Is Disney expensive?

[DLR92]

I would say for me a trip to WDW is expensive. Air fair, hotel, food, rental car, admission park price, I could spend that same about of money for a country worth seeing than staying a week in WDW.I could even purchase one expensive luxury good at Rodeo with that money as well. lol
Maybe I am not concern about visiting WDW as I have Disneyland right in my playground.

 

[eliza61nyc]

This may sound like a silly question but I will explain:

I think the term "expensive" almost implies that something is not worth the money. I often hear friends of mine say that going to WDW is "too expensive" and therefore they will never go. For me, it is 100% worth the money and I think the prices are fair considering what you get out of it. It bothers me that people will completely shut down a trip to the world simply because of the money, but will happily travel to other places.

This past May, my boyfriend and I were finally interested in trying out an all-inclusive trip to somewhere like Cuba or Mexico. We priced it all out: the resort, airfare, experiences, transportation, etc. We looked at the amount and said "well, we might as well go to Disney instead!" as the trips were roughly the same cost.

Has anyone else had similar experiences?

I think that;s because you are a big disney fan. I think Disney is expensive and I think what I'm getting frustrated with is the level or service is not comparable.

Sorry a disney deluxe is 500 bucks a night (I've not included various discounts), I've stayed at the 4 seasons Orlando for less than that and you cannot even compare the two. things like that get me.

My family and I went to Paris france for just what we paid to go to Disney. Hotel was a true deluxe, food, lol it's Paris folks, not only was the food better, it's was cheaper.

I am glad to see all the improvements and upgrades coming to the parks

So to answer your question. yes Disney is expensive and some times overpriced. Now I fell in love with Disney back in the 90's. I think that was the peak of disney as far as quality and pricing. every year I see the ticket prices go through the roof with less value.
My concern is that other offerings are starting to step up their game. Cruising offers reliable value especially with these new ships coming out.
London is now a great value especially with the pound doing so poorly since the brexit vote. I will say that I live near 3 major airports (new york, Newark and Philadelphia) so airfare is usually not a game changer.

 

[Damon7777]

Disney is expensive and I think what I'm getting frustrated with is the level or service is not comparable.

If you are strictly talking about USA Disney and DL Paris Resort level service then I'm sure you are right.
But Tokyo Disney can compete with almost any service anywhere due to cultural priorities.

 

[Chef Mickey]

Disney is an excellent value when you compare to other theme parks and top travel destinations.

Where people get off track is when they start comparing the money paid at Disney to unlike alternatives and/or leave out expenses when comparing better value alternatives.

 

[Chef Mickey]

I think that;s because you are a big disney fan. I think Disney is expensive and I think what I'm getting frustrated with is the level or service is not comparable.

Sorry a disney deluxe is 500 bucks a night (I've not included various discounts), I've stayed at the 4 seasons Orlando for less than that and you cannot even compare the two. things like that get me.

My family and I went to Paris france for just what we paid to go to Disney. Hotel was a true deluxe, food, lol it's Paris folks, not only was the food better, it's was cheaper.

I am glad to see all the improvements and upgrades coming to the parks

So to answer your question. yes Disney is expensive and some times overpriced. Now I fell in love with Disney back in the 90's. I think that was the peak of disney as far as quality and pricing. every year I see the ticket prices go through the roof with less value.
My concern is that other offerings are starting to step up their game. Cruising offers reliable value especially with these new ships coming out.
London is now a great value especially with the pound doing so poorly since the brexit vote. I will say that I live near 3 major airports (new york, Newark and Philadelphia) so airfare is usually not a game changer.

Perfect example. You can’t compare sightseeing in Paris to Disney.

I’ve been to Paris....it’s about the most overrated place in the world, IMO. But my opinion doesn’t matter. Again, sightseeing can be free. You can’t compare walking around to the nonstop entertainment at WDW.

The level of service overall in Paris isn’t at all comparable to the service at Disney and there is plenty of bad food in Paris and good food at Disney. The good food in Paris is obviously better than the best food at Disney, but the restaurant is the end of the experience if you have a good meal. Disney is an entirely different experience.

If you truly did a first class style trip in Paris, it should have cost more than Disney. It cost me more.

 

[Damon7777]

Yes indeed, you beat me to it. I question this notion of a Paris trip being cheaper than a USA Disney one. I was shelling out the Euro to the point of freak out and concern when I was there. Beautiful and stunning place that Paris is with its elaborate architectures but extremely filthy. Those sitdown eats were quite pricy and the hotel did some damage to my savings.

 

[MAGICFLOP]

Careful with your proof or 'cause and effect'......you might be right; but then you might be mistaken too. I don't see how you can safely conclude that based on what you wrote.

There are other factors aside from price hikes that could account for a decrease in attendance. For example as for WDW would be travelers had concerns with: mass shooting and terror, zeka scare, Brazilian turmoil, UK out of EU, crocodilian dragging and drowning a kid at the lake bank at GF Hotel.

My reference:
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/06/...nce.html?_r=0&referer=https://www.google.com/

While other factors like terrorism, shootings may be in play, but travel seasons in America have not been adversely affected in general. After 9/11 there were great fears of traveling and Disney attendance was way down, but then you would see similar things happening throughout the travel industry. The article I show above mentions Disney's numbers but here is six flags:

http://investors.sixflags.com/news-and-events/press-releases/2016/07-27-2016-120157460

they say their attendance numbers were up 7% in 2016's 1st half.

 

[eliza61nyc]

Yes indeed, you beat me to it. I question this notion of a Paris trip being cheaper than a USA Disney one. I was shelling out the Euro to the point of freak out and concern when I was there. Beautiful and stunning place that Paris is with its elaborate architectures but extremely filthy. Those sitdown eats were quite pricy and the hotel did some damage to my savings.

i didn't say it was cheaper I said for the same price.

now I don't go to a restaurant for the "experience" lol I go for a good meal. I have never ever spent 150-200 bucks for breakfast in Paris, Venice or Lisbon and yes I realize a lot of those prices include characters but does the food have to be mediocre ?? and please don't say "well you don't go for the food, you go for the characters" humm unless Pluto is doing the cooking, there is no reason you can't have good food.

I was at the grand floridan in May, with my AP discount the room was 400 bucks a night. Hotel Regina 4.5 star near the Louve. 300 bucks a night.

Almost every sit down in Paris, you can order a "prixe fix". where you get your choice of appetizer, soup and entree or soup entree and dessert.

So yes I did a first class trip except for airfare. that was coach

my girlfriends and I are doing our annual girls trip, we are trying to decide between Disney and Portugal. the only reason Disney is slightly ahead is the flight time.
My ta got us the 4 season hotel Ritz in Lisbon 395.00/night. standard view at the AKL??? 479.00 BEFORE taxes. now I do have an AP so that will take it down but ...

you definitely are correct that it's hard to compare it, two totally different types of vacations

don't even get me started on some great cruises.

I guess my point is Disney now has a ton of competition. other venues have stepped up their game. Royal Caribbean and Norwegian are excellent lines especially for families with children. so I can totally see why someone would say "for that price, I could Fill in the blank"

 

[freesvoice]

As far being expensive for what you get compared to other travel...

Park tickets - no
Hotels - yes
Food - yes
Souvenirs - relative
The Disney magic - priceless

 

[NelleBelle]

We are one of those family's that are lucky to make a comfortable income and we do find WDW expensive. Lately, we've been doing DCL instead of the parks as we feel we get a better "deal" cruising with Disney. We just did an 11-night transatlantic cruise for less than the price of what it would have cost us to stay at a deluxe resort at the WDW. Our food is included (and it's pretty darn good food for "cruise" food, especially Palo--competes with my favorite meal I've had at Calif. Grill). But what keeps us from doing WDW year after year isn't necessarily the cost (we find that we can find savings staying off property, getting tickets through employer, not having DDP that takes too much time and is too much food for us), but because we would like to broaden our horizon and actually see the real "world". We took a fairly big break of not going to WDW for 5 or 6 years because the parks became so stale--there was nothing new being added (whereas DLR had added several new things as well well as universal). But despite all that, we found that after disembarking in Port Canaveral after one of our cruises and saw everyone heading off on the buses to the resorts, and we were just going to the airport to head home, we HAD to get back to WDW!! And after the next cruise we added a trip back to WDW (flaws and all). We had such a great time (kids called it the best vacation...ever) that we are now planning a trip for our oldest DS 8th-grade graduation--he chose this despite being offered cruises, trips to Europe, etc. I think we found that absence tends to make the heart grow fonder where WDW and realized that we still want to visit the parks, perhaps just not as frequently.

And I totally agree with @AJH219! We see Cirque every time they come to town, tend to have season tickets to the ballet or theatre and think nothing of the cost of those tickets. When you add the cost of tickets with the amount of time you actually spend at these events, WDW vacations do seem a good "deal".

 

[englanddg]

This may sound like a silly question but I will explain:

I think the term "expensive" almost implies that something is not worth the money. I often hear friends of mine say that going to WDW is "too expensive" and therefore they will never go. For me, it is 100% worth the money and I think the prices are fair considering what you get out of it. It bothers me that people will completely shut down a trip to the world simply because of the money, but will happily travel to other places.

This past May, my boyfriend and I were finally interested in trying out an all-inclusive trip to somewhere like Cuba or Mexico. We priced it all out: the resort, airfare, experiences, transportation, etc. We looked at the amount and said "well, we might as well go to Disney instead!" as the trips were roughly the same cost.

Has anyone else had similar experiences?

Yes, exactly this.

The thing is, if you know how to "do" Disney (and I don't mean cutting corners, but how to book, when to book, where to book...as in which hotels), it can be quite affordable.

I often have cut off other trip ideas because, well...Disney is just more affordable!

 

[Bullseye1967]

I may add that people will always take vacations. When the bottom dropped out in 2008, the 2 places that did ok were Las Vegas and Orlando. Yes they did drop but if you look at the economy Orlando did alright. People who would have gone to Europe or other places choose to stay in the US. Did people vacation less that year? No they took cheaper vacations.

 

[ColinP29]

Coming from the UK, two weeks at the end of October, staying at a Universal hotel and hitting pretty much every park as part of a package holiday.

Will cost a family of four plus a Grandma, £8,200 plus spending money. So all in all perhaps close to £12,000. This is an expensive holiday.

 

[graphite1326]

Yes, exactly this.

The thing is, if you know how to "do" Disney (and I don't mean cutting corners, but how to book, when to book, where to book...as in which hotels), it can be quite affordable.

I often have cut off other trip ideas because, well...Disney is just more affordable!

Well put.

 

[21stamps]

Yes. We can travel in Europe for 3 weeks for the price of twelve days at Disney (flying from west coast, 4 people). Having said that, the next question for me is: Is it worth it? YES. I know this because my family has done both, more than once. But, we keep going back to the World, over and over, because we love it too much. You know the love is real when your'e planning your next trip back as soon as you get home from your vacation. We're Disney fans, what can I say?

You must be finding great flights and hotel rates! I can’t do that... teach me your ways!

As to the OP question- it depends. Where you’re staying, what activities are you doing..cost of plane tickets? I think those are all the main factors. Mainly though, “expensive” is often a very relative term.

 

[Dunston]

Yes, very yes. Just a trip for two can be super expensive if you're staying on-site.

 

[Chef Mickey]

We are one of those family's that are lucky to make a comfortable income and we do find WDW expensive. Lately, we've been doing DCL instead of the parks as we feel we get a better "deal" cruising with Disney. We just did an 11-night transatlantic cruise for less than the price of what it would have cost us to stay at a deluxe resort at the WDW. Our food is included (and it's pretty darn good food for "cruise" food, especially Palo--competes with my favorite meal I've had at Calif. Grill). But what keeps us from doing WDW year after year isn't necessarily the cost (we find that we can find savings staying off property, getting tickets through employer, not having DDP that takes too much time and is too much food for us), but because we would like to broaden our horizon and actually see the real "world". We took a fairly big break of not going to WDW for 5 or 6 years because the parks became so stale--there was nothing new being added (whereas DLR had added several new things as well well as universal). But despite all that, we found that after disembarking in Port Canaveral after one of our cruises and saw everyone heading off on the buses to the resorts, and we were just going to the airport to head home, we HAD to get back to WDW!! And after the next cruise we added a trip back to WDW (flaws and all). We had such a great time (kids called it the best vacation...ever) that we are now planning a trip for our oldest DS 8th-grade graduation--he chose this despite being offered cruises, trips to Europe, etc. I think we found that absence tends to make the heart grow fonder where WDW and realized that we still want to visit the parks, perhaps just not as frequently.

And I totally agree with @AJH219! We see Cirque every time they come to town, tend to have season tickets to the ballet or theatre and think nothing of the cost of those tickets. When you add the cost of tickets with the amount of time you actually spend at these events, WDW vacations do seem a good "deal".

What is a comfortable income? I'm curious because you still said you find it expensive.

Even a Disney cruise can't really be compared to parks because there are not attractions.

Cell phones are expensive. People just omit the "normal" things that are expensive because they don't cost thousands at one time. You're getting far more ripped off day to day. At least a vacation is fun.

 

[Jedi Stitch]

If you haven't been o WDW yet, then it is worth to go. If you have, but it has been some time, then it is still good to go. When we priced it out, out agent gave us a bunch of options. First off, he priced the Deluxe option with airfare, and basic DP. He then gave us a moderate with upgrades. Finally, and the one that won my wife over, was a value resort with full upgrades, and a three day cruse tacked on the end. Like everyone else has said it is all relative.

 

[Chef Mickey]

For what it's worth, I priced out a trip to Paris with 5 star accommodations and non stop flight.

Trip for two. 8 nights.

Paris: $10,977 - Flight and Hotel. No food or entertainment.
WDW: $5,100 - Flight, Hotel (moderate), Food, Park Tickets included

Yes, I priced Paris with a 5 star hotel because that's where I stay if I travel abroad and it was noted someone stayed at a 4.5 star for the same money as Disney. I just don't see it and I've been to both places. Both prices line up with what I have paid in real life.

If you want to "plus" the Disney trip, add ~$1800 for Contemporary or Poly, so maybe $7,000.

 

[larryz]

And I totally agree with @AJH219! We see Cirque every time they come to town, tend to have season tickets to the ballet or theatre and think nothing of the cost of those tickets. When you add the cost of tickets with the amount of time you actually spend at these events, WDW vacations do seem a good "deal".

Plus, my local symphony frowns on the audience throwing their hands up in the air and yelling "Yee-haw!" during the crescendo... whereas I can get away with that on a ride at Disney. Totally worth it!