I'd look at seriously trimming down that budget. Stay off site. Rent a couple vacation weeks off eBay, rent a car, buy groceries. Family of 4 could do 16 days for under $5000 easy and have a very good time.
I'd look at seriously trimming down that budget. Stay off site. Rent a couple vacation weeks off eBay, rent a car, buy groceries. Family of 4 could do 16 days for under $5000 easy and have a very good time.
I hear ya. We've done trips like that. And we've done ones like I described above:
7 days Silver Lake 2 br $400
Rental car, gas, parking $300
Park tickets $1500 (and that's paying cash for 4, we usually get 1 or 2 passes on reward points)
Groceries $200
Flights $1200 (again that's paying for 4, we usually use reward points)
That's typically 5 park days, $500 spent in the parks.
So $4100. Another week would be about $1500 more. I probably did under estimate a bit.
If the trip is because you need time away to relax and rewind, then working like that is probably counter-intuitive
If the trip is because you just crave the magic, and want to have a once-in-a-lifetime over the top trip, then maybe it's worth it.
It also depends on how much you enjoy your job - if you love it, I'm guessing those days wouldn't be so bad and the pain level won't be bad. But if you less than love it, then it's probably too much.
And finally, it depends on what you are giving up to work those extra days - is it time with young kids? Then I wouldn't do it. If it's just time hanging out on your own, then why not? (And of course there are all sorts of shades of grey there in the middle.)
Personally, I would trade less days working for a shorter and less fancy trip. 16 days on a WDW trip would be a bit much for me. I get bored with things and am ready to go home after about 10 days. I'm also just fine with lower-end accommodations such as the Value resorts, so I would probably spend less on that sort of thing. But everyone is different - my sister thinks it's not a vacation if you aren't at least on the concierge floor of a 4-star hotel. To each his own!
I hear ya. We've done trips like that. And we've done ones like I described above:
7 days Silver Lake 2 br $400
Rental car, gas, parking $300
Park tickets $1500 (and that's paying cash for 4, we usually get 1 or 2 passes on reward points)
Groceries $200
Flights $1200 (again that's paying for 4, we usually use reward points)
That's typically 5 park days, $500 spent in the parks.
So $4100. Another week would be about $1500 more. I probably did under estimate a bit.
No, but I might work half as many Saturdays for half as much time at WDW. I almost always go when crowds are low and can experience everything we want at the parks in that time. While the longer one stays the cheaper it becomes per day the law of diminishing returns kicks in eventually making days later into the trip less enjoyable. I can buy a season pass to a local waterpark for $50 so won't be spending time at them on vacation. That being said the three of us are spending a week on-resort at ASM with park hopper tickets and the regular dining plan for $2,517 so if each Saturday earned only $300 could pay for 16 days at WDW in about 22 Saturdays plus however many days it takes to pay transportation costs. My daughter has to save her own money for souvenirs as our trip is a lesson in deferred gratification and we've said no to other things.
We used to live within driving distance of Disneyland and had APs all the time (and they used to be cheap!) and we would just drive down for the day or an afternoon, etc....
When we moved to NC, I told DH I would only move if he promised we could go to DW every year. But adding in hotels, eating out, gas, dog sitting, etc....and it really adds up!
I rarely put in the groceries and eating out to the budget expenses though. I just use our regular budget for that anyway.
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