Discouraging prices for repeat trips

[DawnM]

We drive down
Buy discount tickets
stay off site in a condo
have a neighbor watch the dogs
Eat a lot of our own food

We can do Disney just as inexpensively as other vacations.

 

[padawans]

The first year at the poly our 10 day package with dxdp was 6,200. This was in 2010. This year the exact same dates and package was 7000. That is mainly because the room discount was less and rack rates, dining package and tickets increased. I believe rack rate at the poly has gone up 45.00 a night over the last 2 years. When you spread that out over 10 days, and include the other prices increases your looking a big increase in price year after year. If my salary was increasing it would be no big deal. I don't know if other people's salaries are keeping up with inflation unfortuanately mine is not, and I work in healthcare where there is a big shortage.

 

[Gina35]

I use the Disney Visa as much as possible & pay it off at the end of each month. I use my rewards to pay for food & souveniers in the park.

Interested in getting the Disney Visa. Can you give me an idea of how the %ages work in terms of points....and their dollar value? Thank you so much.

 

[Gina35]

I use the Disney Visa as much as possible & pay it off at the end of each month. I use my rewards to pay for food & souveniers in the park.

Interested in getting the Disney Visa. Would you mind giving me an idea of how the %ages for points work....and what their dollar value is? Thanks.

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

We go often by staying at a resort with a discount whether on or off site. We buy groceries and at home do not eat out to save money. Also since the park tickets are so high we reduced the number of park days per trip by a half. We will go to the beach or resort pool instead.

 

[MELSMICE]

DVC, AP's the SW Visa for reward tickets and the Disney Visa to get reward dollars.

 

[MELSMICE]

Interested in getting the Disney Visa. Would you mind giving me an idea of how the %ages for points work....and what their dollar value is? Thanks.

It is only 1%. I charge just about everything. I then wrap the cash around the receipt & when my bill comes in I deposit the cash & write a check.

1% is not a great reward, but it's something.

 

[mousebymarriage]

For a family of 5,I think cost of a return trip to Disney is becoming prohibitive. Park tickets,dining,accomodation...etc.
Although,this is my 1st trip to Disney, I already think that I will not be able to return. I notice other people have been there many,many times and I gaze upon them in awe. How do they do it? Am I doing something wrong? Will I change my mind after I've returned?

We are a family of four but, I have to agree that with the increasing cost of Disney trips it's getting harder and harder to make return trips. As you can see by my signature our family has been to Disney many times but, we use a few "tricks" to help makes those trips possible. OK, our main funding comes from our income tax return so thats not exactly a savings "trick", however, my husband has additional money taken out of his paycheck each week (above and beyond the norm for taxes etc.) so that we get a larger refund. Yes, I know that we could take that extra money out ourselves and put it in a seperate savings account (with intrest) for vacation rather than letting the government control that cash but, in all honesty I know that we probably wouldn't do it so that's why having his job take it directly out of his paycheck and we can't touch it until it comes as our tax return works for us.

Our other vacation savings "tricks":
-we drive down rather than fly (straight through so no hotel cost) and pack snacks, drinks and sandwiches for the drive so we only have to pay for 1 meal on the road.

-we save ALL of our loose change for vacation which we cash in the day before we leave and so far on the past few trips we have saved enough change to cover our gas and tolls (round trip).

-we stay in the value resorts (even though our dream is to stay in the Polynesian-maybe in 2013 for our 20th anniversary).

-we usually go in the winter months (value season) so the rooms are cheaper and sometimes we even score a discount code. (this past trip was in June because DD14 didn't want to be pulled out of High School).

-since we drive we pack (or pick up when we arrive in orlando) lots of snacks and grab and go breakfast type items for the room (mini muffins, fruit, bagels, cereal etc.) so that we don't spend money on that stuff in the parks or food court. eating breakfast in the room while everyone is getting ready also saves time.

-the kids have their own souvenier money that they have saved from birthday money, chores etc. also family members will give them Disney Dollars or gift cards for holidays etc. This is great because the kids have learned to budget their money and souveniers don't cost us a thing.

-we have picked up restaurant Gift cards in the past (when we have some extra cash or have gotten them as gifts) and we use those during our trip. However, we don't leave the parks to eat at off property restaurants, we save them for the night we arrive or nights we are not staying late in the parks anyway.

*even with our saving "tricks" it is becoming harder and harder to save enough for Disney trips but, we are determined to go every year or so as long as we can swing it.

*we plan our trips about a year in advance so that we know what we need to save. We have already started discussing next years trip (DH wants to possible try going in August with the hopes of free dining but, I'm not too sure about the blazing heat).

 

[NorweJenNY]

This thread is a wonderful tribute to all the families who show how if they really want something, find a way to make it happen!

It was easier for us to do WDW when we were a dual income household. It was easier for us to go more frequently when we moved from NY to NC because it became a mere single-day drive. And although we moved from NC to FL now and can more easily get there even more frequently, we're just a single-income family... so it can be tough to do everything we want, but we will make it happen...

1) Payment plan for tickets - Yes, for right now only FL residents can break their annual/seasonal passes down to monthly payments. BUT, non-residents may have hope for this in the future... it could happen... In the mean time, even if you're not enjoying the parks yet, set up your own monthly payment plan to build up enough money for tickets or annual passes so you can pay for them in full in a year.

2) Traveling off-peak to save on resorts - others have already said it... like avoid the crowds at Easter & Christmas... stay in the fall or winter when it's cheaper... I'm just going to add to this a little bit: weekdays are slightly cheaper than weekends. Stay Sunday-Thursday nights to cut costs down - whether you're using Disney's CRO to book a resort, or if you're using a DVC member to rent points from, you will save at least $10/nt doing this, but likely even more.

[Also, you may be discouraged booking a room far in advance (through CRO) because discounts often don't come out until a few months before a season begins - but pay attention to these boards because you can call Disney back if a discount becomes available and see how you might apply that to your reservation.]

3) Getting creative with eating - Must you eat three meals per day? Might a few snacks substitute a meal? And what constitutes a meal - just because it says it's one meal on the menu? Maybe your family isn't hungry in the morning - some cheese sticks or fruit might be enough to get you going. Have some egg rolls or a funnel cake for a meal! And a $4 ice cream sundae from a counter can make a FABULOUS dinner...

Maybe you want to enjoy some TS meals, but you don't have to have the full appetizer/entree/dessert... share meals, have a cheaper appetizer for a meal... get a less expensive meal elsewhere and go to a TS just for dessert so you can still enjoy the experience! If you have APs, see what dining discounts are available to you or if you're trying to be a frequent visitor, get TiW (and use it for CS meals where you can too - 20% off and no gratuities to add on).


These are just a few tips for saving on Disney itself, but also changing your lifestyle just a little bit can make a big difference. Stop eating out, or cut back... the dollars will add up quickly! That daily coffee from Starbucks? Make it a weekly thing.

Find a way to save just $1 per day, and put an $365 into your Disney fund at the end of a year.
(The equivalent of a soda/snack from a vending machine...)

Find a way to save $20 per week, and put $1,040 into your Disney fund at the end of a year.
(The equivalent of a family of 4 eating combos at McDonald's...)

Find an odd job (ie: baby-sitting) for a few hours per week to save up $200 per month, and put $2,400 into your Disney fund by the end of the year.

That last one alone can cover a nice family trip!

 

[Amy&Dan]

We're getting to a point where we're questioning the prices and right now it is largely the very steep discounts that keep us coming back. Our last two trips and the one we're planning for fall have all been with free dining.

Five years ago the costs were much more reasonable in my opinion, and the annual increases in everything are getting very close to my breaking point now. The same trip we're taking this year would cost almost $700 more next year (comparing rack rate to rack rate) and I just can't justify that considering that the experience won't be significantly different. If the fall discount had been anything less than free dining - which with 2 adults, 2 "Disney adults" and 1 child saves us a fortune - we'd be staying offsite for this year's fall trip, and I think even with free dining at next year's prices the bottom line will be hard to swallow.

This is us exactly. As you can see, I have my ticker going but its not specific to any resort and I only know the day we will arrive. The resort, number of days and what type of tickets we buy (base vs. hopper) will depend upon discounts. If we don't get any for our timeframe we will be doing a value for sure. I prefer a moderate but I am still very happy with a value. If discounts end and rack rates keep climbing, our Disney days may very well be winding down and that will make me beyond sad.

How we afford to go year after year is sacrificing other areas of our lives. As the recession has hit us we have had to go once per year vs the two times or even three we did in years past. In those days, dh travelled non stop for business and we always had frequent flyer miles. We also had AP's and I would get rates as low as $49 per night at a value. And my kids were younger and ate for so much less. I found an old receipt from 2004 for Chef Mickey's dinner and it was $104 for our dinner. Today that same meal would cost us a bit over $200.

We feel very lucky to still be going at all, especially given dh was laid off last year. However, as an example my family has been to two movies in all of 2011, we have not eaten down at a sit down restaurant since we ate at Crystal Palace on June 11th, and we decide as a family to stay at home all year long to make our WDW trip happen. We do a camping trip or two but no other type of vacations other than when we go to IL and stay with my brother at his home for a week. Bottom line, Disney still gets my money, but AMC Movies, Chilis, Applebees and other such places do not. If Disney prices me out altogether I'll be sad and we'll probably do a beach vacation instead since we can rent a condo and do our own meals. Time will tell.

We save where we can at Disney, gone are the days we buy tee shirts, ride photos and sit down meals. Also deluxe resorts are in our past for the time being. This last trip we bought a Christmas ornament and that was it. We have to fly (we live in Colorado and its over 1800 miles each way) but I play around with the days we fly and that can help.

I will also add that in all of our trips to WDW (17 total) we have never eaten three meals a day. I have no idea how we stay full because at home we eat three meals but at WDW we always eat only two and a snack (often one I bring from home like a granola bar, beef jerkey or planters peanut packs I get at Sams). We also always share meals and we often get the free ice water vs. soda. If we get free dining, we don't share nearly as much but the only way I'll do any Disney Dining Plan, full or counter, is if its "free". Because that discount, even with rack rate on the room is my family of four "adults" best discount. Otherwise its a lot of meal sharing and pizza from the food court. And a suitcase full of snacks and food I bring from home. I am not too proud to cart my own food on the plane (and we fly Southwest and get free bag check).

Saving for Disney is a family affair. My son came home the other night. He had gone to the mall with a friend to walk around and have dinner (good old Del Taco, three tacos for a dollar!) and came home emptied his change into our change bucket. My daughter collects cans all year and then turns those in. Bless her heart, she maybe gets $5 but its something. My kids know we don't do the local type things their friends do but they agree two weeks at WDW is way bettr than numerous trips to our local amusement park, zoo, movies, full serve restaurants and that sort of thing.

We are so lucky. I know a lot of people who do the same thing we do all year long and that 's just to make ends meet, not to go to WDW.

 

[diznee princess]

This is us exactly. As you can see, I have my ticker going but its not specific to any resort and I only know the day we will arrive. The resort, number of days and what type of tickets we buy (base vs. hopper) will depend upon discounts. If we don't get any for our timeframe we will be doing a value for sure. I prefer a moderate but I am still very happy with a value. If discounts end and rack rates keep climbing, our Disney days may very well be winding down and that will make me beyond sad.

How we afford to go year after year is sacrificing other areas of our lives. As the recession has hit us we have had to go once per year vs the two times or even three we did in years past. In those days, dh travelled non stop for business and we always had frequent flyer miles. We also had AP's and I would get rates as low as $49 per night at a value. And my kids were younger and ate for so much less. I found an old receipt from 2004 for Chef Mickey's dinner and it was $104 for our dinner. Today that same meal would cost us a bit over $200.

We feel very lucky to still be going at all, especially given dh was laid off last year. However, as an example my family has been to two movies in all of 2011, we have not eaten down at a sit down restaurant since we ate at Crystal Palace on June 11th, and we decide as a family to stay at home all year long to make our WDW trip happen. We do a camping trip or two but no other type of vacations other than when we go to IL and stay with my brother at his home for a week. Bottom line, Disney still gets my money, but AMC Movies, Chilis, Applebees and other such places do not. If Disney prices me out altogether I'll be sad and we'll probably do a beach vacation instead since we can rent a condo and do our own meals. Time will tell.

We save where we can at Disney, gone are the days we buy tee shirts, ride photos and sit down meals. Also deluxe resorts are in our past for the time being. This last trip we bought a Christmas ornament and that was it. We have to fly (we live in Colorado and its over 1800 miles each way) but I play around with the days we fly and that can help.

I will also add that in all of our trips to WDW (17 total) we have never eaten three meals a day. I have no idea how we stay full because at home we eat three meals but at WDW we always eat only two and a snack (often one I bring from home like a granola bar, beef jerkey or planters peanut packs I get at Sams). We also always share meals and we often get the free ice water vs. soda. If we get free dining, we don't share nearly as much but the only way I'll do any Disney Dining Plan, full or counter, is if its "free". Because that discount, even with rack rate on the room is my family of four "adults" best discount. Otherwise its a lot of meal sharing and pizza from the food court. And a suitcase full of snacks and food I bring from home. I am not too proud to cart my own food on the plane (and we fly Southwest and get free bag check).

Saving for Disney is a family affair. My son came home the other night. He had gone to the mall with a friend to walk around and have dinner (good old Del Taco, three tacos for a dollar!) and came home emptied his change into our change bucket. My daughter collects cans all year and then turns those in. Bless her heart, she maybe gets $5 but its something. My kids know we don't do the local type things their friends do but they agree two weeks at WDW is way bettr than numerous trips to our local amusement park, zoo, movies, full serve restaurants and that sort of thing.

We are so lucky. I know a lot of people who do the same thing we do all year long and that 's just to make ends meet, not to go to WDW.

Why not stay offsite in a timeshare condo. There are so many beautiful ones very closeby!
We stay onsite Disney when we can for the full experience and the transportation. But I have to tell you we go once sometimes twice a year when we can. We have stayed at many of the resorts & hotels in Orlando over the years. I am a bargain shopper and traveler. I started doing travel agent work about a year ago to help families who travel on budgets. WDW is one of my favorite places to help make come true for other families because it means so much for our family. I am from Calif. I have been a Disney fan for many years begining with DL in Anaheim. Now I am in NY and we travel to Florida as often as we can.
We have all been hit by recession and living on Long Island in NY is crazy expensive in property taxes and gas and you name it. But there are many ways you can afford Disney.
Yes on property is exciting. But in all honesty and i have been travelling all my life and are familiar with many properties and hotel/resort brands (my dad was a mechanic for United Airlines, hence free or very reduced flying), most of the offsite properties offer a more luxury stay at less the cost.
If you dont own a timeshare there are many people who do and list a weeks rental on ebay or other websites. Travel agents can access Wydham properties at a deep discount for timeshare units that arent being used. And you will have 1 or 2 bedrooms, more space kitchens, living rooms and resort activities should you want to take a day off from the parks.
I love booking disney and i love working with the cms there. But if you just cant get that "deal" that works for you then consider your options of offsite.
Sounds like you would benefit from it. You can cook breakfast like i do , pack drinks and snacks & possibly cook 1 or 2 dinners if you get in early. Even with a rental car you would probably save over staying in a value or even a moderate, which is basically a motel room. ( check budget and transportation boards for rental car deals! also use as much as you can of the internet you will be surprised at how many discount codes you can fin online for cars, hotels etc) Even some of the hotels in disney property near DTD offer rates less than 100 per night with kids eat free and breakfast incl deals. You can upgrade to fireworks views and use the free shuttles to parks. You can also walk to DTD and take busses from there to Disney resorts and parks. Your kids would love Disney whether they stay onsite or not. My kids do! Dont forget to utilize websites that offer restaraunt deals. I go to orlando with coupons, free dinners, deep discounted dinner shows etc. There are ways to do disney well on a budget! Then maybe you can get an extra date night here and there for you and hubby throughout the year : )

 

[diznee princess]

It is only 1%. I charge just about everything. I then wrap the cash around the receipt & when my bill comes in I deposit the cash & write a check.

1% is not a great reward, but it's something.

Tell me about it I used my visa to charge everything during our renovotion of our entire house one year. After all that money I recieved only 120 dollars in rewards! They really need a better reward than 1%. I have Marriott rewards card that is also a chase bank card and I rack the points up on just little everyday things, plus I do all my online shopping through marriott rewards to stores I normally shop online from anyway and earn as much as 5 times the normal award points. Wish I had used that card or even my american express from costco at least then I could have purchased a Disney GC with my points. I would have made out waayy better!!! I dont even use Disney card much anymore, the interest rate isnt worth the 1%. Even if I pay it off every month like I usually do it takes too long to get even 20 bucks. I'll stick to using my lower interest cards and get back more points for my use. The one good thing i used the Dis Visa for was the free stroller in Calif. DL and the free photo with characters in Epcot. Not even sure they are offering that anymore.

 

[elcycad]

Credit card rewards are another good idea!There are cards out there that offer cash back & 3X points for gas and groceries. The measly 1% takes tooooo long!

 

[5forDis]

This is such an interesting discussion to read because we have noticed Disney trips being much more expensive over the past 6-7 years; particularly the park tickets. Our goal this year is to buy non-expiring 10 day passes (the passes use to not expire without having to pay extra---the good ole days) and get 2-3 trips out of them. My kids are all old enough that we have to pay for 5 passes now which is significant.

We bought a timeshare for skiing back before we had kids (must have been 12-13 years ago). It is not DVC; it is through Interval. This has paid for itself over and over. We have 1 week a year to exchange and stay in a 2-3 bedroom condo within 10 minutes of the Gate. Not onsite but we've stayed onsite so many times that we no longer want to do that. We prefer to have a car ( even when onsite) and my week in a condo is $100 for the exchange fee. I also get 10 getaway weeks a year and can always find a beautiful condo in Orlando. Last year for a week in October it was under $400 for a week at Marriotts Grand Vista (2 bedrooms, kitchen, family room, screened porch). I don't think we could do a yearly Disney vacation without the savings of our time share.

A good meal alternative for lunch? A hot pretzel and some fruit. Plenty for lunch. We also do not buy the kids souvenirs. They each get a $40 gift card + whatever they save and that is it for extras. They now know how to budget and to delay gratification. I will not be one of the parents dragging my kids out of a store screaming about a material object. That is not why we go to Disney & they know they have to use the $ they have or save for another trip.

Keep the ideas coming....I love hearing how other families do this

 

[KJMAX1]

We are a family of 8. Two parents, and 6 kids. We go every other year, but its not a must do for our family like some others. We started renting homes offsite, and cook our meals there for some of the time. We also have our laundry right there, and our own private pool. We use a credit card that allows us the ability to buy Disney passes with our points, so we charge everything.

Its something we just plan and budget for.....it works if you make it work.

 

[usnuzuloose]

Me and DH have only been once. It is very expensive. Our first time was in 06. I dont know if we can afford to go back as we need to fly and that is very costly. I am grateful to have gone.

 

[elcycad]

My aim is to give DD9,DD7 &DD5 disney dollars for souvenirs...How much would be appropriate?

 

[nunzia]

It's about what is important to you.

Everyone has "wants" that they spend money on. It's a matter of making family vacations (to Disney or elsewhere) a priority in your mind and sticking to it.

I'll make more meatless meals, drive an older car, spend less on clothing and entertainment and more to enable me to travel

When it's important, you (along with your family) get creative

Yep..we are in the lower income range but going to DLR with our grandkids (9 of them) and also doing some adult trips, is important to us. We want to have trips while we can and how we want (we do some other things than Disney also). To do this, awhile back I put all money from scrimping and extra jobs into buying DVC. We take the train and that runs about 250.00 for both of us if we don't splurge on a roomette. We eat pretty cheaply in the parks (those kid's meals have PLENTY and some popcorn and a churro go a long way). We have been going 2 or more times a year lately since the kids are great ages for going, so buy APs..I treat APs and DVC MF like a monthly bill..auto deposits into a special bank account just for that purpose so when things come due the money is there. As kids get older we may sell some points since we bought our points in small contracts for adaptability. We live cheaply and always have so this is no big deal. Sure we could put more in savings for retirement but choose to try and have a balance of current enjoyment and future security. It gets easier when you get older..we really struggled when the kids were young and yearly trips were out of the question. Maybe that's why we like to help the kids to come along now. We provide the room and usually one big thing..Fantasmic dessert, Halloween party, character breakfast, what have you. But it really does take purpose and planning and creativity and to those that feel travel is important find the ways to make it happen.

 

[5forDis]

My aim is to give DD9,DD7 &DD5 disney dollars for souvenirs...How much would be appropriate?

I usually give each child $50 or less...depends. They usually have some of their own $$$ too. Once we started making them responsible for purchases with their money they became much more discerning and looked at many different shops before buying anything.

I also plan for the trips by purchasing Disney cards to use in the parks for snacks and meals. It helps me budget better

 

[Squidgyness]

I have been 5 times. 96 + 98 at Kissimee, both thanks to some money from a lawsuit (traffic accident my dad was in, not his fault) and then 03 06 09 at I-Drive.

We are going again in 13, we went to Malta in Europe this year instead for a week.

Being from England, we have to fly trans-atlantic which isnt cheap, but we have some methods of saving.

1) Stay offsite. 1 bedroom suite (w/living room) for less than a value room onsite. This cannot be beat, imo. And the hotel is right next to seaworld, and has shuttles!
2) Eat offsite. Resteraunt near our hotel has $4 breakfasts and $8-10 meals. Excellent food and value.
3) Buy tickets at the gate - Conversion rates from £ to $ mean it is cheaper than getting them in England.

Aside from that we save monthly. My sister brings in a 3rd wage, so we use £300 (about $450) of that a month to go towards the trip. 2 Weeks in florida for $4500 + Tix and food can add up though!

We do splurge a little mind...

1) We get lunch in the parks, though it is $8-10 each for CS meals.
2) We get sodas. Water is such a depressing drink for me. $3-4 for a soda to restore some sugar lost via sweating is a small price to pay.
3) We get disney ponchos, they last longer, wear better and look cooler.

If you save, you can spend. Simple formula. All depends on priorities.

For us, priorities are:

1) Space
2) Price
3) Location

Others may be different.