Who else does all the planning?

[mommymanda]

Don't get me wrong, part of my travel love is the research and planning that goes into it. If I could afford a career change it would be as a travel agent 100%.

As a family of five I've planned three Disney trips and a cruise as big vacations over the years. Plus trips to Mexico and Costa Rica for my husband and I.

The family trips once all was done ranged from $8000-$10,000. That's with discounts and off season etc. Typical for those of us who understand prices.
I've always planned, booked and told the family here is what's happening.
I'm planning something different for next year (Florida has lost my love for the time being)so I thought I'd keep my husband in the loop. When I tell him it will be roughly $10,000 for all he looks at me like I'm crazy. I just shake my head and ask what he thought every other trips total were.

Anyone else prefer just plan and keep others in the dark? I've never bankrupted us, I'm well aware of my budget. Now he's got me second guessing the cost on what I initially thought was a great deal for a dream trip.

 

[TommyJK]

Yes. This is me too exactly. I plan and execute every bit of it and the family comes along for the ride so to speak. I'm like the family concierge

 

[podgirl]

Yep, me too. For non-Disney trips we might brainstorm together as to where we want to go and then I get to it. I absolutely love trip planning and no one usually has any idea as to the cost. You're not alone!

 

[mommymanda]

Yep, me too. For non-Disney trips we might brainstorm together as to where we want to go and then I get to it. I absolutely love trip planning and no one usually has any idea as to the cost. You're not alone!

Yup, we did a whole family vote for this trip. Kids are old enough it gave us a number of options. Hotel Xcaret and Universal ended tied. I made the executive decision on Xcaret after months of Universal planning lol.

 

[petunia]

Don't get me wrong, part of my travel love is the research and planning that goes into it. If I could afford a career change it would be as a travel agent 100%.

As a family of five I've planned three Disney trips and a cruise as big vacations over the years. Plus trips to Mexico and Costa Rica for my husband and I.

The family trips once all was done ranged from $8000-$10,000. That's with discounts and off season etc. Typical for those of us who understand prices.
I've always planned, booked and told the family here is what's happening.
I'm planning something different for next year (Florida has lost my love for the time being)so I thought I'd keep my husband in the loop. When I tell him it will be roughly $10,000 for all he looks at me like I'm crazy. I just shake my head and ask what he thought every other trips total were.

Anyone else prefer just plan and keep others in the dark? I've never bankrupted us, I'm well aware of my budget. Now he's got me second guessing the cost on what I initially thought was a great deal for a dream trip.

Yup..Im the only one who knows anything about our plans..from WDW to AI to cruising...wouldnt have it any other way!

 

[cari12]

Me too, I do all the planning. I just give DH the Coles notes version (am I aging myself Lol). I ask DH and the kids about some preferences but I do all the research and planning and booking.

 

[hdrolfe]

I plan everything and usually narrow it to a couple options and let kiddo pick. But I am very much able to steer him to the trip I want so far he hasn't caught on.

 

[ottawamom]

Like most who have posted I also do all the planning etc. With 5 (or soon to be 8 with DIL's) of us travelling I am careful about the spending as it adds up fast. I will let DH know what the totals amounted to when we return. He has no idea what things cost (vacation wise).

 

[Frozen2014]

Yes totally...and for me, I love the planning and anticipation of the trip I have spreadsheets with many tabs. I also have gotten us many price drops on cruises or refundable trip bookings as I monitor often. No way DH would ever check. He's also the type to just take the first thing he sees, whereas I do research, and planning. And it depends on the trip how detailed. For cruises, it's more just shows, excursions, etc. But for Disney, it's a spreadsheet of a plan. For our first Disney trip, DH even asked me if there was a timeslot for him to pee...lol,.

But I don't keep things in the dark as I will give him "updates"....he just doesn't want to hear all the details of option 1 vs option 2 vs options3 and pros and cons of each...ha ha.

 

[shawthorne44]

I do all the planning, and I love it. But, I'm also the money person in the family. Occasionally, DH will ask why we didn't get X option that looks good, like the Express Passes at Universal. Then I tell him the price, and he makes a face and is happy. Then on a later trip if I decide we'll get X option, I'll tell him the price I actually got us (e.g. $15/pp/day) and then he's happy. Otherwise, I don't mention the price.
Even then, I don't really have a budget. But, I'm frugal by nature. People have asked what my budget is for our Disney trip and I give them a blank look. But, that doesn't mean we are staying Deluxe on-site.

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

Planner here!

On our last big 3-family disney trip, I had mini itinerary cards for everyone that included our FP+ times, show/parade/fireworks times, etc They thought I was nuts until the wifi went out and we needed to know what was planned in My Disney Experience LOL

 

[pigletto]

I think if they have no idea what things cost, just about any number is going to sound too high. I do allllll of the planning which is my preference but I do get kinda cranky if there is any complaining because they are invited to help plan , they just don’t want to most of the time.
We started going in 2008 and my mission was to never have a trip cost more than $4000. Back then that was 9 or 10 days , free dining in the off season and included flights and spending money. I kept it at that for years and eventually bumped it up to $5000 to include rising costs . We moved offsite for a number of years to accommodate that. Finally when that wasn’t enough I started working rewards programs and credit card points like a pro and probably covered half my trip cost that way . It’s getting harder and harder to manage that budget but to this date no trip on-site or off has cost more than $5k Canadian out of pocket . And we always go longer than a week. Sometimes we include Universal for a few days. We’ve also only gone once in the last three years for obvious reasons .

 

[mommymanda]

I think if they have no idea what things cost, just about any number is going to sound too high. I do allllll of the planning which is my preference but I do get kinda cranky if there is any complaining because they are invited to help plan , they just don’t want to most of the time.
We started going in 2008 and my mission was to never have a trip cost more than $4000. Back then that was 9 or 10 days , free dining in the off season and included flights and spending money. I kept it at that for years and eventually bumped it up to $5000 to include rising costs . We moved offsite for a number of years to accommodate that. Finally when that wasn’t enough I started working rewards programs and credit card points like a pro and probably covered half my trip cost that way . It’s getting harder and harder to manage that budget but to this date no trip on-site or off has cost more than $5k Canadian out of pocket . And we always go longer than a week. Sometimes we include Universal for a few days. We’ve also only gone once in the last three years for obvious reasons .

I need your tips!! We take one big trip every three years, so my budget has been around the $8000 point. I thought that was great for what I got. Now I have two teens and an adult as 'kids' and everything has jumped in cost. Thankfully I continued my travel savings through the past two years. Add those savings, three years of lock down by the time we vacation again, and this most likely being the last time all five of us travel together...I'm allowing a splurge to get what I want...but when I go back to normal planning I'd love to keep the budget under $6000!!!

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

I do allllll of the planning which is my preference but I do get kinda cranky if there is any complaining because they are invited to help plan , they just don’t want to most of the time.

BOOM! DH says "Oh yea, sounds awesome!" and he literally has no idea what he's agreeing to because in that moment he doesn't care. Fast forward to waiting in a line or something and it's like "who's idea was this?"

 

[dvcdisney]

Yes. This is me too exactly. I plan and execute every bit of it and the family comes along for the ride so to speak. I'm like the family concierge

I'm exactly the same way. I text a list of daily events (reservations and activities) to each family member a few days before we leave. I'm more than just a personal assistant and travel agent, I'm an unpaid concierge for my family.

As with the costs, I try to choose things that I feel has value. My husband wants to splurge every single time...you can imagine who has to manage the finance in my family.

 

[pigletto]

I need your tips!! We take one big trip every three years, so my budget has been around the $8000 point. I thought that was great for what I got. Now I have two teens and an adult as 'kids' and everything has jumped in cost. Thankfully I continued my travel savings through the past two years. Add those savings, three years of lock down by the time we vacation again, and this most likely being the last time all five of us travel together...I'm allowing a splurge to get what I want...but when I go back to normal planning I'd love to keep the budget under $6000!!!

Airmiles were a huge help to me for a number of years but I stopped collecting when I didn’t see the value any more . Everything outside of the regular paycheque budget is fair game .. survey money , credit card points , PC optimum points etc. Then there is the Westjet World elite card which gives the once a year companion fare for $119 plus taxes and includes free luggage. We did really well with JetBlue and Southwest out of Buffalo too but that’s not an option for all .

I rent DVC points or use Priceline/Hotwire blind bidding for onsite . Not everyone is comfortable with the last option because you aren’t positive what resort you are getting but the pros here on the Disboards have it down to a science and you know it will be one of a few onsite resorts . Those deals are non refundable though so I wouldn’t use them myself anymore with Covid changing everything. I used it before to book onsite at the Swan for around $215 CAD a night.

We also used Bonnet Creek quite a few times and loved it . A full kitchen was a big budget help for breakfast and snacks and a few dinners. We were so close to Disney property it was like being onsite.

Sometimes we eat offsite . That’s not for everyone either but we’ve been to Disney 15 or so times so we don’t mind leaving for a meal if we have a car.

I also ask for Disney gift cards for Xmas , birthdays , Valentine’s Day etc . It adds up nicely and goes to our food budget usually. I love hunting a good deal so this is all fun to me . I just purchased a deal from another thread here for Costco.com gift cards that are good a Disney’s Rainforest Cafe, T Rex cafe and Yak and Yeti in Animal Kingdom. They were 20% off so that saves you most of the cost of exchange basically.

 

[Susan2771]

I plan, husband pays. No questions asked

 

[tlcdoula]

I do all the planning and while I do enjoy it the part that drives me insane is when I ask hubby for opinions for things etc he will sort of give a little input then after will say "What it cost that much?" ahhhh

The best one was when we were travelling to Disneyland with a friend and I had booked it all even gave them a list of notes lol... the shuttle driver asked what airline we were going on to drop us off and my friend and my hubby looked at each other and started laughing. They didn't even know what flipping airline

 

[mommymanda]

I do all the planning and while I do enjoy it the part that drives me insane is when I ask hubby for opinions for things etc he will sort of give a little input then after will say "What it cost that much?" ahhhh

THIS!!!

I ALWAYS ask my husband his thoughts on planning...but majority of the time his answer is "whatever you think is best"...yet when I throw out the price he looks at me like I've lost my mind. I guess this one is harder for him to understand as it's a package, one price tag for all.
I once overheard him tell a coworker I'm so great finding deals. I got us a cruise vacation for 5 at $2500. He didn't pay any attention as I planned (and discussed) the before/after hotel nights, flights and excursions for that cruise...or exchange rate.

 

[Donald - my hero]

I do all the planning simply because I have the time and hubby is too busy to take the time! It starts with a discussion of our "line in the sand" must haves - time of year, type of room/resort, what kind of activities and how long. Then I ask for the budget and set to work. I create a spreadsheet that shows all of what i consider the best options and another discussion or 10 take place and I will iron out the details. What usually ends up happening is even after I've booked flights, rooms, activities hubby will say NO, i want to stay longer, make it happen so you'll notice how that's getting fixed for 2023! Also due to my severe dietary limitations (currently have 16 safe foods) Disney is the ONLY place we can safely go so i don't need to worry about the where

The lines in the sand for our next trip are as follows:

• king-sized bed, I LOVE my space and HATE being touched when I'm sleeping and hubby has RLS
• Late Jan/Feb for a full month please - hubby is exhausted and needs at least a week to catch up on sleep and then he can enjoy himself
• Annual Passes so that we can spend as little or as long in the parks as we feel we want
• quiet room/resort that lets us just "be"
• Good transportation to get to dining options for me!

I go in with an idea of what $$ is the upper limit and work around it, hubby tends to veto when he thinks it's too CHEAP!