Interesting article in the New York post

gotta admit I did chuckle at the line: "a trip to Disney World could leave you bippity-boppity broke"

I think there is some truth to this - and definitely a bigger gap between entry level/unskilled/minimum wage (whatever term you want to use) and more established and skilled jobs (also probably more 2+ income households than in the past)

I also just think there is more confidence in the economy - that is, it's easier to drop $5k on a vacation if you are fairly confident you will have a job next year than if you are fearful of being unemployed in the future
 
The article leaves out an important bit of info- that $3.50 admission fee didn’t include the rides, and so for most was not the true cost of enjoying the park.
 


The article leaves out an important bit of info- that $3.50 admission fee didn’t include the rides, and so for most was not the true cost of enjoying the park.
Most attractions, not all. Some attractions were included in park admission but most you had to buy a ticket book.
 
While carrying a huge credit card debt isn't necessarily good for the person who owes the money, it could well be an indication of consumer confidence.

My hats off to those that manage to do Disney on $5k. It costs me twice that.
 
While carrying a huge credit card debt isn't necessarily good for the person who owes the money, it could well be an indication of consumer confidence.

My hats off to those that manage to do Disney on $5k. It costs me twice that.

Your post definitely puts things into perspective for me. While we are at different points in our lives, $5k for a Disney trip seems unimaginable for us (forget about $10k). Then again, it's just my wife and I who try to stay at the cheapest on site property (minus camp grounds) and we try to book only breakfast and dinner, with a small snack for lunch during the day.

And I hope this post isn't taken negatively at all, that's not it's purpose. Just made me realize that my wife and I probably have a very abnormal cost for a Disney vacation.
 


Your post definitely puts things into perspective for me. While we are at different points in our lives, $5k for a Disney trip seems unimaginable for us (forget about $10k). Then again, it's just my wife and I who try to stay at the cheapest on site property (minus camp grounds) and we try to book only breakfast and dinner, with a small snack for lunch during the day.

And I hope this post isn't taken negatively at all, that's not it's purpose. Just made me realize that my wife and I probably have a very abnormal cost for a Disney vacation.
I have a somewhat bigger family than you. When we travel, it is my wife and I, our two kids, one whom is an adult, and the other whom is a Disney adult (14 now) and my mother. When the kids were younger (we had 3 with us back then) and my mother didn't travel with us, we would stay at POR, and could manage a two week stay there, with free dining, driving our own car, making breakfast in the room etc. The trip would cost us around $6500, and that was pretty well all we could afford.

Now, we rent an SUV to have enough room for everyone, stay offsite because we no longer have kids small enough for the trundle bed at POR and onsite rooms big enough to accommodate 5 adults are insanely expensive, and pay for dining out of pocket. It is quite a bit more expensive, but we make a good bit more money than we did back then too, so it all works out.

The nice thing is, there is no wrong way to do Disney. You spend what you can afford to spend, and make it work for you.
 
The only way I afford WDW yearly is through my DVC purchase. Yeah, I took a major hit to my savings - but I financed it over 10 years, which made it affordable. Purchased it in 2004 before the big recession\depression & was one of the lucky ones to not be laid off.

You paid for future vacations on yesterday's dollars.

Now the vacation consists of airfare, food & annual pass with DVC Discount (making sure to use it for two trips). Dues are paid monthly out of direct debit - and they are part of my overall budget.
 
About this this part: "The middle class ($35,000 to $100,000) and lower class (below $35,000) have shrunk because Americans are graduating from them."

The lower class is growing so I don't know where he got this idea from.
 
About this this part: "The middle class ($35,000 to $100,000) and lower class (below $35,000) have shrunk because Americans are graduating from them."

The lower class is growing so I don't know where he got this idea from.

I took it more that there isn't as much of a middle income because more people are in the upper-middle or upper income range (which is also true) - quick google search brought up an NPR article that showed that in 1972 it was split Lower Income 25.2%, Middle Income 60.8%, and Upper Income 14%, and by 2015 that split was Lower 29%, Middle 49.9%, and Upper 21.1%

So the lower class grew by 15%, the middle shrunk by 22% and the upper class grew by 50% of their starting percentages - and it is those upper level people that can afford Disney (especially at the higher rates) and there are more of them ... and the middle class that has a harder time affording Disney is shrinking


(not saying the author is right, I have not idea, but I think that is the angle)
 
I read this article when it first was published and thoroughly enjoyed it! A lot of great points about Disney and our nation
 
Wallethub just posted some record amount of credit card debt so all is not rosey.

Exactly. I would say a good chunk of these "well off" people are not actually financially secure or responsible - they just use debt to live the life they want. I know more than a few households bringing in 6 figures a year or close to it, and yet still feel "strapped". Why? Because they're leaving beyond their means. In fact a great example of this happened locally several years ago. During the recession a very large mill shut down, that employed a lot of people. These were people making $80-100K+ a year, and yet many lost their homes etc... Why? Because they weren't living responsibly. They weren't building savings funds or investing, and instead they were just spending what they made, and then some. Racked up large amounts of debt that they were then unable to pay.
 
While carrying a huge credit card debt isn't necessarily good for the person who owes the money, it could well be an indication of consumer confidence.

My hats off to those that manage to do Disney on $5k. It costs me twice that.
My last trip before merchandise and food was like 200 bucks, and it was all spent on the flight/transportation to the airport. Family living there and APs helped there a lot (not explaining again how since already asked)

To be fair though the last time I went with my family and not me meeting family was around $5k before merch but including food because dining plan.

My next trip which is just airfare and a room at one of the value resorts is costing me a grand. Yeah for the first time in my life I’m actually not looking forward to going and it’s not the money...

Sorry I thought the conversation on how much people paid was fun
 
While carrying a huge credit card debt isn't necessarily good for the person who owes the money, it could well be an indication of consumer confidence.

My hats off to those that manage to do Disney on $5k. It costs me twice that.

I think it all depends on a bunch of factors:

1) Family size
2) If you need airfare
3) Resort tier
4) Length of stay

I think it is all what you make of it. We are bringing our daughter for the first time this summer and the only way we were able to do it was if we kept the total at $4,000. We decided to go 6 days instead of 7, staying at POP and did the 1 free quick service meal per day deal Disney had going on...now its really just about budgeting for food and other spending money. Should be interesting, as we have always done the DDP.
 
Well, for one thing it's the Post, so you should go in with a low bar for the research and depth of reporting. The author's home base is National Review, which has seen its journalistic quality drop precipitously over the last several years, in search for clicks.

The author wants to make a point that the economy is doing well and builds this around high crowds at Disney. He could have written the same piece around new-vehicle purchases or the housing market, but Disney stories are sexier. The only thing of significance here about Disney that you may have not already known is that MK is now topping 20 million in annual attendance.

I like that Disney is accessible to people at both ends of the middle class, however you define it. In 2002, making well under $100K a year, our family of three had a very nice week there. In 2017, making over $200K a year, we had an even nicer week there (and where we live, $200K is middle class). Now if our wages hadn't grown - or shrunk - between 2002 and 2017, I would be pretty frustrated about ahead-of-inflation price increases over time, but could probably still construct a satisfying vacation.
 
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Well, for one thing it's the Post, so you should go in with a low bar for the research and depth of reporting. The author's home base is National Review, which has seen its journalistic quality drop precipitously over the last several years, in search for clicks.

The author wants to make a point that the economy is doing well and builds this around high crowds at Disney. He could have written the same piece around new-vehicle purchases or the housing market, but Disney stories are sexier. The only thing of significance here about Disney that you may have not already known is that MK is now topping 20 million in annual attendance.

I like that Disney is accessible to people at both ends of the middle class, however you define it. In 2002, making well under $100K a year, our family of three had a very nice week there. In 2017, making over $200K a year, we had an even nicer week there (and where we live, $200K is middle class). Now if our wages hadn't grown - or shrunk - between 2002 and 2017, I would be pretty frustrated about ahead-of-inflation price increases over time, but could probably still construct a satisfying vacation.

I certainly get taking the source into account and the agenda he has (clearly wanted to have a "hot take" against the "liberal media" that is only talking about the wage disparity, etc.)

That said it is good, i think, to look at all sides and maybe the fact that crowds are up at WDW despite ever increasing prices is that perhaps there is a larger pool of people that can pay higher prices and/or feels more comfortable spending more on a vacation. Like nearly everything in this world it probably isn't any one factor but I think it is something interesting to consider
 
To me the costs show inflation run amok

Trip#1 2006 12 days at POR $6000
Trip#2 2008 10 days at POR $8000 not to bad
Trip#3 2012 12 days at FQ $14,000
Trip#4 2015 9 days at FQ $15,000
Trip#5 2018 in June 10 days at AKL just under $18,000

Notice the prices sigh
 
Ken - Would it be possible to run the numbers for FQ in 2018? I note the 3k swing but you did jump from Moderate to Deluxe. So maybe 16,500 for FQ.

Also other variables in play would be are there any children that are now considered adult.

For my wife and I, we can see a price swing from 2008 - 2018 but when I compare WL2010 to AKL 2018, its not almost triple the price. Yes it has gone up, but thats a huge increase.

This intrigued me enough to finally post on here HA HA HA.
 
Ken - Would it be possible to run the numbers for FQ in 2018? I note the 3k swing but you did jump from Moderate to Deluxe. So maybe 16,500 for FQ.

Also other variables in play would be are there any children that are now considered adult.

For my wife and I, we can see a price swing from 2008 - 2018 but when I compare WL2010 to AKL 2018, its not almost triple the price. Yes it has gone up, but thats a huge increase.

This intrigued me enough to finally post on here HA HA HA.
One child became an adult and I added one child. One reason for the expense is I have to pay for a room for her mother and stepfather. These costs are for 2 rooms.
 

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