Someone talk me out of going to WDW ºoº (on the long side)

[SandraC]

Hi! Someone talk me out of going to WDW three times this year! (Four if you include the trip we just got back from April 2001).

Here's the thing: dd will be 8 years old on Dec 5th, that's Walt Disney's 100th birthday! We planned a trip for April 2002, so I thought maybe we could go twice and buy an AP. If I bought AP's, I would even consider three trips!

I called WDW and they secured a rate of $89.00 for CSR in Dec. 1 - 8th. if we buy AP's.

To make matters more complicated, the price is right because ds is only 18 months old and FREE on the airline in Dec! (He'll be 2 yo in January). So I'm saving $400.00 airfare. I also save $$$$$ because he's free to get into WDW and he eats FREE too! We save about $1000.00 not paying for ds in December. (Save WDW tickets & meals for ds in April 2002 too).

Let's really make the decission harder: dd's first WDW trip was a MAKE A WISH trip in 1998. dd was born with complex congenital heart defects that can not be repaired. She is healthy and stable right now, but there is never any guarantees that she will stay this way. Her reality is that she will get sicker. When I think about that I feel we really should go as often as we can. (Although she has just as much fun swimming and playing at the park at home). If we go, I have the BEST surprise on telling her. We've been attending a Niagara Falls Disney Character Meal every November (big winter festival that Disney is involved with). This year it's held one week before for WDW trip (if we go). I plan to make a beautiful birthday card/ invitation for dd and have Mickey give it to her. So she'll think Mickey is personally inviting her to WDW and that's her gift from Mickey!


So those are the PRO's to go.

The CON is, that I think my car will die soon and my Disney money would pay for a new car!

Sorry so long, but I've been thinking about Disney vs. Car all day and I thought I'd ask for your help! Thanks!

 

[Pegg]

Go on the trip!!!!!!!

DD is way more important than the car.
Just patch the car till later

 

[Kermit]

Only you know what you can really swing, but I would lean toward going. Is there any way you could afford to repair the car, or maybe trade it in on a lease that has lower monthly payments?

 

[Belle&RellasMom]

Years from now, when you are looking at photo albums and watching videos, you'll think about what a great time all of you had at Disney World in December 2001.....you won't even remember what kind of car you were driving in 2001! I would say to do whatever you can to swing the trip to Disney and worry about the dead car when it actually dies! And, by the way, Annual Passes are definitely the way to go....we activated ours in Sept 2000 and will get four trips out of them.....well worth every penny spent!

 

[frost5000]

If Disney is what makes you and your daughter happy, and gives you precious family time, life is too short to put it off (even if it means having to take public transportation while saving for a car).

 

[disneefamily]

Don't go!! Why would you want to create memories that will last a lifetime, when you could buy a new car that will depreciate in value everytime you use it. Wait......that's not it.
Don't go!! Invest that money in the latest tech stock rage and when you make millions you can live at WDW. Of course if you pick a stock like webvan you would see it go from $34.00 a share to (I am not making this up) $0.0035. But then you would be broke and with out memories of a great trip(s). Wait..... that's not it.
Don't go!! What if a hurricane hits Florida, and your shoes get wet?
OK, you win GO!!!!!!!!
Years from now you know what you will think of the new car? You will think, man I think my car is gonna die!!!
Of course life is not magic, so consider this. Spend one of your trips at the All Star Movies. Saves you app $300 over CSR rates. Cut a day off the extra trip, save you $200 food ,room and incidentals. We used to do maybe six weekend getaways a year, this year we will do maybe 3. Cutting out just one trip, save from $250-400. If you do any of those trips, cut one and put the cash in the Disney account. I won't bore you any longer. The point is you can go have fun and by making a couple changes still get keep the car running for awhile.I could drive a Lexus type car but I drive a 1990 Prism with 125,000 miles on it. The depreciation on the Lexus over the last five years would pay for our three trips to WDW. So I sit in my Prism, pretend it's a Lexus and I go to Disneyworld for free!!!
ENJOY ALL THE TRIPS IN THE NEXT YEAR!!

 

[wackywitch]

So please don't everybody throw pixie dust snowballs at me at once!

This will be the 4th trip in a year already encompassing 3 planned trips. I just have a few questions:

Is the car REALLY about to die, or is it a case (like me) where more and more things are going wrong and you'd really like to get a newer one instead of having the older one in the shop all the time?

Do you need this car to get to work?

My dissenting opinion would be based on the "get to work" question. If I needed a new car to get to work and already had three trips paid for, then I'd probably buy the newer car. If I can't work, I can't earn the money to go to WDW! However, if this was just a run-around beater car that I used for errands and it wasn't really falling apart, then I'd have to say go for the Disney trip and spend whatever precious time you have left with your daughter on Walt's birthday!

 

[heidihiden]

the choice is very clear. take dd and your family to disney as much as you can. She sounds like a beautiful little girl who enjoys disney. Hopefully she is with you and your family for years to come. But take as many trips as you can. Those memories will never leave your family. The joke with my wife is every year we debate on going down or getting a new car. Disney wins every year. One good suggestion that I read is stay at the all star resorts and maybe cut back one day. Definitely do the annual pass and get all of the use out of it. Godspeed to dd and your family. Let mickey's magic do it's thing!!

 

[Beanie]

Another vote for you to go to Disney!! Make some more memories for your family!!

 

[ALostBoy]

Hi SandraC,

How much would you "save" if you didn't go?

 

[Disneymomma]

talk anyone out of going to Disney. The way I look at it is that no matter what you do, you will always have bills/problems that come up. However, I firmly believe in making memories for my children! I know when I am gone they will reflect upon the things we have done/places we have gone and understand why I did it. We have had major personal familyproblems over the past five years, but I sacrifice alot of things to make sure to create memories for my DD and two older step-children. Our trip pictures really document our children's growth and childhood-I see that as they are getting older. I may regret some things in my life, but I have never regretted any of our family/travel times nor my Disney Adventures....even though my husband just does not understand this Disney obsession!!!
Please go and create wonderful memories for yourself and your children....10 years from now the money you spent won't matter.

 

[*Fantasia*]

Go go go!! This trip will be always be a lifetime memory!! Have a wonderful time!!