DisneyMomCT13
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2014
2008 was a special year for us, it was the year we experienced Disney as a family for the first time. We had an amazing adventure with our toddler and absolutely fell in love with WDW and the magic that we felt while there. Since then we've taken a number of WDW vacations, sailed with DCL several times and we've also ventured West to experience all that Disneyland and California Adventure have to offer.
I'm presently in the midst of planning our next Disney adventure for Spring of 2015. Maybe I've been wearing rose-colored glasses all of these years, but I don't recall having the same "less than magical" feelings when planning previous trips, as I'm experiencing now. I've been asking myself why I feel this way and I think I've discovered the root of my feelings. At some point over the past year or so I've flirted with greed and I think perhaps I may have finally crossed to the dark side... Just because we've been able to take these amazing Disney vacations in the past doesn't mean that we are entitled to take them in the future, or does it?
We are a hard working family, I clip coupons, we limit how often we dine out, we chose not to spend money on luxury cars and I know where every penny that we bring home goes. I do this so that we can afford our Disney splurges. Sadly I'm finding it more difficult to come up with the extra cash required to sustain our vacation habit. For us it began with increases in airfare over the years. In recent trips our travel dates have precluded us from taking advantage of reduced room rates or free dining that seemed to always work out for us in the past. And now the loss of the AAA discounts on WDW vacation packages means a whopping $300 - $400 blow to our budget. To top things off all family members will be considered adults the next time we travel, so park tickets and meals will become more expensive and that extra $10-$20 per meal at table service/buffet restaurants will certainly add up over the course of a week.
The other issue weighing on my mind is that of the "VIP" type experiences that I see popping up all over. Now it seems that for a price you can skip the line and avoid spending precious time on the curb waiting for parades. I used to feel that the high cost of a WDW vacation package including a stay at an on-property resort was worth it because we felt a bit like royalty when there. However now I feel that unless we hand over the credit card again to book one of these new experiences we'll be reduced to commoners just hoping to catch a glimpse of the magic from the sidelines.
So, am I just feeling the pinch of the economy finally catching up with our vacation habits??? Or have I crossed over to the dark side and am feeling entitled to all the magic we've experienced in the past, just because we remember how it used to be??? Perhaps I've lost sight of the real magic of a Disney vacation and I should just be grateful for the time off with my family in a beautiful place where we can all relax and just have fun.
Curious to hear what you think?
I'm presently in the midst of planning our next Disney adventure for Spring of 2015. Maybe I've been wearing rose-colored glasses all of these years, but I don't recall having the same "less than magical" feelings when planning previous trips, as I'm experiencing now. I've been asking myself why I feel this way and I think I've discovered the root of my feelings. At some point over the past year or so I've flirted with greed and I think perhaps I may have finally crossed to the dark side... Just because we've been able to take these amazing Disney vacations in the past doesn't mean that we are entitled to take them in the future, or does it?
We are a hard working family, I clip coupons, we limit how often we dine out, we chose not to spend money on luxury cars and I know where every penny that we bring home goes. I do this so that we can afford our Disney splurges. Sadly I'm finding it more difficult to come up with the extra cash required to sustain our vacation habit. For us it began with increases in airfare over the years. In recent trips our travel dates have precluded us from taking advantage of reduced room rates or free dining that seemed to always work out for us in the past. And now the loss of the AAA discounts on WDW vacation packages means a whopping $300 - $400 blow to our budget. To top things off all family members will be considered adults the next time we travel, so park tickets and meals will become more expensive and that extra $10-$20 per meal at table service/buffet restaurants will certainly add up over the course of a week.
The other issue weighing on my mind is that of the "VIP" type experiences that I see popping up all over. Now it seems that for a price you can skip the line and avoid spending precious time on the curb waiting for parades. I used to feel that the high cost of a WDW vacation package including a stay at an on-property resort was worth it because we felt a bit like royalty when there. However now I feel that unless we hand over the credit card again to book one of these new experiences we'll be reduced to commoners just hoping to catch a glimpse of the magic from the sidelines.
So, am I just feeling the pinch of the economy finally catching up with our vacation habits??? Or have I crossed over to the dark side and am feeling entitled to all the magic we've experienced in the past, just because we remember how it used to be??? Perhaps I've lost sight of the real magic of a Disney vacation and I should just be grateful for the time off with my family in a beautiful place where we can all relax and just have fun.
Curious to hear what you think?
