Is Disney expensive?

[ColinP29]

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

Disney Magic is perhaps priceless the first and second time you go. Surely by the third time, that magic is lessened. You may experience a new ride or land that Disney have opened, but the magic of going to something again can't be replicated again and again. So at some point, that 'Priceless' magic is gone and you see you're paying a lot of money for it

 

[ColinP29]

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.

You would surely expect to pay a lot more to fly to Europe from the US rather then within.

Change that trip to leaving from the UK and the prices are switched

 

[NelleBelle]

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.

I guess I should clarify that we find the resorts "expensive" as we can find the same class of resort for less. Just because we make a certain amount of income and can (and have) stayed at the deluxe resorts on property doesn't mean that they necessarily correspond with our financial goals (will not go into detail). Our vacation decisions tend to be based on what we want to see--they can still be considered "expensive" but depending on the value that we are getting from that vacation, we are willing to pay it. And yes, we are well aware that cell phones are quite an expense, especially when you are a family of four but is something we are lucky enough to have at a corporate rate through DH's employer.

 

[NelleBelle]

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!

LOL, yes, ours does too! However, we can attend our ballet company just about every month, whereas we are not able to "hee-haw" it up on a ride at WDW as often (living in the pacific northwest, we can manage about a yearly trip ). Would be totally different story if we lived within driving distance...

 

[freesvoice]

Disney Magic is perhaps priceless the first and second time you go. Surely by the third time, that magic is lessened. You may experience a new ride or land that Disney have opened, but the magic of going to something again can't be replicated again and again. So at some point, that 'Priceless' magic is gone and you see you're paying a lot of money for it

The part of my post was somewhat sarcastic I've only been once but I've been to DL a bunch and is always a good time.

 

[SourcererMark79]

Hotel and food are expensive wherever you travel. DW and I are AP and live 2 hours away. Been there 20 times this year and only spent 1 night off site. Yes the driving can be tiring and spending money on gas, but we bring snacks and refillable waterms bottles with flavor packs and it has been a tremendous value for our anniversary year.

 

[Phonedave]

I think Disney is expensive. That is now why we do not go as often as we used to. The value is NOT there for us. The quality of WDW had gone down over the years, while the price has gone up. There is still SOME value there, but not as much as there used to be, so WDW gets less - much less - of my vacation dollars that it used it.

Especially when I compare it to other options, it really does not have the value it used to.

-dave

 

[Takeitforgranite]

People ask me this question all the time. Obviously, people ask because they have never been (or haven't been in a long time) and don't know how to maximize their dollar. If you just buy a package at face value and go during a peal time, you are going to spend more. Many people complain about the price simply because it wasn't their cup of tea. I know dozens of hunters who spend thousands every year on their hobby and none of them complain about it. The more you like to do something, the less important the cost becomes.

Those of us that have been a lot know the best ways to stretch your Disney dollar the farthest and make it affordable, if that's how you want to go. We always stay at Value resorts, strategize about when we go, and use our Disney Visa rewards to take a big chunk out of the trip to make it affordable.

I will say that it's less of a value when considering the cost for children...since Disney considers a child of 10 an "adult".

 

[Chef Mickey]

You would surely expect to pay a lot more to fly to Europe from the US rather then within.

Change that trip to leaving from the UK and the prices are switched

I never argued Paris was inexpensive...someone said Disney and Paris were the same price.

For what it’s,worth, it can be super cheap ($500 or so) to fly to Europe from the US.

 

[NelleBelle]

Agree that lately there have been great prices to Europe (we flew to Barcelona for our cruise for $300 from Seattle)

 

[I am Timmy]

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.

Honestly, airfare is the bulk of our expense on a trip to Europe. We stay in Holiday Inn express type hotels, all with free breakfast. Rent a car to explore the country - many sights are free! We get food from grocery stores and picnic a lot. My boys always got a kick out of trying to shop at stores in other countries, food choices are fun.

 

[Larry Mondello]

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?

That's a good definition of "expensive". The value you perceive in a product or service.Let me add one other element. Resources. The more money you have the less expensive things are. Bill Gates would not find a stay at the Floridian expensive.

 

[Princess B]

Are the parks expensive? No, in my opinion you're getting what you pay for and more, it's a breathtaking experience. The food on the other hand... that's expensive! A cheeseburger for $13? Yikes. I also remember once I forgot to apply sunblock but the smallest container of it at the gift shop, just a little container of baby's sunscreen, was $12.

 

[DanielleOG]

Are the parks expensive? No, in my opinion you're getting what you pay for and more, it's a breathtaking experience. The food on the other hand... that's expensive! A cheeseburger for $13? Yikes. I also remember once I forgot to apply sunblock but the smallest container of it at the gift shop, just a little container of baby's sunscreen, was $12.

Yes! The food costs are insane! I really regretted not bringing my own snacks the last time. Won't ever forget to again.

 

[ColinP29]

Are the parks expensive? No, in my opinion you're getting what you pay for and more, it's a breathtaking experience. The food on the other hand... that's expensive! A cheeseburger for $13? Yikes. I also remember once I forgot to apply sunblock but the smallest container of it at the gift shop, just a little container of baby's sunscreen, was $12.

A Bugatti Veyron costs between $1.7 and $2.7 million. You get what you pay for in the car, but that doesn't make it inexpensive.

 

[Maddie Terwilliger]

I think Disney is expensive for sure. But you can plan it right. You don't HAVE to stay at a Disney hotel every time you visit, so staying somewhere cheaper can help you out. But I'm a die hard Disney fan and I experience the same level of magic every time I visit, so it is always worth it to me.

Keep in mind that a ticket to Universal Studios for just one of the two parks (a single day ticket) is slightly more expensive than a single day Disney ticket to Magic Kingdom or any of the parks on a regular or value day. However Magic Kingdom on a "peak" day matches Universal's "every day" ticket with $124 a person. Universal can get away with this only because they have Harry Potter world. You obviously save more money buying several day tickets from both theme parks.

 

[Disney Family 5]

Our first trip to Disney as a family was in 2009. At the time there was just 3 of us and it cost us a little over $2,000. Before we even left to go on the trip I already thought it was too expensive. Well.....by the time we got back home my mind had changed. It was a memory making trip that was priceless. We have been to WDW in 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 and we are going again next month. We now have 6 in our family and yes the price is considerable higher than it was in 2009. But there is no other place we would rather be. The $4,000 we are spending this year for 8 days at Ft. Wilderness and 7 days in the parks is a steal! We went for a weeks vacation last year to Pennsylvania and DC and spent almost that much and did not have nearly as much fun!

 

[Lisa Warner]

I just bought four tickets to a P!nk concert that cost almost as much as the three six day tickets for WDW. While I will enjoy the concert it won't compare to the memories of 6 days in the parks.

 

[JiminyandTink]

Is Disney expensive?... hmmmm... Does a Country Bear "Jamboree" in the woods?

 

[King Racoon 77]

Just putting this out there ...
Am at the world right now and have noticed this.
Disney has better sizing options on their clothes than Universal. And the prices at Disney are cheaper for comparable items !