It is a fair question.
If the price of a vacation to a Disney theme park is so extreme and beyond your economic reach, why not look for a new destination?
Sure, Walt Disney wanted to create a place where a family members could enjoy an experience together. No discussion. He succeeded in doing just that. But, plenty of families did experience vacations together before Disneyland ever opened its gates. And plenty of families do that together today. All without visiting a Disney theme park.
Think about it for a bit. Add up those costs just to get to Anaheim or Orlando. Planes, trains or automobiles. Could you spend the same amounts going to another destination? How about taking in some of the scenic wonders that America has to offer instead of another theme park vacation? Take in the views at Yosemite Valley, the Grand Canyon or track up the Blue Ridge Mountains, to name a few.
The same goes for booking at an on-property or Good Neighbor hotel/motel. With all of the travel consolidator websites to choose from, I will place an even money bet that you can spend less staying somewhere else and have just as enjoyable a time, whether it is only the two of you or that mythical family of 4.3.
And no bet at all, you can surely find some great places to take in all kinds of meals for less than you might spend on theme park food. And better while you are at it. Enjoy some real BBQ of what ever flavor appeals to to, take in some real Tex-Mex delights or even a cooked to order burger and fries instead of something from under the heat lamps.
My point? A Disney theme park vacation or even a long weekend is not the beginning or the ending of choices for what you spend that disposable income on. Try on something new. Get out there and see what lies beyond that next curve instead of what may come at those familiar exits along Interstates 4 or 5. Who knows? You might find something the whole family enjoys as much or more than another visit to the Mouse?
Yes, I know. I am a heretic. Warm up those fires and stakes.