Is Disney Expensive?

[xdan0920]

What some consider expensive, others may not. It's a free market and Disney sets prices based on demand.

Great point. Never thought of that. Glad you're here.

 

[21stamps]

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

Past years don’t matter, nor any attempted insult to someone from behind your computer screen...Because ya know, of course someone can’t pay for their own Disney trips

Here’s all that matters-

Disney sets prices based on demand

 

[formercast84]

It also depends on what you’re comparing. I live in the area and have an annual pass. Years ago we would stay at a Disney value resort. But over the years the hotels have become outrageous. If you compare off property hotels to Disney hotels, you can save 50-75% of the hotel cost. If you’re willing to ride a hotel shuttle, the savings are slightly better. We enjoy the parks, but when you compare local costs of food and hotels to Disney prices, Disney is a lot more expensive. Going to Disney is like going to the movies. The food will cost you 3 to 5 times more than a local place and the ticket is more than 3 times the price to rent. No doubt Disney offers a lot, but they’re starting to price themselves outside of the average persons purchase ability. Just compare apples to apples.

 

[Jim Chandler]

It’s funny how people in their want to add to a discussion rip the first persons analysis like it is not correct. IMO the first analysis may not be perfect but it is what they saw thus true in their own analysis.
I totally agree Disney gets a raw deal at times for being expensive. Everything is dependent on a personal belief and feeling and experience that is totally dependent on the person involved. Costs and their associated value are not the same.
I have been to Disney over 100 times in my life and have never felt cheated or as if I over paid for what I got. On the other hand after having to pay almost the same price for parking my car as my room in NYC I was ed and i thought outrageous. However upon further thought it was a normal cost for parking in NYC but never did take the sting away at the end of what was a great weekend.

 

[21stamps]

It also depends on what you’re comparing. I live in the area and have an annual pass. Years ago we would stay at a Disney value resort. But over the years the hotels have become outrageous. If you compare off property hotels to Disney hotels, you can save 50-75% of the hotel cost. If you’re willing to ride a hotel shuttle, the savings are slightly better. We enjoy the parks, but when you compare local costs of food and hotels to Disney prices, Disney is a lot more expensive. Going to Disney is like going to the movies. The food will cost you 3 to 5 times more than a local place and the ticket is more than 3 times the price to rent. No doubt Disney offers a lot, but they’re starting to price themselves outside of the average persons purchase ability. Just compare apples to apples.

The offsite hotels are cheap in that area because they are competing for vacationers who don’t want to or can’t afford to stay at Disney.
Orlando Disney area hotels aren’t price comparable with hotels in other tourist cities due to that reason. They aren’t the norm.
Even the Waldorf is one of the least expensive Waldorfs in a tourist destination.

 

[Gary7777777]

brifraz.......So you stayed in Times Square....Anyone who know NYC never stays in Times Square. You did not visit Chelsea, SoHO, Greenwich Village, Tribecca and that is just to to name a few of the great areas in Manhattan. To explain it differently it is like going to Disney World and just going on one ride such as Its a Small World and then comparing the two. You stayed and had dinners in an area that no one who actually lives in Manhattan ever visits. So many other sights and real world class dinning and shopping that you missed in the areas that I mentioned above. I worked in Manhattan for one two years and never paid the hotel rates that you paid because I never stayed in Times Square. You should do more research before you visit NYC next time.

 

[winstongator]

I've compared a beach vacation where I like (15minutes away) to a Disney vacation and Disney is still cheaper when we compare everything like you did. The lodging alone on the beach is triple during the same time we go to Disney. Our beachs rival tropical locations and has won top beach recently, but it's not the same as far as what you get. I love the beach, but it's just that. I can come and go when I want but filling the same amount of time at the beach vs Disney? The kids are bored halfway through the first day. Everything is expensive now. I think Disney seems more expensive bc we are well aware of the cost before we go. Other vacations you may have your hotel booked and that's it. The rest is pay as you go...so what started out as a $800 price tag, ended up being $2200 when you added food, souvenirs, and any fun outings you did. With disney you can have it all paid for, including food, before you go so you see that $2000 and think "that's expensive for 3 nights". But then you only buy a few souvenirs and the rest is done.

Which beach do you vacation at? NSB?

 

[21stamps]

brifraz.......So you stayed in Times Square....Anyone who know NYC never stays in Times Square. You did not visit Chelsea, SoHO, Greenwich Village, Tribecca and that is just to to name a few of the great areas in Manhattan. To explain it differently it is like going to Disney World and just going on one ride such as Its a Small World and then comparing the two. You stayed and had dinners in an area that no one who actually lives in Manhattan ever visits. So many other sights and real world class dinning and shopping that you missed in the areas that I mentioned above. I worked in Manhattan for one two years and never paid the hotel rates that you paid because I never stayed in Times Square. You should do more research before you visit NYC next time.

I stayed at the W in Times Square years ago for NYE.. it was a fun experience, once.
I know New York well and still made that choice.. most times when I visited I would never even make it to Times Square though.. I have my favorite bars and restaurants in other areas of the city. However, sometimes someone may just want to be a “tourist”.

 

[winstongator]

This just in: vacation is expensive. I would categorize NYC and WDW together at "above average."

You wanna talk about smokin' hundred dollar bills expensive?? Check out the price tag for our trip to Hawaii this summer!

We've done Hawaii twice and will do a third time this summer. I don't want to think about the cost, but they've been slightly offset because my wife does the trip for work and we tag along. Is the price worth it? I'd say yes. We are also taking my in-laws who aren't getting younger. This is a bucket-list trip for them, and one they wouldn't be able to pay for otherwise. I'll probably buy WDW tickets for my parents around Thanksgiving. My mom had a tough year+ health wise and the trip to Orlando is a goal for her. She and my dad won't do any rides, but will that money on their tix be worth it? To me, of course. I was pretty shocked at the overall price (including Palo & shore excursions) for our 4-night cruise, but that was a phenomenal time as well.

 

[winstongator]

I think Disney is very expensive, and the past 5 years, its gotten very pricey. I've slowed my visits down, from doing annually, to once every few years. I may push that out further in the future.

Enjoy your upcoming trip!

 

[winstongator]

Yea, but the venue wasn't candlestick park holding thousands of people. The money ended up being the same, I'm sure. Hell, at today's prices they would have been billionaires with just one tour.

WDW was a lot less expensive in the 80's too

 

[Gary7777777]

I stayed at the W in Times Square years ago for NYE.. it was a fun experience, once.
I know New York well and still made that choice.. most times when I visited I would never even make it to Times Square though.. I have my favorite bars and restaurants in other areas of the city. However, sometimes someone may just want to be a “tourist”.

I agree that it can be fun to see Times Square and to see a show. What makes me sad is when someone forms an opinion of NYC and Manhattan by just their experience in Times Square and not seeing the other sections of the city and what an amazing city it really is.

 

[winstongator]

You could, but times change. I think Disney is a much more powerful brand today with much more demand than in the 80s or 90s. The broader economy has also improved. People have more disposable income, air travel is more accessible, and a host of other reasons give Disney pricing power. I don't really see anything wrong with that.

It might have been an even better value then, but it doesn't mean it's not great value and even cheap relative what you get now. A LOT of things have increased in price at a faster rate than inflation for these reasons, so a comparison would likely see similar results for other destinations 30 years ago.

The way I see it, the pool of people who can afford WDW vacations has gone way up. Middle to upper-middle class in Europe and South America, as well as a growing higher-income group in the US makes for a lot of people that can afford WDW, even with the cost increases. Demand is pulling the prices higher, as well as limited supply. In the western hemisphere, there's only DL & WDW for the Disney Park fix.

 

[21stamps]

I agree that it can be fun to see Times Square and to see a show. What makes me sad is when someone forms an opinion of NYC and Manhattan by just their experience in Times Square and not seeing the other sections of the city and what an amazing city it really is.

I feel this way about so many places.

 

[Seegeethatsme]

You're counting Disney as 36 hours of entertainment, but surely you are not being entertained the whole time you're in the park. Like, strolling down main street is the same level of entertainment as strolling down times square. If you're going to level NYC down to the times you're in shows or museums, you should only be counting the time spent on rides or in shows while in the parks, too.

Gotta step in and say that there is no comparison of strolling down on Main Street as it is strolling down Times Square. I’ve seen the characters posing for pics at Times Square and when you get a pic with them you better open your wallet. And don’t walk off the curb when the light turns green either.

 

[38053WDW]

It’s funny how people in their want to add to a discussion rip the first persons analysis like it is not correct. IMO the first analysis may not be perfect but it is what they saw thus true in their own analysis.
I totally agree Disney gets a raw deal at times for being expensive. Everything is dependent on a personal belief and feeling and experience that is totally dependent on the person involved. Costs and their associated value are not the same.
I have been to Disney over 100 times in my life and have never felt cheated or as if I over paid for what I got. On the other hand after having to pay almost the same price for parking my car as my room in NYC I was ****ed and i thought outrageous. However upon further thought it was a normal cost for parking in NYC but never did take the sting away at the end of what was a great weekend.

Correct... Our friends say "wait, let me guess.. your going to Disney AGAIN" - Costs is all up to you... Off site / on site, Grocery run / dining package, Park Hopper or not, Air / Car .... First time staying off property this go around but our friend gave us his timeshare week. Kid in PVT School and one in college so $$ tight! When younger we flew down and had a Limo pick us up (to/from) and stayed on property. Our friends were like "a limo!" while I watch them sip on their $5 cup of coffee they buy everyday.

To us it's about family time and this is where we like to go. We now try to plan 3 yrs out for expenses, stays, kids getting older, college, school time off, kids first jobs .. we know one day it will just be me and the misses going so we do what we do as a family as long as we can ... Yes it wears you out, but good planning and look for specials (free dining) or DVC point rentals can save you money.

Bottom line is there is nothing like sitting on your balcony of the Contemporary early in the morning w/coffee while the family still sleeping and hearing that train whistle start your day and then going to bed that night, head on on your pillow watching the castle change colors while you fall a sleep .............. from exhaustion!!

With that said .. will anyone let me stay at their place in Golden Oak? Please!

 

[winstongator]

Florida residents shouldn’t even bother with the value argument. Florida tickets are always a way better “value” than anyone else. That’s the whole point of local tickets. It’s designed for low income
Markets and maintained to boost revenues in the bad times.

I'm not low-income, and FL passes got me hooked. 24 trips of varying lengths (no-hotel, 1 day, to 4-night). For me, Disney got me on the hotels. Maybe 3x as much spent on hotels as on our passes. My kids loved our 2 days at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but they ask me a lot more when we're getting annual passes for WDW again, not when we use our 3rd day of our UO/IoA ticket. They also got hooked on DCL.

They changed the pass structure for FL residents a few years ago, increasing the time many passes are blacked out, and dramatically increasing the price of the platinum no-blackout passes. I am curious as to the percentage of WDW attendance that is FL resident, and the percentage of that which is passholder.

 

[Cesar R M]

Speaking of prices, the same is happening with the cruise line services as well, their prices skyrocketed and sometimes they are more expensive than luxury liners.

For example, 4 years ago, it was a mere 2,500 USD a trip (with varandah) to Alaska, it now costs the same trip 7,500 USD.
thats a 3 times increase.

a few years ago, you could find inner rooms for as low as 800 USD, now the minimum seems to be 1800 USD on average.

 

[winstongator]

You’ve identified as a “foamer”...a term recently explained to me.

Disney is your life...it’s valued at a much higher level than 90%+ of the market. That’s your reality...but it’s not representative of the mass argument.

The original post was “is disney expensive?” Currently, for most...the answer is some degree of “yes”

I thought there'd be at least one one-word comment.

 

[Daddyoh]

We have been Disney fans since the "get go" (1950 something). We have become DVC members and have found the nicety of being Annual Pass holders and we have come to the conclusion, "You can't take it with you" so we will and our family will enjoy all of Disney we can while here. With all our visits I can't explain the transition that overcomes you when in the "Kingdom" I have often considered when seeing "special" offers why we went the direction we did and it always come back, bottom line "affordability".