Any other vacations?

[skent10]

I've been curious about those of you who have taken multiple vacations to DW--is this the only place you vacation, or do you go elsewhere too?

My family can only afford, both timewise and financially, one major vacation a year. We'll be going to DW in June, 2006 for the first time since December, 2000. In the years since, we've taken a major vacation each year, but to somewhere different (Hawaii, USVI, Australia).

So are you people just really blessed in being able to go to DW each year and other places as well? Or have you decided that DW is the only place you want to take your vacations? And for those of you who go more than once each year, how on earth do you do it?! I don't mean financially, since everyone is at different stages there (and I've read the threads discussing this), but in taking the time off from your job and regular daily routines.

Just really curious about it.

Thanks.

 

[**pixiedust**]

We take a week long vacation in the summer up to Maine, and we also have gone to Disney every year for the past six years (except in 2002).

We pay for the majority of our Maine vacation out of our tax refund.

Our Disney vacations have become a priority and we have become quite creative to get ourselves there. We put $20 a week in an envelope that is marked Disney. This adds up to over $1000 to put towards the trip.

We schedule our outgoing flight to Disney to be early in the morning, and then, when we get to the airport, we politely tell the airline employee that we are willing to be bumped from our flight. This has worked four times. We wind up with flight vouchers and are only delayed a couple of hours. Last years flight vouchers were worth $200 each and we are using them to pay for this years airfare - essentially getting our flights to Disney this May for free, saving us $800.

We stay in a moderate resort (though this year we are considering a couple of nights at deluxe) and never go at peak time. My DH has been at his job for 15 years and I at mine for 6, so we each have plenty of vacation time. Granted, my kids are 3 and 5 so their schedules aren't too consuming yet.

Those are just a few ways we do it in my family. I still realize we are very, very lucky to be able to do what we do.

 

[tkldisney]

At least I go to Disney everyyear, sometimes with friends, sometimes with sister. In Dec. DH & I are taking 3 nieces to WDW with us. We usually take week vacation over summer school break, we pick different locations. '06 she wants to go back to NYC. We may add DC in their too!
DH & I love to go to Napa/Sonoma Valley's, so will probably go their sometime next year too! It's just my sister & me to WDW May '06.
DH travels a lot for work, so I go with him when able so to me thats a vacation.

 

[wwaleye]

Traveling with our kids, when they still want to travel with us has been very important to us, therefore, we choose to spend our money on trips as oppose to new cars, name-brand clothes, dining out etc. This past summer we went to Yellowstone, and will be going to Disney for a short trip at Christmastime. We try to compromise when it comes to lodging, we stay at "moderate hotels" try to cut back on food expense, drive instead of fly, (not just at Disney) so that the trip is possible. We would rather take a couple of trips a year that one big one, and moderation is how we do it.

 

[Sammie]

We have DVC so we go to Hilton Head to the DVC resort and visit the surrounding areas of Charleston and Savannah.

 

[Disney Ella]

We love WDW, but there are a lot of other places we'd like to go too. Usually, if we go to WDW, any other trips that year will be to places that are a lot less expensive. This year we went to Montreal and WDW, but only because I was able to find a cheap hotel rate and good airfare. Wish we could go on two nice vacations every year!

 

[DisneyGeek2000]

We usually spend one week a year at the New Jersey beaches (we live less than an hour away), and take at least one trip to WDW (this year we are making 2!). The WDW trips sometimes cost less than the NJ Beach trips!!!!

The way it looks now, we may skip WDW in 2006 to return in 2007 for our 20th wedding anniversary - we want that to be extra special, so we need to skip a year to save the money.

Michael

 

[lustergirl]

In March of next year my mother and myself are going to Hawaii. Next september we will be going back to the house of the mouse. The only way I am able to do this is by saving, saving, saving, etc. All of us were going to go to Hawaii but after visiting Disney for our 1st time this past september my husband and 2 sons could care less about Hawaii and want to go back to Disney. As my mom has her heart set on Hawaii it will be only the 2 of us. That is okay because it is cheaper with only 2 and then I can also afford another trip within the same year. I am already saving for my trip to Disney next year by purchasing disney dollars from our local store, also picked up a part-time job at that store. I believe if you want something bad enough you will find ways to achieve that want. For me it is going back to Disney and Hawaii, taking 2 vacations in one year. I have enough vacation and sick, personal time coming in order to do both next year.

Lisa

 

[WDW LifeLong Fan]

We go to WDW 4-5 times annually.

We also travel to Hawaii, Las Vegas, Hilton Head, Florida Coast, New York and other U.S. Cities on a regular basis.

 

[zipDdoodah]

We generally make it to Disneyland and Disneyworld at least once per year and try to plan trips to other places but usually end up going to WDW. We have Hawaii planned for Spring Break, and we have been tempted to change it to WDW a few times, so hopefully it will stick. There are so many places I want to go see, but I'm afraid they will disappoint compared to Disney. I guess we'll see how the Hawaii trip goes. Hopefully it will help us to branch out a little more and see more of the world.

 

[Windy City Heather]

Our second vacation a year is Jamaica. We stay at Beaches Negril, they have the Sesame Street gang. My DH and I work different shifts at work and so we make vacations a top priority. Tax refund and work bonus pay for one trip and I get way way to much vacation a year so I cash out 10 day to help pay for the second trip. We also set up a second savings account that is hard to get to (45 minute drive to the nearest branch) and half my paycheck goes into it. This is our best way to save money.

 

[grumpymakesmehappy]

We love to travel, see the world, and spend time with each other. We farm so there are no "off" days. Being able to spend a week or two away from it all is nice, but being together as a family is priceless. We have to save just like everyone else. While we love Disney, we want to see other parts of the world too. We especially love Europe and have been visited several countries. After our last vacation in June to Greece, we decided it would be awhile before we went back oversees. The euro is out of control! We are finally going back to Disney this Jan. It's been 3 years and we can't wait. We usually take one major vacation a year. This is all our schedule allows.

 

[dreamscometrue47]

We manage to get to WDW once a year as well as do another major vacation every year. But my husband sometimes doesn't go to WDW (just me and the kids go) because he doesn't have the same kind of vacation time that I do. Sometimes we stay onsite at WDW, but most times we'll trade in a week of timesharing and stay offsite, travel in value season, and use frequent flyer miles as DH travels CONSTANTLY. Some recent trips (besides WDW) have been Aruba, Key West, Bermuda. And we also always do a week up in the White Mtns of NH or the beach in Maine. We save, save, save...our vacations keep us sane and together as a family.

 

[Lulu's Mom]

We have gone on vacation to numerous places... Hawaii, Las Vegas, different beaches and we have found that since our DD is so young right now that Disney is the best for us at this moment. The flight to Hawaii is way TOOOOOOO long.
Going to the beach is also great but we only do this for about 2-4 days. So our big yearly vacation for the next few years will be Disney and I we are all very happy about it

 

[Avalanche]

We go to DW once a year. We also go skiing for a week and a week at the beach. We usually stay at a moderate and drive down. We only fly if the rate is great. It usually costs us $3000 for our week at DW and we usually spend the same for the ski week and the beach week.

We lived in Japan for 4 years and did tons of traveling and siteseeing. Went to Australia, China, Hong Kong, Bali, Guam, Hawaii, Blah, Blah, Blah.

Now I just like to go were it is familiar and we are comfortable. My goodness I must be getting old.

 

[Mich Mouse]

Making memories is a priority in our family. You can't put a price on that, and we vacation as much as possible. One trip to Disney, and one to another destination. This year we are going to California. Last year we went to Arizona. I could care less about designer clothing or bags, I look at those purchases like "Hey for one Coach bag I could stay at the Beach Club during value season for two nights."

I'd rather shop smart for my family, and spend all our disposable income on vacation!

If I could not go on two vacations a year, I might have to stop going to Disney. When we saw the Grand Canyon last year, I realized that the beauty of our natural environment is as appealing as Disney, and this year we are going to see Yosemite!
There is so much to see right here in our own country!

Spend you travel $ here in the USA!

 

[skiwee1]

We go plenty of other places during the year too. My DH doesn't go on my twice yearly Disney trips so we have to go other places together. We do the ocean for a couple weeks a year and skiing a week or two also. Those trips include our kids. We also do quite a few child free trips too.

 

[Kay7979]

We always take three weeks vacation. One is usually a get away from the cold vacation that we fly to, and we stay two weeks. Some years that destination becomes Florida, and we do a week at WDW (usually off-site) and a week at Ft. Lauderdale, or Key West etc. The other week is usually a drive to vacation. We did recent trips to Colonial Williamsburg and Atlantic City. We have upcoming trips planned to the Shanandoah MTs and Gatlinburg, TN. I love WDW, but there are so many great places to see, that we don't go there every year, even with taking three weeks vacation a year. Still, it is a great compliment to Disney. There are few places we visit more than once. Disney calls us back. We don't do all the parks each trip. Maybe only one or two and save the others for "next time." There is so much to do in the Orlando area, and we have been enough times that it has a comfortable home-like familiarity that we enjoy. I can respect those who do Disney and only Disney every year, but we personally would feel we were missing out on so much if we did not travel to other destinations as well.

 

[Viki]

Let's see, in the last few years we've been to Bermuda, Vero Beach (DVC), Boston (family trip combined with a conference I was attending), Baltimore (another conference), and enjoyed 4 trips to WDW.

This year we have planned 2 trips to the "World," a trip with the extended family to the mountains of Virginia, and our first cruise in March 2007.

We make a nice income but we are also not house poor and we live on a budget. Travel is a priority for us. Both of our children are cognitively challenged, but their teachers always comment how incredibly socialized they are. Partly, that's due to seeing the world!

If we like cruising next March, I think we'll be doing lots more of that and spread our wings even further.

 

[princess-rn]

Now that we are more financially stable... (we weren't able to go to disney again until 4 years after our honeymoon. Doing the newlywed thing..buying a house..starting a family...etc)...Disney is our MAJOR vacation every year but we do take several small vacations during the seasons. Within a year we did Disney October 2004...New Orleans Christmas 2004... spent a long weekend in Gatlinburg, TN. in March 2005...Disney in May 2005...Then in September 2005 we spent 5 days at the beach on the Panhandle of Florida.