Adventures by Disney-- How do people do it?-- It's so much $$

[georgina]

I can afford an ABD tour, but I'm not willing to pay their prices. I would LOVE to take a Rick Steves tour (http://www.ricksteves.com/tours) in Europe one of these days - for about half the cost of ABD. The accommodations are much less luxurious than ABD's - but that's fine with me.

This is my type of thinking too. I could afford ABD, but am too cheap. Same reasoning I would never stay at the Grand Floridian at Disney. However, my DD is paying full price at a very expensive college, courtesy of a 529 funded by her grandparents. We all have things we are willing to pay for. I try not to criticize the spending of others for that reason.

 

[eliza61]

not

Pensions do still exist..maybe not in Detroit, but for sure in a lot of locales. $1000 SS, only if the person has a low paying job and/or retired early. Many employers still offer 401K and/or 403B. Many of us of a certain age have had more than one career and have retirement plans in more than one type of profession. I'll retire because I've seen what it does to my friends, use it or lose it applies to the intellect as well as the physical.
One other thing-we are a generation of grandparents raising our grandchildren and/or empty nesters with the 'baby' birds returning to the nest....they can't make it on their own(and not because they're taking extravagant ABD vacations either.)

I have a pension also.

Here's the thing, I'm doing a lot of research on this because I'd like to retire in 5 years.

All those scare data that people love to throw around, isn't really the whole story.

Basically new studies have found that people are retiring in exactly the same income level as how they are living.

Folks who are retiring with a mortgage have the ability to pay that mortgage, they are not suddenly retiring than not being able to eat. Sure they are not living la vida loca but now the "experts" are realized that all those doom day scenerio's where retirees are going to be in free fall aren't exactly true.

Basically, if you're living below poverty level now, yes you will have a hard time in you senior years. not exactly new or surprising.

LOL, I'm just amazed at the more accurate picture that is coming together.

 

[eliza61]

With all due respect, this is why the average American is in deep credit card debt, and likely to end up homeless on the street in retirement.


where did you get that from?

It's about being responsible. In 2010, I backpacked Europe for 3.5 months and had the time of my life. I spent $11k in total, including flights, lodging, transportation, food, and lots of partying.

These packages are about excess. When you spend $20k on a vacation that could be had for $4, you are the same person who drives your Mercedes up to your job as a waiter.

Yeah but if you are a waiter because you have a couple of mil in the bank than the Mercedes isn't a problem is it.

There is no big automatic equations saying that a person who drives a Honda is anymore responsible than a person who drives a Mercedes.

spending the money on a ABD vacation is no more irresponsible than staying at a hostel.

not sure how you came to the conclusion because you backpacked across Europe you have some greater insight to responsibility than some one who stayed at a 5 star hotel?

 

[emilymad]

We did London and Dublin for 10 nights for $5k for two people including air and all expenses. We did London and Paris for 10 nights for $6K for two people with everything. Disney charges $10k for two people for 7 nights plus airfare. So we did more for half the money. We tend to stay at very nice, expensive places. I think the hotel in London was close to $400 a night so we are not skimping or doing something less luxurious to get to these prices.

In London we stayed at one of the ABD hotels and then ended up directly behind them in line at Westminster Abby. And they were in the regular line, no front of the line access there.

We have the money to travel on an ABD but we see so much more on our own. Some of the activities on the ABD seem like fun but they are taking away time to explore the place you are in.

One of our biggest things is the meals. If I am in a foreign city I want to go eat good food and not have to pick off a preset menu or a buffet. Where is the joy of just stumbling across an amazing restaurant?

 

[Tink2Day]

not


I have a pension also.

Here's the thing, I'm doing a lot of research on this because I'd like to retire in 5 years.

All those scare data that people love to throw around, isn't really the whole story.

Basically new studies have found that people are retiring in exactly the same income level as how they are living.

Folks who are retiring with a mortgage have the ability to pay that mortgage, they are not suddenly retiring than not being able to eat. Sure they are not living la vida loca but now the "experts" are realized that all those doom day scenerio's where retirees are going to be in free fall aren't exactly true.

Basically, if you're living below poverty level now, yes you will have a hard time in you senior years. not exactly new or surprising.

LOL, I'm just amazed at the more accurate picture that is coming together.

That's the truth!
Actually though my original post said I'll NOT retire...I've seen how bored most of my friends are and how family and friends who retired lost their sense of purpose.
If we read some of the posts on here we'll be eating cat food(it's too expensive too).

Most everyone I know who is of a certain age, own their own homes. Some are doing a reverse mortgage because their children own their own homes.

I knew some of this was way off base when I read a 'financial analyst' telling people that assets are cash, savings and brokerage (assuming stocks and bonds?) and that they would even include Retirement plans but those have penalties...uh not for people who are of retirement age....
Assets, some of us are asset poor but if we decide to liquidate most of us would be very wealthy, yet some of us would still work for the sheer joy and stimulation it brings.

However if you are retiring in 5 years, best wishes to you for a happy retirement

 

[calypso726]

DH has his own IT business plus works a full time job. I work full time as well. We have no children and the mortgage is paid off. We've done 3 ABD trips and have two more planned for next year. We had always wanted to take an ABD trip but didn't see how we could afford it. The sticker shock froze us from really thinking about how we could come up with a solution to afford it. That is, until 2012 when they announced the new Scotland itinerary for 2013. That pushed me past the numbness of sticker shock and into a there's gotta be a way mode of thinking.

It took 3 days to figure out how to pay for it. Acquiring debt was not in the cards and neither was touching the emergency fund or retirement savings. I gave myself a pay cut and direct deposited that pay cut into a separate checking account (new vacation fund) with Chase that gave me a $200 bonus just for opening and making direct deposits I rented out some of our DVC points to friends, held a garage sale and started grooming dogs on the side for additional income. I learned to "travel hack" which means acquiring points and miles through credit card bonuses and learning to work the system to accumulate bonus points/miles. Now we fly with miles and haven't had to purchase airfare for our ABD trips.

So that is our story on how we are able to afford it. On our trips we have met people in the following professions that I can remember, IT folks, CEOs, a well known romance novelist, doctors and nurses, a pharmaceutical rep, retirees.

 

[calypso726]

I completely agree. While people are free to spend their money anyway they please, I don't understand why you would spend a premium price for a trip you could easily plan yourself, especially the trips in the US.

The value of an experience is a very subjective thing. There are some things that you can't plan on your own or aren't available to the public that Disney can provide. The little extras. I will share a few from both here and abroad.

Only Disney is allowed to launch canoes right off of Urquhart Castle into Loch Ness. That is an experience I will never forget and would not have been able to arrange on my own.

I got to sing a duet with DH on stage in New York at The Apollo! I don't know how to sing but did it anyway. There's another experience I could not have arranged or done on my own.

We had front row seats to Aladdin on Broadway and got to meet and chat with some of the cast afterwards. I love musicals but have never scored front row seats to something like that on my own or met the cast.

 

[tinatark]

I've never heard of ABD until now - and WOW! Itineraries look great!

These remind me of trips my inlaws often take - just got back from 12 days in Hawaii, have been to many places all over the US. Bus tours! The best ones are with the local "seniors clubs" with banks in our cities. I 've asked more than once how old I have to be to go!

Except much, much cheaper than ABD!

 

[SingingMom]

The value of an experience is a very subjective thing. There are some things that you can't plan on your own or aren't available to the public that Disney can provide. The little extras. I will share a few from both here and abroad. Only Disney is allowed to launch canoes right off of Urquhart Castle into Loch Ness. That is an experience I will never forget and would not have been able to arrange on my own. I got to sing a duet with DH on stage in New York at The Apollo! I don't know how to sing but did it anyway. There's another experience I could not have arranged or done on my own. We had front row seats to Aladdin on Broadway and got to meet and chat with some of the cast afterwards. I love musicals but have never scored front row seats to something like that on my own or met the cast.

We can't put a price on the experiences and the anxiety-free atmosphere. The best, however, are the friendships we've made. They are PRICELESS !!!

"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[Teresa Pitman]

I was once 3 days away from death without knowing it. Granted at any time ANYONE can be inches away from death, but it really made an impact on me. Therefore I'm at the mindset that if I want to do something, experience something, or buy something I'm going to do it NOW because tomorrow may never come. I'd rather be penniless, old and living off Cheerios in a shelter thinking back on fond memories than loaded in a nursing home unable to go anywhere wishing of the things I wanted. Or worse yet.... Dead and having relatives living it up off my hard earned money.

One of my dearest friends died in January of this year, of cancer. In her last weeks she knew she was dying, and she said to me several times "Teresa, if there is something you want to do, do it now. None of us know how much time we have. Go out and enjoy your life."

I actually feel a bit guilty because I'm not really able to do that, but I think she was right.

TP

 

[ellochka]

This is accurate.

I have first hand data for this. The average American has over $10k in credit card debt. The average 50yr old adult in America today has (excluding home equity, if any) less than $10k in cash or investments. Most people will "retire" with a mortgage. Pensions no longer exist.

No, it's not accurate. You are confusing average American with average American household (2.5x difference), and you are also confusing HHs with credit cards that have credit card debt with HHs in general.

About 20% of American HHs don't have a credit card, thus no cc debt. Out of those who have a credit card, around 60% pay their balance on time, out of those who do not, the average per HH is somewhere between $10K and $15K based on different sources ($15K seems to be sum of all balances whether paid in full in the end of the month or not).
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2014/06/11/is-your-credit-card-debt-average/
http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/credit-card-data/average-credit-card-debt-household/

 

[kathy884]

To OP: I've wondered the same thing. Who goes on these trips?

We're supposedly up there in the upper percentages for income, etc. And I feel like we go on terrific trips, but typically I can do a week at these same places with air included for about 6K for the three of us with some pretty terrific experiences. I do like trip planning, though.

I budget $12,000 for vacations annually and typically do a week long trip costing around 5.5K (spring break -- Puerto Vallarta next year), a trip costing around 3K 4-7 days (national park or something similar -- Rocky Mountain National Park next year), a budget long weekend in Orlando $1.5K (seems like I can't resist doing this annually), and a long weekend to visit relatives on the East Coast $2K

If I had more disposable income, the trips that I would probably do (same price point as the Disney ones), would be the expeditions with the St. Louis zoo that seem to offer really unique experiences with wildlife experts / naturalists. These are the only ones I've seen where I said, "Wow - If money were no object, that would be cool." // Churchill Canada to see the Polar Bears does sound so cool and they have some pretty neat African Safaris too. Even so, I wouldn't shift monies around or forgo vacationing more often for this. It's not like these are on my bucket list.// Alaskan Cruise, actually most cruises, etc. just don't really appeal to me for the money. // Tours of any type that I've seen too just seem awfully pricey. But that's just me and we all have different things we value and think are worth it.

The Disney ones sound good till I look at the price, and then I'm not even interested. Funny how prices do that to me. I think the same thing about some of the WDW things too like the little AK trek. I thought "Oh how fun I have to do this", and then I saw the price and lost all interest.

But then even to Orlando, I'm pretty value conscious. I bunk up with relatives in an offsite condo, just do maybe three park days, cook in, and do some counter service / skip the extra experiences and high onsite accommodation and dining costs.

 

[Judique]

The Disney ones sound good till I look at the price, and then I'm not even interested. Funny how prices do that to me. I think the same thing about some of the WDW things too like the little AK trek. I thought "Oh how fun I have to do this", and then I saw the price and lost all interest.

But then even to Orlando, I'm pretty value conscious. I bunk up with relatives in an offsite condo, just do maybe three park days, cook in, and do some counter service / skip the extra experiences and high onsite accommodation and dining costs.

People differ.

My vacation budget is close to yours. However, if I want to do it, I'm going to do it. If I get hung up on cost, I'll end up in an offsite condo, and cooking in.

That's not a bad thing, just not my idea of vacationing in Orlando. I'd rather stay home where I am comfortable then suffer what I would consider an inconvenience.

We all are satisfied in different ways. Some people will do a vacation every two or three or even five years. And they might save up 20k to do it. I want a diversion every 3 or 4 months. I want a change of scenery. I want to see the ocean or ride its a small world. And then I want to go back home until I get restless again.