Shock announcement (you won't believe me!)

Walt Disney World
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How’s that for a clickbait thread title!

So last night I decided to plan my next WDW trip. The idea was to “mop up” those things that I didn’t do last August and that I won’t be doing this June. The “excuse” for the trip was that it’ll be my 50th birthday.

I came up with quite a good plan — I mapped out which parks I’d do on which days, which ADRs I’d get and so on.

But then I worked out how much it would cost.

I don’t really want to repeat past trips. One of the things that would be new about this third trip would be that I’d stay on property the whole time. The clear winner for me is YC — and six nights would set me back £2,400 or so. Add in ADRs — I have expensive taste in Disney dining — and my flight (I hate flying and prefer to fly business class if possible), and you’re looking at five grand. Which is pretty much what my first two trips have/will cost.

And then I looked at the schedule. Is this trip worth five grand?

And I’m a little sad to say that I didn’t think that it was. Because the ADRs were mostly B-list places that I want to go to more out of curiosity than anything else: Tusker House, Garden Grill, and so on. (By contrast, my upcoming trip is more about Jiko, HBD, Tiffins . . . and, of course, V&A.)

Now, I could of course do a much cheaper trip: stay off property and fly premium economy. But then it would be a substantial downgrade from the trip I did last year and the one I’m about to embark on. It would be difficult not to compare.

So I think my trip in June has to be it for now. Not forever. But for now. I’m going to have to look elsewhere. In three/four/five years time there’ll be much that’ll be new. I’ll have a bigger sense of excitement that I’m not just mopping up my B-list items. And the huge cost may seem more justified.

Even as I write this I feel a little sad. As a single person with no friends WDW holidays have great appeal — there’s so much to do and it’s a safe, friendly environment. But maybe it’s time to go back to Paris and see how DLP has changed in the decade since I last went.

And Singapore is still calling my name. And it has a Universal Studios . . .

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Not sure how you feel about running but I am justifying a potential future trip by getting in shape/training for the Princess half marathon. I figure if I am getting healthy and my reward is a Disney trip then win win for all! You can check out the run Disney site for upcoming challenges. Then you would maybe feel more enthralled with your health minded goal as the purpose behind the trip. Of course you could only book the ADRs that you most want to do because you would need to keep in your positive mental zone to be able to accomplish a major run…

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This post is only 13 minutes old. In about 17 more minutes, you’ll post an update and change your mind. :wink:

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If God had wanted me to run he wouldn’t have made it hurt. No, he wants me to walk gracefully. And sit. I think he’s very keen that I do a lot of sitting. I’m doing some right now.

I certainly won’t do that. I might do when I get back from my trip in July. But the economics mean that I do have to be at least a little bit hard-nosed about things. I don’t want to do a mediocre trip. It’s too much money and too much hassle.

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Please check your temperature. You sound delirious :wink:

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I think my accountant takes the opposite view. She worries when I’m booking WDW vacations. Not when I’m not booking them.

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There is quite a middle ground somewhere between Yacht Club and off property. Do you do the UK free dining? You could rent points for SSR or AKL or do a moderate POFQ, etc and likely save some pounds on the lodgings.

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Have you investigated renting DVC points and staying at BC? 1 week at BCV would be ~1900 pounds :wink:

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So I’m also still stuck on your having “topped out” all the good dining! Have you eaten at DS yet? I think that you can get a ton more quality and value for food there. Boathouse, Homecomin, Morimoto Asia, Raglan Road (too close?). I also personally think that the nighttime vibe there is fantastic. You’ve got bars up the wazoo like Jock Lindsay’s or The Edison (if it ever finds its sea legs). Your pound/dollar goes farther in DS because there is more competition.

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I will be the opposite voice here. I think you are right.

the audience gasps

You are clearly someone who enjoys travelling. And, while WDW is an awesome and fun place, 3 trips in 3 years is a lot of time and $ (I don’t have the symbol for GBP on my keyboard). I think the cost is also compounded if, as a result of going to WDW, you have to skip visits to other equally worthy travel destinations. If you can go to WDW AND Singapore, or WDW AND Paris, or WDW AND Reykjavik (just picked a seemingly trendy place out of the air) then annual trips to WDW are ok.

But if you are delaying trips to other places that you want to go… I think putting WDW on an every 2-4 year rotation (or even 3-5 years GASP again) is a wise idea.

Just food for thought from the you aren’t nuts (for this reason) side of the coin.

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There are ways to save some money! Have you thought about renting DVC? Or looked into MVT? We have saved significantly both ways. MVT has wonderful offers for the end of August. HUGE savings.

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Staying on-property would be entirely new to me. Well, not entirely. I have one night at the Contemporary during my upcoming trip.

So I’m going to have to learn about the options. My preference for YC is based on three things. First, I like the look of the rooms. Second, I like that you can walk to Epcot and DHS. Third, Stormalong Bay. I’d need a very good reason to consider somewhere else. (Well, you know, there’s BC, obviously.)

I’ve never considered DS as a place to visit. Does it still feel inside the bubble? I’m not a bar kind of a guy, so that scene holds no interest to me.

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I think your problem is you’re planning a trip to ‘mop up’ what you’ve missed. That’s not the way to do it. You do the things you like and add it new things from the ‘mop up’ list, as well. Don’t just book a ‘second rate’ vacation at first rate prices. Add a day to the trip and do a few at a time.

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I would contact Magical Vacations Travel. The August specials are usually for Deluxe resorts and have amazing savings. We work with Kristen: kristin@magicalvacationstravel.com She can give you a no pressure quote :slight_smile:

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I’ve heard a lot of good things about MVT — however, I’m from the UK, so I’m not sure if that’s an option for me.

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Hmmmm I am not sure, but it’s worth a shot!

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We are renting DVC for our next trip and got a great deal on a room that way.

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Why would that make a difference? I live in Spain and used them for an August trip. And as others have said, the savings is WOW.

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Maybe price out your next trip options, determine what you can afford and do the one you most want to do?

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Disney Springs can go either way. For us, it feels part of the bubble, starting with the cool parking garage lights, to the water front ambiance, the live music in the amphitheater, the Lego dragons, the erupting volcano, shopping the World of Disney store, etc. It still FEELS like Disney, even though it is more than just Disney. It is attempt to be a legitimate shopping center as well. I just can’t think of any other shopping center that exudes that Disney charm!

Does DS have bars? I wouldn’t know. Never been (although, back when it was Disney Marketplace with Pleasure Island, my new bride and I tried to go into one of the murder-mystery bars as an experience, but it wasn’t our thing and we found that we hated Pleasure Island about as much as the book from which it originated would hope!),

So, yeah. DS for us is definitely a part of the Disney bubble. In fact, it is almost every trip to Florida the FIRST place we go, including during our Universal Trip. It was what made us feel like we were actually on vacation.

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