I feel cheated in a way.. not anymore.TY guys

[ehstrojette]

I feel cheated after reading all your PTR's and TR's

first we are staying off site cause it is too costly to pay for a room onsite. We were struggling with money until about 3 weeks before x-mas.

I am a in-home daycare provider and i had 2 openings when a sibling group left cause their mom lost her job. that was over 500 per month i lost. I finally filled thier spots and with the help of some organizations around here and some last minute presents my kids got some nice but not expensive things for christmas

we are sharing a villa with my sisters family and our parents which is a good idea cause we all love in seperate states. Them in PA/NY about 45 minutes apart and me in TN about 12 hrs apart. I haven;'t seen my sister in a couple yrs cause I haven;t been able to go there and she hasn;t down here cause she does the same work I do. We figured this way we could all spend time together and the kids would have a place to play and swim together.

another way I feel cheated is the DDP. I wish I could eat at all those places you guys have listed on your agendas but to save money we are mostly eating b-fast at the villa, counter lunches(me buying kids meals cause people say they are big enough, plus i am dieting) and eating dinner at the villa with only one ADR Chef Mickeys.

I did get in on a photopass group so at least I will have those fun pics without the cost of the whole cd order.

I feel like a cheapskate like I am not giving the kids the whole disney experiance. My oldest is 18 and he will be leaving next summer after graduation to work with my dad in NY so I am hoping to come back with the 2 younger ones and trying to do the whole Disney thing but I am a frugle person and always looking for the cheapest way to do things but still have fun. That will never change though.. it is like a disease with me, always looking for a bargain, I shop clearance stuff first or check out consignment sales. Walmart is my best friend, if walmart dont have it I dont need it attitude..lol

ok I am writing a book here so I will go sulk some more.. oh wait I leave for Disney in 9 DAYS ok feeling better now

 

[thegrimdwarf]

Um, I don't really get why you feel cheated - you're getting a Disney vacation! Don't waste time comparing your experience to someone else's - enjoy what you have instead of worrying about what you don't.

I know a family who stayed off-site and never bought a single food item in any of the parks because that wasn't in their budget - they rented a place with a kitchen, brought snacks to the park and returned to the hotel for meals. And they had a wonderful time. So don't feel bad - it's admirable to be staying within your budget!

 

[LAH LAH]

For what its worth we aren't staying on site or doing the dining plan either. All meals in park will be counter service.

We did this last year and you know what? My kids had a blast. They don't even think about what they are missing....because you can't miss what you never had.

For us it is a choice to go with limitations or don't go at all...I choose going with limitations...and enjoy every minute!

Try not to get caught up in what the "Jones" are doing...and hopefully the "cheated" feeling will go away!

Have a wonderful time!!!!

 

[FigmentFinder]

Unless it's the free dining promotion, we've always stayed offsite. Don't feel cheated at all. It's about being in the parks, not the hotel/restaurants. You'll probably be happy when you get back to your Villa instead of a small hotel room. Everyone can have their own space and a kitchen to use for late night snacks.

 

[moxiecola]

We just got back a week ago and we stayed off site for part of the vacation. I loved it just as much as staying in the park. It is a bit different but in a good way. We did not do the DDP when we were at POR. We haven't done it yet. Although it's convenient and we will do it some day I do not feel cheated. I too am frugal and try to penny pinch where I can but your kids won't know the difference so stop obsessing! Seriously, I have 4 kids and they could have cared less either way (staying in or out of the park...acutally I think they preferred out...or having the DDP). You are going to DISNEY...that is the BIG DEAL. Not wehter or not you get the DDP! There is magic just going about your day in the park by just being there. Don't worry...it WILL be GREAT!!

 

[eliza61]

One of the things you must do when reading any thing on forums is to take every thing with a grain of salt.

The perfect vacation is the one you and your family have. I remember when I first started using the dis, every one said "get to the parks at rope drop" Over and over I read how if you don't go to the parks at rope drop, you won't get to do any thing.
For 3 years I made my family miserable but making every one get up and be at the parks at 8:00 am in the morning. Finally my Dh revolted and simply said he was not paying another dime to be miserable on vacation. You know what, we've been 6 more times and haven't done another rope drop and had magical vacations.

Do what is best for your family, you'll be much happier. You won't regret it, dont worry about doing "Disney" some supposedly right "Way"

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

I think you have to look at it from a different perspective-you are still getting to go to Disney-and stay in a villa at that! That's not something everybody gets to do. We do a lot of extravagant things on our Disney vacations, but there also have been the bare bones trips too. BTDT with eating breakfast in the room, and the food court for everything else. Value resorts were the order of the day and souvenirs...we were lucky we each walked away with a t-shirt. Some of my kids best trips memories were the ones where I was so broke I scratched my head wondering if I even belonged at Disney with my kids. Situations change for people constantly, I hope yours improves, but if it doesn't I still think you can have a fabulous trip!

 

[Wendybird55]

Don't feel cheated or frugal - Once you're in the Disney park (no matter where you stay or what you eat) you have access to all the same rides and attractions that everyone else does - even those in GF on the platinum plan. And when it comes down to it that is the Disney epxerience. Seeing the characters, enjoying the attractions, the parades, the fireworks - and all you need for that is a park ticket which you have.

The best part of family vacations is being together and having fun together and sharing the villa with your sisters sounds like a lot of fun - especially since you don't see eachother often.

When I was a kid my parents took us on vacation every summer - we didn't stay at the fanciest hotels or eat at expensive restaurants...but we did do and see alto and had a great time together - and that's what I remember most.

As far as not dining as much in Disney - there are still alot of ymmuy snacks and the CS is not only burgers and chicken fingers. Lots of good choices. Maybe a fun treat you can do is go to Beachs & Cream at the Beach Club resort and order a Kicthen Sink - from what I hear it's gigantic! Should be alot of fun sharing it. A good day to go would be when you're at EPCOT in that you can easily walk to the BC.

Sounds like you have the makings of a great trip - so go off and enjoy it.

 

[LAH LAH]

One of the things you must do when reading any thing on forums is to take every thing with a grain of salt.

The perfect vacation is the one you and your family have. I remember when I first started using the dis, every one said "get to the parks at rope drop" Over and over I read how if you don't go to the parks at rope drop, you won't get to do any thing.
For 3 years I made my family miserable but making every one get up and be at the parks at 8:00 am in the morning. Finally my Dh revolted and simply said he was not paying another dime to be miserable on vacation. You know what, we've been 6 more times and haven't done another rope drop and had magical vacations.

Do what is best for your family, you'll be much happier. You won't regret it, dont worry about doing "Disney" some supposedly right "Way"

I am so happy you posted this...I have been trying to decide if indeed we needed to be at rope drop to be doing it "right" (as so many people claim)...but I didn't want to rush rush rush!

So...thanks for taking the time to share!

 

[Girly_Qs]

Yep, half-empty or half-full. The choice is yours.

Besides, any time spent at The Happiest Place on Earth can't be all bad, right? I hope y'all have a wonderful trip!

 

[Darcy03231]

We stayed off-site last summer and had a blast with our extended family. It was so much fun! I rented a private pool home and it was wonderful having all that room to spread out and our own pool. We also ate most of our meals in (my sister's family is on a strict budget and really couldn't afford to eat out) and I thought it worked out fine. We usually had a big breakfast in the house, went to the parks for rope drop, maybe had a snack, came back to the house in the early afternoon and had a big meal, swim, rest and then went back the parks at night. If someone was hungry we just got a snack. Since we were there in the summer most of us tended to be more thirsty than hungry.

We kept meals very easy. If you have a grill (we did) plan a lot of meals around grilling. On the first day there we made a big pasta salad, potato salad and tossed salad and then just had to grill meat for a couple a days. We also made casseroles the night before in aluminum pans (the throw away kind). I did lasagne, mexican shepards pie and wicked chicken. Let me know if you want the recipes and I'll post them (since there were 9 of us I doubled the recipes). All of the kids are still talking about what a great time they had.

A vacation is what you make of it. To me spending the time with my family and children was more important than staying on-site and having DDP.

 

[powellrj]

We have been going for years and I feel the on-site restaurants are over priced and over rated. You are going to Disney. You will have a wonderful time no matter where you eat!

Our last trip was a truly budget trip. I mean cashing in reward program points for gift card kind of budget trip. If we didn't have a gift card, we didn't eat there. The only on-site restaurant we ate at was Rainforest and it was be honest, one of our least favorite meals.

Go, enjoy your family and have a wonderful trip.

 

[Fantasmic23]

Like others in this thread have stated, try not to feel cheated. We went to WDW for the first time in mid-February and we stayed off-site (at a rented condo in Kissimmee). We didn't participate in the DDP (we had breakfast and dinner at the condo and did counter service for lunch at the parks). We all had a wonderful time and we're already planning for next February. And we'll be staying off-site in the same condo. The WDW experience is what you and your family make it. When you look back on your trip, you won't be thinking of where you slept or what you ate. Have a wonderful time!

 

[ehstrojette]

your right.. I AM GOING TO DISNEY!!! it really shouldnt matter where we stay, wat we eat just as long as we are there and the kids have fun.

you would have to read my PTR to see how stressed some of the planning has been. I am the only one in our group who reads the boards and I have been doing most of the planning, picking the days to go with TGM on what days we go where.

thanks for making me feel better and I know once we are there the planning will probably be for nothing but oh well I ahve had fun planning, watching ride videos on youtube and ironing stuff for the 4 kids going

 

[mrsklamc]

When I feel that way I go to globalrichlist.com

It always makes me forget whatever it is I think I am missing out on.

 

[Diamondintheruff]

Please don't let fretting about what you DON'T have affect what you DO have on your vacation.

Take a peak through one of the Table service restaurants around 6:30 and notice the crowds and the families with kids that won't sit still/won't eat and won't stop crying. Then be thankful that you get to eat when you want and escape to the peace and quiet away from the crowds when you get to your place off site.

 

[Princess Nancy]

I just wanted to put in my 2 cents worth...

My kids are 8,12 and 14. We went to Disney in Jan. 2006. We paid 700 and styed in a condo offsite with it's own pool and hottub. We did not pay for heat for the pool. There were 3 families and 4 bedrooms. One of my kids even slept on the floor.

When we talk about going back, my kids say Oh Mom Please can we sty in that condo/house again??? We don't want to be in a hotel room!!

We ate in the park and at the condo and lots of places around Disney.

DH and I dream of staying onsite, but my kids want ot stay in the house!!!LOL!!!

 

[Dallas_Lady]

You know, your trip sounds like what I would love to be able to do one day. I would love to get a big rental house and share the Disney Magic with my family Of course, they are all too uptight to "get it" and ever want to go to Disney with me. So my Grand Gathering dream is just that, a dream.

 

[nessz79]

It's what you make of it, like so many say!

We should be happy that we can go to Disney. There are many who cannot.

 

[Fantasmic23]

your right.. I AM GOING TO DISNEY!!! it really shouldnt matter where we stay, wat we eat just as long as we are there and the kids have fun.

you would have to read my PTR to see how stressed some of the planning has been. I am the only one in our group who reads the boards and I have been doing most of the planning, picking the days to go with TGM on what days we go where.

thanks for making me feel better and I know once we are there the planning will probably be for nothing but oh well I ahve had fun planning, watching ride videos on youtube and ironing stuff for the 4 kids going

Don't ya just love watching the Disney ride videos on YouTube? That's one of our favorite online things to do!