WDW IS affordable!

[jpeka65844]

We're flying to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, staying in a Hampton Inn for 3 nights, attending the Endymion parade ball, and eating one fancy meal, and last night we added up the cost.

It's more than our week in WDW in June will cost.

Who says WDW isn't affordable??? I heart DVC and AP's!!!

 

[ADP]

I agree! If you are loyal to your Walt Disney World vacations you can save a lot of money. Visiting frequently is the key to maximizing your savings. You've said that in your posts....APs and DVC can really maximize your savings if you use them wisely.

 

[OKW Lover]

Got to agree with this. Val & I have both DVC & AP's so it makes our frequent WDW trips possible. Especially when we can find a cheap airfare from BOS, which we often do.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Agreed only in part. DVC and annual passes require huge up front costs that many large families cannot easily afford. Once you have them, sure. We are about to go DVC ourselves, and it is only because of an inheritance.

 

[mainegal]

Agreed only in part.

Exactly.
Price out WDW for three nights moderate hotel, a three or four days ticket and meals. Then compare.

Your DVC and annual pass costs are spread out over a long period of time.

 

[dmccarty]

I got dragged to the beach in NC a few years ago. I am not a beach person. At first the trip was only going to cost us gas and food since the DW's family has a beach house.

blah blah blah

By the time we drove to the beach what was supposed to be free cost me $1,000 for two or three nights.

Going to WDW is far more fun, far more bang for the dollar, and likely cheaper. With or without DVC. Just saw 6/7 day/nights for $90 a night. Yes it is a value but that is cheaper than a Hampton Inn we stayed at in the NC Mountains last summer.

Later,
Dan

 

[OKW Lover]

Exactly.
Price out WDW for three nights moderate hotel, a three or four days ticket and meals. Then compare.

Your DVC and annual pass costs are spread out over a long period of time.

Good points Lyn.

My boss is at WDW this week with her hubby and two young girls, staying at BC. I shudder to think of what this is costing them - probably well over $10K for the flights, room, park tickets and food for a week.

I sure hope they come back happy.

 

[mainegal]

Good points Lyn.

My boss is at WDW this week with her hubby and two young girls, staying at BC. I shudder to think of what this is costing them - probably well over $10K for the flights, room, park tickets and food for a week.

I sure hope they come back happy.

I know they will come back happy. (Hopefully this is not vacation week for everyone and the lines are not forever long).

I hope they have the bank account to cover the trip, so they will not be extremely unhappy when paying the bill.

 

[disneyholic family]

affordable?

i'd hate to know what your definition of expensive is....

WDW is definitely no longer in my definition of affordable...even when doing it on the "cheap" ....though there really is no such thing anymore at WDW...

the tickets are now insanely expensive....as is the food...as are the rooms..

no, i definitely disagree.....WDW is anything but affordable...

and for anyone coming from far away, winning the lottery is pretty much a necessity (or at least robbing a bank)...

 

[sshaw10060]

I helped some friends (2a 2c) plan a trip this weekend. They were flexible with their dates. Starting with airfare they were able to get PVD to MCO nonstop 5/4 - 5/13 for $160/pp. They booked Pop for 4 nights and bought 5 day non-hopper tickets on the kids play free deal for $900. They're going to have a five day vacation for four including airfare for about $2000.

They'll have an affordable vacation and a great time. Their huge savings was airfare, but than just speaks to the values you can find when flexible.

 

[disneyholic family]

I helped some friends (2a 2c) plan a trip this weekend. They were flexible with their dates. Starting with airfare they were able to get PVD to MCO nonstop 5/4 - 5/13 for $160/pp. They booked Pop for 4 nights and bought 5 day non-hopper tickets on the kids play free deal for $900. They're going to have a five day vacation for four including airfare for about $2000.

They'll have an affordable vacation and a great time. Their huge savings was airfare, but than just speaks to the values you can find when flexible.

$2000 is affordable for 5 days?

that's really interesting....i just heard today that regional airline pilots make less than $20,000/year....i doubt that anyone earning less than $20,000 a year would consider a 5 day $2000 vacation affordable...

 

[OKW Lover]

I know they will come back happy. (Hopefully this is not vacation week for everyone and the lines are not forever long).

I hope they have the bank account to cover the trip, so they will not be extremely unhappy when paying the bill.

Actually it is vacation week.

Fortunately both she and her husband are Yale MBA's so they both pull in a pretty good salary.

 

[jpeka65844]

$2000 is affordable for 5 days?

that's really interesting....i just heard today that regional airline pilots make less than $20,000/year....i doubt that anyone earning less than $20,000 year would consider a 5 day $2000 vacation affordable...

You'd spend $1000 of that in hotel alone at the Hampton Inn in Mandeville, LA in 5 days over Mardi Gras weekend. So, in comparison....it's not that bad.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

$2000 is affordable for 5 days?

that's really interesting....i just heard today that regional airline pilots make less than $20,000/year....i doubt that anyone earning less than $20,000 a year would consider a 5 day $2000 vacation affordable...

Exactly. So many people say the solution is to buy DVC. I doubt that family is going to put up 75-85% of their yearly salary to make vacations affordable "down the road".

 

[topolino]

I agree with those who say that it CAN be affordable, after some up-front costs are paid.

We are DVC owners (paid off - no loan) and AP holders. So now that our DVC is paid and our APs are still valid, our trips are very affordable. All we pay for is airfare and what we spend down there (and of course monthly dues). But before we paid off DVC (we paid the ten year loan off after two years) and when our APs expire, there is another expense.

So I wouldn't make the blanket statement that a WDW is affordable, but with careful planning and making good use of your investment, it can be that way for years to come.

 

[DrMomof3]

I think it all depends on what you are using as a comparison. We're a family of 5 (although our youngest won't be 3 until May). Many vacation destinations won't allow us to stay in one room. Either we need to upgrade to suites or get 2 rooms. I've priced other vacation destinations and found them to be FAR more expensive than Disney. That doesn't make Disney affordable for everyone but it is more affordable than some other popular vacation spots (Atlantis, Beaches, etc.). And airfare to these other destinations is often 2-3 times what it would cost us to fly to Disney.

Amanda

 

[rotlex]

Absolutely agree with this. It is also the reason we have opted to vacation at WDW each of the past 5 or 6 years, rather than going anywhere else.

We live in PA, and frankly, a week long trip to the Jersey shore costs more, when you include hotel, food and boardwalk activities, than a stay at even a moderate resort. We have even traveled twice in one year to Disney due to it.

Back in '09, we had a June Disney vacation planned, came back, decided we needed another family get away before summer ended, and were going to go to Ocean City Maryland for a week. After I figured out what is was going to cost us, I opted for a 10 night stay at POP Century.

It's crazy, but hey, we love it, LOL. Granted, the fact that we drive is a huge savings over flying, but still, WDW is a very reasonable vacation for what you are getting!

 

[WaltD4Me]

Obviously everyone has a different definition of affordable, but I don't think Disney is as expensive as most people think. And one of the reasons is you pay for so much up front, (parks tickets, dining plan) so you are seeing that price in a lump sum, whereas on most other vacations, you pay for your hotel and then pay out your activities and dining during the trip. My sister is trying to plan a trip to Washington DC, she already told me Disney would be cheaper, unless they don't do anything in DC except walk around and look at the buildings.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Obviously everyone has a different definition of affordable, but I don't think Disney is as expensive as most people think. And one of the reasons is you pay for so much up front, (parks tickets, dining plan) so you are seeing that price in a lump sum, whereas on most other vacations, you pay for your hotel and then pay out your activities and dining during the trip. My sister is trying to plan a trip to Washington DC, she already told me Disney would be cheaper, unless they don't do anything in DC except walk around and look at the buildings.

What part of DC are they going to? Most of the museums there are free.

 

[luke]

Last year we went to Disneyland Paris over New Years (09/10) and WDW in august (6-20th).
WDW was far 'cheaper' for the 'Disney part' - 4 nights at DLP's Sequoia Lodge (mid price hotel) was around $2100 for room, breakfast and park tickets. Our 14 nights at Saratoga Springs while at WDW cost around $2500 for room, dining plan and 14 day park hopping tickets. No comparison in the value!!

Now if only someone could do something about transatlantic airfares, as on top of the good value of WDW, we paid around $3500 for airfare (for two) and car hire!!