Disney Prices - Do you have a breaking point?

[nugov2]

BTW we do moderate with FD. 8 nites / nine nights cost our family $3900 that is for two adults and two children. I can see where a family will go all out deluxe and can double or even quadruple that price then they could basically do somethinh else And Disney. But in my opinion that's their own fault for deciding to invest that much money in a Disney vacation but for each their own. Everyone has their own breaking point or priority in where to invest their vacation money

I see what your saying, but the flip side is that you can travel a lot of places and stay in very high end accommodations for less. Yes you can stay at value/mod somewhat reasonable, but the reality is they are motel/low quality compared to a hotel somewhere else in that price point. I am not willing to compromise my style of travel and feel okay getting less for way more just b/c it is WDW. I see a lot of people post things like I normally wouldn't stay at that type of hotel, except at WDW. I don't care what kind of paint/jumbo plastic decorations are scattered around. It isn't worth it just b/c it is Disney IMO. That is one concept I have never understood. Also does that price include airfare or are you using points?

 

[rajak73]

"Expensive" really does depend on your interests, priorities, and whether or not you can rationalize it. Whenever people spend money, they attempt to rationalize it (knowingly or unknowingly) as money is scarce.

If you ask a group of Disney fans, they'll tell you that $336 for a 3-day PH ticket is an awesome value but most would not agree. For a family of 4, $1,344 could get a lot for a weekend in NYC. At this point though, I've learned to just absorb the price increases 'cause after all I enjoy WDW. Is it expensive? Yes. Is it worth it to me? Of course.

What I've always found incredibly interesting is how price increases affect guest experience. Going back to rationalizing expenditures, often many (particularly first-time) guests will attempt to rationalize their $100 day as $10 per attraction thus if they want to get "their money's worth", they need to hit 10 or more attractions otherwise their money is wasted. Of course, that's not taking into account the various street entertainment, the small nooks and crannies, the characters, music, and all the other fun, but most first-timers neither expect nor care about that. It's just interesting to see. Kind of a shame too as those in a rush to hit every headliner tend to miss some of the small details.

By the way, I've found it interesting to see a number of rather prominent posters on this board suggest that they have not renewed their APs due to price. Most seem to still be planning trips but just not as frequently. I'm lucky enough to be able to have an AP and wouldn't have it any other way but it's just interesting to see.

I think you've hit it spot on. How to get your "moneys worth" If I did that everyplace we go, I'd be so stressed out I couldn't enjoy anything. We have had 3 trips to Disney since 2004. Haven't rode BTM any of the trips, down for rehab once, just didn't get to it the next time, did it "ruin our trip and experience?" Nope still had a great time. If you stress out over planning for a trip, maybe you need to look at someplace else, I've planned our dec trip for the last year, nope not stressing about it, we'll have a great time if we don't get to ride everything 10 times. Yes we are going to Universal for a day, can't see us spending 6 days at Universal, not that much I want to see there. So If you're stressing out about FP+, planning the trip, how much you spend for what you get, maybe find another destination.

 

[TwoMisfits]

When a week at the world costs more than a week on a cruise (with all the expenses - taxes, port fees, tips, fun in port, etc). This year, the cruise was less, so I'm taking the cruise (I have to travel to both, so that cost is irrelevant to me). Next year, I'm likely burning my cc Disney rewards (and then closing the account), so it will be Disney next year...but after that, it may be a long while (it's been 3 years for the 1st time now - it used to be yearly for 17 years til my current break)...so, I'd say Disney broke my price point 12-18 months ago...and they keep breaking it...

 

[DavidG1966]

We priced ourselves in by buying into the Disney Vacation Club & we get Florida Resident Annual Passes. We have immunized ourselves to price increases that would effect whether we would go or not.

 

[sharonped]

Great question. I fell in love with Disney while nursing my firstborn. The incredibly excellent customer service blew me away. I found the Baby Care Center and was hooked; same trip a lovely young CM emptying trash cans - smiling the whole time - carried all our trays to the table at The Pinnochio restaurant above Small World. (sorry cant remember proper name). Fast forward 13 years and many, many DW vacations later. We've stayed all resort levels and had perfect vacations. This Jan we went for our 15th anniversary during FP+ rollout. I realize it was still in testing, but for the first time ever, we spent time bored wandering around. Completely underwhelmed with New Fantasyland expansion. And felt the poor CMs extreme frustration. I realize our kids aren't in the magical 3 to 12 year range perfect for MK, and even my oldest still asks about DW. After The Jan trip, and reading about people's MB experiences -especially when there seems to be no way to screen shot or otherwise prove that you really did have those reservations- we'll be taking a multi-year break. Will we ever go back? Probably, but FOR US - AT THIS time...the cost does not justify the (IMO) diminished service and experience.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Because of the ticket pricing structure, Disney is not significantly "more" than other destinations if we stay a week plus - BTW, this is only true because we stay offsite and don't indulge in TS meals.

OTOH, because of their ticket pricing structure, Disney IS significantly more expensive than a 3-5 day stay at our other favorite destinations. And many years, a 10-14 day vacation is just not doable for us. So, Disney is off the table completely for shorter trips.

 

[wendybeth75]

As long as we can afford it we will go. We just bought DVC and now have AP and TIW. I LOVE Disney and while I can spend less money other places it just isn't the same. We recently spent a long weekend in Gatlinburg, TN and ran up quite the bill there. By the time we ate at TS places and paid for various multple recreations (go karts, golf, Ripleys, Aquariums, etc etc) we could have gone to Disney (airfare not included)! We would go much more often if we were in a reasonable driving distance for long weekends. I think too the value depends on what kind of vacationer you are. I am a "doer" so a relaxing week on the beach bores me to death. I am stir crazy the whole time and rarely end up enjoying the week as much as I could.

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

For us they have to entice us back. We are taking our DS for his first ever experience there this summer. After this we will evaluate annually. If there is something new and exciting we deem worthy of our dollar, we'll return the next year. Otherwise if it's just the same experience year-to-year, we'll spend the money on a different vacation.

 

[nugov2]

For us they have to entice us back. We are taking our DS for his first ever experience there this summer. After this we will evaluate annually. If there is something new and exciting we deem worthy of our dollar, we'll return the next year. Otherwise if it's just the same experience year-to-year, we'll spend the money on a different vacation.

I guess you found some more coupons to clip...you may be able to get that Frozen package after all

 

[JoeA]

We're just tired of WDW, frankly. We've gone once or twice a year for about the last 8 or so years so we don't go into the parks as much.

We're DVC so we still go and hang around the resorts, swim and do things we typically haven't done a lot (water parks), but park days are fewer.

It really has nothing to do with cost, though.

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

I guess you found some more coupons to clip...you may be able to get that Frozen package after all

Nope, now that we have seen how to save, we are confident we can do so annually and afford a vacation every year, just need to strategize to do it on the cheap. We are blowing it out on this one because it truly is once in a lifetime for my folks.
After this I am perfectly fine at Wilderness during off peak times.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I don't begrudge anyone charging what they can for their services - anyone - whether they be actors, athletes, doctors or anyone else. I maximize my earnings, so why shouldn't they? Just becuse we could get by on a lower income doesn't mean that we are being greedy for deciding to make more money. After all, we are trading years of our lives for that money. I feel the exact same way about business, and about Disney.

As for "pricing me out", I have a finite amount of money to spend on vacations, so it could clearly happen. I will not go into debt for vacation. Thankfully, Disney has not approached that threshold yet.

I have learned to get more for my money at WDW by staying longer to really drive down the cost per day. I only do short trips when I have an AP and I am in Florida on business. On those trips I stay off-site to miximize value. It is not worth the spend for me to go to WDW for 3 days. That is the trip length which results in the highest cost per day - and the cost is higher than the value of the visit for me. But this is more a result of my having learned to pay less per day on my longer trips than the actual price.

 

[lustergirl]

Interesting thread: I haven't been to Disney in 3 years. My upcoming trip I am going solo, staying at AS Sports with the free dining promo. I am spending a little under a 1000 dollars, including my airfare.

Is Disney expensive? Well yes it is but I always try to find a promo deal going on, whether it be free dining or a room discount. I am not a picky person either. I will gladly stay at a value resort and have done so several times before. If I feel like spending extra I will stay at CSR which I simply love. I don't add on extras because I have been there done that: the Halloween and Christmas parties.

I am not the type of person to vacation at the beach so Disney it is for me.

 

[HiHoWeGo]

I don't begrudge anyone charging what they can for their services - anyone - whether they be actors, athletes, doctors or anyone else.

I agree with this. But I also feel that the standards that Disney set at WDW in its first couple of decades are not met today. Service used to be a top priority. Investment in innovative rides and experiences used to be a top priority. It is quite obvious that Disney weighs profits above the intangibles that used to be important. The result is higher margins for Disney, less magic for its guests. It seems like these days WDW is coasting on its reputation.

Do I begrudge Disney, as a for-profit company, for making money? Absolutely not. But I do miss the Disney that used to be, and wonder why I'm paying so much for less than I used to receive. At some point I won't anymore.

 

[mousefan73]

I see what your saying, but the flip side is that you can travel a lot of places and stay in very high end accommodations for less. Yes you can stay at value/mod somewhat reasonable, but the reality is they are motel/low quality compared to a hotel somewhere else in that price point. I am not willing to compromise my style of travel and feel okay getting less for way more just b/c it is WDW. I see a lot of people post things like I normally wouldn't stay at that type of hotel, except at WDW. I don't care what kind of paint/jumbo plastic decorations are scattered around. It isn't worth it just b/c it is Disney IMO. That is one concept I have never understood. Also does that price include airfare or are you using points?

Does not include airfare. I work for an airline, there are costs ( not free !!). But us flying orlando, or denver for skiing, or anywhere is usually ballpark the same. For us airfare is a fix cost and rarely influenced by destination.

 

[luisov]

Well, the parks are full already, so yeah, they definitely are doing something right. Just imagine the crowds if Disney was a cheaper experience.

As long as the parks are full (not unbearably full) their prices will remain high.

 

[katt789]

I'm not totally sure, it would have to be something hiked in hotel costs! As we never rent a car, staying offsite is extremely inconvenient, and being passholders, we just like to be on site, get the emh, stay closer, play longer kinda thing. Tickets, food, all that kinda stuff doesn't really bother me, I don't mind paying that much to get in the park with the amount of money that goes out to put the park "on" for the day! I can order in groceries (including alcohol) to cut back on costs there, but if hotels are hiked up super high price wise, it's not worth it.

Example: in April I stayed a week at CBR for over $1000.00, when back in January it cost LESS to stay at AKL in a savannah view room.... I regretted staying at CBR a lot and decided that it was no longer worth it to do moderate resorts...so I guess I'm a third of the way there

 

[Beer Me]

It's cheaper to sit on the beach for a week but Disney offers a completely different experience. I've been going every 3 or 4 years and never really questioned ticket prices. They buy a lot of entertainment.

I agree with others who find it comparable to big city costs. We've recently taken vacations to San Francisco, Chicago and NYC. If you think Disney is expensive try pricing comparable hotels and restaurants and tickets to premium entertainment in those cities.

 

[artemis4]

We are about to that breaking point! Last year our family of 6 spent a relaxing week at the beach for the same price as JUST park admission to WDW. It really put things in perspective for me!!!

This is us. We are also a family of 6. We just spent a week in Colorado including all gas, lodging, going to a hot springs resort, zoo tickets, park tours, and dining for $100 more than 6 day base Disney tickets. A week in OBX (all expenses) last fall was $250 more than those 6 day tickets. A seven day pass to Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Colonial Williamsburg, and a water park last year cost is 1/3 of the price of Disney tickets.

Obviously we still find value in Disney or we would not be planning a '15 trip, but as a family we are cognizant of the fact that a one week Disney vacation costs about as much two other one week trips for us.

Our breaking point for Disney food, alcohol, and souvenirs was reached long ago. No TS, drinks, tchotchkes for us, and very few Disney snacks.

 

[Suvadoo]

Nope, now that we have seen how to save, we are confident we can do so annually and afford a vacation every year, just need to strategize to do it on the cheap. We are blowing it out on this one because it truly is once in a lifetime for my folks.
After this I am perfectly fine at Wilderness during off peak times.

Wilderness isn't exactly roughing it!!