NY Times Today: Is a Disney Theme Park Vacation Still Worth the Price?

[NYCgrrl]

The foods also 5 billion times better in Italy, even if the costs are the same.


There's something to be said about places like Venice having to implement tourist caps recently. Obviously they are seeing more people finding European vacations more affordable as well.

Venice implemented tourist caps because they unfortunately allowed those mega cruise ships to disgorge within their harbor. The locals are up in arms and can no longer afford to live in the city .
Still a correct assessment of the overall situation.

 

[Genie+]

I have yet to come across any mainstream article on the topic of pricing that doesn’t include multiple inaccuracies.

Before his trip, Mr. Williams heard about some changes at Disney World, but he didn’t anticipate how different things would be, starting at the airport. Since his last visit, the company had gotten rid of the Magical Express, a free bus that for more than 15 years shuttled people from Orlando International Airport to their Disney resorts. Guests must now take a shuttle that costs between $23 and $30 per adult each way, depending on the time of year, use a ride share service or rent a car.

“Must” lol. Well, no. Wrong word used. For people who always bring or rent a car, the change in ME means nothing. But they have the pricing wrong too. It’s $13 and $16 each way child/adult for Mears Connect. Or ~$40 total cost each way uber/rideshare depending number of people, etc.

“It’s hard to justify going to Orlando rather than, like, Iceland,” he said. “When you have a budget like this, you can go a lot of places and see and do a lot of things. You could even do a Disney cruise for less than that.”

Epcot’s Italy, or Italy?​

He’s not alone. Len Testa, president of Touring Plans, a site that helps travelers organize Disney trips, and a co-author of “The Unofficial Guides to Walt Disney World and Disneyland,” said that he increasingly hears from Disney lovers who are now planning other types of vacations.

“At some point a Disney vacation starts competing with ‘Let’s go see Europe’ and I think that’s what a lot of people are doing,” Mr. Testa said. “I’ve had a number of people in the last few years say, ‘We priced it out and we could take our children to eat pizza in the Italy pavilion in Epcot or for the same money we could actually go to Italy for two weeks. We’re going to go to Italy for two weeks.’”

The problem for many US families is not finding enough time to make an Italy trip cost effective between time and money.

It makes no sense to go to Italy for 4 or 6 days. By the time you factor in travel time and cost? WDW makes much more sense here. Try going to Italy for 5 days. The travel time and travel recuperation time eats a big chunk.

For Italy you really need to set aside at least 8 days, and the more days you add the more cost effective it can be. Which opens the next issues… Trying to find 1 to 2 weeks that work with everyone’ school/work schedule during a good month to visit Italy. Not to mention the pay cost. Every day spent not working adds up quick for 2 parents. So it’s not only the cost of the trip, it’s the cost of the loss in productivity. This may not be true for everyone but is for many people. Those extra days it took to do Italy over WDW meant more days for us not earning money.

The prices of parking and entry tickets have consistently risen in recent years. In 2022 ticket prices went up two times. In 2023 annual passes saw a $30 to $50 increase, depending on the tier, while multiday tickets also went up. A one-day ticket to either of Disney’s U.S. parks now costs $109 for anyone over the age of 10.

STARTS at $109. Highest price in 2024 is $201 for MK or $292 adding a hopper. That’s for one day. If they really wanted to make a point on pricing they missed they biggest opportunity.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

I have yet to come across any mainstream article on the topic of pricing that doesn’t include multiple inaccuracies.



“Must” lol. Well, no. Wrong word used. For people who always bring or rent a car, the change in ME means nothing. But they have the pricing wrong too. It’s $13 and $16 each way child/adult for Mears Connect. Or ~$40 total cost each way uber/rideshare depending number of people, etc.



The problem for many US families is not finding enough time to make an Italy trip cost effective between time and money.

It makes no sense to go to Italy for 4 or 6 days. By the time you factor in travel time and cost? WDW makes much more sense here. Try going to Italy for 5 days. The travel time and travel recuperation time eats a big chunk.

For Italy you really need to set aside at least 8 days, and the more days you add the more cost effective it can be. Which opens the next issues… Trying to find 1 to 2 weeks that work with everyone’ school/work schedule during a good month to visit Italy. Not to mention the pay cost. Every day spent not working adds up quick for 2 parents. So it’s not only the cost of the trip, it’s the cost of the loss in productivity. This may not be true for everyone but is for many people. Those extra days it took to do Italy over WDW meant more days for us not earning money.


STARTS at $109. Highest price in 2024 is $201 for MK or $292 adding a hopper. That’s for one day. If they really wanted to make a point on pricing they missed they biggest opportunity.

I thin k your comment is very well laid out, it's nice to see someone take the appropriate time to digest information and then respond. The only point i would add is that Disney specifically designs their tickets to be sold as multi day tickets (and their prices shows it). I believe they make a bulk of their earnings on you when you're in the park, and the longer you stay the more you'll spend. I do think that there's a break point where staying too long can hurt Disney as I'm sure people spend less on a daily average for things like souvenirs, table service restaurants, hotels, ect the longer the stay, but there is probably a sweet spot around 6 or 7 days where they are capitalizing as much as possible

 

[Genie+]

The only point i would add is that Disney specifically designs their tickets to be sold as multi day tickets (and their prices shows it). I believe they make a bulk of their earnings on you when you're in the park, and the longer you stay the more you'll spend. I do think that there's a break point where staying too long can hurt Disney as I'm sure people spend less on a daily average for things like souvenirs, table service restaurants, hotels, ect the longer the stay, but there is probably a sweet spot around 6 or 7 days where they are capitalizing as much as possible

Agreed. I thought of adding multi-day ticket pricing as well but my post was already long lol. WDW is definitely pushing guests to buy longer tickets so they’ll spend even more time/money. It is there huge prices can also be seen though.



^That’s 2018 multiday tickets. They had started price seasons but the difference between most and least expensive dates was small, anywhere between $5 to $30 in total ticket cost. Today can be $100s depending on dates.

More surprising is the huge jump for 3 day thru 6 day tickets since 2018. Those used to be well discounted. I’m just going to use the cheapest possible date below to be consistent since not much difference for dates.

2018 Adult multi-day tickets:
Day 2 $199
Day 3 $289 (+$90)
Day 4 $350 (+$61)
Day 5 $370 (+$20)
Day 6 $390 (+$20)
Day 7 $410 (+$20)
Day 8 $420 (+$10)
Day 9 $430 (+$10)
-They also had a 4 Day Florida resident ticket for $179-

Let’s compare adding on days in 2024:
Day 2 $312
Day 3 $462 (+$150)
Day 4 $595 (+$133)
Day 5 $672 (+$77)
Day 6 $717 (+$45)
Day 7 $742 (+$25)
Day 8 $773 (+$31)
Day 9 $793 (+$20)
I picked mid-Dec since that’s when we visited last year. Our 5 Day hopper was just over $800. This year? $823.
-4 Day Florida resident ticket for $235 this year- Up $56 (~30%), not bad since out of state is up $245 (~70%).

The cost to add on each day is now barely discounted on those 3 to 5 day multi-tickets. In 2018 Day 4 and 5 only cost a total of $81 to add on 2 days ($61+20). In 2024 that same thing cost $210 ($133+77)! Yikes, a 260% increase from 2018.

WDW definitely want guests staying longer, but where Days 4 and 5+ used to be very attractive added cost per day, they’ve moved it to Days 6 and 7+.

I think the intention is keeping daily per capita spending at a high minimum, no matter the trip style or budget. We looked at doing weekend trip and 3 day park hoppers were almost $600! 50% more expensive than 5 years ago. We ended up buying DVC APs instead. More money to WDW

There used to be so many different strategies to keep trip costs reasonable (remember non-expiring tickets lol). All kinds of ways that just don’t exist today. Guests can trim the food budget or room budget, but there’s no getting around expensive ticket costs. Except for the odd Sept weekday most people are paying $150-$250 for 1 day ticket, or $500+ on 4 day ticket, and not under $100/day average until Day 8.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

Agreed. I thought of adding multi-day ticket pricing as well but my post was already long lol. WDW is definitely pushing guests to buy longer tickets so they’ll spend even more time/money. It is there huge prices can also be seen though.

View attachment 888581

^That’s 2018 multiday tickets. They had started price seasons but the difference between most and least expensive dates was small, anywhere between $5 to $30 in total ticket cost. Today can be $100s depending on dates.

More surprising is the huge jump for 3 day thru 6 day tickets since 2018. Those used to be well discounted. I’m just going to use the cheapest possible date below to be consistent since not much difference for dates.

2018 Adult multi-day tickets:
Day 2 $199
Day 3 $289 (+$90)
Day 4 $350 (+$61)
Day 5 $370 (+$20)
Day 6 $390 (+$20)
Day 7 $410 (+$20)
Day 8 $420 (+$10)
Day 9 $430 (+$10)
-They also had a 4 Day Florida resident ticket for $179-

Let’s compare adding on days in 2024:
Day 2 $312
Day 3 $462 (+$150)
Day 4 $595 (+$133)
Day 5 $672 (+$77)
Day 6 $717 (+$45)
Day 7 $742 (+$25)
Day 8 $773 (+$31)
Day 9 $793 (+$20)
I picked mid-Dec since that’s when we visited last year. Our 5 Day hopper was just over $800. This year? $823.
-4 Day Florida resident ticket for $235 this year- Up $56 (~30%), not bad since out of state is up $245 (~70%).

The cost to add on each day is now barely discounted on those 3 to 5 day multi-tickets. In 2018 Day 4 and 5 only cost a total of $81 to add on 2 days ($61+20). In 2024 that same thing cost $210 ($133+77)! Yikes, a 260% increase from 2018.

WDW definitely want guests staying longer, but where Days 4 and 5+ used to be very attractive added cost per day, they’ve moved it to Days 6 and 7+.

I think the intention is keeping daily per capita spending at a high minimum, no matter the trip style or budget. We looked at doing weekend trip and 3 day park hoppers were almost $600! 50% more expensive than 5 years ago. We ended up buying DVC APs instead. More money to WDW

There used to be so many different strategies to keep trip costs reasonable (remember non-expiring tickets lol). All kinds of ways that just don’t exist today. Guests can trim the food budget or room budget, but there’s no getting around expensive ticket costs. Except for the odd Sept weekday most people are paying $150-$250 for 1 day ticket, or $500+ on 4 day ticket, and not under $100/day average until Day 8.

completely agree, they clearly have a team dedicated to tracking spending habits, and i'm sure as habits change so does ticket pricing strategies. I'm sure the revenge travel shifted where they price tickets out, and once it will probably shift back more towards the 2018 style in the future as tourists settle back into normal habits

 

[lowlight]

Not everything is binary. Disney is too expensive. Disney is also the greatest theme park collection in the world. What a PP said is pretty much it- the cost of everything has gone up so much that people have no taste for the prices anymore. I can’t find a black car service from MCO to WDW for less than 300 with tip, I used to pay 150 a few years ago.

We’ve just gone through one of the greatest transfers of wealth in history, upwards of course. It makes sense that Disney is appealing to the wealthy, they sucked up all that money. I wouldn’t be going if I didn’t buy DVC years ago. Now I need to rent or go use it myself. It will swing the other way again, sooner than later, you can bet your last Mickey bar on it. My criticism of Disney comes from adding absolutely nothing for the price increases, instead taking away. They aren’t even properly maintaining the parks and resorts for the money they are making.

 

[bwr827]

I’ve got a family of four. Our conversation is absolutely Disney/Universal or Europe (or New Zealand, etc. etc.).

Our current thinking is we’ll do Florida while the kids are this age, and when they’re later teens we’ll probably take them someplace with more “culture”.

Either way, we build up our vacation savings and when it’s time to book, we can always decide then.

 

[New Mouse]

Not everything is binary. Disney is too expensive. Disney is also the greatest theme park collection in the world. What a PP said is pretty much it- the cost of everything has gone up so much that people have no taste for the prices anymore. I can’t find a black car service from MCO to WDW for less than 300 with tip, I used to pay 150 a few years ago.

We’ve just gone through one of the greatest transfers of wealth in history, upwards of course. It makes sense that Disney is appealing to the wealthy, they sucked up all that money. I wouldn’t be going if I didn’t buy DVC years ago. Now I need to rent or go use it myself. It will swing the other way again, sooner than later, you can bet your last Mickey bar on it. My criticism of Disney comes from adding absolutely nothing for the price increases, instead taking away. They aren’t even properly maintaining the parks and resorts for the money they are making.

Disney and Universal have tried to have their cake and eat it too. They aren't paying for the same amount of staff as in the past. I know this because service has dropped off dramatically.

Food is not the same quality or quantity as it was a few years ago, so why increase price and decrease size and quality?

There's 0 justification for the price hikes.

 

[Minnie1222]

My criticism of Disney comes from adding absolutely nothing for the price increases, instead taking away.

Since 2017, they've added 3 lands (Pandora, Toy Story, Galaxy's Edge) and 3 major rides (Remy, Guardians, Tron). That is a far cry from "absolutely nothing". You can't expect them to charge the same with all the addition.

They aren’t even properly maintaining the parks and resorts for the money they are making.

What makes you say that?

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

What makes you say that?

Outrage on Twitter, YouTube videos, and other social media, probably.

 

[lowlight]

Outrage on Twitter, YouTube videos, and other social media, probably.

It’s pretty easy to observe with my own two eyes from being in the parks that they are letting maintenance lapse. Your opinion can be different, it isn’t going to change mine.

 

[BrianL]

It’s pretty easy to observe with my own two eyes from being in the parks that they are letting maintenance lapse. Your opinion can be different, it isn’t going to change mine.

Well, I think it gets a little exaggerated and amplified in the Disney Fan Internet Sphere, but no doubt there are some apparent gaps in maintenance, etc. and that is sad to see.

 

[Pinnochio]

In this morning’s New York Times. Thoughts?

Is a Disney Theme Park Vacation Still Worth the Price?

to me, absolutely worth it....been going twice a year since 1991,.....first when the kids were young and then continuing into their high school and college years....now i do one trip with the grandkids and another with just me and the wife....both trips are still very special...the memories, the sights, the smells....all awesome....

 

[Want2rentpoints]

A Season Pass to the Six Flags closest to me (where I even worked at once) costs $100. Compared to that, WDW is hella expensive. But also, have you been to SF? Its a trash tier park. Zero immersion, zero theming. But a corndog is $12 bucks and it tastes like they just took it out of the Walmart freezer.

And none of you have even mentioned this, but a season pass being that dirt cheap will attract…fishy clientele.
Suffice to say last summer the park here enacted a new rule that underage teens would require a 21+ chaperone in order to enter the parks.
Nobody wants to admit this, but make something dirt cheap and it will eventually turn to crap.

Luxury is good. Not everybody can afford it, and most of us will have to save up a while to be able to, but the reason we save in the first place is because it is a luxury

That’s not even mentioning entertainment costs everywhere else. A movie for two people and popcorn costs nearly $80 bucks here. $80 bucks for a 2 hour film which you may or may not even end up liking.
A bouncy house by the mall charges $30 bucks per kid, and they can only jump for 80 minutes.
Even a Taco Bell is $10 bucks now, but people are complaining about Pecos Bill?

And don’t even get me started about hotel costs, where I can pay $200 bucks for a Ramada Inn or pay the same price for All Star Sports.

Enjoy Disney. Before i moved to America my father saved for years so he could bring me and my sisters to visit Orlando for a week. It was expensive, and probably unwise for him to take us, but we knew that. And we appreciated it even more for that reason.


But nobody appreciates anymore; they all just complain.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Luxury is good. Not everybody can afford it, and most of us will have to save up a while to be able to, but the reason we save in the first place is because it is a luxury

The only problem with this is that WDW is nowhere remotely close to a luxury experience. Yes, it is on top when it comes to the theme park industry and is insanely expensive but it's not a luxury vacation.

 

[NYCgrrl]

The only problem with this is that WDW is nowhere remotely close to a luxury experience. Yes, it is on top when it comes to the theme park industry and is insanely expensive but it's not a luxury vacation.

Soo true! The Deluxe hotels at WDW are at best convention hotels outside the bubble.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Soo true! The Deluxe hotels at WDW are at best convention hotels outside the bubble.

I like when people call the Grand Floridian luxurious despite there being widespread reports of the walls being so thin that you can hear full conversations people in the room next to you are having lol

I think "premium" is a better word to describe WDW. Disney is not in the same league as legit luxury vacations.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I like when people call the Grand Floridian luxurious despite there being widespread reports of the walls being so thin that you can hear full conversations people in the room next to you are having lol

I think "premium" is a better word to describe WDW. Disney is not in the same league as legit luxury vacations.

I learned to adjust most of my expectations of 5 star service at WDW although it could be disconcerting traveling from say, the Hay-Adams in DC, to the Poly. Still the scent of the Poly lobby helps .

 

[Minnie1222]

The only problem with this is that WDW is nowhere remotely close to a luxury experience. Yes, it is on top when it comes to the theme park industry and is insanely expensive but it's not a luxury vacation.

Luxury means different things to different people.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Luxury means different things to different people.

It may be luxury compared to regional theme parks, but if you directly compare to other types of vacations, to which yes people are doing especially given the cost, WDW doesn't compare in any way.

Now, that isn't an issue as I personally am not asking for luxury when going to Disney. If I did, I wouldn't be vacationing to central Florida.