Need to vent about how expensive WDW is now

[marcar12]

Can I please just vent for a minute?
I am in the very beginning stages of planning a Spring Break 2025 Disney World vacation. This week I decided to start looking into how much things will cost so we can set our budget and start saving for it. Boy am I glad I did that because it is definitely going to take over a year to save up for this trip.

The most astonishing thing to me is that we went to Disney World for Spring Break in 2021, and according to the notes that I have from planning that trip, it will cost us $3,500 more this time to do the EXACT SAME VACATION for the same number of park days (5) at the same hotel (Contemporary). That is crazy to me. 2.5 years later and the price has gone up by 38%. How do people afford to do this more than one time every 5 years?

This is going to be a special vacation for our family. My oldest will be a senior in high school and it will be our last big vacation before she graduates and moves to college. I want to splurge. I want to make it extra memorable. But I am feeling discouraged by the fact that it will cost us more than the first 2 cars that my husband and I bought after getting married-- combined.

 

[Robbie Cottam]

Just spent 25k, for 10 nights for eight of us.
sometimes you just need to enjoy yourself….

we do 4 trips a year…. Not all like that, but never on the cheap…
if you aren’t comfortable spending the money, it might ruin your very expensive trip.

have you looking to to cost saving like renting DVC,
the dinning plan is coming back,


things that help us are;
annual passes
annual pass discounts. 35% right now on room, and 10 to 15 percent on food
DVC ownership
DVC discount, 10 - 20 % on food and merch,
Marriott points,
we don‘t get rental cars, although I have points, it would be free …

there are a lot of cost saving ideas on the site,
I’m sure others will have 100000000s of other ideas

 

[Maistre Gracey]

25k for 10 nights is a biggie.

I’m not sure that really is relevant on the budget board, as clearly you had no budget.

I highly doubt that helps the OP.

 

[Robbie Cottam]

25k for 10 nights is a biggie.

I’m not sure that really is relevant on the budget board, as clearly you had no budget.

I highly doubt that helps the OP.

300 per night per person,

 

[Maistre Gracey]

L

300 per night per person,

Sure… if you’re going to treat eight people for 10 days, that’s actually reasonable.

I still don’t think that’s what the OP had in mind.

 

[Robbie Cottam]

L

Sure… if you’re going to treat eight people for 10 days, that’s actually reasonable.

I still don’t think that’s what the OP had in mind.

Then maybe read the rest of my post?

 

[wabbott]

Can I please just vent for a minute?
I am in the very beginning stages of planning a Spring Break 2025 Disney World vacation. This week I decided to start looking into how much things will cost so we can set our budget and start saving for it. Boy am I glad I did that because it is definitely going to take over a year to save up for this trip.

The most astonishing thing to me is that we went to Disney World for Spring Break in 2021, and according to the notes that I have from planning that trip, it will cost us $3,500 more this time to do the EXACT SAME VACATION for the same number of park days (5) at the same hotel (Contemporary). That is crazy to me. 2.5 years later and the price has gone up by 38%. How do people afford to do this more than one time every 5 years?

This is going to be a special vacation for our family. My oldest will be a senior in high school and it will be our last big vacation before she graduates and moves to college. I want to splurge. I want to make it extra memorable. But I am feeling discouraged by the fact that it will cost us more than the first 2 cars that my husband and I bought after getting married-- combined.

You may want to think about staying at the Caribbean Beach Resort, Pop Century, or Art of Animation. I understand the draw of the Contemporary and the convenience to the Magic Kingdom, but ask yourself is it worth twice the price?

Four years ago (2019) we stayed in the Grand Floridian and loved it. It had been over 20 years since we had been to WDW (life has a way of intervening, doesn't it?) and figured this would be one last trip for old times sake. I had forgotten how much I love the place and have since been back in 2020, 2021 and 2022. We will continue to return until old age puts us out of commission.

Anyway, after the trip, we asked ourselves why pay 2 prices for a hotel room when all we used it for was to sleep and shower. Other than that, we spent our time in the parks. The last 3 trips we stayed at the Caribbean and next spring will stay at the Pop Century. The CBR rooms weren't that much smaller than those in the GF. The monorail at the Contemporary is nice, but the Skyliner at the other places makes up for it, we think.

 

[cvjw]

I don’t know how people afford WDW anymore. The ticket prices alone are insane. $500 per person for a 3 day non park hopper for March. You would think that people would be priced out, but when you go to the parks, they are still packed.

OP, we stopped going to Disney and started cruising on the Disney fantasy. We just sailed on a 7 night for $3200 on an OGT rate. So much more affordable than the parks and so much more relaxing. Good luck with your trip!

 

[katyjeka]

We would visit several times a year and for many years found it an affordable vacation. Things have definitely changed in the last few years so we now visit one time max. We've discovered different places that as a family we love as much for a quarter of the cost! You will be able to save a lot of money if you rent dvc points. The kitchen would make it convenient to eat quick meals in the room and easier to keep snacks on hand. Maybe plan a few special meals and save some money on food? Not sure if your price is with hopping tickets if so maybe change to regular...watch stores for discounts on gift cards and stock up when they are available. If your planning on arriving late the first night staying off-site may save you a few hundred...just some ideas.

 

[shh]

OP: I empathize on this "moving target" we call pricing these days. Especially as WDW reduces value or benefits in so many areas, even as they jack up the prices - so it's doubly annoying.

While this isn't directly relevant to vacation budgeting frustrations - I'd take 38% over what I'm dealing with the past 2 years. Home insurance: 70% increase (thousands more) for a tiny starter home. Auto Insurance 50% higher. (Zero claims or changes on either - shopped around w/no luck.) Higher health insurance deductible + premiums for LESS coverage. We all know about food costs.

Annual "raises" in our household run 2-3%. Discouraging, for sure.

 

[barkley]

Can I please just vent for a minute?
I am in the very beginning stages of planning a Spring Break 2025 Disney World vacation. This week I decided to start looking into how much things will cost so we can set our budget and start saving for it. Boy am I glad I did that because it is definitely going to take over a year to save up for this trip.

The most astonishing thing to me is that we went to Disney World for Spring Break in 2021, and according to the notes that I have from planning that trip, it will cost us $3,500 more this time to do the EXACT SAME VACATION for the same number of park days (5) at the same hotel (Contemporary). That is crazy to me. 2.5 years later and the price has gone up by 38%. How do people afford to do this more than one time every 5 years?

This is going to be a special vacation for our family. My oldest will be a senior in high school and it will be our last big vacation before she graduates and moves to college. I want to splurge. I want to make it extra memorable. But I am feeling discouraged by the fact that it will cost us more than the first 2 cars that my husband and I bought after getting married-- combined.

i totally get it. back in 2018 i was looking into doing a trip in 2019. it had been a handful of years since our last wdw vacation so i knew prices had to have increased but i was floored by how much. for us the accommodations we stay in are a significant consideration b/c we are not into spending our entire vacation in the parks so while we don't do a top tier hotel we don't want to go the economy route either. for us i ended up talking to the 'kids' (oldest had just graduated college, youngest would be finishing up post high school program before we travelled) about what they wanted from the vacation-found out they honestly were not all that interested in going to wdw-they remembered the crowds from our prior trips (and we always went during slower time periods), felt like the minimal changes/new rides were not that appealing to them. they asked if instead we could do universal (we had only been a day or two on previous trips) and maybe a day or two at wdw. ended up booking at universal-a suite and 2 individual rooms cost a fraction of what a lower end accommodation at wdw ran, park passes were much less expensive and being able to do the old 'pool hopping' that disney eliminated long ago let us enjoy some of the other resorts as well. as it happened we only went to wdw 1 time during that trip-went one evening for dinner at what used to be downtown disney. it was such a madhouse and the crowds were so insane none of us had any desire to do any park days.

i have a friend who did wdw every year for decades (which since we live on the opposite side of the u.s. entails the whole issue of travel arrangements which eat up a day on both ends of the trip along with the time change which makes the first couple of days there/back home brain hazy so we have to calculate that into time off from work or other obligations). this person knows every discount trick in the book, knows how/when to book things...she did her most recent trip last year and announced that with the exception of one last trip to disneyland she was already planning-she was done with it. she just can't justify the increased costs with what she sees as lesser and lesser value in the accommodations, restaurants and the parks.

 

[tony67]

Yeah - honestly its not just Disney - Disney does overcharge IMO especially the hotels.

But everything has gotten crazy - I don't do Disney I do Universal for the most part.
The AP prices have gone up quite a bit - but not as much as Disney.
Room prices are still very reasonable - especially with AP rates.

The thing that got me on this trip comparted to 2021 (I had to skip last year) was the price of everything was much higher.
Drinks, food etc..
A pint of Guinness was $9 in 2021 - and I thought that was too much - now its 12.74. WOW and a tip on top of that.
I use the price of a beer to peg just how bad things have gotten.
I pay under $5 for a pint pretty much anywhere in Ireland and you don't tip on that for the most part - even in Dublin its under 5 for the most part.

Was in Boston recently for a show and at the show a can of beer was $17 and a tip is expected because they opened the can.
Beers at the hotel bar were $15 - so we each had two beers and it was $60 + tip.
Much more expensive than my last stay in Boston.

I was also In Portugal this year and it was much more expensive than I had planned for.
I watched all the videos, made all the plans, did all the research and when I got there everything was about twice as much as expected. Still compared to the states and especially Universal it was a bargain.
A beer was around $4 you don't tip other than a small amount - if a meal is 57 you might just round it up to 60 and that is a fair tip.

So not to defend Disney but everything has gone up pretty much everywhere - its a tough pill to swallow - but now I understand when my parents were complaining about prices and how much more everything cost compared to the 60s.

 

[jo-jo]

Just spent 25k, for 10 nights for eight of us.
sometimes you just need to enjoy yourself….

we do 4 trips a year…. Not all like that, but never on the cheap…

Curious, how much do you spend each year At Disney each year? 30 days?

I seem to remember someone here, lived about 500 miles from Disney, went about once a month. Sounded like they went for every holiday, every festival, every special event.

 

[TwoMisfits]

300 per night per person,

But for a big group, that's reasonable, but not budget.

For example, my daily "rate" for a vacation is always under $200/person all-in for a party of 6 (and I aim for under $150/person). Yes, we haven't done Disney parks in awhile (although I'm still holding 1 day tickets), b/c that number is hard there, but not in a lot of other vacation spots.

I used to be $100/person/day for my trips, but kids aged to teens and adults and inflation happened, so I had to increase my numbers to get the same value and fun we wanted from trips...

 

[barkley]

OP: I empathize on this "moving target" we call pricing these days. Especially as WDW reduces value or benefits in so many areas, even as they jack up the prices - so it's doubly annoying.

While this isn't directly relevant to vacation budgeting frustrations - I'd take 38% over what I'm dealing with the past 2 years. Home insurance: 70% increase (thousands more) for a tiny starter home. Auto Insurance 50% higher. (Zero claims or changes on either - shopped around w/no luck.) Higher health insurance deductible + premiums for LESS coverage. We all know about food costs.

Annual "raises" in our household run 2-3%. Discouraging, for sure.

is it financialy feasable for you to pay your homeowners annually/auto bi-annually vs. the traditional monthly? i ask b/c just yesterday i received my renewals for both and i get about a 10% discount on the premiums doing this (plus i don't have to pay the monthly service fee they tack on). we found out about this discount several years ago and decided to bite the bullett and pull a full year's premium from savings, notified our lender (still had a mortgage then) and paid it in full. starting that month we set up an auto withdrawl from our checking into a savings account of 1/12th of what we anticipated the next year's premiums would run us.

btw-do you live in a high risk area for your homeowners to be that high? we have the highest coverage our insurer will permit and it's less than 2K per year.

 

[tony67]

We would visit several times a year and for many years found it an affordable vacation. Things have definitely changed in the last few years so we now visit one time max.

Yeah - I used to buy an AP and it was not much more than a 10 day hopper.
We would go three times a year and they had some amazing rates for AP at all the top level hotels with concierge etc...
Initially DDP was also great value - even included the tip - but after the first few years they cut that back and the quality of the food dropped dramatically IMO.

Eventualy it got too expensive for the value we got from it and we went to once a year and usually got a 10 day non-expiring ticket - those are gone now as well.

We started staying at the Swan\Dolphin as it was a much better value and you can walk to Epcot and Studios.
Sometimes we stay at Caribbean Beach - its not too bad and price was its reasonable when they have promotions.

In the last 10 years I think I have been three times - but 12 times to Universal.
I had considered it this year as I really wanted to check out Tron but after pricing a two day park hopper and the restrictions around it and G+ I decided to skip it again this year and just did Universal.

Ill probably go back next year, but we will see - much will depend on the upcoming changes around G+ - I don't want to pay and have to get up at 7AM to book a ride -even if I am usually up at 7AM anyway.

 

[john7994]

I find looking at it through the lens of - it costs what it costs - to be helpful for any view on year over year discretionary spend in managing inevitable increases. For Disney (or any vacation), we either have the desire and/or budget to go or not - prioritizing accordingly. We maximize our DVC (and even have paid rack rate to supplement some trips) along with our APs - group sizes have been 4 to 12 people depending on the trip.

The only consistent comparable trip we take year over year is in January with family and friends (12 people). I wouldn’t miss this time for all the world as it’s usually the only time we get to see some of our family in person throughout the year. So, it is what it is and I don’t get much out of working myself up in comparing year to year - as I am not expecting the costs to ever go down.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

You may want to think about staying at the Caribbean Beach Resort, Pop Century, or Art of Animation. I understand the draw of the Contemporary and the convenience to the Magic Kingdom,

I agree with this, if evening EMH isn't a necessity one way to help curb is adjust on the hotel cost. Although the OP said it would take them a year to save up if they still want to take that they could but another resort may easier to deal with as TBH costs will increase further by 2025 especially when it comes to food

 

[barkley]

but now I understand when my parents were complaining about prices and how much more everything cost compared to the 60s.

a disney vacation was entirely different in the 60's so it can't be effectivly compared. the biggest savings for a family back then came from the ability to do admission only entrance to disneyland. if you had kids who were old enough to ride by themselves and you had no (or limited) desire to do so you could save by just getting them ride tickets (and maybe buy one adult book which you could save and use on a subsequent trip). disney got a significant amount of traffic from adults with no desire to do the rides-they people watched and enjoyed all the free entertainment (might hop on the monorail so they could do a cocktail at the disneyland hotel). you did'nt have to plan your day to run your kid around to see the characters or spend $$$ to do character meals b/c they were all roaming the park and stopped for anyone who wanted an autograph/photo/hug

i was a kid back then and we went at least once a year but i saw how pricing increased and changed over the years and how it resulted in changes in how people 'behaved' in the parks-much more relaxed in the earlier years whereas people seem to have been driven by the increasing prices to make sure they got the biggest bang for their buck and feel they have to do everything to the point of frenzied madness. i used to enjoy it but now it gives me anxiety.


as far as comparing prices-what we paid for our family of 4 for our first wdw trip in 1999 was considered more than the average cost of a family vacation but nowhere near the cost difference it would run us today (even if our kids still qualified as children for pricing and ate kid sized meals).

 

[Cadiewampus]

L

Sure… if you’re going to treat eight people for 10 days, that’s actually reasonable.

I still don’t think that’s what the OP had

25k for 10 nights is a biggie.

I’m not sure that really is relevant on the budget board, as clearly you had no budget.

I highly doubt that helps the OP.

Sure its relevant, its's still a budget but his point was there are ways to save.