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

[Minnie1222]

I hope that wasn't directed at me, because I never said none of the dishes was suitable.

No, it was not direct at you.

But I also don't believe that higher-than-standard is what they advertise OR deliver.

I think places like Space 220 or the new Sushi restaurant in Japan deliver better food than a typical theme park meal.

 

[gmi3804]

I think places like Space 220 or the new Sushi restaurant in Japan deliver better food than a typical theme park meal.

Yes, they do. And neither is managed by Disney.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Recent numbers suggest the demand is
going down. Or maybe it’s just the summer heat. Fall will tell the story, but hotel discounts hint at lower occupancy this year.

Can’t happen soon enough for me. I’ve committed to be there 2 weeks with travel time starting December 20th. Hotel discount ends December 24th or 25th and from there out it’s rack rate ( a thing I’ve never paid anywhere but WDW grumble/sigh).

 

[Minnie1222]

Yes, they do. And neither is managed by Disney.

This is why generalization doesn't work. When someone mentions a decline in food quality, they should also specify what and where to prevent people like me from entering the discussion. Throwing a blanket statement is only going to attract unnecessary disputes.

 

[gmi3804]

This is why generalization doesn't work. When someone mentions a decline in food quality, they should also specify what and where to prevent people like me from entering the discussion. Throwing a blanket statement is only going to attract unnecessary disputes.

Only from you, apparently. You clearly need to win an argument and can't see the point I'm trying to make. Please accept this trophy for being awesome!

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Yes, they do. And neither is managed by Disney.

I've really enjoyed meals at Narcoossees, Storybook Dining, Boma, and many other places. But I don't know which restaurants are managed by Disney and which aren't.
My reference point, though, is the Carrowinds in Charlotte NC, which is the closest amusement park to me. I would say that items like WDW chicken nuggets and fries are pretty comparable to Carrowinds, but the similarities stop there

ETA: My point is that whether managed by Disney or not, we've enjoyed many a meal at WDW

 

[jkh36619]

One thing I'd add to this discussion is international flights can be reasonable if you live close to a major airport. If not, they can be quite expensive.

 

[Brian Noble]

...and that major airport is not a hub. Or, at least not Delta's DTW hub!

 

[LAS2AMS]

I've really enjoyed meals at Narcoossees, Storybook Dining, Boma, and many other places. But I don't know which restaurants are managed by Disney and which aren't.
My reference point, though, is the Carrowinds in Charlotte NC, which is the closest amusement park to me. I would say that items like WDW chicken nuggets and fries are pretty comparable to Carrowinds, but the similarities stop there

ETA: My point is that whether managed by Disney or not, we've enjoyed many a meal at WDW

We frequently stayed at the Disney Institute in the late 90s/early 00s. It did not have its own quick service restaurant, so we’d often ride our golf cart to the nearby Marketplace and dine at its QS restaurant. At some point, it was rebranded ‘Earl of Sandwich.’ A few years later, a location opened with Downtown Dianey(land).

A decade after I dined at the Marketplace’s Earl of Sandwich, I spotted another location at an airport I was visiting. It was only then I learned that EoS was NOT a Disney-owned nor managed establishment. And I’m usually pretty savvy about those things.

 

[kathy884]

I think there is an entire other segment of the population that doesn't and never have done the BIG Disney trip with all the bells and whistles (a full week or more, onsite, all Disney dining, a park every day or almost every day, special experiences, maybe even souvenirs). I am someone who has never done Disney that way, so comparing an expensive Disney trip to a trip to Italy doesn't make any sense to me.

Those of us who do Disney another way though still Disney fans though and still do Disney trips. The way we do Disney though we aren't as affected by the changes people are complaining about. Sure I do have to fork up more for a one day ticket, pay for Genie plus for a day, and I don't get to do rope drop as an offsite visitor. That's still not going to keep me from visiting a Disney park on occasion -- same price as a Broadway show or a concert and it's a full day on entertainment, not just a few hours.

My last trip to Europe (2023) for two (Paris (four nights), Disneyland Paris (three nights - I did stay onsite there, but it was really cheap compared to WDW), and Belfast (three nights) for two for 11 days cost me about 11K and (5K of that was airfare). I like to go Premium Economy if I go that far and that is pricey -- My airfare was about 5K of that 11K trip. And me I don't like to go to Europe (as cool as it is) all that often as I find the overnight plane trip a pain in the butt. And last time they even upgraded me to flat bed seats (business class) on the way over and I still didn't sleep all that great. That was pretty nice though. So that trip ran about $500 per day per person, but for those that are cool with economy or get good airfare deals or stay longer - yeah that all helps with or spreads out over more days that crazy high premium economy airfare that is such a big part of the cost.

Orlando on the other hand is a direct two hour flight for me that I can almost always do for points (I have a Southwest Airlines credit card). And if I paid for air, it's usually less than $300 pp. What Orlando / Disney is to me is a mini four night / three day whirlwind trip that is a total blast and lets me like I'm a kid again. There is a one hour time change not a six or seven hour time change. I never stay onsite and I usually only do two park days (next trip I am just doing one) and on occasion a special meal or special experience. (I used to do Orlando the whole time. Now I combine Tampa and Orlando as I have a cousin who is in Assisted Living in Tampa.) My expected spend for my next trip for two people for that is going to be $1950 four a four night trip that has four days of activities. That cost per day for me pp is about $250. So my per day expense in Europe is twice as much as my per day expense in Tampa / Orlando. The the overall trip which is way shorter is just 18% of what the European trip cost me, way easier to budget and throw in once a year.

What Am I doing in Tampa / Orlando next February -- I switch it up every year
-- Tampa -- the University Botanical Gardens in Tampa and Lettuce Leaf Park for walking / bird watching
-- Tampa -- Seeing the Broadway Traveling Show Mama Mia at the Straz Center (got pretty good Orchestra seats)
-- Orlando -- staying offsite but visiting the monorail resorts, having dinner at Ohana at the Polynesian hotel, and watching the MK Fireworks from the Polynesian hotel
-- Doing the theme park day at SeaWorld (just in the mood to go there this time. The Magic Kingdom and SeaWorld are my two favorite Disney parks and I haven't done SeaWorld in a while and that's what appeals to me this time.) Also having dinner at Sharks Underwater Grill -- an excellent restaurant at SeaWorld.
-- I'm flying into Tampa and out of Orlando.

Sometimes there is more Disney than other times, but there is always something in WDW I do it seems. But OMG this little get-a-way sounds like a total blast to me. As cool as the Duomo is in Florence and as great as the museums and wine country are in Italy, that's not what I'm in the mood for and it's so far away and very expensive and difficult to get to. And for sure Rome and Venice (very crowded) but yes they have totally cool iconic things to see that might be a life long dream for some people to go see.

If that big Disney trip doesn't cut it for you, there is a great big wide world out there to explore. And if you've been doing Disney that big trip way, you have a pretty big budget. Depending of where you live though if you'd like a little Disney fix (but maybe you aren't as much of a Disney girl or a Disney guy as I am), you can maybe do what I've been doing for decades -- do a big trip somewhere that isn't Disney every year (I usually stick to North American though) and go for a whirlwind mini trip to Orlando too (not for everyone, but I love it.)

 

[NYCgrrl]

My airfare was about 5K of that 11K trip

Currently the average nonstop flight from JFK - CDG price would be $900.00 r/t and I would find that expensive. Guess the adage “location, location” has much truth.

Are you traveling from Oceania?

 

[kathy884]

Currently the average nonstop flight from JFK - CDG price would be $900.00 r/t and I would find that expensive. Guess the adage “location, location” has much truth.

Are you traveling from Oceania?

Those premium economy flights from St. Louis to Paris (STL to CDG) and then home from Dublin (each had a layover of about two hours too) cost about $2250 a piece. (Coach would have been about $600 pp less) And then our flights from Paris to Belfast were about $150 pp. We were traveling high season.

 

[mort1331]

I’d be shocked if Disney didn’t have analysts eying the markets to be ready for signs of impending economic turmoil, it would almost be criminal with their fiduciary duties to stockholders. I understand what you’re saying, Disney doesn’t care if you charged it and can’t pay for it or if you are a Disboarder McWealthy that used some pocket change to pay for it, but they definitely are aware that people are over extending themselves to go on a Disney vacation because there are implications to their stock value down the line.



Statistically speaking you are in the minority. I’m not gonna get into a pull yourself up by your bootstraps debate with you, nor am I defending reckless spending, but hopefully you count your blessings along with your bullion every night before you go to sleep. “I have never in my entire life incurred a credit card debt” means you are a very, very fortunate individual, not something to be proudly lauded over the lower castes.

It was never my intention to put myself in a higher "caste". You were talking about people incurring skyrocketing debt from things like Disney trips. I simply wanted to contradict you by using myself as an example of someone who doesn't have any debt, despite having many trips to Disney.

This is not a brag,,but is good financial way of life. There have been too many people trying to keep up with the jones' and that is why they have issues. We buy and drive our cars for at least 10years,,nothing wrong with them,,dont need the latest and greatest. Same with our phones, maybe change every 5 years. Look and see how much you actually use the phone and what you use it for.
These same people that go into debt for a vacation ( blanket statement here, I know) are probably the same that switch their cars every 2 years ( on lease) and phones every one to 2 years.
Step back and enjoy experiences is what we have taught our children.
We take them to Disney, but have been fortunate to take them to Europe and all of eastern Canada. Now we do want to take them to Western Canada,,,but talk about expensive, and I used to live and work in the mountains there.
We will sub one of these years for west instead of south, but we ask our girls and they keep saying south.
1 week at a beach island vacation is about 6K for us,,,about the same as we spend going to WDW for 8 days. And a 5 star in Cuba or DR is not the same as a Moderate at WDW.
Spend within your means, dont worry how others are spending and enjoy your time and life.

 

[gmi3804]

My last trip to Europe (2023) for two (Paris (four nights), Disneyland Paris (three nights - I did stay onsite there, but it was really cheap compared to WDW), and Belfast (three nights) for two for 11 days cost me about 11K and (5K of that was airfare). I like to go Premium Economy if I go that far and that is pricey -- My airfare was about 5K of that 11K trip.

You spent $5,000 on airfare?!

 

[disneydreamer1980]

Those premium economy flights from St. Louis to Paris (STL to CDG) and then home from Dublin (each had a layover of about two hours too) cost about $2250 a piece. (Coach would have been about $600 pp less) And then our flights from Paris to Belfast were about $150 pp. We were traveling high season.

Wow. We fly to Paris from BWI frequently we generally pay about $600-$700 a ticket, but we always fly coach because I’m cheap lol (except twice when we were bumped to first class and it was glorious). Our Disney trips tend cost us more than our Europe trips, which is crazy to me. Our upcoming 5 person/2 week trip is costing approximately $17,400 (rented DVC points for BRV-$3600, 14 day park hoppers-$3900, flights-$1500, souvenir budget-$1000, food budget-$6000, fireworks dessert party and Harmonious boat ride (hopefully there’s availability)- about $1,000 plus an after hours date night-$400 almost). Compare that to our most recent 3 week European trip which (for 7 of us) totaled $16,500. So a 2 week Disney trip for 5 cost us more than a 3 week European trip for 7. That’s crazy. Granted our Disney trips could be a lot cheaper (stay less days, no extras, drive instead of fly, etc) but that’s not how we like to do Disney.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Wow. We fly to Paris from BWI frequently we generally pay about $600-$700 a ticket, but we always fly coach because I’m cheap lol

I generally fly premium plus or whatever the price is just below business internationally because it’s just too long a flight to be uncomfortable. Been known to fantasize about first class but that’s where my cheapness steps in

 

[kathy884]

You spent $5,000 on airfare?!

Yup. Like I said in an earlier post St. Louis to Paris and Dublin to St. Louis high season with two hour layover tickets (We did the premium economy upgrade) and those tickets were $2250 a person (only two of us). And our flights from Paris to Belfast were $150 pp including luggage, so I guess it was actually $4800. The business class tickets would have been $6500 a person for 13K for two people for air, too rich for my blood (wouldn't have done the trip for that price - more than our total trip budget). It was though nice that we got the upgrade to business class and those lay flat seats on the way out without an extra charge.

And like I said if I had to pay for flights to Orlando, they run around $300 during the February time period when I usually go, but I almost always have points and don't have any cash outlays to fly there.

 

[gorkt]

I have been taking 7-10 day family trips down to WDW every 3-4 years since 2006 and they have increased over the from around 6K to well over 12K. My last family trip in early 2023 was an obscene amount of money, mostly because it was my last hurrah while my kids were still in school, so I pulled out the bells and whistles, bought the extras, and made it a trip to remember. But at the moment, I feel like there is a bit of a lull, and not much worth pulling me back until 2027/28 when the new rides and lands start to come online. I don't really want to visit a MK or AK under massive construction if I have to pay through the nose for it. Maybe I will do a short F&W trip with the husband somewhere in there.

 

[Mystify]

In this morning’s New York Times. Thoughts?

Is a Disney Theme Park Vacation Still Worth the Price?
By Tariro Mzezewa
Aug. 9, 2024, 5:03 a.m. ET

Earlier this year, Jake Williams, a filmmaker and content creator in Toronto, made his long-awaited return to one of his favorite places on earth: Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. After traveling to Disney World and Disneyland multiple times a year since childhood and becoming an annual pass holder as an adult, Mr. Williams hadn’t been to a Disney park since 2019.

“As someone who went all the time, it’s crazy to me that I hadn’t gone to a Disney park in that long,” he said in a phone interview. “It’s a special place.”

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.

To Disney-goers, the end of the Magical Express speaks to a larger issue: The cost of being at the happiest place on earth is going up while the perks are going away. As the company has raised the price of tickets and hotel rooms, and added costly, difficult-to-navigate tools to book rides as replacements for previously free products, even its most loyal fans are asking themselves if it’s still worth it.

Mr. Williams said that a day in the Orlando parks and a one-night stay at Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort cost a “jaw-dropping” $886.34 for two adults. He decided to calculate how much the same trip cost in 2017 — a year when he visited the park several times. The cost: $567.90. Even accounting for inflation, he was stunned.

“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.’”

For Mr. Testa, collecting data about Disney is a passion. In the late ’90s, as a graduate student in computer science he decided he wanted to build a computer program that could help people navigate Disney World as efficiently as possible. That research continued through his Ph.D and the program he created turned into Touring Plans. His team of developers and data scientists model what’s going on at Walt Disney World on a minute-by-minute basis every day. The data they’ve collected in recent years shows that the cost of a Disney World trip, on average, has gone up almost 25 percent since 2019. Seventy percent of that increase is for services that used to be free.

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.

 

[hhhisthegame]

Yes, they do. And neither is managed by Disney.

To each their own I guess. I ate at Space 220 two years ago, and while I enjoyed it it was the weakest meal of my trip. I've had amazing meals the last few years at Disney..VIa Napoli, California Grill, Boma, Topolino's, Steakhouse 71, Biergarten. Even San Angel Inn which people don't tend to like, I thought was great when we went.

When we went in 2022 we all loved the Crystal Palace. When I went in 2023, the Crystal Palace was just meh. So maybe it depends on the day.