I want to go to Disney......but DH doesn't :(

[veronica]

We really can't afford it.....I always hoped to take the kids around this age. Now I see there are decent sales and to top it off, my mother makes this comment to me last week "If you guys are ready for Disney, let me know so I can come with you and help". Say what? My mom, who hates to leave the house after 5pm because it's dark? This would totally be such a dream situation.......but DH is adamant about the money.

come one, it's America, who cares about debt-let's help stimulate the economy...

So-how much in the hole do you think we would be? family of 4? We would need airfare (DS is less than 2 , so I think he is free , right?) My initial guess is $5K

[tiapam]

Well, I have never been with kids, but I would wait until your kids are older. They will last longer and you won't have to work around naps as much. So you will get more for your money, KWIM? And if you wait they might actually remember it when they are older.

Just my $.02.

[JTsMom]

How much are you figuring for airfare? Could you drive instead? How long would you want to go for? I'm betting you could do it for way less than you think if you are willing to compromise on some things.

[fivi2]

I agree with pp about waiting. My girls are also 12/05 birthday and we went a couple months back. It was fun, but they tired easily. We have family in the area, so I know we'll be back, but I would have waited if this was our one and only big trip. And I see you have a younger dc also.

So, imo, I would give it a couple years.

[aliciamt7]

You need a little more information to give! How old is your other child? The one under 2 is free at the parks I believe. So if your other child is 3-9, they are a separate rate from anyone 10+. With 2 adults, one child 3-9, theme park tickets with hopper pass will run you roughly $800 for 4 days for tickets--but get in on the 7 for 4 promo and you'll get the next 3 days for free!

What kind of room? The value resorts run roughly $100 a night but you may be able to get some deals (they sometimes run $50-75). With the 7 for 4, estimate your room to be $500 for a value resort (if you can still get them).

Dining plan? You don't have to do this of course. They have quick service dining plan, a regular dining plan, and a deluxe one. The little one would be free I think. And I'm not positive on this but I heard this qualifies for the 7 for 4 promo as well. So you would pay for each member of your party for 4 days of dining and you'd get the other 3 days free. I think the regular dining plan runs about $43 a person a day. The younger child would be less. And the quick service one is less too, but I'm not sure how much.

I'd say with airfare depending on when you wanted to go you could do Disney this way for $2500. Obviously depends on your options, but it's worth it to check it out!

[happymomma]

I think I would wait. Mine are 2003 and 2006. We are waiting until end of this year to go. I think they will enjoy it more and remember it more too.

[egoldber]

You can definitely make it less expensive.....

stay in a Value resort (my kids love them) to take advantage of Magical Express (so no rental car) and the WDW transportation

pack snacks into the park

use refillable water bottles instead of buying beverages

eat counter service and combine meals (and adults can eat kid meals)

But all that being said, I *love* WDW. *Love* it. But if going is a hardship for your family, then I wouldn't go.

[westgre]

Hmmm. I'm usually a spendthrift, which translates to a tightwad... But, even I have been tempted by the Disney deals lately. I just received a flyer in the mail from Disney advertising a 5 night 6 day package including room (at a Value Resort), park tickets (but not ParkHopper), and dining plan for $794 per adult. Kids 3-9 stay, play, and dine for free. This sounds like a fabulous deal to me and VERY tempting.
We went when DD was 28 months old. She enjoyed it and she still remembers some things. But I would love to see her excitement now at 6 years old.
Disney is hurting in this economy, heard it on the news this morning, so there are definite Disney deals to be had. Sign up on their website for mailing offerings.

[Momof3Labs]

If it is a struggle to pull the money together and this would be your *one* big trip to WDW, I'd wait until your youngest is at least 4 or 5 years old. We've brought our kids to Disney a number of times and don't think that your kids are too young to go, but would go now for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Disney.

Who knows what your airfare would be (not sure where you're coming from) but I bet you can do it for a lot less than $5k.

[o_mom]

I would wait. We are in the "WDW will still be there when we are all old enough to ride everything" camp. If I happen to be in the area (we have family there, so not out of the question) I might spring for a day at MK at that, but that would be about it.

[clc053103]

My DH has little to no desire to go to Disney- who says he HAS to go? I went last year with DS, nephews, sister and mother- we had a GREAT time. Would you consider going with just your mom? will she help pay for the trip- even better!

[blastomom]

Any chance you or any close friend of family member (who wants to go with you to Disney) is active duty or retired military? Both Disneyland and Disney World are currently offering an amazing deal to military members. Don*t quote me on this, but the actual serviceman/woman gets a 5 day pass free and can buy up to 5 companion passes for under $100 (prices vary depending on upgrades like park hopper, etc.). This is for the entire 5 day pass, per person. The DLand deal ends in the summer, the DWorld deal ends just before Christmas. Military member MUST be with you. HTH!

[JTsMom]

You know, another option is to rent a timeshare with a full kitchen so you can have meals there. A lot of times it is no more expensive than a regular hotel room, and some even offer shuttle service.

[mom2mack&max]

How old do you have to be to ride everything? Or is it a height requirement? Also what is the website you sign up for to receive mailings of these deals. We are thinking about going this yr.

[Octobermommy]

We just took our 4 year old last week and did it for about $3000. We stayed in a moderate resort but if you were willing to do a value resort you could do it even cheaper. Our dining, tickets and hotel were about $2000. Your smallest child will be free for everything.

If you can swing 3000 I think you can do it but I think 4 is a great age to go so it would not hurt too much to wait a year.

BTW, we did the buy 4 get 3 nights free. Word is it will be extended through August.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I just think if it is a financial struggle to do it then it wouldn't be worth doing. I think that it could lead to a less than fun trip if all you are seeing are $$ everywhere and worrying about going over budget (that you have already gone over in the 1st place).

I do agree that you could certainly do it for less than $5K for sure though.

Beth

[geochick]

Debt for Disney? No way! Save your money for a year, then go, and pay cash. Have your kids get involved with the saving. Make it a learning experience. Plus, your kids will be a year older, and will appreciate it that much more! Shoot for 2010. Definitely don't put it on the credit card. That's silly. It's just Disney.

[JTsMom]

How old do you have to be to ride everything? Or is it a height requirement? Also what is the website you sign up for to receive mailings of these deals. We are thinking about going this yr.

No age requirement, and most rides don't even have a height requirement. There are complete lists on several websites, but just to give you an idea- the milder rollercoasters require a min of 40"and Kali River Rapids has a min of 38". The bigger coasters- Everest and Rockin Rollercoaster are higher- I want to say 48", but I'm totally guessing. The vast majority of rides are fine for any age (safety wise).

As for where to sign up- mousesavers and disney's site are the 2 I'd start with. AAA also offers great discounts.

OP- since I'm totally being an enabler here, I just thought I should add that I agree if it's going to be a strain, I'd wait. If you can comfortably do it on a much lower budget though, you can make it happen for sure.

[Octobermommy]

How old do you have to be to ride everything? Or is it a height requirement? Also what is the website you sign up for to receive mailings of these deals. We are thinking about going this yr.


Most rides don't have a height requirement. Kali River Rapids is 38", Soarin, Splash Mountain, Test Track, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Tower of Terror are 40". There are others that are 48". My 4 yr old barely made the 40 " height requirement.

disneyvacations.com will send you a planning dvd for free.

[Ceepa]

Do NOT strain your family budget for an amusement park. Wait until you can comfortably save for it and then go. I like pp's suggestion to get the kids involved in the saving.

[Rainbows&Roses]

We just did 8 days at a cheap deluxe with the dining plan for under $4k including all the money we spent there for merchandise, airfare etc.

This is our big vacation and there won't be another one for awhile, so we splurged. If you stayed at a value or a moderate and did some deal seeking, I bet you could do it for under $3K easy, maybe even less.

That said, I agree with PP. If you are like us and don't do vacations often for financial reasons, then I would wait till they are older and can remember more. My DD was 5 and I think that was a great age - glad we didn't go earlier.

[rlu]

OP didn't specify WDW or DL, but FWIW, when we thought we were going to DL for DS's bday for 2 adults and 1 5yr old we estimated about $1250 and that's not including the gas from the Bay Area to DL (do I win for most abreviations in one sentence?)

Now, with the different packages avail, MIL is beginning to talk up a family trip to DL, so we'll be running the numbers again.

We went when DS was 18 months (I attended a conference at the DL hotel) and he had fun but he also napped in the afternoon and had early bedtime. We did do one evening parade. All the Grands went with us and we all had fun and it was magical, but we would not have gone at that age if there had been no conference. We're planning to go to WDW when DS is 7, figured that an ideal age - will remember, can make it through the day, able to ride most rides, etc.

[veronica]

Sorry for the missing info.

I think we would book it for June. DD will be 3.5 and DS will be just about to turn 2. I think my mom would likely hang out with DS while we tended to DD for the activity parts. We would need airfare to WDW from NJ, so I factored that into my estimated total cost. I would stay in park (no car) and don't have a desire to go to the surrounding sites. I have been to WDW many times and know that I don't want to deal with the surrounding stuff until they are way older and can appreciate the pain in the butt part of getting to the other parks.

I did hear of the buy 4, get 7 night deal and that is what sparked my interest. Even better if it included the meal thing since I just would not want to deal with the expense of every meal while we are there but I am not sure how the parks do this-is is part of the package and we get a bracelet, I suppose? I would still have to really research it before we decide anything. I guess that going next year (with DD at 4.5 and DS at 3) might be better. My long-term goal is to go more than once though , so I wouldn't mind going this year and maybe again when DD is 6.5 and DS 3........

[Octobermommy]

the dining is not part of the buy 4 get 3 free. It was about 40 per day for adults and 12 per day for kids age 3-9. It cost a little less than 700 for the dining plan which was one table service, one quick service and one snack per day. It was plenty of food for us.

[ShellB]

If your mom wants to go and DH doesn't then take her!

We've gone several times. With the boys, this will be our 4th trip. They are aged 4 and 6. They remember EVERYTHING. They ask daily when they are going back. We also got a great book for them and they go through it to remember.

We've rented a house, rented a car and did it on the cheap. We ate a lot of meals at the home and followed a lot of suggestions as previous posters.

This time (we're going in April) we are staying at a moderate resort and doing the dining plan for the 1st time. Usually we pay out of pocket. We'll see how it goes.

Just do a lot of research. There are lots of forums with tons of info.

[baymom]

Do NOT strain your family budget for an amusement park. Wait until you can comfortably save for it and then go. I like pp's suggestion to get the kids involved in the saving.

I second this! I think it's insane to go into debt for something like this. Save and go when your kids are older, will remember better and have the stamina to enjoy the park without taking long nap breaks. I am shocked at the idea of going into debt for something like this!

[amdrees]

We went this past September with my boys 4 1/2 and 1. I had promised to take my older son for his 5th birthday. However, Disney offered the free meal plan in September so we jumped on the deal. I honestly thought we would go and not like it. However, we had an amazing time and hope to afford it each year. We only spent about $2200 with airfare. All of are meals were free due to the meal plan. We rented a stroller from Orlando Stroller Rentals for $89 for the week - I would highly recommend them. September was a perfect time to go - no lines and mainly younger children. We stayed at a Moderate resort - you can stay for even less if you stay at a value resort. I highly recommend staying on property with little ones - life is much easier. Also, my boys stayed in the park from the time they opened until the time they closed.

[sste]

Would one more year be radically different in terms of you thinking it is an ideal time for your kids to enjoy WDW? I don't know what your financial situation is but perhaps you could save for a year or pick up a few hours a week of additional paid work? I have had great success saving with ING direct where I can automatically have X amount transferred into an account each month (say $100) and you can even name the account "Saving for WDW."

[Momof3Labs]

I think we would book it for June. DD will be 3.5 and DS will be just about to turn 2. I think my mom would likely hang out with DS while we tended to DD for the activity parts.

If you aren't going to take your DS around to the rides and such, why not leave him at home with grandma and just take your DD? That would save some money (the expense of the extra adult). Personally, though, I wouldn't do that - my boys LOVED Disney at 2yo and were much happier trailing around with us than hanging out alone with an adult. It's not like your 3.5yo would be able to do different stuff than your 2yo.

All that said, I still think that if you cannot afford it, you should not go. Start saving now and go when the money is there - Disney will always be there, your kids won't know what they are missing this year, and it will be so much more fun if you aren't going into debt to take the trip.

Oh, and June is HOT!! Crazy HOT!! And past the first week or so of June, it's really, really crowded. Small kids do better in cooler weather with much shorter lines.

[lubdubdeb]

I really agree with some PPs that going into debt for a vacation is a bad idea, especially with your kids being too young for this to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

I also think it is really concerning that you are so determined to do this despite your husband's obvious concerns. It would make the vacation less than perfect if there were dissension about it. It could also have long-term implications on your relationship, and on how your children learn to treat their future spouses. I realize that sounds dramatic, but when you are raising children who watch EVERYTHING, I think it is often important to do things the hard but better way. (wish I could remember this myself more often!)

[kbud]

Don't go if it will be a strain just as the others said.

If you do go don't go in June. Since your kids aren't in school yet go in the off season. We live here and have Disney passes. We go just about every week and it's always crowded but the summer months are horrible. Seriously waits in line are timed in hours, not minutes and it's really, really hot. It's hard for young kids to handle. I opted this year for the seasonal passes that black out most of the summer and Christmas. It's just way too crowded.

I've heard Sept. offers the best deals, think back to school and the height of hurricane season. Sept though can still be really hot. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas is a great time. We go a value room for $57 in Oct. (it was a pass holder rate. I think the reg. rate was $75). Jan and Feb are good months also.

You're kiddos will have fun but I think the ideal age is 5, 6, 7 ish. My dd's are 5 and 16 months. My 16 month old loves it too but obviously has no concept.

I would never go into debt for any vacation, not even Disney.

[caheinz]

Honestly, I would wait.

Let the kids get a bit older. We took DS1 last summer -- he was 4 and loved it. No plans to return until the twins are at least 3.

They'll have specials again in the future. The current ones won't be the last.

Plus, when the kids are older, they can help to convince daddy :D

[poppy]

I live about 25 min away from DL. I would def. wait.
It is not worth it if the kids can't remember. The crowds, the wait-time... I can go free on my birthday but I still wouldn't go b/c my DS is only 6 mths old. Many parents w/young kids look frazzled, that doesn't seem like a relaxing way to vacation. If you really want to go, go with your DH and leave the kids at home. I really think the kids before they are 3, don't really enjoy it for too long, b/c it is very tiring to be there. Def. don't spend if money is tight--that's why our economy is in this mess. Also, I think that's a bad money lesson to teach the kids. Just my 2 cents since you posted.

[veronica]

Thanks for the replies. We will likely wait until next year. The problem with out timing though is that DH works in public schools and they are not allowed to take vacation during the school year so we will always have to plan during busy times at the park.....Oh well, at least we have a year to figure it out!

[hollybloom24]

There was an article in a local paper written by a dad who calculated he had spent around $20,000 on four trips to WDW with his young family.

A year or so after their last trip, he asked his five and seven year olds if they had memories of the trip. They had almost none, except for a few random things, like getting an ice cream cone or a hot dog.

The dad's conclusion was that kids under five or six years old don't seem to have much long term memory for things like this, and if you are trying to create memorable trips for your children, save your money until the kids are older.

That being said, if you want to do the trip for you, then you should do it!

[mnosky1]

Will you be going on a different vacation if not Disney? If so, our Disney trips are no more than our beach vacations. Kids under 3 are free and I think an almost 3 year old is ideal because they can really enjoy Disney.
We have stayed off site and rented a car the last 2 trips. This time we are staying in a deluxe resort (Wilderness Lodge) and getting the meal package - the cost for 2 adults, 1 child, 1 free child is 2800, plus airfare. This trip is costing a lot more than the last 2 where we stayed off site. We had big groups so splitting the house rental was 175-200/week per family. We always get the basic park admission (no hoppers), eat most breakfasts and dinner at the house - we never felt like we were trying to save money or skimp at all mostly becuase the rental houses are so nice that was like a vacation too.

[mattjamesmom]

We went to Disney World Christmas 2008, and it was packed. I wouldn't have believed we were in a recession or in any type of economic turmoil.

We actually would have spent more, but we decided to drive and stayed with family. Even then it was a small fortune.

My 5 yo enjoyed it but I doubt that my 2.5 yo would remember but he was free.

Definitely budget and go at a time when least crowded to get your moneys worth. Christmas was packed but magical with all the lights and trees and special shows.

If the US was Disney World we would be economically prospering...and having fun too. :)

Matt n James Mom

[kerridean]

In this economy, taking on more debt is a BAD idea. Please do not go into further debt for a vacation.

[kellybelly0513]

I agree that it would be better to wait until the kids are a little older. We decided when my first dd was a baby that we would take her when she turned 5. She just turned 5 like 2 weeks ago, so we are now getting ready to plan a trip for later in the year. We are going to leave the baby with the grandparents and take her when she gets older.

[TahliasMom]

I took dd when she was 3 and she loved it, just took her at 4.5 and she had a blast! she went all day from 11am-9pm. i think she enjoyed it much better at 4.5. my parents live aobut an hour away so it's just gas and price of admission.
i would just keep an eye out for deals, everyone is suffering in this economy.