I responded to a similar post on the high cost of a DW vacation, so I apologize if anyone's read it before. I live in a small beach resort town in South Jersey, actually it's an island, and we're about 50 minutes from Philly, 2 hours from Manhattan, and 2.5 hrs. from DC and Balt. Aside from the beaches, we have a 2.5 mi. boardwalk of which 7 blocks contains shops, restaurants and a couple tiny amusement parks. Doesn't sound like much does it. There are other restaurants and shops on the island, but next to the beach, the boardwalk is the big draw. Let me tell you what people pay to come here. If you rent a condo., you are looking at a base price of about $1100/wk, but going up to $2000 or more, keep in mind, we haven't added on luxury tax. Okay, that's it, you get a place to sleep, no park tix, no attractions, no fireworks, no entertainment, no atmosphere, no food, it's all extra, and not cheap either. You bring a family of 5 here in July or August, you're looking at the price of a DW vacation. Interested in staying in a hotel here, during peak season, about $170/nt for a very, very average room, and that's not the most expensive. Don't get me wrong, I love my town, and if people choose to vacation here, and some have done so for generations, that is their business. Yes, you do pay a premium to stay at a DW resort, and that's why Disney created the different levels of accomodations. In all of my travel experiences, in and out of the US, I've yet to find a vacation that gives you more overall for the price than DW. Of course that is my opinion, the part about my little beach town is fact. My dream surf trip is to go to Jeffreys Bay in South Africa, the airfare alone costs more than my entire trip this Oct. to the Poly. My point is, it's all relative. Oh and you want a real experience, stay at the Motel6 in Sacramento, CA for $85/nt., you know, the one next to the go cart track that runs until 3a.m.(poverty cross country trip) what a treat.
