Woman visits Disney World every month, donates plasma to cover costs: ‘I can help somebody’
Liz Gramlich is a huge fan of Disney.
In fact, the 28-year-old from Philadelphia loves Disney so much that she set a goal to visit Walt Disney World in Orlando with her sister once a month for her 2022 New Year’s resolution.
The pair have visited the resort in January, February and March with their latest “magical” adventure booked for April.
Gramlich, who works in sales, told Fox News Digital that her regular visits to Disney will begin in 2020. When COVID-19 hit the US, she and her sister noticed that flight prices dropped significantly.
With pandemic restrictions lifted and travel costs rising, Gramlich has gotten creative to cover some of the costs.
Liz Gramlich, 28, of Philadelphia, will be attending Disney World once a month in 2022 with her older sister. (Victoria Daniello)
‘Something we have a connection with’
Gramlich said she and her sister have visited Disney about 10 times in the past two years.
“I was like, ‘Why don’t we do this every month?'”
In 2020, Gramlich realized that flights to Orlando from Philadelphia were only two hours long, so she flew out for a one-day visit to the theme park.
So far, Gramlich and her sister – who lives in Baltimore – have visited the resort in January, February and March. Their trip in April is already booked. (Victoria Daniello)
For Gramlich, it was her first time at the resort since she was 3 years old.
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“This was brand new to us,” Gramlich told Fox News Digital.
Gramlich said the visits became “a little extra to bring some magic and fun into our lives with everything that’s happening in the world right now.”
Gramlich and her sister began visiting Disney World regularly in 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic. (Victoria Daniello)
“It became something we bonded over,” she added.
In January of this year, Gramlich said she had an idea: “I was like ‘Why don’t we do this every month?'”
Cut costs – and earn extra income
When Gramlich and her sister started visiting Disney World in the summer of 2020, the lowest round-trip fare was $25 from Philadelphia to Orlando.
“That was cheaper than gas for a round trip somewhere,” Gramlich said.
The flight cost eventually rose to about $50 for a round trip, but that was still cheaper than the Uber or Lyft from the airport to one of the Disney World parks, Gramlich said.
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However, as fuel prices have risen, so have flight costs, Gramlich said. For her and her sister’s April visit, their round-trip flights cost $150 each.
When Gramlich and her sister first said they were going to Disney World, flights weren’t expensive. Plus, a flight from Philadelphia to Orlando takes only about two and a half hours. (Victoria Daniello)
“That’s shocking compared to what we’ve paid in the past,” Gramlich said. “So we had to adapt to make sure we could cover those costs.”
Gramlich said she plans her monthly visit to Disney based on when the cheapest flights are. In addition, Gramlich donates her plasma — the liquid portion of blood without blood cells — up to twice a week, which helps her cover the cost of flights and hotels.
“I was like, ‘Oh, I can help someone by donating plasma instead of doing anything else.'”
Depending on when she goes, Gramlich said she earns between $500 and $1,000 a month, which varies based on several factors, including whether there is a shortage in her area.
Gramlich said her clinic doesn’t pay for her plasma, but she gets paid for her time. Donating takes Gramlich about 30 minutes, eight times a month.
At one time, the money Gramlich received for donating plasma “covered the entire cost of going to Disney World,” including flights and other expenses.
Initially, Gramlich and her sister were only going to Disney World for the day. Now when they come to visit, they stay for a weekend. (Victoria Daniello)
With flight costs rising, her plasma donations still cover much of the trip, but she sometimes needs to save a little extra for a longer visit or an upgrade to a luxury resort, she said.
“That was cheaper than gasoline for a round trip somewhere.”
According to the American Red Cross, adults or children with cancer and people with liver or clotting factor disorders can benefit from plasma donations. It can also help someone suffering from burns, shock, trauma and other medical emergencies, Standford Children’s Health explains on its website. “The proteins and antibodies in plasma are also used in therapies for rare chronic conditions, including autoimmune diseases and hemophilia,” the website says.
Gramlich is pleased that plasma donations could potentially serve a life-saving purpose.
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“When it came down to it, I thought, ‘Oh, I can help someone by donating plasma instead of doing anything else,'” she said.
To cover costs, Gramlich donates plasma up to twice a week, which covers flights and hotels. (Victoria Daniello)
She added that her donation center is clear that plasma donation should not be anyone’s main source of income because there is never a guarantee that you can donate.
For Gramlich, she said she sometimes gets delayed donating because her heart rate is too high, “because I get a little nervous,” she said.
Gramlich also has other cost-cutting methods.
The sisters also had an annual pass for a time, which gave them discounts, Gramlich said. However, she added that her annual pass has expired and, according to a FOX Business report starting in November, non-Florida residents will no longer be able to get annual passes.
She and her sister’s day trips to Disney helped them save on hotels. Now they stay longer, mainly on weekends, but share their hotel room, which is often located in a cheap resort. They also shared ride-sharing costs, Gramlich said.
‘You always keep coming back’
Gramlich’s recent visits to Disney World have been during the pandemic. She noted how the park has been constantly opening or reopening new rides ever since.
“This has just been a way…to add a little bit of magic to your life.”
“Every time we go, we experience new things,” Gramlich said. “There are always new experiences that you have, and it becomes your favorite park or your favorite activity.”
Some of Gramlich’s recent Disney World favorites include the new Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance attraction at Hollywood Studios and the Ohana restaurant at Magic Kingdom for breakfast.
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Gramlich said her monthly visits to Disney World have provided much-needed relief after a rough few years.
“In one Disney trip, I never feel like we’re experiencing everything we want to experience,” Gramlich told Fox News Digital. “So it always keeps you coming back.” (Victoria Daniello)
“It’s definitely become a great place to be,” Gramlich said. “We’ve been in the pandemic all this time… And this has just been a way, not to escape, but to bring a little bit of magic into your life.”
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Gramlich said that while she’ll be visiting Disney often this year, she doesn’t think she’ll get enough.
“Maybe we don’t go that often [as every month] after this year,” she said. “But I just always feel like Disney is opening something new and giving you a new experience.”
“In one Disney trip, I never feel like we’re experiencing everything we want to experience,” she added. “So it always keeps you coming back.”
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