Author Topic: Give your money to Disney!  (Read 26902 times)

jeromedawg

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #50 on: May 27, 2017, 04:33:06 PM »
I would never intentionally go there on my own, and even my wife has no desire to go as a family... it's just so freaking expensive and crowded. I suppose, if you really do want to go with kids and not pay and arm and a leg, the best time to go is when they're 3 and under. But then it's miserable if your kid is super-needy and uncomfortable at the park hahaha
Ah, but there are ways to make the crowds...well, sorta irrelevant.  Fast passes, the Disney app (that tells you wait times), getting there early/staying late, and using RideMax are our favorite methods for getting around the crowds.  Oh, also going in off-peak season, like February.

This is true - that's why we only go when my bro/SIL are in town. They are experts at 'exploiting' and gaming Fastpass, single rider, rider swap, etc. The norm is that a majority of people and unsuspecting tourists don't know about most of these tricks. Using undercovertourist, and other websites that predict crowds at whatever given park are handy too. We definitely planned out everything when we went to WDW - I think it made it much more enjoyable having a game plan vs going to the ride that looks the coolest and has the longest lines hahaha.

jeromedawg

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #51 on: May 27, 2017, 04:39:00 PM »
Everyone having a good time at Disney is a lie.  One of our favorite activities, when it's too crowded to do much of anything, is to walk around and people watch.  My wife and I have a game we call "not having a magical time" where we identify miserable people and pretend the "magical time police" are going to rush in and remove them from the parks.  Adults are 2 points, teens are 1 point, and kids are 3 points.  We set the point system up long ago, when we assumed the kids would be happiest and the teens would be too cool to have fun.  It's not true, the kids have much less patience for the crowds, lines, and demands of moving around the park.  They are usually the easiest miserable people to find.

If we find that we're not having a magical time, we escort ourselves out.  With annual passes, we can go back another time.  We're usually fine with most stuff, even normal level crowds.  It is when they break out the tape and split the walks into coming/going sides and have members out to crowd control the streets (usually at capacity level) when we're done.  Those days, it can take over an two hours to get out of the park, if you're near the back, when you decide you're done.

It sounds like you guys have a good time there when you play that game :D Seriously, the most memorable part of our WDW trip was riding on the "double-mommy-meltdown tram ride" I shared about. It was just awesome, I felt ripped off when the husbands stepped in to break it up.... jk hahahaha. Otherwise, sometimes it can be fun looking for the mommy/daddy meltdowns, but as we now have kids I think we have a little more sympathy. It sure is funny when you're single or married w/o kids though!!

LiveLean

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #52 on: May 29, 2017, 07:55:08 PM »
Number of years living in Central Florida: 19
Number of children: 2 (14 and 11)
Number of trips to Disney: Zero

Cal Ripken has nothing on me. I will take this streak to the grave.

talltexan

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #53 on: May 30, 2017, 09:20:40 AM »
I already bared my soul about my non-mustachian Disney-going ways, but the mention of Cal Ripken, Jr., means I also need to confess spending the un-mustachian sum of $90 to buy three of his books at a book signing of his ten years ago. I gave them as gifts to people who have too many books. Perhaps news will break that Mr. Ripken, himself, is a mustachian. His peak salary of $4 million would mean he'd have a pretty easy ten years of living on $1.6 million/year to do it.

geek42

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #54 on: May 30, 2017, 12:56:01 PM »
We just returned from a 5 night trip, we went to see the new Pandora/avatar land (Its beautiful). ~$450 out of pocket for the hotel (One night on points for a disney resort with "magic hours" to get into Pandora on opening day), points for the airline and car rental, call it $100 on food, and $330 on purchases related to a Disney fanatic in the family purchased offsite at the outlets. (Outlets are a different story, a lady in front of us bought ~60 mouse ears that were 90% off along with other stuff to the tune of $700 and wouldn't let us have a mouse ear set. We weren't kicking hard enough evidently. Re-sellers are a pain, we've decided to put everything in a cart if we might like it and just sort it out afterward after this last trip, holiday weekends are worse than we imagined)

This was with our 13 month old. We have story now, much like my stories for opening night of star wars. However, in a similar vein I never intend to do an opening anything again! Getting up at 5:30AM to get to the park to stand in line for 2 hours to ride an admittedly amazing experience and then going back again for another 2 hour line at 11pm to close down the park is something to do once and then check off the box.

Also, Live in Ohio and have been to disney on 5 trips since we purchased annual passes in October for a total of 26 days, we're at $33/day/person cost, and I'm burnt out on all things at the house of mouse, on the other hand our most expensive trip for a week including the annual pass was $3000 because we went with family. (The $1600 price tag for 2 annual passes was painful, but free photo downloads and the discounts saved our family ALOT when we traveled with them) I can't imagine that much a day. Actually I did spend some time thinking about it this past trip because of the number of VIP movie stars wandering around (Paying at least $375/hr for personal tours, talking about the Floridian ($1000/ngt)) and realizing they probably spend about $5000 a day. We decided they weren't getting a much improved experience except for unlimited flight rides in Pandora. ;)


Rife

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #55 on: May 30, 2017, 06:17:56 PM »
Disney is our big non-mustachian weakness. I will say never convince someone to go. If someone wants to find reasons to hate it they will. About ten years ago I went with my brothers family with a couple of other families (another note never try to go with a big group unless you like arguing) and the other families kids complained constantly and the parents argued about every little thing. They went expecting thrill type rides and just never got into it. Understand though that i have heard rants about how bad Disney trips are just by mentioning WDW, so, if you are known to not like Disney people are unlikely to offer up that they do.

When we go we just avoid the lines. If we don't do a few things at all then fine but we don't ever stand in long lines. There are always ways like fast pass, waiting for parade time etc that can get you in without the line. I will say that our daughter is now 4 and this Xmas will be our last trip to Disney for a few years as we have a lot of other places to go as she gets older.

golden1

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #56 on: May 30, 2017, 08:01:18 PM »
Quote
Disney is our big non-mustachian weakness.

Ditto.  I can't really explain it - maybe it's because I went as a young child and formed great memories, but I really like Disney.  I am not a Disney *nut* in the sense that we only go as a family every 3 or 4 years, not every year or multiple times a year like some families I know.  I only go when there is something new to see.  I am pretty good at planning a good vacation there, if I do say so myself, and it is one of the few places that my whole family ends up having a good time. 

I have my tricks for saving money, like renting DVC points and strict limits on souvenirs.  Most people who are miserable make the mistake of going when it is hot and crowded and not doing any planning ahead of time.  It just isn't that type of vacation. 

kimmarg

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #57 on: May 30, 2017, 08:48:53 PM »
Oh, also going in off-peak season, like February.

how in the world is Feb 'off peak'??? I'm pretty sure all of Northern New England boards a direct flight to Orlando the 3rd week of February....

talltexan

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #58 on: May 31, 2017, 09:05:34 AM »
we were there in late-January, and it seemed like Brazilians were all over the place. There must be some traditional summer break there that they all spend at Disney World.

loyalreader

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #59 on: May 31, 2017, 09:55:26 AM »
Quote
Disney is our big non-mustachian weakness.

Ditto.  I can't really explain it - maybe it's because I went as a young child and formed great memories, but I really like Disney.

Double ditto. I'm sure nostalgia plays into it, but also - when they get it right - immersive theming. I'm a sucker for it.

I'm certainly of two minds about Disney. I see that it's a big cash grab and it can be downright corny. But you can get a big bang for your entertainment dollar... if you do it right. For instance, those are easily $10k worth of fireworks being fired off every night. There is plenty to take in for free. Sometime the quiet moments are the best. Planning - as other posters have said - makes a huge difference in what you spend.

I've been lucky enough to have literally traveled around the world. I still enjoy going to Disney. It doesn't have to be an either/or proposition.

On the other hand, I understand why others hate it...

charis

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #60 on: May 31, 2017, 10:20:34 AM »
Certainly reasonable minds can disagree on whether this is an enjoyable vacation or a waste of money, but from a mustachian perspective, there are MANY ways to save money, get a lot of bang for your buck, or travel hack the entire thing. 

I'll touch on one thing.  The obvious cost-saver is going when someone in your party is free = under 3.  We've gone twice and my son was free both times (18 months [so free flight as well] and 2 years 11 months).  That included free ticket entry and meals at in-park character buffets, which are pricey.  The other perk is the rider switch pass - if you have a child that's too short to ride, your older child can go on the twice, while adults take turns waiting with the younger child, and it works like a fast pass.

jeromedawg

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #61 on: May 31, 2017, 11:45:49 AM »
Quote
Disney is our big non-mustachian weakness.

Ditto.  I can't really explain it - maybe it's because I went as a young child and formed great memories, but I really like Disney.

Double ditto. I'm sure nostalgia plays into it, but also - when they get it right - immersive theming. I'm a sucker for it.

I'm certainly of two minds about Disney. I see that it's a big cash grab and it can be downright corny. But you can get a big bang for your entertainment dollar... if you do it right. For instance, those are easily $10k worth of fireworks being fired off every night. There is plenty to take in for free. Sometime the quiet moments are the best. Planning - as other posters have said - makes a huge difference in what you spend.

I've been lucky enough to have literally traveled around the world. I still enjoy going to Disney. It doesn't have to be an either/or proposition.

On the other hand, I understand why others hate it...

When you talk about fireworks, are you justifying that under the premise of buying a ticket? Because I can take a leisurely drive on the 5fwy around 9:30pm at night and see the same fireworks for that matter :) In fact, one time I was on my way back home and started hearing loud explosions in the air, wondering if we were under attack. After looking at the clock, and where I was on the fwy, I realized "Holy crap, it's just Disneyland" and my heart stopped racing. Anyway, I know this sounds awful but every time I go to Disney now, I'm on the lookout for mommy/daddy meltdowns hahahaha.

Certainly reasonable minds can disagree on whether this is an enjoyable vacation or a waste of money, but from a mustachian perspective, there are MANY ways to save money, get a lot of bang for your buck, or travel hack the entire thing. 

I'll touch on one thing.  The obvious cost-saver is going when someone in your party is free = under 3.  We've gone twice and my son was free both times (18 months [so free flight as well] and 2 years 11 months).  That included free ticket entry and meals at in-park character buffets, which are pricey.  The other perk is the rider switch pass - if you have a child that's too short to ride, your older child can go on the twice, while adults take turns waiting with the younger child, and it works like a fast pass.

Yep, kids under 3 and then fastpass/rider swap/single rider are all tactics that can take a DISmal experience to DISfun... that said, I don't think I've ever seen my brother walk so fast [to the Fastpass machines]
« Last Edit: May 31, 2017, 11:47:37 AM by jeromedawg »

frugledoc

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #62 on: May 31, 2017, 02:26:42 PM »
I wouldn't go to Disney for free

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #63 on: May 31, 2017, 02:30:48 PM »
I've tried Disney-- Land as a kid, World as an adult-- and I just can't see what the appeal is.

From the kid trip, I remember a ride with pirates and another one with animatronic hippos from Disney Land, but just don't recall much of anything else. So the "lifelong memories" argument-- and I would have been about 8 or 9 when we took the trip, not a toddler-- turned out to be utter horseshit. I didn't enjoy Disney World as an adult even though I was there with someone I really cared for. The evidence suggests I'm not a fan of theme parks. National parks and state parks, now-- those are great and there really is something for everyone.

calimom

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #64 on: June 01, 2017, 01:27:55 PM »
I just really don't get adults who love All Things Disney. The same reason I don't understand anyone over legal drinking age enjoying Harry Potter, YA novels, and dressing up to go to Star Wars/Trek conventions. Or referring to their pets as "fur babies".

But of course, to each their own, and that's what makes us all so special and unique. Like the above poster, I far prefer National Parks to theme parks. And once paid a fair amount to rent a small RV to take my children and MIL to see some of the wonders of the west, which was money well spent as far as I was concerned.

Fish Sweet

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #65 on: June 01, 2017, 03:19:04 PM »
I disney-hack in the most cost effective way there is-- living in SoCal and being best friends with someone who works for The Mouse, haha!  Back when I was in college, my friend and I bought the cheapest SoCal Resident's pass that existed and went a good ten+ times during weekdays when I didn't have class.  These days, I can get into the parks for free most days, park for free, and get a hefty 25-30% discount on everything I buy, which is pretty good.  But the number of people who buy and buy and buy every new piece of Disney merchandise completely baffle me.  Why in the world would anyone need this many souvenirs from the same damn place?

But given the crowds and the lines and the heat, honestly the only reason I can still go and have fun is because I'm so familiar with the parks, the hours, and the showings that I can game the fast past system, single rider, and various park shortcuts and tricks so that I never wait more than 30 minutes for anything, know all the cheapest and yummiest places to eat, and can enjoy the day to its fullest with my best friends.  Also I don't feel any pressure to be having "fun" the entire day because I'm paying out the ass for it.  In those circumstances, I think it would be much more difficult to enjoy.

Reynold

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #66 on: June 01, 2017, 03:48:21 PM »
Really?  Most parents I know openly acknowledge that Disney kinda sucks and they're only doing it for their kid and they'd rather be somewhere, anywhere, else.  They might not admit it if their kid didn't have a great time, but almost no adult I know relishes the thought of going to Disney.

My DW and I were there some years back, and she got invited to a "focus group" they had there.  She prefers other types of vacations on the whole, but everyone else in the focus group, all adults, was pretty dedicated to going.  It was a mix of "I like the safety/predictability/friendliness of employees." and "I grew up going there with my family, I still associate it with those good times and enjoy it now myself."  There are a lot of adults who like it and go even without kids. 

jeromedawg

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #67 on: June 01, 2017, 03:52:58 PM »
I disney-hack in the most cost effective way there is-- living in SoCal and being best friends with someone who works for The Mouse, haha!  Back when I was in college, my friend and I bought the cheapest SoCal Resident's pass that existed and went a good ten+ times during weekdays when I didn't have class.  These days, I can get into the parks for free most days, park for free, and get a hefty 25-30% discount on everything I buy, which is pretty good.  But the number of people who buy and buy and buy every new piece of Disney merchandise completely baffle me.  Why in the world would anyone need this many souvenirs from the same damn place?

But given the crowds and the lines and the heat, honestly the only reason I can still go and have fun is because I'm so familiar with the parks, the hours, and the showings that I can game the fast past system, single rider, and various park shortcuts and tricks so that I never wait more than 30 minutes for anything, know all the cheapest and yummiest places to eat, and can enjoy the day to its fullest with my best friends.  Also I don't feel any pressure to be having "fun" the entire day because I'm paying out the ass for it.  In those circumstances, I think it would be much more difficult to enjoy.

Uhh, I don't think I'd be complaining either if I were able to get into the park for free and especially get free parking [presumably this is in the covered lot or perhaps an employee access lot?).
« Last Edit: June 01, 2017, 03:55:16 PM by jeromedawg »

Fish Sweet

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #68 on: June 01, 2017, 03:58:38 PM »
Uhh, I don't think I'd be complaining either if I were able to get into the park for free and especially get free parking [presumably this is in the covered lot or perhaps an employee access lot?).

Well, we've got a couple posters up top talking about how they couldn't be paid to go to Disneyland and how it's the opposite of fun for them.   If I weren't already familiar with the parks and the park schedule and were showing up on the hottest/most crowded days of the year when everything including the food is a 2 hour wait in the blazing sun and you can't turn around without bumping into someone's fanny pack,.... it's a waste of time.  You couldn't pay me to do that either.

charis

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #69 on: June 01, 2017, 05:24:29 PM »
Uhh, I don't think I'd be complaining either if I were able to get into the park for free and especially get free parking [presumably this is in the covered lot or perhaps an employee access lot?).

Well, we've got a couple posters up top talking about how they couldn't be paid to go to Disneyland and how it's the opposite of fun for them.   If I weren't already familiar with the parks and the park schedule and were showing up on the hottest/most crowded days of the year when everything including the food is a 2 hour wait in the blazing sun and you can't turn around without bumping into someone's fanny pack,.... it's a waste of time.  You couldn't pay me to do that either.

Agreed - I wouldn't do that for pay.  But I've been twice for free (credit card bonus points) and enjoyed the tricks and crazy-level planning that I could do for it.   I think the most we ever waited for a ride was 30 minutes (once) and most were 5-10 min (during holiday breaks), some short waits for our meal reservations.  If you don't like theme parks, obviously you aren't going to enjoy yourself, but I dislike most amusement parks due to waiting in line longer than we did at Disney. 

jeromedawg

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #70 on: June 01, 2017, 11:54:44 PM »
Uhh, I don't think I'd be complaining either if I were able to get into the park for free and especially get free parking [presumably this is in the covered lot or perhaps an employee access lot?).

Well, we've got a couple posters up top talking about how they couldn't be paid to go to Disneyland and how it's the opposite of fun for them.   If I weren't already familiar with the parks and the park schedule and were showing up on the hottest/most crowded days of the year when everything including the food is a 2 hour wait in the blazing sun and you can't turn around without bumping into someone's fanny pack,.... it's a waste of time.  You couldn't pay me to do that either.

Yea, if you're generally a tourist who doesn't know the ins and outs it's totally not worth it. But in that vein, I'd guess that *most* tourists don't have a really good friend working at Disney who lets them into the park... and if they did, their friend likely would have shared with them all the tricks of the trade (fastpass, single rider, rider swap, etc) to actually make it enjoyable so they're not like the rest of the lemmings waiting in like for 3 hours to ride Star Tours and Space Mountain.
« Last Edit: June 02, 2017, 12:01:18 AM by jeromedawg »

partgypsy

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #71 on: June 02, 2017, 09:08:50 AM »
The people who spent 3K for 3 days at Disney, didn't do it right. The longer you stay, the cheaper it gets. I'd have to go back and look at my budget, but we spent around that or less than that for a family of 4 for 5 days. And this was staying on resort and using the meal plan.

I do have to admit I really enjoyed the two times I went to Disney. It was late fall so cheaper and not as crowded. I might want to go with family one more time at some point. After that point, I would rather visit other places.

Each time I came back from Disney I had reverse sticker shock: gas station with drink and hotdog for $2 OMG that's so cheap! Everything looked so inexpensive after being at Disney with the inflated prices.   

If I was going to go to a theme park, right now, I'd rather go to Dollyworld. You can get passes so go 1 day to park, 2 days to water park, and then spend time in the area. you can get better accommodations for the price and the prices for miscellaneous stuff like food is less. It's more relaxing. 
« Last Edit: June 02, 2017, 10:30:34 AM by partgypsy »

merula

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #72 on: June 02, 2017, 09:25:50 AM »
I just really don't get adults who love All Things Disney. The same reason I don't understand anyone over legal drinking age enjoying Harry Potter, YA novels, and dressing up to go to Star Wars/Trek conventions. Or referring to their pets as "fur babies".

But of course, to each their own, and that's what makes us all so special and unique. Like the above poster, I far prefer National Parks to theme parks. And once paid a fair amount to rent a small RV to take my children and MIL to see some of the wonders of the west, which was money well spent as far as I was concerned.

That's quite a list of things people shouldn't like. If I read ~500 page economic theory books in between, can I still read the His Dark Materials series when I feel like it?

calimom

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #73 on: June 02, 2017, 10:13:42 AM »
I just really don't get adults who love All Things Disney. The same reason I don't understand anyone over legal drinking age enjoying Harry Potter, YA novels, and dressing up to go to Star Wars/Trek conventions. Or referring to their pets as "fur babies".

But of course, to each their own, and that's what makes us all so special and unique. Like the above poster, I far prefer National Parks to theme parks. And once paid a fair amount to rent a small RV to take my children and MIL to see some of the wonders of the west, which was money well spent as far as I was concerned.

That's quite a list of things people shouldn't like. If I read ~500 page economic theory books in between, can I still read the His Dark Materials series when I feel like it?

Permission granted! Preferably while standing in 100 degree heat while eating a $15 dollar corn dog waiting for the most popular ride at The Magic Kingdom. Extra points for dressing as a Minion.  Post pictures, please.

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #74 on: June 02, 2017, 11:27:46 AM »
I am a big Disney fan, and we usually go once a year. Having a friend who works there helps with the kids expenses. I love the parks and spending time at Fort Wilderness. It just makes me happy.

We just spent a week in DC and then on to Colonial Williamsburg and Busch Gardens. Busch Gardens is an awesome park and honestly prettier than any of the WDW parks. It is also a bargain...we bought a summer pass for Busch Gardens and the waterpark for $80. Unfortunately, I have had to sit out most of the big rides because of neck issues. I can ride pretty much anything at WDW (with the exception of Space Mountain) without issue. I tried a couple of rides on Wednesday and felt like death so we have had to split up for much of the day which kinda defeats the point of our family vacation.

jeromedawg

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #75 on: June 02, 2017, 11:33:59 AM »
I just really don't get adults who love All Things Disney. The same reason I don't understand anyone over legal drinking age enjoying Harry Potter, YA novels, and dressing up to go to Star Wars/Trek conventions. Or referring to their pets as "fur babies".

But of course, to each their own, and that's what makes us all so special and unique. Like the above poster, I far prefer National Parks to theme parks. And once paid a fair amount to rent a small RV to take my children and MIL to see some of the wonders of the west, which was money well spent as far as I was concerned.

That's quite a list of things people shouldn't like. If I read ~500 page economic theory books in between, can I still read the His Dark Materials series when I feel like it?

Permission granted! Preferably while standing in 100 degree heat while eating a $15 dollar corn dog waiting for the most popular ride at The Magic Kingdom. Extra points for dressing as a Minion.  Post pictures, please.

But the $15 corn dog is 2 feet long! (jk, but the 2ft long corn dogs they have at the county fair is starting to sound pretty delicious) BTW: the Mickey patrol would tackle you and force you to remove the paraphernalia if you were to commit such an act of blasphemy; unless you utilize the invisibility cloak of course.

NoVa

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #76 on: June 03, 2017, 11:49:19 AM »
I am a big Disney fan, and we usually go once a year. Having a friend who works there helps with the kids expenses. I love the parks and spending time at Fort Wilderness. It just makes me happy.

We just spent a week in DC and then on to Colonial Williamsburg and Busch Gardens. Busch Gardens is an awesome park and honestly prettier than any of the WDW parks. It is also a bargain...we bought a summer pass for Busch Gardens and the waterpark for $80. Unfortunately, I have had to sit out most of the big rides because of neck issues. I can ride pretty much anything at WDW (with the exception of Space Mountain) without issue. I tried a couple of rides on Wednesday and felt like death so we have had to split up for much of the day which kinda defeats the point of our family vacation.

I live in Northern Virginia. When we want to go to an amusement park, we drive right by Six Flags and go to Busch Gardens. Much more like a park, not just a big chunk of blacktop with little shade that has a bunch of rides parked on it.
« Last Edit: June 05, 2017, 01:50:15 PM by jfolsen »

charis

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #77 on: June 03, 2017, 03:42:42 PM »
I am a big Disney fan, and we usually go once a year. Having a friend who works there helps with the kids expenses. I love the parks and spending time at Fort Wilderness. It just makes me happy.

We just spent a week in DC and then on to Colonial Williamsburg and Busch Gardens. Busch Gardens is an awesome park and honestly prettier than any of the WDW parks. It is also a bargain...we bought a summer pass for Busch Gardens and the waterpark for $80. Unfortunately, I have had to sit out most of the big rides because of neck issues. I can ride pretty much anything at WDW (with the exception of Space Mountain) without issue. I tried a couple of rides on Wednesday and felt like death so we have had to split up for much of the day which kinda defeats the point of our family vacation.

I live in Northern Virginia. When we wan to go to an amusement park, we drive right by Six Flags and go to Busch Gardens. Much more like a park, not just a big chunk of blacktop with little shade that has a bunch of rides parked on it.

We did BG and Williamsburg last year - it was awesome.  The rides are definitely no joke and the park is gorgeous! 

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #78 on: June 05, 2017, 04:55:14 PM »
I don't think it's a bad way to save money for an expensive vacation. You can buy Disney gift cards at Sam's Club for about a 5% discount. Set up the Disney account early enough, get another 2% back when you use the account to pay for part of the vacation. You can then use the physical gift cards to settle bills at the parks and resorts.

Whether it aligns with your world-view or not, lots of people enjoy Disney vacations and find the money spent worth it.

You could just a savings account and not be subject to any withdrawal or time restrictions, and pair it with a Disney rewards credit card.

elaine amj

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #79 on: June 16, 2017, 08:15:05 PM »
I don't think it's a bad way to save money for an expensive vacation. You can buy Disney gift cards at Sam's Club for about a 5% discount. Set up the Disney account early enough, get another 2% back when you use the account to pay for part of the vacation. You can then use the physical gift cards to settle bills at the parks and resorts.

Whether it aligns with your world-view or not, lots of people enjoy Disney vacations and find the money spent worth it.

You could just a savings account and not be subject to any withdrawal or time restrictions, and pair it with a Disney rewards credit card.

Ahh...but the trick is:
1. Buy discounted Disney gift cards (5% off at Sam's Club or 10% off at Meijer sometimes or up to 15++% off at Kroger)
2. Use your rewards CC for 2-5% off
3. Load the gift cards into a Disney Vacation Account for an extra 2% off

Now your trip is 22% off whatever discount Disney is offering. If Disney is offering 30% off, u are at nearly a 50% discount.


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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #80 on: June 17, 2017, 10:48:54 AM »
I've done both FL and CA multiple times as a single and as a parent...but I will be hard pressed to do it as a grandparent having been trapped on both properties multiple times working convention floors!  I can put on my "patience is a virtue" hat only so many times in my life and I have used up all the chits I had for the Mouse Kingdom.   I have spent a solid week at both flagship parks, in Disney properties with a fully operational expense report- and it still drove me crazy to have to walk to another property to simply eat with a real fork and knife!   I tried taking a taxi at Disneyland to get off property one night for a non Disney dinner and the meter in the cab hit $10 before I even got to a non Disney street! 

My wife OTOH is still a fan and was in Tokyo on business 2 years ago.  As it turned out, the meetings one day didn't really involve her, and she could tell having someone translate everything for her was just slowing everything down, so she took a day off.  She went over to Tokyo Disneyland not realizing it was the day Disney around the world were celebrating the 50th anniversary of "It's a small world"...she even rode it.  It was pretty neat, but lacked for a grandchild or 2 to share it with.

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #81 on: June 18, 2017, 09:11:12 AM »
We recently went to Paris with my 6yo.  We went to Disney Paris for 2 of the 10 days we were there.  She got tons of culture (also spent time in Morocco and Germany) but we also got to give her a Disney experience - something we've been wanting to do for us, more than her.  The best of both worlds (culture and disney), really.  The weather there is much nicer than FL and CA as well.

I was an idiot and forgot to bring food and pay for tickets ahead of time.  The tickets alone cost about $450US and the total out the door was $735 - about 12% of the total trip.  At the time I was freaking over the cost but quickly realized I had the money and didn't care.  Maybe the price would have been cheaper if I had bought tickets ahead of time.  I'm not counting our accomodations - because we were planning on being in Paris regardless of where we went.

The first day at Disney was magical... to see my daughter light up like that when the princesses were dancing on stage - that was priceless and was worth a few hundred for a couple days.

Some things I would have done different:
I'd only go to the old park for a single day - the second day in the new park was not near as magical and felt more forced.  I think my daughter enjoyed it though.  I did too, but it doesn't have any magic factor to me.
Only go on weekdays
Bought tickets in advance
Brought a lighter jacket

I've been to disneyland twice and disneyparis once in 35 years.  I've only paid my own way once.  That's once every 11.7 years and less than $21/year.  No biggie.

Having said all of that, I will probably never go again.  If I do I will only go to the old park for a single day.  Two exceptions: I might go again if I have grandchildren someday or if someone else pays my way - but will still only go for one day.

I really don't understand people that go once or twice every year.

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #82 on: June 18, 2017, 09:27:33 AM »
I would never intentionally go there on my own, and even my wife has no desire to go as a family... it's just so freaking expensive and crowded. I suppose, if you really do want to go with kids and not pay and arm and a leg, the best time to go is when they're 3 and under. But then it's miserable if your kid is super-needy and uncomfortable at the park hahaha
Ah, but there are ways to make the crowds...well, sorta irrelevant.  Fast passes, the Disney app (that tells you wait times), getting there early/staying late, and using RideMax are our favorite methods for getting around the crowds.  Oh, also going in off-peak season, like February.
I just happened to take my family to Disney World in Early Oct 2001.
 This was just after 9-11. People were not flying, the park was wonderfully slow.
If there was any wait, it was very short, but basically there were no waits!
We had a great time.
 Hopefully that was a once in a lifetime benefit.

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #83 on: June 21, 2017, 06:56:08 AM »
My in-laws have perfected the science of going to attractiosn off-peak, i.e. from 9am to 11 am and late in the day.

The upside is that there is a lot less time in line. The downside is that you have to stay on-property; a lot of deals where you stay just off-property but use a shuttle to go to the park early and stay there all-day are not available.

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #84 on: June 21, 2017, 07:11:05 AM »
My in-laws have perfected the science of going to attractiosn off-peak, i.e. from 9am to 11 am and late in the day.

The upside is that there is a lot less time in line. The downside is that you have to stay on-property; a lot of deals where you stay just off-property but use a shuttle to go to the park early and stay there all-day are not available.

You don't have to stay on property.  Renting a car is pretty cheap in Orlando, even during peak times, and certainly much less than staying on site.  We rented a Bonnet Creek timeshare (MUCH less than Dis) - had tons of room and less than a 10 minute drive for a mid day break.

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #85 on: June 21, 2017, 07:38:04 AM »
My in-laws have perfected the science of going to attractiosn off-peak, i.e. from 9am to 11 am and late in the day.

The upside is that there is a lot less time in line. The downside is that you have to stay on-property; a lot of deals where you stay just off-property but use a shuttle to go to the park early and stay there all-day are not available.

You don't have to stay on property.  Renting a car is pretty cheap in Orlando, even during peak times, and certainly much less than staying on site.  We rented a Bonnet Creek timeshare (MUCH less than Dis) - had tons of room and less than a 10 minute drive for a mid day break.

I'm guessing her inlaws were talking about extra magic hours- where you do have to stay on property.

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #86 on: June 21, 2017, 09:09:43 AM »
My in-laws have perfected the science of going to attractiosn off-peak, i.e. from 9am to 11 am and late in the day.

The upside is that there is a lot less time in line. The downside is that you have to stay on-property; a lot of deals where you stay just off-property but use a shuttle to go to the park early and stay there all-day are not available.

You don't have to stay on property.  Renting a car is pretty cheap in Orlando, even during peak times, and certainly much less than staying on site.  We rented a Bonnet Creek timeshare (MUCH less than Dis) - had tons of room and less than a 10 minute drive for a mid day break.
Also, parking at the theme parks comes with re-entry privileges, so you don't have to pay for parking a second time if you leave and come back the same day.

charis

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #87 on: June 21, 2017, 10:07:25 AM »
My in-laws have perfected the science of going to attractiosn off-peak, i.e. from 9am to 11 am and late in the day.

The upside is that there is a lot less time in line. The downside is that you have to stay on-property; a lot of deals where you stay just off-property but use a shuttle to go to the park early and stay there all-day are not available.

You don't have to stay on property.  Renting a car is pretty cheap in Orlando, even during peak times, and certainly much less than staying on site.  We rented a Bonnet Creek timeshare (MUCH less than Dis) - had tons of room and less than a 10 minute drive for a mid day break.

I'm guessing her inlaws were talking about extra magic hours- where you do have to stay on property.

That's correct, but since 9AM-11AM is not extra hours, I'll mention that it's a great time to tour the park if you are staying off site/not doing extra hours.  It has also been suggested that parks are more crowded after opening on extra magic hour days and it might be better to avoid those days.

talltexan

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #88 on: June 23, 2017, 09:18:32 AM »
Note: free parking with annual pass.

It sounds like--even when you pay for parking--you can still cover the difference with cheaper, off-property accommodations, amiright?

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #89 on: June 23, 2017, 11:07:54 AM »
Note: free parking with annual pass.

It sounds like--even when you pay for parking--you can still cover the difference with cheaper, off-property accommodations, amiright?

I think that is universally true, and you save even more for better accommodations.  We considered renting a DVC room the Animal Kingdom Lodge and spent less than half renting a huge two-bedroom timeshare at Bonnet Creek.

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #90 on: June 23, 2017, 11:53:40 AM »
I don't think it's a bad way to save money for an expensive vacation. You can buy Disney gift cards at Sam's Club for about a 5% discount. Set up the Disney account early enough, get another 2% back when you use the account to pay for part of the vacation. You can then use the physical gift cards to settle bills at the parks and resorts.

Whether it aligns with your world-view or not, lots of people enjoy Disney vacations and find the money spent worth it.

You could just a savings account and not be subject to any withdrawal or time restrictions, and pair it with a Disney rewards credit card.

Ahh...but the trick is:
1. Buy discounted Disney gift cards (5% off at Sam's Club or 10% off at Meijer sometimes or up to 15++% off at Kroger)
2. Use your rewards CC for 2-5% off
3. Load the gift cards into a Disney Vacation Account for an extra 2% off

Now your trip is 22% off whatever discount Disney is offering. If Disney is offering 30% off, u are at nearly a 50% discount.


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How did you get 22% off? Is that based on getting 15% off at Kroger and using a 5% [rotating] rewards card (when the 5% is for groceries, at the time)? Out here, Kroger is known as Ralphs and I've never heard of Disney cards being discounted that much if at all. I'm *guessing* that those discounts will primarily in those states that are not CA or FL and that are also furthest away from CA and FL. Otherwise, the other *easiest* way for a guaranteed 7% discount is buying at Target using a Target Redcard and loading into the DVA. I guess if you know someone or have relatives near a Kroger or Meijer that is offering that kind of 10-15%+ discount, have them buy and mail it? I would say buy at Costco when Chase Freedom has 5% CB on wholesale clubs but I'm not even sure if Costco sells Disney GCs here in SoCal at least. There's a Sam's Club here but I'm not a member.

elaine amj

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Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #91 on: June 24, 2017, 10:21:52 PM »
I don't think it's a bad way to save money for an expensive vacation. You can buy Disney gift cards at Sam's Club for about a 5% discount. Set up the Disney account early enough, get another 2% back when you use the account to pay for part of the vacation. You can then use the physical gift cards to settle bills at the parks and resorts.

Whether it aligns with your world-view or not, lots of people enjoy Disney vacations and find the money spent worth it.

You could just a savings account and not be subject to any withdrawal or time restrictions, and pair it with a Disney rewards credit card.

Ahh...but the trick is:
1. Buy discounted Disney gift cards (5% off at Sam's Club or 10% off at Meijer sometimes or up to 15++% off at Kroger)
2. Use your rewards CC for 2-5% off
3. Load the gift cards into a Disney Vacation Account for an extra 2% off

Now your trip is 22% off whatever discount Disney is offering. If Disney is offering 30% off, u are at nearly a 50% discount.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

How did you get 22% off? Is that based on getting 15% off at Kroger and using a 5% [rotating] rewards card (when the 5% is for groceries, at the time)? Out here, Kroger is known as Ralphs and I've never heard of Disney cards being discounted that much if at all. I'm *guessing* that those discounts will primarily in those states that are not CA or FL and that are also furthest away from CA and FL. Otherwise, the other *easiest* way for a guaranteed 7% discount is buying at Target using a Target Redcard and loading into the DVA. I guess if you know someone or have relatives near a Kroger or Meijer that is offering that kind of 10-15%+ discount, have them buy and mail it? I would say buy at Costco when Chase Freedom has 5% CB on wholesale clubs but I'm not even sure if Costco sells Disney GCs here in SoCal at least. There's a Sam's Club here but I'm not a member.

Yep - 15 + 5 + 2 for 22% off.

And yeah, it works if u can get the Kroger deal. The Kroger fuel perks doesn't work for me as we just don't use that much gas. And it's hard for us to time our monthly Kroger visits before the fuel perks expire.

But if u know to keep your eyes open for deals, they are out there. Just in this past month, I have gotten:

- 10% back in Mperks at Meijer + 5% bonus from Chase Freedom = 15% off. If I put that through my DVA, I have 17% off.

- 20% back in Plenti Points at Rite Aid + 5% bonus from Chase Freedom for Best Buy gift cards. Took them to BB and bought Disney GCs. If I put that through DVA, it's 27% off.

There's also buying online from BJs (I think it is 6% off plus ebates plus CC rewards + plus DVA so total of maybe 10-15% off?)

Other people buy Walmart or Target gift cards from Raise, Cardpool, etc and use those to buy Disney giftcards in store.

I am very new to the discount giftcard game though and I am sure there are better strategies than what I know right now.


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charis

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #92 on: June 25, 2017, 10:57:41 AM »
I have purchased discount Target gift cards from raise through a cash back portal (topcashback, etc) then use target red card for another 5% off buying Disney giftcards through the Target website.  I did this with cash I got for for selling airline miles.  And I used the Disney GC for all meals and park purchases for 4 people.  And this was AFTER I booked our off-site Orland accommodations using airline points.  And I booked four free flights on Southwest with RR points and a companion pass (no points needed).  As my husband said (who stayed home from the trip), I probably spent less going to WDW for four days then he did staying home.

talltexan

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #93 on: June 27, 2017, 01:12:37 PM »
In a surreal moment, my wife and I just had a (scheduled) phone conversation with our financial advisor that basically turned into my wife helping him plan a trip to Disney World.

The reason we had actually called was to change the reinvestment settings on some dividend payments from mutual funds.

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #95 on: July 28, 2017, 01:45:44 PM »
Disney share price has stayed about level between $105 and $110 during the history of this discussion thread.

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Re: Give your money to Disney!
« Reply #96 on: August 11, 2017, 09:16:12 PM »
I never went to Disney until I was in my 40s. Didn't get to go when I was a kid, but lots of other kids weren't going back then either.

It is expensive. I don't feel my own kids need to go but once during their childhood.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!