We hear you
@Jimmy Mouse! I think many of us, in our own ways, are re-thinking how we do Disney.
For quite a while now, our trips have been Resorts > Parks. (Sometimes the kids will go off on their own but they pay their own way.) For us, it started with the crowds. And probably the heat, too. I remember one day several years back going to HS and only getting on one ride the whole day! Forget it! (That used to be my favorite park, but I miss some of the things that used to be there - not only rides and attractions, but shops.) I think that was when we started having to go on spring break week, and super crowded.
We came close to buying DVC several times over the years, but decided it wasn’t for us. I could always find a good deal somewhere (made a hobby of it), and we got to enjoy a lot of different resorts. We always had a car rental, and almost always stopped at a grocery store and got a roughly $180 order (same as I’d spend at home) with breakfast items (yogurt, fruit, cereal), snacks, and stuff for sandwiches (bread, PBJ, cold cuts) which we kept in the fridge, but also often bought a little styrofoam cooler, too, for keeping drinks icy cold.
Sometimes, like if we either got the dining plan or stayed club level, we learned we didn’t need to shop or it would be too much. But that always worked for us. We’d do one or two TS meals and the rest QS or counter service, which wasn’t too bad. For instance, on my bday in 2021, we got a pizza at the Boardwalk window, some cupcakes from the bakery, and wine coolers, then enjoyed a nice evening in that area (visited resorts, watched fireworks sat on beach), and it was a great and memorable night! Two nights earlier it was DH’s bday and we went to ’Ohaha. While we enjoyed that night, too (Lady playing ukelele next to table: “Any requests?” DH: “Please leave”, said in a low whisper just to us
), it felt crazy expensive and wasn’t any more fun than my birthday meal was. (That trip we also had a FW Cabin and grilled out, too, which we enjoyed; even had local friends over for that, like old home week!)
Admittedly, I think I got a lump in my throat reading some of your restaurant costs.
We were just there over Christmas. First Christmas trip, booked last minute when we realized we all had it off (rare). MK was sold out. We picked Epcot for Christmas Day (and our Christmas meal was a turkey dinner at the American Pavilion Holiday Festival booth and it was delish, see below). What happened, I think, was that a trifecta of 1) freezing cold weather, 2) airplane fiasco and 3) illnesses, kept people home, so we, surprisingly, wound up being able to get tickets for MK after all, on Christmas Eve night, which was great, and later HS the day after Christmas. With GP, we walked on a ton of rides and waited just a little while for a few others, which completely blew our minds! But it was pure luck that that happened for us, as, as we all know, the holidays are among the busiest times of the year. I have the feeling that, like with what happened with Covid when a lot of people cancelled - this past year, right after Christmas, when weather warmed up a bit and flights straightened out, people started coming out of the woodwork again, and it got extra busy. That’s my take on it, anyway.
We had a nice breakfast at Boma on our arrival morning, and DS grabbed a bison burger at Geyser Point one evening, but I think other than that we ate breakfast and snacked mainly at the club, and on Christmas Eve got burgers at Cosmic Rays (for old times sake, and they were pretty good, we thought; we tried to get an ADR somewhere but it was slim pickins‘ at that point). On Epcot day we had gift cards and ate around the World at the Holiday Fair, and there was one other place we wanted to eat at our resort but it was closed, so we didn’t spend a lot on food this last trip. In a way that was why we splurged on a club room, knowing we would have a lot of resort time (which we didn’t, really, after all, but it wasn’t planned that way).
Bottom line, I think every trip is unique, and if one trip isn’t the greatest, maybe, the next one might make up for it. (A month later we are all still talking about how amazing our trip was, but we did have a few so-so ones here and there in the recent past, too.) I think it’s wise to strategize about how to save some money at Disney, why not. I felt like we got a good value over Christmas (which I never thought I’d say) but I am still battling the car rental company because we sort of got milked by them, but live and learn. (We do like having a rental because we like to visit other resorts while we’re there or run to the store, and DS golfed, too, so it just makes life easier.)
I’m glad you enjoyed the resorts, anyway!
Christmas Dinner
Birthday Dinner
All good!
