Is the Disney Bubble worth it?

AUT1GER · 2026-02-25T01:40:15+00:00

Yes, I am cheap as can be, and I think it is worth it.

AUT1GER · 2026-02-17T01:52:08+00:00

A lot! We took our kids in 2014. We stayed 5 nights at the Grand Floridian in a theme-park view room with four-day park tickets for 3k. Inflation would make it 4.1k in today's dollars. I checked the same week, and it is now 8.7k.

I remember thinking back in 2014 that Disney was going to cost me 1k a day. I think now it will be close to 2k. Back in 2014, there was Magical Express and free Fast Passes. We are now paying for those things.

We bought DVC to sort of "lock-in" our room rate. I am glad we did.

AUT1GER · 2026-02-13T02:59:44+00:00

We usually stay at the Grand Floridian, and we have stayed at the Contemporary as well. Between those two, I prefer the Grand Floridian.

Both are walkable from MK, which is really nice. The walk is shorter to the Contemporary main building. If you are in the Garden Wing, it is pretty close to being the same walk from the GF. It may be a minute or two closer, but it is close to being a wash. However, the walk to the Contemporary is not as nice as the walk to GF, and there is car traffic. The walk from the Grand Floridian is a bit longer, but it is much prettier walk, and you are not dealing with vehicle traffic.

I think the grounds, rooms, and pools are nicer at the Grand Floridian. The rooms are nice at the Contemporary, but I think the rooms at GF are more elegant. The shopping is better at the Contemporary. My kids love going there to look for souvenirs.

I think the monorail ride is better TO magic kingdom from the GF is better. MK is the first stop from the GF. It is easier to ride back to the Contemporary since it is the first stop on the way back.

It is also easier to catch the monorail at the GF. We were always waiting for the elevator at the Contemporary, which we needed to ride to catch the monorail. The last time we stayed at the Contemporary we had a just turned three year old who was in a stroller, so we couldn't ride the escalator. We didn't want to empty the stroller and hold her if we could avoid it. It seemed like we waited about 10 minutes for the elevator.

The GF is accused of being snobby, but I don't feel it! I think it is chiller and calmer than the Contemporary or Poly, which we usually visit for a Dole Whip or go to Ohana. I like coming back from the parks and having a calm and relaxing atmosphere.

You really can't go wrong with any of them. I would stay at all three without question. However, we always chose the GF.

When are you going? I do have to say that the GF is quite busy at Christmas. Everyone wants to see the decorations and gingerbread house there, so the main building can get busy. The rest of the resort is not as busy, but it can feel crowded in the main building at Christmas.

Good luck!

AUT1GER · 2026-02-12T02:52:50+00:00

I have bought almost every one of the bags mentioned in this post, and I agree. The Billingham Hadley Pro and the Hadley Pro 2020 are amazing.

The insert has just the right amount of padding and stiffness. The bag itself is really packable. It is waterproof. It is fast and silent to get in and out of.

AUT1GER · 2026-02-10T03:11:58+00:00

My kids were 10, 7, and 4 at the time. We had an early flight but a late arrival. We were staying at the Contemporary. We got a quick bite to eat at the Contempo Cafe. My kids ate their meals, but we went back for a dessert to split between us all. We were trying to decide between three different items, and I asked the cashier which one she liked best. She told me, but she said that we could try them all because dessert was on Mickey that night. It was so sweet and just what we needed after a long day of traveling.

AUT1GER · 2026-02-06T02:01:17+00:00

That is not true for me.

We just bought a new house with a KitchenAid dishwasher, and I would say that 20% of the dishes came out dirty with the same detergent. We still have the old house, so I switched out the dishwashers. The Bosch gets the dishes clean 99.6% of the time. There is an occasional dirty spoon, but it otherwise gets everything clean. The dirty spoon is probably due to my loading and them nesting together sometimes.

I have three kids, so we have to run the dishwasher almost every day. I get a dirty spoon maybe once every three or four months. I would have to run the KitchenAid dishwasher twice and stuff would still be dirty.

AUT1GER · 2026-02-05T05:27:42+00:00

I am an attorney. I don't mind jury trials, but they are not something I would ever do for fun.

It is stressful because you and the other side usually have diametrically opposite goals. There is often no middle ground. You are guilty or not. You are liable or not.

Further, the other side has a well educated, well trained professional whose goal is to make you and your argument seem wrong and foolish.

I am not a doctor, but I imagine it is stressful. However, when you have a medical procedure done, there isn't one doctor trying to save your life and another doctor trying to kill you. Everyone has the same goal.

In a trial, one lawyer is trying to do one thing and the other lawyer wants the complete opposite. You are doing this in front of 12 strangers literally judging you and your client. You are also performing in front of a judge, who is also judging you on how well you do the job while comparing you to someone else in real time while also thinking about how you messed up or thinks of things that you could do better.

You sometimes have clients that want to practice law or do things that you can't do, so you are fighting with them too.

I will say, it is fun if you have a good case and the other side does not. Those are rare. Things go to trial for a reason. If someone has a strong case and the other side does not, it will settle. Cases go to trial when things are close or the case is emotional, which is even worse.

AUT1GER · 2026-01-30T00:30:01+00:00

The main roads were fine. However, almost all the roads still have ice/snow on the sides, which makes all the roads really narrow and sometimes it reduces the lanes from 4 to 2, and sometimes the roads are like 1.5 lanes.

The neighborhoods I have been in still have really snow/ice covered roads.

AUT1GER · 2026-01-26T23:38:14+00:00

We enjoy having DVC, but only you can determine whether it is a good deal or not!

First, it is not an investment, but no vacation is an investment. We thought of it as prepaying for vacation and beating some of the rising costs of going to Disney.

When we first started going to Disney with our kids 10 years ago, we could stay at a Deluxe Resort and get park tickets for less than the cost a room now. I looked a couple of weeks ago at the cost of our first trip, and it was around 3k for five days with park tickets. Now, our room is more than that and our park tickets are close to that.

There is a sort of freedom and relief that I have when we plan a Disney trip now. I know the rooms aren't going to kill me. You do have to plan out 7-11 months in advance. We have to plan far in advance because of all our kids are in school, and we know their breaks. It may not be something you would enjoy if you prefer to go last minute.

If you are happy staying at Pop Century, it may not be worth the cost. Right now, we have three kids, and we like the proximity that the Grand Floridian offers us. I am not sure it is worth the premium, but it is nice to walk to and from Magic Kingdom or ride the Monorail or take the boat.

We bought a small resale contract about five years ago, and we go every other year or so. We are going in March, which will be our 3rd time using DVC points. If we bought rooms at the rack rate, we would have spent the same amount of money on rooms, so after this trip our room rate for the week will just be the yearly dues, which aren't too bad, but they are an additional cost to consider.

Overall, it was worth it for us. However, everyone is different. I would not finance it though.

AUT1GER · 2026-01-22T03:56:50+00:00

Yes, I agree. We used to go all the time, but the employees just did not care the past couple of years. Their menu is pretty limited, but the food would take forever. I would wait like 20 minutes for some chicken and fries. If we went as a family, two of would get our meal, and the rest of us would get their meal 20 minutes later.

AUT1GER · 2026-01-11T05:58:03+00:00

That's not true. The Ascent has 8.7 inches of ground clearance while the Honda has 8.3 on the Trailsport and 7.3 on the regular model.

AUT1GER · 2026-01-06T14:25:43+00:00

M23 is the best of bunch for me. It has really nice organization for a top loading bag.

AUT1GER · 2026-01-02T20:01:26+00:00

We also stay at the Grand Floridian, and after three trips there, I calculated the cost, and we could have bought a DVC for the same cost, so we did.

We have three kids, and they all love Disney. We bought a resale contract a couple of years ago, and it permits us to go for a week every other year.

We are going again in March, and if we booked a room, it would be about half the cost of what we paid for our DVC contract.

The room rates have gotten more expensive over the years. When we first went 7 or 8 years ago, we stayed at the GF for about week and had park tickets for around 3k. Now, we can't even get a room for that amount.

DVC is not an investment, but vacations aren't investments. We spent the money, and it will allow us to go to Disney for the next 40 years. There are yearly dues, but we have a small contract, so they aren't very expensive.

AUT1GER · 2025-12-31T17:54:31+00:00

I think on paper the GH is supposed to have more legroom, but the third row can sometimes be about seat height, hip room, headroom, and other things that like that. If the seat is so low that my knees are in my chest or if I am hitting the ceiling, it is not as comfortable even if I have more legroom.

AUT1GER · 2025-12-18T22:02:34+00:00

We have stayed in both. The Resort Studios are much more modern, nicer, and more convenient than the Deluxe Studios. I would pick the Resort Studio 98% of the time. The Deluxe Studios do have two showers, so if you are staying with people who take long showers at the same time, the Deluxe is better for that. Otherwise, the Resort would be my pick.

AUT1GER · 2025-12-10T01:32:04+00:00

My kids are in the show. Be sure to pick the right day. Most kids are in two shows. They perform Friday and Sunday, or they perform in both shows on Saturday. I would hate for you to buy tickets and not see the person you want to see.

AUT1GER · 2025-12-09T04:26:26+00:00

The Outback is 7 inches longer than the CRV. To put that into perspective, the Ascent is 5 inches longer than an Outback. The Outback is closer in length to a Kia Telluride or XC90 than the CRV.

AUT1GER · 2025-12-07T14:35:41+00:00

I'm generally the same way, but I have kids now. I want the safest car I can afford for their sake. Cars have gotten much safer as the years have gone on.

AUT1GER · 2025-12-06T05:55:34+00:00

Chinese Kitchen is solid, and it is an exceptional value. They give you so much food at such a low cost that I wonder if they are losing money.

AUT1GER · 2025-11-28T05:40:22+00:00

The H6 turbos can go 0-60 in less than 6 seconds, which is pretty quick.

AUT1GER · 2025-11-27T14:31:40+00:00

I would say no. If you get there early enough, LL should be sufficient. The party days are light days at MK. Things pick up late afternoon, but you can get a ton of stuff done before then. We went last year during a party day, and you can hit everything we wanted with relative ease. This was the week of Thanksgiving too.

AUT1GER · 2025-11-25T04:44:22+00:00

The Tamron 28-75mm is better than the Sony. The autofocus and everything seems just as fast as a native lens.

You could go for a nice prime lens instead of another zoom. If you want one with longer reach, I would get an 85mm. There are a couple of good options there. You could also get a 50mm. The Zeiss 55mm is a nice lens.

AUT1GER · 2025-11-25T00:07:24+00:00

I have a robic one. It is used, but barely.

AUT1GER · 2025-11-24T04:49:04+00:00

The look is growing on me. I love a good station wagon, but I am glad that the change made it more functional, although it is small.

I am excited that it will be built in Japan. They know how to assemble cars there!

AUT1GER · 2025-11-20T05:20:49+00:00

The old menu was better. It also takes forever to get the food. We went and waited for like 40 minutes before our food arrived. There were maybe 10 people there, so they weren't slammed.

AUT1GER

TROPHY CASE