"Why is a WDW vacation so expensive?"

[vixen101485]

The answer you should give people is that it doesnt HAVE to be expensive. It is all in what you make it to be. If you want a deluxe hotel and a premium package of food and tickets. Yes it will be more. If you stay at cheap hotel offsite and eat a few buffets and lots of counter service and use lots of discounts it wont be that much.
I just posted this on the "going to disney again " thread ....Our trip for December will prob cost about $1000 max. (I figured 800 or so--200 just in case) That is for 2 adults and a 4 yr old for Saturday nite, thru saturday nite. We are driving, sleeping in rest stops en route and taking a cooler of food. We have AP's so that is a break and will not buy souveniers if we can help it. Donnie's Dad and step mom will be joining us and I even saved them about 100$ on tickets per person by having them get a Fl Res discount (they winter there)

I had priced other places to go for vacation this year (like we werent going to WDW ) and they were just as expensive for the week we went in Sept. A week in OHIO at Cedar Point and other attractions there would have seriously run us the same amount $1700 we spent in FL. I think most ppl dont actually break down the full amount they spend into seperate categories of food, hotel, etc and just relie(sp) on a travel agent to do the legwork for them. A friend from OH that was there when we were and had free dining wound up with things on their package tthat they didnt use and paid for but couldnt change because they boodked thru a TA and this particular one(no offense to good TA's) was really lax on getting them good discounts and impossible to get a hold off. IF you choose to go the TA route, do a bit of research ahead of time so you know what to ask for. Shoot the AAA lady had no idea what the Diamond lot was and I had to explain it to her. YEESH!

[BigDan275]

I notice most of you plan your trip out way in advance, you should save money on flights by booking them early. Travel during the off seasons or regular seasons and plan ahead to save. If you are going 6 months out, put 200 dollars away a month, at the end you will have about 1200, you can put the rest on a low interest credit card or you can take your whole trip on a zero percent credit card.

Tips for a strong financial future:
Maximize your 401 K
Consider investing in mutual funds
You can open a money market account or a cd at your bank rather than a regular savings.
Pay yourself first, then the rest you owe.

But yes, Disney Trips are expensive regardless.

[princessariel]

I didn't think it was all that expensive for everything you got....

[Smack81]

I have to say AMEN to this post! My daughter is 7 and one of her favorite movies is Night At the Museum. She wants to go to NYC to see the Museum very badly. I priced nearby hotels in Manhattan and I couldn't find anything decent under $500 a night. The Excelsior Hotel, directly across from the Museum on W. 79th (i think) was the hotel of choice given its location and I was dumbfounded. Three or four nights in NYC alone will cost me nearly $2000. I am going to need a raise or just take her to the Field Museum here in Chicago and try to convince her it's the same...

Sam -

It's funny that you say that about Chicago because I live on the south side of it and have been to the Field Museum several times. There aren't any statues in it that look a lot like Robin Williams, but it's a pretty neat place to check out. Plus, there's always the Disney Store on Michigan Avenue.

Smack81

[SamIAm717]

Sam -

It's funny that you say that about Chicago because I live on the south side of it and have been to the Field Museum several times. There aren't any statues in it that look a lot like Robin Williams, but it's a pretty neat place to check out. Plus, there's always the Disney Store on Michigan Avenue.

Smack81

I live in the South Suburbs, so hello Chicagoland friend!

You think I could convince her that "Sue" at the Field is the same as the Rexy in NATM?

[DisneyDreamer13]

I dont think Disney is too over priced at all, especially for the quality of WDW.
The park tickets work out a lot lower per day than any theme parks in the UK, and they are nowhere near as good, food cost seem really low in FL to this brit, if anyone is worried that a Disney trip is expensive, dont visit this side of the pond, you'll be in for a huge shock

[Smack81]

I live in the South Suburbs, so hello Chicagoland friend!

You think I could convince her that "Sue" at the Field is the same as the Rexy in NATM?

Hi Sam!

Hello back to a fellow South Sider!

Maybe you could pay an Imagineer to fly to Chicago and somehow make Sue audio-animatronic. If she could play fetch for a few minutes - especially with the adorable tail-wagging! - you might have a shot.