Do not go on Spring Break.
It is one of the worst times to go, specially if it is the first time you go and don’t know your way around. The crowds are horrendous.

You could stay at the Magic Castle for $38 a night!

Anonymous wrote:I'm not a Disney hater, but I also wouldn't go to the parks on spring break. Prices will be high and everything will be crowded. But stay onsite, take a break in the afternoon and go back to the parks in the evening. Use their transportation.

I'm a huge Disney lover, but I agree. You are better off especially if your kids are elementary school age or younger to just pull them out of school for a few days and go for a long weekend in September or October. It will save you money and the crowds will be much more manageable.

Saw $127 for airfare today (assuming you are in DC area and gimgvthe last week of March).

It's peak season, so yes the park tickets will be pricey.

Next time, consider getting a credit card with frequent flyer miles. Do your homework and look for deals. You can get the fee waived/reimbursed sometimes. Read the details b/c places like groceries stores/gas stations will give you double miles, for example.
This is how we're paying for the family airfare.

Also, there are 3 tiers for (on site) Disney lodging - low, medium, and upper. Consider the low or medium tier for hotels (we had great experiences at the Coronado and Riverside).

Also, AAA had a coupon code that saved you a few bucks. DH met with them to set that up for lodging/tickets.

I'm not a Disney hater, but I also wouldn't go to the parks on spring break. Prices will be high and everything will be crowded. But stay onsite, take a break in the afternoon and go back to the parks in the evening. Use their transportation.

Anonymous wrote:Yes, for almost $5,000, you too can journey to the land of plastic magic, and vacation stroller-to-stroller, cheek to jowl, with every other two-parents-and-a-6 year-old-and-4 year-old family in the country.

Or, you could to Europe and see something real for approximately the same price.

THIS. BTDT - one time only. Never again.

It's the hotels. There are still good airfares and the tickets are always the same price. You can save a lot if you stay off site. Also could try the Dolphin/Swan and Costco has some packages.

It is crazy expensive at Spring Break. BTDT.

It's a very popular time to go so hotels and flights are more expensive. This is true of any popular spring break destination.

And of course, it depends what hotel you stay at.

Anonymous wrote:Just bought tickets today for $656 total for family of four. There was a different fight for $557!

This was DCA to MCO on Southwest. Had to play around with dates a bit.

But now I am in same situation as you trying to figure out where to stay.

To clarify, the $557 was also the total for all 4 tickets but we wanted a later flight.

Yup, it’s ridiculously expensive. I did a ton of research, and unless you’re military, there aren’t a lot of ways to save, particularly on the park tickets. We’re going for 4 nights/ 5 days later this month, staying at a moderate resort, 4 park days, and pretty cheap flights, and total costs will be about 3.5k for our family of 4.

Yes, for almost $5,000, you too can journey to the land of plastic magic, and vacation stroller-to-stroller, cheek to jowl, with every other two-parents-and-a-6 year-old-and-4 year-old family in the country.

Or, you could to Europe and see something real for approximately the same price.

Just bought tickets today for $656 total for family of four. There was a different fight for $557!

This was DCA to MCO on Southwest. Had to play around with dates a bit.

But now I am in same situation as you trying to figure out where to stay.

Looking at a Disney vacation this March (yes I know I'm late). It looks like almost $4,500 for lodging and park tickets Monday - Friday, then $1,600 in round-trip flights for a family of 4. Is this normal? It seems ridiculous, but this is my first time booking so I don't know...