How do y'all afford it?

[bizeemom4]

We paid for vacations for four at the WL on a couple of trips (tickets and all) and have never spent 5000 on a trip? I really don't understand where they are saying it costs that much to have a WDW vacation. We did finally buy DVC after our third trip, because we felt that we wanted to spend our vacations here. We buy the 10 day park hopper passes when needed to furnish our trips to the parks, but we usually only stay Sun- Thurs so we aren't using weekend points. Then all we have to worry about is travel and eating. We don't use the Dining Experience, because we don't eat that way. So when it is all said and done we usually only stay five nights and have lodging and tickets already paid for, so it is travel and food. We eat a lot of offsite dining, so it is not as expensive as eating onsite. We get a rental car for 200 or less for our entire trip. So it is affordable every couple of years, we have to buy new tickets, but much cheaper 10 days at a time. 5 nights at a time is acceptable to us knowing we are already planning our next trip as soon as we return.

We've never spent LESS than $5,000! Our stay at the Contemporary during value season was almost $5,000 alone just for the rooms. We have six people so we have to get two rooms. Just the tickets (7 day base) for 5 people 9+ and a child run over $1,300. Not to mention airfare for 6 (purchased thru Southwest DING!), food for six people for a week, parking for a week at the airport. It adds up faster than you can say Mickey.

 

[byoung]

Spend it you cann't take it with you.

 

[Chester's Mum]

Like many others on this board, I save any "extra" cash for my Disney vacation. Last year I got $2000 retroactive pay, $1000 to disney savings, $1000 towards dd's university costs. I also save $200/pay and I have $100 deducted for savings bonds. We are a 1 car family, drive an older vehicle, don't have any credit card debt, basic cable, basic phone, no cell phone (yet). We do have a balance on our line of credit due to dd's university tuition and residence fees, but that's life, we have a good rate, and we'll pay it off eventually. We don't go out much, don't drink much, don't smoke. We're pretty boring except for 2 weeks at Disney every 12-18 months. We always have the money saved for it. My kids love it, and appreciate it, and so do I. Last trip January 06, next trip May 07. Can't wait! See all you May disneyphiles there!

 

[heatherlynn444]

I also have a change jar and use skymiles for airfare. also for birtdays or cristmas if we get cash from relatives, most of it goes to vacation fund.

and it is very easy to spend 5,000. for our honeymoon we stayed 7 nughts at the GF in a honeymon room, RPC, 8 day park hopper and dining plan and it was over 5000. now I wont do that again, but I will only get one honeymoon!

 

[MJMcBride]

You can find deals if you go offseason, particularly hurricane season. Tax refunds are good. Selling off major body organs works well too.

 

[ktink]

We just simply save, save, save. Last year we went to the beach instead of to Disney and ended up saving a little money on that trip. This year I decided to book our first deluxe stay at AKL and went ahead and paid for it so there's no buyer's remorse. Alot of times I give into my penny pincher ways and cut costs as much as possible.

 

[Foohound]

I have not had to sell off any body parts (yet)!!!, but I do use my company bonus for our vacations. I work a very stressful full time job, I have a 5 year old dd with autism, and a husband who is a truck driver and is gone a lot to help support our family. I feel that we deserve to have one thing or one week where we can spurlge a little. I make sure to use my extra bonus money from work make it happen.

 

[ANTSS2001]

Just out of total curiousity, and Im probably getting a little too personal, but...

How do you guys afford these vacations? I went online and checked for rates to WDW for 10 days at POP and it was quoted at $1,800 before airfare. This doesnt factor in meals, spending money, etc. DH and I dont make much yearly (about $60,000 a year) and we cant even imagine spending that kind of money on a vacation, unless we come into some major money!

Anyone have any ideas?

-value seasons

-pin codes

-free dining

-selling stuff at ebay

-cutting coupons

 

[grumpymakesmehappy]

Affording Disney whether it's a budget trip or deluxe all the way, is much like affording anything else.

You have people who save until they can afford to go, you have some that charge it and worry about it afterwards and some have expendable cash and it's no big deal to them.

For us we are savers. We have a vacation account and we contribute to it very pay check and our vacations are paid in full before we go.

I have friends that have salaries in excess of $500,000 and they just pay as they go; like they do everything else.

I agree! Travel is a passion of ours, and we especially love Disney. We do not limited our vacations to Disney, but we do try to go to Disney at least once a year. By no means are we rich. Like everyone else, we work hard, save and put money back so once we're home we just pay off the credit card. I am a big believer in keeping a zero balance at the end of the month. I think being able to "afford" a Disney vacation all lies in your priorities and what you are and are not willing to pay.

 

[teentoddlermom]

What planet are you on? 10 nights for $1800 is a deal! What kind of vacation do you usually take? How much do you usually spend? Unless you are not used to taking any vacation at all, or spending any $$ on vacation I'm stunned that you think this is a lot. You quoted a very reasonable rate for 10 nights. You also live in a really expensive part of the USA. Are you joking here? Maybe you are used to camping during off season somewhere no one wants to go to. If you want to cut your costs, why don't you go for 5 nights, your price is half, and take Jetblue from Oakland for cheap flights?

 

[ObsessedwiththeMouse]

Well, my brother works for Disney so we get 50% off hotel rooms. This year, we are going to the Poly over Christmas and are only paying $1500 for 7 nights. We get into the park for free with my brother, so all we have to pay for is food, plane, and hotel.

We already have our tax return and our trip is already paid for. Since we book it through a cast member, we aren't allowed to pay for our hotel in full, but the money's there.


Like other members, it's priority. We only make $60K a year, have $30K in credit card debt, but to me it's more important to have family time than to pay off one stupid credit card. Life's too short.

 

[tony609]

You have to want it badly. Luckily I am single and have friends that go with me. My once a year annual trip I split the hotel, a value resort with a friend, I watch air fare closely to watch for the seat sales. We eat modestlly about 3 character meals while were there, rainforest cafe, a resturaunt in epcot etc..sometimes we just grab a burger in the world somewhere. i also am starting to take my lunch and buy Disney Dollars with the money i would normally spend on lunch about 6 dollars a day. Disney dollars are a great way to save for your trip...

 

[kandeebunny]

We use Disney Visa's to pay things then pay them off immediatly earning Disney money.

My mom is retired, and on disability, I am a student and work part time. Our income is not high, but after I almost lost my mom 3 years ago, we make vacations important, then again we always have since I was young. We lost my Dad when I was 12, and we regretted not doing more as a family, so we make up for that now.

Instead of going one time a year and staying at a Deluxe, we choose to go once every 2-3 months (sometimes more) we are passholders so that is a good discount. We go whenever there is free dining being offered. We save up a bit each week to go, we sell things on e-bay, we clip coupons.

It is a priority for us, we love it there. I got sick a short while after my dad passed and this was the one place I could go and be "normal" and have fun just like everyone else (with some assistance from some CM's) so we go back as often as possible. Also it is only a 3 hour drive for us, so not a b ig deal.

It used to be a 29 hour drive (from NH) and we still drove 2-3 times a year at minimum. We all need something to look forward to.

 

[nan1217]

We paid for vacations for four at the WL on a couple of trips (tickets and all) and have never spent 5000 on a trip? I really don't understand where they are saying it costs that much to have a WDW vacation. We did finally buy DVC after our third trip, because we felt that we wanted to spend our vacations here. We buy the 10 day park hopper passes when needed to furnish our trips to the parks, but we usually only stay Sun- Thurs so we aren't using weekend points. Then all we have to worry about is travel and eating. We don't use the Dining Experience, because we don't eat that way. So when it is all said and done we usually only stay five nights and have lodging and tickets already paid for, so it is travel and food. We eat a lot of offsite dining, so it is not as expensive as eating onsite. We get a rental car for 200 or less for our entire trip. So it is affordable every couple of years, we have to buy new tickets, but much cheaper 10 days at a time. 5 nights at a time is acceptable to us knowing we are already planning our next trip as soon as we return.

I don't know how you can NOT spend that much. We spent that much including hotel (rented DVC points), airfare (got discounts, watched for the lowest), park tickets (got them using Mousesaver's discount), food (brought some of our own, had one TS each day) etc. for four people (2 adults, 2 children).

 

[BourbonCigarsSteak]

"It's an actual scientific fact that money doesn't make people happy, once you get past the $30,000-a-year mark. "

This isn't quite scientific. It is the result of a study that most capitalists will deride as rather socialist. I agree that money, alone, can't buy happiness, but it doesn't hurt. The luxury of being financially secure and having the ability to live life however you see fit surely can give the feeling of euphoria. I certainly do not mean to attack the person that posted this as the belief is a very personally matter. We have to balance finance and home life, the ability to say "screw it" sure can make life a little easier.

 

[rubbergypsy]

i bought dvc, and put a decent deposit down so payment is not too dear, i work three nights a week serving tables and although its a crapshoot, you can make lots of cash in tips and basically that is how i pay for our trips. We go twice a year, last year three times, only when airfare is dirt cheap, usually 120- 160 round trip per person, there is 3 of us.

 

[Pooh Bear Hugs]

I treat it as an essential bill we book a year in advance and it gets paid off every month so that I don't get upset handing 1,000's over in one go.

 

[ducklite]

Like other members, it's priority. We only make $60K a year, have $30K in credit card debt, but to me it's more important to have family time than to pay off one stupid credit card. Life's too short.

Please think about what you just said.

Anne

 

[ObsessedwiththeMouse]

<<Please think about what you just said.>>

What on Earth are you talking about? So, I have credit card debt, so what? We used our tax return to pay my daughter's private school tuiton, a loan, and are going on vacation. I REALLY don't think I need to be checking in with a complete stranger about my credit card debt.

My daughter is 5 and will only believe Cinderella is truly Cinderella for a little while yet. We want to take her on vacation and enjoy it. I don't feel bad about going on vacation since we did pay off one loan.

Anne, I suggest you keep your comments to yourself. I am not the only person in this world that has credit card debt. I am an adult and don't need your childish comments.

 

[Boncho]

Just out of total curiousity, and Im probably getting a little too personal, but...

How do you guys afford these vacations? I went online and checked for rates to WDW for 10 days at POP and it was quoted at $1,800 before airfare. This doesnt factor in meals, spending money, etc. DH and I dont make much yearly (about $60,000 a year) and we cant even imagine spending that kind of money on a vacation, unless we come into some major money!

Anyone have any ideas?

That price seems alittle high to me. My son and I are staying at Pop for 7 nights and our price for the room and our park tickets is only $1400.00 Canadian - so in U.S. dollars it would be even less. You might want to shop around alittle - we are going the end of Apr. so it would be even less if we were going in low season.