nt

[choirfarm]

nt

 

[momtoBrandon&Jacob]

Well I'm a "real" person and we try to vacation at least once a year. This will be our second year going to Disney. We also like to take a beach vacation in the summer time. We just spend our money wisely all year long, put away as much as we can into savings, do not use credit cards, etc. Both my husband and I have decent jobs so we're lucky in that sense. I think if you spend your money wisely all year long that $3000 is really not too much to save for a vacation. It's only a few paychecks when you really think about it.

 

[mjwolfe]

I am sure there are some people who do go into big debt to go to Disney.

But there are probably other people (like me) who do save some money for vacation and use it on Disney (without impacting the savings for college, retirement, etc).

For me, I used to put off these kinds of things (vacation) not wanting to spend the money. Then my husband was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Those years and the uncertainty (well, certainty) of what was to happen made me regret the things I had put off. I learned that you need to live life - you don't know what will happen in the future.

We went to Disney when he was sick. It was pretty sad.

Now almost 4 years later I am going to take my kids again. I want to experience their joy at being someplace magical. To make it easier on me, we will stay onsite. It just makes it more manageable. I don't have to worry about a car or waiting in traffic.

I won't go into debt to do it though.

 

[ehstrojette]

I am with you. I put away 4000 for the trip with income tax money
renting a 7 bedroom house with my middle sisters family and parents so even if my little sister goes too we will pay between 537 and 717 for the week of rental. our rental is 2150 for the week that is taxes and 300.00 security deposit included. I already paid the 150 to hold it last year so i will have about 450 left to pay. we have 5 plus a friend going. the friend is paying his tickets and food bills though thank god. Can't afford paying for 2 teenagers

467 for house
1033 for tickets through UCT
500 for gas
100 for hotel on the way down
leaves 2400 for me to have some fun

we are saving money but cooking B-fast and some dinners at home. Making Sandwiches to bring with us.. we have a cooler that plugs in to help keep them cool till lunch time. We have ADR at Chef Mickey's on Thurs night so that will be a big dinner price about 160 bucks ouch....

 

[TisBit]

You are right....going to Disney is very difficult financially, especially if you are trying to do all the "cool" things....like staying onsite, getting the DDP, going to a park every day, etc.

We have done the on-site thing for our Honeymoon costing a lot of money. But than we have done many "budget" trips....looking for deals on mousesavers for hotels, buying tickets from Undercover tourist and renting a car. No we didn't get extra magic hours, but actually figured out how to get decent crowd levels by avoiding those parks when they had the EMH.

For several years we took graduating seniors from our church down (talk about budget) and these kids figured out to take their homemade lunch from our off-site time share (3 bedroom for about 150 a night....split 7 ways) and than eat nice for dinner in the parks!

So short story, you can do Disney budget easily....and really really enjoy it. As kids we never stayed on property....always at the local motels (not even hotels).....we were fortunate last year and were able to buy into DVC (since I am a WDW fan and like to go about once a year or every other year) and after initial buy in we will be paying about the price of an onsite value resort from here on out!

 

[Dawn68PA]

Going to Disney is hard. It takes me a year to save for our trips. We are frugal during the year so we can go. I like to take some spending money so the family can have some souveniors. This year is really gauging us because we decided to splurge a little and stay at AKV and see Cirque since we are celebrating our 20th anniversary and my 40th birthday. It will be worth it to me. These are memories that do last a lifetime and I know I will enjoy all the room at the AKV.

After growing up in a home where we scraped by every day for most of my childhood, I feel good giving my kids things I never even had the opportunity to dream about as a kid.

Do I regret spending money to go to Disney? Not a bit. And this years trip will run me close to $6000 for a week in a villa, DDP & tickets for 4. Would I borrow money or take a loan to go? Never.

And we have vacationed other places. I'm never as happy anywhere else.

 

[kristilew]

I guess it's all a question of priorities. Nothing in life is guaranteed, especially life itself. So while we are saving for college, contributing to charity, and putting away for retirement, we're also trying to "bank" memories of fun times together as a family. Kids can always work or get loans when they go to college. They won't always want to play with mom and dad.

When we do go on vacation, we want to make sure it's relaxing and fun, so we find a certain value in paying for a comfortable room that is quiet and peaceful. Everyone has to make their own choices about what is important to them. We drive older cars and don't have a giant plasma tv, but we try to budget for several good vacations a year. We don't go into debt for it, just cut back in other areas.

When the war started, my husband was called up from the reserves with less than 48 hours notice. I wasn't thinking about whether the house was paid for, but I was glad we'd just gotten back from a great family trip, in case it was the last time I ever spent with him.

It doesn't have to be something as dramatic as that to cut short our "futures." All sorts of stuff can mess with our plans. I like to think that no matter what, my daughter will able to say "we sure had some good times" instead of "someday when everything else was paid for, we were going to..."

Just my personal preference.

 

[SnowWtch]

We're lucky in that we live only a few hours away so we have APs and go whenever we can. We don't usually spend that much when we go. If we have to stay off property then we do to save money. Instead we might splurge on a nice dinner somewhere. We've only ever done one really BIG Disney trip and that was only for a special occasion and we scrimped and saved for over a year to do it. However, DH and I both have health problems so we try to have as much fun as we can when we can b/c we never know when something is going to happen.

 

[Puccaw]

I'm not sure that I understand why people worry about other people spending their (hard earned) money as long as it doesn't directly affect them. I'm paying a whopping amount to go (from Canada)...haven't been in 3 years, probably won't go again for another 3...I could have taken all that money and put it on my mortage...my SIL does that, her kids have never been anywhere, ever!! They are happy kids, great kids who beg their parents to take them somewhere. I do what is best for my family...what makes us happy, I wish that others would do the same.

Why is this in the Welcome boards anyway?? Sounds like a thread sure to stir up more controversy!

 

[maktrk96]

We are real people with two good jobs and three kids in private school. How do we afford. plan it for two years. . We still plan on doing some little thing with our kids in the summer, but nothing real big. We have never taken a big vacation like this so we saving saving saving. We explained to our oldest daughter (15) that if she wants to swim with the dolphins that will be a Birthday gift for her since her birthday is the day we are in Castaway cay. The other two, we plan on doing it as a Christmas gift for them. Just need to plan things. We also taken the grandparents with us. We plan on buy the kids some things this Christmas for them for the trip in 09' It all works out with God's help! We could have never done it without God I say that much!!!

 

[Unregistered]

I guess it's all a question of priorities. Nothing in life is guaranteed, especially life itself. So while we are saving for college, contributing to charity, and putting away for retirement, we're also trying to "bank" memories of fun times together as a family. Kids can always work or get loans when they go to college. They won't always want to play with mom and dad.

I couldn't agree more. My parents took us 9 times before I graduated college and we didn't have more than a few thousand for college saved. WDW trips are my favorite childhood memories by far--a good sized student loan is worth it to me!

 

[mari360]

I love going to WDW. I save throughout the year to go. I do little things here and there to get a couple of extra money and put in my WDW account. Als i save all my spare change everyday... at the end of the year i have a good amount saved up and only have to really but a couple of bucks to finsih paying off the vacation. I understand that the money used for that can be used for mortgages, student loans etc. But when I was younger my parents took us as much as they could. We didn't live in our own home...we rented but when my father died when i was 16 I was so grateful that we were able to have those memories.. the great family vacations we had are worth more to me then a house. As stated before "life" is not guranteed I have grown to understand that I need to enjoy every second i have on this earth. Life is too fragile. And staying onsite is such a wonderful experience for kids. That is why I took my DD last year she was only 1 and this year we are going back... the picture I have of her hugging Mickey Mouse made the $4500 I spent worth it.

 

[lyzziesmom]

I'm a "real person" - a single mom with 2 kids, with a less-than-stellar job and income of about $30,000 a year. I went to WDW 4 times in the last 12 months, and did not go into debt to do it. Everyone thinks I must either owe the mouse my firstborn, or have some great secret. Well, it's neither. I first bought myself a ticket that had a free upgrade on it for water parks & more. When I got to WDW (this was in Feb 2007) I didn't use the extras on the ticket, and wanted to upgrade to an AP. They were able to bring the ticket to current value (saving me the cost of the added options) before upgrading to the AP. Since I didn't use the extra options, I got a regular AP and not the one with water access. This saved me money on my ticket.

I used the Passholder website to look for great room-only deals, and last May I took my older DD to ASMu for a rate of $49 a night. We did not do the DDP and since we're small eaters, we shared kid's meals twice a day and got one snack a day. So our food bill is manageable, and we still get to taste all the goodies we want. At the end of our trip, I also upgraded her ticket to an AP because I knew we'd be back in the fall.

I also do Sunshine Rewards which gives me money, that I can redeem in the form of Disney cards, for taking surveys and reading emails. I think I earned about $400 last year through them. Another way I save up for our trips is by having a special piggy bank that we call the "Disney Pig." When I go shopping, I estimate how much I will be spending and bring that much cash. Whatever is left over goes into the Disney Pig, along with money earned from garage sales, tax refunds, and any other "extra" funds.

Last September we booked a trip with extended family during Free Dining. Yes, we had to buy a package but we just got 1-day tickets that we will save for future use. The price of the tickets was still a lot less than what we would have spent on food had the DDP not been free, so it was ok. We were lucky enough to be upgraded to SSR so even though it was a budget trip, it felt very luxurious. We actually got an upgrade worth over $8000! I spent $1600 for myself and my kids (airfare and souvenirs included) for the 10 days at WDW - my brother and his GF spent over 1/2 that on alcohol alone during the same trip. The cost of Disney is going to be what YOU make it.

All those trips, plus using a Southwest Rewards credit card, earned me some free airfare which we used for our most recent trip a few weeks ago. My parents paid the remaining airfare for our Christmas present (they are my babysitters and wanted to take a cruise, and it was easier if we all vacationed at the same time so I wouldn't be "wasting" my vacation days, so they helped make that happen). I took both the kids and we once again split meals. We buy the refillable mug so we don't have to buy expensive drinks with every meal. We buy very few souvenirs. The kids and I use Disney gift cards for souvenirs, and when it's gone it's gone. We use our AP to get a 10% discount at certain stores, so when we see something we like we wait and buy it at World of Disney for less.

Little things we do add up quickly when we have a goal in mind, especially one as exciting as a trip to WDW. In our house, it's all about the Mouse. I was dirt poor for many years and couldn't vacation at all, so it's a priority to me now. Like a PP said, I don't have a fancy car or a big tv. I try to look for good deals on travel and on everyday stuff too. I put the savings toward the next trip. I've already started saving for our next trip, and it probably won't be until the fall of 2009! We are hoping to save enough so that we can stay a little longer and maybe stay in a moderate resort. We stay onsite because since we never pay rack rate and don't stay in the deluxe resorts it really is affordable, plus we don't have to rent a car.


As a single parent, when I look into other travel destinations one thing that stops me dead in my tracks, which Disney DOES NOT HAVE (except on DCL) is a single supplement. Most travel destinations are priced "per adult based on double occupancy." What that means for a single person is that I have to pay the full price for the room/cabin/what have you, regardless of the fact that there is only one of me. Basically I have to pay for a "phantom" adult. This makes the price skyrocket. WDW really is much more affordable than anything else I have looked into. Heck, last summer we drove from KC to the Omaha Zoo for a weekend and staying in a questionable Super 8 Motel, and I ended up spending 1/2 as much as I did for my last WDW week-long vacation. Two nights at the local Great Wolf Lodge would cost as much as a week at WDW for my little family. My 4 WDW trips last year cost me less than what some people spend on ONE trip. Yes, we could take a longer or more deluxe trip, but then we wouldn't be able to go as often and for us, that wouldn't make us happy.


To summarize my way too LONG post -- it's all about priorities. If it is important to you, you can make it happen and don't have to pay the big bucks. You don't have to stay in the deluxe resorts to have a great time. If that's the thing that is going to make or break your trip, then that's great but don't expect it to be easy to pay for. There are so many options when it comes to WDW, everyone can find something that is in their budget and will make them happy.

 

[southtexasmom]

We bought into DVC since we plan to go every year or at least every other year for the next 10-15 years so our room is already paid for. We save money all year long for our trips. Our trips to Disney are also a wonderful experience for all my kids and its a great place to go when you have kids that are not close in age.

 

[myAAbatteries&aTD]

We're real people and budget/save all year so we can go to WDW. My best friend does the same thing. We've neither stayed onsite (condos that are big and roomy suit us just fine!), but non-expiry hoppers that will last a couple of trips, use tips from the budget board, save our change for souviees, etc.... The memories we make while at WDW at priceless and the saving I do all year is so worth it!

 

[choirfarm]

nt

 

[My2Angels]

I could have taken all that money and put it on my mortage...my SIL does that, her kids have never been anywhere, ever!! They are happy kids, great kids who beg their parents to take them somewhere. I do what is best for my family...what makes us happy, I wish that others would do the same.


I totally agree with you Puccaw! Your house may be paid off sooner, but what memories will you have when your kids are grown and gone and you are left sitting alone in that quiet "paid off" house? My great grandfather died with a hugh amount of money in the bank, but my grandmother said that they never went anywhere or did anything as children. My great grandmother used to hide money from him to give to the kids for little treats like gum or candy because he wouldn't let them spend any.

I definitely think we need to be wise with money, not pile it up on credit! But, don't sacrifice LIVING for the future of which you are never sure of! Live every day like it is your last!

 

[layla17]

Well I'm a "real" person and we try to vacation at least once a year. This will be our second year going to Disney. We also like to take a beach vacation in the summer time. We just spend our money wisely all year long, put away as much as we can into savings, do not use credit cards, etc. Both my husband and I have decent jobs so we're lucky in that sense. I think if you spend your money wisely all year long that $3000 is really not too much to save for a vacation. It's only a few paychecks when you really think about it.

That's the truth momtobrandon&jacob. If you plan for it, then it shouldn't be a huge deal to work it out. It's just being smart with money.

 

[pepe of ohio]

We've been to WDW 40X and have never regretted it one bit. We've never borrowed, put a trip on credit time and went without to go. I've read of others spending 5-8 thousand on a stay and scratch my head. We just returned in January from 9 nights at the Wilderness Lodge and the whole stay, food and extras was 2100.00. We always go value season and either use AP or AAA discount. We never book a package just to get free dining. We make a grocery stop and have all the drinks, alcohol, snacks and sandwich pool parties we want. We do not have to eat table service each day nor do we want for anything either. when the children were still home and we went, they did all they wanted and then some but we were frugal.

Disney is what you want it to be, it can be cheap, moderate or off the wall expensive, its all in your own style and taste. You do not have to be Rockefeller to go there but with a little common sense a real person can go each year, spend a reasonable amount of money and make memories that can never be bought elsewhere. We still get giddy going to WDW, look forward to going and relaxing and unwinding from life and being a youngster again. As most posters have stated, life is what it is and is short, you only go around once and if taking some of my earned money and providing my family with some priceless enjoyment irks some people then they ought to re-examine their life and see what they have. A huge bank account or priceless memories that can be had for a couple of thousand.

 

[azgal81]

I actually think disney can be quite affordable if you want it to be.