Too personal?

[cgcw]

Another DVC family here. One of the best things we have done. Should have invested on our 1st trip in 1998 but we were not as familiar with it and didn't want to partake in the time-share bit. A neighbor of our joined and then started telling us more and more about it. When we returned in WDW, I think we knew we were going to join before we even met our guide. Absolutely no regrets.

 

[jel0511]

Well, first off we finally became DVC members so that has helped finance our WDW trips. Also, we have stayed concierge a few times, and honestly, we've decided it's not worth the money. Yes, it is nice to have a dedicated lounge and the munchies out all day, but I really don't need that. We usually eat 2 big meals a day, and aren't that hungry for munchies. I really don't use the concierge services, I like to make all PS's myself... Anyway, I'm off topic..... I'm a 1. We usually take 2 - 3 trips a year, with at least one being a WDW trip. This year we took 2, but next year we only plan one and always take a non-WDW vacation as well. This year we're going to St. John in the USVI's and next year, I don't know. Probably the Caribbean again, need that relaxing feel. We usually set an amount every year for our vacation allotment for the year, and that's what we spend. We don't save for it, the money is there, because we know how much we have coming in and allot some of that. I don't put it aside, it just either ends up in the bank, or I'm paying the bank back if I spent it first. We do use credit cards but they get paid in full every month, regardless of the balance.

 

[Kitty 34]

We budget, budget, budget all year every year so we can take the one big trip each summer. Only this year we're doing Vegas instead of WDW........but I definetly have a WDW '04 trip in the budget!!!

 

[phanomouse]

Well I was a DVCer but sold to my Brother... Now I would say that I am a "1". I go a few times a year once just my wife and I, once with my entire family (usually 3-4 weeks) and once on a golf trip with the guys... and our wives hit the spa's. I am more snobby then I should be about WDW. But I try to live more humble in the rest of my life... I tell my wife that it is my way of staying balanced, she just laughs and say yeah right!

 

[ASFCurly]

I am a college student and a 2.


I live at home and save money from every paycheck and I am only having a few sit down meals and am saving on the resort by staying at ASMu.

 

[Pin Wizard]

Florida resident discount and we go for 3 nights/4 days at a time. No longer. Top of the line for me is Port Orleans Riverside. I wouldn't spend more than that. But All Stars is okay with me. I'm there for the parks, not the hotel.

 

[December99]

We have commited ourselves to an every other year plan for our Disney trips. Only because when we bought DVC I told dh that I didn't want any part of it if that was the only place we were going to vacation. Don't get me wrong - I can't wait til the next time I can go to WDW but I also didn't get to go to very many other places when we were little, our family vacation consisted of going to visit family in Virginia, which I adored doing. But now that I'm older I want to go to other places and see other things also and I want my daughter to also.

But when we go to WDW, or on our cruise in July, we use DVC. When we weighed out needing to get more points for my dd for the cruise (she's at an adult rate) or paying cash for her part of the cruise, it came close to being the same. My thought was, DVC points that we can use for the next 38 years or a one time shot of money that will be gone in 7 days? Best investment we have ever done yet I think.

When we travel we generally drive, we look for good rates at hotels and we take food with us and back home with us to save on restaurant costs (or dd and I share meals). We also don't spend alot on meals when we are at WDW either - again, dd and I share when we can, we bring food with us to eat, we pick the few sit downs that we want to experience and we save for about a year before we go (well, we try to).

 

[helenabear]

I don't really seem to fall in any of those categories myself. I don't scrimp and save, but I sure as heck don't have enough money to go as I please. If I want a trip I will save but it doesn't feel that hard for me to do it. I just budget for the trip and set the money aside when I see myself wanting to go. I don't stay in the deluxes much and if I do any time soon it will be because I get a great rate

 

[olena]

We would go every year or so, but we drive. Saving on airfare allowed us to visit more often.

This past December, my father was transferred from Atlanta to Orlando. My Mom is selling the house here and she drives down every 6 weeks or so. It's easy now to tag along and stay with my parents. With my AP, all I really pay for is gas and meals. I've been twice so far this year and my brother and I are looking into a May trip.

 

[nativetxn]

I suppose I'm a #1, I guess. Except I don't make the money, I just spend it. Our only child is all grown up and moved away and supporting himself now.

My wonderful husband is severely Disney impaired but he humors my addiction and finances my trips. Just so I don't insist that he go too He and I travel to other destinations together, we seem to travel quite a bit. We are currently considering a trip to the UK. I need to meet all of our UK DISers who I have come to love from hosting UK chat every Sunday. My husband loves DIS meets--he's just not very interested in WDW. Amazing, huh?

I made four trips in 2002. I think I will only have 3 trips this year

I would love to own DVC but dh isn't interested. So as long as he will pay for the resort stays, I'll live without DVC.

 

[tinkerbee]

We bought DVC. So that saves alot on food. And we use our tax returns for tickets and other things on our trips. Plus we save our change thourghout the year and it gets to be about $400 a year.

 

[MdmMim]

One more DVC'er here. I'm retired, but what I do is figure out my Disney budget for the coming year (travel, food, AP) and work as a temp 'til I reach my financial goal.

 

[caitycaity]

though we couldn't afford to renew our PAP's this year they are the primary way we were able to go on so many trips in the past two years. that helped with the rooms too b/c we got ap rates.

the other thing is it's just the two of us. we went all out for our honeymoon, stayed at the beach club for 2 weeks and ate at sit down restaurants every night. we managed to do it for around $5000.

the other trips we used ff miles for airfare, had a ap discount and an ap, and ate counter service.

 

[Zurg]

dvc

learn the ropes and work to reduce cost
like feed the kids dog food



.... joke it was a joke

 

[Angelrose]

Scrimp and savers definitely. We are both retired and living on a fixed income. Very fixed. We don't go to movies or eat out or really have any other entertainment. We save at WDW by staying off property for $40 a night, make our own sandwiches, and spend most of our money on souvenirs and pins. We fly down because the drive is just too much for us from south Jersey. We usually stay for 3 weeks for less than $5,000. But I think next time it will be a little shorter. The three weeks last year was too much for us. The last few days we were exhausted. I really hope we can go this year again.

 

[WDW Poly Princess]

I fall into the category of going more often than I should, but my trips don't cost much. I keep an eye out for good airfare (usually $200 or les), divide my stay between moderates and deluxe, take full advantage of AP discounts, and eat pretty cheap.

 

[eeyoreforever]

I'm a 2. We have only been to Disney one time, but am hoping to get to go again in a few years. I am a SAHM with 2 DD's, so living on one paycheck doesn't allow much in the way of vacations. When we went, we stayed in a moderate for 7 nights. We drove and took an ice chest for snacks. Several days, we took our lunch to the park with us. It got to be a joke because one day all we took to eat was a bag of cereal and a fruit cup. We were sitting there on a bench eating and said we looked like a bunch of hillbillies. We still tease about that. Also, for supper, we usually left the Disney property to eat. We went to CiCi's Pizza a couple of times and a couple of nights we spent a little more and went to Logans RoadHouse. You could definitely call us Scrooges though.

 

[ryanpatricksmom]

With us it's more a lack of time as opposed to money. I'd go more often if I could, but sometimes the vacation days just run out.

We tend to treat vacations as our one grand indulgence. We don't drive expensive cars, or live in a huge home. Fortunately, our public schools are pretty good, so we have no private school expenses. We tend to live pretty modestly on a day to day basis so that we can travel without financial limitations.

Having said that, I usually go for a suite for any trip that exceeds a long weekend in duration. If we're visiting for the weekend, then most any room will do. At WDW, we prefer the Fort Wilderness cabins....space and economy...what could be better than that! When we cruised with DCL we sailed in category 3; I've never stayed in a suite or on the concierge level at any Disney resort.

 

[christinou]

We don't really fit anywhere, we have PAPs, we drive and camp, and eat breakfast and lunch and some dinner in the camper, last summer the campsite was $28 per night, can't beat that. I feel fortunate that we can that, and my kids love it....

 

[Disney Doll]

We've done it a few ways over the years.

When we were first married, I would scrimp and save. I got a second job, and all of that money went to paying for vacations.
We then bought into the DVC, which makes it easier, since you don't have to come up with the big bunch of money all at once to pay for accomodations. It's much easier to pay a little bit every month,IMHO.

I also take a little money out of my paycheck weekly to put toward vacation.