How much is your 2025 vacation going to cost you?

[leebee]

DH and I are taking DD, SIL, and TheLittleGuy for his first trip to Disney in May.
>Hotel pre-flight $180
>RT airfare, MHT-MCO, $56 (taxes, flying on SW rapid rewards points)
>RT MCO/Disney on Mears $160 (we'll use Disney buses when onsite)
>2 rooms, AllStarMovies preferred $450 oop ($1750 (BounceBack) but $1300 of this will be covered by Disney VISA points)
>3 day base tickets $1700 ($2255 but I have some money "on hold" with Disney from a covid-cancelled trip to help here).
>Splitsville $155 (I know... for bowling...)

SO $2701 but I have $650 in Disney gift cards bought at 10% off (so only paid $585 for them) to offset this. However, these are the basics. It doesn't include driving two cars round-trip to near the airport (MHT) or one car parking at the airport for 5 nights. It also doesn't include meals. We will do a grocery order to cover breakfasts in the room, as well as room snacks and water. We are planning on one QS and one TS meal per person, per day, but some of our ADRs will be at restaurants that give 10% discount when using my Disney VISA (Boma, Biergarten).

Once the time gets closer I will "run the numbers" and buy Disney gift cards at Target (so 5% off, unless I find a better deal) to pay the outstanding balances on the tickets.

 

[Pinkjgray]

DH and I are taking DD, SIL, and TheLittleGuy for his first trip to Disney in May.
>Hotel pre-flight $180
>RT airfare, MHT-MCO, $56 (taxes, flying on SW rapid rewards points)
>RT MCO/Disney on Mears $160 (we'll use Disney buses when onsite)
>2 rooms, AllStarMovies preferred $450 oop ($1750 (BounceBack) but $1300 of this will be covered by Disney VISA points)
>3 day base tickets $1700 ($2255 but I have some money "on hold" with Disney from a covid-cancelled trip to help here).
>Splitsville $155 (I know... for bowling...)

SO $2701 but I have $650 in Disney gift cards bought at 10% off (so only paid $585 for them) to offset this. However, these are the basics. It doesn't include driving two cars round-trip to near the airport (MHT) or one car parking at the airport for 5 nights. It also doesn't include meals. We will do a grocery order to cover breakfasts in the room, as well as room snacks and water. We are planning on one QS and one TS meal per person, per day, but some of our ADRs will be at restaurants that give 10% discount when using my Disney VISA (Boma, Biergarten).

Once the time gets closer I will "run the numbers" and buy Disney gift cards at Target (so 5% off, unless I find a better deal) to pay the outstanding balances on the tickets.

Nice! However, how did you rack up $1300 in Disney Visa points?

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

Disneyland/Legoland trip for my son's 6th birthday

Rental car 5/26-6/4 = $408.17
2 nights at the Best Western Carlsbad by the Sea = $371.58
(3) 2 day tickets to Lego Land = $320.28
5 nights at Anaheim Desert Inn & Suites =$ 1281.15
(2) DL Adult 3 Day non parkhopper tickets = $778
(1) DL Child 3 day non parkhopper ticket = $389

Total = $3548.18

 

[AngieInOH]

Jan 2025 Disney Trip - 5 people

$3,377 AoA
$3,664 6 Day tickets
$3,500 Food
$2,422 Merch (includs art purchases at Epcot FoARTS)
$2,320 Flight
$1,184 Lightening Lane

$16,500 TOTAL YIKES!!!

 

[Maxnesta]

Sounds like some amazing trips planned! That GTY rate on the Magic was a steal, and splurging a bit for your birthday sounds totally worth it! For LA, maybe check out Santa Monica if you want a beach vibe, or West Hollywood if you're into exploring cool restaurants and nightlife. Hope you have the best time!

 

[stitchfan75]

June 22-28

AoA Cars Family Suite (6 nights) : $1667.82 (Cast member Discount)
Disney 4 day non PH tickets for 3 adults: $1821.96 (Sam's Club)
Universal EPIC 1 day tickets (3 adults): $537
Travel costs (driving from Fort Worth): $500 (stopping in Tallahassee for the night)
Pet sitting: $300
Total: $4826.78

Everyone is responsible for their own food and souvenirs. I have budgeted $1000 for myself since I don't eat a lot and the only thing I go crazy for is mickey ears.

 

[ChipTheRescueRanger]

Im sure some of you are interested in what international guests pay for hotel and tickets.

7 nights August 2 people Wilderness lodge Resort View
Disney Dinning plan
14 night ticket including memory maker and park hopping

Total £3824.00 what's around $5000

We will ignore the 2 nights at Stella nova 1 day epic and 7 night treasure cruise.... As I don't want to depress myself haha

 

[kylenne]

I have three trips this year:

1) May 26 - June 3, with 3 adults (me, partner, BFF):

3 night stay at BWI: $2434.51 (resort view AP discount)
6 night stay at Poly: $3967.35 (resort view AP discount)
10 day PH for BFF: $865.16 from Boardwalk Ticketing
Flights: Delta, $66 in taxes (all booked on Skymiles)
Airport transfer: $120 RT

Total: $7453.02

Hotel reservations were entirely paid for with discounted GCs from Target (Red Card/5% quarter cash back CCs) and Sapphire Reserve travel credits.

2) July 2 - July 6, solo:

3 night stay Poly Island Tower (duo studio premium view): $3156.76
Flights: Delta, $22 in taxes (booked on Skymiles)
Airport transfer: n/a, Uber (but will apply Amex credits to this)

Total: $3178.76 plus transport

Splurge I know but this is a bucket list thing for me and a long overdue makeup for missing out during covid (I had a CL weekend booked for July 4th weekend in 2020).


3) August 28 - Sept 2 (solo)

2 night stay at CR: $1177.31 (tower water view, AP discount)
4 night stay at Swan: $747.28 (king room no view, thru Amex portal.)
Flights: JetBlue, $22 in taxes (booked on TrueBlue points)
Airport transfer: n/a, Uber (see Trip #2)

Total: $1946.59 plus transport. Swan was so cheap bc I got a $200 statement credit for booking on my Platinum thru the Amex portal, which also gets me a $100 resort credit that will pretty much take care of my food expenses there besides Food & Wine booths. I don't tend to spend a ton on food on my solo trips esp. my Labor Day ones. Just too hot.

My only real entertainment expense at home is an Alamo Season Pass that I cancelled recently bc my locations are on strike and a Final Fantasy subscription. I also cut the cord so I just pay for internet and many streaming services I either get free with CCs. I leverage discounted gift cards, CC points, rewards and offers for as much as possible and it helps a lot. I easily make back the AFs and then some on my cards though I am not as hardcore a churner as most on our CC thread here. I also almost never eat out and my house is paid for. But mainly, I just live alone and don't have kids. Most of my fun money is safely earmarked for travel.

 

[leebee]

Nice! However, how did you rack up $1300 in Disney Visa points?

We charge everything to the 2% rewards card and pay it off every month. I've been saving these for the better part of 2 years!

ALSO... I know I said I'd buy gift cards at Target at 5% off, but right now I'm having a bit of a "thing" with BJs. They have the $100 gift card for $93.99, but both DH and I have BJs accounts, and our accounts have had $10 reward incentives on them, so I've purchased three of the $93.99 cards for $83.99, or about a 16% discount (actually 17%, because I'll get 1% back for using my Disney VISA for the purchase)!

 

[barkley]

one car parking at the airport for 5 nights.

Hotel pre-flight $180

none of the hotels offer free extended secure parking with a stay? that's a popular perk at some of the airport near'ish hotels we've flown out of-you may pay a bit more for a room but it more than offsets the cost of parking (and additional perks are 24/7 hotel shuttle that drops you off/picks you up, some hotels even have an evening free cocktail period/buffet breakfast or grab and go hot items for those on the way to the airport).

 

[tampabrat22]

Nice! However, how did you rack up $1300 in Disney Visa points?

I don't know how they did it, but I have been saving mine for years and we have about $1400. For a while I put everything on the card and paid it in full each month and that's how I earned the majority of ours. We are saving them for a 2026 or 2027 Disney cruise,

 

[barkley]

I don't know how they did it, but I have been saving mine for years and we have about $1400. For a while I put everything on the card and paid it in full each month and that's how I earned the majority of ours. We are saving them for a 2026 or 2027 Disney cruise,

it's amazing how much those dollars add up if you do all your regular household expenses as you would normally do with a debit card just so long as you are not being upcharged by the vendor or they offer a better deal for not using a credit card (at&t does a $10 per line discount for using an automatic debit card payment) or using a specific card (Disney+ has a deal with Amex that does a $7 per month statement credit if you pay your subscription with them).

 

[kylenne]

it's amazing how much those dollars add up if you do all your regular household expenses as you would normally do with a debit card just so long as you are not being upcharged by the vendor or they offer a better deal for not using a credit card (at&t does a $10 per line discount for using an automatic debit card payment) or using a specific card (Disney+ has a deal with Amex that does a $7 per month statement credit if you pay your subscription with them).

You’d rack up even more dollars if you used a better card.

I know people around here love the Disney Visa because it's really easy to use and the rewards can only be spent on Disney so it kind of forces you to save, but it is just so bad compared to even just Chase’s UR family of cards. I keep a Disney debit just for the perks because I bank with Chase anyway and there’s no fee for it but I get so much more mileage out of putting my regular spend on a basic UR trifecta setup.

 

[barkley]

You’d rack up even more dollars if you used a better card.

I know people around here love the Disney Visa because it's really easy to use and the rewards can only be spent on Disney so it kind of forces you to save, but it is just so bad compared to even just Chase’s UR family of cards. I keep a Disney debit just for the perks because I bank with Chase anyway and there’s no fee for it but I get so much more mileage out of putting my regular spend on a basic UR trifecta setup.

I don't use a Disney visa-i haven't had one in years. I like the no fee I have through my credit union in part b/c I can do a statement credit for the dollar amount of rewards i've earned so I can let them pile up and whatever I choose to use them for I just pay for with the card (earning points on the purchase) then do a statement credit to pay the purchase in full (works esp. well if it's one of their periodic double points promotional periods). if I were planning a Disney vacation I might consider getting one of their cards to avail myself of the discounts but I would likely be advance eyeballing the offers they constantly send out and time it for when THEY offer a statement credit (I think right now the promotional snail mail offers we get are offering a $400 statement credit w/ $1000 spent in the first few months).

 

[goofies]

Party of 3 traveling from mainland Europe to Orlando beginning of July:

- tickets flight + seats + parking car and hotel stay at airport: ~ $4000
- 3 nights Grand Helios + 3 days EU (one-day tickets) + Parking: $3900
- 12 nights PoP Century with 14-day Magic Tickets: ~ $4900
- 16-day Alamo car rental: ~ $935
- travel insurance: ~ $150
- food mostly quick service: ~ $2500
- other: souvenirs, Walmart, ..

 

[Lhopper]

We have a trip to WDW planned for February.

Two 4-day Park Hopper WDW tickets from Undercover Tourist - $1,466.24

Two Round Trip tickets to MCO via American Airlines - $821.90

7 Night Stay in a Two Bedroom Suite at Sheraton Vistana - $1,816.88

7 Day SUV vehicle rental from Budget - $372.54

Our total so far is $4,477.56. This is obviously not including food, LLMP, or souvenirs. We are also planning on visiting Kennedy Space Center but have not bought tickets yet. I estimate that it will be an additional $2,500 since we are mainly doing TS for meals.

I think you’ve done a good job so far, getting all that for that price!

 

[Sparrow'sLady]

I will start by saying, at these prices, this is our last trip to Disney.

9 Nights

DVC at AKV through a friend - $2300
2 Park Tickets - $1600
MVMCP - Estimated $250
Airfare SWA - $154 for EBCI and Fees, Our Airfare is on points, otherwise that would be $942 for 2 people (ridiculous)
Airport to AKV R/T Transportation - $230
Grocery Delivery - $150
Airport Parking - $130
Lighting Lanes Estimated - $400
Food, Estimated - $1000

$6214
I have never paid this much, even with all of my ridiculous souvenir purchases.

 

[gr8ful]

You’d rack up even more dollars if you used a better card.

I know people around here love the Disney Visa because it's really easy to use and the rewards can only be spent on Disney so it kind of forces you to save, but it is just so bad compared to even just Chase’s UR family of cards. I keep a Disney debit just for the perks because I bank with Chase anyway and there’s no fee for it but I get so much more mileage out of putting my regular spend on a basic UR trifecta setup.

Seems like a good chunk of Disney travel can be offset using a relatively simple strategy:

1. An everyday credit card offering at least 2% cash back on everything.
2. A couple of cards offering at least 3% cash back on groceries and at least 5% cash back on rotating categories.
3. A travel card for the main airline used.
4. Buying DGC when you can get at least a 10% discount.

 

[PrincessNelly]

I know there is often a "how much is your vacation costing" thread but I didn't see one created for 2025, so I thought I'd start it!
I love seeing how people budget their trips, how many good deals are found, & fun places people are going!!

We set aside about $600/month for our vacation fund. We also dump any bonuses or tax refunds we get into it. We only do 1 date night a month at home and I'm an avid couponer, so we are able to take 3-4 vacations a year.

We are typically WDW people but mixing it up this year. We found a great GTY rate on the Disney Magic & decided to use it as an opportunity to visit Houston for the first time. Flights & hotels ended up being more than we originally planned but its my birthday, so I'm happy to splurge on myself!

Feb 1st - Feb 8th (2 Adults)
1 night Hotel at IAH Airport (pre cruise) -$251.82
5 night cruise Western Caribbean on Disney Magic (verandah room) - $2,180.24
1 night Hotel Downtown Houston (post cruise) - $219.97
One Way DCL Transfers - $90.00
Prepaid Gratuities - $145.00
United Flights (EWR to IAH) - $290.94 (basic economy + seat & baggage add ons)
Spirit Flights (IAH to EWR) - $296.40 (upgraded to Big Front Seat package)
Uber from Port to Houston - $60.00 (estimated)
Uber from Houston to IAH - $20.00 (estimated)
Travel Insurance - $100
Prebooked Onboard Experiences (Palo Brunch & Dinner, Massage) - $420.00
Dining in Houston - $200 (estimated)
Est. Total $4,274.37

We lucked up into 4 nights at the Grand Cali before Disneyland announced the 70th anniversary dates. I've heard how hard it is to book a DVC Studio here when you aren't a VGC owner. So we are thrilled to visit for the first time & see all the new offerings! We may add a few more nights to this trip, as we've never been to California & would love to explore the LA area for a few days! Any recommendations on places to stay would be great.

May 19th - 23rd (2 Adults)
4 nights Villas at Disney's Grand Californian Deluxe Studio -$851.89 (DVC dues)
Disneyland Tickets - $835.00
Dining - TBD
Additional Hotel - TBD
Flights - TBD
Transportation - TBD
Current Total $1,686.89

Sadly, we made the decision to cancel our Disneyland trip. The flights were outrageous. So we are hoping to do it early next year & add on some time at Aulani!

We will be going to WDW instead since our points would expire before the end of the year. I'm also treating my mom to a short stay in Atlantic City for her birthday, my sister may join as well. We normally budget about $10,000/per year for 3 vacations and 2 short trips, so we are getting thin on our budget LOL. Hoping to squeeze in a Disney Cruise on the Wish in December if we can get a cheaper guaranteed rate.

April 17th - 19th
2 nights Harrah's - $246.41
Gas - $20
Parking - Free (due to my Caesar's Status)
Food - $350.00
Total: $616.41

May 30th - June 7th (2 Adults)
6 Nights at SSR standard studio - $0.00 DVC points ($851.89 if you count DVC dues)
2 Nights at CSR standard room - $324.58
Frontier Flights (TTN to MCO) - $274.96 (including upgrading our seats & baggage)
Frontier Flights (MCO to TTN) - $134.20 (used miles for the flight, paid to upgrade our seats & baggage)
Alamo Rental Car - $362.90
2 H2O Glow Nights Tickets - $149.10 (dvc discount)
1 1 day ticket to Epcot - $93.13 (after 4 convention ticket)
1 1 day ticket to Epcot - $0.00 (gifted)
2 1 day tickets to Animal Kingdom - $0.00 (gifted)
Total: $1,338.87
Food & Merch Spending: $1,000

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Regal Princess 10 day BRITISH ISLES cruise Sept 2025
Cruise for 2 (Balcony cabin) all fees/taxes $4028
Princess Plus (Drinks, specialty dining & tips) $1240 for 2
Excursions- estimated $1000 (not booked yet)
Flights- estimated $1500 for 2
Shopping/Souvenirs- $500
Hotels pre cruise- $500
Transportation/Transfers- $200
Estimated Total $8-10K (my top bucket list cruise, I've been saving for this one for 5 years)!

We are sailing the Regal Princess in September also. It's a 12-nt British Isles cruise for our 30th anniversary.

I'm expecting it to be around $13k. It's around 7 or 8 port stops so I think excursions will be a lot. I haven't had much free time to research the ports but I'm off Easter week and hopefully I will find some time to search then. We should have enough Chase UR points to be able to use them to book our pre-cruise hotel stay.

What airline are you finding $1500 for 2? We'll be flying from Philly and it's around $1000 pp but I haven't booked it yet.