Spending money

We are going to Orlando March 2010 for 18 nights. 2 adults 3 kids (16,14,11) Can anyone give me some advice about how much spending money we will need. All theme park tickets have been paid for so just money for food and souvenirs. We will have to work on a bit of a budget but want to have the best time ever so not too much penny pinching!! No doubt we will live on mainly fast food but maybe a couple of nice meals out as well. Also is it best to take all money in dollars and maybe credit card for emergencies? No sure how safe that would be!!!!

Spending money

Hi KingersOrlando

You will get different answers from different people about this.

We went in December and I had 1100 dollars in cash and two creditcards Husbond had also a lot of cash.

When we left Disneyworld after 6 nights I had used

all my cash and used both my creditcard twice or more and took out money from the cash machine.

We where 2 adults three children 11,5,3

I don麓t know if this help You .

Mutter

Spending money

Hi Mutter - Thanks for your help guess I%26#39;m looking at quite a bit of cash then - better start saving. Is it cheap to eat in Orlando or is this now a thing of the past?

I would budget about $20/person per day for the duration of your stay, considering like you say that you are budget travellers. It depends on where you are staying though since if it includes breakfasts that will be of considerable savings for you. Also if the place you are staying has a full kitchen, and you are willing to cook some meals yourself, this will save you a considerable amount in Orlando.

If your not overly picky, you should also consider the value type ';buffet'; places in town such as Ponderosa or Golden Corral. While these places would definatley not be considered gourmet or even particulary good, they offer a wide enough variety of food to please most ppl, at a price of about $8.00 - $12.00us which isn%26#39;t bad.

If you are looking to do your dining at theme parks, expect to pay a premium, although most places is honestly not as bad as i exepected. But if your looking to have meals at the theme parks expect to pay 20% - 25% extra for a similar meal as you would outside of the parks. For some this will seem like a good deal, while others it will seem exspensive. It all really depends where you are from, if you have a rent a car, and if you are willing to go outside of the resorts to get your food.

WOW, that%26#39;s a long time and I can see why you would want to plan ahead. Will the kids have their own spending money? I ask this because mine have been saving up so anything they want souvenir wise they must purchase. You can get carried away and spend tons on souvenirs. I got sucked into that in 2003- I think we own every Disney Barbie they make!!LOL! I would say for that amount of time would be close to $2000. Food can get very expensive. What might help is going to www.allears.net and look at the menus at WDW to help you better see how much food will cost. With 5 people at a counter service meal it could run upwards of $40+ with drinks included. Did you consider the dining plan at all?

After I looked at the menus and weighed my options I decided the basic plan will work best for one adult and my 2 girls. It was less than $400 for the week to add that on to my package. I like this idea because I just have to carry a credit or debit card and a small amount of cash. Carrying too much cash makes me nervous.

That%26#39;s quite a trip you have planned and it sounds amazing. We will be there a week this March. Have fun.

Hi - thanks for the help. Unfortunately the hotel we had been booked into has since been demolished and although we have now been ungraded to Best Western Lakeside breakfast is not included. We do not have a kitchen only a fridge. Intend to go to the supermarket for water etc for theme parks and have a pig out in the evening. I understand that portion sizes are big but believe me us Brits can certainly eat!!!!!!

I would figure $200 a day

I agree with Goofy4, $200 is fairly close to the mark, depending on whether your 16,14 and 11 year olds are girls or boys. If they are boys I would figure closer to $250.00 for food. In the parks you can figure that at least $7 for just a burger, add fries and drink and you are pushing $15 just for one meal.

For one person that is.

We normally take around 拢3000 for the 3 of us for 2 weeks, and Ive never come back with any yet!!

Looks like I will be poor for the next 12 months saving up!!!!! We are hiring a car - hubby will be driving - he is very unsure about it. Any tips!!! Sorry for all the questions but am one of these people who has to be so organised need to know what we are letting ourselves in for !!!