Looking for the Disney Vacation Breakdown part 1? Click here to start.

Okay, so first we’re going to talk resorts.

There are 3 different categories, and what I like to call the “Big Daddy” of resorts on the Disney property.

Now, there are other resorts on site- for Disney Vacation Club. That’s like a time-share kind of thing. Since we aren’t doing it, and have no plans to, I’m not going to include that information on here. I’m just mean like that.

What I will do is give you the price range of value season, regular season, peak season and holiday season. So the smallest number represents standard value season, and the largest number represents deluxe (options for the rooms) holiday season. This is simply a range. Want to know a specific resort’s price for a certain time frame? Call Disney at (407) 939-742 or your travel agent.

Okay, so there are:

your value resorts: All Star, Pop Century which will run you $82-$174 a night. Why the big jump in price? It depends on what time of year you’re planning on going, and what kind of room options you want. Want a room with a view? You’re going to pay for it. Just like anywhere else.

your moderate resorts: Caribbean Beach, Coronado Springs, Fort Wilderness, Port Orleans Riverside, Port Orleans French Quarter will run you $149-$905. Big jump in price right? Well, Fort Wilderness you can reserve a private cabin and Coronado Springs has 1 bedroom suites.

your deluxe resorts: Animal Kingdom Lodge, Beach Club, Boardwalk Inn, Contemporary, Dolphin, Polynesian, Shades of Green (a military/DOD resort), Swan, Wilderness Lodge, Yacht Club which will run you $240-$1210 a night. Shades of Green can start out at $89 a night, but this resort is based on your pay grade or rank. The Beach Club, Yacht Club and Boardwalk Inn all have 2 bedroom suites.

and the resort all other resorts hope to grow up to be: The Grand Floridian. Ahhhh, the Grand Floridian. We were dumb lucky enough to stay here for our honeymoon. It did not disappoint. However, we’re still paying off that trip.

Which is why I am teaching my child that credit cards are evil- and if you think they aren’t- you probably work for a credit card company. But enough of my rant…

The Grand Floridian is amazing. And will run you $410-$1040 a night. Yes, it STARTS out at $410. Looking back, it’s not worth it. Why? You can stay at Port Orleans French Quarter for a fraction of the price and still get the beautiful, luxurious (and private) feeling you get at The Grand Floridian (this is my opinion, so all you Disney people that disagree with me, that’s cool, but it’s my opinion so don’t hang me for it).I’d just rather spend that $300 somewhere else in the park like drinking my way around the world in EPCOT for souvenirs.

We’re staying at Port Orleans French Quarter (surprised, right? LOL) during value season, and are having a standard room. But, because we bought a package through AAA, we get a discount. And a pretty decent one at that. Rooms normally run for $149 a night. I honestly don’t know how much we’re paying for the room itself because of the way the package is set up. It’s literally all bunched together.

Up next: I’ll be posting my family’s package, so stay tuned!

As most of you know, I am a Disney fanatic and try to hit the ‘World at the very least- once a year.

This year- I’m going to tell all of you the cost of this year’s vacation.

Why?

Because we like you I want you to see what an average Disney vacation costs.

We don’t do the cheapest vacations, so don’t go thinking that this is the “frugal route”. We prefer the moderate hotels, and are willing to pay a little extra for them. We also spoil our little princess to the MAX and like to hit up all the “Princess on Crack” events. Which can cost you significantly extra dough.

We always book through AAA, because I feel we get the best deal for what we want. On average, we go in the off months, so through AAA we can save anywhere from 20-30% right out the gate. This isn’t even counting what Disney might offer, in terms of Pin Codes ( there will be more on those little buggers later) and public special offers.

We do the Disney Deluxe Dining Plan. Let me say this: THIS PLAN IS NOT RIGHT FOR EVERYONE. We just happen to like sit-down restaurants. You can purchase much cheaper dining plans through Disney and still have VERY nice meals. We like to be pampered when we eat 100%. We also like Character Meals- just not the price tag of them. And I really like the 2 snack credit per-day allotment. You’d be surprised to see what goodies are on that list. I don’t have to shell out $4 for that giant chocolate-covered strawberry in Hollywood Studios. The dining plan is great because you pay for your meals in advance, so it takes the sting out of ordering that $9 burger. That, and you can come out ahead if you know what restaurants to hit, and which ones to avoid- to make the most of your credits. I will be writing more on this as well. Including how to do and decide your advance dining reservations.

Oh- and we can make payments IN CASH. I can walk into any AAA office, and hand them a check and they apply it to my vacation. And I don’t have to incur any credit card debt. Which in my opinion, a life saver in the long run. I just don’t use credit cards. They are EVIL. No good can come of them. Really (okay, so I’m being a little dramatic on this one, but I’m trying to teach my kid to not use them.).

You have to have your Disney Vacation paid in full 45 days before your arrival. This gives you a few extra weeks to save a little more spending cash. But, if you’re on the dining plan, what you spend at Disney World will be less. A LOT LESS. Last year, we spent $350 on souvenirs, ponchos (don’t get me started on that one) AND the Bippidy Boppidy Boutique.

You read that right.

We spent a week at Disney- and only spent $350 cash- and we had our daughter’s 4th birthday there.

So while you might be spending a lot upfront, in terms of paying for your vacation, it will pay off in the long run. Think of it as an investment, for your wallet and vacation.

Stay tuned for the number crunching…

See you real soon!

You know the awesome promotion Disney was doing for the give-a-day-get-a-day (you know the one, where you volunteer and get a free ticket to Disney)?

Well…

They’ve reached their one million- on March 9th!

So what does that mean?

If you signed up for the give-a-day-get-a-day program and already have entered your date- you’re cool.

However-

If you signed up for the give-a-day-get-a-day program and have not entered your date in yet-

You missed out. Big time.

And guess what? I was one of those people.

GAH!

On the 2010 AAA Four Diamond lodgings list:

Disney’s BoardWalk Inn for the first time,  joined five other Walt Disney World Resort hotels (CONGRATULATIONS!!) 

Disney’s Beach Club Resort (3 years),

Disney’s Contemporary Resort (3 years),

Disney’s Polynesian Resort (3 years),

Disney’s Yacht Club Resort (19 years- and where our wedding ceremony was held),

and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa (duh, and 21 years).

So make sure you book a family vacation soon! These places are stunning! Way to go AAA for noticing!

Next week, Disney will be announcing its plans for a payment plan on their annual passes! The “word on the street” is that it will be an average of $40-$50 a month. As soon as I hear more, you’ll see it here!