I think I have been officially priced out!!!

Divah · Feb 26, 2015

elaine amj said:
Interesting - I have been finding cruising much more expensive than going to the parks. I like cruising - but can't reconcile the value and the parks still seem more worth it. Then again, I haven't done more than preliminary price checking for cruises or WDW park stays in a couple of years. We used our non-expiring passes at the parks last year and our last Disney cruise was 2013.

We are headed to Disneyland this year so I will compare prices based on what I am most up to date with. Mind you I am doing most of this particular trip with reward points (half of my tickets and my hotel stay are all with points). But if I had to pay normally, four 5 day hoppers would have been about $1200, off-site motel across the street seems to avg about $150/night, say food about $200/day (I'm hoping to keep it about $100/day). Around $2950 for 5 days. I'm pretty sure a 5 day Disney cruise prices out at more than $3k for a family of 4 sharing a cabin.

We started a few years ago with the cruise ...for us a family of five it was so much cheaper. The first time we went we used a travel agent and she did amazing and showed us tricks to ask for for free...room upgrades...packages....the closer you get to the dates the more freedoms and discounts they work with you....example:

We are Sailing April 20 this year...We had it planned for 6months in advanced. We just upgraded rooms to adjoining deluxe ocean view rooms on deck 2 for free... drink package for half price and when balance paid off on card had other perks...all in all for 5 of us with upgrades total was 3200 and we added a shore excursion. We spent a week last year at Dworld ( for daughters graduation ) all 5 of us and all said and done it was close to 4500...

Yes we could have gone cheaper and stayed at a lower cost resort or worked our meals and suvioners etc....cheaper but for me personally ...I don't have to fight the lines on the boat everything's included ...We see the same characters for most part...the dinning and shows are amazing it is just more relaxing for me.
I found better deals for the cruise than I have in the parks for what we want to do. I guess it boils down to when you go what deals you find and what makes you happy...

Gumbo4x4 · Feb 26, 2015

kaytieeldr said:
Well, no. Six Flags is an amusement park. Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Universal, Knott's, etc. = these are theme parks.

Six Flags is only open four full months, half of May, weekends-only in April, most of September, all of October.

The point isn't that they're "equal", but that they're at least an apples & apples comparison where a concert vs a theme park ticket is not.

And while my seaon pass at Six Flags is only good for 4 months, it's roughly 1/7th the price of a 10-day Disney ticket. A 1-day Disney is roughly triple a 1-day Six Flags ticket, which is probably reasonable. But going longer puts it even more out of proportion.

And more to the point, the pass is less than 2x the price of a 1-day ticket.

ruadisneyfan2 · Feb 26, 2015

Divah said:
We started a few years ago with the cruise ...for us a family of five it was so much cheaper. The first time we went we used a travel agent and she did amazing and showed us tricks to ask for for free...room upgrades...packages....the closer you get to the dates the more freedoms and discounts they work with you....example:

We are Sailing April 20 this year...We had it planned for 6months in advanced. We just upgraded rooms to adjoining deluxe ocean view rooms on deck 2 for free... drink package for half price and when balance paid off on card had other perks...all in all for 5 of us with upgrades total was 3200 and we added a shore excursion. We spent a week last year at Dworld ( for daughters graduation ) all 5 of us and all said and done it was close to 4500...

Yes we could have gone cheaper and stayed at a lower cost resort or worked our meals and suvioners etc....cheaper but for me personally ...I don't have to fight the lines on the boat everything's included ...We see the same characters for most part...the dinning and shows are amazing it is just more relaxing for me.
I found better deals for the cruise than I have in the parks for what we want to do. I guess it boils down to when you go what deals you find and what makes you happy...

I agree. Not only is it a great value but once you get spoiled by cruising, the parks feel like work. Long lines, navigating crowds, people who practically run you over...
I'd choose the cruise any day.

lauradis · Feb 27, 2015

My question is "Has there been a year when Disney doesn't increase their prices?"

We dont go every year more like every 2/3 years for 7/10 days in slower times.

I book as soon as they open the dates up, to lock into the current price. The price difference this vacation if I booked later was whole $69 increase.

I have spreadsheet on cost from the last 2 vacations and they span 3 years and the prices are almost the same, in all cost.

Happyinwonerland · Feb 27, 2015

Gumbo4x4 said:
The point isn't that they're "equal", but that they're at least an apples & apples comparison where a concert vs a theme park ticket is not.

And while my seaon pass at Six Flags is only good for 4 months, it's roughly 1/7th the price of a 10-day Disney ticket. A 1-day Disney is roughly triple a 1-day Six Flags ticket, which is probably reasonable. But going longer puts it even more out of proportion.

And more to the point, the pass is less than 2x the price of a 1-day ticket.

A season pass for six flags is cheaper because it is a harder sell. You can spend a week at WDW and never do the same thing twice. Six Flags, you can do everything in a day.

Mad4Dizne · Feb 27, 2015

OP, we might be "priced out" too. While I think that WDW does offer a lot of entertainment for your admission price (except for AK-we haven't even gone there in the last 4 trips and "Avatarland" is not going to change that), the crowds have been steadily increasing to the point that I just don't want to spend over $1600. for park tickets and not be able to ride the rides like we used to in previous trips (show up at rope drop and ride all the rides early without exorbitant waits). (We did not really get any value from FP+, some days those were the only 3 rides we did, as we didn't want to wait 60 minutes+) We are venturing out to other Florida attractions, if we do a WDW trip again in the future, it will be a vastly different trip with little or no park time unless they offer some new, more affordable ticket combinations (say,like an Epcot after 4pm ticket).

Divah · Feb 27, 2015

Price and worth is different to everyone.

I love Disney but to me (after being in the parks often) I rather spend the money differently right now

Some people would see it's worth some won't.It is perceived buy each person on their own feelings and justifications. No two people will justify it the same. I would rather spend the money on a cruise than fight a line and crowds. Others may find more joy in a season pass or day out in other parks.

As much as I love Disney if I had not found more joy in the DCL for my family , I would be a season pass holder to Hershey park or Bush Gardens this year.

elaine amj · Feb 27, 2015

Divah said:
We started a few years ago with the cruise ...for us a family of five it was so much cheaper. The first time we went we used a travel agent and she did amazing and showed us tricks to ask for for free...room upgrades...packages....the closer you get to the dates the more freedoms and discounts they work with you....example:

We are Sailing April 20 this year...We had it planned for 6months in advanced. We just upgraded rooms to adjoining deluxe ocean view rooms on deck 2 for free... drink package for half price and when balance paid off on card had other perks...all in all for 5 of us with upgrades total was 3200 and we added a shore excursion. We spent a week last year at Dworld ( for daughters graduation ) all 5 of us and all said and done it was close to 4500...

Yes we could have gone cheaper and stayed at a lower cost resort or worked our meals and suvioners etc....cheaper but for me personally ...I don't have to fight the lines on the boat everything's included ...We see the same characters for most part...the dinning and shows are amazing it is just more relaxing for me.
I found better deals for the cruise than I have in the parks for what we want to do. I guess it boils down to when you go what deals you find and what makes you happy...

I really need to start finding these better cruise deals

We liked cruising, but not enough to pay much of a premium for it over the parks (which we do enjoy a little bit more). $3200 for a week's Disney cruise for 5 ppl is pretty awesome indeed. (Then again, our last WDW trip cost us just $3200 for 4 ppl - for 12 days)

beansmom · Feb 27, 2015

i think i have to agree with OP. If I'm going to spend $5k on a week at WDW, I can spend that same $5k for a week in Hawaii or just a bit for more a week in Europe.

We WILL be purchasing APs next spring because we will be attending a conference in DW in the spring and perhaps one in October. We will slip another short trip or two in since we have the passes but after that, I have no idea when we will go again.

maxiesmom · Feb 27, 2015

Gumbo4x4 said:
The point isn't that they're "equal", but that they're at least an apples & apples comparison where a concert vs a theme park ticket is not.

And while my seaon pass at Six Flags is only good for 4 months, it's roughly 1/7th the price of a 10-day Disney ticket. A 1-day Disney is roughly triple a 1-day Six Flags ticket, which is probably reasonable. But going longer puts it even more out of proportion.

And more to the point, the pass is less than 2x the price of a 1-day ticket.

I don't think they are apples to apples at all. Plus the food at 6 flags is horribly expensive, and really terrible. :crazy2:

And you can't bring your own food in either.

jlp879 · Feb 27, 2015

I still see the value in multi-day park tickets, and while they are increasingly expensive I always expect that at some point the parks will be less crowded because of the increase in ticket prices, but that never seems to materialize! At least if that happened, then I'd see even value with less crowds.

Mrs.Milo · Feb 27, 2015

While you can compare a Six Flags or concert or sports ticket purchase to a day's admission to a Disney park, those are usually in your home town. If you add in the cost of transportation and then a Disney hotel, the whole package gets expensive very quickly. Even with a 7-10 day ticket for everyone or annual passes so you can get 2 trips at least per pass per year, it can easily price an average family out of the market. Instead of a yearly trip, it can become a once maybe 2 or 3 years.

TwoMisfits · Feb 28, 2015

I just can't get past the decreased Disney value for its price. When I can get a Universal Power Pass (regular price $214.99) and a Seaworld/Aquatica ticket ($49 total from last Black Friday 2014) for $263.99 total and that gives me 4 parks (with the Universal ticket good for a YEAR - aka a free 2nd trip the next year) for less than the price of a Base 4 day Disney Park ticket ($305)...I mean, the Math just doesn't add up for more and more people. As I mentioned earlier in the thread, I can visit the new Orlando Eye,Sealife Aquarium, and Madame Tussaud's 3 attraction ticket for another $35 (regular price) and STILL be under the 4 day Disney base ticket.

So, I gave in. While it was supposed to be our return to Disney (away since 2012 with a cruise and a Florida vacation in between), I can't do it. I can't pay to see so little new and so little in 3 of the lesser parks - $300+ for one great park is just not enough. So, today, I'm now the happy owner of my 1st annual pass - to Universal Studios...and it should be a lot of fun to see Harry Potter part 2

...maybe in 2017 I'll be back to Disney if they get Avatarland open...

maxiesmom · Feb 28, 2015

Mrs.Milo said:
While you can compare a Six Flags or concert or sports ticket purchase to a day's admission to a Disney park, those are usually in your home town. If you add in the cost of transportation and then a Disney hotel, the whole package gets expensive very quickly. Even with a 7-10 day ticket for everyone or annual passes so you can get 2 trips at least per pass per year, it can easily price an average family out of the market. Instead of a yearly trip, it can become a once maybe 2 or 3 years.

Any family who has to travel a distance to any vacation has a more expensive trip than those who travel close to home. That is not a Disney pricing thing, but a vacation thing.

NJtoATL · Feb 28, 2015

I do have an annual pass. My husband does not…. Sometimes I treat friends or family members to a ticket. I don't know if I will be doing that any more.

luvmy2sams · Mar 1, 2015

I agree with you, OP. Our family has renewed our annual passes every year since 2010. When they expire in July this year, I think we'll just let them go. Although we have resort reservations for two weeks for Christmas/New Years, we're 95% sure that we'll cancel and opt for spending the money on a different location. Disney is a tradition for us, especially at the holidays, but we seem to be paying more for less. Our touring style doesn't mesh well with FastPass+, and there are too many other places we want to visit. It's a bittersweet feeling, as if we're closing a door on a part of our kids' childhoods, but we're at the point where we'd rather spend the money on back-to-back cruises or a beautiful beach locale than on an overcrowded, over-scheduled, construction-filled time at the World. I'm sure we'll be back at some point, but the days of 3+ trips a year are gone for now.

I think I have been officially priced out!!!

Divah

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Gumbo4x4

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ruadisneyfan2

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lauradis

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Happyinwonerland

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Mad4Dizne

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Divah

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elaine amj

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beansmom

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maxiesmom

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jlp879

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Mrs.Milo

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