Anyone else think that Disney is fairly economical?

[selina4disney]

Disney is fairly economical...I tell people that all the time. Great trip and amenities for what we spend, even if the quality of the food has declined over the past few years.

What isn't is the airlines. They bleed us dry. I went to check in at NWA this morning for our flight tomorrow and now you don't even get ONE bag free! I had planned as we always do to take one bag each and one pretty empty one to bring back what we buy. Well...they made us pay $15 each for the first bag and wanted $25 for the third bag. When we went in April I am pretty sure we paid $15 for a third bag, but nothing for the first bag. So if Disney wants to know why spending in the parks is down by 4%, look at the airlines. They charge so much for baggage you just don't buy anything because you can't get it home. Before anyone says it I know SW doesn't charge for baggage but they don't fly to Orlando from here, so they aren't a choice.

I really wanted to do my Christmas shopping there, and now I have two choices: nobody gets their gift until it comes, more than likely after Christmas, because I probably missed the "get it by Christmas" date to ship from there, or I'll go shopping here when we get back and that isn't nearly as much fun as shopping at Disney especially with the new AP mdse discounts. If I do option 2, there goes the money Disney would have gotten, all because of excessive baggage fees.

OK, rant over. Gonna go back to my packing.

 

[bellaDisneydncr]

My family used to always switch between going to Ocean City, MD and Disney. In recent years, Ocean City has gotten so expensive that we have stopped going and have replaced those trips with Disney trips. Compared to a lot of destinations, WDW is not over the top.

 

[Disney4nonah]

I feel it looks intimidating on paper, but if you wait for the deals you can redo your math and get a better look at really how much your spending, as the package includes base park tickets.
I don't feel we could do our vacation to WDW without the 3/4 deal. Because we live in the Pacific NW we have the most expensive airfare to Florida.
I will admit we don't have to figure in kids and how little/much they eat...and yes, i agree eating at WDW is expensive....But we work around that, we get gardengrocer.com delivered (milk,cream,cereal,graonla bars,water, soda) or we go to a store and get the essientials...and save our money for our one big dinner of the day. We've never done the dining plan becuase it's just too much food.
it's funny we just went to the beach and easily spent $215 for the weekend room and food and as we ate breakfast, i looked up at my DH and said this weekend was a deposit on a WDW vacation.... I guess it's just the way you look at it.

 

[Dopey19]

We have found it to be economical as well. We tried to plan an Ocean City, Maryland vacation with friends a few years ago and ended up going to Disney instead. Ocean City only had weekly rentals or if we choose a hotel for a long weekend the cost was too expensive. Since we are DVC member Disney worked out to be cheaper. If you go at off peak times the airfare isn't too bad and in a few weeks we are driving for the first time. If the drives works out well that will mean more trips in the future!

 

[mjkacmom]

Well, it depends. It costs about $2000 just to fly our family to WDW. Therefore, we can't take many trips. 10 day non-expire will cost us $350 a day. Plus, we need 2 rooms. A beach vacation is WAY more affordable!

 

[MinnieVanMom]

I feel that to go to Disney you must have laid the foundation early on. We don't have debt. We pay for everything and have an emergency fund. Do you hear the Dave Ramsey? Then we plan a year in advance for our trips. Set a budget for everything, including weird factors like parking fees, fuel, snacks on the way to the airport. I am almost to crazy about the budget and making sure I have every aspect covered.

Then we work hard to reach the financial goal set for the trip. I do surveys to earn Disney gift cards, we use coupons, I sell things on ebay. That is all very little stupid stuff but it does add up. I rent pasture and put 100% into the Disney fund. DH works very hard and pays for most of the trip.

We use airline miles for free tickets, watch Ding on SW. We try hard to think smart and make our money go as far as possible.

We also have a DVC so getting lodging is not an issue.

Disney economical? NO, but with serious hard work it is doable and our only choice for vacation.

 

[SydneyFalco]

Economical? No, I wouldn't say that, except for locals to the area. But the arrival of the value resorts and dining plan, etc., did make WDW less of the elite experience it once was. And while I'm not rich by any means, I'm not exactly happy about the fact.

I'm happy for other folks, sure, if they find a less magical but yearly experience preferable to a special (and, yes, wallet-busting) once every two or three years vacation. That's what I got used to growing up in the seventies and eighties, and what I'd prefer now (y'know, given a corresponding upswing in presentation, atmosphere, decorum and service.)

 

[sabrecmc]

I definitely think it can be economical.

I agree. If you stay at one of the values or camp, have an annual pass (especially a discounted FL resident pass), don't have to fly, use a TiW card, don't buy a bunch of stuff, bring some of your own food...well, it isn't that bad. Of course, that's not really how we vacation, lol.

But, what is economical to one person is a stretch to others, so I'm sure that's relative. When I look at how much our little "amusement park" costs per day, Disney seems cheap by comparison when you consider what you get for the money. If I had to fly a family of 6 out and needed 2 rooms, etc. then I'd probably feel differently.

 

[scard192]

6 days at ASSP in September with free dining for $865. Spent $43 on tips at TS and $13 for a refillable mug, plus water and breakfast from Garden Grocer. $950 for six days hotel, food,park tickets and ME. I think it's pretty reasonably priced. Airfare from Boston was about $220. No complaints on the cost from me.

 

[Jiminy'sGirl]

I do agree!!

However, one important factor is how you are getting there. We are from South Carolina, but we just moved to TX. We used to be able to drive to WDW in 6 hours, but now it would be a 17 hour flight, so we have to fly. That adds at least a thou to the overall price.

That said, last summer we spent a week on Myrtle Beach, which we viewed as just a small local vaca.. Well, we spent much more than we eevr do at WDW. After renting a condo and paying for meals, there was the daily entertainment. Mini golf, go-karts, MagiQUest... it adds up. All your entertainments is included at WDW.

 

[laceemouse]

I always say it depends on what you call a "vacation."
We homeschool and many of the families are large and almost always living on one income, as do we. For a lot of these people their idea of a vacation is sleeping on the couch at Grannie's house; going camping is a BIG outing for them. The idea of spending a couple of thousand dollars for something as fleeting as a trip to WDW just isn't even considered, and if it is it is certainly a once-in-a-lifetime event.
However, when I see people going to DC or Chicago or NYC and then saying Disney is too expensive, that is just bull. Hotels and food are crazy in those places, and at Disney your admission tickets get you so much more than just one show or a couple of hours of fun.
Basically, people who say it is too expensive often feel that it just isn't worth it to them. We know a family who has all kinds of boats and motorcycles but says they can't afford Disney, ditto for those who attend major sporting events all the time (big $$$$) That is just the choice they are making.

 

[macd4]

I went out for a family dinner and movie this weekend.
Tickets, popcorn, drinks, and dinner set us back a fair amount.
(I kept thinking about what we could do at Disney next week for that amount!)
I'm also a fan of non-expiration tickets.
For each trip we stay onsite with dining package, we have enough tickets left over for the next two trips staying offsite.

 

[blanq]

Since discovering this board and DisneyMoms, I was always amazed at the number of people who go to Disney regularly. But the question I had was " how could they afford it?"

I know many people are hurting financially so I hope this reads as encouragement, however I do think that its fairly inexpensive to go to Disney compared to other amusement parks. (30/40 per day). Compare that price to a 10-day no-expiration ticket ($50.10 as priced on Undercover Tourist). Then, for another $52, I can buy 10 more admissions for the water parks, 9-hole golf course, Disney Quest or Wide World of Sports. WOW !! That would be perhaps 20 days of entertainment for $553 ($27.65 per day). It makes sense to throw on a Park Hopper as the $52 cost is ammortized over 10 days making the final cost $605 per ticket. ($30.25 per day).

Then consider what you get for that money it seems pretty cheap as long as you are willing to make that financial commitment.

Just got back and used 4 days on my tickets, next time I plan to use 3 days at WDW, go to the water parks for 2 days, then hit Universal Studios for a couple of day. Then after that trip and I would still have enough days on my tickets for another future WDW trip.

Thoughts?

Yes, if you plan on spending oodles of days at WDW it can be inexpensive over a prorated period, but how many people really can or do that? Many people cannot plan that far ahead to get in multiple trips to get the best use out of no-expiration tickets or even APs. And, it's not just tickets. It is airfare, food, lodging. By the time you add it all up, it can be a boatload.

We take about a trip a year to WDW, and it ends up costing between $3500-$5000 for trips that are generally 7 to 10 days. We do generally stay at deluxe properties (with a code) or rent from a DVC owner. We never rent a car. We have airfare. We eat most meals on property, although often bring food for breakfast. Yes, we could do it cheaper by staying offsite, etc. but I do not consider our trips to be economical or inexpensive. We can afford them though.

 

[d_lairson]

The DW and I have FL Resident AP and we have been to WDW at least 2 dozen times this year, so I find it very economical. The expense we least like to pay for each trip is the $16.50 in tolls for a round trip, but there is no way to get to WDW without paying tolls or going 3 hours our of our way, and we only live 1.5 hours away on the turnpike.

As for value for money, we love the magic and feel that a little "mickey premium" as we call it is worth it.

 

[DizzyStitch]

If you go figure out how much it is to go to a local festival and eat, drink and ride the rides you can really see that Disney is not bad as long as you can plan a longer trip. The biggest expense money or time is getting to Disney for many.

 

[RickyMouseMom]

We are from upstate NY, and we drive to WDW twice a year. People think we are rich, or crazy (or both). The savings of driving cannot be beat, versus airfare. If we flew, we would not be able to go twice a year (maybe not even once every year). You get used to the long drive and we have turned it into a journey every trip, with little surprises for the kids (and dh) through the trip (new movies, blankets, small toys).

It really is not that expensive, but that is all relative. We really live within a budget, and whatever money we have left over from spending money from a trip we 'roll' into the next trip. Everything is paid in cash, period. We have been going to WDW twice a year since 2007, usually only spending about $1600 per trip on hotel & tix for (4) for 8-10 days each trip, $300 gas, $700 food and souvies. About $5500 MAXIMUM per year for two trips, which I find not too expensive for what you get. Yes, we do other smaller camping trips during the summer and day excursions locally, but everything is done within a budget, and we really stretch our tax refund out over the course of the year to budget these things into our lifestyle.

Disney may seem extremely expensive if you just go online and price it out without really thinking about the options (will you really use the hopper, waterparks, is value ok if you arent spending time in the room alot). For us it is reasonable within our very tight budget!

 

[ticklemepink]

It's definitely not cheap. 1 or 2 day tickets are very expensive, and the cheap extended period tickets incur many additional costs. Parking, eating in the parks (who really wants to scrimp on their vacation), etc, etc, really add up when you are onsite for an extended period of time. Also, for many of those attending during busy times, you have to figure that a good chunk of their daily entertainment time is spent waiting in lines. The 5/2 and free dining deals are merely a result of an extraordinary economic downturn.

For most American families (still think the average family pulls in only 42 grand a year), Disney is an expensive place to visit. It's still an amazing place to visit (and I give Disney and other contributors to Make a Wish great credit), but a vacation being worth it and expensive are two different things.

 

[rubato]

No, I do not think Disney is economical. Do I care? No, of course not. But I can take vacations all over the world cheaper. We are going in January for the 7 night deal at a moderate. We have hoppers, nothing extra, dining plan for the first and, I'm sure, only time. With airfare, package, and extras, we're looking at $4000 for 3 people. So, no, I don't think that's economical. We spent that 2 years ago for a month in Europe. Of course, we had a free apartment for 2 of those weeks, but still, it's Europe. And, it was an entire month, not 7 nights. I'm willing to pay it because, well, it's Disneyworld. But, we can only go every 2 or 3 years because of the cost.

 

[DisneyFanSince71]

Hmmm, most DISers didn't like my using the word "economical". Perhaps you are right, however when I think of all the other "uneconomical" alternatives (Broadway, Red Sox, Yankees {boo}, NFL, College sports, 6 Flags, Ballet) I still say its not bad COMPARED to the other alternatives.

I totally understand that a large part of the cost is the flying, lodging, eating out. But that is true of anywhere that you travel and Orlando is cheaper than most places.

There is a website that keeps track of the SW' DING fares to Orlando, so you can see historically when special fares are offered to each city. I live in NH, and up til this year you could always snag a $59 one-way fare from Manchester to Orlando in January. When I was down in Orlando in 2006, I rented a 3-bedroom house with a heated pool for $70 a night. There is a cottage industry (pun was intended) to rent homes to tourists.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

Oh I totally agree. We've priced out trips to the Jersey Shore, Las Vegas, Hawaii, and the Caribbean-- Disney always wins. Sure it seems expensive at first, but when you add it all up, it really is a good value. You get your hotel, park tickets, Magical Express, park transportation, dining plan.. how can you argue with that? (well, people still do... but i digress.)
By the time you get there, it's all paid for. You need money for tips and souvenirs, that's really about it. Works for us!

I do, however, want to add that for a 3-4 day vacation-- it's not the best deal, but for a 8-9-10 day vacation, it becomes much more appealing!