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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I don't completely agree with these articles. No doubt Disney has far outpaced inflation, and the quality inside the parks has gone down. Anyone who spent time in Disney World in the 1980s and 1990s knows the place isn't nearly as special as it once was. They're dirtier and the maintenance is just a joke in comparison.

That all said, you can make Disney World relatively affordable. The only "unaffordable" part of WDW is the tickets. Nobody has to stay on property. And the flights to Orlando couldn't be cheaper. I have an annual pass this year, and I'll probably end up making five trips. I stay off property most of the time and have no problem getting hotels for under $100 a night in places like the Marriott Village.

For the snobs, I do a couple international trips a year, and several ski jaunts. But WDW is easy and always fun, so it balances out my travel very well. And with passes, the incremental cost is quite low.[/quote]

You should start a thread about Disney World on a budget. We are a family of three and want to do a one or two day Disney World visit before our kid gets too old to enjoy it, and what you are suggesting here sounds good to me. I have just started looking at Disney travel advice online and a lot of it seems geared at a different kind of family having a different kind of experience. I just want to go for one or two days and get the most out of it (ride the best rides while minimizing line time, eat reasonably well without taking on a second mortgage). We don't need premiere pass everything and we have the endurance for one long park day (our kid is older and doesn't need to go back to the hotel for a nap or pool time after a few hours).

But much of the Disney advice seems to assume you are going for at least 3-4 days, that you HAVE to stay on property, that you HAVE to do a lot of these extras like the character meet and greets. I don't know that we need to do any of that for our kid to enjoy it? Also I know my DH will be a lot easier to deal with if we can keep it to a day or two.[/quote]

How old is your kid? I think my number 1 advice is to wait until the kid is older (unless you have a Disney princess obsessed 5 year old). That will make the trip less stressful and more fun.

The other piece of advice is to go in the off season for lower prices and a better experience.

This means that the ideal time is late elementary (kid between 8-11) so you can skip a few days of school in January or early Dec without worrying about it.

As far as costs - staying on property really adds a lot of value and isn’t necessarily that much more expensive especially factoring in free transport (no car rental needed). You can also save up Marriot points to stay in Swan for free. Or if you do want to rent a car there are many affordable hotels off property- cheaper than most places we vacation.

For the tickets, I would splurge on 3 day park hoppers. This is the most important part of the vacation so not the place to skimp!

But here is my biggest price saving tip for you … leave your DH at home lol! [/quote]

I wouldn't recommend Swan for Marriott points. It's a very poor redemption value. Plus, you can get it for relatively cheap. Really I wouldn't use points anywhere in Orlando. The value is terrible compared to international resorts and some European city hotels.[/quote]

Well I want to go to Disney not an international resort! And the redemption value did not seem that bad compared to the dollar value of the room? Plus Swan puts you in walking distance of Epcot and HS, so that’s a huge added benefit. [/quote]

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