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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

343 replies

Lilylouis · 14/04/2025 00:03

DD is nearly 9 and has wanted to go on a Disney holiday for years.

We took her sibling who is 11 years older to Florida, before DD was born (not thinking we’d be able to have another) and it was a once in a lifetime experience and nowhere near as much money back then- we both also had better paid jobs and our mortgage wasn’t as high add onto that the COL.

We wouldn’t do Paris for personal reasons I’d rather not go into.

Do any average families do any Disney holidays?

Currently we have to save hard for a week in Spain!

How do people do Disney?

OP posts:
MumChp · 14/04/2025 00:04

We don't. Can't afford it like lots of other families.

MaybeItWasMe · 14/04/2025 00:06

We couldn’t afford it despite having good professional jobs, but I really wouldn’t want to spend that much money on something so manufactured anyway. We prefer to fly to Europe, hire a car and explore.

steff13 · 14/04/2025 00:07

There are lots of ways to get deals and stuff in the Disney groups online, or so I hear. I know lots of people who go every couple of years, but we're in the US, so they can drive which saves some money.

WompWompBoom · 14/04/2025 00:11

I guess in how do they do it.
A- earn more money
B- prioritise different things.

I've done Disney Florida with DD a few years back and are heading back this Oct (well universal actually). But I prioritise money on big holidays (not just Disney)

Middleagedstriker · 14/04/2025 00:11

It's very expensive for what it is. You could have a much more fun time elsewhere. Disney is such clichéd rubbish.its overpriced and hyped for what you get. A week on a greek island would be a third of the price (you could go three times!)!and just as a amazing
My kids have never once mentioned it or been sad the haven't been.

Punzel · 14/04/2025 00:32

Yes
Go in term time - Jan/feb are decent options but September often cheaper
stay in a villa or very cheap hotel
eat off site or self cater
Ubers/hire cars
look into flying to Tampa or Miami, might be a bit cheaper
Put it on a credit card and don’t have a holiday for a year or so either side

Fupoffyagrasshole · 14/04/2025 00:38

We’ve been to a few disneys before and with our daughter - (Hong Kong & Paris & Tokyo & California)

none of them were ever THE holiday - were were already there and did a day or 2 at the parks! I’m not sure I could cope with an intense week or 2 of parks tbh or how much that would cost! A few days of as enough and then other things as part of the holiday.

ive been to Orlando when I was a teenager - and have looked into it a few times - as others said -
term time and self catering ! we got a big house and a car.

MellowPinkDeer · 14/04/2025 00:39

It’s not the kind of holiday I’d spend that kind of money on tbh. I don’t think it’s affordable at all. Who is paying £25k to wait in lines for weeks?! No thanks!

houseshouses · 14/04/2025 00:43

We did it last year, an ordinary family with 'ordinary' jobs with a 9 and 7 year old. We booked it through a fabulous travel company specialising in Disney holidays. It was expensive but we saved for 2 years prior to be able to afford it and during those 2 years we did mini breaks in the UK as our holidays.

ElbowsUp · 14/04/2025 00:44

It'll probably be cheaper over the next couple of years. There looks likely to be a huge drop in tourism and the US dollar is tanking.

You'd need to pay me to go there, though.

houseshouses · 14/04/2025 00:45

Also not sure where previous poster has got 25k for a holiday from. We absolutely didn't pay that. Stayed in a disney resort for 2 weeks for a quarter of that for 4 people.

cadburyegg · 14/04/2025 00:49

Definitely not possible for me but also it’s not something my kids are really interested in, nor me, so it’s not something I’m ever going to prioritise saving up for.

I have friends going this year spending 10k and that’s just out of reach for me.

Ribidibidibidoobahday · 14/04/2025 01:01

We saved £100 a month in a special Disney account from when our second child was born. Went when they were 8 (but must have dipped in or stopped when we got to 8k). Flights and tickets are a big expense but savings can be made for the rest. Stay offsite or value with food credit. No need to eat at disney sit down restaurants. Share snacks or kids meals from the quick service locations. All the entertainment is paid for so it doesn't matter if you dont do any extras, you will still have a fab time. Don't bother with universal unless they are insanely into harry potter. Uber may work out cheaper than car hire and parking fees. Food can be delivered cheaper than in parks if you are staying offsite.

Maybe spend a year before you book casually tracking flight prices and disney offers. If you are near the England Scotland border think about the different term times, think about flying via Dublin. (Think about waiting 4yrs to see if usa calms down)

It is mad how much the prices have jumped, combined with the exchange rate making anything that is priced in dollars hard to stomach. It is totally out of the price range of normal families, only crazy people like me will go. My children don't know a single child who has been whereas I knew quite a few families. They do think of it as some of the best weeks of their lives though.

BlondiePortz · 14/04/2025 01:05

I went to the LA once myself many years ago (I was not there for me though), not worth the money for a day visit to a theme park, we were in LA for other reasons I just dont get the obession over Disney with the amount of other things people can do around the world or put the money towards and amazing 2 week plus holiday somwhere else but like anything if people want to go they can spend their money on what they want

Rollercoaster1920 · 14/04/2025 01:20

Redundancy payout and house extension fund.

Some people spend 5k a year on car depreciation. It's all choices we make.

Purpleturtle43 · 14/04/2025 03:52

We are going to Orlando this summer with our kids (8, 11 and 13). We went with them 7 years ago but that was paid for as part of a Grandparent's big birthday so this is the first time we are paying ourselves and we have been saving for a few years to go back as we want them to remember it. I would say we earn about an average salary. We are going for 3 weeks.

I would say the flights and accommodation are reasonable but it's the park tickets that really jack up the price compared to a normal holiday. We are self catering so hoping to eat in a fair amount and only really have one meal at the parks a day, probably a quick service thing.

SapporoBaby · 14/04/2025 03:55

It definitely is. My cousin goes almost every year - she’s a childminder with 3 kids and her husband is a plumber. She ruthlessly finds the best deals and they go for at least a week often two. She’s great at saving money elsewhere though and is generally a bit of a hippie - eats vegan, buys second hand and grows some of their own food.

DH and I managed to go for £2500 for 2 people in 2018 using a good travel agent to find a deal. And that included a meal plan and was onsite at Disney.

SapporoBaby · 14/04/2025 03:56

@BlondiePortzthe LA park is crap compared to Orlando or Tokyo. It’s more like Paris which I’m not big on.

Coastingtohell25 · 14/04/2025 04:06

We are going Japan in October and Florida in April single mum - carer. We live very frugally at home though and take one big holiday a year.

autisticbookworm · 14/04/2025 04:26

I couldn’t afford it when my kids were the right age. I could now but wouldn’t want to! I know a few people who have been.

RareGoalsVerge · 14/04/2025 04:52

Its about priorities really. "Affordable" isn't a definition with sharp boundaries.

Our budget for a family holiday is £2500 maximum in total, some years cheaper or no holiday at all. We are richer than average for a uk household. If we didn't spend so much on other things like paying into pensions, home and garden maintenance/improvements and other priorities THEN I guess we could, as a one-off scrape together the £8k plus that google reckons a florida disney holiday would cost, but I would consider that an enormous waste of money. For me, any expenditure on that scale needs to be for something that either has a significant year-round impact on our quality of life, or needs to be something that is a genuine investment that will pay off in the future by increasing income, reducing living costs or increasing the value of property. I guess if our household income doubled then the threshold for fripperies like holidays would change. other families might well have different priorities but I think any family would need to be at an income significantly above average for it to be possible as a once-in-a-lifetime rhing

BlondiePortz · 14/04/2025 05:01

SapporoBaby · 14/04/2025 03:56

@BlondiePortzthe LA park is crap compared to Orlando or Tokyo. It’s more like Paris which I’m not big on.

I still have no desire to go to somewhere with queues for rides that take a few mintues, food costs a fortune and not heard any good reports on it, everyone gets tired and cranky and apart from the odd photo oppurtunity there is so many other holidays can be done for the same cost

ZerotoSixtySnail · 14/04/2025 05:23

I’d suggest trying some European (non) Disney theme parks. For example Efteling in Netherlands is magical and a fraction of the price.

welcometonewyorkitsbeenwaitingforyou · 14/04/2025 05:28

We took ours to Disneyland paris - it was shit. They were bored (aged 5/6) and it was freezing. We sacked it off and went into Paris every day instead which they loved - metro, Eiffel Tower, all the good stuff. So much better. Save your money for something better than made up buildings and students in fancy dress!

araiwa · 14/04/2025 05:33

I'd imagine costs of flights, hotels and Disney will be dropping massively with the massive drop in tourism to USA

You might even get a free trip to El Salvador too