Disney is a good value

[Marionnette]

I love Disney and I love going. Not sure if it is a good "value". I guess I don't care all that much about "value" on vacations. We love going and if we can make it work and afford it, then we will continue to go. It is one trip all 6 of us enjoy. It is certainly more than some vacations and less then others!

One thing that does drive me nuts about Disney (esp DLR) is the food for children. Please. The children's meals are a rip off. They are not even enough to feed a toddler. We just went again in Feb and my twin 6 year olds (who are by no means big eaters) were still hungry after getting some of the "children's meals". Case in point, my DD weighs only 32 lbs she certainly isn't putting away the food. (She's actually the one we worry about needing to eat more!) Tangaroa Terrace and Carnation Cafe was one of the worst offenders. Calling a "slider" that is the size of a baby's fist a burger and charging $7.99 is crazy! That is NOT a value. At Carnation Cafe the mac and cheese is a joke. It is seriously like a cup. As in maybe 8oz. Not a value when you can by a whole box of it for 99 cents at home. I can't even begin to imagine the mark up and profit off kids food in the park.

That's not really a fair comparison. I have no doubt that the food at DLR is a poor value. I just don't think comparing the cost of prepared food from a restaurant to the price of a grocery item is right.

 

[nugov2]

This summer we are vacationing on Norris Lake in TN. We are taking 2 days and doing both Dollywood parks. We have tickets, Qbots(FOTL), one of the nicer places to stay, and retreat rental at the waterpark. The cost for this is sooooo much cheaper than what 2 days in WDW would cost it is actually made my dh LOL while planning. I love WDW(have been many times), my kids loved it last summer too, but I don't think that they will have any less fun in DW then they did at WDW last year and the cost is significantly less

 

[lcj19]

I think the value of a vacation destination can only be determined by the individual taking it. I view value as an intersection of cost and desire.

Maybe my desire to go to Point A for $5000 is a greater to me than going to Point B for $2000. While some would say a $2000 vacation is a greater value, my desire to see/visit/experience Point A makes that $5000 an amazing value. It is all on the individual.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Now value in terms of a good buy, money wise? No way is disney a good buy especially if you compare complete packages.

Now I agree with MrsPete. Disney emotionally is a good value for my family, but it's getting less and less that way because the rest of the tourism industry has caught up IMO.

^^This^^ .

While I think an Orlando vacation can offer incredible value, the same cannot be said for the Disney parks, resorts and restaurants.

A 2 bedroom, 2 bath villa at SSR for our dates is $700 per night. We are paying $125 offsite for similar (dare I say, even better) accommodations and amenities.

Tickets are more than $100 per day, per person, and we can only get 3 FP per day (then we get to "soak up the atmosphere" if we determine the ride lines are too long).

And for $38+ pp, we can have breakfast at Chef Mickey's. I have a hard time finding value in cafeteria-style dining for a family of 4, for breakfast, at $175+ with tip.

It might be worth the money for some, but definitely not what I would consider "value".

 

[dsdeleon]

Good value to me because it doesn't follow the law of diminishing returns. So the more often I go, the return on my investment stays the same or increases.

 

[wallawallakids]

That's not really a fair comparison. I have no doubt that the food at DLR is a poor value. I just don't think comparing the cost of prepared food from a restaurant to the price of a grocery item is right.

My point with comparing it to the grocery store price was to show the mark up on food in and around the park. I expect to pay more for everything when I go out to eat. However, they buy food in bulk and probably get it for less then what I can at a grocery store. I was making a statement on how much the profit must be on the children's food. I am sorry if that was not clear.


As far as a more "fair" comparison then:

Mac and Cheese off the kids meal at Carnation Cafe is $8.49. At Panera bread it is $6.50 and more than double the size.

The PB&J at Carnation Cafe is $8.50. At Panera it is 5.50 and includes a yogurt and a drink.

I can't even compare the price of the burger as I have never seen another place serve one so small. But I have see Red Robin's menus and their full size burger with endless fries compares in price to the children's burger at TT and is at least 5 times the size.

I am not a complainer. I eat out at Disney and I am willing to pay the price to do so. But in NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM is their kids menu a value.

 

[Anthony1971]

I live and pay NYC prices... So Disney Prices are not a shock to me.. Good value no... Compared to a trip to great Adventure in NJ yes.. Great adventure a good value NOOO...
If you enjoy Disney and have a good time than it is a good value...as compared to a vacation you will not enjoy.
I have been going for over 20 years and to me 5-6 years ago it was still cheap... not so much anymore.. In fact I think a lot of popular places to eat are just way overpriced including Boma... It is a Buffet with some OK options.. I can drive about two miles from Boma and go to Texas roadhouse and get a good steak for a lot less... but a rarely have a car so it does not matter..
I enjoy Disney own DVC and have a LOT of non expiring park days (go to the parks 2-3 times in a week) so I think it is a good value and again as I enjoy it...

 

[manning]

I was surprised when someone told me they enjoyed Golden Coral more.

Was it the price or quality, or both

 

[Gumbo4x4]

This summer we are vacationing on Norris Lake in TN. We are taking 2 days and doing both Dollywood parks. We have tickets, Qbots(FOTL), one of the nicer places to stay, and retreat rental at the waterpark. The cost for this is sooooo much cheaper than what 2 days in WDW would cost it is actually made my dh LOL while planning. I love WDW(have been many times), my kids loved it last summer too, but I don't think that they will have any less fun in DW then they did at WDW last year and the cost is significantly less

This is one of the things about Disney that is hard to swallow. It has become a terrible value for the 1-2 day guest. We're planning a Universal trip next year and would love to squeeze in a day at AK. But, at $400+ for tickets (4 of us) and parking, not to mention the food and an extra hotel night, I suspect we will skip that.

 

[4luv2cdisney]

I have to say, I've found our WDW trips to be cheaper (per day) than many other trips we price out. That is why we never really get anywhere else. We start out planning to go somewhere else and then always revert back to WDW to keep it in our budget. Actually, I think the price of our honeymoon in Jamaica 20 years ago was more than our last WDW trip.

Obviously, a lot of this has to do with what we want / like to do, where we live, and when we can travel. This years plan looks like this:

I am currently trying to plan a 5 night trip to Boston so my DD can visit a college there and take a 4 day music program they are offering. Even when not counting the cost for the music program and even though DH will not be coming along, it will cost us as much as our average 7 night WDW trip for 4. So, more per day, per person.

Next up, Nashville. Again, for a college visit and then a few days of tourist stuff. This may be slightly cheaper per day, but not by much and I'm guessing it will be a little less fun than WDW.

So Cal and Disneyland. Yeah, this is going to be a small fortune. I have tried to do this a few times, and could never bring myself to spend the money. Again we will be visiting colleges (at least 3) so, I guess I will bite the bullet.

We have gone to the Dells a bunch of times and that is always a lot more per day than WDW. We go for less days, so it is "cheaper", but per day, it is still more despite being so close to home. Also have priced out Cedar Point and Kings Island a few times over the years. If I recall it was more than the Dells, and why we didn't go.

We've been to St Louis and it was ok, but not significantly cheaper and much more of a "soaking up the atmosphere" kind of trip. Not a ton of activities. So, I would still say WDW got us more bang for our buck.

DH has done weekends to a few places with his Dad and brothers to see MLB games, etc. Has always cost more per person per day, because it is a short trip and they spend a lot of money at the game and at the bar!

I keep seeing people mention DC. It sounds terribly boring to me (live just outside Chicago and I don't enjoy our museums and such either) but I may have to give this a shot. My older DD and DH are big history buffs and have a lot of interest in politics, etc. They might like it. Younger DD and I will have to find ways to entertain each other. lol.

The beach and cruising is not for us and camping is a NEVER!!!! Wish those were of interest. It sounds like those are all more budget friendly.

 

[4luv2cdisney]

This is one of the things about Disney that is hard to swallow. It has become a terrible value for the 1-2 day guest. We're planning a Universal trip next year and would love to squeeze in a day at AK. But, at $400+ for tickets (4 of us) and parking, not to mention the food and an extra hotel night, I suspect we will skip that.

Same thought, but reverse. We always try to squeeze in a day at U / IoA and then change our mind because of cost. My kids would do less rides there anyway, even though they are older.

Sea World wasn't quite as bad, but we walked away thinking it was a total waste. We were done there by 2 o'clock in the afternoon.

 

[Lewisc]

Anything, no matter what the price, "is a good value" if the customer thinks the product/service is worth more then what they're paying. Disney certainly offers value to the OP, and many posters on DIS.

An alternate view of "good value" is how the cost compares to alternatives. Hess offers free Yankee tickets to customers. SF Giants sells tickets for $12. Many of the buildings, parks etc in DC are free. Admission prices at many NYC museums are a "suggested" donation. People can pay what they want. Cirque runs promotions with significant discounts. An annual family pass for National Parks costs $80. All inclusive resorts in places like Mexico and DC offer great value. Posters are constantly asking for the mouseavers link for UT. That link saves a dollar or two off the regular UT prices. What is the discount? Maybe 5%.

 

[crisi]

I don't think that Disney is the great value that it used to be. The prices have skyrocketed (outpacing inflation) and the service/product has declined.

I agree with both - the prices have gone up incredibly, and the quality is not what it was. Also the two things Gracie is comparing - Disney and professional sports events - have both gotten really expensive compared to other options.

I think that the best value for my entertainment dollar is probably still a good book from the library, a bubble bath, and a glass of wine. The combination of Netflix, Amazon Prime and RedBox is a darn good deal as well. For my get away vacation, the best value for my entertainment dollar is a friends vacation home - we do pay, but its not much and its beautiful. I personally love museums, which are almost always a bargain compared to Disney or a sporting event - and a week away in a different city in a moderate hotel visiting museums and eating in local spots is almost always cheaper than Disney. There are always cheap concerts and plays at the high schools and colleges around town. In fact, while we enjoy Disney, I can't think of entertainment and vacation options we've done that are less of a value - both emotionally and financially - it was a nice easy trip when the kids were little and had emotional and effort value there.

 

[nugov2]

This is one of the things about Disney that is hard to swallow. It has become a terrible value for the 1-2 day guest. We're planning a Universal trip next year and would love to squeeze in a day at AK. But, at $400+ for tickets (4 of us) and parking, not to mention the food and an extra hotel night, I suspect we will skip that.

I would never pay that for AK (I don't love that park and would only go on a multi day ticket deal). We did just one day at IOA/Uni last summer and found it worth the one day admission. WDW is for sure a place to go and spend more than a couple of days for better pricing, but honestly we only like to spend 4 days in amusement parks when on a week vacation. My kids get burnt out after that. We usually space a day of resort activities in between each day. Now as far as dollar goes our week long vacation at WDW(off site because we are a family of 5 who only does a house rental for anything more than a couple of days) we spend the same as we will spend at Norris Lake(lake house, boat, jet skis, activities etc.), but it is just that the DW portion for pretty much as high end as they offer is soooo much cheaper than what we could do at WDW for the same thing.

 

[southlakejr]

DH and I like two totally different types of vacations. We either like the kind of vacation where you sit around and relax without doing much of anything ( ala all inclusive) or the kind of vacation where you are busy doing something from sun up to past sun down (ala Disney) The benefit to Disney for us is that we don't have to really plan or research any of it, we can just show up and have a good time. So in some ways, it's almost a blend of the two.

We are DLR vets, and had passes for several years. With passes, we would go 6 times a year, driving, and stay offsite in an affordable place with a mini fridge. We would bring breakfast, split lunch, and rarely do TS for dinner. Our average trip works out to roughly 125 per person per day, including everything. This price isn't too far off from an all inclusive or cruise, though we are then adding in airfare. The food choices are probably nicer for an all inclusive or cruise, and the accommodations are certainly nicer in an AI. But, for us, DLR is still a good value for how we like to vacation.

Staying onsite for a week at WDW (moderate) without deals will be about 245 per person per day for the trip we are planning for early next year. Though, we are hoping for a deal like SPD, and getting our flights free through a mileage program. This will bring the cost down to about 188 per person per day. At the 245/pp rate, there are other things I would probably rather do, but we'll see.

 

[eliza61]

IThe beach and cruising is not for us and camping is a NEVER!!!! Wish those were of interest. It sounds like those are all more budget friendly.

And I think that's a very important factor that gets lost when people try to compare "value".
It definitely starts with your interest. Now while I love the budget board for it's tips on every day savings, I could never ever do disney the way some folks budget for it. So my comparison of "value" is totally different from some one who can do the values, bring snacks and water from home and eat breakfast in their rooms.
My family loves the beach but since we live very close to the NJ shore beaches, a beach trip for us is ridiculously cheap. If I compared it to a two day trip to disney, Disney would lose badly.
My problem is more of a "quality" issue. some one before said it best. the prices have outpaced inflation and the product has decreased. Yes I expect more for food, but why is the food consistently mediocre to bad? stuff like that.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Same thought, but reverse. We always try to squeeze in a day at U / IoA and then change our mind because of cost. My kids would do less rides there anyway, even though they are older.

Sea World wasn't quite as bad, but we walked away thinking it was a total waste. We were done there by 2 o'clock in the afternoon.

DW and I have both been, but the kids have not. We were in that boat last time. Wanted to do a split trip, but it was more economical to do more Disney days and skip the rest completely (YES tickets really helped that decision). So, next time it'll be the "everything else" trip and no Disney.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I have to say, I've found our WDW trips to be cheaper (per day) than many other trips we price out. That is why we never really get anywhere else. We start out planning to go somewhere else and then always revert back to WDW to keep it in our budget. Actually, I think the price of our honeymoon in Jamaica 20 years ago was more than our last WDW trip.

Obviously, a lot of this has to do with what we want / like to do, where we live, and when we can travel. This years plan looks like this:

I am currently trying to plan a 5 night trip to Boston so my DD can visit a college there and take a 4 day music program they are offering. Even when not counting the cost for the music program and even though DH will not be coming along, it will cost us as much as our average 7 night WDW trip for 4. So, more per day, per person.

Next up, Nashville. Again, for a college visit and then a few days of tourist stuff. This may be slightly cheaper per day, but not by much and I'm guessing it will be a little less fun than WDW.

So Cal and Disneyland. Yeah, this is going to be a small fortune. I have tried to do this a few times, and could never bring myself to spend the money. Again we will be visiting colleges (at least 3) so, I guess I will bite the bullet.

We have gone to the Dells a bunch of times and that is always a lot more per day than WDW. We go for less days, so it is "cheaper", but per day, it is still more despite being so close to home. Also have priced out Cedar Point and Kings Island a few times over the years. If I recall it was more than the Dells, and why we didn't go.

We've been to St Louis and it was ok, but not significantly cheaper and much more of a "soaking up the atmosphere" kind of trip. Not a ton of activities. So, I would still say WDW got us more bang for our buck.

DH has done weekends to a few places with his Dad and brothers to see MLB games, etc. Has always cost more per person per day, because it is a short trip and they spend a lot of money at the game and at the bar!

I keep seeing people mention DC. It sounds terribly boring to me (live just outside Chicago and I don't enjoy our museums and such either) but I may have to give this a shot. My older DD and DH are big history buffs and have a lot of interest in politics, etc. They might like it. Younger DD and I will have to find ways to entertain each other. lol.

The beach and cruising is not for us and camping is a NEVER!!!! Wish those were of interest. It sounds like those are all more budget friendly.

A lot has to do with HOW you travel. We found a lot of the places you mentioned not only cheaper overall, but way cheaper per day as well.

 

[kymom99]

Very true about the 2 day comments. We have never added a couple days at Disney to a beach vacation, even though we could have easily since we vacation in Sarasota. It just doesn't make financial sense.

Also, our first trip was in 2004. I found Disney to be a great value. We stayed at a value in a preferred room for less than $100 a day in June. I also thought the kids meals were a good deal. $3.99 for a decent amount of food and a drink. Fountain drinks were $1.99. We had so much to see and do. There really was no sticker shock for us. Now things have gone up so much and it sounds like quality has gone down. We haven't been since 2010, but that year I was blown away at how much it cost for 3 of us to eat at a table service place. For a while the dining plan seemed to be a good deal although we never bought it since I never booked a package. Now it is so much more expensive but they have succeeded in convincing people that they can't go to Disney without it, so reservations have become so hard to get.

It just seems like Disney is getting more expensive and more complicated.

 

[4luv2cdisney]

A lot has to do with HOW you travel. We found a lot of the places you mentioned not only cheaper overall, but way cheaper per day as well.

True. I feel like we know how to get the best deals for our WDW trips. I find it much harder if we've never been someplace before. I'd say our average per day cost for our last 8 trips to WDW is roughly $250 for the 4 of us. Our last trip was probably closer to $350 / day as the prices just keep getting higher.

As of 2 days ago, I couldn't find a hotel in Boston within short walking distance of Berklee for much less than $300 per night with taxes / fees. The DL / SoCal trip is so high because airfare will run us at least $400 pp. So that right there is $200 /day. If you've got any tips for me Gumbo, I will gladly take them! I'm totally stressed out and need to save all the money I can!