New WDW $12,000 VIP "World of Dreams" Tour...

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 9:34 AM.

I had to look when I joined. It is pretty interesting to think how much life has happened between then and now. Newly married but daughter #1 was not here yet...good lord I hadn't even graduated (for the last time) yet.

I just looked at a picture from that year of my wife and I at Cedar Point on the fridge, and was reminded what we used to do; every year on our trips to CP we would tent-camp with an air mattress at East Harbor State Park (across the bay) to save money from staying at a hotel or (go forbid) staying on-point.

Yea. A completely different understanding of the value of time vs. money.

I've married, divorced, married again, had a child, moved six times and had 13 jobs. I also make about four times what I did then, so perspectives definitely change.

Saturday, April 21, 2001 8:00 PM

Wow. Just wow.

This is where I'm different than a lot of y'all.

At that point in life, I was a couple of weeks past my 28th birthday. I had a 3 year old and my 2nd kid was 5 months away. So I never had the "flying solo, cut corners, save money, no frills" run of coaster enthusiasm.

I got into this with a family...while living in Florida. I started with taking family trips to the Orlando parks. Although, back then you could do 4 day tickets to WDW for $99 as a Florida resident.

I'm still married, haven't had any more kids, moved four times, and had zero (real) jobs (the wife has had 9). Our income has also increased a good bit in the past 18 years.

Perspectives definitely change, but where they changed for us is that everyone sort of grew out of the whole coaster thing. The kids got older and didn't care as much, we found we preferred to spend disposible income in other ways. The funny thing is we traveled and hit parks like mad when it was "harder" (young kids and less income) - although it was never hard - and stopped once it would have been easier.

Honestly, now that we can do "better" (for lack of a better term) things, doing the park tours seems quaint. Anyone else feel that way?

Not sure how to better put it into words, but some of that excessive travel to parks was because it is a relatively inexpensive thing to do. You can take a couple of season passes across the midwest and ride a lot of rides for a minimum investment. It's a nice alternative to things we maybe couldn't afford to do at the time. And I think that may have affected a dwindling interest as well. I mean, coasters/parks will always be fun, but if I can afford Europe or a cruise or whatever, I'm not spending a week on the road, schlepping from hotel to hotel, coaster to coaster. I'm taking the "better" experience.

(again, I don't like the word "better" up there, but you know what I mean)

I totally agree with you, that it actually was a fairly cheap way to have a good time. Heck, even spending $500 a head for a year of WDW fun seems like a pretty good deal to me (although feeling bad we didn't go even once in January). For us though, we'd rather do cruises and beach trips, or go out west.

Hmmmm.

Even though I’m a life-long amusement park fan, my life as an enthusiast started in 1978. That same year I began my career (yes, that was a thing then) and my starting salary was 147.50/wk. I joke to this day that I had big money then. I paid for my car, my insurance, and my 100 a month tiny apartment. I went on dates. I could take a week in Florida every year and I also started traveling the country to coaster events. It seemed like I was living in the lap of luxury, but looking back I’d have to say I managed to do everything on the cheap. I’d stay with transplanted college friends in Florida. On coaster trips it was nothing for us to pile 4 guys in a room and split the cost of a car. So, certainly, all that has changed as I’ve matured.

I think what happens is that priorities naturally shift. Someone once told me that we can expect our lives to change the most around every ten years or so. I don’t know about all that, but I can testify that things- relationships, possessions, as well as interests- come and then they go. I also believe that as we age we also find “better” ways to do things, even if better money follows our paths or not. I’ve cycled through 2 or 3 other major hobbies in my life, but I’ve never let my passion for amusement parks leave me. I just do it differently now.

I’m fortunate to be happily partnered, and it’s because of that my world of opportunities opened. Together we’ve seen Europe. We visit Hawaii with greater frequency than I ever imagined. We’ve developed our own interests and hobbies as a couple. We own and maintain a beautiful home in a hip neighborhood but (relatively) I’m not that much richer than I ever was. I still make it my business to visit parks, but usually make those trips alone or maybe with one close friend if possible. Disney trips now involve a week at a resort. Gone are the days of staying in Kissimmee and eating lunch in the car, thankfully.

I guess my point is that through our lifetime, we always do what we can and hopefully are able to do what we please. But with age comes wisdom along with a heightened sense of what’s ultimately the important stuff in life.

Just when you think it’s safe to return to CoasterBuzz, here we go again.

I think what happens is that priorities naturally shift. Someone once told me that we can expect our lives to change the most around every ten years or so. I don’t know about all that, but I can testify that things- relationships, possessions, as well as interests- come and then they go. I also believe that as we age we also find “better” ways to do things, even if better money follows our paths or not. I’ve cycled through 2 or 3 other major hobbies in my life, but I’ve never let my passion for amusement parks leave me. I just do it differently now.

I just passed 9 years in NC (it does yet doesn’t seem like it). While I still see and talk to all of my coaster friends on occasions, I haven’t been on a coaster trip with any of them in a few years simply because everyone has responsibilities, relationships, and other priorities. I still see friends at events and when in the area we meet up at parks.

But living closer to larger urban areas, I’ve picked up new hobbies. Like finally going to more live shows, concerts, etc. My sister lives in Orlando now and with cheap airfare and a free place to stay, those trips are less epic theme park trips and more visiting family trips where I hit up a couple parks. And I like that better. I honestly loved and loathed Long coaster trips because they weren’t ‘vacations’ They were trips with a purpose. I still do them but I usually plan them much different.

I also view days at the park differently. In December I was in Florida for a wedding. I did a day at both universal Parks and the parks were dead. I was at each park for about five hours. And after I rode everything I wanted to, I was ready to leave, go somewhere nice to eat, and go hang with my family. 10 years ago I’d have forced myself to stay in a dead park and power ride stuff.

I much prefer an enjoyable, leisurely pace now.

My enthusiasm is definitely reinvigorated by my kids. My middle just hit 48" and my eldest is approaching 54" (my youngest is still 43") so every year or so, someone is hitting a new milestone and wanting to try new rides. I suspect once they've been on "one of everything" and been to Cedar Point and Magic Mountain we'll change our priorities a little bit. I personally haven't changed in enthusiasm, but it does take a different form. Other than WDW, I almost never (intentionally) go open to close to a park anymore. It's just not that interesting to ride any ride more than 3 or 4 times...plus motion sickness.

Jeff said:

Not gonna lie, if I had five friends who would go in with me, I would actually consider this provided I could get the backstage tours I wanted and the dining I wanted. I'm not a 1%'er, but for $2k, an ultimate day that I designed would be worth it to do once.

I'm in.

Screw CoasterBuzz club.

We're starting the CoasterBuzz 2k Crew.

Go ahead and do your poor man's 2K club. I'm going solo for the 12K club. Who needs 5 other people slowing me down or making me do what they want to do instead of what I want to do. All about me baby!

That reminds me, I haven't set foot in my room full of bags of money in ages. Might be time...

I’m in too.

So that’s Jeff, Gonch, Me, Vater, and Richard. We just need one more...

Me! Me, me, me!

This isn't going to be like CPG, is it? Talk about changing perspectives and priorities.

Crap, now I'm gonna have to find two grand.

I told my wife about the tour last week and suggested that it would be fun to split with friends to celebrate a birthday or something along those lines. She replied with "for $4000, can't we spend a week there as a family or as adults?"

And in other news CoasterBuzz Premium, Pointbuzz Premium, and CoasterBuzz Club are about to go up in price... Gotta get that $2,000 somehow!

🤪😜🤣

Jeff said:

Crap, now I'm gonna have to find two grand.

By the way, we’ve all voted to stay at your house. You know, to cut costs. I’ll bring beer, though. Least I can do.

I’ll stay at my sisters. If I’m paying 2 grand to hang out with y’all imma need my own space for a bit.

Mac, We’re still owed drinks by sprig if anyone can find him, btw.