Totally dumbfounded WDW is cheaper...

[MagicalMomAZ]

So after all the quotes we decided to forgo the GCH & stick w/ DI&S...it's affordable, close & we know what we're getting. PLUS getting what we want (suite). To bring you up to speed I was quoted $4800(hotel & tickets) for 4 nights at a GCH 1 bdrm suite.

I was chatting w/ some friends who all do WDW bc it's in their neck of the woods - one is paying...get this:

$3700 for 10 days during holiday season in December for a family of 5. On-site, including hotel, air, dining plan & tickets.



WHY is it so much cheaper there? WDW has MORE than DL. Of course, I'm sure the cost of living has something to do with it. But WOW, what a difference!!

 

[LuLusApple]

I think it's because DL has a local base and WDW depends more on a tourist base that they have to lure with Great deals.
I know I can go to WDW on 1/2 of what a DL trip costs, for DLR hotel, food, & tickets. But I would have to pay the air too that would bring it up a lot. I can easily drive all of us to DL for 125$.
I know that free food and wow, they pay the transportation around the resort too; is alluring I just can't get over the plane tickets

 

[cruise cruise cruise]

I agree with everyting LuLu said. I think it has a lot to do with the local base for DL vs the tourism base for DW.
I would do DW in a heart beat if those dang air flight prices were not so high!!

 

[mad hatter fan]

Where are your friends staying at WDW? And are they in a regular room there? I would guess that they must not be staying deluxe at that price. If you are comparing on site at DLR with on site at WDW, WDW will always have some less expensive options because at DLR there are no moderate or value choices on property.

 

[Hound 109]

So after all the quotes we decided to forgo the GCH & stick w/ DI&S...it's affordable, close & we know what we're getting. PLUS getting what we want (suite). To bring you up to speed I was quoted $4800(hotel & tickets) for 4 nights at a GCH 1 bdrm suite.

I was chatting w/ some friends who all do WDW bc it's in their neck of the woods - one is paying...get this:

$3700 for 10 days during holiday season in December for a family of 5. On-site, including hotel, air, dining plan & tickets.



WHY is it so much cheaper there? WDW has MORE than DL. Of course, I'm sure the cost of living has something to do with it. But WOW, what a difference!!

- On site where?

- How many "one bedroom suites" are at the GCH? (If it's not many, then I'm sure supply & demand is affecting the price during the popular "holiday season".)

- What is DI&S?

Thanks.

EDIT: HATTER FAN & I WERE THINKING THE SAME THING AT THE SAME TIME, BUT SHE BEAT ME TO IT.

 

[bumbershoot]

When I wanted to book a last minute stay at DLR at the end of June, I was quoted over 1K just for one night in the 1 bedroom suite. The suite there is $$$$.

But yes, WDW has always come out to be cheaper than DLR. Far more hotels to choose from, lower cost of living, lower CM wages (I've heard), lower taxes, they own the whole area they are on instead of being in the middle of a city, and so on and so forth.

Did they get the PIN for free dining in December? And are they staying in the higher end hotels that allow 5, or in a family suite at the All Stars that have the family rooms? Or is the 5th a baby? All things that do make a difference (GCH vs All Stars...I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin', to quote my new fave trip report writer (peter panic attack), LOL).

 

[DLR29]

^Hound, DI&S is Desert Inn and Suites.

Other questions I have are:
-Where does this other family live? Cause if airfare is like $50 a person from Georgia or something, well...not from over here on the West Coast.
-Are they DVC members or AP holders? They may not be counting the price for a room if they are DVC members or tickets if they are AP holders OR have non-expiring tickets

Also things to keep in mind. WDW's dining plan is free from August-December this year, and that is mostly to bring in tourists (something DLR doesn't do as much as previously mentioned). Also, a GCH 1 bdrm suite is like 5 times (at least) more expensive than a value standard room at WDW.

 

[LuLusApple]

I just posted the other day in a thread about pin codes that I had recieved a pin for WDW. The price was incredible to me. 5 days tickets, dining plan riverview room at Port Orleans for 4 people at 1288$ I am not sure but I don't think that resort is economy like I would say HoJo is which is where we usually stay
so adding it up; if I had to buy tickets, 5 day park hoppers at DL would take a good chunk of that 1288$
free food at WDW, I spend 150$ a day based on that family of 4.
Now I am over that 1288$ and I havnt even added in hotel
again if I stayed at a DLR hotel even at AP rates 4 nights would still be around 800$ for the PPH with no river view.
but again add in airfare for 4 and WDW is outa reach compared to 125$ for gas.

 

[Hound 109]

Not disputing that there are deals to be had at WDW (i like WDW).....but I've stayed at POR & would rather stay at HOJO (or CandyCane Inn) than Port Orleans Riverside. (Very pretty grounds though).

 

[Krissy Marissy]

You can stay longer at WDW for the same price as a stay maybe 1/2 as long at DLR. And sometimes you get a killer deal on airfare to orlando as well. My DH and I are flying RT from PDX to MCO for only 274 a person. To me that is cheap considering that you can pay just as much to fly to SNA. Now we live an hour away from DL and visit once a week so that saves us having to book flights and hotel stays. I dont know why things are so spendy over here either but perhaps more tourist would come if they dropped their price a bit.

 

[ballarinamom]

WDW offers the free dining through their off season. So your friend must not be going Thanksgiving week or Christmas week. They do not usually offer free dining at that time.It normally ends mid OCtober/ early November. Free dining includes a free counter service, snack and table service per day. So it is only 2 meals not 3. But they only offer these rates during low season to bring people in. During the off season the water parks are not really an option. So if you take them out of the equation, WDW does not "have more". When you add the number of attractions at WDW to the number of Attractions at DLR, DLR wins by a hair (2-3 attractions more I believe). I know I have read that folks going during the free dining season, it is packed like peak time. You were looking at GCH and that would be at the level of the Grand Floridian or Animal Kingdom lodge. Your friends would not get that for that amount of money
WDW is a tourist based park. As someone said earlier, DLR does not have to discount to bring people in. So they don't.
All that being said, we will never go back to WDW. We feel so much of that "tourist mentality" there (folks cursing at their children, smoking throughout the park and spitting EVERYWHERE) is missing at DLR. Thank goodness. And as I have said on many threads comparing the two parks, I have never been to a hotel where they CHAINED THE FURNITURE TO THE WALL!!!!. All of this was expreienced on our trip to WDW. I'm not saying- I'm just saying.....

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Air fares are not that bad. I have a friend who just flew from Washington to Las Vegas. Her ticket has her going to Los Angeles for about a week (she is going to D23) and then flying back to Washington. Her air fare, bought less than a week ago on Delta, was only $414 for the entire trip.

 

[LuLusApple]

Not disputing that there are deals to be had at WDW (i like WDW).....but I've stayed at POR & would rather stay at HOJO (or CandyCane Inn) than Port Orleans Riverside. (Very pretty grounds though).

really? Just curious if you don't mind elaborating and not tryng to hijack the thread lol
I have stayed at both hojo and CCI, I prefer HoJo but if $ wasn't an issue I would choose a DLR hotel. Having never even been to WDW what is it about POR that you didn't care for?

 

[MagicalMomAZ]

- On site where?

- How many "one bedroom suites" are at the GCH? (If it's not many, then I'm sure supply & demand is affecting the price during the popular "holiday season".)

- What is DI&S?

Thanks.

EDIT: HATTER FAN & I WERE THINKING THE SAME THING AT THE SAME TIME, BUT SHE BEAT ME TO IT.

I beleive it's Port Orleans which I read is in the DTD area. SHE is staying in WDW during the holiday season. *I* was quoted for a non-peak season rate in February.

DI&S - Desert Inn & Suites. I only abbreviated bc it was abbrevieated in the past before *I* knew what it was! I thought it was one of "those" abbreviations everyone knew but me!!

 

[MagicalMomAZ]

^Hound, DI&S is Desert Inn and Suites.

Other questions I have are:
-Where does this other family live? Cause if airfare is like $50 a person from Georgia or something, well...not from over here on the West Coast.
-Are they DVC members or AP holders? They may not be counting the price for a room if they are DVC members or tickets if they are AP holders OR have non-expiring tickets

Also things to keep in mind. WDW's dining plan is free from August-December this year, and that is mostly to bring in tourists (something DLR doesn't do as much as previously mentioned). Also, a GCH 1 bdrm suite is like 5 times (at least) more expensive than a value standard room at WDW.

I had no idea so many factors could give them that rate!!!

Ok - I beleive their fam of 5 is MIL, DH, kids at 6 & 3..plus the mom. They're traveling from the New England area. They are not members or holders of anything. I'm not sure if it's a standard room, but I assume so bc of the price. She DID decide to travel in Dec bc of the free dining plan (why doesn't DL get those!?)

I get that airfare would raise it up for us western folk - personally, I've been in love with DL my whole life & I'd feel like a traitor going to WDW, LOL! So I think that's why that "unfair" feeling is present - I'll never get that cheap experience!!

 

[MagicalMomAZ]

All that being said, we will never go back to WDW. We feel so much of that "tourist mentality" there (folks cursing at their children, smoking throughout the park and spitting EVERYWHERE) is missing at DLR. Thank goodness. And as I have said on many threads comparing the two parks, I have never been to a hotel where they CHAINED THE FURNITURE TO THE WALL!!!!. All of this was expreienced on our trip to WDW. I'm not saying- I'm just saying.....

WHOAH. I had no idea there was smoking in the WDW park! Funny I picked that out first!

I have been to hotels with bolted furniture...it also included used soap, mysterious hairs on the sheets & a pink toilet. But I was in college & looking for a deal!

 

[PinkBudgie]

So, did you say where your friend was staying at WDW? Not sure if I missed it. I have heard people say the CGH is like the Grand Floridian at WDW, their best place to stay. WDW does offer some cheaper on site options, whereas DLR offers no cheaper options, I guess because of space and because there are already motels close by offering that.

There is also the question of what kind of park ticket your friend got. I've been looking at WDW tickets and if you want to visit more than one park in a day, that costs more, and if you want to include extras like the swim parks, those add on to cost too. So WDW has more, but they are far apart and each addition costs more.

For us, WDW is more expensive. Everytime I look at airfare it is about $500 per person from the Bay Area. So that right there is $2000 for 4 people. Maybe if I was really watching I could find something better, I don't know. And then I have my heart set on staying at the Poly. I've ruled out those Pop and All star places for the simple fact that I want to avoid buses as much as possible. Can't do it completely there, I realize, but I never take ART at DLR. I have sworn to never again fight with the crowds to get on the bus and be squished all the way there.

What I did think was unfair was their fireworks dessert buffet was only $17 and our F! dessert was $60! I had a little mini rant about that on the DLR community board.

 

[carebee21]

Well, here's my take on why it's so much cheaper.

A) As others have pointed out, Disneyworld has many more hotels in all different price levels so you'll be able to find something in your price point. Not the case at all in Disneyland

B) Disneyworld offers up to 10 day passes. The more days you buy, the greater the discount gets. If you buy a 10 day pass, it's only $243 breaking down to $24.30/day. So if your friends are buying 10 day hoppers they're saving a lot of money in the per day cost. But if you only buy a 5 day pass, it's $228 breaking down to $45.60/day. In Disneyland, a 5 day pass is $249 breaking down to about $50/day, so pretty comparable if you're comparing price per day for 5 days. Also keep in mind that at Disneyworld, you have to pay extra to park hop so that will raise your base ticket price.

C) The average stay at Disneyland is 2-3 days where as the average stay for Disneyworld is around 8 days. So if you're staying longer, they're going to be able to get more $$$ out of you for food, drinks & souveneirs. So even if the hotel and park prices are a little cheaper, they're making up the extra money. Plus keep in mind it's much harder and time consuming to leave Disneyworld property to go have lunch or dinner. It's not just as easy as walking across the street to go to Mimi's Cafe or McDonalds. So the average person is eating every meal in the parks for the good majority of their stay and that brings in a lot more money!

D) And lastly it's the basic economics of the situation. They're kind of like Walmart. We can sell it for cheaper because of the huge amount of volume we sell. And sorry, these are just rough guesses but you get the idea...they have at least 20 Disneyworld hotels compared to 3 in Disneyland. They have 4 parks compared to 2 in Disneyland (which also means they have double the gift shops, water and soda stands, counter service, etc). They have at least 15 character meals compared to the 3 or 4 in Disneyland. They have numerous sit down restaraunts in many price points compared to the few in Disneyland. So when you add it all up, they can offer cheaper rooms and ticket prices because they're certainly making their money off of the volume of people staying on property, or eating on property, etc.

 

[DLR29]

WDW offers the free dining through their off season. So your friend must not be going Thanksgiving week or Christmas week. They do not usually offer free dining at that time.It normally ends mid OCtober/ early November. Free dining includes a free counter service, snack and table service per day. So it is only 2 meals not 3. But they only offer these rates during low season to bring people in. During the off season the water parks are not really an option. So if you take them out of the equation, WDW does not "have more". When you add the number of attractions at WDW to the number of Attractions at DLR, DLR wins by a hair (2-3 attractions more I believe). I know I have read that folks going during the free dining season, it is packed like peak time. You were looking at GCH and that would be at the level of the Grand Floridian or Animal Kingdom lodge. Your friends would not get that for that amount of money
WDW is a tourist based park. As someone said earlier, DLR does not have to discount to bring people in. So they don't.
All that being said, we will never go back to WDW. We feel so much of that "tourist mentality" there (folks cursing at their children, smoking throughout the park and spitting EVERYWHERE) is missing at DLR. Thank goodness. And as I have said on many threads comparing the two parks, I have never been to a hotel where they CHAINED THE FURNITURE TO THE WALL!!!!. All of this was expreienced on our trip to WDW. I'm not saying- I'm just saying.....

Sorry, but WDW does have more. I don't want to start a huge debate, but WDW is the one with 1 or 2 more attractions. However, they have a huge Downtown Disney with an indoor "cyber park" thing, Cirque du Solei, lots of water sports, tons of golf, and 4 parks, each with lots of stuff to do. Don't get me wrong, DLR is one of my favorite places ever. But just by numbers and size, WDW has more. Also, I have seen what you call "tourist mentality" at DLR too, and I certainly wouldn't never return based on those things. There are designated smoking areas at both resorts. I'm sorry that you happened to run into a lot of rude guests at WDW.

I had no idea so many factors could give them that rate!!!

Ok - I beleive their fam of 5 is MIL, DH, kids at 6 & 3..plus the mom. They're traveling from the New England area. They are not members or holders of anything. I'm not sure if it's a standard room, but I assume so bc of the price. She DID decide to travel in Dec bc of the free dining plan (why doesn't DL get those!?)

I get that airfare would raise it up for us western folk - personally, I've been in love with DL my whole life & I'd feel like a traitor going to WDW, LOL! So I think that's why that "unfair" feeling is present - I'll never get that cheap experience!!

DLR doesn't offer a free dining plan because it doesn't need to. First of all, the DLR dining plan is limited and inferior to the choices offered at WDW. And second, the dining plan is to attract people to visit during off seasons, as PP posted. DLR has a consistent flow of guests (especially on weekends) even during months like September and definitely October.

And if you think of WDW as a different experience than DLR, I think you'd enjoy it a lot. Going into the vacation not to compare, but just to have fun at a resort. It's lots of fun even if it's not that park that you've gone to for a long time.

Also EDIT: Good points carebee21, especially the park hopper bonus that is included in all DLR tickets 2 days or more that is a whopping $52 if you want to add it at WDW.

 

[MagicalMomAZ]

Pinkbudgie - Friend is staying at Port Orleans. Not sure what it's like there, I know they stayed AKL before that.

Carebee, I think your explanation touches on what Ballerinamom was saying. Tourist Mentality & Walmart could be one in the same I'm thinking. I really had no idea there was a difference like that. I'm getting the feeling DL is Vegas & WDW is Laughlin!! And my DH had a few choice words to describe FL... None were good. I've never been further east than Colorado so...umm...I'm not a great person to compare CA to FL. Maybe someday I'll make it there so I can have my own opinions!