I agree with OP that it is entirely possible to have a wonderful vacation on a very restricted budget. The ideal back up plan would be to find a resort that has a lot to offer within driving distance of where you live.
We are currently staying at Vacation Village at Parkway in Orlando for 2 weeks. We can drive to Orlando in just a little over 3 hours. From June 2016 to May 2017 we've spent 8 weeks in Orlando with our granddaughter. She starts school this Fall so we've been trying to make the most of our time with her while we can. I booked our stay through RCI sale weeks for $200 plus tax per week with no points used. The sale weeks typically run from $199-$249 plus tax. We are fine with a one bedroom unit as we just bring a twin air mattress for her and put it in the bedroom with us so we don't have to use the sofa bed. We've also stayed at Wyndham Star Island with those sale weeks and I know at least one of the weeks we spent at Star Island we had a 2 bedroom lock off unit which functions great as a three bedroom unit and paid around $235 for those stays. We also stayed at Wyndham Cypress Palms with a sale week.
More than any other resort we've stayed at we see the people staying here at Vacation Village at Parkway using the grills and picnic tables which are conveniently located in various spots around the pool and playground area just outside the doors of the buildings in our section. We see many of the same families enjoying their lunches and dinners; often bringing down the various dishes they prepared in their kitchens to go with what they are cooking on the grill. Our granddaughter loves when I bring our lunch down to the pool so we can have a picnic like those families.
Some people are going to the Disney parks but some are just staying here and enjoying all the resort has to offer. Our 5 year old granddaughter particularly enjoys the free sno-cones, free face painting, games at the pool and the movie nights. There are several pools here and we have had fun trying them out. The playground here in our section is very nice. We stayed in this section on a previous trip so I knew to call ahead of time to request it again this trip.
I learned from another couple I sat next to at the pool to bring an empty cup(s) when we get sno-cones. You take a couple extra sno-cones, dump them in the cup(s) and run them upstairs to the freezer. I ask them add a little extra syrup so it isn't too diluted when I make our slushies on the days they don't offer sno-cones. The units have blenders so when you are ready to enjoy your slushies you mix the now totally frozen sno-cones, a few ice cubes and a very little bit of water and you have slushies.
We have a couple of water toys that I only bring out to take with us on vacation so they are a big deal when she gets to play with them on "her vacations". I bought one of those bubble guns that light up and a big bottle of bubbles at the Dollar store to refill it. Our bubble gun looks like a fish and I paid about $6 for it.
At the movie nights they offer cans of soft drinks and bags of freshly popped popcorn for $1 each but people bring their own stuff too. We bring our own drinks and a box of movie candy to share that we bought at Walmart or the Dollar store but we buy their popcorn some of the times. We save the popcorn bags and use them for the popcorn we make to have our own movie nights. We buy a recently released DVD for our vacation. This time it was Sing which I totally enjoyed! Our granddaughter loves when we do our own movie nights where we all snuggle together on the sofa. And like most kids is completely happy to watch the same DVD more than once. The second time for the same movie my husband wants to read on his Nook and she wants the lights out to make it like "a real movie" so he sits with us for a while then goes into the bedroom to read.
Last year in May right around this time Legoland here in Florida had a sale that anyone could get, buy one get one free deal on the Awesomer level annual passes. After the tax it made them just a few cents under $80 a piece for an entire year. The Awesomer level passes include unlimited admission with no black out dates to Legoland and the waterpark which is not open all year round so have to check the waterpark schedule, the parking, and the Orlando Eye, the SeaLife Aquarium and Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. Those last three things are on International Drive here in Orlando in the same complex. Legoland has sales on their different levels of passes several different times throughout the year so it is a good idea to sign up on their website for the emails. We also have an annual pass for the granddaughter and I to the Crayola Experience at the Florida Mall here in Orlando. It was $31 for the year and that was for the two of us.
Most parks and attractions, even in areas other than Orlando have annual passes. If like us you make that area your vacation destination for the coming year to make the most of those passes, find a resort or resorts that you can get stays at for what comes out to around $30 per night, restrict your eating out and take your own drinks, sandwiches, snacks so you are NEVER buying stuff in the Parks you can have wonderful vacations on a limited budget.
I know I sound like a Scrooge when I say NEVER buy stuff in the Parks but with little ones if you start buying the snacks and toys they don't understand why you won't do it the next time, and the next and the time after that. It never ends and it saves a lot of aggravation on your part and tears on their if you just never start it. We always have a styrofoam cooler or insulated cooler bag in the car and when we leave Legoland will frequently stop at the Walmart or Aldi's we passed on the way in to buy something we need for supper or for the next day. I pick up some frozen treat like ice cream bars or frozen fruit bars and we all enjoy a treat on the ride back to the resort. A little delayed gratification never hurt anyone.
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