how expensive is WDW?

[Svhadden]

We're a single-income fam of four. I homeschool our two kids, ages 11 and 6. This economy is horrid, but we find a way to make it work every year.

We stay on-site at POR, have always been able to snag free dining, and have a reasonable souvenir/pin budget. Our most expensive trip was last year--around $4300. But my DH gave our kids a crazy souvvie budget and he had a crazy pin budget . I'm not a souvenir fan, so if I pick out a visor I like or something like that, it's rare.

Anyway, that was driving (live 10 hrs away). This year we're flying--got rt tickets for $800 for all 4 of us. Yes, waaaay more than driving, but the old family truckster has 220,000 miles on it and has made it's last trip to WDW. Won't drive again until we get something newer, and that's not a priority right now. Tickets (MYW, no hopper, 6 days 7 nights) and our resort POR--$2450ish. Souvenirs, pin, etc, approx $650. So, total of approx $3900ish.

We don't charge anything, in fact have NO credit cards. We pay for this trip cash every year, and it's so important to our fam that we'll continue to do so even if it means doing without other luxuries. Yes, WDW is expensive (I mean, come on, we don't spend $80ish on lunch every day lol), but it's important to us, so we find a way to make it economical AND fun.

 

[DrMomof3]

We're a family of 5 and we're definitely changing our vacation habits due to cost/economy. Our upcoming trip we will stay off-site for the 1st time. I was able to get a 2 bedroom villa at Wyndham Bonnet Creek for $120 per night. We'll have a kitchen so we can save on food. Breakfast will be in the room and we'll pack snacks every day (and maybe even lunch). I'm only renewing my AP (I'm running in 2 runDisney events in the next year so it makes sense for me). We don't plan to take the kids back to Disney in the next 12 months which will be a big change for us.
We've had many enjoyable trips to Disney and it's time for us to cut back. I don't think our upcoming trip will be less enjoyable because we're cutting back. I actually wonder if it won't cure us of wanting to stay on-site....

Amanda

 

[*NikkiBell*]

how expensive is WDW?

it's so expensive that i'm seriously considering skipping WDW completely when i'm at the hyatt grand cypress this october for a conference.

Most conferences down there give you a special rate (or complimentary tickets) to WDW. Did you double check?


I have not changed (nor plan to) change my Disney habits as of right now. I own DVC which makes things easier in terms of hotel stays. I also received the AP discount and don't have to worry about tickets. I can imagine things would be different if I had children though. With this being said, I do watch how I spend money during vacation. I rarely buy bottled water (HydroFlask it instead) and recently started flying Southwest to save money.

Hopefully, Disney recognizes that it's becoming difficult for families and offers some incentives or discounts to help in the future.

 

[disneyholic family]

Most conferences down there give you a special rate (or complimentary tickets) to WDW. Did you double check?


I have not changed (nor plan to) change my Disney habits as of right now. I own DVC which makes things easier in terms of hotel stays. I also received the AP discount and don't have to worry about tickets. I can imagine things would be different if I had children though. With this being said, I do watch how I spend money during vacation. I rarely buy bottled water (HydroFlask it instead) and recently started flying Southwest to save money.

Hopefully, Disney recognizes that it's becoming difficult for families and offers some incentives or discounts to help in the future.

it's just a two and a half day conference (thursday evening through saturday night.....for those who come in on thursday, there isn't a moment free for anything but the conference.....
what i did when i attended two years ago, was come in 9 days early, stayed at the pop on my own and got in my disney fix before anyone else arrived...

i was going to do that again this year, but after having planned DD's trip (she's there now), i had the wind knocked out of me so to speak...
i was shocked by the prices...when planning her trip, i was hoping for a pin code, but none came...and this was the only time DD/DSIL could go, so it's expensive...very expensive...

so i think i'm going to pass....my mom and sister also attend this conference, so i have tickets for the three of us for the halloween party the first night of the conference (when it's just the opening cocktail party that we can skip)...
my sister's birthday is halloween, so the halloween party should be especially fun for her....

but i think that's it....i'm not going to come in early...not going to do disney...
it's just too much money....$4 for a frozen coke is more than i can stomach...
sounds stupid, but that coke is part of the experience and the experience is too pricey...
i sound completely insane considering i'll be flying halfway around the world to get to the conference, but it's too much...

maybe i'll come back one day with the family, if i can ever manage to get free dining or a deal....but not full price....it's too much....disney has hit that point in the demand curve, where my demand goes to zero....
time to go through withdrawal and be done with it...

i realize this is probably more of an issue for someone coming from overseas...it's interesting that over on the UK board, there have been many people commenting about the increase in disney prices...so maybe it's when we look at it....the increased WDW prices combined with the increased cost of getting there, it becomes even more unbearable..

on the bright side, now that there's a dis cruise on RCCL, i don't have to give up the dis

of course, maybe this is all just a phase that i'm going through...

the cost of my injury is getting to me....and the store's insurance is nowhere in sight...so maybe that's it...who knows......got up on the wrong side of the bed...or time to take a vacation from my disney obsession....

 

[kbelle8995]

Disney is expensive. But there are ways. This next time I am going I'm staying off property but close enough in LBV. Actually I'm staying at the Hilton. And they gave me a better deal than Disney's values and I still get extra magic hours.

Also we are taking more of our meals off property. The quality of Disney's restaurant is no longer consistently as good.

 

[mulderxcoltrane]

You can get a condo or house off site for $700 or less for a week...

Don't forget to factor in transportation from the condo/house to/from the parks.

A large van is VERY expensive to rent for a week AND you have to add the rental (or cost to check) any carseats. It might cost around $900 for the van without seats (depending on days of the week, times of year, and company used). Three booster seats could cost around $175 for the week.

Now: I realize that's still cheaper than $300/night + tax on property; but it's sometimes those other costs we forget to calculate.

If it's a tolerable drive from wherever home is, that's a different story.

 

[ang]

Yes, Free Dining really helps out. DD is going to be a freshman in HS, but we still take her out of school for vacations, since DH can't take time off when she is out. We just try to wrap around long weekends so she will only miss a day or 2.

If we couldn't have booked during Free Dining, we could still go for around the same $$ by staying offsite. To compare:

Onsite w/Free Dining:
Room, Tickets, and Dining for 5 nights for 3 adults @ Value resort: $1415
Gas, round trip from NC, gas @3.50/gal: $135
souvenirs and extra meals/snacks: $150
TOTAL: $1700

Offsite:
Room @ offsite hotel from Hotwire: $40/night with taxes- $200
Tickets from UndercoverTourist: $805
Food: $450
Gas: $150
Parking: $70
Souvenirs: $75
TOTAL: $1745

I wish we could go in the fall and winter, we used to when the kids were small! My son is in honor classes and they are really picky about missing school they deduct points. ugh. Then my hubby he doesn't have weekends off. so there's no way for us plan like that.

My daughter is in college as soon I mention vacation she says, "I"m going too!"
I might not go next year to disney, I might wait until the following year when hubby is retired then I could do things like that!! I am trying figure out what to do!! ugh

I thought I would buy undercover tourist 10 day w/hopper and water parks with no exspiration so we can go back again and watch for discounts codes for hotel at the value. lol We are all about Value.

 

[SA mom]

Starwood American Express is a wonderful thing. We purchase everything possible with this credit card (including paying insurance and taxes). The Swan and Dolphin are Starwood properties. We stayed 5 nights at the Swan during Thanksgiving week on points two years ago. Amazing. This summer we stayed 6 nights at the Sheraton Anaheim just down the street from Disneyland. We paid nothing.

If you want to stay on property, I highly recommend this program. When you don't have to pay for lodging, the cost of your visit becomes much more managable.

 

[Potato Salad]

Anyone with seven kids knows that you have to make sacrifices. Two sacrifices I think should be considered are:

1. Rent a vacation home. Forget about hotels.
I did a quick search and found a house that sleeps 9 for $1775.00

2. Drive to Orlando.
This is a big one, its about 20 hours from Toledo to Disney World and with
7 kids that could be rough. You will want to take two days (each way) for
the trip, but it could be done for under $700.00


The way I envision this trip going is you leave the house Saturday morning and arrive sometime Sunday night. Do 5 days in the parks ($2340.00). Leave Disney Saturday morning and arrive home Sunday night.

Add another $1000.00 for food, parking and other stuff and you can do Disney for less then $6000.00. Still expensive? Yes. But alot cheaper then $17,000.

 

[DougY]

Dose up on your antidepressant medication, then go have the time of your life!
We go to WDW four to five times a year, and stay in the FW Campground in our 5th Wheel. We get Seasonal Annual Passes with Florida Resident Discounts to cut down on the cost of entry fees, the Campgrounds are a lot less expensive than the hotels, and we eat most of our meals by BBQ'ing at our campsite. My wife and I love WDW, never get tired of going. It gets a bit pricey when we bring the kids and grand kids on occasion, but hey....ya only live once. The kids love it, and the memories are worth it. Y'all have a MAGICAL DAY!!

 

[hockeymomNS]

WDW holds a special place in my families' hearts, so we will always find a way to make it work.

We can afford to, and have had the pleasure of, being able to stay on property in concierge rooms or suites at deluxe resorts, but with the economy the way it is, I think everyone is reconsidering what is really important, not only in life, but the way they travel.

We are a family of four and usually go with friends or extended family, so staying off site in a private home or condo works out better with the additional space, not to mention, is much less expensive for such a large group. Cooking meals and packing snacks for the parks is another great perk of staying off site.

Now that we've been to Disney many times, it's getting to a point where we only need to spend a few days there. We can take or leave Hollywood Studios and have zero remorse when it comes to skipping Animal Kingdom. Epcot is our "main" park, but we always spend a day at Magic Kingdom too.

I'm a big Universal Studios fan, so spending a few days there is always fun. Sure, it's almost as expensive as Disney, but there are many more attractions and rides that I'm drawn to there than at Disney.

Universal is about thrills, Disney is about memories.

We'll continue to go to WDW, but have significantly cut down on the money we spend on resorts and in the parks. While it's about money, it's also about convenience and what we value in a vacation.

Thank you for writing my post
aka I totally agree and that is our situation exactly.

 

[disneyholic family]

very interesting posts!! lots of great ideas!

 

[WaDiWo]

Kevin often talks about "value." This is an extremely important concept especially in planning (and spending on) a trip to Walt Disney World.

only each family can decide for themselves what their money is worth and if a certain meal, experience, what have you, is worth a certain dollar amount.

To the OP... wow $17,000 sounds like a lot for anyone. but only the OP can decide if it's worth it. if they have saved for years and then end up having an incredible once in a lifetime vacation with the family, and everyone has a great time, then it may end up being worth every penny...buy only the OP can decide.

on a much smaller scale, for me, a $40 entree at california grill has much more value to me that a $7 dry chicken breast sandwich at cosmic rays, but thats just me.

that being said, as other posters have detailed, there are many ways to cut costs without cutting experience. ...

i am not known to practice what i preach, but you could:

not park hop.
not go to the parks everyday.
eat TS lunches...
and order a bunch of appetizers to share! (if you're not on disney dining)
stay at Swan / dolphin.
buy gift cards for your kids so you prepay for souvenirs and there are no surprises.
spend a day resort hopping (this really is fun).
have an amazing time!

 

[dscott1996]

I still find WDW to be a value! We just returned from a Canada trip where we went to Niagara falls and Toronto for 5 nights. We Spent the following:
Gas - $210 (us)
Hotel - $860 (includes parking in Toronto)
Shows - $600
Activities - $375
Food - $240 (breakfast at hotel)
Souvenirs - $275


So this was over $2500 for family of four and we spent more time at the hotel pool then we ever have on any other vacation. Though we enjoyed ourselves, none of the entertainment was on par with Disney. The dinner show we saw was nice, but not even as fun as a character meal. It was probably more relaxing because we weren't as active. The whole time I felt we would have done more for about the same at the World. And when we returned I had $85 in fees on my credit card for foreign transactions and they charged me $6 for one phone call before I turned my phone off for the rest of the trip.