Extra Expenses?

Hello all! This is my first time posting in years, but with a new username. Planning a WDW trip with my girlfriend (Both 23 years old, so we are somewhat limited with superfluous purchases) for 3/5-3/9 with 2 days in the parks and 1 at Islands of Adventure.

That being said, I have a few questions and I felt this was the best section for said advice...

1) What kind of figure for the 2 of us total should we expect to spend in extra expenses after flight hotel tickets etc? We know everything in the World is pricey so we will bring snacks, drinks etc to cut back on food costs, but just getting opinions on how much you all think we would expect to spend.

2) Using the Orlando taxi fare calculator online, I found that with minimal tip, it is $50ish one way to Islands of Adventure from an All Star Resort. Are there any cheaper ways to get there and back that I'm missing?

Thank you all so much for your help!!

:welcome: back to Intercot! Hope to see you around more often now.

The extra expenses are such an individual thing. I assume you're not doing the dining plan, but will you do table service restaurants or only counter service? That will make a difference. Do you buy souvenirs or no? Those are the two main things that you would need to bring extra money for.

As for the transportation, Mears runs a round trip shuttle. I think it's $15/person round trip, which is a lot cheaper than a taxi. I haven't personally done that, but several folks have commented on it and seem to have had good experiences. If I understand the process you just have to call Mears to make your reservation and they'll pick you up.

We will mainly be doing counter service but I would not rule out possibly doing a table service meal at some point depending on the situation. And yes, souvenirs are a must for being down at WDW :blush: but obviously nothing crazy. Probably the occasional magnets, shot glasses, smaller things.

To get a good idea on souvenir costs, go to the online Disney store. They have a "Theme Parks merchandise" section. Obviously they don't have everything you can buy in the parks, but that should give you a good idea about costs on items you might be interested in.

With food - count on $10-12/person at a counter service meal and $20-30/person at a table service meal plus tips (18-20%). A good way to estimate your food is to look at the menus in Info Central here on Intercot. You can see what you're most likely to eat and gauge your likely costs from those prices. IF you're wanting to do a TS, I would strongly suggest you get on the Disney site and make your ADR now to prevent disappointment then. With ADRs being allowed 180 days out, getting the popular places will already be tough, if not impossible.

Welcome Back,
I agree Mears is probably your best choice.

I just sent you a PM with info for menus for prices food at WDW. We use it to help us budget our food costs while in WDW.

If you do plan to do a few table services...you do need to book now. Walk ups are more difficult (but not impossible) to get.