I'm begining to think maybe Disney isn't that way over priced

[AngieInOH]

Just got back from a 5 night trip to Pigeon Forge, TN. Grand total of the trip $4,200.

I haven't priced a Disney vaca for awhile but pretty sure a stay at Value resort with Dining plan would be close to that range for 5 nights. The only thing that would make it alot more expensive would be our plane tickets. So I complain about the price hikes and how expensive it is just like everyone else, but realistically it's probably in line with a lot of other vacation locations.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Just got back from a 5 night trip to Pigeon Forge, TN. Grand total of the trip $4,200.

I haven't priced a Disney vaca for awhile but pretty sure a stay at Value resort with Dining plan would be close to that range for 5 nights. The only thing that would make it alot more expensive would be our plane tickets. So I complain about the price hikes and how expensive it is just like everyone else, but realistically it's probably in line with a lot of other vacation locations.

Sorry to hear you didn't find a lot of good values in Pigeon Forge...it really is a location that can cost a lot or a little, depending on how you plan, how you search for values, and how you like to vacation...last year was definitely a great year to go b/c there were deals and values everywhere you looked!

Last year, for 6 days and 5 nights in early June (including one night at the waterpark), I spent $1800 total OOP for 6 (3 "adults"/3 kid-aged) for everything...the only "not available to others" discount I used was my timeshare, which cost me $600 in OOP maintenance costs that are included in the $1800 (vs the price of the rooms, which probably would have been double or close to $200/night + tax)...

What we got done for $1800...we missed mountain time due to a very rainy week - thus, you'll see more resort time...
Sun - Drive In - Resort Activity Time (air hockey, ping pong, mini golf)
Mon - Breakfast at Old Mill, Ripley's Aquarium (spent 3 hours), Hatfield McCoy dinner show 5pm, Resort Activity Time (Battleship, checkers, mini golf), Adult Moonshine Tasting
Tues - Forbidden Caverns, Lunch and Tour/Shopping of Bush's Bean Museum, Indoor Swim, Dinner at Applewood Farms, Old Smoky Mountain Opry 8pm
Wed - Resort Bingo Activity, Resort Activity Time Morning, Guinness Records Museum (2 hours), Wine Tasting (and walk of the "boardwalk"), Parent late afternoon at Books a Million, Steak and Shake Happy Hour Dinner, Applewood Creamery Ice Cream Outing and Shopping/Wine Tasting the complex, Magic Show with Darren Romeo 8:15pm
Thurs - Condo Swap, Ripley's 5d Theater, Lunch and Shopping at Old Mill, then total Waterpark Craziness all day, Taco Bell Dinner
Fri - Play Gym Morning, Check Out and Drive Home

 

[CalDisneyMomof2]

I've been pricing out different vacations for next year for a couple of reasons. One, I wouldn't say we're getting burnt out from Disney but the thrill and anticipation is being lost by our kids. The more often we do it, the less excited they get. Two, my older kids' activities are both time consuming and costly so our vacations will be fewer and hopefully less costly.

With that said, (and this is coming from Southern California) going to WDW is not all that expensive, I'm finding out like you. I've been pricing out RCCL hoping that the cost would be less and for something different/new destinations and it comes out to about the same cost perhaps more for RCCL. Hawaii? Forget it. Won't go to Mexico. Flights to the Caribbean are costly too despite the cost to stay being reasonable.

I'm researching other options (I've looked into Pigeon Forge but flights from L.A. area are not very cheap either) but having a hard time beating Disney's prices especially being able to buy discounted gift cards. We're doing D.C. this summer (total OOP for 5 of us will be about $2,500 because we're using hotel points) but I'm having a hard time finding other destinations we're interested in that are about the same or less than WDW.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

I've been pricing out different vacations for next year for a couple of reasons. One, I wouldn't say we're getting burnt out from Disney but the thrill and anticipation is being lost by our kids. The more often we do it, the less excited they get. Two, my older kids' activities are both time consuming and costly so our vacations will be fewer and hopefully less costly.

With that said, (and this is coming from Southern California) going to WDW is not all that expensive, I'm finding out like you. I've been pricing out RCCL hoping that the cost would be less and for something different/new destinations and it comes out to about the same cost perhaps more for RCCL. Hawaii? Forget it. Won't go to Mexico. Flights to the Caribbean are costly too despite the cost to stay being reasonable.

I'm researching other options (I've looked into Pigeon Forge but flights from L.A. area are not very cheap either) but having a hard time beating Disney's prices especially being able to buy discounted gift cards. We're doing D.C. this summer (total OOP for 5 of us will be about $2,500 because we're using hotel points) but I'm having a hard time finding other destinations we're interested in that are about the same or less than WDW.

From someone who lives in TN....don’t fly from LA to visit pigeon forge.

We go every couple years for a long weekend. Anything other than that is way too much. It is an overpriced tourist trap. I do like Dollywood, though. And the National Park is pretty in the fall. But still not worth flying 4 hours.

 

[pigletto]

I find Disney expensive in some respects. The price per night in a Deluxe is ridiculous, and those aren’t deluxe resorts anywhere else in the world. And the climb in tickets since we started going as a family in 2008 is pretty shocking.
However... what Disney has that SOME vacations lack is the ability to design your trip in a way that you can spend as much or as little as you would like. I can go offsite (and almost always do) and have tons of space, save money on food and spend way less. You can stay value , you can rent DVC. There’s just so many variables I can manipulate when it comes to rooms and food that I can find a price point I am comfortable with ( now if the Canadian dollar would co-operate it would be much more comfortable ).

I was pricing cruises this morning .. I need two roooms for the five of us.. I have to fly. I’ll need excursions in a least a few of the ports, I’ll have tips to pay.. all of a sudden that $5000 cruise is $7000. It really adds up. I just seem to have an easier time coming in budget at Disney.

 

[WDW Traveler]

I agree that Disney isn't that expensive when you compare it to other travel destinations. We (3 adults) can usually do a Disney Value resort for 7/8 nights, 6 day park tickets no hopper, with flights, rental car and OOP meals, no dining plan, for about $4500. My husband and I (no DD) are going to Aruba for 7 nights and with hotel, flights, food and doing a couple "things" it's going to cost the two of us about $4000. So my preference is Disney since for your $$ you are doing so much.

 

[AngieInOH]

Sorry to hear you didn't find a lot of good values in Pigeon Forge...it really is a location that can cost a lot or a little, depending on how you plan, how you search for values, and how you like to vacation...last year was definitely a great year to go b/c there were deals and values everywhere you looked!

There are discounts to be had (lots of them in fact, all of those coupon books!) but when we go on vacation my husband has a hard time telling my girls no. Admittedly he spent way more on arcade games than I would have wanted. And we don’t skimp on meals on vacation. For lunch and dinner they were typically sit down, not fast food. This was a vacation for 5.

Some of the bigger ticket items included Cabin rental $1,400, Zipline for two $200, Dixie Stampede $202, Wonder Works $100, Mountain Coaster $60, Jurassic Ride $55 (biggest waste of money!!), Eating $800, Go Carts $60, Annakesta $60, plus arcade, souvenirs, putt putt golf, etc.

We’ve been going to the area for years so I’m not shocked by the cost. We’ve just never actually went back to see how much everything cost. My kids had a great time so it was all worth it (except for that darn Jarassic Ride!)

 

[Minniemouse07]

We are in southeastern PA where many people spend a week (or more) at "the shore" every year for their summer vacations. Dh wanted to go to the beach two years ago and I started pricing out a trip...and it was going to turn out to be as much as we would pay at WDW once you added in the food and activities. So we ended up taking the AutoTrain, doing one night (two days) Universal, a 5 night Royal Caribbean cruise, and one night at the Beach Club instead of spending a week at a shore house.

I agree that it is reasonable...even if you splurge here and there you can still make WDW an affordable vacation.

 

[la79al]

Part of the problem I have with Disney isn't so much the cost but more so what you get for that money. I see it as paying a lot of money to stand in long lines and rush from FP to FP. Somewhere like the beach on the other hand, we can pay for the condo, buy groceries and have a laid back relaxing day. No one is grouchy because we had to wake up to beat crowds. No one misses bedtime for fireworks. I think Disney is the only vacation where I come home from vacation needing a vacation.
The other part is that if we go somewhere other than Disney, we can cut costs. We can go at a slower time, we can choose activities that are cheaper and look for discounts. We can make our own food or choose more reasonable restaurants. At Disney, the room prices are pretty much the room prices. Ticket prices are what they are. You can save a bit on food but at an inconvenience. So comparing what you can save on vacation X versus Disney, Disney doesn't necessarily win.

 

[Marionnette]

There's an interesting article that was posted today on wdwinfo (sister website to the disboards). http://www.wdwinfo.com/walt-disney-world/disney-prices-keep-going-up-and-im-okay-with-it/

Lots of people in the comments section disagreeing with the author.

Personally, I feel that Disney is not offering the value that it did in the past. There's so much to see in the rest of the world. I have no issue with renting out my DVC points and freeing up some cash to see it.

 

[Minniemouse07]

Part of the problem I have with Disney isn't so much the cost but more so what you get for that money. I see it as paying a lot of money to stand in long lines and rush from FP to FP. Somewhere like the beach on the other hand, we can pay for the condo, buy groceries and have a laid back relaxing day. No one is grouchy because we had to wake up to beat crowds. No one misses bedtime for fireworks. I think Disney is the only vacation where I come home from vacation needing a vacation.
The other part is that if we go somewhere other than Disney, we can cut costs. We can go at a slower time, we can choose activities that are cheaper and look for discounts. We can make our own food or choose more reasonable restaurants. At Disney, the room prices are pretty much the room prices. Ticket prices are what they are. You can save a bit on food but at an inconvenience. So comparing what you can save on vacation X versus Disney, Disney doesn't necessarily win.

This also all depends on what you want out of a vacation. I would lose my mind if I was at a beach house for a week w/ nothing to do but sit on the beach. I can do that for a few hours...but then I need to DO something. ... and while WDW is at the other end of the do nothing vs run around spectrum, I put in a lot of planning to minimize the running around part and include chunks of doing nothing by the pool.

..and I'm not cooking on vacation. Having a full kitchen in a condo or vacation home is lost on us because it isn't a vacation if I'm cooking and washing dishes.

 

[Marionnette]

This also all depends on what you want out of a vacation. I would lose my mind if I was at a beach house for a week w/ nothing to do but sit on the beach. I can do that for a few hours...but then I need to DO something. ... and while WDW is at the other end of the do nothing vs run around spectrum, I put in a lot of planning to minimize the running around part and include chunks of doing nothing by the pool.

..and I'm not cooking on vacation. Having a full kitchen in a condo or vacation home is lost on us because it isn't a vacation if I'm cooking and washing dishes.

But isn't "doing nothing" the appeal of a beach vacation? Sleep in, take a walk on the boardwalk, grab a quick lunch at the condo, pack the cooler, grab a book and a chair and head to the beach. Stroll back to your condo in the late afternoon, shower and head out for dinner. Wash, rinse, repeat. Typical Wildwood vacation!

While I can understand the "it ain't a vacation if I'm cooking and cleaning" mindset, I also understand that it's a lot easier to contain costs with a vacation at the shore than it is to spend a week at Disney resort, dining out for every meal and hitting the parks each day. We live in SEPA, too, and an annual trip to the shore has always been a part of our family's summer. A Disney World trip (airfare, dining, Disney hotel and tickets) far exceeds even the spendiest week we ever had at the shore!

 

[TwoMisfits]

But isn't "doing nothing" the appeal of a beach vacation? Sleep in, take a walk on the boardwalk, grab a quick lunch at the condo, pack the cooler, grab a book and a chair and head to the beach. Stroll back to your condo in the late afternoon, shower and head out for dinner. Wash, rinse, repeat. Typical Wildwood vacation!

While I can understand the "it ain't a vacation if I'm cooking and cleaning" mindset, I also understand that it's a lot easier to contain costs with a vacation at the shore than it is to spend a week at Disney resort, dining out for every meal and hitting the parks each day. We live in SEPA, too, and an annual trip to the shore has always been a part of our family's summer. A Disney World trip (airfare, dining, Disney hotel and tickets) far exceeds even the spendiest week we ever had at the shore!

Sounds like my childhood, except we added mini golf and family activities at the hotel and cheap band nights for rides on the boardwalk piers or the waterpark (ending with Kohr's custard cones every day). We didn't cook, though - my parents just loaded up on sandwich supplies (meat/cheese/lettuce/tomato/onion/mayo/mustard), chips, fruit, and soda (and cereal/milk/juice) and they never cooked, but just let us get our breakfast while they made and packed the sandwiches/lunch for the beach...the only exception was if we were gonna do hotel activities in the morning and then eat and head to the beach...then we just brought the soda and chips there and had the healthy stuff in the room...

I know we didn't spend a lot, b/c we didn't have a lot...and I admit, we visited Snow White's for dinner once every trip b/c that was the name of my brother's cat (so he had to go), and it was cheap...but boy, if I don't still have a soft spot for that place...

 

[danielocha30]

This also all depends on what you want out of a vacation. I would lose my mind if I was at a beach house for a week w/ nothing to do but sit on the beach. I can do that for a few hours...but then I need to DO something. ... and while WDW is at the other end of the do nothing vs run around spectrum, I put in a lot of planning to minimize the running around part and include chunks of doing nothing by the pool.

..and I'm not cooking on vacation. Having a full kitchen in a condo or vacation home is lost on us because it isn't a vacation if I'm cooking and washing dishes.

 

[Minniemouse07]

But isn't "doing nothing" the appeal of a beach vacation? Sleep in, take a walk on the boardwalk, grab a quick lunch at the condo, pack the cooler, grab a book and a chair and head to the beach. Stroll back to your condo in the late afternoon, shower and head out for dinner. Wash, rinse, repeat. Typical Wildwood vacation!

While I can understand the "it ain't a vacation if I'm cooking and cleaning" mindset, I also understand that it's a lot easier to contain costs with a vacation at the shore than it is to spend a week at Disney resort, dining out for every meal and hitting the parks each day. We live in SEPA, too, and an annual trip to the shore has always been a part of our family's summer. A Disney World trip (airfare, dining, Disney hotel and tickets) far exceeds even the spendiest week we ever had at the shore!

...and precisely why a beach vacation would drive me crazy. I could do what you outlined for ...maybe... one day. After that I would be tearing my hair out looking for other stuff to do. I far prefer a cruise than the shore. I can sit at the pool for an hour and spend the rest of the day doing various stuff around the ship. The one day at the private island is more than enough beach time.

We've done long spring weekends in Ocean City (MD) which is much more palatable for "beach time" than a mid summer week. While I realize a week at the shore CAN be less expensive, that would only be if we rarely ate out and mostly went to the beach as our activity. If you budgeted minimal meals in, and doing something non beach most days...you are going to approach the same prices as WDW, especially if you are renting something within walking distance of the beach.

I grew up on Long Island, about 15 minutes from the beach. We only had parking lots, dunes, and beach...no boardwalk. I loved going for a few hours but avoided it during the summer. My favorite time to walk the beach was early fall, after all the crowds stopped coming but before it got cold.

 

[sjrec]

We have a place at the beach and love our time spent there-but I feel sorry for people that come for a week and have some of it or most of it rained out. Restaurants in our resort town are expensive as are the movies, arcades, mini golf and boardwalk rides and games. The cost of a condo or house rental can be pricey as well.
But I agree it’s a good thing to experience other places than Disney-when our daughter was young we traveled to cities like New York, Chicago and Washington for 4 or 5 days. Lots of good museums at reasonable cost or free-and we really researched where to eat well for a reasonable amount.

 

[disorganizedchaos]

I feel like the majority of people who are complaining (edit: people from the comments in the WDWinfo article) are comparing peak crowds/vacation weeks. No, of course you cannot go to Disney during Thanksgiving/Christmas/February/Spring/April break. We have been twice in the last three years, never waiting in insane lines, often walking on to more popular attractions. We also only go during times when the crowds are expected to be lower. I also make sure our expectations are fairly low - we aren't going to fly through the parks, riding every ride, eating three sit down meals a day, and feel like we're the only people around. We always take afternoon breaks and call it quits once the meltdowns happen.
I don't understand people who complain about waiting in line for a popular ride/attraction for even 30 minutes. Disney would have to severely lower their crowd capacity and they simply aren't going to do that. But as long as I can still get a comfy bed for $105 a night at an all star resort, you can count me in.

 

[bluehen]

The two big things we save on when doing non-disney vacations are food and activities. We did a 1 week Pigeon Forge and 1 week hilton head vacation last year for well under 2000 for two of us. In TN we had scored a 1 week condo on skyauction for 130 bucks. We went out twice for dinner. Our activities revolved around the national park with Hiking and touring. We had a great time. Activities cost very little. We rented a condo in hilton head the next week for 600 dollars from a timeshare owner. Again activity was the beach. I love to body surf and boogie board and DW loves to read. We went out twice again. Mostly we go early on days that are not great weather wise and take advantage of specials. It is easier for us as we love the outdoors as much as disney.

For those that do not cook on vacation

I really don't mind cooking even on vacation, but have tricks that make it very easy. We use timeshare rentals so there almost always is a grill. Grill a steak along with vegetables and put some potatoes on also, and you have a great meal with no clean up. Put the dishes in the dishwasher and you are done. I can clean up faster than someone can pay a bill at a restaurant. I enjoy grilling with a beer in my hand and find that experience better than sitting in a restaurant. For breakfast we use a pan or a skillet to cook bacon or sausage. Make eggs right on top and you have 1 pan to clean with a quick swipe. Fresh fruit and vegetables fill out a grilled meal easily also. I know we are not the norm with actually feeling that having to go out all the time becomes more of a chore than fun.

 

[QueenIsabella]

I'm another one who doesn't mind some cooking on vacation. Simple things, as the PP said--grilled meat and vegetables, I usually make up my famous pasta salad on the first day, break-and-bake cookies. We just got back from a few days at Myrtle Beach, and I could hardly get my kids out of the resort. My gang also doesn't care much for restaurant meals, and if we do go, it's typically a buffet.

There's a ton of stuff to do there, plus a bunch of coupons to be had. We went shopping, visited Wonderworks, and hit an escape room.

 

[Marionnette]

I feel like the majority of people who are complaining are comparing peak crowds/vacation weeks. No, of course you cannot go to Disney during Thanksgiving/Christmas/February/Spring/April break. We have been twice in the last three years, never waiting in insane lines, often walking on to more popular attractions. We also only go during times when the crowds are expected to be lower. I also make sure our expectations are fairly low - we aren't going to fly through the parks, riding every ride, eating three sit down meals a day, and feel like we're the only people around. We always take afternoon breaks and call it quits once the meltdowns happen.
I don't understand people who complain about waiting in line for a popular ride/attraction for even 30 minutes. Disney would have to severely lower their crowd capacity and they simply aren't going to do that. But as long as I can still get a comfy bed for $105 a night at an all star resort, you can count me in.

Disney would not have to lower crowd capacity. They would just need to run the attractions at full capacity instead of reducing staffing (saving money) and subsequently lengthening wait times. I've been going to Disney since the mid-80s. There is a huge difference in the "Disney Experience" from those early visits and the latest trips. My guess is that those who are "complaining" are people who remember what it was like to visit the parks before the latest round of cost-cutting/price hiking.