With all the price increases is it worth even going?

[DCLMP]

Wow.

You argued that there are ways to do a European vacation "cheap." I pointed out that, for families, you can't even get to Europe for cheap. I never said anything about WDW one way or the other, I just pointed out that your comment about Europe is incorrect.

I never mentioned families in my post. Not everyone on here is a family of four. My family of four can do a European cruise(not on DCL) plus flights for less than the cost of DCL cruise out of PC. That's how out of whack Disney pricing is.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I never mentioned families in my post. Not everyone on here is a family of four. My family of four can do a European cruise(not on DCL) plus flights for less than the cost of DCL cruise out of PC. That's how out of whack Disney pricing is.

You said a European vacation could be CHEAP, and talked about what "young adults" do, as if you're talking to an audience of primarily young adults, which is not Disney's core audience. You didn't say "less expensive than DCL," you said "cheap." That's the word you chose.

 

[DCLMP]

You said a European vacation could be CHEAP, and talked about what "young adults" do, as if you're talking to an audience of primarily young adults, which is not Disney's core audience. You didn't say "less expensive than DCL," you said "cheap." That's the word you chose.

I said there are ways to do Europe "on the cheap" it's a figure of speech meaning finding a way to something expensive for less money. It doesn't have to be a high end vacation. There are ways to do WDW "on the cheap" too. I wouldn't consider either vacation to be "cheap".

 

[gmi3804]

You said a European vacation could be CHEAP, and talked about what "young adults" do, as if you're talking to an audience of primarily young adults, which is not Disney's core audience. You didn't say "less expensive than DCL," you said "cheap." That's the word you chose.

I said there are ways to do Europe "on the cheap" it's a figure of speech meaning finding a way to something expensive for less money. It doesn't have to be a high end vacation. There are ways to do WDW "on the cheap" too. I wouldn't consider either vacation to be "cheap".

Girls! Girls! You're both pretty!

 

[lugnut33]

OK, just for the fun of it I checked what it would cost to stay 23 nights at All-Star Movies in July (same dates we are going to Spain). They only offered a preferred room and it was $5344.80 ($232.38 per night) with tax. Our flights and 23 nights in Spain will not cost more than $5000.00 (Our flights are $1100 each round trip, so that leaves $143 per night for lodging and that is way over-estimated). Food and drink will be significantly cheaper in Spain. And yes, I'm sure I could find lodging outside WDW for under $143 also.

 

[gmi3804]

OK, just for the fun of it I checked what it would cost to stay 23 nights at All-Star Movies in July (same dates we are going to Spain). They only offered a preferred room and it was $5344.80 ($232.38 per night) with tax. Our flights and 23 nights in Spain will not cost more than $5000.00 (Our flights are $1100 each round trip, so that leaves $143 per night for lodging and that is way over-estimated). Food and drink will be significantly cheaper in Spain. And yes, I'm sure I could find lodging outside WDW for under $143 also.

But it's so DIRTY over there!

 

[Moliphino]

OK, just for the fun of it I checked what it would cost to stay 23 nights at All-Star Movies in July (same dates we are going to Spain). They only offered a preferred room and it was $5344.80 ($232.38 per night) with tax. Our flights and 23 nights in Spain will not cost more than $5000.00 (Our flights are $1100 each round trip, so that leaves $143 per night for lodging and that is way over-estimated). Food and drink will be significantly cheaper in Spain. And yes, I'm sure I could find lodging outside WDW for under $143 also.

Can I come?

Granada, especially, is CHEAP. We had an upgraded room in a nice hotel for about $100/night (across 4 cities we averaged $140/night, Granada was the cheapest). I felt like I was robbing restaurants with their free tapas (buy a drink for €2-5 and get a free snack - so we'd buy a few drinks and have a free dinner).

 

[Brian Noble]

Expensive flights are not just to the EU at the moment. Our son is at UCLA, and has a week off between Winter and Spring quarter in late March, and we are going to spend the week together somewhere along the southern CA coast with a side trip to Disneyland. Flights to LAX from DTW that week are...well, they are a lot. If I'm willing to fly at crappy times it's only $800, but otherwise, it's $1K pp and up.

That must be a spring break holiday week around here, because MCO flights that week are high too.

Also, if you are looking for something fun and affordable: My daughter spent a good chunk of the summer excavating for fossils in the Cradle of Humankind in South Africa. After her portion of the dig was done, she went on a two-day safari. It was only a little more per day than a ticket to Animal Kingdom, and it included two nights of lodging and all meals (which were reportedly pretty good). She said that breakfast at her "glamping" tent was a lot like the boma at Savor the Savannah, except the landscape was...well...bigger. She also saw a pride of lions eating a freshly killed zebra. Sort of like that scene in the Jungle Cruise, but real.

Granted, you have to get there, and that's probably not cheap and it's certainly not fun. I think it took her more than a full day to get back home, including an overnight in Atlanta, but still.

 

[Jrb1979]

Maybe it's just me but I'm amazed at all this Europe talk for vacations. Maybe my family is unique but we don't have much interest in Europe or cruises for vacation. Do any of you do low end vacations? Meaning places like Myrtle Beach or other amusement Parks?

 

[floridavet]

Interesting question and discussion. I've traveled a ton, and I love a bargain. $19 each way airfare feels like a huge Vegas win to me

With that in mind, there have been many discussions about the key to the "new" Disney reality is lower expectations. In many ways, that's what I liked about being an Annual Passholder (we were for several years; not anymore at Disney - now AP holders at Cedar Point and Universal). With an Annual Pass, you don't have such a FOMO; you know you can come back; you have another day/trip; there will always be a "next time" - and you can accept that. With $200/day tickets plus add-ons, the pressure builds proportionately to experience everything, fit everything in, and "get your money's worth". IMO, that leads to a dramatic decrease in guest satisfaction and the dramatic increases we've seen in poor guess behavior and stress. There's definitely a link there. Add in the extra costs for airport transfers, higher resort costs, increased meal/food costs, Lightning Lane/Genie +, and the stress and pressure build.

Even though we don't have Annual Passes anymore, we still miss the Disney of our memories. We have four trips to Universal booked for 2023, and are looking forward to those and the slower pace and resort amenities. I have very few expectations, simply since I don't know anything much about Universal, and am assuming that we can fully experience the resorts well in the time we have with repeat trips, onsite stays (early hour entry), Passholder Perks, and FREE Express Passes (two trips at their resorts where those passes are included; booked at very nice AP rates).

Do we miss Disney? Absolutely. We have a few tickets we'd purchased that we may use in 2023; but we will do one day trips, likely at Epcot for a festival during a down time weekday when we find $19 airfare ; we still haven't ridden Guardians, so that would be our short list goal. We also took a 48 hour trip this past August when we found great airfare and a nice, last minute low resort rate, and just enjoyed Disney Springs, the boat ride, our resort (Port Orleans Riverside), and the Boardwalk area. It was just enough, with no expectations or theme park crowds.

So to answer - is it worth it? IMO - for many, no. For a once in a lifetime, I want my kids to see Mickey while they believe he is "real" - maybe, but do your best to manage expectations. There are ways to still enjoy the experience on a budget. For those of us with lots of experiences to compare - maybe waiting a bit and seeing how the next year or two settle out would be wise. I work really hard (as many/most do), and I don't like feeling taken advantage of - and that's how Disney has made me feel with the recent "charge more for less" strategy. Until I don't feel that way, I can find other ways to spend my travel budget.

You hit the nail on the head in a lot of ways. I like to think I got to enjoy Disney during the golden age. We still go, but we don't go every year, and we really temper our expectations.
In the early 2000s my wife and I would drive down to Disney from Gainesville (college days) on a whim and spend the day. If we went on two rides and had a good meal it was a good trip because we were Annual Passholders and could just come back. At that age, most my friends were Universal fans because of the focus on thrill rides. I'd argue that I hated the way Universal nickel and dimed you for everything. That Disney may be expensive, but there were so many things already included in the price (parking at resorts, shuttle from the airport, fast passes, and the general magic). Most of that is gone and we still enjoy ourselves but now mostly because its great to see our kids smile.

 

[Brian Noble]

Do any of you do low end vacations? Meaning places like Myrtle Beach or other amusement Parks?

Depends on what you mean by "low end", but I've visited Cedar Point more times than I can count; it's my "home park." I've done Smoky Mountain/Dollywood more than a few times, and the Wisconsin Dells once. We did a week in Williamsburg with Busch Gardens and Kings Dominion, and I've even done a long weekend with my daughter when she was young at Carowinds. We also have done Alexandria, VA/Washington DC, and that's a very affordable vacation, because the museums and most of the other major sights are all free.

I've yet to do Myrtle, but have been to Hilton Head once (a little more upscale) and OBX many times (maybe, maybe not).

In addition to Great Smoky, we have also hiked national parks in Zion, Rocky Mountain, Arches, Grand Canyon, and Volcanoes. Okay, that last one isn't cheap, because you have to fly to Hawaii to get there. But otherwise, those are all pretty affordable trips.

 

[DCLMP]

Expensive flights are not just to the EU at the moment. Our son is at UCLA, and has a week off between Winter and Spring quarter in late March, and we are going to spend the week together somewhere along the southern CA coast with a side trip to Disneyland. Flights to LAX from DTW that week are...well, they are a lot. If I'm willing to fly at crappy times it's only $800, but otherwise, it's $1K pp and up.

That must be a spring break holiday week around here, because MCO flights that week are high too.

Also, if you are looking for something fun and affordable: My daughter spent a good chunk of the summer excavating for fossils in the Cradle of Humankind in South Africa. After her portion of the dig was done, she went on a two-day safari. It was only a little more per day than a ticket to Animal Kingdom, and it included two nights of lodging and all meals (which were reportedly pretty good). She said that breakfast at her "glamping" tent was a lot like the boma at Savor the Savannah, except the landscape was...well...bigger. She also saw a pride of lions eating a freshly killed zebra. Sort of like that scene in the Jungle Cruise, but real.

Granted, you have to get there, and that's probably not cheap and it's certainly not fun. I think it took her more than a full day to get back home, including an overnight in Atlanta, but still.

The foreign carriers like Lufthansa, air Canada, Iceland air have better prices to Europe. Domestic flights there’s not as much competition. 1k for a domestic flight yikes. Im finding flights to Rome and Munich for 1100.

 

[DCLMP]

Maybe it's just me but I'm amazed at all this Europe talk for vacations. Maybe my family is unique but we don't have much interest in Europe or cruises for vacation. Do any of you do low end vacations? Meaning places like Myrtle Beach or other amusement Parks?

We find cruises to be the best bang for your buck especially now with food included. We are not beach people. I don‘think you are unique you are probably more the norm.

 

[Jrb1979]

We find cruises to be the best bang for your buck especially now with food included. We are not beach people. I don‘think you are unique you are probably more the norm.

We aren't beach people either. Our best vacations have been to different cities we have never visited and explore them. When we do Disney we rarely stay on property cause we do more then just Disney. Last time we were in Orlando we stayed on international drive and did exploring with SeaWorld and Busch Gardens added in.

 

[Brian Noble]

The foreign carriers like Lufthansa, air Canada, Iceland air have better prices to Europe.

It's even better if you can start there. I know several folks who've driven from here to Toronto (about 4.5 hours from here) to save real money on an international long-haul round trip on AC. I've been tempted to do it a time or two myself.

 

[aggiedog]

Here is my opinion. Go to Disney and don't worry about the money. You'll have a great time with your family. If you don't want to do all the upfront work then I highly suggest you work with a travel agent, like the ones at Dream Unlimited (I'm not getting paid for that, I've used them through the years and they've been great). You won't pay any more using a travel agent.

The travel agent won't be getting up at 6:45am to pre-pay for Genie+ then hitting refresh at 7:00 to try to get a decent time to ride. And then checking throughout the day for the next ride/experience availability. Or trying for the ILL you really want for ROTR, etc. Or arranging for me to nap somehow because I didn't get to do my usual park style, which was hit it early but do enough to leave the park in the after noon for some relaxation before coming back after dark for dinner.

Those were my biggest beefs. That my vacay was requiring early morning and continual management to provide the type of day I wanted to have, while keeping at the park all day in order to do those things. (though it does gall me that I have to PAY to do these things on top of what you pay just to be there.)

We actually had a travel agent/Disney consultant for this last trip, as her services came as a gift with the condo we we had. She did snag some dining reservations for us, but other than that, there wasn't anything she did that I couldn't have easily done, and there were several things she could not do (make the daily reservations, G+, etc.)

 

[Figvention]

I never mentioned families in my post. Not everyone on here is a family of four. My family of four can do a European cruise(not on DCL) plus flights for less than the cost of DCL cruise out of PC. That's how out of whack Disney pricing is.

Agreed! Rhine river cruise with airfare cheaper than 10 days at WDW

 

[Figvention]

Maybe it's just me but I'm amazed at all this Europe talk for vacations. Maybe my family is unique but we don't have much interest in Europe or cruises for vacation. Do any of you do low end vacations? Meaning places like Myrtle Beach or other amusement Parks?

Tavel is important to us. We drive cars until they fall apart, pack our lunches, and rarely eat out. You would be surprised how much it adds up! I take two weeks in Seville over Chinese take out.

Myrtle Beach is “ok” for families, can get busy and really adult. Charleston Sc and then drive to Savanna for a foodie road trip paradise. Great cities and stops in between.

 

[kathy884]

Maybe it's just me but I'm amazed at all this Europe talk for vacations. Maybe my family is unique but we don't have much interest in Europe or cruises for vacation. Do any of you do low end vacations? Meaning places like Myrtle Beach or other amusement Parks?

I'm not sure where you live. We have enjoyed Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH. It's on Lake Erie, so we have often done four nights with two park days and one beach day or waterpark day. If you are interested in the SeaWorld family of parks there are some great combo deals on Discovery Cove, SeaWorld, Aquatica, and Busch Gardens. In Orlando we always stay offsite, usually renting a timeshare condo from an owner -- good deals is you do a full week rental on TUG2.net classified ads section and Redweek.com (There you need to join for $15 if you want to rent something, but you can look as a guest.)

In our younger days we did a lot of camping trips and a favorite place because it's closer to us than lots of Western Parks if we drive and there are good airfares to Denver (three different airlines fly direct) from where we live was Rocky Mountain National Park (about two hours from Denver). With a cabin or condo rental, though, cost becomes quite similar to an offsite Orlando theme park vacation. You spend less on activities in Colorado than you do in Orlando, but you spend more of lodging if not camping (Orlando just has lots of great lodging deals if you stay offsite.)

We sometimes do a Monday thru Friday vacation (feels like a whole week and you have weekends to recover at home), but it's way less expensive to just go somewhere for four nights and only pay for three full days of activities and food. Lots of places too are perfect for a shorter stay.

 

[gmi3804]

All this talk of Europe, when we were told to put it back on track! This thread needs to be “cleaned up” again!