Disney too Expensive!

[SuperTink]

I really appreciate that Disney has a price point for (nearly) everyone.

 

[BowlersDoDisney]

Considering that pretty soon my utility bill will cost more than a week at Disney, I am pretty happy with the current offers...

We were actually headed to Washington Dc for our summer trip, but when we priced it, it was going to cost us about $1000 more than what we are currently paying for a week at Disney.

 

[bnstiles@telus.net]

Like everything else in life - you have to set a budget and see what you can do for that amount of money. If a new vehicle is above your budget don't buy it. If a trip is above your budget don't do it. As for us (mom, dad 2 kids) this is a once in a lifetime trip from Alberta to Disney World in Sept. Our budget is $5200.00 (flights $2050 of that). We stay five nights on site (with dining) and 5 days in a condo. 10 days of fun for 4 people is a super deal for us. BUT, if it were above our budget then we wouldn't do it. It wouldn't be Disney's fault - it is called reality!

Hi to all from Alberta Canada -home of the Calgary Stampede and the beautiful Rocky Mountains!

 

[princessmom29]

I think disney is a great value for us. We spent about $2500 for our family of 3 for 5 nights last year. That included food, admission, moderate hotel, BBB for DD, MVMCP, and lunch at CRT off our dinig plan. We did everything we wanted to do, and saved a ton on dining using the dining plan. Wae are an eat out family and The dinig plan we a little less than $500 for the 3 of us. I stopped counting reciepts with lunch on day 3 wen we were at $650 we would have spent out of pocket.

 

[newms12]

I have been noticing many people talking about what kind of deal can someone give me becuase the econmy is so bad, but no one was willing to pay extra when things are on the up side. Disny give me a discount when thing are tough, when I get raise and everything is doing well no one says have Disney the economy is great for me here is an extra 20 a night for my room. . Why does it work one way but not the other? Disney is giving raises to their employees this year and that money has to come from somewhere. If you want to attact the best talent to your company you need to play them. Ask Universal how that new ride is coming along and why are you copying Disney and not being innovative yourself

 

[SydneyFalco]

It seems like their prices only go up, and it's more and more difficult to not only plan a vacation, but to enjoy it. There are so many things that we want to do when we go down there, but it's just sooooo expensive.

Well, I just can't go so far as to say Disney's a deal compared to other options. This forthcoming winter the wife and I could go for a week of Disney or spend a week lying in the sun in Cuba or Mexico. Either one of the latter trips would cost exactly half of the Disney vacation, on the order of two thousand (CAN) less.

And, even though I'm not exactly the laying in the sun type, that's what we WOULD be doing in my family hadn't finally decided, for the first time in years and and years, to go on vacation and ask us along...

... to Disney.

Well we aren't going to pass; we really want to vacation with them. Still, after this past February, we decided we were "done with Disney", at least for a half decade or more. But it was NOT prices that made us say so. I'd gladly continue to go and continue to pay the prices they have today, if it weren't for the crowds. The joint is simply overbooked and overstuffed and that, for us, makes it not worth the price. But fix that (another park? close the DVC?) and the price is pretty much spot on for the magic they bring.

 

[grumpy as needed]

I have been noticing many people talking about what kind of deal can someone give me becuase the econmy is so bad, but no one was willing to pay extra when things are on the up side. Disny give me a discount when thing are tough, when I get raise and everything is doing well no one says have Disney the economy is great for me here is an extra 20 a night for my room. . Why does it work one way but not the other? Disney is giving raises to their employees this year and that money has to come from somewhere. If you want to attact the best talent to your company you need to play them. Ask Universal how that new ride is coming along and why are you copying Disney and not being innovative yourself

I promise you that when the economy takes a turn for the better that Disney WILL increase their rates. We won't have the option of offering them 20 more per night, because they'll require it.

On the other hand, I do agree that it's a decent value for the money. I've gone 8 times in the past 18 months alone.

Rock on Disney!!!!

 

[inkedupmomma]

I'm sure somebody has already pointed this out, but I didn't read every post so I'll talk about something that clearly isn't obvious to many people:

WDW employs nearly 60,000 CMs. On an average vacation, you will never see more than a few thousand. There are CMs who perform maintenance on every form of transportation; groundskeepers making the place beautiful in the middle of the night; management keeping the place from falling apart -- and you never see any of them. My point is they are all necessary to a destination most of us enjoy (or why else would you be posting on this site?). When you consider the average cost for a family on a WDW vacation, neither you nor the other millions of families are spending nearly enough to pay 60,000 salaries and keep WDW in business. You heard me right. Disney should be charging more; more for tickets (considering the total number of rides, attractions, shows and parks); more for food (considering they don't just sell hot dogs and hamburgers, and they very well could); more for their lodging (considering the transportation that links all the resorts and the perks you get for staying at one of their resorts); etc. etc.

I know this way of thinking will incense most of you, and yes the "value" of Disney's hotels and restaurants isn't quite up to par when compared to the outside world, but look at what you get and how much it costs you. A 10-day MYW PH with Water Parks is $33.70 a day. Are you kidding me? $33.70 a day? What's the price of taking your family out to a movie? Do the math on that and tell me what you get for it, and it will never compare to spending a day at WDW. Disney should be charging $50 a day, and soon enough they will. But when people ask Disney to cut them some slack because of the economy, those people will forever see life's glass as half-empty. WDW is an exceptional value. They offer something for every level of every lifestyle, and those offerings have come with some extraordinary discounts over the past few years.

A vacation is a luxury, not a necessity, and WDW is a destination, not an obligation.

 

[bicker]

I wonder if there is a metric anywhere which shows how much discretionary items have decreased in price due to the economic down-turn...

Of course, any such metric would have to take into consideration things like the North Shore Music Theater, which we used to be subscribers to. Due to the economic down-turn, they went bankrupt, and many of their subscribers are out the hundreds of dollars that they put out for this coming year's subscriptions.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Years ago before the DIS and learning the ins and outs and codes and offers from Disney, I too used to think, gee thats expensive. Then I planned our cruise, all total 6K (with the excursions and some gambling) for 8 days/7 nights for, YES a Fabulous time and YES, I'd do it again in a heartbeat......
BUT
If I plan to do Disney and use the strategies learned, I/we find it a great value for our money. Another FREE DINE trip for us, 11 days and 10 nights, can't be beat. Left over tickets from last years trip and away we go..........Flights are typical to what we paid many years ago and though I'd like to get a SW DING Fare, I'm not complaining....its non stop and in less than 3 hours I am at my destination and someone else did the driving

That being said, I think that IF I wanted to splurge (like a deluxe) versus the Mod, POR we love, I could, but ya know what.....for us, it works great, so I have a little more for the next one, which for us Will be the POLY next year.

I think Disney actually does quite a good job for all the offers..... 4/3, free dine, military discount, AAA discounts, etc.......rooms at various price points, I mean $50 a nite, thats pennies compared to what we have paid at resorts in the past.
So, OP, perhaps you would not feel it is expensive if you try and plan to take advantage of all they really offer.
Best of Luck to you, I do hope you get to go soon, it is a WONDERFUL vacation indeed!

 

[Anglefan]

I agree. There are a lot of deals to be found. The value resorts may not be anything special, but they are cheap compared to other similar hotels in less convenient places!

 

[ShannonMB]

It's as expensive or cheap as you want to make it. If you want to rent the personal cabana at the water parks, stay at a monorail resort, take all the tours, and have one of those personal tour guides, it's pricey! But if you stay at a value or moderate resort with the regular meal plan and watch for good flight deals, it's pretty cheap for what you get, IMHO, even at rack rates!!

 

[btcrane]

Typically we cruise twice a year - round trip for us from LA to Hawaii and back to Maine with spending money and money for the ships casino can easily amount to about 10K. We opted out and are doing Disney in August for 7 days - 4/3 plan with park hopper option and air fare from Maine - about $4000 - we are booked in a delux at Animal Kingdom Lodge and will celebrate daughter's sweet 16 - we will not cut corners - have Delux dining plan and will shop, and do all we want - I'm budgeting about 8K and think that is a total bargain. Having been widowed and remarried (hubby as well) we both know we have never seen a Brink's truck following a hearst. You can't take it with you and we both learned very quickly we could be here today and gone tomorrow - this summer and next will be our last vacations with our daughter before college - this is family time - memories that will last her forever.

Very well said!!! We've learned the hard way, too, that you can't keep putting off until tomorrow...sometimes tomorrow never comes. Our daughter is also going to be a senior next year and our lives will then change forever--not necessarily bad, of course, but definitely different when we're not all living under the same roof. People think we're crazy for spending money on vacations but I'm with you...we are building memories and hopefully a desire on our children's part to want to come home and vacation with us even when they've grown and flown the nest!

 

[palavra]

We are doing a "cheap" Disney trip without many of the frills because that's waht our budget is. Our daughter is 7, and just at the right age to appreciate what Disney has to offer. I know she'll have a great time. Our total budget for 8 nights is $1500.00. That's pretty darn good for a vacation anywhere!

 

[sabrecmc]

I really think Disney is a great value...honestly, you can do it pretty cheaply. When I was in college, we'd do it on a shoestring budget. The actual tickets and hotel really aren't terrible...its all the add-ons that get to me, but I'm a sucker for that stuff. $250 for tea with Aurora?? Sure! $50 per person for a pirate cruise? Awesome! That's where it adds up, lol.

 

[TillyMarigold]

We're paying about the same this year to spend ten whole days at a mod at Disney and do *all* the extras we want and enjoy each other's company as we paid last year to spend four days with my father-in-law doing what he wanted to do, three days with my mother-in-law doing what she wanted to do, three days in the cheapest hostel we could find (about €100/night before taxes, so, about the same as a mod and nowhere near as nice) doing a few things we ourselves wanted to do, and two full days on an airplane. Granted my in-laws live in the UK [our three days off were in Spain, since airfare is only about £50pp between the two], but as someone who's never had any desire to visit the UK, I don't find being in a charming English town in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do except talk to my in-laws to be anywhere near as enjoyable as Disney. And we could easily—*very* easily—have had a perfectly satisfactory vacation at WDW for $1000 less than we're paying.

 

[Planogirl]

I would do almost anything to be stuck in a small charming town in England. Of course, I would have to rent a car and I'd spend my town exploring ruins and castles and other small towns and so on. Personally, I'd love it!

These posts illustrate so much that Disney being a good deal or not really depends on what you expect. I personally want at least a Holiday Inn level hotel (want restaurant, coffee maker, maybe fridge) so I would have to go with a moderate. Holiday Inns and their ilk can be had for very little at times and the Peabody where DS wants to stay has had some amazing bargains. The Hyatt Grand Cypress has had good deals. And then there are the condos and the like.

It's just a matter of priorities.

 

[chimo2u]

Like everything else in life - you have to set a budget and see what you can do for that amount of money. If a new vehicle is above your budget don't buy it. If a trip is above your budget don't do it. As for us (mom, dad 2 kids) this is a once in a lifetime trip from Alberta to Disney World in Sept. Our budget is $5200.00 (flights $2050 of that). We stay five nights on site (with dining) and 5 days in a condo. 10 days of fun for 4 people is a super deal for us. BUT, if it were above our budget then we wouldn't do it. It wouldn't be Disney's fault - it is called reality!

Hi to all from Alberta Canada -home of the Calgary Stampede and the beautiful Rocky Mountains!

Just wanted to say "hello neighbour!" We are from Edmonton, Alberta. We are a family of 4 (2 adults/2 teen boys) headed to disney world in Sept. as well. Free dining was a huge discount for our family...saved us 1600.00 ...we are staying Sept 1-12 (11 nights) at AKL. Love WDW, it is a terrific vacation with many memories that last a lifetime!!

 

[bytheblood]

I so agree that Disney is very expensive, but so is any other quality vacation. We took a Carnival cruise because we got a deal...you get what you pay for. Looking back, I would have rather paid 3x as much and sailed Celebrity.

I find Disney to be worth every penny.

 

[cap'njack.]

The only thing that makes Disney expensive for us is the airfare. We are able to get accomodation for 2 adults and 2 children with free dining and park tickets for 16 nights for £1,500...the airfare takes the price up to £3,800!

The problem we have is that I live within 4 hours of DLRP...I can stay at a very nice off-site hotel for £40 per night...my ferry crossing is £35 and fuel/toll costs are £100...we are Annual Pass holders so we can have 16 nights at DLRP for £735 so for me it's difficult to justify the other £3,000

I don't think that Disney should be helping anyone...I find it very nice that they offer decent discounts to people.