Suck It Up, It’s Disney: Part 1 Money Talks

SUCK IT UP, IT’S DISNEY!

Even since before I opened shop as a travel agent, it was no secret—I LOVE DISNEY!! I also love road trips, camping, and all-inclusive vacations.  But, I digress.  Over time, I have heard all of the arguments/complaints against going to Disney.  Yes, there are a lot of you out there that begrudgingly book your Disney vacation because every kid should see it once.  In this four-part series I will examine why you should not only put aside your “issues” with visiting the Great Mouse House, but also have fun doing it!

PART 1:  MONEY TALKS

So lets address the elephant in the room—MONEY.  Yes, Disney is expensive.  You just have to put yourself in a different mindset.  There isn’t a theme park anywhere that offers the variety of attractions, cleanliness, and customer service that Disney does.  The theming even extends to their restaurants and resorts.  No detail is missed anywhere on property.  To top it off you get to delight in the look on your kids’ faces when they meet their favorite character for the first time.  Isn’t their happiness priceless?

So let’s start with the price of the tickets.  While one 4-day ticket will run you about $380, it still comes out to about the same money per day as other theme parks around the country.  Plus you get so much more!  Disney isn’t wall-to-wall roller coasters and thrill rides like other theme parks, but that just makes them more accessible.  There isn’t a detail on any ride that is overlooked.  The ride queues are themed, the ride is themed, the cast members are themed.  It is like you stepped into the land the ride is based on.  The Cast Members are the nicest people you will ever meet.  If they don’t know the answer (and they usually do) they will find the person that does.  Even the people picking up trash have a smile on their face.  Which reminds me, Disney is SOOOO clean.  Did you know that they have a Gum Patrol that scrapes up chewed gum and special chutes under the garbage cans so that they are never overfull?  I would be remiss if I didn’t include the entertainment into the price of admission.  Broadway caliber shows, huge fireworks displays, and interesting street performers are all included in your admission.  Disney does it all with groundbreaking technology too (the new castle show is UNBELIEVABLE).  I think all of this makes their ticket a bargain when you compare it to what you get at other amusement parks!

Once you swallow that tough nut, it really comes down to food, lodging, transportation and airfare. Transportation is a personal choice.  I know plenty of people who insist on the flexibility of renting a car, but it won’t save you any time or money.  Airfare is what it is.  I wish I could control the airlines, but I can’t.  When it comes to lodging, any good travel agent (me included) can find you those at a price you are comfortable with.  Disney hotel or not, you have a lot of options.  And because it is Disney, most of the hotels are really nice and are ALWAYS clean.  When compared to hotels in other areas of Florida, I don’t find that I get the same kind of sticker shock as you would expect.  

That only leaves food.  Again, this is dependent on how you and your family eat on vacation.  We are a “breakfast bar on the go” kind of family.  We happily eat chicken fingers for lunch.  But, for dinner we want to sit in the air conditioning and get a good meal.  That is why we purchase the Disney Dining Plan.  It covers all of our eating needs and we actually spend less than we would if we paid for each meal.  The dining plan allows us to eat a $50 steak without blinking because the meal plan averages out to $35 per sit-down meal.  Now, I know what you are thinking…”My kids eat like birds and are super picky.”  Then the dining plan isn’t for you.  But, you can take advantage of sharing food, purchasing snacks instead of full meals, or eating outside of the park.  Disney resorts accept packages for you, so you can ship a box down ahead of your arrival or order from a local grocery delivery service.  The best part is that Disney allows food into the parks, just no large coolers or wagons.  So you can eat wherever you are!  Are their chicken fingers pricier than other fast-food chain, yes.  But, I believe there are plenty of ways to eat reasonably while at Disney.

If you plan Disney right, it can cost the same or less than your average all-inclusive vacation.  I’m not sitting here at my computer telling you to ditch your beach vacations and go all-in on Disney every year.  I am saying, if you are spending that money you have to look at all you are getting when you choose DIsney.  All-inclusives are relaxing, luxurious, and fun.  Disney can be all of those things. You just have to look at all you do get for your dollar, and stop focusing on what you don’t.  Tune in next time when we focus on how to relax on your Disney Vacation.