Just returned from Disney World WOW$$$$$
 

Just returned from Disney World. My family has been going every year for the past 10 years.
I cannot believe how expensive it has gotten. Soda in the machine at the hotel was $2.50. A balloon at the parks $6.00. A plastic raincoat $7.00.
Children's meals, which average about $6.00 include a soft drink of Coke, Diet Coke,or Sprite. Juice is extra. Since I don't know anyone who gives their children coke with their meal, add another 1.50 to the bill for the juice.
For hotel, park passes, food and drink
I don't know how a family of 4 can afford such a trip.
If you must go start saving now!!

We leave tomorrow for WDW and Cocoa Beach. Yes, the prices are sky high:( We have been to Europe for a lot less than what this trip will cost. But the launch is the reason for our trip, so we added WDW to it.

How was the trip though? I hope you all had a great time!

I can't imaging spending more to go to WDW for more than a trip to Europe. I wouldn't spend $2.50 for all of WDW mush less a can of soda out of a machine.

It is amazing the marketing power that Disney has! As a parent, you feel compelled to take your kids at least once. My daughter, who will be 3 in a few weeks, LOVES the Disney Princesses, yet she's never even seen any of the movies. It all stems from their ubiquitous advertising - commercials, toys, books. You cannot escape it!

I am sure I will break down and take her to WDW in a few years. By then, sodas should be up to $4 each!

They'll keep charging those prices as long as people will pay them.

I lived in Orlando for 18 years and watched Disney and the other parks suffer after 9-11 when no one visited the parks for several weeks. A boycott would bring their prices down to earth, but for some reason foreign to me, people are willing to pay those prices even if it takes them years to pay it off!

You can get some suggestions on
ecomizing on disboards.com and
mousesavers.com, but I agree. It is
very expensive!!

<i>We have been to Europe for a lot less than what this trip will cost</i>
I am not surprised by this at all, my daughter goes to Disney all the time..I asked her about this tonight, she said.. a Disney hotel can be sooo expensive, hotels in Europe can be gotten at bargain prices ( she just returned, stayed in Amsterdam for 180 E a night..) and she said food in Disney is ridiculously overpriced.
I imagine that Disney must need so much money to keep going, look at that place :O
We were lucky, when my children were small, it was not that expensive.

I jokingly refer to myself as the last living American who has never been to Disney. I don't really have much against the place, but with prices like that, I doubt I'll ever go. That is probably why my parents never took me.

I don't know what surprises me more: that someone would actually go to Disney 10 years in a row, or that this person would be shocked at how expensive it is. I mean, if I go somewhere that frequently I'd know what to expect.

I can affirm that our family's trip to Paris cost less than our trip to WDW.

But I also studied a lot for our trip to WDW and saved lots of money. I bought one annual pass, and got over $100 per night discount on our room rate. I got a few dollars off the tickets from a link I got from mousesavers.com. We bought our rain ponchos at home. We bought drinks and snacks at the grocery store. I charge everything I can on a Disney Visa (I pay it in full every month). We had $1005 in truly &quot;free&quot; money from Disney Visa, which fed our famly of 5 for over 7 days. We already have $1122 in Disney Visa dollars for the next trip.

As missypie points out, research will go a long way towards stretching your Disney dollars.

Also, going off season and stalking www.Mousesavers.com is one of the smartest things you can do.

I have always compared a Disney vacation to a ski vacation. I live in Orlando so going on a ski vacation is my indulgence since I can visit Disney rather cheaply.

- The price of park tickets is comparable to lift tickets.

- The price of hotel rooms is comparable to ski resort rooms.

- Staying at Disney hotels with easy access to parks is comparable to ski-in, ski-out lodging.

- Price for food, drinks, etc. at ski lodge/resort is ridiculously expensive just like Disney.

- During peak times the ski lift and slope crowds are unbearable just like disney lines and parks at peak times.

So why don't people complain about ski vacations like they do about disney vacations? Just my observation and would love to hear comments.

I too know how to do it without feeling a bit like I'm penny pinching. I won a week there once at the Mariott with an entire house/pool usage- plus the flights and entrance, and it still ran some bucks. It is expensive, but so is Europe now. And also Hawaii to me, is even more expensive than either.

But I feel that it is well worth one or two trips in a lifetime. And that the commercialization factors, while being there, are not what the entire experience is about at all. Nor did it enter into my family's experience with WDW. We never brought anyone there until they were at least 10 or 11.

Some of my fondest memories in my entire life are in WDW with my daughter in her late 20's, or with my youngest son when he was about 11. I never, ever put WDW down. It IS it's own world, and you need to study up for it. But you CAN get out of it, a lot more than the disney-poopers will allow.

You are FAR more marketed for prejudice towards designer labels and big houses far more than you are for vacations.

We don't buy pop in any amusement park and don't find ourselves paying for raincoats either.

I like the comparison to a ski resort...very true!

We leave today for FL. Yes, it is expensive, but like I said, the reason for our trip is the launch. WDW is an addon. Since the launch dates change, we didn't have flexability. We have done our research, and now we will just go and have fun. I don't buy soda at home, so won't be buying it there either. We lived in Orlando years ago, so it will be fun to go back and see how it has changed. Only a few more hours til we head out!

Have a great time mms, and I hear this is a spectacular time of the year to go.

And I think it needs to be pointed out, that WDW is a first class operation: clean, well-run, no expense spared kind of place. That costs $$$$.

Have a great trim, mms!

Oops, I mean &quot;trip&quot;!

I would allow my children/grands to have soda for lunch if that is part of the lunch.....what is the big deal? Last June we drove down to FL went to Oralndo wnet to Univerisal/Isle of Adventure/Discovery Cove/Sea World - stayed in hotel (Hard Rock of 5 nights) went to Ft. Lauderdale for 5 - took the Autotrain home and did not feel as tho I overpaid for a truly great vacation. If you are complaining about the price you must not be having a truly great time, In that case it is time to go elsewhere.

This week is one of the worst times to go to Disney. It's Pop Warner football and cheerleading Nationals. There are thousands of teams staying at the hotels...and they can be very loud. The football teams are worse. Do NOT go to MGM on Friday as they have a special there for the teams.

gmoney, I will answer your question. I have been to several ski areas over many years. When you go to a ski area/resort you are not stuck with their prices all day and night. You are only there from mid morning through mid afternoon. You don't have to pay their prices for food when you're not on the slopes. The ski areas also have independent hotels of all price ranges in the adjacent towns. Ski areas have real mountains not a fake mountain with white paint on top. Even if going to a ski resort cost more than WDW I will take the ski resort. I also view WDW as a fake to the max and the Rocky Mountain beauty as real.

Thanks:)

rizzo--Yes, many of the hotels were full quite a while ago. When we had to change our dates it was tough to find a place. At least the weather is better now than during the summer! Thanks for the Friday warning! We will still be at Cocoa Beach during the day though. Then will head over to the Boardwalk Inn for the rest of our stay.

Keep fingers crossed that the launch goes as planned! A friend is an astroanut, and he invited us to this (his) launch...so we are really excited about this!

What I hate about it is that there are no discounts for off season or incentives, except for area lodging and airline prices. I still love WDW for certain things, but I think a family cruise vacation is a much better deal. I hate paying all that for the parking too, btw!

We were there for six days in October, and other than the admission tickets, I didn't think it was that pricey. The only food we bought were two huge turkey legs and a few slushies for my son. All other meals we ate cheaply off-site or brought in a bag. We also brought along our own $1 rain ponchos.

BTW, we stayed at the Hilton Grand Vacations Club on International Drive. What a fun hotel for families! Not only were the units beautiful, they had numerous activities for the kids. Our favorites were the evening dive-in movies (the kids can swim while watching a movie on a big screen), pool-side band, and an animal lecture with an opporunity to pet the little critters.

After six days of WDW, though, I'm ready for a laid-back vacation!

Jor,
If you go outside the park at Disney you can also find cheaper food and lodging. I was saying that the food/drinks/lodging at the ski resort itself (just like disney) are extremely expensive. When you are at the resort you are stuck with their prices (just like disney). While skiing you have to either 1.) eat their overpriced food 2.) bring you own food, or 3.) leave the resort for cheaper food (just like Disney). There are hundreds of hotel rooms that are a lot cheaper adjacent to disney property as well. And no one was comparing the real mountains to fake ones, duh. People go to Disney for what it is and people go skiing for what it is. I was just saying that the prices at a ski resort are comparable to prices at Disney. I have been skiing many times and I have been to Disney many times and in my experience they are very similar. And please don't start comparing real to fake. I don't think anyone goes to disney thinking Mickey is a real mouse and if they do then they have a bigger problem.

I personally agree with jor.

We never took our kids to WDW. The whole thing just seemed like a huge rip off.

And now that I have taken my kids to Europe, I'm glad we never spent the money for WDW.

By the way, if anybody asked my kids, they would tell you that in NO WAY do they feel deprived that we never did the WDW thing. (They are 19 and 17 now.) They were very happy with our rather modest lake vacations and the occasional ski trip.

I think for a lot of families they either feel like it's some kind of weird rite of passage, a pilgrimage, or they can't think of any other vacation!

Of course if you've got money to burn, or you just love it, well, why not?

This post makes me wonder why more people don't take their kids to DisneyLand in the context of a California vacation. It's still expensive, but only for one day in the context of a whole lot of other things to see.

Obviously people think strongly in both ways about WDW and considering how very expensive other amusement parks or even places like the Dells, or any resort town can be- I just don't understand it, this strong animosity towards WDW experiences overall.

gmoney, you asked a question and I answered it and explained why. I really don't like a come-back like &quot;dah&quot;. If you don't want an honest answer don't ask the question. We can't help it if you do not get the answer you wanted.

well, jorr, let's be honest here, your answers to gmoney's were just as &quot;duh&quot;-like as hers were back to you. Really, what does real snow versus fake snow have to do with the idea of price comparison?
Suggesting that there are various price ranges outside of the ski resort? Well, same is true at Disney. I guess you just didn't get the direct comparisons she was making. This isn't a question of whether people like a ski resort better than Disney -- but rather a comment that the price argument could be very similar.

I think most tourist places these days are expensive. An all inclusive to the Dominican Republic at christmas will cost 2500.00 a person for 1 week. For a family of 4 that is$10,000.00 A room in Tofino during the summer will be 300.00. Airfare alone to Paris will cost upwards of $4000.00(for four people). I guess the important thing is did you and your family have a good time? Was it worth it or do you think your kids would of had more fun visiting the louvre and eiffel tower?

&lt;&lt; ...hotels in Europe can be gotten at bargain prices ( she just returned, stayed in Amsterdam for 180 E a night..) &gt;&gt;


Sorry, but unless she's talking about very a nice hotel I don't think &euro;180 is that great at all. Shopping around using online sites like hotels.nl and channels.nl can yield rooms in decent places at half that. Standard rates for a single or small double at my favorite hotel, Ambassade, start at &euro;185 (breakfast extra; and their rooms are never discounted as far as I know) and it is a very nice place - but if saving money is a priority then there are lots of other fairly nice hotels to be had for much less.

bluestar, the conversation is about high costs. The Ambassade (which I've stayed at three times) is a very fine deluxe hotel. The price of 185 euro equals about $244. You can't get the Belvedere or the Milford Plaza (both many levels below the Ambassade in quality) in New York for anywhere near that low. The point being made was that compared to some places in the US, Europe IS a bargain. That is one good example. Sure there are cheaper places -- that wasn't the point, I don't think.

Hi Neo!!
bluestar-
Actually, she did stay at the Ambassade, a courtyard suite.
She also stayed at the Hotel Welcome in Brussels and The Danube in Paris.

The Danube..... sigh... :&quot;&gt;

I think it may have been you who first recommended that place to me, Scarlett.

:) Well, if it was, I am glad you liked it !
This was her first time at the Danube, she stayed at the Lutece before.
She was happy with it too ~

I don't get comparing a ski vacation to Disney, either. Just b/c one type of vacation is expensive (and historically always has been, although Vail takes it to a new level) doesn't make it OK for other industries to follow. If they can, more power to them. But there is no way Disney charges such outrageous prices b/c they need to; they do it b/c they can.

Some families gladly pay it, and that's up to them. I've added up the cost for a few days at Disney and decided, no way, we're going out west. It's the same with these new (to us out east, anyway) indoor water parks like the Great Wolf Lodge. Lines, expensive food and super expensive lodging. Yes, it costs a lot to maintain a water park, but we have a much, much more pleasant time visiting a &quot;real&quot; water park like Water World in Denver or Raging Waters in CA.

I'll never forget looking for a T-shirt for my toddler son at Disney. The (cheaply made) T-shirt with Tigger he wanted was $42(!) I later saw the same Tshirt in the Disney store at my local mall for $18. You know they are making a profit at $18, so why charge OVER double except b/c they can.

&quot;But there is no way Disney charges such outrageous prices b/c they need to; they do it b/c they can.&quot;

Huh? Name a single &quot;for profit&quot; business in the free world that is successful whose name you can't replace for Disney in that statement. Are you suggesting that Disney is a charity and they should just charge enough to break even? That is probably one of the most outrageously naive statements I've ever read on Fodors! I know of no businesses that purposely don't charge as much as they can for anything. That's what &quot;business&quot; is. They don't even reduce prices because they feel they've made enough profit for one year -- they reduce them in order to sell merchandise -- in other words, they're still charging as much as they can to get rid of the stuff and do business. Pure and simple.

Patrick - there is a HUGE difference b/w making a profit and price gouging.

If you read my post, I said &quot;more power&quot; to the businesses who can raise their prices/rates and get away with it. But there is line when those prices are too high. How much is TOO much profit? That's for the market to decide. Some people, like me, and few posters here, feel that Disney is not a vacation value. Others return every year. To each his own. I don't like feeling ripped off.

I have no idea where you read into my post that I think Disney is a charity. And I know of many businesses that don't charge outrageous prices and still provide a good product at a good price. (But again, a good product at a good price is different to different people.)

Jor,

I did NOT ask for a comparison of Disney to a ski resort. I was asking why people always complain about how expensive Disney is, but not about other comparable destinations. It would be stupid to try to compare one to the other as a destination. My &quot;duh&quot; remark was at your comparison of real mountains to fake mountains, which nobody asked for, and is pretty ridiculous. If you are going to answer questions please answer ones that were actually asked. Its obvious that you do not care for Disney, great don't go.

karens,

Sorry for the double post but I just read your response and am really confused. Your saying that is OK for a ski resort to charge ridiculous prices but not Disney? Why is that? You also accused Disney of price gouging. Price gouging is when you put exhorbitant prices on &quot;needs&quot; like gas, food, lodging in an event like a hurricane. You said &quot;But there is no way Disney charges such outrageous prices b/c they need to; they do it b/c they can.&quot;
Why is it OK for a ski resort but not Disney? They are both in business to make the most profit that they can and that the market will bear. Can you please explain to me how one is different from the other? And, don't get me wrong I am not defending Disney I think the prices they charge are crazy. I just don't get how they are different from any other business