Beat Disney At Their Own Game.

[pattyT]

Here is an idea for thought -

I have just spoken with my financial advisor because we are selling a property and will have a little money to invest after we pay taxes and the mortgage off - we wanted to invest it for higher than savingsor cd interest but have access to it.

Bonds - here is our plan we are going to buy bonds at a set interest rate(7%ish). Instead of having them mail us quarterly interes payments they will put the interest earned into a money market account so our initial investment will stay intact and the interest will pay for our future Disney trips!
Anyone done this?

 

[travelitis]

I haven't done that, but I want to know what kind of bonds and where to get them. If you don't want to post that info, could you please send me a private message? That interest rate is so much better than CD's!

I was planning on using some of the interest to send my kids to Space Camp, though.

 

[Tiffany]

Originally posted by travelitis
I haven't done that, but I want to know what kind of bonds and where to get them. If you don't want to post that info, could you please send me a private message? That interest rate is so much better than CD's!

I was planning on using some of the interest to send my kids to Space Camp, though.

I am not the poster you directed your question to but as far as bonds go we like GNMAs.
Vangard GNMA fund is returning over 7% for the year. The best investment we have made. Very low fees also.

 

[travelitis]

I found information about Vanguard and others at Forbes.com thanks to Google. I guess we're going to have to learn about mutual funds. CD rates are pathetic. Thanks!

 

[pmurphy713]

Macdaddy,
I totally agree with you. How nice to have a little stash in your safety deposit box. We love Disney and often dream of going more than once a year. It's so nice to dream and have fun and you are already half way there. You keep up your optimism and have fun knowing that you already have those passes paid for. Wish I could do the same!



___________________________
1976 - Offsite
2000 - Contemporary
2002 - Polynesian
2003 - ASMo

 

[chloesmommi]

Just to put my 2 cents in, I've heard (don't know if it's true) that you cannot use days on old passes to gain admission to a new park. So if you hold passes that are older than Animal Kingdom or any new park that might be built in the future, you would have to purchase a new ticket. Can anyone else confirm this?
Of course, that didn't stop me from purchasing tickets more than a year in advance to avoid a probable price increase.

 

[baileybrad]

I believe that this policy is what is currently in place. We have some passes with 2 days left on them that we used prior to AK's opening and when we are down in WDW in early December, we plan to use these passes on days that we are not planning to park hop to AK.

 

[BethR]

Hi chloesmommi!

I have often heard that that is Disney's policy with Unused Hopper Days.
But I have also heard this as well:


From dcfromva earlier in this thread:

had a 4 day hopper paper ticket that I purchased prior to the AK
opening (It had never been used). I decided to use it last year. I tried
to use it at the turnstile, and was directed to go to guest services to
get it exchanged for a ticket that had the magnetic media on it....

At guest services, there was no additional charge to make it a 4 day
hopper that could be used at any of the 4 parks.

 

[dcfromva]

BethR,
I'm not sure why I was able to get such a good deal on my ticket.... My theory is since my ticket was good as long as Disney was in business and Disney was the one that required the ticket media change (to ones with a magentic strip on them) that the burden was on Disney to exchange my ticket for one exactly like I had excluding AK park. The reason for the free upgrade? 4 years (?) after AK opened-- maybe Disney doesn't have 4 day hopper tickets that excludes AK and it is probably more cost effective to give folks a complimentary upgrade than maintain ticket stock that excludes that park(?)...

I remember when AK first opened ---Disney was making folks buy new tickets that included the AK on them.
-DC

 

[disneefamily]

Disnee Dad Says.................................... The bottom line is Disney needs to make money. If someone wants to buy passes and hold them, thats much better than the stock market the last three years! Could do much worse the next three years. Either way Disney gets the bucks. Bottom line is, if we are talking about 1% here 2% there, cash flow, etc...if someone is happy buying passes, then it's "Don't worry, be happy!" time for them.

 

[uksaint]

I wonder how much money Disney make from people losing/forgetting/destroying the tickets with unused days on them. Furthermore, seeing as they never expire does Disney have some massive provision in their financials for deferred income related to such unused days? After what time period would they be allowed to recognise this income? We have already heard from DISers who have tickets going back to the 80's.

Actually, don't really care - just thinking aloud!! Of course, if I was a stockholder.......who are the auditors?

 

[colleen costello]

It certainly is nice to be able to buy tix ahead of time. I am not a financial advisor, but I think the smile from knowing those tix are tucked away is priceless! You could say that DVC is a similar deal -- you pay "up front" to ensure vacations for the future.

We wanted to buy annual passes this year as we plan to visit twice -- March and June 2003. I chickened out, though -- if we are ill, or change plans, we are out of luck (and money!) Instead, we got hoppers, which have days that never expire. And luckily we bought before the increase!

Really, what vacation EVER is a sound financial decision? I know my family's budget is tight and we should probably be using the vacation fund to have the house painted or save toward the fridge, air conditioner or whatever blows up next. But Disney memories have real value, too -- especially when I know my children will only be little for a little while longer!

 

[nezy]

Macdaddy
Why do you feel that a five day is more value than a 7 day?

Byt the way, I like your idea. I think it is a psychological thing w/ traveling of felling as if that something is already paid for and that the money can go for something else or that your trip is not costing you that much.

 

[MACDADDY]

... You are correct. The 5 day is no longer a better deal that the 7 day. But when we bought our tickets they were. Good catch. I can't get anything by you guys.