Sticker shock

[FLORIDAFUNFAMILY]

Sticker shock is an understatement!!! But when I look at all the things that you can spend absurd amounts of money on, cars, cell phones, computers, toys
etc. Nothing brings a smile to my two little girls faces like disney, so expensive
yes but well worth the money and you can budget if you want. I personally enjoy my time at disney, like staying at deluxes, enjoying sit down meals, Having AP's, charactor breakfasts, disney cruise's etc. I work hard to enjoy these things and don't think to much about the shock I would rather live in denial, and
feel magical that come back to reality and be deprived.

 

[imatoad]

I'm putting in "DW" OT at work, gotta keep an eye on the brass ring, it's a means to an end, and I will appreciate my stay that much more.

 

[sk!mom]

For us vacations are precious. DH and I and our kids have so many great memories of the fun times we have had together. Especially as kids get older those times when we are all away from the phone, friends, and distractions and just have fun together. We work hard so that we can afford at least one great vacation a year- small trips don't count.

That being said, it was our first trip staying on-site as a family of four- with tons of character meals that convinced my DH that if we could budget for that, our most expensive vacation ever, then we could afford Europe. This summer we will be taking our 2nd trip to Europe.

All of life is about budgeting for your priorities. For us vacations are at the top of the list.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Not really. We have AP's and with the discounts we get, it's really cheap.

If you think you will be going long enough to make an AP worth it, consider getting one.

And like someone else said, it's about priorities. We don't buy a lot else like clothes, cds, games etc. We live very frugally the rest of the year. Our vacations are also done frugally, but not so much so that we don't enjoy them.

 

[minkydog]

But 20 years from now are we going to remember that great carpet, furniture, computer, whatever your personal fill in the blank is? I doubt it. But the memories we make on these trips will last forever.

Absolutely right! My DH grew up in a family that never took a vacation, not once in the 20 years he lived at home. He has no fond memories of going anywhere, and too many memories of stressed out, bickering parents.

I, on the other hand, went on vacation every summer, usually to see family. We didn't have much money, but my parents knew the value of travel. We camped a lot and saw a lot of National Park-type stuff(read: free). They taught me the importance to making good memories.

My DH & I love WDW and we know that we could spend that money on something else, but we choose to go on vacation. We save our money and spend it frugally, but I will not skimp on things that are important to me.

Cathy--this is me, all relaxed after a week with DH at AKL, came in $200 under budget; an expensive splurge, but ohhh so necessary.

 

[Jen D]

Looking at the bottom line can be scary, I agree! So you look at the different components-- and then figurout how you can save money on those areas. And we pay for things a little at a time rather than all at once... more manageable.

The great thing about WDW is you can have an excellent vacation at so many different budget levels. There are small ways to bring the cost down and still have a fabulous vacation. We just went on what was, for us, a "splurge" trip for our 10th Anniversary. For us, a splurge meant: 7 nights; more table service meals, including many signature restaurants and one Victoria and Alberts; staying at the Polynesian, and maybe being a little more extravagant with souvenirs than usual. (And the 7 nights became 9 nights due to Hurricane Jeanne.) We spent way too much. And part of the problem was deciding "not to worry so much about the budget" since it was an anniversary trip. Recipe for disaster!

Our first trip to WDW we spent considerably less and stuck to a strict budget. Money was tight that year. And here is what we did: Six nights at the Boardwalk at a studio with rented points from a DVC member; spent only a small pre-determined amount on souvenirs, and just a few carefully planned table service meals (including one anniversary meal at California Grill.) It certainly felt like a luxury vacation to us, but we planned and kept a strict budget and never went over.

I went on a tight budget trip with just my daughter once, four nights, value price accomodations, mostly counter service. I didn't feel I was settling. WDW is a pretty great vacation no matter what level you're at.

Anyway, I'm off on a tangent, but the point is, price out the components
(room, park tickets, plane) individually and work on paying for them well before the trip.... it will keep you from thinking about that big "grand total" that could be used for something "more practical."

 

[elan]

Disney hotels are in line with the rest of the travel industry. And sometimes they are better.

We are going to Chicago in a few weeks. Our room is more there than are last stay at POP. Even the mods and some deluxes with a good code would be less. So why are we going to Chicago instead of WDW?? I promised hubby we'd go other places - and he promised we'd go to WDW.

Of course park tickets are another story.

 

[Becky2005]

Of course park tickets are another story.

True but honestly, even though it looks like a lot because you buy X days, the general per day cost is about average for any other theme park you would go to.

I know Six Flags (which I remember when it was Marriott's & NOT Six Flags ) here is about $50/day (I think, I don't know as my kids are little and we have never gone! I feel I would be wasting my money as there is very little they could ride - of course, I *think* they tried to add more for little ones but I know when I went as a teen, 90% of it was for the faster, wilder crowd). I know our other amusement park we go to which IS geared toward the younger ones is about $35-40/person.

Of course, I never spend more than 1 day a summer at the other parks but last time we went for our family it was over $100 and that was with a discount!

All is well though, we rarely go on family vacations and I know how important they are, so we will splurge on it.

 

[AndyMcV]

In my opinion Disney is expensive no question. However when you look at the cost of any other yearly family vacation where you travel and see attractions you're still in the same ballpark.

I just remember the look on my son's face and his excitement when we were at Disney in 2003. It WAS truely priceless. He will remember that forever as will we. Take a look at my avitar to the left. That's him at the Swan.... aahhh... priceless. To think that I wouldn't do whatever I could to save to do it again, never.

This year we're trying to go again in June. This time we'll be able to see the look on our 1.5 year old daughters face. Can't wait to take a picture of her holding Mickey's hand.

Andy

 

[EsmeraldaX]

The great thing about WDW is you can have an excellent vacation at so many different budget levels. There are small ways to bring the cost down and still have a fabulous vacation.

This is SO true.

If you look in my sig, you'll see I have stayed at every level of hotel in WDW (aside from concierge, because aside from the sunrise safari at AKL, I have no need for any of the concierge services). I have thouroughly enjoyed each and every trip I took.

We were supposed to stay at CS this May but because we decided to move to a bigger, slightly more expensive apt. that suddenly came up for us and get a new puppy, we have decided that we will just downgrade to Pop Century where we stayed in Dec. I am a little bummed that we won't have the CS pool, but there's always next time and something else took priority this time.

That said, I expect I will just as great a time at Pop Century as I would have at Coranado Springs. I'm not going to a let a slightly smaller room and a different pool ruin my trip.

It's also so easy to save money on food. Counter Service food in WDW (esp. Epcot and AK) is NOT your typical McD's. It's really, really good and filling. We are two adults who eat like birds so having 3 sit down meals a day for us would be way too much anyway. So what we do, is one "big" table service meal per day. We just have a quick breakfast (neither of us can stomach too much food in the am) and a light dinner (we like to spend the dinner hours enjoying the parks when they are less crowded) and we make lunch our big meal. We're usually the most hungry then. Also, lunches are cheaper than dinners and the portions are about the same.

In Dec. we tried doing two table service meals a day and it was just too much food for us.

 

[Chicago526]

There are ways to keep costs down, that's half the fun of planning!

Even for the family of 5, yes your options are more limited and it will cost you a bit more, but you can do it! POR has trundle rooms that will sleep 5, you can rent DVC points (and then have all the amenities of a villa!) you can book two rooms at a Value (and then have two bath rooms and a lot more privacy, for 5 people that in and of itself can be worth the extra money). All of these options are less than a room at a deluxe, in most cases. Also, you could try camping at Ft. Wilderness! That's the cheapest of them all, especially if you've already got camping equipment. And of course, by staying on site at Disney, you save on a car rental and/or are not at the mercy of the off-site hotel's shuttle service, which may only run a few times a day and not be condusive with your own schedule.

There are ways to save on food too, the best is to have breakfast in your room (you can bring food from home, do a grocery stop on the way from the airport to the hotel, or have them delivered to your room by a delivery service!), bring your own snacks and bottled water to the parks, and then split the rest of your meals. Most meals at WDW can easily be split, especially amongst children. My mother and I often split meals on our last two trips, cutting our food costs almost in half. You can buy "souveneers" in advance by catching clearence sales at your local Disney store or by shoping online. Keep them a secret from teh kids, then have Tinkerbelle give them something each morning (with a little help from mom and dad!) as a surprise when they wake up. This will help keep them from wanting every thing they see in the shops (hopefully!). And have the kids save their own money to spend at WDW, it teaches them how to manage money, and takes the presure off of you to buy them things while on vacation.

 

[Mady/Sophiemom]

Good points everyone!!!

There are sooo many ways to make it work.

One thing that amazes is that I work with people who can't belive I'm spending THAT much $$ again to go to Disney. Funny- but those are the same people who have the biggest TV, Cable extras, new cars every other year, smoke 1-2 packs/day, Always buy lunch out, and pop from the machine (75 cents/can x 2-3/day), and go to the bars 2-3 nights/week. I'm not dogging anybody, but just making another point that it is all about priorties.

Most people are usually very suprized at what I spend on Disney. Most think it costs more than it does, but most aren't willing to do the research, and effort to save the money. Just makes me crazy- but to each there own I guess.

 

[TSirgey]

I like giving myself plenty of time to pay for each component too. We try to get the best deals on airfare, tickets, rental by booking early and then we can splurge when we are down there. Last year we went cheap by staying outside the park in Maingate (which was not Disney, but definitely ok) and we avoided eating breakfast out (mostly because we were in such a hurry to get to the park). Our budget ended up being much less than expected because of the breakfast factor. We did decide that this year we are splurging to stay inside the park. I felt like we missed out a bit last time.

 

[dreamflight99]

One thing that amazes is that I work with people who can't belive I'm spending THAT much $$ again to go to Disney. Funny- but those are the same people who have the biggest TV, Cable extras, new cars every other year, smoke 1-2 packs/day, Always buy lunch out, and pop from the machine (75 cents/can x 2-3/day), and go to the bars 2-3 nights/week. I'm not dogging anybody, but just making another point that it is all about priorties.

PERFECTLY STATED/POSTED! You could add a few more things to that list...such as a "new wardrobe item every week" and also "dinner-to-go" or dining-out 3-4 x per week, etc. I know these people too!!! They're the same ones whom can't understand how we can possibly have/do what we do...when they profess to "constantly cutting corners" by shopping at the dollar store? Well...they end up spending a "King's Ransom" at the dollar store, because everything is so darned cheap (as they attest--which justifies the bulk purchases). In life, there are two simple catagories: The "I WANT" and "I NEED" (items). When these two become confused, or improperly prioritized...WDW is not even a remote OPTION/POSSIBILITY!

 

[Clare]

My DH and I just returned from a 4-night cruise with friends to Key West and Cozumel (not DCL - gasp!!). It was wonderful - we had a great time and will probably do a cruise again in a few years. HOWEVER, we've done Disney trips of the same length for less money. For example, a 4-hour catamaran/snorkel/beach excursion was $55/person. An airboat tour/airport transfer was $35/person. Those prices don't make WDW admission tickets seem too outrageous, condsidering you can spend the whole day in the parks!

I admit, WDW is expensive, but so are many other destinations we could be choosing instead! IMO, the people who think WDW is SO expensive are those who don't take the time to plan their trips very well. Then they are caught off guard when they arrive.

 

[Jan]

this board is funny b/c i read and read and try to figure out whether or not i got a fair price on my vacation, but nobody ever mentions actual prices. so, i hesitate to ask this b/c it is like asking an acquaintance how much they make at a job or what they payed for their house. but, since i don't know any of you, i am just going to come out with it. we are going to disney in june for 7 nights. we are staying at CBR. we bought the meal plan for 2 adults and 2 kids age 4 & 5. we payed $2,100 for hotel, park hoppers, and meal plan. is this a fair price? this is our 3rd trip to disney, but my first time for really planning the trip. so, a little advice on whether i got ripped off or not would be great b/c it isn't too late to fix it. by the way, i live in kansas, so saving days or options, etc. is not a real concern for me.
thanks!

 

[BettyCv]

Hi Jan,

I have found that people on these boards are generally more than willing to discuss specific prices on their trips (especially if you visit the Budget Board).

We are staying at POR from May 15-21 (6 nights) at $79/night (an e-mail rate). With tax, that comes to $528.51. I plan to buy the 6-day MYW base tickets in advance. I haven't looked around at prices yet, but the Disney site has them for $196/adult and $157/child. We are two adults and three children. Before tax, the tickets would come to $863. I think I can find them a little cheaper at one of the on-line sites that sells Disney tickets. We thought about adding the hopping feature, but it looks like that will cost about $140 more, and I'm just not sure we'd "hop" that much. The only time I see it being an advantage is if you wanted to leave MK early and then to go Epcot. I think we'd be wiped out by that time, anyway (our kids will be almost 6 years old when we go). We'll probably do 1/2 day the first day at MK, then 2 full days at MK, then one day each at MGM, Epcot and AK.

We decided against the dining package b/c we estimate it will probably only cost us $75 or so per day to eat. (Breakfast in the room, sit down meal for most lunches, and then counter-service dinners. Plus, our kids usually share a meal). And we're not big into appetizers and desserts.

So far, our total is $1841 (which includes a budget of $75/day for food for 6 days). Of course, I'm not counting hotel rooms and food on the way down/back.

Your price sounds pretty much in line, since you are getting the dining package and the hopping feature.

Have fun!

Edited to add: I just realized you are staying *7* nights, not 6. Your price looks good to me!

BettyCv

 

[LSUDis]

this board is funny b/c i read and read and try to figure out whether or not i got a fair price on my vacation, but nobody ever mentions actual prices. so, i hesitate to ask this b/c it is like asking an acquaintance how much they make at a job or what they payed for their house. but, since i don't know any of you, i am just going to come out with it. we are going to disney in june for 7 nights. we are staying at CBR. we bought the meal plan for 2 adults and 2 kids age 4 & 5. we payed $2,100 for hotel, park hoppers, and meal plan. is this a fair price? this is our 3rd trip to disney, but my first time for really planning the trip. so, a little advice on whether i got ripped off or not would be great b/c it isn't too late to fix it. by the way, i live in kansas, so saving days or options, etc. is not a real concern for me.
thanks!

Hey....we're going in June and will be at CBR for six nights. Anyway, according to a printout that I got from the website, 6 nights with standard view, with 7-day tickets w/ park hopping, plus dining for 2ad-2 children is $2,402.50. So, you are getting a cheaper price than the rack rate. Did you get a code or AAA?

 

[Jan]

no code (i haven't even figured out what that is) : )
no AAA
i booked one package myself through disney and the other through my travel agent - and she got me a much better price than i got directly through disney. i was worried it was a mistake, so i paid it in full (the lawyer in me), so they couldn't change it on me. then i started reading the posts with $79 a night and wondered if maybe my deal wasn't so great after all.

thanks to both for the replies. i am a "pay the rack rate" kind of person - not on purpose, but never saavy enough to get a great deal, so maybe this is my one shining moment of glory : )

 

[LSUDis]

The $79 rate is probably with a code.

Codes for that time haven't come out yet. Codes are sale prices on rooms for specific people--Disney Visa holders, Annual Pass holders, or general public codes (for anyone). Sometimes the codes are for rooms only--sometimes they are savings on packages. With all of the new Disney stuff going on, no one really knows when or if these codes are coming out. They usually are applicable to existing reservations.