How do you do it?!???

[DisneyJoe]

That doesn't make it cheap though. Just means that trips full of activities are all fairly expensive.

yes - ANY trip of activities - not just Disney.

Price 7-10 days at a beach in a house with food/restaurants and rides and local attractions/sightseeing - or a white water rafting trip - or a cabin in the mountains - or an all inclusive island resort...

Most people who come to me as a travel agent and balk at the price of Disney never travel anywhere unless it is within a day's drive and they stay in a campground or stay with relatives. Once I price other vacations for them they see that just about anywhere they want to go is "not cheap" - in the end, most find that Disney is one of the better priced vacations that they can take!

 

[DisneyJoe]

True. But poll a hundred people and ask them if Disney's ticket prices are cheap and I gurantee you a large majority will tell you that they aren't. For the average working American, it can be tough to afford a trip to Disney World.

Yet these same people spend more in a year on beer or cigarettes or lottery tickets or sports events/betting/season tickets.

 

[dopeylover]

i'm in the same boat as you are. it takes me a few years to save up to go.

however, i'm glad i get to go. there are some people who never get to go or takes them even longer to save up enough money to go.

YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT!!!! We are VERY lucky and fortunate to be able to go, no matter how long it takes! Didn't mean to sound ungrateful!

 

[mr_braver23]

We just started going to Disney in 2009, but by Jan we will be taking our 6th trip to WDW or HHI Disney. We aren't wealthy people, but we do like to vacation. As far as trips to WDW go, we own DVC and thus by AP (because you get the discount). So when I think of adding on another trip (our upcoming Jan trip was a last minute addition), it helps that all I have to pay for is our food and airline tickets. We already have the room paid for (through DVC) and the park tickets paid for (through our AP). That being said, we live very tight in normal non-vacation times to save up the money for our trips. We rarely buy clothes, we drive very understated cars (one without AC), and I do some intense couponing to save on groceries. We try to spread out vacation expenses over several months (buy 1 AP per month leading up to our trip for example) so the expense isn't all at one time. People spend money on what they value, and most the people in our neighborhood drive BMW's and have 2 car payments. But we would rather drive decent reliable cars and be able to vacation more. But most people make fun of our extreme vacationing. I just figure I can't judge others for spending their money on clothes and cars, so they shouldn't judge me for spending mine on vacations!:wave:

LOVE IT!! We are in the same boat as you. We love WDW and spend as much time as we can there... MONEY... you can't take with you...:lol:

 

[Chef Mickey]

That doesn't make it cheap though. Just means that trips full of activities are all fairly expensive.

It makes the point that Disney is not expensive relative to other trips. Vacations may be expensive overall, but Disney doesn't stand out.

 

[Chef Mickey]

That's good advice...but if I followed it I would die having only 8 months of cash for living expenses and would have NEVER gone to Disney. :ROFLOL:

Ya can't take it with you....gonna take as many trips as possible and worry about the rest when I'm old and don't get around so good.:sohappy:

Remember this. Nothing is worse than being old and poor. 65 may seem old to you at your age today, but you will not feel the same once you're there. It's a simple fact that people over 60 don't have the earning power they did when they were younger, despite being in perfect health. You'll probably be in good health and will need a significant retirement to live. You'll also want to travel and do things in your newly found down time. Make all you can while you can make it and save like crazy. Spending now and worrying about the future later is completely backwards. I'm not saying to save every penny and never go to Disney, but doing so at the expense of the future is extremely reckless. I love when people state they might not live to see tomorrow....That's true, but statistically, you probably will.

You can't take it with you, but you'll probably live until at least 80 in relatively good health. That's a long time and you want to have a lot of cash for peace of mind and to do the things you now have more time to do. Retirement years don't have to be spent in a retirement home playing bridge. There are plenty of old people that are in extremely good shape and are very active. That's another reason to invest in your health and body at a young age. Eat well, exercise, and take care of yourself. In addtion to financial responsibility, a healthy lifestyle also pays huge dividends in the long term.

 

[jlandis44]

First thing I do to make it more affordable is to drive there. Saves me at least $1000 since we're a family of 4. Gas, two hotels, and that's the only cost in transportation. Then, I book thru AAA, which usually saves me some money, and even if it's the same price as whatever sale is happening, I still get the AAA parking (and other perks). I also always have empty credit cards, as I pay everything off monthly. I don't carry a balance (which is simply living within our means). And, off I go.

It is my theory that there is going to come a time when my kids won't be interested any longer. I'm going to take advantage of their interest while I can. So, while I still do put money away for retirement, I don't max out my savings. What good is that? Maybe I'll be able to retire someday, but I'll be too old to do some of the things I can do now while I'm younger. I've found a balance between savings and spending, and that's really all it comes down to. Good luck!

 

[disneychick53]

Hi All!

In my time posting and reading on this site, I have noticed a lot of people who take several trips a year to WDW.

I was just very interested and curious...How do you do it?!? lol :shrug:

We have all the things everyone has...mortgages, utilities, cars, student loans, children, etc., and it takes us 2 or 3 years to save up for a proper 7-10 day trip!! Does it take the 'magic' out of going?

I am just curious/jealous (hehe) how you make it work! Any tips/advice is appreciated, as this is something I would aspire to do lol.

We have annual passes......discount on room.........do not get dinning plan it is a waste of money.........been there last year six times last year, week at a time, no it doesnot get old......need my disney fix but not going again till late 2012 never get tired of disney and it does help that I live three hours away(can make it in 2 1/2)

 

[Kramerica]

We live across the country and me and my family find ways to get to Disney AT LEAST once a year. Our year revolves around it. So we find ways. It could be from working overtime whenever possible. It could be cutting down on going out as much as possible. For me, I take my paycheck, take out what I need for bills. Then put AS MUCH as I can and put it in my "disney" envelope, leaving me just enough to get by for the next couple weeks. Nothing ever comes out of that envelope, ever.

If you're a true Disney nut like a lot of us. You find ways. You don't make excuses not to go. You make excuses as to why you need to go.

 

[lbrad]

As everyone has said ... save and make priorities.

We are a family of 5. We always drive. We try to stay with family & friends along the way. I use to live in Savannah ...beautiful city to stay overnight!
We also have family in Florida (Satelite Beach).
When we travel as a family (5) we usually stay at WDW 5-6 nights.

We make many sacrifices throughout the year so we can vacation in the World.

Its not easy ... but I am not big on a week at the beach or mountains ...don't get me wrong I love them both but long weekends are perfect for those types of trips.

Next year we are planning to go WEST

 

[The Mom]

"Old" lady checking in here, just to let you know that I can't think of anything, other than dancing and drinking until the wee hours of the morning, and having a baby, that I could (or would) do 40 years ago that I can't do now. Of course, there are some things I didn't want to do back then, either. I was never into extreme sports or activities.

Young folks have a lot to learn about getting old.
1. It isn't as "old" as you thought when you were 30 when you actually get here
2. It gets here a lot faster than you ever thought it would.

3. As long as you've planned for it, it doesn't suck, and can be more fun than 30 ever was. :lol:

And finally, I wouldn't have believed some old lady telling me the exact same thing, even 20 years ago, never mind 40.

But, as I said in past threads about spending, don't deprive yourself of every luxury. Just decide your priorities, and pay just as much attention to the future as the present - it doesn't have to be all or nothing.

 

[CaptainJackNO]

"Old" lady checking in here, just to let you know that I can't think of anything, other than dancing and drinking until the wee hours of the morning, and having a baby, that I could (or would) do 40 years ago that I can't do now. Of course, there are some things I didn't want to do back then, either. I was never into extreme sports or activities.

Young folks have a lot to learn about getting old.
1. It isn't as "old" as you thought when you were 30 when you actually get here
2. It gets here a lot faster than you ever thought it would.

3. As long as you've planned for it, it doesn't suck, and can be more fun than 30 ever was. :lol:

And finally, I wouldn't have believed some old lady telling me the exact same thing, even 20 years ago, never mind 40.

But, as I said in past threads about spending, don't deprive yourself of every luxury. Just decide your priorities, and pay just as much attention to the future as the present - it doesn't have to be all or nothing.

Excellent post!! You have summed up, in a short post, a response that applies to just about anyone on this board. Thank you for the common sense, real world insight.:sohappy::sohappy::sohappy:

 

[tracyandalex]

We go to the world at least twice per year, even before we had a daughter. we are florida residents and only visit during value season when there's a florida resident rate. until 2 years ago we were pass holders, but then disney was kind enough to hire my sister so she usually gets us in for free. we book our hotel far in advance and pay it off slowly then switch to the florida resident rate when it's released.

as others have said we currently spend spend a lot of trips at wdw because we have a 3 yr old and we want to take her as much as we can while she still wants to go. we have plans to do may other trips, but we are waiting until she's older hoping that she will remember them longer.
my husband and i both work in at the same place so we only have one car and

while our savings account is not enormous, it is enough that we are comfortable with it. we love to travel and that is what we prefer to spend our money on, we have a ton of memories that we can't put a price on. we would rather live a little less flashy in our daily lives if it means we can see the world

 

[Mikester71]

My wife's work started a Christmas fund quite a few years ago where they would draw so much money out of each check and put it into a separate bank account where they made it harder to get at. She signed up for it the first year they started it and we ended up using it to do all of our Christmas shopping each year when the kids were younger. As they got a bit older, we decided we would skimp on gifts one year and put that money towards a nice family vacation down to WDW instead, since myself and the kids had never been. We all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves SO much that first trip in 2005, that we decided almost immediately after returning from it that we should go back again in two years, but this time for a couple of days longer (10 days, instead of 7). So we went into the bank and had them bump it up so that more money was coming off of her check and deposited into the Christmas account each pay (and we changed the name of the account from Christmas account to WDW Vacation account :ROFLOL. This worked out great, and we were able to drive down to WDW for a 10 day vacation every second year (4 times in total) without using a single credit card or putting ourselves in debt. Everything was paid for in cash by doing this, and we even managed to come home with a couple of hundred dollars each time to pay off a bill or two upon our return.

Unfortunately, our trip this past March might have been our last for a while. Money has become a little tight this year, so it looks like we might have to skip a few years here. But like someone said...it will just make our next vacation THAT much sweeter!!!! :sohappy:

 

[CaptainShortty]

Being a CM has its perks and it affords me the ability to go to Disney multiple times a year (I'm an offsite CM) without paying the fortune it takes the "average" person to vacation there. My family appreciates it greatly too. =) Before I was a CM we went about every other year and it took the place of the big vacation we took every year. Years in between we would go somewhere else.

 

[mp2bill]

i'm in the same boat as you are. it takes me a few years to save up to go.

however, i'm glad i get to go. there are some people who never get to go or takes them even longer to save up enough money to go.

I'd be one of these people.

 

[Magenta Panther]

The times I went before, I had some extra cash. Now times are tougher, and I've cut my personal expenses to the bone (gave up cable and daily Starbucks). I really don't miss those things, so it's okay, and I'm hoping I'll be able to save up enough that I can visit Disneyland after Buena Vista Street opens. I have over $600 dollars saved up so far, and I hope to find a good off-park hotel (no way I can afford to stay at the Disneyland Hotel or any other on-site housing. Although I would LOVE to...oh well.)

 

[jlevis]

I'm 69 and my wife is 63, we've been married for 45 years. My wife still works and she has an excellent salary with generous vacation time. Years ago we decided where we want to be now. We have timeshares in Orlando and we also have annual passes. Those keep the costs down and we drive which usually is cheaper than flying. We enjoy the drive plus it allows us to stop on the trip down or back to enjoy a day or two somewhere else. The point is we planned for this time of our lives. We all have varying levels of income and discretionary income. You need to think about what is important to you and plan for it. TheMom is right it gets here before you know it, I can't believe I'm 69.

 

[kstella]

My parents are cast members so really the only way we can afford to go every year is by taking full advantage of their discounts and free tickets. We also all stay at FW in their motor home and split the cost of the site. I watch for flight deals to try to get the best price on flights possible because driving is not an option for me!

 

[Susan Savia]

We go twice a year. We are annual pass holders and we stay offsite and eat most of our meals offsite, as well. I retired this past June, husband still works 3 days a week. We save throughout the year in many ways. We don't dine out, never go to movies, have a annual yard sale and save all our change among other ways. We always drive. We also go to the beach in July each year and to Memphis, TN for l0 days in August. It's a matter of good money management, planning, and saving. We shop sales and use coupons.