Cast:
Me-Sue, 43, HS teacher, vacation planner
Husband-Bob, 47, elem. phys ed teacher, reluctant vacationer
Daughter-Kate, 15-isn't that enough to know?
Daughter-Kelsey, 6 but thinks she is 15
Yes, I know-15 and 6-same father but is a long story involving liver
As in many marriages, the duties are divided. My husband does laundry and I plan vacations. When the time comes, we load up the car and I tell him where to drive. I may be a tiny bit obsessive. Kate calls me the vacation Nazi ( I know she means it with all the love and affection in the world). During our DC trip when she was 9, her postcards to friends consisted of "Mom makes us walk everywhere. We are not allowed to use the car. You would not like it." But who else would have gotten her in the basement of the Capitol!?
Ever since I got the Disney bug, I have been trying to persuade my husband to go along for the ride (he thought Disney was too expensive). This has included leaving potential itineraries where he would see them (taped to the bathroom mirror, in his car), as well as calling him at odd hours of the day and saying things like "This is why we work" and "Kate will be gone in a few years". He finally agreed (this is where obsession pays off), provided I stay within a strict budget. So, in order to save money, I bought the unoffical guide, Disney Passport, Tourguide Mike's, and lurked around virtually every Disney board including the UK ones (I know they couldn't hold on to the colonies, but perhaps their planning has improved and I will look for tips anywhere!) Although I spent some money on these resources, it does not count as the budget agreement was for the actual trip. Of course, that means that airfare, vouchers, tickets and anything else I pay for before the actual trip does not count. Just like eating at night while standing up does not count. It will be a piece of cake to stay on budget. (Eating cake does not count either if it is consumed for celebratory reasons).
Our (who am I kidding-my) original plan was to drive down to Disney from Ohio and stay for 5 days off site. After reading these fabulous boards and tips, I found very cheap flights and booked passage for our family of four, direct flight, $604 round trip. I assured Bob that was as cheap as driving as we would have gas, food and hotel to pay for each way as well as 18 hours in the car with our 6 year old who either requests the same song over and over or practices jokes (the punchline is always "a triangle on top of her head") After humming a few bars of the Wiggles, he saw the wisdom in flying. Plus since we weren't driving home, we might as well stay an extra day- a much better use of time and money. And since time is money, I was saving a bundle!
My next upgrade in plan involved us transferring from offsite to AKL onsite. With the new codes, I explained, we'd be fools not to. In fact, although it cost more than the offsite, I was actually saving money because it was much cheaper than staying at AKL without the codes. Although he is never sure about my accounting, sometimes it is just easier for him to give in (obsession pays off again). So we have changed from driving and staying 5 days offsite to flying and staying 6 days on site. I know that somehow I have just save a great deal of money.
Me-Sue, 43, HS teacher, vacation planner
Husband-Bob, 47, elem. phys ed teacher, reluctant vacationer
Daughter-Kate, 15-isn't that enough to know?
Daughter-Kelsey, 6 but thinks she is 15
Yes, I know-15 and 6-same father but is a long story involving liver
As in many marriages, the duties are divided. My husband does laundry and I plan vacations. When the time comes, we load up the car and I tell him where to drive. I may be a tiny bit obsessive. Kate calls me the vacation Nazi ( I know she means it with all the love and affection in the world). During our DC trip when she was 9, her postcards to friends consisted of "Mom makes us walk everywhere. We are not allowed to use the car. You would not like it." But who else would have gotten her in the basement of the Capitol!?
Ever since I got the Disney bug, I have been trying to persuade my husband to go along for the ride (he thought Disney was too expensive). This has included leaving potential itineraries where he would see them (taped to the bathroom mirror, in his car), as well as calling him at odd hours of the day and saying things like "This is why we work" and "Kate will be gone in a few years". He finally agreed (this is where obsession pays off), provided I stay within a strict budget. So, in order to save money, I bought the unoffical guide, Disney Passport, Tourguide Mike's, and lurked around virtually every Disney board including the UK ones (I know they couldn't hold on to the colonies, but perhaps their planning has improved and I will look for tips anywhere!) Although I spent some money on these resources, it does not count as the budget agreement was for the actual trip. Of course, that means that airfare, vouchers, tickets and anything else I pay for before the actual trip does not count. Just like eating at night while standing up does not count. It will be a piece of cake to stay on budget. (Eating cake does not count either if it is consumed for celebratory reasons).
Our (who am I kidding-my) original plan was to drive down to Disney from Ohio and stay for 5 days off site. After reading these fabulous boards and tips, I found very cheap flights and booked passage for our family of four, direct flight, $604 round trip. I assured Bob that was as cheap as driving as we would have gas, food and hotel to pay for each way as well as 18 hours in the car with our 6 year old who either requests the same song over and over or practices jokes (the punchline is always "a triangle on top of her head") After humming a few bars of the Wiggles, he saw the wisdom in flying. Plus since we weren't driving home, we might as well stay an extra day- a much better use of time and money. And since time is money, I was saving a bundle!
My next upgrade in plan involved us transferring from offsite to AKL onsite. With the new codes, I explained, we'd be fools not to. In fact, although it cost more than the offsite, I was actually saving money because it was much cheaper than staying at AKL without the codes. Although he is never sure about my accounting, sometimes it is just easier for him to give in (obsession pays off again). So we have changed from driving and staying 5 days offsite to flying and staying 6 days on site. I know that somehow I have just save a great deal of money.
