It's a shame.

[~Kristina~]

I want nothing more to go to Disney in October. The kids ask everyday "how much longer...". But I can't help feeling guilty for going because it's going to cost a fortune just to drive there. My dh is still "pro-Disney" at this point, but says if it goes up drastically, we'll have to figure something else out.

 

[We4mickey]

I know what you mean. We are supposed to go in Oct as well. We have talked about riding down together to save on gas or even (God forbid, taking our tent to double up on a site) My parents have a RV, but gas is going to hurt the budget big time! We really don't want to stay anywhere but FW.

 

[DznyRulz]

We're in the same boat. I also keep asking, "How much longer?" and we're supposed to go in August after our Disney cruise. If gas stays around $4 a gal then we'll be OK but if it keeps marching upwards we may pile into the Focus for the drive down for the cruise then stay, God forbid, off site for a few days.

 

[Momof626x3]

I feel the same way! I go back and forth between being SO excited about our trip this August and horrible guilt about how much gas is going to cost. I'm hoping it doesn't go TOO much higher. I, too, am thinking up a "just in case" plan. After running some numbers it's clear that we really wouldn't save very much by switching to a hotel (we are a family of 5 so we don't have a lot of options)...unless we stuffed ourselves into our Grand Am for the trip from Upstate NY to WDW! We are getting such a good rate at the campground and we will mostly eat in our camper so in the end camping is still the best thing for us. But if gas goes up to $6 a gallon we may have to cancel. But I'm trying to stay optimistic!!!

 

[AuburnJen92]

I live in S.Florida and they have been having segments on the local tv channels about how empty the rv sites are this summer. I know that Palm Beach County just kicked off a million dollar ad campaign across the country to boost tourism.

 

[ffpm63]

We just gave up some shorter trips and made our disney trip longer and are stopping along the way to get the most out of this trip. Thanks to this site we found a nice oceanside campground north of daytona for a couple days. Should be fun. I still hope it does not go above 4.50 by the end of july or my new shed will have to wait.

 

[Escape Artist]

I'm getting a little worried about my MIL canceling on joining us at FW this August, due to the gas prices. They have a little Class B they'll be driving down from Ohio, and she's been pretty concerned. She says it gets around 18 MPG, so that doesn't sound too bad to us.

But...if you calculate the difference in gas cost if it goes up $1 or $1.50 per gallon from what you expected, would you cancel your trip? Personally, I'm not cancelling my long-awaited vacation over a couple of hundred dollar difference. I was already preparing to pay most of what the current cost is...so it really is just a matter of paying the difference, which might run us $250 or so. Am I cancelling my long-planned vacation (which is going to cost way more than that!) over $250...I don't think so!!!

Good luck with your calculations...and I hope we all get to FW soon!

Sue in Texas

 

[MadFF]

We are going in October. Long time planning and looking forward to it. This is kind of a once-a-lifetime trip... if everything works out, it may become a regular thing. I just hand over the gas card and tell the attendant NOT to tell me the amount....

 

[des1954]

DH & I were discussing this last night. This economy will have an impact on FtW, and we predict that ressies are going to drop enough that FtW management will have to come up with new strategies to entice people to spend that money on gas & come to FtW.

The one thing WDW has no control over is the price per BBL of oil, nor how that effects the price of gas. (I can't fathom how much WDW is paying daily to keep all their vehicles running). That being said, FtW will be forced into either offering lower prices on sites per night or packages only available if you stay at a regular campsite & not a cabin.

When the economy went south back in the late 80's/early 90's, FtW offered discounts on extended stays & until 2005, they offered "Winter Settler" rates to anyone staying longer than 30 days. The Winter Settler rates ended at the end of '05, and if I had to guess, I'd say 20-25% of people who traditionally stayed at FtW for the winter found alternative places to stay. I personally know of 8 couples who ended up selling their equipment & purchasing older mobile homes to come to in the winter. Paying lot rent year round was cheaper than FtW rates for a 2-3 month (or longer) stay.

When I asked a former FtW manager the logistics regarding dropping the Winter Settlers rates, he told me that short term vacationers & weekend only guests typically spend more money at WDW than the long term people. (Fair statement) In their opinion it was more profitable over-all to let FtW sit empty Mon-Thurs, and then have it fill up for the weekends.

With the cost of fuel, even the Florida people are going to find it difficult to spend money to haul trailers or drive MH's to FtW. Add to that the high price of a site per night, and you've just lost a bunch of potential guests.

When we stay at FtW, we really aren't interested in the cable, and with air-cards for laptops, WiFi will be less of an issue. To me at least, I'd rather see them engineer better drainage & level off all the sites so you don't have those dangerous drop-offs from the concrete pads. The current site design is fine & to me there is not enough justification to put in all the "super-pads". We had a 45' MH & then a 40' MH, and did just fine. The people we did find that had difficulty backing in were the long 5'ers & long TT's. All FtW needs to do to make it easier for these folks is to clear out a few trees, do a better job of placing site markers, trash bins & recycle bins, and for the most part the problem would be solved... for a lot less $$ than what they currently plan on doing.

If current FtW management is smart, they will re-evaluate their current pricing schedule and will also reconsider some of the renovation plans in order to keep their prices down. Maybe they don't care right now... but when people stop coming - that is NOT the time to start shrugging their shoulders and ask "what happened".

Thanks for reading my $.02 worth.

 

[~Kristina~]

If anything, I think we'd keep the PUP at home and just stay at OKW or BW with our friends DVC.

 

[SoundDude]

We're driving down from Ohio in October and our gas budget has doubled for the drip, from $250 to $450. Our justification before was to pay the gas to save $ on the campsite, and it still works to some extent. We decided to make up the difference by getting BP gift cards from our credit card rewards program (something we typically reserve for eating out and gifts).

My FIL gets only 8mpg in his Class C so he's got this even worse...

 

[twoWDWfools]

We also have an Oct trip and have gone back and forth on this. So much so that I not only have our site booked but also SS using our DVC just to be safe. Have a Class C so gas is going to cost $1,000 plus tolls and site but right now airfare is over $800 so once you add in rental car and parking we're at the same spot. Going to hold on to both ressies until I have to make a decision.

 

[auntie]

I don't think it's simply the current price of the fuel that influences whether or not to proceed with a trip. While it may be a few hundred extra dollars for the trip..it's also the increase in the price of groceries..and the increase in what it costs us daily/weekly to commute to work. These increases are creeping into the alloted funds for vacation. So would a few hundred dollar increase to the fuel budget be enough to break the bank and cancell a trip....probably not. Only it doesn't stop there..,I believe it's more a cumulative effect the price of gas has on our daily lives that is causing some people to reconsider where they should spend the hard earned dollars. People are very hesistant to spend on what would be a luxury like a vacation, when you may need that money to put food on the table, or gas in the tank to get to work. I believe we are only now starting to see the effect the gas prices will have on tourism.

Just wanted to add that we live on Long Island..and I've noticed more boats in driveways with "For Sale" signs on them, than I have in many years. The fuel for boats is even more than that for the cars.

 

[John VN]

I don't think it's simply the current price of the fuel that influences whether or not to proceed with a trip. While it may be a few hundred extra dollars for the trip..it's also the increase in the price of groceries..and the increase in what it costs us daily/weekly to commute to work. These increases are creeping into the alloted funds for vacation. So would a few hundred dollar increase to the fuel budget be enough to break the bank and cancell a trip....probably not. Only it doesn't stop there..,I believe it's more a cumulative effect the price of gas has on our daily lives that is causing some people to reconsider where they should spend the hard earned dollars. People are very hesistant to spend on what would be a luxury like a vacation, when you may need that money to put food on the table, or gas in the tank to get to work. I believe we are only now starting to see the effect the gas prices will have on tourism.

Just wanted to add that we live on Long Island..and I've noticed more boats in driveways with "For Sale" signs on them, than I have in many years. The fuel for boats is even more than that for the cars.

Interesting post. I know some people who only look at the small picture when trying to justify an expense while neglecting ALL other expenses that will be increasing. Nice way to get behind on bills and wind up paying interest penalties.

 

[CCIntrigue]

When I look at what our MH costs us just sitting in the driveway, fuel costs seem reasonable. Why pay what we're paying for our rigs just to sit there!

 

[auntie]

I'd love to own a motor home like the one in your signature photo. Only that's not in the cards. I'll be happy with our travel trailer..and considering the economy lately, I'm happier still that it's paid for. We had been looking into a larger, newer rig. I'm glad we waited on it. I would hate to be making the payment and watching it sit idle in the driveway...that would hurt.
As I see it, with a family of five it's the everyday expenses that are increasing and adding up...cutting into the vacation budget. It isn't just a few hundred dollars worth of gas for an already expensive trip. That in itself for one trip isn't going to send someone to the poor house. It's the increase in the cost of commuting, the groceries, and health care costs. Something has to give..and it's bound to be the vacations. You need the cars, so we pay the increase in gas prices. Where we live they have increased the tolls on the roads. You gotta feed the family, so we'll pay the increased prices for groceries..we need the health care(don't even get me started there). In our area our school taxes are going up and up..but we have issues with illegal immigration and having to educate children whose families don't pay school taxes..because they are illegally renting out single family homes, on which the school tax is based. Certain areas of the country are feeling the pinch more than others. While the vacations are great...and you do need them...I think people will be vacationing closer to their homes rather than making treks to FW which would be running $1200.00 in gas alone. At least they are thinking twice about it...and I can't say I blame them. I know we are very apprehensive about the economy...we had planned to be purchasing a car this weekend..but honestly..my old one is paid for, and I've been hanging on to it, waiting to see how this gas situation works out. We had planned on a new truck..but we are thinking twice about that now. The situation with the gas has a trickle down effect into almost every aspects of our lives.

 

[ditchdoc1017]

Well i tell you we have cut down on all travels .We are going to WDW in Dec but staying 4 nights and at the CBR instead of pulling the TT.We have just put our TT up for sale I am giving it away at 4500 under book.Maybe someone will jump on it.

 

[bradisgoofy]

We have an October trip planned but we are flying down and using our DVC points ( airline tickets were bought before the price increases ). This will be true for our March '09 trip, too. I'm in a little different financial status then most here as the only payment we have is the motorhome. We are an older couple and just finished paying off everything this past winter. We are both still full time employed so we have a little more "disposable income" then most BUT, we are still looking at the cost of using our motorhome for trips and may do a little less RVing and more DVC trips.

 

[rapriebe]

When the economy went south back in the late 80's/early 90's, FtW offered discounts on extended stays & until 2005, they offered "Winter Settler" rates to anyone staying longer than 30 days. The Winter Settler rates ended at the end of '05, and if I. . . .

If current FtW management is smart, they will re-evaluate their current pricing schedule . . . .

Deb,
In your opinion, do you think there is a possibility they will bring back the settler's rate this year? Or have any of your FW "connections" mentioned this as something being discussed among mgmt?

 

[des1954]

Deb,
In your opinion, do you think there is a possibility they will bring back the settler's rate this year? Or have any of your FW "connections" mentioned this as something being discussed among mgmt?

The FtW management changes regularly, so my original "connections" are long gone. As a matter of fact, one of the Asst. Mgrs who had been at FtW for 18 years, was let go last fall for reasons unknown to me. None of the remaining front desk people I know could or would discuss it.

At this point, I doubt they will bring the Winter Settler's rate back. After 9/11, FtW bookings went crazy because so many people were reluctant to fly and thought camping was a much better alternative. It took FtW management 4 more years to catch on to that one and drop the W.S. rate.

Given the "wisdom" of management, it'll probably take them at least two or three years to realize that people will be more conservative with their travel plans - and that won't include staying at a campground that will be charging $80-$100/night.... even if it is at WDW.

I know the "bean counters" need to wait for statistical data to justify implementation of price changes, but at some point, common sense needs to enter the picture. JMHO - no offense to accountants or P&S people.