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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:
Bunnycat101 · 14/04/2025 07:04

We looked quite seriously at Florida but haven’t ended up booking for a number of reasons including the expense and prioritising school fees. we’ve done other bucket list holidays including Lapland which is do again in a heartbeat but I’m finding it hard to justify the cost of Florida at the moment. We are likely to do DLP when frozen land is open.

The things that have put me off include:

  • balance of crowds versus the heat and humidity. We wouldn’t cope with the August heat (when it’s cheaper and less crowded) so would be looking at more expensive/crowded months around spring which changes the costs a lot.
  • i don’t really like rides and nor do my children which knocks down the value proposition a bit.
  • Level of accommodation for the price paid (we’d want to stay on resort). Even some of the deluxe resorts look a bit tired.
  • the general busyness of everything.

It’s not a ‘never’ for us as my husband is keen to go but I don’t think we’d get enough from it at this point to justify the price. I’d rather go all in for a few days in Paris and splash out on the Disney Land Hotel and maximise princesses etc

BlueLimes · 14/04/2025 07:04

Just wanted to add - parking at hr resorts is now free, but also no need to hire a car.

boobot1 · 14/04/2025 07:06

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.

See I much prefer Paris to Orlando. Especially the castle.

PurpleFlower1983 · 14/04/2025 07:09

Bunnycat101 · 14/04/2025 07:04

We looked quite seriously at Florida but haven’t ended up booking for a number of reasons including the expense and prioritising school fees. we’ve done other bucket list holidays including Lapland which is do again in a heartbeat but I’m finding it hard to justify the cost of Florida at the moment. We are likely to do DLP when frozen land is open.

The things that have put me off include:

  • balance of crowds versus the heat and humidity. We wouldn’t cope with the August heat (when it’s cheaper and less crowded) so would be looking at more expensive/crowded months around spring which changes the costs a lot.
  • i don’t really like rides and nor do my children which knocks down the value proposition a bit.
  • Level of accommodation for the price paid (we’d want to stay on resort). Even some of the deluxe resorts look a bit tired.
  • the general busyness of everything.

It’s not a ‘never’ for us as my husband is keen to go but I don’t think we’d get enough from it at this point to justify the price. I’d rather go all in for a few days in Paris and splash out on the Disney Land Hotel and maximise princesses etc

DLP isn’t much cheaper, it’s comparatively a lot more expensive staying on site. We could have done 2 weeks in Florida for the same price as 5 nights at DLP. We did a couple of trips and it’s gone up so much since then, it’s crazy! We looked at Lapland but couldn’t justify the costs for a couple of nights but it’s all different priorities isn’t it, we have been recommended to try that outside of the Christmas season for much cheaper options.

Amberlynnswashcloth · 14/04/2025 07:09

I would really like to take to take my own DC but I just can't afford it as a single mum. I went twice to Florida in my early teens and absolutely loved it. I've known three lots of people to go in the last few years: one was a group of colleagues from work who shared the expense, one family stayed with people they knew who lived in Florida near the park, and the other family are fairly well off but still booked two years in advance and (presumably) paid it up. I know several people who have been to the Paris one but for me I just don't think it would be the same without the sunshine, bright colours and americana that I feel is quite central to the experience.

Passthecake30 · 14/04/2025 07:10

We did it a couple of years ago, 18 days for £18k in August. We booked it a year in advance and paid it off monthly, and were pretty frugal that year. Our standard holidays can cost around £6k for a week in Greece/canaries all in, it’s something that we budget for, however I can’t wait until we can travel outside the school hols (3 years to go!)

lilacflowerpetal · 14/04/2025 07:10

Yes it is possible. We went to Florida last year with a 9 and 11 yea old. We saved up. It was very expensive - if we were going to go we wanted to stay in a Disney hotel, eat in all the themed restaurants (I.e. eating at Cinderella’s Royal Table in the actual castle!) and do all the experiences - and it was worth every single penny,

It cost us £12,000 for flights, accommodation, park tickets, sit down meals and lunches for 4 of us. We spent another couple of thousand on top of that on spending and excursions e.g. to the Kennedy Space Center.

We’re currently saving to go again.

PurpleFlower1983 · 14/04/2025 07:13

lilacflowerpetal · 14/04/2025 07:10

Yes it is possible. We went to Florida last year with a 9 and 11 yea old. We saved up. It was very expensive - if we were going to go we wanted to stay in a Disney hotel, eat in all the themed restaurants (I.e. eating at Cinderella’s Royal Table in the actual castle!) and do all the experiences - and it was worth every single penny,

It cost us £12,000 for flights, accommodation, park tickets, sit down meals and lunches for 4 of us. We spent another couple of thousand on top of that on spending and excursions e.g. to the Kennedy Space Center.

We’re currently saving to go again.

Edited

The free dining deal is back within the
next few days - £200 deposit! I’m a
bad influence! 🤣

lilacflowerpetal · 14/04/2025 07:14

PurpleFlower1983 · 14/04/2025 07:13

The free dining deal is back within the
next few days - £200 deposit! I’m a
bad influence! 🤣

Show quote history

Ooh thank you! Although we have found that the prices overall go up when this is on, so it’s not that much of a saving. We paid for the full table service dining plan as it was worth it for us for what we wanted to do.

NerrSnerr · 14/04/2025 07:15

We're going to Orlando this year, our children are 10 and 8 and we have been saving for about 6 years with smaller holidays (Butlins etc).

I have been to Orlando as a young adult and the children really want to go so think it's worth it. After this one we'll save again for another big holiday when they're teens.

PurpleFlower1983 · 14/04/2025 07:16

lilacflowerpetal · 14/04/2025 07:14

Ooh thank you! Although we have found that the prices overall go up when this is on, so it’s not that much of a saving. We paid for the full table service dining plan as it was worth it for us for what we wanted to do.

Edited
Show quote history

We’re doing 18 nights in August, moderate resort, upgraded to full dining plan so we can do character dining, flights from Manchester for £11.5k. Didn’t think it was too bad all in all.

PurpleFlower1983 · 14/04/2025 07:17

lilacflowerpetal · 14/04/2025 07:14

Ooh thank you! Although we have found that the prices overall go up when this is on, so it’s not that much of a saving. We paid for the full table service dining plan as it was worth it for us for what we wanted to do.

Edited
Show quote history

I compared against the deal for free nights and it was cheaper with our free dining deal for us by 1.5k but I have heard people say this too. Suppose it depends when/which resort.

EveryDayisFriday · 14/04/2025 07:21

It was possible for us, we saved hard and managed 2x Disneyworld holidays when the kids were little. Cost us around £8k each time, this would be closer to £11k now I'd imagine though. At that time, we prioritised disposable income by staying in a small house whilst our pay rose. We didn't holiday often, still don't, we've not been abroad for 5yrs.

RedSuedePump · 14/04/2025 07:25

These threads always get people being sniffy / judgey - live and let live and spend what money you can afford on what makes you happy!

we've been Disney in Paris, Orlando and California (with kids and without) and love it. I've also had holidays to Thailand, Malaysia, NZ, Australia and Europe! what i'm saying is it's possible to enjoy Disney holidays and more "adventurous" holidays!

id love to go disney in the Far East but not sure that will happen a anytime soon!

i get a lot of pleasure out of planning a Disney trip, researching the best deals on flights/hotels etc, and then have it to look forward to. There's a lot of blogs/vlogs out there about doing Disney on a budget etc for tips

We earn average salaries, and prioritise holidays as what we spend our disposable income on. We don't have expensive cars or expensive hobbies and don't really eat out that much and aren't big drinkers. We do enjoy going on a couple of holidays a year. (We also only have 1 child which obviously is a factor in holiday cost)

We are off to Disney in California later this year (we prefer it to Orlando plus it's the 70th anniversary) but this probably will be the last Disney trip for a few years as want to start doing more city breaks with DS

lilacflowerpetal · 14/04/2025 07:25

@PurpleFlower1983 Yes I imagine it depends on a lot of factors, and prices seem to change all the time.

We went for the full dining plan as we wanted to do all the character meals and it was great. It was also worth it for peace of mind that food was paid for - although tips aren’t included (apart from at CRT)!

We stayed at a moderate resort which we loved, but we are considering upgrading to a deluxe one next time, as prices sometimes go down to not much more than than what we paid for the moderate.

I should also add my DH thought he’d hate Disney - he loved it and is just as eager to go back! I thought I was only going for the kids too - I have never felt holiday blues like it when coming back!

PurpleFlower1983 · 14/04/2025 07:28

lilacflowerpetal · 14/04/2025 07:25

@PurpleFlower1983 Yes I imagine it depends on a lot of factors, and prices seem to change all the time.

We went for the full dining plan as we wanted to do all the character meals and it was great. It was also worth it for peace of mind that food was paid for - although tips aren’t included (apart from at CRT)!

We stayed at a moderate resort which we loved, but we are considering upgrading to a deluxe one next time, as prices sometimes go down to not much more than than what we paid for the moderate.

I should also add my DH thought he’d hate Disney - he loved it and is just as eager to go back! I thought I was only going for the kids too - I have never felt holiday blues like it when coming back!

Edited

That’s good to know, we weren’t sure about upgrading but is was £1200 for the full
stay so not too bad for 4 considering we also want to do the character dining. I would love to go deluxe but wow it shoots up in price! One day!

NeverHadHaveHas · 14/04/2025 07:28

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.

We went to a Greek island and Florida last year and as wonderful as Rhodes is, we all (including our children) enjoyed Disney/Universal much more.
Have you been to WDW, out of interest?

Bunniemalone · 14/04/2025 07:29

I agree id say not affordable, if you have to pay for it all yourself & not load it onto credit cards. Also not sure I'd want to go anywhere near the US at present. However my brother's in laws, who I know barely work, both very part time in min wage jobs,, have 3 kids, rent & I know are on some sort of benefits. Go every 2 or 3 years for 2 weeks & stay in a Disney hotel. Obviously I have no idea how they afford it. I know you can get deals etc. But DH & I have 1 DC both work full time him min wage, I'm on about £40k, have a mortgage & there is no way we could consider it. We are off to Devon for a week at Whitsun in Avery lovely caravan.

PonkyPonky · 14/04/2025 07:31

We’re going next year but with a big group of extended family which brings the cost down. Also booking this far in advance made it cheaper. We haven’t ever had a family holiday abroad so we have saved hard for this. I drive a beat up 15 year old car, shop in Aldi and will be scrimping on everything between now and the holiday to be able to afford it. We are also missing a week of school to make it cheaper. Not something I thought I’d do to be honest but it made thousands of pounds difference. We’ll only do it once, it definitely isn’t affordable for normal people as a regular thing.

lilacflowerpetal · 14/04/2025 07:32

PurpleFlower1983 · 14/04/2025 07:28

That’s good to know, we weren’t sure about upgrading but is was £1200 for the full
stay so not too bad for 4 considering we also want to do the character dining. I would love to go deluxe but wow it shoots up in price! One day!

Show quote history

Some are crazy in price! But we saw one for a really good price recently - we shouldn’t look until we’ve saved enough and are ready to go again!

EsmeSusanOgg · 14/04/2025 07:34

Never went to Disney growing up. Would love to take the kids... But so expensive. It's a save for when they are bigger.

Goatinthegarden · 14/04/2025 07:34

I have taught in a very mixed affluence school for the last 15 years. I can only think of one family in all that time that went to Disney for a holiday, and another who went for a day as part of a bigger trip. Of course, I don’t know what everyone is up to, but they do usually tell me their holiday plans. The average family doesn’t seem to go very often.

I get my class to work out the cost of a ‘dream’ holiday as part of a finance topic, and my current class all wanted to go to Japan, or ‘snowboarding in the mountains’. Disney wasn’t mentioned (they’re aged 10-11).

NeverHadHaveHas · 14/04/2025 07:34

We have been to WDW a couple of times in the last few years and as a family we absolutely love it. We used our work bonuses to pay for it both times.
We know quite a few other families who have been and they have planned well in advance and saved for it.
If you stay at one of the budget Disney or universal hotels or off site completely it doesn’t have to cost anywhere near the £25k someone mentioned.

Comtesse · 14/04/2025 07:41

But OP you say in your own post it was ”once in a lifetime” - surely that’s a clue on frequency? I have a good job, plenty in the bank and I would never consider blowing big money on a Disney holiday.

Dodgethis · 14/04/2025 07:42

We’d planned to go at some point to Disney World, but it would be saving up for years. Probably won’t go now, I have no interest in putting myself and my family at risk in Trump’s USA.

They are deporting people to rot in a prison in El Salvador without any evidence or process. They are separating kids from their families at the border. And if you happen to be unexpectedly pregnant and have a miscarriage, you might find yourself unable to get medical care.