How Do You All Do It???????

[mereg]

I have never been to WDW before and am activly trying to plan a trip for my family of 4 for next year. I see that most of you have been yearly visitors of WDW experience and am curious as to how you do it.

While checking into pricing the average cost of the famed "6 day 7 night" is no where near the price quoted on the telivision even at the value resorts and then that doesn't even figue in airfair from the midwest. All in all the way I have priced it, It will cost some major $$$$$ to get there not to mention eating and the required souvioners for my 5 and 8 year old.

WHAT AM I MISSING?? HOW DO YOU DO IT. It seems to me that even trying to save for a year will only get us transpo and room. Please help with any tricks and tips.
Thanks

 

[TTFN-Tiggger]

I use my tax refund plus save money through the year. I usually am fleeing during the 'peak' season to get away from cold and snow so I pay more on hotel. It is worth every cent spent though! The only time I missed Disney was for a trip to Hawaii. Next time that happens (another vacation destination) I will still find a way to get to Disney for a long weekend too. A year without Disney was not the same for me.

 

[lawyergirl77]

I work six or seven days/week (on salary, ) and so I have no social life, ergo no other things on which to spend my money... :lookaroun

Truth be told, buying an annual pass has allowed me to justify far more trips than I should really be taking... but until I have kids/a mortgage/RRSPs, I am going to enjoy the things that my lack of responsibilities allows me to have!! :lol:

 

[Mickifan17]

Three simple words: Disney Vacation Club.

It's the best purchase I ever made. I'm currently up to going 3 times in a 12 month period. I have an annual pass and the Disney Dining Discount card. I've also been lucky with airfare. The best I've done was on 2 separate trips last year; $135/pp round trip for NY to Orlando on Song (Delta). So with no hotel to pay for, no park passes to pay for and cheap airfare, it makes the trips much easier. All my money goes to food and souvinears.

These are not all long trips, but minimum of 4 days. I did 5 days last May, 9 days last December and am doing 4 days this May. Ya can't beat it.

Only 63 more days til I'm Home!! :sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy:

 

[GoofyMom2]

How we are affording to go on our next trip:

Using DH travel points from business trips to stay at the Swan for free!! (OK, not an opion for everyone but I jumped at it)
Disney Visa rewards....we will have over $400 of spending money for this trip (we never carry a balance)
As I got extra money throughout the year, Yard Sale, Ebay sales etc I put it away into a special account or used it to get Disney Dollars. Also, had the relatives get the kids some Disney Dollars for Christmas etc so they now have $100 each of their own. (My in-laws even got me some! LOL)
Gave up remodeling the downstairs bathroom to pay for plane tickets....I'd rather have a Disney vacation with my family than a new sink/cabinet
Bought the 10 day no exp MYW tickets so we have 5 for this year and 5 days for our trip next year. This was cheaper than buying 2 separate 5 day tickets.

Ooops, forgot to add that we also saved change throughout the year....just rolled it and had about $130!

I will try to save on some things while there but we are still splurging on some nice character meals, sit-downs, extra activities, etc. We are really excited about going!

 

[Heatherbell]

For me it's the Annual Pass. Before I got one I only went once a year. Well since I have had that bad boy I go AT LEAST 3 times a year and I live in Massachusetts. SAves money plus (hopefully) gets you discounts. So I just wait until the slower times, watch the airfare and plan...

 

[Laura]

Annual passes help a lot. So do connections.

 

[Yellow Shoes]

Three simple words: Disney Vacation Club.

I have an annual pass and the Disney Dining Discount card. I've also been lucky with airfare. So with no hotel to pay for, no park passes to pay for and cheap airfare, it makes the trips much easier. All my money goes to food and souvinears.

mereg has sticker shock over $1700. I would think that coming up with $14,000 PLUS yearly fees of around $700 PLUS $1600 for 4 annual passes is simply out of the question.


Although Donald Trump can do it, most of us are not in the postion of being able to "spend money to make (or save) money"

 

[Nicole]

For me it's a matter of choices. We rarely eat out - even fast food is a once-a-month or so thing. When I'm tempted to take the family to McDonald's for dinner I'll say to myself "would I rather have McDs or put $25 in the Disney fund?" Then I'll go home and cook dinner and transfer $25 to my savings account. I really want a nice big-screen tv like most of my friends have. But I'd rather use that $2000 for a Disney trip! I don't have digital cable, I don't have satellite radio...things that would add to my monthly bills that while they'd be nice just mean money from my Disney trips.


I have a Disney Visa and I charge as much as I can to it - phone bill, cable bill, groceries (then pay it off when the bill comes of course!) so that I earn points. I earned enough points to buy 10 day tickets for my DD and DH last year - I have an AP.

As for souvenirs, we give our kids a $10 per day shopping allowance. They can spend it daily or they can save it up and buy a bigger item later in the trip. It's helped immensely with the gift shop experience!

And like someone else said, we are in a finanacial position to be able to afford a few extras. Fifteen years ago a single day at DL as we were passing through California was a huge event for us. Now a week at Disney is, while not ordinary, still easily affordable.

 

[Mickifan17]

mereg has sticker shock over $1700. I would think that coming up with $14,000 PLUS yearly fees of around $700 PLUS $1600 for 4 annual passes is simply out of the question.


Although Donald Trump can do it, most of us are not in the postion of being able to "spend money to make (or save) money"

I agree that the DVC can be expensive, but I didn't shell out the payment in full. I financed it over 5 years and have owned it out right for over 7 years already. It has more than covered what I would have spent on resorts. I think they even finance for longer than 5 years to make it easier for people to afford. :wave:

 

[ConstanceIrene]

I have never been to WDW before and am activly trying to plan a trip for my family of 4 for next year. I see that most of you have been yearly visitors of WDW experience and am curious as to how you do it.

While checking into pricing the average cost of the famed "6 day 7 night" is no where near the price quoted on the telivision even at the value resorts and then that doesn't even figue in airfair from the midwest. All in all the way I have priced it, It will cost some major $$$$$ to get there not to mention eating and the required souvioners for my 5 and 8 year old.

WHAT AM I MISSING?? HOW DO YOU DO IT. It seems to me that even trying to save for a year will only get us transpo and room. Please help with any tricks and tips.
Thanks

You don't say how much you want to or are able to spend on this trip. I just went to the WDW website and you can book a 6 night stay at a Value Resort with Magic Your Way passes for the four of you for $1451.76. For $2050.00, you can have all your meals included. How does that sound?
Why don't you give us a ballpark figure with which to work and the members of this board can post what they think you can book for that price. From what I've seen and read, we love to help others get to WDW.

 

[trainertj]

buy your park tickets on E BAAAAA !!!!

 

[mereg]

You don't say how much you want to or are able to spend on this trip. I just went to the WDW website and you can book a 6 night stay at a Value Resort with Magic Your Way passes for the four of you for $1451.76. For $2050.00, you can have all your meals included. How does that sound?
Why don't you give us a ballpark figure with which to work and the members of this board can post what they think you can book for that price. From what I've seen and read, we love to help others get to WDW.

I have no idea. Any thing over a couple of hundered is a dent in my pocket hence "How Do You All do It". It alway seems that any time I have tried to save money for something there will always be some money munching catastophy not far behind.

Anyway, I have no idea on the ball park for the amount. In pricing I have found $2800 with out air fair and $3500 with air fair and I believe those were at moderates. At this point I am dizzy with planning info and it is all a blur.

Thanks to all who have responded the info is a great help. Also if anyone in KC, MO area have any extra tips that would be great as that is my area.
THANKS EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!

 

[wdwpooh1027]

lose change

My boyfriend and I are always going case we save our lose change and he will add bills to it every now and then...currently we have over $1200.

 

[nyfrenchy]

Three simple words: Disney Vacation Club.

It's the best purchase I ever made.

and what is the cost of that purchase?

 

[nyfrenchy]

I have sold body organs and body parts. I've been a mule. I sell my blood, and urine for drug tests.

I also collect cans, bottles and newspapers. And I beg for money in the subways.

I haven't quite gotten to selling my children yet.

Did you also try whoring yourself all over town? :lookaroun

 

[Mickifan17]

and what is the cost of that purchase?

It was financed over 5 years but could be extended longer to make the payments easier to manage. I don't remember my payment amount since it was paid off about 7 years ago, but I think the total amount was in the area of about $14,000.

 

[righttrack]

We do it with tax refund money, and airline points from business travel.

 

[figmentmom]

No other way around it, you have to plan and save in advance! Involve the kids in this project early - save change, give up that occasional meal at McDonald's (and put the $$ in a jar earmarked for that purpose!), etc. I take a little bit out of each and every paycheck and squirrel it away - it adds up fast. Since we live in New York, and have always had limited vacation time because of school schedules, we HAVE to fly. Start haunting the airline websites for discount tickets...be alert, because those cheaper seats sell out quickly!

I'd honestly spring for a Disney resort if at all possible. That said, you can find some excellent hotel/motel room deals off Disney property; you'll miss some of the magic, but it beats missing it entirely by not being able to go at all!

Once you're there, DO NOT spend an lot of $$ (and time) in expensive sit-down restaurants in the parks unless you really, really enjoy that as a family. We took our kids for our first trip when they were 8 and 5. The one and only time we attempted dinner at a sit-down restuarant at EPCOT, they were done with their very expensive meals in record time (and bored and ready to get back to "fun stuff"). As others have already said, eat breakfast in your hotel room, have the kids bring their own snacks in packs or backpacks, carry water bottles to refill from fountains, and otherwise eat at counter-service restaurants in the parks. (By the way, LOTS of people do this, so you won't feel like you're being cheap! :lol: )

Have the kids save ahead of time for t-shirts, etc. - they'll enjoy spending that money all the more because it's theirs, anyway.

 

[Teenchy]

I have said it before on other post about $$. So many of us say Tax Refund Money. It drives me crazy how brainwashed we all have become to think we are getting a bonus back from Uncle Sam, when it was our money all along.

I know its hard, it takes planning (like our vacations) but if we all just kept that "tax money" in each of our paychecks and put it in a bank account or something even earning just a small % of interest instead of letting the Govt. use it the entire year with no interest we could all afford another gift from Main Street, or maybe a nice dinner out in one of the parks or God forbid if we were really good at which place we put those $$ for the year we could get an extra night during our stay! Ok off my soapbox.

My answer is I'm blessed to have the ability to go several times a year but also even some quick math told me I couldnt pass up the DVC Membership I bought a couple of years ago. It was $14,000 for 120pts for the next 40 years. A Sun-Thur night stay at OKW is 8pts per night, thats 15 nights a year x 40 years = 600 nights at WDW = $23.33 per night on property. I know for you accountants that didnt include the additional yearly HOA fees but you get the idea. You are able to buy future vacation time at todays $$ values. And at least so far (3 years) the point values per night have not gone up.

I think anyone who loves WDW and can afford to join its not only a great investment but alot of fun. Whats better than to say hey I just saw a great deal on airfair lets go down to WDW for a couple of days to unwind.

 

[shybre]

My dh and i have decided to drive instead of trying to buy airline tickets for 4. We also searched around and book our hotel ourselves rather then through disney you can always find good deals if you look hard enough we are staying at the dolphin hotel for the price we would have paid to stay at a moderate hotel if not cheaper. Since we are driving we will be bringing our own groceries so we can eat breakfast and snacks in the room. I've also been doing some research on tickets and have found them cheaper then buying them from disney, there are places that are contracted with disney to sell disney tickets and because they buy them whole sale they can sometimes afford to sell the tickets cheaper then disney would sell them. Also do your research on rental cars if you rent the car early thenrental car agency's are more willing to give you a really great deal we got with unlimited mileage or a really cheap price on mileage.
My sister and I did a cost comparison today on the same hotel with park hopper tickets for 6nights she went through disney and was giving a price of
4140 including airline tickets for A FAMILY OF 5 and using the same hotel and buying my tickets seperately and renting a rental car with gas my price was 3020.
If you have the time and don't mind driving that looks like the best way to go.