I love credit cards so much!

[phewms]

1 day and 2 day tickets are typically more than Disney's price on discount sites. So you want 3 days of non hoppers and one day of hopper? Just playing around, but a 3 day non hopper starting today is $339 for an adult, a 4 day hopper is $409, so you'd need a one day hopper for less than $70 to come out ahead... Is that what you mean?

Yes, I see now it's not cost effective.

 

[amalone1013]

My buying a GC scheme worked for SW dining rewards, new customer bonus. I bought a $30 gift card on the last day and reviewed it, got the last of the 1000 sign up bonus yesterday. What's also nice about that restaurant is it's also on Dosh for 6%

 

[wendow]

I don't want to upgrade at the park. SO there isn't a way to get say 3 non hopper tix with my disney package and then get a 1 day hopper through a discounted site for the last full day of our trip?

There are no 1-day discounted tix, as far as I know.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

We are up to about $2500 for our fam's tix...that is non-PH'ers, off season, 6-day tix....I'm honestly getting kind of 'done' with Disney right now. The money grubbing is ridiculous. I honestly don't know how anyone, who doesn't do what we all do, can afford it.

I paid $1325 for 3-6 day PH. For last week in March, that is now $1650. I’m thinking any future trips will be a long weekend, and include a special event like Halloween party plus a couple days. Since DS will now be 10, he has to pay adult tix, plus it’s harder to take him out of school. That leaves only peak times (& I don’t do summer, too dang hot). Ugh.

 

[MrPTato]

I have been using the Amex Gold with the metal card for a few days. Poor thing looks beat up already on the front....all scratched up. I don't remember my CSP getting like this, but maybe it has to do with the color.

Glad to see AP Gold isn't terribly more expensive. Ours just expired in September and with a cruise next year, it probably won't be until 2020 before we get another one. Hope they have the platinum plus special running again like last year. That was a sweet deal.

Speaking of cruise...changed plans again. Doing a pre-cruise night at POR so we can boat to DS that afternoon. Post cruise night at Boulder Ridge with a waitlist at BWV. This may all change again, but our flights have lined up better this way so it may just be a resort change.

 

[MrPTato]

@Lain or anyone else- I didn't see this but maybe you would know. The grocery cap for the bonus on $25k on the Amex Gold...is that anniversary year or calendar year?

 

[Lain]

@Lain or anyone else- I didn't see this but maybe you would know. The grocery cap for the bonus on $25k on the Amex Gold...is that anniversary year or calendar year?

Calendar year.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

So, I messed up...Apparently, when I set up payments on my new spg biz, I linked my bank but I did not actually set up the autopay to go. So, day after my bill was supposed to be paid, I checked and I had been charged a late fee. I immediately contacted Amex and explained the situation and they said they would take the late fee off. However, I was still charged $80 in interest. Will they not remove those or did I need to specifically ask they remove interest charges too?

I did something similar with a chase card this month. Somehow I paid it from our savings, that I had just transferred all the money out of and sent to ally, as I was closing our Wells Fargo savings. Ugh. I have no idea how that savings account even got in there as a payment option. I never miss payments. Realized the mistake before it even posted and called but they couldn't help or even take another payment method b/c the balance on the cc was $0.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

We are up to about $2500 for our fam's tix...that is non-PH'ers, off season, 6-day tix....I'm honestly getting kind of 'done' with Disney right now. The money grubbing is ridiculous. I honestly don't know how anyone, who doesn't do what we all do, can afford it.

yup, us too.

 

[DisneyMandC]

Wow, uhhh... I am a dummy. I had no idea you could make FPs for the 4-7 pm time period you're allowed in the parks before MVMCP. I was just reading the MVMCP thread and saw that. I feel like a bozo at 22 days out haha. I just got FPs for Space Mountain, Buzz, and The Little Mermaid! I know I don't really need one for Little Mermaid, but there wasn't really anything else I wanted that would fit in the limited times to get FPs before the party.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Regarding the tickets... as most of you know, I'm at WDW right now. (Kona Cafe for breakfast soon, yeah!) but good night on the pricing... and the crowds as @Lain wrote. The amount of people here has just been massive and there's no holidays going on and school is in session.

The heat has been just miserable so far. It was hot last October for Food and Wine but not this bad. I'm starting my 3rd day here, and I had to do laundry last night (at midnight) because we've sweat through so many clothes already. 3 showers a day, each.

On Monday I snapped a photo of the ticket pricing at Epcot. Yesterday I snapped a photo of the pricing at Animal Kingdom. I did this so DH could understand and see the price hike. He couldn't believe the $300 jump on the 4 day (and then said, wait, hoppers cost more? I'm like, yeah where have you been? Can you tell who does the planning?)

We've gotten great value out of our APs this year but they expire Tuesday, just after this trip. We've gotten 20 park days each out of them so that is a lot for a couple that doesn't live anywhere near Florida I think.

The parking price hike is egregious - and now the CM are asking for a photo ID at the booths too. Never had that happen before, but now we've been asked each time. (Sea World parking is $22 FYI which is also outlandish).

I really like my SSR room and this resort a lot. I was worried about buying it before because I would never spend thousands sight unseen on something any other time. So now I've stayed here and like it but I worry about the constant ticket increase, over and over which kind of means I don't know what to do: buy DVC as planned or not? I think we'd be on the every other year/AP plan if we do proceed. Too expensive to go yearly.

You just know another price hike is coming when SWL opens. It's not even a question. I don't know how people with kids come here, and that's sad. It's a family place!

Regarding crowds, I waved the white flag on Oct after last year. It just gets worse and worse. Used to be my favorite time.

Regarding ticket prices, it now will cost about $800-$900, depending on date, for my family to have a day at MK pre or post cruise. Sorry, I love MK, but not that much.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

But I have to admit, Disney just doesn’t feel as magical as it used to.

true story

 

[afan]

Finally got the two things listed on ebay. Hopefully they sell for something but hopefully for more than what I listed them. This gives me a 2nd business too, haha.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Scared/nervous of traveling to Canada?! It’s practically North Montana!

I’m not thrilled with traveling out of the country right now but even I booked a trip to Vancouver. We will likely wait a few years for other trips though.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

i wonder what im still doing on the a disney board haha.

Enjoying our company here.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Yeah, and those shows are a few hours. You get a full days worth of entertainment at Disney. I still go to shows and see sporting events because I do think it’s worth it but Disney really isn’t out of line in their pricing and you do get Fastpass included. Granted it’s just SO and I and these increases for a family with kids is a huge difference. What really scares me is the rate that it’s increasing every year. They can’t keep doing 10% increases every year or we will be priced out very soon.

We can’t afford those either. Chicago Blackhawks tickets start around $150 pp for SRO. DS is a huge fan but really it’s either that or a vacation. We bought AHL hockey tix instead. Still fun, just not quite the same.

 

[mmmears]

I'm trying to catch up today. I'm only on 2826 but I'll post responses so far so it doesn't turn into some epic long post later.

TBH, I'm a bit Disney'ed out. I think my wife is too, and she grew up Disney. And my DD -- I think we've spoiled Disneyland for her. She's only 5, but knows everything is just pretend, that Mickey and Friends are just people in costume, and the Princesses aren't the real princesses. She loves the theming and thrills, but the magic's not there for her anymore.

Disney keeps raising prices, ostensibly in response to crowds, but the crowds keep coming (and I swear, they're growing)! It's a vicious cycle because there are folks who will pay whatever Disney demands. You know how when you're stuck in traffic and you rage at all the traffic around you? Well, someone in another car is probably doing the same thing and raging at you included. Being in that traffic is being part of the problem. Same thing with the Disney parks. We went to Disneyland two weekends ago because our APs expire this month. It happened to fall on Gay Days, Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples' Day weekend when a lot of CA schools are out that Monday, Canadian Thanksgiving, and AZ fall break. I've never seen the park so packed as on Saturday -- and we've been during the Memorial Day 24-hour parties, the opening weekend of Cars Land, Thanksgiving and Christmas week, and from what I read online it was just as bad on Monday!

I know people like to say a crowded day at Disneyland is better than no day at Disneyland. I think for us, we're at a breaking point. We won't be renewing our APs. The crowds are miserable. It's only going to get worse (and more expensive) when Star Wars land opens next summer, and Marvel land the summer after that. We ended up spending an extra $30 for MaxPass on Sunday, which was fantastic, and got in almost all the rides we wanted that day. But the point is we already spent $248 (ok, in discounted Disney GC money) on a 2-Day child Park Hopper, and had to pay another $10 to make it a bearable experience. And the crowds are still there; we just get to skip in front of most of them. We have our traditions, so we'll still go to Disneyland over Thanksgiving (when thankfully most APs are blocked out) to take in the holidays; and maybe we'll fit another short trip in some other time of the year. But too much Disney and too much crowds have made the experience not fun anymore. And the price increases aren't doing anything to help the crowds or the value of a Disney vacation.

Yikes! We have a cruise booked for this week next year and I was hoping we could pop into DL and check out Star Wars and Halloween-time when kids were in school. Guess that was a really bad idea. I'm sorry it's so crowded for you. I don't enjoy a crowded park. And I agree that they keep charging more and people will pay it. I do think that it's time they stopped the discounted APs though. There is no incentive for people NOT to show up at that point, and the CA parks are too small to handle the numbers they are seeing these days.

That’s still almost $4,000 for a family of 4... just on tickets. We were able to get APs this year by using URs to soften the blow. Officially priced out.

Yep, it's crazy. That's quite a bit of money especially when I think about how much I could buy with that on a different trip to a new and exciting destination.

 

[Happy814]

Wow, uhhh... I am a dummy. I had no idea you could make FPs for the 4-7 pm time period you're allowed in the parks before MVMCP. I was just reading the MVMCP thread and saw that. I feel like a bozo at 22 days out haha. I just got FPs for Space Mountain, Buzz, and The Little Mermaid! I know I don't really need one for Little Mermaid, but there wasn't really anything else I wanted that would fit in the limited times to get FPs before the party.

Fair warning about this - I made FPs for 7DMT and PP during our MVMCP day. I did what I read online; booking all of my other days first and then doing the MVMCP last. Today I got an email from Disney that I didn't have sufficient tickets for my FPs. They said they would cancel the last day of FPs - which for us is AK. So I cancelled my MVMCP FPs today . It was kind of scary because the email said the FPs would be cancelled on 9/27/18. I'll be upset if they cancel my FOP FP.

It's annoying because I had a CM tell me on the phone that it was allowed to book FPs the day of the Christmas party! Sounds like YMMV with this. Disney needs to get it straight!

 

[brownhaired_girl]

Regarding crowds, I waved the white flag on Oct after last year. It just gets worse and worse. Used to be my favorite time.

Regarding ticket prices, it now will cost about $800-$900, depending on date, for my family to have a day at MK pre or post cruise. Sorry, I love MK, but not that much.

I really do read all the posts but I don't have great memory or @Lain's spreadsheet, so I don't remember when your cruise is. Sea world now has $49 single day mid-week tickets but they must be used before mid Nov if you have any interest or an exta day to play with.

 

[Ava]

My 20K UR referral bonus is showing as pending on my next statement now! Chase replied to my SM with the standard “up to 8 weeks” response, but I checked my account again and the points are there now. My statement closes on the 20th, so I should be able to transfer those points to my wife’s CSR and close my CIP in time to get the AF refunded.

All this talk about Disney tickets and APs prompted me to see how much it would cost for APs for the 4 of us... $3,808! BUT... if we went in Sept 2019 for 3 days, and then did two short trips or one longer trip in 2020, we’d more than break even. I was already thinking of doing Universal in Feb 2020, so we could do a combo Universal/WDW trip. And then go again in the summer. (I like how I’m trying to justify this to myself. But we’d also save money by having Memory Maker included, which we always buy, plus the AP discounts. Talk me down off the ledge, lol.)