Planning a deluxe 1-week trip for 4 people for under $5k – PREP032

$5000 seems like a lot for a week-long family trip but it’s amazing how easy it is to spend way more than on a Disney World trip.

Today I have tips for planning a deluxe-quality, 7 night trip for a family of 4 for less than $5000.

I also have a quick tip to help you keep your MagicBands secure on your Disney World vacation.

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These are notes from this episode. There’s much more info included in the audio so be sure to listen to the episode for a better explanation.

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My stroller comparison data

You can find my stroller comparison post, including a spreadsheet with data about many of the most popular rental companies at https://wdwprepschool.com/comparing-stroller-options-for-disney-world-trips/

Planning a deluxe trip

We’re going to assume that we’re planning a 7 night trip for a family with 2 adults and 2 kids who want a trip that includes a nice hotel and restaurants but staying under $5,000 total for everything.

Here’s what I suggest:

• Step 1: when to go – you can make your money go further by avoiding the most expensive times of the year which include the last 2 weeks of December, the week surrounding President’s Day, Spring Break (the second week of March to mid-April usually), the week before and after Easter and Thanksgiving. People traveling in summer can pay a bit less by visiting the last 2 weeks of August.
• Step 2: picking a hotel – I suggest renting DVC points (Animal Kingdom Villas, Boardwalk Villas and Old Key West are the least expensive) or staying at the Swan or Dolphin
• Step 3: make a daily plan – plan to kick off the trip with a fun character meal and spend 6 days in the parks
• Step 4: choose dining – I would suggest purchasing the Disney Dining Plan and then picking restaurants that maximize the value of a Disney Dining Plan credit such as Akershus breakfast, Chef Mickey’s dinner, ‘Ohana dinner, Boma dinner, Garden Grill, 1900 Park Fare dinner, Cape May Cafe dinner and Whispering Canyon Cafe
• Step 5: plan park touring – same touring principles apply for everybody
• Step 6: add extra magic – I suggest the Tomorrowland Terrace Fireworks Dessert Party which would cost $68 for a family of 4

Quick tip of the day

To secure your MagicBand (I lost mine on a recent trip!), I suggest ordering a Bitbelt for everybody in your group.

They come in lots of colors and decrease in price if you order more than 1 ($5.99 for 1, 2 for $10, 5 for $20, etc.). These can be used on various fitness bands (like the Fitbit, Nike Fuel Band) but you’ll need to order the larger size to fit MagicBands.

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Do you have other questions or thoughts about planning a deluxe family trip?

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments (but make sure you’ve listened to the episode first – I give way more info than what’s written in the text here).