Short trips...splurge, scrimp, or same as always?

[HouCuseChickie]

When you take short trips to WDW, do you...

Splurge...since the costs don't seem quite as extreme when going for a shorter period.

Scrimp...because you'd rather save it for a big trip and can get by with less if it's only a few days.

Same...i.e. it just feels more comfortable to stick with your usual trip approach, regardless of trip duration.

 

[Figgy1]

For me it would be scrimp only because I'd be trying to get as much done as possible. So cs for food and keep moving.

 

[RedDad]

You bring up something important for all of this consideration....I am a bit obsessed with doing TS meals. I could see us doing at least 4 on a short 2 nt trip.

Eating is one of our favorite parts of WDW, so we like to do a lot of TS meals as well. Our upcoming June trip is definitely in the splurge category - celebrating 15 years of marriage, so we have to go all out!

 

[eddiemcgarrigle]

Splurge and splurge and splurge some more. Hand over your credit card with gay abandon because your on holiday and it doesn't happen as often as we would like. Worry about the bill when you get home and request some overtime to clear it. What use is spending loads to get there and then only spending a little while there.

*this post was brought to you from the Walt Disney World Company.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Eating is one of our favorite parts of WDW, so we like to do a lot of TS meals as well. Our upcoming June trip is definitely in the splurge category - celebrating 15 years of marriage, so we have to go all out!

First...congrats on your 15 yr anniversary!!! I definitely like even more TS if there's something big to celebrate. I know it's crazy, but not only do I want some splurge meals... I want to have them make me an AMAZING 40th bday cake.

 

[EvilQueen-T]

Loving the replies!

@EvilQueen-T brings up an excellent point- much of it depends on "WHY?"

Mind you- I tend to have a bit of a decadent streak so my brain seems naturally programmed to splurge; however, my bank account doesn't always agree and I do like to be sensible with my budget when need be. If I were to take a short trip and just classify it as a MNSSHP mini trip, I'd probably consider Little Mermaid in AoA - especially if it's just me & my girls; however, if I make this part of my milestone bday celebration...I'd probably be trying to decide between the 3 monorail resorts.

omg...we're the same person lol! i could honestly have written the exact thing as you!!! i love using things like mnsshp, f&w, the flower festival etc...as excuses for mini/3 day weekend trips too. i even used marathon weekend as an excuse for a short trip (to justify to my husband why i needed to go again at that time) and i wouldn't run anywhere even if i were on fire.

 

[RandomPrincess]

On our short trips we spend about the same per day as a long trip.

 

[journ116]

When you take short trips to WDW, do you...

Splurge...since the costs don't seem quite as extreme when going for a shorter period.

Scrimp...because you'd rather save it for a big trip and can get by with less if it's only a few days.

Same...i.e. it just feels more comfortable to stick with your usual trip approach, regardless of trip duration.

I planned a surprise weekend trip in April for my DH's birthday, and because it's only a weekend trip, we "scrimp."

HOTEL: We don't want to waste our DVC points on 2 nights, mostly due to the fact that we typically take a big week-long trip with extended family once a year and need all the points we can get. So, we will pay cash for a moderate resort, using either our DVC membership, AP discount, or see what AAA or Expedia are offering.

FOOD: No sit-down meals and no DDP. It will be QS or snacks all the way...really, we only have 1 full day of meals to consider.

SPENDING: 3/4 of what we'd bring for a week-long trip, for those, "just in case" moments. If we come back with some money, my DH and I probably didn't eat.

TRANSPORTATION: This is a bit of a "splurge:" considering that our arrival flight will be arriving in the evening, we want to get our quick vacay started; so we're going with a personal car service. However, we'll use DME to go back to the airport...whatever delays us going back to reality the better!

We've done one weekend trip before, and it was quite successful! We visited 3 parks in only 1 1/2 days, and for our upcoming trip, we'll be trying to accomplish the same! While weekend trips are doable, they're not always feasible...this will be it for awhile!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

omg...we're the same person lol! i could honestly have written the exact thing as you!!! i love using things like mnsshp, f&w, the flower festival etc...as excuses for mini/3 day weekend trips too. i even used marathon weekend as an excuse for a short trip (to justify to my husband why i needed to go again at that time) and i wouldn't run anywhere even if i were on fire.

It would be soooooo much easier for me to do this if I still lived in FL. I keep trying to push my parents into "excuse" trips since I think they'd really like F&W. It was a much easier drive when they lived in the St. Pete area and even Gainesville, but it's still not an awful drive from the Ft. Lauderdale area. I would sooooooo be taking a ton of mini trips if I were them! I wouldn't run anywhere either but after reading a few marathon TRs, I'd totally love to be there just to relax and cheer the runners on. In fact, I was just thinking the other day that it could be another fun mini trip.

 

[Sweet Melissa]

I mean, it's not like we spend with reckless abandon, but we generally are not frugal on any vacation. We've done a couple 4-night trips and I'd say we spend about the same daily as we do on longer stays.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

On our short trips we spend about the same per day as a long trip.

This is a tempting approach since you don't feel like you're depriving yourself of anything, but have the same spending scale as usual without the risk of being too indulgent.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I planned a surprise weekend trip in April for my DH's birthday, and because it's only a weekend trip, we "scrimp."

HOTEL: We don't want to waste our DVC points on 2 nights, mostly due to the fact that we typically take a big week-long trip with extended family once a year and need all the points we can get. So, we will pay cash for a moderate resort, using either our DVC membership, AP discount, or see what AAA or Expedia are offering.

FOOD: No sit-down meals and no DDP. It will be QS or snacks all the way...really, we only have 1 full day of meals to consider.

SPENDING: 3/4 of what we'd bring for a week-long trip, for those, "just in case" moments. If we come back with some money, my DH and I probably didn't eat.

TRANSPORTATION: This is a bit of a "splurge:" considering that our arrival flight will be arriving in the evening, we want to get our quick vacay started; so we're going with a personal car service. However, we'll use DME to go back to the airport...whatever delays us going back to reality the better!

We've done one weekend trip before, and it was quite successful! We visited 3 parks in only 1 1/2 days, and for our upcoming trip, we'll be trying to accomplish the same! While weekend trips are doable, they're not always feasible...this will be it for awhile!

Good point on bringing up transportation...I might have to splurge on this part just to get decent air, so it might force me into serious consideration of the scrimp. Impressive though with 3 parks in 1.5 days! There are times where I feel lucky if we can get 1 park in for that amt of time. That actually is one area where I'm planning on cutting way back...either just MNSSHP or the party and 1 park on a non-party day. I had also thought about renting points to get a studio so we kind of splurge a little on lodging, but I can cut costs by having a few microwave meals back in the room. Although I could hear my 6 year old "we need to be eating in a restaurant!!!" She's a little obsessed Still, sounds like a great trip plan!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I mean, it's not like we spend with reckless abandon, but we generally are not frugal on any vacation. We've done a couple 4-night trips and I'd say we spend about the same daily as we do on longer stays.

I can totally relate...I have friends who are great doing trips on a shoestring budget, but I feel like part of what makes it a vacation is spending a bit more to do those extra things.

 

[BigRedDad]

It depends on the company I am with and what the expectations were. When I was younger, not married, and living in FL, we would take quick weekend jaunts up there with our girlfriends. Depending on what we were planning on doing and the girl.

Now, there are no quick trips.

 

[Susan Savia]

We go every winter for two weeks. Last year my son and I went for a week so we could do the MNSSHP. As the trip came up so quickly, we scrimped a bit knowing we were coming back in January.

 

[journ116]

Good point on bringing up transportation...I might have to splurge on this part just to get decent air, so it might force me into serious consideration of the scrimp. Impressive though with 3 parks in 1.5 days! There are times where I feel lucky if we can get 1 park in for that amt of time. That actually is one area where I'm planning on cutting way back...either just MNSSHP or the party and 1 park on a non-party day. I had also thought about renting points to get a studio so we kind of splurge a little on lodging, but I can cut costs by having a few microwave meals back in the room. Although I could hear my 6 year old "we need to be eating in a restaurant!!!" She's a little obsessed Still, sounds like a great trip plan!

I should also clarify that we would never be tempted or prompted to take a weekend trip to WDW if it weren't for our AP's.

Our first weekend trip was taken specifically for MNSSHP! I had seen a commercial for it and I booked a very impulsive trip! However, my DD6 was only in pre-school, so missing a day of school in September was no biggie, and DD3 was only 13 mos.:

Friday
-only packed carry-ons, which consisted of: 1 diaper/park bag & 1 carry-on piece of luggage
-left on an afternoon flight
-arrived at the Contemporary via DME around 4 p.m. (this resort was key)
-dropped off luggage in room, then monorailed it to EP (left park around 8 p.m.)
-quick bath and bed by 10 p.m.

Saturday
-woke up early and arrived at AK well before park opening
-spent a few hours at the park, then returned to our resort by 1 p.m. for a nap, snack, and costume changes
-around 4 p.m., we walked over to MK and entered the park with our event tickets
-ate dinner prior to MNSSHP officially beginning, this way we could fully enjoy all the event activities and meet-and-greets
-walked back to resort around 11 p.m. and got the girls ready for bed
-never really unpacked, so packing up wasn't an issue

Sunday
-DME pick up at 5 a.m., with an 8 a.m. flight departure
-arrived home by 1 p.m....we were all tired from such a whirlwind weekend...honestly, we were in bed by 5 p.m.

It's funny, I can plan all I want for our week-long trips, but we never seem to stay "on schedule;" however, when it came to our weekend vacay, we never hindered from the itinerary!

 

[Zman-ks]

Splurge and splurge and splurge some more. Hand over your credit card with gay abandon because your on holiday and it doesn't happen as often as we would like. Worry about the bill when you get home and request some overtime to clear it. What use is spending loads to get there and then only spending a little while there.

*this post was brought to you from the Walt Disney World Company.

LMAO!

 

[JillC LI]

On our short trips we spend about the same per day as a long trip.

Us too. We travel in the same manner no matter how long the trip. We try to keep costs down but we don't deny ourselves special things. For example, we stay in a Value because we are barely in the room (maybe a Mod if there is free dining), but we buy special souvenirs we want and attend special events like MNNSHP.

 

[EvilQueen-T]

It would be soooooo much easier for me to do this if I still lived in FL. I keep trying to push my parents into "excuse" trips since I think they'd really like F&W. It was a much easier drive when they lived in the St. Pete area and even Gainesville, but it's still not an awful drive from the Ft. Lauderdale area. I would sooooooo be taking a ton of mini trips if I were them! I wouldn't run anywhere either but after reading a few marathon TRs, I'd totally love to be there just to relax and cheer the runners on. In fact, I was just thinking the other day that it could be another fun mini trip.

lol...we're one exit north of gainesville still in alachua county so it's 2 hours and about 20 minutes to any part of disney for us. just far enough to do a one day down and back but far enough to say we'd be to tired so we need to get a room and if we have a room we might as well stay the whole weekend .

 

[HouCuseChickie]

It depends on the company I am with and what the expectations were. When I was younger, not married, and living in FL, we would take quick weekend jaunts up there with our girlfriends. Depending on what we were planning on doing and the girl.

Now, there are no quick trips.

Kind of reminds me of my single FL days. It was so easy to just pick up for a quick trip down with a friend or boyfriend. We usually went on the cheap, but we also had more budget limitations back in those days, so that was often the only way.

We go every winter for two weeks. Last year my son and I went for a week so we could do the MNSSHP. As the trip came up so quickly, we scrimped a bit knowing we were coming back in January.

That may also be why I'm tempted to splurge. DH isn't as much of a WDW fan and our last trip definitely had some issues, so I'm never really sure when we're going back. It's usually sooner rather than later but it's also nothing I can count on either.

I should also clarify that we would never be tempted or prompted to take a weekend trip to WDW if it weren't for our AP's.

Our first weekend trip was taken specifically for MNSSHP! I had seen a commercial for it and I booked a very impulsive trip! However, my DD6 was only in pre-school, so missing a day of school in September was no biggie, and DD3 was only 13 mos.:

Friday
-only packed carry-ons, which consisted of: 1 diaper/park bag & 1 carry-on piece of luggage
-left on an afternoon flight
-arrived at the Contemporary via DME around 4 p.m. (this resort was key)
-dropped off luggage in room, then monorailed it to EP (left park around 8 p.m.)
-quick bath and bed by 10 p.m.

Saturday
-woke up early and arrived at AK well before park opening
-spent a few hours at the park, then returned to our resort by 1 p.m. for a nap, snack, and costume changes
-around 4 p.m., we walked over to MK and entered the park with our event tickets
-ate dinner prior to MNSSHP officially beginning, this way we could fully enjoy all the event activities and meet-and-greets
-walked back to resort around 11 p.m. and got the girls ready for bed
-never really unpacked, so packing up wasn't an issue

Sunday
-DME pick up at 5 a.m., with an 8 a.m. flight departure
-arrived home by 1 p.m....we were all tired from such a whirlwind weekend...honestly, we were in bed by 5 p.m.

It's funny, I can plan all I want for our week-long trips, but we never seem to stay "on schedule;" however, when it came to our weekend vacay, we never hindered from the itinerary!

That's too funny that you stick to the schedule on the short trip We have such a rigid daily schedule at home that I tend to do what I call a "flexible schedule" while on vacay. This way I can forgive myself more easily if we stray from it more considerably The age thing is also a factor...my younger one will still be in pre-school so no biggie, but my older one will be just starting 2nd grade so it's a bigger hurdle. Still, I think it would be so nice to just wake up one morning and tell the girls we're heading to WDW for a weekend at Disney. And the reality, they'd probably enjoy any room I booked. i.e. Little Mermaid in AoA, Royal Room or Pirate room at POFQ/CBR, or livin' large for a few days at the GF.

Us too. We travel in the same manner no matter how long the trip. We try to keep costs down but we don't deny ourselves special things. For example, we stay in a Value because we are barely in the room (maybe a Mod if there is free dining), but we buy special souvenirs we want and attend special events like MNNSHP.

That's also one of the keys...we tend to spend more time at our resort. We'd probably avoid all parks on our MNSSHP party day, and while we might do one full park day- our arrival and departure days would also be park free time.

lol...we're one exit north of gainesville still in alachua county so it's 2 hours and about 20 minutes to any part of disney for us. just far enough to do a one day down and back but far enough to say we'd be to tired so we need to get a room and if we have a room we might as well stay the whole weekend .

We were in a neighborhood probably about 10 miles off of the Newberry Rd exit. I even worked in a seafood restaurant close to that area post college after quitting my sales job at the Gainesville Sun and trying out grad school for a while. We used to run into the same thing w/WDW...my dad or my friends would say "hey, let's go to Epcot tomorrow." So, we'd drive down, have a blast, and then realize it's still a loooong drive home - too long at least for the night.

 

[disneygirl76]

When you take short trips to WDW, do you...

Splurge...since the costs don't seem quite as extreme when going for a shorter period.

Scrimp...because you'd rather save it for a big trip and can get by with less if it's only a few days.

Same...i.e. it just feels more comfortable to stick with your usual trip approach, regardless of trip duration.

yes, yes, and yes!

If you check out the title of my latest trip report you will see why!

Splurge - We originally planned on splurging for our 2 day, 1 night Resort Only trip last week (well, sort of - we usually stay at Deluxe Resorts but this time we were staying with out any discount other then AAA, like free dining)
Scrimp - My DH told me that he wanted to take me into the park! I could pick which one - then I started to scrip b/c I said, we probably will need another night and booked at AOA and also, we are paying out of pocket for all food/dining so I became budget conscience.
Same - in the end, we ended up in 2 parks, and did Disney how we normally do it!! HA! Well, I tried!