Ever feel like you can not afford WDW vacations anymore?

[shh]

Since we can drive there in a few hours and get the reasonably priced weekday pass, it's a pretty cheap getaway for us. But then again, we don't have kids and aren't interested in dining plans, hard ticket extras or merch. We do maybe 1 TS per trip and with a car, aren't trapped there for all meals or slow buses. If I had to fly...I definitely would cut back from frequent trips to maybe once every 4-5 years.

We only made one change: we've always stayed at value resorts until they started charging for parking. Umm. no thank you. No more of that. We get the same EMH and 60 day benefits at one of the official DS area chains.

 

[dclpluto]

I’m a dvc member and I agree ticket prices are way too expensive. So this is what I do. I get a annual pass with the dvc discount. Last time I got the gold. I went four times during the year all four times was for one week. All in a one bedroom.after the year is over I take a break from wdw usually about a year and a half. Than do it all over again. Yes it still adds up to lots of $$$$ but you get more park days per dollar.

 

[slpeters]

We went for the first time this last November and frankly thought it was pretty awesome value. We stayed at the Swan and had seven days park hopper tickets. It felt like it was about what our vacations normally cost, but was also more jam-packed and somehow less stressful. It felt like you could make all the decisions beforehand and then just go fully into vacation mode--no driving, no figuring. Maybe once it doesn't feel so new it won't seem like as good of value, but it was frankly kind of a revelation to me. We're going to Universal, with a day at SeaWorld and a MVMCP this December. Then we're going to try Disneyland the following Fall and then I think we'll be back to WDW the Spring after that. I'm not ready for all our vacations to be Disney--I also don't think my husband would put up with that. But I'm good with one out of three for at least four years running...

 

[pooh2001]

I guess we will wait and see what days are the least expensive, since we can go any time during the year - but I do not like planes in the winter from Northern part of the USA

 

[loves to dive]

I'm semi-retired so my income has cut down by about 2/3. The last 4 years I've been going to WDW at least 3 times a year. I live about 7 1/2 hours away so I drive. I always stay on site and have done so for over 30 years now. Currently I have an AP and have had one for about 4 years, but am considering letting it lapse. We are going to buy a 5th wheel and a new truck to pull it at the end of the year so our vacations will consist of where we can take the RV since my honey has never been on any vacation with me other then dive ones. Even though my income has been cut down a lot and my disposable cash will be depleted paying for the RV, I'm sure I'll still go to WDW at least once a year. Now it will be camping at FW instead of staying at an Epcot resort, Honey will be going instead of me gong solo or with my adult son so less time in the parks but I'll still go. It's my safe place and I can't imagine not going.

 

[GreatLakes]

Staying off site and not eating many meals on property is one way to drastically lower the cost of a WDW trip. It was the only way we were able to go as kids and a perfectly good strategy.

There are many things about WDW that I feel are no longer really worth it but seeing the park with my kid will likely keep me going for years to come.

I also feel we are in need if an economic adjustment and am looking forward to the park deals that usually brings.

 

[Kitty 34]

For us, we could afford WDW just don't want to go at this stage of our life (meaning just DH and myself). When the grands get a bit older maybe.

In fact I just gave all my Disney Visa "credits" to my nephew and his family who will be going right after Thankgiving.

 

[fhtpdw20]

I am also in the camp of not so much worth it any more. Disney thinks they are making it easier to plan/tour, but it boils down to watching/filming with a cell phone screen vs being spontaneous interacting with what is going on in the moment. As the prices get higher and all the up charges, I think your going to see a lot more of "I am paying x $$$$$$$$$$$$ for this vacation and I am going to get my money's worth no matter who I have to step on in the process". Then add alcohol availability to flare tempers, a disaster in the making. Coupled with removing the Disney touches (hotel décor, streetmosphere performers, parades, etc...) budget cuts, Disney is devolving from an industry leader to just a glorified Six Flags park.

 

[pooh2001]

We live to far north to drive - over 24 hours in driving total
Not worth it.
A 2-3 hour plane flight will be better - depending on stop overs
Maybe off site and eating breakfast in our hotel room, and maybe dinner
in Disney Springs or a quick bite somewhere.
Each day in the park we could do a QS for lunch or maybe a few TS
I just have to see how the new ticket prices work.

 

[dotfurio]

IDK about WDW, but I'm still not priced out of DL. However, we don't stay on property. The hotels are too expensive considering we're pretty much only in our rooms to sleep. We often hang out in the GC lobby for a midday break, though.

We did Universal AP for a year recently. Price wise it was a much better deal, but I don't like most of the rides and it just doesn't have as much to offer as DL. Same with Magic Mt and Knotts. So for the same basic hotel rates and a little more expensive ticket, I feel DL is a better value for our family than other local theme parks because we can find so much to do and see there.

 

[pigletto]

Staying off site and not eating many meals on property is one way to drastically lower the cost of a WDW trip. It was the only way we were able to go as kids and a perfectly good strategy.

There are many things about WDW that I feel are no longer really worth it but seeing the park with my kid will likely keep me going for years to come.

I also feel we are in need if an economic adjustment and am looking forward to the park deals that usually brings.

I agree. We started going in 2008 and have been on 12 or 13 trips. We’ve stayed at about 75% of the resorts, have gone with the DDP and Deluxe DDP. We aren’t spending much more than we did back when we started, but we are offsite now, we get base tickets with no extras, and we eat mostly offsite. This year we are driving for the first time to keep the costs down because we have to go during our spring break and flight prices are insane. So we’ve made a lot of changes and concessions to keep these trips at a price we are comfortable with.
I will say this though ...it’s not some big hardship to stay offsite. I prefer it. We have more space, nicer accommodations, and a kitchen for snacks and breakfast. We really enjoy it and after 10 onsite trips, I can’t see going back onsite while we are bringing teenagers.
We are also skipping every other year in favour of other destinations.

 

[pookybean]

As a single mom idk if ever really could afford a disney vacation, yet we have been just about every year for the past 11 years. We love it and it is "our" place. Im not sure if i could ever say we aren't going one year. That being said, this trip we have coming up I feel has been a lot harder to pay for. We go without some other things to save for our vacations and i really try to keep to a hard budget. That just has not been enough for this trip and so i have been doing some rewards programs trying to make up for what i havent saved yet. i think it is a combination of my kids getting older, disney raising prices and just things getting more expensive all around. it makes me sad to think that a year might come when i really can not afford to go.

 

[Shanti]

The appeal of the WDW parks is getting diminished with all of the changes and cutbacks. FOP & SD are great, but so much else has been lost, and the shorter hours are killer. Our next trip to WDW might well be a water parks & resort only trip. We also love Disney cruises, which combine the Disney charm & fun with seeing faraway places.

My son is 13 and while he still enjoys WDW, he also truly enjoys non-Disney trips, as well. He loved our nature-focused trip to Niagara Falls last week, and is excited about visiting other cities/countries/landmarks that have nothing to do with Disney. So Disney isn't our automatic travel destination anymore.

 

[hopemax]

I stay with my Dad, and he has a Maingate. So my lodging and ticket prices are $0 and I still feel like I can't afford a WDW vacation. The Maingate, while very nice from a monetary perspective, puts us at a serious disadvantage when it comes to actually riding popular rides. We can only make Fastpasses for 4 days and only 7 days in advance (unless a friend is traveling at the same time and staying on site), and I think pretty much everyone would agree, that is not a fun or non-stressful way to visit the parks.

But it is more a statement of value. We were able to visit HKDL in May (which was wonderful, a lot like the way Disney Parks used to be) and are going to Tokyo in December, so it's not like the money isn't there. WDW is just such a terrible use of that money, and so much more "work" required to have a good time.

 

[L&Lfan]

We are 2 adult men so money's not the issue....value for what you're paying and the amount of planning now involved are the issues with us. This year we're staying at the Dolphin for 8 nights because we don't think the Disney Epcot resorts are worth the extra cash. We'll Uber from the airport and are not interested in dining plans or buying merchandise, so we think we've found our satisfaction level for the time being.

 

[pooh2001]

We are 2 adult men so money's not the issue....value for what you're paying and the amount of planning now involved are the issues with us. This year we're staying at the Dolphin for 8 nights because we don't think the Disney Epcot resorts are worth the extra cash. We'll Uber from the airport and are not interested in dining plans or buying merchandise, so we think we've found our satisfaction level for the time being.

You will love the Dolphin!
Our favorite resort
You can get a discount if one of you are a teacher, nurse, work for the government.
Also become a Marriott rewards member (free to do) and earn points or other perks (unsure what it would be - free upgrade maybe)
If you have AAA then you can get a discount at the Dolphin and Swan eateries.
Enjoy your trip

 

[Nancyg56]

My recent trip has me questioning whether I want to afford a Disney trip anymore. Like @RedAngie said upthread, the value isn’t there anymore and I imagine that’s true at all pricepoints of deluxe, mod, and value, so changing the style of our Disney vacations so that they cost less only means we’ll be getting even less for what we do spend. I’ve long said that I wanted to be there in 2021 for the 50th anniversary since I was there for the 25th, and at that point my son will be old enough to remember the trip, so we’ll probably still do that. But it might be an abbreviated version of the type of trip we usually take and beyond that we may not return, whereas I had previously assumed trips to Disney would be something we’d do every few years throughout my son’s childhood.

I am in the same mindset. After this trip I am not at all sure I will be back for a while unless there is a darn good discount for the end of 2019. I have a young friend who i want to take, and DH has pledged she will go, so that will be it for a long time. The cost has escalated, and while we can afford it, i am not sure I want to spend it there.

 

[quandrea]

I’m a dvc member and I agree ticket prices are way too expensive. So this is what I do. I get a annual pass with the dvc discount. Last time I got the gold. I went four times during the year all four times was for one week. All in a one bedroom.after the year is over I take a break from wdw usually about a year and a half. Than do it all over again. Yes it still adds up to lots of $$$$ but you get more park days per dollar.

This is how we do it. Works very well. On our off years, we either rent out our points and do something else or we do nonpark dvc stays. Dvc makes our trips affordable. When I price out other holidays, I’m shocked. We are here now unexpectedly. I thought we’d do Quebec City—even rented out our points—but the hotel bill there was going to be $3000 CAD for five nights. I’ve stayed a week at Fort Wilderness in a cabin. It’s literally been free. My dvc rental covered maintenance fees, this hotel bill and then some. Feels pretty good!

We always rent out enough dvc points to cover our maintenance fees.

We still love going. Watching how the kids love it as they grow is incredible. We are here now and the looks on my twins’ faces as they rode in the very front of Mine Train was more fun for me than any ride I’ll experience this trip.

Disney treats my dd’s Peanut allergy with such professionalism. The ability to eat out safely has real value for us. People say they find better value at Universal, but Universal was miles behind Disney with allergies.

 

[OhMari]

The last ten years my dh work has sent us down, and we would always stay a few days before his work at WDW. I do not think I ever paid rack rate, either I rented points from 2 different members, or Disney had a discount. Lucky for us, we were able to go during the lean years when there was a recession.

2 years ago, we decided there was too much construction and we wanted to wait till a lot of it is complete.

I do miss Disney when I get on the boards and read and moderate the TR’s, but prices and cut backs are raising my eye brows. I think I just read that the Biergarten in Germany has raised the price of the buffet to $42. Sorry, but you are paying for the entertainment and atmosphere, no way is brats, hotdogs and Wiener schnitzel worth that.

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

We're DVC members who bought our points long ago. Just before they stopped selling no-expiration tickets, we bought ahead, and we use those tickets very sparingly to stretch them out - only 1 or 2 park days/ trip. Our flights are inexpensive. We don't eat at table service restaurants very often, and we have just about all the souvenirs we'll ever need.

All that to say that our Disney vacations aren't horrendously expensive, but I'm with everyone else who said the value just doesn't seem to be there anymore. I've watched the "magic" slowly circle the drain. As my husband says, Scrooge McDuck has pretty much taken the place of Mickey Mouse, and it shows. Disney seems to arrogantly believe that they are doing us a favor by allowing us to visit.

3 fast passes a day, long lines for everything else, food that has gone way up in price and way down in quality, huge crowds all year long, ever-restricted hours so that Disney can sell the time to "party-goers" of all kinds, substituting a new ride here and there for the new park they really need but are too cheap to build, having to spend hours planning 6 months in advance exactly what you will be doing every day, etc, etc. Disney has made it work to have fun. I can definitely see the day coming when it won't be worth bothering anymore.