Anyone else feeling priced out of disney?

[mommycrawford]

I just want to know if it's me, but I have always been able to swing a weeks trip in a value hotel without feeling that I wasn't getting value, but pricing with all things (tickets/room/food) has left me bewildered!...Of course I expect a bit of a price increase, but am finding the room rates hard to reason, and am looking at Downtown Disney hotels to save $40 or so a night so we can eat something.

MY DD loves Disney and, since I cannot drive, it has always been a wonderful option, but I never thought I'd need actual magic to get us there!

Anyone else feeling this?

 

[eliza61]

Lol, truthfully OP I feel like this every time I book any vacation!! One thing Ive learned is that some times my budget is flush and some times Disney is just not in my budget. Disney has never been a "cheap" vacation for us. Remember the real objective of a vacation is to be with your love ones.
I've got 2 college tuitions, I need magic just to fill my gas tank.

 

[mommycrawford]

I hear you eliza61...If my DD hadn't worked her patookie off trying to get into High School (YES, IN NYC you actually have to compete for High School seats!!) and wasn't at such an intense stress level, I would not worry about going!

But this is a year she really needs and deserves a bit of fun in her life. It just seemed to me that prices have gone a bit crazy! I know people will pay it, but it just doesn't feel like that should be why it is so pricey.

 

[Grandmatoniko]

I feel the same way...the only way we can go is if free dining comes out. It has me really down too. I am PRAYING there is a code for August so we can go. We usually go every year but for some reason this year is harder than usual. Good luck being able to go and having a magical time!!!

 

[marmalade]

We are definitely feeling priced out. I have been pricing different weeks and it is just outrageous without a discount. I know prices have gone up on everything, and that Disney is out to make a profit, but my bottom line can't afford it anymore.

We have gone from yearly visitors to who knows when we'll be able to afford another trip.

 

[Pier60]

Im shocked what people pay to stay on Disney property for some of the deluxe resorts. $300-$500 or more for one night. Plus tickets, airfare, food, souviners, etc.

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

I wouldn't say necessarily that we have been priced out but we have cut back. Last year we went 4 times. This year we are only going once.

2 of those trips last year were 10 day trips with all 5 of us and 2 of those trips were 6 day trips with just DH and myself.

I don't even want to admit out loud how much we spent going to Disney in the last 14 months so I won't.

But when DH realized how much we were actually spending going so many times he said we need to cut back to just once a year.

 

[kiki02]

I am a huge wdw fan and I feel like every time we go (often enough) it's higher and higher. Food portions smaller and smaller as well.

Such is life Iguess.

 

[Pier60]

My wife and I burned through a $100 gift card in 2 days on counter service food. We said next time were packing our own food.

 

[Disneylvr]

We really scrimped and saved to make our May trip possible. I think it may be our last for awhile as prices for EVERYTHING, not just Disney, are rising so much faster than our salaries are. Sadly, it looks to be our last trip to WDW for awhile.

 

[OklahomaTourist]

I know we are, and in fact prices are why we've shortened what would have probably been and eight or nine-day stay into just six. At some point, no matter how great Disney is, the fiscal realities have to set in, and with every rumor pointing to higher prices and fewer discounts, we're also realizing this may be our last Disney trip for a while.

That consideration isn't exclusively due to Disney prices - we've got at least one teenager with college ahead, and another just a couple years down the road - so that's going to be our "vacation" for a few years - but there's no question that the increases are making the admitted extravagance of a WDW trip increasingly hard to justify. And I have to admit that, for the first time, we seriously entertained staying off site to save some $$, although we ultimately decided to shorten the stay so we could enjoy on-site perks one more time.

Mind you, I'm not grousing about Disney's right to charge what and how they want, don't want to start that argument, but saying right now that the increases in prices and reductions in discounts are definitely shortening our trip and compelling us to economize.

 

[Lisaren]

I figure our trip this year will be both our first and last. A week at WDW is twice the expense of our normal week long vacations. We plan to make the most of it.

 

[rebeccalizzie]

Yup, especially since we have a family of 5 and don't want to squeeze into a regular hotel room. We're going to have an amazing time but there was no way I could do more than 4 days and even that is pushing it!

It is what it is, I am just very thankful that we can afford this one trip, we may not be doing another for 10+ years but this is my trip of a lifetime

 

[Pigeon]

Yeah. When I look at the cost of other vacations that my kids actually prefer over Disney, and they cost less than half, it's hard to justify going to Disney.

 

[Lisaren]

Yup, especially since we have a family of 5 and don't want to squeeze into a regular hotel room. We're going to have an amazing time but there was no way I could do more than 4 days and even that is pushing it!

It is what it is, I am just very thankful that we can afford this one trip, we may not be doing another for 10+ years but this is my trip of a lifetime

Well our trip this year is quite big. We are going for two weeks, but that is because we have some extra unexpected money this year I can use to splurge. We also decided to stay off site because the condo we rented is only $1000 for the two weeks. Could not do it otherwise.

 

[Bete]

I already converted on our last two trips to an off site resort and I can honestly say I don't miss the Disney resorts. Actually, we've been gradually changing our Disney habits from Moderates to the Values and now off site.

Our last trip in December 2012 was $90/night. For this we had a living room, small complete kitchen, separate bedroom area with two queen beds. We were given an included hot breakfast which wasn't the same each morning. Some evenings we had a reception which for us was a meal. We brought back food to the room for snacks. We did use our car; because, it was a road trip for us. We paid for the parking fees at Disney around $15 each day. Our resort did have a shuttle included and then you avoid the parking fees. The only issue with a shuttle is that it's a strict schedule and you do have it a little awkward with your drop off/pick up point. In our case it was Epcot and then you had to get to the rest of the parks on your own accord from there. We used the restaurant.com discounts for meals, but you would need a car for this situation. There was a small grocery store in the resort where you could pickup some microwave meals; I thought the prices were a little high, here.

Anyway, I don't see myself returning to Disney resorts anymore. I love the large space we get with the off site resorts. I'm not just saying this, either. We could continue to stay on Disney property with our budget, but I just feel we like it better off site for the value.

 

[mcottingham]

Yes

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I think the prices are insane now. I know they are in it to make a profit but how much profit do they need? I hope they come out with some steep discounts.

 

[Dani4girls]

I completely agree! We are trying to go in December of this year with a family of 6, the youngest being 12. We are going to have to live like...like I don't even know what if we are to save enough to go debt-free. We may have to sell one of the kids!

 

[wifeofjack]

I totally agree that the prices to go to Disney have become outrageous. As a matter of fact, I just cancelled our reservation for May. We always stay at a Value resort, get a 5 day park hopper. We have always been able to secure some sort of discount, we did this time as well, but with the price of everything Disney, I just could NOT justify the cost to go. And to eat in the parks is just too much. Unless we can get a package with FD or a bigger resort discount, I fear our Disney days are over. We can do a cruise or spend a week in a beach front hotel for half the price of going to Disney for a week.