Young couple going to Disney World, wondering how to budget?
My girlfriend and I will be going to Disney World/ Universal Studios/ Busch Gardens for her 21st birthday. Our budget is about 00 or less, haven’t decided yet, but we plan on being in the Orlando area at least a week and a half. Her birthday is in January, therefore, the basic plan now is January 5th – 8th at Universal, staying on site. Disney World 8th – 13th. & Busch Gardens and Sea World somewhere in between, or after, or before we do not know yet.
With that, since it is her 21st, we would like to enjoy some cocktails. With that budget, we have included the resorts, food, and tickets. I was wondering how much we should allow for tips & alcohol. We aren’t looking to get drunk in the parks are anything of the sort, but to have a few drinks with dinner then go out & experience the night life.
Does anyone have any suggestions about how much we should budget for alcohol & tips? Because we have no idea, & we want to be fair. We will be on the Disney Dining Plan (Deluxe) so yeah. Also, if anyone has any suggestions as to where we should eat, drink, and be merry please, give all the advice! This will be my first trip ever to Orlando, and her 2nd. Anything helps! We also have not decided on which resort to stay at, it’s going to be a moderate one, so yeah.
If you have anything to say, say it! Thank you 
Ah, thank you to the first two who have answered. That has sort of helped, but to the first who has answered, I am WELL aware of the locations of each destination we will be attending, so no need for all that non sense.
I am simply looking to how to budget for the alcohol expenses! We do like to drink, and we basically want to know something of the matter of how much we should allow in our budget each day for alcohol & tips! 0, 0 each day? Just curious!! I have done some research, but none have really said how to budget it into the whole trip, so yeah.
Thanks
For the alcohol, just go and get the 50ml shots and pack those in your suitcase in a sealed, Ziploc bag. Also, the pints and half pints of liquor that are in plastic bottles (and there are lots and lots of them) travel very well in a similar manner. That way, you can drink some in the hotel when you’re having some downtime, and you save money that way.
Cocktails at Disney are quite expensive. I would expect nothing LESS than about 9-12 dollars PER DRINK. I bought one last year at Chef Mickey’s that I bought for 15 because it came with an ice cube and it was a special occasion. So, keep that in mind.
I’m more budget conscious when it comes to drinking, and I just can’t fathom doing more than a couple of drinks at a restaurant during my Disney vacation… I was more than happy taking my liquor with me and getting pop to mix it with at the hotel lobby.
Speaking of which, you can (and should) get the refillable drink mug (if it doesn’t already come with your dining plan), so there is your mixer right there… A little bit of cherry vodka in some Coke? Raspberry vodka in Sprite? Captain and Coke? Vodka and Iced Tea? Delicious and WAY less than 12 dollars. It does the job.
As far as places to eat, I’d definitely hit up Chef Mickey’s (it’s character dining, so you meet the classic Disney characters) at the Contemporary, Cosmic Ray’s(quick service in Magic Kingdom), the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre (at Hollywood Studios), Pizza Planet (really busy quick service, but it’s themed like Pizza Planet from Toy Story, also at Hollywood Studios), and Sunshine Seasons at The Land at EPCOT.
There are lots more, but here’s a menu list of all the restaurants at Disney World. http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm
First of all you seem to be planning an awful lot of jumping around. DisneyWorld is in Orange County, outside of Orlando. Universal is in the city of Orlando, more than a few miles away. Sea World is in a different area. Busch Gardens is in Tampa, close to 90 miles away. Of course there is the tourist area basically adjacent to Disney and Universal. The whole Orlando area is quite extended. Over two million people and about 50 miles south to north and 40 miles east to west. Also to the east are the beaches and the Space Center. The gulf beaches to the west are close to a two hour drive. (closer to Busch Gardens). Dining in the Disney area, you can find all you can eat buffets for less than 15 dollars for the two. You can also find very fine dining restaurants where a great meal for two will easily set you back close to 300 dollars. You should get your search engines working properly and you can find everything and more about hotel, restaurants, bars, theme parks, water parks etc etc. For dining I use Urban Spoon and so far it has been quite accurate. I would be careful with hearsay comments. Sometimes way outdated and also may be promoting a certain place.. For drinks etc. Disney has closed the famous Pleasure Island night club complex. Now
many places are located at Downtown Disney and there is no entrance fee. BTW You won’t go hungry or thirsty
I know what you mean…I usually have a couple of adult beverages when I’m in Orlando myself. Not a bunch, theme parks are kind of self-limiting on drinking, lol. Epcot’s World Showcase is the best place to eat and drink. They’ve replaced my favorite spot there, the quick serve place in Mexico, but I’m sure the margaritas are still good. My second favorite is Fat Tuesday’s in Citiwalk. Yeah, I like the girly drinks. And they’re great after a day running around the parks.
If you want the inside info on this kind of thing, I suggest the Party Through the Parks blog. It’s a bit disorganized but very informative. Allears.net has menus for most of Disney so if you’re looking just for prices, that might be a bit easier.
And if you haven’t been to Orlando and the theme parks, you have no idea how much fun you’re gonna have. Enjoy.
ETA: It’s hard to give a budget for "a few drinks" because that could mean 1 or 2, or 6 if you’re out late. Also, a shot of primo tequila at the Mexican pavilion will run you a lot more than a domestic beer from a cart. Margarita’s at Citrico’s are $10.50, while a sangria is $8. See why it’s difficult to give you a firm number? It really depends on your tastes, which I don’t really know. I figure you’ll get a better idea if you know how much drinks are and make a rough estimate based on what your idea of what you want to do.
I generally tip at least 15% on drinks, and usually more. (After a couple of drinks, of course, lol.) Bartenders are not good people to stiff.
Hope that helps, even though it probably doesn’t. Budgeting for vacations is something you kinda have to learn as you go along.
I would budget $10 per alcoholic drink! You will probably be less than that depending on what you are drinking but should allow you enough for tip too. You can always have a few drinks in your room too! The moderate resorts have a refrigerator. I have done the split stay and would recommend staying on site at Universal and then on site at Disney! They both usually offer promotions around january because it is an off-peak time which is great for you. Les expensive and less crowded! I love my authorized disney travel planner – she has always saved me money and I love all the goodies she does too! It doesn’t cost you anything to use someone, only added perks! If you want her contact info email me and I will get it to you.