[myvacation]

I am going to POR over spring break 07. There is 4 of us (Two kids 10 an11) How much money do we take along. Or how much avalible money do we need. We will be there 8 days and 7 nights. We also don't want to just cheap out either.

[tigger]

Disney will take all the money you can bring

The big expense is going to be food. Try to figure out how much you might spend per day on food (breakfast/lunch/dinner/snacks) and ad a third for misc.

[daisyd]

I poured over the menus at allearsnet.com and have a good idea of what we'll spend on food (family of 4 this first trip--DD5, DS3). It was tedious at first, but I had a good idea of what we may order, and I know how we like to eat (one large meal, light breakfast, etc.). I have budgeted my food $ from that factoring in tax and tipping, and another 15% just in case.

As for the spending $$, well, would your kids do well with X amount of dollars for souvineers? That's what I do at DL with my DS12, and it works great. You could say X amount per park, or amount for the whole trip.

[Dana]

I am bringing $150 per day as spending money. I am on the dining plan and there are three people that I am financially responsible for. Out of the $150, the kids(2) get $20 a day for whatever and the rest is for what we do as a group. I may not need that much, but I am from the school that more is better than not enough.

[MissDisney]

myvacation, we used the POR food court a lot, for breakfast obviously, and also to grab apples, boxes of dry cereal, etc. to use the rest of the day...

When our kids were the ages yours are now, we also got each one a fanny pack, and we stocked one drawer in the room with snacks -- packs of crackers, gum, candy, juice boxes, etc. Each morning, the kids would pack their fanny packs with stuff, which they ate during the day. That way, we could just have a small lunch at the parks and then splurge on dinner. We saved a LOT of money, and the kids loved packing their own stuff!

As for $$$ for souvenirs, we jsut made a family rule that the kids are only allowed to shop for souvenirs on the last day of vacation. Theywere welcome to window shop all week, then pick on e thing they wanted and we'd get it right before leaving! Worked for years! No more whining and begging! Nice!

[Cinderellafifi]

Since everyone's individual budget is very subjective, my advice is that you bring at least an entire extra day's amount of whatever you think your daily budget will be. It's more fun to have that extra "mouse" money than to have to budget your budget on the last few days. Have fun!

[Elmo]

I think it depends on where you like to spend the "disposable income". We love to eat out, and we will spend a few extra bucks for nice meals at lunch and dinner. We eat breakfast in the room, with the exception of "go home" day - then it is Spoodles! We pack snacks for the kids throughout the day to hold them over, if needed

We don't usually spend a great deal on money on other stuff. The kids have Mickey ears and spinners - and we bring them each trip. We might buy some gifts for friends and family. The kids get Disney Dollars for their birthdays, so they have some of their own money.

I'd go with the others in saying you should bring a little more than you think you'll need. There are always unforeseen purchases, tips, etc. Stick to your budget and be happy if you have any cash in your pocket when it is time to go.

[Cavey]

Dining plan! Dining plan! Dining plan!

Essentially, you get a CS meal and a snack free everyday.

After that, we are cheap and spend at most $25-$50/day.

[iluvwdw]

Originally Posted by Cavey

Dining plan! Dining plan! Dining plan!

Essentially, you get a CS meal and a snack free everyday.

After that, we are cheap and spend [i]at most[i] $25-$50/day.

That's TOTALLY gonna be us! We always spend the majority of our $$ on food. I wonder what we're gonna spend our money on now? LOL...

[A Goofy Family]

Originally Posted by Cavey

Dining plan! Dining plan! Dining plan!

Essentially, you get a CS meal and a snack free everyday.

After that, we are cheap and spend at most $25-$50/day.

We haven't done the Dining plan yet, but we WILL on our next trip!! Each trip, weather it's 5 days or 10 days long, we give the kids $100 in Travelers Checks (they have ID's...prior to that, I would be in charge of them but would put a color coded dot in the top corner to know who's was whose). They're in total control of their spending, choose their souviniers, extra snacks, activities, etc. Once the $$ is gone, it's gone....so far they've ALWAYS brought $$ home, usually over 1/2 of it, which is fine w/me!

If you don't do the dining plan, I'd count on about $600-700 total trip on meals/snacks if you plan to do alot of character & sitdown meals. DH & I will usually buy a shirt or a hat, figurines or Christmas Ornament, but don't spend more than about $150 total for souv's. Just depends on your families spending habits, meal expectations and "extras" you may want to try. We were there for Spring Break '06 & loved it...won't be back for another Spring Break until '09

[millermouse]

Originally Posted by Cavey

Dining plan! Dining plan! Dining plan!

Essentially, you get a CS meal and a snack free everyday.

After that, we are cheap and spend at most $25-$50/day.

That is exactly the rule we follow!

The DDP takes a lot of the money carrying stress away!

[tinkerbelle24]

I say that if u are on the dining plan its really up to u on what u want to spens per day.. I usually give the kids $20 -$25 per day which I have 2 kids and so on.. To be honest... Going to Disney is like Xmas for my kids... They see it they want it they get it... I know I have a probelm but I cant help it...

[bethishooked]

Not sure if you're asking how much to spend, or how much you should have on you. If it's the latter, DH and I each have $200.00 on us for the entire trip. Don't like holding on to that much money. We then use the room key to charge everything to it. That way, I don't have to worry about running out of money. At the end of the trip, it all gets charged to Disney Visa (more Disney dollars for next trip!) and then we pay for it in full when the bill comes at home.

[Jen]

On our last trip, since we stayed off site, we did not do the dining plan. We pre-budgeted for our sit down meals using info we got from menus and such. After the food was budgeted, we figured $200 per day spending money for the 6 of us. We spent well under that and came home with money!

[mowgli's mom]

Thanks for the insight. . .I like the idea of giving the kids a certain amount each day to spend. . . I remember vacations with my parents that money was never an issue - it was a trip of a lifetime -- though my mother assures me that money was an issue and she kept track of it very closely. But, I want my kids to have the best time.

Its the food costs that scare me