70% of Americans have vistied Disney Parks

[Jiminy Cricket]

It's estimated that 70% of all Americans (current US population is 295,000,000+) have visited Disneyland or Walt Disney World at least once. That means about 90,000,000 Americans have never visited. What's wrong with them? How can we get them to visit? Any ideas?

[4Mickey]

I'm taking a friend of mine in April who has never been! She just turned 30 last month & somehow it came up that she'd never been. So... I made sure she's going!

Can you imagine??? Never going- ever?! I thought I was deprived not going for an entire year!!!!

[Stitch]

Well considering there are an estimated 3 million homeless men, women, and children in the world, I'm guessing going to Disney is not high on their list of priorities. And Disney is just too expensive for some people (well Disney combined with cost of airfare/gas). If it wasn't for Flutter sharing a hotel with me and getting really lucky with airfare, I would not be going to WDW at all this year.

[dzney4lyf]

I did my share... We had a family trip this past October and out of 19 only 5 of us had ever been prior.. That means we showed 14 people the way of the World. I think we created monsters!! They all cannot wait to go back!!!

[Kellie19891992]

considering part of my family doesn't consider disney enjoyable because there is no casino near by or on grounds

[GrumpyDude]

funny, my last day of work yesterday we were having a conversation about who had gone, and there were several of my co-workers who have never gone, and one in particular who was very vocal about not going.

despite her big house she's always bragging about, and her and her husbands big fancy new cars and blah blah blah, she "won't pay that kind of money for a trip".

i wanted to sprinkle some pixie dust on my foot and kick her in the 'you know where', maybe that would change her mind.

[DisneyonaDime]

A lot of people have the perception that they have to pay a small fortune to go. That is why we decided to write our book. Most people go to the Disney World website and think that it will actually cost $5,000 - $10,000 for a family to go. I think Disney has made some adjustments in the last year to make the trip more affordable, but the hard part is still convincing people that it doesn't have to cost that much.

I think it is better to go cheap than never going at all.

[Jiminy Cricket]

Thank goodness Disney is making it cheaper to go to WDW. Lets' see:

2 APs = $759 ($355 renewal price + 6.5% sales tax)

10 nights at PC ($89/night + 11.5% sales tax = $992 rack rate) Preferred Room during Value Season = $792 with AAA discount, but cheaper hopefully with AP discount

2 nights at HI Express = $160

Gasoline = $66 gas only ($1,465 using AAA's estimate of 71 cents/mile for 2,064 miles for total operating cost a mid-size vehicle @ $1.50 gasoline)

Food, etc. @ WDW $30/day = $300

That's only $3476, or $348/day for 2 retirees

[disneydame2004]

JC - if you're still getting gas at $1.50 a gallon, I'm moving to where you are. Try $2.15 for regular at the no-name cheap place yesterday. $2.30 if you want a brand you can recognize.

$348 a day for food, lodging, transportation, more entertainment than you can possibly see... I can think of worse places to spend more than that.


Some of those 'never beens' still believe WDW is for kids, or that it's just another overpriced theme park like some of those other chains. You know the ones - they'd never be caught in a pair of mouse ears. They're the ones who just need a large sprinkle of pixie dust - or a couple of hours with my vacation slideshow.

[DissyLove]

I keep breeding more disney lovers, does that count as doing my part?

[Jiminy Cricket]

[QUOTE=disneydame2004]JC - if you're still getting gas at $1.50 a gallon, I'm moving to where you are. Try $2.15 for regular at the no-name cheap place yesterday. $2.30 if you want a brand you can recognize.

That was the estimate from AAA at the time.

[DisneyonaDime]

Thank goodness Disney is making it cheaper to go to WDW. Lets' see:

2 APs = $759 ($355 renewal price + 6.5% sales tax)

10 nights at PC ($89/night + 11.5% sales tax = $992 rack rate) Preferred Room during Value Season = $792 with AAA discount, but cheaper hopefully with AP discount

2 nights at HI Express = $160

Gasoline = $66 gas only ($1,465 using AAA's estimate of 71 cents/mile for 2,064 miles for total operating cost a mid-size vehicle @ $1.50 gasoline)

Food, etc. @ WDW $30/day = $300

That's only $3476, or $348/day for 2 retirees

Below is a quick look at what we paid on a trip last year. I actually fudged on the ticket prices since we had Annual Passes (we ended up staying for around 40 days on our passes). This is based on a family of 6 (only 4 needed tickets), sleeping in a decent hotel suite (offsite), free breakfast at the hotel, sandwiches and microwaved pizzas in the hotel room (quick trip to Sam's Club), and all the water and snacks we could cart into the parks. I have the receipts to prove it.

Our Budget for 4 days/ 5 nights

Drive $200 for gas

$709 (Base Ticket)

$32 a night (offsite)

$18 a day- all meals in hotel room

$30- Snacks and water

$40- Souvenirs ($10 per person)

$1,219


This isn't the most ideal way to go to Disney World, but it is possible to go. Disney is making it cheaper for the average family by making it possible for guests to have access to the parks for 7 days for less money than what it used to cost for 4 days.

Under the old ticket system a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 children) would spend $825 on a 4-day Park Hopper, now a family of 4 only needs to spend $722 on 7-day MYW tickets. That's a savings of $103. Granted, you won't have the option of going from park to park, but it is a savings option that wasn't there before. For $871 a family can still go for a week and have the hopper option.

Your quote is a pretty good example of what a packaged deal could cost a couple. The problem is that a typical family wouldn't need to stay 10 days, nor would they need to buy an Annual Pass. Instead of buying an Annual Pass, two adults can buy a 10-day MYW w/ a Hopper Option for only $494 ($265 less than the Annual Pass price).

A typical vacation would be a week or less. For most first-timers, 4 or 5 days is a good start. The cheaper part I was referring to was the fact that a guest now has a choice and an opportunity to get inside the parks (the main reason for most to go) for less money. The other things like staying onsite and where to eat are still at the discretion of the individual. This is why most people look at the numbers quoted in your example and quickly decide that they can't afford it.

With the introduction of the Value Resorts, Disney has made it a little better on the budget. Before the Value Resorts, there weren't any real money-saving options.

I will admit that a Disney vacation won't be the cheapest, but like Pat mentioned, I can think worse places to go that will cost much more. If I had to spend some money, what better place to spend it.

[flutter]

I never went to WDW as a child. Didn't go till I had kids, now I'm making up for lost time....and going without kids

[TrendyMagic]

despite her big house she's always bragging about, and her and her husbands big fancy new cars and blah blah blah, she "won't pay that kind of money for a trip".

i wanted to sprinkle some pixie dust on my foot and kick her in the 'you know where', maybe that would change her mind.

If you need some help please let me know.



I went twice as a little kid. Then found some Disney fanatics while in college and got rehooked. Now I live here. When anyone visits they must love the mouse or find somewhere else to stay.

[bigbrian-nc.com]

And consider this, what is worse here? people who have never been (many self selected because to them it just sounds like something they would not enjoy) or the folks who go and disliked it and never want to go back again?