This is probably more information than I should share or that anyone would want to know. But I think it is information I would have like to have known before I planned our Disneyland trip. Or that will be super interesting in the future to know what we paid and how we made Disneyland happen for EIGHT people on a budget.
We started by finding super cheap airline tickets through Spirit Airlines. I would not recommend them at all if you can avoid it. They offered absolutely no service. Nothing. TO even help you check in they wanted to charge you. It was terrible. And waiting at the airport, I wondered if I was waiting in one of those airports I remember seeing in the movie Romancing the Stone where there are goats and chickens running around. No, there weren't any, but people had dogs. There was a dad literally beating his son. Kicking him and using terrible language. It was horrible. But the price was affordable and I would do it again if I had to. But if I was flying one or two people, I would definitely choose a different airline, even if it meant paying more. I ended up paying for each round trip ticket $175 each.
We had to rent a car once we got to California. Nobody would have a car that they could come pick us up in because there are just too many of us. I made a reservation at Enterprise, because they had the best deal. I needed a car that seated 8. I made a reservation for a Large SUV, something like a Tahoe. The only problem was it only seated 7 and I needed 8. To get something that seated 8, it would cost us $1000 more for the ten days we needed it. I figured someone could double buckle for that price, we wouldn't be in the car that much. California law says double buckling is basically illegal, I would risk the price of a ticket, it would be cheaper.
When we got to the rental car place, it was 1am. And they upgraded us to a Suburban for the price of the reservation that I had. I got 10 days Suburban rental for $400!
Two years ago we went on a trip to Utah and we had to get hotels. We didn't want to spend much, so we only got one room with two beds. It was horrible. My kids were too close, nowhere to sleep, it was too loud, and we weren't supposed to be loud. I about went crazy. I know some people can do this and it is no big deal. But I'm not made of that stuff. I would rather not go than have a hotel room where we are all on top of each other.
So I needed to find a good deal. Disneyland wanted $3000 for 4 nights, not including tickets into the park. That was out of the question. All the other hotels around I would have to book 2 rooms, making the price doable, but the accommodations not so much because they didn't have adjoining rooms. And the places that could keep up all together were so expensive. I finally decided to check LaQuinta. We've stayed in their chain before and its usually good, but I've driven by some that didn't look too good. Their prices were reasonable. So, I called the LaQuinta right by Disneyland and talked to the person that was behind the desk. Told them I have a lot of small children and I would like to keep us together but I needed a little space and I wanted everyone to have a bed. I also needed it within easy walking distance of Disneyland. I didn't know how we would do meals, so we may need to come back to the hotel and eat.
They offered a 3 room 2 bath hotel room for $105/night! One room had a king and a bathroom, another 2 full size beds, and then a living room with a pull-out bed and table, fridge, and microwave. Perfect! I booked 5 nights. We got to the room. It was in walking distance. It was clean enough. And enough room that I didn't feel like my kids were on top of me. It made the Disneyland trip stress free. I was able to relax in the evenings and get a good night's sleep.
Gavin and Nathan wanted to sleep in the same room as me. Not too surprising. So they slept on the floor right next to where I was sleeping. I know that is gross, but I didn't know what else to do.
As far as food? We went grocery shopping as soon as we check into the hotel. We packed sandwiches for everyone, grapes, apples, cookies, water bottles, etc. We put all the stuff in the bottom of the double stroller. Disneyland inspected out bags and our stroller and didn't say anything about us bringing in enough food to feed all of us. We did that all 4 days without any problems. We did have to refill our water bottles, but they had places to refill them. For supper we hit a Del Taco one night and a Little Caesars another. The other 2 nights we were too tired and so we just ate sandwiches. And I don't like sandwiches and I was fine with the food arrangements.
I think the only $$ we ended up spending in the park was on t-shirts for the girls and the boys each got to pick out a light saber. I didn't feel the need to spend $$ on anything. We weren't ever hungry. And the food wasn't advertised in a way that made any of my kids want to buy it. Plus, it was so expensive that one meal, that wouldn't have even filled us up, would have cost us $100+ easy.
She chose her birthstone. And she has had so much fun having her ears pierced!
