We went in 2005... and no matter how badly I want to go sooner, it looks like spring of 2008 is my target date. One advantage... ; time to save some $$$. ; I'm planning to drive down, stay onsight for at least 1/2 or our 10-days... and do it with minimal use of the plastic. ; ;D
It's never too early to start planning for a Disney trip! ; We got off our cruise in May '06 and within a week, everyone was talking about meeting again for an April '08 cruise. ; I would suggest buying some US dollars now while the exchange is high. ; Put them in a safety deposit box and you will have them for your trip. ; Some banks charge different rates or service charges for buying money, so shop around, you have the time. ; One trip we took down to WDW, the exchange rate was $0.64!!! ; Talk about needing to save ahead of time! ;
another option for saving 'spending money' is to open a U.S. funds account with your bank (I know RBC have them, I'm assuming other banks have the option as well for 'snow birds' and such). ; Every pay, transfer $xx into that account. ; It'll earn interest and you can withdraw from it directly in U.S. funds (no exchange... the balance you see is the balance you've got in U.S. funds). ; If your maximum debt load can handle it (without negative impact to your credit rating or prospective lending needs), getting a U.S. funds credit card can also come in handy (if you set it up so that you pay it from your U.S. funds account, there's no exchange rates involved at all, so it doesn't matter what the daily rate for whatever day the transaction is posted happens to be... plus sometimes there are hidden fees... and it means that the price you see/get from Disney is the price you pay, since they generally quote in U.S. dollars and then have to do a conversion). You don't have to put away large amounts at any one time, either, for it to add up quickly.
Well, the $$ is slowly adding up, as I continue saving for 2008!!! I'm bound and determined to use credit as little as possible this trip. Just wondering who else is trying to stash the cash for their next trip.
I automatically put away money every month for trips and any extra money or bonuses go into that account. So far I have my March 2007 and December 2007 (Mouse Fest) trips paid/saved for and am now working on Disneyland 2008 (that one will be tuff to save for flights are expensive from Toronto). I find it less stressful when you know your not running up your credit card when you get back you can concentrate on saving for the next trip which is easier than paying off the last one.
I have started planning/saving for my trip in Dec 2007. ; This may seem like a stupid question but, just out of curiosity, what are we looking moneywise in terms of just the bare minimum (hotel, WDW tickets and dining if included). ; Anyone gone in December able to give me a ballpark figure for a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 kids (age 8 & 15)... Just a rough estimate??? ; I hear December is one of the most expensive times of year to go to WDW... Correct me if I am wrong??
Go to http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdwi/en_CA/index. You can price a trip right up to Dec 31 2007 now. Try different senarios and see what you come up with. Value season runs up to December 19 then what they call Holiday Season kicks in up to December 31 which is the most expensive season.
