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So, I've been crunching some numbers on how I want to send my WDW gift cards when the time comes.

I think I'm going to save my air miles on getting tickets and use the PC Points / WDW gift cards for the tickets instead of the resort. My parents and I each have a 1-day ticket left from years ago, so we would only need a 3-day ticket and I would buy DD11 a 4-day ticket. We could easily share a room at Pop Century for 5 nights so that would be pretty cheap.

I think I'm going to buy all four of our passes with the cards instead. Seems to be a better use of rewards versus Air Miles. We all know the passes are going to go up in price, therefore the number of miles needed will be going up too.

At today's prices and exchange rate, I have all four tickets coming out to $1946.92 CDN (OUCH!) and resort for 5 nights would be $1178.27 CDN
 
Edited as I forgot to attache the quotes lol.

@ilovetotravel1977 I think that's a great way to spend your extra PC Points money. That's quite a chunk of money for tickets. I know if I get my way to do a trip for the 4 of us, I will probably be doing something similar ( probably Universal and 2 days of Disney ) As long as your bank account doesn't need you to use the free groceries...then that's probably the best bang for your buck!!! Any way that we can utilize those free savings to spend on what we need to is great in my books!!!!!!
 




ilovetotravel1977 said:
I just received the flyers for next week.

Shoppers is a redemption event - Fri-Sun:

redeem 50,000= up to $65 off
redeem 100,000 = up to $140 off
redeem 200,000 = up to $300 off
Click to expand...

great news! it feels like the last redemption event was only a month or so ago? when i was casually collecting i didn’t realize they were so common...i’m going to try not to redeem points outside these events anymore.
 
can someone explain how these redemption weekend events work? if my main goal with the optimum program is using the points towards Disney GC's, would you recommend these events as the time to redeem to making the most bang for my points?
 
MermaidLagoonResident said:
can someone explain how these redemption weekend events work? if my main goal with the optimum program is using the points towards Disney GC's, would you recommend these events as the time to redeem to making the most bang for my points?
Click to expand...

i definitely would!

usually, every 10000 points you redeem counts as 10$ off your bill. on these special events, the rate of return is better (and you can see from ilovetotravel’s list, the rate is best for big $ redemptions).

shoppers won’t let you redeem directly for a gift card, so you need to buy stuff equivalent or greater to the cost you want to redeem.

so for the lowest tier of the redemption event, you’d need to buy 65$ in toothbrushes, tylenol, or tide (or anything you need that doesn’t start with a t...), redeem your points for the stuff, and then pay for a 65$ gift card. it works out to the same thing, but the indirect method is the only one you can do unfortunately.

last time there was a redemption event, i stocked up on big stuff i don’t need to buy too often (toothbrush heads, for example) so i could reach 300$. for me, even though that’s the best return on points, i don’t think it’s realistic to hit that top tier regularly. it’s just more than i tend to spend at a drug store. but even 65$ for 50000 points is a better return than usual, so it’s definitely a good time to get some disney $!

i hope this helps :)
 
My plan is to use 50,000 points to get $65 worth of groceries and maybe a few things for Christmas stocking stuffers. Then I will take the $65 I would have but didn't spend and either put it directly into our trip savings account or convert it to US and put it into our US trip account. I have no problem with doing this, I'm a pretty good saver. We are putting funds away for a family DCL cruise in 2021 and I figure our bill will be anywhere from $20,000 US to $28,000 US. The more I save now the less I will have to come up with then. That's good incentive to save these funds, lol.
 
tinkerone said:
My plan is to use 50,000 points to get $65 worth of groceries and maybe a few things for Christmas stocking stuffers. Then I will take the $65 I would have but didn't spend and either put it directly into our trip savings account or convert it to US and put it into our US trip account. I have no problem with doing this, I'm a pretty good saver. We are putting funds away for a family DCL cruise in 2021 and I figure our bill will be anywhere from $20,000 US to $28,000 US. The more I save now the less I will have to come up with then. That's good incentive to save these funds, lol.
Click to expand...

sounds like an amazing vacation!! what’s running the tab up so high? i haven’t cruised before, so i’m wondering if i need to really bump my budget...
 
marchingstar said:
i definitely would!

usually, every 10000 points you redeem counts as 10$ off your bill. on these special events, the rate of return is better (and you can see from ilovetotravel’s list, the rate is best for big $ redemptions).

shoppers won’t let you redeem directly for a gift card, so you need to buy stuff equivalent or greater to the cost you want to redeem.

so for the lowest tier of the redemption event, you’d need to buy 65$ in toothbrushes, tylenol, or tide (or anything you need that doesn’t start with a t...), redeem your points for the stuff, and then pay for a 65$ gift card. it works out to the same thing, but the indirect method is the only one you can do unfortunately.

last time there was a redemption event, i stocked up on big stuff i don’t need to buy too often (toothbrush heads, for example) so i could reach 300$. for me, even though that’s the best return on points, i don’t think it’s realistic to hit that top tier regularly. it’s just more than i tend to spend at a drug store. but even 65$ for 50000 points is a better return than usual, so it’s definitely a good time to get some disney $!

i hope this helps :)
Click to expand...

Thank you!

Just to make sure I am following completely- in this case with the 50,000/$65 off, you end up with $15 extra. When redeeming do you get points on your items/does it make sense to buy your targeted promotion items?
 
marchingstar said:
sounds like an amazing vacation!! what’s running the tab up so high? i haven’t cruised before, so i’m wondering if i need to really bump my budget...
Click to expand...
Disney cruises are VERY expensive!!! When we used to go on Disney cruises (currently just cannot justify or afford the cost) it cost us almost double what the same number of days at WDW would cost and, we were pretty cautious with our cruise expenses!

Some things to consider when saving for a Disney Cruise:
- accommodations in FL night before the cruise
- transportation to and from the port
- type of stateroom. Even their inside staterooms are $$$
- port adventures (we normally did 1 faily inexpensive port adventure per cruise)
- daily fees per person
- additional tipping of room steward, servers, etc. (not mandatory but I always felt I wanted to add more as the service was amazing!!)
- alcohol
- specialty dining at Palo/Remy if you choose
- photographs
- extras onboard (specialty shops for ice cream, coffee, movie snacks, etc)
- activities (BINGO, tastings, etc)
- WiFi
- Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and/or special Princess Teas
- gingerbread class on Christmas cruises (I believe there is a fee for these but please correct me if I'm wrong)
- participation in Fish Extenders
- magnets for stateroom door
- I'm sure there are more I can't think of that others will add....

It's amazing how all of these things add up! Even though many are optional we did not partake in a good portion of the items above the price still added up and up and up!

I remember being shocked when I was standing in line at Guest Services to hear a couple of families chatting (about 3 days into the cruise) saying that their CC had already been charged over $2000 since the cruise began!! SO not the way we live or can live!!

If it helps at all, when we last did a Disney Cruise 2 years ago, the average price/day for my DD and I (she was 8 at the time) was almost $1000CDN/day once I counted in everything. I will say I pay more as it's just the 2 of us so I need to pay for her as an adult but still, Disney Cruises are not for the faint of heart when it comes to the cost!! (I feel they're still worth every penny but I've just had to say enough is enough as I won't go into debt for a cruise. 😭 ...even though I'm often tempted to!!)

Anyway, I would highly recommend looking around the Disney Cruise portion of DISBoards as they are a wealth of knowledge there! I'd much rather go in with an idea of what I might be spending than constantly be shocked at how many little things add up and up and up!!
 
Last edited:
scrappinginontario said:
Disney cruises are VERY expensive!!! When we used to go on Disney cruises (currently just cannot justify or afford the cost) it cost us almost double what the same number of days at WDW would cost and, we were pretty cautious with our cruise expenses!

Some things to consider when saving for a Disney Cruise:
- accommodations in FL night before the cruise
- transportation to and from the port
- type of stateroom. Even their inside staterooms are $$$
- port adventures (we normally did 1 faily inexpensive port adventure per cruise)
- daily fees per person
- additional tipping of room steward, servers, etc. (not mandatory but I always felt I wanted to add more as the service was amazing!!)
- alcohol
- specialty dining at Palo/Remy if you choose
- photographs
- extras onboard (specialty shops for ice cream, coffee, movie snacks, etc)
- activities (BINGO, tastings, etc)
- WiFi
- Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and/or special Princess Teas
- gingerbread class on Christmas cruises (I believe there is a fee for these but please correct me if I'm wrong)
- participation in Fish Extenders
- magnets for stateroom door
- I'm sure there are more I can't think of that others will add....

It's amazing how all of these things add up! Even though many are optional we did not partake in a good portion of the items above the price still added up and up and up!

I remember being shocked when I was standing in line at Guest Services to hear a couple of families chatting (about 3 days into the cruise) saying that their CC had already been charged over $2000 since the cruise began!! SO not the way we live or can live!!

If it helps at all, when we last did a Disney Cruise 2 years ago, the average price/day for my DD and I (she was 8 at the time) was almost $1000CDN/day once I counted in everything. I will say I pay more as it's just the 2 of us so I need to pay for her as an adult but still, Disney Cruises are not for the faint of heart when it comes to the cost!! (I feel they're still worth every penny but I've just had to say enough is enough as I won't go into debt for a cruise. 😭 ...even though I'm often tempted to!!)

Anyway, I would highly recommend looking around the Disney Cruise portion of DISBoards as they are a wealth of knowledge there! I'd much rather go in with an idea of what I might be spending than constantly be shocked at how many little things add up and up and up!!
Click to expand...

this is so incredibly helpful!! thank you!!

i’ve never taken a cruise at all before, so it’s all new to me, and this gives me so much helpful stuff to think about. it also makes me feel even better about our decision to wait until the kiddo is a bit older and can enjoy some of the kid-specific stuff on the boats.
 
marchingstar said:
sounds like an amazing vacation!! what’s running the tab up so high? i haven’t cruised before, so i’m wondering if i need to really bump my budget...
Click to expand...
This will be a family vacation so we are looking at 3, possibly 4, cabins. A low estimate for an Ocean View cabin for 2 Adults is $4,000 each and we will need one cabin with 2 adults, 1 child, so about $5200. That right there, for 3 cabins, is $13,200 and as I mentioned, that's on the low side; could be several thousand more. If we add in a forth cabin, as it's possible that two more family members could be joining us then add another $4000 to that or $17,200.
Then air fair for 7 or possibly 9, $3600 on the low side to $6000. Transfers to and from the port, $500 to $700 depending on transportation options. Rooms for the night before our flights and possibly a night from our return flight, $1200.
Then you can add in all the smaller things like tipping on the ship, $94.50 per person, and that might go up before then, so $660 to $850. Food while traveling before and after cruise, maybe $900 which would be $100 p.p., might be on the low side. Would love to have a cabana on CC which, if I could get the big one, would be about $1200.
While there will be more that I haven't thought of or have yet to include this is just a rough draft of costs.
So, anywhere from $20,000 to $28,000 and it's all US funds. Yes, its a splurge however it's to celebrate my GS's 5th birthday. We have taken our children and their children to Disney as each one hit 5. Being that Disney is so big now we thought we might just do the cruise and maybe add a day or two before or after the cruise for the parks. Oh, see there. A day or two after the cruise adds another dimension to my totals. I really need to get some more points..... :rolleyes:
 
tinkerone said:
This will be a family vacation so we are looking at 3, possibly 4, cabins. A low estimate for an Ocean View cabin for 2 Adults is $4,000 each and we will need one cabin with 2 adults, 1 child, so about $5200. That right there, for 3 cabins, is $13,200 and as I mentioned, that's on the low side; could be several thousand more. If we add in a forth cabin, as it's possible that two more family members could be joining us then add another $4000 to that or $17,200.
Then air fair for 7 or possibly 9, $3600 on the low side to $6000. Transfers to and from the port, $500 to $700 depending on transportation options. Rooms for the night before our flights and possibly a night from our return flight, $1200.
Then you can add in all the smaller things like tipping on the ship, $94.50 per person, and that might go up before then, so $660 to $850. Food while traveling before and after cruise, maybe $900 which would be $100 p.p., might be on the low side. Would love to have a cabana on CC which, if I could get the big one, would be about $1200.
While there will be more that I haven't thought of or have yet to include this is just a rough draft of costs.
So, anywhere from $20,000 to $28,000 and it's all US funds. Yes, its a splurge however it's to celebrate my GS's 5th birthday. We have taken our children and their children to Disney as each one hit 5. Being that Disney is so big now we thought we might just do the cruise and maybe add a day or two before or after the cruise for the parks. Oh, see there. A day or two after the cruise adds another dimension to my totals. I really need to get some more points..... :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

ahh, thanks for explaining :) i never remember travel party size for everyone and traveling as a couple/family with kids/extended family makes suuuuch a difference.

i think it’s really nice that your family still vacations together, even with grown kids and grandkids. and we all splurge how/where we want/can! some people out in the larger dis community sure gave me an earful (eyeful?) about ‘wasting’ money because we took our baby at 7 months. but for me, the memories are priceless—some of the best $ i’ve ever spent!
 
marchingstar said:
i think it’s really nice that your family still vacations together, even with grown kids and grandkids. and we all splurge how/where we want/can! some people out in the larger dis community sure gave me an earful (eyeful?) about ‘wasting’ money because we took our baby at 7 months. but for me, the memories are priceless—some of the best $ i’ve ever spent!
Click to expand...
Right??
I've been told the same but its how I choose to use my money. I do what I can to get the best price possible however when it comes down to it I know what I want and I'm going to do it. If I can lower the cost by using AM's or PC points I'm on it and very pleased with myself. I once had a co-worker who said to me 'your not cheap but you sure are frugal'. Best compliment I have ever had. :)
I like to vacation with my family and since they are young and still have the mortgages we like to pick up the bill. Course it might be payback time when we are old, broke and have to go into a home, :rotfl2:

You continue to travel with your child. They may or may not remember but you will remember forever and that's what its all about. :flower3:
 
Hi all,
Love this thread! Anyway- I am new to Shoppers (shop at Superstore all the time). I see the flyer runs until today. But then the other flyer doesn’t start until Saturday. Is there no flyer that covers Friday? TIA
 
wdwgirl1 said:
Hi all,
Love this thread! Anyway- I am new to Shoppers (shop at Superstore all the time). I see the flyer runs until today. But then the other flyer doesn’t start until Saturday. Is there no flyer that covers Friday? TIA
Click to expand...

That's unusual, since the flyer normally is Friday to Thursday. The redemption event is also Friday to Sunday. I wonder how that happened?
 
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