I suggest applying for a Southwest credit card and making sure you get those 50,000 (although sometimes it's only 40000) rapid rewards points by hitting the spending requirement within the required time and paying off the balance in full each month (so no interest charges). THEN start stalking the southwest site so you know when the booking window opens for your travel dates and book on the first day it opens, as early as possible, to get the best airfare "price" (because you'll be booking on points). On Southwest you can book each direction separately, so you can book as many legs as possible on your points. (For example, both of you could travel on points TO Orlando and then one on points home and one for cash home, if you don't have enough points for 2 roundtrip tickets- the cost is the same whether you book your flights as 2 one-ways or one round trip each).
Check the cost of hotel rooms on Orbitz, when they are running a sale. You can usually add their sale code to the price of the Disney room to bring down the cost by about 15% (that's the current sale). However... you need to look at the offsite hotel cost and include a rental car and parking to do an actual cost comparison (see below). Always remember to also look at the benefits of being in an onsite vs. offsite hotel. Oftentimes we find it's worth the cost of a rental car and parking to be in a bigger, nicer, free-breakfast offsite hotel than a small Disney Value (with 2 double beds). DOn't get me wrong, if the money is right we choose ASMusic, but I DO hate using the Disney bus system (and don't love being tied into Disney 24/7 for meals, souvenirs, etc.)
I like Kayak for finding prices on airfare (although Southwest doesn't list on Kayak). It's easy to play around with your dates to see when they find the cheapest airfare for your itinerary. Of course, this is moot if you have "free" airfare on Southwest.
Best car rental site is carrentalsavers.com. I am always shocked when people say they spend $300 a week for a rental car in Orlando. I've never spent more than $140, taxes included. Car rental prices fluctuate faster than you can blink, so book a rate you can live with and then KEEP CHECKING... daily, multiple times daily, whenever you have the opportunity. DO NOT BOOK A CAR that requires a credit card for booking. Basically none of the rental companies require this- if they do, look elsewhere, look elsewhere. When you find a cheaper rate, book it and then cancel the previous rate. You won't need a big vehicle- you just need to get to and from the airport and theme parks. Also, don't do an advance purchase car rental. They rarely end up being cheaper. Just keep booking and looking... ALSO... check your car insurance policy and your credit card agreements. Usually there is NO NEED to take the insurance that the car rental company tries to scare you into purchasing. If you have any kind of loan for your vehicle, you more than likely have the coverage on your own insurance policy, and most credit cards provide car rental insurance as a benefit.
As people have said, you can bring your own breakfast foods and water bottles in a checked suitcase. The water at Disney is abysmal, so I usually just pack my brita pitcher (and filter the water in the hotel room) and a couple of empty water bottles- much easier than trying to pack bottled water. Remember that most airlines (not southwest) charge you to check a suitcase, so that's another cost if you are packing food to bring with you. Garden Grocer is an option, but their prices are high and there's that delivery cost... it all adds up. We usually bring breakfast food and snacks as we fly southwest and can each have 2 checked suitcases for FREE!! (and a carry-on and a personal item each, too!)
Sign up for the Mousesavers newsletter. You'll get access to a "bigger" discount on tickets through
Undercover Tourist than if you just go to
UT's site. However, it's not a very big discount. Disney tickets usually don't get discounted very much. I have gotten better deals through my union, but not everyone has that ability. Check LOTS of online ticket sites and see what kind of sales they are running. We usually don't get tickets for arrival or departure day, as there are many "free" things to do at WDW. You can ride the boats, buses, monorails. Go to Disney Springs or the Disney Boardwalk. See the MK fireworks from the Contemporary, Polynesian, or Grand Floridian. Watch the Electrical Water Pageant from these locations. Explore the different resorts. Use the monorail and lounge hop at the 3 monorail resorts. Go to the Atlantic Dance Hall or Jelly Rolls. On check-out day if our flight is in the afternoon, we'll have brunch at Boma, then head for the airport. There is just no way that I'd be able to relax in a theme park on going home day if I also had to keep my eye on the clock, worrying about getting to MCO in time for my flight!!
*** Here's how my current reservation breaks down, comparing onsite or offsite: For our travel dates in July, a room at ASSports for 7 nights would be $779 using Orbitz's current code (without the code it's $897). I wouldn't need a rental car or to pay for parking at WDW. HOWEVER... I booked for $504 at Fairfield Inn Lake Buena Vista at the Marriott Village and have a rental car for $146 which, with $100 for 5 days of parking at WDW, is just about a break-even price ($750). I will have to pay for gas and tolls with my rental, but we won't be spending time waiting for buses, or having to plan 2 hours to go from ASSports to any other Disney resort hotel for dinner (we are big fans of Boma!). FFI includes breakfast every day and I have reserved a king-bedded room; most Disney values have 2 double beds in them (VERY few King bedded rooms and you cannot reserve them). There is no resort fee at either FFI or ASSp, and I won't have to pay for parking at FFI (perk of a AAA reservation). We'll have the flexibility of having a car, being able to go to off-site restaurants, grocery store for water and snacks, setting our own schedules, and have a bigger room with nicer amenities, king bed, etc. If we wanted to stay at a Disney moderate, or rent DVC points, the on-site cost would soar.
Honestly, if I can't take DD and myself to Disney for 5-7 days for under $2000, we don't go- but we have "free" airfare on SW points, and I usually have some Disney VISA points built up to offset the cost of food, park snacks, and souvenirs. I think you can easily do this trip on your budget, without feeling like you are shorting yourselves. Just remember that it's always fun to know you had a vacation you could afford!
