Is Disney World too Expensive?

[mrssalvaggio]

I think a lot of people answer this according to what their disposable income is. I know that our Disney vacations have become more expensive (we stay at moderate or deluxes, more PS's, some of the "extras"). However, it is much less of a strain now because our income has grown. I fondly remember when it took a lot of budgeting throughout the year to save for our $2000 WDW trip. Now we still budget somewhat, but easily fork out that $4000-$5000 per trip. We've always felt blessed to experience Disney at whatever income level. I hope we never take for granted what we are so fortunate to have because we are aware of those who aren't in that position.

 

[jann1033]

I said "to ex.go anyway" with reservations since I think some things (like tickets) are not that out of line( although one of the parks near by is Cedar Point, see one of the first posts, so maybe I have an unrealistic standard of expense) while other things like on site hotels are way over priced, same with some sit down rest. and while I don't mind paying a* little* more for "magic" it still is way more than it has to be imo.

however we stay at FW which we love and is cheap and I don't have to worry who did what in the bed I am sleeping in ( seen too many PrimeTime type shows) but I can get a room comparable to (or nicer than) a moderate-deluxe via hotwire for $40-60 so yeah $110-who knows how much is way to high to be considered a good bargain imo

I also think you can cut costs on any vacation but with disney they control the big ticket expenses more (like rooms,food) so you can save but not as much. we are spending about twice as much on this vacation than on a normal vacation bugeting more carefully than I usually do on vacation ( normal meaning usually national park type area vacation since we rarely go to amusement park or tacky tourist places like Pigeon Forge or Niagara Falls by the falls themselves type places. in fact I won 2 tickets to Cedar Point this year and gave them away! husband gets motion sickness so what's the sense)

 

[dawnsb]

We look at a vacation as a time together away from everyday hassles and worries. It is money well spent for good time together.

We just returned from a cruise on Royal Caribbean, and spent a little more than a Disney vacation. Next year I think we'll be heading out West to the Utah national parks. We put aside the same amount of money each year for vacation, and spend it all or just a little more.

Dawn

 

[jdads2]

If you compare it to evryday living expenses of coarse it's expensive. When you start comparing it to vacations and to what you get when you're on vacation, it's pretty reasonable.

We figure as a family of 5 and without scrimpong and getting pretty much whatever you want we spend about $500 a day. That's for food, lodging, shows, rides, souvineers and transportation. It will even include higher ticket items like Cirque tickets or MVMCP tickets or specialty dinner packages.

 

[merryweather's twin]

Well I guess I am in the minority!
I think the Ap and ticket prices have gotten out of hand. I mean every year they seem to go up! We have been Ap holders for 4 years and make 3-4 trips a year and eat out at the nicer places but with 5 kids we need to get in the door for less.

We went in Oct and had an entire 7 day trip at US/IOA (with APs) and food and hotel and 2 WDW halloween partys for $400. less than just our AP would have been at WDW!And the kids loved it! I was so suprised that I liked it to. I havew been to WDW 30 times so I thought I would miss the magic but I found new magic.

We are bringing the entire family (16 people with 2 under 3yo) and paying for everyones transport and hotel and tickets at US/IOA with 2 Skyauction condos for less than it would be just to bring the 7 of us to WDW for a week!

We will be going to WDW 2 daysThat will be $(1400. Grandma is paying for this)!!. The 5 day passes at US/IOA are $10.00 dollers less total than that if we had to buy ours! Becouse we bought Aps at US/IOA in Oct the total tickets for everyone at US/IOA will be $765.!!!!

That is 5 days of our money that WDW is missing out on due to ticket prices. Not to mention our fall trip in 2004 and the trip last Oct! To bad too.... WE Love WDW but Price does matter.....

 

[Bill3]

Of course its expensive, a week at a WDW resort, food, t-shirts,film etc. But we go once or twice a year. No one as ever made us go, and we think its money well spent.It was tough with little kids but every memory is wonderful( the kids still talk about the near divorce that nearly took place after putting up a tent for the 1st time at midnight). Money well spent.

 

[ckb_nc]

Is Disney expensive - It depends. You can do Disny for less or not. I have done it both ways and frankly like splurging on my Disney vacations. It is a magical place like no other.

Is Vegas expensive. It depends how you make it as well.

Echoing others comments, we have Paramount's Carowinds a half hour or so south. It is just or more expensive than a day at WDW, with a dirty park, poor employees, unsupervised teenagers running around(which you rarely see at WDW) and a poor product. And the food is a whole different thread. Knowing I had a WDW trip this fall, we went the whole summer without it, and I was glad for it.

Disney is an experience anda life time memeory if done well. Those are never cheap but rarely regrettable.

Now if we can just get Disney to offer FTP (the real FTP) again......

That was a great deal

 

[Kallison]

Family of 5 usually costs us around $4-5K, we can take two or three vacations for that amount. But we still love to go.

 

[shelleybell]

I voted yes, but only because I live so far away. Yes, I will keep going back. They must put something in the water. How else can you explain getting on the plane to come home and immediately start planning your next trip?

 

[camper]

Yes, it is alot of money, especially if you have a large family. But, you get so much for your money. I think it is worth every cent.

 

[CRSNDSNY]

We are good at strategizing to save money, but it is airfare that is just so darn expensive! There are only two of us, so driving would cost just as much or possibly more. That's where the big expenses are for us.

 

[ckb_nc]

We have a US Airways Visa card, which we pay each month. The points from that have now taken us to Orlando twice in the last three years. It is a big way to save some money and one of our strategies.

 

[DBH]

Disney can be as expensive as you want it to be. You can drive down stay at cheap hotel($40/night) and eat outside WDW or you can pay extra for the convience of resorts, WDW dining options, and fly down.

We like to enjoy the whole Disney experience so we stay on site and eat several restaurants in WDW. There are several ways to save on your disney trip. We have never stayed at a resort for the rack rate. We have gotten discounts up to 50% off the published room rates. We eat more lunch meals at sit down restaurants because the price is usually about $5 cheaper than dinner. There is no real way around the park passes unless you can get an AP and come back within a year.

This spring we have a budget of $3000/6 nights for a family of 4. That includes staying at the Boardwalk Villas for 5 nights(we are not DVC members) and driving down instead of flying. We will get 5 day hopper passes and eat only 1 sit down meal a day the rest will either be in our room or counter service. For us this is a reasonable amount for the enjoyment we get at WDW.

 

[capnho]

Sure, Disney can cost a lot of money, but I think the real question is: Are you getting value for your money?

I think you do. For around $50/day in the parks you get the rides, shows, parades and fireworks. Compare that to what you pay for a major league sporting event or a concert. Decent seats here in Boston for the Red Sox, Bruins or Celtics are around $50 each. I paid $120 for two tickets to see James Taylor last summer. Each of these events lasts 2-3 hours, as compared to a full day of entertainment at a Disney park.

Can you take cheaper vacations? Sure. We stay in my in-laws house in Vermont for a week every summer and it's a very inexpensive vacation for us. However, if you want the Disney experience you need to decide whether it's worth the money or not. If not, you should find something else that gives you more value for your hard earned $$$.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Yes, Disney is expensive but worth it IMHO. The admission includes all the beautiful gardens and many special touches and that is well worth it. Other parks cost similarly but you do not get the magic that you do at Disney.

I do feel that the cost of the drinks and some of the food is so high that it is causing more people to bring their own food into the park and that does not do Disney any good. We had many great meals but there were a few really bad ones too. We ate at Perkin's often because it was convenient, cheaper and most delicious. With the shorter hours it was easier to go off property than it was before.

Another benefit of the shorter hours. for those of us who are lucky enough to go often, is that we get more rest and have time to explore the other corners of the Kingdom outside the parks and still on property. An evening spent sitting on the Boardwalk with an expensive pastry was still a bargain.

Slightly Goofy

 

[2angelsinheaven]

Fiance' and myself went to WDW last weekend, our hotel cost was $55.00 for a room at the ASSports on Property ($49.00 plus taxes) ... we drove there which cost about $14.00 (10 for gas and 4 for tolls, we could have driven 1-92 no tolls, but the time saving 417 was worth the 4), we then spent $292.00 for Season's Passes (we saved $110 on those because we had gone the week before with my mom for a birthday gift and they credited the money spent on the 1d/1p towards the SPs), we ate at Fantasmic for a snack (Two sodas at $2.50 each, one kids lunch box $5.00 and a pretzel) and the we had dinner at the resort which was I think (Two Steak and cheese subs at $6.29 and two sodas for 1.39 each ... total was around 17.00) the next day we waited for an early lunch at Crystal Palace it cost ($17.99 each, which included the desserts, buffet and drinks, we tipped %15 and it was around 44.00 total), during the parade we had a turkey leg and two powerades for a total of $11.00 and then finished with dinner at McDonald's near the resort for $14.00. So it cost us around $470 total, but now we can do back whenever we want to WDW and only worry about food/hotel ... so our next similar trip would only cost us $179.00 for two days in WDW ... not bad IMO.
I compare it to the Carnival... It cost $10-$15 to get in BUT, then you pay $5-6 a ride (3-4 for kiddy rides)... I was just thinking if we paid 5-6 for every Disney ride in MK... $110 just for the actual rides, the does not the other attractions like the gardens, rail road, characters, shows, fireworks, etc. I'm looking at a MK map right now and it lists 48 attractions (this does not include stores or food sites) ... so figuring the $52.95 entrance that's only a little more than $1.00 per attraction ... or figure it this way ... we ride multiple times on rides, so if we rode Buzz 5 times, it would cost us $25.00 to ride a fair ride 5 times EACH... I think it's a great value ... if I lived a lil closer I would go every weekend...

Enough of my rant, I absolutely love Disney, would I be excited if they lowered the price of a soda can ($1.75) at DTD of course, or charged only $2.50 for a hot-dog at Fantasmic instead of $4.00 yes I would ... but will I pay it ... of course ... you pay for what you get ... the food price is only reflecting the need for Disney to cover their costs which must be ASTRONOMICAL... (I'd hate to have that electric bill.) I'm sure Walt would love to make it affordable for everyone, but to do so would compromise service and quality... Heck together fiance' and I only make about 26,000 a year but we still go ... why because we'd rather spend a day there for the price of a weekend elsewhere ... there's a magic that Disney has the NO OTHER place can match...

We have Seaworld/Busch Platinum passes and get the food/merch discounts etc.... but we'd rather spend a day at Disney than 2 in BG or SW, there is just not nearly as much to do or see ... it's going to take our whole WDW SP length I think to see and do it all at WDW.

OK, one last thing ... my only issue with WDW is I wish they had a payment plan like Universal and Busch parks do ... they break the cost of AP over a years time and you pay monthly, it would make it accessible for more people ... just my opinion ... of course Disney isn't lacking visitors so I guess it doesn't have to offer such a plan ... but I love my BG/SW and Universal pay by the month... (only $14.00 for each pass a month ... less than a night at the movies).

 

[peanut67]

We are lucky to have 1 week on our own without children, and going to Disney just on our own was a dream of mine...but it costs especially come from across the pond, so for 2 adults its costing us around $2,000 thats just to get there. Then you have the passes, food, drink, gifts for the kids you are talking around the $4000+ for 1 week. Having said this, yes it is expensive...it would be cheaper to go for 2 weeks but we just cant do this.

We live in uk and compared to the usa paris is just a stones throw away and to go there for 3 nights 4 days cost us $1500 then we had food and gifts etc.

Is is worth it.....Well we keep going back and in the end we all have choices, pity that once infected theirs no cure.....you are disneyfied forever

 

[dsneygirl]

Yes it's expensive. Too expensive is all relative.

DH and I spent our anniversary in Niagara Falls. Our hotel was over $150 a night, we have to pay $12 for parking and $8 per person, per day for the shuttle to the casino. We left shaking our heads and saying "how can people complain WDW is expensive".

A small beer will cost you $10 at a Maple Leafs hockey while you enjoy your $80 seat.

Dollar for dollar I think Disney is excellent vacation value.

 

[reggit]

Yea the Mouse has some financial rats that make it pricy. However, I will be in Vegas and for X-Mas and will be spending roughly $600 for two days (room, food and 2 tickets to "O"). San Francisco is expensive also. Kinda makes Disney look cheap now that I think about it.

 

[mport]

Yes, it is way to expensive, but we save and save for sometimes years and make sure we have enough money to go and do what we want. As I tell my wife every time we arrive in Disney, "I don't want to hear that something is way to expensive, we know that, if you want it, buy it!"

I always tell the story to upcoming visitors around home, as soon as you arrive at Disney you will hear a noise, it get loader as you open your wallet then as you are departing to come home you realize that it was a giant vacuum cleaner because it sucked the money right out of your wallet!

We love Disney though and will always go!!!!!!