Disney Is the Happiest Place on Earth, if You Can Afford It

[DCLMP]

Thank you!

The amount of time it took was a barrier though. We lived near Chicago and every trip to WDW involved 2 days of driving each way. Burning 4 days of your vacation just traveling to/from the destination is less than ideal so people chose more local destinations.

All of my trips as a child were road trips all over the country. I have fond memories of that. I never went to WDW. We lived 30 minutes from DL. At least driving you didn't have to worry about delays and cancellations. It took me 2 days to get home from Orlando in July, My flight cancelled along with numerous others. Not the first or last time that will happen.

 

[Dakota731]

We never went to Disney as kids either and had a wonderful childhood. We’d camp and go to local amusement parks or the beach. We never went more than four hours from our home, but we would go with all the aunts, uncles and cousin and had a blast! Kids don’t need $10,000 vacations around the world to be happy.

 

[pooch]

Wasn't gas rationed in the 1970s and very expensive when you could find it?

I remember certain days of the week based on the last # of your license plate and being limited to…….
$2 worth at a time. I think the fumes cost $2 now!!

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

All of my trips as a child were road trips all over the country. I have fond memories of that. I never went to WDW. We lived 30 minutes from DL. At least driving you didn't have to worry about delays and cancellations. It took me 2 days to get home from Orlando in July, My flight cancelled along with numerous others. Not the first or last time that will happen.

Road trips have plenty of risk for delays. Weather, traffic, breakdowns, flat tires, etc. all can occur on a road trip.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Maybe don't go to college and learn a trade.

This is what my son did and bought a single family home at 24. He makes 6 figures as a welder. We paid $9000 for him to go to welding school. He has a cc but only charges what he can afford to pay off monthly. (I didn't have that self-control at his age.) He admits his work is back breaking and why he insisted on a 15 year mortgage. I told him before: if you move out to get a rental/apartment, saving up a down payment for a home will be extremely difficult. You will have bills that take a huge chunk of your paycheck. You will never again be able to save money like you can right now, while living here at home. So save all you can now so that you can buy a house or you will be trapped paying rent forever.
He worked his ballz off 50-60 hours/week for around 2 years, feeling very motivated to move out of his little bedroom.
It's a fixer upper and money is tight. He's been there since late March and still doesn't have money to buy new carpeting or refinish the hardwood floors but he'll get there.
He saves 10% to retirement and I suggested maybe dropping that to 5% for around 6 months to get some basic things like a mattress but he refuses. He's sleeping on an air bed.

I feel bad for him sometimes but he's living life the way he chooses.

 

[toesmom]

We never went to Disney as kids either and had a wonderful childhood. We’d camp and go to local amusement parks or the beach. We never went more than four hours from our home, but we would go with all the aunts, uncles and cousin and had a blast! Kids don’t need $10,000 vacations around the world to be happy.

I do agree with you because as kids we did not have extravagant holidays ever. We eventually bought into DVC because we found as Canadians it is good place to take vacation, especially with a child that has severe food allergy. I know at dinsey world I worry much less about what he is eating because they have allergy menus. I can't trust most places. And disney is only 2 hour flight from where we live. But yes it is very expensive. A secondary option is a place like Cedar Point, which is amazing for kids. So you don't have to go to disney.

 

[Dakota731]

Wasn't gas rationed in the 1970s and very expensive when you could find it?

It was in 1979 and for just for a very short period of time. We still drove to the beach just had to wait in line to get gas on the way back. I just checked on the price during that time and it was an 88 cents average per gallon.

This is what my son did and bought a single family home at 24. He makes 6 figures as a welder. We paid $9000 for him to go to welding school. He has a cc but only charges what he can afford to pay off monthly. (I didn't have that self-control at his age.) He admits his work is back breaking and why he insisted on a 15 year mortgage. I told him before: if you move out to get a rental/apartment, saving up a down payment for a home will be extremely difficult. You will have bills that take a huge chunk of your paycheck. You will never again be able to save money like you can right now, while living here at home. So save all you can now so that you can buy a house or you will be trapped paying rent forever.
He worked his ballz off 50-60 hours/week for around 2 years, feeling very motivated to move out of his little bedroom.
It's a fixer upper and money is tight. He's been there since late March and still doesn't have money to buy new carpeting or refinish the hardwood floors but he'll get there.
He saves 10% to retirement and I suggested maybe dropping that to 5% for around 6 months to get some basic things like a mattress but he refuses. He's sleeping on an air bed.

I feel bad for him sometimes but he's living life the way he chooses.

Don’t feel bad for him - be proud! Sounds like he’s a smart, hard working young man who will have a good life without all the stress of being in debt the rest of his life.

 

[pooch]

Actually no, it was 1973 (I was there) oil embargo.

 

[DCLMP]

Actually no, it was 1973 (I was there) oil embargo.

That's what I posted in my previous post. I was a toddler that year, but as I got into my grade school years I realized why my parents owned a diesel Mercedes.

 

[DCLMP]

This is what my son did and bought a single family home at 24. He makes 6 figures as a welder. We paid $9000 for him to go to welding school. He has a cc but only charges what he can afford to pay off monthly. (I didn't have that self-control at his age.) He admits his work is back breaking and why he insisted on a 15 year mortgage. I told him before: if you move out to get a rental/apartment, saving up a down payment for a home will be extremely difficult. You will have bills that take a huge chunk of your paycheck. You will never again be able to save money like you can right now, while living here at home. So save all you can now so that you can buy a house or you will be trapped paying rent forever.
He worked his ballz off 50-60 hours/week for around 2 years, feeling very motivated to move out of his little bedroom.
It's a fixer upper and money is tight. He's been there since late March and still doesn't have money to buy new carpeting or refinish the hardwood floors but he'll get there.
He saves 10% to retirement and I suggested maybe dropping that to 5% for around 6 months to get some basic things like a mattress but he refuses. He's sleeping on an air bed.

I feel bad for him sometimes but he's living life the way he chooses.

That's awesome. I have one doing AI machine learning and one doing Data analytics. The communities colleges in our state are offering Bachelors degrees in 4 subjects and these are two of them. Luckily college isn't costing them an arm and a leg, but I've been trying to encourage the more mechanical one to maybe learn a trade in addition to the college degree.

 

[pooch]

That's what I posted in my previous post. I was a toddler that year, but as I got into my grade school years I realized why my parents owned a diesel Mercedes.

And I was in college trying to get enough gas to go home! And, since diesel is still a petroleum product, it was just as hard to obtain.

 

[MillauFr]

And I was in college trying to get enough gas to go home! And, since diesel is still a petroleum product, it was just as hard to obtain.

Agreed. People weren't driving to Disney in the 1970s when they didn't know if they could get gas to get home.

 

[DCLMP]

And I was in college trying to get enough gas to go home! And, since diesel is still a petroleum product, it was just as hard to obtain.

No actually there weren't any lines for diesel that's why they bought the car. I think diesel cars are still pretty rare. They also get a lot more miles to the gallon.

 

[DCLMP]

Agreed. People weren't driving to Disney in the 1970s when they didn't know if they could get gas to get home.

Again your talking about a very short time in history. Not even sure how that relates to Disney price increases. If something like that happened again you would really see Disney prices fall.

 

[pooch]

Add to the equation that WDW was only MK in the 70’s. Not the sprawling complex we know now. Epcot didn’t open until 1982.

 

[focusondisney]

This is what my son did and bought a single family home at 24. He makes 6 figures as a welder. We paid $9000 for him to go to welding school. He has a cc but only charges what he can afford to pay off monthly. (I didn't have that self-control at his age.) He admits his work is back breaking and why he insisted on a 15 year mortgage. I told him before: if you move out to get a rental/apartment, saving up a down payment for a home will be extremely difficult. You will have bills that take a huge chunk of your paycheck. You will never again be able to save money like you can right now, while living here at home. So save all you can now so that you can buy a house or you will be trapped paying rent forever.
He worked his ballz off 50-60 hours/week for around 2 years, feeling very motivated to move out of his little bedroom.
It's a fixer upper and money is tight. He's been there since late March and still doesn't have money to buy new carpeting or refinish the hardwood floors but he'll get there.
He saves 10% to retirement and I suggested maybe dropping that to 5% for around 6 months to get some basic things like a mattress but he refuses. He's sleeping on an air bed.

I feel bad for him sometimes but he's living life the way he chooses.

Good for him. I give him a lot of credit for being willing to start with what he can afford & do the work to make improvements as he can. I watch so many of those home shows with 20 somethings buying 1st homes that insist on granite countertops, top of the line cabinet, fully remodeled en suites & professionally landscaped yards. Most older people worked their way up to those kinds of houses. I’ve wondered sometimes if any one still buys starter homes.