are these two years of not worth going?

[Schneewittchen]

What are you? A millionaire? Thats really a lot of money. There is no way my family would be able to afford going to both Universal and Disney in one trip.

Let me be a cranky old lady. That sounds like a $6K trip to me for a family of 4. Save $500 a month for a year and you can afford it.

 

[WDWVolFan]

Let me be a cranky old lady. That sounds like a $6K trip to me for a family of 4. Save $500 a month for a year and you can afford it.

Family of 3 here and did for less than what you said.
So yeah, you're on the money. Literally. lol

 

[Unomas]

Since when is Toy Story closed? I have a Fastpass for Tuesday.

People are talking about Toy Story Land - the expansion in DHS. You should be fine with your fast pass.

 

[Jon81uk]

What are you? A millionaire? Thats really a lot of money. There is no way my family would be able to afford going to both Universal and Disney in one trip.

I would never go to Florida and not go to all the parks (Busch, Uni and Dis).

But then coming from the UK we are spending £600 ($900) on flights each which means the £150 ($200) or thereabouts on tickets for Uni and the £95 ($150) on SW/BGT tickets isn't that bad compared to the overall cost.

 

[Allym146]

I'd like to go late 2017 and then again in late 2020. We average once every three years anyway. Although there may be a long weekend trip thrown in this year. I feel like at each time there will be sufficient new things along with all the old. I'm excited no matter what!

 

[WondersOfLife]

LOL Not even close to a millionaire. It can be done on the cheap.

Well, middle class here from South Carolina. So the cheap is still expensive for us!

 

[WondersOfLife]

I would never go to Florida and not go to all the parks (Busch, Uni and Dis).

But then coming from the UK we are spending £600 ($900) on flights each which means the £150 ($1200) or thereabouts on tickets for Uni and the £95 ($150) on SW/BGT tickets isn't that bad compared to the overall cost.

The tickets themselves we can barely afford to do, TBH. I'm taking me senior trip to Disney World this summer, and it was nearly impossible for ANY of my friends to even gather a MINIMUM of $500 each! That's just for 5 day tickets and bare minimum required for food. Parents are paying for gas and hotel on top of that. It's a fortune for us.

 

[WondersOfLife]

Let me be a cranky old lady. That sounds like a $6K trip to me for a family of 4. Save $500 a month for a year and you can afford it.

Again like I've said.. It might as well be a million. $500 a month is not easy to gather for the average middle/low class. Especially if your family income is touring theatre for public schools. I guess I'm just shocked to find out that most people on these forums really can afford the trips.. Anyone where I live would be scrounging anywhere and everywhere just to get the $500.

 

[Chef Mickey]

It's always worth going. The trip will be what you make of it.

 

[danyoung56]

If a new offering isn't open yet, it pretty much doesn't enter into the decision. Sure, there are a lot of closed things. But there's still a lot of stuff to do and experience. Closures have been a fact of life since the early days of the parks. Long before the internet you had to find out as you were arriving at the front gate of DL whether something is closed or not. If Pirates was closed, it could either ruin your day or you could get over it and enjoy the day anyway.

So no, stuff closed (or not yet open) doesn't make me want to put off any upcoming trips.

 

[thomas998]

with the massive amounts of closures through out all the parks , let me ask the question.. is it worth going each of the next two plus years? No Soarin, no Toy story, in fact DHS is going to be a shell of its self.. Avatar isn't open.. no river of lights as of yet.. Star Wars and Toy story land could be up to 3 years away... is it worth giving Disney your money the next 2 years.. You save and save, or at least we do.. I can't tell you how many times, I was told, No , that money is for our Disney trip, this past year.. and there was and still are no complaints.. it was a great trip.. but looking at what is open next year and the year after, how do you say, " I am getting my money's worth".. ( I HAVE ALWAYS GOTTEN MY MONEYS WORTH, do not get me wrong..).. but there is just a lot of new or hopefully new construction and not enough fillin's especially for next year.. Comments? discussion.. just good ideas.. please , and no personal ripping.. this is just asking and food for thought.. so to speak..

Only you and your family can decide if your trip has to have certain rides or not. I know my family has some must have rides at DL and WDW and we often base our decision on which one of the two park to go to based on what is expected to be closed or open. We also have come to realize that there are other options beyond Disney as well... Our last trip to WDW also included Universal and we realized that in the future it will get more of our park time on future Orlando trips... So don't just think you have to do nothing but Disney, there are other options and some of Universals attractions are better than some of the ones at Disney.

I would add that the one thing to be wary of is any construction at the resort you plan on staying at because it can cause major problems for you. We have been in two resorts over the years that had construction going on and for one trip we didn't really notice anything... but the other was filled with inconveniences and issues from a pool being closed to having to hear heavy construction when trying to rest during the day... So be very cautious if your resort is doing any refurb work it can probably mess your trip up more than any ride closure.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Obviously, so much of this is subjective based on your cost of entry, salary, expectations, etc.

I don't think 2016 is a bad year to skip, if you're going to skip a year. If I were someone who could only go once every few years, I might wait a bit.

As it happens, I'm a Florida resident who can get a weekday-only annual pass for about $250 and go as often as I want (except weekends and summer.) That factors *huge* into our expectations and everything else. I also use the Disney Visa card for my business expenses which makes our trips cost less than half of what they normally would.

That said, we still only get those AP's every other year (at least that's how it's been for about the last 10 years.) The AP's are our Christmas presents to each other every other year. We go in early January, late April/early May, late August/early September, and then at least one more time for Food & Wine. (This year we threw in a couple of extra trips.) We typically only go for 2-3 nights per trip, and have no intention of "doing everything." We only FP or ADR if something is really important, and otherwise go with the flow.

So I'm not mad that 2016 is our "off year." I think that worked out pretty well. Our last trip is coming up this Sunday until the very last day our pass expires which is Wednesday. And I know when we come back in 2017, there will be new stuff worth getting a FP for!!

Plus it's good to visit other places sometimes!! We are overdue for a trip to the Keys, to see my family in NJ, etc.

And *it makes you miss it more* which is nice in the end.

Side note: what *might* happen in 2016 is some combo of this: our Tables In Wonderland card is good until I think November. I've only ever been to Universal once, over 10 years ago, and wasn't all that nuts about it. But I am nuts about Potter. So there may be a combo trip where we visit Uni but eat at Disney resorts or Springs. Possibly even combined with a Halloween or Christmas party, since you can just buy that ticket separately without having a regular pass. We shall see!

 

[thomas998]

What are you? A millionaire? Thats really a lot of money. There is no way my family would be able to afford going to both Universal and Disney in one trip.

How much do you spend on a trip to just Disney now? Because my experience in going to both or just one is that you don't really spend much more going to both than in just going to one because certain costs don't really change... like the rental car or hotel costs... the only real change is the park tickets and then your talking about the difference in buying a 3 day pass to universal with a 4 day pass to Disney vs buying a week long pass to Disney... So 204 for universal 3 day, and 305 for a disney 4 day vs 335 for a 7 day disney means an increase of 174 per adult on a trip... So even a family of four is only going to see maybe a 650-700 increase in the total cost of the trip. And honestly if you look at the prices of hotels at Universal vs Disney you can cover most if not all of that cost difference in some of the cheaper rooms at Universal.

 

[RobOttawa]

I don't know if you've done it before or not, but why not head to Disneyland this year? You can cover both parks in 3-4 days (2 if you go hardcore) and you can spend some time exploring Socal as well.
The main reason I suggest this is because Cars Land in DCA is super cool and I think Radiator Springs Racers is the best ride Disney has right now (But Pooh's Honey Hunt at TDL is a close second). Just my opinion, but if you've never been (or it's been a while) you might really enjoy it!

 

[DisneyOutsider]

Again like I've said.. It might as well be a million. $500 a month is not easy to gather for the average middle/low class. Especially if your family income is touring theatre for public schools. I guess I'm just shocked to find out that most people on these forums really can afford the trips.. Anyone where I live would be scrounging anywhere and everywhere just to get the $500.

I'm not sure if you realize this or not, but it's a bit rude to be calling out other posters for the amount of money that they may or may not be spending on their vacations... not to mention a bit tacky to be crying poor in this discussion, as it's really not relevant. Why would you be shocked to find out that a forum full of people talking about Disney World 24/7 are able to afford Orlando/Disney vacations?

 

[raven]

To answer your question, and I'm guessing you are a frequent visitor and like to see new things to feel you are getting the best bang for your buck, I would answer no.

If you've seen everything there is to see and aren't that much entertained by them anymore then it would be a let down. I understand what you are saying and know lots of frequent guests that aren't going this year or are deciding to renew their passes.

 

[Hakunamatata]

What are you? A millionaire? Thats really a lot of money. There is no way my family would be able to afford going to both Universal and Disney in one trip.

Did twelve days at Disney two of which we park hopped to Uni. Socioeconomic status is irrelevant to the conversation. If you can't afford one day why should someone else feel bad if they can.

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

I'd still like to go. The construction doesn't bother me.

 

[epcotisbest]

I see what the OP is saying though...for the most part I go to Disney for the parks and the atmosphere. Yes I do enjoy the pool from time to time and stuff but if I wanted to spend the whole time at the pool and go shopping and eat overpriced food, there are much nicer places than Orlando to do that around the country or the world, and cheaper.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not judging your post and am glad you enjoy it, but I too have thought if it's worth it for my family to go back to WDW in 2018. We'll probably go but may combine DHS with an afternoon at Uni or something else to fill the time.

Yes, the OP has a valid point. For some though all that stuff does not matter. I mentioned we like the Disney resorts. We also like other resorts in the area. The J.W. Marriott and Ritz Carlton at Grande Lakes are both amazing. There are several other places that are incredible and we like going to. The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress and the new one over on International that used to be the Peabody both shine. There are several Hilton Grand Vacation Clubs worth spending time at as well. And Marriotts.
We have a friend who goes to the same beach every year. He sometimes asks me why we keep going to Orlando when we could go to the beach instead. We actually do go to other places every year. Last year we went to Colorado, Savannah, D.C., Saint Simon's Island, Callaway Gardens, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg etc...for shorter trips and a week in Orlando. My wife is headed back next month for the Princess Half-marathon.
So anyway, I turned it back around on him and asked why he keeps going to the same beach, same sand, same ocean each year. He said he likes the beach and likes hanging out at the pool just relaxing with a drink and book.
"So if you are at a pool relaxing and reading a book, if you have a nice resort with a nice room to go back to, what is the difference?" I asked.
Just a blank stare in response.

 

[DubyooDeeDubyoo]

Just some perspective from a west-coast visitor who hasn't made the trip in nine years: I keep putting the planning off because they keep constructing things! I went right after Everest and Nemo Seas opened, and then there was a very long time (particularly when Disney was pouring money into fixing DCA) where it felt like there was nothing substantial at Disney World to see that I hadn't done at the time.

Then new Fantasyland happened, and I wanted to go again. But I should wait until The Hat comes down because I really want to see Studios as it was when it opened.
And then The Hat was gone, but I should wait until the MK hub is finished.
And now the hub is finished, but I probably want to see that new Soarin film... And Avatar should be a substantial experience, even if I didn't particularly care about that movie... The studios is doing what?

So you see, at least from my perspective, there hasn't really been an ideal time to go for several years now! This is a good thing, because a Disney World that stays still is almost as bad as one that tears down the best attractions.