Priced out!

[montrealdisneylovers]

$17,000 on the other hand, can get at least 3 nice Caribbean all inclusive trips as they average $5000 each trip.

This sounds great!! Where do you go over Christmas that is $5000 for a family of 4 including airfare?

 

[DVC_Dad_Canada]

This sounds great!! Where do you go over Christmas that is $5000 for a family of 4 including airfare?

Scarborough Towne centre.

 

[bankr63]

Scarborough Towne centre.

 

[dancin Disney style]

Scarborough Towne centre.

The required Kevlar might put you over budget

 

[Alex Perelgut]

I will say, one of the biggest factors for me has been the exchange rate. The difference I've felt in price from Nov. 2015 (when the dollar was around $1.25CAD/USD) vs. booking for December this year (when the dollar's been, on average, around $1.35CAD/USD). Especially compared to the halcyon days of parity, it's been a tougher pill to swallow than I initial expected.

 

[Sue M]

I wish what you said is true. However it is hard to explain how they can sell C$1000 to $2000 per night in their Contemporary and Grand Floridian. If you want a room in monorail resorts for your kids during Christmas, that is the average cost per night $1000 per night. So a one week stay would be $7000 room alone. Then you add $3000 dining plans for a family of 4. Then $5000 for air fare. And $2000 for park tickets. When you add up $17,000 for a family of 4 to enjoy a Disney holiday, it's hard to say it's not designed for the 1%

$17,000 on the other hand, can get at least 3 nice Caribbean all inclusive trips as they average $5000 each trip.

Yes we can stay in roach motels for $50 per night off site with Macdonalds $15 per day meal, drive and line up for the tram and walk 30 min just to get to your car... but it's not really a vacation if you do it that way, is it? So a real Disney vacation with monorail resort and dining plan, it's $10k+ easy.

Only if you're going there for Christmas week. Which is why we are going early Dec to see the Christmas decorations and staying on site. Our trip will be nowhere near that.

 

[Seoulbro]

I'm going to stay out of the whole 1% argument and just put in my two cents.

I agree, Disney is getting more expensive, and our dollar sucks, but it is still manageable with the proper budget, a little sacrafice, and some elbow grease. We are going to Orlando this August (5th-19th), and what started at $7100 canadian, is now down to $5095. Our original trip was 6 days at POR and 6 days at RPR at Universal. This included a 4 day park hopper with water park option (Can. room and ticket deal) and the 14 day explorer ticket for Universal (14 days in a row, all three parks). I have now changed to 4 days at POP, and 2 days at RPR, with the remainder of the days (7) spent at an offsite hotel for almost free ($35US), using credit card points cleverly acquired and redeemed. The great news is this hotel is across the street from Universal, and Universal is only a 15 minute walk!. Aeroplan points even got me Blue Man group tickets. So, for $5095 (not including food or gas), I get 4 days hopping, 4 days at Disney waterparks, and the rest at Universal (6 days, could be more), with 3 days of unlimited express, visiting the new Pandora and Volcano Bay, and tickets to Blueman. I'd say that is pretty good bang for my buck! That is for a family of 4, with an 11 and 9 year old. add another $800-1200 for food, and I'd say its still a good deal.

Yes, it's not what I originally wanted, but it's still pretty damn close. By paying attention to credit card sign up bonuses, taking advantage of the Canadian ticket deal (I've banked 2 more sets of tickets, so 2 more vacations coming) and exploring Aeroplan's website for other offers, I'm fine with the price. I have done the 10 days at POR with the free dining in 2012, and did CSR last year with free dining (Did not think it was as good as a deal as our first trip), but those deals are no longer around. Now, you have to hunt around and make your own deals. I know it can be bothersome, but it does pay off in the end.

We also looked at renting a house for 2 weeks, but, with tickets for both parks, it ended up being a difference of $300 between the house and the deal mentioned above. And for the extra 300 bucks, the perks at Disney and Universal (60 days FP, extra magic hours, unlimited express pass) for us was worth it, especially since we have never been to Universal. I know $6000 dollars for 2 weeks might be a high budget for some, but for this family of 4, it is what we can afford (We only go away once a year, if we can). Next year will be cottage rental time, so we can save a bit for the next Disney adventure. Since I have already purchased the tickets, I can now save for an on or offsite property. Seeing we won't go back for at least 2 years, I'm hoping we can save enough to stay at a Deluxe for once. One can dream. If not, I'm perfectly fine with renting a house. It's always good to try something new!

I genuinely feel for those who feel/are priced out, but there are still ways to make it work, it's just not as easy as it once was. I try and stay on the positive side and make it a challenge, with the reward being an amazing, unforgettable vacation.

 

[Ted in Halifax]

Disney's pricing is getting worse and the exchange rate has added another layer of trouble to this. Very rarely has my budget been less than $7000 and I've complied a lot a data on these trips (see my signature) but I always have two or more weeks at a time. But the killer for me is peak period pricing and how airfares jump at that time too. I blame Disney a little, but the economy in the US has significantly improved and people have reentered the market for Disney. Right now I would budget for a hypothetical trip for 4 (2 Adults 2 older kids (ie 15) for two weeks as follows: Disney tickets $1500 CDN, Flights $2200, Food ($600 Groceries $1200 Restaurants,) Room $3500 ... so around $9K without parking at home airport incidents etc. Easily $10K when bad habits creep in. This approaches 50% more than my $7K norm. I'm afraid that alternative trips become a real option.

 

[TommyJK]

I genuinely feel for those who feel/are priced out, but there are still ways to make it work, it's just not as easy as it once was. I try and stay on the positive side and make it a challenge, with the reward being an amazing, unforgettable vacation.

I concur with this sentiment. You can maintain budgets similar to past trips, but you have to be prepared to adjust your expectations/plans with some or all of the following:

• change time of year you plan to go
• reduce the "level" of accommodations
• reduce length of trip/number of days in the parks
• alter your dining choices (fewer or no Character/ADR meals, more quick service meals etc.)
• Budget less money for non essential spending (like souvenirs in the parks)

It's all still do-able under a solid budget and poor current exchange rate, but you may just need to drop your standards.

 

[Mike2023]

We stayed off site in a beautiful 4 bedroom, 2 bath private home with a 24' private swimming pool for only $100 CDN a night

Care to share? I would love to look into this vacation home.

 

[mshanson3121]

Care to share? I would love to look into this vacation home.

I'm on mobile so I can't link but just Google "Glenbrook Resort Come as Guests Leave as Friends" they'll come up - VRBO.

They've upped their prices a bit, peak season (summer, March and Christmas break) are now $130 CDN. But the rest is still $100 CDN. Just mention you're a fellow Canadian.

 

[mshanson3121]

You can also search VRBO property #441673

 

[DVC_Dad_Canada]

I concur with this sentiment. You can maintain budgets similar to past trips, but you have to be prepared to adjust your expectations/plans with some or all of the following:

• change time of year you plan to go
• reduce the "level" of accommodations
• reduce length of trip/number of days in the parks
• alter your dining choices (fewer or no Character/ADR meals, more quick service meals etc.)
• Budget less money for non essential spending (like souvenirs in the parks)

It's all still do-able under a solid budget and poor current exchange rate, but you may just need to drop your standards.

Or you can cut back on things in your everyday life to make sure you can still splurge on your vacation. I'm taking my lunch more to work, rather than eating out. Things like that really add up.

 

[mort1331]

The required Kevlar might put you over budget

Ouch,,,,not that bad

 

[mort1331]

I'm on mobile so I can't link but just Google "Glenbrook Resort Come as Guests Leave as Friends" they'll come up - VRBO.

They've upped their prices a bit, peak season (summer, March and Christmas break) are now $130 CDN. But the rest is still $100 CDN. Just mention you're a fellow Canadian.

Very nice place.

 

[PanamaMike]

I've gone to WDW 12 times in the last 31 years and have never stayed on site.
Too many less expensive accommodation options to even consider an on property hotel.

 

[FigmentSpark]

You can also search VRBO property #441673

There are quite a lot of very nice rentals near Disney. We've done this for years. The bonus is a good night's sleep for everyone. We had a 5 bedroom with a hot tub, as well as a pool for $2000 for 7 days. It was a wonderful retreat at the end of the day. Are they all perfect? No. Some have beds that aren't comfortable, others might be cheap on the lighting or too few spoons in the drawer, but you're saving a lot and you have private space to yourself.

 

[osully]

Wow I can't believe it was so low only a few years back for 14 nights stay! That's basically what a Value Resort with dining plan is for one week if you can't get a room discount!!

We are paying about $5000 CAD for our trip next year - including flights. One night stay at Pop and then a 7 night Disney Cruise. There is no way we can go more than once every couple of years, and only for a week at that!

I'm mainly saving Air Miles right now to get tickets and hopefully flights for our next trip (probably 2020) so the only expense is our room reservation and food!

 

[CanadianMouseDad]

I saw earlier someone saying that it's upwards of 17000 for a family of four to go at Christmas Time and stay at Contemporary.

If that's too much money, change your trip around.

Stay at a value or moderate.
Go during a slow season.
DRIVE.

I'm going in April of next year with 5 Adults and 4 Kids.
We've got 2 rooms at 2 Different resorts. (3 adults 3 kids staying at AoA and 2 adults 1 child staying at POP. Larger group booked first and the second group booked second but couldn't justify the price for AoA.)
ANYWAYS. We're all going, with 5 day tickets, 8 night stay. and it's going to cost us 11000 for everything with a dining plan. Add on travel expenses and it wont be more than 11500.

We cut costs majorly by driving. We plan ahead and budget X amount a month to pay for the trip.

Would we like to stay at the contemporary or Animal Kingdom with a savannah view? sure would.
Is it practical? No.
Would we like to cut travel time by 12 hours each way? Sure would.
Is it practical for us? No.

I don't believe Disney is pricing people out. There are plenty of Viable options for a family of four to stay for less than 10000. Just a matter of when and where you want to go.