Isn't it sad that many of us have to rely on codes to go to WDW?...

[aka-mad4themouse]

I don't think that it's any sadder than the fact that they don't make a Mercedes Benz that I can afford to drive, so I have to drive a '02 Maxima. Or that eating filet mignon on a weekly basis is beyond my budget, so it's going to be chicken and mashed potatos for dinner tonight.

I see no reason why Disney HAS to make things affordable for everyone when they're filling their resorts and parks with people who are willing to pay the asking price. The last time I checked, they were a business and not a charity. Making money is their top priority.

If staying offsite at a no-frills motel, during value season is beyond the budget, then you should look elsewhere. Plan and save for the kind of WDW vacation that you want, but postpone it for when you can afford the cost. Mickey will not be crying into his white-gloved hands because he misses you this summer.

 

[kelscross]

I'm not putting anyone down by this comment, I'm just stating my opinion.

I never go into a Disney vacation (or any vacation) to find the cheapest way to go. I have a vacation budget every year (if it's possible) and I find something within that budget. So far it has been Disney, but who knows in the future when my kids get older and start costing more.

I don't go into the vacation thinking okay...we can afford it if we eat peanut butter sandwiches every day for lunch because it's packable in the park and refill our water bottles every night etc. If I have to do that to afford the vacation then I shouldn't be going.

That's not my idea of a vacation. I love discounts as much as the next person but I certainly will go at rack rate and if a discount comes out then we usually upgrade or use the extra money for more souveniers or plan do extra things that we wouldn't do otherwise.

I have also priced different vacations other than Disney and it either costs more to do a different vacation or breaks even.

 

[CarolA]

I have gone to Paris for a week for less then a week at Disney LOL!

However, there are ways to Disney cheaper and LOTS of folks do. You don't have to stay onsite there are thousands and thousands of folks who stay at a $50 a night hotel offsite, eat cheaper offsite and still have a great time.

As for you post going over our head.... I guess is sounds like you are whining it is too expensive and it may very well be. That is a personal decision.

 

[Disneyorbust05]

Maideneer, I don't even know what to say to your post. I have been sitting back reading posts like yours and it just makes me angry - sorry. I am in no way defending Disney, but I am getting so tired of people whining and complaining about discounts and the fact that if they don't get one then they can't afford to stay at the Grand Floridian for 2 weeks! This may not be your case, but get real. If you want to go on a nice vacation (such as Disney), then there are sacrifices that you must make if your budget doesn't allow for it otherwise. What I mean is, plan the trip way in advance and save. If that is what you have been doing, that is great. However, like one post mentioned, Disney and the surrounding area provides MANY options for dining, transportation, etc. You just have to be creative. When my husband and I were first married, we decided to go to Disney. Since we could not afford to stay on Disney property (there were no values at the time), we stayed off-site (cheap), took a bus to and from the resort and planned a budget (and it wasn't a large one) for our eating. We hardly bought any souvenirs - maybe 2 items at the most. We also took the train to get to Orlando from NC. That vacation was less for us than going to the beach for a week and we had a blast! As for the "sorry Jimmy" line, if you are taking little Jimmy to Disney and he gets so upset that he never speaks to you again over saying "no" to buying him a souvenir- then you both have larger problems! I personally wouldn't tell my kids that we couldn't afford it to their face. I would be a little more creative in my approach.

We are going back after 9 years this May and we have had this trip booked since last July. We are going to do it in style this time, and we have planned and budgeted for months to do so. AND...yes, we prayed for codes like many others, but also knew that if there were none to be had then so be it. We booked knowing that we might not get anything and planned accordingly. Personally, I would like to go every year like some people do on this board, but I know that to do so would take a lot more planning and travel time than we have each year. Still, do I come on the board and whine about it? No.

What I am trying to say is....yes, Disney is expensive - but so is really ANY vacation by the time you add food and souvenirs. Yes, I would like to go to Fiji or Hawaii or ANY nice resort for that matter and keep it under $1500, but I know that is not going to happen. At least Disney can keep it in that range for a lot of families.

We should feel lucky that we even have the option of vacationing. I know a few people who have never even had the luxury of going out of the state - much less go to Disney!

When you start feeling deprived or sad that you can't be "Daddy Warbucks" and have the ultimate Disney experience, remind yourself of the poor Tsunami survivors who are just grateful for clean drinking water, then your priorities and perspective might change a bit.

I am not trying to be mean, I am just saying that posts like these are very petty in the grand scheme of things.

 

[andrabell]

I can see exactly where the OP is coming from. He was not putting anyone down, nor was he bashing Disney. Knickers in a twist much?

Anyway, if I were new to the DisBoards and I had seen all the frenzy about the codes (how quickly you all forget the 911 atomosphere about the codes the past few weeks, months even), I would probably have thought the same things.

I want Disney, but I also want to save money. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[luvmk]

I noticed in some of your other threads that you are wanting to stay deluxe. Have you looked into staying mod? That would probably be a savings right there. You can also go to Mousesavers and look at historical pricing for Aug for the different resorts. I'm sorry, but you aren't going to be able to stay cheap at a deluxe disney hotel. If you are set on deluxe, I think WL or AKL will give you the most bang for your buck.

I would also suggest going over to the budget board. They usually have some good ideas in regards to dining. For instance, breakfast is very easy to have in the room, especially with mini fridges in the room. Counter service at lunch is a reasonable option. We have NEVER paid $10 for a hamburger in the parks. I'm not sure what counter service restaurant you were pricing. I have also been know to eat a mickey bar for lunch! There are also many options for dinner. You don't have to go to an expensive sit down meal every night. As I'm sure you know, theme park food is never cheap, but it doesn't have to be a budget buster.

As far a souveniers, since it's just you and your friend going, the only person you will have to say "no" to is yourself. I have also found some nice souveniers that don't cost a fortune, especially picture frames.

I think if you compare similar vacations, you will find that disney does a pretty good job. You also have to keep in mind everything that a park admission gets you i.e fireworks, characters, shows, parades. Good luck!

Rachel

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

I don't actually depend on the codes to go to WDW, but it helps with where we want to stay. We are a family of five. Our choices are more limited than others because of the fifth person. My kids would actually love to stay at a value hotel. My DH does not like the idea of two rooms. So either we stay at a deluxe with a code or it's offsite at a condo or rental home. So codes would really help us to stay onsite for our next trip in February. We will go with or without codes (I'm still crossing my fingers I will get one).

 

[Maideneer]

I don't see why anyone would need to depend on codes to go to WDW.

Good Luck and I really hope you get a code so that poor little Jimmy can get a T-Shirt.

"People don't agree with me, therefore everyone else must be stupid." That's always a great argument. Disney is free to set it's pricing however the company sees fit. I am willing to pay that price. If you're not that's fine, but don't come on a message board devoted to eveything Disney and insult all of us who are.

I see no reason why Disney HAS to make things affordable for everyone when they're filling their resorts and parks with people who are willing to pay the asking price. The last time I checked, they were a business and not a charity. Making money is their top priority.

Mickey will not be crying into his white-gloved hands because he misses you this summer.

I am getting so tired of people whining and complaining about discounts and the fact that if they don't get one then they can't afford to stay at the Grand Floridian for 2 weeks! This may not be your case, but get real.

When you start feeling deprived or sad that you can't be "Daddy Warbucks" and have the ultimate Disney experience, remind yourself of the poor Tsunami survivors who are just grateful for clean drinking water, then your priorities and perspective might change a bit.

Well, thanks for the nice collection of hostilities everyone! I am still wondering how I've managed to insult you. The first thing I try to reasonably talk about is an affordable trip and suddenly I get reminded of how I should be thankful because I'm not a tsunami victim. Well then, just get rid of this whole board! According to this logic, why talk about anything involving money or codes? I mean we should just be glad we aren't victims of some major tragedy.

I also see the atmosphere here is that anyone who even attempts to bring up a certain point which even remotely questions any aspect of the company/resort is immediately shot down by 50 - 60 % of the actual members here. Well, that's certainly not the kind of environment I envisioned when I came here. I've never insullted anyone here. I stated my claim, I never referred to a collective group (i.e. ALL OF US), I simply stated that 'MANY OF US', including my first sentence including 'AT LEAST I DO'. This was certainly not the response I expected from people who who have been to the 'happiest place on earth'. You would have thought I threatened to kill Mickey or something.

I'm sorry if y'all feel insulted, that was in no way my intention. Maybe it's the cause of the internet, where things don't get translated properly due to lack of inflection or intonation, or whatnot.

In any event, I am not going to Disney this year. Even a value resort is too much for me for a week, plus airfare, meals, etc. Maybe just a short weekend locally will suit me better this year, but I must say, from someone who has never been to Disney, and who was only trying to bring up a simple point, it is certainly not the most encouraging thing in the world to see Disney World customers to laugh at you and turn hostile.

Maybe I'll go to Vegas where they might treat you like crap, but at least they will let you know about it up front, not like some fake facade and fake customer smiles Disney and it's patrons will offer.

 

[safetymom]

Sorry you can't see other opinions.

The beauty of this board is the sharing of opinions. You may not learn something from every post but you can gather a lot of knowledge by reading and posting on the DIS. If you took some of the suggestions here you might have been able to visit WDW if you had really wanted to.

I would imagine if you started a discussion on a Vegas board about how expensive it was and how Vegas should make it cheaper you would get the same reaction that you got here.

 

[Disneyorbust05]

Safetymom, you wrote the exact post I was going to write!! I was thinking that if you went on a Vegas, Hawaii or any other travel board, you would be getting the same responses. People are people no matter where they vacation.

I guess what got most people to respond to your posts was the "rotten apple" type of post. A lot of us are really looking forward to our vacations and when a post comes along like yours, it kinds of spoils it for the whole bunch. I know you have the right to feel the way you do, I am just saying that the same thing can be said for ANY vacation. They are expensive (unless you win one), even then it is still extra.

 

[Maideneer]

Of course I can see other opinions. I do however get turned off when people start laughing at me because of money.

It's not like I am incapable of seeing the other threads here. I take the good ones into consideration and the bad ones I don't. Just because I didn't mention the good ones doesn't mean I didn't notice them.

 

[Maideneer]

Wow, I didn't realize a post could manage to spoil an entire vacation for you guys. I didn't realize how fragile everyone was. I'm sorry. I really do apologize.

I didn't mean to spoil anyone's vacation. It just appeared from a lot of posts here that many were just willing to throw every penny they had at this place without a second thought.

Have fun on your vacations, I didn't mean to annoy or bother anyone. Thanks for all the help to those who provided it. Again, have fun.

 

[safetymom]

I think this discussion has ended. I am going to close this thread before you get more people trying to explain in a nice way how you could go to WDW. You don't seem to want to hear this. I don't think anyone here is fragile and you haven't ruined others vacations.

We all wish you well with your vacation planning. If you have any questions about WDW I am sure that many will post some helpful suggestions as they did in this thread.