Answer me this DVC members

[studog]

-How far do you space your vacation and when do you usually go?

-Do you try to stay at all the resorts or just stick with one?

-Do you visit the parks everytime you go or not..it seems like it would get extremely expensive for a family of 4....any tips on cost savings for this?

-better to stay Sun-Thurs maybe twice a year or straight thru like for 10 days?


Thanks all

 

[mom2alix]

One tip for the theme park admissions is to buy APs and schedule your trips so that you use the APs for more than one.

For example if you usually go only once per year in June, buy the APs for this year's trip then schedule next year's trip a week or so earlier so that you can use the APs again before they expire.

This is also a better deal if you're going to go for multiple Sun-Thu trips.

The only downside is that there's no DVC discount on APs.

 

[salvatorejrm]

This is our first year as DVC members and we are planning two 5 night stays one in January and one in August. In the past when we would stay off site we would always buy a 4 day hopper pass for Disney and a 2 day for universal. On our stay in January we use 2 days at Disney and 1 day at Universal. We would have 3 days left for the next January. In August we plan to do the water parks and the pool at the resort and maybe a day at Sea World. We are a family of six so it can get costly. We have been to the parks 4 times now so we know what we want to do and see so 2 days is enough.

 

[Frozenfingers]

We are going to have to change our vacation habits for a few years. We have been pulling the kids from school and going the week before thanksgiving. Went in Oct once too. Been once in Dec once in Jan. Youngest struggled this year, so we can't do it anymore. We will be empty nesters in a couple of years so will again revert to fall and winter. Think Sept and Feb would be good times

Still go to the parks daily.. gonna do it different this trip though. One day we will tour all the other DVC resorts for a close look see. Maybe lunch at Olivia's and supper at the Canyon. As of now, we haven't tried to stay elsewhere.. just love the BCVs and the location. We have been getting PH pluses from ticketmania, seems to be the cheapest when all is said and done. Get the 7 days, they never expire...

Never stayed the weekend as a DVCer.. burns the points too fast, and there is soooo much to do in FL. Like to go to Ft Lauderdale, been to Ormund beach once and would go again, St Pete is great.. and US Orlando gives FOTL privies.. Got Royal Pacific for $110/ nite last year.. Fantastic!! Done Sterling Cruise out of Port C.. would skip that one if offered.. Check the web, lots of timeshares rent by the day in Florida, ususally 100-150 a day.. why cramp yourself in a Holiday Inn, when you can have an apt for the same price? Gonna try for Fri,Sat, Sun June 05 in Clearwater, ocean front.. amazing sunsets, Busch gardens, Fl Aquarium, St Pete.. Lordy..can't wait!!

 

[Disney4ever4569]

We like to go in February and October. They are off-peak seasons, its not so hot down there. The more and more we go down there the less and less we are spending time at the parks. We'll maybe spend half our days at the parks and other half enjoying the resorts or finding other things to do. We just want to relax.

 

[JVL1018]

Originally posted by studog
-How far do you space your vacation and when do you usually go?

-Do you try to stay at all the resorts or just stick with one?

-Do you visit the parks everytime you go or not..it seems like it would get extremely expensive for a family of 4....any tips on cost savings for this?

-better to stay Sun-Thurs maybe twice a year or straight thru like for 10 days?


Thanks all

1. We have been doing HH in June and WDW in the fall Sept/Oct.
When my daughter starts school, we will keep the fall trip but move HH to either spring break or the summer(we get out of school at the end of June here)
2. I'd like to try all of the WDW DVC resorts. WE own at BWV and love it there and at OKW-didn't like BCV, so won;t bother going bcak there. We have to stay at VWL and SSR one of these days, but it's hard to pony up the extra points when we love the other 2 resorts so much(we always book SV at BWV)

3. We get APs and while it is a not-fun cash outlay($1457 I just paid), we only do it every 2 years because we stagger our trips(for ex. late Oct 1 year then early Oct the next). And if I start getting bummed about the price, I compare all I get for that, days and days of fun..when DH and I can easily have to spend $200 + to go to dinner and a show in NYC(bridge/tunnel toll plus parking is over $50 alone )

4. If you're trying to save money I would just do the one trip, you just have 1 rounndtrip to pay for instead of 2. If we fly and rent a car that costs @ $800 for plane tix and $300 for a car, I'd rather pay that once, instead of twice.

 

[garylpn]

may for flower/garden fest, dec for radp/mousefest
waiting out rofr for bwv, this will add 3rd trip, probably sometime in last 2 weeks oct for food/wine fest
we buy pap each year, we are lucky enough to be semiretired/ both dw and i work as per diem nurses so we can go whenever we feel like it, we have never tired of the parks, waterparks or pleasure island so we feel we get enough use to justify pap

 

[mbw12]

Originally posted by studog
-How far do you space your vacation and when do you usually go?

-Do you try to stay at all the resorts or just stick with one?

-Do you visit the parks everytime you go or not..it seems like it would get extremely expensive for a family of 4....any tips on cost savings for this?

-better to stay Sun-Thurs maybe twice a year or straight thru like for 10 days?


Thanks all

We try to buy AP's and stagger our trips , so that we get atlest two weeks out of those AP's. We do visit the theme parks everytime that we are there. We always stay Sunday-Thursday, as of now. We have stayed at OKW, BCV, VWL, and plan to stay at the others also!

 

[mikesmom]

We go in May/June family vacation every year, although that may be spaced out to one big trip every other year as DS is junior in college and other kids are spaced out across country. DH and I also go in Oct or Nov for Food & Wine and a little personal time.

The last couple of years we have also gotten in a quick found-a-good-reason-to-getaway trip. Last year for end of a very stressful tax season and this year for our anniversary (going to HHI, yeah!).

We don't spend all our time in the parks as we love the relaxation at the resorts. We also follow the system of timing trips so one AP covers more than one trip. We usually have frequent flier miles thru SW, so airfare is not an issue.

 

[Doug Wolfe]

Because of school & work schedules, we stay straight through with one trip a year.

We joined in 2002 and stayed that summer at Beach Club Villas, our home resort. July 2003 we stayed at Old Key West. We love both. This August, it will be back to Beach Club.

We are a family of 5. 2002 we did all of the parks. 2003 we did just Magic Kingdom for a day....and Typhoon Lagoon for a day. The rest of the time we spent at the pool.

This year it is back to a pass that let's us in all the parks.

 

[gracelrm]

We have gone once a year for a full week since we joined DVC in 2001. But this year's trip is using a great deal of points, so we won't go back for a couple of years. We go in June, due to us both being in education and kids being in school. We have only stayed at VWL on points so far. We'll stay there again this year, but are thinking of trying others in the future. We tend to go to the parks everyday and have usually gotten the all-inclusive pass that allows us to go anywhere at anytime. I'm thinking that after this trip we'll start buying the 7-day PHP and using them over two trips and spend a little less time in the parks. DH really enjoys the parks and it'll take some convincing to keep him out of the parks for even a day!

 

[danny1649]

A year since we joined in 1992 and always stay at OKW.

 

[studog]

Tell me more about frequent flyer miles. How do I save on airline

 

[JimC]

We have visited WDW every month except Jan, Feb and Sept. Will probably have those covered in the next few years. Our favorite months are May, Oct and Dec. Three trips per year is about right for us.

We have stayed at all Disney resorts except Shades of Green, GF, BW Inn, Swan/Dolphin (yes I know they are Westin) and Pop Century. Hoping to stay at all DVC resorts at some point. Have stayed at OKW, BWV, BCV and VBR.

Favorites so far are AKL, WL and Poly in the regular resorts and OKW and BCV for DVC.

We visit the parks regularly. We are AP holders so ticket costs are under control. 2003 was under $10 per day.

We normally like to stay for seven nights or split resorts and stay longer. Sometimes we arrange a shorter fast trip of four to five nights.

Airline costs are generally lower if you book in advance, buy nonrefundable tickets and stay over a saturday night. The discount airlines probably have the lowest costs, but I don't like using them. Frequent flyer miles are earned by flying a great many miles or using an affiliated charge card or both. We use frequent flyer tickets for almost all of our vacation travel.