How does it add up so fast???

[MistressMerryweather]

I think I'm going to be sick.

We are planning a trip and we leave in 25 days.
My first mistake was switching my family from one room at POR to 2 LM rooms at AOA. I miscalculated the difference...by a lot. I forgot about having to upgrade from free QS to Regular Dining Plan, and with the two rooms instead of one, it ended being a huge difference.
Dh said to leave it because AOA is new, the kids would love it, etc., but now I am adding up all the extras on top of the resort change and UGH!
I can't believe it.

Upgrading our 2-day tickets to 10-day $737.14
Water Park & More Upgrade $303.55
MNSSHP $329.91
WWOHP $447.75
1-day Rental car $60.00
= $1878.35

My package is paid for and I still need to spend $1878.35 more?!!!

I know we can cut stuff out. I'm just...I don't know. I am always so frugal. We have always taken our vacations and spent very little, staying at the resort and doing free stuff and just a few days at the park. Sigh...I'm just trying to wrap my head around the money.

I don't need any advice, I just needed someone to vent to about the money, who isn't DH. LOL
I think this is going to be our last trip for a very very long time.

 

[loricdietzel]

I hear you!!! Little things just add up!!! I think Disney uses a little something in the pixie dust once in awhile so we don't notice the dollar signs going up!

We were planning a value Disney vacation this year. I was so proud I got a part-time seasonal job in the spring and saved $1000 towards our trip thinking it would cover about half. Well, it would have, but because LM rooms weren't covered in general free dining we decided to upgrade to POR. (Opposite of you guys!) That about doubled the price of the trip! Then because of a hip injury we decided to eliminate a week of our WDW stay and add a 4-day cruise to make it a bit less taxing. I convinced the hubby it would only be $1000 more. I definitely miscalculated somewhere because it was twice that! (Oops!!!) I didn't catch my error until we made the reservation modifications and I was told the total!!! Sounds like about the same thing happened to you!!!! We are driving (17hrs! ) and going to the Kennedy Space Center and Hubby is going for a day at Universal. So there is another $1000 we haven't even added in yet. My "hey- let's go to Disney this year!" trip tripled in price!!!

Like you we are relatively frugal people so I don't know what happened!!! I am flipping out about the expense, too!!! We can do it, but it is way more than we planned and way more than we usually spend on trips Disney or otherwise! Hubby says it is ok, but I am a bit overwhelmed at the cost (and maybe a bit embarrassed about it because it is so not us!!!) So it isn't just you!

But I keep thinking of how great the trip will be and reminding myself that I will have fun and to forget about how much it is costing me when I am there!

I hope you have a WONDERFUL trip! Don't stress out about it too much or you won't be able to enjoy yourself!

 

[MistressMerryweather]

I hear you!!! Little things just add up!!! I think Disney uses a little something in the pixie dust once in awhile so we don't notice the dollar signs going up!

We were planning a value Disney vacation this year. I was so proud I got a part-time seasonal job in the spring and saved $1000 towards our trip thinking it would cover about half. Well, it would have, but because LM rooms weren't covered in general free dining we decided to upgrade to POR. (Opposite of you guys!) That about doubled the price of the trip! Then because of a hip injury we decided to eliminate a week of our WDW stay and add a 4-day cruise to make it a bit less taxing. I convinced the hubby it would only be $1000 more. I definitely miscalculated somewhere because it was twice that! (Oops!!!) I didn't catch my error until we made the reservation modifications and I was told the total!!! Sounds like about the same thing happened to you!!!! We are driving (17hrs! ) and going to the Kennedy Space Center and Hubby is going for a day at Universal. So there is another $1000 we haven't even added in yet. My "hey- let's go to Disney this year!" trip tripled in price!!!

Like you we are relatively frugal people so I don't know what happened!!! I am flipping out about the expense, too!!! We can do it, but it is way more than we planned and way more than we usually spend on trips Disney or otherwise! Hubby says it is ok, but I am a bit overwhelmed at the cost (and maybe a bit embarrassed about it because it is so not us!!!) So it isn't just you!

But I keep thinking of how great the trip will be and reminding myself that I will have fun and to forget about how much it is costing me when I am there!

I hope you have a WONDERFUL trip! Don't stress out about it too much or you won't be able to enjoy yourself!

I totally needed to hear that it's not just me.
Oh my goodness, I think we are living parallel lives. LOL This started out with me saying, "Let's just go and relax at the resort...maybe go to the parks for a couple of days."
When the CM gave me the quote on the phone when I changed resorts, I almost fell off the bed and said in shock, "ok, th...thank you." Have a magical day my eye!
It's totally not us either. I pride myself on my uber-cheap Disney vacations and I am embarrassed, too, even with my dh. Good grief! How did I spend this much?

Thanks so much! Have a great trip, too! A cruise sounds lovely.

 

[dhardawa]

WWOPH? I know as soon as you say it, I'll feel stupid because I should be able to figure it out on my own!

 

[ilovemk76]

WWOPH? I know as soon as you say it, I'll feel stupid because I should be able to figure it out on my own!

Wizarding World of Harry Potter

 

[TheRatPack]

In our case it's usually all the little things that add up quicker than we imagine. Like gas prices going up, so I need to budget more for the trip down and back. The vet checks for our pets before we leave, the increased kennel fees......everything has went up

 

[marlynnp]

I see you still have another 17+ years until you pay off your last trip

How long is this trip?

 

[kerplop]

Yeah we planned our trip, went overboard on the planning and actually ended up having to cut back down. It kind of stunk, but in the end we had to do what we were happy with. Would I like to stay at a deluxe? Heck yeah. Ca
n I afford to? Heck no

 

[Sagginit]

i did that last year with my vegas trip. i was so careful to get everything on budget and for a deal (rooms, airfare, rental car). i grossly underestimated what we would spend on food, drinks, and other little incidentals. like the rental car was not as fuel efficient as we thought since we were driving through mountains and canyons. i thought it would be budget but it cost more than the same time in WDW! had a great time though, so enjoy your upgrades and just remember this for next time!

 

[cupcakefairy2u]

I just did this with a Disney Cruise It just happens and then you cant take it back LOL

Have a WONDERFUL Trip

 

[onescgirl]

The SAME thing happened to me!
I booked POFQ under free dining.
I changed to POP because my kids have always wanted to stay there.
I thought it would save a good bit of money, so I called & changed our reservations. I was confused because it didn't save as much as I thought it would & it was because I forgot about having to upgrade in price from the quick service meals to reg dining.
I called about 5 min later to try to change it back to POFQ because that's where I wanted to stay. It was too late, my POFQ room was taken & there were no more free dining rooms left at that resort.

 

[MistressMerryweather]

The SAME thing happened to me!
I booked POFQ under free dining.
I changed to POP because my kids have always wanted to stay there.
I thought it would save a good bit of money, so I called & changed our reservations. I was confused because it didn't save as much as I thought it would & it was because I forgot about having to upgrade in price from the quick service meals to reg dining.
I called about 5 min later to try to change it back to POFQ because that's where I wanted to stay. It was too late, my POFQ room was taken & there were no more free dining rooms left at that resort.

Oh! That really stinks.
My dh just keeps saying, "don't worry, we'll have fun when we get there and we won't think about it."
He also says jokingly, "Don't worry. When we move out of our house into a box, our Disney souvenirs will look great there."
Or he'll say, when I go to buy a shirt for the trip, "Every shirt you buy for the kids is one less balloon they will get at Disney World."
Har Har Har. I don't think that is very funny. LOL
He really is joking, though. I'm glad he has a sense of humor.

 

[Straitlover]

How many days is your trip? Do you really need 10 park days plus the halloween party plus a day at Universal plus the Water parks and more add-on?

 

[lizabu]

How many days is your trip? Do you really need 10 park days plus the halloween party plus a day at Universal plus the Water parks and more add-on?

This is what I'm thinking. Aren't there a few ways you can scale back here and there and keep it closer to what you originally budgeted? For me unless I was only slightly over my budget I would do what it takes to get things back on track.

 

[Pigeon]

You could knock a grand off that pretty easily by cutting out the big, expensive unnecessary extras.

Maybe it's because we don't go very often, but I think there is way more than enough for us to do for at least a week if we just go to the parks.

 

[candielips]

Don't want to stress you out more but don't forget the gratuity at all those TS restaurants. I find the gratuity adds up pretty quickly.

 

[Zim]

I understand, I do the same thing. I think it's sneaky smart of Disney to get people to plan Disney trips so far out in advance. You book a cheap base price 6 to 12 months out. Then spend the next few months making "nickel and dime" additions in the form of dinner reservations, character dining, and special events. And you're all paid off that last month or so that when you finally get there you feel like you can spend a whole lot more on-site for souvenirs and treats because the rest of the trip feels "free" at that point.

I do this every year. Started with a base price of $1600 and doubled that with three character meals, a weekend at Universal, a day at Discovery Cove, HHN and MNSSHP!

Nuts...

 

[rigs32]

I also want to know how long you'll be there.

1) I hope you realize that you can't use a 10 day pass to visit two parks per day for five days.

2) Why not put Harry Potter on the first or last day of your trip and stay in one of the Universal hotels? Do a one way rental on the car, get 1 hour early entry into HP and front of the line access throughout the park.

3) How about a split stay? A few days at a mod then move over to AoA.

4) With 10 park days and a day at universal, do you really need the water parks as well? Your kids are really too young for the thrill rides at the water parks and some of the games at Disney Quest. Spend a day at the pool instead. Value and mods have the main pool and other quiet pools - you can do a pool hop within your resort.

5) You don't have to be in a park everyday. Take the kids to the campfire at Fort Wilderness. Or ride the monorail, explore those resorts, watch Wishes and the Electric Water Pageant from the beach.

 

[wshupnastar]

I know what you mean!

In our case, it was an injury that is costing us way more in the long run.

We were originally booked for Beach Club with Free Dining...scheduled the trip for September. Well, in July I broke my ankle. I fought and fought against rescheduling, but, ultimately decided we had to. We would have been leaving September 13 and I am still not able to walk or put any weight on my ankle. Add to that the doctor says I will need another surgery...trip rescheduled.

So we now are booked for June, which, of course, raised the hotel price. And no Free Dining. We are still getting the Dining Plan...and with 2 adults and 2 teenagers (adults on the plan) that is costing us quite a bit more on a 7 night trip. So our trip has gone up by around $1700!

And, of course, I am not helping matters. With waiting so long between trips I am really thinking a few nights at Universal is in order.

 

[My3kiddos]

If you really want to get water parks why not reduce your park tickets to 4 or 5 days. Then you would have that many days in the parks and that many days at the water parks. Unless you are staying 3 weeks you have way too many days on your tickets to get the best value. If you are only going to be there 10 days I say do a 4 day ticket with water parks and WWOHP one day. That only leaves 1 day without a park to go to. Spend it going around to the different resorts.