Dear Savannah,
Thank you so much for reaching out to us at the Disney Parks Moms Panel with your budgeting question!
My family has traveled to the Walt Disney World Resort on a variety of budgets, and I can definitely attest that you can make your proposed budget work for your trip. I have a number of suggestions that might work for you.
First, you will need to prioritize what is really important for your family. Maybe you want to splurge on one
character meal and then have the rest of the week be Quick-Service meals? Maybe there's one special souvenir that each of your children would like to bring home?
I recommend bringing some groceries and eating breakfast in your
Walt Disney World Resort hotel room before you head out for the day, and then you will only have two meals per day out. Also, did you know that cups of tap water are complimentary at Quick-Service dining locations? That alone can save you a ton of cash over buying bottles of water.
With my children and souvenirs, we always set a price limit at the beginning of the week and we hold a
gift card for each of them. They can choose whatever souvenirs they would like, but they must stick to the pre-set limit and then there are no additional purchases.
Last of all, leave a little bit of your budget for some magical fun like a last-second Mickey ice cream bar before the parade, or a glow wand to surprise the kids before the fireworks!
Hope that helps with your magical planning!
- Jan K.