Interesting Dis article. Is Disney Really a MORE Expensive Destination?

[Harmacist]

We were shocked how the price of food at WDW hasn’t increased like it has in our local city. Eating quick service was just same price or often cheaper than what we get at home eating out. So I agree with this point in the article.

Another comparison I have is a night out attending a concert or sporting event is often just as much as a day at Disney and the food is always more money at those venues.

Disney really seemed to raise the prices of food, if I remember, between 2015-2020 and then took the foot off the gas for price increases since then. They were kind of ahead of the inflation curve.

I think QS is more than reasonable with pricing, especially when you compare to food prices at other enclosed venues like sporting events, other theme parks and concerts. I would say it borders on bargain but I don't want Disney to get any ideas. TS is more overpriced IMO but there are still a handful of restaurants/dishes that I would pay the Disney prices even if they were at home.

 

[Darcy03231]

Disney really seemed to raise the prices of food, if I remember, between 2015-2020 and then took the gas off the price increases since then. They were kind of ahead of the inflation curve.

I think QS is more than reasonable with pricing, especially when you compare to food prices at other enclosed venues like sporting events, other theme parks and concerts. I would say it borders on bargain but I don't want Disney to get any ideas. TS is more overpriced IMO but there are still a handful of restaurants/dishes that I would pay the Disney prices even if they were at home.

DH and stopped at Arby's yesterday on the way home from a medical appointment. He got three sliders, I got two, two fries, two drinks came to about $20.00. That's about what a quick service meal costs in the parks.

 

[barkley]

Plus a season pass costs a few bucks more than a one day ticket, and you can buy the djning plan for cheap and eat free at every visit. I remember WDW in the 70’s, with the different tickets for rides.

I still have a complete ticket book! we also still have 1 day left on my son's 14 day non expiring park hopper we bought back in the early 2000's when he was around 4 (he's now 28). we've made those old non expiring tickets pay off using them multiple times over the years.

 

[DodgerGirl]

In all honesty when it came to family destinations for family vacations Disneyland and Walt Disney World used to be the top theme parks for family vacations and every family would go to Disney Parks every year or every summer but when 9/11 happened it really affected the travel industry completely and with new rules on travel safety and airline safety people saw vacations not worthy of planning and going on. Disney Parks started raising prices around 9/11 because they saw a high loss of travelers not going due to the new travel safety rules. But in the spring of 2004 Disneyland began raising it's ticket prices when they had their first price jump and when it happened families stopped making trips to Disneyland every year and ever since then Disneyland has never been the same since with it's high ticket pricing and there is little hope that Disneyland will lower it's ticket prices in the future. What I think Disney Parks is trying to do is save itself by giving people additional add-ons with their resort stays such as Extra Magic Hour discounts at character dining restaurants and Lightning Lane options. And they think in general that this is the way to gain an audience. When it comes to dining at a Disney restaurant the reason why some restaurants are pricey "especially the character oriented ones" is because they want families to enjoy a special dining experience but have you noticed that the kids menu items are the most priciest of all the food at Disney Parks. And when you get the general picture children do not have a big menu and most only eat things like macaroni and cheese and cereal for breakfast and I cannot see how a kids size hamburger at Disney Parks can be pricey. What I think Disney Parks need to do is have special preview days where families can get in the park for free and they would have unlimited rides and discounts at shops and restaurants and it would be smart for Disney Parks to consider for the summer and Christmas. And what I really think what could work for Disneyland is a ticket wristband "Similar to what Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has" and if you have a ticket wristband it would enable you as the first person to go on rides before everyone else goes on and have the chance to meet all characters first and any remaining tickets that you still have on your wristband can be still used for a future visit or can be traded for a Disney gift card or Disney Store purchase and it would be a clever and smart system for Disneyland to use and if it worked the other Disney Parks would use this system and follow suit

 

[kydisneyfans]

Disney is an easy trip to save on, as a result it is one of the cheaper places to travel for me. 26% back with my citi card buying Disney gift cards at Meijer this week. By the time one does a show, go carts, mini golf, etc in a place like Gatlinburg, the costs add up to a 1 day ticket in the offseason. Orlando is a cheap destination from the local airports. Car rentals are cheaper. Park food cost isn't bad at all. I did 4 days in Colorado last summer and it was similar in cost to a 7 day trip to Disney/Orlando for me, with higher hotel costs and more than double to rent a car adding up.

 

[Minnie1222]

What I think Disney Parks need to do is have special preview days where families can get in the park for free and they would have unlimited rides and discounts at shops and restaurants and it would be smart for Disney Parks to consider for the summer and Christmas.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Yes, hand's down. In the last few years, I've done Las Vegas, Myrtle Beach, New Orleans, Williamsburg/Busch Gardens, and 2 game conventions (GenCon in Indianapolis, IN and Origins in Columbus, OH). Disney would be higher than all of these spots, at prime season to prime season and low season to low season comparisons - it's one reason we went to all these spots (that, and I'm checking off all the trips I planned in 2020 Covid that I didn't take - 2026 has the next one - NYC, the last one, is still left for 2027 or later.

Next year, I'll check out if central PA (Hershey/Gettysburg/Lancaster) is also cheaper, and looking at the hotel prices I've already locked in with free breakfasts, I'm almost certain it is.

I should add we also did a Universal Florida trip in our post Covid years to see family - that one was probably closest to rivaling what Disney would cost us, just b/c it had similar flights and hotels (tickets were cheaper, and food was also a little, but that was the closest to matching cost to Disney)...

 

[KPeterso]

In all honesty when it came to family destinations for family vacations Disneyland and Walt Disney World used to be the top theme parks for family vacations and every family would go to Disney Parks every year or every summer but when 9/11 happened it really affected the travel industry completely and with new rules on travel safety and airline safety people saw vacations not worthy of planning and going on. Disney Parks started raising prices around 9/11 because they saw a high loss of travelers not going due to the new travel safety rules. But in the spring of 2004 Disneyland began raising it's ticket prices when they had their first price jump and when it happened families stopped making trips to Disneyland every year and ever since then Disneyland has never been the same since with it's high ticket pricing and there is little hope that Disneyland will lower it's ticket prices in the future. What I think Disney Parks is trying to do is save itself by giving people additional add-ons with their resort stays such as Extra Magic Hour discounts at character dining restaurants and Lightning Lane options. And they think in general that this is the way to gain an audience. When it comes to dining at a Disney restaurant the reason why some restaurants are pricey "especially the character oriented ones" is because they want families to enjoy a special dining experience but have you noticed that the kids menu items are the most priciest of all the food at Disney Parks. And when you get the general picture children do not have a big menu and most only eat things like macaroni and cheese and cereal for breakfast and I cannot see how a kids size hamburger at Disney Parks can be pricey. What I think Disney Parks need to do is have special preview days where families can get in the park for free and they would have unlimited rides and discounts at shops and restaurants and it would be smart for Disney Parks to consider for the summer and Christmas. And what I really think what could work for Disneyland is a ticket wristband "Similar to what Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has" and if you have a ticket wristband it would enable you as the first person to go on rides before everyone else goes on and have the chance to meet all characters first and any remaining tickets that you still have on your wristband can be still used for a future visit or can be traded for a Disney gift card or Disney Store purchase and it would be a clever and smart system for Disneyland to use and if it worked the other Disney Parks would use this system and follow suit

You have not been to the parks since 2004. You have no idea what the crowds are like. I have posted multiple times about the parks always being super crowded when you post "ideas" to bring more people into the parks. Disneyland still does not need more people. Trust me - I am a local and been many times recently. Planning for Friday and then a staycation the middle of July. And as an adult with no children - the parks are for everyone so allowing children in free for "preview days" is not fair for different family types.

 

[Rob Huff]

Disney is an easy trip to save on, as a result it is one of the cheaper places to travel for me. 26% back with my citi card buying Disney gift cards at Meijer this week. By the time one does a show, go carts, mini golf, etc in a place like Gatlinburg, the costs add up to a 1 day ticket in the offseason. Orlando is a cheap destination from the local airports. Car rentals are cheaper. Park food cost isn't bad at all. I did 4 days in Colorado last summer and it was similar in cost to a 7 day trip to Disney/Orlando for me, with higher hotel costs and more than double to rent a car adding up.

This post was almost too on-the-nose for me. Just got back from an extended family trip to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge and am planning to grab DGCs at Meijer this week!

How do you get to 26% at Meijer? Obviously the 15% comes from mperks, but where does the other 11% arise? I can get 5% or 6% on cards, depending on the card, but clearly you've found a better stack!

I'd echo everything else: airfare to Orlando is relatively inexpensive if you have a bit of flexibility -- sometimes even with direct flights from our modest-sized airport -- and while Disney will allow you to spend thousands a day, you can also have an exceptional weeklong trip for a reasonable sum.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

I didn’t read the article, but Disney is expensive, prohibitively so for many families. That’s a fact, many families will never be able to afford it. But many other vacation destinations are expensive also, with many families never able to afford them. That being said, we spend (sometimes a lot) more money on our Disney World trips than we do on our trips anywhere else, even to Europe. But maybe that’s just us and the way we “do” Disney (one TS, one QS meal per day, 2 snacks a day, souvenirs, fireworks parties, after hours). But we do similar things at other destinations also, and they still come out less. Our cheapest trip is always to the beach. Coincidentally it’s always the most relaxing too.

 

[comicguy]

In all honesty when it came to family destinations for family vacations Disneyland and Walt Disney World used to be the top theme parks for family vacations and every family would go to Disney Parks every year or every summer but when 9/11 happened it really affected the travel industry completely and with new rules on travel safety and airline safety people saw vacations not worthy of planning and going on. Disney Parks started raising prices around 9/11 because they saw a high loss of travelers not going due to the new travel safety rules. But in the spring of 2004 Disneyland began raising it's ticket prices when they had their first price jump and when it happened families stopped making trips to Disneyland every year and ever since then Disneyland has never been the same since with it's high ticket pricing and there is little hope that Disneyland will lower it's ticket prices in the future. What I think Disney Parks is trying to do is save itself by giving people additional add-ons with their resort stays such as Extra Magic Hour discounts at character dining restaurants and Lightning Lane options. And they think in general that this is the way to gain an audience. When it comes to dining at a Disney restaurant the reason why some restaurants are pricey "especially the character oriented ones" is because they want families to enjoy a special dining experience but have you noticed that the kids menu items are the most priciest of all the food at Disney Parks. And when you get the general picture children do not have a big menu and most only eat things like macaroni and cheese and cereal for breakfast and I cannot see how a kids size hamburger at Disney Parks can be pricey. What I think Disney Parks need to do is have special preview days where families can get in the park for free and they would have unlimited rides and discounts at shops and restaurants and it would be smart for Disney Parks to consider for the summer and Christmas. And what I really think what could work for Disneyland is a ticket wristband "Similar to what Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has" and if you have a ticket wristband it would enable you as the first person to go on rides before everyone else goes on and have the chance to meet all characters first and any remaining tickets that you still have on your wristband can be still used for a future visit or can be traded for a Disney gift card or Disney Store purchase and it would be a clever and smart system for Disneyland to use and if it worked the other Disney Parks would use this system and follow suit

Something to consider WDW hotels gennerally run about 92% occupancy rate (read that in an industry article a year or so ago), which is high in the hotel industry. The idea that they need to offer free admission to get people there is not needed! They will offer room discounts or "free" dining plans to fill rooms (especially if they see a slow down in bookings/economy) But free and Disney usually do not play together As far as being slow, They only time I have been when it was not busy was the Dec at 9/11 (it was ride the rides multiple times without getting off slow), but it has steadily increased at a fast rate since then with a dip in attendance here and there (2008/09, and obviously post-Covid time) but otherwise busy all the time. I always tell people when going to MK, I am there with 50K of my "closest" friends! All that being said WDW has no true "slow" times anymore, yes they are less busy times but no more truely slow times. Just look at the wai times in the MDE app on random days, that will help understand the level of business.

 

[kydisneyfans]

This post was almost too on-the-nose for me. Just got back from an extended family trip to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge and am planning to grab DGCs at Meijer this week!

How do you get to 26% at Meijer? Obviously the 15% comes from mperks, but where does the other 11% arise? I can get 5% or 6% on cards, depending on the card, but clearly you've found a better stack!

I'd echo everything else: airfare to Orlando is relatively inexpensive if you have a bit of flexibility -- sometimes even with direct flights from our modest-sized airport -- and while Disney will allow you to spend thousands a day, you can also have an exceptional weeklong trip for a reasonable sum.

The old Citi Sears Mastercard changed to the CIti Thank You card. 1x points on everything. 10X points on gas/grocery/restaurants on $1,000 spend per month each month this year. 15(mperks) 1(citi) 10(citi monthly spend)

 

[Dakota731]

DodgerGirl said:
“What I think Disney Parks need to do is have special preview days where families can get in the park for free and they would have unlimited rides and discounts at shops and restaurants and it would be smart for Disney Parks to consider for the summer and Christmas.”


Wouldn’t everyone come on the free preview days then? Wouldn’t crowds be impossible? Wouldn’t hotels be filled? I don’t know any amusement parks that have free days, and we have to many across the US. I’m not sure how companies could pay their employees and vendors if admission is free?

 

[Nayan]

Wouldn’t everyone come on the free preview days then? Wouldn’t crowds be impossible? Wouldn’t hotels be filled? I don’t know any amusement parks that have free days, and we have to many across the US. I’m not sure how companies could pay their employees and vendors if admission is free?

She thinks Disney is hurting so bad that they need to give 'free days' to attract business. She has not been to the parks in over 20 years and she doesn't understand how much has changed, not to mention how packed the parks are and more importantly how much it costs for tickets, food, merch, etc.

 

[kathy884]

DodgerGirl said:
“What I think Disney Parks need to do is have special preview days where families can get in the park for free and they would have unlimited rides and discounts at shops and restaurants and it would be smart for Disney Parks to consider for the summer and Christmas.”


Wouldn’t everyone come on the free preview days then? Wouldn’t crowds be impossible? Wouldn’t hotels be filled? I don’t know any amusement parks that have free days, and we have to many across the US. I’m not sure how companies could pay their employees and vendors if admission is free?

Our Six Flags parks would for season passholders have a few friends come free days and OMG - talk about the most horrible experience ever. After going to one of those once (hour long lines for minor attractions, parking on the grass, 1/2 hour lines for quick service food), I in future years marked all the bring a friend for free day as do not under any circumstance go to Six Flags.

For the premier Disney experience you can pay for a VIP tour and it's very expensive to insure few enough do it and Disney is not going to alienate the regular visitor who is their bread and butter and paying a lot too . For times without others in the park -- sort of a preview -- people pay for special after hours times or stay in the deluxe hotels that aren't cheap as some after hour magic hours are included with that, so they are paying for that perk for sure.

My experience as of others have said is that Disney is not having issues filling up their parks or hotel rooms. Yes, they offer some perks for onsite and with those perks people are deciding to pay the higher onsite prices. They though need to be careful not to alienate offsite visitors so some early entry, transportation, and getting fastpass selections earlier are the main extras offered.

 

[tvguy]

I can only speak to Disneyland, not Disney World and costs have soared in part because many of the options to lower the cost have gone away.
In the late 1970s two friends and I used to drive 400 miles each way to Disneyland for 3 nights. Stay at an inexpensive motel or camp at the KOA campground. Have a McDonalds breakfast before hitting the park.....al. for $100 each for everything. The KOA is under what is now the parking structure, the bargain hotels are all gone, all gone upscale.
Another option is many employers used to offer The Magic Kingdom Club to employees that offered some pretty nice discounts on hotels and park admissions. That is gone.
And when I got out into the working world, I bought Disney stock. Stockholders used to get discounts on everything. That is gone.

 

[OrangeBirdGirl]

We travel alot and track all our vacation costs. 2 adults, no kids. We have DVC so no hotel costs. Our last trip to WDW was 9 nights, MVMCP and Jollywood Nights, 8 days hopper passes and all meals (and we don't cook in our room). Since we have DVC for my DVC "value" spreadsheet, I list the hotel cost for what I would have spent which would have been staying at Port Orleans French Quarter. When I took what we actually spent (everything mentioned above plus airfare, airport parking, spending $) and added in POFQ I got the total to compare to other trips.

We spent 2 weeks in Japan (Hiroshima, Kyoto and Osaka) for $700 less than what Disney would have been if we paid to stay at POFQ. Japan was alot of cultural site which are very inexpensive. Food is also pretty reasonable in Japan. We did a day at Universal with Express Pass. And, we traveled between cities on the bullet train in the upgraded car.

We spent 9 nights in Hawaii (Big Island) for $100 less than what Disney would have been if we paid to stay at POFQ. Hawaii had some higher cost activities such as scuba diving with manta rays ($700) and a helicopter tour ($1,000). We spent 2 nights in Volcanoes NP then the remainder of the time at Hilton Waikola Village. At the Hilton we did alot of snorkeling in their lagoon which was no additional cost. But food was very pricey in Hawaii (again all eating out) and we had a rental car. If we didn't do the manta ray or helicopter, then we'd be looking at a trip that was $1,800 less than going to Disney.

Timeframe of these 3 trips was within the last 2 years.

For us, while Disney is a great vacation, it isn't as "exotic" as Japan or the Big Island. If we didn't have DVC I'm thinking we'd likely do WDW maybe every 3-5 years as there are so many other destinations in the world I could see for the price of a Disney trip.

 

[barkley]

Wouldn’t everyone come on the free preview days then? Wouldn’t crowds be impossible? Wouldn’t hotels be filled? I don’t know any amusement parks that have free days, and we have to many across the US. I’m not sure how companies could pay their employees and vendors if admission is free?

the big regional park nearest us offers all military personnel, veterans, police officers, firefighters, and EMS free admission on set days during their operating season (so far 3 days since the season started this year in may) along with greatly discounted tickets for their immediate family who join them. mothers day moms are free, fathers day-dads, grandparents day-grands. one very unique and VERY appreciated event each year entails free admission for both the attendees and their family members. it is a sensory friendly afternoon/evening when the park is closed to the general public and everything is 'taken down' a few notches-no flashing lights, no blaring music, train whistle not blown. in the evening the lights are monitored and adjusted to maintain a consistant level through-out the park. employees are paid on these days as they are on any other-from the park's earnings throughout their operating season which i suspect is bolstered by the many local buisnesses, organizations and multi state university alumni groups that in support of these special free ticket/special guests programs hold group day events at the park that draw large numbers.