How do you justify the cost?

[RedHeadedFairy]

We have a different kind of strategy that works pretty well for us.

Using the Disney Premiere Visa, we charge all of our monthly living expenses & then pay the total off each month. We let the points/dollars accrue for about 5 years (because they start to expire after that point).

We also save all loose change or "found" money during that 5 years - extra side job money, garage sale proceeds, etc. Generally after 5 years we've saved more than enough to pay for AP for the 3 of us & book 6-7 nights at a Disney hotel. Between all of those sources of savings, we typically pay very little additional cash for that weeklong trip (if any!) and capitalize by using the AP's at every opportunity over that next year. Living only 3 hours away we can decide on Friday night to head up for a weekend, or work our schedules to give us more 3-day weekends & stay a bit longer when DD has teacher duty days, etc at school.

Not that it's any record (so many Dis'ers get way more mileage out of their AP's) but we've spent 18 days in Disney since Oct, spread out over 4 trips. At this point I would guess that my total OOP after the "savings" were exhausted is in the neighborhood of $1000 for everything... rooms, meals, souveniers, etc.

The crappy part is saying good bye after that year knowing that we won't be back for 3-5 years minimum, but it gives us an opportunity to exhaust ourselves & truly see "everything" & then move on to other adventures. When we are back in the World again, enough will have changed to make it seem all new again, lol!

 

[mm1971]

I understand your reason for asking, but we don't need to "justify" the cost. We save up for our vacations each year. We take one Disney and one elsewhere. In order to have the $$ available, I have a set amount taken from my paycheck each pay period. This goes into a vacation account and we use it as such. For us, family time is essential and thus is a priority. Why work hard all the time without reaping the benefits of that work.

To be honest, the value we get at Disney is better than a lot of places we go. Yes, it is expensive. We spent 4 days at Niagra Falls last summer. The cost for the 4 days (10 hour drive, no airfare) was $2,150 for what we did. That was 4 days without flights. Our normal trip to Disney, moderate resort-flights-park tickets and food run about $4K for 8days/7nights. And that is during the regular season, not value. Pretty comparable. Hotels in our are with indoor water parks run between $260 and $330/night. That is more than a moderate at Disney. I'm not trying to say it is worth it to everyone, but my family really enjoys heading through the front gates and allowing them to make our week together a special time.

I guess the justification depends on how you view vacation time and what other options you have for that $5K it would cost for your trip. We don't live beyond our means (average home, both cars over 1K miles, bring lunch from home, eat in) and do what we can to be able to enjoy what we like to do and Disney is one of those things we enjoy. If you have a better vacation option or something that holds more value to your family, I would skip Disney and do that. If not, We'll meet you there!

 

[quagmire0]

I am a WDW newbie. I've been to DL/DCA a couple of times with my 2 girls, (1 and 2 day trips), but we've never been to WDW. DH and I have been contemplating taking our kids to WDW next summer (2014), but after doing some research, the price seems really prohibitive. When you add up air fare, hotel, tickets, food, car rental for a few days to go off site, etc, it's nearing $5k! For those of you who go regularly, how can you afford this? I assume you aren't taking 10 day trips each time, but still... We really want to go but I don't know when we'll be able to justify that kind of money for a 10 day trip.

Thoughts?

ETA: those costs take into account value or moderate priced hotels and only 5-6 days of park tickets, not hopper.

Here's how we save money first:

1. Buy tickets before the prices go up and through UndercoverTourist.com. Not a huge difference year to year, but everything adds up. It also helps spread the cost over many months or years.

2. Before you're ready to go, sign up for the Southwest CC and get the two free flights. I think they make you pay an annual fee right away now, but it still saves you hundreds. Cancel the card when you're done.

3. Stay offsite. Staying onsite is so much more expensive and I don't know why people do it. Before our first trip last year, I went through and added up the cost of staying onsite at the cheapeast resort. I then did a ton of research (Thanks disboards ) and found a resort that was really close to the parks (Windsor Hills). Went on VRBO and ended up finding a 3bed 2 bath condo there for ~650 for the week. Less than what it would cost to stay in what amounts to a hotel room in Disney's cheapest resort. Even when I added on the cost of a car rental and parking it was still cheaper. So that's my advice to save money there. In addition to the money saved on lodging, we also save a ton on food because we can make our own breakfast and lunches at the condo - or even order out form a much less expensive restaurant and bring it back for dinner.


In terms of 'justifying' it? As a parent, I've found Disney World to be one of the least stressful vacations there is. Not that you can just let your kids run rampant and unsupervised, but there's so much to do and a lot of it I like to do too. Things are pretty much custom tailored to families. You aren't at some stuffy resort with people giving you the stinkeye because you have your kids with you. You're not trapped on a cruise ship. You aren't stuck in some tourist-trap town with hokey 3rd class 'attractions'. It's a great experience - and in my experience - well worth the money.

Do we do it every year? No. Will we do it forever? Probably not. As the kids get older we'll probably start doing other vacations for variety. However, I think that while they are young it's a great destination. The parents have fun, the kids have fun, and we have a fun time together.

 

[theduck619]

We budget Disney as our vaction of choice. We normally stay at CBR, but have taken advantage of free dining at the values as well. We drive which saves a ton compared to flying. Our last vacation was under $2100 for a family of four. We used UT to buy discounted non-hopper tickets.

 

[samacita]

NASA is pretty boring for little ones too.

I realize this is a bit off topic, but I have to argue this point. I think it really depends on the kid. We did a non-Disney Orlando trip last year and NASA was one of the highlights for our 2 kids (ages 5 & 18 mos) and our 2 nieces (ages 4 & 18 mos). We all had a blast there!

 

[MistressMerryweather]

It's just priority for us, vacation in general. Not really something that needs justifying. Happy times, smiles, relaxing, just doesn't need justification.

We are a family of 6, soon to be 7, and we never go for less than 10 days. Usually, 14 days. You can cut down on costs so much.
We go when there is free dining. I know it doesn't save for everyone, but for my large family, it saves us about $2000.
We do not rent a car. We use Disney transportation and magical express.
We stay on property for our whole trip. There's so much to do!
Last trip, we did take one day to see Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Seuss-land for the kids. We took Disney transportation to the Dolphin and rented a car. The rental was really cheap.

 

[StuckInKS]

We make it a priority and live pretty frugally at home. We have no house payment, no car payment and no credit card payments. So, its just utilities, insurance, clothing and food. Most of that stuff can be cut back on when needed. For example, we want to do another trip this year, so I haven't bought any clothing at all. They still have plenty from last year, except my oldest who was just treated to a shopping spree at Justice for her birthday by grandparents. Problem solved!

 

[sb682]

WDW is definitely a more expensive vacation than most other family trips, but there are ways to do it cheaper and still have lots of fun. We took DS for the first time earlier this year, and we are going again in July. You can easily save up enough money for a great trip with as much time to plan as you have.

* There are plenty of bloggers with advice on doing Disney for less. Two of my favorites are Couponing to Disney and WDW Prep School.

* I don't think staying off-site makes things any less magical. I have done both several times, both as a kid and an adult. I would rather lose a little bit of convenience (no driving) to gain a lot more money to spend on the trip. We are paying less than half of the Value resort rate for a 4-star hotel just outside Downtown Disney, thanks to Priceline. Last time, we booked a condo with kitchen on Hotwire for $60/night! Much better than cramming into a tiny room like sardines, IMO. DS was just happy to be in a hotel, and you can still visit any of the Disney hotels to look around or eat at the restaurants.

* If you stay off-site, you can find great deals on rental cars on Priceline or Hotwire. You'll have to factor in paying for parking at DW each day, but you will still come out ahead. On our previous trip, we went from the park gates to our hotel room door in 15-20 minutes, which is probably the amount of time you'll spend waiting for a bus and riding it to your hotel. You can also save money by staying at a hotel with free breakfast or eating at restaurants outside the parks.

* I bring snacks from home: Larabars, jerky, nuts and trail mix for myself and DH, and things like Goldfish, cereal, raisins and freeze-dried fruit (and some candy) for DS. We have our Brita bottles and get ice water at meals. I still buy Mickey bars, popcorn and other treats, it's just not a free-for-all. Pack stuff in your suitcase, get it shipped from Amazon or have Garden Grocer make a delivery to your room.

* I bought some "souvenirs" prior to the trip and packed them in my suitcase. Watch the sales on disneystore.com and buy a little at a time. I also bought some new Disney t-shirts and packed them in his suitcase without him knowing. I found a Jake notepad in the Target dollar section to use for an autograph book. We bought a few special things, like a Peter Pan hat, but I spent less than I would have otherwise. Just keep your eyes peeled for good deals and snap them up when you can. If it won't fit in your suitcase, ship it to your hotel before you go.

* For older kids, have them earn money toward Disney gift cards throughout the year, and let them choose how to spend it. In my experience, when it's their own money they're blowing, kids are much more frugal! I gave my niece and nephew some Disney gift cards for their birthdays. My niece chose a cute pair of earrings and a necklace that she could wear every day, and my nephew nearly left without spending his money at all.

 

[StuckInKS]

Just wanted to add that going to Disney is just as cheap as staying home and going up the street to Great Wolf Lodge. For us to stay there, it is $4,712 for a room that sleeps 8 (cheaper than getting two smaller rooms) + waterpark passes from 9/25-10/5. That is without food, which would cost $100-$150 a day if we had CS at the waterpark, Five Guys (CS) or T-Rex (TS) for dinner and each person got a snack at the GWL snack shop. To go to Disney for the same dates it is $4,650 for two value rooms with 10 day tix for 3A/4C and QSDP (we could upgrade to DDP for $650). We drive, which is about $500 round trip. Even if we bought groceries and ate in the room at GWL, we would still only save a few hundred dollars over a QSDP vacation at WDW. Not worth it. GWL is fun and all, but I'd rather be in Disney

 

[disneylover1980]

We stay off property, take our own snacks and drinks, and follow a lot of protocol from "disney on a dime." We don't live that far, so we do not have the travel expenses, but by doing it this way, we are able to justify the cost to go about once a month if we wanted to, because we don't spend a ton when we go. Good luck!!

 

[swthrtpallanes]

My husband knows I love Disney so he was ok with me wanting to go back as soon as I got back from our first trip in 2011. I am a DL veteran and go there every year. I will be back this October 2013 and probably won't be back till 2015 but it's ok cuz I have DL 5 hrs away I used some of our tax return for our biggest purchase which were our airline tickets, I am paying for my pkg a little bit each paycheck and will be done by August. I have also been saving my cash and buying Disney gift cards when ever possible. This way when the time comes I will use my debit card the least possible. I have been collecting cans, yard sales and selling Avon and even considered ebay too I love going and DH is a sweetheart for backing me up (he could care less about Mickey but loves to se us happy) I stay at value resorts and planning for a Mod in 2015! Two years to save

 

[rosiegmendez]

Every week we put money into our WDW savings account. Rather than spend $100 for a movie and popcorn we stay home, rent a movie or netflix, and talk about our upcoming WDW trip. And now my workaholic husband has been converted - even he says WDW has to be a once a year thing for our family.

 

[pixidust1976]

I justify my Disney trips to myself and anyone else who feels the need to question them by living simply and frugally.

I don't get my nails done. I don't wear any make-up. I don't get my hair done. I only buy my clothes at Goodwill. I don't have any hobbies other than obsessing over Disney. Every thing I consider buying that isn't a necessity, I ask myself if the money could be better spent at Disney.

I look around my office and see the women in Buckle jeans and new clothes all the time, designer shoes, Alta makeup, manicured nails, bejeweled iphone cases to match their name brand purses, and their weekly beauty salon trips to keep their hair dyed, straightened and loaded with styling products.

They thought those vapor cigarettes were cool. So they bought some and a bunch of the flavored vapor cartridges and then jeweled cases for their vapor cigarettes. (None of them are smokers) They order Avon and other costume jewelry by the crate. They eat out at restaurants for lunch several times a week.

I go to Disney once every three years and they EASILY spend more on these things in three years than I spend to go to Disney. When my kids are grown and are looking at the pictures of their plane Jane mom at Disney, they won't miss the bling and name brand clothes I am not wearing.

 

[Queen2PrincessG]

There is nothing to justify! It's OUR family vacation. We work hard and aren't borrowing money from others, on government assistance or stealing to go on vacation so it's no ones business what we do.
We typically go every-other year.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I would suggest driving instead of flying and then you don't need a rental car.

 

[pixidust1976]

There is nothing to justify! It's OUR family vacation. We work hard and aren't borrowing money from others, on government assistance or stealing to go on vacation so it's no ones business what we do.
We typically go every-other year.

I desperately wish I was in a place where I didn't have to justify my vacation. It must be so empowering.

I have been at past jobs where my supervisor would get a budget for raises, and then have to divide it up between the employees... it always seems to come up that "I must not need a raise because I can afford to take my family to Disney while Susie is constantly getting called by Credit Card Collectors so she must need a raise more". I am not supposed to know what the budget was, or who got the lion's share of the raises... but that is pretty hard when I did the payroll.

I had to spell it out to my boss (who was male and unmarried) that all those cosmetic things that I didn't spend my money on was why I could go to Disney. I really don't understand why women go to such expensive lengths on things that men don't even notice. He never noticed that my clothes were out of date, that I didn't wear make-up, that my shoes were cheap. Men don't notice.

Sometimes... that sticker shock of just how much a vacation costs is something you have to justify to yourself too. I had to add it all up when I purchased the trip insurance and it was staggering just how much it came to. I had bought the airfare with gift cards, put a deposit in for Disney one month, pre-paid for my meal at CRT on one credit card, put a deposit in for Universal on my debit card the next month... etc. When you sit down and put it all together and realize the WHOLE cost, it can make you second guess.

At least it did for me. I remember thinking about how I could buy a new hot water tank since mine is a little small, AND get a facelift for my outdated bathroom, AND get a new sofa for the living room for what this vacation will cost. My kids don't really care about the pepto bismal pink porcelain bathtub though, it is clean and it gets them clean. It can almost be a game to juggle laundry, showers AND dishes while sharing our mini-hot water heater. It doesn't matter to my kids that the sofa has seen better days because it is still comfy.

The memories at Disney mean more to them than these other ways I could spend the money, which means they mean EVEN MORE to me.

 

[Queen2PrincessG]

First, if you've earned a raise you earned a raise, again how you spend your money is no ones businesses. That to me is ridiculous and there is no way I wouldn't be able to say something to "my boss" if their reason for not giving me a bigger raise was because I went to Disney and didn't have collectors calling me.
Second, I always laugh when people say men don't notice old things and make up. I don't dress for men/women i dress for me. The dress I currently have on was $68 at Lord and Taylor BUT i waited, I bought it on clearance and I had a coupon MY COST: $23! Yeah there is no excuse to wear outdated items. Clothes are cheap if you know when and where to shop. I do spend a lot on my shoes. I love shoes, mainly heels so those, yeah I will spend a bit more on.

It's your money.

 

[parmtoo]

We don't go every year anymore. I'm a single mom now and just can't afford it.
We are going next March and we check in Sunday, and leave Friday so no weekend rates. Also weighed the pros and cons and decided to rent a camper and stay at Fort Wilderness. As far as tickets, I just looked at Undercover Tourist and found that 4 day PH passed are more expensive than 6 day base tickets! I'll take the 6 days please
Our total for our stay, (not including food), will be $2626.00! This is for 3A, and 2C. I'm really pleased with the total, and plan to have a few TS dinners. We are driving, and will bring breakfast foods!
Thoughts?

 

[kbnmommy]

I am super thankful that I live only 6 hours away so driving is a no-brainer for my family.
We save save save. My girls know (and will say) that we are not going to the movies or whatever it may be because we are saving for Disney! We love to travel and love to take 2 vacations a year. We go on cruises (where we can drive to the port) and go to WDW. We have a Disney box and we all put any extra money into it and purchase gift cards with that money.
We also save by not getting PH or WP option. We go for shorter stays, 6 days or so, but go back frequently so that helps. We only stay value or at the campgrounds at FW. I like nice things (makeup, clothes, and hair for me, and comp. cheer for my girls) but I also save in other places. My car runs well and suits me fine but it is a 06 Kia Sorento. My house is older (built in 76) and my payment is affordable. My husband also works plenty of overtime when needed. I work full time, too.
This is how we like to spend our money. My girls will not care much when they grow up that my car was older, and they love our old house, but they will very much remember all the memories we made together as a family on vacations. We love to sit around and look at our scrapbooks. Taking vacas together just makes us that much closer as a family!

 

[Ahrizel]

How do I justify it? I don't, not really. We love Disneyworld and Choose to spend our money there then on other things. It's is our only real vacations we've taken over the past 10 years.
As for your situation, I would go off property. Either a condo, or rent a vacation home. Lots of room for your family, a nice kitchen and laundry too. Most vacation homes have private pools too. Your not traveling in the cheapest season, but you travel when you can. Rent a car for the whole period and you can travel when and where you want.
Unless your kids are older, I would hold off on Harry Potter and probably Cape Canavral. Neither one is a great choice for the littles. Extending your Disney passes would be cheaper and easier too.
As for saving money, the husband and I start buying Disney gift cards months out, it's kind of a forced savings. We pack a small cooler bag with snacks and munchies to bring in the parks. If you are off property with a kitchen this is easy. Not that you have to cook on vacation, but just having sandwich fixings and snacks in the room saves a lot. And the washer and dryer make clothes packing easy, no worries about grubby kids clothes. Bringing home a bag full of clean clothing is a wonderful experience!
Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Mary