Author Topic: Family of 4 spends 10% of their gross annual income on a trip to Disney World  (Read 17235 times)

jtwriter

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And plan to do so again:
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the experience was beyond worth it, and one we'll definitely save for again.

On the other hand, the kids will almost certainly have the Mustachian experience of paying their own college tuition. /s

https://www.romper.com/p/how-much-a-disney-world-trip-really-costs-for-a-family-of-four-8629240

VaCPA

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Wife and I have begun discussing our future Disney trip, still 2-3 years away. We're a family of 5. It physically pains me to think about what it will cost. That was a fun read seeing it broken out in great detail.

sokoloff

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We saved by packing breakfast and snacks because $6 for a soft pretzel every time one of the kids got hungry was not in the budget.

I mean, sure, good move there, but...

jinga nation

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the day will come in a couple of years when my kids realize Disney Springs is not Disney World and they want to visit the real thing.

as a Mustachian, the cost is not an issue. It's not the loss of productivity or the waiting in endless queues after shelling out hundreds of dollars. It's the thought of how miserable we will all be. That the optimism of my kids will turn into frustration and tiredness and being bored, which will then annoy their already exhausted-from-boredom parents who'll be thinking "we should have just gone to Wekiva springs and had more fun in nature".

we live only 90-100 minutes from DinkyWorld and have no desire to enter that Sneaky Smiling Rat's swamp.

But that day will come, we will soldier through it, and we'll live. It's a one-time deal we'll be offering our kids, who have been understanding so far.
« Last Edit: April 06, 2018, 03:27:28 PM by jinga nation »

MilesTeg

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Upper middle class family of four does upper middle class vacation.

THE HORROR!!!!!

MountainFlower

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Good lord, that is crazy.  We just got back from Disneyland in CA and spent maybe half that for a family of 4 for the same length of time.

Why did they need a 7-day park hopper pass?  The park hopper part lets you go to multiple parks in a day.  Does anyone actually do that?  That costs a few hundred bucks for that option.   I can't imagine going to Disney for 7 days in a row.  We only went two days, so our tickets for 4 were just under $800.  We spent the other 4 days exploring beaches. 

We stayed a Staybridge Suites and had a full kitchen for $1300 while they spent $3165.     Oh, right, she needed to avoid the "he's kicking me" night drama.   The bus to disney picked up right in front of our hotel. 

Taking a family of 4 to Disney is expensive.  But come on, you can do it for a lot less if you're willing to take a bus or two. 

My one regret is that we didn't get my daughter mouse ears.  She wanted them, but I just couldn't spend $25 on them.  She was good about it, but I realized at the end of the trip, that she would have really liked them.  Oh well. 




jtwriter

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My annual household budget (not income) is 30k and my travel budget is 4-5k. That's more than 10%. I don't see the problem.

10% of budget != 10% of gross income. I assume if your budget is 30k, your gross income is more than 40-50k, so your travel budget is less than 10% of your income.

EDIT: Beyond the absolute cost, or even cost relative to income, I posted this here because I thought the general consensus was that WDW is inherently anti-mustahcian (indeed it is according to MMM himself, I'd have to search for the blog post that speaks to this.) There are just so many more interesting/fulfilling things you could do/places you could travel for nearly $9,000(!!).
« Last Edit: April 06, 2018, 03:59:53 PM by jtwriter »

crispy

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I am a huge Disney World fan and have been at least 20 times (it used to be a lot cheaper!). Disney will never be a cheap vacation, but I could have gotten that down to half what they spent without really even trying too hard. I think the most we have ever spent was around 3.5k and that was a splurge.

Cgbg

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The only reason I set foot in Disney World is that it was darn near free. My brother gave us multi day park passes for Christmas. DH was going to a conference there the following January. My brother also bought us the plane tickets (which cost him little as he gets tons of miles as a pilot.) We paid a small portion of a hotel suite, since our two kids were with us.

We bought food and that was it. Well, and a few Disney trinkets of course.

charis

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You can stay on site for 1/2 of the cost by renting DVC points, save 1/3 for apartment size room off-site but super close (As in closer than some of the Disney resorts). And you can travel hack. There are no excuses for any of this. 7 day park hopper tickets are completely unnecessary - this is a product of Disney marketing genius and rationalization.

TheWifeHalf

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We are lucky, live about an hour away from Cedar Point. Our kids never showed any interest in DW

Cali

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I’m always amused by posts like this. Their thing is Disney, have at it. They could have done it much cheaper and didn’t. I love Disney but would have been bored out of my mind long before the 7 day mark. I don’t pay their bills so I definitely don’t care.

PoutineLover

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What is weird about their mindset it is that they thought it was worthwhile to pack granola bars, but they literally spent over two thousand dollars more on accommodations for a slightly bigger bed and the privilege of not waiting in line for the shuttle. They also spent the same amount on food as what I spent total for three weeks in Mexico... Just can't wrap my head around it.

obstinate

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The ad in the article is classic.

Tass

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Seeing the total cost of a week in Disney gives me the same sense of shock that comes with opening my phone to an unexpected dick-pic.

I have to give her credit for so vivdly describing the experience of seeing her total price tag.

cawiau

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Upper middle class family of four does upper middle class vacation.

THE HORROR!!!!!

When did ~85k/year in CT become upper middle class?


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onecoolcat

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As a Floridian, I'm really happy that when my little one is old enough for Disney I can do it for just the price of the tickets. 

BDWW

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It immediately set off warning bells when she included the name brand of her duffle bag a couple short paragraphs in.

mm1970

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I don't feel so bad about the one time we went to Disneyland.  2 nights in a 2BR, 2BA condo, 2 days in the park for 5 (one was free though) = $1200.

I don't feel the need to repeat it, but as kid #2 doesn't remember it...might eventually.  For his 8th birthday, like we did with big bro.  But I think we might be able to swing only 1 night at a hotel, that will make it cheaper.

Gone Fishing

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Not what I would do, but could certainly within the realm of fiscal responsibility if the rest of the budget shakes out (but I doubt it based on the terms used in the article).

That $2k spent on food for the week would feed my family of 4 for over 6 months.

I know several people with financial difficulties who still made trips to Disney:

My still working 65 year old extended family member says it too hard to save for retirement despite numerous trips to Disney over the years for his family of 5, and later on, his grandkids.

A high health risk fellow I know is paying the health insurance penalty because he can't "afford" health insurance, but managed a family trip to Disney last year.

A friend took the family to Disney right before his wife decided she didn't want to work anymore and quit.  Now he is struggling to make ends meet. 

« Last Edit: April 08, 2018, 07:18:31 PM by Gone Fishing »

OtherJen

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I...wow. My husband and I spent two weeks traveling through Japan for less than that, and our total included airfare and 14-day Japan Rail passes. Now I know why my parents never took me to Disney World.

Gronnie

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Upper middle class family of four does upper middle class vacation.

THE HORROR!!!!!

Why are you even here?

Inaya

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Spending aside (everyone else has covered it sufficiently, I think), my favorite part was that one of the little boys wanted to be Elsa, and mom was cool with it. ($15 face paint notwithstanding.)

imolina

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In Colombia salaries are low if you exchange the peso to US dollars, and I am always surprised to see how many families travel to Disney. I know many pay the trip on credit or it is their once-in-a-life-time trip. We live in Dubai with high salaries and can easily afford it but and I find it so expensive that we still have not taken the children, I am too mustachian to do it.  In our location with lower budget we can go to Asia,Europe or Africa for a vacation. I visited Disney when I was younger and really liked it, but for the cost I would prefer a more exotic location for lower price.

MayDay

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We went last year and stayed onsite,in a moderate (so cheaper than their hotel).

OMG. So much money.so exhausting. But the kids did love it.

The key for uswas waiting until they were 7 and 9. Old enough to ride all the rides and remember it. As we told them,we will only ever go once. Plus my parents paid for the kids' park tickets.

We found the on site hotel worth it for us because it was quick. We brought food for breakfast, snacks, and lunch. Our restaurant bill was about 500 for the week.

It was not a fun trip for the adults but our kids did love it. They both wrote essays at school about Disney being the best thing ever. We will probably take them to cedar point for aday in a year or two (near family so pretty cheap for us) and I assume they'll like it more.

I can understand this family spending that much once, but it blows my mind to do it repeatedly. But my coworker does- they just went with two kids ages 1 and 3. The kids were intermittently sick the whole week and wanted to go home halfway through. Magical!

BayAreaFrugal

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I recently saw a friend post on facebook asking if some thing that tells you whether you should get another thing that gets you into a priority line for a ride that's over in 2 minutes is worth the price for her upcoming trip to Disneyland. I'm sure I'm not explaining that well enough for anyone to know what I'm talking about, but that's all I could gather from her post and all of the responses telling her that it's totally worth it.

partgypsy

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Wow. I also agree, they could have done it for half that amount. Some of the things we did (we went twice) we drove down, and got to visit places like Charleston and Savanna going there or back. That became part of the trip.  Gas and motels were still less than plane tickets for 4. We DID stay on-site (first a moderate, then a budget) and use a meal plan. But for us we liked that we didn't need to leave the park, and we took advantage of the meal plans to have a lot of character or theme meals that were part of the experience, and also down time at the park. No park hopper, and got theme park tickets 1 day less than time staying so day was spent at the resort swimming/relaxing/doing free things in area. My kids were cool about not wanting a lot of souveneir stuff, though they both did want autograph books so we did do that for them, and after the trip put the photos we took of them with the characters in their books next to the signatures. We did do the Dole whip too : )
Both times, I didn't find really long waits, and in fact at least once got into interesting conversations with people next to us in line. In Animal kingdom we were next to a British family, so my oldest was asking their kids about how their schooling was different from American schooling as well as other things. My oldest also liked talking to park employees especially at Epcot, where they are often from the country they are representing.  The longest wait by far, was waiting for Merida's signature. She was a new character, and the line was incredibly long. I was ready to bail, but my kids wanted the signature and were willing to wait. But if it was up to me I would have walked.
 
The thing is, these type of trips are kind of once in a lifetime experiences, or in my case twice in a lifetime. Even if I asked my kids, they would want to do something different if we were spending that kind of money (which we are not at this time).


partgypsy

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I recently saw a friend post on facebook asking if some thing that tells you whether you should get another thing that gets you into a priority line for a ride that's over in 2 minutes is worth the price for her upcoming trip to Disneyland. I'm sure I'm not explaining that well enough for anyone to know what I'm talking about, but that's all I could gather from her post and all of the responses telling her that it's totally worth it.

Getting priority passes should not cost extra. There are kiosks where you can get tickets to come back at a certain time to ride some of the popular rides, this is available to everyone with no cost.

Carrie

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Never been, not planning to... but just the planning that must go into this kind of trip sounds so stressful. Lines, people, expensive food, exhaustion.
I'm too cheap and get sensory overload so this whole thing sounds like a nightmare.
Give me a cabin vrbo in the mountains any day over this.

zhelud

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I don't understand why people go to Disney World at all.  There are so many other great amusement parks around the country that won't kill your budget. And Orlando isn't even near the beach.  Why go to Florida if you aren't going to the beach? 
I have 2 teens and they have never even asked to go to Disney, even when they were little.  This isn't a "my kids are so unspoiled" brag- they have just always assumed that Disney is lame compared to the other amusement parks they have visited. 

charis

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I don't understand why people go to Disney World at all.  There are so many other great amusement parks around the country that won't kill your budget. And Orlando isn't even near the beach.  Why go to Florida if you aren't going to the beach? 
I have 2 teens and they have never even asked to go to Disney, even when they were little.  This isn't a "my kids are so unspoiled" brag- they have just always assumed that Disney is lame compared to the other amusement parks they have visited.

Although I would never pay much to go there, WDW is, money aside, a pretty fun park for little kids.  As for the beach, we can get a direct flight to Orlando, but not direct flight to anywhere with a beach in Florida (from my city).  We have enjoyed going to other amusement parks, but I get motion sickness on big rides and my youngest is either still too small or uninterested to get much out of them.  So we appreciate the entertainment side of Disney apart from the rides.

If we go back to Disney World at some point, it will be just for a day most likely.  I have to laugh about people who feel compelled to buy week long tickets because the day rate is cheaper.  It's cute and effective marketing.

Khaetra

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I recently saw a friend post on facebook asking if some thing that tells you whether you should get another thing that gets you into a priority line for a ride that's over in 2 minutes is worth the price for her upcoming trip to Disneyland. I'm sure I'm not explaining that well enough for anyone to know what I'm talking about, but that's all I could gather from her post and all of the responses telling her that it's totally worth it.

That's Universal.  They charge extra for priority queuing.

patchyfacialhair

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Disney World is my family's unmustachian vice (not my favorite thing). We drive old cars and don't eat out much, but dear god, we're there every year. I've been twice since September 2017.

That said: these people are insane. A deluxe disney hotel? We pay cash to get a 1br apartment/suite somewhere for usually $100/night all in. So, $700 for a week. Food? Grocery for breakfast and snack foods and frozen or dinners. Therefore, we're only paying for one quick service per day in the parks, and my wife and I usually share a plate. So not too expensive at around $15 a meal. Flights? Yeah this depends, but we try to hack our way to decent fares. For my family of 3, we average $8-900 if we pay out of pocket to Orlando though.

Souvenirs? Kids clothes? We buy at Walmart at home for normal civilian prices, and laugh when we see the same shirts and toys for 5x as much in the parks.

We can usually get done with a trip for about $3k, and we make 2x what this family does. My wife had a work trip where we stayed at one of their deluxe hotels, and it was our worst Disney trip, despite having a lot of it covered by her company. No full kitchen, and being captive to very high Disney prices for EVERYTHING was far more exhausting than the perceived inconvenience of staying on site and eating smart.

FINate

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Why did they need a 7-day park hopper pass?  The park hopper part lets you go to multiple parks in a day.  Does anyone actually do that?  That costs a few hundred bucks for that option.   I can't imagine going to Disney for 7 days in a row.  We only went two days, so our tickets for 4 were just under $800.  We spent the other 4 days exploring beaches. 

Gah! Nearly spit my coffee out. That's not a typo? Just to get into the park?

I already dislike Disney, think their movies are mostly crap... even less interested now. We spent about $1000 doing a THREE WEEK road trip last summer (not counting food since we made food at camp just as we would at home). We could "afford" Disneyland just fine, just seems excessive in comparison. We'll probably take the kids once when they are a couple years older, limit it to 1 or 2 days max. Would rather go to the beach and see other things in SoCal.

partgypsy

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Why did they need a 7-day park hopper pass?  The park hopper part lets you go to multiple parks in a day.  Does anyone actually do that?  That costs a few hundred bucks for that option.   I can't imagine going to Disney for 7 days in a row.  We only went two days, so our tickets for 4 were just under $800.  We spent the other 4 days exploring beaches. 

Gah! Nearly spit my coffee out. That's not a typo? Just to get into the park?

I already dislike Disney, think their movies are mostly crap... even less interested now. We spent about $1000 doing a THREE WEEK road trip last summer (not counting food since we made food at camp just as we would at home). We could "afford" Disneyland just fine, just seems excessive in comparison. We'll probably take the kids once when they are a couple years older, limit it to 1 or 2 days max. Would rather go to the beach and see other things in SoCal.

Disneyland is different than Disneyworld. Disneyland is one park. You can do it in one day. Disneyworld has 4 theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, plus now they have mini park "Pandora"). You need a day to go through one of them. Don't feel bad. I didn't know the difference until I actually started planning the vacation. Before then I assumed Disneyworld was like a six Flags or something.
« Last Edit: April 09, 2018, 10:55:39 AM by partgypsy »

FINate

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Why did they need a 7-day park hopper pass?  The park hopper part lets you go to multiple parks in a day.  Does anyone actually do that?  That costs a few hundred bucks for that option.   I can't imagine going to Disney for 7 days in a row.  We only went two days, so our tickets for 4 were just under $800.  We spent the other 4 days exploring beaches. 

Gah! Nearly spit my coffee out. That's not a typo? Just to get into the park?

I already dislike Disney, think their movies are mostly crap... even less interested now. We spent about $1000 doing a THREE WEEK road trip last summer (not counting food since we made food at camp just as we would at home). We could "afford" Disneyland just fine, just seems excessive in comparison. We'll probably take the kids once when they are a couple years older, limit it to 1 or 2 days max. Would rather go to the beach and see other things in SoCal.

Disneyland is different than Disneyworld. Disneyland is one park. You can do it in one day. Disneyworld has 4 theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, plus now they have mini park "Pandora"). You need a day to go through one of them. Don't feel bad. I didn't know the difference until I actually started planning the vacation. Before then I assumed Disneyworld was like a six Flags or something.

One day it is!! Still, looking at around $400-$500 for a single day at https://disneyland.disney.go.com/tickets/. I can't even...

cats

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When I was a kid my parents told me that DW was for mindless stupid people who couldn't think of anything better to do with their vacations (we generally went camping for our vacations).  I later found out that my Dad was actually quite interested in checking out DW sometime in his retirement...when he didn't have to shell out for his kids to go there as well!!

partgypsy

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When I was a kid my parents told me that DW was for mindless stupid people who couldn't think of anything better to do with their vacations (we generally went camping for our vacations).  I later found out that my Dad was actually quite interested in checking out DW sometime in his retirement...when he didn't have to shell out for his kids to go there as well!!

lol. I still remember when as a kid we complained we were bored, my Mom would respond "boredom is a failure of imagination".  Another one was "do as I say, not as I do."
« Last Edit: April 09, 2018, 11:22:23 AM by partgypsy »

Icecreamarsenal

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I am a huge Disney World fan and have been at least 20 times (it used to be a lot cheaper!). Disney will never be a cheap vacation, but I could have gotten that down to half what they spent without really even trying too hard. I think the most we have ever spent was around 3.5k and that was a splurge.

Would you like a facepunch?  or are we not doing that anymore

MountainFlower

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Why did they need a 7-day park hopper pass?  The park hopper part lets you go to multiple parks in a day.  Does anyone actually do that?  That costs a few hundred bucks for that option.   I can't imagine going to Disney for 7 days in a row.  We only went two days, so our tickets for 4 were just under $800.  We spent the other 4 days exploring beaches. 

Gah! Nearly spit my coffee out. That's not a typo? Just to get into the park?

I already dislike Disney, think their movies are mostly crap... even less interested now. We spent about $1000 doing a THREE WEEK road trip last summer (not counting food since we made food at camp just as we would at home). We could "afford" Disneyland just fine, just seems excessive in comparison. We'll probably take the kids once when they are a couple years older, limit it to 1 or 2 days max. Would rather go to the beach and see other things in SoCal.

Disneyland is different than Disneyworld. Disneyland is one park. You can do it in one day. Disneyworld has 4 theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, plus now they have mini park "Pandora"). You need a day to go through one of them. Don't feel bad. I didn't know the difference until I actually started planning the vacation. Before then I assumed Disneyworld was like a six Flags or something.

One day it is!! Still, looking at around $400-$500 for a single day at https://disneyland.disney.go.com/tickets/. I can't even...

Hi,
That is incorrect: there are two separate parks at Disneyland.  We did one day at each and yes, it was around $800.  However, the other 4 days we were at beaches. 

Since you're thinking about it, highly recommend Staybridge Suites in Anaheim with free full breakfast and even free dinner on weeknights.  For beaches, check out Crystal Cove and Huntington Beach.  We also went to Balboa and Seal Beach.  A trip highlight was the USS Iowa Battleship in Long Beach.  So amazing.  Don't miss it.   

I found the "Unofficial Guide to Disneyland" well worth the price and time to read along with the associated app.  I feel like we got so much more value and rides out of our $800 ticket price from that book.  If you "subscribe" to their app for a few bucks, you can see what days are the least crowded at the park.  We went on a 3/10 day and waited in very few lines using their system. 

VaCPA

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Why go to Florida if you aren't going to the beach? 

To go to Disney? I would go the opposite way with your line of thinking, and contend that there are great beaches all over the place, and often driving distance to where people live. There is no chance I'd spend the time and money to travel all the way to Florida for Disney and waste a day at the beach.

FINate

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Why did they need a 7-day park hopper pass?  The park hopper part lets you go to multiple parks in a day.  Does anyone actually do that?  That costs a few hundred bucks for that option.   I can't imagine going to Disney for 7 days in a row.  We only went two days, so our tickets for 4 were just under $800.  We spent the other 4 days exploring beaches. 

Gah! Nearly spit my coffee out. That's not a typo? Just to get into the park?

I already dislike Disney, think their movies are mostly crap... even less interested now. We spent about $1000 doing a THREE WEEK road trip last summer (not counting food since we made food at camp just as we would at home). We could "afford" Disneyland just fine, just seems excessive in comparison. We'll probably take the kids once when they are a couple years older, limit it to 1 or 2 days max. Would rather go to the beach and see other things in SoCal.

Disneyland is different than Disneyworld. Disneyland is one park. You can do it in one day. Disneyworld has 4 theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, plus now they have mini park "Pandora"). You need a day to go through one of them. Don't feel bad. I didn't know the difference until I actually started planning the vacation. Before then I assumed Disneyworld was like a six Flags or something.

One day it is!! Still, looking at around $400-$500 for a single day at https://disneyland.disney.go.com/tickets/. I can't even...

Hi,
That is incorrect: there are two separate parks at Disneyland.  We did one day at each and yes, it was around $800.  However, the other 4 days we were at beaches. 

Since you're thinking about it, highly recommend Staybridge Suites in Anaheim with free full breakfast and even free dinner on weeknights.  For beaches, check out Crystal Cove and Huntington Beach.  We also went to Balboa and Seal Beach.  A trip highlight was the USS Iowa Battleship in Long Beach.  So amazing.  Don't miss it.   

I found the "Unofficial Guide to Disneyland" well worth the price and time to read along with the associated app.  I feel like we got so much more value and rides out of our $800 ticket price from that book.  If you "subscribe" to their app for a few bucks, you can see what days are the least crowded at the park.  We went on a 3/10 day and waited in very few lines using their system.

Yeah, I'm looking at Single Day "Admission to 1 Park" tickets: $97-$135 per adult, depending on the day (slightly cheaper for kids). So single day for family of 4, around $400 (or slightly less mid week) up to over $500 peak days. We're a couple of years off from going because I think my youngest is still too young to really appreciate it.

MgoSam

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Why go to Florida if you aren't going to the beach? 

To go to Disney? I would go the opposite way with your line of thinking, and contend that there are great beaches all over the place, and often driving distance to where people live. There is no chance I'd spend the time and money to travel all the way to Florida for Disney and waste a day at the beach.

I plan on going to Miami in a month. I'll be going to visit a customer and some friends. I doubt I'll hit the beach as I'm not really a huge fan of beaches. Instead I plan to get as much good food as possible. There aren't many Cuban restaurants here in Minnesota nor is there as much variety of seafoods available...

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Why did they need a 7-day park hopper pass?  The park hopper part lets you go to multiple parks in a day.  Does anyone actually do that?  That costs a few hundred bucks for that option.   I can't imagine going to Disney for 7 days in a row.  We only went two days, so our tickets for 4 were just under $800.  We spent the other 4 days exploring beaches. 

Gah! Nearly spit my coffee out. That's not a typo? Just to get into the park?

I already dislike Disney, think their movies are mostly crap... even less interested now. We spent about $1000 doing a THREE WEEK road trip last summer (not counting food since we made food at camp just as we would at home). We could "afford" Disneyland just fine, just seems excessive in comparison. We'll probably take the kids once when they are a couple years older, limit it to 1 or 2 days max. Would rather go to the beach and see other things in SoCal.

Disneyland is different than Disneyworld. Disneyland is one park. You can do it in one day. Disneyworld has 4 theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, plus now they have mini park "Pandora"). You need a day to go through one of them. Don't feel bad. I didn't know the difference until I actually started planning the vacation. Before then I assumed Disneyworld was like a six Flags or something.

One day it is!! Still, looking at around $400-$500 for a single day at https://disneyland.disney.go.com/tickets/. I can't even...

They price it so that you pay most of the park admission in the first three days even if you stay a long time. A three-day pass is $280, while a five-day pass is $320. My wife and I got a free one-day pass to Disneyland once. We did pretty much everything in the two sides of the park in that one day, but it was a long day, there was no real opportunity to repeat rides, and it was just the two of us adults. I could easily see it taking two or three full days with kids to take care of.

I'm happy I got to see it. I was really impressed by the level of craftsmanship and detail in every aspect of the park. That said, I have no plans to take my kids at full price. Ever. It's a big world and there's much more of it to see than that.

crispy

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I am a huge Disney World fan and have been at least 20 times (it used to be a lot cheaper!). Disney will never be a cheap vacation, but I could have gotten that down to half what they spent without really even trying too hard. I think the most we have ever spent was around 3.5k and that was a splurge.

Would you like a facepunch?  or are we not doing that anymore

Facepunch away, but I will still probably be at WDW at least once a year with no apologies. We have traveled all over the US (and I have been to several countries besides), but Disney World is still my favorite place to vacation.

partgypsy

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I have to admit, in addition to miniature golf places I have a soft spot for amusement parks and odd tourist places especially older ones, that have a certain charm to them. Not that I've been to that many of them, but growing up in Chicagoland area, there was Six Flags of course, Old Chicago (closed) and Santa's Village (closed?). For that reason alone I'd like to visit Disneyland at some point since it is the older of the two parks.  Does anyone have any cool old amusement parks you went to when you were growing up? Any that are still around?

SnackDog

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This is really just an endorsement for Disney stock. The brand is huge, there is essentially no competition and people will pay almost anything to take their kids there.

Colleagues of mine in Latin America have told me that Disney was such a jaw-dropping fantasy for the entire family that they just opened the wallet.  They would happily pay whatever it cost just to be there.  The quote was "take my money!"  There are millions more families like these all over the world.  If they have paid a couple thousand in air fare, they are not going to nickel and dime the kids on snacks, etc.  Disney is literally the trip of a lifetime for many kids in other countries.

You can all poo-poo the cost and compare it to the Whirly-gig that comes to your Wal-Mart parking lot every other year, but it is not the same.  It is fantasy land, literally a Magic Kingdom.

Just Joe

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Why go to Florida if you aren't going to the beach? 

To go to Disney? I would go the opposite way with your line of thinking, and contend that there are great beaches all over the place, and often driving distance to where people live. There is no chance I'd spend the time and money to travel all the way to Florida for Disney and waste a day at the beach.

Our kids loved exploring Spanish forts at St. Augustine and on a different trip - Fort Morgan. We've explored the USS Alabama. Found cool little (unique) Mom 'n Pop places for lunch or dinner here and there. Plenty of other amusement parks to choose from across the country. Don't want to visit the most famous destinations like Disney b/c of the crowds and costs.

What's great is take a trip on the cheap and when the kids want to stop for a snack and a soda - it no big deal. If they want to visit a "surf shop" for a T-shirt or trinket - its nothing really in the big picture b/c we've optimized our trip in other ways like the meals and our accommodations.

I don't expect our family will ever visit Disney. I do expect we'll visit the fresh seafood market on our next trip to the beach and have a nice meal from the grill at our rented condo on the cheap.
« Last Edit: April 10, 2018, 09:14:35 AM by Just Joe »

mm1970

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This is really just an endorsement for Disney stock. The brand is huge, there is essentially no competition and people will pay almost anything to take their kids there.

Colleagues of mine in Latin America have told me that Disney was such a jaw-dropping fantasy for the entire family that they just opened the wallet.  They would happily pay whatever it cost just to be there.  The quote was "take my money!"  There are millions more families like these all over the world.  If they have paid a couple thousand in air fare, they are not going to nickel and dime the kids on snacks, etc.  Disney is literally the trip of a lifetime for many kids in other countries.

You can all poo-poo the cost and compare it to the Whirly-gig that comes to your Wal-Mart parking lot every other year, but it is not the same.  It is fantasy land, literally a Magic Kingdom.

I'm not into amusement parks, really.  Never really went to them as kids.  I do have a soft spot for Legoland, 'cuz I love legos.

Disney fascinates and disgusts me at the same time.  The cost...the crazy cost.  About 3 times every 4 years, we get tickets donated to our school raffle.  They are worth $650-800.  I imagine Disneyland donates thousands of these every year to schools nearby - we are about 110 miles from Disneyland.  The shear expense is mind-boggling.

I have a couple of friends who have annual passes, and are experienced enough with their plan to get what they want out of it.  They know when to go, what order to do the rides, etc.


We went once.  When my older son turned 8.  It was $1200 total for the tickets and a 2BR condo (Staybridge Suites) - Spouse, me, mother in law, 8 year old, 18 month old (free). 2-day park hopper but we stayed in Disneyland.  Once I experienced it, I got it. 

it truly is magical. The place is amazing, and so clean, with so much entertainment.  Little kid spent most of the day exploring Tom Sawyer island.  There's plenty to see for those who don't like rides (me).  I can totally see why it costs so much when there is so much that goes into it, and you know, the workers need to make a living.

But, probably will only go one more time.

partgypsy

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Each time after I left Disney World I experienced reverse sticker shock. We would pass a gas stations advertising hot dog and a soda for a $2, and I would think "wow, that should cost $5 just for the hot dog." 

I do have to admit each time I visited it was really nice, a different level nice from visiting say a six flags. They know what they are doing. My ex brother in law even did the behind the scenes tour, because he works in customer servce business and wanted to see how the best does it.