Economy: Will it have any impact on Disney during the Summer Months?

[lcboysfan]

I was curious b/c as Gas prices seem to be rising daily/weekly and the State of Economy Will this affect Disney or will it not?..i I did notice that Disney's prices have gone up some since FEB, So what's your take on this.

 

[tchrchgo]

I know it changed my plans for disney- I was all booked to go this summer, but with airfare and gas prices so high, and the cost of tickets high, and what really did it was the changes to the meal plan (no longer including an appetizer and tip), so that meals would also be high.

put it all together and it makes for one really expensive WEEK- I did not want to spend a month's salary for ONE~WEEK!

so we're driving within the US to see family, stay and eat at their house so the only cost is gas and wear and tear on the car.

 

[Aliceacc]

We booked our trip last summer, so it won't effect us. We locked in our airfare just before New Years, and it has gone up $100 per person since then.

I think the economy might effect people for 2009, as many people tend to plan Disney trips in advance.

Then again, a poor US economy just means that we're a bargain for overseas travelers, so it might just effect the makeup of the people you see. Perhaps there will be more Europeans and fewer Americans.

 

[isyt]

I was making some dining ressies for a friend yesterday and was very surprised I was able to get Chef Mickey's, a Fantasmic dinner pkg, Coral Reef.. all popular restuarants for great times in July. So I don't know if Disney occupancy will be affected but I do think the restaurants will be affected.

 

[2goofycampers]

Many Fort Wilderness Dissers are there; they say the Memorial Day Weekend was busy but unusually quiet now. It takes alot of fuel to haul a camper around. We are going down during the Free Dining offer and it was pretty easy getting most ADR's.

 

[rockyroad]

This might sound weird, but we had the opportunity to go to WDW this spring.

We already have tickets and there was an airfare sale, but the costs of everything added up a bit too much for our budget.

What is even weirder is that we have booked a 5 day cruise from Mobile, so we can drive to the port, for DH, me, and DS and it is way less costly than the WDW trip. We got a really good ticket price for the week we are booked and we downgraded to the least expensive cabins available. It averages out to about $400 each for the three of us including taxes and fees. Plus gas and parking fees.
We are planning to get up really early and drive down the day of the cruise to save on a hotel room and then drive straight home after. It 's about a five hour drive.

We don't drink much, gamble, or buy souvenirs(we already have enough junk), so once we get on the boat all food, tea, juice, (and more food ) is included.

This cruise goes to Cozumel, where we plan to go to the beach, and to Progreso where we plan to do an inexpensive tour.

This is going to cost much less than our planned and canceled WDW trip.
And we still have our WDW tickets to use when we can find a deal there.

 

[vegasnative]

The price of gas is ridiculous, yet it's not affecting our travel plans for 2008, but it will for 2009! We have 3 camping trips and 1 Disney trip planned for this year. I already had the money set aside and the reservations for the campgrounds paid for in December for this year. Our Disney trip is in August we bought the airfare in Feb., so we are still going. However, we were planning on going to Hawaii next March for Spring Break, but I have been checking the prices for airfare, and we will not be going. We may still do our usual camping trips, but they may be closer to home. So, as someone else mentioned, the economy & high gas prices & high food prices, isn't affecting us this year, but it will next summer for sure!

 

[EthansMom]

I think WDW may see a decrease in the number of people visiting from far away. However, with the weak dollar, there may be an increase in folks visiting from other countries. And, lots of people who are relatively local may decide to go to WDW instead of vacationing at more distant locations.

Overall, I don't think the economy will have a big effect on crowd sizes. I do think there may be a decrease in people booking at the resorts, especially at the Delux end. And there may be a decrease in folks dining at the table service restaurants.

I know we booked WDW this fall only because we were able to get Free Dining AND some reasonable flights. For our vacation next spring, however, we're looking at taking a short road trip to the nearest Great Wolf Lodge for a few night visit... much less money than many of the vacations we have been taking in recent years.

 

[zurgswife]

My friends that live and work there said Memorial Day was empty almost I think it will definately affect plans for summer vacations. First, it will impact the lower income folks that drive. Some have money put away for the summer and will decide to go even with high gas. Others will decided that money will be saved as gas is going to continue to increase. I think the free dining will suffer also. Even with free dining it isn't the discount for people on a tight budget.

 

[goofydebi]

I know that if I wasn't celebrating my "50th" birthday there in June, we would not be going due to the price of gas. Also I have called several times trying to change my room, I couldn't get the last night at pop and had to take CBR, everytime I call they tell me they are completely booked for the month of June. I can get rack rate for standard room at AKL, think I'll keep my CBR. unless someone here talks me into changing, is it worth it, we have only stayed at value resorts in the past.

 

[Family Fun Mom]

We had free dining booked for the last week in August but we recently cancelled. It about broke my heart. We can't afford to drive there with gas prices the way they are, and rumor has it that by August it will be a lot worse.

We decided instead to spend a few days at Cedar Point, which is only 2 hours away. It's no Disney, but Cedar Point rocks. The kids have never been and I think they'll love it.

 

[DisneyShannon]

I had planned on going the last of Nov first of December, but now it looks like I will not be able to go to Disney world this year. I still have my fingers crossed though.
My dad had a stroke the beginning of the month and I had to help pay for his deductible for insurance and all his medications. Thankfully I had personal days at work and was able to use them. I still got paid for those days, before I knew it all my Disney money and stimulus payment was gone.
I just do not see a Disney trip happening this year. I can dream though.

 

[Tinkerbelle32]

This summer will be the first summer for many years that we will not be going to Disney. Honestly, we can afford the airfare, tickets, rooms,etc., but we just can't justify the expense anymore. They have raised their rates all around. I can understand that to a certain degree. Like someone else posted it would be a months salary for the five of us to go for the week. I think we will try to go back to Hawaii instead and stay at the Hale Koa.

 

[Jenfrog79]

I"m wondering if its going to change peoples plans for next year. I know people start planning a year in advance for this. since the economy is getting really bad now, are people able to save like they use to? probably not. We're going april 2009 and I'm putting aside a little money each week to save some up but i wonder if other people are able to do that. what do you think about next year?

 

[TwinmomPlusOne]

After this trip coming up, we plan to spend the next few years vacationing at beaches along the Texas coast. It's a fairly short drive south for us. We won't make a big trip back to WDW for at least the next 4 or 5 years.

 

[myAAbatteries&aTD]

There are 4 families from here that are there right now and we leave next Friday (along w/ my brothers' family), so for those that I know it's not affecting travel plans this year..... in the future, maybe. We'll just have to wait and see what happens w/ gas prices over the next 6 months or so...

 

[brockscandy]

We have reservations to go in December. I promised my dad I would not commit him to anything until the fall - he is very hesitant to go with the economy. He is retiring and he has plenty of money to go, but has never paid that much for a vacation and it scares him. Anyway, we didn't get to lock in a low rate with the airlines. I will be checking up until October. If the rates don't come down, then we won't be going either. If that happens, we will take a trip back east for our fall break. Not a short drive from Kansas, but still cheaper driving for a family of 5 than airline tickets for all of us right now.