freaking out about cost of WDW vacation! (edited: we're GOING!)

[esmetutu]

edited to say: WE BOOKED THE TRIP! WE'RE GOING TO WDW! 10/28-11/04!

I am absolutely freaking out about the cost of our upcoming WDW trip. It's just crazy amounts of money! It's not like we're going hungry by spending the money and I'm not looking for money saving tips or anything as we've pared down the best we can... But it seems like it's the principle of spending that much on anything (except a car or a house payment)! :confused3

I've wanted to cancel so many times now. Are we really going to have $3000+ worth of fun???? :rotfl2: ARGH! Driving my DFi crazy with the back/forth decisions, but it seems like 3 $1000 vacations would be more... appropriate. But we really want to go! But it's so much money...

Has anyone else had a panic attack from thinking about the cost? (because I sure am!) Any words of encouragement/shut-the-heck-up-and-decide-already would be greatly appreciated.

[kimberh]

There are ways to save even tho you think you have trimmed down. Where are you staying and did you get the dining plan? What type of tickets did you buy and how many days are you staying? We go 2-3 times per year and have learned several tips and always have a ball and eat GOOD. The answer to your question- There's no place like Disneyworld but be smart with the Dollars. :tink: :tink: :tink:

[MellaWDWnut]

This is a tricky subject. For us (me and DH) we have been on 1 vacation in 6 yrs we have been married, I've always talked about going to WDW and this year it is finally in the cards! :cool1:
Sure we could stay at a better hotel, however, there will be other trips for that and we need to stay as close to the budget we set for this vacation.
I say go for it! Maybe stay in a cheaper hotel like a Mod or POP. Are you going during the free DDP is offered? Maybe this will help. Another good way to save some money is read these boards, you find out loads of info and tips. Good luck!

:tink:

[Goobergal99]

WOW! I guess I never really thought to much about the cost, I just pick up extra OT whenever I feel like my savings is getting a lil low. My advice would be just to maybe trim it down a little, I am sure you could go for less then $3,000 if you wanted to. How bout going a lil earlier if you can to take advantage of the free dining promotion? :sunny:

[teacherkaren]

I got back from my first WDW vacation which was a little spendy but I LOVED IT!!! There is nothing like it. Staying at a WD resort just made it perfect. You might want to look into the Disney Vacation Club if you are wanting to stay at Disney property nicer resorts in the future. I know I was able to stay at the Boardwalk for a week during a peak season and I could have never afforded to do that before. I used the dining plan when I went and ate VERY well :thumbsup2 ! I figured I would have spent at least $38 each day on food anyway since I like at least one sit down meal each day.

If you know you will be stressed about the cost the whole time you are there then do yourself and family a favor and don't go when you'll just be miserable, but if you can go and just really enjoy the escape from reality you won't regret it. :cool1:

[Sweedee]

You could gift it to me! I will have fun for you! :woohoo:

[DaniDownUnder]

I can't talk about paring down I'm afraid. My first booking was for 5 nights/6 days at a value...upgraded to moderate because I was worried about all the kids and noise (it is our honeymoon trip). From there I upgraded again to a deluxe (Wilderness Lodge) because I found out that when we are there (July)is actually a value time at that particular resort. So our trip has gone from around $1200....to $2400 (with 6 day park hopper plus tickets AND dining). However, in Aussie dollars, it is costing us over $3000.

I wanted to respond to this thread because I too am waffling about it. For what I'm spending in Aussie dollars, I could take us on 2, 5 day cruises out of Brisbane (where we live). I was also just pricing 10 day Caribbean(sp) cruises as well.

Will I change my mind and cancel the WDW honeymoon? Probably not. We are both looking forward to it, even tho it will be peak season for the parks and will therefore be stinking hot and extremely crowded. Our thoughts are basically that even if we just hit the parks minimally and spend lots of time hanging out at the resort, we will still get our money's worth because we won't have to cook, clean or do anything that we don't want to do.

Will we have $3000 worth of fun. I reckon so...we'll have shows, rides and lots of time with each other...no schoolwork (we are both uni students), no marking or grading of papers (I'm also a uni lecturer) :teacher: , no stupid computer questions from silly students who don't READ the signs posted (DFi works at the uni computer help desk) :badpc: , no doing dishes, no sharing our 'personal time' with any of our friends or family...just us (and millions of others at WDW *lol*)

My goal when the honeymoon is done, is to save up for a full 10 day WDW vacation *sigh* now THAT is my idea of heaven.

Best of luck with your decision....

[Lillypug]

I had ALOT of anxiety about the cost of our trip also. We asked ourselves the same questions as you also- Were we going to have $2800+ worth of fun? Etc. LOL We love Disney and haven't been in 10 years and this will be our children's first trip. Once we paid the trip off the anxiety was completely alleviated. I guess also we haven't been on a REAL vacation in 10 years espcially after having one child with special needs and a 2 year old. We just aren't used to shelling out that much $$$$ for a family trip. We justified it by realizing we deserve a quality family vacation especially after all that we and the kids have been through.

[kimberh]

There is so much to do in the parks that I buy the base ticket, actually I but a annual pass to get the room discount then we buy 10 day base/no expitation. We get 3 or more trips off of one ticket purchase. If you want to do the water parks it's cheaper to just pay for them unless you are getting a special ticket with a discount for the water parks on them. Compare the prices carefully and that will save you a lot.

[Disney Crazy Debbie]

I am like you, worrying about the cost, etc., So I made reservations 15 months prior to the date of our arrival. My DS is 16 and we haven't taken too many "family" vacations except for the last few years and this will be our 3rd trip to Disney in 7 years. I had no hesitation because last year for vacation we flew to Texas to visit my niece and family and ended up doing our own thing and it just made my decision to go back Disney alot easer to take. This year we are doing a couple of things we have never done before, the Segway tour and the Disney Cruise (3 night). It is worth it but just continue to read the DIS board for ideas on how to save money so you don't over stress!

[TinkerKim]

We had our $3000 worth of fun and worth every penny. I took my mother and my 2 children. My husband isnt much on big trips or rides so it was senseless for him to go and spend the money....so I left hubby at home and took my mother. It was a trip my kids will never forget. A trip to disney with their cool nanny riding the rocking roller coaster, lol :banana: I am already saving for the next trip and plan on flying instead of driving.

Again...........worth every penny. HAVE A BLAST!!!!!!!

[laura001]

I am not sure how many of you are going on this trip or for how long, so I am looking at it just being the two of you.

If you went during free dining it would cost you 430.00 each for 5 nights = 860.00 and then if you wanted to add a couple of extra nights I think it adds about 200.00 so that is 1060.00 and then change your tickets to hoppers 40.00 each = 1110.00.....include plane tickets 150.00 each = 1410.00

a far cry from 3000.00

Besides all of that, I don't think that 3000.00 is unreasonable for a vacation. If you are booking a week away at an all inclusive it would run you close to the same amount with your spending money etc., and I would rather go to WDW anyday :goodvibes

Go on your trip, stop worrying about it and have fun!!!!! :thumbsup2

[mommiepoppins]

I am freeking out also for us. my dh insist that we need 2,000 to travel with. we are getting the dining plan. i have bought breakfast stuff and lots of drinks. this makes our tip 6,000. i AM stressing

[doombuggy]

include plane tickets 150.00 each

That is an extremly low price from CA to FL. We are planning a trip to DL in August, and while I got my dad to get me a free ticket using his FFMs with American, the flight from MCO to SNA would have cost over $300 and was not direct. The cheapest flight I could find was MCO to LAX for $280. Although, nothing is cheaper than free. :sunny: Thanks, Dad!

To the OP, if you are so much on the fence and keep want to cancel, maybe you should. While I obviously think the place is worth the money (I loved it so much I moved here), you need to decide for your self.

If you do come, I am sure you will have a wonderful trip! pixiedust:

[Julylady]

Whether something is worth the $$ is all in your perspective. If you go through life analyzing every experience by what it costs, I suspect you will be unhappy a great deal of the time. Once you decide to go, get the very best price on hotel, tickets, food, travel, etc. and then put your energy into having a great time! :cool1:

That being said....We just cancelled a trip to Hawaii for mid-September and scheduled a WDW trip because it was so much cheaper for us! :goodvibes
In my experience, WDW is no more expensive than any of our other family vacations (Williamsburg, VA/Washington DC; Sedona/Grand Canyon; Hilton Head/Charlestown SC). Exceptions are camping or visiting family. I think it seems more expensive because the ticket/food costs are paid up front rather than day by day during the vacation itself.

[Luv'sTink]

I am with you STRESSED about the cost! It isn't like we cant afford it it just seems like so much BUT if I really think about it, We spend pretty close to the same amount to go to Disneyland and we dont even fly (FFmiles to Orlando so that doesn't count)

I think you should go and HAVE A GREAT TIME!!!!!

[wdwfamilyinIL]

While its expensive, I don't even think about that when I see the look in my children's eyes....thats priceless.

[puddleduck]

It really doesn't seem like too much money to me. We went to Atlanta in March for 2 nights/ 3days. We stayed in a cheapie hotel, went to the Aquarium, children's museum, and natural history museum. We ate one meal at Benihana's and the rest was fast food. We spent around $700 for 2 adults and 3 kids 5yo and under. We had a ball, but the hotel was nothing like staying at CSR like we did in Dec. and the dining not as fun or good. So, no $3,00 does not seem like too much.

[princessblueeyzes]

I think it is worth every penny. It's just because I truely love Mickey Mouse and like to bring my imagination out when I am at WDW. A couple of years ago I really found the true meaning of Disney through my Fiance's neice- it was so nice to see the way a child sees things in these kind of perspectives, she got to draw with one of the Disney artists and I have never seen anyone have so much time and patience like the Disney staff. If you ever get a chance to see WDW through a child's eyes it is worth every cent you have put away to save.

I have always loved disney since I was a kid not that I'm all grown up or anything but it is nice to let your mind wander into the World of Disney for a few days.

[msgrimm23]

i try to get in the value hotels on site for the simple fact that we are never in the hotel. i remember when a new resort opened at disney you would get a great price for example the GF when it first opened we stayed and it was 300 a night for 5 of us now i cant afford it.

[WeLoveThePoly]

Our trips usually cost $5,000+ because we just have to stay at the Poly ;) and we eat alot of sitdown lunches and dinners (Coral Reef and LeCellier are favorites). And then there's airfare .... and park tickets .... and on and on and on.

But, I can't recall a time that I've been in WDW and stopped to say to myself "I can't believe I spent over $5,000 for this trip". When I am in the middle of the magic the price I paid to get/be there doesn't even enter my mind. Being there is priceless.

Relax and enjoy your trip. :thumbsup2

Debbie

[disneygirlatheart]

I was stressing until I read this. I thought I was spending way too much since I booked everything myself. My cost will be 4200. That is for flights, rental car for 15 days, rental house for 10, 10 day water park disney tickets, meal at O, meal at CP, meal at WCC, meal at Medieval Times, meal at PH, fishing excursion, gas, groceries, disney photopass. I think I included everything. The only thing I didn't budget was souviners. We will have to wait and see. Do you think I have this price fiqured right or do I need more? DO you see anyway I could save more money? I wish we could stay at Disney, but to get 3 beds was 10,000. UGGHHH I would really be stressing then.

[esmetutu]

Thanks, everyone, for your input. We cancelled the trip right after I posted the original message.

We live 1 1/2 hours from DL and go all the time (twice a month, at least). The magic of Disney is so close, so at that point it seemed... just not right to spend so much on something we already had, in essence. I can totally understand how a WDW vacation is a "no-brainer" for people who live in Iowa, for instance.

Then we planned a summer trip, for 4 days, up the coast. A 6 hour drive to Santa Cruz/Monterey. A few fun things thrown in, quaint little beach motels... Cost? Over $1000! Not kidding! Turns out every motel/hotel that time of year charges well over $200 a night. CRAZY!

So we went back to the original WDW plan. We've pared down the expenses a bit... changed from POR to POP for one. We just had to accept the cost of things that we couldn't change. Airfare would be $1000 for the 3 of us to fly from LAX to MCO, the park tickets would be $700, and then try to take down the cost where we could... which was the hotel and food, etc. And the DDP is of no use to us, unfortunately. We are light eaters, snackers, and must-have-breakfast people.

So bottom line? WE'RE GOING TO WDW!!! YAY!

[cyjmhill]

I am glad you have decided to go to WDW. :thumbsup2

I love DL (and have been numerous times myself and am going back for Christmas), but I fell in love with WDW on my first day (minute) at the Magic Kingdom. WDW is so much bigger and has so much more to enjoy. You will have a wonderful vacation!

Enjoy!!!

[Hockeymommy]

Thanks, everyone, for your input. We cancelled the trip right after I posted the original message.

We live 1 1/2 hours from DL and go all the time (twice a month, at least). The magic of Disney is so close, so at that point it seemed... just not right to spend so much on something we already had, in essence. I can totally understand how a WDW vacation is a "no-brainer" for people who live in Iowa, for instance.

Then we planned a summer trip, for 4 days, up the coast. A 6 hour drive to Santa Cruz/Monterey. A few fun things thrown in, quaint little beach motels... Cost? Over $1000! Not kidding! Turns out every motel/hotel that time of year charges well over $200 a night. CRAZY!

So we went back to the original WDW plan. We've pared down the expenses a bit... changed from POR to POP for one. We just had to accept the cost of things that we couldn't change. Airfare would be $1000 for the 3 of us to fly from LAX to MCO, the park tickets would be $700, and then try to take down the cost where we could... which was the hotel and food, etc. And the DDP is of no use to us, unfortunately. We are light eaters, snackers, and must-have-breakfast people.

So bottom line? WE'RE GOING TO WDW!!! YAY!

I know you said that the DDP would be of no use to you but if you went during free dining you would FOR SURE save $$$$. You could do the table service for breakfast everyday if you wanted and then just use the counter service at your leisure. It would eliminate any oop for your family. You just need to have your first day at WDW before the last day of free DDP.

[esmetutu]

I know you said that the DDP would be of no use to you but if you went during free dining you would FOR SURE save $$$$. You could do the table service for breakfast everyday if you wanted and then just use the counter service at your leisure. It would eliminate any oop for your family. You just need to have your first day at WDW before the last day of free DDP.


Thank you for the suggestion! I *wish* we could go during free dining. That would be awesome. Unfortunately, it's just not the right time for us. We'd love to use DDP, even paying for it out of pocket. It sounds so tempting! But after doing the math several THOUSAND times we've decided we wouldn't save very much and be too stressed out with ADRs, etc.

[DisneyDotty]

WDW is expensive, but worth every penny. Where else can you go and escape reality--not even have to get in your car (if you stay on property)? What other place makes everyone in the family happy? What other resort's workers tell you to "Have a magical day?"
We spent well over $7000 last year on a 10-day trip to WDW--staying at CR with a tower room view of the Magic Kingdom. When DH said he wanted to go back this year, I vowed to keep costs down. So far we're spending 12 nights at POR and the Dolphin, and our total cost is less than half of last year's trip. That's still a lot of $$$ for some, I know, but I believe cost is relative--the joy is priceless. :sunny:
Go with no regrets.

[zookeeper]

Before our first trip to WDW I always thought it was a far more expensive vacation destination than other places. Now we went last year during Free Dining so we did save a lot that way, but if you stay at a value resort and buy multiple day tickets the cost really isn't that much more than going to some of the other amusement parks out there. Of course, it would be a dream come true to be able to go and stay at any WDW resort I wanted, but I still managed to have the trip of a lifetime staying at POP in the heat and humidity of September. It's all in the attitude!!!! :cool1:

[bord1niowa]

We're doing 10 days in June and expecting (budgeted) about $3500 but we'll be camping in a camper, so yes the gas is a killer but still less than flying and we can have the 5 of us in the camper for the price, much less than in rooms, since we would need two. Just a thought for those of you who enjoy camping. It's a lot less costly and I have heard nothing but good about Fort Wilderness. Leaving in 16 days!!!! :cool1:

[sschro3]

I always stress about the cost of our vacation. Our budget breaker is feeding a family of 5 no matter where we go. Heck even eating fast food and Denny's the whole time adds up. We REALLY enjoyed the free dining last Sept. I tried to convince my DH to stay off property this year. That way we could maybe cook a few meals and save on the cost of the hotel. He didn't agree. To be honest I didn't try to hard to convince him, I really don't want to cook on vacation. I figure if we can't manage it this year I'll just get an early start on saving for next year.
WDW here we come...well not just yet...but hopefully soon. :moped:
Have a great time...I'm sure your trip will be worth every penny.
Sharon

[JPN4265]

I am absolutely freaking out about the cost of our upcoming WDW trip. It's just crazy amounts of money! It's not like we're going hungry by spending the money and I'm not looking for money saving tips or anything as we've pared down the best we can... But it seems like it's the principle of spending that much on anything (except a car or a house payment)! :confused3

I've wanted to cancel so many times now. Are we really going to have $3000+ worth of fun???? :rotfl2: ARGH! Driving my DFi crazy with the back/forth decisions, but it seems like 3 $1000 vacations would be more... appropriate. But we really want to go! But it's so much money...

Has anyone else had a panic attack from thinking about the cost? (because I sure am!) Any words of encouragement/shut-the-heck-up-and-decide-already would be greatly appreciated.

If you are having this much trouble justifying your trip to Disney I would cancel the trip and plan a less expensive trip at this time. Going to Disney can be very expensive. When you get to the park your budget seems to go out the window.

I would start a special fund for Disney and when you have all the money for the trip saved up, then go..... just a thought. :thumbsup2

[eliza61]

I am absolutely freaking out about the cost of our upcoming WDW trip. It's just crazy amounts of money! It's not like we're going hungry by spending the money and I'm not looking for money saving tips or anything as we've pared down the best we can... But it seems like it's the principle of spending that much on anything (except a car or a house payment)! :confused3

I've wanted to cancel so many times now. Are we really going to have $3000+ worth of fun???? :rotfl2: ARGH! Driving my DFi crazy with the back/forth decisions, but it seems like 3 $1000 vacations would be more... appropriate. But we really want to go! But it's so much money...

Has anyone else had a panic attack from thinking about the cost? (because I sure am!) Any words of encouragement/shut-the-heck-up-and-decide-already would be greatly appreciated.

Perfectly normal. My DH & I walked around in a comatose fog the 1st time we planned how vacation to WDW. We've been back so many times that if we get a bargain we swear some thing is wrong. :goodvibes I will say I still think Disney is on of the best vacation values around. We always come home believing that our hard earned dough was well spent and usually ready to turn around again.

[sameyeyam]

Here's how I TRICK myself into thinking our WDW vacations are not nearly as expensive as I think:

1. 4 months out - buy airlines ticket and pay for them in full.

2. Next month book hotel, room only reservations, pay for that in full

3. Next month call up & add dining plan & park tickets, pay for them in full.

4. Next month put spending money away into safe for souvenirs, etc...

Yes I do know the total price, but it's not nearly so bad when you spread it out over 4 months! Also, eliminates having a huge credit card bill 2 weeks after you get get home.

Also, it makes us cut back a little on some of our other local entertainment. When we know we have to pay for WDW hotel room that month we are less likely to go out for dinner or movies, etc...

[byoung]

Disney is worth every penny we spend to me.