Don't forget that this isn't the only cost which has gone up. Add in the other restaurant price hikes, ticket hikes, hotels now charging for parking, and attraction parking hikes, you're talking some serious $ increase on the bottom line total of your vacation. And it's only going to get worse with the $15/hr garbage going on.
For what it's costing to see The Mouse, European vacations and staying in decent 4* or even 5* resorts are cheaper.
I certainly understand that costs for everything are going up and Disney is anything but a charity, but their greed truly is pricing people out of the market of not just buffets but from even setting foot on property, period.
Sadly, even people who can't afford these costs will do anything to make it happen. I even saw a discussion on disboards where people were selling their plasma to pay for a Disney vacation. Seriously folks, at some point a reality check is needed.
Exactly! As I said before, we could do Disney more often but we are not willing to do that. I have heard of people sacrificing vacations for 4 and 6 years to save up for a Disney vacation, that's not us. We have cruise coming up, food is included unless we want to splurge (and cruise food is usually better than most Disney food), 7 days, including airfare and pre-cruise night hotel for about $1700 total. If we went to Disney for 7 days, park tickets, air, eating at the places we like to eat, it would be at least $1000 more. Even when we were doing 1 or 2 WDW trips a year we refused to stay anywhere other than a "value" (only in the dream world of Disney is a $135/night, more now, considered a value) because the moderates and deluxes are hideously over-price when you consider the amenities, or lack of, that you receive.
As for the $15, that's just going to make people tip less. $15 isn't bad pay for low skilled or entry level jobs which, I'm sorry, waiting on tables is. I, for one, am not going to throw down an extra 15-20% to someone who is already making a decent paycheck for their job.
We LOVE WDW and want to go back, but it will be on our terms. Unless we get a dining deal we won't stay on property. We will take Uber from our hotel to the parks to avoid rental car and parking fees. Many off-site hotels offer breakfast (good enough to get us through the first part of the day).
I won't bad mouth anyone that wants to spend 1000s of dollars, that's their right, and I will be the first to hope they have the trip of a lifetime, but that's not the way we do it.