Stupid Question About Long Term Planning

[mhaftman7]

So generally when we plan our WDW trip, we wait until the end of the year when the rates are out and plan a trip within six months. Which financially can be stressful in a short time frame. We just went to Uni at the end of March, which was ridiculously unmagical, but we want to start planning, and paying, towards a WDW trip for next April/May.

How do you go about this when the rates aren't available? Will Disney even present this as an option? I generally go directly through WDW for trip planning. Is this something I HAVE to do outside of that? I prefer to use Disney and any advice would help.

 

[EmmieSue]

We are currently planning a trip for December 2016 and basically just calculated what it would cost for the same time this December, then tacked on a bit more to cover inflation costs so that we at least have a starting goal to start saving for. We don't pay it right to Disney yet though, since we can't book anything. Instead we just put it into a savings account.

 

[sxeensweet]

The rates should be out in August for next year and you don't have to wait until the end of the year to book.
Also you can open a Disney Vacation Account. It is free and you can have it deduct so much out of your debit/credit card once a week, every 2 weeks, once a month etc to reach your goal. Or you can just open it and contribute when you can with one time deposits into it.
You can always pull the money back out if you can't take your trip etc so you are not losing anything and it also does not cost you at all to use the account.
Go here for more info DisneyVacationAccount.com. It is run by Disney itself. I am a DVC member and still use it to save money to pay for our dining plan, tickets, etc.

 

[sxeensweet]

We are currently planning a trip for December 2016 and basically just calculated what it would cost for the same time this December, then tacked on a bit more to cover inflation costs so that we at least have a starting goal to start saving for. We don't pay it right to Disney yet though, since we can't book anything. Instead we just put it into a savings account.

Check out DisneyVacationAccount.com like I mentioned above. They also give you a $20 gift card for every $1000 you spend out of the account on Disney expenses like rooms, dining plan, tickets for park and special events, tours etc.

 

[EmmieSue]

Check out DisneyVacationAccount.com like I mentioned above. They also give you a $20 gift card for every $1000 you spend out of the account on Disney expenses like rooms, dining plan, tickets for park and special events, tours etc.

We thought about doing that, but can you still use it if you don't plan to stay on site or use the dining plan? We'd really only be buying tickets through them. We are staying off site this time since we will be bringing our dogs along with us.

 

[sxeensweet]

We thought about doing that, but can you still use it if you don't plan to stay on site or use the dining plan? We'd really only be buying tickets through them. We are staying off site this time since we will be bringing our dogs along with us.

You technically could still use it and then just pay for your tickets and then ask for a refund or gift card for your remaining amount left in there. You would not be eligible for the $20 gift cards for every $1000 spent if you do not spend it on Disney items and just ask for a gift card or refund though. But you certainly could still use it. They give you a number like a credit card/gift card number to pay for your tickets, tours, rooms, dining plan etc on Disney's site or on the phone. Very easy to use even if you just want to save and then pull the money back out for your offsite hotel. It takes about 2 days to go back to your card/debit card (checking) once you request a refund.

 

[EmmieSue]

You technically could still use it and then just pay for your tickets and then ask for a refund or gift card for your remaining amount left in there. You would not be eligible for the $20 gift cards for every $1000 spent if you do not spend it on Disney items and just ask for a gift card or refund though. But you certainly could still use it. They give you a number like a credit card/gift card number to pay for your tickets, tours, rooms, dining plan etc on Disney's site or on the phone. Very easy to use even if you just want to save and then pull the money back out for your offsite hotel. It takes about 2 days to go back to your card/debit card (checking) once you request a refund.

Still seems like it would be pretty convenient to do it that way even if we just saved the cost of the tickets and our food/souvenir budget through there since that would be going on gift cards in the end anyway. Would we still get $40 extra in gift cards for the $2000 in tickets we would be buying through it?

 

[sxeensweet]

Still seems like it would be pretty convenient to do it that way even if we just saved the cost of the tickets and our food/souvenir budget through there since that would be going on gift cards in the end anyway. Would we still get $40 extra in gift cards for the $2000 in tickets we would be buying through it?

Yes as long as you spend $2000 on Disney items (besides gift cards) you would be eligible for the $40 bonus gift cards. Now you do have to have the account open for 120 days prior to spending the money (you can spend it right away or ask for a refund before that but then your not eligible for the bonus) to be eligible for the bonus gift cards etc. That is the only stipulation and is easy to follow if you are not going until late 2016 and you open in the near future. They have a FAQ part of the site that helps answer questions you may have also.
Oh and you have to request any gift cards you want at least 6 weeks prior to
Your trip to make sure you get them in time.

 

[EmmieSue]

Yes as long as you spend $2000 on Disney items (besides gift cards) you would be eligible for the $40 bonus gift cards. Now you do have to have the account open for 120 days prior to spending the money to be eligible for the bonus gift cards etc. That is the only stipulation and is easy to follow if you are not going until late 2016 and you open in the near future. They have a FAQ part of the site that helps answer questions you may have also.

Awesome thanks and we are planning to open an account to start saving starting in July. So that won't be a problem. Yay for bonus gift cards to pay the tips for our two character meals. xD Thanks for the help!

 

[sxeensweet]

Awesome thanks and we are planning to open an account to start saving starting in July. So that won't be a problem. Yay for bonus gift cards to pay the tips for our two character meals. xD Thanks for the help!

Also just know that in an emergency if you need your cash back can request a refund at any point after you open it and don't have to wait 120 days. That 120 day waiting period is only if you want your spending out of the account to go towards getting your bonus $20 dollar gift cards for every $1000 you spend out of the account.

 

[mhaftman7]

That is really helpful! My wife and I are gonna start that tonight. I'm so glad I started this thread. Thanks again!

 

[sxeensweet]

That is really helpful! My wife and I are gonna start that tonight. I'm so glad I started this thread. Thanks again!

Your very welcome! We had not heard of it until recently either and it's been around for several years. Wish we had known about it all these years so I now tell anyone that wants to save they have that option. I have used it to pay for a few things already and it was as easy as using a gift card when I bought our MNSSHP party tickets last month etc.