Will a recession change your Disney habits ?

[pogo]

To start, this year is an election year for us in the USA ! No, I don't want to talk politics, but a lot of things change during an election year.

Every morning we hear how the U.S. is headed for a recession and more people are out of work, getting their home forclosed, fuel costs are going higher, etc., etc.

How does it affect your Disney addiction ?

[DizneyRox]

As long as I have a job, I am not impacted...

[merlinmagic4]

We've pretty much canceled our April 2008 trip but I think it's more about personal choices for us than a recession. I AM feeling a financial pinch here on one income but can choose to change that by going back to work. Of course, there needs to be a job available............and it needs to pay enough for daycare........:D

We did go to Disney twice in 2007 so we'll skip 2008 and get back to going in April of 2009. Hope is not lost!

I wanted to add that if I had the trip paid for (and had been able to find cheap airfare for a school vacation week) I would still be going.

At this point in our lives I would NOT put it on a credit card.

[DDuck66]

Luckily we live close by so the extreme cost of the gasoline will not hinder us and we always have saved the cash in hand before we go to the parks.
It also helps that we are DINKs (Double Income No Kids).

[BigRedDad]

It will hit some people in the US, but have ZERO affect on foreigners. They are loving our recession. It is cheaper for them to come over here for vacation than stay in their own country.

[disneymom15]

Although we don't have more money than God, It wouldn't affect us. We're sitting pretty good, our house is paid for, only one child who is almost 18, so our bills don't overwhelm us. We always stay in the value resorts and only book our trips around cheap airfare.

[sillyolbear]

Also, a DINK couple with a DVC membership so for us lodging is taken care of already. We will still make three trips this year.

I personally think 2009 will be the year that we could see a down turn on travel impact WDW.

[Beast_fanatic]

Please refrain from making political comments... let's keep this solely about the effect a recession will have on your WDW vacationing. Thanks!

[Darbylew]

Gotta go!!!!!!!! We will still go three times a
year as we always do. :D
BEEN THERE, DONE THAT AND GOING BACK IN
APRIL..........:mickey:

[mickey&missy]

I didn't vote because I could have voted 3 ways.

1st Our trip for March is paid in full and the spending money banked! I can't wait!

But, we're planning another trip for January 09.

2nd If there is a recession it probably won't affect us. No, we don't have more money then god ;) But, due to the nature of DH's business, unless things get really bad, we'll be unaffected.

3rd there isn't a recession yet. I swear the media hypes it so much that their going to help push us into one. The top story on the news everytime is impending recession. Of course people are going to be scared to spend if all they hear is how everyone is scared to spend. I hope that it doesn't come to a recession, I hate to see people struggle so much.

[dolphinmickey9170]

It won't change things as we have it already banked out and paid for. As DVC owners, lodging isn't an issue. One OT shift for my DH pays for our airfare. I buy AP and the DDP with our income tax refund. So we are pretty much all set. :mickey:

[BMan62]

As long as I have a job, I am not impacted...

:ditto:

I can also add that during a recession prices tend to go down making what little money you do have for vacation, stretch a little farther.

Physically speaking, I cannot survive from year to year without at least a solid week of vacation somewhere other than at home. WDW has been the prescription for stress relief for us.

[MOJoe]

If you are lucky enough to have farm income suplement your daily grind, as we do, the talk of recession seems odd. Farm income is up substantially these days.

[pogo]

These are all great replies ! Just what I hoped for. :thumbsup:

This shows the spirit of us Intercotee's. :D

Believe it or not, I forgot to vote until now, but we will go on our planned vacations no matter what.


It also helps that we are DINKs (Double Income No Kids). I love this. I am proud to be a DINK, also ! I never thought I'd hear me say that. :D


Also, a DINK couple with a DVC membership so for us lodging is taken care of already. We will still make three trips this year.

I personally think 2009 will be the year that we could see a down turn on travel impact WDW.
We've considered DVC, but so far we've resisted.

I also think your right about the travel impact.

Please refrain from making political comments... let's keep this solely about the effect a recession will have on your WDW vacationing. Thanks!
Thanks Rhonda.... but you forgot to do this...:nono:

3rd there isn't a recession yet. I swear the media hypes it so much that their going to help push us into one. The top story on the news everytime is impending recession. Of course people are going to be scared to spend if all they hear is how everyone is scared to spend. I hope that it doesn't come to a recession, I hate to see people struggle so much.
I couldn't agree with you more.

The Media over plays everything. Kind of like Chicken Little ! :D

If you are lucky enough to have farm income suplement your daily grind, as we do, the talk of recession seems odd. Farm income is up substantially these days.
Note to self.... by farm land as investment. :D

[MMouse6937]

We will definately go either way. I think the reports in the media are always exaggerated, not that I don't think there are people suffering financially. DH and I are almost to a point in our lives where things have gotten way easier financially then they ever have been. It's been a long road, but I think we're finally able to make a Disney trip twice a year, which would be heaven for me!! :cloud9:

[thrillme]

The last time we had a recession I honestly really didn't click to it.

I don't have more money than God. But HOPEFULLY I'll still have my job for at least 12 more years. Things get tight sometimes but I'm managing. The funny thing I recall reading about "recession" is that hemlines go down and when things are good...they go back up. Maybe we won't have anyone thrown off airplanes for a while for their skirts being too short. HA HA

This year is going to be a bit more expensive than most. We have several trips planned all over the place, my son's getting braces and my boyfriend and I will be getting married (one of the trips planned will be to see his family)...so I figure things are going to be a little tight but...we plan to plug on we just have to learn to budget very carefully for a while.

Since trips are PLANNED...I've usually got savings set aside for them. I normally don't do anything big without saving for it so as long as I can remain employed I'll be fine.

[IloveDisney71]

I wish I could have voted for the last option but I'm a teacher so unless I win the lottery that won't ever happen. We will still travel to Disney but will elect to stay at moderate or value resorts. I'm also now using my Disney Visa credit card to pay for almost all of my families expenses (& pay it off every month). We are using like a "debit" card so we can earn as many rewards points as possible for our next trip!

[Disneyatic]

Our December trip is still a go. We decided last year to upgrade from Pop to WL and the recession scare has us coming up with a "plan B" just in case. If something drastic were to happen in the next 6 months, we would possibly look at downgrading our hotel to salvage the trip. I don't really care where we stay on property as long as we can still go!

[Ian]

I didn't really understand the question all that well nor did I really think any of the answers fit my situation particularly well ... but anyway ...

I answered cancel. A recession alone isn't going to affect my travel plans. I mean a recession by itself means very little to me in terms of my ability to afford a trip or not. In fact, I'm not really sure why anyone would have to cancel a trip simply because the economy goes into a recession? Doing that would only make the recession worse ... :confused:

Now if the recession was so bad that I lost my job (possible since I'm in the mortgage industry) then I'd cancel my trips. That's why I voted the way I did. But the question, as it's asked, didn't really make much sense to me overall.

[merlinmagic4]

I answered cancel. A recession alone isn't going to affect my travel plans. I mean a recession by itself means very little to me in terms of my ability to afford a trip or not. In fact, I'm not really sure why anyone would have to cancel a trip simply because the economy goes into a recession? Doing that would only make the recession worse ... :confused:



I guess I took it to mean that some people live paycheck to paycheck and would have no extra money at the end of the month to put away for a Disney vacation as the costs of other things rise. People are paying more for gas, food, heat, etc. and have nothing left. I don't think people would say, "ooh, the media says we're in a recession.....let's cancel our trip" (well, maybe some people would) but I think people would cancel because they just can't afford it.

[BMan62]

How about this...Instead of the government giving us these rebate checks (proposed $800/single; $1600/couple) they give us vouchers for one free week at WDW or DL??? That would keep the money flowing and actually get to spend more because you know how good Disney is at getting you to spend!

[MickeyMousse]

Honestly, if it wasn't for us being DVC members, we couldn't go as often as we do.

[diz_girl]

I personally think 2009 will be the year that we could see a down turn on travel impact WDW.

I definitely agree. Although foreigners may still travel to WDW because the exchange rate is very favorable to them, I don't think that it will fully offset the decline in travel by Americans. I may have stated this in another post, but with the subprime mess and resulting credit crunch and housing crunch, people can't use their homes as ATMs anymore.

Americans' personal savings rates are at their lowest levels since the Great Depression, and at times are negative, which means that they are spending more than they earn and are relying on debt to finance their lifestyle. Home prices are falling in most markets because of all of the foreclosures, so people can no longer tap into the equity of their home to buy cars and take vacations or buy that big-screen TV. As more ARMs reset, more people can't afford their homes, and they may no longer be able to file for bankruptcy protection due to the law changes in 2006. The possible legislation to protect homeowners with resetting ARMs will only protect a small number of homeowners facing foreclosure. This only adds to the glut of homes on the market. We may hit bottom in 2010 and things may start to improve in 2011. Of course that kind of stinks for me since my job is transferring in a couple of years and I'll have to sell my house then.

As for the media, I don't think that they're underplaying this at all. I do think that because of 24/7 newschannels, the media feel the need to create news, not just report it. But I've seen this mess coming for a while.

Thankfully, my job is pretty secure - but I'll have to move in order to keep it. I save regularly and I don't have to worry about credit card debt, so I think my family will be fine.

As for my vote, I voted cancel. Thankfully I have relatives who have a time share nearby WDW, so if I couldn't afford staying onsite I'd just stay at the timeshare and only have to worry about tickets, food and the cost of the drive.

I'll get off my :soapbox: now.

[Goofster]

A recession wouldn't put a damper on our WDW plans. I'm an attorney and economic downturns usually mean more work for the firm (more disputes between businesses about payments and money owed).

As for whether a rescession is on the way, our economy has been due for a major correction for the past 5 years. All signs are pointing to it. The more the government tries to put it off or fiddle with it, the worse it will eventually become. :twocents:

[trackbarroness]

I'd vote but there isn't an option for me to chose. :D
I live to close to the magic and just recently joined DVC so after next month probably will be staying at a DVC resort.

[vizsla]

Right know we are on hold on making any plans. It is not due to the economy, it is because both of my parents are having serious medical problems, and the same with my MIL. So we have been quite busy running with them to doctors and helping them in any way we can along with the the busy schedule we have ourselves.

[Ian]

I guess I took it to mean that some people live paycheck to paycheck and would have no extra money at the end of the month to put away for a Disney vacation as the costs of other things rise. People are paying more for gas, food, heat, etc. and have nothing left.I don't think people would say, "ooh, the media says we're in a recession.....let's cancel our trip" (well, maybe some people would) but I think people would cancel because they just can't afford it.While that may be true, rising costs don't have anything to do with recession ... in fact, rising costs are inflationary.

As someone pointed out previously in this thread ... during a recession people hold on to their money, meaning less demand. Thanks to the good ole predictability of a free market economy, that means prices go down ... not up.

Anyone recall how dirty cheap you could go to WDW immediately post-9/11?

[merlinmagic4]

While that may be true, rising costs don't have anything to do with recession ... in fact, rising costs are inflationary.

As someone pointed out previously in this thread ... during a recession people hold on to their money, meaning less demand. Thanks to the good ole predictability of a free market economy, that means prices go down ... not up.

Anyone recall how dirty cheap you could go to WDW immediately post-9/11?

In that case, if prices for things go down, we would definitely be going to WDW with the extra money.

[Nascfan]

Like the vast majority of voters, we already have the money saved (we do that throughout the whole time between trips - little by little), and we don't go that often, so we will, and would, still go. That of course assumes continued employment, which is about as close to a guarantee as it gets these days with where I'm at.

[SteveL]

I doubt that a recession (and I think we are in one) will affect our plans. We already have DVC, AP, and DDE so a trip for two really doesn't cost much.
Now, oh where, oh where has my 401 gone? Oh where, oh where can it be?

[princessjojo]

For the most part, we've been living paycheck to paycheck since I decided to go back to school. Do I like the way we currently live, not on your life, but it was a sacrifice we all chose to make. And we took a 9 day trip just before I started school in 2006 and this May I will graduate and we will be going back again for 10 days.

Will the recession hurt us and make us change our vacation plans, I don't think so. Afterall, we will go from 1 income to 2 very shortly and my new found career really isn't economy driven too much. But DH's is. If our new spring/summer hurricane season picks up, he won't have any issues with income either.

To the main point, since we're DVC owners, our lodging is paid, and the remainder can usually be saved. Especially since we're used to living on 1 income, the soon to be 2nd will just be extra for us.

[mizzoumouse]

A recession won't change the way we vacation at DisneyWorld, but having two Children that Irish Dance and will be traveling overseas one to two times a year for the who knows how long will!!! I am just glad that we have been taking them to Disney while they are young and can still remember it. It may be a while after our July 08 trip until we make it back, but we have had nothing but amazing memories our of previous trips! We will now make some different memories over seas and will one day make it back to Disney!
Right now just looking forward to our July trip and planning it for the 19 of us that are going! :mickey:

[#1donaldfan]

In my line of business the doors will always be open 24/7/365.....so, if I'm still in my job, can save enough money, we're there, no question.

[AuntDJ]

Well, I can honestly answer this as it appears the recession has hit home.

I was told this morning that effective May 2008 I will no longer have a job. I work in the Student Loan industry, so I guess it wasn't a complete suprise...

I am a trip planned in June and still have the intention to go and have FUN!

DJ

[Polynesian Dweller]

We will still go though the downturn is definitely hurting, even though I'm a foreigner (except up here where you guys are :D). Its a global recession and impacts everyone worldwide not just the US and we've likely been in one since December.

Recessions hurt but you have to keep doing things and what makes you happy. That's Disney for us.:mickey:

[thrillme]

How about this...Instead of the government giving us these rebate checks (proposed $800/single; $1600/couple) they give us vouchers for one free week at WDW or DL??? That would keep the money flowing and actually get to spend more because you know how good Disney is at getting you to spend!

You know that's an EXCELLENT idea. Issue the refund in the form of a Visa card forcing people to use the VISA to actually SPEND instead of "save".


during a recession people hold on to their money, meaning less demand. Thanks to the good ole predictability of a free market economy, that means prices go down ... not up.

Anyone recall how dirty cheap you could go to WDW immediately post-9/11?

Very true...that's what I recall in my old Economics classes...and YES...I didn't go to Disney post 9/11 but I did go to Vegas for something like $92/96 ROUND TRIP. Nobody was flying so I just got on to Southwest to see what the airlines were doing to entice people to fly again. Next phone call was rounding up some girlfriends for a crazy weekend trip to Vegas.