I see many people on here commenting they go to Disney often. I personally know people that go every other year or whatnot. Holy hell, people! Does anyone else start feeling negative towards it being such a money suck? I mean, we save ahead, set a budget, do reasonable accommodations/meals etc, so we arenāt event going crazy. We have the financial ability to go yearly, but Iām still ready for the trip to be over just to stop the money bleed! Maybe once I go the magic will hit and I wonāt care one bit about the cost?! LOL! I keep thinking, why would I do this againā¦I could literally probably take my family to any beach or European spot for the same cost. 
Keep in mind we do have to fly, which added about $1,500 for 5 people. So what makes you return to Disney over and over?
We go every 3-4 years, so canāt really answer your question.
Iād love to go every two years, but our flights from the U.K. are typically $1000 each. We have to go during peak times as I work in a school. Looking forward to being able to go at cheaper times!
Anyone who said money canāt buy happiness has never been to Disney
The stars in my sonās eyesā¦
I really love it too and my wife as well but we are certainly aware WDW is a business and their main (only ?) goal is to get as much of our money as possible. It sure is annoying sometimes because I think they exaggerate in many aspects but the good stuff simply outweighs the bad stuff for us so we try not to think too much about itā¦
I know what you mean. In order to prevent me feeling guilt over the amount of money spent, I make sure to save it up beforehand so the trip is already paid for. Iām not stuck paying it off later after the trip. This helps a lot, and makes the trip feel well-deserved.
I cannot (yet) afford to go every year though. More like every two years at best. But as soon as we can afford it (DH just finished his Masters degree) then I think weāll be going every year for sure!
WDW is my no-stress paradise. If you plan the trip right, itās like being on crack.
I hope I feel the same! I think, the beaches of Turks sound nice and relaxing Who knows, we might love it and be hooked! We have been doing national park vacations the last several years, so the kids are excited to do something more ākid funā!
Weāre DVC members, so our accommodation is sort of pre-paid (we do have the annual dues, but these are far less than what the accommodation actually costs these days). Flight wise, we use miles which significantly reduces the cost (just over $1,000 for the three of us in Premium Economy). Annual Passes with DVC discount keeps the ticket cost per trip down (we get at least 4 weeks worth of WDW time out of each, sometimes 6). All in all, each trip ends up costing us surprisingly little. 
We went last year, and weāre going again this year. I have a problem with money, in that it doesnāt really concern me - I figure out if we can afford it and if we can, I donāt think about the other things I could do with it. So that helps. My husband had a much harder time justifying going back, but I was able to figure out some ways of finding efficiencies in our budget that convinced him. I do have to confess that I got a little caught up in the post Disney glow/depression and just wanted to get back there ASAP - a few months removed and if things werenāt already booked, I might be more inclined to book 10 days at a resort or something instead.
My main thinking, though, is that weāre going to have so much fun that itās worth the money. When my kids are sullen teenagers who donāt want to hang out with me Iāll be able to look back on these times.
My kids are 7, 4, and 2ā¦the beach sounds like work to me!! While I do want to take my kids to see the world, I donāt think theyāre old enough to appreciate it yet. They will mostly just whine and complain that itās not fun. So for now, Disney is worth it. They have fun, I have fun, and Iām far less concerned about their safety within the bubble than I am on a beach or in a foreign country. Donāt get me wrong, Iām still vigilant, but there are fewer dangers from my standpoint.
Iāll throw this out there since it seems appropriate for this thread. Weāre going in October with 4 adults and 3 kids (weāre paying for everything), and Iāve spent quite a bit of time looking at costs for everything weāre planning. The total is close to $15,000! Now, were staying at Deluxe resorts, planning 8-10 TS meals, and several big extras (Fireworks Dessert Party, MNSSHP, etc.). But still. I often wonder the same thing as you. How do people afford to go multiple times a year? Once a year I can see, but not 3-4 times a year!
EDIT: I should say weāre going for 8 days. So I guess if going on multiple shorter trips the cost would be generally similar (minus airfare)
My guess would be that those who go that often donāt do their trips quite the same. Itās more relaxed. Probably fewer big extras per trip. They would also have APs, so that cuts down on overall cost too. And they are more likely to be DVC members I would think.
Well, I have to be a bit of a downer here. I am excitedly forking over probably ~$12K for a week with my DH, DS, DDiL, DGS2 and DGS4 for the GSās first trip to Disney in late October And when my own kids were young, we went about every 18 months until they got into high school and it was hard to plan around their sports schedules. I did use some frequent flyer points and hotel points for Dolphin stays, but overall, I spent A LOT of money on these trips. Money (or some of it) that in retrospect, should/could have gone towards the kidsā college funds or my 401K. Now, at almost 61, I find myself looking at a long road ahead before being able to retire.
Would I do it again? Probably, my kids turned out great and adore us - and look, I am paying for the expensive trip later this year - hypocrite that I am! ā but make sure you understand the trade off you are making.
Weāve been going every ~5 years or so, but donāt necessarily budget significantly more for this vacation than any other annual vacation. Noting that we tend to stay in expensive city center locations, visit attractions that have entrance fees and eat out most/all days in other locales.
Essentially, we fit the costs of Disney within our allotted budget, not plan our dream Disney vacation and figure out how to pay for it. If that means we canāt stay at a deluxe monorail resort, or cant eat all our meals at premier table-service meals, we make do and still have an enjoyable experience. We may miss out on something, but weāll be back in another 5 years to experience itā¦
We are also going in October, 5 adults, 2 children. Everyone had to get their on airfare and pay for park tickets, but we are paying for the rest of it. Even so, staying 10 nights at a moderate, guessing it will be costing us about $10,000. Not doing any of the big extras this trip since it is a first trip for the 3.5 yo and 13 month old and we donāt know how they will react, meltdown, etc. It is worth every penny, well dollar, to see the look on their faces for every aspect of the trip.
We do it like you do, also, not so many ADRs but club level and CLFP. I think @kerrilux_625778 is right about it being a different kind of trip.
We used to go annually but the cost started inching up so we started going other places. At this point, itās fairly equal to a trip to Hawaii or Europe, at least the way we do it.
We wouldnāt go to Disney if we couldnāt do the paid upgrades. We live too far away and have to budget too much time to waste it in line, and I donāt want any stress on my vacation or to spend my time on my phone, considering putting away the electronics is a frequent goal of vacationing, at least for us.
Anyway, after this last trip, which was just flawless BTW thanks to all the excellent advice I received on this forum 
, we may not return. Iāll have to see. It is a lot of money, which I donāt object to per se but it has to be worthwhile. Or maybe the once every five year plan is doable, but certainly no more often than that.
Iām confident that Iāll feel this way too. Iām mostly worried that DW will think otherwise and will regret making the trip too grandiose
I noticed recently that Iām far less angry and depressed than I used to be and Iāve been wondering why. I have a āfearā that it might be because Iāve discovered WDW.
The fear arises from the fact that Iāve pretty much made my peace with not doing a trip in 2020 because, well, WDW vacations are really expensive. Well, they are the way I do them. I guess I could try doing a cheap one . . .
Our last trip was 2016. While we are going twice in 2020 (once just me and my wife), that is an anomaly due to our 25th Anniversary.
Usually, our trips to Florida are once every 2 to 3 years, and our last trip to Florida (February, 2018) was a trip to Universal, not Disney.
Now that my parents are moving back up here, I expect that we might even space trips to Florida less often and stick to trips that are closer (and CHEAPER!).
Oh, and to minimize the money bleed, weāve always stayed off property (rental condo or house), and usually only eat one meal a day at the parks.
Good for you for waiting a year! But if you donāt already, you could consider a value resort for your next trip. I was at Pop Century last trip, and it was a great price, and we had a blast! Honestly, I donāt spent a ton of time in the hotel, and the free transportation options at Disney are great, so thereās no need to go to an expensive resort closest to the parksā¦ unless you are there for a big celebration.
Anyway, getting back to the issue of how to handle the money bleed, we just naturally cut back on other things for a while. I donāt even talk to DH about it, itās just something we do- keep an eye on the checking account and if it gets too low, stop spending money.
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Oh, wow, this is so not me. Iām a terrible hotel snob. Iāll admit it upfront. Iād drive my family absolutely nuts. Unless weāre on a road trip, in which case itās just a bed for my head, Iām an inveterate whiner. Iāll wait years and save before Iāll compromise.
On the other hand, I love to camp. In a tent. But you have to do that to get the authentic experience. My authentic experience at Disney is an EPCOT resort.