Anyone else feel anxious after booking?

[Angrose]

OK, so I just spent A LOT of money and booked the DLH for our post-Thanksgiving trip. I received a great 30% off promo code from Orbitz that I simply could not pass up. On this trip it will be me, DH, DS6 and MIL who is visiting from the UK. This will be her first trip to DLR and our family’s first time staying onsite. I am the Disney nut in the family and have been dreaming of seeing DL all decked out in its holiday finest for years now so it will be a very special treat for me especially. I was toying with GCH, but it would have been a lot more expensive. We have to get 2 rooms to accommodate MIL (I love her to bits, but the woman snores REALLY loud!), so this trip will not be cheap to say the least! I have been saving the money to cover it, but jeez, I just wiped out my savings with one swipe of the card, so I’m feeling really nervous all of a sudden about spending so much money. I know that I can cancel if needed, but booking it makes it feel so REAL. Please tell me it will all be worth it!!!

P.S. I haven’t told DH that I booked DLH since I am personally footing the bill for this trip with my personal savings as a treat for my family. I think I will keep it a surprise for everyone! I can’t wait to see everyone’s faces light up when we pull up to the hotel!

 

[SweetAlex]

I totally hear ya. Our last two trips we actually took out very small loans to be able to cover it. It's not a good idea for some but for us, we could afford the small payments over the next year but not the lump sum to pay it all at once ourselves. We didn't want our kids to never experience a real vacation so it was a sacrifice well worth it for us. No regrets at all. BUT each time I put that credit card down on Expedia, sealing the deal so to speak, I panicked. It is a lot of money. BUT like I said, we wanted our kids to have the memories of family vacations. Looking back on my childhood, family vacations are one of the few things I actually remember clearly. Doesn't speak well for my memory (whole other topic)...

For our upcoming trip, we were finally able to afford it all ourselves . We moved from a big expensive city to a small rural town earlier this year so the difference in housing allowed us to pay off all debt and reduce our living expenses drastically. The outcome: a trip to Disney of course... what else?! But to be honest, even though we could afford it, I just can't get myself to pay the cost of an onsite hotel. That's just me though. I know many say there is nothing more magical then staying onsite so I'm sure you'll love it. I would be worrying about scrimping and money the whole time I was there and I didn't want to have to so I'm more comfortable paying less for a hotel.

How exciting for you to go and stay onsite and so great you are surprising them with the onsite. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time. As the time gets closer, I'm sure you'll be swallowed up in the magic and the cost won't matter as much.

 

[Boston Tea Party]

YES! We are leaving Thursday for a family wedding then checking into the Grand Californian concierge Sunday for a stay until Friday. It was a hefty chunk of change for us; we usually stay at the Candy Cane Inn!

I wanted to splurge to celebrate my daughter's great year at USC and celebrate her "unbirthday" as well. Her birthday is during the first week of August and, for the first time, we won't be with her to celebrate.

I told DH all I am expecting is a bed and a shower - that way I will be happy!

Let's hope for a great trip for all of us!

 

[Angrose]

SweetAlex: This will probably be a once in every 5 years or so treat for us. I agree, we can still have a blast when staying off-site, but every once in awhile it's nice to splurge. Last year we stayed at Marriott Suites and earlier this year I went solo at Tropicana. Both trips were great. But, I figured with the holidays and MIL, why not make it extra-special! I agree, once I'm there I will have forget how much it all cost!

Boston Tea Party: What a wonderful gift for your daughter! I'm sure you will all have a great time!

 

[disneyland626]

I get awful anxiety over my trips to Disney! My anxiety over everything when I went to WDW ruined a lot of my trip combined with tropical storm Andrea and above predicted crowds. I'm going to DL next week and I am incredibly excited! I learned the hard way that you can't put too much pressure on making sure you have a good time (and worrying about the cost) and you just have to LET IT GOO!! Because I know that I can't hold it back anymore

 

[peterpanandwendy]

yep.

This is our first big trip in 4 years, and the 'sticker shock' was a bit intense for me I couldn't believe it when I finally clicked the 'submit' button on the WestJet Vacation packages webpage… I'd been pricing out the trip for MONTHS, but never had the courage to just do it… and then finally I did, and I had a bit of a panic attack… but now I am soooooo excited! I've managed to save up all our 'spending cash' for meals and souvenirs just by putting away my change and extra cash and I'm all ready to go!

I never have anxiety about not having a good time… just about how much it costs. But it is totally worth it

 

[AndreAggie]

We found a good deal on our flights today (using miles)...we're not planning on going until January, but my husband is currently booking the flights as I type this! Eeeeks!! This is really happening! Now just to keep it a secret for our son!

 

[Angrose]

I learned the hard way that you can't put too much pressure on making sure you have a good time (and worrying about the cost) and you just have to LET IT GOO!! Because I know that I can't hold it back anymore

So true, I do put a lot of pressure on my self when it comes to these sort of trips since I'm the one planning everything. LET IT GO...I love it! Hope you have a GREAT trip!

I've managed to save up all our 'spending cash' for meals and souvenirs just by putting away my change and extra cash and I'm all ready to go!
QUOTE]

I have a change jar too and anything left over from my "allowance" at the end of the week is going in there. I'm also doing ebates when I can and little extras like selling things on craigslist, etc. Each time I get $50 I buy a Disney gift card, so we should be just about covered by the time November rolls around.

We found a good deal on our flights today (using miles)...we're not planning on going until January, but my husband is currently booking the flights as I type this! Eeeeks!! This is really happening! Now just to keep it a secret for our son!

That's so awesome when you can get flights using miles. Southwest has some great deals right now. Keeping the secret about the hotel will probably be the hardest thing for me! Good luck with that!

 

[auteur55]

I finally stopped procrastinating and just bit the bullet today and booked for September. Can't believe what I just paid to stay in Disneyland Hotel but I just once wanted to experience the full week disneyland splurge. I really hope it's worth it.

 

[Baxhappyplace]

I finally stopped procrastinating and just bit the bullet today and booked for September. Can't believe what I just paid to stay in Disneyland Hotel but I just once wanted to experience the full week disneyland splurge. I really hope it's worth it.

It will be worth it if you use everything the hotel has to offer. The pool, story time at the GCH, the lobby at the GCH etc. Not sure what the Disneyland Hotel has to offer. We stayed at the GCH in December and only used the hotel to shower and sleep, other than that we were in the parks or DTD. We felt disappointed in the amount we spent for what we got. I am glad however that we got 25% off our rate through Cheaptickets.

So if we ever do that again we will make sure that we allow for a day or two away from the parks, or even a few afternoon and evenings, so we can use the resort the way it should be.

 

[wtpfan]

Has anyone been able to get the 20% cheaptickets code to work lately on a Disney Hotel...just tried for the Disneyland Hotel and no luck

 

[pharmama]

Has anyone been able to get the 20% cheaptickets code to work lately on a Disney Hotel...just tried for the Disneyland Hotel and no luck

It appears that the cheaptickets codes no longer work for the on site hotels. However, many people report that the Orbitz codes (usually 15%, occasionally more) do still work.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Hofmanns4]

OP, how do you get the 30% off promo code? Special email?

Thanks!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Angrose]

OP, how do you get the 30% off promo code? Special email?

Thanks!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Yes, special email with a one-time use only code. It was like 20 characters long so not like their normal promo codes. I was truly shocked when I received it and even MORE surprised that it worked for the onsite hotels. I really don't know why I received it. I signed up for their mailing list a few months ago and have been checking rates religiously. I also bought my park hoppers using the Orbitz/ebates deal earlier this year.

I have also been checking Cheaptickets whenever a new code comes out, but they are never good for onsite!

 

[danceanddisney2010]

It is crazy expensive.. I always feel the same way. We are heading down at the end of this week and staying onsite for 6 days! We are getting a pretty nice discount through work, but still a HEFTY chunk of change! We haven't stayed offsite in a few years...(work discounts) ...but without them.... definitely would be a lot harder and a lot more anxiety.

 

[Viva Las Disney]

Yes, I feel that anxiety every month.

I have an AP and every time I finish a DL trip I swear I'm taking a couple months off because the costs add up so quickly but after I'm home a couple weeks I end up booking another trip.

I stay at one of the off site hotels to save costs but it's still $120+ a night, plus gas, plus food, plus souvenirs, plus a lot of my trips include runDisney races which are never cheap.

It's expensive but I have so much fun it's worth it.

 

[whoever]

Excited is more like it.. and the question of how to pay for it all...

 

[danceanddisney2010]

Yes, I feel that anxiety every month.

I have an AP and every time I finish a DL trip I swear I'm taking a couple months off because the costs add up so quickly but after I'm home a couple weeks I end up booking another trip.

I stay at one of the off site hotels to save costs but it's still $120+ a night, plus gas, plus food, plus souvenirs, plus a lot of my trips include runDisney races which are never cheap.

It's expensive but I have so much fun it's worth it.

We most likely.. well...make that WOULD... stay offsite if we didn't get the discount. And like you mentioned those too are expensive! We just decided that with the discounts making both onsite and offsite around the same amount.. why not for a little more stay at one of the three hotels. Very happy about the decision... It's so nice to never have to leave the Disney property

I definitely agree that even though it is expensive...it is so much fun and definitely worth it! We ALWAYS have a great time and can't wait to get back and do it all over again!

 

[Amilo]

Yes it is ridiculously expensive, but it is so worth it (to me) for the magic and memories. What a lovely treat for your family! Go, and enjoy! Research shows that money spent on experiences is better for well-being and long term satisfaction than money spent on possessions

 

[momof2n2]

Yes. And we haven't even made one travel booking yet.

The cost of DLR for next year is on par with our 4-night DCL of this year. Big numbers for our family of 8.

I could do a week at Dollywood, a week in OBX, AND a week in central PA for the same as either of those trips.

Or two weeks in FL with six days WDW and one of the other options mentioned.

So basically - three weeks vacation vs a 4-night cruise or 7-night DLR.

So yeah. I get pretty anxious over committing the cash.