The View from Scopa Towers

I kept telling myself to put together a mailbag blog entry and kept forgetting but forget no more. Here is the first of what I hope are many opportunities for me to share with all of you some of the letters I receive from time to time. I’d like to share them all with you and it was most difficult choosing which to share…perhaps that’s what has taken me so long to getting around doing a mailbag blog entry.

Anyway, here are some I hope you will enjoy.

Surprise! Surprise

From Jennifer:

Was catching up on your marathon posts, as I haven't had time to read your blog lately and imagine my surprise when I came across your picture of the people in the Soarin' queue guiding the bird through the forest. No, it wasn't me, but my brother! He's the one in the gray Illinois State t-shirt. He was visiting Epcot that day by himself, the only free day he had while attending an Army National Guard conference at a nearby resort.

Thanks for making him just a little bit more famous and for giving me a good laugh for the day :)

Jennifer

LOL...thanks Jennifer...here's the picture Jennifer speaks of.

There’s a Reason for Everything

From Leslie:

Dear Mike,

Leslie Mack

Leslie the only regret I have after reading this note from you is that I did not get a chance to see you at the race and give you a hug for your tremendous attitude and effort. You are an inspriation to us all.

Perseverance Pays Off!

From Janelle:

Congratulations on the Race, Mike!

Janelle

Janelle...I think that certain "something" that came over you at the Expo was your confidence in yourself to do this. Nice job.

Congrats to Claudia!

From Claudia:

Hey Mike,

Claudia (in UK)

Way to go Claudia. Thank you for the kind words and sharing your experience.

My American Cousin

From Joan:

I have just read your article about the American Adventure. I too love the attraction. I visit Disneyworld at least once a year. The reason I'm writing to you is because my cousin posed for the father in the "two brothers" segment.

Joan Neumann

Author’s Note” Unfortunately Joan’s cousin passed away a few years ago but here is a photo of her cousin standing next to his animatronics counterpart.

Disney Magic!

From Nicole:

Reading Mike Scopa's article "The Unheralded Treasures of Walt Disney World" spoke of Streetmosphere at Disney Hollywood Studios. One of my favorite memories of my dad comes from a trip I took with my family when I was 10 (over 15 years ago).

My mom and I were talking a few steps behind my dad when a mime walked next to him and took his hand. Thinking it was my mom he started a conversation but got no response. When he finally looked at his "wife" he was shocked to see the mime and even jumped a little while my mom and I were laughing.

Nicole

Vacations serve many purposes Nicole and one purpose is to make memories. thanks for sharing.

Special Moments

From Holly:

I just read the "Unheralded Treasures" article. What a great term. We all have had those special moments which is what keeps us coming back. The article reminded me of our Unheralded Treasure.

Holly

Y'know Holly, I know there is an undiscovered unheralded treasure waiting for everyone on every trip....one reason why we keep going back.

The Little Things

From Sally:

My absolute favorite unheralded treasure is hearing the lovely French music that plays on the lower path of the walkway between the resorts around Crescent Lake and the International Gateway.

Sally

Yes Sally it's the little things or as we see in the next letter from Virginal...it's the details.

Here's a picture I took from International Gateway one morning before WS opened...that's the bridge to France.

Don’t Forget the Details

From Virginia:

Reading your article in All Ears Newsletter made me think those are the special things about Disney that cause us to make the trek several times a year, the thing that most people don't understand. I want to add one to your list.

Virginia Pierce

Virginia, thanks for reminding me about some of the Magic on Main Street USA.

Thanks to everyone who took the time and effort to drop me a note. I appreciate feedback and any thoughts you may want to toss my way.

2009 Marathon Weekend Alert

For those of you who are planning to participate in any of the races during the 2009 Disney Marathon Weekend I encourage you to register ASAP with special emphasis to those planning to do the very popular Walt Disney World Half-Marathon.

That race is at least 85% full.

Go to the Walt Disney World Half-Marathon Registration Page to register.

Mike's Mailbag

Before they get lost in the shuffle let me share some recently received emails.

Most of them touch upon my recent discussion on Disney Withdrawal and Disney Saturation:

First up, Heidi Potenza:

It has been 1 whole month since we got back from our trip to Disney. Mike's blog brought a smile to my face because we too have had this very discussion about "too much of a good thing." We started out visiting WDW every couple years when we could afford to. We have now made it an annual pilgrimage with our kids who truly look forward to it as much as we do!

Heidi

Thanks for the email Heidi. My tears usually appear on the last night of a trip when I’m leaving Magic Kingdom. Once I hit the Emporium area I cannot turn back to look at the castle.

From Jon Simon:

I fully comprehend what Mike refers to as saturation. I would rather use a different term, because I think saturation equals a lack of appreciation.

Jon

Thanks for the note Jon. I had a great time chatting with your son Ben. The only thing better would have been if you were there to take part in the conversation.

We called you from the top of the hill in the picture below...right near International Gateway.

From Philip DeLuccia (who I happen to know just celebrated a birthday…Happy Birthday Phil)

Mike, I just finished reading your blog about Saturation Point. My family and I have been down there every other year since 1994, but recently my wife and I are trying to go once a year. We find ourselves visiting the newest attractions (or recently upgraded), then we take in our favorites as time permits. We've also tried out of the ordinary outings like renting a boat from Old Key West and traveling along the waterways to The Marketplace, Port Orleans, and back. We've also tried Para-sailing behind The Contemporary and are planning on going to Discovery Cove this coming January 2009 (weather permitting).

I have to say that just being in the parks gives me a feeling of fulfillment and pleasure, whether I get on an attraction or not. Evelyn (my wife) is looking forward to upcoming races and I look forward just to be in The World. We experienced Mickey's Not so Scary this past October as well as the Tower of Terror 13K (if you remember, Evelyn and I chatted with you while waiting for the beginning of the race). I'm going to pick up Annual Passes for the two of us, since we'll be going down this coming October for 5 days, 10 days in January, and another 5 days in October 2009. I figured Oct 2009 would be at the beginning of the month, so Evelyn can run the Race for the Taste. I enjoyed talking to you this past October, and, after reading your blogs and listening to your opinions on the podcasts, I find that we have much in common. I totally agree with you regarding not letting my children roam around a Theme park by themselves. I don't care if it's WDW or not, I trust my children, but I don't trust everyone else. Our children are our most valuable possessions and I know I'd die if anything happened to mine. Hopefully we'll get to chat again while in Florida (maybe Jan 2009). Until then, I'll keep reading your blogs and listening to your podcast.

Phil DeLuccia

Phil is referring to a recent discussion on the WDWTODAY podcast in which the panelists debated on whether or not they would allow a thirteen year old and his eight year old brother to roam in the Magic Kingdom while the parents enjoyed a quiet meal at California Grill.

By the way Phil, my wife and I and two of our cast member friends spent one afternoon on a boat and went to see Old Key West. Here is what it looked like as we arrived at OKW.

From Jenny:

I found your blog on saturation to be extremely true. Walt Disney World definitely means many different things to everyone. Like your early years, we can only manage family trips every other year and are working towards our biggest one yet and the anticipation and planning are only part of the fun. We have celebrated all (honeymoon, birthdays, Christmas, New Years, & soon anniversary) at the World and the saturation has not yet set in and I hope that it never does. For us, it truly is THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH!

Your Blog is great, keep it up!!

Thank you for the kind words Jenny. I think annual trips work well for most folks because of the excitement of planning and anticipation of every trip and more importantly, annual trips keep everything fresh and that saturation point well off the radar.

Here’s a note from a fellow AllEars colleague

From Glo
Mike,

Glo

Glo, your note triggered a thought. I have another friend who moved from Michigan to Florida and he lives about an hour from WDW. I’m not sure where he is on the saturation scale but one of the things he said his family misses is the resort atmosphere. There is no need for them to stay at the resorts and that, he said, is part of the whole WDW experience....

...and I'm with you all the way on the fireworks! Have you ever watched Wishes from the California Grill?

From a fellow Red Sox fan

From Kathleen:
Dear Mike:

Kathleen

Thanks Kathleen. Everyone needs to see the new Spaceship Earth for themselves. There have been some amazing improvements to this attraction. I somehow get the feeling however that there is still more to do.

Go Sox!

Here’s one from a New England neighbor Virginia Pierce

Being a fellow New Englander from RI, I must start off by saying "Go Sox!"

Thanks for reliving the magic,
Virginia Pierce

Virginia I am so glad you sent me that email because it points out how rushing around a theme park prevents some guests from noticing the details that go into the design and development of each area of the theme parks. Once you noticed these details you develop a deeper appreciation for what Walt Disney World offers its guests. I’m always discovering these subtle touches.

I discovered something last Summer while riding the steamboat at Magic Kingdom. Have you ever noticed this dog watching this fish jump out of the water?

From Jennifer

Awesome blog post! What great observations! I love your point that although you don't take in as many attractions, you enjoy the atmosphere and just being there without the stress!

A short but very insightful email from Jennifer. I hope everyone sees Jennifer’s point here. A trip to WDW is supposed to relieve stress not add to it and sometimes you have to relax and not worry about making every attraction you can on every day of your trip.

From Nikki

Mike,

Nikki

Very interesting comments Nikki…although the theme park excitement isn’t there for you anymore there is still something that keeps bringing you back to WDW. This is yet another testimony that there is something for everyone at Walt Disney World....like...

From Shea:

Mike I could not agree with you more. My wife and I go to Disney about 1 X a month. We live in West Palm Beach. Since the new dog has arrived we have not been there since December. We go at the end of March for the day.

Shea

Shea, I love people watching. I could sit on a bench all day and watch guests walk by. I play a game and try to identify those guests who I feel are first time visitors and for those who are WDW veterans. I mostly enjoy watching the children. For those who know me you obviously realize that I can never get enough of Le Cellier.

Finally, from George, a note regarding the WDW Marathon weekend:

Mike,

George

Well George, obviously the best thing to do is to consult with your doctor before deciding whether or not you could participate in the half-marathon.

Everyone is different and what works for one person may not work for another.

Consult with your doctor to discuss what your limitations are rather than risk more damage to your knee. You never know, there could be some therapy available to help you.

There are quite a few people who love volunterring for Marathon Weekend. You should find information on how to volunteer by going to the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend Home Page as we get closer to the event.

Thanks to everyone for sending their thoughts along and sharing them with me and everyone else.

This is a special mailbag edition of “The View from Scopa Towers” in which Michelle Scribner-MacLean I answer some of the many emails we received regarding our “No Kidding Around” blogs.

To refresh your memory, here are the links to Part 1 and Part 2.

Following each letter you’ll first find Michelle’s comments, followed by my comments.

Many readers supported the idea of having a trip to WDW enhance their educational experiences.

Karen’s daughter integrated her study of Germany with her trip:

“We ate lunch at the Biergarten and interviewed cast members about their home country and gathered info from the menus, shops any anything else we could find. She also needed audio-visual aids, so we bought a t-shirt with the German flag on it and some cookies made in Germany. (She wore the t-shirt and passed out cookies to the class) We also picked up an EPCOT guide map (written) in German to use in her presentation.”

Michelle’s comments:

While the idea of turning your vacation into an extended field trip may not appeal to everyone, Karen and her family clearly sought out the details that make each of the countries at EPCOT so interesting. The food and the ambiance were designed to entertain, but also to teach visitors about the countries. Karen made the most of her child’s out-of-school experience by doing some preplanning.

Mike’s comments:

I think that regardless of where you travel it will and should result in somewhat of an educational experience. WDW is no exception. The term “edutainment” was coined to describe what EPCOT has to offer…but I think it is also suitable for all the theme parks. There are some things you just cannot teach in the classroom.

Several teachers jumped on-board and had their say. Larry, who is from a family of teachers, speaks for many educators wrote:

“…we suggest a temporary tutor or relative who can catch up the child. If they do take the work with them, and complete it and come back with a question, that’s great--we'll help. But many, many vacationing kids who take the work with them do NOT even start it, much less complete it. We gladly work with kids after school that have been out due to illness or other legitimate (approved/excused) reason. Even though we are tremendous Disney fans, we don't approve of leaving school for a trip.”

Michelle’s comments:

Larry makes an important point. If you’re planning on taking your children out of school, it is a good idea to contact the teacher to find out what work needs to be completed or made-up, but parents need to follow through. Missing school to go to WDW doesn’t mean that the work missed disappears. Making up the work might be considered “part of the deal” – and parents should hold up their part of the bargain by ensuring work that their child missed is turned in.

Mike’s comment:

Let’s face it, life is a partnership and early on our partners are our parents. If these partners don’t pull their weight then there will be consequences. I think the most discouraging aspect of this is that these parents miss out on teaching their kids a lesson on responsibility and also unfortunately are making a comment to their children that perhaps school is not that important.

A cadre of parents wrote to express their appreciation for teachers who were supportive and accommodating teachers. They felt that many educators supported their decision to take their children out school to go to WDW.

Reader Stacey agreed, saying, “Many teachers are more than willing to work with you so that you can take a nice family vacation and also make it a learning experience.”

Michelle’s comments:

Trying to find quality family time is something with which many parents struggle. Some parents supported the idea of taking children out of school because they have work schedules that do not mesh with school vacations, while others believe that taking their kids out of school to go to WDW only enhanced their family experience.

Mike’s comments:

It’s that partnership thing again….the child-parent-teacher partnership can make this a wonderful experience and in today’s society everyone’s schedule is just plain nuts. I know when my children were young there were piano lessons, singing lessons, dance lessons, baseball, soccer, basketball, and oh yes I was playing softball and coaching so rarely were those family days. When we went to WDW it was for two weeks at a time…the best two weeks of the year because we did everything together….priceless….but those two weeks were during the summer when our schedules were open.

Here are some other comments:

Pat mentioned that she and her family decided that taking kids out of school worked better when they were younger, but not as they grew older. She goes on to say, “…family time is an extremely rare commodity these days. The times we spent at Disney World are great memories for our family just spending together. We now have two college graduates, so I guess our Disney Trips did nothing to hurt their academic progress.”

Deb believed that her experience with her granddaughter was worth the missed school time:
“Her wonderful experience with us, at Disney, far outweighed any loss from being in school during that week. She still talks about her experiences every single time we get together. Life is about the memories we create with our loved ones.”

Finally, reader Marguerite broke Mike’s heart by asking…
“What exactly is a "Dole Whip?”

Michelle’s final thoughts on the topic (for now):

Regardless of whether or not parents decide to take their students out of school, planning a trip to WDW should be a team effort. Parents, children, and teachers should discuss the pros and cons of missing school, how feasible it will be to make up work, and weigh the benefits of a trip to WDW against the potential difficulties of making up school work. There’s no right or wrong here – every family has to make the decision that is best for them.

Mike’s final thoughts on the topic (for now):

The only right answer here is what is most appropriate for the individual child. Some children will thrive with an opportunity to enhance his/her education outside the classroom. A WDW vacation will do so. Others may struggle and face “catch up” on the return.

What is important here is that any decision should not be made in a vacuum but after some discussion among parent, teacher, and child. Remember, the focus should be on the child and a WDW vacation that requires taking the child out of school, if done right, will return many dividends.

We have received so many emails on this topic that it became very difficult to determine which ones to include in the mailbag; each and every email was worthy. We felt it best to include those which most exemplify the majority of opinions expressed.

We thank those of you who took the time to write and send your thoughts on this subject.

Michelle & Mike

I’ve received many responses from that $1,696 commercial blog I had written a few weeks back. Thanks to everyone who took the time to write and I apologize if I have not gotten back to all of you.

I thought I would put together a mailbag blog filled with some of the notes I’ve received. Here is Part 1 of the Mailbag!

Barbie writes:

“Thanks for your entry about the Magic Your Way commercials. It's great to read a fair commentary on what is and is not included in a very non-critical presentation of facts. We love Disney and vacation there often - "we" are a family of four just as Disney defines it: 2 adults, 1 child, and 1 junior. We have found many ways to make our Disney vacations affordable, so that we can visit multiple times in a year. (We spent a weekend in February, 11 nights in May/June, and will spend 3 nights in December.) We often run into people we know when we visit - I don't know exactly how that happens, but it nearly always does - and when we compare resorts and/or vacation lengths, our friends often comment something like, "How can you afford it?" or "Wow, that's an expensive hotel, isn't it?" or "You must really take Disney World seriously." Well, we work hard to make it affordable and appreciate when all the costs of any particular element of the vacation are well-known to us. Thank you for helping other families know what they are getting into so that they, too, can enjoy and relax without the constant shock of more spending. (We usually end our vacations under budget, and that's the way we like it.)”

Barbie’s point is simple….we all need to work hard to make our vacations affordable. That means always being on the lookout for deals, discounts, and ways to slice expense here and there.

From Crista…

“I will agree on the cost from the commercials. I have a family of four. When we went to WDW the commercial "cost" was $1400. We had two adults, one 7 year old and one under the age of 2. We stayed at the Pop Century for 7 days and six nights. We did get the park hopper tickets and ate at one restaurant a day. We brought snacks or ate once a day at our hotel. We packed suitcases full of food including breakfast. We only drank water at the park and spent an average of $20 a day. We bought souvenirs almost everyday. And last but not least we flew to the Park and parked our car at our airport for the week. So in the end our cost for our vacation was $3432. Even if that seems like a lot, with the right planning it can be the vacation of a lifetime and I would do it all again. This was the first WDW trip for my husband and two boys. My husband felt like a little kid again. Priceless.”

Crista and her family made choices that helped them make their vacation affordable. Young families should take note of how Crista’s family saved money. There’s a bonus here…teaching the children some lessons on how to be frugal.

I was excited to read this from Chica…

“I was really interested when this post popped up on my feed-reader, as my GF and I are planning our first trip to Disney together right now. For a while, we thought we absolutely couldn't afford it, and we're not exactly the norm (no children) for a Disney Trip, but we crunched the numbers and figured out we could do it.

We're going December 14-20th, flying from Philadelphia and spending one day at each park, with a break one day for Downtown Disney and a movie.

Here's our budgeting:

Package from Disney - $1009.82
This Includes:
- 6 nights Pop Century Standard Room
- 4 days park admission (non park hopper)
- Disney Meal Plan for 6 nights (this was a special promotion that was emailed to us after we signed up for the mailing list)

Flight Round trip from Philadelphia - $365.00 for both (including all fees)

Alcohol and Tip money for expenses not covered by Meal Plan - $150.00

Souvenir money (including our Christmas present budget for friends/family/each other) $300 ($150 each)

Now, we can always guarantee some unexpected expense, so we've built in an extra $150 cushion into our budget

Grand total comes to $1975.00

Now, we like to over budget and have extra left-over. So we doubt we'll max out all our budgeted areas. We also plan to use the envelope system. 7 days, 7 envelopes ($50 for the first and last days, $100 every other day). No credit cards, no charging to the room. Only one envelope out of the safe on any given day. At the end of the day, whatever is left can get moved to the next day or later. But once you empty an envelope, you're done.

Now, for the experienced Disney traveler, our plan might not be ideal. But for two girls going on our first 'real' vacation together post college (because spring break doesn't count...), it's a pretty good plan with a reasonable budget. It works out to just about one paycheck for each of us.

I'll definitely agree that the Disney ads are a bit misleading and that if you're serious about budgeting, double the quoted Disney price is just about what your final cost would be.”

It does come down to choices and how you choose to best afford your vacation.

Chica, please look for me when you are in WDW. It just so happens that while you are there I’ll be there for Mousefest.

Amy talks about her family’s planning process…

“I just wanted to take a moment and say that for our family we find WDW to be a great value for our vacation dollars. We are preparing for our fourth trip and once again, we are really impressed with how affordable it is.

We are staying at a moderate resort (with a discount code) this time and paying out of pocket for the DDP for 8 nights. We don't do park hoppers - just base tickets because with enough days we just don't have the need to hop. All said, including airfare, this trip cost us LESS THAN $3000. Breaking that down for our family of 4 we are spending less than $100 per day for food, entertainment, lodging and transportation.

Our last trip we were on the free dining and we stayed at POP (which we LOVED) - that trip we were spent less than $50 per person per day.

We have a very basic theme park and water park here in the Kansas City area and you can't go to either of them for that little money when you factor in food, gas and admission. When you compare the cost to a trip to a family resort destination like Beaches (which we also LOVE) - WDW is about 1/2 the cost!!

I think that given the magic you are a part of and the memories you create, WDW provides a great bang for your buck. For families that are willing to look for discount codes, don't mind the value resorts and forgo park hopper options; there are very affordable options for planning a great WDW vacation!”

Hmmm, it seems one way most people are cutting costs is to forego that park-hopper option. At $53.25 per ticket, the savings can be significant for a family of four.

Jennifer also opts to not include the park hopper option…

“Mike,

Great comments on that promotion.

I think things like park hopper are not that big of a deal to leave off if you only get to the parks every few years. I know we skip the hopper option because we don't like to waste the additional travel time between parks. We get down there every 2 years or so and just set our own expectations that we'll do one a day and if we get done early (say on our second day at a park) we explore other resorts (free) or Downtown Disney, or our own resort.

The food too can be controlled if appetizers and dessert are left off. We eat almost entirely at table service for lunch and dinner as we use these times as our breaks from heat/being on our feet. We've been able to eat at table service restaurants for 25 per person or less 80% of the time and it usually works out to about the same or less than we would have spent a la carte at counter service.

Not ideal for everyone, I know, but I thought I'd concur that it can be done if people are serious about Disney AND serious about having to budget...

Keep up the great blog!! Jennifer”

Jennifer adds another great tip…forget the appetizers and desserts. They too can add up quickly. If you crave for something sweet there’s always a counter service somewhere offering a decent snack....like a Dole Whip.

Check back tomorrow for Part 2 of the Reader Mailbag on Disney's $1,696 Commercial!

Recently I blogged about Disney's Magic Your Way commercial.

Yesterday I shared Part 1 of the emails I received as a result of that blog.

Today I share with you Part 2 (and the final part) of your feedback. Thanks to everyone who wrote in!

Kelly draws a great analogy between putting together a WDW vacation and purchasing a car…

“Thank you, thank you, thank you for printing what I've been preaching for years. I go to Disney every other year; we usually stay for 10 nights and 11 days, park hopper/water park/more tickets for 9 days, dinning plan, at a value resort for $1249 a person. (If we're lucky, we sometimes get an upgrade for free - free dining plan or park hopper is free) I tell people how much my trip will cost and they flip out.

They can't figure out that it's like buying a car. You can get a standard car (basic ticket/value resort hotel) for around 16,000. But if you want leather interior (Deluxe hotel) it’s more. Or Satellite radio (dinning plan) a few more dollars. Chrome wheels (park hopper) its more. Lifetime extended warranty (no expiration of tickets) its more. So you can drive off the lot with a standard car for 16,000 or drive off the lot with all the extras for 36,000 or somewhere in between. Same with Disney you decide (standard - moderate - deluxe) but you will pay for your extras. You will have a great time at the standard level, so don't think you have to upgrade. You just need to sit down and decide what you can handle financially.”

Great note Kelly…wish I had thought of putting it that way.

Marc sees another car buying analogy…

“Hey Mike,

I look at the "$1696" just like the car commercials where you can buy a Honda for 15k. As they show a nice looking accord drive by the fine print at the bottom says Vehicle shown is 22k”

From Lesa…

“I never see comments on going cheap - and meaning it - from those of you experienced Disney visitors. We went last year for our first time. We drove in from Dallas (it was a beating, but a quarter of the cost to fly). Instead of spending our time standing in lines and eating in nice restaurants that would bore our children, we stopped at Wal-Mart and I bought a week's worth of groceries for $100. We stayed at Pop Century (and we didn't care - it was Disney!) where we only played in the kiddie pool and slept.

Our smartest decision was packing a microwave and ice chest, and eating in the room. There was no way, after a day of being in a park, tired, hungry and dirty, that we would have taken the kids back out for a full service meal, even if it had been free. We ate and fell into bed, every night. That $100 included food, drinks, snacks for the park, plates, bowls, utensils, and liquor for 5 days. We did eat at the Castle one evening with the Fairy Godmother. The 4 of us for $130. My kids were ages 4 & 2, so I don't think the 2 year old counted. That was our big splurge and the food wasn't that good.

We packed a soft sided cooler every day. It was juice boxes, bottled water, peanut butter crackers, grapes, bananas, and one day, microwave popcorn. We were inspected and told to have a great day. No problem bringing it in the park. We went back to the room to nap and have a late lunch.

If someone is new to Disney, they're probably happy to be over stimulated in one park per day. We certainly were. I'm not convinced that we'll do a park hopper next time either.

Please realize that you go so often that you are a bit immune to the magic. You have a great job. There's far more to be appreciated, and spend time on, than eating or being choosy about which park to attend in the morning vs. evening. Those things are all extras, and probably won't be appreciated by the first-timer anyway. Just try, once in a while, to consider those of us who mean it when we say "Budget."

Love this website!

Lesa”

For those of us who frequent WDW a lot, sometimes the ways we save money does not translate well to others.

In the first place, many of us go solo. That means we always try to stay at a value resort.

Secondly, since we are frequent visitors we all hold Annual Passports, which offer many opportunities to save money…room discounts…restaurant discounts….souvenir discounts…and so on.

Also, at least for me, I stick with the same airline and car rental agency every time and my loyalty is usually awarded with free flights and free days.

It all adds up…or I should say “adds down.”

For myself, my upcoming Mousefest trip includes a free flight to Orlando, a discounted rental car with a free day, a discounted room AP room rate at a value resort, and oh yes, through my Annual Passport I have a Disney Dining Experience discount card. All this plus I plan to use my Annual Passholder’s discount when I shop at the World of Disney in Downtown Disney.

One comment on Lesa’s note. I am not sure if guests are allowed to have microwaves in guest rooms so I would call the resort before lugging the oven to WDW.

Finally, I saved the best for last…from Tim…

“Just read your – ‘Magic your way’ article and I think if people look at a Disney vacation alone or not in comparison to other vacations, it may seem expensive. I took my family (wife, kids, 4, 2 and 9 months) in April 2008. We stayed at a moderate resort, purchased the deluxe dinning plan (which I am completely sold on by the way) and had all the bells and whistles added on. It was not a cheap trip – about $3,500 to $4,000 before flight, but what I discovered months later, was that 1) you can do it cheaper and 2) there isn’t much else out there that is even comparable!

Because we had such a great time, we began looking for other places to visit in 2009. All- inclusive resorts are extremely expensive for a family of 5, as we were looking at $8,000 to $10,000 just to ‘sit on a beach’ and eat the same food for seven days. Other family vacation spots (i.e. amusement park locations) couldn’t beat the amenities, food options, or even price! A local indoor water park up here in Canada for a one night stay was pricing at $400 a night! No food included. Even our ‘bargain’ vacation – renting a cottage for a week, although it didn’t have the transportation costs, by the time we paid the rental fee, bought groceries, rented boats and everything else, it wasn’t much cheaper than a value resort stay at Disney.

The end result… We’ve booked our Disney Vacation for November 2009. We took advantage of the ‘return trip’ discount, low attendance season and decided to stay at a value resort in a suite. We loved the Moderate resort, but having stayed at a value resort in my pre-kid days, didn’t see any deterioration to our FPM stats (fun per minute). Our kids, even at home, are much like their father – they get stir crazy if they are at home – so we don’t need the ‘luxury’ of a moderate resort, and quite frankly if the pool water is wet, then it meets our needs. We again opted for the deluxe dinning plan, park hopper etc, and even with paying for an extra kid (the ages will be 6, 4, and 2 this time) were able to keep the price under $3000. There is not a vacation out there that includes, hotel, admissions, food (and probably the largest variety of dinning experiences available in the world at any one resort) and entertainment for a family of five for that price. Disney is not only a great vacation and my personal favorite place to visit – it is also one of the cheapest. The only downside is trying to keep the plans secret for over a year – it’s especially hard when your kids ask if they can go to Disney every weekend…In about 370 days I’ll be able to say ‘sure – let’s go’.’

Basically, Tim is saying several basic things.

First, go with what works for you. Extra amenities are very nice but they should be looked at it terms of necessity. If you don’t need them then go with a different resort which may not have them but also offers a cheaper rate.

Secondly, look at all your line items for your vacation and carefully determine which of these line items can be tweaked to make the most out of your vacation dollar. For Tim and family the Disney Dining Plan makes sense…it may not for you and your family…but the point is to find what woks for you.

Lastly, and I’m glad Tim pointed this out…although everyone is quick to comment on the cost of a WDW vacation, if those same people looked closely and compared a WDW vacation to other type vacations they may find that the cost is quite comparable and that the quality of the vacation experience usually always falls in Disney’s column.

I think that the overall lesson learned here from all the folks who took the time to write is that it’s up to us to figure out how to do a WDW vacation in an affordable way.

That’s where WDW becomes our partner. We have options…we can customize our trip to fit our budget….we can create the Magic….our way.