The View from Scopa Towers

I’ve received many responses from that $1,696 commercial blog I had written a few weeks back. Thanks to everyone who took the time to write and I apologize if I have not gotten back to all of you.

I thought I would put together a mailbag blog filled with some of the notes I’ve received. Here is Part 1 of the Mailbag!

Barbie writes:

“Thanks for your entry about the Magic Your Way commercials. It's great to read a fair commentary on what is and is not included in a very non-critical presentation of facts. We love Disney and vacation there often - "we" are a family of four just as Disney defines it: 2 adults, 1 child, and 1 junior. We have found many ways to make our Disney vacations affordable, so that we can visit multiple times in a year. (We spent a weekend in February, 11 nights in May/June, and will spend 3 nights in December.) We often run into people we know when we visit - I don't know exactly how that happens, but it nearly always does - and when we compare resorts and/or vacation lengths, our friends often comment something like, "How can you afford it?" or "Wow, that's an expensive hotel, isn't it?" or "You must really take Disney World seriously." Well, we work hard to make it affordable and appreciate when all the costs of any particular element of the vacation are well-known to us. Thank you for helping other families know what they are getting into so that they, too, can enjoy and relax without the constant shock of more spending. (We usually end our vacations under budget, and that's the way we like it.)”

Barbie’s point is simple….we all need to work hard to make our vacations affordable. That means always being on the lookout for deals, discounts, and ways to slice expense here and there.

From Crista…

“I will agree on the cost from the commercials. I have a family of four. When we went to WDW the commercial "cost" was $1400. We had two adults, one 7 year old and one under the age of 2. We stayed at the Pop Century for 7 days and six nights. We did get the park hopper tickets and ate at one restaurant a day. We brought snacks or ate once a day at our hotel. We packed suitcases full of food including breakfast. We only drank water at the park and spent an average of $20 a day. We bought souvenirs almost everyday. And last but not least we flew to the Park and parked our car at our airport for the week. So in the end our cost for our vacation was $3432. Even if that seems like a lot, with the right planning it can be the vacation of a lifetime and I would do it all again. This was the first WDW trip for my husband and two boys. My husband felt like a little kid again. Priceless.”

Crista and her family made choices that helped them make their vacation affordable. Young families should take note of how Crista’s family saved money. There’s a bonus here…teaching the children some lessons on how to be frugal.

I was excited to read this from Chica…

“I was really interested when this post popped up on my feed-reader, as my GF and I are planning our first trip to Disney together right now. For a while, we thought we absolutely couldn't afford it, and we're not exactly the norm (no children) for a Disney Trip, but we crunched the numbers and figured out we could do it.

We're going December 14-20th, flying from Philadelphia and spending one day at each park, with a break one day for Downtown Disney and a movie.

Here's our budgeting:

Package from Disney - $1009.82
This Includes:
- 6 nights Pop Century Standard Room
- 4 days park admission (non park hopper)
- Disney Meal Plan for 6 nights (this was a special promotion that was emailed to us after we signed up for the mailing list)

Flight Round trip from Philadelphia - $365.00 for both (including all fees)

Alcohol and Tip money for expenses not covered by Meal Plan - $150.00

Souvenir money (including our Christmas present budget for friends/family/each other) $300 ($150 each)

Now, we can always guarantee some unexpected expense, so we've built in an extra $150 cushion into our budget

Grand total comes to $1975.00

Now, we like to over budget and have extra left-over. So we doubt we'll max out all our budgeted areas. We also plan to use the envelope system. 7 days, 7 envelopes ($50 for the first and last days, $100 every other day). No credit cards, no charging to the room. Only one envelope out of the safe on any given day. At the end of the day, whatever is left can get moved to the next day or later. But once you empty an envelope, you're done.

Now, for the experienced Disney traveler, our plan might not be ideal. But for two girls going on our first 'real' vacation together post college (because spring break doesn't count...), it's a pretty good plan with a reasonable budget. It works out to just about one paycheck for each of us.

I'll definitely agree that the Disney ads are a bit misleading and that if you're serious about budgeting, double the quoted Disney price is just about what your final cost would be.”

It does come down to choices and how you choose to best afford your vacation.

Chica, please look for me when you are in WDW. It just so happens that while you are there I’ll be there for Mousefest.

Amy talks about her family’s planning process…

“I just wanted to take a moment and say that for our family we find WDW to be a great value for our vacation dollars. We are preparing for our fourth trip and once again, we are really impressed with how affordable it is.

We are staying at a moderate resort (with a discount code) this time and paying out of pocket for the DDP for 8 nights. We don't do park hoppers - just base tickets because with enough days we just don't have the need to hop. All said, including airfare, this trip cost us LESS THAN $3000. Breaking that down for our family of 4 we are spending less than $100 per day for food, entertainment, lodging and transportation.

Our last trip we were on the free dining and we stayed at POP (which we LOVED) - that trip we were spent less than $50 per person per day.

We have a very basic theme park and water park here in the Kansas City area and you can't go to either of them for that little money when you factor in food, gas and admission. When you compare the cost to a trip to a family resort destination like Beaches (which we also LOVE) - WDW is about 1/2 the cost!!

I think that given the magic you are a part of and the memories you create, WDW provides a great bang for your buck. For families that are willing to look for discount codes, don't mind the value resorts and forgo park hopper options; there are very affordable options for planning a great WDW vacation!”

Hmmm, it seems one way most people are cutting costs is to forego that park-hopper option. At $53.25 per ticket, the savings can be significant for a family of four.

Jennifer also opts to not include the park hopper option…

“Mike,

Great comments on that promotion.

I think things like park hopper are not that big of a deal to leave off if you only get to the parks every few years. I know we skip the hopper option because we don't like to waste the additional travel time between parks. We get down there every 2 years or so and just set our own expectations that we'll do one a day and if we get done early (say on our second day at a park) we explore other resorts (free) or Downtown Disney, or our own resort.

The food too can be controlled if appetizers and dessert are left off. We eat almost entirely at table service for lunch and dinner as we use these times as our breaks from heat/being on our feet. We've been able to eat at table service restaurants for 25 per person or less 80% of the time and it usually works out to about the same or less than we would have spent a la carte at counter service.

Not ideal for everyone, I know, but I thought I'd concur that it can be done if people are serious about Disney AND serious about having to budget...

Keep up the great blog!! Jennifer”

Jennifer adds another great tip…forget the appetizers and desserts. They too can add up quickly. If you crave for something sweet there’s always a counter service somewhere offering a decent snack....like a Dole Whip.

Check back tomorrow for Part 2 of the Reader Mailbag on Disney's $1,696 Commercial!

Have you seen the recent television commercial aimed at families thinking about going to Walt Disney World?

You know, the mom is at her computer and calls to her husband with, “Honey? Look at this!”
Dad comes over and looks at the screen and asks, “For all of us?”

Then the rest of us are informed that these two were looking at a screen that had information about a vacation package for a Walt Disney World family vacation for (US) $1696....not $1700. but $1696.

Now before you pick up the phone and make that call let’s take a closer look at exactly what this $1696 really means.

According to the WDW site this package includes the following:

• 7 days and 6 nights at a Walt Disney World Value Resort
• The price ($1696) is based on a traveling party made up of two (2) adults, one (1) junior, and one (1) child.
• The quoted price includes a standard room.
• The offer is good between Jan. 11th and Feb 12th, April 19th and May 21st, and Aug. 9th and Dec 17th...all in 2009.
• According to the site the package also includes “Theme park admission to one Park per day.”

For a family who has always dreamed of going to Walt Disney World but never has due to the thought of it being too costly, this does sound appealing and if anything, at least it gets them to say to themselves, “Hmmm, this may be doable.”

So I decided to look at this offer and think about what those first time families need to realize before taking that leap..

Well, we know that you are limited to going only certain times of the year and depending upon the school year (and of course how you feel about taking your children out of school ) you may have even more limitations as to when you can go.

Keep in mind that this package includes a Value resort (All-Stars and Pop Century) and that means different type amenities than you would experience at a Moderate or Deluxe resort.

Then again, if you’ve never been to Walt Disney World or have never stayed at a Walt Disney World resort this may be a moot point.

One key point I’d like to address is the admission media included with the package. The tickets that come with this package offer each person in the travel party the ability to visit one (1) theme park per day. That means if you go to The Magic Kingdom today then that is your theme park for the day. It does not mean you can visit The Magic Kingdom in the morning and then visit Epcot later on to watch Illuminations.

So, if you want the park-hopper option then the price of this package would then go up approximately another $212 dollars.

We are now at $1908...and we have more to cover.

Let’s not forget that not included in this package is the cost of meals for the family. It’s always difficult for me to suggest to those who ask what they may expect to spend on meals at Walt Disney World. Eating habits vary from individual to individual and family to family.

Let’s assume that each member of this four person traveling party enjoys one quick-service meal, one table service meal and one snack per day as defined by the basic Disney Dining Plan.

To try and be as realistic as possible I’m going to attach a price range to each particular meal.
For the quick-service meal I’m thinking about an entree, a beverage, and a dessert and I am assuming the cost would range from $12 to $15 a person. So for the whole traveling party that would amount to between $50 and $60 per day...just for one quick service meal.

Table service meals are quite tricky and the price range can be very wide. I may be under pricing but my estimate would be that for a table service meal the range would be from $25 to $40 per person. This amounts to a range of $100 - $160 per day for one table service meal.

Snacks can also vary. I will apply a range of $2.50 - $5.00 for snacks. This translates to between $10 and $20 per day for snacks.

Let’s add these all up.

We are looking at a range of between $160 and $240 per day for meals for this family of four. For the sake of argument let’s hit a “midpoint” and says the average daily food expense is $200.

Now, in the interest of trying to be as fair as possible let’s say this family replaced their one table-service meal with a second quick-service meal.

Now the daily range falls between $60 and $140 per day or an average of $100 per day.
Now let’s take the two averages...add them together and then divide by two (2) to come up with an “average” average for the cost of feeding a family of four per day at WDW.

The number I come up with is $150.

Now I realize there may be many of you who are looking at this and are saying, “Mike, that is still too high.” Or even some of you that see it as too low. Keep in mind this is an average daily cost and it amounts to about $38 a person. Ironically, that’s about the cost of the Basic Disney Dining Plan. Go figure.

Let’s see...we already added $212 for the park hopper option and now $150 per day for seven (7) days...$900.

So we’ve added $1112 to the original $1696 and we are now at $2808...again...an estimate.
Let’s assume the family is using the free Magical Express benefit. That eliminates rental car/limo costs.

What about souvenirs? Another tough line item to budget. Is $25 per person for souvenirs too little or too much? It’s a toughie ain’t it?

It’s even tougher when you think this is someone’s first WDW vacation. So for the sake of argument let’s say this family agrees to spend somewhere in the range of $100-$200 for souvenirs...that gives each person a shot at a piece of clothing and a trinket. Let’s add $150 to our sub-total....we need to add something.

We are now looking at $2958.

Do I dare even attempt to look at airfare? Nope...not going there. The cost range is too widespread.

Okay...so we are looking at a grand total of $2958 for this family of four to spend 7-days and 6-nights at Walt Disney World in a value resort with park-hopper admission, eating, and of course getting that WDW souvenir.

The only other cost which is not included is the cost of getting there.

My point in all this?

It’s simple.

I’m not here to make any snide remarks towards this marketing campaign and say it’s misleading...because it really isn’t.

The Walt Disney World resort is in fact doing whatever it can to let everyone know that there are affordable packages out there. The $1696 deal is a base that they are offering potential guests. It is that portion of the vacation which they are controlling and doing their best to let you know how affordable the vacation is.

What they cannot control is your particular needs for park–hopping, dining, and (souvenir) shopping.

It would not be wise for the resort to make assumptions in this area.

So I guess I want to say to those out there who criticize these commercials and say they are misleading...it's quite the contrary...they are not misleading you.

This commercial gives the bottom line as to an "affordable" base for a WDW vacation. These are the costs they can control to help you get there.

The commercial is saying....here is a basic package we can offer a family of four for a certain amount of time....this includes the basic room and admission.

If you want more it’s in your control.

That’s what this is all about....a vacation plan is a partnership between WDW and you...they can control some costs but for those they cannot they try to empower you to make the decisions that best suits you and your family.

It’s as simple as that.

Now you know where the “Your Way” fits in when you hear or see the phrase “Magic Your Way."

Yesterday I took you on an Epcot Film Festival Tour. Many of the films are ones that I (and I'm sure others) don't watch very often. Ones we, take for granted.

Today, I'll expand that topic to include other attractions around Walt Disney World which we may take for granted.

In the Magic Kingdom there is…

…The Carousel of Progress, simply because it has been around for over 40 years and it represents one of Walt Disney’s leaps into the world of audio-animatronics.

…The Enchanted Tiki Room Under New Management. I wonder how many guests have not visited this attraction since it has enjoyed it’s makeover within the last decade.

…The Hall of Presidents. It is scheduled to be closed for a while, we have an election coming up you know, but be advised that we are hearing that when it reopens that we’ll see some changes.

In Disney’s Hollywood Studios there is…

…The Magic of Disney Animation. Just as Walt said, “Let’s not forget that this all started with a mouse.” In the same fashion let’s not forget how big a part was played in all this by animation.

…One Man’s Dream. This attraction is never crowded yet it holds so much more than every other attraction in the park.
I love this mural.

…Studios Backlot Tour. I think the most underappreciated portion of this attraction is the American Film Institute exhibit with props and costumes from so many movies. However, I love spending time in the prop shop. Where else would you find a life-sized wooden sculpture of Mulan's horse?

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is the “baby” of the Walt Disney World theme parks yet there are some attractions which are already being taken for granted and they are…

…Discovery Island Trails which offer a relaxing change from the hustle and bustle of your basic Disney attraction, yet the trails are never really crowded.

…Conservation Station – Rafiki’s Planet Watch is often overlooked and probably visited by less than half the guests who enter Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Families with young children should make it a point to visit this portion of the park.

…Maharajah Jungle Trek is probably one of those attractions which is either not visited enough by guests or is wasted because guests speed through it. There’s a reason why it’s there and we should all enjoy it to the fullest.

So as you can see, by visiting with some friends who had not been to Walt Disney World in oh so long and said to me, “Mike you can be our guide.” It turned out that they were the one’s who opened my eyes to the EPCOT Film Festival and how so many of us are taking certain attractions for granted.

I won’t ever again.

This past August I spent 10 days in Walt Disney World. On five of those days I spent time with friends who had not visited the resort for almost six years.

You can imagine that a lot has changed since their last visit. I actually sat down and started making a list of all the changes that have occurred since their last visit. When I passed 30 I decided to quit and just play it by ear when we saw them.

These friends of ours are huge EPCOT fans and thus most of those five days were spent in EPCOT.

On the first day touring EPCOT with them we spent most of the morning in Future World.

As you can imagine the new Spaceship Earth, The Seas with Nemo and Friends, Turtle Talk with Crush, and Soarin’ were big hits with our friends.

During lunch we talked about how we would tour World Showcase and decided to that portion of the park in a clockwise direction and take our time and enjoy each pavilion.

Our visit to Mexico was highlighted by a spin on the Gran Fiesta Tour.

Then, after a bit of a delay thanks to a typical Florida summertime downpour, we moved on to Norway.

Norway of course has The Maelstrom and I have always found that attraction to be short but enjoyable. I always forget to check out the old Viking ship.

On this particular visit as our boat splashed down into the North Sea and next to that oil rig my wife leaned over to me and announced, “We’re watching the film!”

I immediately thought, "What?!?!?!"

I replied, “You mean we aren’t going to race through that theater and escape that film before they close the doors on us?”

She shook her head to confirm my worse fear.

How could we do this? Why would we do this?

I didn’t have a plain brown paper bag to put over my head to hide while sitting in that theater.

I didn’t bring along an inflatable pillow to rest my head on while I snoozed through the film.

I didn’t even have ear plugs or sunglasses to prevent me from seeing the images and hearing the sounds from the film.

Apparently our friends wanted to watch the movie and so like an inmate on death row I reluctantly found a seat in the theater and sat down to watch a film called something like “The Spirit of Norway.”

It had been something like 18 or 19 years since I had sat in this theater.

I dreaded the start of the film…all I could remember was that the film was basically a marketing tool for Norwegian Cruise Lines.

I sat down with my arms crossed…very defensive…then the film began.

Wait. It was quite different than I had remembered. It was interesting…it was very interesting as we took a tour of Norway; it’s land, its culture; its people, and its spirit.

The music and the scenery were very pleasing to the ears and eyes.

The narration was just enough…and I found myself ENJOYING the film.

The film was so far removed from the one I had remembered seeing back so long ago.

I thought, “Hey this isn’t so bad after all.”

As we left Norway and headed to China I found myself wanting to see “Wonders of China” which is the Circlevision 360 degree film shown in the pavilion. I had seen something called "Reflections of China" but that was a decade or two ago.

I assumed I had forgotten most of what I had seen and I was also thinking, “Hmmm, perhaps the film has been updated since 1990.

I found myself absolutely enthralled by the film.

The film captured the essence of China from the Great Wall to the Forbidden City and I found myself glued to the screen; taking it all in…and thinking to myself, “Boy, I had no idea what I was missing.”

There were two other World showcase pavilions that offered films for the guests.

The first one was France and “Impressions de France” and that takes place in a theater. Yet again I found myself thoroughly enjoying the experience. Once again I felt whisked away to a far off land and enjoying a different culture and learning so much.

Usually when I think of the France Pavilion I think of getting my picture taken with Belle, enjoying some French pastry, or marveling at some stained glass window.

Our last stop in World Showcase was to watch “O Canada!” version 2.0; which I had seen last October when it first opened.

Have you ever noticed the unique way this pavilion tells you how long the wait is for the next show?

While watching the film I could not help but second-guess myself for ignoring those other films in World Showcase. I had denied myself a wonderful experience because I kept on thinking back to years ago and how I had “already seen” those films and felt they were not worth my time.

Well, I’m here to tell you that I was wrong and that I encourage all of you who have had the same approach as me to visit those pavilions and watch their films.

You will not be disappointed.

Experience the EPCOT Film Festival.

But let’s not stop there because along this same train of thought there are other attractions around Walt Disney World which we may take for granted.

Tomorrow, I'll share with you what those attractions around Walt Disney World are, at least from the View from Scopa Towers.

Tags:

• Epcot
• Films
• Gran Fiesta Tour
• Impressions of France
• Norway Maelstrom
• O Canada
• Wonders of China