Unfortunately it's only 1/2 hour which doesn't get you on more than a couple rides, and 7DMT is already a long line by the time you get there. It's really not that much of a perk and it's not all rides, and you have to get up really early to get in line for the bus if it's MK. We just love staying onsite, especially with the skyliner...it saves a ton of time for Epcot and HS. We love it!
They can't save the USD. It will just be the last one to fall.
Best of luck finding another better paying job! The two other jobs my sister had were not consistent. She did home studies for adoption agencies and was also a JP, so yes, she did sleep. My granddaughters husband is looking for another better paying job, they are hard to come by unless you get additional training or can be certified in another line of work. Some employers will provide free training and or hiring bonuses. Not sure if these are good paying jobs or not. I'm lucky that I chose a profession that gave me a good retirement pension and I live with my adult daughter in a mother-in-law apartment. Lucky or making good choices early on, I think both apply. This is why I can still afford to go to Disney.If I had 3 jobs I'd have to give up sleep entirely!One of my jobs is full time, over 40hrs/wk, and the other used to be every evening Monday-Friday, Saturday and sometimes Sunday. When covid came along, my 2nd job "went away" because office hours were cut back to the point where I couldn't work both. You can't be in two places at once
I think around here a lot of people who were working minimum wage jobs wound up on government assistance during lockdown, and then wound up learning skills and getting better jobs. Nobody wants to work for minimum wage now because it's not enough to survive on. I've got some personal stuff happening now, but as soon as I get that sorted I'm going to be looking for something that pays better. My employer refuses to give even cost of living increases, so I can't afford to be loyal (this is NOT a one-time thing).
BTW, congratulations on your first great grandbaby
Thank you! It is so much fun, delightful for sure. Never too old to find the fun in Disney, even though I don't do all the rides I used to do.BTW, congratulations on your first great grandbaby
Our second great grandson was born a week ago. It is so much fun and it's great to watch the grandson or granddaughter become a parent
That's interesting. We traveled all throughout covid when prices were cheap. I guess if we had not traveled for two years we would have the money to spend double the normal for a Disney vacation. It will reach a breaking point probably in about 6 months.
but not actually “being” poor. while walking around. Brought lunch a few times to the parks and ate our own home made lunch.
All great ideas for sure! We only do counter service meals, snacks and eat at the food court. Water, yes....free. It all makes a difference and we still get to go almost within budget, but still spending more.“Feeling” poor here
Just got back. Super long lines by 11am/noon so word of advice- go early hit a few rides then wander, pool it or relax the rest of the day. The lines were really long by noon until end of day in every park. This is how we were able to budget/save:
Guardians of the galaxy is amazing. You can get the virtual queue at exactly 7am or 1pm— the 1pm queue lasts until 2-3pm (shockingly) but when you go to stand on line, expect a 30min or more wait. It gets pretty crowded. Lightening lane prices are $14pp on weekdays and $17pp weekends. We did not bother bc you can get on the virtual queue. The earlier you get on the less wait.
Only park genie plus is worth genie plus is Hollywood (must genie plus RoR, ToT, Slinkydog… and maybe millennium if possible). We did that once.
Order groceries. Amazon fresh. We had salad bags which were really good (Taylor farms?) delivered to our studio/1bd plus frozen grilled chicken that would be nuked and added on salad. Peanut butter sandwiches, ham and cheese sandwiches, etc…. Most importantly wine and beer in our room!! Did not buy any alcohol at dinner or in the parks during the entire trip,
Ate mostly quick service (les Halle’s a ton bc their quiches and bread bowl soup super filling and not $$) but did dining reservations every 3 days at the not super expensive places (whispering canyon, via Napoli, etc). We used target Disney gift cards to pay for all our on site charges. Also 2 large water bottles and filled up with water at the soda machines (Epcot - connections cafe, animal kingdom- satuuli cafe, and asked for cups of ice/water at MK/HS). We didn’t spend money to hydrate.
We are unlikely to go back for awhile now. We are quite tapped out. We ended up spending an average of $100/day for a family of 4 for food/drinks. I would say that’s a win…
$100 a day for a family of 4 is a win at WDW. Anyone who's not ever been wouldn't get it.“Feeling” poor here
Just got back. Super long lines by 11am/noon so word of advice- go early hit a few rides then wander, pool it or relax the rest of the day. The lines were really long by noon until end of day in every park. This is how we were able to budget/save:
Guardians of the galaxy is amazing. We did not lightening lane it but did do virtual queue more than once. You can get the virtual queue at exactly 7am (on site) or 1pm (in Epcot park)— the 1pm queue lasts until 2-3pm (shockingly). That means you can park hop to Epcot and get on the virtual queue at 2pm if it’s still available.
Note- Once you are called to get in line from the virtual queue, expect a 30min or more wait. It gets pretty crowded.
Lightening lane prices are $14pp on weekdays and $17pp weekends. We did not bother bc you can get on the virtual queue. If you desperately want to go twice in a day, you can virtual queue and lightening lane it, The earlier in the day that you can get on the virtual queue the less of a wait in line. You can only virtual queue once a day.
We did not bother with genie plus but we were there long enough that we did not have any time constraints. If you do, it may be worth it for the big rides (avatar, mine train, GoG, slinky dog, Tot, etc).
Order groceries. Amazon fresh. We had salad bags which were really good (Taylor farms?) delivered to our studio/1bd plus frozen grilled chicken that would be nuked and added on salad. Peanut butter sandwiches, ham and cheese sandwiches, etc…. Most importantly wine and beer in our room!! Did not buy any alcohol at dinner or in the parks during the entire trip. Just drank the wine in paper cups
If I didn’t bring in homemade lunch/dinner, then mostly ate quick service (les Halle’s a ton bc their quiches and bread bowl soup super filling and not $$). We were able to get an entire meal for $70.
We did do dining reservations every 3 days at the not super expensive places (whispering canyon, via Napoli, etc) and spent under $100 for our dinner bill by not ordering appetizers/drinks and focusing on filling up.
We used target Disney gift cards to pay for all our on site charges. Also 2 large water bottles and filled up with water at the soda machines (Epcot - connections cafe, animal kingdom- satuuli cafe, and asked for cups of ice/water at MK/HS). We didn’t spend money to hydrate or ordering alcohol in restaurants.
We are unlikely to go back for awhile now. We are quite tapped out. We ended up spending an average of $100/day for a family of 4 for food/drinks. I would say that’s a win…
I’m shocked we spent so little (relatively speaking) but I was determined to be as frugal as possible yet still enjoy myself.
Several posts were deleted. It was the back and forth with a poster who was calling people privileged. I thought it was a pretty civil discussion, and I don't recall anyone being rude, but it's all up for interpretation.
