I'm begining to think maybe Disney isn't that way over priced

[Sagginit]

I total understand what you are saying OP. I have priced out places I always wanted to go like Niagra Falls or Pigeon Forge and find its just as pricey in some ways, not to mention I can always easily fly to WDW but other places require driving. I grew up at the Jersey Shore and the prices for things like rides, arcade games, mini-golf etc add up fast. Going and not spending money on those things is no fun. At least with WDW once you are in the park there is plenty to do without paying an additional fee.

 

[cruiser21]

I've read through the posts and I'm wondering why some posters say other vacations have to cost less then Disney to be a good value. Don't you just want to go somewhere different. See new things. I'm going to Spain in a couple of months and it never occurred to me to compare the cost to a WDW trip. It's a totally different vacation.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

The two big things we save on when doing non-disney vacations are food and activities. We did a 1 week Pigeon Forge and 1 week hilton head vacation last year for well under 2000 for two of us. In TN we had scored a 1 week condo on skyauction for 130 bucks. We went out twice for dinner. Our activities revolved around the national park with Hiking and touring. We had a great time. Activities cost very little. We rented a condo in hilton head the next week for 600 dollars from a timeshare owner. Again activity was the beach. I love to body surf and boogie board and DW loves to read. We went out twice again. Mostly we go early on days that are not great weather wise and take advantage of specials. It is easier for us as we love the outdoors as much as disney.

For those that do not cook on vacation

I really don't mind cooking even on vacation, but have tricks that make it very easy. We use timeshare rentals so there almost always is a grill. Grill a steak along with vegetables and put some potatoes on also, and you have a great meal with no clean up. Put the dishes in the dishwasher and you are done. I can clean up faster than someone can pay a bill at a restaurant. I enjoy grilling with a beer in my hand and find that experience better than sitting in a restaurant. For breakfast we use a pan or a skillet to cook bacon or sausage. Make eggs right on top and you have 1 pan to clean with a quick swipe. Fresh fruit and vegetables fill out a grilled meal easily also. I know we are not the norm with actually feeling that having to go out all the time becomes more of a chore than fun.

I don't enjoy having to cook while on vacation.

And what you described was, well, cooking. Exactly what I don't want to have to do while on vacation.

See, someone has to cut up those fruits and veggies. Unless, of course, you are handing your family a banana and tomato with their eggs for breakfast. Same with the steak and potato with veggies. Someone is cutting up the veggies, washing the potatoes and prepping the steak. Is it difficult? No, but it also isn't what I want to be doing while on vacation.

Instead of my husband standing at the grill, making dinner, while I am in the kitchen cutting veggies, I would rather be sitting right next to my husband, holding his hand, chatting. And if it takes an extra minute to pay the bill, well, that's great, because we are spending that extra minute together.

Everyone vacations the way that they want to. There isn't just one way to vacation.

At this point in my life, I either want to go to Disney, or I want to visit friends. I've done my traveling. I've done my sightseeing. And if I don't have to get onto a plane for the rest of my life, I will be happy. Oh, and I don't want to have to cook on vacation.

 

[SL6827]

From someone who lives in TN....don’t fly from LA to visit pigeon forge.

We go every couple years for a long weekend. Anything other than that is way too much. It is an overpriced tourist trap. I do like Dollywood, though. And the National Park is pretty in the fall. But still not worth flying 4 hours.

Ain't that the truth. I live about 2.5-3 hours from there, and very rarely go, but I have yet to visit Dolly's water park, so that could make a difference after we do. We did have a great time at the Wilderness of the Smokies last year, but we only stayed one night.

 

[ShelbyK]

There are discounts to be had (lots of them in fact, all of those coupon books!) but when we go on vacation my husband has a hard time telling my girls no. Admittedly he spent way more on arcade games than I would have wanted. And we don’t skimp on meals on vacation. For lunch and dinner they were typically sit down, not fast food. This was a vacation for 5.

Some of the bigger ticket items included Cabin rental $1,400, Zipline for two $200, Dixie Stampede $202, Wonder Works $100, Mountain Coaster $60, Jurassic Ride $55 (biggest waste of money!!), Eating $800, Go Carts $60, Annakesta $60, plus arcade, souvenirs, putt putt golf, etc.

We’ve been going to the area for years so I’m not shocked by the cost. We’ve just never actually went back to see how much everything cost. My kids had a great time so it was all worth it (except for that darn Jarassic Ride!)

Ahh the Jurassic ride.. I still remember our first trip to Pigeon forge that was the first place we went it looked so cool... my kids and brother came off the ride like "Nope"

 

[Turksmom]

There are other places I like to (or would like to) visit, but Disney makes me happy. I can be relaxed, and have fun, and be silly. I'm willing to pay more for the feeling I get, even if a different vacation at the same price point has "more benefits" on paper. Kids will remember Mom pushing them out of my Donald pictures. They won't remember that the Marriott had more space.

 

[Elizabeth Smith]

I agree with the OP. I take "less expensive" vacations once or twice a year, but the reason they are less expensive is because there's not as much to do and I only stay a night or two. At Disney World, there's a ton of stuff to do. When you consider a week long vacation that's as packed full of activities, you will spend a similar amount of money anywhere else. I want to go to Hawaii and/or take a cruise, but a Disney vacation, surprise surprise, is more economical. Even at a moderate resort.

I will say the park tickets are more expensive by comparison, though. Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, for example, has a record 72 rides, not including shows. Of those 72 rides, 17 are Roller Coasters. Running costs of roller coasters are much higher than dark rides and they are more expensive to build in the first place. A day ticket for Cedar Point is currently about $72 at the gate, only $55 right now if you buy online.

By comparison, I counted a total of about 50 attractions at Magic Kingdom. And their tickets range from $116 to $137, I think.

 

[missbrooke06]

I think my struggle with value vacation becayse I don't enjoy vacations without stuff to do that's different than home - we live in a beach area with lots of hiking. This is why I hate hate hate camping. Why do I want to spend $50 a night so I can do everything I can do at home except more incovieniently and without air conditioning?

Disney is a great vacation for us because my husband hates big cities.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

When the only vacation I have taken that is the same price or just a bit higher than my most recent trip to Disney was my honeymoon...yeah it's overpriced. For an infrequent visitor to Disney value is different for me as I don't constantly compare my other vacations to what I spent back in 2011 for Disney or what I spent in 2017. We spent nearly $500 PN for our honeymoon but for us I wouldn't consider spending close to that for Disney. I could rationalize it for an all-inclusive resort but I personally cannot for Disney for just lodging alone. That plays into my costs when I vacation.

In terms of other vacation spots..doing tourist traps can eat into your budget easily. We tend to look for a good mix of touristy stuff and more unique stuff. For food places we tend to try local spots. We splurge on some things and are modest in other things.

 

[bluehen]

I don't enjoy having to cook while on vacation.

And what you described was, well, cooking. Exactly what I don't want to have to do while on vacation.

See, someone has to cut up those fruits and veggies. Unless, of course, you are handing your family a banana and tomato with their eggs for breakfast. Same with the steak and potato with veggies. Someone is cutting up the veggies, washing the potatoes and prepping the steak. Is it difficult? No, but it also isn't what I want to be doing while on vacation.

Instead of my husband standing at the grill, making dinner, while I am in the kitchen cutting veggies, I would rather be sitting right next to my husband, holding his hand, chatting. And if it takes an extra minute to pay the bill, well, that's great, because we are spending that extra minute together.

Everyone vacations the way that they want to. There isn't just one way to vacation.

At this point in my life, I either want to go to Disney, or I want to visit friends. I've done my traveling. I've done my sightseeing. And if I don't have to get onto a plane for the rest of my life, I will be happy. Oh, and I don't want to have to cook on vacation.

Sorry for having a difference in the way I vacation. I didn't realize that when I was grilling my wife couldn't be sitting there having a drink with me. My bad I broke the rules. I also broke the one about not being allowed to converse with my wife over a meal if I am not in a restaurant.

How dare me make suggestions for saving money on the Budget board.

 

[cruiser21]

There are other places I like to (or would like to) visit, but Disney makes me happy. I can be relaxed, and have fun, and be silly. I'm willing to pay more for the feeling I get, even if a different vacation at the same price point has "more benefits" on paper. Kids will remember Mom pushing them out of my Donald pictures. They won't remember that the Marriott had more space.

Can't you go to WDW and do other vacations?

 

[missbrooke06]

Sorry for having a difference in the way I vacation. I didn't realize that when I was grilling my wife couldn't be sitting there having a drink with me. My bad I broke the rules. I also broke the one about not being allowed to converse with my wife over a meal if I am not in a restaurant.

How dare me make suggestions for saving money on the Budget board.

Relax. No one said you broke rules. They just commented that it's still cooking, prep, and cleaning which isn't what they like on vacation. They literally said not everyone vacations the same way.

 

[bluehen]

Relax. No one said you broke rules. They just commented that it's still cooking, prep, and cleaning which isn't what they like on vacation. They literally said not everyone vacations the same way.

I didn't appreciate the attitude that somehow my cooking for a few minutes was taking time away from my wife. She responded to me directly as opposed to when I pointed out that same thing I did not tell anybody they were wrong. I gave suggestions not just say what was wrong with another persons post.

 

[richmond282]

Yikes! As someone who vacations in Pigeon Forge/ Gatlinburg every year, $4200 is excessive even for all the things you guys did. It is definitely a location that can be much more affordable than that. Heck, a season pass to Dollywood is $114. Buy the season pass that includes the water park $164 total. Buy Dollywood season passes and you'll get a discount on Dixie Stampede tickets.
There are also many places on groupon that offer a discount. We have used groupon for ziplining, titanic museum, Magiquest, and other things. The aquarium and Wonderworks do have discounted ticket sometimes too.
I'd have to go back and look but We usually spend around $1200-$1500 for our PF vacations including season passes to Dollywood/ Splash country.

 

[halfpintpeggy]

I enjoy grilling with a beer in my hand and find that experience better than sitting in a restaurant.

You & my husband both!!!

 

[powellrj]

We have been going to WDW since the 1970’s and they just keep nickel and diming you more and more. We took our family trips during the 80’s,90’s and 2000’s. We couldn’t afford to go every year as a family like we did during those years now. We always rented a car and now that you also pay for parking, that is the breaking point for our trips as a couple.

My DS moved to Jacksonville this year and we were excited to take trips to WDW when we visited him, but I think we will pass and just spend our time sightseeing or at the beach.

 

[indimom]

We are fairly cheap Disney visitors (value resorts, eat some of our own meals or share meals, don't buy many extras because Disney is pricey even when you're on a budget) and I still have a hard time finding other vacations that equal Disney for the value. That's a big part of the reason we've gone as many times as we have. We like that once we've paid that base price, pretty much everything in the parks is available to us and we can go/do/play all day long with no added expense. You literally cannot run out of things to do...
We went to Pigeon Forge in the summer of 2016. We easily spent the same price per day/per person as we would have in Disney. We ate at one dinner show, we zip-lined and rafted, did an elevated obstacle-course type activity up in the trees that included more zip-lining, and road in some sort of all-terrain vehicles through the mountains. We spent a day doing all the touristy stuff and go-carting. And we did the "Ripley's" exhibit. We spent a couple days checking out the sites in the national park: the cheap part of the trip. We had a cabin and ate breakfast and most dinners there. It was an awesome vacation, but it still wasn't "cheap" or significantly less than a Disney trip. Just walking up and down the strip checking out the crafts and sampling moonshine or hiking in the park would have been pretty cheap, but also pretty boring... we don't go on vacation just to rest, we go to see and do things we don't have at home. Once you start piling on those items, pretty much any vacation is going to reach a basic Disney trip. IMO

 

[Turksmom]

Can't you go to WDW and do other vacations?

We do. I was just making the point that when considering price, intangibles carry weight.

 

[Klayfish]

I don't think WDW is overpriced, by any stretch. I'm not saying it's cheap, my wallet will confirm that. But for what you get, it's not bad. Years ago, we used to own a timeshare at Atlantis in the Bahamas. We got rid of it a long time ago, but have always wanted to go back. For our family of 5, a one week trip would run around $5000 or more. For that money, we'll spend 17 days in Disney, including AP purchase, which we can then use to get in "free" the rest of the year.

As for "cooking" on vacation, that's pretty much all we do when we go to WDW. We stay offsite and pack all of our food. Our "cooking" consists of putting something in the crock pot and letting it cook while we watch TV, or throwing something in the oven, or making a PB&J. We honestly spend less than 10-15 minutes per day. Clean up...well, that's what the dishwasher is for. Again, 10 minutes tops. We spend about $6-$7/person/day, where I've heard that people who eat at WDW spend $50-$75/person/day or more. I'm happy with what we do, it works for us.

 

[disorganizedchaos]

I guess I'm missing the outrageous expenses some people are seeing. No, park tickets aren't cheap but you're going to pay a small fortune to get into just about any major amusement park with as much included as DW. Aside from food and souvenirs, you don't have to spend another dime once you're in the park if you don't want to. You're able to bring your own food in or come and go as you please if you'd prefer to go back to your hotel room for a meal. A value hotel can be as cheap as $100 a night. Disney will shuttle you to and from the airport and to and from your hotel and the parks at no additional cost (I understand this cost is built in). All of these things are we as a family with three young kids Disney has incredible value for us. I want to get on a plane and not have to worry about anything but making sure I don't lose a kid - Welcome to Disney World! It's also completely customizable. For our trip with DD6 we will do a few character meals because I find it the easiest, most convenient way to meet her favorite characters. When/If we take DS7 for his birthday this fall we will likely only do QS meals because he's not a big eater and doesn't much care about meeting characters. DS7 will probably get an extra park day whereas DD6 is getting a "rest day" at the pool to make up for the cost of the character meals.