Do you really think...

[MinnieGi]

DH and I have talked about this too and we definetly think WDW is a great value for the money. No where else do you have the level of entertainment surrounding you the way you do in a Disney park! I love all the options I have when I go to Disney also. If I want to just relax by the pool I can, if I want lots of excitement I can get that too and all at a very clean, fun and family friendly place.

 

[sln88]

We just got back from a week's vacation in Wisconsin Dells.

We are going to WDW next month(yeah!)

I spent the same on both for lodging($236 in the Dells vs $265 in Orlando for a 2 bed condo for a week)
Food will be pretty much the same for both places- we don't eat at fancy restaurants.

In the Dells- We got waterpark tickets for $14 each for a day, horseback riding for $16 each, a free day at a state park, and $12 for tickets for the kids for an amusement park-spectators were free.

Compared to Disney, where our passes cost about $45 per day for over 9 years, and about $35 per day for younger(multiply that by 5 in our family and it adds up!)

We also have to fly to WDW- tickets were $163 pp. And we have to rent a car- $255 for 10 days.

So, for us, it is alot more expensive, but mainly because of the flying and car rental and park tickets. When you have a family of 5, that cost really jumps. Also, in the Dells, you could probably only find about 3-4 days of good things to do, while in Disney, I could spend every day of my 9 days of vacation there and still not have time for it all!

For a couple, or people that live close enough to drive, there is probably not a huge difference.

 

[heart4dis]

visiting family is our vacation. We usually use our vacation time to visit family (I live in TX but my family is in PA). So WDW is definitely more expensive.

 

[january]

I've payed just as much and more and gotten much less than I get at disney. Usually amusement park vacations hotels not near as nice but costs more yeah got doughnuts free for breakfast but we happy with our generic cereal in the room at disney BTW we stay at All Stars most visits.

Park tickets costs just as much and the park was not as clean not to mention the bathrooms that had not been cleaned in who knows how long..... In fact did the evening then went back next morning ( ticket deal we had) bathrooms had not been cleaned from the day before.

Food in parks disney has the best food I've had at any park.

We do drive that saves us but we'd drive to any vacation destination in the country never fly.

Yeah I've taken some cheaper vacations but vacations to visit family where you get free lodging can't really be compared here I don't think. We have camped did that for years but had the expense of a boat and camper or motor home so how much cheaper was it with the boat and camper?


DH and I do take some long trips on harley gas is cheap for harley 45 miles to the gallon so those vacations usually pretty cheap we don't do amusement parks much when on the harley ride for those vacations.

 

[Lisa P.]

For us, a Disney vacation is generally more expensive than other vacations. We tend to drive to most of our vacations. We usually stay in timeshare condos with full kitchens. Our travel and restaurant costs are comparable wherever we go. But Disney's park passes are high - especially when compared with the great deals available at Universal & Sea World.

A typical Orlando vacation includes our using part of a 6 day park hopper plus pass. We spend a day or two at other theme parks. And we spend a day or more enjoying resort activities. For our family of 5 people (all over age 10), this amounts to well over $1,000 for entertainment alone. That's the killer.

By contrast, a week spent swimming, fishing, sailing, hiking, biking and enjoying resort activities in the mountains or at the beach or at historic sites just doesn't touch the cost of park passes, even if we throw in a show or two. Since our family likes doing all that (a lot!), these other trips are generally cheaper than WDW for just as much fun.

Now our planned trips to the Grand Canyon and to Germany will cost more, in the neighborhood of a Disney trip. The airfare x 5 people will make the difference for us.

 

[barnum42]

If you compare the price to say a week camping in a tent and spending your days hiking, then it’s pretty expensive.

Compare to it New York rates – the price of an Annual pass will get you in to maybe four Broadway musicals. So Dollar for Dollar (or Pound for Pound in my case) you get a lot more time for your money. Plus I stay offsite for a fraction the cost of onsite hotels, which also saves a good chunk of cash.

 

[Alice28]

For us WDW this year was "almost" a bargain. We were able to stay at the Contemporary for $66 a night (thank you Shades of Green!), our round trip airfare for our family of four was $762 (thank you Southwest Airlines), and we were able to get discounted park hoppers from Shades of Green. If we had waited a couple months, we would have been able to buy those $99 hoppers Disney was offering the military. I honestly don't think the food is THAT much more expensive--well, some restaurants are, but most are fairly comparable. I think when all was said and done we spent about $2,800 on our 10 day disney trip. I have found that when we don't go to Disney, we spend a lot more on meals, entertainment, etc., in order to fill up our days. Ie- in Hawaii we spend money on snorkel gear, tour boats, luau's (VERY expensive!), and I am always compulsive about buying expensive trinkets in Hawaii. At Disney I am happy with a new keychain and tshirt. We are going to Vegas next Spring and I thought it would be cheaper than I trip to the world, but I doubt it will be because DH wants to see Blue Man Group, maybe Penn and Teller and I want to see Mamma Mia- that is at least $300 if not $400 in entertainment costs right there, plus nice meals, gambling (a little- no more than $150), shopping. After factoring in the hotel and airfare costs, we will probably spend close to $2,000 for the two of us to go to Vegas for 5 nights. I think Disney is the better bargain for us. Especially since we are able to stay at the Shades of Green.

P.S.- I grew up in the SF Bay Area- right behind NYC in terms of how much everything costs- I completely get your point about housing costs, etc. yikes!

 

[zurgswife]

Rick...I totally agree with you...

Everytime I price going other places it is ALWAYS more expensive then Disney.

We went to Six Flags for the DAY this summer and it cost $300 just for admission...I get a AP's for all of us for $1200...so I spent 1/4 of my yearly pass budget on ONE DAY at six flags...acutally 5 hrs....DH hated it and we left at 2pm....

But Hotel rooms are cheaper in Disney I've found...lots of competition to bring prices down...I'm talking off site....One site we have DVC so it is definately cheaper for rooms at Disney for us.

Food is pretty comparable..and actually while at WDW we eat a lot of meals in our room because we have a kitchen.

Souveniors are similar prices...

So, Disney is definately Cheaper for my family of 6

 

[Lisa P.]

We went to Six Flags for the DAY this summer and it cost $300 just for admission...I get a AP's for all of us for $1200...so I spent 1/4 of my yearly pass budget on ONE DAY at six flags...

I don't see this. $1200? How does a family of 6 get AP's for that price?

DIS lists regular APs at:

$392.99/A, $334.41/C, ages 3-9

Renewals are listed at:

$350.39/adult and $298.20/child ages 3-9

So the AP's for you and DH would cost $700-$786. That only leaves $414-$500 for your 4 kids' AP's. How old are they??? If they are very young, aren't they free at Six Flags too?

And don't they offer decent discounts to Six Flags, for adults? I've seen 1/2 price deals offered at local grocery stores (in NC) for the Six Flags over Georgia. Maybe the one near you doesn't offer discounts?

 

[Tiggerlover91]

As so many of you have said, it just depends on how you budget. DH and I vacationed in New Orleans this past May for 3 days and we did it for under $500. That was hotel room, food, gas, and the one souvenier I purchased. It included tickets to the Aquarium of Americas, the Zoo, and the IMAX theater. I was quite happy. The $500 we spent in New Orleans would have paid for our hotel over 5 nights and one of our 4 day hopper passes. DH and I are FL residents so we can purchase the play 4 day passes for about $116 after tax. I've budgeted our next trip at around $1050. That's hotel, tickets, food, and gas. I spent twice that the last time DH and I went, but I purchased a package that cost us about $2700 for 9 days and 8 nights at Disney. I will NEVER do that again!! We plan on spending 6 days and 5 nights next time we visit.

Yes Disney can be expensive, but for that matter, New Orleans could have been expensive too had I not budgeted before we left. And that's what it's all about....BUDGETING!!!

 

[zurgswife]

So the AP's for you and DH would cost $700-$786. That only leaves $414-$500 for your 4 kids' AP's. How old are they??? If they are very young, aren't they free at Six Flags too?

$1200 is what we typically pay....I own property in my name in florida that we use occationally (unfortunately no where near disney) due to that we have utility bills in my name so I'm able to get FL state rates...

Breakdown is ....$174.66 (seasonal pass adult) X 3 = 523.98
$148.04 (seaonal pass kid) X 2 = 296.08
DH has to purchase regular AP as his name is not on the deed.
$350.39

Grand Total approx. $1170.45

Though this year we did spend more as my big trip is in Dec. so this years total was $1846

And don't they offer decent discounts to Six Flags, for adults? I've seen 1/2 price deals offered at local grocery stores (in NC) for the Six Flags over Georgia. Maybe the one near you doesn't offer discounts?

We did get a discout but it was only about $40...so it really didn't make much of a dent...