Who's not going to Disney this year because of budget cuts?

[williamson_ja]

With everything going on and gas prices rising every day, is anyone canceling or just not booking their annual disney trip this year? We were going to add a couple days after our cruise in Dec. for a christmas visit to WDW and are now cutting it off the trip. Paying for extra gas in a time where my kids have TONS of driving needs have made me look really hard at my budget to see what I could cut. Anyone else in this boat with me??

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Me. I took two weekend trips last year, but I'm not looking to go to WDW or DLR again until probably 2013. I am okay with it though. I think a long gap between trips will be a good thing in my case. It will allow time for the excitement and anticipation to build up again.

At least that's what I tell myself.

 

[DVCBELLE]

My DH is unemployed so until he gets a job no Disney trips for us! Since we normally go every year it will be ok but we are all starting to miss the mouse and hope he gets a job soon!

 

[Darcy03231]

I'm still taking my June trip, but after that I don't see the mouse in my future for a couple of years, at least.

 

[ChrisinNJ]

We don't go every year anyway because we can't afford it. We usually go every 2 to 3 years, and we were there in November.

I think at this point I will save some money & wait to go back once fantasyland re-opens. We have talked about a non-Disney Orlando trip though to see the other parks that we haven't gotten to yet, but probably not this year...

 

[stacy347]

At this point, I have cancelled our June trip. It was the right thing to do for our budget right now.

We will still be taking a couple of road trips for oldest DD's college orientation in June and when we drop her off in August (we'll be turning those into mini-vacations including a stop at Mall of America and the Nick Universe park inside).

We'll try for next year.

 

[DawnM]

We took a long break when my husband got a paycut.

The next couple of trips are paid for (other than gas and dog sitting) as we bought condo weeks in advance and have APs, but after that we are going to take another break, at least one year, possibly longer.

Dawn

 

[mrudman]

We're not going this year... haven't been since Dec of '08, and probably won't be back till summer of '12 at the earliest.

Taking some smaller trips instead.. and doing one "larger" trip where we're circling lake erie, stopping at east harbor s.p., sarnia area (pinery), then niagara falls (koa).

 

[figment3258]

We were going in December but we canceled a few weeks ago I guess we will try for next year

 

[Bete]

we decided against Disney World.

We are taking two, other trips for a little more than one trip for Disney. We get a longer trip overall doing this and I feel we are seeing something new, as well.

One of our trips this year is Pigeon Forge and Dollywood and the Smokies. There are Festivals at Dollywood and we are going during a time (Spring) where the entertainment will be more like being in Epcot. APs for Dollywood are reasonable and we may take even another trip there for Fall to see another Festival. I never get tired of the Smokies especially seeing the Cove. There are four seasons there and that's why I enjoy it.

In addition, we are doing Williamsburg, Virginia.

I will say we are not staying at Grand hotels but we survive. I love having breakfast included at the places we stay. Some offer hot breakfast which has good choices. We did Dollywood last year and skipped Disney. Then, we took a trip down to Biltmore in Carolina for that trip. We were very satisfied.

For us, it was one day on the road which I really liked for Dollywood. I'm sure there are places across the country that can make for good vacations for all. I feel to a certain extent I got in a rut with DW; because, I knew it so well. I have gotten over that feeling; so, Disney is going to have to be a treat in the future for us and not a regular trip anymore.

I can see us going back only every three to five years for Disney. Honestly, I did not miss it last year and I don't think I'll miss it this year. I will say for 15 years we were going annually to Disney, but not anymore. I think the current economy made me think a different way and I've never looked back.

The other option for some may be to skip a vacation all together one year and go every other year to Disney if you are stuck on doing so. You can take in local attractions for the off year. Give another look at your local museums, zoos, parks, and beaches for the off year.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

We don't go every year anyway because we can't afford it. We usually go every 2 to 3 years, and we were there in November.

I think at this point I will save some money & wait to go back once fantasyland re-opens. We have talked about a non-Disney Orlando trip though to see the other parks that we haven't gotten to yet, but probably not this year...

We did a non-Disney Orlando trip last year, and had a blast. We didn't do Universal, but did Seaworld (2 days), Gatorland, and DD15 and I did Holy Land Experience (we're not religious, but she was curious, so I took her). There's plenty to do outside WDW, and we enjoyed the rental house.

We're going to WDW this year, but we only go every other year. Logistically and financially, this is what works for us. Of course, I also have 4 kids over an 11-year span, which is why it takes a lot of effort and money. I find that my kids get more nostalgic for WDW, and seem to appreciate it a lot, since they haven't been in a while, and won't be back for a couple years.

 

[leadfootlevi]

We've only been to WDW once as a family. I would love to make it an annual trip, but I also long to show my DS5 the rest of the world. This year we're going to try our hand at camping and just enjoy the state parks that are abundant in our area. I'd love to take DS to Disney Land, the Great Smoky Mountains, Washington DC, The Redwood Forests, The Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Arches, Custer State Park (Mount Rushmore), Alaska, Australia, Europe, the list goes on. Disney World will probably never be an annual trip for us. There's just SO much else I want to experience - it's hard to make that decision though. Disney world can be very affordable and it's easy - I have done the research, I know what to expect, I know where to find information, and most of the work is done for you or can be done well in advance. Going someplace like Custer State Park will require a lot of planning, and I may even have to (gasp) throw caution to the wind sometimes and not have a plan for dinner on the third night of our vacation.

 

[Marionnette]

With everything going on and gas prices rising every day, is anyone canceling or just not booking their annual disney trip this year? We were going to add a couple days after our cruise in Dec. for a christmas visit to WDW and are now cutting it off the trip. Paying for extra gas in a time where my kids have TONS of driving needs have made me look really hard at my budget to see what I could cut. Anyone else in this boat with me??

We were going to go in November for a conference and classes. The convention rate for the rooms at the Grand is amazingly affordable! But we decided to do some classes locally this year instead.

I'm still debating whether to take a short trip using the Free Dining PIN, free RT credits from SWA and my Disney Visa rewards. It's not like we can use those rewards and air credits for anything else. We could actually do a 5-day trip for two for under $500 out of pocket and I have half of that saved in my change jar.

 

[GoofyGirl75]

DD15 and I did Holy Land Experience (we're not religious, but she was curious, so I took her).

Not trying to threadjack, but I'm curious about you and your DD's impressions of the Holy Land Experience. My granny wants to go, so we're planning on taking her in May.

As for our family, we're still doing our Disney trip in May, but we'll probably continue to go every 1 1/2-2 years. We also want to see the rest of the country, and eventually (when my kids get older) travel abroad. This summer we are also doing a state park in Arkansas, and we'll probably try Tennessee next year. DS is only 3, so I think we'll be able to broaden our horizons quite a bit as he gets older. (But I still want to hit WDW every couple of years, at least!)

 

[crusoe2]

We're still planning to go this year. We want to get in one more trip while DD is still young enough to reallly get a thrill out of the princess stuff - BBB, eating at CRT, etc. She just turned 8 so this stage of being dazzled by the characters is probably winding down. We are, however, cutting back pretty drastically on the cost of the trip by staying offsite again. Had orig planned for onsite but found that we could get a very nice place at WH for about a quarter of what the onsite room was going to cost. Now what we were going to spend on the room will cover our accommodations, park tickets, parking, and probably gas there and back.

We also have done Disney enough times now that we're getting ready to try some new things. If we have the time and the money after this year's trip, we're going to invest in some camping equipment and do some weekend trips to some of our state parks. If that goes well, we may try it on a bigger scale at some nat'l parks later. We're also a family of history buffs so there are lots of historic sites we'd like to visit too.

 

[sydneysmom]

we're not going yet either. We were supposed to go in 2012, but a couple of things changed our mind...we wait till 2013 and we can have more saved up to pay off vacation, plus, the FantasyLand expansion will be done. So, those two things made us decide to wait.
So, this summer and next summer we're flying to Cape Cod to my parents house for a week at the beach ! Not too bad of a substitute! Then we'll be all ready to hit the ground running in 2013 ! ( God willing!!)

 

[blanq]

We went to WDW at the end of Jan this year, while airfare prices were still good and before gas started to dramatically increase. We are on vacation right now (in Palm Springs), and again, I bought low for airfare. The rest of this year is up in the air. We are hoping for a trip to Green Bay to see a Packer game and then on to Door County for a few days in September, and for a trip to Las Vegas in Oct or Nov, but we really will have to see where food and gas prices take us. As far as a future WDW trip in our future, I think that 2013 will be when we will tray and go back.

 

[Planogirl]

We aren't going this year but it's mostly because I'm slashing my own budget. As soon as I can, I'm quitting my miserable job and trips will be out until I find something else. My biggest headaches are the cost of passes and gas to get there.

We will probably take a few closer budget trips instead. I would love to somehow get to Universal for HHN too but there's that high cost of gas again.

 

[Priorityonecb]

We are still going this year. I just did the gas calculator using the higher prices, costing $160 for a family of four. Still reasonable to us. We are also doing a week in Myrtle Beach, a long weekend in Hilton Head, a couple trips to Williamsburg, and a trip to DC/Baltimore this summer.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Not trying to threadjack, but I'm curious about you and your DD's impressions of the Holy Land Experience. My granny wants to go, so we're planning on taking her in May.

As for our family, we're still doing our Disney trip in May, but we'll probably continue to go every 1 1/2-2 years. We also want to see the rest of the country, and eventually (when my kids get older) travel abroad. This summer we are also doing a state park in Arkansas, and we'll probably try Tennessee next year. DS is only 3, so I think we'll be able to broaden our horizons quite a bit as he gets older. (But I still want to hit WDW every couple of years, at least!)

It was interesting and informative. DD(then)14 single-handedly lowered the average age of attendees--most were retirement age. But, we were also there the last week in Feb.--the week after most winter breaks, so that may have been a factor. I wouldn't call it a theme park--there's no Holy Roller Coaster or John the Baptist Flume Ride. It's shows and walk-through exhibits that directly relate to the Bible--mostly New Testament, but I think an open-minded person of Jewish faith could appreciate some of the stuff, too. There's not much there to appeal to children. I wasn't sorry I left my other kids (then 12, 5, and 3) behind.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled thread...