Is Disney World too expensive?

[Jimmy Thick]

Some people can only go with the right special deal.

Others can only go when free food is offered.

Even more can go any time with no limitations.


I myself get asked how I can afford the trips I take to the World, as often as I go and help the less fortunate with trips as well. The answer is simple, I can afford it.

Some others cannot and can only book when everything falls into place or they save for a bit. Some even have to save for years like a person I know.

Now yes, Disney is not cheap, but your paying for a lot of things with the money you spend on a trip, and thats just Disney, not air plane tickets and other expenses.

So the question is, is Disney getting to the point of being out of the price range for the common folk, there already or not even close.

Discuss.

 

[C&D]

I'm thinking your poll is missing a couple of other options.

It's getting expensive so I have to save longer for the same trip I used to take at a more reasonable price.

It is too expensive but I bite the bullet and go anyway.

It's still a bargain if you do it right. (purchase wisely, don't fall for all the Disney allure.)

etc., etc.

 

[Victoria]

Yes. Disney is expensive. No one will dispute that fact. I am not exactly made of money, however, it is what I want to do so I will find a way to make it happen. :shrug: I would imagine this holds true for most people who are regular Disney goers. Could all of that money be spent on something else? Sure. Would you get the same level of excitement and joy out of that "something else?" Probably not.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

Yep. Very expensive..Takes a lot of saving. But it's worth it.

 

[Jasonflz]

When SM is closed, Stitch's Supersuckish Show is distracting people, SSE's descent remains unfinished, and there is nothing new coming for a while then yes, Disney World is too expensive.















:animwink: But I am still going to go.

 

[DisneyJoe]

I know people that spend more each summer to vacation at the Jersey beaches than I would for a week in WDW - yet they still call WDW expensive.

I believe many don't do a proper comparison and have a preconceived notion that WDW is just too expensive.

 

[007mickey]

It is expensive but honestly any vacation that is similar to the number of days, dining, things to do, etc. of a Disney trip, it is going to be about the same cost.

Our family of 4 has recently been to Snowshoe, WVa for a 4 night snowboarding vacation. We just got back from a 5 night stay in Chicago to see all the sights. I can tell you what we spent on each of those trips, we could have easily gone to WDW for a week. However, I will say we are a "moderate" resort family and moving up to a deluxe would change the cost dynamics quickly, but for our family Disney is a pretty good deal for what we get out of it compared to equivalent vacations.

As much as my boys have loved our non-Disney vacations, they still ask..."when are we going back to Disney World?"

 

[foreverbelle]

its expensive. but the memories and the time i have far out weigh and pay for the trip....to me, and my husband, this is our beach trip every year...

 

[EpcoTim]

It's not a question of being able to afford it right now, it's am I really getting what I pay for?

 

[Carebee21]

In my opinion Disney World was very expensive for what you get. We went for the first time in Jan-Feb for two weeks. We stayed at Port Orleans Riverside and took advantage of the buy 4, get 3 free and got the gift card promo they were running. We also had to pay for plane tickets which was a big expense. We've gone to Disneyland several times so knew that things are overpriced in the parks and that this would obviously be expensive but I just really felt let down.

For starters, I was a very disappointed in DHS. There are very few attractions there and I didn't feel there were enough there to carry the pricetag for admission. I felt the same about Epcot as well (however, we had my 5 year old with us and with very few rides and tons of walking he just wasn't happy. If we did this without him I think our experience would have been vastly different for Epcot) I was also greatly disappointed in Magic Kingdom. The place was dirty and in dire need of updating and painting. For the amount of money spent on admissions alone, I just don't see how they can't keep up on simple painting and maintenance. We also went when they started to do their cost cutting and I was upset that Fantasmic was only being shown on 2 nights, so we had to rearrange our schedules for that. Again, for the price of admission, there should be a show/fireworks nightly.

I also felt the resorts were slightly overpriced as well. Our resort was absolutely gorgeous. However, the resort was huge. There were way too many people for only having one spa. Every night I went down there it was packed. I also went to do laundry twice and both times the change machine was empty. And lastly, I have a complaint with the buses. Everytime we left a park, whether it be in the afternoon or closing, there was always a line and the buses always filled up and you had to stand. Now after standing all day in the park, I certainly don't want to stand on a bus back to my resort. And also, with all of the children, it's really not safe. For the amount of money paid for the resort, and the simple fact that they advertise when you stay on site you have no need for a car, they can certainly provide adequate transportation. This was my biggest grip with staying on site.

Now, don't get me wrong. I know I sound whiny and picky, but we did have a great trip, and if my son really wanted to go back in a few years, we probably would do it all over again, as long as prices don't hugely increase. However, I just feel it's really really overpriced for what it offers and what it lacks.

If we lived closer and could drive and not have to pay airfare then it might offer more value for the money, but when you have to factor everything else in, it was just way too much in my opinion.

 

[DisneyJoe]

It is expensive but honestly any vacation that is similar to the number of days, dining, things to do, etc. of a Disney trip, it is going to be about the same cost.

Many people don't realize that until they sit down and do the math, side by side.

 

[gspin2k1]

My most recent trip.. 5 nights.

a little under $2k for room (AKL), deluxe dining plan, and park hopper tickets with no water park option.

Airfare was free (used miles)

We spent about $1600 for tips (not included with dining plan), souveniers/gifts, and our Victoria and Alberts dinner, and whatever else we bought in the park. Just about anything not covered under our dining plan we charged to the room and that was our bill since the room/tickets/ddp was already paid for.

I spent a couple more hundred working with Disney Florist to surprise my girlfriend (and now fiancee) during the trip..

Let's say Victoria and Alberts aside and if I paid for airfare (maybe $800 for two people rd trip from Seattle).

approx $3800 for 5 nights for 2 people = $380/day pp

Vegas (something I also do often):
$400 flight rd trip for two
$450 two night stay during a weekend
$500 lost gambling money (usually we break even, but you gotta take gambling money as entertainment money)
$300 entertainment - clubs or shows
$300 - food/gifts

Approx: $490/day pp

- I know Disney and Vegas are two completely different play grounds. I think the thing about Vegas that sometimes seems cheaper is...if you win, you paid for a lot of your trip (it's happened a few times), and your Vegas trip tends to only last 2-3 nights as opposed 5-7 nights you'd spend at Disney.

Yeah Disney is expensive maybe not more per day than going somewhere like Vegas, but it's definitely a lot more total. And although above is probably insane amounts of money spent on certain things on my vacation...when I go on vacation I like to splurge.


~G

 

[sjead]

Yes, it is expensive. But then again, so is pretty much anything else in life that is worth having. (this of course excludes the things that give us joy for free). Vacations for us are very important and we will continue to go to WDW as often as we can afford to. . . if that means saving and prolonging a vacation for an extra year we will do it. If it means a les expensive hotel, we will do it. We just want to be there.

 

[fosse76]

Thanks to the Value resorts, it's cheapER than before, but as a poster above stated, the value you get for your money is an entirely different issue. The Disney hotels are overpriced in comparison to equivalent off-site versions and the only REAL perk is EMH, which isn't a huge factor for most people. But I think I agree that even as overpriced as it is, it isn't as expensive as other places. I think I spend in total around $1000.00 per trip, and that's me going solo and staying in a Value Resort. The only reason I don't stay off-site is transportation. The off-site hotel shuttles aren't very convenient and renting a car would negate the savings of staying off-site.

 

[kangaand2roos]

Yes it's expensive but I don't really think it's really any worse than a trip to the Carribean or Hawaii or where ever. We thought of taking the kids to Sesame Place in PA and priced it out as well as other tourist attractions we would see and the price difference was pretty minimal when we added everything up. Disney is so easy to stay at too, so many things to do, transportation taken care of and this trip even has dining included so we decided, Disney again this year

 

[matt_taylor1985]

It's all to do with context and what's available. Does Disney cost quite a bit? Yeah, is it expensive? I don't think so. Coming from the UK I think the prices are fairly reasonable however I could understand that someone in the US would notice more.

 

[Disney05]

Yes it's expensive. But I'm addicted and can't stop myself. I've been brainwashed by Disney and I don't care. :hammer:But then again, it's the price I pay for happiness and to me it's worth it.

 

[hrcollectibles]

It depends on what someone thinks is too expensive.. To me its not too expensive .... And to the person who started this post do you seriously have 60 Advanced Dining Reservations for a week?

 

[Tiggerfanatic]

Sure its' expensive but I'm worth it!:ROFLOL:

I personally feel I get a good value for the money I spend - last year I was checking on taking my niece and nephew to Hershey Park. Not taking plane fare into consideration, the per day cost of Disney was cheaper. Granted I priced out staying out the Hershey Hotel when I could have stayed at a Motel 6, but I feel that the resort is just as much a part of the vacation as everything else.

In March of this year, I looked into taking DD and her boyfriend to Baltimore for a few days. Cost was comparable to a Disney vacation.

So, since I love Disney, and it's really my only vice, I shell out the bucks and enjoy myself immensely.

 

[Studios Fan]

It is expensive, but I think it is worth it especially if you are staying for a week.