For those of you that stay deluxe - what do you do for a living?

[focusondisney]

I’m an RN, my DH manages a food production plant. I think my salary is great, his job doesn’t pay quite as much as you’d think. But together, we have a decent income. But I don’t think it’s all about your jobs or income.

We have been going to Disney World for over 20 years. We started out at moderate resorts & have pretty much stayed at deluxe resorts for the last 15, club level for the last 10. We have also started going 2 or 3 times a year, staying between 3 & 7 nights each trip. Buuuut, we are in our 60s now. Our kids are in their 30s & have been out of the house for a long time. They don’t have kids, so no grands to spend on yet. We don’t drink or smoke. We still live in our 1400 sq foot “starter” house that has been paid off over 12 years ago. We don’t buy $35000 SUVs, I just have a small sedan, DH has a bit bigger sedan. We do go out to dinner once a week at home, but it is usually a chain place with a coupon or promo of some kind.

Disney is our splurge. My DH works at least 11 hour days, then does emails & reports at home, including on the weekends. Vacation is his only real downtime. When we are club level, we can relax, have breakfast & apps in the lounge without fighting crowds, just enjoy our time together. We may not be able to do it all when we retire, but for now, it is a priority for us.

But just so you know, we did not always travel this way. When we were starting out in our 20s, when our kids were young, we took road trips to much cheaper places & sometimes, only for long weekends. Our honeymoon was a long weekend in a larger city about 90 minutes away. We were in our late 30s before we went to WDW the first time & stayed off site. It’s easy to get pulled into the “keeping up with the Jones’s” reading these boards. Don’t worry too much about what strangers on a web site are doing. Everybody is at different life stages & makes different decisions on their priorities & spending habits. Give yourself time to figure yours out.

 

[Silvermist999]

We've only ever stayed deluxe because we made the "mistake" of staying deluxe on our first ever trip with the kids, primarily for the monorail, we got spoiled!

I am a CPA and my husband is an IT consultant, we both earn a very good living but we don't live frivolously. We went to WDW years ago, before our kids were born, since my husband attended a conference in the area. On that trip, we extended our stay offsite at the conference rate and never even thought of staying onsite, let alone deluxe, even though we could fully afford it. Nowadays, we save wherever possible, and spend more on things such as family vacations and our home, things that we know will have lasting memories!

 

[ww52]

Nine pages and counting! Any comments / thoughts, winnieofpooh?

If I could be so bold as to formulate a consensus of thought - many people agree the deluxe hotels offer an experience that once sampled is tough to give up. So people do what they need to do in order to replicate that experience. Anything else could feel disappointing.

That's why we were so happy when we started staying at Swan/Dolphin. We got used to the convenience of a deluxe and they are MUCH cheaper than the Disney owned - themed deluxes. (I wonder if / when Disney will ever take them over from Starwood?)

We pay a "premium" of sorts since we only go during summer (also once during Christmas). My wife is a teacher (now retired); the idea of taking the kids out of school was not ever a consideration. And now my oldest is a teacher - so it will be summers for them too.

Echoing Silvermist999 - Our first trip was 1989 - GF had just opened the year before. I think our choices were limited to that, Poly, Contemporary, and maybe the Disney Inn (which became Shades of Green and probably something else now). Swan and Dolphin and maybe Beach / Yacht were just being built. Offsite was not a consideration given the convenience of on site. So we tried it and LOVED it. Been there three times total.

It's much more expensive now - not sure we'd do that again. But for a honeymoon? For sure. I know there were many couples there without kids. (Celebs too, so we were told. Bruce Willis was there when we stayed once - they had a party for Armageddon at the Studios. Didn't see him. Also heard that Michael Jordan took his kids there - and PRincess Di as well. The main building - private elevators for some rooms.)

We then tried Beach Club and the pool hooked us. (Kids were little). Stayed there twice. Then Swan 3 times - and now Dolphin in a week.

Sure - many people literally MOCK us for the extreme expense the Disney vacation costs using deluxe. But really it adds maybe 200 - 300 a night compare to other options (and it never occurred to me that only the deluxes onsite have indoor corridors - wow. The others must feel like a motel.) For 7 nights that about 1400 - 2100. Or saving an additional $100 - $200 or so a month for a year. Not trivial, but for us and many other people, well worth it.

 

[eric1985]

I bought into the DVC. I'm a police officer and the wife (whom I married at Disney) is a nurse. We're not rich, but I work in a crime ridden city and since crime is at an all time high, there are plenty of additional shifts to work. Kind of a weird way to look at it, but I equate my Disney trips into how many overtime shifts or traffic details I need to work to get my vacation paid for ahead of time. That being said, the wife and I work a lot in stressful jobs so we enjoy being completely immersed in the Disney bubble.

We tried The Boardwalk when we first went down together and were hooked. The convenience of being so close to Epcot, the nightlife and the condition of the room takes you away from the stresses of constantly interacting with the dredge of society everyday. It's the perfect balance between relaxing at a resort and having enough of a structure to be entertained at the parks.

 

[ww52]

Eric - I admire you for your very vital work. My soon to be son in law is in the police academy right now for the major city we live near.

After reading your first sentence, my immediate thought was "what better way to escape the unfortunate reality you have to deal with than the self-contained fantasy land of WDW."

And you're right - the Boardwalk area is fantastic! We did the dueling pianos thing last time. Fun time for sure.

One of the biggest advantages of on-site (deluxe or not) is that you really are in a self-contained city that Disney works hard at making perfect.

Dumb as it sounds, one of my warm memories is simply driving around and seeing the purple highway signs - reminding me I'm in a VERY special (though artificial) place.

 

[disneyworldaddict]

I'm a caseworker and my husband a groundskeeper. We aren't wealthy by NJ standards. The only vacations I could afford to take when the girls were little were campgrounds. The girls are grown and on their own, so that alone saves us a lot. Even if we pay for them to go, we aren't supporting them anymore.

When we do stay at deluxe it's usually during the off season and only a few nights. Scheduling at my job would make it too difficult to use DVC rental points.

They last time we stayed at AKL we didnt get park tickets. We only stayed 4 nights and used VISA reward points for our meals. We rode the boats and the monorail though Epcot. We watch fireworks at Poly. We spent days at the pool and evenings at the fire pit. Did some hotel hopping and of course watched the animals. We also did a free restaurant tour at the resort that include small samples! It was wonderul and affordable.

The deluxe resorts are fantastic but if you're spending everyday on the parks they really aren't necessary. Save your money if you're not going to spend time at your resort.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

I bought into the DVC. I'm a police officer and the wife (whom I married at Disney) is a nurse. We're not rich, but I work in a crime ridden city and since crime is at an all time high, there are plenty of additional shifts to work. Kind of a weird way to look at it, but I equate my Disney trips into how many overtime shifts or traffic details I need to work to get my vacation paid for ahead of time. That being said, the wife and I work a lot in stressful jobs so we enjoy being completely immersed in the Disney bubble.

We tried The Boardwalk when we first went down together and were hooked. The convenience of being so close to Epcot, the nightlife and the condition of the room takes you away from the stresses of constantly interacting with the dredge of society everyday. It's the perfect balance between relaxing at a resort and having enough of a structure to be entertained at the parks.

This is exactly what I do (well, did. We are moving to Orlando next month so we don't have to plan for Disney anymore). I'm an RN and I just divide the vacation cost by how much I make per shift, then work that many extra shifts.

Edited to add, I have never stayed deluxe or even on site.

 

[grumpy28]

Dumb as it sounds, one of my warm memories is simply driving around and seeing the purple highway signs - reminding me I'm in a VERY special (though artificial) place.

I had to LOL at this. My kids (6 and 4), know we are at Disney and on property whenever they see the purple signs. If we ever travel off property (for a dinner elsewhere for example), they get all sad saying, "did we leave Disney?". Then they will see a purple sign and say, "yay we're back at Disney!".

 

[bwang123]

I'm in I.T. and am a networking and telecommunications specialist. I also do I.T. contract work on the side. I also own a merchandise business on Amazon.

Me and you have a lot in common. IT Networking and have an ecommerce business that sells on Amazon.

 

[halfpintpeggy]

only the deluxes onsite have indoor corridors - wow. The others must feel like a motel.)

That's because they ARE motels!!!

 

[halfpintpeggy]

I'm a police officer

#bluelivesmatter

 

[e mcduck]

have you seen last holiday? that.

tiny apartment, no savings. VIVA LA VACATION!

 

[Nancyg56]

Nine pages and counting! Any comments / thoughts, winnieofpooh?

If I could be so bold as to formulate a consensus of thought - many people agree the deluxe hotels offer an experience that once sampled is tough to give up. So people do what they need to do in order to replicate that experience. Anything else could feel disappointing.

That's why we were so happy when we started staying at Swan/Dolphin. We got used to the convenience of a deluxe and they are MUCH cheaper than the Disney owned - themed deluxes. (I wonder if / when Disney will ever take them over from Starwood?)

We pay a "premium" of sorts since we only go during summer (also once during Christmas). My wife is a teacher (now retired); the idea of taking the kids out of school was not ever a consideration. And now my oldest is a teacher - so it will be summers for them too.

Echoing Silvermist999 - Our first trip was 1989 - GF had just opened the year before. I think our choices were limited to that, Poly, Contemporary, and maybe the Disney Inn (which became Shades of Green and probably something else now). Swan and Dolphin and maybe Beach / Yacht were just being built. Offsite was not a consideration given the convenience of on site. So we tried it and LOVED it. Been there three times total.

It's much more expensive now - not sure we'd do that again. But for a honeymoon? For sure. I know there were many couples there without kids. (Celebs too, so we were told. Bruce Willis was there when we stayed once - they had a party for Armageddon at the Studios. Didn't see him. Also heard that Michael Jordan took his kids there - and PRincess Di as well. The main building - private elevators for some rooms.)

We then tried Beach Club and the pool hooked us. (Kids were little). Stayed there twice. Then Swan 3 times - and now Dolphin in a week.

Sure - many people literally MOCK us for the extreme expense the Disney vacation costs using deluxe. But really it adds maybe 200 - 300 a night compare to other options (and it never occurred to me that only the deluxes onsite have indoor corridors - wow. The others must feel like a motel.) For 7 nights that about 1400 - 2100. Or saving an additional $100 - $200 or so a month for a year. Not trivial, but for us and many other people, well worth it.

We are "mocked" as well, however I have vacationed elsewhere and find that the cost can be as much if not more, but it is spread out over the days of the vacation. WDW is paid for in advancea and is "enclosed" so no additional entrance fees are sprung on us.

I think that one thing those "ridiculers" fail to recognize is that we all have our spending "vices" and they are personal. Mine is vacations. I love them. I don't want to cook or clean or do laundry when we vacation. I do that at home. WE do not have an extravagant home, have finally bit the bullet and accepted a small car payment, but we have not had one of those in 25 years, have a modest home, and most of our furniture is "lived" in. My coworker tells me we are "lucky" to vacation in the style we do, and that our DGD should be happy we take her to NYC for long weekends, etc. Her kids are not "lucky." SHe just traded in her gynormous Lexus SUV that had a "mortgage" of $850 a month for a brand new Denali GMC crew cab fully loaded beast of a truck that has an even larger loan becuas she rolled what was left on the LExus into that one. She and her DH (the one who makes all of the decisions in the family) have remortgaged the home at least three times. HE spends a small fortune on beer, cigarettes, DD coffee, and lottery tix every week, and refuses to go without steak three times a week. HEr kids are in rags, and she had to sneak to buy new glasses. All I said to her was that we all have priorities, and DH and I refuse to drive or eat mine.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

I bought into the DVC. I'm a police officer and the wife (whom I married at Disney) is a nurse. We're not rich, but I work in a crime ridden city and since crime is at an all time high, there are plenty of additional shifts to work. Kind of a weird way to look at it, but I equate my Disney trips into how many overtime shifts or traffic details I need to work to get my vacation paid for ahead of time. That being said, the wife and I work a lot in stressful jobs so we enjoy being completely immersed in the Disney bubble.

We tried The Boardwalk when we first went down together and were hooked. The convenience of being so close to Epcot, the nightlife and the condition of the room takes you away from the stresses of constantly interacting with the dredge of society everyday. It's the perfect balance between relaxing at a resort and having enough of a structure to be entertained at the parks.

Yep. My husband is CO, I'm a nursing student... We (he, since I'm not working yet) works overtime when needed since it's offered to him almost every day because they're so understaffed. We save, scrimp, make it work.

We love Disney for the same reason as you. Nothing is more depressing than going back to the "real world" after a week in WDW. My husband's favorite thing to point out is the most simple thing... There is hardly any trash on the side of the road. It's just a NICE break from the dumpster fire of our city.

 

[winnieofpooh]

Nine pages and counting! Any comments / thoughts, winnieofpooh?

Yeah it's really interesting! I'm not really sure what answers I was expecting to get, but firstly love all the responses It's really helpful to see all the different ways people save up and then splurge on the deluxes! I think many of you were right - the DIS makes it seem like thousands of families go multiple times a year and always stay club level at GF, which realistically most people can't afford or don't want to spend the money on. Just gotta keep that in perspective!

I really like the idea of renting DVC or potentially buying into it when we're much older. I just took a look, and renting points for a deluxe puts a lot of deluxes in line with a moderate! Seems like a really good solution if we want to stay deluxe all the time. And just basing future financial status based on how we save currently - we're both really good about saving (my fiance is going to dental school), so we already are pretty good about not eating out a lot and making sure to put money in savings each month.

But on the flip side, I'm also one of those people who is slightly obsessed with the value resorts? I personally love the giant statues and over-the-top decor, it seems so Disney to me! So I think I'd be a perfectly happy camper staying value (and it's also on my bucket list to stay at every Disney resort).

 

[jliucci]

But on the flip side, I'm also one of those people who is slightly obsessed with the value resorts? I personally love the giant statues and over-the-top decor, it seems so Disney to me! So I think I'd be a perfectly happy camper staying value (and it's also on my bucket list to stay at every Disney resort).

I agree with your flip side as well! DH & I are in our early 30s, hes a diesel mechanic & I'm an acct executive for a large insurance company. We, like some others mentioned, put $ away in a vacation savings account every week. We have never stayed Deluxe, and while it is on my Disney bucket list, its not a big deal to us! We don't spend much time in the rooms anyway so we are perfectly fine at the values or the moderates. (We have stayed at almost all of them). We personally would rather spend less on the hotel and possibly travel more often. We are staying at a Value again this fall and while it would have been nice to stay deluxe we went the cheaper route and did Myrtle Beach in the summer as well. Deluxe or not we're still in Disney and that makes us happy

 

[DLgal]

My husband is military. I am a SAHM but I work a temp job every year from home which nets me around $5000-6000 on average for 6 weeks of work. This is our vacation money. We travel to WDW about every other year, with a local staycation on non WDW years. We don't have a mortgage (we rent), we have two teens, and generally don't spend a lot of money on "stuff." Our kids don't do sports or expensive extracurriculars. They are both special needs. We only stay deluxe at this point, but we didn't always. We stay Club Level. It cuts WAY down on our food expenses while here. We are on day 9 of a 10 day trip and still haven't hit $1000 in room charges. We are at around $800 so far and that includes Memory Maker purchase and some souvenirs. Our CL rooms were under $500/night with the military discount.

 

[a742246]

After raising 3 children thru college and all those expenses behind us, our budgeted items got smaller and we suddenly had extra money in our pockets. That's when we started with the deluxe.

 

[ww52]

But on the flip side, I'm also one of those people who is slightly obsessed with the value resorts? I personally love the giant statues and over-the-top decor, it seems so Disney to me! So I think I'd be a perfectly happy camper staying value (and it's also on my bucket list to stay at every Disney resort).

I know a couple who can well afford deluxe who stayed at one of the values (can't recall which one) for that very reason. The over-the-top decorations. (They say their kids loved them - I think it was more than just the kids!)

Disney truly does have magic. I don't know this couple well, but for some reason I would never have picked him to be a Disney fanatic. When I started talking to him about their trip, he pulled out his phone and went through dozens of pictures with real enthusiasm.

Talk about gender stereotypes! I sense that a lot of people seem to feel it's not "man-like" to be a Disney fan.

Those that don't "get" that feeling probably think it's like a cult!

 

[easyas123]

https://www.dvcrequest.com/payprocessor2/Index.asp?1=220492

I can't recommend this enough. Our DVC rental stays often added up to no more than a stay at a moderate. Early this week I booked a few nights at BLT theme park view. I rented points, it was HALF the price than if I had rented thru Disney directly. That being said it was a bit of a anniversary splurge, and part of a split stay at SS. We USUALLY stay at Boardwalk or Beach Club, love them, love having the studios w/ a kitchenette. OKW, SS, BW and AK (standard view studios at all) usually come up to about the same as a stay at POR/FQ or CB.
And we've been doing direct deposit into a "disney savings account" I have had for over 13 years now, so we don't even notice the money going in from paychecks anymore.

Both my husband and I are in the Construction Industry