People who complain about the cost...

[ms.yt]

Maybe I'm missing something, but a WDW vacation seems like a pretty good value to me. I'm not saying it isn't a chunk of money, but traveling anywhere these days is going to put you back a lot of money. Case in point - my husband and I are going to Washington DC for a three day weekend next month to attend his friend's wedding. I did the math yesterday and that 3 day trip is going to cost us over half of what our 7 day trip to WDW is costing!
And, the trip to WDW is with our two boys at WL with the dining plan! In DC, we're staying at a non-luxury chain hotel near the wedding, so it's not like we're being extravagant for that trip. Granted, I've added in extra costs that we won't have for the WDW trip like tux rental and a dress for the wedding, but that's all a legitamate expense that we wouldn't have otherwise. The kicker is that we aren't even planning on doing "touristy" stuff while we're in DC because we won't have time! It would probably come close to the total for WDW if that was figured in!

 

[lindakmonty]

I think it can be what ever you make it. You can go on the "cheap" or go crazy... that is your decision. Usually we can do a 10 day trip at a value for under 2k...but staying at the Poly over Christmas try twice that... it is what you make it.

 

[Robo]

We live in the Kansas City, MO area but we still buy WDW APs.

The air fare can be found at times so low that its cheaper for us to fly to WDW and get an AP rate on a resort room... than it is for us to drive to Branson and stay in a hotel for a vacation much nearer to our home.

WDW can be a fantasic "bargain" considering all that you actually GET when you visit.

We have been to many places, but none of them can match a WDW vacation.

 

[budbeerlady]

I have to agree that for us it is currently a better value to go to WDW. Heck the hotel by the airport for this trip (I know location costs me) is like staying at AKL in a standard room cost wise.

 

[bettyann29]

Honestly it depends on the vacation.. I can do other vacations for cheaper.. as an example I can cruise for cheaper than what it would cost me to go to Disneyworld including food, souvenirs, etc..

I do agree that WDW is quite expensive.. but I also believe it is worth every penny I pay to go and thats why I continue to do so..

 

[Ilovestitch]

I agree that WDW is a good value- a lot of people I talk to are shocked at how inexpensive it can be.

It's a good value for my bf and I b/c I get a discount on the hotel and free tickets through my work. And our local airport is a big hub for Southwest- so we can usually fly for $79 each way pp non stop.

 

[H.E. Pennypacker]

It can be more expensive than some places, less expensive than others. The cost is what you make it. The park tickets are going to cost the same whether you stay on site or off site, so the big variable is your lodging cost. You can go cheap or you can go extravagent. It's all up to you, and that's why Disney is so great. You have a ton of lodging options to fit most every budget, and even a few ticket options (to hop or not to hop, expire or non-expire). It can be expensive but doesn't necesarilly have to be. Regardless what you spend, it's worth every penny and I do firmly believe you get your money's worth.

 

[SereneOne]

We paid $2892 for three adults and one child to stay eight nights, nine days at POR with the meal plan and parkhoppers. I think that is an excellent deal. All that is left is fuel for the car, souviner money and money for misc such as tips, extra snacks, etc.

 

[disneyfantotheend]

I personally think it is expensive. I could definately go on other vacations cheaper. I do not, however, complain about how much I am paying. It is my choice to go and I enjoy every minute of each of our trips.

 

[Johnacon]

It really depends.

I have been on 7 day cruises that cost $500 a person (plus $10/day for tips)which includes all my food for the week. So my wife and I can vacation for $1140 plus a $150 hotel room for the night before the cruise plus $80 in gas to get from our house in SA to Galveston and back.

Im out $400 in airfare just to get to disney. Then tack on $90 a night in a value resort. Then ~$500 for tickets to the park. So I'm at $1620 and I still have to pay for food for my wife and I. So it would depend on if the extra cost was worth it to me to go to disney vs. a cruise.

I would rather cruise, but my mother in law is paying for a huge family disney trip in a week. I'll take buying a nice gift for my MIL in exchange for a disney trip anyday.

 

[BabyPiglet]

I think it's a good deal. We are staying at POP for 15 nights and the entire trip is going to cost us around 4k. We got free dining, and that includes souveneirs. We buy lots of souveneirs. That also includes all the things we've bought here, in preperation for the trip.

 

[disneyfantotheend]

I think it's a good deal. We are staying at POP for 15 nights and the entire trip is going to cost us around 4k. We got free dining, and that includes souveneirs. We buy lots of souveneirs. That also includes all the things we've bought here, in preperation for the trip.

I do have to agree with free dining, it is a much better deal. We can never go at that time, due to my husband's work schedule.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I don't mind paying for my vacations. What I do mind though is that Disney is now starting to charge extra for hotel rooms on the weekends, and at certain restaurants on certain days. That seems to be a bit extreme.

 

[shelly3girls]

WDW is not cheap but I do consider it a good value. When I compare it to other vacations we take, we get a lot for our $$$. Of course we can do other vacations for less but they are different kinds of vacation. When I think about what it costs our family to go to a carnival or a week at the Jersey shore, WDW looks pretty good!

 

[Lintasare]

I agree Disney is what you make of it. Last year my sister and I did 7 nights at ASMu for $1600 and that included dining. Then we got a coupon for $300 off so to us that was a great deal for a memorable vacation. This year we are again doing 7 nights at ASMu with free dining for $1100 and our plane tickets are $200 each round trip. Considering that I spent $900 for airfare and hotel ALONE to go to a 4 day Harry Potter conference this past August...Disney is a bargain.

 

[SereneOne]

It really depends.

I have been on 7 day cruises that cost $500 a person (plus $10/day for tips)which includes all my food for the week. So my wife and I can vacation for $1140 plus a $150 hotel room for the night before the cruise plus $80 in gas to get from our house in SA to Galveston and back.

Im out $400 in airfare just to get to disney. Then tack on $90 a night in a value resort. Then ~$500 for tickets to the park. So I'm at $1620 and I still have to pay for food for my wife and I. So it would depend on if the extra cost was worth it to me to go to disney vs. a cruise.

I would rather cruise, but my mother in law is paying for a huge family disney trip in a week. I'll take buying a nice gift for my MIL in exchange for a disney trip anyday.

What about the shore excursions? We looked into doing a cruise and even the least expensive which was Carnival...and that seems like a big ole non stop spring break....read extensively on cruisecritic.com....and then buying evening gowns and suits for "formal night?" And having to get passports in our case...big hassle! (my h was born in Germany...father army man...you will not believe the stuff we have to get) We do want to try a cruise...Disney in a couple years, but cruising is expensive!

 

[shelly3girls]

I don't mind paying for my vacations. What I do mind though is that Disney is now starting to charge extra for hotel rooms on the weekends, and at certain restaurants on certain days. That seems to be a bit extreme.

Everywhere else we vacation has been doing this for years. I am sad to see it change but I think it is a decent way to price everything. They are just aligning prices with demand.

 

[Praying Colonel]

We were going to do a non-WDW vacation this summer and then go back to WDW in 08. But when we compared the cost of a Virginia/DC vacation with the cost of a WDW vacation with free dining, we decided to do WDW again.

 

[Conan the Librarian]

Make it cheaper by going DVC and getting the dining package.

Right now, we figure that we spend about $71 per night for our DVC stays (extrapolating out to the end of our contract). With the DDP we save almost 50% on food. We get a discount on gifts and most other things.

You can barely stay at a cheap motel for less than that now.

 

[Johnacon]

What about the shore excursions? We looked into doing a cruise and even the least expensive which was Carnival...and that seems like a big ole non stop spring break....read extensively on cruisecritic.com....and then buying evening gowns and suits for "formal night?" And having to get passports in our case...big hassle! (my h was born in Germany...father army man...you will not believe the stuff we have to get) We do want to try a cruise...Disney in a couple years, but cruising is expensive!

Well with shore excursions it is a personal thing. I extensively read cruisecritic before cruising and found that it is almost never a good idea to book an excursion through the ship. Almost everywhere you go has the same excursion for half the price with half the people going. The only benefit you get by booking through the ship is knowing that the ship won't leave without you.

The only excursion we have ever done (once on each cruise) was a trip to stingray city in Grand Cayman which was only $35/pp. Everywhere else we just wandered around a beach or the nearby town. It doesn't get any better than sitting on a beach for me, so we don't need a lot of shore excursions.