Nosy question- but how can you afford it? (Multiple trips/Resort stays?)

[Clover9990]

I love reading everyone's siggies and seeing their countdown timers, but I am wondering, for those of you who make multiple trips down to FL each year to visit Disney, how can you afford it? I always check the location and many of you live at least 3 states away from FL, so it's not like it's a hop, skip, and a jump away. And these same people stay in resorts onsite every time, too. HOW?! Are those of you able to make repeat trips (more than once a year) and stay onsite from a double income family? Or maybe some of you are older and more "established", as far as money goes?

I hope nobody takes this the wrong way, because I am soo happy for all of you who get to experience the magic- especially if you get to experience it multiple times every year- but I know that for us, Disney is affordable simply because we're only 2 hours away and usually just make 1 day trips, returning home at night. BTW- in case anyone is wondering- we are in our mid-20s and are a one income family, but I couldn't imagine being able to afford multiple resort stays, even if I did work FT, if we lived in another state and had to worry about airfare/rental care fees/ticket prices (we get military discounts on both tickets and resort prices).

Thanks for any of you who choose to enlighten me and aren't terribly offended at my nosy question, LOL!

 

[merryweather's twin]

I am in a 1 income family and we go 3 times a year. We buy Ap's with bonus or Tax returns and we sometimes drive and we sometimes stay off site. We both love WDW so it is a big important deal for us, so we make it work.The cost is not too bad for us and we get time alone with our kids....The 2 trips we take after the pass trip cost about 1400-1600 apeace for everything. Thats not to bad for a family of 6.

 

[JillU-DVC]

Simple - we bought into Disney Vacation Club!!

I was so tired of never getting a vacation becuase we just couldn't afford it. Now with DVC we take at least one vacation a year!

DVC takes care of our hotel bill (a LARGE part of our prior vacation dollars); I always shop around for airfare (I refuse to pay more than $200 each). We always stay in a 1 bedroom villa, so we get a full kitchen, and washer and dryer (plus a whirlpool bathtub). The kitchen helps us cut costs on meals. Plus I try to plan our trips to take advantage of Premium Annual passes (two trips in a year so we get the most of our passes).

I took a loan to pay for DVC; it will be paid off in approx. 2 more years (just recently transfered it to our home equity line). I pay approx. $60/month in dues for DVC, and will every month (until 2024).

I've also been able to have my brother and SIL come with us on our last trip, and my parents will be there for a week starting on Saturday.

It's a GREAT way to vacation, and I look forward in the future when we may not ever even go into the parks (we're still somewhat park commandos, but I anticipate that will change the more we go).

We love DVC - Old Key West is like our own personal vacation home!

 

[travelitis]

I would imagine many people can make the trips because they simply have a bigger income than we do. We live extraordinarily well for our income. We're a military family (enlisted) with one income and 3 kids. My husband is 29, and I'm 39. We don't make multiple trips to WDW, but we do travel. We consider it an investment in our marriage and family, so we don't buy new cars, don't put our kids in a bunch of expensive activities and are careful with our money. The kids do still have scouts, music lessons, baseball, chess, etc. so are in no way deprived. Being military you have to be thrifty. The .number one thing we do that we feel is responsible for our financial well-being is that we give to church/charity before we do anything else. (Read Suzie Orman's Nine Steps to Financial Freedom if you don't agree with me on this point.) Our financial picture has radically changed since we became generous in our offerings.

We did Disney in 2000 and are going this Thanksgiving. The last 3 years we've taken cruises without the kids, and we've done many weekend trips with them. One thing that helped was I worked part time for a charter airline so we had free airfare, but since we got relocated I lost that. Now we'll drive the 20 hrs. We have family who makes more than twice what we do who can't afford a vacation. The difference is that they don't make it a priority. They spend their money in different places: collecting dolls, car payment, big house payment, misc. shopping. The other people on the base my husband works don't travel or live in as nice of a neighborhood as we do either, yet many make more than he does and have double income households. They drive trucks with big payments instead of a car that's paid for. It's all a matter of priorities, and I'm not saying our propensity to spend on travel is the correct way. However, we cannot put a price on the experience we gain. If you lived further away you might find expenses you'd be willing and able to cut to get to Disney.

 

[PamNC]

when we were first married 8 years ago we couldn't take multiple trips and we could only afford the All Stars Resorts. But, as we progressed in our careers we moved on to Moderate Resorts. Then, since about 4 years ago we've been able to take 2 trips per year. For the last 2 years, we've stayed at Deluxe Resorts but only because of the great codes on Mousesavers and I have a cast member friend who gets me a hefty discount. We always drive because it's only 9 or 9 1/2 hours. That certainly saves money.

I'd say we spend on average about $5,000 - $6,000 per year on Disney vacations. Until this year. We went on our yearly trip in May and it was great. But, I don't think we'll get a multiple trip because we bought a new house and things are tight.

It just depends on, like you said, how established you are. And, if you're willing to plan and look, discounts are available.

PamNC

 

[kamgen]

We are dinks (double income, no kids), but we are in no way wealthy. We did, however, make a smart financial decision on our honeymoon two years ago, we joined DVC. At that point, we were sure we would want to vacation a great deal, and we were right!
DVC has allowed us to travel to Florida more than we ever expected. But to do so, we drive the 18 hours straight through. We also save by driving one car, not having cable tv, always using coupons for groceries, etc. We pack our lunches for work, I don't spend money on getting my nails done or shopping for clothes in expensive stores. Everything we buy is either on sale or has a coupon...or we don't buy it. It is a rule that works for us.

When we do go to WDW, we have had annual passes, so that helped. And DVC takes care of the room part of it.

I can see how some people can't understand how it works. Our own family thinks we must be the "Rockefellers" if we do this. On the contrary, we just prioritize things, and in our marriage, spending time together having fun is a BIG priority. The memories we make on our trips together are priceless. To me, vacations are essential. But that is not true of everyone. It is a matter of what is important to you. ANd in no case is one way better than the other.
Sure, we want a new car, some jet skis , and I would love to go down to the mall and blow a couple hundred dollars on clothes, but I would rather go to WDW and shop at Target .
JMHO.

Basically it works out that dh works hard to pay the bills and I work for the "extras".

Kamy

 

[bigsis1970]

i use my tax return just for fun things and in Dec 2001 i bought Ap's and saved all year - adding it to my refund - added in my Bush Rebate too and off we went for 2 full weeks.. this year i will only go for one week but the AP's are saving me $1000.00 on park tickets and i am hoping to use it for a room discount as well

oh by the way i am a single mom of two - and my ex is very mad that i am going twice in a year he swears its his money but i am swearing back it isn't .. its all mine and saved by myself.

ps last year from Oct to just before T-Day i also got a second job just for that reason and we had just a medium not extra huge xmas but the kids new that disney was their big gift from me.

Michelle

 

[DMRick]

We go at least twice, and this year four times. When Southwest had their special, we booked more than one trip. First we booked two at $39 each way (from NY..two adults), and then we booked two trips at the fly one, bring a friend deal. Since they are still running their rewards special..we will have a free ticket coming after our August trip. We picked dates that I knew in the past they had codes, so we stayed at AllStars first time for $49 and night and second at $5 a night. We wanted to try the mods and got postcards for the last trip and the upcoming trip at $79 and $89 a night (all before taxes).
We joined connections for a month and bought Q & C's. We have eaten a lot of meals at Beaches and Creams. We each get the childs breakfast wach morning in the food courts (bacon, eggs, and instead of the muffin a piece of French toast for $3.75 each.
We get park hoppers through General Electric (employee discount), and get the highest amount we can, and since we only visit parks twicea visit, they last three years. We took advantage of the SeaWorld tix's on line when grands joined us and got good prices and a $20 certificate which we used on food.
Car rentals have really been the biggest expense since 9/11..no more cheap cars..but having a car enables us to site see out of Disney and to eat in less expensive places. We usually eat in DD using DC and American Express discounts and one meal at Cape May a trip. Late lunches usually do for dinner on most days, with a light snack at night. That's how we do it.
PS we looked in DVC, and with codes, and not caring about Deluxes, we do much much better than those payments would be.

 

[MickeyMonstersMom]

We don't go multiple times yet, but I can see that coming. This trip is my children's first and a learning one for me - after reading the tips from this board and some guidebooks, the "once-in-a-lifetime" vacation has been demystified, and I know we could afford to go more often if we make that a priority.

It's just me and my two children, and we do everything together. I used to buy season passes for a local park and we'd go 20-25 times each summer - I can relate to those whose families/friends don't understand why or how they go so often. I drive an older car and rent a duplex: my money is better spent on family fun than on high car payments or house repairs. My ex-husband also gets all bent out of shape over our vacations (I go through that each summer as well, because I'm a teacher). In fact, he quit his job this summer in retaliation for my planning to take the kids to WDW - he says he shouldn't have to pay for me to go on vacation. Talk about a dog-in-the-manger attitude! In fact, I financed the entire vacation from my income tax return and my final paycheck for the school year. Sure, we're eating a lot of spaghetti right now, but it'll be worth it to see DD's face at CRT. Which would I rather have, a nice car or that kind of moment with my kids? No contest!

Lori

 

[MickeyMonstersMom]

DMRick, where do you fly out of to get those rates? The best I could get was $220 with US Air. We'd definitely go more often with airfare like that!

Lori

 

[Poohbear123]

Simple: I live 3.5 hours away, my kids are grown and on thier own, and I GO ALONE! I save BIG money that way!

 

[DiznEeyore]

Originally posted by kamgen
DVC has allowed us to travel to Florida more than we ever expected. Everything we buy is either on sale or has a coupon...or we don't buy it. It is a rule that works for us.

Sure, we want a new car, some jet skis , and I would love to go down to the mall and blow a couple hundred dollars on clothes, but I would rather go to WDW and shop at Target .
JMHO.

What Kamy said!!!

 

[Disney Talker]

We are budget travelers and not those who go multiple times a year, once each calendar year now. It used to be once every two years, with us driving down 900 miles with our two DS in the 80s. We were a single income military family and many thought us crazy to go, but we loved it and made do, so we could go. Stayed off site, bought discount hoppers from our military post, ate fast food meals and did not buy many souveniers.

When yougest DS went off to college, we thought we could not go for the four years he was in school. However, I returned to work part time, we downsized our house to a smaller house, which was better for just two and we went once a year while he was in college too.

Now DS is out of college, I work full time and instead of driving we now fly down, rent a car, but still stay off site to save money and so we can stay longer. Would much rather take a ten day vacation as opposed to a shorter one on site. Still buy on park admission on the military post and have what most would consider a budget trip, but we love it..works for us

 

[DMRick]

DMRick, where do you fly out of to get those rates?

Out of Albany. Southwest has a wonderful deal right now..this is copied from thier site:

Orlando, FL
$49 each way, to/from Albany, NY

7-day advance purchase required.
Fares are each way with roundtrip purchase.
Travel August 5 through September 29, 2002.
Purchase through August 1, 2002, midnight Pacific Time.
Fares shown do not include federal excise tax of up to $3.00 for each flight segment.
A flight segment is defined as a takeoff and a landing.
Fares do not include airport-assessed passenger facility charges (PFC) of up to $18 and government-imposed September 11th Security Fee of up to $10 roundtrip.
Purchase tickets within one day of making reservations and at least 7 days before departure. Online reservations must be purchased at time of booking.

 

[MickeyMonstersMom]

Thanks for that information. We're much closer to Syracuse, but there was recent publicity that the airport there ranks among the most expensive in the northeast. It may be worth the extra drive in the future - I'll be keeping that in mind!

Lori

 

[batgrr1]

18 days until our next trip...we're paying cash all the way. It's our second trip, we went in March, 2001, ASMO. Here is how we did it. We put money in a savings account each month directly out of our checks. We never touched it. WE never saw it so we never spent it. My husband has since been laid off from his job but we're not dissuaded...Our trips usually run about $5,000. We usually put about $1200 in the savings account. We used our income tax return to buy Universal Studios and Circque du Soleil tickets. We used a credit card to buy our airfare which we have since paid off (used the credit card for convenience, $888 for a family of 4, too bad southwest doesn't fly to orlando from DFW). We get paid twice a month. WHenever our checks had more than 10 days on it (more than 80 hours) we put the equivalent of the extra hours pay in our "cash drawer" (envelope in my husbands dresser). Anytime we were tempted to go eat out when we could have just as easily cooked, we would just cook, and put $20 in the cash drawer (what we would have spent on dinner). Just saving here and there and making our trip a PRIORITY, finding other ways to finance needs, we funded our vacation out of cash. WE paid for everything we could in advance so that's less cash we will carry to the world. Our kids earned what we called "Disney Dollars" by doing chores around the house, it's their spending money. Our budget is as follows:
Rental car: $203
Resort: $418 (POFQ)
Universal Studios hotel: $97
Food & Spending money: $1500
Universal Studios Tix: $371 (5 days)
Park Hoppers: $954
Cirque Du Soleil: $220
Airfare (Vanguard Airlines): 888
We joined Disney Club and saved that way, as well as using a discount code found on Mousesavers for the resort. Searched expedia DAILY for Universal hotel rates (not resort). Searched the internet daily for the cheapest rental car rates. Got the DC discount for LaNouba tix. Kept watching fares, and when I realized expedia is not always the cheapest, watched fares until it dropped into my range. It took SIXTEEN MONTHS of planning for this trip to come together but now, it's only 18 days away!!!WE CAN"T WAIT!!! what we thought was a once in a lifetime vacation has turned into an obsession!! Next year, disney cruise, and 2005--EURODISNEY!! Here we come!!

 

[Belle5]

This has been a wonderful thread!!!
We used to take our 5 children to WDW about every 6-9 months. DH has been laid off twice in the past four years and consequently our income is quite a lot less than it used to be. It is not possible for us to travel right now. I have booked trips twice in the past couple of months trying to keep our tradtion of going to WDW but I have had to cancel the trips as reality sets in. We just can't afford it! We are planning to sell our house and scale down our lifestyle so that we can once again do what it is that our family enjoys. It's just a priority for us. (Quite worth selling the most beautiful house in the world for it.)

 

[Minnie's Mate]

We are a two income family with two small children. I am 41 and my wife is
38. We waited to have children until we were in our mid 30's. So we are a
little more established than a lot of families with kids the ages of ours (2
and 5).

We have flown at times, but when the second child came along, it just wasn't
feasible. We live about 7 hours away in the Metro Atlanta area so driving
isn't so bad. We have annual passes and take advantage of every discount we
can find. We also qualify for the teacher/government rate at the Dolphin (I
work for the State of Georgia and my wife is a teacher), so we save on
deluxe accomodations when we don't necessarily want a Disney Deluxe. We
have stayed at the Polynesian, Yatch Club and twice at the Animal Kingdom
Lodge (our favorite so far, Dolphin is a close second).

My parents live about an hour north of Orlando now so we usually combine a
trip to Disney with a few days with may parents. It doesn't save us on
hotel, but it does help justify the expense of the trip...two birds with one
stone kind of thing.

We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge for 8 nights this past Christmas in a
pool view room and again in a Savannah view room during Spring break for 5
nights in April. We were at my parent's the week end of May 18th so we
drove down to the Animal Kingdom park for the Annual Passholder's event. We
have arranged for another trip the week following Christmas this year
staying 5 nights at the Dolphin on the gov/teach discount. That totals 4
planned trips this year. The trip this Christmas will be on next year's
AP's so we are getting an average of two trips per year with the AP's.

We had planned a long week end at the beach at the end of July, but when I
checked on hotel rates, the cheapest ocean front room I could find on Tibee
Island was $149.00 per night. The cheapest I could find on Hilton Head was
$159.00 per night. Both of these beaches are approximately 5+ hours away
from our home.

Having seen the AP rates for July at a Disney moderate, I knew we could stay
for less at WDW!!! We are staying at the Carribean Beach Resort for $108.00
per night water view. I also knew a WDW moderate would be nicer than the
hotels on Tybee. So Disney is not always more expensive than more typical
vacations. Now that makes 5 planned trips this year...wow, even I'm
impressed with what we can do with the AP's as incentives to go more often.

God has blessed us with good, stable jobs and good incomes, even though we
work for a government and school system. We do not carry any credit card
debt and live within our means. We have a nice home and a single car
payment. We paid off my truck before we bought my wife's Expedition in
1999.

We have found remarkable opportunities for discounts on this board and
through Mousesavers. Our children are our first earthly priority and we
consider our vacations an investment in our family and our children. When
people ask why we go so often (normally 2-3 times a year) I respond that my
wife and I enjoy WDW so much and feel that there are very few places that
you can take a todler and kendigartener for a vacation and everyone (adults
included) has a great time.

 

[MEM]

As most have said, making travel a priority in the budget is the key and trimming the impulse purchases is a must. Try reading "The Millionaire Next Door" -- its all about living beneath your means, not just within your means. We are a single income family, with Mom(me) the breadwinner and DH the SAHD. My salary is the traditional 60cents on the dollar of my male counterparts but DH, who handles all the money at my request, stretches my paycheck like you would not believe. We budget $150 a month for vacations and I admit it took five years to save for our first trip to WDW but we had saved so much we were able to go twice in one year and spend a week in London. We own a pop-up camper which enables us to take less expensive vacations during the rest of the year.

My siblings all think I must make a fortune when in fact their household incomes are double mine, and in a city far less expensive than the one I live in, Boston. My sister thinks nothing of buying Christopher Radko ornaments at Christmas and paying big bucks for her Country Club membership, yet whines about being broke all the time. My kids' clothes and toys come from yard sales and they want for nothing. We rarely eat out, or go to the movies. Both of our cars are paid for and my 1985 Chevette still runs like a top. I am planning my first foray into the world of Ebay and all proceeds are ear-marked for WDW (I guess that would be a pun). Saving for travel is a game for me otherwise it would feel like deprivation.

We took our first trip to WDW in August 2001 and bought annual passes, justified by the length of our trip (10 days). I did not get good rates on air and hotel because I had a AAA agent who couldn't care less. Now I know how the game is played and I played it well in January 2002, when the airfare from Boston to Orlando dipped to $99 R/T plus fees. We jumped on it and stayed at ASMu for $54 a night, A/P rate. We ate breakfast in our room, lunch and most dinners at the food court, with a few sit-down dinners. Our next trip is in November and although I have budgeted for rack rate at ASMo, I am hoping for codes or A/P discounts.

If I lived in Florida we would have a budget for seasonal passes and off-season rates at the AllStars. It would be impossible to keep me away!

 

[Clover9990]

Thank you!! Thanks to each and every one of you who took the time out to share how you adjust your budget and plan for Disney vacations! I assumed a lot of people just pay for their vacations on credit cards and carry the debt, but I see that's not the case. (Which is WONDERFUL- what an accomplishment to take a trip and have it all paid for ahead of time!)

I guess that I need to be more patient and realize that, in due time, we will be able to afford longer stays at the resorts. I would say we live within our means, and sometimes a little below, but there are a few things I'd like to trim away in order to save more money for vacations- including things like eating out. Even if it's just fast food, it sure does add up over time! I am sure we'll be able to splurge on longer vacations, too, once I am able to start working again (which might not be until my oldest starts kindergarten).

So thanks for sharing all of your tips with me and letting me know how vacations of this caliber are possible- even several times a year! And thanks for not being offended at my nosiness! I know that I am very blessed to have a healthy family, a husband with a stable job, and a home that is close to Disney and that allows us to make one day trips to the park- some people aren't that lucky, and I need to count my blessings.