A little perspective on the Disney cost increase frustrations.

[tentaguasu]

Understandably, there's been a lot of stress recently on this board about the cost increases at Disney.

I'm in no way saying that it doesn't matter. For our family, going to Disney is a real financial stretch, even doing it on the cheap.

So believe me, I feel the pain.

That said, something came across my email today that help me keep things in some perspective.

I happen to be a huge soccer fan, and the summer will be an important international soccer competition here in the US.

I was checking ticket prices for the event. In order to get a four-game package the absolute minimum cost is $280.

That's $70 per game, not including parking, not including food, not including transportation, not including hotel. That's for the absolute worst nosebleed seats for an hour and a half game.

What I would consider pretty good seats are over $140 each per game. The best seats are a whopping $562 dollars per game.

And you have to buy a four-game package for any of these. So for my wife, son, and I to attend this at Chicago's Soldiers Field would cost us - without any other expenses - at a bare minimum of $840.

And get this! Just out of curiosity, because I was guessing this was going to happen, I put a set of tickets in the shopping cart and they added on a $42 "service fee."

So make that $966.

Without parking.

Without food.

Without hotel if we stayed over.

For 360 minutes of soccer.


For the worst seats in the stadium.

As I said, believe me I know how expensive Disney is. And for me personally it hurts the bone.

And just because other things are expensive to, doesn't mean Disney gets a free pass from me for any cost increase.

But with all of our frustrations, it's worth keeping in mind that all Entertainment nowadays has gotten crazy expensive.

Heck, going to the movies on a Friday night is turning into a nearly hundred dollar experience! (which is why I only go to the five dollar showing at 9 AM on Saturday morning!)

Anyway, just trying to keep a little bit of perspective

 

[nilla]

Well said. I'm skipping Iron Maiden's tour this year because the only way I can get tickets is if I pay an outrageous amount on Stub Hub. We're also considering flying out the Minnesota for an NFL game. Last time we did that, we spent over $1000 on a three-day weekend.

Entertainment is expensive. Upper-tier entertainment even moreso.

 

[walker0829]

Anyway, just trying to keep a little bit of perspective

And that's the key word. It's all based on one's perspective and perceived value!

 

[Robertfam08]

I tend to think the same way as you. I am not happy about price increases anywhere, but my dh travels to NYC weekly...suddenly room prices at Disney don't seem so high. And the rooms at Disney are MUCH better than pretty much anything you can get on Times Square, even at the most expensive hotels. We won't talk about how much he's paid to see some Broadway shows, haha.

 

[summerw]

I actually don't mind the cost increases. Inflation is bad lately and I don't object to Disney keeping up, or keeping ahead which is more of what they are doing. I do completely object to the increases coming with staffing and character cuts. Just feels insulting.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

I decided against visiting NYC for a weekend because of the hotel expense which would have been over $300 a night for basically acceptable places if I didn't choose outlying areas for lodgings and take the train in (and I apparently don't want to see Broadway shows that badly).

 

[DrewJB]

Yes - everyone sees themselves as the "average" family and feels Disney deserting the average family when the cost is getting to be too much for them. The reality is - if you have running water, let alone have ever been lucky enough to even once visit a place like Disney - you are living a life that is WAY more privileged than the true average person on this planet. The reality is - Disney has always only been available to the highly privileged.

 

[crazedprincess]

Yeah I just don't see the difference between Disney prices and other vacations we have taken. We just went to Mexico this past Feb. and it was just as expensive for us. We took our girls on a road trip to DC this past fall; just as expensive. We took a roadtrip and had an extended weekend in Chicago several years ago... that was a chunk of change we wish we could get back. I hear how Vegas is so cheap but when it gets down to it, from everyone I've talked to, there are a lot of "hidden costs" you forget about.

 

[BrianL]

You know, cost increases happen, and it's understandable, but cost increases PLUS tons of cutbacks (especially people's jobs) isn't gonna fly with a lot of people. I have always felt that Disney offered a pretty good value for the money, even if expensive. You get what you pay for, and the inflated prices led to better experiences than your typical amusement park. Now it feels like we're still paying for it...but they're not delivering what they used to, and that a tough pill to swallow.

Personally, I do think it's all temporary, (the cuts not the price hikes). They have tons of new stuff in the pipeline and things will ease in that department. The higher prices and extra fees (potentially) aren't going anywhere though, so let's hope it turns out to be worth it.

 

[maxiesmom]

I agree about how much everything costs. I wanted to see Def Leppard (don't judge) but the tickets are $111 a person once all the fees are added on. For a 3 hour show. Parking not included. No thanks!

 

[porschegrl]

I agree about how much everything costs. I wanted to see Def Leppard (don't judge) but the tickets are $111 a person once all the fees are added on. For a 3 hour show. Parking not included. No thanks!

For some reason, this reminded me of the time we took my son to see Paula Poundstone. We all very much enjoyed the show. Son asked how much the tickets cost, and with all the fees and whatnot added in, it came to about $50 a ticket. To which he replied, "She wasn't *that* funny!"

 

[BrianL]

I agree about how much everything costs. I wanted to see Def Leppard (don't judge) but the tickets are $111 a person once all the fees are added on. For a 3 hour show. Parking not included. No thanks!

Hey, Def Leppard rocks! They're the best of the "hair bands" for sure! 111 bucks to see them though...ehh, I'd pass too. I have Hysteria & Pyromania digitally now.

 

[Robertfam08]

I do think some of the frustration is temporary, and this thread did get me to think of something else. This is complete conjecture of course, but my dh works in finance and we're pretty convinced we will see another big recession within the next 2-3 years. I mean...it's possible that Disney is also well aware of this and is milking it while they can, while crowds are high and people are flocking. They may be making cuts again in the not too distant future if we see a recession like the one we think we will see.

 

[nilla]

I wanted to see Def Leppard (don't judge)...

As long as they were playing all of side A of the "High 'n Dry" album, it's all good

 

[cabanafrau]

Understandably, there's been a lot of stress recently on this board about the cost increases at Disney.

I'm in no way saying that it doesn't matter. For our family, going to Disney is a real financial stretch, even doing it on the cheap.

So believe me, I feel the pain.

That said, something came across my email today that help me keep things in some perspective.

I happen to be a huge soccer fan, and the summer will be an important international soccer competition here in the US.

I was checking ticket prices for the event. In order to get a four-game package the absolute minimum cost is $280.

That's $70 per game, not including parking, not including food, not including transportation, not including hotel. That's for the absolute worst nosebleed seats for an hour and a half game.

What I would consider pretty good seats are over $140 each per game. The best seats are a whopping $562 dollars per game.

And you have to buy a four-game package for any of these. So for my wife, son, and I to attend this at Chicago's Soldiers Field would cost us - without any other expenses - at a bare minimum of $840.

And get this! Just out of curiosity, because I was guessing this was going to happen, I put a set of tickets in the shopping cart and they added on a $42 "service fee."

So make that $966.

Without parking.

Without food.

Without hotel if we stayed over.

For 360 minutes of soccer.


For the worst seats in the stadium.

As I said, believe me I know how expensive Disney is. And for me personally it hurts the bone.

And just because other things are expensive to, doesn't mean Disney gets a free pass from me for any cost increase.

But with all of our frustrations, it's worth keeping in mind that all Entertainment nowadays has gotten crazy expensive.

Heck, going to the movies on a Friday night is turning into a nearly hundred dollar experience! (which is why I only go to the five dollar showing at 9 AM on Saturday morning!)

Anyway, just trying to keep a little bit of perspective

I understand where you're coming from and can agree with much of what you've said. However, in the interest of keeping a fair perspective I think it's fair to hold Disney to a very, very high standard, as they have no qualms about tooting their horn loudly and often about being a step above (minimum) everyone else and claiming themselves to be without peer in the service and entertainment industry. The parks have been experiencing demonstrably record attendance and profits for quite some time. Price increases and service cuts happen in a furious volley. Updates, expansions and even plain and simple basic maintenance, are delivered at a much more leisurely pace.

Considering Disney makes quite the fuss over any and every spec of magic they deliver, I don't think it's very out of line for those who pay the freight to speak up to balance the perspective of the messages.

 

[toontoy]

Well one thing I consider is that a theme park although its "all Day" entertainment, most of the day is spent, in lines, at the gift shop and not enjoying the attractions. During a conversation with a friend he was comparing a Broadway show to a day at Disney and saying how the Broadway show was 120 and Disney was just over 100. Well the way I look at it during the 2 1/2 hours on Broadway I am enjoying professionals preforming during the solid time frame. At Disney world on our last trip our Day at the Magic Kingdom had roughly 3 hours of rides. The rest of the day was spent in line, at the gift shop, waiting for things and eating. I really think it 6's to me to compare them as a full day isn't a full day. Epcot and DAK in my opinion are the worst offenders. World Showcase is fun but its an over glorified mall. Having been to nearly all the countries around world showcase I can say the food is no longer authentic and the wares at the gift shops are not at all, and the ones that are offered are at a steep premium. I enjoy Disney but comparing my recent stay in NYC to a stay at a deluxe resort. Not only was NYC cheaper, but the room was a true luxury room and didnt have cheap poly blend sheets and towels. I really love Disney and am a huge fan but the prices have outpaced what value I see. it surprises me that in the past 16 years they haven't done much, during the first decades a new park was opened during each one, but they haven't expanded the attractions. They have just cut things back. During 2002 Disney world had more things to do than they do now.

 

[JimmyV]

I guess I look at it a little bit differently. I don't think that it helps to look at the cost of other things and then say that a vacation to WDW isn't so bad. For example, I could price out a vacation to Bora Bora and then look at the price of a Disney vacation and say that the latter is a bargain. But this loses the perspective that the reason so many people choose to vacation at WDW is because it is a less expensive alternative. But when Disney starts to close that gap, then maybe people will start to do the other things that they have been putting off or avoiding because they were more expensive. So maybe a WDW might cost me $4,000 and a trip to Paris might cost me $5,000. It isn't enough to say that the WDW vacation isn't so bad. Because when the price climbs to $4,400, maybe all of a sudden Paris becomes a viable option. Frankly, when the cost of a Disney vacation starts to become on par with vacations to other more exotic and culturally significant locations, Disney will quickly fall off my radar screen. I go to WDW because of the stark price difference. When that disappears, so do I.

 

[cabanafrau]

Well one thing I consider is that a theme park although its "all Day" entertainment, most of the day is spent, in lines, at the gift shop and not enjoying the attractions. During a conversation with a friend he was comparing a Broadway show to a day at Disney and saying how the Broadway show was 120 and Disney was just over 100. Well the way I look at it during the 2 1/2 hours on Broadway I am enjoying professionals preforming during the solid time frame. At Disney world on our last trip our Day at the Magic Kingdom had roughly 3 hours of rides. The rest of the day was spent in line, at the gift shop, waiting for things and eating. I really think it 6's to me to compare them as a full day isn't a full day. Epcot and DAK in my opinion are the worst offenders. World Showcase is fun but its an over glorified mall. Having been to nearly all the countries around world showcase I can say the food is no longer authentic and the wares at the gift shops are not at all, and the ones that are offered are at a steep premium. I enjoy Disney but comparing my recent stay in NYC to a stay at a deluxe resort. Not only was NYC cheaper, but the room was a true luxury room and didnt have cheap poly blend sheets and towels. I really love Disney and am a huge fan but the prices have outpaced what value I see. it surprises me that in the past 16 years they haven't done much, during the first decades a new park was opened during each one, but they haven't expanded the attractions. They have just cut things back. During 2002 Disney world had more things to do than they do now.

I so agree. It pains me to agree with you, but it speaks true to me.

 

[5kidsmommy]

Entertainment is really expensive. We pick and choose each year what we choose to do and what we choose not to do. This year there will be no Disney, I went in November and this year there will also be no Cedar Point which is local for us (season passes are about $1200 for all of us). We are instead doing some local trips along with a few conventions my kids want to go to and our season soccer tickets. Next year we will do Disney and we will cut costs elsewhere. Yes I am frustrated about increases in everything but we pick and choose what we want to do and I am grateful to have choices. Doesn't mean I won't complain about every darn thing increasing though and for Disney it's frustrating because it seems like every couple of days we are hearing about another cost increase, just do it all and get it over with.

 

[Megsmachine]

W are starting to put things in perspective that's for sure. To stay on Disney property for a week including the dining plan would cost us about $12,000. Not including travel etc. To stay off property for EVERYTHING, travel, food, tickets and all...our budget is $6000. A week camping with our camper, having great family time, fishing, playing games and enjoying the fresh air..$700. Yeah, we are definitely re-thinking our vacation strategy. (no need to say its comparing apples to oranges, I get that.)