Best Value in Disney World...

Best Value

  • Park Entry

    Votes: 30 40.5%
  • Character Buffet

    Votes: 7 9.5%
  • DDP

    Votes: 4 5.4%
  • Quick Service Meal

    Votes: 12 16.2%
  • Parties

    Votes: 5 6.8%
  • Hotel Room

    Votes: 9 12.2%
  • No good value remains

    Votes: 21 28.4%

  • Total voters
    74

belledream

Well-Known Member
Park Entry, for the reasons others already discussed. Honorable mention to me would be resorts. We go in value season so value resorts can be around $100/night, which is pretty cheap compared to some other (definitely-not-as-nice) hotels that I've had to pay for recently. For what you get (theme, pools, food court, shops, transportation) I think it's very much worth it.
 

CaptainAmerica

Premium Member
We go in value season so value resorts can be around $100/night, which is pretty cheap compared to some other (definitely-not-as-nice) hotels that I've had to pay for recently. For what you get (theme, pools, food court, shops, transportation) I think it's very much worth it.
Yeah I think people badly miscalculate what it costs to stay at a "regular" hotel. Anyone who's ever looked for a La Quinta or Holiday Inn Express knows that $100 per night can be hard to find.
 

xdan0920

Think for yourselfer
Original Poster
Yeah I think people badly miscalculate what it costs to stay at a "regular" hotel. Anyone who's ever looked for a La Quinta or Holiday Inn Express knows that $100 per night can be hard to find.
In my traveling experience, I have never gotten a hotel room for under $100. Not sure I would ever want to stay in a hotel that costs under $100 either.
 

sshindel

The Epcot Manifesto
You can not make the argument for buffet prices!!!! I won't allow it on my thread! Chef Mickey's breakfast would run you specifically $140+ tax + tip....So, let's say $170? I get doing it, because I have done it, but good golly, I wouldn't call it a value....

Your park tickets work out to about 100 per person per day. I still think that's a good value, if it's for a hopper. If it's for a single park, not named Magic Kingdom, I am not sure it's worth it.
I can make the argument for the buffet as a food and entertainment option. Meal and a show. I made the argument earlier based on the cost of my lunch today. I stupidly forgot for a few minutes that I'm not going to the nearest fast casual place for lunch today. I'm going to a AMC Dine-In theater to see Captain America: Civil War (WOOHOO). My movie ticket cost me $14.37. I will also have likely what I had last time I went there, which is the Big Bite Sampler (appetizer platter) for $12 and a single beer at $8-10. Rounding, addingTax+tip, I expect to likely pay $25+ for my food, and $15 for my movie. All told, $40 for lunch. If I took my family, it would be similar, though the kids might end up paying a touch less for "kids meal" stuff.
It's a similar cost to the Disney buffet, just different entertainment options. The Disney buffet may be a touch more expensive, but not outrageously so (yet).

I could also argue the cost-value of time/money. If I were to want to take my kids to see Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Pluto, lets pretend on average I spend 20 minutes in line for each (we can quibble over methods of this, Epcot Photospot, etc of course). 100 minutes of my day waiting in line to see the 5 characters, plus the time I'd typically spend eating a meal, let's say an hour to compare sit-down to sit-down. 160 minutes out of my day to see the 5 characters and eat a sit down meal. Now, if I say I'm going to get 10 hours in the park on an average day, that's 600 minutes. 1/4 of which would be spent to see the characters and eat the meal. That equates out to $18.75/person based on your $75/day theme park ticket. Combining your meal and your character experience together means that instead of 25% of your day being spent doing those two things, you now only spend 10% of your day doing them, or $7.50. Taken on face value, saving you the $11.25/person doesn't seem like it takes too much out of the $45 dollar cost of the meal, but remember, you also gain in efficiency by being able to spend that 100 extra minutes doing other things that may be of value to you, giving you up to 16% more experience for your $75.


Now, I'm not saying I %100 agree with any of what I just wrote. Just know that telling me I CANT argue something is just asking for trouble ;)
 

Pumbas Nakasak

Heading for the great escape.
lost the will to live after the first paragraph.
Best value is the cave de tequila, no idea of the prices but the lost memories are indicative of money well spent. Free memory maker is qualidde too, or should that be two, cause I booked my tickets in two lots I got two packages. you can never have enough photies of me to be fair.
 

DisneyFans4Life

Well-Known Member
My wife and I are doing a Cinebistro movie/dinner tonight. Movie tickets are $16/person ($4 more than the regular $12 movie ticket because you get to sit in comfy leather seats and on a balcony) and then dinner will run us abotu $20/person. $80...pricey for 3 hours of entertainment. That's almost enough to get into one of the parks and more than enough to get into the water parks.
 

DManRightHere

Well-Known Member
I vote QS meals, without a drink. It is really the drinks that they really get you. I have ice water or bring bottled water.

Multi day tickets I am torn on. I just calculated our 7 day park hoppers average $59 per day. I would be much happier at $40-$45. I still like to argue the point it would be difficult to go elsewhere for vacation and spend less than $60 per day and have a fun full day of activities. Plus no driving or tryig to figure out where you are going.
 

DisneyFans4Life

Well-Known Member
I vote QS meals, without a drink. It is really the drinks that they really get you. I have ice water or bring bottled water.

Multi day tickets I am torn on. I just calculated our 7 day park hoppers average $59 per day. I would be much happier at $40-$45. I still like to argue the point it would be difficult to go elsewhere for vacation and spend less than $60 per day and have a fun full day of activities. Plus no driving or tryig to figure out where you are going.
I think drinks are overpriced pretty much everywhere you go. Even going to your local Chili's or Applebee's they get you for $2.50 for a drink. For a party of 4...that's $10 just in beverages.
 

FoodRockz

Well-Known Member
my vote if it was a choice would be the free water you can get in a cup with your meals or at a food establishment.
Agreed!

Edited to include that I do enjoy some of the more interesting QS places, like Tangerine Cafe, but I'm not sure if I could argue that they are "value" priced. Staying at the Swan/Dolphin on the other hand, that is my idea of value at WDW.
 
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DuckTalesWooHoo1987

Well-Known Member
I'm going off the poll and saying the best value is DVC membership. I really do feel like it's a phenomenal value for people who love going and want to go a lot and have great accommodations.
 

DManRightHere

Well-Known Member
I think drinks are overpriced pretty much everywhere you go. Even going to your local Chili's or Applebee's they get you for $2.50 for a drink. For a party of 4...that's $10 just in beverages.

They are. Once in awhile I will have to order some kind of drink because the water tastes so bad. I like food better than drinks anyways. So I'd rather have the calories in food!
 

Tavernacle12

Well-Known Member
Club Cool.

This.
I'll agree with everyone else on ticket prices. A one day ticket is overpriced, but once you get close to a week its basically free for more days. I had an eight day trip I extended to ten days because tickets, even with park hopper, were basically negligible.

While it's probably paid for by hotel rates, Magical Express and the regular transportation, at being free, is spectacular. You can find fault with it around the edges (resort to resort transport still sucks) but its free and takes a ton of frustration out of the trips.
 

JIMINYCR

Well-Known Member
Hands down its Park Entry. If you count the hours from opening to closing you would get and figure in all the possible rides you could do, parades and shows you could watch, variety of characters you could visit, assorted other things you could do for entertaining yourself.... The cost of a ticket vs the return you get for it is minimal.
 

rob0519

Well-Known Member
I voted Park Entry. Even at $100 a day it's a better value than some other options. For example, I have the "cheap seats" at Chicago Blackhawks games. They range from $85-$110 depending on the opponent. That game lasts 60 minutes (3 hours with all the stoppages and intermissions). $100 can get me up to 14 hours of entertainment at WDW depending on the season. Additionally, parking at the United Center is $25.00, which is more than WDW.

To me the worst values are the parties or the character buffets. I would not even consider paying out of pocket for a character buffet anymore. If we don't have the dining plan we don't even consider one.
 

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