Firstly, I apologize if this thread has been posted, I tried searching but couldn't find a good answer to my question. I am wondering, what do most people budget for a WDW trip, let's say for a week? What does it cost you all in, and what do you get for that? We are going in May on the cheap (using points to fly, staying off site at a timeshare that was a deal, getting our tix on points), so I am wondering, what do you plan to put away for a week trip if you are paying for it all and what does that give you? I want to start saving long term for trips (we seem to always be short notice) so want to figure out what to budget realistically.

You will want to think about the type of food (counter vs. table service) how much you plan to bring in the park or eat offsite, how much you intend to spend for souvenirs, etc. Those questions will vary the amount WIDELY, but some clues about them will help people here answer your question.

This is going to be one of those "your mileage may vary" sorts of things. For us, we have spent as little as $2000 for a week. And there have been times where we have spent nearly $5000 for a trip that included a DCL cruise. But there are a couple of ways to look at it.... how much does a trip cost vs. what do we want to (or can) spend.

We break it down into several areas:
Lodging
--- How long do we want to stay?
--- How much are we willing to spend per day?
--- What are we willing to give up in order to stay longer?
Transportation
--- Are we going to use frequent flier miles?
--- Are we flying out of Chicago or Indy?
--- Are we going to drive?
--- Parking costs at airport
Food
--- DDP vs No DDP.
Park Tickets
--- Park hoppers vs annual passes (if we are returning later within the year.)
--- Will we want to add the WP&M option?
Incidentals
--- Souvineers
--- Extra snacks / food
Preparation costs.
--- Are we staying the night at a hotel the night before?
--- do we need to get new shoes or any new clothes?

Generally speaking, our family of four can usually get away with a real nice week trip in the off season for under $3000, including transportation costs. That may sound like a lot but in using the Disney Visa and its 0% offer, it helps us afford it both for the down payment and the final payment. Spreading those costs out (and not paying interest) really makes a difference.

There was a show on the Fine Living Network that talked about "what you get for $1500" and it showed what different families did for that cost. It was real interesting to see what they did with that budget and how long it lasted. I also believe that the MousePlanet podcast recently talked about this very topic as well. (You might want to try to find it via iTunes.)

The nice part about a Disney vacation is that you can do it on a budget or you can spend a lot more and do a lot more. Its all about what you want.

Hope that helps.