Trip number 11, how much does it cost to spend 2 weeks off site?! The total... !

Summary

So, how much does it cost to spend 2 weeks offsite in Orlando? So far I haven’t included the cost of the actual trip – but for reference and in case anyone is interested here we go…..

The flight, hotel, car and tickets cost around £2300 which was for 2 weeks at the Rosen Shingle Creek flying with Norwegian and with a midsize suv and 14 day Disney ultimate tickets. 

We had a fab trip and definitely enjoyed visiting during the Star Wars weekends even though it was so so hot and I’m sure we will come back again at this time of year in the future.

We really liked the hotel – it had so many facilities available and the room was a good size.

I have taken the costs off of our credit card statement for accurate exchange rates and totalled them all up. We also took around £300 in cash which I have added in as well as the Star Wars Premium package which was paid for in advance…

So, what was the total spend?


£1925.36

Some of the transactions are a mixture but I would say that we spent pretty much our maximum shopping allowance (let’s call that £800 for ease of calculations) and so we spent around £1130 on food, drinks and snacks.

I was quite happy with this amount as it works out around £80 per day for the two of us, obviously we spent more some days and much less on others but I think that isn’t a bad cost overall!

Trip number 11, how much does it cost to spend 2 weeks off site?! Day 14

Saturday 20th – steps 15331

This morning we set ourselves an alarm and we got up around 10, we had to pack our last few things (luckily we were almost exactly on the weight limit) and headed out just before 1 leaving the bags at the hotel.

We made one last visit to the Magic Kingdom (can you tell it’s my favourite park?!) and I had booked us 3 FP for our last day.

It took us a little longer than planned and we arrived at Peter Pan about 3 minutes before our FP expired! I always like to do this ride on our trips but can’t wait in the long line, it is cute though.

Our next FP was for Big Thunder Mountain so we wandered across, it started spotting with rain while we were on the ride but it wasn’t anything to spoil the day.

We had a little bit of time before our next FP so we got lunch in Pecos Bills, I think we both had a chicken burger and this was one of the last few days when you could get the hot cheese!

Once we were finished with lunch we started over towards the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train but again we were stopped by the weather. 
We received a last minute request for Mickey straws so decided to look around to see where we could buy them and eventually picked up 6 in Cosmic Rays. 

We took another ride on the Peoplemover and once we got off we saw that the outside kiosks had started opening so we went back to see if the Mine Train had reopened. 

It had….! We got into the FP line and were on the ride about 15 minutes before our FP expired.

Time to leave now so we headed back to the hotel to collect our bags and then it was off to the airport.

We got back to Dollar and they continued in their annoying fashion, we were not given any direction about where to park the car….and then we were told that we had to move it….so annoying! 

We checked in and headed over to security, we were preparing all of our stuff (ipad etc) and somehow got selected for expedited screening... Rob had his hands swabbed and then we went straight through - no shoes off or stuff out of bags..! It was very odd but a nice surprise! 

We had a little bit of time until the flight so Rob got some pizza and I got ice cream.

The flight was delayed slightly by bad weather so we didn’t board until about an hour late, then for some reason a guy seated two rows behind us was offloaded. 

The flight itself was ok, not as cold as I expected but I was glad to have my blanket. 

We landed around 1130 (due in at 10) and passport control had a massive queue, I’m not sure how that always seems to be the case….. we queue on arrival in the US and somehow we also queue when we get home! 

Finally we got through and got our bags; there were quite a few people waiting for the bus to the car park, I think we got on the 3rd one. 

Typically we got stuck in traffic on the M25 although our journey could have been worse as it was the summer solstice and the A303 can be a little crazy, we did stop and get some food at Fleet Services as we were both hungry and tired.

We got home around 4, we stopped to get some cash out so that we could collect the dog from the kennels on the way home. 
We were too late to go buy food etc so we managed to take the following day off work to recover and get something to eat in the house!

Costs:

Parking $17
Pecos Bills lunch approx. $30
Straws $4
Pizza and ice cream at airport approx. $15
KFC at Fleet £11.08

Trip number 11, how much does it cost to spend 2 weeks off site?! Day 13

Friday 19th – steps 15410

Yet another late start (I’m always reading about people struggling with jet lag…..could we have the opposite problem?!) 

We decided this morning to start our packing as we were slightly concerned that we might struggle to fit all of our stuff in our cases and stay within the weight limit (we only had 20 kgs each.)

With about 90% packed we were close to the limit but not over so that was promising! Up next we headed to Walmart to get a Father’s day card for Rob’s dad as we were getting home on Father’s day! I also wanted to get a blanket for the plane as Norwegian don’t supply them.

We decided to have lunch at McDonalds in the Walmart before heading in search of a Lowes where we bought tools for dad as a present.

For the evening we had decided on a last trip to Epcot as we hadn’t managed to see Illuminations so far on this trip. For some reason the traffic was crazy busy today and we only just arrived at the park in time for our first FP which was Spaceship Earth.

We then used our next FP at the Character Spot again and got another set of photos with Mickey, Minnie and Goofy.

We had a walk around the World Showcase and took a few more photos along the way. 

We headed back to Future World for our FP for Test Track to find that is was not operating due to weather related issues – lots of thunder and lightning in the area. 

This was a real shame as the replacement FP they offer are a complete waste of time and I realised with hindsight that I should always book Soarin’ for afternoon/evening visits to avoid weather problems.

We decided as compensation we would go to Sunshine Seasons and have chocolate cake before looking for a spot to watch the fireworks.

We found a bench near Canada and waited, at 9pm they announced that Illuminations was delayed due to the weather. There was a little bit of rain so we took shelter under the DVC stand next to Canada and eventually the fireworks started about 40 minutes late.

We decided that we were a little hungry so we picked up a takeaway pizza on the way back to the hotel. 

As we had a relatively late flight home we asked if it was possible to get a late check out (normal time was 11) and they quite happily gave us another couple of hours for no charge.

Costs: 

McDonalds lunch $15.32
Walmart shopping $44.48
Father’s day tools from Lowe’s $31.87
Parking $17
Cake & sodas $16.15
Pizza approx. $15

Trip number 11, how much does it cost to spend 2 weeks off site?! Day 12

Thursday 18th – steps 24864

Today we were having lunch at Be Our Guest (having cancelled all 3 breakfast reservations due to them being too early in the day!) – to reassure anyone who is struggling to get reservations I got this one the day before when we rearranged our plans!

We checked in and joined the line to order our food; there didn’t appear to be a huge time saving by pre-ordering and Rob doesn’t like having everything planned in advance! 

I had the Turkey sandwich and Rob had the Croque Monsieur, we also ordered chocolate cupcakes for dessert. I still haven’t worked out how to request no tomato or onion so had to remove them when the food arrived.

We picked a table in the ballroom – mainly because there were very few available – and I got our drinks and cutlery. The food was yummy but as I was still recovering from my bug I didn’t have the appetite to eat my whole sandwich.

After lunch we decided to do a few rides (which turned into an experiment in how many FP we could use in one day) so we started off with Philharmagic which was actually quite busy for once! 

Next we decided to head to Tomorrowland, the speedway had a posted wait of 30 minutes but we practically walked on! 

We then had a FP for Space Mountain and while we were in the area we had a quick spin on the Peoplemover. I picked up some socks in the Space Mountain shop as I had somehow managed to pack less pairs than I needed for our trip! So now I have 3 pairs of cute Mickey socks!

Our next FP was for Splash Mountain so we headed across and this time we got our ride photo (our strategy of scanning our bands everywhere was working)! 

We were criss-crossing the park somewhat as we had originally booked our 3rd FP for the Festival of Fantasy parade but it was mega hot again so we had switched it…which in the end meant that our 3rd choice was now Buzz Lightyear so back to Tomorrowland we went! 

Rob was out to prove how much better at this ride he is than me and so he was properly concentrating on the ride….as can be seen from the ride photo!

After the ride we headed to a FP kiosk to see what was available for our next ride; we selected Haunted Mansion with a start time that was only a few minutes away so we walked over and got straight on the ride, bypassing a wait of around 30 minutes!

We headed to the FP kiosk next to Philharmagic to see what our latest options were and this time we selected Winne the Pooh – again the FP start time was a few minutes away and due to the short distance we did have to wait before we could enter the line. 

The standby line was again somewhere between 20 – 30 minutes and we walked straight in; this ride is cute but I wouldn’t wait in a line for it.

In quick succession we then got more FP for Buzz Lightyear (Rob won again) then It’s a Small World and The Magic Carpets of Aladdin.

Each of the FP start times were shortly after our selection time and each time we skipped a 20 – 30 minute posted wait time.

Our next FP selection was for Under the Sea which frankly was a waste – when we got there I think there was possibly one party in the standby line! We decided to head into Storybook Circus to see what the wait times were for the characters. 

Both lines were posted as 15 minutes and I chose Goofy and Donald, once inside it was clear that they had the shorter wait. I had a fun experience with Goofy who appeared to quite like my stripy top and wanted more stripes on his outfit!

Donald was fab as always – I have a Donald magicbandit and pointed it out to him……which always results in lots of dancing around and a generally happy duck.

On our way out we decided to get a snack – I had chocolate peanut fudge and Rob got a cookie - mine was soooo yummy but also sooooo sweet. 

We were close to Tomorrowland so headed across for a spin on the speedway, we practically walked on again in the standby line. I’m fairly sure that I decided to drive our car today which resulted in absolute chaos as I cannot steer those things! (I can however manage an actual car)

The lines were getting really short now so we decide to have another spin on Buzz Lightyear in the standby line before finding a spot to watch Wishes; no giant heads today which was great!

We decided not to leave the park straight away and had selected another FP which was Jungle Cruise, I think there was only a short line anyway but it probably got us on one boat sooner than the standby line. I really enjoy this ride and the corny jokes, having done the Keys to the Kingdom tour last year we found out some fun facts about the ride which was good.

Finally on our way out Rob decided we needed to experience the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse, not entirely sure why as there isn’t huge amount to see in the dark…! 

We realised on the way out that we hadn’t eaten anything this evening so we headed to the Contempo Cafe for a flatbread for Rob and a kids turkey sandwich for me (as the adult sandwiches are always too big) before heading back to the hotel.

Costs: 

Parking $17
Cookie and fudge $8.93
2 x drinks and 3 pack socks $28.47
BOG lunch $39.77
Contempo Cafe (flatbread and kids turkey sand meal) $21.48

Trip number 11, how much does it cost to spend 2 weeks off site?! Day 11

Wednesday 17th – steps 15377

Today we were heading to Epcot for a little while; our first fast pass was booked for Soarin and we got a front row view for once which was fab as there were no dangling feet!

We had some lunch in Sunshine Seasons; we both had the turkey sandwich with coleslaw. Once we were done we headed across to Spaceship Earth for our next FP; there wasn’t a long line but we did save some time.

Next we took a quick walk around the World Showcase, Rob took some nice panoramic photos which turned out quite well.

We headed back to Future World for our last FP which was the character spot. Rob didn’t want any photos but Goofy insisted! 

On the way out we got a 4th FP for Illuminations for later in case we finished dinner in time.

We headed back to the hotel to change for dinner and then went across to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for our 2nd dinner of the trip at Sanaa.

You might remember that our last meal was a little bit rushed, so we were slightly concerned about how this meal would be.

We checked in and were seated a few minutes after our ADR time, we were actually seated at exactly the same table as last time! 

Thankfully we didn’t have any unwanted music this time around!
We ordered the bread service again and it was as good as always; and this time we were finished with our bread before our main courses were brought out – yay!

We both had the same main – butter chicken and spicy lamb but we had different rice choices. I still wish they would bring back a spicy chicken but the lamb was lovely.

For dessert Rob had the trio and I had the seasonal kulfi (which was coconut) both were delicious although Rob is still hoping for the return of the chai cream to the menu!

In more odd behaviour – there was a family sat at a table near us who kept allowing their child (probably around 5 years old) to go and stand and look out of the window at the animals….even when the window tables were occupied! I do wonder why they thought this was acceptable behaviour…!

Tonight’s meal had not been as rushed as our previous visit so we had no chance of returning to Epcot in time to see Illuminations so instead we decided to watch Wishes in the Magic Kingdom. 

We found a spot on Main Street which wasn’t too bad (or so we thought), just at the start of Celebrate the Magic a really tall guy with a massive head (and Mickey ears) wandered along and stood in front of us……you should have heard the groans behind us. He seemed to have a skill for blocking multiple people’s view at one time and he kept shifting about!

Luckily for Wishes he moved sideways a little bit, and of course the fireworks are high up so easier to see….! 

Costs:

Parking $17
Turkey sandwiches for lunch $27.65
2 x soda $6.37
Sanaa dinner $92.61
Hat $28.71
Cough medicine $13.08

Trip number 11, how much does it cost to spend 2 weeks off site?! Days 9 & 10

Day 10 is again quite short so I've combined them again...

Monday 15th – steps 15231

We had yet another late start today, I think I was still feeling slightly under the weather. We decided to head back to the outlets to do some more shopping at around 12. 

We got some lunch whilst we were there – I had subway and Rob had a burger – the food court was really busy but we managed to find a table for two. 

Having said that there were some mega rude people (unfortunately British) who had a table for eight and apparently wanted the whole food court. They kept pushing people out of the way and tried to take chairs away from tables (and people were sitting at them but had temporarily got up to use the restroom etc) and were generally obnoxious :angry:

Today I found myself some new Sketchers and a Kipling bag as well as some Jeans for Rob and I and some more new shirts for Rob!

We headed back to the hotel with the shopping and for a pre-park rest, no doubt we watched more HGTV – we were watching every available episode of property brothers, fixer upper and love it or list it (and others….!)

I had booked some FP for the Magic Kingdom and first up was the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. I really enjoy this ride although I wouldn’t wait in a long standby line (though that is true of almost all rides) and love the detail that they have incorporated.

I actually prefer it to Big Thunder Mountain, I know it is less thrilling but I love the combination of dark ride and ‘thrills’. Plus I can happily wear my glasses and not worry about them falling off!
We decided to ride It’s a Small World next, this is another of my favourite rides despite most people not enjoying the music! 

We were getting hungry so we decided to get food at Pinocchios; I had a salad (and some fries!) and Rob had a flatbread (also with fries!)

Next up we took a spin on the Tomorrowland Speedway; it had a 20 or 30 minute posted wait but was obviously shorter so we got in the line. Then we did a quick trip on the Peoplemover before making our way towards the Wishes FP area.

We got into the FP area and found a spot right at the back against a railing; we were told on entry that it would be standing for the show although you can sit while you wait. 

This would appear to be a safety precaution and I would assume that standing will continue to be enforced….so if you were planning on sitting for the show then his is probably not the FP to use.

It was a little crowded in the area but much less busy than standing on Main Street and there were very few children on shoulders (which is always frustrating as you cannot predict them and find an appropriate spot).

Both Celebrate the Magic and Wishes were great and we had a clear view of Tinkerbell!

We exited the area and attempted to head up Main Street for our final FP (Main Street Electrical Parade) but we were forced up the bypass – which does go to the same place but is slightly annoying when there weren’t actually that many people on Main Street!

The FP for the MSEP was a little odd as they started taking the ropes down about 5 minutes before it started. We got a front row spot so it wasn’t an issue but I probably wouldn’t use a FP for this again.

We made a quick exit after the parade and avoided some of the crowds by catching the resort monorail back to the parking lot. 

Costs:

Parking $17
Dinner at Pinocchios $31.15
2 x coke $6.37
Lunch $7.46
Lunch $10.64

Shopping:

Levi $106.47
Perry Ellis $59.22
Sketchers $170.37
Kipling $41.15

Tuesday 16th – steps 10374

Another quiet day, we popped to the Premium outlets on I drive which we rarely visit (we tend to go to the one at Vineland Avenue). 

We always find parking difficult here whereas we never have a problem parking at Vineland….is there a secret parking tip that we don’t know?!

We had a wander around and got a little bit confused as the layout is different so we didn’t know where we were going! 

We picked up some Sketchers for Rob’s mum (not included in our costs as she reimbursed us when we got home). 

After what felt like forever we found the food court and got some lunch at Sbarro (we hardly ever find these anymore!) which was good, we each had 2 slices of pizza.

More aimless wandering and I found myself a dress at Ann Taylor and a watch at fossil. We did have a look in the Bose shop for Rob but we didn’t find anything that he wanted.

As is typical we went back to the hotel for a rest and to watch some more home and garden tv! 

For dinner we decided to try out Longhorn Steakhouse, we both had a flat iron steak again but tonight we thought we would try desserts….Rob’s was ridiculously massive and we could easily have shared it. As a result he barely made a dent in it!

Costs:

Pizza for lunch? $20 ish
Dinner at Longhorn $62.42

Shopping:
Fossil $55.92
Ann Taylor $61.22