The true cost of a WDW Vacation - a post mortem analysis

[flynnibus]

Originally Posted by DLcastmbr

why pay for a rental car, with WDWs free transportation service?

It's a personal preference, each with it's own pros and cons.

Magical Express is pretty good regarding from Airport to WDW... but is a bit restrictive in terms of returning to the Airport (need ot be there 3hrs early). Plus, Magical Express hinders your ability to go off site for things like snacks/food or like in the case of this trip. First Aid items at Walgreens So paying for a rental is really about freedom, even if you don't visit any other non-Disney attractions.

Once on property, a car may be preferred option depending on where you are staying and going. For instance, the bus service to the less common places like the Water Parks are much less frequent. And there is no bus service for resort to resort.. so if you have a dinner reservation for instance, it can be cumbersome to go from your home resort to another. In addition, the AllStars and some other routes are notorious for being longer rides due to the fact the buses are shared between multiple hotels. This combined with the potential for waiting for buses, or waiting for lots of buses at busy times, means having your own transport can be desirable.

On the con side of cars tho, there is usually more walking at the park and at the hotel vs. the bus drop offs which are close, and of course the cost of having the car in the first place. Some resorts are better then others in terms of ease of parking close to your room. It really is usually just a question of using the 'best tool for the job'. Sometimes its park transport, other times it's personal car.

In my case.. for less then $40/day.. I find the car worthwhile to have the flexibility to do what you want.

[SpectroMan]

Thanks for posting your detailed analysis, Flynnibus. It was quite helpful. I don't travel with kids, so my total costs with airfare, hotel, tickets and dining is closer to $1800 for the same 5 nights, so I should be thankful. But yeah, with a group of 5, you may want to look into the privately owned offsite homes if you can find one close enough to WDW. Might be an interesting change.

As far as this cheap buffet at Shades of Green, does it require military ID just to eat there?

[The Disneylander]

Flynn-thanks for the analysis, it was quite helpful since I'm in the beginning stages of planning a WDW trip.

[Boxalarm]

I haven't made my trip yet but here's what mine looks like.

2 Adults
7 Nights, AKL, 8/9-8/16
Park Hopper w/ Water Park
DDP (1 quick, 1 table, 1 snack)

$2456.60 (room, tickets, DDP, under the old buy 4 get 3 free promo)
$160 fuel round trip, driving from Northern VA
$140 approx. for snacks, drinks, tips (6 table service meals, ADR)
-------
2756.60 Grand Total


I didnt mind splurging for the trip this year since my girlfriend has NEVER been to any Disney resort. I too am not a fan of on site transportation, hence why we are driving. I feel like I have so much more freedom, if at the last second I decide I want to leave HS and see fireworks at MK I don't have to wait for a bus. The DDP for me really isnt necessary, and will be the first time I've used it but we decided we wanted a sit down meal in a restaurant every night to get out of the heat, and take a break, not to mention have something to eat other than a slice of pizza or chicken nuggets!

[Barbaraann]

That's a pretty good deal for a week at Animal Kingdom Lodge. You are fortunate that you can drive from where you live. Of course airfare is a whole lot cheaper this year, than last year.

[Aaron Morrow]

Originally Posted by SpectroMan

As far as this cheap buffet at Shades of Green, does it require military ID just to eat there?

I just called down; military ID is not required to eat at the Garden Gallery Restaurant.

[Boxalarm]

Originally Posted by Barbaraann

That's a pretty good deal for a week at Animal Kingdom Lodge. You are fortunate that you can drive from where you live. Of course airfare is a whole lot cheaper this year, than last year.

Its an easy drive too, 10-12 hours! Split that up between two drivers and it's not bad at all.

[flynnibus]

easy drive if you don't have kids We did the drive a few times as kids from MD/VA and I wasn't too thrilled about it. But at least you go past South of the Border which is nice for the 4th I'm not sure if I'd be thrilled about driving these days.. but if there is no cheap airfare, it is an option.

Two trips ago we got Southwest seats for like $80.. then it was a no brainer. This time we used FF miles.. so I only paid for 1 ticket. For me, google estimates 885 miles each way. That's at least 4 tanks of gas, probably more like 5 or about $240 in gas. It's a toss up.. plus you gotta consider what time you arrive and how that affects either tickets or hotel bills. For instance, at 12hrs... you end up paying for a hotel night at the parks (or offsite) and only get a few hours in town for that day. Where as flying, you'd be at the parks by noon.. and have a half day at least.

I would think a 12hr drive would mean probably dedicating the day to travel and staying off-property that night without park tickets. But that too is a tough call.. because if you have a long stay, the extra day on the tickets is neglible, but if you are doing the DDP or room+ticket bundles.. the per day cost is significant. Lots of variables

[StrongStyle]

I think we are getting pretty good deals in the UK on WDW Holidays at the moment. I booked mine up yesterday. No point detailing the flights because we are flying into Orlando and then out of Atlanta after spending time with the family; this trip is to attend a wedding in Alabama, I've just managed to add some time in WDW to it.

There's two promotions going on over here:

Dining Plan - Spend 5 nights in a Moderate Hotel and get the Quick Service Dining Plan FREE or Spend 5 nights in a Duluxe Hotel and the Dining Plan FREE

5, 7 and 14 Day Park Passes all cost the same amount

So for 2 Adults and a Child, I went with 5 nights at Port Orleans French Quarter (with Prefered View for extra $80), 14 Day Tickets (just incase), and Disney Dining Plan (Upgraded from Quick Service Plan to full Dining Plan for extra $80) all for £1,150 which converts into about $1,900

With getting the Quick Service for free, there's no way that only paying the $80 extra for the full Dining Plan can't save me a lot of money as we could never have eaten the whole holiday for less than $80 even with the gratuities that will still need to be paid (either way).

However if it weren't for the deal I would have only stayed at Pop Century and with no dining plan that would have cost £910 so in total I'm paying £240 ($400) for the dining plan and the resort upgrade combined.

Now If I added DP to that Pop Century stay it would have cost £1,140 so the actual base cost of Dining Plan for that period is £230.

So in a nutshell it would have cost me the same at Pop with Dining Plan as it is at Port Orleans FQ with Dining Plan, so I can look at it that I'm either paying $16 more to be on Dining Plan than I should have, but for completely free am getting to be in a prefered viewing room of Port Orleans French Quarter OR, I'm paying extra to be at Port Orleans FQ and getting the Dining Plan for free. Either way I'm pretty happy.

I'm on my way back to WDW, that's all that matters. Now I only have to refrain from spending thousands when there on pins and stuff.

[WDW FAN 88]

After our last trip to WDW I did a breakdown and the price for a 5 night trip is crazy due to the room we stay at and the dinning plan. Due to the high pricing i'm defentley going to book when they have specials out.

[marqueemark]

Thanks for posting this information, flynnibus. I am just starting to plan a trip and gather information. This thread and your trip report have been very helpful!

[flynnibus]

Originally Posted by marqueemark

Thanks for posting this information, flynnibus. I am just starting to plan a trip and gather information. This thread and your trip report have been very helpful!

NP! Glad you found it useful.

[Joe User 99]

I think our last trip, in 2006, ran us $5400 for a family of 5, all 10 or over.
We spent 7 days & 6 nights at Port Orleans Riverside, with 7 day park hopper with water park option, and Disney Dining (1quick, 1table, 1snack).
We did non stop from AUS to ORL, and Magical Express to and from the airport. Your basic Disney Package.

The Cheapest we could have done? No, of course not, not by a long shot.
But I didn't care. I weigh in a option that alot of people don't include.
The stress level. Sure, I paid more. But I didn't have to worry about a thing. No worries about budgeting money for food, it's covered. No worries about taxis, or shuttles, or renting a car. No worries about my luggage. No worries about carrying a credit card around the parks. I checked my luggage when my plane left Austin, and it was in our room when we arrived. The way back was even easier, because I could check our luggage at the resort, we didn't even have to carry it back to the airport.

Not a care in the world. I actually relaxed and enjoyed my vacation. And that was worth the extra cost in my opinion.

[Psyure]

Originally Posted by Joe User 99

I think our last trip, in 2006, ran us $5400 for a family of 5, all 10 or over.
We spent 7 days & 6 nights at Port Orleans Riverside, with 7 day park hopper with water park option, and Disney Dining (1quick, 1table, 1snack).
We did non stop from AUS to ORL, and Magical Express to and from the airport. Your basic Disney Package.

The Cheapest we could have done? No, of course not, not by a long shot.
But I didn't care. I weigh in a option that alot of people don't include.
The stress level. Sure, I paid more. But I didn't have to worry about a thing. No worries about budgeting money for food, it's covered. No worries about taxis, or shuttles, or renting a car. No worries about my luggage. No worries about carrying a credit card around the parks. I checked my luggage when my plane left Austin, and it was in our room when we arrived. The way back was even easier, because I could check our luggage at the resort, we didn't even have to carry it back to the airport.

Not a care in the world. I actually relaxed and enjoyed my vacation. And that was worth the extra cost in my opinion.

I hear ya there, man. The less I have to worry about... the better. I've got nothing but good stuff to say about DME and the resort buses! We really didnt need a car. Wait times were minimal and they drop you off right in front of the parks in stead of having to hike from the back of the parking lot. When we checked out they even printed out our boarding passes at our resort! Thats huge! And don't forget about Extra Magic Hours!

[Jerren]

Originally Posted by flynnibus

Yeah, I discussed this somewhere previously in that we considered the cabins. The suites at All-Stars and the cabins are the two cheapest ways to get a party of 5 in a single room. However the suites were not available, and the cabins were more expensive even even buying 2 separate rooms at All-Star. But the cabins have the advantage of the kitchenette as you mentioned. I haven't stayed at FW before and having a nearby pool and the cheaper costs is kind of what was the tipping point.

Anyone know the parking situation at the cabins? Can you park at your cabin itself?

The cabins have their own parking spots, right in front of the steps to the deck. And just a side note the Family suites at the All Star Music do have a small kitchenette area in them as well.

The cheapest for a family of 5 is the Port Orleans riverside in the alligator bayou as long as one of them is under 5 foot tall there's no problem getting 5 in a room.

According to Disney the reason they have so many rooms that only support 4 vrs 5 guests is a matter of Florida Law, they limit the number of people based on the square footage of the rooms themselves The had to recieve special permission to do the trundle beds at POR.