We have Disney / DVC Brats!!

[DougandBeth]

Sorry for venting this early in the morning!!!!

Well we are DVC members and our two sons ages 5 and 7 absolutely love Disney as we do and have been there 7 times in their short years. Anyway we surprised them last year with a trip and are surprising them again this April (already booked) and they have no idea.

Anyway with these two kids they one of their favorite things about the trip is getting up in the middle of the night (usually 3:00 or so) to catch a 6:00 flight. They just thing it's the greatest thing!

However this trip due to flight costs going through the roof we have to fly from an airport about 4 hours away. It was either fly from our local like we usually do for $1,800 or drive 4 hours and get 4 free flights due to my points. No brainer!

So our plan is to pull them out of school about an hour early on a Friday drive down 4 hours to stay in a hotel and then the next morning we are leaving on a 6:30 am flight so they will still get up in the middle of the night.

Here is the bad: They literally ask daily if we can go to Disney and we told them to save enough money so they can go some time in the July timeframe. Having said that we explained that depending on how much they save by then we may have to fly out of different airport about 4 hours from here to save money. Boy did they lose it this morning about that conversation. Crying and crying more that they want to excitement of leaving from home in the middle of the night. BRATS, BRATS and more BRATS!

The good: They are great little boys and this is a side we have not seen from them. Even better yet they are saving every penny they can because according to them "mommy and daddy if we can save $800 will that get us 4 tickets to fly to disney?" They are trying to earn money through chores, tag sales, saving bottle depsits, buying things on sale at the grocery store. They want to be the ones to pay for all of our plane tickets and that makes us very proud!

What we usually do is the money they save is their spending money for souveneirs, etc. We have not given them money in the last two trips and those little stinkers figured out how to save $150 each. Good for them!

Anyway sorry for venting! Just felt frustrated and bad because I want this to be a big surprise and don't want the disappointment of having to drive 4 hours and not leave until the next day.

 

[bnk1120]

I understand your frustration!! We are DVC member who are staying offsite scared1: gasp) in April and my 9year old daughter freaked out when she found out. We will be going to the parks because we have AP's and we are staying a couple nights at AKV. Not good enough for her! What she is mad about is not getting to take ME from the airport to the hotel. She says that's the best part.

It did upset me at first that she was acting like a spoiled brat. But now I realize there are so many little things that make our Disney vacations special that she just wants everything to be the same. It's kind of cute that your kids have already turned the flight excitement into a "tradition" that they want to repeat.

Although they might be disappointed at first, I'm sure they will soon be over it and excited to be going to Disney!!

 

[arthur06]

We went to DL last year and used our SW points. We had to drive 4 hours to the airport for flights. It really isn't bad and the kids were just fine. The drive home after the trip is the hardest part tho...

 

[miprender]

Sorry for venting this early in the morning!!!!

Well we are DVC members and our two sons ages 5 and 7 absolutely love Disney as we do and have been there 7 times in their short years. Anyway we surprised them last year with a trip and are surprising them again this April (already booked) and they have no idea.

Anyway with these two kids they one of their favorite things about the trip is getting up in the middle of the night (usually 3:00 or so) to catch a 6:00 flight. They just thing it's the greatest thing!

However this trip due to flight costs going through the roof we have to fly from an airport about 4 hours away. It was either fly from our local like we usually do for $1,800 or drive 4 hours and get 4 free flights due to my points. No brainer!

So our plan is to pull them out of school about an hour early on a Friday drive down 4 hours to stay in a hotel and then the next morning we are leaving on a 6:30 am flight so they will still get up in the middle of the night.

Here is the bad: They literally ask daily if we can go to Disney and we told them to save enough money so they can go some time in the July timeframe. Having said that we explained that depending on how much they save by then we may have to fly out of different airport about 4 hours from here to save money. Boy did they lose it this morning about that conversation. Crying and crying more that they want to excitement of leaving from home in the middle of the night. BRATS, BRATS and more BRATS!

The good: They are great little boys and this is a side we have not seen from them. Even better yet they are saving every penny they can because according to them "mommy and daddy if we can save $800 will that get us 4 tickets to fly to disney?" They are trying to earn money through chores, tag sales, saving bottle depsits, buying things on sale at the grocery store. They want to be the ones to pay for all of our plane tickets and that makes us very proud!

What we usually do is the money they save is their spending money for souveneirs, etc. We have not given them money in the last two trips and those little stinkers figured out how to save $150 each. Good for them!

Anyway sorry for venting! Just felt frustrated and bad because I want this to be a big surprise and don't want the disappointment of having to drive 4 hours and not leave until the next day.

We are driving 4 hrs to Long Island because PVD airport was outrageous for their flights due to school vacation week.

 

[bfrosty]

We have been DVC members since 2007 with VWL and then in 2009 BCV. We've done about 6-7 DVC trips and loved it. Now, we just sold off our BCV last October (We bought a new house) and we have our VWL for sale now.

It's getting a bit sad, our kids are 13 and 8 now and we have other vacation destinations we'd like to visit now.

I'm not sure if it's the right timing or what, but our flights from STL are now extremely limited and very expensive to fly to MCO.

We typically can get 4 RT for around $650-800. Sometimes we could get a couple free tickets by doing SWA credit card offers.

Now, in the past 4-months...SWA is the only direct flight from STL. Per ticket price is $250 One-Way....so we are looking at $2,000RT for 4 people. Wow, it's more than doubled!!! now.

I know Disney is expensive, but this is putting it out of reach for us to go often any more. We could drive, I don't mind it...but 2hrs flight is awesome.

They just need to liquify all airlines and start all over....or something. It's getting to be like Airflight was 60yrs ago....only the rich could afford to fly?

Thanks for reading...any thoughts? folks.
Bfrosty

 

[bumbershoot]

But now I realize there are so many little things that make our Disney vacations special that she just wants everything to be the same. It's kind of cute that your kids have already turned the flight excitement into a "tradition" that they want to repeat.

Exactly. We all have our own little things that really MAKE the trip. To a little dude like a 5 year old, or even a little-though-bigger kid like the 7 year old, they might simply not be able *fathom* how on earth this trip could even BE a trip, if they dont' get up in the middle of the night. Nothing to do with being a "brat", but everything to do with being on this earth such a very short time, with only x number of experiences to draw upon.

Not to mention, getting up in the middle of the night is very exciting to some. My son absolutely loves it. IT was until this last trip that he has been enamored with the idea of an "all nighter". Then he nearly experienced it with our flight home (decided to relax and catch a 4pm flight...not as much fun getting into the house at 2am pacific time, 5am easter/our body's time!) and is cured of that, LOL. But being woken up early, all warm and cozy, and with my son he LOVES it when we change his clothes as he pretends to sleep, is just super-exciting.

They'll work it out, that this trip will be fun, too. But for now they are mourning the loss of what is *known* to them.

Now, in the past 4-months...SWA is the only direct flight from STL. Per ticket price is $250 One-Way....so we are looking at $2,000RT for 4 people. Wow, it's more than doubled!!! now.
....
They just need to liquify all airlines and start all over....or something. It's getting to be like Airflight was 60yrs ago....only the rich could afford to fly?

Thanks for reading...any thoughts? folks.
Bfrosty

I'm 43. In 8th grade it was $800 for my flight on TWA from SFO to the DC area. If things had not changed and inflation had been allowed to have its way with flights, can you even imagine what it would have been by now?

 

[333disneymom]

Lots of children just like their familiar routine. They are probably just afraid of the unknown. I wouldn't worry too much, because in the end you will probably have a great trip and the children will see that different ways of getting to Disney are OK too. I can understand your disappointment though.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[Brian Noble]

My recommendation: take an adults-only trip during Food & Wine. That'll show 'em!

Signed,
World's Meanest Dad.

 

[luckyman_apd]

My recommendation: take an adults-only trip during Food & Wine. That'll show 'em!

Signed,
World's Meanest Dad.

LOVE THIS!

Seriously, not trying to insult anyone here but if our kids are spoiled its because WE as parents spoiled them. It's pretty simple. This is how it is.....if you don't like.....no disney. Faced with that alternative I'm willing to bet they'll "settle" for the 4 hour drive.......or tell them you're going without them!

 

[sleepydog25]

We have been DVC members since 2007 with VWL and then in 2009 BCV. We've done about 6-7 DVC trips and loved it. Now, we just sold off our BCV last October (We bought a new house) and we have our VWL for sale now.

It's getting a bit sad, our kids are 13 and 8 now and we have other vacation destinations we'd like to visit now.

I'm not sure if it's the right timing or what, but our flights from STL are now extremely limited and very expensive to fly to MCO.

We typically can get 4 RT for around $650-800. Sometimes we could get a couple free tickets by doing SWA credit card offers.

Now, in the past 4-months...SWA is the only direct flight from STL. Per ticket price is $250 One-Way....so we are looking at $2,000RT for 4 people. Wow, it's more than doubled!!! now.

I know Disney is expensive, but this is putting it out of reach for us to go often any more. We could drive, I don't mind it...but 2hrs flight is awesome.

They just need to liquify all airlines and start all over....or something. It's getting to be like Airflight was 60yrs ago....only the rich could afford to fly?

Thanks for reading...any thoughts? folks.
Bfrosty

Drive. You already said you don't mind driving, and the built-in advantages are apparent: cheaper travel costs, more money in your pocket to spend at WDW, not relying on Disney transportation, and scheduling trip when it's best for you (not based on airline costs/availability). I used to enjoy flying; now, I can't stand it. Granted, we can make it to Florida in under 11 hours which is a far cry from St. Louis, but even then I can't imagine flying for that kind of money. Even from where we are, a RT ticket for a 1.5-hour flight (we have to drive 2 hours to the airport) is in the $300 per person neighborhood. We can drive down, back, and stay in a hotel room enroute (in order to split our drive) for less than the cost of one ticket alone. I have very little use for airlines anymore.

 

[AirGoofy]

We have been DVC members since 2007 with VWL and then in 2009 BCV. We've done about 6-7 DVC trips and loved it. Now, we just sold off our BCV last October (We bought a new house) and we have our VWL for sale now.

Now, in the past 4-months...SWA is the only direct flight from STL. Per ticket price is $250 One-Way....so we are looking at $2,000RT for 4 people. Wow, it's more than doubled!!! now.

I know Disney is expensive, but this is putting it out of reach for us to go often any more. We could drive, I don't mind it...but 2hrs flight is awesome.

They just need to liquify all airlines and start all over....or something. It's getting to be like Airflight was 60yrs ago....only the rich could afford to fly?

Thanks for reading...any thoughts? folks.
Bfrosty

What, you mean there is price fixing in this free market system?

The two hr flight vs 12 hour drive used to be a no brainer, but 4 plane tickets has made that an impossibility. We drive.