How do you afford it?

[davidr]

It's not easy !
My DW and I work very hard (as we all do), so we appreciate a nice holiday. However, we have 3 kids and have to go in August. As there are 5 of us and youngest is 11, the flights and nice hotel or villa, any trip to WDW is going to be expensive.
To make the most of it we go for 3 weeks (flights are the same for 2 weeks!). We never skimp and like to go to nice restaurants etc/ nice hotel/Discovery Cove - the whole nine yards as they say. This means we spend the thick end of 10k inc spending & shopping. Although we earn decent money this is a lot on a holiday so we go every other year. That way it works out at £100 a week over 2 years - which lots of people spend.

Given the choice we all prefer to have 3 wks in WDW every 2 years than a fortnight in the med every year (which we used to do).

We have a couple of long weekends away to ease the pain though.

Unfortunately this year is the year in between visits to WDW - so all I can do is plan for next year.

 

[carolfoy]

Unfortunately this year is the year in between visits to WDW - so all I can do is plan for next year.

Ah! so next year it'll be PERFECT!

 

[angel659]

Hi

We get the same comments how can you afford to go again. Or my boss sais I am paying you to much and my dh gets a lot of comments as well.

What people tend to forget is I work shifts so we dont spend much time together. We dont go out often we make sure the kids are clothed and fed. My dh and I always prioritise a holiday away than getting expensive clothes or shoes. Basically all our spare cash goes on the holidays. This year we could not afford FL so we are going to DLP instead. We have recently bought a new tent so we can go for short camping weekends whilst saving up for FL for Oct 2007.

I think we have budgeted around £5,500 for all of us to go next yr. Thats myself, dh, dd 7, ds 3 and ds 3. Staying at POR. We also make sure that not all our spending money goes on luxury resturants. We will have 2-3 character meals and thats it.

 

[Booknut]

I'll add my support to the 'we have no social life' and 'we are not rich' string

We don't drink more than a couple of bottles of wine a week (few beers for DH), we don't smoke, ski, sail or play polo We go to the cinema maybe once a month and we go to the theatre 2-3 times a year. And for cheaper holidays and breaks we go to my parents in Portugal (cheap flight, free accommodation, food and transport!) or my in-laws in Wiltshire.

We might have friends round or family but that isn't that expensive. Our pension contributions come straight out of our salaries so we just try to save from the income we have coming in.

I am still trying to perfect a way of going to Florida for 2 weeks and NOT spend £3000. By nature neither DH nor I are savers so we must exercise monumental restraint when out there! This year we are self-imposing a ban on all Florida Shopping Malls!

I think buying a DVC is a brilliant and affordable way of maintaining a high standard of Disney holiday without breaking the bank!

This board is very helpful too in finding cheaper and better ways of going to Florida and thanks to some great advice i've saved heaps this year on flights, tickets and even got free dining!

 

[carolfoy]

I'll add my support to the 'we have no social life' and 'we are not rich' string

we don't play polo

You don't play polo? what are you doing on this board then?

 

[Julia Ann]

How do we afford to stay at the Boardwalk for 2 weeks? DVC! After our initial payment (which I now consider long gone) it costs approx £500 in annual dues. 500 quid for 2 weeks in a lovely resort seems like a good deal to me

We too dont have a lavish lifestyle, have a small mortgage (to match our small house ) and share a car. We just save and save. Can i be cheeky and ask how much the DVC initial payment is.... you can message me personally or send me a link where i can find out more......

Thanks

 

[gilld]

We too dont have a lavish lifestyle, have a small mortgage (to match our small house ) and share a car. We just save and save. Can i be cheeky and ask how much the DVC initial payment is.... you can message me personally or send me a link where i can find out more......

Thanks

We bought 270 points at Beach Club Villas. It cost us a little over £13,000 which means our annual dues are about £700. It makes a cheap holiday when we choose to go - but we often let our children have the points instead.

Although this year, as we have 6 cruises lined up for this year and next, we have rented out our points and made a little short of £1,800.

 

[lorapinky]

Hello

Very interesting topic

I work FT and so does my DH. We have no children...yet, dont drink, smoke or much pubbing etc

We have just got our first home which has made us a little skint (actually alot skint ) but what spare money we do have goes on saving for Disney.

We really have to save like mad to go and when we do go we like to do anything and everything we want.

I wish we could go every year but we cant afford that so we can only go every 2 years but I know that I am still lucky to even be doing that

My DH puts away £60 a month to go and me £100, my DH also puts away random bits all the way through the year that add uo to a bit. In the last year before going I will be paying £200.00 a month its tough but well worth it.

Basically I pay for the holiday and DH pays for the spending money, which is similar

We just about do it, though it isn't unusual if about £250.00 goes on credit cards, though we try and avoid anymore then this as I dont like any debt

I hope in a few years time that we will be better off as my DH will have finished his studies to qualify as a Chartered Accountant and I should be in a better position also?

I think if you want to go you will find a way to do it, whether its once every year or once every ten years!

 

[Chilly]

It has been very interesting reading all these posts. Going on holiday is my favourite thing to do so thats what I spend my money on (the little I have) but at the moment we can only afford one holiday a year. Like others have said don't we drink, smoke, go out much, have a tiny flat, buy cheap cloths (primark/sales), one car which my Dad gave us, our furniture was also given to us second hand or bought for Christmas/Birthdays and so was some of the money towards our holiday plus we don't have kids. Hopefully as the years go by we'll earn more money and can go more often and stay onsite but at the moment i'm just happy that I can go at all and that I have paid for it all and saved up spending money.

What is DVC?

 

[gilld]

What is DVC?

DVC is Disney Vacation Club - Disney's own timeshare type ownership scheme.

 

[Red-Snapper]

To the person on here who said "why do people stay in top hotels" & the person who agreed saying "complete waste of money" -all I will say is each to their own. I am not bothered where you stay and dont think you should care either.

I stay in top hotels because I can afford it and it certainly isnt a waste of money in my opinion. Like most other things, the lifestyle most people have reflects the lifestyle they can afford.

I grew up having holidays in a tent - now I dont have to. Once you can stay in a 5 star and not really worry about how much its costing there is really very little choice to make.

I used to think a nice car was a "waste of money" but - now I can afford one strangely I no longer think like that.

 

[AndRu]

To the person on here who said "why do people stay in top hotels" & the person who agreed saying "complete waste of money" -all I will say is each to their own. I am not bothered where you stay and dont think you should care either.

So exactly why are you doing a Harry Enfield "Loadsamoney" impression then with your comments on the thread and your signature if you don't want people to care?

Look at mah wad!!!!

 

[gilld]

To the person on here who said "why do people stay in top hotels" & the person who agreed saying "complete waste of money" -all I will say is each to their own. I am not bothered where you stay and dont think you should care either.

I stay in top hotels because I can afford it and it certainly isnt a waste of money in my opinion. Like most other things, the lifestyle most people have reflects the lifestyle they can afford.

I grew up having holidays in a tent - now I dont have to. Once you can stay in a 5 star and not really worry about how much its costing there is really very little choice to make.

I used to think a nice car was a "waste of money" but - now I can afford one strangely I no longer think like that.

I quite agree. As I said in an earlier post, we all choose how we spend our money - however much or little we have. We like "nice" things and service and I won't feel guilty about that.

 

[Frances999]

To the person on here who said "why do people stay in top hotels" & the person who agreed saying "complete waste of money" -all I will say is each to their own. I am not bothered where you stay and dont think you should care either.

I stay in top hotels because I can afford it and it certainly isnt a waste of money in my opinion. Like most other things, the lifestyle most people have reflects the lifestyle they can afford.

I grew up having holidays in a tent - now I dont have to. Once you can stay in a 5 star and not really worry about how much its costing there is really very little choice to make.

I used to think a nice car was a "waste of money" but - now I can afford one strangely I no longer think like that.

 

[slinky101]

we go to florida every other year and go to the med in between, I am not a real sun worshiper but I do like to lie down for two weeks which, i could never do in florida as I would feel i am missing too much! This year is an in between florida year, we go to turkey in two weeks staying all inclusive for £2200, this is a break year as we would spend double that on florida.
we also go to DLP as we have annual passes and I book cheap flights well in advance to keep cost down.
We dont drink, very rarely go out and we both work full time, just like everyone else, holidays are important for us, its quality time away from the mundane and the realities of life/work etc but most of all its memories, its creating fab family memories that you cant ever take away.
very rarely does a day go by without one of the kids saying, do you remeber when we went to .... or do you remember when....happened.
Its all about wanting it, if you want it bad enough you will make it happen, within your means, that might be every year or every five years but I think we all agree its worth it!

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

I have worked hard, built up a nice buisness which now (finally) pays me enough to own the finer things in life.

I make no apology in spending some of it on my vacations, which are never really away from work and add up to possibly five weeks a year.

We do seem to have in this country, a sad position that if you are actually successful, you are pillioried by people, because you have more than them, the "Loadsamoney" type comments. So what? put in the hours, mortgage yourself up to the hilt, take responsability for the lives of other people and maybe, just maybe you will come out on the right side of the bank balance, then you also can have your nice car keyed by the scum who are happy to take your taxes as their "benefits" (sorry generalsation, but I get fed up of people who think its fun to damage your car )

Why is it that if you want to stay in the best hotels, or own your own villa abroad, you get accused of bragging, whilst no comment is ever made of the "where can I get the cheapest ever prices" attitude is never looked at as being miserly? <grin>

We all have our own budgets, we all have what we can afford, its not bragging or being miserly, its the way of the world. But dont expect me for example, to be apologetic about it.

If you have been able to stay at the best hotel in WDW, then yes, put it in your sig, if you can only stay in a motel in Kissimmee then also put it in your sig, at least you have made it to Florida!

 

[paulh]

anouther dvc owner but pays cash sometimes.when we work out the cost to spain 2 weeks its not that much dearer to go to florida and do things you like, spain 1 day beach,1 day walk right, 1 day walk left and 1 day hotel pool i am not the sun and beer person allthougth i do like a drink,but not at 11am as most do in spain.have worked hard all my live nearly paid off mortgage (only £10,000 to go).Have always tryed at least one holiday a year now its two, soon it will be three.love the look on kids faces in the magical place and they always get excited about going.They will not remeber you saving for a new car but the nice holidays memories are priceless
Paulh

 

[Red-Snapper]

So exactly why are you doing a Harry Enfield "Loadsamoney" impression then with your comments on the thread and your signature if you don't want people to care?
Look at mah wad!!!!

Because AndyRu it is the reverse snobbery you and some others always seem so smug about that annoys me.

If you bother to check any of my other posts on this board you will see I have never bragged about anything. The 2 posts you have managed to put on here both hit home my point far more than I ever could.

Most people - including you, have the places they stay in their signature. Dont understand why you would read any more into it than that.

I can understand that maybe in your circumstances you view it as a waste of money - really dont see why you cant see that to others it isnt - & without descending into the sort of comments used above.

 

[jonkatony]

We have children aged 15 & 13. Last year we stayed at akl savanah room( my dd & dw have always wanted to stay there), Febuary my son went skiing(again),April we stayed at the DLH Paris(it was my dd 13th birthday).
This August we are staying at the POFQ, going to discovery cove and eating at CRT on my DW birthday.
We are not well off, we get by, I have the worst car in the office where I work,
we need a new kitchen, we don't go out for expensive meals.

There will always be cars available and new kitchens, but my kids will not be kids for ever.

 

[Dicky Knee]

Because AndyRu it is the reverse snobbery you and some others always seem so smug about that annoys me.

Good on yer Red Snapper. Anyway, back to the thread, I just wish I could afford to go to WDW. For me to do it now, I would have to forego less expensive holidays for a number of years or wait for 4 years when my mortgage is paid

Maybe I should have a "countdown" to the end of my mortgage and coincide it with the holiday to WDW.