Concern for my wallet??

[homer2210]

I have gone to disney 2 times before but never stayed on the resort. I am looking at going with a family of 4, 2 adults and 2 children, ages 3 and 5 for 5 days/4 nights. I am wondering how do so many people afford to stay at deluxe, moderate or even value resorts? The prices are so much $$$. I see alot of reviews from people saying how their favorite is resort is WL, they have been there many times and will only go back? I have priced it out and oh man, for my family with flight included it is over $3500. That is crazy to spend for 4 nights and 5 days, yet I see people who stay for 1-2 weeks at the resort and then also go to the park the whole time they are there. What am I doing wrong? I have even priced out value resorts and with flight it still comes to $2500+, to me it just seems like alot of money for the short amount of time that I am going to be there. I guess I have to bite the bullet and "do it for the kids", save my money for in the future when they are older and then stay at WL when they would appreciate it more. Sorry just wanted to rant for a bit.

 

[OldGrizzly57]

I have gone to disney 2 times before but never stayed on the resort. I am looking at going with a family of 4, 2 adults and 2 children, ages 3 and 5 for 5 days/4 nights. I am wondering how do so many people afford to stay at deluxe, moderate or even value resorts? The prices are so much $$$. I see alot of reviews from people saying how their favorite is resort is WL, they have been there many times and will only go back? I have priced it out and oh man, for my family with flight included it is over $3500. That is crazy to spend for 4 nights and 5 days, yet I see people who stay for 1-2 weeks at the resort and then also go to the park the whole time they are there. What am I doing wrong? I have even priced out value resorts and with flight it still comes to $2500+, to me it just seems like alot of money for the short amount of time that I am going to be there. I guess I have to bite the bullet and "do it for the kids", save my money for in the future when they are older and then stay at WL when they would appreciate it more. Sorry just wanted to rant for a bit.

Well first of all you need to take a look at renting points from a DVC owner or through one of the brokers.

As an example, four nights in a studio at VWL mid June can easily be had for less than $800. Now the issue for that of course would be availability as you needed to make that reservation several months in advance. If you can plan a trip more than seven months in advance rentals can save you a LOT of money and availability would be very good.

Griz

 

[ajpa]

Never pay rack rate. Scour the net for deals and discounts. Mousesavers is a good place to start, as well as this board.

 

[Mousemommy1]

I have gone to disney 2 times before but never stayed on the resort. I am looking at going with a family of 4, 2 adults and 2 children, ages 3 and 5 for 5 days/4 nights. I am wondering how do so many people afford to stay at deluxe, moderate or even value resorts? The prices are so much $$$. I see alot of reviews from people saying how their favorite is resort is WL, they have been there many times and will only go back? I have priced it out and oh man, for my family with flight included it is over $3500. That is crazy to spend for 4 nights and 5 days, yet I see people who stay for 1-2 weeks at the resort and then also go to the park the whole time they are there. What am I doing wrong? I have even priced out value resorts and with flight it still comes to $2500+, to me it just seems like alot of money for the short amount of time that I am going to be there. I guess I have to bite the bullet and "do it for the kids", save my money for in the future when they are older and then stay at WL when they would appreciate it more. Sorry just wanted to rant for a bit.

Discounts, discounts, discounts!!!! And, we go every year, so typically stay in values. This year, we are celebrating DH and my 10 year anniversary and my 34th birthday during our trip. thus, we decided to bit the bullet and book WL (we have always wanted to stay here)... BUT, we have a 40% discount so our WL CL room for 10 nights is only $3105.

Rack rate for that room is $5175 for the same period of time.

Our trip next year will be toned down quite a bit...we are thinking POFQ, AOA, or AKL CL if we get a good discount again.

 

[dansdad]

As previous posters have stated discounts are your friend! We went in October. Stayed 8 nights at CBR with the Free Dining discount the total was $3300. And that's with airfare.

 

[disnut8]

You also need to take into account that some of us are annual passholders so our tickets are good for 365 days. For example, I went to Disney World in November, 2011 and stayed five nights. Then I went in January, 2012 and stayed seven nights. All at Pop Century. But I paid $0 for admission because I had an annual pass for those times. Also, I could drive there so had no airfare, only the price for gas. And I only ate at a table service place once so didn't have a huge food bill.

Is Disney World expensive? It can be. But it also can be affordable. I can go to Disney World for cheaper than my husband can fly up to the Baltimore area and then go to Ocean City for a week. Think about staying oceanside for a week, flying from Atlanta to Baltimore, renting a car, driving to the beach, then coming back. Oh yes, Disney World can be cheaper.

 

[HelloMinnie]

We too have taken advantage of the discounts. If you are ok with going during value season they usually offer free dining or discounts on rack rates.

My dream is to eventually make it to the Poly (I have had this dream for 20+ years)!

Next year we are considering value resorts (only stayed at the moderate level and loved it but want to try something new)

I am intrigued though about renting DVC points. Just seems overwhelming and not sure if it's more work since I am from Canada.

 

[Hoosier Mom]

We try to go in January when it's value season so it costs less for the resort. Also last January they offered free dining so that helped also. In our case, the airfare even worked out cheaper for January than for October.

Trip before last they had an offer of 7 days for the price of 4 (resort and park tickets).

We have stayed at WL before, but we do not get to stay as many nights. So we prefer to stick to moderate resorts. We have fallen in love with Coronado Springs.

Subscribe to Mousekeepers email list. I believe she also posts on Facebook. She usually posts discounts or special offers.

 

[guitarob]

We too look for the discounts and never pay rack rate. Go to Disney's official site. Sign up for an account and order a DVD or customized maps. That increases your chances of getting an e-mail with a pin code. Keep an eye here and on their official home page as well.

We won't book if we don't have a discount. If we can't afford to go one year, we'll push it off for another year to make sure we can afford to stay on property, and in our case, at the Polynesian.

 

[Hoosier Mom]

* meant subscribe to mousesavers, not mousekeepers....although I wish I had my very own mousekeeper!

 

[ajpa]

Also consider getting a quote from a reputable Disney TA. They are on top of current discounts available.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I am paying 140.00 a night for a basic 3 star hotel in a mid-size town so I have always thought Disney was on target with their value and moderate prices.

You can get the price down by looking for specials on the Disney website and by signing up for mousesavers.com to see what discounts are out there. They'll also let you know when new ones come in.

 

[willowsnn3]

As previously mentioned discounts, discounts, discounts. Since our first trip we have not paid full price for any of our WDW vacations. We have AP's so we look for those discounts or room only discounts. And we are close enough to drive. Even if only 1 adult in the party you can book the room discount & get free parking at the parks plus other discounts.

 

[LilyWDW]

I save up for what I want. I refuse to stay off site if I have any say in it. If that means I have to wait a year to go, then so be it. I would rather vacation as I want to then vacation on a budget.

 

[Sally]

I don't have AP, but I try to go to WDW and have the best trip I can afford, as long as I can get a good deal.
This trip in Oct is only because I got an email PIN for free dining, the trip had been planned for FW and camping.
You have to really look at discounts and package prices.
I loved the Poly and AKL, but if the discount isn't there for me, then we wait or we happily camp at FW ( always the backup plan ).
Disney is Disney and it is magical no matter what resort you are staying at, but I wouldn't break the bank to stay Deluxe just for the sake of staying Deluxe..that's just me though.

 

[rachel09985]

Why do you have to bite the bullet and stay at Wilderness Lodge? Stay at the new Art of Animation or my favorite, Pop Century? I am sure they would love that just as much considering their age. If you are going to be spending a lot of time in the parks- which it sounds like you will for only 4 nights, why would you spend the money for a nicer hotel if you can't utilize the amenities? I say go for Value. It is worth it.

 

[SenecaWolf]

I got a pin for %20 off the room but the current %30 off being offered by Disney is a far better deal. Myself and DS for 5 days/4 night at Pop, DDP, 5 day base tix, round trip from Buffalo, about $2k.

Next year when DD is with us and we're spending 10 nights we're going back to CBR.

 

[carrie1626]

I've had a Disney Visa since they came out. I use it for ALOT of purchases, pay in full online as soon as charges show up. Those reward dollars are my insurance of another vacation.

never pay full price: either Free Dining, AAA discount or a seasonal rate.

The costs that irk me the most are airfare and car rental. those 2 things will keep me away from WDW this year.

I don't have the option of tweaking vacation time around discounts so I have to choose times that historically are cheaper like late AUG and Nov.

 

[treemi01]

Check the time of year as well. It's much cheaper to go during the value season. Summer, Christmas vacation, and Spring break will always be the most expensive. Maybe it's just me, but I think it's a bargain. Staying in a value resort during value season is (I think) $79/night. Add a refillable mug for $14 that provides beverages for your whole stay, free and really convenient transportation to and from the parks, FREE transportation to and from the airport (this can be really expensive), no need to rent a car, and extra magic hours to the deal, and I have no idea how it can be cheaper to stay offsite. Unless you can find a hotel for less than $50-60/night then staying on property is a no brainer for me. (I guess I don't know...can you find hotels off property for this price? Maybe you can...) By the way, I love the value resorts. Yes, I've stayed at Wilderness Lodge and had a great time (although it's definitely not my favorite resort), but one of my most favorite vacations was at POP...during value season.

Oh, and as far as going to the parks for all that time, yes, it is expensive to go for a few days. But, look at the ticket prices and you will see that the longer you go the less you pay per day. For example, several years ago when I planned a trip, it was $39 more to go for 10 days than it was to go for 4. I have no idea what the numbers are now, but after a certain point, it usually adds up to $4-5/day to add days.

And, as pp said, look for deals. My family of 5 is going at the very end of August for a week, in a value resort, with free dining (all or most of our meals paid for) for $2200. Of course that doesn't count airfare, but once we purchase that, we will have very little cost once we get there. Our hotel, entertainment, and all or almost all of our food is covered, and we will only pay for souvenirs. Not too bad. I have priced out vacations at other locations for my family (semi local tourist towns), and we usually ultimately decide to go to Disney because the other locations are not nearly as fun and end up costing the same or more.

Just like all factors of a successful Disney vacation, finding the deals takes planning. Plan the vacation, do your research, and you can't go wrong.

 

[RedfromNL]

Yep, Disney isn't cheap. It isn't all that expensive either when I compare it with some other places I've been to, like Paris or London.

Travelcosts were less for us of course but there you pay a fortune for a small hotelroom. When I compare that to Disneyprices, well Disney gets cheaper

Like so many other have said before: look for a nice discount. For us (two adults) a room discount works best, but maybe you can save more by trying for that Free Dining?
Last time we went 12 nights and the discount saved us well over 1200$ !!!

We can afford to go Deluxe simply because we are two adult, no kids, good jobs and few other things we spend money on. We just like to take holidays. I'm sort-of planning a london trip (week) in september and a 2-week trip to Disney in may. And when I take out airfare the cost is similar!

Our attitude is: what can we afford and what do we want to do? If we can afford WL we will. If we cant I'd say we'll also be happy in a moderate like POFQ. (as long as we get to go back!)