Breaking Point for Disney Cost

[Marshel]

How did you get unlimited access to all those parks?

https://www.orlandoattractions.com/tickets/ticket/viewType/83/83

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

Cost wise it's still a excellent value, we can do a week for around $2500. If we were to drive to any "vacation spot" and pay for activities and food everyday we would spend a lot more. A holiday weekend can be $1500. That being said, there are a lot of cut backs and I don't feel like we are getting as much as we used too. This is the first year I can't seem to qualify for any discounts...

With the reduced availability of discounts this fall, I think a lot of people will be paying rack rate for the first time.

 

[BigHeroKen]

How did you get unlimited access to all those parks?

For the Orlando Flex ticket: "When you purchase an Orlando FlexTicket, you’ll enjoy unlimited admission to five of Florida’s best family entertainment parks: SeaWorld, Aquatica, SeaWorld's Waterpark™, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and Wet 'n Wild for the entire length of your stay (up to fourteen [14] consecutive calendar days)."

 

[LOL!]

The "wealthy" surgeons I work for do not flaunt their money.

They just feel that Disney is something they are obligated to do for their children ONCE. That's it. So they do it on their terms to make it as painless (like a pp said) as possible. To make the experience as comfortable as possible because they'd rather be elsewhere.

For them Disney is not a priority vacation destination. It's a one and done deal so they do a once in a lifetime trip.

I believe Disney thrives mostly off of the middle class. That's the point I was trying to make.

Interesting how many of our friends feel the same way. They are often surprised whenever they learn we are going to WDW again and ask "Haven't you already been?"

We are fortunate in the sense that cost isn't an issue for us but that doesn't mean we waste our money. I have to admit it's become a concern lately that our Disney trips are no longer the economical excursions they used to be. Some of that is due to the steep increases in airfare but most of it has to due with Disney. We've been trying some non-Disney experiences this summer that previously would have cost more than Disney but now seem much more economical in comparison.

Have we reached our "break point"? Hard to tell. There are some things at WDW that we don't feel are of value anymore because the cost now exceeds the benefits but then there are other things that are relatively cost free that have retained their value but still involve our actually having to get there.

 

[kmoore7]

What's your breaking point for deciding the cost no longer justifies the experience?

Sad to say, there will probably never be a breaking point for us. We don't go as often as some, so we are always looking forward to our next trip. Cheaper than a stay at the beach, which I don't care for anyway, so I am hooked for life.

 

[Darcy03231]

I just reached the point where the cost was more than the expected experience. I just canceled our trip.

However, I am going to be booking a new trip that will be $1400 less and gives my family of 5 unlimited access to Aquatica, Sea World, Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios, and Wet and Wild (up to 14 consecutive days, we only had 2 day park hoppers and the party with the trip I just canceled) as well as one night at MNSSHP (we had our best day at one of last year's parties). This also includes free breakfast and a room that is twice as large as what we would have had at Disney along with an additional night.

Don't get me wrong, I love Disney, I just don't think I am getting my money's worth out of the Disney parks for the things my family enjoys, with the exception of the Magic Kingdom, which is why we are only going to the party this year.

We got those tickets several years ago, only we had Busch Gardens instead of Aquatica and did the Pirates and Princesses party. We all agree it was one of the best trips we've ever taken.

 

[dlavender]

With the lack of discounts and the current state of HS and EPCOT, Disney has opened my eyes to these types of possibilities. Universal just opened a new resort that has a kitchenette, pull out couch, and king bed for about $100 per night. That, coupled with things like the FLEX ticket, really give other options to Disney. Disney is still my #1, but I'm looking.....

 

[ilovebassets]

Cost wise it's still a excellent value, we can do a week for around $2500. If we were to drive to any "vacation spot" and pay for activities and food everyday we would spend a lot more. A holiday weekend can be $1500. That being said, there are a lot of cut backs and I don't feel like we are getting as much as we used too. This is the first year I can't seem to qualify for any discounts...

Still an excellent value for us too. At $4000 for a family of four for a cabin, dining, and tickets for a week (8 nights actually), I think that's pretty good value. We live close enough to drive pretty easily which is key. And we don't ever spend much on souvenirs since we go a lot. We can still go at low season though. Another year from now, that won't be the case.

 

[MrInfinity]

One interesting thing I'm observing is that it seems quite a few folks are either making adjustments to compensate for the increased prices and/or taking fewer trips altogether. This is occurring despite a fairly strong economy mixed with some fairly low gas prices (at least relative to the past 5 years). If the economy were to ever take a nosedive, I'm guessing Disney park attendance would get destroyed to its core.

Disney World today is better positioned to sustain a significant drop than it was in 2001. For one there is now a lot of DVC. DVC are rooms they're guaranteed to fill no matter what. Even if an owner doesn't want to go, s/he will at a minimum rent out the points to someone who will. And in a drought, that means the DVC owner gets less money for the room, as Disney got what it wanted years ago. So selling DVC is essentially insurance for Disney against a slow season. Prices fall, the DVC owners lose temporary value / income, but the rooms still go filled so Disney gets the guests.

Additionally there are some major IP acquisitions that have taken place. Disney bought Pixar and Lucas since 2001, both huge draws.

I don't think attendance would get "destroyed to its core" if the economy went south. There would be some effect, but nothing like in 2001.

 

[bbjunkie]

I think cost and value are two very different things. Is a Disney World vacation expensive? Absolutely. But if I really sit and break down costs, does it have value? Absolutely. I'll be up front and say that our June trip this year which included 9 nights at Pop, and 10-day park hopper water parks and more tickets for two adults and one child under 9 cost us $2900. We did not have a dining plan, we had 4 character meals and one TS meal per day while there. We drove from Michigan and stayed at a Holiday Inn Express on Georgia on the way down and Kentucky on the way back. (By the way, those hotel rooms with my member points discounts were $117 and $104 per night respectively...so not really less expensive than the Pop). We "spent" $1300, including gas, souvenirs, all food there and on the way, etc. our entire trip (which was 12 days including driving) cost $4200. Can we vacation for 12 days for less money than that? I am sure we can. But then I think about it this way:

On Monday, for example, we went to Animal Kingdom in the morning. We saw FOTLK, which, if you could get tickets for this type of show a la carte, would run about $40 each for $120. Then we had a fantastic tour on the safari....great attraction". Just going to our local zoo and taking the safari train for 7 minutes around the African animals costs $8 to park, $30 for admission, $10 for the train, so that's another $48. Then we saw Finding Nemo, another $120 "value". We did the Wilderness Explorer badges, met Russell and Dug, had a character meal at Tusker House, then rode a few rides. If I were at a carnival (which we did almost immediately upon our return from Disney---now THAT is expensive) ride tickets are $1 each and most rides take 4-5 tickets per person....or $25 for a ride band. It's cheaper for the band, so let's add that total $75. Then we went back to the hotel to swim and enjoy the afternoon before heading to MK for the evening. So for JUST THE MORNING UNTIL ABOUT 1:15, we had "value" of $368. That doesn't included the character meets or other things that you can't really put a "price on". So, by the end of the morning, we had more "value" out of our day than the trip cost per day. ($350).

So, yep, it's expensive. But the amount of things that can be done; the things that are included, are worth the price if the trip can be afforded in the first place.


And as a comparison, my family has a house on Lake Lelanau in Northern Michigan that rents for $2200 per week. (Six nights) additional days are $325. So, just to rent a place to stay and swim in the lake and hang on the beach would have cost $3175. Certainly any entertainment, gas, and food costs would have totaled another $1000 for 10 days. (I can drive it in four hours so I wouldn't need the two on-the-road hotel rooms). Of course, I couldn't stay there if I wanted to because it is booked solid for the next two years. Walt Disney World is a far better "value" for us.

 

[Momtomouselover]

We usually go for a couple of trips a year. I have been reducing what types of rooms from views to standards, or from deluxe to moderate to keep those trips. However, the continuing climb of pricing and the reduction of discounts for fall has me reconsidering our upcoming trip. I'm staring at rack rates for resorts I'm really not that interested in. I'm trying to decide between sucking it up, splitting our stay with offsite (and trying Universal for the first time), or canceling all together. I love Disney but the amount of construction and the lack of emphasis on new attractions (besides M&G) that has now lead up to lots of construction at one time, and the increase in room rates has just about hit my breaking point. We will see.

 

[hakepb]

I'm getting the impression that parks are staying busier during the rain because people payed so much to get into the park they don't leave

 

[lmcarr49]

We spend close to $3,000 on a 10-day trip JUST FOR TICKETS!

The cost is absolutely insane, but luckily we can control most of the costs except for those pesky tickets. This past trip in May we were able to do $75/day on food by spending $50 on CS and then $25 on snacks later with lots of sharing. We are also starting to dabble in timeshares or VERY cheap Wyndham condo rentals off ebay (We got a full week at Bonnet Creek in a 2-bed for $450). I'm closing on some resale timeshare points now, which I hope will help us get our first Disney Deluxe stay in the future, since the price for two value rooms is nearing $300 a night.

All said, we probably spent $5,000 on our 10-day trip in May, but that is a BUDGET trip for us. Even Free Dining costs us around $7k.

Now if we could just get cheaper tickets...

I'm closing next week on a resale timeshare at Bonnet Creek. Then I will start an ongoing search for dvc properties whenever the rci membership comes through.

I'm considering canceling the Contemporary for next April that I booked through Disney. Prices are ridiculous.

 

[shalom]

But when you can get a decent room in town for around 100, or better a home for a week, Disney resorts are going to have to keep those room costs down. For us, we'd love to buy a whole weeks tickets and get the discount..but 177 X 7 for room is just too much.

I suppose in a sense Disney has already priced itself out of our range when it comes to overnight stays, in part because even if we wanted to go with hotel rooms (which we don't), we'd have to get two rooms or a suite for my crew. We can actually stay in DVC 2 BR units for not much more than using the points in our own system, but there are crazy deals in Orlando if you can go offseason. When we go in November 2016, we'll be spending $57/night for a good sized 3 BR Timeshare unit just south of Animal Kingdom. My crew doesn't get that excited about Disney food, either -- desserts and snacks, yes, but not sitting down for a meal -- so people often bring their own lunch, or at least the most expensive part of it, so Disney doesn't control our food budget, either.

A big part of our expense is "stuff", because although the kids spend the usual amount, I tend to spend a lot more at Disney than I do anywhere else, but if I had to I could cut back on that front.

Part of the reason I don't think we're anywhere near the breaking point with Disney is that right now we have a lot of padding in the food and souvenirs budget. We could probably cut back considerable on both of those and still have a good time.

Cheaper than a stay at the beach

I think you're going to the wrong beach. We do pay more for ocean front units than we do in Orlando, but not *that* much more. We're more likely to do state parks and museums than amusement parks, though, and the kids will spend a lot of time just hanging out on the beach while I'm happy to catch up on my casual reading, so our entertainment budget at the beach is pretty low.

So for JUST THE MORNING UNTIL ABOUT 1:15, we had "value" of $368. That doesn't included the character meets or other things that you can't really put a "price on". So, by the end of the morning, we had more "value" out of our day than the trip cost per day. ($350).

This is how we figure it as well. We also stay in Orlando for 12 nights and get multi-day tickets, six days or more, which brings the cost per day down considerable. Combine the two, and WDW vacations look pretty reasonable for what you get. We've done "Orlando vacations without WDW parks," which are fun and (for us) cheaper than doing the parks, however there's a lot more travel time -- couple hours to the beach or whatever, but even just catching places on Universal Drive "costs" more time than doing the WDW parks. There's a lot of walking or otherwise moving from place to place in the WDW parks, but we just enjoy being there and so it doesn't feel like wasted time the way the drive to Leu Gardens or down to Sea World or whatever does.

We do spend considerably more overall on "entertainment" (park tickets) going to WDW than we do anywhere else, but I think we get our money's worth.

 

[mom2rtk]

I think you're going to the wrong beach. We do pay more for ocean front units than we do in Orlando, but not *that* much more. We're more likely to do state parks and museums than amusement parks, though, and the kids will spend a lot of time just hanging out on the beach while I'm happy to catch up on my casual reading, so our entertainment budget at the beach is pretty low.

This summer we spent 8 nights in a 2 bedroom condo on Sanibel Island, right on the gulf. For $1500. We could have never done that with 5 people at Disney. Plus the Gulf didn't require admission. Or FPs. And our favorite souvenirs were free.

 

[midnightlouise]

Like many of the PP, for us it's about cost vs. what we're getting. As long as we still feel like we're getting our money's worth, we'll keep going, but maybe we'll stay less time or stay in a less expensive resort. (Especially if they do the tiered pricing. That would put the lid on it.) It's just getting harder and harder to justify paying the same or higher prices when EPCOT and DHS aren't providing the same level of entertainment right now. Not saying that they won't later on, but for our 2017 trip (we're already booked for November of this year), we're looking into spending half of the trip at other Orlando parks unless there's been some progress on that front.

 

[bcrook]

Like many of the PP, for us it's about cost vs. what we're getting. As long as we still feel like we're getting our money's worth, we'll keep going, but maybe we'll stay less time or stay in a less expensive resort. (Especially if they do the tiered pricing. That would put the lid on it.) It's just getting harder and harder to justify paying the same or higher prices when EPCOT and DHS aren't providing the same level of entertainment right now. Not saying that they won't later on, but for our 2017 trip (we're already booked for November of this year), we're looking into spending half of the trip at other Orlando parks unless there's been some progress on that front.

At DAK, Pandora may not even be open by then. The last update I saw was 2018. Who would have thought the small land would take most of a decade to complete.

 

[danceintherain]

Disney is an easily planned vacation for us. I already have quite a bit of research invested in it, so I think it will be a long time before something else becomes our fall back. That said, we have access to Military Salute tickets, which pretty much cuts our ticket cost in half. The room discount is better than what's available to the general public as well. However, considering they extended this year's offer through the end of the year, instead of renewing it like they have in past years, I wouldn't be surprised if they stop offering it as an option in the future. Very unfortunate, since we've only been able to take advantage twice as a byproduct of the military service that qualified us for it in the first place.
The trip I'm planning for September would be at least 40% more expensive without the military discounts. That may not be an issue in the future, but this trip is last minute, so we haven't had the opportunity to save up for its specific purpose.

I have done research into other types of vacations, but for now our kids are young enough that it's difficult to find places that would be considered "fun for the whole family" for a cost less than Disney. Yes, we could go sit at the beach, but we'd have to supervise our kids very closely (not that we don't have to do that at Disney, but when I'm at the beach I want to lounge). Childcare costs extra for anything we may want to do without the kids.

Overall, prices everywhere are a problem. If we want to do a beach vacation, we'd want to stay in a nice hotel, or possibly rent a beach house. We'd have to buy food there, and would want to avoid cooking and the fast food places were used to at home. If we want to participate in activities, we'd likely have to pay more money. There are things at Disney we can pay extra for, but we can easily find enough things to do without the added cost.

Ultimately, there's no cap I have set in my mind, but it will depend on what we end up having in the budget at any given time, and whether or not the trip we want at Disney fits within that amount.

 

[Puffy2]

Disney is pretty outrageous cost wise. They have already priced me out of onsite hotels...at rack rate. I would not pay $400 plus a night for a deluxe hotel. But I will try for discounts - which is what I have at Beach Club this time...very reasonable at $200/night

 

[d1gitman]

No breaking pint in the foreseeable future for us