When do cost + hassle exceed vacation value?

[GeorgiaHoo]

Planning a Disney family vacation for May 2020 but considering canceling. We've been to Disney World about 5 times before and love going but the cost + hassle of this trip have me rethinking things. We are a family of 4 adults now, so I'd prefer two rooms, but since we also want to stay at Yacht Club that isn't feasible because 2 rooms alone would cost about $9k for a week. And since Disney has eliminated/reduced extra magic hours we are thinking about doing a couple of after hour events, but that's something like an additional $500 or so for 4 adults for each event. I'm also not expecting any discounts in May 2020, so probably looking at something like $15k for 9 days or so at Disney, including flights, room, tickets, special events, and dining plan. Not to mention with FP+ we probably miss out on some rides we like. We don't plan on spending the entire day at a park but would like to make sure we ride the rides we like without spending a ton of time in lines, but that seems more difficult these days. Over the last couple of years we've done a Sandals vacation to Grenada plus a trip to England, and those were fun, relaxing and less expensive than Disney, so thinking about a family trip to the beach next year.

Anyway, just wondering if other Disney veterans are experiencing the same dilemma.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I'm with you.

I just realized how much more money I will have next year when we skip Disney.

I'm incredibly irritated at the slow pace Disney takes with park hours, events, etc.

I wiped out half of our trip plan for July and decided we would wing it and that's tough to do when your favorite rides are FoP and Slinky! We can't wing it the whole week.

We saved a nice chunk of change booking on DVC points, so I feel ok with staying deluxe this time.

I don't want to look at the final numbers for the 3 trips we have this year.

 

[AllieBoo]

We did Universal Orlando last summer and I was shocked at how much easier it was, no planning necessary. We stayed onsite, so we got the express pass and got to ride everything many times with little to no wait. I just got back from a week at Disney, and because we were part of a group for the first part of our trip, I wasn't able to plan anything. It really stressed me out because I knew we would miss out on some things. It did end up being better than expected as far as being able to get FP's last minute, although we did have to wait in line for FOP, because no amount of refreshing found me a fp for that. I also was able to get a last minute BOG reservation using TP's reservation finder.

With 4 adults, have you considered staying offsite somewhere like Bonnet Creek, so you could have more room? Maybe drop the dining plan, so you don't have to worry about making ADR's, and planning your days around those?

 

[Disneypro1]

We usually stay at the values. For us 4. Kids are 13 and 11. One room is plenty as we only sleep and shower there. We do use the pool some. Our cost for 7 nights and a 6 day ticket is 2200. With codes. There is no where else as nice or fun as Disney at that pricing. Sometimes we drive. Depends on airline prices. So for us. There is no hassle or cost issue. We usually do QS dining also. Disney, either in Florida. Or my favorite Disneyland resort. Can be done incredibly affordable. We would never consider a deluxe. Just too $$. So Disney will always be on our vacation list.
We never buy hoppers. That also saves a lot. We get everything done at the parks easy in 6 days. With 2 Or 3 being MK.
We love Disney vacations. Easy to plan. Easy to execute. Never understood all the fuss. It’s only stressful if one makes it. We get to the parks at opening. And generally leave at closing. Unless MK is open to say midnight. Well leave at 10pm or so.
We have stayed at Moderate resorts. Depends on how much overtime I can pull down.
Love the value resorts. They are nice and priced great.
I will say at DLR we stay off site. We will do 3 park days there and the rest L.A. beaches or whatever. But the cost is still around 2k. So for us. Disney is hassle free and a great value.

 

[Farro]

I would never go every year. Too expensive, too many other things to do.

So far now, cost has not outweighed the benefit of us going every 3 or 4 years for 9 nights. And I LOVE the planning. All of it.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

I guess because I'm a resident and only go every three or four years, I weigh things differently. There's only 3 in my family so that definitely helps. It's me, my husband and our 11 year old son. We do the values, don't do hoppers and are lucky that even with the resident discount, we get a discount on top of the FL resident discount for tickets because of when we visit.

FP+ has always worked for us with the rides we want and rope drop definitely makes it even easier to get our favorites in.

As much as I love Disney, to go every year would burn us out. The planning is one of the best parts for me. This year, my son was involved in it and I'm glad I didn't surprise him. His input has been valuable!

So long as I remain a FL resident, cost will never outweigh the value of going to Disney. Going every few years helps.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I doubt we will ever do this 3 trips in a year business again. We have so much fun, but it can be very draining. I have no regrets, though!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We only do WDW on a discount and it is always on the cheaper end of trips we take and we stay deluxe 95% of the time. I never, ever book without a discount and we are flexible with resorts as we like so many of them. I also have a credit card that racks up travel points and flying from our local airport is typically quite affordable depending on when we go (and we typically go during "off" seasons). We also will stay at Swan or Dolphin if we can't get a good rate at a deluxe. In fact, we just stayed in a 2-bedroom grand suite at the Dolphin in March for about the same price, per night, as it would have cost to stay in a regular room at Poly. I think if you create a budget and are willing to be flexibly with your accommodations, a week-long trip for 4 does not have to cost $15k. We are a family of 3 and have gone to WDW multiple times over the past 10 years. I have never paid $15k on a WDW vacation and, again, we stay deluxe almost exclusively. If WDW were a one-and-done trip for us, I might spend $15K on it, but we can enjoy WDW for far, far less than that.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

So I think maybe the question is do you want to absolutely have to can't live without doing things the exact same way as before or are you open to adjusting things?

~For example while YC may be your preferred place eventually you would have wanted 2 rooms anyways (or at least it sounds this way). Costs do go up and I would expect room rates to go up every year. Perhaps you may have gotten better discounts in the past that allowed for a more economical stay thought discounts are never guaranteed. I think a lot of us are looking towards how Star Wars impacts many things at Disney. Is the option to either price out a place that has 2 sleeping areas or a place where 2 rooms is more economical?

~Do you have to get the Dining Plan? As in have you thought about not getting it? This not only can free up costs depending on how you order and eat but also can allow you to look into discount theme park tickets through a 3rd party authorized reseller.

~As for hassle that's subjective because I don't know what makes it a hassle to you.

~When you say probably miss out on some rides you like are you saying you'll only go on a ride if you get a FP for it?

~When you say you don't plan on spending the entire day at a park what is your normal plan then?

~As for other trips I personally compare like for like. I don't compare across different types of trips. But to that end it's great you've done some other trips too

 

[North of Mouse]

We've slowed our visits considerably. Our many visits of 'yesteryear' were so much more enjoyable than our last few have been. We're nearly 'Disneyed' out by all the unfavorable (to us) changes, stressful planning, and increased $$$'s in the last few years. We can afford it, but we have other more exciting relaxing places to spend it.

Dh & I usually get AP's every other year (go 3 times) - skip a year - repeat, but we've about had enough. We have been huge fans for years, but both of us look at each other and go 'meh' when we think of returning. We are on another vacation as I type, and much less stressful and more enjoyable. Our journeys to Disney are, at best, getting very few and far between. They have basically destroyed our relationship (enjoyment) with them - themselves!!

 

[Future_WorldPhonencian]

We are a family of 4 with little kids and Im embarrassed to say that we have gone more frequently than I care to admit... and we always have a blast.

I love the planning the trips involve but I didn't realize how much of a hassle it was for many people until I was walking my mother (she is a tech competent person) thru the steps of booking. There are an awful lot of things to deal with, especially if you are booking tickets and hotels thru 3rd party sites to save money. I might enjoy it, but many people can't stand it!

If you are uncomfortable with the price tag when you get to the booking page or see the price... walk away, it just isn't worth it. The anxiety and pressure you put on yourself by overspending on a hotel room for vacation will linger and ruin your trip. It will also put way to much pressure on you if things don't turn out perfectly. You don't want the lasting memory of your vacation to be how much you spent.

We have stayed at all types of hotel categories: Deluxe, Moderate, and Value, offsite. Honestly, we always have a good time as long as we are on property. Everyone has an optimal balance of what they prefer and what they can't do without. For us, I think the sweet spot is an onsite value resort with a decent discount say 20% off...of course those sorts of discounts only appear at some times and usually only 4-6 months ahead of time. I totally understand that some people need to have plans nailed down well in advance.

If you want to save money on a Deluxe Disney Hotel Room that has more than 2 beds and want to plan far in advance, renting DVC points thru a broker like Davids Vacation Rentals is the way to go. It's much much cheaper and you get free hotel parking and avoid sales tax... You can also rent larger villas that sleep tons of people. You can plug in your dates and what type of room you want. They have standard sized studio rooms as well as 1 and 2 bedroom rooms with kitchens and laundry. Biggest downsides are that you need to pay in full, book 11-12 months out and you can't cancel without trip insurance... A week at the Beach Club or Boardwalk in a 2 bedroom villa tops out around 5600 in May... not cheap but much much less than 9k.

Hope some little bit of all that helps.

 

[a1tinkfans]

I’m always so torn. Fla resident, so the tix are ridiculously inexpensive and I no longer even bother with an AP. I truly enjoy deluxe so I do try and get a decent price because no matter what disney marketing wants me to believe, None of the resorts are truly Deluxe properties compared with others outside the US. Despite that.. I’ve been hooked since a child and passed it onto my own.
I do believe that one can visit with certain expectations and meet them. But I also understand that most people do not have the luxury of returning multiple times a year if they want... and having spent the money.. they want it All ( and I also believe Disney marketing caused that expectation)

So, I get what you’re saying OP. Like most things ... disney is a want, not a need.
( tho I tell my hubby I Need that visit, lol)
So... if you ‘re questioning it, perhaps re-think the overall plan... maybe cutting some costs within the trip, or just skipping it this time would help?
Enjoy whatever you decide!

 

[Alesia]

Have you considered staying off-site? You can get a house with more than enough room for everyone for about $100 per night

 

[hopemax]

We reached our point several years ago. Research the International Disney Parks, so you can see the world and get a Disney fix. My Dad lives in Orlando, so we can still get an occasional WDW fix. But last year we went to both Hong Kong Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland. For fun, I priced out what an onsite WDW vacation would cost, and our International trips were no more expensive (we used credit card points for the airfare) and a lot more relaxing. Tokyo you still have to "plan" but it's like the old days of planning a WDW trip and not the MDE FP+ type of planning. HKDL, you don't have to plan. Parks open at 10AM, so you can even sleep in. It's like visiting Disney in the 70s or 80s. Pick a direction, and just work your way around.

 

[KenHutch]

It has gotten crazy but in order to bring both girls with no drama I have had to pay for an additional 5 people (maternal relatives of the girls) and get 2 rooms for each trip. Do I get annoyed at spending up to 20K for 2 rooms for 10-12 days with no thanks well yes but my annoyance goes away when I get there. Its the 1st place I have even found that I can relax and leave all electronics except my camera in the hotel and when I see the girls eyes it still makes it worth every penny. Now I will admit that since the girls have discovered the deluxe thing it takes me 3 years to save for the trip but its still worth it. Next trip 2021 The Poly sigh.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

It has gotten crazy but in order to bring both girls with no drama I have had to pay for an additional 5 people (maternal relatives of the girls) and get 2 rooms for each trip. Do I get annoyed at spending up to 20K for 2 rooms for 10-12 days with no thanks well yes but my annoyance goes away when I get there. Its the 1st place I have even found that I can relax and leave all electronics except my camera in the hotel and when I see the girls eyes it still makes it worth every penny. Now I will admit that since the girls have discovered the deluxe thing it takes me 3 years to save for the trip but its still worth it. Next trip 2021 The Poly sigh.

I commend you for being able and willing to spend that much money going to Disney! There is no way my family could or would be able to do the same. We visit every three years, but our refund is what makes that happen. Values is our thing. We are in the parks more than our rooms. One year, I am going to upgrade us to a moderate just to see what all the fuss is about.

 

[Mickey's Best Girl]

We’ve gone from yearly visits (a few years we squeezed two trips in) to one every three, maybe four years.

It’s simply costing too much money to vacation at WDW the way we want to.

 

[Wild4Walt]

I agree with OP - I love the planning process but the cost is stretching us a bit too much. BUT part of that is on us - when we go, we want to stay at least 10 nights and we'll stay at a Mod. We look for deals ( and I think we'll seem a few in 2020 and 2021 ) and so far we've been lucky.

I think it's all the Add On events that get me now. 125.00-150.00 for a extra hours kind of grinds me, especially since my 1 day ticket only 136.00.

 

[KenHutch]

I commend you for being able and willing to spend that much money going to Disney! There is no way my family could or would be able to do the same. We visit every three years, but our refund is what makes that happen. Values is our thing. We are in the parks more than our rooms. One year, I am going to upgrade us to a moderate just to see what all the fuss is about.

Well the only reason I can afford it is I have few expenses, I have worked for the federal government for 39.5 years and I am a GS-14

 

[hereforthechurros]

Well the only reason I can afford it is I have few expenses, I have worked for the federal government for 39.5 years and I am a GS-14

It has gotten crazy but in order to bring both girls with no drama I have had to pay for an additional 5 people (maternal relatives of the girls) and get 2 rooms for each trip. Do I get annoyed at spending up to 20K for 2 rooms for 10-12 days with no thanks well yes but my annoyance goes away when I get there. Its the 1st place I have even found that I can relax and leave all electronics except my camera in the hotel and when I see the girls eyes it still makes it worth every penny. Now I will admit that since the girls have discovered the deluxe thing it takes me 3 years to save for the trip but its still worth it. Next trip 2021 The Poly sigh.

Consider renting DVC points for the Poly in 2021. We needed three rooms for our upcoming trip this summer but each room was (only) $397/night vs. the crazy rack rate.