Frequent Shorter DVC Trips or Less Longer DVC Trips?

[hhoman]

Hi All, wanted to get others opinions on if they prefer more shorter trips or less Longer trips. Currently I plan an Aulani Trip (4-5 nights) and a WDW trip (5-6 Nights) each year. I also plan 4 2 night trips to Disneyland each year. To do this I use a Disneyland AP and DVCs at the various resorts (VGC, VGF, Aul). I am trying to decide if it would make sense to bring the 4 VGC trips down to 3 and make one of them a 4 night trip. This will allow me to cancel my DL AP and save some money on Airfare ($750) for one trip as well.

What are others thoughts. More shorter, or less longer trips?

 

[Prince John Robin Hood]

Longer trips but we fly as driving is about 20 hours each way. If we were closer we'd likely do frequent shorter trips.

I would go longer at AUL unless you are visiting other islands as well. I would do 3 VGC to save on airfare. Plus travel time cuts into vacation time.

 

[bwvBound]

We prefer multiple short trips.

 

[LSchrow]

Longer trips - costs less (transportation), more relaxing (despite arriving early & leaving late, first & last days are too rushed to feel like vacation).
We learned our "sweet spot" is about 2 weeks (WDW), twice a year. Anything shorter & we feel like it's just a trip, not a vacation.
For further away (Europe), our minimum per trip is 9-10 days, but then we are more tourists than vacationers.

 

[Sandisw]

I love the shorter trips and to go more often.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

We do one two week trip per year. This year we’re actually doing two two week trips, but that’s an anomaly. One long trip gives us plenty of Disney time but leaves time in the year for other places.

 

[kes601]

Prior to DVC we went on long weekend trips every month and then a 2 week trip in the summer. We talked the other day that we will likely no longer do the shorter trips as we don't really remember them after they happen. The longer trips are more memorable.

 

[JLong06]

Transportation costs (Flights, parking at airport, travel costs, car rental or transportation) for my family almost forces us to take fewer, but longer trips. I'd imagine though that once my kids grow up my wife and I would prefer more frequent, but shorter trips.

 

[kanerf]

I usually have two 10 day trips, Spring and Fall to WDW.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

The part I hate most about traveling is the getting there and getting home, so I would prefer fewer but longer trips. But we own a farm, and it's harder to get away for long periods of time. I think our longest WDW trip was 7 nights. We usually do 5 nights. In my dream world though, we would do two 10-night trips each year.

 

[Nabas]

How about frequent longer trips?

Seriously though, my spouse gets excited as our trip gets closer but tires of hotel living after about 4 nights, even when we stay in a one-bedroom.

 

[RoseGold]

A 2 night trip you fly to is difficult to even get to do much, it's all travel time. That's true for anywhere, not just Disney.

 

[Minniesgal]

I’d vote fewer longer trips

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Our sweet spot is 8 nights, Friday to Saturday. We'll only do short trips if it's a last minute long weekend thing, and in those cases it's usually resort-only, no parks.

 

[Dobermanns]

I understand having trips on the calendar to look forward to, as I like to make sure I have stays booked every month. I find 2 nights at VGC to be too short. I prefer 3-4 nights. Much more relaxing. And I am local to DLR. Since you fly, I would say definitively change the four 2-night trips at DLR to three 3- or 4-night trips.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

I have always gravitated toward one week. Generally I can't get away from work longer than that. if I tried, things would explode and I would have to spend quite a lot of time on my vacation actually working instead.

I have tried to do shorter. It usually goes like this.... "I want to do a long weekend.... But I mean the weekend sucks... so I will try to fly down friday. but there are not good friday night flights. I guess I can take a half day friday. but there is a cheaper flight on monday since the airline gives a discount if you stay the weekend. But if I am going to take monday off, I might as well fly back monday night. But Tuesday really isn't that much longer than monday. Well now I am taking thursday and tuesday off. I mean it's just one more day and I am off all week..."

So.... yeah. That pretty much never happens.

 

[Brian Noble]

What are others thoughts. More shorter, or less longer trips?

We are a "longer trip" family.

For the most part, the default minimum length of our vacations is one week. That's partly historical accident, but it's also more our style. I like to go somewhere and stay put for a bit, probably because it takes me a little while to slow down. Plus, if you are flying somewhere warm in the middle of a Michigan winter, there is no reason to leave before you absolutely have to. We've done shorter trips once or twice, but that's unusual.

For places where travel is difficult and/or expensive---Europe, Hawaii, etc.---the minimum is closer to two weeks. Getting to Hawaii from here is a LONG travel day. To get back, we tend to break it up and spend a night on the west coast, so that takes two days. If I'm going to spend three days in airplanes to get there and back, I'm spending more than a week doing the fun part. Our last trip to the islands was one week on Maui followed by two weeks on Kauai. That was not too long.

However, it's not fair to say that we are a "fewer trips" family. We are a "fewer Disney trips" family, but that's not quite the same thing.

 

[J-Dog]

Since we live as far from WDW as possible in the continental US (Washington state), we go infrequently for a semi-extended trip.

Having said that, we did 12 nights last October, and I found it to be slightly too long for us. The stress of being away from home/work and the...umm...dietary indulgences were too much for that long.

I'm thinking our sweet spot is about 7-8 days, once per year.

 

[peabody58]

DVC since 2010. Started out doing 7-11 nights, then 5-7, and now we do frequent 4 nts, with an occasional 5-6 nts if the adult kids/family are with us in a 2 BR. We are retired and only 6 hrs from WDW. We drive each time and after 4-5 nights, we are anxious to get back to our fur baby and our resort-like 55+ adult community in Georgia. Our biggest challenge now is determining if we will do more resort only trips. If AP doesn't come back soon, most of 2022 may be resort only.

 

[Lunchbox66]

We are younger with no kids yet. We live in FL right now, but for the foreseeable future we are trying to do 1 6-7 day trip a year as our all out do all 4 theme parks and experience the parks trip in a 1 BR. Then with extra points either 1 4-6 day trip or a couple 2-3 day trips in studios to just relax at the resort, go to some fine dining, walk around Disney Springs with no parks. I am military so there are likely some years we have to bank then "ball out" a little more the next year.

To me I just love the magic and ambience of the resorts at Disney compared to going somewhere else like a beach resort. It's like being part of a fantasy Disney movie to me. We are also huge wine and beverage (wine, craft cocktail, etc...) people so that is my personal favorite part of going to Disney. I mostly do the rides for my DW.