What is your OOP limit for a Disney Vacation?

[kool_kat]

I don't really have a price point per trip, but I figure out what it's going to cost and then plan accordingly to budget for that. (That's how I do all trips) The last couple of trips have been with my husband's family and they like to go all out - deluxe accommodations, dining plan, park hopper tickets, plus extras.

The trip I just returned from ended up costing a fortune - 4 night DVC cruise (had to be in a verandah room) 3k, plus 3 days of dining plan and 2 day park hopper tickets at the end of the cruise. This one we stayed on the their points and they didn't charge us anything because it was already costing so much. All in all, our trip was over 6k, but thankfully due to gift card churning we spent more like 4,000 (plus I have over 500 of Disney gift cards left that we didn't spend for another trip).

 

[ellie05]

For us it is not a set number is more if we find something that we think is reasonable and what other trips we have going on that year. For example I am not paying more than $120 a night for a value, I am not paying over $260 a night for a moderate and I am definitely not paying over $450 a night for a deluxe. If we have the time we price it out and find something in our budget at the time. We are going with CS next vacation, because less than a month after we get back we have a 3 week international trip, the month after that we have wedding out of state, Disney again in the fall and possibly December we haven't decide where we are going yet, but since we have annual passes it probably be Disney.

I find it easy to find a vacation within our budget always at Disney because they have so many choices. For example we can choose to do signature dinning if we have the budget one trip or just TS. However we can't do just quick dinning for us we have to be able to do at least one TS per day. Sometimes that means we have to stay moderate vs deluxe and that is ok.

 

[rsagusti]

Ours is about $1200 pp normally, this next trip we are adding on Universal 3 night instead of family for 3 nights so that raised this years budget, but it was planned for in advance, this year total we are probably going to be at $1625 pp

 

[Hikergirl]

I'm surprised at the number of people who don't have a price point that they aim for when they're planning a Disney vacation. No matter what kind of trip that I'm taking or where I'm going, I have a tipping point that would make me look someplace else to spend my money. For Disney, it's $1200 pp. I might shorten my trip or go from Deluxe to Moderate, but I refuse to dig into my pocket for any more cheese for the Mouse.

I have a price point for any vacation, its around $1200 per person. Most vacations are below that, but that is the top of what I'm comfortable paying for a single vacation. Disney doesn't get a higher limit just because its Disney. I do what I can to make a trip there fall within my budget but I really don't feel that WDW is worth that anymore compared to other vacations that I could do for the same amount of money.

 

[AlohaNow]

I have never thought of it in terms of per person cost. If I have a trip idea in mind I price it out and then keep trying back to check on price. When I see a great deal, I know it! If all cylinders are clicking and I can make air work with whatever points I have available, then I’ll book it.

It’s kind of sad……I have pretty much stopped always checking the price of DCL over the kids’ breaks. I think we have said Bon Voyage to the Mickey Boat for good because mama just cannot find a deal there anymore!

 

[wendow]

We typically spend about $800 pp, or right at $5k for our annual WDW trip. Any other smaller vacations we take cost much less but tend to be shorter and closer to home.

 

[Liberty Belle]

As cheaply as possible while staying at a value resort. Typically, this comes to around $3500 for a week.

 

[FINFAN]

$4000 for a family of 4 adults, 10 days. Might mean a split stay on/off site, might mean no hoppers, might mean eating PBJ for the trip, might mean all of those, but that's the limit

 

[sheetz]

I don't usually have a strict vacation budget but I typically look at all vacation possibilities and evaluate them based on value and desirability. That said, I will never spend more than I can afford to on a vacation.

 

[loves to dive]

I don't set a budget. If I want to go, I just find the best deal I can on hotel, have an AP and pretty much eat when we are hungry and what we want to eat.

 

[3 DD love princesses]

interesting to price it per person. Never really set a budget when we have gone in the past. Just paid for want we wanted. ended up being almost 6k for family of 5 for 10 days moderate resort and dining plan, plane tickets, plus extras. (two kids were free at disney) so not really sure what it was per person. I just plan to see if the dining plan is better or paying out of pocket and then try to figure 100 per person for extras. that way it averages out between everyone. seeing the posts though did make me realize we have paid quite a bit per person. hoping to keep the next trip under 4k

 

[krd315]

We are a family of 5 and were averaging less than $1000 per person with one room at POR and 2 kids. This trip we are at about $1300 with the AOA family suite. We do several TS, no DP and both kids are now Disney adults. We only visit Disney every 2-3 years now.

 

[cjnix29]

Marionette....I have to agree with you. I'm thinking 1200 is the absolute max for a Disney trip, and I hate to spend that. I think of how other places have gotten to be a better value in the last couple of years, with all the price increases and add on fees of Disney....it's become drastically less cost effective. There used to be better discounts, better perks, overall better value. If it got over the 1200 price point, I can see myself on a ship, staring at the ocean! I am certainly a vacation bargain hunter, and try to do our Disney trips as cheaply, but comfortably as possible. Again, getting harder and harder, because my husband insists on staying on site, and we hate the value resorts, and aren't all that fond of the moderates. So...our budget stretches a lot further outside of the Disney bubble. Which is one reason why it absolutely boggles my mind that people would go to Disney and NOT do the parks, as the resorts are not nearly as nice as you can find in other locations for far less money with abundantly more amenities. But....everyone takes their own vacations, with their own budgets.

 

[Eastern]

I would say we usually spend about $1400-1600 pp for 5 people for about a week and that is all in, paying OOP for meals. However, I am getting tired of the expense when I spend that money and still get a 'budget feeling' during our trip.

They are pricing me out with their cutbacks. It just feels cheap to me. Lower quality food, inconsistent maid service and breathtaking room prices. I've been staying deluxe the past 10 years with an occasional mod but I'm going all mod now. It feels like they are robbing me less that way.

ps I travel during off season these days so I'm not even paying top dollar for rooms or airfare.

 

[katie111]

Last trip we spent about $1100pp (me and 3 kids, left DH at home, free flights on points) and I think that was WAY too much for what we got. I'm planning on spending my vacation dollars elsewhere for the foreseeable future. Next trip I do to Disney will be at a value with some sort of "free dining" (3 Disney adults) and will include some time at Universal. Wouldn't spend more than $800 per person max.

I agree with the previous poster. I felt like I was paying top dollar on our last trip (stayed at BeachClub) and I can't say that I enjoyed my vacation anymore than I do when I stay at a value. My room wasn't updated (peeling wallpaper, uncomfortable mattresses, etc), wasn't very clean, and service was no better than I get at the values. I thin I enjoyed my vacation less because i just kept thinking I could have been sitting at an all inclusive in Mexico or visiting a National Park for less money and more enjoyment.

 

[Darcy03231]

While I don't have a set dollar amount, I have to see a value for the money being spent, which is why we haven't been back since 2013. With all the price increases and nickel and diming without new attractions and closures of attractions while construction is going on, for me the value just isn't there. It would have to be really inexpensive right now to get me to consider a WDW vacation. We may return in the future when new stuff opens up, but we'll see what the prices are at the time. If its going to cost me as much to go to WDW for a week as it will to go on a luxury vacation, the luxury vacation will win out.

 

[DizMe]

I don't price it that way. What you spend for a family per person can be very different from what you spend as a single traveler. I do both. Family of 5 = fewer trips because of high cost of tickets. Me going with friends = much more budget friendly. I usually take the family once/year or once every other year. I go with friends about 6 times a year. I can get a free SW flight, have an annual pass, use points for gift cards etc, get hotel discounts through Dapper Day, etc. I travel when it's cheapest for me but it is getting more and more pricey even so. I don't break down all of those things into how much the actual cost is for me but I went to Disneyland with a friend for my birthday in January and spent $20 OOP, not counting whatever percentage it was out of my annual pass. Free flight, free Rainforest dining, free gift cards, etc. I can't do that with my whole family.

 

[smiths02]

With our income now, I think our total somewhat responsible amount to spend on vacation is about $10,000 every 2 years for 8-9 night vacation.
We have done Disney this year because transportation costs are low (we can drive), and it's a vacation with entertainment suitable for very young children and I don't have to cook, clean, or even drive and I have to be able to travel mid-June to mid-July (and the room has to be comfortable for 5 people)

 

[smiths02]

While I don't have a set dollar amount, I have to see a value for the money being spent, which is why we haven't been back since 2013. With all the price increases and nickel and diming without new attractions and closures of attractions while construction is going on, for me the value just isn't there. It would have to be really inexpensive right now to get me to consider a WDW vacation. We may return in the future when new stuff opens up, but we'll see what the prices are at the time. If its going to cost me as much to go to WDW for a week as it will to go on a luxury vacation, the luxury vacation will win out.

I agree with that, especially as my children get older where they will appreciate other things more.

 

[dylans mommy]

We typically don't have a price point that we try to stick too but it really just depends on what kind of trip we are planning.

Our last trip was around $700 a person for 6 night/7day stay at a POFQ with military tickets and the dinning plan. This was a "short" trip for us as far as tickets goes sense the military hopper tickets are 4 day ones.

Our trip in 2014 came in around $1,250 a person for 9 nights/10 days staying at AOA and Pop century. We had 7 day hopper tickets and the dinning plan for this trip.

I think it truly depends on what kind of trip you want to take and for how long. We are blessed to be able to get military discounts so that does help us out on costs. And we tend to let our kids get what they want as far as souvenirs but they usually have gift cards from birthdays and holidays from family members to cover most of it. We are stationed only a half a days drive away so we can drive now. We will be moving cross the country soon and will need to start flying to Disney so our per person cost will be going up.

We will be trying to sneak in one more trip before our oldest becomes a Disney "adult" just so we can save on that cost increase.