A couple of short trips instead of a long one???

[Jon99]

First off, a little background... My wife is a teacher and I own a landscape company, with that current schedule about the only time we can both do week long trips is during Christmas and Spring Break, which are pretty brutal as far as crowds..

So we are thinking about doing two short trips this year instead, perhaps the first or second week in December and then next July or August.. Basically, leaving on a Wednesday night and returning on Sunday night in December, since she teaches she is only allowed 2 personal days.. And then in August doing the same type of trip since I have nobody I feel comfortable with running the business for an entire week.. It will obviously cost us extra airfare, but other than that the costs seem to be pretty close...

Anyone else do this??? Opinions???

 

[sters]

Sounds like a great idea to me. Car rental might also end up costing you a bit more, since it will be broken down into two trips, but it sounds like time is more important than cost for you. I think it would be great to catch some of the Christmas shows and experiences on the December trip and maybe more of the rides and pools on the summer trip. Also, a good way to enjoy two different resorts without resort-hopping. Enjoy!

 

[stacy6552]

we've done a big 10 day trip, a week long trip, two weekends, and a half weeker. One was over spring break, too. All were great fun. Do whatever works for you.

 

[safetymom]

I like making several trips in a year instead of one long one. That way it seems you are getting more Disney fixes in a year.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I think this is a great idea. I'm also a teacher, and DH's job is such that he can't really take more than a week's vacation at a time. What we've found that keeps us from running around in that short period of time is first, like you did, we plan our trips at different times of the year, climate-wise. That makes the second part easier-plan to do certain things on one of the trips only-for example-if you like water parks, only do them in the summer. If you like miniature golf, riding bikes, only do those things in the winter when it's cooler. Only go to 3 parks maximum per trip. Maybe omit AK in the summer because it "feels the heat" and omit one other in the winter.

 

[Micca]

I think when you can go in the off season you're ahead of the game. Also minimizes the time between WDW fixes

 

[katerkat]

I think that's fine - that's how my parents did it when we were growing up! Dad would take us kids during Teacher's Convention (Mom taught) and Mom would take us during Spring Break, usually four to five days each trip.

 

[Partridge4ever]

We've done it both ways. I hate going a whole year between trips. On the other hand, when we're only there for 4 days, we spend one day per park. I enjoy a longer trip sometimes to do things like Disney Quest, water parks, etc.

 

[Eeyore's Girl]

We went for a long weekend the first week of December 2002. It was a great time to be there - low crowds, mild temperatures, and Christmas decorations, too. On the other hand, we really pushed to "see it all" in a short time, and it was gruelling to say the least. We saw all four WDW park and Universal/IOA in 3 days.
December is great - just don't push too hard, especially if you're taking children with you.

Have a blast whatever you decide!

 

[Daxx]

Hi! I'm a teacher, so I can commiserate! DH's job only allows him so much vaca. time, also. But, he does get some long weekends for holidays, so we'll take advantage of that.

Going for a long period is nice. However, there's something sweet about knowing you're going back again, sooner than you might had you spent a long vacation there.

This year, we went for 10 days (just got back). We bought AP's b/c it ended up being more "cost effective". The AP's were slightly more than 10 day PH's ... and gave us an excuse to make a few more trips to WDW. We'll go again (hopefully) for Columbus Day weekend in Oct. (DS's bday falls on that weekend) *or* for Thanksgiving in Nov. If those dates don't work, we're thinking of Christmas vaca. Haven't decided yet, though. We'd like to go again for Pres. Day or some other longer weekend. Then, we'll go back for 10 more days in July before our AP's expire.

If it were me, I'd opt for a few shorter trips ... as someone else said, less of a wait to get your next Disney fix!

 

[jtjarvis]

Oh yes, that'll work. Our two trips this year will actually be shorter than yours! We went for the first time as a family in late January for a long weekend (we live in Atlanta -- we drove down after leaving school early on Thursday. We're not teachers but don't like to miss much school, and my DH too has a regular job, plus side business, that he can't leave for long). We just did MK and DD that trip. Kids did great so we decided to go back this year for WDW trip part 2!

So we're going again in October, another long weekend, for mnsshp and to hit Epcot and MGM. MAYBE AK but it depends on how much of the other parks we get to see.

For us, these short 'n sweet trips are perfect. It also allows for a quicker saving-up-$ time! We've stayed at FW cabins, my mother from SC meets us, it has worked just great.