No matter what your budget is...what is the one thing you WON'T cut corners on

[FunnyLady1966]

Mine is staying on property. I stayed off site ONCE and never again. I missed the Disney Magic and our trip just wasn't the same.

 

[disneyseniors]

Vacations and travel! We are finally both retired and we intend to travel. We are older and you never know how long you will be able to travel, so we are going. We don't skimp on vacations either, especially while we went to WDW.

 

[FunnyLady1966]

Vacations and travel! We are finally both retired and we intend to travel. We are older and you never know how long you will be able to travel, so we are going. We don't skimp on vacations either, especially while we went to WDW.

Agreed!!!! That to me is the ONE time to splurge and enjoy!

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Honestly staying on property. We like being in the bubble and Universal is a mears or Uber away.

While there aren’t as many perks as there once was, when we factor in rental cars and timing everything it’s not worth the aggravation and extra costs (which btw rental car prices even with discounts are YIKES)

 

[Best Aunt]

Transportation from airport to hotel. I won't book a shuttle that stops at other hotels. I did it once years ago and swore never again. I get motion sick. By the time I get to Orlando, it's already been many hours of travel for me. I don't need an extended bus trip on top of that. I book a towncar. (I happily eat breakfast in the room, and I'm fine with quick service restaurants as opposed to table service restaurants, so I probably make up the $$$ difference there.)

 

[disneyseniors]

Transportation from airport to hotel. I won't book a shuttle that stops at other hotels. I did it once years ago and swore never again. I get motion sick. By the time I get to Orlando, it's already been many hours of travel for me. I don't need an extended bus trip on top of that. I book a towncar. (I happily eat breakfast in the room, and I'm fine with quick service restaurants as opposed to table service restaurants, so I probably make up the $$$ difference there.)

My daughter took a towncar limo one time to visit us while we were at disney. She was a little afraid just Who to book with since she was traveling alone. The towncar service was excellent with no problems. I wouldnt hesitate to book one for myself

 

[tvguy]

Health and safety things I won't cut corners on.
We only stay on property also at Disney, so we don't skimp there, where we skimp is we go half as often now because of the price.
Pretty much everything else is fair game for skimping. But I just retired, so for the first time in 40+ years I'm not limited to 4 weeks vacation, I have basically 52 weeks I can go places. If I skimp, I can go more places.

 

[hhisc16]

1. Using DVC Points

 

[Smugpugmug]

When I was a kid and even into my teens 90% of my trips were while staying offsite as my grandma lived in Apopka, but as an adult I totally agree about staying onsite. Not having to worry about traffic getting to the parks and paying for parking every day is a lifesaver. Also agree about transportation to and from the hotel. I usually Uber to my resort and split the fare with my group, which is a feature of the Uber app that I really like. I don't see myself using Mears Connect since I really don't want to waste my vacation time sitting through other stops before getting to my hotel.

I like doing at least 1 table service per day. I like having a guaranteed spot to escape the heat and crowds for an hour or so. Plus I enjoy having a beer or cocktail with a nicer meal than a quick service burger.

 

[MommyMouse143]

Staying on property.

 

[easyas123]

Specific to Disney trips? We won't skimp on staying on site, getting park hoppers & food/drinks.

Everything else in Life? Travel in general, some food items, self care/hobbies, shoes and books.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Travel! I don't see WDW in the cards any time soon--my kids have aged out (youngest is 16), so little to no interest, and now that they've been to Europe, you're not going to sell them on Epcot.

We have a blow-out trip to Hawaii this year, then next year we have DS16 going to France (student exchange) and South Korea (Boy Scout World Jamboree) next summer. We typically travel as a family every other year. We have no current plans for 2024, but an Alaskan cruise is high on my bucket list.

 

[yensid's offspring]

Doing Disney. When we go we don't skimp at all. Stay on property (Usually a DVC rental if that's skimping), Parks every day rope drop til close, Sit down meals at least once per day, Fireworks dining package at least once during stay. Never skimp on the goodies / souvenirs for the kiddos.

 

[MickeyMinnieMary]

We just can't cut corners with staying on property at a moderate or deluxe resort, and a sit-down meal at a nice Disney Springs restaurant. You really can't beat staying in the Disney bubble, but value resorts are an absolutely no for us!

 

[amygirl431]

We always stay on property and always have park hoppers, since we like to go back to our rooms and chill for a bit in the afternoon, before going back to a park, or different park in the evening. Plus we can be a little spontaneous at times and it just works for us.

 

[roflclaw]

Specific to Disney -- money and time for snacks/meals. I don't mind taking in small snacks to tide us over but we'll never be the type to bring in entire lunches or keep a bunch of food at the hotel to ensure we're always eating in our room. I'd much rather either save elsewhere (room, length of trip, etc) or postpone trips to ensure we're able to put enough into our food budget.

 

[tvguy]

Doing Disney. When we go we don't skimp at all. Stay on property (Usually a DVC rental if that's skimping), Parks every day rope drop til close, Sit down meals at least once per day, Fireworks dining package at least once during stay. Never skimp on the goodies / souvenirs for the kiddos.

The shorter hours WDW has as compared to DL had me feeling like Disney was Skimping on me. We won't be back to WDW. For the price, the park being 3 1/2 fewer hours (with early admission) seems like they were skimping.

 

[focusondisney]

The shorter hours WDW has as compared to DL had me feeling like Disney was Skimping on me. We won't be back to WDW. For the price, the park being 3 1/2 fewer hours (with early admission) seems like they were skimping.

The current hours for MK are 9 - 11, with early entry at 8:30. That’s not bad.

 

[tvguy]

The current hours for MK are 9 - 11, with early entry at 8:30. That’s not bad.

8 am to Midnight for DL, early entry is at 630 am. DL used to be open until 1 am. And many trips we were in at 630 am and didn't leave until 1 am. I felt like I got my money's worth.

 

[focusondisney]

8 am to Midnight for DL, early entry is at 630 am. DL used to be open until 1 am. And many trips we were in at 630 am and didn't leave until 1 am. I felt like I got my money's worth.

I didn’t realize DL‘s hours were that long. That’s great for those that can go that long. 3 -4 hours in a park is all we can tolerate anymore.