Is it possible to do Disney Land Florida for less than tbe price of a new small hatchback?
What should I include and what can I cut out?

Interesting post as I am of the same opinion, very expensive indeed.

Staggering isn’t it!

I looked last year, but declared I’d never pay it.

Euro Disney is bad enough, worst VFM family activity I’ve ever had the misfortune to suffer.

Mickey can **** right off.

lad I sit opposite at work took his family (wife + 3 kids) to Florida at Easter – they were out of the country for 2 weeks. He didn’t get any change from £10k.

We’d love to do it, but can’t justify the costs, which seem to be even worse during the school hols – which we’re completely tied to as my wife is a teacher.

Euro Disney is slightly different – mostly because I can drive there in 5 hours door-to-door (live in Kent) however they do some pretty good deals.
We’ve booked to go next Easter, and got a ‘book 2 nights, get 2 nights free’ deal, which means our 5 day passes + 4 nights in the hotel (on-site is around £1100.

definitely deals do be done at Disneyland Paris. Wife has been to both and reckons that if you are only going to Disney then no point travelling to Florida, apart from the weather. Florida has the advantage of other parks but there is more than enough to do in Disney for 3-4 days

We drove to Paris and stayed off site in the Davy Crockett ranch. This is still Disney but waaaay cheaper than a hotel on the park. It was no hassle as only about 3-4 min drive away.

Meals are fantastically expensive. The first time we went we paid for a meal package with lunch and dinner each day. This was spendy but cheaper than just paying as and when. But, it was too much food! Last time we went went we took breakfast stuff with us and then made lunches to take into the park out of the continental breakfast packs that we got in the Ranch. This worked out really well as then we just paid for a meal package for evening meals.

I suppose my issue with Euro Disney is that, I don’t think it’s very good.

I’ve been twice, we usually tag it onto the end to our summer holiday to France, we arrive late, stay at one of the ‘partner hotel’ have a day in the park, another night over and drive home.

Perhaps my ‘inner chimp’ has died, but it makes no sense to me. I don’t think Disney is the brand it once was with kids, they’re not wowed by Cinderella’s castle (which is plastic and really quite small when you’re up close). No what Euro Disney is to me is a middle of the road theme park, spread over a huge area to facilitate lots, and lots, and lots, and lots and lots and a few more – gift shops. There are at least 4 shops for every ride, and every building in-between is a shop, all selling pretty much the same thing – £40-£200 Teddy Bears.

Some of the rides are good, some are weak, some are hand-me-downs from Disney World and decades old, I went on the Star Wars ride 2 years ago, it took a while but I realised I’d been on it before, 20 years previously in Florida.

Last time we went I think I spend £200 on tickets and £400 on the hotel. £600, and that’s forgetting (if that’s even possible) that they will HAMMER you for food and drinks – 3 cups of pop and 3 cakes, £40. What do you get in return? 90 min queues for 90 second rides. 90 min queues to have your picture taken with a Character and a bit of a parade when all the actors look suicidal. Our Eldest moaned all day, My Wife was stressed because we were meant to be having fun and I was bored. Why? What’s the point? No one else seemed to be having fun, everyone was bored of queuing. If you attack it like a job you might, just might get 5-6 attractions in on a day, maybe 8 if you fancy a few of the lessor ones and skip lunch for £600.

On the other hand, we go to Folly Farm, it’s about 90 mins from my house, it cost less than £50 for all of us to get in, there’s a few rides, but there are no queues, I feed £20 into the token machines and we never use them all, but most of the attractions are real live animals, from Sheep and Goats to Lions and Giraffes. There’s loads of open spaces, less noise, more room, calm and quieter. It’s lovely. I look around whilst I’m there as I always do and most people, Children and Adults are happy to be there and that’s the point. I think Disney has built a multi-generational reputation for being something you need to provide your children once in their life, but in my experience it’s not all that.

We drove to Paris and stayed off site in the Davy Crockett ranch. This is still Disney but waaaay cheaper than a hotel on the park. It was no hassle as only about 3-4 min drive away.

i stayed there earlier this year, i checked in and then went back to one of the french supermarkets close by, at which time my phone died (sat nav) and i got very, very lost, and it took me about 2 hours to find the ranch again 😆 i was very tired, and very stressed

Perhaps my ‘inner chimp’ has died, but it makes no sense to me. I don’t think Disney is the brand it once was with kids, they’re not wowed by Cinderella’s castle

theres a sweetspot age i think, especially for a lot of disney, my 4 and 5 years old (boys) appeared to love every second,

would they have enjoyed it as much at 8 and 9, mmmm i don’t think so, they would be under the height restriction for some rides, and not interested in the younger stuff anymore i think, so what is there for them?

of course once they hit early teens, the US version is probably great again, big rides, multiple parks, ability to walk for a mile without being carried, and the ability to queue without being dicks, 4 year olds don’t understand queuing, and as the parent of a tired bored 4 year old, trying to get them to act like a queuing adult, isn’t going to happen (my kids are feral)

I don’t think Disney is the brand it once was with kids, they’re not wowed by Cinderella’s castle (which is plastic and really quite small when you’re up close). No what Euro Disney is to me is a middle of the road theme park.

I guess it depends on how old your kids are, and what they’re into.
My girls are 6 and 9, we went to Euro-Disney 2 years ago and they loved every minute of it, and have repeatedly asked to go back.

As for the meals/food – yes some of the prices are horrific, however you can save by booking an entertainment/food package in advance, and taking stuff with you/pocketing a few bits from the breakfast buffet for lunch.

lad I sit opposite at work took his family (wife + 3 kids) to Florida at Easter – they were out of the country for 2 weeks. He didn’t get any change from £10k.

Wow, we did it in the summer for a lot less and there were 8 of us in the villa. Two rental cars, full on Disney passes, the works.

bubs – there’s no getting away from the fact it’s fairly expensive. I’d say £5k for a fortnight for a family of four maybe. The real trick is just to not get sucked into the ‘upgrades’ – there are loads of decent villas in Florida, you don’t have to be 2 mins from the parks, just get the basic rental car.

Look at Floridatix for prices of park passes. They can get very expensive if you want to do a manic ‘visit a park everyday’ thing. If you can do a chill day round the pool, then a theme park day every other day then that helps, and means you’re not paying for parks you’ll never use.

If you ever do it, the best thing I can say to you is go early to the park before the crowds, do the sights until lunchtime (when it gets too hot) and then come home. Do lunch at home (thus saving you $100!) and go back late afternoon – when you pay for car park (yes, thats extra too!) it allows you to come back any number of times the same day.

Obviously all the merchandising is mental price ($20 for a helium ballon anyone?) so if you can resist that then you’ll save a fair wedge. You can bring cool packs in with you so stock up on water before you go in.

If you need a stroller for kids, go to the local Walmart and buy one for $20 – same price as renting one for the day, and you can use it all fortnight.

I didn’t find the deals on clothes etc. in the malls particularly good value this year so again, you’ll save by not buying all your Nike stuff for pennies less then you would have bought them in the UK.

I’d say £5k for a fortnight for a family of four maybe.

That’s probably about right, but I’d still say don’t do it as it is absolute sh*te, most expensive holiday I’ve been on and one of the worst.