How to do disney multiple times a year

[Gumbo4x4]

And the trick with that is not going for a week. 5 days is our average.

Of course, the issue there is that 2 5-day trips is more expensive than 1 10-day trip since travel costs have to be paid twice.

 

[DonnaL]

For our family, we do not go several times a year EVERY year, but, make our AP's work by staggering our trips so we get at minimum three trips from one AP. During 2014 we are visiting 3 times....DH and I were there in January, DH, myself, and our 12 yr old GS are going in August, and DH and I are going to F & W in October. During 2013 we did not visit WDW at all, but, did go to DL in January 2013 with our GS and our youngest son (23 at the time). We are DVC members since 2001, we bought when our oldest was in his second year of college, our daughter was 18, and our youngest was 12. These days most trips are just DH and I and quite frequently our GS (who has been going since he's 18 months old....9 trips to WDW and 1 to DL). Since we are DVC members, we always use our points and get at least a one bedroom and USE the kitchen...I hear so many DVC members say they don't even use the kitchen. I plan our meals (yes...we do eat out also.....most trips about twice..usually a table service for a late lunch...and that evening we just snack). I schedule our groceries to be delivered to the resort (Bell Services will hold/refrigerate until our arrival) at the time our flight arrives at MCO. Groceries cost just about the same as if we were eating at home that week. I primarily order just fresh items and juice, milk, eggs, etc. Sometimes I will FedEx a small box of dry goods (usually under 15 lbs at a cost of $10 to $15) addressed to myself c/o of the resort with our check-in date and send it to arrive either the day we do or the day before. If it's just DH and I, sometimes I will just pack an extra bag with those items (we fly Southwest...so I can check two bags) In that box will be premeasured spices, dry ingredients...also premeasured and in Ziploc bags, coffee, sugar, cereal (removed from box and in a Ziploc). My carryon is a zippered Thermos bag which keeps items frozen up to 24 hours (we live two hours from PHL, we arrive two hours before our flight, and the flight is a little over two hours...so at the absolute most...even with delays...my bag goes for 12 hours...usually between 7 and 8 hours). In that bag are the pre-cooked frozen main ingredients for most of our meals...nothing that could become liquid though (maybe precooked shredded chicken breasts....chicken cacciatore, chicken strips w/garlic, etc. ..the rice is either shipped or in my checked bag and the sauce is made from canned tomatoes or Cream of chicken soup which I order, maybe meatballs (no sauce...I usually will make do with doctored up purchased jar sauce....the dry pasta again shipped or packed) sometimes precooked crumbled ground beef for tacos, sloppy joes, etc.....anyway you get the idea. This way I need very little prep time while on vacation.....can have a truly home cooked meal on the table in less than 30 minutes. So.....we save a ton of money on food....we also order bottled water from the grocery delivery (we've always used Garden Grocer, except on the occasions we rent a car....then, we'll make our own 30 minute grocery stop at Publix on our way in from the airport). As I said earlier, we also fly Southwest .....exclusively. And.....we use our Southwest Visa card for EVERYTHING.....and I do mean literally everything......groceries, gas, cell phone bill, internet/cable bill, car insurance, house insurance, our yearly DVC maintenance fees, dining out at home...I wish I could use it for utilities, however, our utility companies charge a fee for using a credit card to pay the bill. I keep track of every purchase and pay the credit card off every month.....never, ever have a finance charge on it. As a result.....we haven't paid for an airline ticket in about five years....at least for DH and myself....I do remember needing to pay one way from PHL to John Wayne airport near DL for our grandson last year because I was short on points......but, I was careful about when we flew and got a one-way cross country for about $150! So, sorry for such a long reply.....but, that's how we manage to go to WDW a few times a year. My record was 5 times in one year and that was in 2011....our youngest son was participating in the Disney College Program for the spring semester 2011, working at Hollywood Studios/Backlot Tour....so I really took advantage of it......DH and I drove down with our son in early January so he could have his car with him, stayed for 4 days and then DH and I flew back, I flew down myself in early February for five days, in late March DH and I took our GS for five days, DH And I flew down in May for a few days and then drove home with our son when he finished his CP, and then DH and I flew down in early December for a long weekend to see all the Christmas decorations, shows, etc.

 

[wallawallakids]

OP, you got some great tips on here! I am surprised as well when people can go multiple times a year. We are lucky if we go every other year. Lots of what is suggested on here we do, but still can't go every year. DH works hard and makes good money, but we live off his income alone. We save more then half of his paycheck into retirement and college funds. That doesn't leave much to save for vacations. I would love to travel more but the reality is saving for retirement and my 4 children's college accounts is more paramount. Add that to the fact that the 4 kids have multiple after school activities and money for vacations becomes harder to save.

A lot is priorities. I wonder if some people would forgo their children doing sports or saving for colleges and retirement to afford vacations? I like the kids to have the chance to do what they want to. One is in acting, swim lessons, and Chinese. The other is in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Girl Scouts, Softball, Soccer, and acting. My older son is in Basketball, and year round soccer on a club team. My younger son does karate and track. Anyway, we decide to put money into these activities instead of always going on a vacation.

 

[Marionnette]

OP, you got some great tips on here! I am surprised as well when people can go multiple times a year. We are lucky if we go every other year. Lots of what is suggested on here we do, but still can't go every year. DH works hard and makes good money, but we live off his income alone. We save more then half of his paycheck into retirement and college funds. That doesn't leave much to save for vacations. I would love to travel more but the reality is saving for retirement and my 4 children's college accounts is more paramount. Add that to the fact that the 4 kids have multiple after school activities and money for vacations becomes harder to save.

A lot is priorities. I wonder if some people would forgo their children doing sports or saving for colleges and retirement to afford vacations? I like the kids to have the chance to do what they want to. One is in acting, swim lessons, and Chinese. The other is in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Girl Scouts, Softball, Soccer, and acting. My older son is in Basketball, and year round soccer on a club team. My younger son does karate and track. Anyway, we decide to put money into these activities instead of always going on a vacation.

You're assuming that those families have to choose. Not everyone is blowing their retirement money and kids' college funds on vacations. Some of us can actually afford to put money into retirements, pay for college entirely AND still take some very nice vacations more than once a year in the process.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

You're assuming that those families have to choose. Not everyone is blowing their retirement money and kids' college funds on vacations. Some of us can actually afford to put money into retirements, pay for college entirely AND still take some very nice vacations more than once a year in the process.

And SOME cannot - and that's what PP was wondering

 

[wallawallakids]

You're assuming that those families have to choose. Not everyone is blowing their retirement money and kids' college funds on vacations. Some of us can actually afford to put money into retirements, pay for college entirely AND still take some very nice vacations more than once a year in the process.

Not assuming anything. I am happy for those of you who can do it all, but I highly doubt you are in the majority.

My point was, for most of us, something has to give. For us, it is multiple vacations a year. That is by our own choice.

I am not sure how what I said was offensive?

 

[Marionnette]

And SOME cannot - and that's what PP was wondering

Not assuming anything. I am happy for those of you who can do it all, but I highly doubt you are in the majority.

My point was, for most of us, something has to give. For us, it is multiple vacations a year. That is by our own choice.

I am not sure how what I said was offensive?

And MY POINT is that you do not know what people have or do not have or whether they need to make those choices at all. The disboards has a very distorted demographic population compared to our society as a whole. It is very possible that I am among the majority of regular disboard posters while being part of a much smaller segment of the overall population in this country.

 

[wallawallakids]

And MY POINT is that you do not know what people have or do not have or whether they need to make those choices at all. The disboards has a very distorted demographic population compared to our society as a whole. It is very possible that I am among the majority of regular disboard posters while being part of a much smaller segment of the overall population in this country.

Again, very happy for you. I understand your point. Maybe my first post was unclear? Never did I make a remark saying I KNOW people have to make those choices. I said I have to make those choices (as in ME, MYSELF, MY FAMILY) and then simply remarked that I wonder if others have different priorities. Not sure how this belittles those who are blessed enough to be able to afford it all. I didn't say that those who vacation every year do not save. I said I can not save as much for retirement or my children's education as I would like IF I vacationed every year. I am sure I am not alone in that, regardless of being the DIS majority or minority.

 

[aprincessatlast]

that I wonder if others have different priorities. I said I can not save as much for retirement or my children's education as I would like IF I vacationed every year. I am sure I am not alone in that, regardless of being the DIS majority or minority.

No I am sure you are not alone. Yes without a doubt others priorities are different than those who post on the dis. Honestly the whole thought of going to Disney multiple times a year makes me go There are just so many other places out there. Then again I remember being in my disney crazed obsession at once and doing it. (only 1x and I quickly realized it was too much for us) So yeah everyones priorities are different. Now vacationing to different locations multiple times a year I am all about. LOL Yet it does not happen much because I don't usually choose inexpensive places and I don't like 4 day trips. That is me though. Everyone I know who does it chooses a cheap beach trip and Disney usually or 2 Disney trips.

As far as foregoing activities. I would have traded all my soccer, basketball, dance etc days for any type of vacation when I was a kid. Perhaps that is why I choose to vacation. My kids are in activities but when the choice comes, exposing my kids to new places and new ways of seeing nature or how other people live will win every time.

 

[JanaDee]

No I am sure you are not alone. Yes without a doubt others priorities are different than those who post on the dis. Honestly the whole thought of going to Disney multiple times a year makes me go There are just so many other places out there. Then again I remember being in my disney crazed obsession at once and doing it. (only 1x and I quickly realized it was too much for us) So yeah everyones priorities are different. Now vacationing to different locations multiple times a year I am all about. LOL Yet it does not happen much because I don't usually choose inexpensive places and I don't like 4 day trips. That is me though. Everyone I know who does it chooses a cheap beach trip and Disney usually or 2 Disney trips.

As far as foregoing activities. I would have traded all my soccer, basketball, dance etc days for any type of vacation when I was a kid. Perhaps that is why I choose to vacation. My kids are in activities but when the choice comes, exposing my kids to new places and new ways of seeing nature or how other people live will win every time.

Again, you are assuming Disney is the only place some people travel in a year.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Again, you are assuming Disney is the only place some people travel in a year.

For those who go multiple times per year, it could be the case. We've all seen plenty on these boards who claim to pretty much do Disney exclusively for their vacations.

 

[disney212]

Again, you are assuming Disney is the only place some people travel in a year.

Agree! Folks always assume we ONLY do Disney. I have visited 28 countries (not counting EPCOT).

 

[JanaDee]

For those who go multiple times per year, it could be the case. We've all seen plenty on these boards who claim to pretty much do Disney exclusively for their vacations.

It's a possibility, but I would never think because someone goes to Disney more than once a year they never go anywhere else.

 

[hsmamato2]

we've never gone more than once a year.... but my kids always LOVED Disney,still do, and when given choices, have always voted to spend less now, go to Disney annually when asked..... for us, I guess we're average, it has always been about choosing,since we can't 'have it all' (FWIW, I think my sons would go more frequently if they could, once per year is good for me)
If it were asked,'would you rather play sports,or save that $$ for a trip?' I know what the answer would be.... (They do play sports, but the free kind, with friends etc all the time lol)

 

[Gumbo4x4]

It's a possibility, but I would never think because someone goes to Disney more than once a year they never go anywhere else.

True, but the point also is that is a LOT of Disney & not everyone understands that either.

 

[dznyacct]

We usually average 3 WDW trips in a 2 year period. With ~ 50 WDW trips under our belts (starting ~ 20 years ago), here are some things that have helped us over the years (in no particular order):

• My DH and I each have SWA VISAs, each getting in on the 50,000 RR points offer. That 100,000 got us ~ 8 round trip flights from Indy to Orlando.

• I save ANY “found money” for vacation (birthday $$, rebates, $$ I get for doing my DH’s business quarterly/annual tax work). I am very lucky at winning things on the radio . Anything that I can’t use (i.e. local theme park tickets), I sell to friends at a large discount and put the $$ in the “found money fund”. A few local grocery store pharmacies offer a $25 credit if you transfer a prescription. DH has several Rxs, so I transfer when I can and then use the $25 credit to buy a $25 Disney gift card.

• I have a portion of my paycheck automatically transferred to my vacation savings account each payday. I have done this for years and years, so I don’t even notice it.

• I receive an annual bonus. Half of the bonus goes in the vacation fund and half of it goes into our regular savings account.

• Depending on what the current incentive offer is, I use my DISCOVER, SWA VISA or Disney VISA exclusively to rack up rewards to be used for vacation related items. All credit cards are paid in full every month. No exceptions…….ever . DS is 24 and on his own at grad school. I think one of the most important financial lessons I taught him was this . It makes you think twice about that impulse purchase.

• DVC . I first toured in 1997 and then again in 1999. After running the numbers a few times (I’m an Accountant, I HAVE to do that ), it made sense for our family and travel style. My only regret, why didn’t we do it in 1993 on our first family trip ?? We paid for DVC with some $$ from the sale of some property, so we only have the monthly dues (which after all these years, I almost forget about). A few times we have been used as a referral for friends that bought into DVC. That was the easiest $200/sale that I have ever made! We have had years that we have banked points and then been able to treat friends and family to a DVC stay .

• I have had a WDW annual pass probably ~ 10 times over the course of the last 20 years. The DVC discount makes it a great deal. My best 12 month period was getting 4 trips out of one AP. I think I had ~ 35 park days.

• The dining plan used to be a great deal for my big eating DH and DS (especially when it was free), but it has totally priced itself out of our budget. We have been using the Tables in Wonderland card (at a discounted price thanks to DVC/AP ). The TIW discounts that we received on our 8 night WDW trip last month more than covered the cost of TIW.

• For longer trips or those with extended family, we either place an order with Garden Grocer/We Go Shop or we rent a car for a day or two for an offsite stop at Publix (my FAVORITE grocery store). I add my normal grocery spending to our vacation budget, since we won’t be spending that $$ at home while we’re on vacation.

• I love, love, love shopping at WDW. To try and curb those costly shopping trips at World of Disney , I try to plan a visit to Disney’s Character Warehouse at the Orlando Premium Outlet Mall early on in our trip. Several times I will find something at a greatly discounted price that I saw at World of Disney just a few days earlier for full price.

• We have been lucky enough to be friends with people who were/are in the Disney College Program and have shared their awesome discount with us. Last year, when I had a big birthday, I was able to plan an impromptu WDW birthday trip with a friend and get our room at a 50% discount and the Disney Dining Plan at a 60% discount. I already had my AP and I used SWA RR points to fly, so it was a very cheap trip. There is a potential for another trip soon before my AP expires .

• Besides WDW, we love Disney Cruise Line . We just became gold members last month after sailing for the 5th time. The price of cruising with DCL seems to have skyrocketed (more than doubling in 5 years ), so I don’t know when we will be able to cruise again. We cruise with 4 other families (that we met on the DIS cruise boards before sailing in 2009 ) and have talked about doing the Alaskan cruise in 2 or 3 years. Hopefully, one of us wins the lottery or DCL offers some great IGT, OGT, VGT rates.

In general, I am a very frugal (or cheap, as my DH says ) person. It pains me to ever pay retail prices, especially for clothing. I want it on sale; have a % off coupon and some cash back promotion too. I grocery shop primarily based upon what’s on sale. A few weeks ago my DH asked me to get a lot of berries (strawberries, raspberries, black berries) at the grocery store on my weekly trip. I said “I will, if they’re on sale.” Looking shocked, he said “You only buy them if they’re on sale??” We’ve only been married ~ 30 years….you think he’d know me by now! My biggest vacation struggle right now is paid vacation time at work. I used to get ~ 25 days a year. I recently switched jobs and now get only 10 days a year until I have been there for 7 years. There are talks of a change to happen soon. I sure hope so, because it is cramping my WDW plans .

 

[puffkin]

We make ok money but aren't wealthy. We have a reasonable mortgage and 1 car payment and a very small student loan left. Other than that no debt. I am really careful with our finances and squeeze every penny that I can. We rarely eat out, go to the movies, etc. We don't do fairs, carnivals, etc (or as I like to call them, money pits). We go to WDW for 8-10 day trips, 2x a year.

1. DVC (paid off). I pay the dues monthly...just like any other bill. Its just part of our normal budget.
2. SWA credit card. We use this for pretty much everything (pay off monthly). You wouldn't believe the points we rack up. I haven't paid for flights in about 5 years. We are driving for the first time in November (due to crazy holiday fares) but then should be pretty set with points after that for quite some time.
3. Annual Passes with the DVC discount. My parents actually buy us these every other Christmas. We get nothing the "off" Christmas or for any other holidays/birthdays. I won't lie, this is a HUGE help. We carefully space out our trips accordingly to maximize the passes and to get 3 trips on one pass. The trade off is my mother travels with us on most of our trips. Not always a picnic
4. I stalk rental codes and airline deals. If we need to fly in late I try and find the best deals offsite for a stay.
5. We eat most breakfasts in the room. We pack lunches for the kids most days. Sometimes we pack for adults too (like at the Water Parks where the food isn't very good). We carry water/drinks into the parks. We cook dinner in the room 3-4 nights a trip. We limit alcohol consumption at restaurants to special occassions.
6. We don't buy many souvenirs.

There are lots of other things we do, but these are the biggies. A typical trip usually costs us about $1000-$1200, which is mainly food, rental car, airport parking. I don't factor in the cost of tickets since those are a gift (yes, we are lucky) or airfare since I use points. I also don't count the cost of the DVC monthly dues since that is a sunk cost whether we go or not.

We made a commitment to go to Disney A LOT which is why per trip it seems cheap. Going to the beach for a week would cost us TONS more which is why we keep coming back to Disney.

 

[artemis4]

Again, you are assuming Disney is the only place some people travel in a year.

Exactly. We are only planning our second Disney trip, but that isn't to say we don't travel. We try to do two vacations a year, each one week plus 2-3 days travel time, and we do some smaller 2-4 day trips. There is a great big world out there, and we want our kids to see some of it. We have a frugal vacation style, as well as jobs and a lifestyle the allow us to take off for ten days at a time twice a year.

Our kids still do things they want (baseball, football, art classes, theatre, etc), but to date none of them have expressed serious interest in joining an expensive/intensive activity. Well, theatre gets intensive, but that is only for 8 weeks at a pop 2-3 times a year.

This is a long way of saying that some of us simply prioritize travel and find ways to make it happen within our means. We have many of the same things that others one this thread have stated (no debt other than mortgage, we drive on our trips, we take advantage of inexpensive lodging, cook on vacation, etc). We also are selective in our expensive tourist activities, often opting for things like hikes, history, and national park tours over more expensive activities. That isn't to say we don't splurge (like a lovely hot springs day we did on vacation last month or a cool boat tour last fall), but we are selective.

 

[ellochka]

Exactly. We are only planning our second Disney trip, but that isn't to say we don't travel. We try to do two vacations a year, each one week plus 2-3 days travel time, and we do some smaller 2-4 day trips. There is a great big world out there, and we want our kids to see some of it. We have a frugal vacation style, as well as jobs and a lifestyle the allow us to take off for ten days at a time twice a year.

The original meaning was that people who go to WDW 2+ times a year don't often go to other places. Based on what people who take 3-4 WDW trips a year wrote about their budget, it is largely true.

I am also behind the "what's important to you" budgeting comment. I will give a quick example. One of the posters (great post, by the way) wrote that she has a vacation savings account (and so do we), and she also spends 50% on her bonus on vacations. I get a bonus, too. I also get RSUs/options. In fact, about 30% of my income (I am the breadwinner) is in bonus/options. It all goes into taxable brokerage. We don't spend my bonus and variable compensation on vacations, only savings from our regular income, i.e. vacation account. That's a difference in how people budget. Some people have grown kids, and they don't have to worry about buying a house in a good school district, and we do.

I also found her example about kids activities to be very spot-on. Many posters mentioned here that they do only few kids activities so they save for vacations. Either way is fine, but it's a different way to prioritize. For another example you can look at the 'devices' board. I honestly was shocked how many devices most people owned. I am sure those same people will be shocked to see my shoe/closing collection (not quantity). Just different priorities.

 

[ellochka]

Going to the beach for a week would cost us TONS more which is why we keep coming back to Disney.

For true total cost of your vacation add the cost of your DVC points used at $11/point and the cost of the admissions you get for Christmas (i.e. partial ticket costs). After that it will probably be cheaper to go to the beach.

So funny, when I read this, my economist side of the brain screams - wake up, you are not counting half of your costs!!! And my marketing side screams - wow, these people at Disney are marketing geniuses, they got people's brains warped so they think it's cheaper to go to WDW!!! Sorry if I offended anyone