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The Weather Was Great
I live in the New Orleans area. I know hot and humid, and frankly, I like my summers that way. However, when we went to Disney World two years ago in August it was HOT and miserable. This past week the temperatures have been in the mid 80's with moderate humidity. Also, it only rained one day, as opposed to the every afternoon rain that is normal in mid to late summer.
Lodging Was Reasonable
Because this week was still considered to be the off-season, we were able to score a three bedroom, two bath condominium about 5 miles down Universal Boulevard from Universal Studios for a total price of $844.38, with all taxes and fees included for five nights, which comes to $168.88 per night. I just tried to book a room for a month from now (I booked our room about a month before we used it) and the cost is almost $100 per night more than what we paid.
We Got a Great Deal on Tickets
Our tickets were $199.99 each and gave us access to one park per day (either Universal Studios or Islands of Adventure) for four days. Right now, the best deal on Universal's website is $219.99 for three day tickets. Since we needed five tickets that meant $100 more in our pocket, and an extra day in the parks.
The Crowds Were Less
When we went to Walt Disney World two years ago in August, the crowds were terrible. After about 10 a.m. you could barely move and there were long lines for everything. That was true Thursday this week as well, but Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday had reasonable crowds and we were able to do what we wanted to do without any long waits in line.
Gas Cost Less
We paid 3 cents less per gallon last week that we paid at the same station today. They always say the price of gas goes up during the summer.
College Girl Didn't Miss Work
My recent college graduate has an internship lined up for this summer. Because we went during what is considered to be "the school year", the job hasn't started yet. We wanted her to be able to go with us but figured that if she got a job they weren't going to let her off for a vacation this summer. If you have kids who want summer jobs or adult children who will be starting new jobs, a pre-season vacation may allow them to join you.
While many of us may have reasons for taking vacations when "everyone" is doing so, if you can schedule yours during the off-season you can save a lot of money.
I love vacationing during slow times. It's why we went to AK in late May four years ago despite our anniversary not being until July
ReplyDeleteWe always take vacation in the "off season". You save a ton of money just by going one week earlier than everyone else!
ReplyDeleteWe just did Disney! I'd like to do Universal sometime though. This was a good time of year--wish we had known we could have met up! I serve in November a long time ago and it was nice, too, but I'm from up North so the cooler weather was more my speed haha. How was Universal with accommodations for your son?
ReplyDeleteWe are lucky, the only accomodations he needs involve staying off rides he doesn't like--kind of like me skipping the simulators that I know will make me sick. Spiderman was nice to the 25 year old man who wanted a picture and talked about cartoon episodes.
DeleteThat is lucky--and I'm glad that Spiderman was kind!
DeleteWe are doing Disney World the first week of December- for the same reasons. The rooms were very reasonable. Amazing!Haven't been to U Studios yet..but I know it is in our future!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great trip. Our schedule is open to take trips during any time of the year, so going off-peak is a big savings for us.
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