That’s great. I’m glad you have a high paying job and are living comfortably. My question was addressed to those who aren’t as fortunate as you are.
Where do I mention anything about what I make? It’s irrelevant to the conversation. Your analogy is about watching while everyone else eats steak. That means the steak/disney is readily accessible to everyone else, or in the case of Disney, millions of people. When you tens of millions of people every year able to afford something, but you can not, you have to consider it is not that what your looking at is objectively too expensive, it’s just that it’s outside your subjective price range.
As to how you can plan a Disney trip on a budget/affordable there are numerous steps you can take.
1) save up. Some people have the disposable income to just decide to go in 6months. For others, like my first trip as a child, my parents planned and saved for 2 years to make it work.
2) drive don’t fly (assuming your not going solo.) Making the assumption of 3+ individuals making the trip, driving is going to almost always be the cheaper option. A drive from NYC area will roughly cost you around $360 (rough estimate of $150 gas, $30 tolls) round trip, gas and tolls.
2a) driving can also allow you to pack your own drinks and snacks, bought locally instead of at your hotel or in vacation inflation Orlando. Having your room stocked and being able to bring a backpack to the parks with waters and snacks can be a significant savings. It will also let you grab a quick/cheap meal off property like McDonald’s on way to/from park if your driving and save costs there.
3) get a Marriot CC. Marriot has its own credit card that for a small yearly fee (I think $75) gives you a free night stay every year, and then gets you points with each purchase that can be used towards free rooms. When you sign up I believe you get a free 50,000 points which can be worth at least a full night stay. Using this card for your yearly purchases can easily build up over time to get you multiple night stays, which you can use for on site hotel like Swan Dolphin or:
4) stay off property. If you’re following this plan, you have driven down to Florida, so you have a car available. Off site properties can be got a reasonable prices (and damn near cheap when compared to on site properties.) many of these have their own busses to the parks. Some like Marriot world have their own built in water park, allowing you to have a great resort day if you choose.
5) gift cards. Certain stores like Target or BJ’s provide the opportunity to buy Disney gift cards at a discount. You can save 5% sometimes more by purchasing these gift cards at a discount, which can be used for tickets or expenses at the parks.
6) off peak times. While there aren’t totally dead times there are certainly cheaper times to visit the parks. This may mean taking kids out of school to take advantage of these savings but it can be a significant saving and you may benefit from reduced crowds.
