I'm begining to think maybe Disney isn't that way over priced

[keepswimming76]

Sorry, I replied to the wrong comment. Kings Island is NOTHING compared to Cedar Point as far as lines, although they do get busy. I don't know the ages of your kids, but the kids area in Kings Island is top notch. I have a 5 and 8 year old and they both absolutely love the kids area, although my 8 year old is starting to age out of a lot of the smaller attractions.

We live 10 minutes from Kings Island and are season pass holders. It's not a bad deal for a local if you go and do not buy much food.

But they also nickel and dime just like almost every other place. Parking is $20 for non-pass holders, and food prices are outrageous for what you get. The service is generally terrible. As someone mentioned, it's typically teenagers who may or may not love their job who are working there. We typically do not visit very often during June - August unless we are going in the first couple hours of open due to the crowds and the impact of Fast Lane and Fast Lane Plus on the lines. That's where WDW stands out in my opinion. They do not (yet?) sell paid line-pass tickets. Yes, staying on property gives guests an advantage but at least every guest has as shot at at least three Fast Passes.

We're currently planning a short trip to Cedar Point for May and I'm interested to see the differences in the parks.

I will say when pricing out vacations for Cedar Point, and Universal (for the future), room prices are all comparable to WDW when comparing on-site properties. All the parks offer an advantage to those who stay on property, such as early ride access.
For three nights with two day passes to Cedar Point at their one-site property (family of four for 2 weekdays and a Friday night), it's about $800.
We stayed at a local Great Wolf lodge (on a Groupon), and that cost us about $450 for one night (2 day water park access). We found it outrageous considering the quality.

When looking at prices for amusement-based vacations I don't think WDW is honestly that bad. There are many ways to go about planning a budget-friendly trip.

 

[dreiwhit]

Wow! We've vacationed in Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge many times, and it ususally costs us $1600-1800, depending on how much we spend in clothes.

 

[kathy884]

I understand what you mean. Haven't been to Pigeon Forge, but if you do three or more of those $30 attractions a day, you can easily be close to Disney theme park prices. In September I am taking a group of seven adults (all relatives) to Branson, MO for just two nights, one and a 1/2 days and that is going to set me back about $2100. Three hotel rooms, two shows, an expensive nature tour, and the Titanic museum plus a few modest meals. The seven people number is what hurts.

For our family of three adults - our 22 year old is traveling with us
-- Our five night/four day trip to Orlando for three of us last November was $2500. (split an offsite condo with other relatives -- very nice and very economical)
-- This year February we did a five night/four day trip to Key West -- flying there and back. Total trip cost was $4400 -- lodging and airfare are considerably higher than Orlando -- air was about double. But things to do are relatively inexpensive $15 or so pp to tour historic lighthouses, homes, maritime museums. A nice best western motel ran about $280 a night -- believe me that that is more than I've ever paid for a motel. And this was a bargain for Key West high season lol.

Upcoming trips
-- A seven night / six day stay in Sedona, AZ late spring will run us $4000. It's pretty reasonable, as recreational activities and family friendly hikes/walks to enjoy the beauty are practically free. Also we have a condo rental from a timeshare owner at a very lovely property for a wonderful price. Air is about $100 pp more than Orlando.
--It's more than a year off, but planned. A five night stay in Paris with three nights in Belfast will run us $7500 and yes we will do one day at Disneyland, Paris, but will just be taking the train in from our Paris hotel. Daily cost of admissions and some tours we are doing are less than a theme park ticket, but are still kind of pricey. And air is high, but considerably more affordable than it used to be now that WOW airlines is in our city. But hey, I'm psyched. It's Paris and I love that city. DH and DS have never been. And DS is a Titanic enthusiast, so I'm super excited to take him to that Titanic Quarter in Belfast, and that will be a new place for all of us. We'll be staying a little out of the city center in Paris, near a metro to keep our lodging for a nice place to be under $200 a night for a triple and meals will be at modest cafes, etc. to keep expenses within our vacation budget. I've really done a lot of looking a checking things out and am actually surprised that I can do everything we want to do for this cost.

For us, Orlando is one of our more affordable vacation destinations (good bang for the dollar), so we have been many times. It was always when my son was a little younger, the most fun place I can think of taking him, and I have so many wonderful memories. Maybe we've just been too many times or maybe it's our ages/stage of life now, but for the moment I'm just not psyched to do Orlando or Anaheim. It used to be one mini trip there and one week long trip somewhere else every year. Right now, for the next two years at least Orlando is not in my vacation budget or a place I feel like going to. But lol I must still be a Disney girl and DS is a Disney guy too because we just cannot imagine going to Paris on not doing one day at their Disneyland. Now DH is like most other adult travelers who wouldn't want to waste a Paris day there. So anyway, on that day I found a fabulous Montmartre food tour for him to do while DS and I spend a day at Disneyland.

 

[halfpintpeggy]

They do not (yet?) sell paid line-pass tickets.

Yes they do. WDW began selling paid FP+ to club level guests, $50 for 3 fast passes. It's only a matter of time before this spreads outside of club level.

 

[keepswimming76]

Yes they do. WDW began selling paid FP+ to club level guests, $50 for 3 fast passes. It's only a matter of time before this spreads outside of club level.

Growl! I did not realize this.... I hope it doesn't spread out of club level.

 

[Marionnette]

Growl! I did not realize this.... I hope it doesn't spread out of club level.

If there's a buck to be made, Disney will squeeze it out of the willing. $50 per person per night (minimum 3 night purchase) for a paltry 3 FP+ per day is too rich for my blood. I'd rather spend my money on a Plaid for one day and get backdoor entrance to every attraction that day. And that would be pretty pricey itself but at least they would do all the work. With the Club Level FP+ deal, you get 90-day advance booking but you still have to do it yourself.

 

[kydisneyfans]

Disney continues to be a value vacation for us. We live 3 hours from Pigeon Forge and outside of travel costs, Disney comes in cheaper than PF. That even includes spending a day in the mountains touring and bear searching. By the time you have a good breakfast, hit an attraction(Titanic, etc), then a dinner show, and maybe play a round of mini golf, you're easily over $100 per person per day. Room costs are comparable between the 2.

Pricing out some plans for the 4 of us:
June in Seattle/Vancouver. 7 nights between the 2, rental car, flights, attractions, food. We were over $5,500. That trip was scrapped.
June in Panama City. 7 nights, driving, condo, food, couple nights of entertainment. $3,500. That's alot of money to sit on the beach.

Returned from a 4 day weekend in Charleston, SC. To stay downtown was nearly $400 a night, we stayed by the airport. We drove in and ate all meals out. Total cost for 4 days after admissions, fuel, hotel, and food for 4:$1800.

Disney 5 nights planned in Sept: Hotel onsite-$700(Value)-we own DVC but are low on points. We'll invest in annual passes through bridging tickets-($2000). Food is $40 per person per day-around $800. Flights will be around $800. Just over 4K, but we will be able to return for a couple of other trips. With the AP investment, DVC rooms for Jan/Apr/Aug visits in 2019, our future trip costs will be flight and food only. At $800 per flight and $160/day food, 4 trips to Disney between Sept of 2018 and Aug of 2019 total just over 2K(8K total) a trip, that will include 21 nights.

 

[kydisneyfans]

I live close to Kings Island, a "sister" park to Cedar Point. We have season passes (which can be used at both parks, and others, but those are the only 2 we're close to) which are reasonable values. However, our last trip to Cedar Point was a disaster. They have the "Fast Lane" option, which is an additional charge (on the day we went, it cost almost twice the price of a discounted daily admission) to get through the line faster. And without that? Forget it. We waited in like upwards of 6 hours to only ride 3 rides. The queues are not shaded, and we were completely exhausted. Our food (which was terrible compared to even what you can get for QS at Disney, or Chick Fil A, which is delicious, but doubled in uncharges), was insanely expensive. We've previously packed a cooler and ate at the car, but that's not a "vacation", at least in my mind. Not sure what my point is, just that few experiences are a true "value" anymore. Our CP experience has left us feeling discouraged... we want to return, but we don't feel good paying the extra cost for the Fast Lane, and without that, it's very difficult to have a good experience. WDW is crowded, for sure, but I at least have the illusion of being in control of my schedule.

Used to live in NE Ohio and visited Cedar Point all the time. If you are not a coaster fan, the park is a shell of what it used to be. It's great for thrill seekers, but not for us. We now live 90 minutes from Kings Island-frankly we find it boring. Very few shows, not many non-coaster adult rides, and horrific tasting and insanely priced food. We took our then 17 year old for a day at KI in June-it was a cooler day, and by 2:00 PM he asked us to leave to go shopping over at the Monroe outlets. We haven't been back in a few years. I've never been bored in a Disney park, neither has our son. If at Epcot, head to the WS and enjoy the ongoing entertainment in each country. Hit the safari at AK. DHS can get dry due to lack of attractions, and there is always plenty going on at the MK. For the price, our family will take Disney 100 out of 100 times compared to KI and CP.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

June in Panama City. 7 nights, driving, condo, food, couple nights of entertainment. $3,500. That's alot of money to sit on the beach.

I think that depends on what kind of traveler you are. Living in the middle of the country a week on a beach just relaxing is heaven to my husband and I. We like to do things here and there for sure when it comes to a beach vacation.

My husband recently thought of an idea to do a weekend trip within driving distance to celebrate our anniversary and my birthday. Well that snowballed into a week on a beach. We crave tropical beaches and looked around and FL just doesn't have what we were looking for. We also looked in Key West and accommodations were a bit pricey.

We expanded and keeping in mind where SWA travels, since we wanted to use pts, we eventually settled on Jamaica. I'm not the most excited about Jamaica..it's a bit touristy for my tastes but the accommodations were very reasonable. We looked into Bahamas where flights were less expensive but hotel accommodations were higher.

Right now the value of the trip is just over $1,800 (airfare value even though we're using points and hotel accommodations)+over $200 in airport taxes and fees for 7 days 6 nights though there will be airport transfer and food costs added later. And while we don't want to spend close to your $3,500 amount for two people we're still spending some money..all to go sit on a beach. The only somewhat touristy thing we plan on doing is going to this place by the cliffs for food/ambience/entertainment. The rest will be spent on the beach and I'm sure the pool a bit too. Now there are various places to eat on the beach though so we plan on checking out different places.

We did a mix of touristy in Hawaii in 2016 (Dole Planation, Pearl Harbor) but the main reason was relaxing on a beach. We did a Sandals for our honeymoon on St. Lucia (which is the most expensive trip we've taken so far) and while that was all-inclusive we didn't do any touristy things other than one excursion in 9 days. It was amazing.

 

[KelNChrisKYDis]

Used to live in NE Ohio and visited Cedar Point all the time. If you are not a coaster fan, the park is a shell of what it used to be. It's great for thrill seekers, but not for us. We now live 90 minutes from Kings Island-frankly we find it boring. Very few shows, not many non-coaster adult rides, and horrific tasting and insanely priced food. We took our then 17 year old for a day at KI in June-it was a cooler day, and by 2:00 PM he asked us to leave to go shopping over at the Monroe outlets. We haven't been back in a few years. I've never been bored in a Disney park, neither has our son. If at Epcot, head to the WS and enjoy the ongoing entertainment in each country. Hit the safari at AK. DHS can get dry due to lack of attractions, and there is always plenty going on at the MK. For the price, our family will take Disney 100 out of 100 times compared to KI and CP.

I can appreciate that. Fortunately for our family, we're all huge coaster enthusiasts, so we love the big rides. (My husband & I went to 8 amusement parks in 1 summer across the country the year we got married as our "honeymoon", haha.) But I agree on all your points... if you aren't into coasters, there's not much to do. And the food (and the service) is abysmal. We have season passes mostly for the water park, and it's a fun place for my kids & I go spend 1/2 a day during the summer.

 

[hsmamato2]

I own DVC and we go regularly as well. I don't try to justify my Disney obsession to anyone anymore. We just go and have a good time when we are there. However, I am no Disney apologist and as a long-time visitor, it rubs me the wrong way to see the recent spate of money grabbing that is occurring as well as the decline in value that I have seen. I'm looking forward to the renewal of HS, which has suffered greatly in the past 10 years and I hope that the plans for EPCOT move forward quickly. I wish that Disney could put as much effort into refreshing their parks as they put into building new DVC resorts! You can still love Disney and see the flaws for what they are. Sometimes it takes stepping away from Disney for a while to appreciate what it offers. Or, OTOH, to see that there is much more to see in the world than what in contained in the World Showcase.

This. Exactly.

 

[hsmamato2]

as others have noted...so much of this is subjective. To say Disney isn't expensive is a little silly, it IS expensive! But so are other things and vacations. The one expense that's hard to pare down for a Dis trip is park tickets (it can be done, but it ain't easy,and they're making it harder) That's a solid line of cost you can't get around (for the average traveler) that makes it $$$ no question. Mainly b/c most travelers to WDW don't just go for a day like a local park, it's days of tickets etc. And no one can deny that onsite rooms are very $$$ for what you get. (yes they are!) I'm not saying I don't like any of these things,and that there aren't ways to cut the costs down (there are!) I'm saying an average family paying rack rates at an onsite hotel, dining plan,and tickets....that trip is WAY overpriced IMHO. Rack Rate folks....everyone calm down now I mean yes there are other touristy places to visit,and they're also crazy overpriced. And also noting that some of these comparisons on cost make laugh a little since usually they include "oh,and then the airfare too" at the end..... If I were WDW local,and had Fl passes, and just drove in to visit when I wanted, the price points is gonna be WAY different from the 'average' family trip for most. (I don't travel average tho!)
If I can stay onsite,use all buses or stay offsite ,rent my own car...well then I would weigh both costs to see what I could get. But the admission tickets....those are usually a budget buster in any trip,it's just what it is. (goodbye to all the 'good' tricks from the past to save some $ on park tix)

 

[mi*vida*loca]

For me it's about the luxury. Sure I could stay at a value, get park tickets and pay OOP for QS and get a decent deal. But I can go to Mexico or Dominican Republic and stay at a 4 star resort for around the same cost of a value per person and have all drinks and food included. We are partiers and like to drink so we do the clubs and bars at night and pool/beach time during the day. We get our money out of the food and drink portion. We also do excursions. Since we speak Spanish we usually find "off the beaten path" type excursions and never go through the hotel. At our recent resort in DR they had a hut on the beach behind the resort that did excursions. We didn't pay more than $25 a person for any of our excursions including snorkeling, going to a private beach, booze cruise, riding ATV's, etc.

We did Dominican Republic for a week for 4K including flights and our excursions. With the amount of food and drinks we had that would've been 3K at Disney alone. I priced out a week at a moderate with FD in August for 3 adults, 1 Disney adult and it's well over 4K. We still have to get there, pay for tips, etc.

We still do Disney and love it but there are other places I can get more bang for my buck. It may cost the same as Disney but I feel like I'm getting more for my money outside of Disney.