I have been meaning to start a thread about this very thing for a while now. Please don't take this thread the wrong way. I know Disney can get expensive, but any trip gets expensive, which I'll discuss here. This is just a discussion about value and Disney's prices versus other vacation options.
This is in response to a recent article:
http://www.smartertravel.com/photo-...g-destinations-in-the-world.html?id=713&all=1
I made a similar post in another thread, but it bears its own discussion here.
The $99 for a one day visit to the Magic Kingdom has to be one of the most overquoted and misquoted by reporters writing about Disney, it has lost all meaning.
You'll only pay $99 if you stay one day and it's arguably STILL worth it considering you'll spend more than that on a 2 hour show in Manhattan or one activity like boating, water skiing, or an excursion at another venue. Stay longer and the cost significantly decreases.
Good fun isn't cheap and it's not just Disney charging. You get a lot less for the same or more money elsewhere. <$100 buys a lot of fun at the Magic Kingdom if you know what you're doing.
This was obviously written by someone who doesn't travel. I just went to Tokyo and spent far more than $100/day for activities, NOT including food, lodging, or transportation. I've come back realizing Disney is one of the best values in vacation if you plan it correctly. There is just so much to do in one place and they've taken all the thinking out of it. Go to a major city in the US, Europe, Asia, or another exotic destination anywhere in the world. Unless you want to just stare out at the ocean the entire time (which can be fun but aint cheap either) you have to fill up the time somehow. Every little thing you do will cost money including transportation, food, tipping, hotel, etc. Oh BTW, hotels and food are a lot more expensive elsewhere in the world. I paid over $500/night in Tokyo and $40/person EASILY for any food, per meal.
I realize Tokyo is an expensive city, so I'll throw out another example. In addition to Tokyo, I went to Nepal, a third world country with beautiful scenery and many options for activities. I can tell you getting the transportation, food, gas, lodging, etc to do things in Nepal added up to easily several hundred US dollars per day. Tourism is big and every step of the way will be charged something. Want to go up the mountain to go see a temple? You have to pay a toll. Want to come back down? Toll again. Are you a US citizen? There's an upcharge for that. If you want to have fun in any city, you own every step of the way. And after each thing you complete, you have to think of the next thing to do.
The point is, Disney has a built in draw for me. Guaranteed fun and it's all right there. In many other vacation destinations, there is no "set it and forget it" like you get at Disney. You'll have fun at Disney pretty much no matter what unless you go on a overcrowded day or just have a completely negative attitude. Other places, you have to be your own travel planner and make the best of what's there. It all will cost you money too.
Don't get me wrong, there is a place for both kinds of trip. Relaxing at the beach can't be done at Disney. However, Disney just does a great job of guaranteeing some value for the money. You could easily go to Tokyo, spend a lot of money, and really have no fun. You have to work at it more.
So please, let's educate our friends about value and remember the alternatives. Ask them, have you priced a week vacation in the Caymans, Mexico, or even a dump like Miami Beach? And LOL at the quip the author wrote about cocktail prices at Disney. Guess how much a low end Mojito with cheap rum costs on the beach in Mexico? Over $10. It costs a lot to just sit by the ocean or go to any major city...And you'll end up having to try to make your own fun.
Disney, if anything, is way down the list of price gouging when it comes to vacation destinations.
This is in response to a recent article:
http://www.smartertravel.com/photo-...g-destinations-in-the-world.html?id=713&all=1
I made a similar post in another thread, but it bears its own discussion here.
The $99 for a one day visit to the Magic Kingdom has to be one of the most overquoted and misquoted by reporters writing about Disney, it has lost all meaning.
You'll only pay $99 if you stay one day and it's arguably STILL worth it considering you'll spend more than that on a 2 hour show in Manhattan or one activity like boating, water skiing, or an excursion at another venue. Stay longer and the cost significantly decreases.
Good fun isn't cheap and it's not just Disney charging. You get a lot less for the same or more money elsewhere. <$100 buys a lot of fun at the Magic Kingdom if you know what you're doing.
This was obviously written by someone who doesn't travel. I just went to Tokyo and spent far more than $100/day for activities, NOT including food, lodging, or transportation. I've come back realizing Disney is one of the best values in vacation if you plan it correctly. There is just so much to do in one place and they've taken all the thinking out of it. Go to a major city in the US, Europe, Asia, or another exotic destination anywhere in the world. Unless you want to just stare out at the ocean the entire time (which can be fun but aint cheap either) you have to fill up the time somehow. Every little thing you do will cost money including transportation, food, tipping, hotel, etc. Oh BTW, hotels and food are a lot more expensive elsewhere in the world. I paid over $500/night in Tokyo and $40/person EASILY for any food, per meal.
I realize Tokyo is an expensive city, so I'll throw out another example. In addition to Tokyo, I went to Nepal, a third world country with beautiful scenery and many options for activities. I can tell you getting the transportation, food, gas, lodging, etc to do things in Nepal added up to easily several hundred US dollars per day. Tourism is big and every step of the way will be charged something. Want to go up the mountain to go see a temple? You have to pay a toll. Want to come back down? Toll again. Are you a US citizen? There's an upcharge for that. If you want to have fun in any city, you own every step of the way. And after each thing you complete, you have to think of the next thing to do.
The point is, Disney has a built in draw for me. Guaranteed fun and it's all right there. In many other vacation destinations, there is no "set it and forget it" like you get at Disney. You'll have fun at Disney pretty much no matter what unless you go on a overcrowded day or just have a completely negative attitude. Other places, you have to be your own travel planner and make the best of what's there. It all will cost you money too.
Don't get me wrong, there is a place for both kinds of trip. Relaxing at the beach can't be done at Disney. However, Disney just does a great job of guaranteeing some value for the money. You could easily go to Tokyo, spend a lot of money, and really have no fun. You have to work at it more.
So please, let's educate our friends about value and remember the alternatives. Ask them, have you priced a week vacation in the Caymans, Mexico, or even a dump like Miami Beach? And LOL at the quip the author wrote about cocktail prices at Disney. Guess how much a low end Mojito with cheap rum costs on the beach in Mexico? Over $10. It costs a lot to just sit by the ocean or go to any major city...And you'll end up having to try to make your own fun.
Disney, if anything, is way down the list of price gouging when it comes to vacation destinations.
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Poor value.
