Disneyland Planning

The year was 1989 and it was around Christmas time, we had just had dinner and my parents announced they had a surprise for my brother and I.  We had to play a game to find out what the surprise was.  The game was Hangman.  A blank piece of paper looked like this (minus the dead guy):

 

_ _ _   _ _ _  _ _ _ _ _   _ _   _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _!

After a few minutes, the game was played and the blanks revealed "You are going to Disneyland!".  I ran around screaming and then went up to my room to call my best friend to tell her the news.  I remember my Brother pouting in a corner, he did not want to go.  "Are you CRAZY?" I screamed at him! "It's DISNEYLAND, the happiest place on earth!".   He eventually got excited and we had a blast, well maybe not during that one day where we spent our allowance on twinkies and ho-ho's in the hotel lobby and ended up barfing that night.  #sugaroverload

Even though it was over 23 years ago I still have fond memories of my trip and still have the teddy bear & stuffed monkey I bought at the Anaheim Hotel lobby (the bear is in Mason's room).

Okay so yeah that was my experience, sorry got a bit carried away with nostalgia.       My point of this writing this blog is because...

This past week I received a message from a long time friend stating they had just booked their flights to Anaheim to take their children (their 2nd time) to Disneyland.  WestJet was having a 1 day sale and the price was fantastic.   Since Mason was two, I have been thinking about when to take him and was waiting for a 'kids fly free' special from WestJet.

 It didn't take much convincing for me to drop what I was doing (working) and go on the site to see what the prices were like.  $600 including tax for BOTH Mason and I? (I can't fly to the Island for that price!).  Within 20 mins, our flights were booked.  So now the fun part begins, trying to find a good hotel (a lot are already booked at this point) and stay within a budget.  How does one budget for Disneyland? Well I have found about 10 websites about going to Disneyland on the cheap, so I thought I'd write two blogs, one for planning and one afterwards for the experience.  Save some people from having to do their own research.  So here we go!

Budget Buckets

  1. Flight & Hotel (best if you can get a package) $660.20 + est $1050
  2. Travel Insurance (if needed) N/A
  3. Food est $250
  4. Disneyland park tickets $550
  5. Souvenirs est $100
  6. Transportation est $50
  7. Other excursions LegoLand $162.00 tickets only

Total Estimated Cost $2800 (determined to reduce this!)

Flights

Since our flights are already booked, I can share what the total cost is $662.20 (including tax & fees. $216.22 was for these alone).   The flight cost includes:

 

  • One complimentary checked bag *
  • Fully refundable if cancelled within 24 hours of booking **
  • Advanced seat selection - $5-34.50 *
  • $75-86.25 itinerary change fee + applicable fare difference
  • $75-86.25 name change fee
  • $75-86.25 cancellation fee, balance credited toward future WestJet flight purchases ~
  • * Not applicable on flights operated by our airline partners
  • ** Excluding flights departing within 24 hours of booking
  • ~ Non-refundable to original form of payment

 

Okay good to know.  2 suitcases will be plenty for the two of us!

Hotel

There are many booking options:

  1. Travel agent (www.flightcentre.ca or local company)
  2. Travel sites (www.expedia, priceline.ca, cheapflights.ca, travlocity.ca)
  3. VBRO.com (Condo/townhouse rentals)

We  are currently using a travel agent to find us a good deal on a hotel but from the prices I see, most were $130+ whereas the condo was a bit less.  We are trying to find something less than $150 including tax.

Travel Insurance

Dependent on whether you have sufficient coverage through your Employer insurance. If not, it will be based on the provider you choose.  Westjet offers travel insurance through RBC Insurance.

You can request an instant quote by clicking here.  They have four packages:

Classical medical, Non Medical, Deluxe (covers  all four) & Cancellation.  Prices range from $69 - $162 for both travelers.

I opted out and consulted my HR lady instead, she forwarded me the handbook and medical card to carry on my trip.  Our provider is SunLife  (please refer to your own extended benefits package for what you are covered for as they vary).  It looks like the plan I am on is pretty comprehensive. 

Food

From what I see online, DL is notorious for charging exorborent prices for food.  People have resorted to taking snacks in fanny packs (they said big back packs can't be taken on rides).  

DL Tickets

When I told my Mom how much tickets were nowadays she almost had a heart attack. For our family of four back in 1990, tickets were $35.  THIRTY-FIVE dollars.  Now tickets are in the hundreds.  Click here to see how much more.

We are going to opt for 4 day park hopper.  Total cost $550

Next post will be on planning...expect that one in early January :)

Have anything to add? Please leave a comment! Thank you!

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