Len Testa - “Disney positions itself as the all-American vacation. The irony is that most Americans can’t afford it.”

Raineman

Raineman

Well-Known Member
I think "cost vs value" should be an important factor here. Maybe you are a family that can only afford one trip a year of this type. Maybe you have $10,000 you can use for this trip. And maybe you don't absolutely need to go to WDW-your family enjoys beach resorts, too. So you sit down and compare (all $$ in this comparison are CAD, not USD):
WDW trip for 3 adults: 8 nights at a moderate resort, 7 days of park hopper option tickets, the dining plan: $11500 (+ travel costs)
Resort trip for 3 adults: Flights, transfer, 14 nights at a 5 star all inclusive beach resort in Cancun, presidential suite, concierge level with a "butler" assigned to you, premium drink package, unlimited a la carte reservations, separate pool/beach area with it's own bar and restaurant: $9000 (travel costs included)
I know not everyone that loves WDW also loves Caribbean resorts. And I know in both cases, there are more affordable options to choose for the trip. But it just shows that, for the budget that this family has, they can get a higher-level experience from an alternate vacation option for significantly less than what a lower level experience at WDW vacation costs. And if you are a middle class family, and cannot exceed that budget, value for every $ spent is crucial.
 
D

dlfan1313

Member
I haven't read through all the comments here (hardly any really), and I have zero doubts this has all been stated before, but just to add my annoying braying to the choir: There is absolutely no value in a WDW vacation anymore. For almost two decades, my wife and I, and later with kids, traveled from quite far, using all our vacation time and money to visit for a week or two multiple times a year. It was never cheap, but we had a great time, and there was a value to it. For brevity, it was expensive but worth it. At least to some extent. But when you travel elsewhere and find out what it's like to spend $400, $500, or higher on a hotel room per night, the level of service you receive, and the true attention to detail, Disney can't even begin to compare or compete. I still love Disney parks as much as ever. I spent a few days this summer at Disneyland and Disneyland Paris, and had a fantastic time. I have recently rekindled my interest in WDW because I may soon be moving to the Orlando area and could easily see myself enjoying being a locally based AP holder. But gone forever are the days when the mizerly mouse will get $1000s upon $1000s from me for a week or two at a time.
 
Minnesota disney fan

Minnesota disney fan

Well-Known Member
Ayla said:
Show me anywhere in the midwest (excepting Chicago) where you can get a flight for less than $400 per person, plus bags and then transportation once you are there. $2-3k additional for a family of 4.
Click to expand...
Right! We fly from upstate Minnesota on a connector to Minneapolis, then a direct flight to MCO. It is Not cheap but we are used to paying for the connector or traveling 4 hours south and paying to stay overnight at a hotel (also not cheap) and leave car at hotel and use their shuttle service. It ALL costs a pretty good sum. We are used to it by now. It's just a part of our vacation planning costs.
 
Miss Bella

Miss Bella

Well-Known Member
Raineman said:
I think "cost vs value" should be an important factor here. Maybe you are a family that can only afford one trip a year of this type. Maybe you have $10,000 you can use for this trip. And maybe you don't absolutely need to go to WDW-your family enjoys beach resorts, too. So you sit down and compare (all $$ in this comparison are CAD, not USD):
WDW trip for 3 adults: 8 nights at a moderate resort, 7 days of park hopper option tickets, the dining plan: $11500 (+ travel costs)
Resort trip for 3 adults: Flights, transfer, 14 nights at a 5 star all inclusive beach resort in Cancun, presidential suite, concierge level with a "butler" assigned to you, premium drink package, unlimited a la carte reservations, separate pool/beach area with it's own bar and restaurant: $9000 (travel costs included)
I know not everyone that loves WDW also loves Caribbean resorts. And I know in both cases, there are more affordable options to choose for the trip. But it just shows that, for the budget that this family has, they can get a higher-level experience from an alternate vacation option for significantly less than what a lower level experience at WDW vacation costs. And if you are a middle class family, and cannot exceed that budget, value for every $ spent is crucial.
Click to expand...
I agree with that. I would never spend 11,500 to visit a theme park and stand in line all day. I will be spending about 7k for a European cruise. When the dust settles I'm sure will come in at around 11k for the trip. I perceive the European trip as a better value because I'm visiting places I've never been.

I like WDW, but when the price started infringing on my ability to knock places off my bucket list it got kicked to the curb. We are middle class and fortunate to have the disposable income to spend 11k on a vacation, but we have a finite amount of vacation dollars to spend every year and blowing it all on a theme park I've been to many time isn't happening.
I get for other people WDW is a number one priority. Hopefully for those people prices start to come back down to reality.
 
bmr1591

bmr1591

Well-Known Member
Kingdom Konsultant said:
It’s ridiculously expensive to go out of Newark. I can’t sit in a regular coach seat with my back issues. If I do, I won’t be able to walk when I get there so I do have to upgrade my seat and it’s a disgusting amount of money so I usually do tons of research and keep watching prices.

Pam
Click to expand...

I don’t doubt this is the case for you, but not for most. It’s a cheap 2 hour flight with Spirit out of Newark on most days if someone doesn’t require upgrades.
 
Minnesota disney fan

Minnesota disney fan

Well-Known Member
bmr1591 said:
I don’t doubt this is the case for you, but not for most. It’s a cheap 2 hour flight with Spirit out of Newark on most days if someone doesn’t require upgrades.
Click to expand...
Yes, where we chose to live is a long, long way from Mpls airport. We usually drive down the day before and stay at a park and go hotel. Then we get an early flight to Orlando. Our small airport cut back to 2 flights a day, and they change all the time. The airports flight times usually don't line up with our flights. The drive adds 2 days to our trips but it is the way it is up here in the North country:) We have to ad in food and gasoline for the drive to and from Mpls. That's just the way it is and we are used to it.
 
wannabeBelle

wannabeBelle

Well-Known Member
Miss Bella said:
A lot of people wouldn't find value in that either. You can just watch it TV.
Click to expand...
It has been said before, but the NFL game isnt exactly an equal comparison unless you are talking about a game out of state which would include a flight, a hotel stay, eating out, transportation etc. I live about 1/2 hour from Giants Stadium in New Jersey. I can understand the tickets to the game might be expensive (AI is telling me $360 per person for a Giants ticket) but chances are I'd not have to pay more than gas and tolls on the NJ turnpike for transportation, I'd probably tailgate or eat before I went to the game or eat at a local restaurant on the way home. I wouldnt be paying for a hotel as I'd head home afterwards. With Disney you would be staying for a few days at least so some other costs are going to be inevitable. Marie
 
Miss Bella

Miss Bella

Well-Known Member
wannabeBelle said:
It has been said before, but the NFL game isnt exactly an equal comparison unless you are talking about a game out of state which would include a flight, a hotel stay, eating out, transportation etc. I live about 1/2 hour from Giants Stadium in New Jersey. I can understand the tickets to the game might be expensive (AI is telling me $360 per person for a Giants ticket) but chances are I'd not have to pay more than gas and tolls on the NJ turnpike for transportation, I'd probably tailgate or eat before I went to the game or eat at a local restaurant on the way home. I wouldnt be paying for a hotel as I'd head home afterwards. With Disney you would be staying for a few days at least so some other costs are going to be inevitable. Marie
Click to expand...
It also depends on the team and how passionate the fans are. I live in a city where people only open their wallets if the team is winning. It's also a terrible comparison because NFL games are handful of times a year. The same thing with concerts. An Artist may come to your city once every 3 years or more.
 
lentesta

lentesta

Premium Member
wannabeBelle said:
It has been said before, but the NFL game isnt exactly an equal comparison unless you are talking about a game out of state which would include a flight, a hotel stay, eating out, transportation etc. I live about 1/2 hour from Giants Stadium in New Jersey. I can understand the tickets to the game might be expensive (AI is telling me $360 per person for a Giants ticket) but chances are I'd not have to pay more than gas and tolls on the NJ turnpike for transportation, I'd probably tailgate or eat before I went to the game or eat at a local restaurant on the way home. I wouldnt be paying for a hotel as I'd head home afterwards. With Disney you would be staying for a few days at least so some other costs are going to be inevitable. Marie
Click to expand...

Great point. Most Americans live within a 3-hour drive of an NFL city, so it's a there-and-back day trip.

Also, you can buy NFL tickets on the secondary market, but not to Disney. Here are sample prices for this coming weekend, and prices should continue to fall:

1758053390828.png


9 of the 16 games cost less than the cheapest ($127) one-day DAK ticket. Two more are within $7.

For what it's worth, my upcoming 6-day trip to Ireland to see the Steelers is going to cost about 35% less than a 2-day Disneyland trip I have scheduled for the weekend before Thanksgiving.
 
A

AidenRodriguez731

Well-Known Member
Raineman said:
I think "cost vs value" should be an important factor here. Maybe you are a family that can only afford one trip a year of this type. Maybe you have $10,000 you can use for this trip. And maybe you don't absolutely need
Click to expand...
Raineman said:
to go to WDW-your family enjoys beach resorts, too. So you sit down and compare (all $$ in this comparison are CAD, not USD):
WDW trip for 3 adults: 8 nights at a moderate resort, 7 days of park hopper option tickets, the dining plan: $11500 (+ travel costs)
Resort trip for 3 adults: Flights, transfer, 14 nights at a 5 star all inclusive beach resort in Cancun, presidential suite, concierge level with a "butler" assigned to you, premium drink package, unlimited a la carte reservations, separate pool/beach area with it's own bar and restaurant: $9000 (travel costs included)
I know not everyone that loves WDW also loves Caribbean resorts. And I know in both cases, there are more affordable options to choose for the trip. But it just shows that, for the budget that this family has, they can get a higher-level experience from an alternate vacation option for significantly less than what a lower level experience at WDW vacation costs. And if you are a middle class family, and cannot exceed that budget, value for every $ spent is crucial.
Click to expand...
Few things here, #1 you’re referring a whole separate country which is notoriously cheaper. #2 I don’t know any situation where someone would really need a park hopper with 7 DAYS of tickets. #3 while I’m sure there are plenty of activities to do, idk if a family (presumably with children) would be that accommodated for at such a venue. #4 also failing to take into considering the extra week you added on of vacation time which not everyone would want and actively costs money in lost wages (I know it’s for the point of comparison but these are really not 1-1)
 
Laketravis

Laketravis

Well-Known Member
It'll be 15 years this November since I took my 5 year old son to WDW for the first time. We had 6 nights at the Contemporary (Bay Lake View) beginning the Saturday after Thanksgiving, 7 day Park Hoppers, EMH sometimes until 2am, free paper FP's, one night of MVMC, DME to/from the airport, and Free Dining that included much, much more than the current dining plans do.

All in with r/t airfare from Austin for 3 of us: $4600.

It was such a "good deal" that we returned two or three times a year for two or more weeks at time (downgrading to CRS to keep the total around the same) until he became enamored with Harry Potter instead.

I'm fairly certain today a family of 3 could book 6 nights at a value, buy some sort of park tickets, Uber offsite for most meals or have Instacart deliver groceries from Publix, and pay for transportation for roughly that amount.

Whether it's affordable or not, the experience is nowhere near comparable. And that has a dramatic impact on turning first time visitors into loyal customers.
 
Disstevefan1

Disstevefan1

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Laketravis said:
It'll be 15 years this November since I took my 5 year old son to WDW for the first time. We had 6 nights at the Contemporary (Bay Lake View) beginning the Saturday after Thanksgiving, 7 day Park Hoppers, EMH sometimes until 2am, free paper FP's, one night of MVMC, DME to/from the airport, and Free Dining that included much, much more than the current dining plans do.

All in with r/t airfare from Austin for 3 of us: $4600.

It was such a "good deal" that we returned two or three times a year for two or more weeks at time (downgrading to CRS to keep the total around the same) until he became enamored with Harry Potter instead.

I'm fairly certain today a family of 3 could book 6 nights at a value, buy some sort of park tickets, Uber offsite for most meals or have Instacart deliver groceries from Publix, and pay for transportation for roughly that amount.

Whether it's affordable or not, the experience is nowhere near comparable. And that has a dramatic impact on turning first time visitors into loyal customers.
Click to expand...
UPDATED:
For laughs I tried to look for availability - 11/30/2025 - 12/07/2025, 3 adults
Nothing available At All star sports!
All Star Music only had preferred rooms - 4,598 - just for the room package room and tickets
All Star Movies only had preferred rooms - 4,550 - just for the room package room and tickets
 
Last edited:
S

Splash4eva

Well-Known Member
Disstevefan1 said:
For laughs I tried to look for availability - 11/30/2025 - 12/07/2025
Nothing available At All star sports!
All Star Music only had preferred rooms - 4,598 - just for the room
All Star Movies only had preferred rooms - 4,550 - just for the room
Click to expand...
Something must be up with those days. I just checked bc that price seemed absurdly high. AKL was only available and it was 4137 for the room same dates…. I even checked 12/1-12/8 and basically nothing openeither again.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom