To think a (not Paris) Disney holiday is possible for the average working family?

Still very cheap! A good deal.

We’re staying at All Star Movies, it’s one of the cheaper Disney hotels, but it’ll suit our needs.

I booked in June 2024 to travel this May. I booked the hotel and park tickets direct with Disney (while the dining offer was on) then booked flights direct with BA. I must’ve booked the flights at the right time as I’ve checked back a few times and they’ve increased in price, including when BA were doing ‘Black Friday sales’.

I did loads of research and priced up staying off site, but the extra cost of staying onsite netted off the cost of needing to hire a car or get Ubers.

That sounds incredibly cheap. Where are you staying?

@Teaandtwobiscuitsthat seems a good price if that’s flights, hotel, tickets & QS meal plan! Can i asked who you booked with and when? Id really like to be able to go next year (2 adults 1 child as well) , but looking at this year’s prices I can get around £6k but that doesnt include any dining plan!

It’s not meh, you are right. It’s just that I was a bit disappointed. I found it less magical. 😅 And smoking people everywhere, which I hate. I think it’s that everything is so perfect in Orlando, all staff are just so extremely good..
But Paris is of course much closer, so easy to go for a weekend.

We’re going to Disneyworld a month today. For 2 adults 1 child it’s cost £4,700 for flights, staying at a Disney hotel, park tickets and quick service meal plan (1 meal per person per day), for 14 nights.

Obviously we’ll have spends on top of this, but we’re hoping to not spend a fortune. We’re going to do a supermarket shop to get bits for breakfast and we’ll pay for an extra meal per day.

Very true @noquinoa, there’s no comparison, wouldn’t call Paris meh though! It’s magical too, but not in the way that Orlando is phenomenal.

I think you are probably right. And I don’t think it even has planning permission yet, has it? It would be a long wait!

Why would you pay £25k? I have a family there now, flights transfers tickets and a Disney hotel was £8600

We did it by calling it the holiday of a lifetime and taking out a loan. People prioritise different things in life and that was one of our priorities. It’s a pity about Paris as we enjoyed it ten times more than Florida which had more walking and less options as you had to get on buses to get to different sections, much more expensive obviously, was too hot etc etc etc

@noquinoai assumed she meant the U.K. one as it seems unlikely that the OP is meaning she’s wanting to go within the next few weeks before Epic Universe opens and because it was suggested as a money saving idea (I assume)?

V similar to our experience. My kids loved it but didn't really give a toss about the Disney stuff - they just loved the rides and the fireworks.

Aahh horses for courses eh. Imagine if we all liked the same things. I can't imagine writing off a whole country, one of the birthplace of civilization, a long history, a diversity of geography as "rubbish" and weighing it adversely against DisneyWorld. But someone else does.

But there is no comparison to Paris and Orlando. None. DW in Orlando is outstanding, all of their parks. Paris is very meh.

It opens in May..? Epic Universe.

In 2031?! OP wants to take her child whilst she’s younger

I think affordability is relative for a lot of people. I'd say we couldn't afford Disney but what I really mean is that it's not a high priority for us. I've spent an absolute fortune on my DC's hobbies over the years however, and plenty of people would think that was mad - horses for courses and all that. I'm sure that careful planning, saving and prioritising the holiday over other stuff is what makes Disney doable for a lot of families.
One thing that has probably already been mentioned is you might consider flying to somewhere else in the US and then getting an internal flight. I have a friend who lives in Florida and she tends to do this when she visits the UK. However my friend is single with no children, tends to travel with hand luggage only, doesn't mind flights at antisocial hours and isn't particularly bothered if her journey takes a bit longer so I appreciate it's probably easier for her to take indirect flights than it would be for a family on a tight schedule. But she tells me that she saves a lot of money that way. I don't think she takes the same route each time, just looks for the cheapest option on each occasion. Likewise prices can vary quite a bit depending on which airport you fly from at this end so it's worth shopping around. Also I know my friend sometimes flies to other European airports first and picks up her transatlantic flight in Amsterdam etc. Of course that's all a lot less convenient than taking a direct flight to Orlando from your nearest airport and additional travel time eats into your holiday too but it can definitely cut the cost.

Ds1 read all of Game of thrones at 11. I had no idea what they were about 🙈 He has a normal relationship late 20s. Would it have been different if he'd had a twin sister? 🤣

@Lilylouis you'll already know if you like Disney. I went 3 times before dc. Love it. That was Florida one.

I grew up with the original Grimms versions and don’t believe that every step mothers is out to kill her step child.
DD grew up with a mix of both and loves her education, isn’t remotely interested in a romantic relationship and plans her life as she wants. She will be 18 in Summer.

i read mainly romance novels but definitely don’t expect a man to rescue me. I also read cosy mysteries and crime novels and don’t think my neighbour is in fact a murderer.

I am sure the majority of people do understand the difference between fiction, a Disney theme park and real life. If not, then the parents didn’t do a good job.

My dh is a good earner and I'm an average one and we definitely can’t afford Florida although we could stretch to Paris I think if we really wanted to. My colleague and her husband (who are both presumably on a similar salary to me) go every single year to Florida. I’m dying to know how they afford it!

I wouldn't want to go to Disneyland anyway (went to the Paris one - absolutely not my cup of tea, the four rides were OK but the rest was boring and tacky, sorry Disney lovers!) But if you were going to take the family to one of the US ones, it's going to cost upwards of £6K (and that's a very modest estimate, probably nearer £10K) for a family of four so I think that puts it outside the budget of most ordinary working families. I know some people who go every year and can only assume they've got inherited money of some kind stashed away! Although having said that, the husband of one of them did go to prison for fraud!

Wait until new Universal Studio opens?

Disney used to be affordable with a fair bit of saving but not now.
We were there (Florida) last year (california the year before) and the cost of tickets etc was crazy. Many of the fast pass equivalents are now charged. Food in or out of the parks is extortionate. We will not be back because we simply can't afford it.

Toyko Japan is better and cheaper but it's not run by Disney but you'd never know. Check out the cost of going there, it may well work out cheaper overall like it did for us.

@ChristmasCwtchwe booked with Tui last minute and paid around that including accommodation at a Universal resort.