Need to vent about how expensive WDW is now

[lsutigers03]

Your friends are very nice. My DVC dues are now nearly $10 per point so they are renting to you at their ongoing cost, not including their buy in price.

My FIL is a contractor and has saved her a lot of money on work she has had done to her house. He won't accept payment from her so her way of thanking him is renting us her points for cheap. She doesn't have kids so she really enjoys seeing pics and hearing stories of my kids on our trips.

 

[Chili327]

Are you really planning to sell the small BRV contract next year?

Yes probably, the purpose was to test DVC and WDW and not pay the $4k in hotels.
If I like WDW/DVC (I’m sure I will) I’d rather have an SAP+ contract than a 2042 contract.
So I can sell it and start looking for CCV, or maybe I’ll fall in love with BLT or Poly, we’ll see maybe I’ll rather just stick with my VGC and nothing else DVC.

 

[intamin]

Yes probably, the purpose was to test DVC and WDW and not pay the $4k in hotels.
If I like WDW/DVC (I’m sure I will) I’d rather have an SAP+ contract than a 2042 contract.
So I can sell it and start looking for CCV, or maybe I’ll fall in love with BLT or Poly, we’ll see maybe I’ll rather just stick with my VGC and nothing else DVC.

Yeah if you’re in it for the long haul and decided you like it can’t go wrong really with any of the other MK resorts. CCV, Poly, VGF, BLT all of them are great in their own right.

 

[jo-jo]

Come on 1%ers - seriously -

There are over 300 Million humans in just the U.S. alone - I am sitting in Disney Springs now and surrounded by many socio economic demographics and volumes of people from all over the place - just sayin’ -

Reading your post, I really thought you were going to say, there are 300 million in the US, I am sitting in Disney Springs with most of them....

 

[john7994]

I don’t understand comparing a vacation to the Maldives, cruising, or Europe with WDW - or why it has to be one or the other - why can’t people just vacation where they want too .. or spend what they want too (or not) - people do find value in many different things …

I don’t feel compelled to explain, convince or contort myself into some argument to explain to people that they are somehow wrong for their choices as grown adults …to the topic - it is expensive whatever choices you make - so spend the time with people that you care about and make some memories wherever your vacation takes you …

 

[intamin]

I don’t understand comparing a vacation to the Maldives, cruising, or Europe with WDW - or why it has to be one or the other - why can’t people just vacation where they want too .. or spend what they want too (or not) - people do find value in many different things …

I don’t feel compelled to explain, convince or contort myself into some argument to explain to people that they are somehow wrong for their choices as grown adults …to the topic - it is expensive whatever choices you make - so spend the time with people that you care about and make some memories wherever your vacation takes you …

Agreed. It’s not like I don’t do both. I like them both for different reasons. You go to Disney if you want a Disney vacation. You go to Europe if you want to go to Europe. Epcot has never been meant to be a replacement for visiting all the different countries of the world. If it was, there’d be no need for Adventures by Disney. I pay a lot to go to Disney because guess what, I like theme parks and Disney World is the most immersive theme park experience in America. Hell even when I go to Japan there’s no way I’m missing places like Fuji Q Highland and Tokyo Disney.

 

[john7994]

Agreed. It’s not like I don’t do both. I like them both for different reasons. You go to Disney if you want a Disney vacation. You go to Europe if you want to go to Europe. Epcot has never been meant to be a replacement for visiting all the different countries of the world. If it was, there’d be no need for Adventures by Disney. I pay a lot to go to Disney because guess what, I like theme parks and Disney World is the most immersive theme park experience in America. Hell even when I go to Japan there’s no way I’m missing places like Fuji Q Highland and Tokyo Disney.

That’s kind of how I looked at it as well - and in January we are hosting a family of four to Disney with our DVC - that couldnt otherwise have swung it on their own.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

What do you mean by we? Do you have kids?

I would love to hear from a middle-class family under the age of 40 with kids under 10. We were in that boat on our first trip back in 2010 our kids were 5 and 6. We booked a 10-day stay at the Poly for 5500 and that included deluxe dining. It took us a year to save up putting 600 dollars a month into a vacation saving fund and living on a budget. It was a fantastic trip and it's what got us hooked on going. That same trip I'm afraid would cost triple that. I just wonder if it's even doable for middle-class families. I think pop century would cost more than 5500.

We make double or more what we made 13 years ago and I still can't stomach the cost. On our last family trip in 2022, my kids were 17 and 19. We rented points at Saratago two preferred rooms, tickets, and food for around 10k. We got a great deal on the rooms. I think that was probably our last trip. We took two European cruises this year and spent around 15k, but I feel it was a much better value than a theme park.

My wife and I are both under 40 (I'll be 39 next year) and we have three boys, ages 8, 6, and 3. We live an hour outside of Chicago. I would consider ourselves middle-class. At least I think that's how others would perceive us. We really don't have fancy tastes and my 10 year old Subaru will go to my oldest when he turns 16.

The only luxury we have bought for ourselves since getting married was buying DVC as an investment in our family. I'm terrifically terrible at taking vacations, both close and far, almost always finding a reason to cancel. I wanted to buy DVC to help me make family vacations a priority.

Because we live far enough away from WDW to make a week about as short as we would want to go each year, we choose to splurge a bit here and there with our points (LV at Poly versus SV, staying in a 1BR rather than a studio, etc.).

I keep a budget for each trip, estimating costs of dues, transportation, park tickets, souvenirs, tips, etc. I'm probably most detailed on our food budget, so we can have a pretty good idea of our costs at restaurants so we aren't surprised by any menu prices. We did a mix of TS and QS in August and found QS to be better than TS for our family, with the exception being the character meals. And one thing that saves us quite a bit is my oldest son is eligible for DAS, so we don't buy G+.

We are diligent savers and my goal is to always have some funds saved for the next-next trip, just because things cost more each year. We are basically backfilling anything we spend each trip plus a little extra.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Agreed. It’s not like I don’t do both. I like them both for different reasons.

That's why I compare like to like.

Beach vacations with beach vacations (Hawaii, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Puerto Rico for me). Theme park trips with theme park (WDW, DL, USO, SDC, etc for me) trips. Cruises with cruises (presently just one cruise line as the other was decades ago), train trip with train trips (future Europe trip and Japan trip next year). Because they do all come with their own unique pricing to them and experiences.

What I do understand and can converse with is more when people talk about value to them. If someone doesn't feel there's the value in WDW at the moment they may choose to go to somewhere else. But I never consider them the same type of trip as going to Europe as Disney, but I can compare the complexity level if someone wants to because that weighs in on how someone values a place. Value isn't just price oriented but it can make someone quip about seeing the actual countries contained in World Showcase for less than the Disney trip

 

[DCLMP]

Agreed. It’s not like I don’t do both. I like them both for different reasons. You go to Disney if you want a Disney vacation. You go to Europe if you want to go to Europe. Epcot has never been meant to be a replacement for visiting all the different countries of the world. If it was, there’d be no need for Adventures by Disney. I pay a lot to go to Disney because guess what, I like theme parks and Disney World is the most immersive theme park experience in America. Hell even when I go to Japan there’s no way I’m missing places like Fuji Q Highland and Tokyo Disney.

I think it comes down to if you have x amount of dollars for a vacation every year. You may have to choose one over the other. Then you decide which gives the best value. I don’t think anyone is comparing a theme park to Europe. What they were comparing was cost and surprisingly WDW is right up there in cost with what most people would consider an expensive vacation.
We cannot afford to do WDW and other stuff do other stuff wins for us.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

water bottles into the park

Or just get the free filtered water that Disney provides. That way you aren't bringing in something that will weigh you down. We do bring a foldable reusable water container that clips to our park bag but it's not fully necessary. We've always gotten the free water from Disney and find that to be perfectly adequate for hydration.

 

[Keladry84]

Some observations on cost from someone who has traveled to 20 different countries but is currently planning a first time WDW trip (so have only impressions on current costs, not historical ones).

- For traveling internationally, once you are at your destination (minus overseas airfare), if you are savvy and do your research, it is very easy to travel on the cheap/on a low budget if you choose to. In Europe especially there are still a lot of decent cheaper hotels and lodging options, ways to get discounted train/bus/plane tickets, and a lot of bang for your buck. An observation on airfare - roundtrip from the US and back tends to be more expensive than the same routes the other direction - I have a friend whose husband is currently stationed in Germany. She wants to visit him over Christmas - her ticket roundtrip from the US is around $1600. If he were to fly to the US and back on the same dates he could go for around $550. Same route/dates just in reverse (note, I haven't checked flights myself, this is from my friend). This mirrors trends I've seen in the past, including when I lived in Germany and got to experience those cheaper round trips back home

- Disney is expensive. This will be one of the most expensive trips I've taken in my life, including my one to Universal in 2022 that was about 1/2 the cost as what I am currently at for prices estimates for Disney. What I am noticing is that there are not really a lot of good options to cut costs going to Disney like there are to other places, at least not without greatly compromising the experience. In Europe I can travel on a low budget and still get to experience a lot of the same things as I would if I did it the more expensive way (ie. cruise/travel agent/tour, etc. rather than looking for the cheaper options myself). I might not have a tour guide, but I still get to see the same places, do the same things, experience the different foods, etc. Disney options are: basic park experience = expensive, VIP park experience = insane expensive. Lodging choices are one of the few variables, but there isn't really a true budget option without compromising experience - staying off-site requires a car, parking costs, and increased travel times/less park time.

All that being said, I have noticed a major creep up in price on my vacations the last couple of years, mostly being those around the US. But then I am also more able to afford slightly more expensive trips and options than I was in years past, so part of that is selection of locations, lodging and activities on my part. Right up there in expense with Disney in particular was a 3 week trip to California last summer, and a week-long trip to Bar Harbor/Acadia two years ago. In 2025 I'm planning a trip to Japan for the World's Fair - this will also be an expensive trip as I want to travel around a bit, and also see both Universal and Disney parks while I am there.

 

[DCLMP]

Some observations on cost from someone who has traveled to 20 different countries but is currently planning a first time WDW trip (so have only impressions on current costs, not historical ones).

- For traveling internationally, once you are at your destination (minus overseas airfare), if you are savvy and do your research, it is very easy to travel on the cheap/on a low budget if you choose to. In Europe especially there are still a lot of decent cheaper hotels and lodging options, ways to get discounted train/bus/plane tickets, and a lot of bang for your buck. An observation on airfare - roundtrip from the US and back tends to be more expensive than the same routes the other direction - I have a friend whose husband is currently stationed in Germany. She wants to visit him over Christmas - her ticket roundtrip from the US is around $1600. If he were to fly to the US and back on the same dates he could go for around $550. Same route/dates just in reverse (note, I haven't checked flights myself, this is from my friend). This mirrors trends I've seen in the past, including when I lived in Germany and got to experience those cheaper round trips back home

- Disney is expensive. This will be one of the most expensive trips I've taken in my life, including my one to Universal in 2022 that was about 1/2 the cost as what I am currently at for prices estimates for Disney. What I am noticing is that there are not really a lot of good options to cut costs going to Disney like there are to other places, at least not without greatly compromising the experience. In Europe I can travel on a low budget and still get to experience a lot of the same things as I would if I did it the more expensive way (ie. cruise/travel agent/tour, etc. rather than looking for the cheaper options myself). I might not have a tour guide, but I still get to see the same places, do the same things, experience the different foods, etc. Disney options are: basic park experience = expensive, VIP park experience = insane expensive. Lodging choices are one of the few variables, but there isn't really a true budget option without compromising experience - staying off-site requires a car, parking costs, and increased travel times/less park time.

All that being said, I have noticed a major creep up in price on my vacations the last couple of years, mostly being those around the US. But then I am also more able to afford slightly more expensive trips and options than I was in years past, so part of that is selection of locations, lodging and activities on my part. Right up there in expense with Disney in particular was a 3 week trip to California last summer, and a week-long trip to Bar Harbor/Acadia two years ago. In 2025 I'm planning a trip to Japan for the World's Fair - this will also be an expensive trip as I want to travel around a bit, and also see both Universal and Disney parks while I am there.

I think not having a historical cost in your brain is definitely a plus when planning a vacation to WDW in this current climate.

I agree with you it is much easier to find budget hotels or use points outside of WDW. For us hotels in Europe and anywhere else our almost always paid using points.

As we've seen in the past things could change on a dime. The only thing worse than inflation is deflation in a debt-based economy. As bad as prices seem now they could reverse, but then other worse problems will ensue. It is what it is. We are all just trying to make the best of it. That's life enjoy it.

 

[karen4546]

Yeah but then there's the purchase cost plus the yearly commitment. Definitely not for us. I don't want to be tied down to a timeshare.

The good thing about a Disney timeshare is that you can rent your points out if you are not going and want to use the money for dues and a different vacation.

We paid $9500 recently for 100 pts @ Boulder Ridge. It came with 150 banked points and we used all 250 for a 2bedroom villas @ the Boardwalk - if we had just rented the 250 pts then the cost would be $5000 minimum @ $20 pp. so imo we only really paid $5000 ish for 100 pts and even though the dues are $8/$9 pp, we are still getting value from what we bought.

We rented pts before we bought 125 pts @ AKV and then I bid on this Boulder Ridge contract and actually got it

We only bought small contracts that we could pay without any financing. We also qualify for the Sorcerer pass. zero regrets.

 

[Mle8308]

Yeah the week we’re going (Dec 15-23) is some of the highest ticket prices all year.

DVC was lower point season so that helped too. We added a few more days to our trip after getting the UK tix deal.

Did you have any issues using these tickets in December?

 

[Genie+]

Did you have any issues using these tickets in December?

Happy to report no issue. Worked just like tickets we’ve bought directly from WDW and other brokers.

On Day 1 we showed up to the park tapstyle and it worked seemlessly.

No need to activate at guest services or anything like that.

All we needed to do beforehand was enter the ticket number in to our MDE account.

DH and I used our MBs. My kids used their phones (apple wallet). Both methods worked fine.

 

[Mle8308]

Happy to report no issue. Worked just like tickets we’ve bought directly from WDW and other brokers.

On Day 1 we showed up to the park tapstyle and it worked seemlessly.

No need to activate at guest services or anything like that.

All we needed to do beforehand was enter the ticket number in to our MDE account.

DH and I used our MBs. My kids used their phones (apple wallet). Both methods worked fine.

Excellent! Thank you very much. Glad they worked and hope it was a great trip!

 

[Genie+]

Excellent! Thank you very much. Glad they worked and hope it was a great trip!

Thank you Our kids came (young adults who don’t always join) and other family joined too. We all had a blast together!

When it came to the budget though, oof! I have purposely not added it up afterward. All I know is we went well beyond what was planned But we’re still going back this year - probably a little more careful.

 

[Mle8308]

Thank you Our kids came (young adults who don’t always join) and other family joined too. We all had a blast together!

When it came to the budget though, oof! I have purposely not added it up afterward. All I know is we went well beyond what was planned But we’re still going back this year - probably a little more careful.

I know that feeling! They say memories are priceless… Until our friend VISA shows up a month later! . Our trip isn’t until September and if I get tickets now, we’ll basically have the trip paid for well in advance- so all the money we spend when we’re there doesn’t seem as bad!

 

[MICKIMINI]

Thank you Our kids came (young adults who don’t always join) and other family joined too. We all had a blast together!

When it came to the budget though, oof! I have purposely not added it up afterward. All I know is we went well beyond what was planned But we’re still going back this year - probably a little more careful.

Right. Everyone takes the "only QS" pledge which lasts less than a day LOL! Dining is the killer here and this year we will only do one or maybe two sit down meals...so I say again!