Who thinks Disney is over rated?

[mommaU4]

I think travel in general these days is getting more and more expensive.

When DH and I were dating in high school (about 15, 16 years ago) we loved going to San Diego. That was *our* city. We would go all the time and get really nice rooms for around $50. Now most places you can't get a Motel 6 for that price.

People are happy when they can get a nice hotel room for $150-$200 a night. Some are happy to pay way more than that. Airfare has gone through the roof too. I'm trying to find a good deal from where I live back to CA for the summer and I can't find anything like what we used to pay.

It makes me sad that things are so expensive. The U.S. has so many wonderful things to see, but for alot of families they are out of reach. We are a family of 6 with one income and it is hard. There are alot of places I would like my kids to see (Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, etc) but I don't know if we'll be able to because of the cost of airfare, food, lodging, etc.

I guess what I'm trying to say is Disney IS expensive but no more so than alot of other vacations. Unfortunately.

 

[TheRatPack]

I do but I prefer the Disney of 10, 15 years ago. This one isn't as nice IMO and is way more expensive!

I agree, this Disney isn't nearly as nice as the one from 10 years ago Cast members used to really make you feel special and you rarely ran in to a grumpy in the park. Now it's a rare thing that you find a cast member that isn't a teen just passing the summer away, or working to make it through college. They don't care about the original Disney and making people feel special and the magic that is supposed to be.

Still I do enjoy Disney and we still have a GREAT time

 

[thelionqueen]

Over rated..Absolutely not! The prices are high, granted, but everything in this world is high! Our local Six Flags (which really sucks BTW) costs over $150.00 per day for our family..not counting food or accomodations.

I think you need to be committed to the magic and budget for it. Once you do that, it's no more expensive than anything else in our lives.

I live to go to Disney and if anything, think it's under rated.

 

[TheBellhop]

I think it's really sad that not all families can go to Disney, reason being that Walt intended WDW and DL for average families to enjoy themselves.

But definately not overrated!

 

[VSL]

Try doing a seach for the DVC (Disney Vacation Club) suites thats what you want. I think you got the "ROCK STAR "suits " Presidental" ones. AKL has breathtaking suites. If you look at them on ALLEARS...you would agree they are not over priced. Most of us do not need a Dinning room that seats 12 while on vacation.

That's what I was thinking.

I think that a Disney holiday for us, in the UK, is very expensive anyway. This is probably partly because I never want to stay offsite (unless it was at a US/IOA hotel for the first few days..). But it's also the plane tickets, staying overnight at Gatwick, etc. It all adds up.

Also, next year, I want to stay in a Mod (CSR) rather than a Value. In addition, the journey to get to WDW is so long (9hr flights each way, driving to an international airport and staying overnight, etc.) that it makes sense to stay for a minimum of a fortnight - I prefer to stay for longer than that though! Again, it all adds up.

WDW on it's own isn't overpriced - it's the whole package!

But I love WDW and think it's worth it.
Maybe it helps that my BF and I can generally feel satisfied on two meals a day - CS. And we don't tend to think too much about souveniours, etc. while we're there.

 

[mark&sue]

Another one from the UK here and a DVC member.

I agree with froglady. You need to compare to other vacations in the world.

We realised after staying two weeks at the Grand Floridian in 2004 that we were mad not to have joined DVC sooner. We would break even after a few years. As Vicky pointed out our flights during school holidays are very expensive but kids do grow up eventually!!

Once you know you want to travel to WDW every year this is the only way to go. Initially the cost is high but I feel it is well worth it. I have already used my points to stay at Saratogo Springs Resort, Disneyland Paris and an exchange here in the UK and will be taking two other families with us in October to Saratogo to try to convert them!!

We are very lucky as here in UK we can get a very good deal on Disney 14 day tickets, which make our own theme park tickets look incredibly expensive.

Overrated never. I can't imagine anywhere else in the world I would rather go. If there was I would go there. This is a Disney board so obviously biased answers, but I live, drink, eat and sleep Disney and I am thousands of miles away.


Susan

 

[tw1nsmom]

I don't think that Disney is overpriced. I do think some of the deluxe resorts at Disney are overpriced for what you get, but we don't stay in those. We always have stayed at one of the value resorts. No, they're not fancy, but for the price, you couldn't get a comparable hotel in most tourist destinations.

Whenever we try to price out other vacations, they come out pretty close (and sometimes surpass) what we would spend on a Disney trip. We just bought a camper and are planning a trip to the beach in Maine this summer. Our camp site alone is going to cost over $500. When you add on gas, food, and entertainment, it will easily be well over $1000 for a camping trip. I know it's much cheaper than a Disney trip and that we'll have a lot of fun camping, but the entertainment quality doesn't even come close to what Disney has to offer.

 

[Stitchfans]

Sure it is going to cost you mega bucks but it is worth it. All those magical memories is priceless.

 

[1of6]

I guess what I'm trying to say is Disney IS expensive but no more so than alot of other vacations. Unfortunately.

I agree completely! And for some of us a $3000+ vacation is hard to take. If you break it down to price per hour yes it is a great value. But when your family doesn't vacation (wedding or funeral weekends, driving 10 hours and staying at the in-laws for a week) it is hard to part with the money.

 

[sweet angel]

Just for giggles because DS was being a pest, I priced out 3 nights in November prior to our cruise at WDW. I picked AKL (again, for giggles), included parkhoppers for 3 days, airfare from here to Orlando and from Orlando to our cruise port. Those 3 nights came out to ALMOST what my 7-night caribbean cruise is for a balcony cabin.

 

[Micca]

WDW is a world class resort and entertainment complex, so I think premium prices are fair. I would like to see more benefits and savings opportunities for those of us who are "frequent Disney flyers".

 

[VSL]

We are very lucky as here in UK we can get a very good deal on Disney 14 day tickets, which make our own theme park tickets look incredibly expensive.

This is so true!

 

[TDC Nala]

I would say it's overpriced in that they will charge more for food, drinks and items you could probably get for less at home (assuming you don't live in a big city), but what vacation resort or entertainment venue doesn't do that? Anyone bought a Coke in a movie theater lately, or even BEEN to a movie theater (regular prices here are now over $11 per person)? I don't know about the ticket prices...they're not cheap, but really they aren't terrible for a vacation destination. I've had an annual pass for years and I get plenty of use out of it. It works for me, but I'm not really aware of pricing for a family.