We all agree that a WDW vacation is pricey, but I wanted to post for the board what I just paid for lift tickets to go skiing in Steamboat, CO for an upcoming March Spring break trip as compare to park tickets for our 2019 WDW trip over Thanksgiving:
Steamboat lift tickets:
2 teens and 1 adult for 5 days – $2550 ($850 each)
1 adult for three days (my DW) – $550
Total $3100
WDW for Thanksgiving week
8-day park tickets with hopper for 4 (2 teens and 2 adults) - $2500.
Skiing is $600 more for significantly less days and less entertainment options. Plus the ski rental equipment added another $1000 to the cost.
As a family we enjoy both skiing and our WDW vacations, but in terms of dollar per total entertainment value, I think WDW comes out on top.
My family used to go skiing in Colorado a ton when I was young/a kid. So much so that I got sick of it. Also I hate the cold. Now, that is one more reason not to get back into it I’d much rather spend my hard earned money on WDW!! But enjoy your ski trip! I’m sure you’ll have an amazing time!
We were thinking about doing the Atlantis waterpark excursion on our cruise and a one-day pass was $188pp for 5 hours! I couldn’t believe it. I, personally, don’t think WDW is that expensive for what you get. They aren’t pricing enough people out if the crowds just keep going up.
I work at a health insurer and we reimburse a family up to $400 back for fitness activities and that includes ski lift tickets - not much but every little bit helps. I argue that the walking in my WDW vacation is also fitness related, but I haven’t managed to get that covered as a reimbursable expense yet…
Part of it (just like WDW) is where you are and when you ski - we can drive to good colorado skiing so we get season passes for $600 (kids are significantly less and often free) and we go most weekends. Our 1 week Disney trip is going to cost us more than three times what we pay for a whole season of skiing for a family of 4. Why we ski every year but only do WDW every 4-5 years.
The only real downside is, it can be very cold. Whenever I feel sorry for myself that way, I always tell myself, it could be worse, I could be in Jackson Hole.
My kids used to have a winter break the last week in Jan (think the school got tired of everyone taking their kids out for WDW). So we’d go every year. I noticed at the airport all the cool people were going to Vail, while we were with the loud, tacky, out-of-shape group heading to Orlando. Sometimes (for very short moments) I’d feel guilty for not taking them somewhere better; we could go to Europe for the same money… But nah - no jet lag, no worries, no problem entertaining them; and it was so deluxe leaving freezing cold weather for 74 degrees! We always had a fabulous time - I wouldn’t trade those vacations for anything!
Haha! But this is a real thing. I did actually have a nanny quit after taking her to Big Sky. She was shocked at all the skinny people, she’d never seen anything like that before. We had a trip to WDW lined up and she was embarrassed to go, she didn’t like the heat or to wear shorts. She was a lovely lady, but self-conscious to a fault.
My friends totally do not get why we go to WDW while they trot off to the Galapagos Islands or wherever. Well, we’ve done our share of touring Europe, etc. but for just plain fun you can’t beat WDW. I don’t know what to tell them. It’s not like we don’t do high-brow things like see the ballet at the Oslo Opera House, but everyone needs to have just plain fun!!
Since we live with major ( and some pretty sweet minor) ski hills all around us, YNP as a day trip, and a good airport an easy hour away, we really can have it all, I feel very lucky and blessed, and don’t waste time worrying about it anymore.
We loved our nannies- the last one we had for over a decade. As two working parents with overlapping 24-hour call, and no family nearby, we had to have one. It was a luxury but also a requirement, and we took them everywhere we went. I think it would’ve been unfair to say, “Hi we’re off to WDW for a week, would you watch the dog while we’re gone?” So they came with, and we all had a blast!
I’d much rather spend my hard earned money on WDW!! But enjoy your ski trip! I’m sure you’ll have an amazing time!
As two working parents with overlapping 24-hour call, and no family nearby, we had to have one. It was a luxury but also a requirement, and we took them everywhere we went. I think it would’ve been unfair to say, “Hi we’re off to WDW for a week, would you watch the dog while we’re gone?” So they came with, and we all had a blast!