Driving to the World

We're going to Disney World the old family way, driving. Most of the details are still unplanned but we know we're driving to the World. My ideal trip would involve a mini-van and my sister and her boyfriend joining us but we're not sure if that is what we're going to do just yet. We may just take our own vehicles. I'd have liked to make it a fun roadtrip with stops along the way but we're just going to drive straight through and have a couple of longer stops on the trip.

Pro's for renting a minivan-
I'd like a minivan for space sake. I'm taking most of my mom's luggage with us depending on what company she's flying with. That means I'm taking at least four suitcases/bags plus food and supplies, I'd really like a minivan! We'd also have room to taxi everyone around to the parks so we could save on parking also. My mom's wheelchair would also be easier to load and unload for the parks. We'd have some special family time and be able to create some fun lasting memories too. The cost would be split between the four of us too. I'm willing to pay a little extra to help my sister out, so I may be able to convince her of this option.

Con's-
We'd be spending A LOT of family time together unless we optioned for taxi's and other transportation. My sister and her boyfriend want to go to Universal Studios, we do too but it's not in the budget this trip, so we'll have to arrange for transportation for them. Either a taxi or arranging our schedule. I have no problem arranging anything for anybody, but if I'm cranky I may think differently.

As you can see I really want to rent a minivan!

The trip down will take anywhere from 16 to 19 hours. I'm estimating about 19 hours since I want to have a couple of stops that last at least 45 minutes. We'll be able to stretch our legs and have some non-car time. I'd also like this time estimate to include any emergency stops; bathroom, car sickness, etc.

I don't know exactly when we're leaving. We have two options to choose from. Leave Friday night, late but not too late so we can arrive sometime Saturday afternoon or early evening. Or we can leave really early Saturday morning and arrive Saturday night. I'm leaning towards Friday night so we can have some breathing room on our travel time. I'd vote to arrive home from work at normal time, which is 5pm, to cook and eat dinner. After dinner is eaten and cleaned up, Brian would go to bed and take a nap so he's able to drive without a problem. Since he could arrive home earlier than me he (in theory) could already be sleeping when I arrive home. I would then finish packing the suitcases, the food, the supplies, and drive to the gas station to pick up ice for the cooler. I could then pack the car, make sure everything is good to go and relax (yeah, right) until it's time to wake Brian and get everyone in the car. I'd like to leave at night so my son could sleep on a normal schedule. This would also mean less stops because we could be sleeping instead of being bored or wanting to get out of the car.

I still need to plan our route to Florida but I'll do that once it gets a little closer so I can check for construction updates and have time to plan a different route if needed. Only 33 weeks to go!

Enjoying Disney Without Spending Much Money

The last time I was at WDW was March 2007. I wish I could go every year but right now in my life, I cannot. Some of the ways I'm planning to save when I'm in WDW are:

Not buying many souveniers. I really want to go to experience rides, attractions and my family. I don't need a hundred new doo dads, do I want them? Sort of. I do want to increase my Belle Snowglobe collection but I don't need to. I do want some new souveniers but I plan on taking an immense amount of pictures. My family may hate me for making them pose and smile so much, but I will have not spent much on getting my digital prints. This is something I can do when we arrive home and I can order them online to save some cash. Come on you doubters, what's better, a picture of you and Mickey Mouse or a t-shirt of Mickey Mouse? I totally vote for the picture.

I plan on eating at least one meal at the house daily. I'm not a huge breakfast person but I would like to have something in my stomach before venturing out. We can cook a quick meal of eggs and toast or just grab a pop tart for the road. Cereal is always easy and cheap too. We can also pick up a couple of frozen pizza's for lunch before or after our nap or even for an early evening. We also plan on bringing snacks and bottled beverages to the parks. This will be a nice savings.

I plan on purchasing discounted tickets through an authorized agency. I'll blog more about them later.

I'm also going to the parks prepared. I will make sure I have enough digital camera memory and enough disposable camera's for my son so we will not have to purchase these in the park. I'm also going to remember to charge my camera every night! I'm going to carry headache medicine, sunscreen, tissues, etc. so I don't have to pay for anything unless it's absolutely necessary. I'm not going to carry a 50 pound book bag but I plan on not having to buy necessities in the parks. I'm also packing clothes for everyone but keeping them in the car. Just in case we need to change we won't have to be uncomfortable for too long and we don't have to buy unnecessary clothing.

By saving on some expenses I can have some additional fun. I plan on surprising my son with Breakfast with Mickey at Chef Mickey's and going on a tour at Daytona Nascar Stadium. If I were to blow money on every knick knack I thought was adorable, we'd never be able to experience these.

Budgeting

I have saved money for WDW by budgeting. I like to think I can transfer money from each paycheck but we all know this is hard for some, especially me. Some of the ways I like to save money is by saving my tax refund, saving my spare change, purchasing Disney Dollars, and sending $10 a paycheck to my vacation fund. I save all my spare change as well as my boyfriends. We put it in a jar on my dresser or we put it into my son’s Florida jar. Whenever my son gets money he puts some in one of his four jars, Florida, Spend, Charity, and Save (for college). I’m starting to buy Disney Dollars for the trip for purchasing souvenirs and possibly some treats for myself. I also buy Disney Dollars for my son for celebrations. We gave him three Disney Dollars and a new NASCAR for Valentine’s Day and he’ll receive golf clubs (bought on clearance) and two more Disney Dollars for Easter instead of candy. He’ll also have to find some eggs filled with quarters. My tax refund, which is also my vacation fund, is sitting in an online bank account earning 1.63% interest. This money is for the majority of our vacation. With my spare change I’m hoping to pay for tolls, gas, and our food on the trip down. I can roll this a few weeks before our trip and cash it in at my bank for dollar bills. I’m also saving quarters and shiny pennies for the penny and quarter press machines. We have some at our zoo so we will use them there also. With a lot of planning and creative thinking I’m hoping to pay for our trip with cash, as in not accruing any more debt. I don’t want to carry all that cash around so we’re going to have to figure out how to spend that money. I’m thinking a pre-paid Visa gift card, depositing that money into my bank account and just using my debit card, or just finding an ATM and paying a fee to withdraw money as I need it. I hate paying fees so that last one doesn’t sound so good to me.
Another trick, but takes lots of self-discipline, is the Disney Visa Credit Card. For every hundred dollars you spend, you earn 1 point. 1 point is equal to 1 dollar on a gift card, after 20 points you can request a gift card and use these to purchase items at WDW or even your park tickets. You can also use them at The Disney Store. I have found that unless I pay each and every bill by myself I can probably do this but with other people in my household paying bills and me not having access to the bills consistently I am unable to use this without over spending. Let’s do some math to show how easy it is to spend $100 and earn points. My car payment can be auto billed to my credit card, my car payment is $337.00 per month (well until June it is!), my electric bill is about $80 a month, my gasoline is about $100 a month, my cell phone bill (for two phones) is $82 a month and my satellite bundle is $137 a month. Just by using these simple recurring bills my total spent is $736.00 per month x 12 months in a year and that is $8,832 divided by $100 (equals 1 point) that is 88 points per year. Since I didn’t include the other household bills I could put on the credit card (food, oil changes, medications, memberships etc) I would estimate at least 100 points per year. The trick is to pay that card off in full each month. This way finance charges are avoided and your points are free. The best part is under the terms I have the points do not expire for 60 months, so if I knew we were going to WDW in 2 years I could easily earn $200 free dollars to use to pay for part of my vacation. I do not endorse applying for credit when it cannot be used responsibly. I am a testament to that. I did not use credit responsibly until recently. I do sometimes slip up and abuse it but I’m doing my best to pay off all my debt in the next 24 months. It may take me longer but at least I can say I should have a bunch of it paid off soon!

Packing for Disney

I am a planner. "Failing to plan is planning to fail." Packing for a trip can be very intimidating to some people, and others just throw stuff in a bag and hope for the best. Since our budget is so tight, I'm hoping to save some money by slowly stockpiling what we'll need for the trip throughout the year and not have to buy it right before we leave or while we're in Florida. Since I like to think that I'm organized, I have my list split up into categories/suitcases and the final part of the list is for food and beverages needed for the trip. I'm not packing for everyone involved but I am packing for two adults and a child. My method is packing per suitcase. I can fit my clothes in one suitcase, my son's in another, and my boyfriends can fit into another. That's 3 suitcases, plus an "everything else" suitcase, and then food & beverages. I'm also packing "carry-ons" even though we are driving. Following is my list.
Kymm’s Bag-In Front Seat
Map Lysol Wipes Tums Band aids
Toll Money Dramamine Toilet Seat Covers Mouthwash
Food Money Tylenol Kleenex Hand Sanitizer
Sunglasses Meds Ibuprofen Excedrin
Id’s Cell Phone Camera Earplugs
Credit Card Cell Phone Charger Reading Material Disney Information
Pens Guidebooks Camera Charger Toiletries
Small Notebook Jake’s Meds Lost child Pack Napkins
Wet Ones Sinus Meds Neosporin TP
Chap Stick Contact Case Contact Solution Blanket
Ipod Car Charger

In Back Seat (easy access)
Camera SD Cards Kleenex Playing Cards
Batteries Wet Ones Lysol Wipes Trivia Cards
Handheld Games Sunglasses Umbrella Small Towels
Paper Towels

Packed In Luggage-Small Bag
Straightner Extension cord Hair Bands
Moisturizer Clothespins Address Labels
Acne Cream Bug spray Ponchos/Raincoats
Lotion Trash bags Shampoo
Razors Kleenex (travel size only) Conditioner
Lysol Wipes Baby Wipes Face Wash
Laundry Soap Sunscreen Soap
Softener/Dryer Sheets Nail Clippers Brush & Comb
Q-Tips Large Ziploc Bags Highlighters
Sharpies Hair Spray Make-up
Stamps Toothbrushes Toothpaste
Deodorant Tweezers

Jake’s Amusement Bag
Game boy Charger Blanket Travel Pillow
Movies Portable DVD Player Games
Small Toys
Cars Action Figures 1 Stuffed animal to sleep with
Crayons Note book Books
Coloring Books Pencils
Camera
4 Double-a batteries
Eye Glasses CaseJake’s Luggage-Small Bag
Clothes
2 Pants Ears
3 Shorts Mickey Mouse Pen
4 T-Shirts Swimming Trunks
3 Long Sleeved Shirts Beach Towel
6 Socks 6 Underwear
3 Pajama’s 2 Sweatshirts
Light Jacket

Brian’s Luggage
2 Pants Swimming Trunks
3 Shorts Beach Towel
4 T-shirts Poncho/Umbrella
2 Long sleeved shirts Sweater/sweatshirt/Jacket
4 Underwear 4 Socks

Kymm’s Luggage
3 Pants 2 Capri’s Bathing Suit
4 T-shirts 4 Long sleeved shirts Beach Towel
2 Sweatshirts 4 Socks Birthday Presents
4 Underwear 3 Bra’s Inflatable pillows (to sit on)

Snacks to pack for Disney
In Cooler
Bottled Water Pudding Butter
Pop Applesauce
Juice Boxes Ranch Dressing (dip)
Tea Fruit Cups

Packed in Box/Bag
Chips Mini-Muffins Chex Mix
Powdered drink mixes Cereal Pretzels
Sugar Pop Tarts Goldfish crackers
Sweet ‘n Low Fruit Snacks/roll ups Tea bags
Granola Bars Yo go’s Sweet stuff
Donuts Cashews Popcorn
Bagels Salt & Pepper

Supplies-Packed in Box
Disposable Bowls Coffee filters
Plastic spoons & forks Garbage Bags
Napkins or Paper towels Dishwasher tabs
Collapsible cooler-for car at the parks
Large Ziploc bags (for ice) Dish Soap
Disposable cups with lids Insulated Lunch Box

Note that I'm only packing enough clothes as necessary, I'll be doing a load or two of laundry while we're there. Which is a choice I made to save on space. I'm also packing for all types of weather since predictions are usually incorrect in Cleveland. For example, we were told a light dusting of snow, we ended up with 10 inches of snow. Most of the items I'm packing could be bought while we're there but since I'd rather be prepared I'm packing them with us.

To get started just make a list of what you think you might need and add to it as necessary. Obviously we all know we need clothing, daily toiletries (toothpaste, shampoo, etc), and forms of payment. After the basics just keep adding, review your list when you feel you need to and add or subtract items as needed.

Staying At WDW

Walt Disney World is a huge complex of resorts. For this particular trip we are not staying on WDW property. My favorite resorts to look at and plan for another trip are the Contemporary (my boyfriends absolute favorite!), Pop Century, and the All-Star Movies. I'd like to look at more upscale resorts but I simply can't afford them at this time. Since we have 9 people going to WDW with us this November we opted to rent a house which is a much more budget friendly way to enjoy the trip. We rented a house through a vacation home rental company and managed to snag a 6 bedroom 5 bathroom house with a pool & spa for a little over $1500. Now that doesn't include our tickets but if you split the cost between 9 people it's not much.
I like renting a house because you get more privacy, a full kitchen (make food to save money!), our own private pool & spa, and we have more room to relax. I would like to stay at a WDW resort because of the excellent service, themed rooms and the proximity to the parks. I also think staying on site would just be a lot of fun! Each option has it's own perks and let downs. I chose a house this time based on cost and we were able to have my sister and boyfriend along for the trip. Another option we considered but quickly threw out was a hotel room with a kitchenette.
There are many options to choose from when traveling to WDW. You must figure out what your needs are before you can make the right decision. You'd have to consider the following to make an informed decision; Budget, Party size, special needs of any member of your party, proximity the parks, options you'd like to have available to you.
Our party size is 9 people. My mother will be in a wheelchair, my son is young so he will need down time throughout the trip. Our budget will be very strict, we must stick within out budget or else we may go further into debt. Obviously with the our constraints a house would be best. We can cook some meals at the house, keep snacks readily available, we have a pool & spa for relaxation and fun, and the house is large enough that my mother can sleep when she needs to and can have more room for when she decides to stay at the house while we're at the parks.

When to go

One of the many major decisions any person planning any trip will make is when to go. When planning a trip to Walt Disney World, the time you go will majorly impact your vacation. I am personally planning to attend in November, the week before Thanksgiving. Why this week? Well, my son's birthday is during that week as well as my boyfriends. A major perk for that time is WDW is less crowded. Most families will travel during school break times, making these times the most crowded at WDW. I'm sure other popular travel spots are the same way. I have gone to Magic Kingdom during Spring Break, it was fun BUT very crowded and very loud. Of course I will never forget the look on my sons face when he met Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck for the first time. I was almost in tears!
We also went to Daytona Beach in the same week, it was Bike Week and Spring Break, NEVER AGAIN. Wall to Wall intoxicated people with a 4 year old is never a fun experience. I will never forget that trip as it was my first vacation with my son. He got to see the ocean for the first time, got to visit the NASCAR Daytona Stadium, and picked up his first real sea shell. It was a great time, but when we walked further down the beach, looking for the rest of our party, my son father and myself left as soon as we found them. I wasn't comfortable exposing a four year old to Spring Break Daytona style.
These two experiences have taught me that timing is not everything but it does matter.