When does the cost of Disney stop it being magical

Even with the budget shopping options Disney has, I'm about to reach my limit for the US parks. Asia and Paris are more affordable. Also what you get in return, in 2012 during my first WDW visit in September almost everything was a walk on, during my second visit in 2015 with proper use of rope drop and FP etc. we encountered more lines. I'd like to go back to see Avatar and other new things, but whenever I try to price a vacation it's more than it's worth to me. I have seen all 6 Disney parks over the world, and would love to complete my bucket list to continue with the 4 cruise ships, but those are even more a wallet-smasher.
 
I totally agree with this. Everybody is different, but after a 9.5 hour flight, and feeling tired and groggy, walking into a motel 6 would be completely soul destroying for me.

I couldn’t have said it better myself! :) If I could only afford to stay in a motel one year, I’d wait until the year after so I could afford a nicer place to stay.

Um actually I fly 10 hours from Europe , pay around €800 for flights AND stay in Motel 6 in Anaheim. Actually BEING in Disneyland is whats important, I can spend €300 a night for a luxury hotel right here in my home city BUT I need to fly halfway across the the world the experience Disneyland California!

Like Amelia says, we’re all different. Personally, the Disneyland hotel is as important to me as the parks. We are at the point now that we’ve been to the parks so many times that we spend a lot of time at the hotel as well. There are lots of people who won’t mind and would rather save the money and stay elsewhere but I would rather save for longer and not compromise on hotel quality. :)
 
Even with the budget shopping options Disney has, I'm about to reach my limit for the US parks. Asia and Paris are more affordable. Also what you get in return, in 2012 during my first WDW visit in September almost everything was a walk on, during my second visit in 2015 with proper use of rope drop and FP etc. we encountered more lines. I'd like to go back to see Avatar and other new things, but whenever I try to price a vacation it's more than it's worth to me. I have seen all 6 Disney parks over the world, and would love to complete my bucket list to continue with the 4 cruise ships, but those are even more a wallet-smasher.
I can’t remember how busy my first trip was in 2011 but I do remember paying just over £400 to upgrade my family of five to the deluxe dining plan for a week that year. I seem to recall two years later in 2013 it was around £1200 for 12 nights. I haven’t priced up an upgrade cost for current prices but I’m sure they’ll be even more. Similarly, in 2011 we got a week at Saratoga Springs for £1500 for a two bedroom villa, and park tickets for £1000 for all of us. If there were those prices today I’d jump at it!
 
I typically don't even go if there isn't something new to see. I try to go every 1-2 years to check out the new stuff/improvements. I won't go again until the chaos of Star Wars land dies down (if that day ever comes lol). I don't know if I'll ever be able to completely cut disney world/land out of my life, just because it's such a love of mine. It's not ever smart to do something you can't afford, though.
 


Its beginning to get like that now for us.

Just priced up 2020 and the Disney tickets alone are £2k for a family of 4. Coupled with Seaworld and Universal and thats £4k before the holiday.

The last time we did it in 2017 we spent £7.5k including spend. It could be way more than that just getting there this time around.
 
For me and my DGF. It’s now. The price of a 2 weeks stay is a significant sum of money. Would rather get a new bathroom in our house! We will return one day just not sure when.
 


Just started looking for 2020, as a 50th birthday present for myself, and I was gobsmacked how much the ticket prices have gone up since we last went in 2013. The tickets for WDW, Universal and SeaWorld work out more than the cost of the flights, which is extraordinary. I definitely won't be staying on site at Disney or Universal now as a consequence, as we just won't be able to afford it. Although we probably wouldn't have done anyway - we didn't think the extra costs of staying at the Poly and Hard Rock Hotel last time was worth it, and enjoyed ourselves just as much staying off-site before. We also missed breakfast at Dennys!
 
Just started looking for 2020, as a 50th birthday present for myself, and I was gobsmacked how much the ticket prices have gone up since we last went in 2013. The tickets for WDW, Universal and SeaWorld work out more than the cost of the flights, which is extraordinary. I definitely won't be staying on site at Disney or Universal now as a consequence, as we just won't be able to afford it. Although we probably wouldn't have done anyway - we didn't think the extra costs of staying at the Poly and Hard Rock Hotel last time was worth it, and enjoyed ourselves just as much staying off-site before. We also missed breakfast at Dennys!
I priced up tickets ( universal and Disney ) for 3 adults ( one being only 10! ) and 1 child nearly £3000!! It's ridiculous. We haven't got a trip booked thankfully but will do in the future. I actually feel sad the fact my families "happy place" is getting harder and harder to visit.
 
I priced up tickets ( universal and Disney ) for 3 adults ( one being only 10! ) and 1 child nearly £3000!! It's ridiculous. We haven't got a trip booked thankfully but will do in the future. I actually feel sad the fact my families "happy place" is getting harder and harder to visit.

We are doing 14 nights at animal kingdom and 3 nights on the Disney dream this November and it’s costing £7200 pounds

It’s our hooneymoon but save to say we won’t be able to afford these prices again any time soon. Just two of us going
 
One of the main reasons I work is so that we can go to WDW but do it in the way that we want. We like to stay in the deluxe hotels and fly in UC and certainly the prices have increased over the years. Each trip I try to find ways of keeping the costs down and I've become really savvy in doing this. My VA credit card has saved thousands on flights and I've yet to pay full price for any UC flight. When miles flights aren't available we'll fly indirect via Atlanta or even use Dublin as a starting point which frequently means that we get the UC flights for near on the price of economy.

We're also DVC members which means we get reduced APs which then means we can take advantage of greatly reduced room rates - often at 30%. We also buy the Tables in Wonderland card which gives us 20% off food and drink across most of the restaurants in WDW. We also get 10% off merchandise.

Had I not done any of the above I feel sure that paying regular prices I would have definitely thought twice about constantly returning to WDW.
 
Going to Disney is a privilege not a human right. If you think it too expensive then don't go. There are people who can't even afford a weekend away. My first holiday in my entire life was aged 25 and my honeymoon to Paris (before DLRP opened) I was incredibly lucky that later that year, 1989, my husband's ship (he was in the Royal Navy) was docked at Fort Lauderdale and families were flown over cheaply for Christmas, I was the first person I knew to go to Orlando. 30 years on, and widowed with no responsibilities, I go regularly as it is my happy place, but I consider myself lucky I can afford it and I appreciate every trip. If I couldn't afford it I wouldn't go it's that simple.
 
Took me 35 years to go the first time, then we needed four years to save for our second trip. When exchange rates hit the $2 to the £1 mark we managed 5 trips in under 4 years. It is now 3 years since we could afford to go but.....
I don’t have anything in life I can’t afford, there are lots of things I would like but can’t pay for not just Disney!
If I had the money I’d go everybody year but every time I visit I’m aware that this might be the last time.
As an aside when I priced up a nice hotel in Italy 3 star, moderate equivalent, for the three of us it was £2000 cheaper for two weeks BUT there was only breakfast as opposed to qsdp, no drinks, no entertainment. I reckon based on last year in Italy that is a cost of approximately £1400 plus day trips. Suddenly it doesn’t seem so expensive at WDW.
Maybe I won’t get a holiday next year but that’s my choice.
I LOVE WDW
and I can’t afford a new car, five bedroom house, designer handbags etc but welcome to the real world!
 
I'm having WDW withdrawals right now. I've been binge-watching youtube videos just to get somewhat of a fix, but of course the videos never do the real thing any justice. I'd love to go this year but of course the cost is something that has to be factored in with prices being so high. Unfortunately I won't be going back for a while due to other responsibilities that have to take a front seat in my life, which makes me sad because as I'm sure any Dis-er would agree, we wish we could go at the drop of a hat. But sadly more planning and more money is needed lol! I don't know if price affects the magic for me personally. Disney has always been expensive. I've never heard of Disney being considered "affordable". Of course with time, prices have increased, but the prices of everything in life continue to rise.
 
I'm having WDW withdrawals right now. I've been binge-watching youtube videos just to get somewhat of a fix, but of course the videos never do the real thing any justice. I'd love to go this year but of course the cost is something that has to be factored in with prices being so high. Unfortunately I won't be going back for a while due to other responsibilities that have to take a front seat in my life, which makes me sad because as I'm sure any Dis-er would agree, we wish we could go at the drop of a hat. But sadly more planning and more money is needed lol! I don't know if price affects the magic for me personally. Disney has always been expensive. I've never heard of Disney being considered "affordable". Of course with time, prices have increased, but the prices of everything in life continue to rise.
Same for us - we normally plan a trip every two years but this time we have extended the wait by 6 months to give us a little more saving time. Saying that the amount of Magic in WDW is always a price worth paying - can't get that Magic anywhere else!
 
We usually do every 2 years but we have extended it to 3. Next trip is 2021 :) Already dreaming of it and trying not to think about cost :cloud9:
 
I'm headed back in September 2019 and I can't believe the price difference from when I fist visited in 2013 :sad2:

In 2013 I got SSR studio villa for 8 nights with tickets, free dining and $100 gift card for around £1600? In 2014 I went with a friend who booked on US site and got ASMu with free QS dining for a week with tickets for £1100 for the both of us!

In 2018 I booked for 2019 for 8 nights POFQ with QS, $200 gift card and tickets for 2 adults for £2300! I've still got to book my flights so I think it'll be around £3100 for this trip.

It is expensive but since my last WDW I've been lucky enough to do Paris (which was nearly £1000 for 4 nights anyway!), Japan Disneyland/Disney Sea and California Disneyland since last going to WDW over the years and none of them compare to WDW so I am happy to pay the price this time in order to go back, yes it would have been cheaper at an All Stars or go elsewhere, but not by much when you weigh up the QS dining plan thrown in, this will probably be our last trip to WDW for a long time so I know I'll have to skimp and save for it this year given the £ v $ rate but I think most people sacrifice a lot in order to go and accept that's part and parcel of it!

I found Cali and Japan just as expensive as WDW but in other ways - you aren't going to fly all the way to Japan for a week (12 hour flight from the UK) and you are certainly not going to find a weeks worth of stuff in Japan to keep you entertained - so you're factoring in money for other adventures, we did 10 nights in japan but only 2 of those around Tokyo Disneyland/DisneySea, a full day in each was plenty. There is no where near as much to do as there is at the world, and Disneyland California was the same, 3 days and we'd done the lot - whilst it was incredible we tied it in with a 3 week tour of California from San Deigo upto San Fran which in itself was the most expensive holiday I've ever done!

Granted we don't take any children, having none of them, so I can completely understand the implications of cost taking a family and probably why my parents never took me and I had to wait until I was old enough to pay for it myself but I think that meant I appreciated it more anyway! If you're going to go, you can do it practically, staying off site is always cheaper, booking flights with points or taking 1/2 stop flights instead of direct.

Its never ever going to be as cheap as a week in Benidorm, but you aren't even going to find the magic like WDW anywhere else!
 
We come over quite regularly, but are noticing how much more expensive it is now (not helped by a weaker pound over the last few years).

Case in point was we went for lunch at a decent restaurant in Disney Spings yesterday (Homecomin'). The three of us had the fried chicken, a moonshine (each), but just one of us had a pudding.

Total price including 18% tip was $171. IMHO that is pretty expensive for a relatively simple lunch...
 

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