I just got a check in the mail I wasn't expecting for awhile, and it comes when I also just got a new, great paying job. I really, really, really want to go to DL, but I know hubby will say no unless... I can make it for really cheap. I can't blame him - - we are trying to save for a house.

So...... any ideas on how I can do a three day weekend in DL for fairly inexpensive?

There are four of us - 2 adults, 2 kids (3 and 4), so everyone has to have a paid ticket. We have a mini-van, but, with such a short trip, I think its probably cheaper if we fly. We'd be coming from San Francisco.

We can eat breakfast at the hotel/in the room. We'd probably want at least one meal and a snack in the park. We tend to nibble a lot while we are in the parks.

I am totally flexible as to when we go. I have three-day weekends every weekend with my job, so it won't be a matter of taking a day off.

Any ideas?

I think the two most expensive items that can fluctuate in price. Check with SouthWest to get the best deals on airfare as the price can be quite inexpensive but if you go on the wrong weekend it could raise the price a lot. I would also look into getting an entertainment rate at the HoJo. Sometimes you can get a rate around $50-$60 a night with the entertainment rate but it depends on the time of year.

Figure gas will cost you $200, can you fly 4 for that price?

Entertainment rate is available at Hojos for June 13 and 14th!! ($75 for premium rooms, $59 for non premium!)

Figure gas will cost you $200, can you fly 4 for that price?

Entertainment rate is available at Hojos for June 13 and 14th!! ($75 for premium rooms, $59 for non premium!)

How do you get an entertainment rate?

How do you get an entertainment rate?When you book the rate onlline, put SD50 in the promo code. You will need to get a card (online www.entertainment.com) and they have a lot of discounts for it. If you need it faster, try Costco at the membership desk or Barnes and Noble (those are the ones who sell them around here.)

I just returned from my DL trip and only spent about $300 in gas. That was driving from Reno,NV in a gas guzzling full size truck. I think flying will be way more expensive than driving. You can also cut costs by bringing your own snacks in the park along with water bottles or capri suns for the kids.

I just priced Southwest from SFO to LAX and it was $692 for the 4. Add in $140 for shuttle to the hotel and back to the airport. Thats $840 vs $200 or so...

If you fly I would look into renting a car from the airport. We usually get one from hotwire for about 9.95 a day. Much cheaper than the shuttle. We usually fly into Orange county or Ontario airport. Closer and we have never hit traffic driving from there.

We drive a surburban when we come from the Reno area. Last time we made it on $100 each way without A/C. We often get last minute rooms on Priceline.
Take in your snacks and bottled water. Little ones tend to need snacks all day long and can nibble from your meals.

Congrats on your new job!

Take in your snacks and bottled water.

Remember that asking for a cup of water is always free!

I just did a fairly inexpensive "3 days in the park" trip. We stayed at Hojo's (Ent rate)for $204/3 nights: Sun-Mon-Tues. Left Stockton at 7 am - arrived mid afternoon, checked in and headed to Ca Adv for our first day. We saw/rode everything we wanted in CAdv, then went to DL for a couple more rides & Fantasmic. We ate conservatively - our nice dinner was at Mimi's. I have a Camry, gas cost exactly $99 for the whole trip. It's really nice to have your car down there - we ran to Walmart for a couple things, picking up some inexpensive, cute souvenirs. So the cost to each lady was $25 for gas; $50 for the room; $169 for a ticket plus food & souvenirs. I have an AP, so my trip was cheaper (but I made up for it in souvenirs for family/friends). I'm planning another trip with a diff group of friends in November - this time we reserved the "park view" rooms with the Ent rate, which really won't even cost that much more - and I'm looking forward to staying in a different type room. ($250/3 nights)
I personally don't think it's worth it to fly from our area - I don't think you save that much time - and it's a lot of hassle. A couple years ago, some of the guys from work went to a training in Riverside and one drove instead of flying and he actually made it back to Stockton before the guys that flew home.
You could also try Hotwire.com for your room - I've seen really cheap rates, like $35/nite - but you might end up needing a car, as you don't always get a place within the ART system.

I just did a fairly inexpensive "3 days in the park" trip. We stayed at Hojo's (Ent rate)for $204/3 nights: Sun-Mon-Tues. Left Stockton at 7 am - arrived mid afternoon, checked in and headed to Ca Adv for our first day. We saw/rode everything we wanted in CAdv, then went to DL for a couple more rides & Fantasmic. We ate conservatively - our nice dinner was at Mimi's. I have a Camry, gas cost exactly $99 for the whole trip. It's really nice to have your car down there - we ran to Walmart for a couple things, picking up some inexpensive, cute souvenirs. So the cost to each lady was $25 for gas; $50 for the room; $169 for a ticket plus food & souvenirs. I have an AP, so my trip was cheaper (but I made up for it in souvenirs for family/friends). I'm planning another trip with a diff group of friends in November - this time we reserved the "park view" rooms with the Ent rate, which really won't even cost that much more - and I'm looking forward to staying in a different type room. ($250/3 nights)
I personally don't think it's worth it to fly from our area - I don't think you save that much time - and it's a lot of hassle. A couple years ago, some of the guys from work went to a training in Riverside and one drove instead of flying and he actually made it back to Stockton before the guys that flew home.
You could also try Hotwire.com for your room - I've seen really cheap rates, like $35/nite - but you might end up needing a car, as you don't always get a place within the ART system.

Thanks, everyone!

The reason that I am thinking of flying is that we have a minivan and, right now, its costing us $80-90 to fill up. It takes us 2 tanks to get to LA. (We just did this trip at Christmas). Also, with the little guys, we tend to stop ALOT for potty breaks and running around and stretching legs... so, it takes us forever to drive to LA.

At Christmas, we were wrecked for the whole next day. So, with a short trip, I think it would be just nice to fly down on Thursday night, and then home again on Sunday.

As for eating, we usually try to eat outside the park. We're fine with Dennys or IHop or McDs. Of course, I like to try Mimis or places that aren't all around us at home, too.

Thanks for the tips (and the congrats, TinksMom!)

Keep em coming - - I've got lots to think about.

Keep em coming - - I've got lots to think about.

I would suggest getting at least one AP. The cost benefit may outweigh the actual cost. If you get an AP, you can save money on parking (unless you are close enough to walk) and food/souvenirs. My wife and I love to eat at Pizza Port and if we share a meal (pasta dish, bread and 2 drinks) we will frequently pay only about $20 for the food (a bit of a discount for using the AP). We also eat at Rancho ZoCal and Hungry Bear and save at least a few dollars each trip. For a bigger family, the savings might be even better.

You'll have to do some calculating but it might be worth it to at least look into purchasing the AP. If you cannot get the entertainment rate at the HoJo they do offer an AP discount that will save you some money from the rack rate.

*eat at the IHOP after 4pm - kids eat free
*eat at the continential breakfast if your hotel has one
*watch your snacking at the park - we find that its the snacks at $3-7 that realy hurt the budget more then the meals.
*you can save money if you dont buy souvenirs
*i also was goign to suggest a rental car versus the shuttle from the airport
*check out package deals with airfare. alaska is having one right now thru the summer that you still get the kids fly free and the 5 day pass for the price of 3.


also on gas, we are driving from seattle next month in a miniman and gas should only be about $450 total, it was only $325 last august when we drove and $380 when we drove last month.

Thanks, everyone!

The reason that I am thinking of flying is that we have a minivan and, right now, its costing us $80-90 to fill up. It takes us 2 tanks to get to LA. (We just did this trip at Christmas). Also, with the little guys, we tend to stop ALOT for potty breaks and running around and stretching legs... so, it takes us forever to drive to LA. As a mom who did this trip solo with 4 kids, my suggestion would be either a. drive Thurs night and get in about 1am, sleep in and hit the park Fri or b. drive early (as in 3am) and get there by noon. We did this trip often. With the exception of when we were potty training, we make 1, maybe 2 stops on the way down. The kids each would have a baggie of snacks and a drink in their seats. And, as all will attest to, we played kids music all the way down. (I still know the "Gummiberry Juice" and "Ducktales" songs by heart. Disney's Cartoon Afternoon tapes...)

But, $700 to fly isn't a cheap trip.

As a mom who did this trip solo with 4 kids, my suggestion would be either a. drive Thurs night and get in about 1am, sleep in and hit the park Fri or b. drive early (as in 3am) and get there by noon. We did this trip often. With the exception of when we were potty training, we make 1, maybe 2 stops on the way down. The kids each would have a baggie of snacks and a drink in their seats. And, as all will attest to, we played kids music all the way down. (I still know the "Gummiberry Juice" and "Ducktales" songs by heart. Disney's Cartoon Afternoon tapes...)

But, $700 to fly isn't a cheap trip.

Hmm, that's an interesting point. Unfortunately, we are still potty training the youngest, so, the frequent stops become necessary. Although, I am not adverse to plopping her into pullups just for the drive, just in case.

I thought about driving down Thursday night but was so afraid we'd be so tired.... hmm, I'll have to think about it.

As for the Annual passes - if you buy them in advance, does it start calculating from the day you buy them or the first day you use them? We are planning a big family trip in February, so this would be a wise investment for us. I agree that getting one with the discounts and the rest regular would be alright.

I don't know if I should admit to this, but, when our youngest was being potty trained/fresh out of diapers, we carried a little potty in our van. It was big enough to have it behind a seat, giving him privacy and not having it obvious. We had one with a lid, kept it closed, and had wipes and such for cleaning. It takes keeping things sanitized but you know it is cleaner than rest stop restrooms at least, right?

And, with a van, if you get there early, park and let the kids sleep on the benches {well, I am remembering our van, it had two bench seats.....}.

Snacks into the park are great, bottled water, and, fruit. I always carry fruit.

Have fun!

As for the Annual passes - if you buy them in advance, does it start calculating from the day you buy them or the first day you use them?
The AP date would be the date you enter the park.

I don't know if I should admit to this, but, when our youngest was being potty trained/fresh out of diapers, we carried a little potty in our van. It was big enough to have it behind a seat, giving him privacy and not having it obvious. We had one with a lid, kept it closed, and had wipes and such for cleaning. It takes keeping things sanitized but you know it is cleaner than rest stop restrooms at least, right?

I LOVE my porta-potty, LOL. Mine is the one that folds up and uses gallon sized ziplocks. It's awesome. We haven't used it often but when we've needed it, it's been great to have around. And I have peace of mind just knowing that it's in the car, just in case we need it.

Adrienne

adriennek~ ooo, from one mom to another, I think I am having potty envy!! ;)
I agree, just having it, whether or not you use it often, is just a real peace of mind. Imagine being an adult and needing to use the restroom, then think of a little one in a state of urgency!!

my cousin will be bringing one of those portable pottys on our trip next year for her 3 year old. although since we always go with my mom we never have to worry about stopping for the kids, we are already stopping for her ;)

if you are going again in february i would look into AP's for the entire group. we got them for our trip last august and it saved a lot of money when we went next month and then because we have them we are squezing in this third trip.

Yes, I believe we will definitely get the APs because then I can convince my DH to go more often... ;)

adriennek~ ooo, from one mom to another, I think I am having potty envy!! ;)

Click at your own risk. (http://www.onestepahead.com/product/osa/361755.html) Not to make you too green or anything. ;) :eek: Other stores have it too, like Right Start. Here's a review with more information about it (http://www.thingamababy.com/baby/2006/12/review_travel_p.html) and the pictures in the review are the same "color" as mine. :)


Adrienne

We have about an 11 hour trip that we do at least twice a year. We leave around 4:00am so we can get in at least 4 hours of travel with the kids (15,8 & 7) still asleep. We stop when they wake up for breakfast and then make one stop at a rest area and another for lunch. We used to stop 1/2 way and spend the night, but have found that doing the trip in one day is so much better. We do have a DVD player in the car and the kids all have Nintendo DS's to help keep them busy. We usually get to our hotel between 3:00-4:00. The kids like to spend a couple hours swimming or going to Downtown Disney and get to bed around 10:00pm so we are ready to hit the parks early in the morning.