We rent a car when we go to Disney. I have 3 kids in car seats and 1 in a booster. It’s just easier for us. So we rented through Avis this time. I read about the “skip the counter” preferred benefit and I signed my husband up. For some reason, his preferred number didn’t link to the reservation, so I called to make sure we could indeed still “skip the counter.” Well I am so thankful I called. It turns out, when it’s your first rental as a preferred member, you have to go to the counter to sign some stuff. I’ve heard horror stories about the lines for rentals at MCO and that is the last way I want to begin our trip! I called a local Avis office and asked if we can just come in and sign what needs to be signed. Nope. It can only be signed at the time of a rental. So I have now paid $100 to rent a car I don’t need for the sole purpose of signing this paperwork to be able to skip the counter at MCO.
What expenses have you justified as a means to save time or hassle? Or to make the money you’ve already spent work more efficiently for you? Disney Math is by far my favorite kind of math!
On our second trip, we were going for a “budget” trip so we booked at Pop. Then I upgraded to POFQ because it wasn’t that much more. Well, then AKL opened up and it was just a bit more! I think all of those ”small” changes added up so a couple thousand. Oops!
Ha! Similar story on our last trip. We started out booked at Pop through MVT. Ended up with a split stay club level at Gran Destino and BWI. They announced that RotR was opening while we were there so we were looking for any kind of a leg up. (No, we didn’t get to ride. The ride went down and we had to leave for the airport )
HEA Fireworks dessert parties. 100%. Looking around the masses of people in the hub when we were there with room to stand, sit or stretch, made it very worth it to me. This is one example where the price goes up and up and I still find it a “value” for us.
Also, more table service than necessary - just to sit in the air conditioning for a while to beat the heat without the hassle of finding a table somewhere.
Every trip I have this kind of justification. Very first adult trip we switched from All Star Movies to WL (worth it!) about a couple months out. We got Ubers this last trip for going to dinners so as not to get all sweaty in our dinner clothes walking and waiting on transportation because the moment you step outside you need another shower in FL.
But what kills is me when I spend money on some neat thing and then learn about some neater thing later and end up losing out on the other money. Some examples: Jan 2020 I bought the MK after hours party tickets because yes please. Then when reading Birnbaum’s Official Guide when it came out in like September I learned about the Club Level FP+‘s so we spent more money upgrading from FW Cabins to BWI Club Level to get them for our DHS day because with the tier system there only Star Tours was Tier 2 and I was at a loss how we we’re gonna ride SDD, TSM, RnR, AS2 and ToT with one FP! Plus MFSR and RotR. That day just sounded miserable and both SWGE and TSL were brand new to us (well DD and I had ridden MFSR and all of us TSM before). Well but then you have to buy the extra FP’s for three days so then we ended up getting them for that MK day and ended up riding everything we wanted with those during the day and didn’t even go to the after hours event. .
This last trip I bought EP for Universal for the first few hours of the Orlando Informer Event and then proceeded to spend the entire early time waiting in line for Velocicoaster (which when I bought the EP wasn’t open and we didn’t know when it was gonna open) and so just a waste of hundreds of dollars.
These moments kill me because I literally just donated money to these huge behemoth companies for nothing. Sigh. Lol
That sux! My experience has been they have someone monitoring the kiosks for issues and jump into help. So, you could end up cutting a long line. But I was always traveling for work and dressed professionally too and maybe that helped b/c they want to keep return business?
I paid for both the fireworks and parade parties when we went to MVMCP in 2019. I’m not sure we got a single dessert at the fireworks party, and the kids were all asleep by the parade party, but man did we have some good viewing spots that we didn’t have to stake out! So, waste of money food wise, but well spent viewing wise!
I have a United credit card that has a stupid yearly fee, but gives me early boarding group, premier check in benefits, club access, and no checked bag fees. It also gives me Hertz president’s club benefits so be sure to check your credit cards for rental status.
I probably break even yearly with the bag fees and food in the club but even if I didn’t it’s worth the time savings for me.
On our December trip we had a deal through UT where the room was 40% off if we also booked a rental car. I never drive at Disney. So I booked the room for 7 days and a 1 day rental for $60 that I never picked up at the counter.
That trip turned out to be the deal of a lifetime, bc AKL didn’t open so I got CR theme park view for the AKL $220/nt rate.
We don’t do car rentals, but we basically budget Lyft rides into our trip. I have recurring nightmares of standing on a late-night bus from MK to POP trying to balance a stroller in one arm and a bag of souvenirs with the other, so it’s totally worth it to me.
Also, super excited to be staying at CBR this trip for the Skyliner
The Disney math I do way to often is to change my flight to the night before I originally planned because it’s so much cheaper and then add an extra hotel night.
Sometimes it’s cheaper but not always.
I doubt I would ever pay for any Fastpass system, including Express pass, on principle. It encourages them to keep offering a system that rides on the backs of everyone else. I just can’t justify supporting such a thing. The whole idea just infuriates me.
On a moral level, I agree with you and feel similarly about toll roads. But on a personal selfish level, I want my vacations to be more enjoyable, so I’m selfish and immoral. I tend to be a very giving person about most things so I allow myself to be bad at theme parks.
But in these particular cases I spent money on some added benefit thinking I was going to use it, then something changed and I couldn’t use it and I’m out that justified expense to make my vacation easier.
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