Multiple trips, how?

[SheriN]

We just got back from our trip to WDW and I want to go back!!! I might have to make myself leave this board for a while just so I don't depress myself about wanting to go but not being able to.

What I'd like to know is how do people actually afford to go multiple times in a year? How close do they live to be able to do this???

We drove down, with 3 kids ages 11, 6, 3, it took about 11-12 hours. A whole day. When we left here it was 4AM and we got to our room about 4PM. Doesn't leave a whole lot of time to do much in the evening. Especially when you're tired from driving all day! So I can't see us going as often as I'd like.

I know DH wants to go back because he saw how much fun the kids had, while there he upgraded our tickets to 7 day Non-expiration tickets! With the PLUS!!! So we have tickets for future use...Just don't know when that would be.

So how do you do it? How do you save up for hotel, tickets, food, gas, and everything else?

And how do you talk your SO, or anyone else, into going back yet again?

 

[james15]

Like you we drive 17hrs each way.Are whole family enjoys going so that part is easy. Going twice in 2006 we wont take long weekend trips like we normally do to st.louis,kansas city,branson and chicago.The thing in notice about wdw is the more you go the more money saving tips you learn.AAA is worth the money i think ares cost us $59.95 a year.The dining plan makes budgeting much easier dont half to worry about how much meals are going to cost.Keep an eye out disney always has special promotions i think right know $1500 for 7 days at a value for a family of 4.

 

[KIRSTIN'S MOMMY]

We only live 5 hrs. away so that helps. We just returned from our 5th trip in 16 months! We really don't do anything else, so we go to WDW every 6 months or so. No movies, not too much eating out, that sort of thing. Other than that, we book using the AAA discount or AP discounts when they're available, and drive down. Since returning a few days ago, we're now looking into DVC as well.

 

[SheriN]

Good idea using the AAA, had we knew we were going to upgrade to the 7 Day tickets I would have gotten the discount through there and saved us money.

If you don't stay at one of the WDW resorts you can't get the meal plan, correct? So that won't help us.

We did just buy a time share with really great benefits, so that should give us the chance to get back down to Orlando but it won't be with us staying at a WDW resort, but will save on hotel and food bills.

I'll have to see what other ways we can save. I know we're a bit limited because I refuse to go during summer months. I don't do the heat well at all so that leaves limited time out for school and we can't have them miss a lot of school. But we could tie it in with long weekends and such maybe?

Food for thought for sure. Thanks!

 

[KIRSTIN'S MOMMY]

We just came back from a long weekend, it was dd's 6th birthday on the 11th so we were there from Thurs. to Mon. Last Aug. we did an 8 day trip, Sept. was a 1 night, Dec. last year was 4 nights, May this year (for my sister's wedding in Orlando) was 6 nights, and this past trip was 4 nights. So, really, we've only had 2 long trips, the others were long weekends. We don't like to go during the summer months either, and usually book in the fall, late Aug. is pretty good, but Sept. and Oct. are our favorite times other than Dec. You can't use the dining plan if you're not on site, but you can save money on food by splitting meals at the sit down places, ordering a double cheeseburger and then an extra bun to make 2 burgers at the counter service places. Check out the budget board here too, they always have great tips for doing trips on a budget. Hope you guys get to go back soon!

 

[tubachick]

We drive from chicago (about a day half) since DH refuses to fly unless we go over water--- so it limits it a little more. But we try to go over school breaks, or long weekends. AAA and Disney "specials" are the way we usually go. The meal plan makes budgeting for the food easier too. my Husband who would never admit to liking the mouse-- has be thinkg he thought of the idea I'll let him know about a great deal, and how we could go for a long weekend, or how school is out that week for presidents day etc. eventually he'll say, just book it. I have a "mouse jar" that we put pocket change or random $$bills which add up to money for the trip. But since we only go about once every 12-16 months its easier to save. If I could go more, I would!!! Planning now for a quick girls trip for one weekend this spring!!!

However you get to the mouse, hope you enjoy yourself!!!

 

[TAKitty]

The best way I have found to afford more trips is to budget for them. I pull money aside each month for Disney. I haven't even booked another trip yet, but I have money ready for when I do.

 

[kathyseb]

We are at an advantage as we have no children. It is just my DH and myself.
We started out making one two week trip every other year. Then once in a while it was every year.

We went there for our honeymoon. So for our tenth anniversary, I told him I wanted to go back. But we already had a trip planned for Sept the year prior and now I was telling him he had to take me back the following year.

So we invested in annual passes and have not looked back since.

Now we go three trips a year for a total of four weeks.

We live in Indiana so we are over 1100 miles away. We drive everytime. Normally we take two days to drive, but when we go down the day after Thanksgiving, we take three days just to avoid the traffic.

These are the only trips we go every year. We do not go to the show. We do eat out.

I would spend hours and hours on the Internet looking for a hotel deal.

A few years ago we invested in the Vacation Club. So with our annual pass and the vacation club, the only money we have to come up with is what we are going to spend while we are gone. We have gone for a week on as little as $500. But again, we have no children.

Whatever money we bring back, is put aside for the next trip. So like when we went down in November, we went with $1700 and spent $600. The 1100 dollars is tucked away for our next trip. It is all either traveler checks or 100 dollar bills, so the probablity of me spending it is slim.



There were times when we could not afford this, but we are a little more financially comfortable than we were before.

The thing to remember is the trip is special. Disney is a magical place. No matter now many or how few trips you make, just make the most of them.

 

[tubachick]

The thing to remember is the trip is special. Disney is a magical place. No matter now many or how few trips you make, just make the most of them.

I agree!!! make it magical when ever you can!!!

 

[mic_key_mouse]

I use the loose change savings plan- and use my Disney credit card for ALL possible purchases and pay it off every month. I haven't been there since June '04, and my change (which is tucked away in a savings account so it gets interest) is at a little over $1000.00 right now. The Disney reward dollars add up as well. There are probably better membership reward programs out there- but I have several hundred dollars in reward dollars to spend on my next trip.

Usually buy an AP voucher and go for around 10 days each trip on an AP rate. We rent a car and stock up on bottled water and snacks (which pays for the rental car)- and use it to eat offsite a couple times each trip. There are lots of ways to save up for trips, then save money while you are there

Hope this helps a little.

 

[4theloveofdisney]

I'm kind of frugal when it comes to spending money. Once in a while we do splurge but for the most part, I plan our trips on a very small budget. Because we have gone so much, we now do Disney in small doses - allowing us to go back more because we spend less money each time.

For our room, I used to book whenever there was a code out. Lately though, only package deals are out. So, I switched to renting DVC and it's fantastic! By doing so, we also have a small kitchen area and that allows us to plan some meals in our room, which also saves money.

The best deal on tickets is purchasing the 10 day, plus feature, non expiring option if you don't live close and I wouldn't consider an 11 hour drive close - lol! Next, don't park hop every day! Go to Downtown Disney, use a plus feature at a water park or DQ, visit some of the hotels, play put-putt, swim at your hotel, eat at Chef Mickeys or O'hana, visit FW and do the campfire one night, go to Boardwalk. There are so many other things to do in The World that won't use up a park pass and you will still have a great time and still get your fix. We also take advantage of the holiday parties. Both MNSSHP and MVMCP are wonderful (less expensive than a day ticket) and you accomplish so much during these times. After you go so many times, you don't feel the need to see and hit *every park while there. I just love staying on property and enjoying the grounds and hotels themselves. In fact, even when doing another park like Universal, we still stay on Dis property.

You can save on food as well by making a grocery stop. We usually eat cereal in our room in the morning unless we book a breakfast. I personally hate the food court breakfasts. They are dry and just not really worth the $35 I would have to spend on all of us. We are content with cereal or bagels, fruit and juice. The DVC units have a toaster and I will sometimes scramble eggs in the microwave and we'll have the eggs and toast. A coffee pot is also there and we buy our own coffee. Not only that but it saves time and frustration waiting in line!! If you return to your room mid-day for a rest, make a sandwich! You don't spend anymore money than you would being at home, by doing this. When in the parks, we have begun to realize that portions are pretty large. We will split entrees and sometimes I even just get a child's portion for myself. There are plenty of ways to look to save money on food!

You don't have to break the bank!

Lastly, I pay for my room well in advance and I plan around income tax returns, and extra paychecks during the year. (Dh gets paid every two weeks but there are a few months that have three paychecks and we don't count on them so it's kind of like extra money to us.) We also make the kids save half of their money from presents or allowance and this is their souvenir money. We will contribute some if needed but not much. They understand the value of their money. We also have the Disney Visa rewards card. The rewards aren't huge but they do add up. I charge my groceries, gas and anything else I'd normally pay cash for and then just pay it off before the next billing statement. Our rewards last year paid for 5 of us to go MNSSHP. Not too shabby!

HTH!

 

[eblack0409]

We live about 12 hours away, so that limits the number of times we go....we usually take 2 days to drive...my mom lives in Charlotte, so we split it up...we went in September and we are going back in May....I would love to go back for Christmas next year, but I work retail, so it's the busiest time of the year!

 

[susan1]

hi
it all comes down to how much you want to spend and where you want to spend it i feel. we travel from the u.k. 2-3 times a year but are quite happy to stay 9ff site at budget but clean chain hotels as we visit lots of other places besides the theme parks. we eat well but not at top of the range prices and we always buy a pap. don't spend much on clothes or souvies, buy most of my branded/designer clothing off e-bay or at goodwill type stores!! only 18 more days until we visit started getting the suitcases down

 

[debloco]

Annual passes and DVC. Then we look for cheap airfare from Chicago. Only other expense is food and we can save there by eating in with the kitchen at the DVC villa. When we eat out, we use the DDE card to save 20% there.
We budget for more than one vacation a year, just a priority for us.

 

[dvcgirl]

We just got back from our trip to WDW and I want to go back!!! I might have to make myself leave this board for a while just so I don't depress myself about wanting to go but not being able to.

What I'd like to know is how do people actually afford to go multiple times in a year? How close do they live to be able to do this???

We drove down, with 3 kids ages 11, 6, 3, it took about 11-12 hours. A whole day. When we left here it was 4AM and we got to our room about 4PM. Doesn't leave a whole lot of time to do much in the evening. Especially when you're tired from driving all day! So I can't see us going as often as I'd like.

I know DH wants to go back because he saw how much fun the kids had, while there he upgraded our tickets to 7 day Non-expiration tickets! With the PLUS!!! So we have tickets for future use...Just don't know when that would be.

So how do you do it? How do you save up for hotel, tickets, food, gas, and everything else?

And how do you talk your SO, or anyone else, into going back yet again?

I can see that you just returned to WDW and that you are relatively new to these boards. You question "how do you all afford multiple trips?" is a common one. For some, the answer is easy. A few are able to go so much because they have a high income and lots of extra cash lying around. Others may be going multiple times a year and not going into debt for it, but they're now saving for the future either. And if you believe the national statistics on consumer debt, some are positively throwing it on a credit card and worrying about it later.

My point? Go as often as you can comfortably afford to go while still meeting all of your famiy's financial obligations. I think it's great for folks to offer up ideas on how to earn a little extra to save for Disney, or some ideas on where to cut the budget. But it's generally not a good idea to try and compare against each other when we really have no idea what the other poster's circumstances are. Reading these boards it is easy to believe that *everyone* can afford to go multiple times a year. For some that's simply not the case, and yet they go anyway. I know a bunch of people personally who fall into that category. And I see it here on these boards on a regular basis.

As for ways to save, there are always some good and creative ideas on the Budget Board. You want to give that board a shot.

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

I booked my Disney Cruise almost 2 years ago. They needed a final payment for the Dec 26 trip by October, so it made it easy. We simply made as large a payment as we could every month (or every two weeks) until it was all paid off, as it turned out, it was this summer.

So then afterwards, we saved up any extra money in our "Disney Account" aka savings, lol. and are using it for food, souvenirs, etc. I also have 150 disney dream rewards dollars and am asking for Disney Dollars for Christmas.

It was also a money saver since me and my boyfriend of 4 yrs decided to make it our Christmas present to each other so we're not buying each other physical presents.

I also agree that the budget board is an excellent resource. For my next trip, since Swan/ Dolphin offers teacher discounts, that is my next plan. My biggest tip, though, is shop around for airfare!!!

I would love to do multiple trips a year, but once a year or once every 2 is good enough for now. At least I can look forward to it. Good luck!

 

[Orthotech]

Wow! This thread answered a lot of Qs I had about how some can afford multiple trips also! Also gave me some ideas on how to save for our next trip. Thanks for starting this thread!