So, this is the first time Ive ever attempted a final thoughts post, like I see in so many other trip reports. Because weve had so many trips, Ive always been able to just jump right into the next trips report. And I could do that this time too, as we just returned from WDW. And I will be starting that TR very soon, but I thought that the Year of Disney (2010) deserves some sort of wrap-up before moving on.
To review, and for those that didnt follow the whole year, we had Annual Passes and made 5 trips to WDW in 2010. We had made one trip prior to the Year of Disney, in September 2009, which left us wanting more. It had been Dugs first trip to WDW and my first since more-or-less childhood. We started dreaming about going back and escaping the Minnesota winter that lay ahead. We tentatively booked some ADRs for January 2010 just in case.
Due to a confluence of circumstances, we made the choice to do a (most likely) once-in-a-lifetime Year of Disney. We had just finished aggressively paying off all non-mortgage debt and had significant extra cash flow from that. We wanted to use part of that to do something fun for ourselves, as we had lived very low-budget/low-frills for our whole marriage so far (and before that). It was also our fifth anniversary year, which seemed a good reason to travel (we both love to travel). We considered taking a big overseas trip and Greece was at the top of our list. But that is not cheap, especially the way we would want to do it (i.e. not a quick trip and not backpacking). Somehow, we realized that we could do several trips to WDW for the price of one trip to Greece. Although, with some of the upgrades and trip extensions we did, the Year of Disney did cost more than a trip to Greece would have, we still had several thousand dollars left of our extra cash flow that we added to our savings (so, we werent totally irresponsible!) This year, that extra cash flow is going towards other non-travel savings goals (cars, etc.), which is why our October 2011 trip was so budget-oriented ($1400 total for a week).
It really amazes me how much financial flexibility there is for a WDW trip. I saw a thread somewhere else on the DIS about how much do you spend on a trip to WDW? Skimming through the answers, I was amazed to see that some people were spending as much on ONE trip as we were on ALL FIVE trips combined! Of course, they were usually staying Club Level and generally living it up, but still
Id pick 5 nice trips over 1 luxurious trip any day! Im so glad we did it this way. And, hey, we did end up having one pretty luxurious trip, as you just saw!
Surprisingly, that Poly Club trip was not the most expensive one. It was actually about $1500 less than our January trip. In January, we had to buy our Annual Passes and our Tables in Wonderland card (big expenses), we stayed for 10 days (the longest trip), and we paid for airfare (free with miles in December). January was over $4k, due to all of that. Our cheapest trip was our August weekend for $600-ish, which even included airfare (bargain trip!) I am, admittedly, a deal hunter. All of the trips included significant discounts: bounceback rates, Annual Passholder rates, Tables in Wonderland dining discounts, bargain airfare, first nights at Pop Century, etc. I can see how someone who just books a package without looking for deals could spend a lot more. But these deals allowed us to get more trips in and stay at nicer places than we could have otherwise. Enough financial ponderings, though!
One of the best things about doing a Year of Disney was that we were able to attend several different special events that WDW does at different times of the year. We attended Star Wars Weekends in June, Food & Wine in November, and enjoyed all the holiday stuff in December, as you just read about. All of our trips were very different from each other. That was really helpful if we ran into someone who questioned why we were going to WDW so often
once we told them about the different events, they understood! We still havent been to the Flower & Garden Festival, but otherwise, weve covered most of the seasonal stuff. All of the trips were so unique because of these events. Its really hard to pick a favorite, as they were all so special in their own ways. We did particularly enjoy Food & Wine, however, and thats what we ended up going back to this year (although the weather for it in 2010 was way better than 2011).
The other great thing about all the trips (and the AP discount) was that we got to stay at so many different resorts. We stayed at: the Polynesian (one night in January), the Wilderness Lodge (one night in January), Port Orleans Riverside (the rest of January), Pop Century (one night in June), Animal Kingdom Lodge (the rest of June), All Star Music (August), Pop Century (one night in November), Beach Club Villas (the rest of November), and the Poly Club (December). We usually had 40% or so off and went during low seasons, which made the deluxes feasible. Obviously, we really love the Poly. If you follow the upcoming TR, youll see that we spent an awful lot of time at the Poly for people staying at Pop Century! In second place, wed pick Animal Kingdom Lodge. And its a very close second. We really loved our stay there. The buildings are beautiful, the rooms are great, the savanna balconies are amazing, and the dining on site is fabulous!
In closing, a Year of Disney was exactly what we needed in 2010. Its probably the only time that various circumstances in our lives will align just right to make it work. But its a memory well have and cherish forever. Its been a great way for us to spend time together, plan for things together, and enjoy things together. We really had a great time! We have so many wonderful stories and memories from these trips
and thanks to all these TRs, Ill actually be able to remember them!
Thanks for sharing the journey with us.
And, yes, there will definitely be a TR for the trip we just took. Ill post the link here and on the PTR once its started. Hope to see you there!
I still love the fact that you guys ended up at Concierge Level. That's still a dream of mine someday. I just don't have good luck. 
!
x 
It was really amazing to stay Club Level. Probably won't happen again, unless we get another magical upgrade, though. 
Every time we saw the Hawaii building on our recent trip, we wanted so badly to go back inside. 
Of course, we did spend an awful lot of time at the Poly, even though we weren't staying there... 
It's a fun show!
