times but can never figure out what is needed for each trip.


We don't go on big vacations yearly. We camp through the summer. So when we go on a vacation. I want it to be like it's the last. You never know.


Any suggestions?

[jodilt]

Everyone will give you a different answer. You have some here who only come home with one souvenir each trip. You have others like me who spend a fortune on souvenirs. One tip I have heard from friends is to give your kids a set amount to spend for souvenirs. They can buy whatever they want, but can't spend any more than their budget. They tend to be more picky about what they spend their money on, as opposed to wanting everything because it is your money they are spending!

[mkstlowe]

Thank you!. My duaghter received much disney money for her b-day. and has another prior to our trip. She also has become this little helper around the house. So I've in return been giving her Disney dollars for rewards. So I will work on a budget for me and my DH. My DS will only be 2. won't really know much. Just so hard because I don't want to be short. I guess it's always good to go with more and bring some home?

[BDavis932]

Welcome to DC!! What a great gift from your parents.

We usually give our kids disney dollars as part of their allowance throughout the year. This year they will have $150 each. They buy all their souvieneers with their own disney dollars, once they run out of $$$, that's it.

[WDWaddict]

It all depends on how you shop. When we go the kids get a whirly light the first night we are there so that is $25 or so. I always get a shirt/sweatshirt so that is another $25-50. DH never buys anything except a turkey leg so he's happy w/ just that ..lol This year we did a Christmas ornament too since we were there in December so that was another $15. DH and DS did get one pin each this year so another $15.
So about $100 for a family of four for souveniers..I had $100 on my rewards card so that really wasn't out of pocket though.

I would think $50 per person for souv. would be enough really. DS#1 had $80 in money he'd saved and he only bought one of those lights at night and a pin..so $20 is all he spent and there was nothing else he wanted(Though they seem to want less when THEY have to pay for it out of their pockets..lol)

We are pretty cheap when it comes to souveniers..we prefer to spend our $ on character meals and good dinners..for food we spent about $100-120 a day for a family of four..that included a sitdown/character meal for dinner every night.

[woohoo]

We figured $50 per day (our food was paid for with wishes and vouchers) We spent it on things like ice cream and turkey legs and my DH likes a beer here and there. We did not go though it all by any means. The kids each had about $25 disney dollars each and that was for their own souvenier. I also bought them each a souvenier for about $15 each (we wont include the sweats we had to buy at MGM because it was supposed to be the hottest day and it was the coldest-) We spent the most at Epcot because we hit one thing to eat and one thing to drink in each country so that came out of our spending cash- Alcohol is not included in any meal plan and it was not worth a wish to share counterservice meals so we used vouchers and cash. But we all shared the food and expense so it was not a lot really.
Have a great time- ultimately when deciding where to spend the money I said to myself that it was 4 years ago that I did a big trip like this and it will more than likely be 4 more before I do it again so what is it worth to me. You can also find some neat deals here and there. I got a tank top at Castaway Cay for $10 on clearance, I found a neat Saki set for $7 and a bottle of Saki for $5 (we had a lot of fun in Japan) If you look hard you can find neat sales like this here and there. I also only bought the group picture that we all looked happy in- my digital camera took great pics so I did not need to buy more than that.

[Pooh Fan]

My kids save all of their money throughout the year from birthdays and Christmas and most of their allowance that they are allowed to spend (We require that they save 50% of their allowance) and they spend every penny that they bring--usually $100-$150. Of course we go for 2 weeks so maybe that is why they spend so much. DH and I usually spend about $200 each for souveniers. I guess that it just depends on the family. I like to buy things for the home when I am there because then I have a little bit of Disney to remind me of the trip until our next trip. You are so lucky that your parents are giving your family such a wonderful gift, but I am sure that you already know that!

[lisalovesmickey]

Originally Posted by mkstlowe

We don't go on big vacations yearly. We camp through the summer. So when we go on a vacation. I want it to be like it's the last. You never know.


Any suggestions?

I am the same way.

I honestly save as much cash as I can before the trip. I don't count it or anything till the time comes to leave. Normally it is a lot though. If I blow through that I pull out the credit cards etc. I NEVER want for anything while on vacation. BUT it is the only time in my life that I use credit cards and that has only happened once.

I know, i'm crazy!

Lisa

[mkstlowe]

Thanks everyone. My DD is on a roll. She received Disney money for Birthday last year and Christmas. Aslo she has 1 more BD prior to our trip. I think I'm the more one that just does not know. My Christams Tree is all Disney. If I'm not in Disney someone I know is and I get a ball each year. The Year we went to Dinsey I spent 100 dollars in the Christmas store. I felt bad rest of the day. But like someone recently said. I'M GOING TO BE ON VACATION!!!! What else should I do with my money but spend at Disney, Right????? Yes I"m lucky this time around from my sweet parents are paying for everything except spending.

Oh the tips for Epcot. We will be there. We are a family that enjoys test tasting of beer and wine!!!!

[bali]

I splurge on eating and lodging, so I don't do much souvenir-buying at WDW. In fact, I usually end up only buying one or two things while I'm there -- usually a pin and perhaps a t-shirt or a hat or something. I agree that you should have more than enough available, just in case. Bring an emergency credit card if you have one. The Food and Wine festival is fantastic, and they have really cute souvenirs for it; also, you'll probably get suckered into buying something from the MNSSHP if you attend -- I always do (attend and get suckered that is...). Every morning I look at my little mickey-dressed-as-a-scarecrow and wonder, "Why the heck did I spend $11 on a mickey-dressed-as-a-scarecrow???" Who knows -- Disney is manipulative when it comes to buying unnecessary stuff. :)