With all the price increases is it worth even going?

[greeneyedchick]

I really wanted to do Paris/London with the kids this summer (as in 2023) instead of Disney (current plan is Mar 2023), but I can't get it to be cheaper than Disney at all. Flights alone are $1100 each - whereas we drive to Disney. We are planning on 3 Disney days and 2 Universal days. We are even renting a house for 1 week, but paying to stay onsite at Disney for 2 nights and Universal for 1 night to get the benefits of EE and FP's (but literally not even planning on going to the room)....and with estimated food, tix and shopping etc (3 kids ages 20, 18 and 15) it's around $14K. But London/Paris I can't seem to get under $20K. I keep hearing how people are able to do Europe for less and I just don't know what I'm doing wrong. We just can't swing the extra $6K. I would love to get the kids there though....

Summer is high season for London and Paris. It would be cheaper if you went at a less popular time

 

[slbgnb]

I'm curious if you have tried cruising, because my wife didn't think she was a cruise person either, but I convinced her to try DCL once and we have been hooked ever sense. There is something really unique about it. I can't think of a less stressful way to travel, while still seeing new places the entire trip. The moment I walk onto a Disney ship, the stress just melts away. I know everything is taken care of for me for the next week. It's totally cool if you have a different opinion, it's not for everyone, but I would seriously consider trying it if you haven't.

I have cruised with girlfriends before - I'm sure it was a basic one - Carnival to the Bahamas. It was just OK for me. Perhaps a European one would be nicer, but not sure. I feel my kids - again 20, 18 and 15 would be bored on the ship.

Don't know if you have cruised Disney, but we fit very comfortably in a standard verandah room, even though our two children are young adults now. Disney has found the sweet spot of maximizing space. In fact, I would say we are more comfortable there then a standard resort room, because the kids each have their own bed and their is a couch to use during daytime. Plus the split bathrooms make it easy to get ready compared to a standard hotel room. We have never felt cramped on DCL. Not all cruise lines are as comfortable for a family of four though.

A family of 5 is a big difference to family of 4. That extra person really makes a big difference.

 

[slbgnb]

Summer is high season for London and Paris. It would be cheaper if you went at a less popular time

That is the case with most vacations. But, of course that is high season for a reason. With 2 kids in college and 1 in HS, we don't really have a choice.

 

[DCLMP]

I have cruised with girlfriends before - I'm sure it was a basic one - Carnival to the Bahamas. It was just OK for me. Perhaps a European one would be nicer, but not sure. I feel my kids - again 20, 18 and 15 would be bored on the ship.



A family of 5 is a big difference to family of 4. That extra person really makes a big difference.

Most of days are spent ashore touring. The 15 year old would not be bored theres lots of activities for that age group. Your 18- 20 year olds maybe..tough age, but it’s no worse than a hotel. There’s lots of shows, entertainment, and unlimited food onboard. I’m not going to lie you would need two rooms with kids that age.

I’m surprised your kids aren’t bored with WDW my 19 year old is pretty much over it. My 18 year old still likes it, but given a choice he’d rather see something new.

 

[DCLMP]

I really wanted to do Paris/London with the kids this summer (as in 2023) instead of Disney (current plan is Mar 2023), but I can't get it to be cheaper than Disney at all. Flights alone are $1100 each - whereas we drive to Disney. We are planning on 3 Disney days and 2 Universal days. We are even renting a house for 1 week, but paying to stay onsite at Disney for 2 nights and Universal for 1 night to get the benefits of EE and FP's (but literally not even planning on going to the room)....and with estimated food, tix and shopping etc (3 kids ages 20, 18 and 15) it's around $14K. But London/Paris I can't seem to get under $20K. I keep hearing how people are able to do Europe for less and I just don't know what I'm doing wrong. We just can't swing the extra $6K. I would love to get the kids there though....

We’re a family of four and we’ve never spent anywhere near 14k going to WDW even staying deluxe. Not even near 14k going to Europe. Maybe a travel agent could put something together for you if you tell them what your budget is?

The cities you’ve picked are probably the most expensive cities in Europe. My suggestion for hotels would be the premier inn aldgate in London and the Hyatt regency in Paris those were the most reasonable priced I found.

I would also suggest Rick Steves books and forum. They have always been a big help to me.

 

[brentm77]

A family of 5 is a big difference to family of 4. That extra person really makes a big difference.

It really does. DCL has some 5-people options, but they would indeed feel cramped for an older family like yours. Adding the extra room can be expensive too, making cruising a little less bang for your buck.

 

[DCLMP]

It really does. DCL has some 5-people options, but they would indeed feel cramped for an older family like yours. Adding the extra room can be expensive too, making cruising a little less bang for your buck.

You could get four rooms on Royal for the price of one room on DCL. The cost of our 8 night Greek isles cruise on Odyssey of the seas for one balcony room and one inside room is 5,803 total for both rooms. The eight night Greek isles cruise on DCL would cost 13,191 for the cheapest balcony room. Now for two rooms on DCL it gets worse 16,943. That is a 7,333 dollar difference for two rooms on Odyssey vs one room on DCL.

I love DCL, but I would never suggest them to anyone on a budget. Odyssey also has bumber cars, laser tag and a lot more for older teens.

 

[brentm77]

Did the 8-night Greek isles earlier this year on DCL. It was a little better priced, but it wasn't for the faint of heart. It was absolutely amazing though. I would for sure look at other lines next time, as there are some great options for much less money, but I felt we got our moneys worth at the same time. One of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

 

[DCLMP]

Did the 8-night Greek isles earlier this year on DCL. It was a little better priced, but it wasn't for the faint of heart. It was absolutely amazing though. I would for sure look at other lines next time, as there are some great options for much less money, but I felt we got our moneys worth at the same time. One of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

In August I took my son on the 11 night northern European as a graduation present. We booked IGT rate for 6,500, used hotel points in London and Paris. I used miles to fly business class and cash back rewards to pay for excursions. It was an amazing 18 days despite the major itinerary change.

The four of us did the 12 night Iceland\Norway cruise in 2016. We booked an OGT rate for around 7,500. Sometimes Disney will offer some great discounted rates if you wait and are flexible. I expect them to discount Europe next year too. We've also done a couple of Transatlantics which were cheaper than a 4 night out of PC.

If you plan on doing another once in a lifetime trip on DCL I would highly suggest Iceland\Norway. It's beyond amazing.

 

[Sammie]

Disney vacations as are many vacations expensive. We think it is still worth the cost. YMMV

 

[slbgnb]

I’m surprised your kids aren’t bored with WDW my 19 year old is pretty much over it. My 18 year old still likes it, but given a choice he’d rather see something new.

I agree! I'm always surprised by how much they still love it. Mind you - we do 1/2 Disney, 1/2 Universal. But, it's the one place all 3 still agree on.

We’re a family of four and we’ve never spent anywhere near 14k going to WDW even staying deluxe. Not even near 14k going to Europe. Maybe a travel agent could put something together for you if you tell them what your budget is?

We've actually never spent that either. This March though is the first time that it is that high. I don't know if it's because it's a more expensive time (we have previously only gone in Sep/Oct) or if it's just the higher prices.....

For Europe - we've never taken the kids. But trying to price out a June trip, flights alone were $1100 x 5. And VRBO's for each city were like 2200....so, we are at like 10K with no food or attractions....

 

[gmi3804]

How can you have a discussion of if it's worth it if you can't compare it to other places?

I guess I need a Sarcasm Font. I thought the eye roll would’ve implied that. Sorry.

 

[Mousefan mom]

You could get four rooms on Royal for the price of one room on DCL. The cost of our 8 night Greek isles cruise on Odyssey of the seas for one balcony room and one inside room is 5,803 total for both rooms. The eight night Greek isles cruise on DCL would cost 13,191 for the cheapest balcony room. Now for two rooms on DCL it gets worse 16,943. That is a 7,333 dollar difference for two rooms on Odyssey vs one room on DCL.

I love DCL, but I would never suggest them to anyone on a budget. Odyssey also has bumber cars, laser tag and a lot more for older teens.

We just booked for spring break of 2024 for Odyssey (it looks amazing!) and the cost for our family of 5 is less than $5K (this is the teenagers/young adult in an interior room and my husband and I in an ocean view balcony). We will be doing the private islands and DR, but so much less than a Disney vacation for our family! As my kids get older, Disney has much less of an appeal. We also want to do Europe, but the places we would most like to visit still run just as high as Disney. I'm just over the $10K plus price tag for a one week vacation. We have previously only cruised Disney--but I am really looking forward to giving Royal Caribbean a try. Last year we did a very nice hotel on the Las Vegas strip, went to shows, fabulous dining, plenty of sight seeing and paid entertainments--still so much less than Disney and the value/quality was there.

 

[Mousefan mom]

I agree! I'm always surprised by how much they still love it. Mind you - we do 1/2 Disney, 1/2 Universal. But, it's the one place all 3 still agree on.



We've actually never spent that either. This March though is the first time that it is that high. I don't know if it's because it's a more expensive time (we have previously only gone in Sep/Oct) or if it's just the higher prices.....

For Europe - we've never taken the kids. But trying to price out a June trip, flights alone were $1100 x 5. And VRBO's for each city were like 2200....so, we are at like 10K with no food or attractions....

If you are interested, I have friends who went to Greece this summer and said it was definitely more affordable than Disney vacation. They really enjoyed it--but I agree Paris and London are spendy!

 

[DCLMP]

We just booked for spring break of 2024 for Odyssey (it looks amazing!) and the cost for our family of 5 is less than $5K (this is the teenagers/young adult in an interior room and my husband and I in an ocean view balcony). We will be doing the private islands and DR, but so much less than a Disney vacation for our family! As my kids get older, Disney has much less of an appeal. We also want to do Europe, but the places we would most like to visit still run just as high as Disney. I'm just over the $10K plus price tag for a one week vacation. We have previously only cruised Disney--but I am really looking forward to giving Royal Caribbean a try. Last year we did a very nice hotel on the Las Vegas strip, went to shows, fabulous dining, plenty of sight seeing and paid entertainments--still so much less than Disney and the value/quality was there.

DCL prices are more out of whack than the parks. In fairness they have been discounting a lot of their cruises 30-35% and I think that trend will continue because their pricing is not competitive at all. The Wish seems to be a mixed bag when it comes to reviews. It's not like Disney to underwhelm.

 

[DCLMP]

If you are interested, I have friends who went to Greece this summer and said it was definitely more affordable than Disney vacation. They really enjoyed it--but I agree Paris and London are spendy!

I used points to book our hotels in London and Paris this Summer, but outside of hotel costs it's really not that expensive. The hotel prices are by no means any worse than Disney. The museums were free or a minimal cost. You can book package tours through various sites which cuts down the cost a lot. The metros and underground were cheap. Food was the same price range as US, but you don't have to tip. Service was always pretty bad.

 

[shafke]

Young people don't have children. For many (most?) vacations of families of 4+, the most expensive component is the flight. Most American airports don't have cheap flights to Europe.

Whereas for Disney the most expensive part can be the tickets. Whether is is Europe/Disney or elsewhere what is comes down to is you set a budget and make trade offs where necessary. Airfare is high you find a cheaper hotel. Park tickets are breaking the budget... stay offsite.

 

[Eastern]

I have a trip booked for spring and the airfare has been in the 500's for the past month. We won't go if the airfare doesn't go down.

 

[cfox612]

Our last trip was only 2 days long before we were boarding the Disney Dream. Our flight was supposed to land on a Friday evening, around 8pm. We didn't take off until almost 10pm, and didn't get to our room at Saratoga until after 2am. Genie + allowed me to wake up briefly at 7am, grab ILL's for Rise and Remi, a LL for Slinky, then go back to sleep. We started out day at HS at 11am, hit everything we wanted, hopped to Epcot, and had a fabulous day due to the ILL's and Genie+.

Our daughter doesn't like to do character interactions anymore (unless it's Chewbacca). We're there for the rides, shows, food and resort pools lol. We enjoyed every second of that trip, which felt magical. We also did everything at Animal Kingdom the following day before 1pm thanks to Genie+.

Anyone who has tickets they don't expire, but they won't refund you either. You can use those tickets value towards a future ticket purchase. We're DVC and while ticket prices have gone up you can easily say that about most theme parks. Universal has been expensive for a long time now. They added their extra express passes a while ago. Disney isn't outside the realm of super expensive, just catching up to others. I don't think that will necessarily price people out, but they may not be able to go as often, or as soon as they have hoped.