Hawaii more expensive than WDW?

[DisTeach1]

This is not really a debate, as there is no one right answer. For me, I would never be satisfied with tuna fish sandwiches and water. We eat every meal out when we go to Hawaii, and they are not budget buffets or fast food. Also, there are some things, like golf, parasailing, etc., that are expensive, but that we like to do. This seems a silly and meaningless comparison to me-For some Hawaii is cheaper, for some WDW. There are so many factors that come into the equation. We would also never stay at a house, military hotel, or condo.

 

[clutter]

With regard to the extra $1500 in airfare. For nine days, the six of us spent more than $1700 for Stars and Stripes (length of stay passes) to get into WDW and that was discounted without sales tax. I don't think that we have ever spent anything approaching that for entertainment, tours, etc in Hawaii.

However, I have a family of two. So for two of us, with the DVC discount, our annual passes ran less than $700. We will have used 31 days on that pass this year (4 trips). I doubt that the two of us together have spent as much on those 31 days than your family did on one vacation to Hawaii. We go to disney because it works for our family, and it's CHEAP for us. But people that are not DVC members, AP holders or have more than two people in their family don't find it to be a cheap vacation.

I'm wondering why you think that there has to be an absolute truth here, when there are too many variables for there to really be one.

 

[Mary2e]

For me, I was comparing two like hotels...The Hale Koa in Hawaii and SOG at WDW!!!

And you're lucky to have access. Both are in great locations!

 

[cardaway]

I'm enjoying some of the crazy logic people are using to try and paint Hawaii as cheaper than WDW.

Airfare - no contest. Hawaii is much more expensive than traveling to Florida from pretty much everywhere but another Hawiian island.

Hotels - Yeah, I guess if you say that the deluxes in Hawaii have things like an ocean view, then you can really twist the amount you will pay in Hawaii as being more of a bang for your buck. Otherwise, class by class, the Orlando area is much cheaper.

And the best of all is people making a case that the food is cheaper because they visit Safeway or Costco in Hawaii. Hello.. the same basic idea can be used in Florida if that's the route you want to take. But I do know for a fact that those stores have higher prices in Hawaii that their Florida counterparts. So how again is food cheaper in Hawaii.

 

[JennyMominRI]

And you're lucky to have access. Both are in great locations!

It looks like there is one Germany also , and I found one in Tokyo

 

[pozey]

First off....

This is not really a debate, as there is no one right answer.

Very well said.


And secondly......I could have very well written this exact same thing:

For me, I would never be satisfied with tuna fish sandwiches and water. We eat every meal out when we go to Hawaii, and they are not budget buffets or fast food. Also, there are some things, like golf, parasailing, etc., that are expensive, but that we like to do. This seems a silly and meaningless comparison to me-For some Hawaii is cheaper, for some WDW. There are so many factors that come into the equation. We would also never stay at a house, military hotel, or condo.

Whever we vacation, we stay in a nice hotel or resort. At Disney, we usually stay in a deluxe. And with 5 people in our family, we almost have to.

We eat out every meal - but we usually only do breakfast and dinner.

And no matter where we go.......we GO.

Take for instance our vacation to the Grand Canyon upcoming......We have a helicopter tour scheduled, a sunset Jeep tour scheduled, and a train ride scheduled. That's just the way our family does things.

If and when we go to Hawaii, we will parasail, golf, mountain bike, just about whatever adventure we can find.

Again.....that's just the way our family does things.

 

[Mary2e]

Well folks, I can tell you that for me, it is cheaper and I don't rent a condo and stay in a Hyatt on the water. I eat in restaurants, not in my room and the only tuna I have is just caught and cooked and served by a waiter

When in Disney I stay either at a Deluxe or at the Hyatt.

When all is added in, my vacation to Hawaii for 10-12 days costs about the same for the same vacation in Disney but with less time.

I'm including the total cost, meals, tickets (and I sometimes have an AP), tours, boat rides. The meals are split between Sig. restaurants and counter service.

A meal can easily cost us $150 at the CA Grill. To spend that much on a meal in Hawaii I would have to eat in one of the best restaurants in the state. While the CA grill is good, it's not that good. It's probably one of the best on the property, but certainly not in the state.

I agree and have agreed that airfare to Hawaii is an issue, but it's not that much more expensive if you plan correctly. My tickets for the end of this month are almost $400 per person - FROM NJ.

And that's what it takes to do both Hawaii and WDW as inexpensively as possible - planning.

If you're staying at values, of course, your vacation is going to be less expensive than Hawaii. If you own at the DVC, there's a chance it may be less expensive. If you're staying in a deluxe hotel in Disney, it's equal to a 3 or 4 star hotel elsewhere and that's what you have to compare.

But I can honestly say the cheapest vacation I ever tood was not to either Disney or Hawaii. It was a cruise

 

[DawnCt1]

For me, I was comparing two like hotels...The Hale Koa in Hawaii and SOG at WDW!!!

The Hale Koa wins hands down!

 

[Oreo Cookie]

Now the Jersey Shore & Maryland Beaches ARE EXPENSIVE!

This is soooooo true!!!

I'v pretty much stopped going to the shore. We used to go down to Wildwood Crest in the summer for long weekends, but now the cost of a crappy motel is outragious! I cannot believe what they charge nowadays. If you go to the boardwalk, the price of tickets for rides or to play games is crazy. It's less expensive to go to DW!!

 

[DawnCt1]

This is not really a debate, as there is no one right answer. For me, I would never be satisfied with tuna fish sandwiches and water. We eat every meal out when we go to Hawaii, and they are not budget buffets or fast food. Also, there are some things, like golf, parasailing, etc., that are expensive, but that we like to do. This seems a silly and meaningless comparison to me-For some Hawaii is cheaper, for some WDW. There are so many factors that come into the equation. We would also never stay at a house, military hotel, or condo.

If you qualified, I think you would be pleasantly surprised by the ambiance of the 'military hotel'. With regard to the condo, it would be hard to beat the quality, location and convenience of the Ka'anapali Alii. http://www.kaanapaliresort.com/WhereToStay/KaanapaliAlii.aspx
I raised this topic because I have heard many Dis'ers say on this board that they would love to go to Hawaii but it is too expensive. It can be done. With regard to tuna fish and water; its not a typical meal for us when on vacation, but the most convenient one when hiking the Kalalau trail. We have had our share of dinners a Longhi's, Roy's and Merrimans so we do it out as well. I would say that dinners at those restaurants certainly compare favorably to Portobello Yacht Club, California Grill, and Narcooses, of which we have also enjoyed.

 

[DawnCt1]

But I can honestly say the cheapest vacation I ever tood was not to either Disney or Hawaii. It was a cruise

That is so true. If one is looking for value, it is hard to beat any cruise...except for Seaborne or Crystal cruises I suppose.

 

[DISUNC]

This is soooooo true!!!

I'v pretty much stopped going to the shore. We used to go down to Wildwood Crest in the summer for long weekends, but now the cost of a crappy motel is outragious! I cannot believe what they charge nowadays. If you go to the boardwalk, the price of tickets for rides or to play games is crazy. It's less expensive to go to DW!!

OT (SORRY)

2 years ago we went to Wildwood for 5 days. There was 3 of us, we didnt eat anywhere fancy, stayed in a 2 star hotel, $5 games, $5 rides....spent close to $3,000!
Its WDW or nutin!

 

[DawnCt1]

With regard to DVC ownership; How much are your annual fees. That certainly has to be factored in with costs as well as the principle and interest or if you paid cash; lost interest.

 

[Oreo Cookie]

We have had our share of dinners a Longhi's, Roy's and Merrimans so we do it out as well. I would say that dinners at those restaurants certainly compare favorably to Portobello Yacht Club, California Grill, and Narcooses, of which we have also enjoyed.

You mentioned three of mine and DH's favorite restaurants, with Roy's being our top choice everytime. We've been to several Roy's on Hawaii as well on the mainland, including Orlando.

I really enjoyed Merrimans, and I think that was on the big Island.

I agree that Hawaii is a doable vacation on a reasonable budget.

 

[DawnCt1]

Now the Jersey Shore & Maryland Beaches ARE EXPENSIVE!

BIL and SIL spent more for an "apartment", one block from the beach in Maryland, for one week than we did for an ocean view condo on Kauai. We also didn't have to check in on a Saturday and and leave on a Saturday. We could pick our check in and check out days.

 

[helenabear]

With regard to DVC ownership; How much are your annual fees. That certainly has to be factored in with costs as well as the principle and interest or if you paid cash; lost interest.

I'm a DVC owner and on average we pay $1100/yr for owning DVC. I can get about 10 days at WDW on that. 8 days in a 1 bedroom and 4 days in a studio (on average). That makes for a really cheap hotel room and gives me discounts on passes to the parks (I can get 3 trips easily out of that as well). So based on me, Hawaii will be very expensive compared to WDW. I pay less than $100/night for my deluxe and beyond size rooms.

However, I wasn't even thinking that when I first posted, but the morst I think now the more I realize WDW is very affordable for us.

We did a work up of interest lost and it was negligable over time when you compared it to how much we paid out of pocket for hotel rooms no matter what anyway for vactioning.

 

[DawnCt1]

You mentioned three of mine and DH's favorite restaurants, with Roy's being our top choice everytime. We've been to several Roy's on Hawaii as well on the mainland, including Orlando.

I really enjoyed Merrimans, and I think that was on the big Island.

I agree that Hawaii is a doable vacation on a reasonable budget.

I thought about going to Roy's in Orlando but its one of those "Hawaiian pleasures", if you know what I mean. We have dined at Roys on Maui and on the Big Island in Waikaloa. Love it! http://www.roysrestaurant.com/ Just to make your mouth water. I liked Merrimans, but I still prefer Roys.

 

[pozey]

Just out of curiosity, I checked the prices online for 2 resorts for a random week - September 22 - September 30, 2007.

I checked the prices for the Polynesian Lagoon View and the Hyatt Regency Maui.

The Polynesian Lagoon View came out to $478 a night.
The Polynesian Theme Park View came out to $511 a night.

The Hyatt Regency Maui came out to $646 a night for a deluxe ocean front.
The Hyatt Regency Maui came out to $599 a night for a deluxe ocean view.

I could not get a price on a room that would accomodate 5 per room.



Once again, I reiterate........I understand that no matter where you vacation, you can make it as expensive or inexpensive as you can. And each and every individual and family is different.

 

[Mary2e]

Just out of curiosity, I checked the prices online for 2 resorts for a random week - September 22 - September 30, 2007.

I checked the prices for the Polynesian Lagoon View and the Hyatt Regency Maui.

The Polynesian Lagoon View came out to $478 a night.
The Polynesian Theme Park View came out to $511 a night.

The Hyatt Regency Maui came out to $646 a night for a deluxe ocean front.
The Hyatt Regency Maui came out to $599 a night for a deluxe ocean view.

I could not get a price on a room that would accomodate 5 per room.



Once again, I reiterate........I understand that no matter where you vacation, you can make it as expensive or inexpensive as you can. And each and every individual and family is different.

Ocean FRONT in Hawaii is the equivalent of getting castle view concierge. That's the only drawback to hawaii... the closer you get to the ocean the more $$$ you are going to pay. But in Maui, your room will be almost hanging over the water. You can't get that close to the castle in Disney If you compare standard view to standard view in both hotels the prices are about the same.

You can also buy and use Hyatt stay certificates for $249 per night for a standard room in any Hyatt resort. There is usually excellent availability and I've used them often.

There are tricks everyone can use to get to Hawaii for less money. This is a Disney board, hence, every trick known to man to save money is found here. There are a bunch of tricks for Hawaii.

I know that I get my parents into a 1 bedroom condo 1 block from Waikiki beach for a month in the winter for $125 per night. How? Entertainment book discounts. It's neat and clean and has maid service. Is it a DVC? No. But for the money, it's certainly an excellent deal in the middle of all the action.

 

[Oreo Cookie]

I thought about going to Roy's in Orlando but its one of those "Hawaiian pleasures", if you know what I mean. We have dined at Roys on Maui and on the Big Island in Waikaloa. Love it! http://www.roysrestaurant.com/ Just to make your mouth water. I liked Merrimans, but I still prefer Roys.

I just love Roy's. It is like DH and I are addicted. Everything I have had there was delicious, and I think they have phenomenal service as well! Oh, and the Chocolate Souffle, my mouth waters just thinking about it. We've been to both locations on Maui, the one on the Big Island, San Francisco, NYC, Orland, and Las Vegas.