HOW?!

[DisneyArkie]

We go to DW every summer for at least 2 weeks.

2 weeks at Pop with free dining plus 10 day hopper tickets for my family of four Disney adults costs about $4500.
Still reasonable for us, even with the recent price increases.

When is free dining during the summer?

 

[GXIncognto]

We've found that ironically the easiest way to afford a WDW vacation is to not have any kids.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Exactly! Us, too. The price of tickets for a few hours at a concert or sporting event is not our priority. A major league NBA team down the road will run hundreds of $ per seat, and a fairly famous singer that's coming to my town this fall is charging $189+ per seat. Both of those examples would eat away at our travel budget in a hurry, and each are far more expensive, especially per hour!, than a multi-day ticket at WDW.

And we’re the opposite. We don’t want to do nothing all year for one-two weeks of fun a year. We stil go out, hit the town, concerts, sporting events, etc. but we do disney every 2-3 or so years and go for 10-11 days. We do other vacations on the off years where you get much more bang for your buck and get to see new places. Different strokes and all that.

 

[AngiTN]

When is free dining during the summer?

August

 

[Disneylover99]

When is free dining during the summer?

Typically beginning the last week or two of August and into September.

 

[LiveToTravelNicely]

And we’re the opposite. We don’t want to do nothing all year for one-two weeks of fun a year. We stil go out, hit the town, concerts, sporting events, etc. but we do disney every 2-3 or so years and go for 10-11 days. We do other vacations on the off years where you get much more bang for your buck and get to see new places. Different strokes and all that.

You're absolutely correct! It's really just a matter of how each family prioritizes what is best for them according to each personal income situation.
Like you, we do Disney about every other year so that we can see other places. And so we can really really miss it by the time we return.

 

[AngiTN]

We don't get in quite 2 weeks in a single trip but if you were to total all our trips up over the year it would be a month, I'm guessing.
The longest we do in "one fell swoop" is 10 days and we do this right when school gets out. The rest of our trips are 5-7 days.

 

[sponica]

We've found that ironically the easiest way to afford a WDW vacation is to not have any kids.

But yeah they do eat up a lot of the what used to be disposable income....

 

[FutureDisneyEventPlanner]

We've found that ironically the easiest way to afford a WDW vacation is to not have any kids.

haha well good thing i never want to have kids!

 

[DisneyArkie]

August

Oh okay thanks. Was wondering because I have never seen that offered when we go. Kids are back in school by then so that prevents us from going that late. We usually go end of May first of June.

 

[Anniefrances]

We purchase AP and book room only when discounts are released. I stalk the website to be ready to book. We usually start at a value resort and switch over to a deluxe (6 days value, 5-6 days deluxe). We drive so I load the car with snacks, sandwich stuff, fruit, drinks etc. We buy mugs, but no beverages in the parks (opting for free ice water with flavor drops). I often eat kids QS meals, and except for a breakfast at Boma, we usually eat breakfast in the room/on the run. We also limit ourselves to 1 purchased snack per day. During the year we choose not to spend money on activities like local amusement parks etc. I always give kids the choice - do y'all want to do such and such or should we use this money for Disney? They happily choose Disney. And they also help choose our resorts, with some years opting only for a value so they can stay longer (record has been 16 nights) and/or have more snacks while in the parks. Those Mickey bars add up pretty quickly!

 

[AngiTN]

Oh okay thanks. Was wondering because I have never seen that offered when we go. Kids are back in school by then so that prevents us from going that late. We usually go end of May first of June.

Same here. You'll be out of luck. They will offer it for a week or so in early May (usually) but that's before the'll be out of school. Then it starts back up again in mid-August, after those of us on an Aug-May schedule are back in school. Only those who go back after Labor Day can take advantage of it

 

[Asellus]

The last time I tried to do 10 days...I was exhausted and only managed 8. No 14 day trips for me. We have other fun stuff we like to do too, so Disney is not a priority expense.

That said, my husband and I both agree that when we finally travel to other countries, it'll be with the intention of staying within that country for well over 2 weeks. (and well over a month if and when we do get to Japan) so I totally understand people from other countries staying 2 weeks.

 

[Lalabubbles]

Our longest trip was this past June at 17 days. We were able to get a good deal on our hotel (Poly/BC split)we all had APs, and I was able to get our flights for a really good deal. We used to eat at one table service per day but for that trip we did about one every other day. We also took advantage of the 20% off for the restaurants, which helped. I use Ibotta and by the time we went we had $240 in Starbucks gift cards! I also take surveys that I get "paid" for and then I use that money for Southwest points. We eat mostly at home and the majority of our extra money goes to vacation. 2017 we were at Disney for a total of 29 days between 3 trips. We are probably going to take a year off and save so we can do another big trip in 2019!

 

[Marionnette]

Can some explain to me how you go to WDW for 2 or 3 weeks?? I would love to do this someday but I don't know how I could ever afford it...how do you do it?!

Enough DVC points (and luck booking AKV Value studios and BWV Std. View studios) + a DVC Platinum Plus AP + Southwest Rapid Rewards points for airfare + Disney GCs for dining (earned via rewards programs) = 20 nights this coming December, including Christmas week.

Of course, this does involve investing in DVC and paying the annual MFs.

 

[Spencer Wright]

Choosing the right career path lol

I'm sure that credit card debt is a primary means for a lot of people (not just w/ vacations, but with anything). "Paying" for something doesn't necessarily mean that one can "afford" it.

My sister and I often discuss this topic. This is especially true for frequent users of DCL and ABD!!

While I certainly appreciate the appeal of credit cards, I could not have $20K+ in credit card debt (like someone I know who goes to Disney parks around the world often has), and sleep at night.

But I will say, one can prioritize and make it work. For example, I stay at a deluxe in August for a week and a half; rather than going down the shore several times a month all summer.

 

[lelew]

To be honest our family would not be able to afford our yearly vacations without our middle class tax breaks. We pay for private school which is a must for us and don't have much disposable income. With that said come 2019 we may not be able to afford vacations again because for us our tuition comes first.

 

[bumbershoot]

Can some explain to me how you go to WDW for 2 or 3 weeks?? I would love to do this someday but I don't know how I could ever afford it...how do you do it?!

Get a job that gives generous vacation time AND allows you to use it.

Own Dvc.

That’s how we’ve done it.

The last time I tried to do 10 days...I was exhausted and only managed 8. No 14 day trips for me.

The key with a long trip is to have downtime. You’re not hitting the parks commando style every day.

 

[rg35]

My sister and I often discuss this topic. This is especially true for frequent users of DCL and ABD!!

While I certainly appreciate the appeal of credit cards, I could not have $20K+ in credit card debt (like someone I know who goes to Disney parks around the world often has), and sleep at night.

But I will say, one can prioritize and make it work. For example, I stay at a deluxe in August for a week and a half; rather than going down the shore several times a month all summer.

Yeah, I have a sibling who is not financially responsible. They have a lot of debt and spend spend spend. We don't. I do use credit cards to pay for everything to earn rewards (debit cards are useless in this regard), but don't carry any balances from month to month.

The really crazy thing (to me, at least) is that tons of consumer debt is a primary factor in keeping the economy going, esp w/ stagnating wages and underemployment. Imagine how things would slow down if people still had to buy things via layaway and simply saving money? But that's a discussion for a different time and place.

We were fortunate enough to be able to buy DVC during the recession when the resale market was depressed, which is also a primary reason why we have gone down every year for the last 5 or 6 years. If we hadn't done that, I doubt we would take yearly trips to WDW but we would do other things instead. This year we are skipping Disney though and going on a cruise. I'm kind of bummed about it even though I love Bermuda.

 

[Upatnoon]

1. Buy an annual pass. It helps if you are a Florida resident. But say $1,010 for a non-Floridian Platinum Plus.
2. I could exchange into some Disney-area timeshares for around $300 a week or so. They won't be A+ units, but its a place to sleep with a kitchen and laundry. You might be able to land similar deals on Skyauction.com by buying certificates on sale.
3. Avoid eating at the parks and buying souvenirs.
4. Buy groceries and eat in your room, just like at home.

So there you go, about $900 for lodging and $1,010 for the pass. A total of $1,910 or $91 a day.

The big expense is the annual pass -- while several people can stay in a room, everyone has to have their own ticket.

If you decide to do the same trip twice in a year, your price per day drops to $62 a day.