Parent's 30th Wedding Anniversary. Help?

[disneychickforever]

Hey y'all. Well, as you can tell by the title, I'm trying to plan something great for my parents 30th wedding anniversary.

Right now I have a room at All Star Movies booked for 3 nights (June 1st-4th)

They have a reservation for California Grill for their dinner (on the 3rd of June the actual anniversary)

And I made a reservation for my sister to eat at Princess Storybook Dining (her favorite but I might cancel it. It wasn't to great last time we went....we just can't get her near any other characters besides princesses)

Now. I'm trying to pick up a paper route before school (loveliness of having a car) as well as my regular job. I really want to take them there for a week, but I don't really know how to afford it (college student here)

I don't have a credit card yet, and the idea is really nerve-wracking to me (I saw my parents go through a bankruptcy) But would getting a Disney Visa be a good idea to pay for this? Or just hope I can raise the money?

BTW-This is a SURPRISE for my parents.
-And I don't think my family would help me out. (And my sister is only 9, so she really can't.)

Any ideas or suggestions?

TIA

 

[myprincessgirlisa]

i did disney visa...LOVE the rewards

credit cards for vacations are kinda necessary IMO...if you set & stick to a plan you should be ok...but its worth looking into..& they might have a New Cardholder perk, like a GC or something

as for the surprise anniversary...there is SO much you can do!!

Gifts of a lifetime has great stuff they can do

me & DH just celebrated our 10yr & the things I did included
Wishes Cruise
Specialty cake at Yachtmans Steakhouse
Diver/personalized menu at Coral Reef (with ADR)
Special personalized tshirts (from Disigns)
Family Photo session (thru disney photography & photopass)
anniversary buttons


it all depends on what THEY would like & what you can afford

they have carriage rides over at PO
Private dining
couples massage
and so on!!!

 

[lurkyloo]

What a sweetie you are for planning this - and paying for it yourself!

I have a Disney Visa and I love it, BUT the rewards aren't that great. You only get $1 for every $100 you spend, and you have to have $20 in rewards (i.e., have spent $2,000) before you can put them on a gift card and use them. So if you're thinking of a Disney Rewards card so you can use the rewards for the trip, I'd recommend just going with a card that has a better interest rate or a promotion. For instance, many airline mileage cards give you enough points for a free ticket when you make your first purchase.

I think it's great that you're mindful of getting a credit card because of your parents' history of bankruptcy. It is good to start establishing a credit history, however, and the best way to do this is to get a card and pay it off every month. If you really really have to finance the trip and can't pay it off all at once, see if you can apply for a card with a low *fixed* interest rate (or a promotional rate that is good until the balance is paid in full). Then you can figure out how much you'll have to pay each month to pay the trip off within a certain period of time.

Re: Princess buffet - skip it! This is your parents' trip, and you could use that money elsewhere. Plus, there are plenty of other opportunities to see princesses out in the park. Your sister can go eat mediocre food with the whole gang o' princesses the next time she's at WDW.

Oh, and one way I earn money for Disney trips is by doing surveys and my shopping through Sunshine Rewards. You earn money for them and then can cash it out into Disney gift cards (or cash). If you have a lot of downtime on the computer at your job or at the library, you can earn a lot - I've made $450!

http://www.sunshinerewards.com/signup.php?r=5299

Good luck! Let us know if we can answer any other questions!

 

[disneychickforever]

That's great! How do I sign up for Paypal? I was just starting it off, but it asks if it's to buy or sell, will they be able to pay if it's in a buy one?

I was thinking about that with the princesses, I just know my folks would want a family meal, and buffets are cheap then most other TS. Any other suggestions?

So

 

[lurkyloo]

You can just sign up for the basic PayPal account - you don't need to be a seller.

There's a really cheap (by Disney standards) buffet out at Fort Wilderness. Maybe you could do that and then go for a hayride (I hear those are cheap too - I want to say $6, but... you might want to search the Resorts board for info on that).

Also, people love Ohana (not so cheap) and Whispering Canyon for fun family meals....

 

[disneychickforever]

I forgot about Whispering Canyon! Oh that's it! It's perfect! Lol, thank you.

I tried that site there, and it doesn't let me do any of the surveys.

I figure that if I put $100 aside a week I can afford this, lol. I don't think credit card will be able to be avoided, sadly .

Anyone know of a good credit card with a low interest rate, maybe sky miles, since Disney isn't recommended?

 

[disneychickforever]

Oh and also! How to get up there? I was thinking about braving the drive up there and blindfolding them, but I have a feeling one of us will get a heart-attack that way (I hate the turnpike). Any suggestios?

(Oh and changing the reservation to Whispering Canyon as we speak.)

 

[caryndisneydiva]

another fun, FREE thing to do is the movies at ft. wilderness campground. they do them every night and i think they're around a campfire!

you're so sweet to do this! i had just graduated college when my parent had their 25th and my sisters and i did a huge party for them at their house!

 

[disneychickforever]

another fun, FREE thing to do is the movies at ft. wilderness campground. they do them every night and i think they're around a campfire!

you're so sweet to do this! i had just graduated college when my parent had their 25th and my sisters and i did a huge party for them at their house!

Lol thanks Caryn. I might need to borrow those hate-blockers when my grandmothers find out

 

[disneychickforever]

bumping