Disney Myth buster: A Disney Vacation is Too Expensive

[5kidsmommy]

These types of articles are subjective. People always ask us how we can afford to travel. We are a family of 7, we have a trailer, we camp for almost all of our trips, even in big cities. Our kids are used to stoping at rest stops and us making lunch in the trailer. But alas our trailer wasn't cheap but we get use out of it year round. Anyhow it's all subjective. Some people are happy in a value at Disney, I prefer my own bed and a kitchen to cook in.

 

[Karin1984]

Wow - $17,000 for a WDW trip? How many people are going?

It sounds more than it is.
If you divide it in 3 people, 21 days, it's 'only' $269 per day. For a budget that includes airfare, hotel, dining, park tickets and money to spend on souvenirs and other stuff. I don't think it's that much. Sounds like a healthy budget.

If a family of 5 would go for 8 days, same $/day, it would also be over $10,000.

 

[JimmyV]

Disclaimers:

1. We are not looking at airfare. Today’s discussion will assume that either you live in driving distance to all of the locations or the resulting travel expenses (airfare, car rental, etc.) would be comparable across all three trips.

There is absolutely no basis for this "disclaimer". When you say "all of the locations", you have to count WDW as one of them. You are starting in Georgia, so all of your options involve driving. But for many, many people, the beach option is a "drive" but WDW is a "flight". So too with the woods. If one lives in the Northeast, they can drive to the Cape, or to Maine, or to Rhode Island for their beach vacation. And they could drive to Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New York or Pennsylvania for their "woods" vacation. But the trip to WDW is going to involve a flight. Your "disclaimer" assumes that everyone can drive an equal distance to WDW, the beach and the woods. But in reality, you have only identified a very small sliver of the population. Essentially, it is just the residents of Florida and the neighboring states. Anyone in Oregon, California, Connecticut, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, (and on and on and on) cannot make use of this "disclaimer". They can all drive to the beach and woods, but they must all fly to WDW.

In certain parts of the country (much of the Northeast, for example, where we live), renting a very basic house for a week in a beach town but still several miles from the beach can cost at *minimum* $2500-$3000. That's about the cost of a week's stay at a moderate or a value, plus park tickets, depending on the season.

But your flight to WDW for 4 people is likely to cost you $1,200 (at $300 per person). While I agree that a house at the beach will cost way more than the blogger suggests ($150-$200 a night? Seriously?...this little "drive up motel" on the Cape costs over $250 per night in July):

...even if you spend $2500-$3000 as you suggest, you come out ahead once you factor in airfare to WDW. Assume that instead of spending $2800 for lodging at the beach, you spend $1200 to fly to Orlando. Let's compare from there:

Transportation:
Beach = $70 (assumes 500 miles of total driving getting 25 mpg, with gas costing $2.40 per gallon; plus $20 in tolls.)
WDW = $1322 (assumes $1200 in airfare plus airport parking for the week plus a checked bag each way, plus tips for skycaps and/or bus driver)

Lodging:
Beach = $2800
WDW = $1125 (assumes $225 per night (after all taxes and fees) x 5 nights

Entertainment
Beach = ??? This could cost you virtually nothing if you go to beach every day. Throw in some mini golf or some sightseeing and maybe the family spends $200 for the week. The blog suggests that entertainment will cost $1200 for the week. Other than that being a completely made up number, it completely ignores the entire gestalt of a beach vacation.
WDW = $1685.36 (assumes 6 day park hopper passes for 3 Disney Adults and 1 Disney Minor). Add in a water park, and this goes up. The blog pegs this number at $1200. Not sure where that number comes from. My numbers are direct from WDW's own website doing a "mock booking" of 6 day park hopper passes for a family of four.

Food: This is the real wild card. At the beach house, you are likely to eat every breakfast at home, and shop for groceries for picnic lunches many days. And while going out to eat is certainly an option, it is likely that you will mix in some restaurant meals with at home meals. Also, alcohol can make a huge difference. If the parents are beer or wine drinkers and bring that with them on their trip, then the cost will be much lower than if they buy the equivalent volume at a restaurant. I know from experience that I can pull 7 bottles of wine from my cellar to bring with me that I bought for $70-$100 each and that buying equivalent wines (if they are even available) would cost $200-$300 off of a restaurant wine list. That is almost a $1000 savings right there. But I won't even attempt to calculate that. Here are the results using the following assumptions:

Beach: $850 (This assumes $250 for groceries for breakfasts, lunches and a couple of dinners, and 3 restaurant meals at $200 each)
WDW: $1100 (This assumes that each member of the family gets the Dining Plan for 5 days, and the family spends $100 on additional food for the 6th day, or for other items not covered by the plan.) Again, the blog pegs this number at $800. I am using Disney's own prices. Sure, one can forego the meal plan. But if you try to argue that the meal plan is $300 more than paying OOP you'll start a war on the Dis Boards!

Totals:
Beach = $3920
WDW = $5232.36

You really can't shave too much off of the airfare, the cost of the park tickets, or the meal plan. Those are pretty static costs. Those alone cost $4,107.36. So even if you can drive your lodging costs down to $130 per day after taxes and fees, you are still looking at $4757.36. Yes, if you lop off the airfare, WDW comes out cheaper. But one cannot simply wish away airfare for people who live a short drive from the beach, but 1200 miles from WDW.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Something else to keep in mind with beach vacations is that, in many cases (not all, but many) multiple families are staying in 1 house, so they are splitting the cost of the 1 beach house amongst multiple vacation budgets. Unless you're renting DVC rooms, that's not as likely to be the case in WDW.

 

[JimmyV]

Something else to keep in mind with beach vacations is that, in many cases (not all, but many) multiple families are staying in 1 house, so they are splitting the cost of the 1 beach house amongst multiple vacation budgets. Unless you're renting DVC rooms, that's not as likely to be the case in WDW.

Excellent point. That does seem to be a very common trend amongst the people I know who take beach vacations anywhere between DE and ME.
Bottom line...I could write an article that "busts the myth" that going to WDW is more expensive than visiting Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. And the AP Holder who lives in Kissimmee would nod in agreement and the person who lives in Hoboken would be left scratching his head.

 

[disneysteve]

Something else to keep in mind with beach vacations is that, in many cases (not all, but many) multiple families are staying in 1 house, so they are splitting the cost of the 1 beach house amongst multiple vacation budgets. Unless you're renting DVC rooms, that's not as likely to be the case in WDW.

True, but the same can be said of WDW. We've rented a 4 bedroom house in Kissimmee and had family members from 4 different households in it.

Bottom line is that Disney isn't nearly as expensive as many people think. I've often had people tell me that their perception was that a trip to Disney would cost about $5,000. They were happily surprised when I told them that we spend less than half of that.

The other point is that it is exceedingly difficult to accurately compare different vacation destinations because it is totally an apples to oranges comparison.

 

[JimmyV]

True, but the same can be said of WDW. We've rented a 4 bedroom house in Kissimmee and had family members from 4 different households in it.

True. But the blogger specifically ties her comparison to an on-site stay. In truth, if one is going to try to drive the cost of a Disney vacation down to the cost of a beach or cabin vacation, one really does need to explore the off site option, skip the dining plan, eat breakfasts in the condo, and plan on a few dinners in the condo as well. Or at least try some off site family dining options. When done that way, there is no question that a trip to WDW can be lower than a trip to the beach, even with the high cost of park tickets. Which makes your closing statement...

The other point is that it is exceedingly difficult to accurately compare different vacation destinations because it is totally an apples to oranges comparison.

...absolutely on the mark. Indeed, I'd replace "exceedingly difficult" with "impossible". Too many variables.

 

[disneysteve]

...absolutely on the mark. Indeed, I'd replace "exceedingly difficult" with "impossible". Too many variables.

Yep. Heck, I could say that a vacation to Atlantic City, NJ would be really cheap. Why? Because I belong to the rewards club from Caesar's casino so I can get a free room. I also have reward credits that would pay for some of our meals. I'd get free parking from the club. I could probably even get some free show tickets if I wanted them. The beach is free. As long as the casino doesn't suck too much money from my wallet, I could conceivably spend 4 or 5 days there for next to nothing. But I'd rather be in Disney World!

 

[Angel Ariel]

True, but the same can be said of WDW. We've rented a 4 bedroom house in Kissimmee and had family members from 4 different households in it.

I'm sure many people do, I just don't know that it is "as likely". I'm mainly goigo ff of personal experience here. My family does go to the beach in the summer, and there's at least 3 families in the house - my parents, my brother & his family, and my family. Sometimes we have other friends/family join us also - this year we have 2 other families joining us.

When the main 3 families have gone to WDW in the past, we have not rented an offsite house b/c of travel time. So we get adjoining hotel rooms instead. I don't think this is unusual.

Bottom line is that Disney isn't nearly as expensive as many people think. I've often had people tell me that their perception was that a trip to Disney would cost about $5,000. They were happily surprised when I told them that we spend less than half of that.

I agree that it doesn't have to be, but there are a ton of factors involved in that. And airfare, IMO, is one of the biggest ones. We can, like you, go to WDW for $2500-3000. We're planning a DLR trip this year, and are budgeting for $5000, with the major difference being the airfare. We could, of course, choose to drive cross country if we wanted to, but DH doesn't have enough time off to do the drive both directions, and still have a decent amt of time in SoCal.

The other point is that it is exceedingly difficult to accurately compare different vacation destinations because it is totally an apples to oranges comparison.

I would also agree with this. I think an article talking about how you can keep your WDW vacation below X amount would be a more informative article than the comparisons that this article tried to make.

 

[disneysteve]

I think an article talking about how you can keep your WDW vacation below X amount would be a more informative article than the comparisons that this article tried to make.

That would be more useful.

Most people who are doing a beach vacation probably aren't doing it instead of a Disney vacation. They're doing it because they like the beach. So the cost comparison probably doesn't enter into the decision.

 

[WillAustin]

We could, of course, choose to drive cross country if we wanted to, but DH doesn't have enough time off to do the drive both directions, and still have a decent amt of time in SoCal.

I'd rather spend the money on airfare and have more days at the destination but Disney is relatively expensive, even when you are attempting to keep the costs down.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I'd rather spend the money on airfare and have more days at the destination but Disney is relatively expensive, even when you are attempting to keep the costs down.

I definitely prefer the air far route. Driving cross country is at least a 2 day drive, and that's (for us anyway) pushing it a lot. Spending 4+ days in a car, to only have 3 days there? no thanks!

 

[Weev]

Others have already offered great, detailed comparisons but I'd like to throw my two cents in here in regards to a "beach" getaway.

How about the Florida Keys? Check out "Conch On Inn" in Islamorada where rates start at $59 a night. Fishing is free in many places and there are some awesome parks for swimming, snorkeling, and sun bathing. When it comes time to eat there are many economical choices (check out Lorelei's).

Throw in some draft boat fishing charters for less than theme park ticket prices if you'd like, the cost per day is still much less than Disney World.

I'm not criticizing Disney World as a vacation destination, but that blog lost all credibility with me with it's weak comparisons.

 

[disneydad78]

Yup Disney cost money, everything cost money. Simple.

 

[Bolt4Life17]

3... 2 adults and 1 child.. 9 years old.

errrrr, why so much money?

 

[MikeTaylor]

We are usually of the mindset that we are on vacation, so we don't want to waste time making any food. I brought some oatmeal and some bowls to heat up in the microwave at the commissary on our last trip for a change, but I never used it-we ended up just splitting a bounty platter breakfast instead. It was a good idea... free food from home, healthier, and faster, but not meant to be.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

You can easily take the family on a cruise and not spend as much if your looking at Carnival or Royal Carribean.

To spend a week especially at the summer in a jersey shore hotel is NOT expensive at all, either is eating there!

Disney is a pricey trip and it looks to keep getting proceed however the mount of entertainment that is provided really needs to be stressed and focused upon as that's the real deal for me.