So last July we did our annual Orlando (more on Orlando 2-Night vacation deals) trip and I'm still a little in disbelief about the numbers. My wife and me plus two kids (7 and 10), four nights at a 2-bedroom suite with a full kitchen, and the total came in at $487 — gas, food, vacpack, Universal CityWalk, everything. Your probably thinking something is missing. I checked the receipts three times. Nothing is missing. This is just what happens when you actually use a Orlando family vacpack the way its meant to be used.
The Vacpack Itself — $199
We booked a Westgate Lakes family vacpack because the 2-bedroom suite sleeps 6 and has a kitchen, which basicly eliminates the "we need to eat out three times a day" math. $199 total for 4 nights. I paid a $149 deposit at booking which I got back the day we checked out, so the effective cash outlay was $50 by the time we left.
The kids got there own room with two beds which is the single biggest quality-of-life upgrade on any family trip. No more listening to a 7-year-old kick the wall at 11pm.
The 90-Minute Presentation
I'm not gonna sugarcoat this. The presentation is the tradeoff. Ours ran 1h48min which was longer than the 90 minutes they promised, but we left at the end without buying and nothing bad happened. The sales rep was fine. The manager came in with a "final offer" that I declined by saying "I never decide same-day on anything over $500" which ended the pitch fast.
They ran a kids club during the presentation which my 7-year-old loved and my 10-year-old tolerated. Both came back in one piece.
Food — $127 for 4 Nights
This is where most families blow there budget and this is where having a kitchen saves you. We did Publix once on arrival day, spent $87 on breakfast groceries, lunch stuff, and snacks. One nice dinner out at a local spot for $40. Kitchen coffee and cereal every morning meant no $80 resort breakfasts for four people.
Activities — $98
Universal CityWalk is free to walk around and theres a great AMC theater for $16 per ticket. Pool days were free. The resort has a lazy river which kept the kids happy for approx 6 hours total. One day we drove to Cocoa Beach (more on Cocoa Beach Under $99 vacation deals) (browse Cocoa Beach vacation deals Summer) (compare Cocoa Beach vacpacks for Families) which is about an hour — beach is free, parking was $5.
Gas + Transport — $62
We drove from Atlanta. $62 in gas round-trip. Your mileage literally varies here but if you're within 8 hours driving, skip the flights and drive.
The Math
| Line | Cost |
|---|---|
| Westgate vacpack (4 nights) | $199 |
| Food (groceries + 1 dinner) | $127 |
| CityWalk + movie + beach parking | $98 |
| Gas round-trip | $62 |
| Tips + miscellaneous | $18 |
| Total for family of 4 | $487 |
Your not gonna do Disney on $487. That's a seperate trip. But you absolutely can do a solid 4-night Orlando family vacation without going to Disney. Pools, CityWalk, Cocoa Beach, resort amenities, one nice dinner — that fills four days easy.
Browse all Orlando family vacpacks, or if your aiming for the cheapest possible option, Orlando under $99 has 2-night options from the same brands.