1 wdw splurge?

[Jwaire]

Before we bought DVC, Poly club level hotel stays were a “worth it” splurge for us. One you factored in the cost of meals we no longer had to buy, plus the convenience and fun of it? Totally worth it!

I consider DVC a splurge.

I really want to do a private fireworks cruise.

 

[scrappinginontario]

This summer our splurge will be attending MNSSHP one evening. Next year when my daughter has turned 16 it will be the Keys to the Kingdom tour!

 

[Disneymom8181]

The private fireworks cruise was amazing. Great view, piped in music, and zero stress with the crowds after the fireworks.

 

[foolish-mortal]

We LOVE to stay Club Level at a deluxe resort. It's definitely a splurge for us but worth it. For us it's not about trying to get your money's worth from it. It's the experience and the convenience.

 

[WLWildlife]

Staying delux is a splurge for us. This year DD and I added MNSSHP. I would like to do the Behind the Seeds tour and MVMCP someday. And Drawn to Life. And ......

 

[kylenne]

My son, who is 40, actually CRIED when he did this experience. I mean.....

My gf and I did Savi's on my birthday last year and we both cried! (We are about the same age as your son. ) We are skipping it this time but next year we will definitely do it.

We tend to do a lot of splurges admittedly; we enjoy the MK fireworks dessert party on every trip mainly for the guaranteed viewing spot, but I miss the savory options (I think the first time we did it I ate my weight in cheeseburger spring rolls). The addition of alcohol is nice though. The first time we saw HEA was Oct 2018 so I thought it was well worth it not to deal with the insane crowds of a nonparty night, and it was worth every penny. We are skipping it in September though because we have a TPV room at the Grand and decided to have a DIY dessert party on the balcony.

Speaking of which, similar to others I never really considered staying deluxe a splurge, but it's a must do for us tbh. We go enough that the resort experience is really important to us and we always take advantage of the on site dining and amenities, even on shorter trips. And Extended Evening Hours is such a fantastic benefit, especially at MK. But mainly it's just about the convenience and the magic of being right in the action, whether it's a monorail resort or Crescent Lake. Those resort launch and Friendship boat rides back to the parks at sunset, and coming back from the parks at night, are so tranquil.

Behind the Seeds used to be the best kept secret in WDW but word has definitely gotten out about it. It's an amazing tour though. I've done it twice now and I love it so much. We are looking at Caring for Giants next year when our friend joins us because she loves elephants.

 

[JCCalistri]

Fireworks cruise is my answer. Worth every penny. However for next best thing, get a cocktail at California Grille at the bar or dinner even if so inclined and get your ticket to return to watch the fireworks from the balcony.

 

[fairy8i8]

I just did Divequest and loved it. If you are a diver, then it's a fun dive. With a lot of dive shops now requiring an annual dive for their "insurance," it's a great way to keep up. Both the manatees and dolphins were in their back tanks, so the backstage tour part was really cool as well, but they aren't always back there. I would definitely do it again.

I love Victoria and Albert's when I went as a young girl (I was into the Victorian era as a child, so I couldn't be happier).

My next 1 splurge would be a VIP tour. In fact, if you only splurge once or plan to go to Disney once, then this would be it because it would take a lot of the planning and line stress away if you weren't familiar with the parks.

 

[Sweettears]

Fireworks cruise would be on my list. I don’t know if they have restarted or not but the Epcot cruise was incredible.

 

[Nancyg56]

I am not sure what my answer would be, but I know unequivocally what my husband would answer - a bass fishing excursion. He did one last year for the first time, just him and the guide on Bay Lake, and he says it was worth every penny and wants to make sure he does it again on any/all future trips, if possible. The guide was knowledgeable, the experience was serene, and the fishing was great.

My husband and my nieces did this and they loved it. They treated DH and actually only invited him, so it was extra special.

Keys to the Kingdom tour was an incredible experience.

My family did this one and found it to be money well sent. My DGD was too young so I stayed behind with her while they went. I am still hearing tidbits of info they were told so many years ago.

My biggest splurge is I think discontinued. It was called the Sunset Savannah tour at AKL, a 1 1/2 hour tour of the savannas of both Jambo and Kidani followed by Family Style dinner at Jiko's. Come to think of it, it's been so long that the first time I did it Kidani was being built, so we only toured the Jambo savanna. Less costly was "Lunch With An Animal Keeper", which I also loved, it was held in a private alcove at Sanaa, also Family Style, with an animal keeper from the resort. That too has been discontinued, but the last CM I spoke with said that it "may" come back.

We did the Sunrise Savannah tour that you could only book if you stayed CL at AKL. It was 19 years ago I think, and still rates the best money we ever spent.

My family tries to schedule one or two "extras" every trip. We tend to stay deluxe because the resort is part of our vacation, but we used to book CL once in a while. We liked the additional amenities. I don't think I can fund the value vs the cost lately, so that one is out.

We also book a spa day for the girls once in a while. I do enjoy a massage and the spas are so lovely in WDW.

The parties are one of the extras we have always enjoyed. SO far we have never had buyers remorse. When my DGD was young and loved the characters, we did consider booking 2 in a trip, but never ended up doing that.

Behind the Seeds. Excellent!

Personally, I think that the extras can be lovely if you can add them comfortably into your budget, but I consider that :making the moment" is the best extra ever. I know that park tix are expensive and it can be tempting to drag every cent out of each one, but I think that where meltdowns or disappoint will be on deck. The parks are magical, and the details can either be a distraction or a plus, depending on your mindset. I learned that lesson on our first real day in the MK when my DGD was 4. My Sis IL and I were rushing to the next attraction, and my DD and DSIL were lagging behind with Kady, so I tried to rush them. My DH took me aside and pretty much threatened to haul my bossy self back to the resort if I did not stop that immediately. He was so right. Spend what you can afford without resenting it if you take the time to enjoy the moments you are in rather than racing to find the next one.

 

[UpstateMick]

Um, what would that be? We've never used them before and we travel in 17 days..I don't see anything about luggage charges on their website. We booked months ago.

• Extra luggage more than the specified capacity for selected vehicle will be charged at $15 per extra suitcase. (A single stroller is considered a suitcase / double stroller is considered two)

 

[HerzerHerrick]

Genie+ If you are doing Hollywood Studios or Magic Kingdom or are Park Hopping Genie Plus is probably the best money you will spend the whole trip. If anyone tells you otherwise they probably don't know how to appropriately use and abuse it. It is totally worth every dollar and sadly the more expensive it is the more essential it is. Watch Rob at Ear scouts

or Molly at Mammoth club to learn how to properly leverage the service. I have personally averaged 11-15 rides per day with the service not including the few I did standby to ride.

 

[Shughart]

• Extra luggage more than the specified capacity for selected vehicle will be charged at $15 per extra suitcase. (A single stroller is considered a suitcase / double stroller is considered two)

Got it thank you. They make that hard to find! I had to click back to the vehicles to see what the luggage capacity is for each vehicle and we're fine.

 

[Shughart]

Genie+ If you are doing Hollywood Studios or Magic Kingdom or are Park Hopping Genie Plus is probably the best money you will spend the whole trip. If anyone tells you otherwise they probably don't know how to appropriately use and abuse it. It is totally worth every dollar and sadly the more expensive it is the more essential it is. Watch Rob at Ear scouts

or Molly at Mammoth club to learn how to properly leverage the service. I have personally averaged 11-15 rides per day with the service not including the few I did standby to ride.

I watched several ear scouts videos and I'm going to give it a shot, we don't have much to lose as we have DAH events in both MK and DHS, but the day after we'll be in the same park doing what we missed plus some shows, so we'll see how we do. Low stakes.

 

[WLWildlife]

Fireworks cruise would be on my list. I don’t know if they have restarted or not but the Epcot cruise was incredible.

This is at the top of my bucket list!

 

[marielynn724]

I can't believe I had forgotten about this, but for my 30th birthday my sister treated me to Dining with an Imagineer. First of all, the meal we had at Brown Derby was incredible. Second, we were dining with one of the main designers of Frozen Ever After, and we had just ridden it for the first time the day before (this was when it first opened.) That was pretty special.

 

[UpstateMick]

Got it thank you. They make that hard to find! I had to click back to the vehicles to see what the luggage capacity is for each vehicle and we're fine.

Yeah I didn't know about it, but they know I have been a long time customer and called me ahead of my last trip to give me a heads up about it. They even waived that fee for my next trip with them, but I used that in February. We are using them again in June and August. Enjoy your trip!

 

[Dkny1]

The best splurge I have done with my family so far is "Wild Africa Trek" and we all loved it. But my favourite splurge by far that I have done 3 times now is EPCOT Seas Adventures - DiveQuest, you must be a certified diver for this and I know I might seem a bit unreal being in a aquarium but the abundance of sea life i.e. sharks, turtles, sting rays and many tropical fish is crazy.

 

[sheilafri]

My splurge is to stay at Swolphin to get EEH.

 

[WIll C]

I'd like to do the Wild Africa Trek but my wife can't handle the safari as it is due to the bumps. We did the Elephant tour and loved it. Done the VIP tour once and it was amazing but I wouldn't spend on that again. Not sure what else we'd 'splurge' on at this point. We have DVC so we just come once a year to do what we want to not worry what we don't do at this point. Another 10 years and we'll probably sell that and be done all together.