Grandpa Spent $6,000 on Family Disney Trip: What He Would Do Differently

We had a great time, but I plan to book our next Disney trip a little differently.

Our suite was great and we enjoyed exploring Disneyland

Our suite at the Disneyland Hotel was beautiful and full of special touches.

The deep blue carpet had a firework pattern and the headboards on the beds had twinkling lights that looked like fireworks.

The hotel was also a short walk from Disneyland, so we headed there after checking in and dropping off our bags. Walking through the park’s main gate was like entering a portal to another world.

Throughout the day, my niece got to meet Disney characters and dance with them. We went on family walks and for some, we waited in line to go with her.

We took a submarine ride to the bottom of the ocean in search of Nemo, paddled a canoe on the rivers of America, traveled through a Winnie The Pooh ride and even met Eeyore.

In the evening, we staked out a spot along Main Street and waited for the Christmas parade, which was included with our admission.

We spent the next day in the parks at California Adventure, exploring a number of rides and attractions, and ended it by watching another parade.

I spent a lot of money, but I didn’t have enough time

Our $4,600 package didn’t include everything. I also paid $160 for parking because I drove to two separate vehicle parks ($40 per day per vehicle).

I spent another $700 on food, drinks and souvenirs. For the most part, we had simple quick service snacks (full chicken, pizza, burgers, hot dogs) and snacks (churros). This helped us save some money, although our most expensive main meal was at the Goofy’s Kitchen buffet at the Disneyland Hotel for $450 including tip.

In addition, I gave my son $400 for his family’s plane ticket to California. In total, I spent about $6,300 to take my family on this Disney vacation.

But my biggest problem is that I felt like we didn’t have enough time. With only two nights, we wasted almost half of the first day driving to the resort, parking, checking in and taking our bags to the room.

For our next trip, I would do two nights instead of three. So on our first day, we can even spend some time swimming in the hotel pools and exploring Downtown Disney, a nearby shopping and dining district.

Then we can get to the parks bright and early the next day.

Still, the trip was worth every penny

This was the most expensive Disney trip I’ve ever taken, but seeing my family have such a great time meant everything to me.

Watching my niece dance with Disney characters while twirling the sparkly skirt of her princess dress was priceless.

Months later, she’s still talking about Disney — even telling her mom she dreamed of going back.