Is Disney Expensive?

[Chef Mickey]

I like your house example, but in those cases gentrification kicks in and you get new houses. The trailer park by my house is getting weird. Trailer - trailer - $400,000 house - Trailer - $500,000 house - trailer -trailer. ...you get the point.

So if it is all about location, whey don't they put in a brand new mega hotel? Is it as simple as they don't have to?

I honestly think they just don’t want to do the capex and I think it’s the same reason Disney dragged their feet on meaningful park expansion in the last 15 years. They are FINALLY doing some, but it’s still about 20-30% of what is needed.

It is a SLAM DUNK that doubling the size of the Magic Kingdom (yes, double) over the last 5 years would have and still would make them stupid money over time. Unfortunately, Disney is publicly traded and there is still a lot of red tape.

When I say double Magic Kingdom, it doesn’t even have to be tons more attractions. I just think it needs more space, restaurants, walkways, pathways and just general spreadoutness. I’m not entirely sure how they swing it, but there is space to expand quite a bit if they wanted to.

 

[Chef Mickey]

Exactly. I’ve said this so many times.

I lived in Key West FL after college.. I paid $1980 for a STUDIO apartment on Duval St. my only “amenities” were a staircase with random drunk homeless people passed out at the bottom.

Here’s homes for sale.. Note the 2nd in my photo..755 sq ft... anywhere else that home would be 1/10th that price, if that much... but, you’re paying for the privilege to live on a rock.


Most people understand that convenience and location come with a price.

View attachment 276756

If people thought logically, they’d be a lot more understanding of reality. When you’re indignant that everything is “so expensive” with no awareness to what’s around you or what things cost, you’re going to be mad.

 

[Chef Mickey]

Good point. Location is everything. The "Deluxes" have theme park proximity. The "Values" don't. That'll will change somewhat with WDW's new emphasis on amenities and travel time (as shortened by the Skyliner).

Take this house for instance...
View attachment 276721
It's for sale in my area. And the listing price is lower than what a lot of people spent on their last Disney vacation.

Spoiler

$9,500 in Southwest Ohio.

Here's another house for sale...
View attachment 276722
Can you guess what it's selling for and where? (Hint: it's over 50 times what the other house is selling for...)

Spoiler

$585,000 in the San Francisco area.

So, is Disney "expensive"? Is that house "expensive"?

I guess it all depends on what you can afford.

Exactly my point. Pretty similar houses optically...both pretty rough, but you can’t duplicate location.

Here’s a silly hypothetical for people struggling with the concept of location in real estate. I have a great house for you. It’s a mansion with 17 bedrooms, 30 bathrooms, a pool, and all the latest amenities. Asking price, $20,000!!

Catch is, it’s on Venus near an active volcano. Still want it?

 

[correcaminos]

I was comparing the same weekend at Apple Core and All-Stars - Easter Weekend. Our customer service at the hotel was not even close to what we get in DVC resorts...it was actually below what you get at All-Stars. Room wasn't ready on time, shower curtain bar was broken - yes, there was free breakfast but not much there and when I went down by the gym there were 3 people in it, so all the equipment was in use. I think Disney and NYC are pretty comparable for similar experience and that was my initial point.

Holidays are always more in cities which explains why you likely paid so much for your stay. I could say exactly what others here and on the internet say to those staying in All Stars when the stay isn't perfect, but I won't. I can say my stays have been nothing like yours though for anyone curious about that brand of hotel. I just think your post really does prove that Disney is expensive because we all know NYC is. That's all I'm saying. If you are trying to point out that WDW is not expensive then I am not sure I can agree with that though. I love NYC, but it isn't cheap by any means. Same with Disney.

 

[Kristoff]

1. We've done rope drop at every park on every trip to Disney that we've taken. That includes an 8:00 a.m. (non-emh) opening at MK. We've been to Disney several times with 1-2 pre-schoolers in tow. We've never had trouble doing rope drop with them. By being at the front of the pack at rope drop, we're usually in one of the first ride cycles of whatever ride we head to first. We always manage to do numerous rides standby prior to our FPs kicking in at 10:30. In MK, we usually manage to do 6 or more rides by 10:30 all with less than a 10 minute wait -- and no running involved. We also do some standby lines in between our 10:30, 11:30 & 12:30 FPs. We have the same routine at other parks but might only get on 3-4 rides before 10:30. At that point (after using the 12:30 FP), we usually schedule a 4th FP for around 6:00 and head back to the resort for a rest. We don't consider it "lost" time, but rather a refresher so we can head back to the park later and stay for nighttime entertainment. And we take a break on every rope drop day regardless of the ages of our kids. I realize that rope drop with toddlers/preschoolers doesn't work for every family, but there are plenty of families that it *does* work for. It is most definitely *not* impossible or even unlikely. We see plenty of families there with infants/toddlers/preschoolers.

2. Our last trip (June 2016) we were able to get TSMM as a 4th and 5th FP in one day...late in June when it's definitely busy. We also had Soarin' available on our EP day but had already ridden it that trip and didn't feel the need to do it again.

3. I never said TT had a short wait time posted at the end of the night. I said we've had very short waits. There's a difference. It's pretty common knowledge that Disney inflates wait times at the end of the night to discourage people from getting in line. The posted wait time when we've ridden TT at that time of the night has always been 30-45 minutes. Actual wait time has been less than 15. My favorite example of inflated wait times was during an evening EMH at MK. It was 1:15 a.m. and the posted wait time was 45 minutes. A CM was standing at the entrance literally yelling that the posted wait time was accurate and that if you got in line, it would be your final ride of the night because it would be after 2:00 a.m. when you were finished with the ride. I rolled my eyes and we walked past her....and walked straight to the loading area waiting behind 1 set of riders. We were back out front by 1:25.

1) I don't doubt that what you say could work in terms of getting in that many rides that early but your example shows exactly the point I've been trying to make. You mentioned that in 2.5 hours you could ride 6 rides with 10 minute waits each. Assuming that is true, you are spending 1 hour total waiting in lines or 40% of your time. My whole point was that in the OP example, they mentioned they could get a full 12 hour day worth of entertainment when in reality if the park is open 12 hours, you might get around 7 or 8 hours of actual entertainment (without taking into account dining, shopping, or other breaks). Nothing wrong with a refresher mid afternoon but if you are going back to the hotel for the kids to take a break / nap you can't consider that time as entertainment for the OP calculation purposes (though maybe if you went to the pool or Downtown Disney I could see the argument to consider that).

2) I would say this example depends which time you grab the 4th and above fast passes. We typically go to Disney twice a year (Late summer and then Oct / Nov) for the last 5 or 6 years. Our experience has usually been that after 1 PM, getting FP for the headliner attractions are pretty rare. I have seen weird instances where a fast pass doesn't come up for a headliner but after five or six forced close and refreshes they appear on the MDE app. Could be people actually changing or cancelling their fast pass or it could just be Disney with some "hidden reserves". Also I believe they implemented the ability to get your 4th and above fast passes on MDE during early / mid 2016 so people having to know where the FP kiosks were and then waiting in line to get more allowed those who knew the system to get them more quickly. With everyone having a mobile device now, any open headliners get taken within minutes of being released from others.

3) Don't disagree with anything you are saying here, numerous Disney reporting tends to agree with this opinion. In the absence of hard data from Disney about the "real" times, we would need to use the posted time for arguments sake.

 

[zombiebbq]

Yes, the Disney bubble ain't what it used to be, but it's still vastly superior to NYC for sure!

NYC is not really the type of place to take kids to in my opinion, it's more of an adult destination. There are literally thousands of things to do in NYC none of which involve overpriced shows or *shudder* times square. But if you have kids it seems like the most egregiously expensive and touristy things to do are stuff like Broadway and the like. Museums are not very expensive in the city if you know when to go. Hotels also drastically differ in price depending on the neighborhood, with times square being one of the highest priced areas. Comparing NYC, a living breathing CITY, to Disney, which is a vacation resort and a definite "bubble" as you put it, isn't a fair or effective comparison.

But on to the point of your thread... YES. Disney is insanely expensive. I think coming onto a site like this where it's filled with Disney fans can make it difficult to understand just how expensive it really is because everyone here sees that expense as a wise investment. And yes, I am fully aware that we aren't the only ones who pack into the parks day after day...but that doesn't change the fact that a Disney vacation is quite expensive.

I am in my early 30s, with many friends in the early to mid 30s who are beginning to have children and I do not know a single one who would even give a thought to taking their kids to Disney because they can't reconcile the expense with the payoff in their minds. They are all planning on spending much less to take their kids to "culturally relevant" destinations when they are old enough to appreciate it. Meanwhile my parents had already taken me and my brother on our first Disney trip by the time they were both 35...so I truly wonder what will happen as the prices keep climbing and younger generations find a "bubble" destination like Disney (with exorbitant prices) undesirable to take their children to.

To me, the appeal of Disney is often ingrained when you are young and that is what motivates someone as an adult to take their own kids there, and I believe the cost factor (ESPECIALLY if it keeps increasing as it has been) is going to play a role in turning the tide on Disney vacation popularity in the next generation or so.

 

[brifraz]

NYC is not really the type of place to take kids to in my opinion, it's more of an adult destination. There are literally thousands of things to do in NYC none of which involve overpriced shows or *shudder* times square. But if you have kids it seems like the most egregiously expensive and touristy things to do are stuff like Broadway and the like. Museums are not very expensive in the city if you know when to go. Hotels also drastically differ in price depending on the neighborhood, with times square being one of the highest priced areas. Comparing NYC, a living breathing CITY, to Disney, which is a vacation resort and a definite "bubble" as you put it, isn't a fair or effective comparison.

But on to the point of your thread... YES. Disney is insanely expensive. I think coming onto a site like this where it's filled with Disney fans can make it difficult to understand just how expensive it really is because everyone here sees that expense as a wise investment. And yes, I am fully aware that we aren't the only ones who pack into the parks day after day...but that doesn't change the fact that a Disney vacation is quite expensive.

I am in my early 30s, with many friends in the early to mid 30s who are beginning to have children and I do not know a single one who would even give a thought to taking their kids to Disney because they can't reconcile the expense with the payoff in their minds. They are all planning on spending much less to take their kids to "culturally relevant" destinations when they are old enough to appreciate it. Meanwhile my parents had already taken me and my brother on our first Disney trip by the time they were both 35...so I truly wonder what will happen as the prices keep climbing and younger generations find a "bubble" destination like Disney (with exorbitant prices) undesirable to take their children to.

To me, the appeal of Disney is often ingrained when you are young and that is what motivates someone as an adult to take their own kids there, and I believe the cost factor (ESPECIALLY if it keeps increasing as it has been) is going to play a role in turning the tide on Disney vacation popularity in the next generation or so.

Actually, the whole point was to note that Disney IS expensive, but so is just about every other entertainment option in our culture. I've known many families who have talked to me about going to Disney and offered other destinations that they felt were much cheaper - upon thorough investigation, most holiday destinations (not all, but most) had pretty comparable pricing. I made the comparison to NYC because it is a destination that many families go to and I have heard compared to Disney in terms of cost - my specifics were to show comparable things between our recent NYC trip and similar things at Disney.

 

[21stamps]

Actually, the whole point was to note that Disney IS expensive, but so is just about every other entertainment option in our culture. I've known many families who have talked to me about going to Disney and offered other destinations that they felt were much cheaper - upon thorough investigation, most holiday destinations (not all, but most) had pretty comparable pricing. I made the comparison to NYC because it is a destination that many families go to and I have heard compared to Disney in terms of cost - my specifics were to show comparable things between our recent NYC trip and similar things at Disney.

YES!!!!

Sorry for the excitement.. but it is SO TRUE.

 

[brifraz]

I know that my pricing comparison that started this whole thing was apples to oranges - but, it was a comparison of fruits. Or, in this case, holiday weekends filled with entertainment of a (relatively) high quality. A student in my class today brought up their excitement over going to a concert this summer, so I did a little quick research which leads me to another comparison - not to stir the waters even more, but to provide another example to make my point.

Taylor Swift show in our area - cheap seats are $150 plus $27 in fees (not obstructed view), parking is $20. Before any food or drink or the cost of staying in a hotel so I'm not driving home very late, I would be looking at close to $200 for a couple hours of entertainment. Much more than a one day ticket and parking at WDW.

Is Disney expensive, yes. But, so is most entertainment of a high (IMHO) quality. Is Disney pricing themselves out of a large part of the potential market? Sure - but so is all entertainment. Yet Disney hotels are filled just about every night and Taylor Swift sells out all her shows, so there's obviously still a big enough market that neither of these examples (Broadway shows or big act concerts) nor Disney is going to stop increasing the cost of their brand of entertainment.

 

[21stamps]

am in my early 30s, with many friends in the early to mid 30s who are beginning to have children and I do not know a single one who would even give a thought to taking their kids to Disney because they can't reconcile the expense with the payoff in their minds. They are all planning on spending much less to take their kids to "culturally relevant" destinations when they are old enough to appreciate it.

I just have to say that there are still PLENTY of vacations that young children can do...and appreciate in their own way/age.

Life is way too short to push off traveling “until old enough” imo. There’s destinations that I don’t want to take my son to just yet, but we just go other places instead. Not trying to sound morbid, but life is short..and we never know how short, enjoy every day and every year.

 

[21stamps]

I know that my pricing comparison that started this whole thing was apples to oranges - but, it was a comparison of fruits. Or, in this case, holiday weekends filled with entertainment of a (relatively) high quality. A student in my class today brought up their excitement over going to a concert this summer, so I did a little quick research which leads me to another comparison - not to stir the waters even more, but to provide another example to make my point.

Taylor Swift show in our area - cheap seats are $150 plus $27 in fees (not obstructed view), parking is $20. Before any food or drink or the cost of staying in a hotel so I'm not driving home very late, I would be looking at close to $200 for a couple hours of entertainment. Much more than a one day ticket and parking at WDW.

Is Disney expensive, yes. But, so is most entertainment of a high (IMHO) quality. Is Disney pricing themselves out of a large part of the potential market? Sure - but so is all entertainment. Yet Disney hotels are filled just about every night and Taylor Swift sells out all her shows, so there's obviously still a big enough market that neither of these examples (Broadway shows or big act concerts) nor Disney is going to stop increasing the cost of their brand of entertainment.

Agree I say something similar on this site quite often.

It’s not even just Broadway in New York.. even local performing arts centers when shows are touring. Those are still around $150-$200 per ticket for decent seats.
Entertainment IS Expensive.

I don’t know why people act like Disney is alone with their prices.

 

[xdan0920]

I don’t know why people act like Disney is alone with their prices.

Well, maybe, it's because....

THIS IS A WALT DISNEY WORLD forum. People are here to discuss Walt Disney World.

Will this WDWMagic nightmare never end??????

 

[Goofyernmost]

Well, maybe, it's because....

THIS IS A WALT DISNEY WORLD forum. People are here to discuss Walt Disney World.

Will this WDWMagic nightmare never end??????

Well, in order to make a judgement about whether or not Disney is Expensive one has to have a knowledge of what other things cost or, in other words, something to compare it to. If you were to take any similar experience to a Disney park and compare then you could determine, based on the competition which was more expensive. Or you could compare it to other activities that fall into the entertainment heading and compare those to Disney prices to determine if it could be considered expensive. (of course, there are other contributing factors such as, amount of entertainment for the price.) Without comparison it boils down to what one is physically able to handle. Some places may be just to expense to be able to go to regardless of comparison. So, yes, every aspect is relevant when it comes to making that determination. But, even with nothing to compare it with, unless you are part of the 1% Walt Disney is EXPENSIVE. Especially if you participate in all the available options.

 

[xdan0920]

Well, in order to make a judgement about whether or not Disney is Expensive one has to have a knowledge of what other things cost or, in other words, something to compare it to. If you were to take any similar experience to a Disney park and compare then you could determine, based on the competition which was more expensive. Or you could compare it to other activities that fall into the entertainment heading and compare those to Disney prices to determine if it could be considered expensive. (of course, there are other contributing factors such as, amount of entertainment for the price.) Without comparison it boils down to what one is physically able to handle. Some places may be just to expense to be able to go to regardless of comparison. So, yes, every aspect is relevant when it comes to making that determination. But, even with nothing to compare it with, unless you are part of the 1% Walt Disney is EXPENSIVE. Especially if you participate in all the available options.

No. Actually, the comparison for 2018 WDW, is the prior 50 years of WDW. There is no other comp. Or, at least, there shouldn't be.

 

[larryz]

No. Actually, the comparison for 2018 WDW, is the prior 50 years of WDW. There is no other comp. Or, at least, there shouldn't be.

Well, it's clear that Disney costs more now than it used to... and far outstripping normal inflationary cost increases.

 

[Goofyernmost]

No. Actually, the comparison for 2018 WDW, is the prior 50 years of WDW. There is no other comp. Or, at least, there shouldn't be.

The past tells you nothing. If you went by that a Hershey Bar would be to expensive for anyone to purchase. Everything, everything, everything is more expense then it was 50 years ago. My first new Buick purchased in 1970 cost just a little over $3K. It was expensive then, as expensive as today's price for a Buick. But, not comparable in any meaningful way.

 

[21stamps]

No. Actually, the comparison for 2018 WDW, is the prior 50 years of WDW. There is no other comp. Or, at least, there shouldn't be.

That’s not really how it works.

 

[Hockey89]

I don't want to get into any crazy arguments and chaos or anything, but our family took a vacation last weekend and it occurred to me to compare the cost of this vacation we took to a Disney vacation. Why? Well...we went to NYC for a couple nights and saw a couple shows on Broadway. Those who have followed my trip reports or been in discussions with me know that I do tend to enjoy a little Pixie Dust, but also come at things as a realist (25 years in public education will make you nothing if not a realist...). These costs are for our party of 3 - considered adults in Disney terms and in NYC it makes no difference! So, here's a little comparison from our perspective.

Travel (round trip)
WDW - 26 hours in the car, no tolls, about 4 full tanks of gas (thank you hybrid), and 4 fast food meals - $180
NYC - 8 hours in the car, lots of tolls, just over a full tank of gas, and some snacks - $110

Hotel (comparing like quality and Easter weekend)
WDW - in the middle of the action, but cheap - All-Star resorts for 2 nights - $410
NYC - Times Square area, cheap but not nasty! - for 2 nights $600

Parking
WDW - at an All-Star for 2 nights - $40
NYC - 2 nights in a garage (discounted by hotel, no in-out privileges) - $80

Entertainment
WDW - For comparison sake, we'll go with 3-day Park Hoppers (about 36 hours of entertainment)- $1160
NYC - 2 Broadway shows, 2 museum entrances (about 14 hours of entertainment) - $750

Food
WDW - 2 tables services, 5 quick services (we do tend to share meals at times) with adult beverages at times - $500
NYC - 2 decent dinners, 2 breakfasts at hotel, 3 lunches on the go, with adult beverages at dinners - $450

Totals
WDW - $2290 - with lots more car travel time, but lots more total entertainment
NYC - $1990 - lots less car travel time, but lots less total entertainment

Hmmm....either Disney isn't quite as outrageously expensive as I often think or NYC is beyond outrageous.

In terms of quality of experience, I'd have to side with Disney. Even on the worst days of quality of show at WDW, it's far worse walking down Broadway than any area of a Disney park. While the shows on Broadway are amazing for 3 hours at a time, the rest of the 3 days/2 nights isn't quite so quality. Yes, the Disney bubble ain't what it used to be, but it's still vastly superior to NYC for sure!

In terms of our family time - well, Disney again will win the argument. We tend to enjoy family time in the car for discussions and sing-alongs and maybe a movie or something. The shorter NYC drive is certainly less tense, the traffic issues on I95 from Baltimore to NYC are at least comparable to I4 if not a little worse. Once there - at WDW it is pure family-time and we are more than comfortable enough to do just about anything. In NYC, there's certainly a bit of looking over the shoulder at most times and there is no way we are letting our daughter of on her own to do things she is interested in!!!

It's funny because I've always thought of visits to WDW as crazy expensive, but something we enjoyed as a family and would continue to enjoy. After this past weekend...maybe they aren't quite so expensive and beyond just enjoying WDW, despite some decline, it is a quality experience that is above just about anywhere else.

A lot less entertaining is wrong on every single level.... NYC restaurants are a million times better... Comparing shows? Broadway or a show at Disney....

 

[xdan0920]

That’s not really how it works.

There's also the fact that nothing is too expensive if you aren't paying yourself, ya know?

 

[macefamily]

I'm 50 and my first trip to Disney wasn't until I was 27 yrs old in 1994, and that was a business trip. I fell in love with both Disney and Universal. So much so, that I had to get my wife there to experience it with me. That didn't happen until 1998. By that time we had two young children. From 1998 to present we have been at both Universal and Disney 24 times. We both work and I can tell you in the early days we stayed at some pretty gnarly motels in FL just to be able to afford the trip. I could relate very well to The Florida Project. As we got older we were able to upgrade and even stayed onsite twice. The amenities of staying onsite are nice, but since we love Universal as well, it's just not for us. We found a three bedroom condo in the Kissimmee area in a gated community that we can get for $550 for the week. I can't justify paying ten times that to stay at a Deluxe resort. Disney offers several levels of entertainment experiences; value resorts to Deluxe rooms, and now the upcoming 33 Club. What some consider expensive, others may not. It's a free market and Disney sets prices based on demand.