Value of vacations--How much is too much?

[crisi]

everyone is different coz Hawaii is where i'm dying to get back to...and for twice as long as the first time!

It was wonderful - but for half the money and much less time on a plane we can spend time on a beach in Costa Rica. Or the OP's Cancun. And get a very similar experience.

(We are from an "expensive to Hawaii" part of the country - if we lived on the West Coast, I'd go back).

 

[blondietink]

Oops ... forgot about the cruise vacations. Our DS's LOVE cruises and we didn't start until they were in their teens (we are a family of 4). Our first cruise was out of New Orleans in 2011 and was for 5 days $1200.00 total. We drove to the port from Buffalo, NY, and the road trip was part of the fun. Loved stopping in Nashville and other spots along the way. Our last cruise out of Miami ( 4 ports, eastern Caribbean)cost $2100.00 total for all of us. Again we drove.

 

[canadianjovigirl]

We love family vacations, and with a family of 5 it is costly as we are in Western Canada so dont have as many reasonable flight options. We have spent anywhere from $4000 for 10 days in Cancun to over $10,000 for our Cayman Island Christmas vacation or our 3 week Florida Vacation.

It gets harder and harder as the kids get older, but the memories to us are priceless and the kids would rather not get lots of gifts for birthdays and Christmas and would rather go on vacation. Even harder now that my oldest lives 12 hours away

We try to alternate between a expensive vacation and then a cheaper one but it does not always work out that way as we are limited to travelling over school breaks and would rather go away in the winter and enjoy the bit of nice weather we have over the summer.

We rent weeks for vacations at all inclusives as its way cheaper and also rent condos in most places so we have more room and can do some meals at home to keep costs down. We all love the beach so anywhere that is warm and has sand, sun and surf suits us!!

Our next vacations is 10 days in Mexico in November and then a 7 day cruise in February and will add on a couple extra beach days at the beginning or end of the cruise.

We tend to not vacation for less then 10 days as when we are paying over $500 each for airfare alone to get anywhere its quite cheap to add on a few extra days as with 2 travel days a week really only gives us 5 days.

 

[DLgal]

I can deal with about up to $5,000. Anything above that is

Yep, me too! I hit a sort of mental roadblock at the $5000 price point.

We really, REALLY want to do the Fantasy Eastern Caribbean cruise, but we have to travel when school is out at this point, and I just can't do it. When we can go, it's like $8000 for the four of us. Not happening!

The way we figure it, we put aside $500 per month every year to use towards vacations. So, that gives us $6K each year to work with. We often take two or more trips, but we never spend more than our allotment each year.

 

[kcrew]

OP, I have been thinking about your cost for an all inclusive Cancun trip. Do you have any friends or family that own a timeshare and have access to RCI (Resort Condominiums International)? RCI is having an Extra Vacation sale right now. A Thursday to Thursday, June 20 - June 27 2013 is $205.91 for the whole week at several of the all inclusive Palace Resorts! If you do know someone, they can book the Extra Vacation for you. You have to pay an extra $49 for a gift certificate to put the reservation in your name. I think it may be much less expensive than a Club Med or Sandals type of resort. Just a thought.

Hotel (Beach Palace #2999) 4 (2) occupancy, No Kitchen, Thu 20-Jun-2013 Thu 27-Jun-2013 USD 233.99
On Sale USD 205.91

The all inclusive fee:
Mandatory 7-Day All-Inclusive Program. Fees are per room, per week in double or single occupancy. 2013 Fees: Jan01-Apr06 US$2,631; Apr07-Aug24 US$2,151; Aug25-Dec19 US$2,061; Dec20-Dec31 US$3.531. Additional Adult US$716 & Children 4-17 years US$365, per week in the same room. 2014 Fees: Jan01-Apr26 US$2,763; Apr27-Aug23 US$2,259; Aug24-Dec18 US$2,164; Dec19-30 US$3,708. Additional Adult US$752 & Kids 4-17 yrs old US$383 per week.

Thanks for the info, and Palace resorts are on my short list BUT lets do the math...So, $2151 for the AI fee times 2 rooms so $4302 plus the $383 per week times 2 for the extra people is up to $5068 plus the RCI and transfer fees make it about $5600 plus the $3600 airfare so with transfers and little extras we are at the $10000 mark.

A lot of you have mentioned the "experience" and I think maybe that is what I feel I am missing for my money. This type of vacation is about hanging out and eating and there is no "experience" to speak of. Once we have laid down the 10K there is really no budget to explore outside the resort, plus we have already vacationed there twice as a family. I would try another AI locale to mix it up and experience a different culture, like Jamaica for instance, but Cancun is just worlds less expensive in regard to airfare and resorts--nothing any where near 10K elsewhere.

I think at the core, that is my issue. I want an alternative to Cancun that will provide an "experience", but within a similar budget, offering the same level of amenities and without STRESS.

 

[lovemygoofy]

Thanks for the info, and Palace resorts are on my short list BUT lets do the math...So, $2151 for the AI fee times 2 rooms so $4302 plus the $383 per week times 2 for the extra people is up to $5068 plus the RCI and transfer fees make it about $5600 plus the $3600 airfare so with transfers and little extras we are at the $10000 mark.

A lot of you have mentioned the "experience" and I think maybe that is what I feel I am missing for my money. This type of vacation is about hanging out and eating and there is no "experience" to speak of. Once we have laid down the 10K there is really no budget to explore outside the resort, plus we have already vacationed there twice as a family. I would try another AI locale to mix it up and experience a different culture, like Jamaica for instance, but Cancun is just worlds less expensive in regard to airfare and resorts--nothing any where near 10K elsewhere.

I think at the core, that is my issue. I want an alternative to Cancun that will provide an "experience", but within a similar budget, offering the same level of amenities and without STRESS.

So your crew has already been to Cancun and just wants to go back for the all you can eat? Before I drop $10k on a vacation for that reason, I'd be dropping some people off at a buffet with $100 and so go crazy, I'll be back in 8 hours.

Something else is the lack of appreciation from a vacation. I think that is my problem when I read about people going on vacation. Some people just take it for granted and face it 10k is not chump change by any means. But people just complain and moan and groan about their vacation. I just hate when I read that because it's not like everyone is out and about on vacation.

Could you do a compromise and do half a beach vacation and half an "exciting" vacation? I have no idea where you are in the country but what about half up state NY and then half in NYC or something similar in Mass? I just think there are some compromises that could be made other than just wanting to have all the soda they can consume.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

Count me as one who believes you can't put a price on vacation experiences. I go wherever I can on the money that I have. Sometimes it takes me a while to get into a position financially to be able to afford the trip I want, but it's worth the wait. Mind you, I'm not much into beach type vacations. It's not that I've never done one, I just find them boring. That's not an "experience" for me. If I'm going to spend my hard earned dollars on a vacation, I'm not going to blow it sitting on a beach with a daquiri (I don't like daquiris and I burn very easily). And I particularly hate Cancun (it's a personal issue).

Cruises are great! I wish DH didn't get sick.

 

[kcrew]

oh, and I am not sure how some of you keep your vacations so inexpensive, but as heard a thousand times on these boards, that 3 child pretty much doubles vacation costs since you have to get the second room, even without factoring in my mother...and then the extra airfare, etc. to boot. Plus, with my youngest at 13 now we are beyond and "free kid" or "child rate" options. Also a lot of people seem to have frequent flier points or own timeshares or DVC so you really can't compare prices that way either....I just can't imagine going anywhere for $5000 never the less $2000 like some have mentioned.

 

[kcrew]

So your crew has already been to Cancun and just wants to go back for the all you can eat? Before I drop $10k on a vacation for that reason, I'd be dropping some people off at a buffet with $100 and so go crazy, I'll be back in 8 hours.

Something else is the lack of appreciation from a vacation. I think that is my problem when I read about people going on vacation. Some people just take it for granted and face it 10k is not chump change by any means. But people just complain and moan and groan about their vacation. I just hate when I read that because it's not like everyone is out and about on vacation.

Could you do a compromise and do half a beach vacation and half an "exciting" vacation? I have no idea where you are in the country but what about half up state NY and then half in NYC or something similar in Mass? I just think there are some compromises that could be made other than just wanting to have all the soda they can consume.

LOL, on the food but I guess they are not alone--there is a million post thread here just on Disney Dining including pics of every item served at every restaurant. I don't disagree with you, but it is a "family" vacation and I have to work with the family dynamic that I have.

We have not been on a vacation for the last 2 years and believe me I have run hundreds of scenarios to try to find something that works for us. Well, I guess there are lots of people that don't take vacations, and maybe its just not meant to be for us.

 

[scrapquitler]

So I am exploring vacation options(not Disney) for a family of 5, including 3 teen boys, plus possibly my Mom. I just can't wrap my head around the prices. When does the price just become too much? Having the funds is not an issue--no saving or borrowing required--but I am very frugal by nature and trying to determine the relative "worth" of a family vacation.

I am wondering how others determine what is a prudent price to pay for a vacation?

Only you can determine for your family what price is prudent. Some people here on the DIS spend thousands several times a year. Some of us take less expensive vacations and save the WDW or cruise for a one or two time special thing, and manage to do even that relatively inexpensively.

You need to keep your family dynamic and style in mind in determining what to do. Some people love to just rent a cottage on a lake or near the beach and eat at home and swim and hang out. Others want to eat in fancy restaurants and tour nightlife spots. You don't HAVE to spend a lot of money to have a fun vacation and create a lot of memories. When I was growing up the ONLY vacations we ever took were to visit relatives in Maine and New Hampshire and stay at their house. We'd go out to eat for pizza or something inexpensive a couple of times, but other than that we ate at their house with them. We'd visit their local touristy things (steam train ride, a museum, etc) and just enjoy being with our family. One of my aunts had a family member witha camp on a lake and we'd always go there for a day to swim/boat/waterski. Other years we camped. Never a fancy trip, the only time I ever stayed in a hotel as a child was once when I went on a trip with my grandmother.

You don't need to spend $10K on a vacation, and you certainly don't need to do a big trip every year. Honestly I think that doing a fancy big trip every single year can (but not always) make people less appreciative of them, it might not be as special because they do it every year or several times a year.

 

[canadianjovigirl]

oh, and I am not sure how some of you keep your vacations so inexpensive, but as heard a thousand times on these boards, that 3 child pretty much doubles vacation costs since you have to get the second room, even without factoring in my mother...and then the extra airfare, etc. to boot. Plus, with my youngest at 13 now we are beyond and "free kid" or "child rate" options. Also a lot of people seem to have frequent flier points or own timeshares or DVC so you really can't compare prices that way either....I just can't imagine going anywhere for $5000 never the less $2000 like some have mentioned.

We tend to stay in family suites that have bunks and a trundle as then all 3 kids had their own bed for all inclusives or we rent a condo as then there is more room and again kids all have their own beds. The all inclusives we stayed at offer a teen rate as well as we paid that for my 17 and 13 year old last February and then the 12 year old was child rate. For that trip we went for 10 days and it was way less then most other vacations for us.

Now my 18 year old is 12 hours away so she didn't come to Cayman with us, but we rented a condo there for $4500 for over Christmas/New years and flights were $3200 and rental car was $880. We did buy groceries and eat out but snorkelling and the beach was free........the only excursions we did was stingray city and the submarine ride. The kids used Christmas money from family to do a snorkelling course. We thought that vacation was expensive, but was not much more then booking a all inclusive over Christmas and New Years in Mexico. This was for 17/18 days...........

 

[yoopermom]

I just got done scanning in over 1000 pictures from my recently deceased grandmother (102 when she passed). Her husband was a teacher, she was a SAHM, they were very frugal, but they traveled extensively. It really warmed my heart to see their photos from the 1950s-1990s: car trips, bus tours, etc. Long after she couldn't remember the color or layout of her most recent house, DGM would tell me about her trip to Vegas to see her son in the military in 1967, for example. Vacations, even the simplest, are priceless, to me, because of the memories that they make.

Terri

 

[goofyredraider]

We never did vacations. Then my husband deployed, and we realized just how precious the little time we get together means. We have taken a vacation every year since then, and a pinch pennies as much as possible so we aren't "working to pay for vacation". It kind of has given me a hobby in a way, too.

I will say, kids grow up far too fast. There is going to be a time when I can't ride a rollercoaster, play Marco Polo, dance in the streets of MK with them, do rock-n-roll hands going down Splash Mountain next to them, etc. They'll be grown and gone, or I will be one day...and I want them to remember those times.

My mom and I traveled almost every summer from Central Texas to her hometown on Cape Cod (Provincetown). Those road trips, those memories, those summers are some of the most precious things to me all these years after she's been gone.

 

[gorkt]

I tend to be a person of moderation in general, so I alternate an expensive vacation like WDW with inexpensive vacations like camping or weekend trips. We have been to WDW twice as a family and are going for our third time this year. Yes, it is going to cost us probably $7000 for 9 nights, but last year we might have spent about $2000 total on vacations.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Thanks for the info, and Palace resorts are on my short list BUT lets do the math...So, $2151 for the AI fee times 2 rooms so $4302 plus the $383 per week times 2 for the extra people is up to $5068 plus the RCI and transfer fees make it about $5600 plus the $3600 airfare so with transfers and little extras we are at the $10000 mark.

A lot of you have mentioned the "experience" and I think maybe that is what I feel I am missing for my money. This type of vacation is about hanging out and eating and there is no "experience" to speak of. Once we have laid down the 10K there is really no budget to explore outside the resort, plus we have already vacationed there twice as a family. I would try another AI locale to mix it up and experience a different culture, like Jamaica for instance, but Cancun is just worlds less expensive in regard to airfare and resorts--nothing any where near 10K elsewhere.

I think at the core, that is my issue. I want an alternative to Cancun that will provide an "experience", but within a similar budget, offering the same level of amenities and without STRESS.

You can shave $2500 off that if you can get an RCI member to book the vacation as an exchange vs an extra vacation. They should book a PP/AI Palace Resort vs just an AI Palace Resort. The PP stands for prepaid. If you pay the AI fee 30 days before you travel, you get a huge discount (over $1000 per room). This is something I recently learned on TUG and it's worth looking into.

 

[BeachLove]

Once it gets to the 5-6k mark i hit a road block(Not including food). I try to take my parents on vacation at least once a year and while I would love to take them to Europe its just so hard to justify the cost when there are so many places in the US and Canada that we could get a fun experience. While not spending a whole ton!

 

[kcrew]

I just got done scanning in over 1000 pictures from my recently deceased grandmother (102 when she passed). Her husband was a teacher, she was a SAHM, they were very frugal, but they traveled extensively. It really warmed my heart to see their photos from the 1950s-1990s: car trips, bus tours, etc. Long after she couldn't remember the color or layout of her most recent house, DGM would tell me about her trip to Vegas to see her son in the military in 1967, for example. Vacations, even the simplest, are priceless, to me, because of the memories that they make.

Terri

That's sweet!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

OP, have you looked into DCL? If you want beaches, all-inclusive & love Disney, it's a perfect fit.
We've tried RCCL & Carnival and my kids (16 & almost 13) only want DCL now. There's something for everyone. Be as busy as you want or just veg in the sun & at the beach. Dh loves that there's no prices on the menu! It really has opened up our kids to try new things that they wouldn't likely order in a restaurant where we were paying per plate.
My uber-picky, mac n cheese lover told his friend when sailing with us, "Royal Palace tonight? Oh, you have to try the wild boar!"

Has since tried elk, and a variety of fish dinners. I'm amazed every time.

 

[kcrew]

OP, have you looked into DCL? .

Would love to but looks like I would need 20K!

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

So I am exploring vacation options(not Disney) for a family of 5, including 3 teen boys, plus possibly my Mom. I just can't wrap my head around the prices. When does the price just become too much? Having the funds is not an issue--no saving or borrowing required--but I am very frugal by nature and trying to determine the relative "worth" of a family vacation.

I am wondering how others determine what is a prudent price to pay for a vacation?

We spent quite a bit on our Fantasy DCL last year.
We visited universal prior to our cruise, flights, hotel, excursions, alcohol, souvinirs . Added up quickly.

We've also taken the kids to Beaches Turks and Caicos twice, and plan to go to Hawaii next summer.

So yes we have spent close to $ 10,000 on a vacation .

$ 10,000 for Cancun, no way but different strokes for different folks.