Missing Disney after 2 months - feeling down

[daz1985]

Hi all,

I came back from our 'trip of a lifetime' to disney florida at the end of May. (Thanks again to you all for your advice and tips before we went).

The thing is i'm already pining after a return. I SERIOUSLY miss it and feel worse now than before I booked all those years when I never thought i'd ever get there!

Im almost feeling its best not to achieve your dreams as now you know what you are missing.

Does anyone else feel like that? I remember seeing a lot of people on this forum saying theyve been dozens of times - how do you do it? Are you on mega money?! Our trip probably cost us around 6 or 7k and I am sure i can cut this quite a bit with not staying onsite at disney and learning from our recent trip how to save money but even so its a hell of a stretch as our income is only around £35k. is a week long holiday a realistic compromise?

i looked at paris as a 'cheaper' alternative but their prices are almost as much! plus i just love the states even though ive just been once

 

[Kath2003]

If you're not tied to school holidays, you can get amazing deals.

Disney really doesn't have to cost 5-6K. If you're willing to go to Orlando and do the other parks, it costs even less. We are not on mega money. We travel cheaply and so can afford it amongst everything else.

Stay offsite. Fly indirect. Rent an economy car or, even cheaper, use the buses. Our last trip cost us, for 10 nights:

£330 hotel
£900 flights
£200 park tickets (didn't do Disney - did Universal, Islands and Wet n Wild)
£20 transport (buses)
£500 food and spends

Total £1950 for two adults, or £975 each all in.
That was in the school holidays.

I have done a week before. It's JUST worth it.

 

[london75]

We've done 4 nights before (without kids admittedly) it's always worth it!

We did a week at Easter last minute for 4 for around 2000 excluding tickets. We got last minute thomson flights at 300 each, car for under 200 and pop century for 550. We had annual passes so didn't need tickets. That was all school hols as well bar one day for one daughter.

I'd never recommend a week for the first trip but second onwards it's fine.

 

[alexxturnerr]

Cost us 4k for everything including tickets for 4 of us, there's always way to cut down costs.

 

[wayneg]

As above look at doing a cheaper holiday. We would rather do 2-3 cheaper trips than 1 expensive trip.

Good luck.

 

[Pmlocke]

I am turning 61 this year and my wife and I travel to WDW twice every year. I still get tears when leaving the Magic Kingdom on the last day of the trip and I feel a bit low for some time following because I miss the magic of the parks so much. I wake every morning wishing I was back at the parks. I agree with the other posters, the trip is a bit pricey but going at off times when the kids are in school can save you a lot of money. We always stay at ASM and take advantage of Free Dining. The trip for the two of us usually costs $1400 for the week but we also have a Disney Visa card which takes roughly $300 off that price. Not bad for one week for the two of us. I understand those with children it can cost a great deal more and you can't always take the kids out of school but you have your golden years to look forward to. We actually enjoy the parks more now than we did with our kids and then twice with the grandkids. It is 98 days before I am basking in the Glow that is Walt Disney World and I can't wait.

 

[LauraDaveCharlie]

Totally with you Daz. It's now two years since our last trip and we have booked for next summer (a year on Friday we go!). We are very lucky and have been many times as you can see from signature. But all each trip does to me is feed my addiction! I pine for WDW and Florida when we are away. Sometimes I think I am just wishing my life away between visits! But just about all the happiest times of my life have been there. You are completely right about now knowing what you have been missing! I feel so bad when we come home that even I have wondered if it is worth it...

Although we have been many times, that has involved sacrifice in other ways. We don't live in a flashy house (it could do with quite a bit of updating but it never feels worth the money compared to trips to WDW) and I drive a ten year old car. We also go on other smaller holidays in between and go on lots of days out (although I try to keep them cheap and look for deals) as you still need to enjoy life between WDW trips especially with children.

If you can do last minute holidays there are great deals out there as others have said and if you aren't tied to school hols then go then. I work in a school so have no choice about school holidays. If you do have children going a couple of days either side of a school holiday can save you a lot of money and won't do any harm to your children if they are good students and have good attendance otherwise.

Most of us on here feel your pain

 

[queendisney]

Hi all,

I came back from our 'trip of a lifetime' to disney florida at the end of May. (Thanks again to you all for your advice and tips before we went).

The thing is i'm already pining after a return. I SERIOUSLY miss it and feel worse now than before I booked all those years when I never thought i'd ever get there!

Im almost feeling its best not to achieve your dreams as now you know what you are missing.

Does anyone else feel like that? I remember seeing a lot of people on this forum saying theyve been dozens of times - how do you do it? Are you on mega money?! Our trip probably cost us around 6 or 7k and I am sure i can cut this quite a bit with not staying onsite at disney and learning from our recent trip how to save money but even so its a hell of a stretch as our income is only around £35k. is a week long holiday a realistic compromise?

i looked at paris as a 'cheaper' alternative but their prices are almost as much! plus i just love the states even though ive just been once

We are one of those that have been lots of times and depending on your view, we are lucky that we don't have children and are able to go at the cheaper times. We are the first 3 weeks of November this year. We are always able to get cheap flights. We are going economy with VA and our flights are miles + money flights and cost us £430 return each. We struggle to save each year for this holiday and give up lots of things for it..ie the doing up of our house has taken far longer then anticipated!! But like you have found out, its difficult to think of going anywhere else, so we make it happen somehow. This holiday with flights and staying at POR with free dining (if you can call it that) and tickets is around £3k. Oh and def do not waste your money on DLP, keep saving and you WILL get back there

 

[daz1985]

thanks all for the replies, im glad (selfish as that sounds) that i'm not the only one! I dont even feel like its post holiday blues as i honestly wouldnt want to go anywhere else if offered tomorrow.

just to confirm i do have kids (6 and 4) so wouldnt mind taking them out of school at this age. I would be open to going for a week definitely, as actually on days 13/14/15 i was ready to come home (however contrary that sounds to my initial post!)

i never got to universal on my trip so actually despite this being a disney board so feeling like a traitor lol i would be happy just going there for 3 or 4 days and then maybe disney for just 1 or 2.

i wouldnt want to drive but more than happy to take buses and certianly not bothered about staying within disney like last time. a lot of the 'fear of the unknown' has gone now.

i'll shop around for 1 week deals and see what i find. i used to think my dream was to go to florida but now ive realised my dream is to have a sig like some of you guys

 

[zippy99]

We tried to book Japan for a holiday this year... but ended up booking WDW again! I know how addictive it is!

I would recommend taking advantage of the kids being 6 & 4 - still child prices for flights etc. In holidays and busy times indirect flights can save a fortune and are not too troublesome. I took mine out for 2 weeks in January 2008 (kids were 9 & 7) and again for two weeks in september 2009 (at 11 & 9) only you know whether it is suitable to take them out of school but that can save £££

If you do Universal - consider staying at one of their hotels for a couple of nights as you get front of the line passes (except Cabana Bay) - also you can pay a deposit and the balance on check out if you book direct which is great for spreading the cost.

How did you book last year - was it a package deal or DIY or direct with Disney?

 

[Elise79]

Most of us put our trips to Florida as a priority when it comes to our disposable incomes

Staying offsite will save you money and eating offsite is one of the biggest savers.

I wouldn't stay offsite and not rent a car if you are only going for a week. The money saved will be wasted on the time you are waiting for buses/shuttles. Driving in and Orlando is really easy - everything is very well signed. Personally we would never go to Florida without a car - it just makes life so easy

 

[daz1985]

We tried to book Japan for a holiday this year... but ended up booking WDW again! I know how addictive it is!

I would recommend taking advantage of the kids being 6 & 4 - still child prices for flights etc. In holidays and busy times indirect flights can save a fortune and are not too troublesome. I took mine out for 2 weeks in January 2008 (kids were 9 & 7) and again for two weeks in september 2009 (at 11 & 9) only you know whether it is suitable to take them out of school but that can save £££

If you do Universal - consider staying at one of their hotels for a couple of nights as you get front of the line passes (except Cabana Bay) - also you can pay a deposit and the balance on check out if you book direct which is great for spreading the cost.

How did you book last year - was it a package deal or DIY or direct with Disney?

hi we booked flight direct with virgin and stay and play with disney direct. as it was first time i wanted to make sure that no corners were cut but can be much more flexible now. i guess anything is possible if you put your mind to it

 

[Kath2003]

Remember that even if you don't do the Disney parks, you can still eat at and visit the hotels and Downtown Disney. We usually do a character meal.

 

[scoobydooby]

Don't despair. It was 8 years before my first and second trip but I've been back every year since then. At some point you stop paying for child are, you get promoted, your mortgage shrinks etc. I would make a realistic savings plan for a two week trip a few years into the future if I were you then enjoy your life in between. Personally if you can't afford to go frequently I would not compromise on a week only given how expensive flights are. I took my daughter for 9 nights in May as a very last minute affair and it was long enough for the two of us but then we went last year and are going again next year. Personally I choose annual trips generally and stay where I want, drive what I want and eat what I want. I'd rather go less often than more often as cheaply as possible but then that's entirely personal taste and I am a self confessed hotel snob.

 

[NatalieMT]

If you're not tied to school holidays there's some good deals to be had! Personally I love staying onsite and for me that's not something I will compromise on, it's not that I necessarily think the hotels are any nicer in some cases than offsite but I love the atmosphere, love that they make it so easy for you, I just want to be in all that. I'm in agreement with those that are saying their happiest times have been at WDW, it's the same for me and I just feel compelled to keep on returning. I am very lucky in that I have been able to go as many times as I have in the past 7/8 years. I should say I have no children, so in a way that makes it easier for me as I'm often travelling with just family or friends, I have multiple jobs, I don't own or drive a car, my life is relatively cheap day to day.

My trips never seem to come to mega money, I don't feel like I'm spending out way too much each time I go. Kind of feel I'm getting a reasonably good deal for what we're spending. For our trip next August, very late on in August I should say, we are staying in a deluxe, free TS dining plan, ultimate tickets and it was £785 per person for 8 nights, plus flights, which last trip came out a little under £600 as we went indirect. Then we're just going to do a day trip to Universal and IoA. The entire trip has come to some stupid amount because there's so many of us going, but equally that means it's evened out really well split between quite a few. It is a lot to spend, especially on a regular basis but I don't think you can replace that magical time spent with the people you hold dear to you somewhere you really enjoy being. For me it's absolutely worth making sacrifices at home to have that week of bliss. We're taking a friend who has never been before on that trip and I know we're going to ruin them for life and all they'll think about afterwards is going back.

Most of our trips have been 7-12 nights. Think even the first one we only did 10 nights and I find that to be enough in general if you maximise the time you have each day.

 

[Fommt2]

I'm afraid to say you will be feeling like this for a while, my wife and I call it the disney blues lol
We went in February and I still miss not being there. We have convinced 10 of out friends and their kids to go in 2016, so knowing we are going back is helping but it's soooo far away :-(
I think the trick is to be very strict with saving every month and put all you change up to £2 coins into a box you cannot open.
Good luck, I hope you get back soon

 

[daz1985]

i had a look last night and can get a couple of weeks on idrive with universal tickets for £3k. still much more than i can afford. I didnt add before that i took a loan out to help pay for the last holiday, which doesnt end until feb 2016! its only £140 a month but still.

a week before i went away in May my grandad sadly passed away. i feel guilty thinking it but im kinda hoping that i may have been left something. if i have then i know what its going towards...

if anyone has been how does california disney compare price and quality wise?

 

[wayneg]

Personally I would not consider going until the loan was cleared. No matter how much I love my holidays I couldn't do them on loans but I guess that's your choice. I can't wait for my mortgage to end next year and its only £70/month.

Cali is totally different, been twice. Nothing like Orlando. Only 2 Disney parks, Universal is over 1 hour drive in good traffic (took us about 3 hours in rush hour at the end of the day) SW is in San Diego, nowhere near.
If you are into the history of Disney and want to see the original park its amazing, for a family holiday Orlando wins hands down IMO.

 

[scoobydooby]

Ooh don't borrow more money to go no holiday is worth building up debt for. I actually made a deluxe Disney holiday sized overpayment on my mortgage last month which means we are not going this summer, but I just want that burden gone too. Only 16 months left now! Keep saving and planning you will get there. It feels much better if you've paid for it before you arrive

 

[Kath2003]

Gotta agree that I would also sort the debt out before even considering another trip. I wouldn't be able to enjoy a holiday knowing that I owed money. Orlando will still be there in a few years.