This is why I LOVE Disney....

[Airship Ariadne]

Personally, the only good thing in Gatlinburg is free...the National Park. Of course it could be worse...Pigeon Forge is a blight, I thought the Wisc. Dells were a tourist trap hell...nope, driving through Pigeon Forge to get to the park...the horror, the horror.

 

[fishhunter]

Disney is pretty much the highest cost family vacation you can have

Have to disagree on this one. We're doing a 10 day/on site trip this month and its cheaper than a 7 day Steamboat, CO. ski trip. I compared both prices and Disney was cheaper. Now, I don't have to fly to Disney but do have to fly to CO. Could not believe how much lift passes and rentals were!

 

[RebeccaRabbit]

I feel the same way OP. I have seen lots of posts on these boards where people are saying that Disney is much higher priced than other places they go... but they never give the names of these mysterious places!

A week-long Disney vacation for my family of 3 has cost between $3500-4500 (depending on where we decide to stay - Moderate or low-level Deluxe - and it would be even less if we stayed at a Value). That's an off-season (winter) price, because that's when we like to go to FL. Works out to less than $200 per person per day, all-inclusive (plane tickets, hotel, park tickets, dining, souvenirs). Transportation to/from airport is free, as is transportation around the world. All shows, rides, etc. are included in the park ticket price.

To compare other vacations we've taken recently: we went to Breckenridge, CO for only 4 days, in their off-season which is summer. We ended up spending almost $5000 for this trip, even though it was much shorter than our Disney trips. The hotel and plane cost were higher. There is a small "amusement park" (if you can call it that) there with about 5 "attractions" - the only really fun one was the mountain coaster ride, the others were incredibly lame. The cost was $75 per person for an unlimited pass, or $20 per ticket for just one ride (which lasted like 3 minutes). We shelled out the $75 per person, and spent about an hour and a half at the place before getting bored. The rest of our time was spent paying $20 per person here and there for museum entrances, etc. Restaurants were just as expensive as Disney or more. Now, the mountains were incredibly beautiful, and the little town was cute. I enjoyed walking in the forest and taking in the gorgeous views, and that's certainly what you're paying for. But, I couldn't help thinking to myself that we could have spent less money and had more varied and fun entertainment at Disney.

Another comparison: We also went to Wisconsin Dells recently. This trip was cheaper than Disney overall (we live in WI, so no plane tix needed) - but the price of the tickets for the waterpark, little "amusement parks", shows, etc. to keep us busy for a day in total far exceeded the cost of Disney park tickets. We paid something like $55 per person for an amusement park (which had, again, like 6 lame "attractions" and kept us entertained for only about an hour). The waterpark was much smaller and really awful compared to Typhoon Lagoon, and tickets were about the same price.

I would seriously much prefer to explore a different vacation spot each year, rather than just going back to Disney all the time. It gets kind of old, as much as we love it. But I really can't seem to find a family-friendly, fun and active vacation spot that even remotely compares in terms of value... All of you who say there are better and more economical options out there... TELL US YOUR SECRETS!

 

[fishhunter]

I feel the same way OP. I have seen lots of posts on these boards where people are saying that Disney is much higher priced than other places they go... but they never give the names of these mysterious places!

A week-long Disney vacation for my family of 3 has cost between $3500-4500 (depending on where we decide to stay - Moderate or low-level Deluxe - and it would be even less if we stayed at a Value). That's an off-season (winter) price, because that's when we like to go to FL. Works out to less than $200 per person per day, all-inclusive (plane tickets, hotel, park tickets, dining, souvenirs). Transportation to/from airport is free, as is transportation around the world. All shows, rides, etc. are included in the park ticket price.

To compare other vacations we've taken recently: we went to Breckenridge, CO for only 4 days, in their off-season which is summer. We ended up spending almost $5000 for this trip, even though it was much shorter than our Disney trips. The hotel and plane cost were higher. There is a small "amusement park" (if you can call it that) there with about 5 "attractions" - the only really fun one was the mountain coaster ride, the others were incredibly lame. The cost was $75 per person for an unlimited pass, or $20 per ticket for just one ride (which lasted like 3 minutes). We shelled out the $75 per person, and spent about an hour and a half at the place before getting bored. The rest of our time was spent paying $20 per person here and there for museum entrances, etc. Restaurants were just as expensive as Disney or more. Now, the mountains were incredibly beautiful, and the little town was cute. I enjoyed walking in the forest and taking in the gorgeous views, and that's certainly what you're paying for. But, I couldn't help thinking to myself that we could have spent less money and had more varied and fun entertainment at Disney.

Another comparison: We also went to Wisconsin Dells recently. This trip was cheaper than Disney overall (we live in WI, so no plane tix needed) - but the price of the tickets for the waterpark, little "amusement parks", shows, etc. to keep us busy for a day in total far exceeded the cost of Disney park tickets. We paid something like $55 per person for an amusement park (which had, again, like 6 lame "attractions" and kept us entertained for only about an hour). The waterpark was much smaller and really awful compared to Typhoon Lagoon, and tickets were about the same price.

I would seriously much prefer to explore a different vacation spot each year, rather than just going back to Disney all the time. It gets kind of old, as much as we love it. But I really can't seem to find a family-friendly, fun and active vacation spot that even remotely compares in terms of value... All of you who say there are better and more economical options out there... TELL US YOUR SECRETS!

If you're a beach person it is cheaper. Rent a nice condo at a resort that provides a great pool are right on the beach. You can cook some nights in the full kitchen or go out for a nice seafood dinner if you wish. There are water parks and other attractions that cost money, but if you do not want to spend the extra money you always have the beach that is free. Now we live an hour from some of the prettiest beaches in the country. Not sure if you would have to fly.

 

[robinb]

For some reason my parents usually pulled me out of school to travel. So it never crosses my mind that there are parents that would never do that. Therefore they'd never be able to take advantage of the discounts.

Thanks for pointing that out.

We have pulled her out for a day or two in the past, but we really can't do that now that she's in high school. She missed a week when she had surgery for her torn ACL back in May and it was very difficult for her to catch back up. That was with teachers who understood that it was a medical necessity, I don't think they would be so understanding over a vacation to Disney World! Heck, her swim coach is not even understanding about going over Christmas break. My poor DD will have to practice once a day while on vacation and *I* have to drive her up to the YMCA on International Drive near Sand Lake Road .

 

[SmithSmith]

We have pulled her out for a day or two in the past, but we really can't do that now that she's in high school. She missed a week when she had surgery for her torn ACL back in May and it was very difficult for her to catch back up. That was with teachers who understood that it was a medical necessity, I don't think they would be so understanding over a vacation to Disney World! Heck, her swim coach is not even understanding about going over Christmas break. My poor DD will have to practice once a day while on vacation and *I* have to drive her up to the YMCA on International Drive near Sand Lake Road .

I was thinking about this earlier today. When I was in HS I was in a different sport every season. Between school, sport practices, sport camps, and other extracurriculars, when is there a GOOD time to take your kids on vacation? It just doesn't seem possible.

Looking back, as someone who learns by doing, I think a week of travel was far more beneficial to me than a week of school or sports.

 

[Goddesstree]

We've spent time on vacation in NYC ($$$), DC ($$$), and overseas ($$$). I really think, between the expensive hotels, travel costs, added costs for events/museums/zoo/restaurants that a WDW trip is actually less expensive. We bring snacks to WDW, and feel like we can go back to the room often to rest and eat. Can't really do that in NYC? I mean, we can, but feel much more limited by time - who wants to be out at 1 AM in NYC with kids in tow?

 

[RebeccaRabbit]

If you're a beach person it is cheaper. Rent a nice condo at a resort that provides a great pool are right on the beach. You can cook some nights in the full kitchen or go out for a nice seafood dinner if you wish. There are water parks and other attractions that cost money, but if you do not want to spend the extra money you always have the beach that is free. Now we live an hour from some of the prettiest beaches in the country. Not sure if you would have to fly.

Yes, relaxing on the beach or going camping is certainly cheaper. We do like the beach, and usually spend a nice relaxing day there when we visit FL. More than that would just be too boring for me... I like a more active vacation I guess. And once you add up all the nickel and diming for each activity we do there (parasailing, waterparks, snorkeling, museums, ...) it seems to me that it adds up to MORE than the cost of WDW per day. Some people might prefer one over the other for a variety of reasons, but I just don't see where the "Disney is the most expensive" claim is coming from, if you're comparing similar experiences.

 

[RebeccaRabbit]

We've spent time on vacation in NYC ($$$), DC ($$$), and overseas ($$$). I really think, between the expensive hotels, travel costs, added costs for events/museums/zoo/restaurants that a WDW trip is actually less expensive. We bring snacks to WDW, and feel like we can go back to the room often to rest and eat. Can't really do that in NYC? I mean, we can, but feel much more limited by time - who wants to be out at 1 AM in NYC with kids in tow?

We've also done family trips to Chicago and San Francisco. Nice hotels are priced similar to Disney Value or Mods, and each museum/aquarium/etc. ticket is like $50 per person or more, and that only covers about half a day. True even of Milwaukee for pete's sake! Plus getting around with kids in a big city is a lot more of a logistical challenge and possibly not a lot of fun as you say.

Of course, there are some really great and educational places to visit and it might be comparing apples and oranges a bit. I certainly hope Disney is cheaper than the Louvre But just compared to other vacations in my experience, it actually packs quite the bang per unit of vacation time.

 

[robinb]

Looking back, as someone who learns by doing, I think a week of travel was far more beneficial to me than a week of school or sports.

She travels quite a bit too! She's been to all the Disney parks in the world (and we visited the countries too, not just the parks), plus China, England, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Mexico, Honduras & Belize. She's interested in other cultures and wants to do a semester of HS in France .

 

[SmithSmith]

She travels quite a bit too! She's been to all the Disney parks in the world (and we visited the countries too, not just the parks), plus China, England, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Mexico, Honduras & Belize. She's interested in other cultures and wants to do a semester of HS in France .

That's One LUCKY girl!

 

[mickeyfanachey1999]

I just wanted to thank everyone on this thread for reminding me how lucky I am when it comes to my family's vacation choices. A typical year involves one week at the beach and-for the past 7 years-5 days at Disney. I sometimes forget how cheaply I get off when it comes down to it. Our family owns a condo on the Gulf so the beach trip costs us gas and food basically. I think last year we spent $500 or so for 6 days. My DM is a very generous lady who is a DVC member and allows me to help her use her DVC points when we go to Disney. So the Disney trip is tickets, gas, food and souveniers--the grand total of which is usually around $2500 tops. If I actually had to pay for somewhere to stay at either of these places I think my family would have a lot more "stay"cations than vacations! Again, thanks for the perspective.

 

[tjevans]

Personally, the only good thing in Gatlinburg is free...the National Park. Of course it could be worse...Pigeon Forge is a blight, I thought the Wisc. Dells were a tourist trap hell...nope, driving through Pigeon Forge to get to the park...the horror, the horror.

And for the dissenting view, I abhor the National Park. The best thing about nature is that it's outside and I'm inside. The "tacky" tourist areas are paradise to me. (I was in the "blight" of Pigeon Forge last week and thought Gatlinburg was much more of a tourist trap).

 

[richkaryn]

We live a few hours from Gatlinburg and husband's family likes to go there but I am the same way---$50pp for this 1 hour show we're out $150 for 3 of us for 1 whole hour of entertainment. Then on to the next thing. I'd much rather pay 1 price upfront and know I'm taken care of instead of taking the time to figure out how much of the "budget" is left and what we want to do with it while there.

 

[bmiller954]

This thread has been interesting to read because our family of 5 also spent Thanksgiving in Gatlinburg this year. If your goal during your vacation is to GO GO GO and do everything and see everything, then yes, you're going to end up spending more. This holds true whether you're in Gatlinburg or at Disney World. The difference is that in Disney World, you're paying to play up front. Having done both Gatlinburg and Disney many times, I think Disney is definitely more expensive overall, but if you do a lot of "a la carte" activities in Gatlinburg, those are going to add up, too.

This past week, we rented a cabin and spent most of our time playing games, watching movies, lounging in the hot tub, and enjoying the view off our back deck. We also cooked a great Thanksgiving meal and just generally enjoyed relaxing and being together. We absolutely loved our time there, and it only cost us around $1,500 for everything including food.

That's compared to our Disney trip we're taking at the end of this month for the same amount of time that going to end up costing upwards of $10,000. The difference for us, and the reason we're willing to spend so much more for our Disney trip, is that we're not taking this vacation to relax, we're taking it to experience everything Disney has to offer. We plan on being exhausted by the end of the week!!

 

[Crl1817]

For those looking for a cheaper vacation, we have really enjoyed a family camp run by the city of San Francisco in the past. It's a very different vacation from disney, much more rustic.

This camp provides three meals a day in a dining hall, cabins with electricity and bath houses with running water. They have a lake and a pool and they run daily activities of various kinds (tie dying shirts, baseball game, archery lessons, bingo, night movie, talent shows, etc.). They close the roads inside the camp during the week and the kids rule the dirt roads on bicycles.

It's a blast; we were never bored. Not everyone has that kind of option, but for those that do, it's a heck of a lot cheaper than disney world.