WDW - the cheap vacation

[DrummerAlly]

We booked a 4 day, 3 night stay, play, and dine package at the Animal Kingdom Lodge in late January for two adults for a ditch-the-kids-with-grandma getaway. Total cost for vacation, minus alcohol? $1800 plus $400 in airfare. So, $2200 for a guaranteed great vacation with great accommodations, great food, great entertainment. We have $900 in Disney Dollars from our visa card, so thats a huge cut right off the top, but I won't factor that in right now.

We figured there has to be a closer, better value, adults only vacation for the same time, right?

All inclusive sandals? $3k.
A drivable ski resort vacation? $2500-$3k AND that doesn't include all of the food and entertainment! Most of those packages include breakfast or lunch or maybe a spa credit or lift tickets.
Vegas? cheaper hotels, but once you factor in flights and entertainment its in the same ball park. So, here we are going back to WDW because its cheaper than alternatives for a guaranteed good vacation.

When you compare WDW to other comparable vacations, its an amazing value. Where's the basis for the ticket price increase hatred? It seems to me that it may even be under priced when you consider the cost of comparable entertainment and resorts in other parts of the country.

 

[stargrl33]

Having a similar realization trying to price out a vacation to the Bahamas or Universal next year. Even going to Baltimore for two nights this past February set us back a hefty sum.

 

[SW_matt]

Me and my dad undertook one of our typical Friday night pub discussions last night about WDW and we were saying how relatively inexpensive you could actually make a trip.

A few new years eve's ago the four of us went to place in the UK called centre parcs which is essentially a fort wilderness type place where you stay in a cabin in the woods and there are numerous restaurants and bars/outdoors activities and pools etc. We stayed for 4 days which cost us £1000 less than our upcoming 14 day stay at Old key west in October which is with MNSSHP tickets/universal tickets and dining plan etc so we haven't exactly 'gone cheap'.

 

[DrummerAlly]

Me and my dad undertook one of our typical Friday night pub discussions last night about WDW and we were saying how relatively inexpensive you could actually make a trip.

A few new years eve's ago the four of us went to place in the UK called centre parcs which is essentially a fort wilderness type place where you stay in a cabin in the woods and there are numerous restaurants and bars/outdoors activities and pools etc. We stayed for 4 days which cost us £1000 less than our upcoming 14 day stay at Old key west in October which is with MNSSHP tickets/universal tickets and dining plan etc so we haven't exactly 'gone cheap'.

Yes. It's not cheap - but these non-WDW resorts elsewhere are very expensive, really not as nice, and then you have to purchase and plan other entertainment. I think it may be skewed cheaper if you don't have kids since the WDW resorts are relatively inexpensive and the ticket prices, especially children's tickets, are relatively expensive compared to other forms of entertainment. If you have two adults and two kids in a room, I feel like the "value" starts to decrease. We are planning a trip in late 2016 or early 2017 for our family of 5 (husband and I, our two girls, and my mother), and that will probably feel like no where near as good of a value.

But really, the increased ticket and package prices are very much warranted. Unfortunate, but warranted. My husband and I shouldn't be going to WDW because we can't find similar quality cheaper in New England.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

With Disney you have to establish the baseline. Say for a family of four on a 7 day trip you know from the start that tickets are going to cost $1300. You also know for the most part what the food budget is based on your preferences of TS or QS or combination of both. I think most families of 4 would eat good (not spectacularly) with about $250 a day. So you have a baseline of about $3000. From there it comes down to preferences. Let's say a moderate on average is about $175 a night. So for about $4300 you'd have a really nice 1 week trip to Disney.

There are extremes on both ends. You can stay at a deluxe and eat all table TS which will push you up to around $6500 or you could stay at a value or off property and eat all QS and get down to about $2500.

When you compare that to let's say a 7 night Caribbean cruise, again looking at an average baseline for a middle of the line cabin, you are looking at probably about $1100 per person or $3500 (considering the discount for 3rd and 4th passenger if they opt to cram everyone into the 200 square foot cabin). And that doesn't factor in alcoholic beverages, extra dinning options, and the excursions you still need to buy for the ports of call.

Point is...Disney's pricing isn't out of whack. And there are plenty of options to cut your costs and visit on the cheap, or splurge and visit extravagantly.

 

[Ariel1986]

Just booked 2 tickets to the New York Knicks & 2 Tickets to Aladdin on Broadway totaling the same price as we've paid for two 8 Day, Park Hopper, Water Parks and More tickets. Throw in the hotel for 4 nights in NY and airfare- WDW (hotel & free dining included) comes out cheaper.

 

[morningstar]

Lemme compare my last vacation.

Gas - $300?
3 nights hotel on road - $300
5 nights campground - $125
Food - $400

$1125?

These are estimates. I didn't keep careful track. You only compared package deals. A la carte can be cheaper - not a better deal: usually you get less luxury. But plenty of people going to Disney World are not looking for a luxury vacation and don't want to pay luxury prices. People who make multiple premium resort trips a year to Disney World may have a warped sense of reality.

 

[drp4video]

A few times when I had AP's or a 10 day non-expiration hopper it was for one week:
Park ticket on second or third trip= $0
Hotel in park= $0 Used Disney Visa points
Air Fare= $0 Used frequent flyer miles
Rental Car (because I like to have one) $160.00
Food (don't usually count it as we have to eat at home or there, and we split meals)

I also save change during the year and can save about $500 which I usually use for food and other things.

 

[Courtney6682]

We figured there has to be a closer, better value, adults only vacation for the same time, right?

All inclusive sandals? $3k.
A drivable ski resort vacation? $2500-$3k AND that doesn't include all of the food and entertainment! Most of those packages include breakfast or lunch or maybe a spa credit or lift tickets.
Vegas? cheaper hotels, but once you factor in flights and entertainment its in the same ball park. So, here we are going back to WDW because its cheaper than alternatives for a guaranteed good vacation.

When you compare WDW to other comparable vacations, its an amazing value. Where's the basis for the ticket price increase hatred? It seems to me that it may even be under priced when you consider the cost of comparable entertainment and resorts in other parts of the country.

I totally agree with all this...so many people are always shocked when I tell them Disney is VERY do-able for the average family. Our trip this past May was My husband and I and 3 of our kids...ages 15, 12 and turning 9 while there...staying at POR flying from Philly...4 day hoppers...$835 pp!!! And that was booking thru Disney! Yes, I realize that we didn't do the dining plan, but if we did, it probably would have been right around $1k pp...which for a family of 5 staying at a moderate resort isn't bad at all!

 

[Disnee4Me]

This upcoming Christmas trip is going to be my cheapest ever. Haven't been in 6 years and between Disney $$$s, gift cards the past 3 years from my boss for Christmas, building up Discover $$$s and then buying gift cards at Target with the red card and cashing out the Discover $$$s and getting free dining my entire $4800 trip is practically paid for. of course, we will be paying for gas to get down from CT but still if we spend $1000 OOP in 9 days there, that will be too much!!

 

[Glasgow]

Our trip last month was around $4k for 2 adults, 2 kids at a moderate for 8 nights, so about $500/day. Our beach vacations tend to come in around $350/day or thereabouts, so there is definitely a premium for us with Disney trips (add on another $150/day to the Disney estimate if choosing Deluxe). Based on the extra entertainment you get at Disney it's worth it to us, but I don't think you can make a blanket statement that it's cheaper .. perhaps you can say that it's a better deal tho

 

[DisneyFans4Life]

We did 8 nights at POR during June/July with the dining plan and I believe we spent around $1900..granted that was with a CM discount. We're doing 4 nights in March with the DDP and the total cost for hotel and DDP came out to under $1,400. I don't think that's bad at all! We were thinking of going to D.C. in the summer and hotel prices there are around $250-$300 in the city. Plus we'd have to buy food, and subway passes, etc. Not to mention the gas to get there and back. I don't have an issue with the price increase either.

 

[JoeV]

For myself, I got a five day stay at one of the resorts plus dining plan and park hopper each day for ~$710 total. I stayed with other family/friends but had my own room.

I really didn't pay for much extra. I used the dining options exclusively and never purchased park snacks or beverages. I used the refillable mug while at the resort and filled the mug with tap water from the fountains while in the park. The only thing extra I purchased was a plastic rainsuit.

I didn't purchase any merchandise or souvenirs. Not a bad deal.

Based on other weekly vacations and trips I have been on this was a little lower than what I would spend in terms of cost. I wouldn't have gone on this trip if I couldn't have obtained the discount rate for this package. In June it would have been $2,200. No way. No how. Seeing the park again was OK but not $2,200 OK. Not even close.

So if you can find decent rates during non-peak times, it's not that expensive. But during the peak times and rates I wouldn't consider it. In fact I wouldn't even enter the state of Florida during peak months. Too hot, too crowded, and too expensive.

 

[danyoung56]

...4 day hoppers...$835 pp!!!

OK, wait a second. I haven't looked up any ticket prices lately, but if this is true, then you were paying over $200 per day per person, and that just doesn't sound right!

 

[ABQ]

OK, wait a second. I haven't looked up any ticket prices lately, but if this is true, then you were paying over $200 per day per person, and that just doesn't sound right!

I could be wrong, but I think the price she is giving is not just the tickets, but including the stay at POR and possibly even the flight.

 

[danyoung56]

You are probably right. I think I read it too quickly.

 

[Courtney6682]

Yes @danyoung56 and @ABQ ...that price was flights...hoppers and 5 nights at a mod resort...

 

[danyoung56]

So sorry I got confused . . .

 

[Courtney6682]

So sorry I got confused . . .

no problem friend!

 

[ScarletBegonias]

We just went in September to AKL (my mom paid for room and tickets) and because of work related issues next year we can't go on our normal beach trip unless we went in peak season. It's actually cheaper (or pretty close to equal) for the two of us and our child under 3 to go Disney and stay in a value in April, so that's what we're doing. Most people we talk to cannot believe we are able to go again, let alone so soon. It's only as expensive as you make it. Where else can I go and not have to drive for the week, have wonderful gluten free choices of food, and have such a great time?