Originally Posted By fkurucz <<Get someone from Mexico or India who'll do the job for $11,000?>> Gotta increase the cap on H1-B visas. Bill Gates is insistent that there are no Americans to do all these skilled jobs!
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 <<<And for luxury cars, expensive clothes, plasma TV's, etc.>>>> don't forget the gold chains. Lots of Escalades, Lexuses etc, drive buy my office as they pick up their kids at school. Then they complain how high tuition is. Appearance is everything.
Originally Posted By dshyates As someone of little means, I do manage them well. I have NO credit card debt. I can afford my living expenses, car payment and Insurance. Other than that, since I need to relocate before I buy. All extra is expendable. I could expand my portfolio but this year my kids need to see joy, not a paper stock certificate. I can obviously afford a Universal trip as I am leaving on Sat. and it is all paid for without charging it. Careful financial management and a true consideration of priorities HAVE lead me to the decision to go to Otown.
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 No credit card debt, that is great, congratulations. Unfortunately, here is a sad truth. I'm the bookkeeper at a Catholic school. I see the above mentioned cars & jewelry, hear about the cruises, blah, blah, blah. We offer financial aid to people who cannot afford the tuition. We have families making $150-200,000 applying for financial help, and they get it, because they are so in debt. Whereas, the poor slob making $30,000 with no debt, applies for help and is refused. Where's the fairness or justice there?
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo dshyates - it sounds like your priorities are all together! I really hope everything works out for you and the girls.
Originally Posted By dshyates Disney's next move is going to be bigger "Rewards" if you finance you trip on the Disney Platnium Mastercard. Financial aid for a Disney trip. Sorry, not my gig.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Am I the only one who lives in an area that has pages of home foreclosures in the newspaper several times a week? Are people willing to lose their homes to go on vacations? >> Could it be the real reason people are losing their homes is that all our good jobs are being sent overseas? Or that full-time jobs with benefits are becoming phased out in favor of parttimers with no benefits? Or that our economy is only really doing great if you have a Wall Street address or millions in savings in reserve? Or that medical costs are rising to the point of absurdity while many people in this country feel healthcare is a privilege not a right? Or that educational costs leave many recent grads oweing tens of thousands of dollars BEFORE they even hit the workforce? Nah, it's just all those irresponsible people giving their money to the Mouse when they should be working a third job!
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<dshyates - it sounds like your priorities are all together! I really hope everything works out for you and the girls.>> I second that. I also would much rather see folks who could never afford WDW vacations (not you) in any, way, shape or form get them for free ... that would be a cool give away in the Year of a Million DReams ... instead of giving free FastPasses and shopping sprees to people who are already there. (I know, never happen ... but a Spirit can dream!)
Originally Posted By fkurucz <<We have families making $150-200,000 applying for financial help, and they get it, because they are so in debt. Whereas, the poor slob making $30,000 with no debt, applies for help and is refused. Where's the fairness or justice there?>> I think that your school needs to reprioritize who gets aid. We did get aid once at our school, but thats only because I had just been laid off and was in the process of getting ready to move the kids to public school.
Originally Posted By fkurucz <<I also would much rather see folks who could never afford WDW vacations (not you) in any, way, shape or form get them for free ... that would be a cool give away in the Year of a Million DReams>> If you ask me that would create much better publicity than giving away a bunch of hats and magic fastpasses. Do it on Oprah or something like that: 1000 underpriviledged families get an all expenses paid vacation to DLR or WDW.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Amen guys - Year of a Million Dreams should be about treating people special.
Originally Posted By Witches of Morva ORDDU: My sisters and I applaud you for the way you have supported dshyates, Spirit of 74, duckling. Your sentiments echo those of us here in Morva. Every underpaid gosling in your America deserves to have a vacation--regardless of their pay scale. Life is too short to wait around for the approval of every other duckling around before you take what is rightfully yours in this wicked world.
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 <<<I think that your school needs to reprioritize who gets aid. We did get aid once at our school, but thats only because I had just been laid off and was in the process of getting ready to move the kids to public school.>>> I wish we had some say in it, the company who figures it has their own formula. Unfortunately they reward the people who over extend themselves and ignore the ones who live within their own means. Not teaching a good lesson.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 I think part of my issues with the campaign have a lot to do with the fact simple things that CMs have always done (often without manager's approval) are now being celebrated as something special. Even the inane FastPass and pin/lanyard giveaways ... CMs have been slipping those to guests for years. Free meals? Sure? Hotel upgrades? Yep. A free welcome basket of goodies or a plush for a child? Yep. The only thing this campaign celebrates is sleeping in the castle and a very few high end trips to other resorts, a few free cruises and FOUR whole DVC memberships. In other words, next to nothing significant. Unlike past promotions where guests won free cars every day ... where a turnstyle click might welcome them to a free video (no DVDs back then) etc ... this celebration is a big buildup to almost nothing ... nothing that truly wonderful WDW CMs haven't been doing on their own for years. So now it's organized. Big Deal.
Originally Posted By Skellington88 Should have went with Year of a Million great rides instead. That'd get people into the parks
Originally Posted By dsnykid The turnstyle clicks reminded me of the 30th bday at Disneyland... every 30th, 300th, 3000th, etc, got a prize and there was a huge counter at the entrance.. I won a free day at the park, and still have all the tickets from our trip and the same thing from the 35th.. I would have preffered that again to the YOAMD.
Originally Posted By dshyates Hey, Disney is going one way with the 4seasons and Waldorf crowd. I am going the other right now to be with my kids. No biggie. We will play else where. I was simply and without anger or malice stating Disney is too expesive for us before and after the price raise. I'm sure the vacation that I can afford will be quite sufficient. 7 days at Uni. 1 at sea world. Emerils, a luau @ the Royal Pacific, Harry Potter in IMAX 3D, We are spending the night in Savannah and eating at Paula Deans place. My Dad is covering the Savannah portion and Emerils, the admission tix for him, my mom, and brother so I only have to cover my girls and I. But because I will be pulling out of Dodge soon this one is going to happen to the absolute furthest reaches of my financial abilities. Since I don't use credit cards it won't be an impressive trip to most of you, but I only have to impress a 6 and 11 year old. And if you saw where they live it won't be hard.
Originally Posted By dshyates A lot of the parks are seeing the same problem of an extremely soft 4Q projection. So Uni is offering a $14.14 a day ticket. Sea World is offering a $27 a day ticket. Disney went to $72 a day. Yeah, good luck with that. "Suck the suckers dry." That's a Walt quote. Right?
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy The other parks don't get the foreign travelers that Disney does. Domestic business is off for everyone. Disney can raise prices because the international travelers book the Disney hotel packages, or buy the daily tickets through a tour group, while Universal and Sea World don't have the same attraction to foreigners.
Originally Posted By bayrr326 Dshyates kudos to you for sticking with your kids and finding a way to take them on a vacation. They should have a blast at SeaWorld. Good luck finding a job. You might want to also give CFN 13 a try I know they have a job opening. I work as a TV Photojournalist in the Tampa market. I just keep wondering when the cost of WDW vacations are gonna hit the breaking point. My parents have had 2 of their friends take their families to WDW and stay on property and in both cases they were disappointed with their vacations. They enjoyed the parks but they had issues at the resorts.
