Logic of a quick trip in November with a big trip on the books for April

DarthVader

DarthVader

Sith Lord
My wife mentioned she really wants to see the Osborne light show in HS, and I saw that with the building permits it may very well happen this year, though subsequent years it may not occur due to Disney renovating HS.

Anyways, i'm trying to justify a quick trip, flying in Saturday, flying home Tuesday. Cost of the resort and 2 day tickets is 1,300 bucks for myself the bride and my two kids for the POFQ. All star Music its 1,050. Add in flight, meal costs and we're looking in the neighborhood of 2,800 for a quick trip.

The issue is I have a 9 day uber trip (staying in the contemporary) for April 2016, and that's running close to 10k with flights, and meals. While it would be cool to surprise my kids, and enjoy a little Disney this fall, I don't know if its too much.

The really confusing matter will be the prospect of changing my current reservation on the books to use a bounceback promotion, I may save 35% if I call disney while in the resort and that could save me as much as 35%. OTOH, I'm hoping to see near 30% for their winter incentives.

Thoughts/opinions - am I crazy to consider a November trip with an April one coming down the pike?
 
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Cendure

Active Member
I agree with Master Yoda, If you can afford it, I would go. We just got back on Sunday from doing a quick "long" weekend trip. Flew down on a late flight Wed, July 1 and back on Sun, July 5 and back to work on Monday. We had 3 park days so we did MK/EPCOT/MK. We did the Southern California ABD in February and are going back to California for a week in December to celebrate Disneyland's 60th birthday. I happened to mention to my daughter and travelling companion that I would miss going to WDW this year so she suggested we do the long weekend. We've done them before so the planning wasn't a problem. It's not possible to do/see everything on a short trip so we decide what parks we'll go to (for us, usually just MK and EPCOT) and what we really want to do and what we can miss. The misses can always be saved for your longer trip. When people ask me why I would go all that way for a long weekend (we're Canadian), I just say why not. A lot of people I know, spend their long weekends, at their trailers, or camping, or going to their cottages, we spend ours at Disney World and we haven't regretted those weekends once.
 
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MickeyMomV

MickeyMomV

Well-Known Member
I say DO IT. What would make it even better is if you told the kids you were going on a business trip/get away with your wife and leave them at home. Its a short weekend and you are going again in a few months so the guilt of going without them will soon fade away!! :) We did a parents gets away in 11/2012 and the DS still has no idea and never will. We have went 2 times since then with another trip later this year so we have no guilt!!

Just be mindful of the additional crowds for the Wine and Dine 1/2 Marathon on the weekend of the 6th and the increased traffic for Thanksgiving weekend starting the 26th.
 
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DarthVader

DarthVader

Sith Lord
Original Poster
It serves me right to post this on wdwmagic. Its like asking If I should buy a mac on an Apple fan site :p

MickeyMomV said:
better is if you told the kids you were going on a business trip/get away with your wife and leave them at home
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My enjoyment comes from them having a great time, I don't think myself or my wife would be willing or could actually leave our kids behind for a WDW trip.

I'm trying to make the numbers work, with Christmas coming down the pike at that time of year, saving up for the big vacation (though I really hope I can use the Nov trip to save some extra $$ on the Apr trip) and various house projects.

Cendure said:
It's not possible to do/see everything on a short trip so we decide what parks we'll go to (for us, usually just MK and EPCOT)
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Agreed, our intent is see the Osborne light show, something my wife really regrets in missing the last time we were there. With the rumors of more work done at HS, this may be the last year we see those for a while (or it may not - we really don't know at this point).

I guess my concern is using my limited funds the best way I can and since we have a long vacation planed in Apr, does a november trip make sense.
 
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UnhealthilyObsessed

UnhealthilyObsessed

Well-Known Member
We planned a November trip after having just been there in January of last year. We felt like we were being frivolous and crazy, and maybe we were.

Well, we had the time of our lives and don't regret a thing.

If you're looking to save money, stay at ASM and just do counter service. You could even make a game of seeing how many different types of counter service places you can hit. Just did a quick search and it looks indeed like you will be able to apply a bounceback offer to your existing April reservation. So you might save a little bit there, too.

The logic of a quick trip in November? Potentially faulty. But when it comes to memories with your family, who needs logic?
 
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KLeigh

KLeigh

Well-Known Member
If you can afford it - GO! I love going in November, the crowds are manageable and the weather is great. If you can hit that sweet spot right after the race weekend and before Thanksgiving week all the better.

Enjoy!!
 
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C

Cendure

Active Member
HRHPrincessAriel said:
I'll be the lone desenting voice. Even if I have the $ to spend that's an awful lot for such a short trip with not much park time.
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I do agree with you on this. Even though we went for a long weekend, it was only because it worked for us this particular weekend. We stay in a value resort, either Pop Century or All Star Movies (there was a summer discount), eat quick service and use an airline points card and we snagged a seat sale so cheap flights. We travel with carry-on luggage only, so no checked bag fees. Everything just worked for us for this short trip. We had looked at other long weekends through the year, but couldn't justify the cost.
 
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draybook

draybook

Well-Known Member
The more trips the merrier! We went last September, this February, April and will be back this September. The annual passes helped big time. Not to mention the free flight vouchers we had for February.
 
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Monty

Monty

Brilliant...and Canadian
In the Parks
No
maflynn said:
I've been looking at that option as well (see some of my other threads :) ) I'm about 353 dollars short of breaking even, that's including the use of TiW to save on our food.
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I can't see how an AP isn't worth it. A 2-day child's ticket with Hopper is $244 and a 9-day is $425, an AP would be $654. For the adults in your party, the tickets are $258 and $446 so you save even more with the $654 AP.

Even if you don't buy the hopper option, the total for four of you would be $270 less than APs. If adding the TiW card reduces your savings by a further $85, then the TiW wouldn't be worth adding...
 
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LdyApxr

LdyApxr

Well-Known Member
Master Yoda said:
They say when reflecting on your life you regret the things you did not do more than the things you did.

If you can afford it, I say do it.
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Trying to explain that to my husband. LOL We are complete opposites in some ways. I am willing to take trips and do things even if it s a stretch of finances(not overspending, just not saving as much) and he is of the "I can't afford to take time off" even though he gets three weeks paid vacation a year. I tell him that at 61 and 46, we are not guaranteed another day/month/year on this earth and I will not have on my headstone "she saved money but couldn't take it with her". I suppose it is because my parents both passed before they were 50 when I was 22yrs old(mom at 44, dad at 49, 14mo apart) and his parents lived until their 80's and 90's but they never did anything and he has no great memories(or even semi-great) from his childhood. Our sons will even if they only involve me.

I am planning our first trip to WDW in May at the GF Club level but also planning a 2 day trip to teh Grand Californian in November(we are NorCal so cheap flights, in and out in 2 days. Whether he goes or not is up to him but the boys and I will go no matter what.
 
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DarthVader

DarthVader

Sith Lord
Original Poster
Monty said:
Even if you don't buy the hopper option, the total for four of you would be $270 less than APs. If adding the TiW card reduces your savings by a further $85, then the TiW wouldn't be worth adding...
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My kids are age 9, and they'll be age 10 next april, I'm not sure how that AP will work if I opt for the AP now and they turn 10 before the second usage.
The annual pass is going to cost me 2,786 dollars, So far both trips have the ticket prices at a combined 2147 (or there abouts). I can account for 300 dollars of savings with TiW and other discounts with the AP, that brings the total savings 2447 bucks. I'm still short 339

For some reason the AP is the same cost for myself as well as my kids - 654 per person.

Granted, I could use the AP in the Nov trip for another trip to a park on arrival day but that's not part of the original plan so its hard to work that into the cost/benefit equation since its not in our original itinerary.

Master Yoda said:
There is an easy solution to that...third trip!;)

You seriously did pick the wrong place to ask these questions.:)
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All kidding aside that would have to be the case.
 
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