Most Expensive trip ever

[corpcomp]

Thought I'd pop by & say Hi

We're finding Disney holidays more & more expensive too - we have two Teenagers also, 1 at University 1 due to go in Sept.

However this year we're only at Disney for 9 nights (normally about 16) as we're saving money by staying with my Brother 1st, guess where -Wilton Conneticut - could you wear your lime green Mickey head around town for the last week in August

We managed to get flights from JFK to MCO for $82 each - booked in Nov though (I think we still have to pay extra for luggage on top), out of your holiday season I guess as early Sept.

Wow - $82? Mine are $400 each JFK to MCO - Spring Break time.

I will be on the lookout in town in late August for any people wearing Disney hats and shirts and singing Rue Britannia.

Where are your kids going? We are deciding now between Villanova near Philadelphia and Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Managed to get into the Honors program at Georgia Tech, probably because he is from the Northeast and they want more kids from the Northeast (higher tuition).

 

[Shazzie B]

Wow - $82? Mine are $400 each JFK to MCO - Spring Break time.

I will be on the lookout in town in late August for any people wearing Disney hats and shirts and singing Rue Britannia.

Where are your kids going? We are deciding now between Villanova near Philadelphia and Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Managed to get into the Honors program at Georgia Tech, probably because he is from the Northeast and they want more kids from the Northeast (higher tuition).

We were impressed with the price too - paying about £625 each for flights into JFK & back from MCO to UK though - hope my brother won't be charging us much rent

Yes probably to the shirts & hats - but definate no to the singing

DS is at Wolverhampton (Nr Birmingham) doing Forensic Science. DD due to do Primary Education (much more normal child!!!) hopefully at Oxford - depends on final grades etc.

I don't know a lot about your college system - but Georgia sounds great - but I'd probably choose that as nearer Disney and closer to home for you (I think ??)

All the best.

 

[Minniesgal]

One of the reasons we finally pushed the button to buy DVC is we realized we love the resorts as much as the parks. If we have a cash strapped visit I have a plan of not buying park tickets and not making a lot of ADRs but simply enjoying what the resorts have to offer. We always leave disney wishing for more resort time and believe we would really enjoy a holiday like that

 

[jimim]

A Disney vacation is very expensive even if you are a DVC owner. I continually post that fact because many are just so excited to become a DVC owner, they really don't factor in the total cost of a yearly DVC vacation.

We know two families who feel into that trap and they had to sell their memberships after just a couple of years.

Disney just posted a all time record profit and has announced that they will be cutting back on sales and discounts.

Bill

I agree I don't think people take this into account. We k ow each year we r doing a min or 2 trips sometimes 3 like this year. So we r ready for the 1 after another airfare bills along with the dues coming in the same time as 1 flight payment is due and then add the annual passes and u got 4 to 5 grand sunk already and u didn't get there. But then u look back after its all in the clear and u got 2 to 3 trips to look forward to. We r deff in that min set but we look at what we saved if we didn't have dvc. The ticket discount. Tiw card. We save a bunch there that we wouldn't have without the dvc membership. I think were we see the savings is cause it's multiple trips that we would have taken anyway but get the discount and have the room taken care or already.

It's deff not a cheap investment like u always say and thank god I'm ready for that each year even before our dvc membership. I can't see how u can go to Disney and live in a world where u think its not going to be expensive. It's just an expensive trip even with discounts I think. Ya there are so many other trips one can take bit u can't compare them to Disney. They r all deff kinda of trips. A trip to the jersey shore might be a bunch cheaper for the same time but then a trip to the west coast to say tour Sonoma and Mendocino might be double. It's all how one travels.

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[corpcomp]

I agree I don't think people take this into account. We k ow each year we r doing a min or 2 trips sometimes 3 like this year. So we r ready for the 1 after another airfare bills along with the dues coming in the same time as 1 flight payment is due and then add the annual passes and u got 4 to 5 grand sunk already and u didn't get there. But then u look back after its all in the clear and u got 2 to 3 trips to look forward to. We r deff in that min set but we look at what we saved if we didn't have dvc. The ticket discount. Tiw card. We save a bunch there that we wouldn't have without the dvc membership. I think were we see the savings is cause it's multiple trips that we would have taken anyway but get the discount and have the room taken care or already.

It's deff not a cheap investment like u always say and thank god I'm ready for that each year even before our dvc membership. I can't see how u can go to Disney and live in a world where u think its not going to be expensive. It's just an expensive trip even with discounts I think. Ya there are so many other trips one can take bit u can't compare them to Disney. They r all deff kinda of trips. A trip to the jersey shore might be a bunch cheaper for the same time but then a trip to the west coast to say tour Sonoma and Mendocino might be double. It's all how one travels.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

True, we joined because of the quality of the rooms and amenities. If we wanted to save money we would have not joined DVC and just stay in values or moderates and save hundreds on the room each trip versus the maintenance fee which is about $1600 now. Of course airfare and food would still be the same. So right now the standard DVC trip for 5 days cost us about $1200 for airfare, $700 for food, $350 for the dog boarding, $80 for parking at JFK, tickets at about $900 or about $3300 total excluding the cost of the room, via the maintenance fees. With DS 17 going to college next year which will cost a fortune (about $60K), we may cancel trips every other year for the next 4 years as a partial offset.

 

[jimim]

True, we joined because of the quality of the rooms and amenities. If we wanted to save money we would have not joined DVC and just stay in values or moderates and save hundreds on the room each trip versus the maintenance fee which is about $1600 now. Of course airfare and food would still be the same. So right now the standard DVC trip for 5 days cost us about $1200 for airfare, $700 for food, $350 for the dog boarding, $80 for parking at JFK, tickets at about $900 or about $3300 total excluding the cost of the room, via the maintenance fees. With DS 17 going to college next year which will cost a fortune (about $60K), we may cancel trips every other year for the next 4 years as a partial offset.

College is crazy anymore. I'm young. 36. Just starting a family of 2 kids and I dread the day college rolls around. I come from the up ringing that u always try to give ur kids a better and easier life than u had and my parents did it all for me which I am very grateful for and want to do the same and more for my kids. I have no idea how I will either. I deff don't want to strap my kids with 30 years of loans. I remember when I took on my wife's cause I had none and it was crazy for those few years getting rid of them. I don't want that for my kids. Well at least minimal of it has to be.

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[corpcomp]

College is crazy anymore. I'm young. 36. Just starting a family of 2 kids and I dread the day college rolls around. I come from the up ringing that u always try to give ur kids a better and easier life than u had and my parents did it all for me which I am very grateful for and want to do the same and more for my kids. I have no idea how I will either. I deff don't want to strap my kids with 30 years of loans. I remember when I took on my wife's cause I had none and it was crazy for those few years getting rid of them. I don't want that for my kids. Well at least minimal of it has to be.

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My parents did the same for me and I want to also do the same for my son. Unfortunately we live in a wealthy town where the kids are taught they must go to private school and not the state schools. UCONN and three other colleges offered him a scholarship and it would only cost us $18K but DW said she wants him to go wherever he wants regardless of cost. Many people I know tell their kids you are going to a state school period! In 8 years, private schools will hit the $100K mark according to one University President. But I will not take money out of retirement plan or remortgage the house. I've just given him an option of one school at $60K and he has to fund his senior year by working all 4 years, or the Georgia Tech Honors program at $40K, with a new car for his sophomore year, a paid abroad program and a bank account. GT would save us about $85K and I would rather give him most of that when he graduates than giving it to the school.

Small schools from out of state will offer you all sorts of money to come there, the named schools wont even contact you since they have 10's of thousands applying unless your kids are the top of the class or get perfect 800's on their SATs. Duke's 25th percentile is 760 on the math SAT, which is about the top 3% for the bottom end of the class. Incredible.

My advise is to save as much money as possible. not count on scholarships or grants and pray they get a D1 offer to play sports.