Anyone else feeling priced out of disney?

[Srbright]

I always shake my head when I hear people say Disney is a cheap vacation. I guess it can be reasonable if you are willing to stay in 240sq ft room and bring your own food and eat cs for all meals. That kind of vacation does not appeal to me at all. I like to have nice resort with the all the amenities, and I like to eat at sit down restaurants and be served. To get that at Disney you really have to pay an arm a leg. Our first time was four years ago we stayed at Poly for 239.00 a night in May. I thought that was very reasonable. I think this Spring the discount is only 10% making it over 400.00 a night. I'm pretty sure this will be our last year as AP holders. The prices keep going up and the discounts decreasing. I really feel like I can get more for my money vacationing elsewhere. We have a lot of great memories at Disney, and we will go back it just won't be 2 or 3 times a year anymore.

POR is $200 for night, has wonderful resort amenities and beautiful grounds and landscaping. They have a sit down restaurant, bar, pool bar and even a boat to DTD.

Sounds like a bargain to me!

Stacy

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

This is why we now drive from PA, and stay off-site in a pool home or condo in WH or IC(sometimes splitting the cost with my in-laws...then only have to pay under $500 for a week in the 4 bed/3 bath pool home)!
Indian Creek rental http://www.houseforrentflorida.net/en/index.php (have stayed in his homes 3 times)
Windosr Hills rental http://www.mickeyscondo.com/safari/ (have stayed here once and also stayed once through vacationcentralflorida.com)
Plus we do the YES program to save on tix, and don't eat all our meals at the parks(we get tired of park food anyway).

Thank you so much for sharing the links to the houses you like loveysbydesign!

DawnM - You are awesome! I had looked at Sky Auction after I saw you first post but had a hard time figuring out how to get the great rates you mentioned. Thank you so much for the info!!!!!

 

[robinb]

POR is $200 for night, has wonderful resort amenities and beautiful grounds and landscaping. They have a sit down restaurant, bar, pool bar and even a boat to DTD.

Sounds like a bargain to me!

Stacy

I think that $200 per night for POR is terribly overpriced.

 

[Judyat]

I see good deals all the time on groupon and living social as well as other sites. Mystic Dunes and Cypress point are 2 of them that I have stayed at. The price was right and so were the accomodations. What I find outragous are the park tickets especially for those would just like to walk around and enjoy the sights. We've been there many times so we don't feel a nedd to do alot of the rides and adventures. Unless you purchase a several days ticket one or 2 day tickets are really high. Not to mention if you want to do more than one park a day there's an added fee.

 

[rainynight]

I agree WOW! Seriously? You think Disney's ticket prices are priced high to keep out poor people who will destroy the parks?

Also, When is the last time you were at a professional sporting event? Or ever?
I can guarantee it wasnt a Pittsburgh Steeler game. Just as rowdy as always. The way it should be.

Just when i thought i heard everything on the Dis . I'm surprised yet once again. " shaking head"

I think Disney wants to keep the poor people out because they are the ones who bring in their own food and who doesn't buy as much merchandise. From a business perspective it makes sense to want to bring in those with money to spend versus people who are scrimping for the bare minimum Disney vacation and only buying park tickets and nothing else. I don't know why anyone would find it offensive that Disney would rather have more well to do people vacationing there than those with low income. If you owned an amusement park which would you rather have...a poor family who will only purchase park tickets or a family with money to blow who will buy expensive character buffets, overpriced souvenirs, $4 bottles of water, $300 night resort rooms, etc.?

 

[G719]

High prices are not unique to Disney. Just to get an idea of a comparison, I priced a 7 day stay at Cedar Point. It's only 4 hours from us so we are familiar with that park. For a regular room at their resort hotel with 3 day tickets for 4 people it was about $2200. Now this park is nowhere near the size or scope of Disney but the price is only $500 less than the room/ticket package I booked for November at a moderate resort. We didn't stay at but priced a few hotels along Virginia Beach last summer-talk about sticker shock! So vacationing can be expensive anywhere. I guess you just have to really do some research and digging to find discounts and creative ways to save money to make a vacation affordable.

 

[Marionnette]

I think Disney wants to keep the poor people out because they are the ones who bring in their own food and who doesn't buy as much merchandise. From a business perspective it makes sense to want to bring in those with money to spend versus people who are scrimping for the bare minimum Disney vacation and only buying park tickets and nothing else. I don't know why anyone would find it offensive that Disney would rather have more well to do people vacationing there than those with low income. If you owned an amusement park which would you rather have...a poor family who will only purchase park tickets or a family with money to blow who will buy expensive character buffets, overpriced souvenirs, $4 bottles of water, $300 night resort rooms, etc.?

Why would Disney want to keep anyone out as long as they are not disruptive or destructive? The person who pays for a park ticket is still revenue as far as Disney is concerned. Unless the parks are at capacity each and every day, there is no financially sane reason for Disney to want to exclude any group of guests. Your theory makes no sense.

 

[davedmaine]

Why do some try to make it look like this is racist. Read what the poster I answered said.

Let me make it simple for you to understand.

1. the family happened to be black and looked like they weren't rich
2. If the family was asian, Mexican, etc I would have said so and I have seen many too.

OK here's the tricky part for you.

I'm pointing out

A. Being white you can be rude trashy etc.
B. Being white you can be polite

C. Being Black you can be rude, trashy etc.
D. Being black you can be polite

E. Being any race you can be trashy, rude, polite, rich or poor.

F. Being rich you can be rude, trashy, etc
G. Being rich you can be polite

H. Being poor you can be rude rude, trashy etc
I. Being poor you can be polite

In other words no one has a monopoly on the above traits.

Seriously though, you shouldn't have brought race into it. It read very, very badly..

 

[rockyroad]

Disney priced themselves out of my reality a couple of years ago.

I don't know, I guess they still pull in enough business even so.

We have been WDW enough times that I lost count of how many trips we have made.
And at one time I was an expert booking an affordable trip.
But no longer.
I don't know that an affordable trip is even possible anymore.

I used to wonder how people could afford to book the more expensive hotels and eat in the overpriced restaurants.
And then I realized that the wages and cost of living is much higher in some places than in others.
Their dollars go a lot further in the in the world of disney that mine do.
I am not going to spend the equivalent of a car payment on a meal for the family and I am not going to pay the equivalent of a house payment for five days in one of their resorts,
I cannot and will not spend like that.

But WDW gets a whole new crop of customers every year.
And I would think that newbys probably buy a lot more junk than I ever would.

In the years following 9-11 WDW wanted to be my best friend and I was definitely one of their best friends!
It was fun while it lasted.

Now they have new friends and I am sure that they do not miss me at all.
They don't even send me stuff in the mail anymore.

 

[rojen]

Why would Disney want to keep anyone out as long as they are not disruptive or destructive? The person who pays for a park ticket is still revenue as far as Disney is concerned. Unless the parks are at capacity each and every day, there is no financially sane reason for Disney to want to exclude any group of guests. Your theory makes no sense.

Fewer guests spending more per person makes most businesses more money. Disney would rather get people who pay top dollar for everything than the lower end of the spectrum. Long lines drive away those people. Turning away 1000 people who spend $100 a day is a winning strategy if you attract 100 people spending $1000 per day, you end up with lower labor costs and less wear and tear.

Disney is obviously going after a specific segment of the tourist population. Getting rid of discounts and increasing rack rates are not simply a function of increased occupancy rates. They want to attract as many people who spend all their money on property as possible. A lot of people on this board are under an assumption that Disney desires people who eat PB&J and bring souvenirs from home. They allow it, but would rather you stay home and save some room for people buying overpriced goods and sit down dinners.

I'd gladly pay $300 a night to stay at a Monorail, but I wouldn't spend much on dining or souvenirs. So Disney doesn't want me, they'll price the Monorail resorts to $400 so I don't come, and sell that room to someone who will pay the higher rate, make reservations at CRT, and pay twice as much for the same junk you find at the Disney store at the mall. And the people who pay that money are more likely to come if they're not stuck in line with me for 45 minutes at every ride.

How many new counter service restaurants have opened in the last decade? Refurbished? Wonder why AoA has one family suite for $400 a night instead of two regular rooms for $100 a night each? Fewer people spending more money each.

These new policies and price structure aren't accidental. They work to my disadvantage, but it's probably gonna work out great for Disney.

 

[rockyroad]

Respectfully disagree with this part of the post. Yes, Walt was about making money, but he was also about keeping the idea of Disneyland for kids. The issue was in the balance of profitability in the vein of maintaining that childlike spirit.

I don't think Walt ever envisioned $700/night resort club villas. I don't think he ever expected his guest families to worry about booking their $150-$200 ADR's six months in advance. I don't think Walt envisioned adding several thousand dollars to a vacation price for the sake of adding a dining plan.

Maybe I"m completely wrong, because I make no pretense of being any kind of Walt Disney expert (as in Walt Disney the person). My possibly naive belief was that he thought he figured out a way to run a profitable business by giving families a fun place to have a vacation. While WDW is still a great place, I'm just not convinced he would have liked the way it has evolved.

I totally agree.
I think that Walt would not be pleased at some of the ways WDW has evolved.

 

[dansamy]

High prices are not unique to Disney. Just to get an idea of a comparison, I priced a 7 day stay at Cedar Point. It's only 4 hours from us so we are familiar with that park. For a regular room at their resort hotel with 3 day tickets for 4 people it was about $2200. Now this park is nowhere near the size or scope of Disney but the price is only $500 less than the room/ticket package I booked for November at a moderate resort. We didn't stay at but priced a few hotels along Virginia Beach last summer-talk about sticker shock! So vacationing can be expensive anywhere. I guess you just have to really do some research and digging to find discounts and creative ways to save money to make a vacation affordable.

Exactly. A real vacation of any sort is expensive. Even a camping trip to the beach. There's just no getting around it. Even a staycation at home will have some economic impact. You have to choose for your family.

My family chose to buy DVC because even if we didn't step foot in the parks, I would more easily be able to get my husband to take a vacation if the rooms were already taken care of. I know that DVC is probably one of those decisions that is not so wise financially, but it is a peace of mind decision, much like a new vs slightly used car. We've taken more vacations together as a family since purchasing. We just got back from our 5th & have our 6th & 7th planned.

After dh had a stroke this January, we both realized that the memories we make will be what we're left with when one passes away. Those will be priceless one day. We may not always travel to Disney. We may not choose to go yearly. We may make other choices with our vacation dollars. But we will make spending down time together as a family a priority. My dad died when I was 10. I don't have many memories of him. The ones I have are dear & precious to me. I want my children to build memories with their dad. We don't know what tomorrow will bring for any of us.

 

[Marionnette]

Fewer guests spending more per person makes most businesses more money. Disney would rather get people who pay top dollar for everything than the lower end of the spectrum. Long lines drive away those people. Turning away 1000 people who spend $100 a day is a winning strategy if you attract 100 people spending $1000 per day, you end up with lower labor costs and less wear and tear.

Disney is obviously going after a specific segment of the tourist population. Getting rid of discounts and increasing rack rates are not simply a function of increased occupancy rates. They want to attract as many people who spend all their money on property as possible. A lot of people on this board are under an assumption that Disney desires people who eat PB&J and bring souvenirs from home. They allow it, but would rather you stay home and save some room for people buying overpriced goods and sit down dinners.

I'd gladly pay $300 a night to stay at a Monorail, but I wouldn't spend much on dining or souvenirs. So Disney doesn't want me, they'll price the Monorail resorts to $400 so I don't come, and sell that room to someone who will pay the higher rate, make reservations at CRT, and pay twice as much for the same junk you find at the Disney store at the mall. And the people who pay that money are more likely to come if they're not stuck in line with me for 45 minutes at every ride.

How many new counter service restaurants have opened in the last decade? Refurbished? Wonder why AoA has one family suite for $400 a night instead of two regular rooms for $100 a night each? Fewer people spending more money each.

These new policies and price structure aren't accidental. They work to my disadvantage, but it's probably gonna work out great for Disney.

That would only make sense if Disney was turning people away at the gate. It costs Disney $X to open the gates and remain open for the day. If 100 come in the gate and 5 of them are lower income guest, Disney still got the same amount for admission from those 5 people as they did from the other 95. And that's 5 more admissions to the good. They didn't displace 5 guests who would spend more money because the parks generally don't run at capacity. They didn't take up 5 seats at CRT that paying customers would have taken because they didn't get through the door of the restaurant in order to eat their picnic lunch. Disney didn't lose money on the t-shirts and autograph books they didn't buy. Disney sold them to someone else that day.

It's not any business's intentions to turn away a customer from whom they can turn a profit. Perhaps there's a bigger profit to be made from someone with more disposable income. But the guest who pays for a ticket is still a moneymaker for Disney.

Now, you can make the case for Disney's cost analysis showing that they make more money by raising their rates and making a bigger profit from a smaller group of guests. But the price increases are not aimed at keeping any group of people out of the resorts and parks.

 

[Bob NC]

Your theory makes no sense.

It makes perfect sense, you just don't agree with it.

 

[rainynight]

That would only make sense if Disney was turning people away at the gate. It costs Disney $X to open the gates and remain open for the day. If 100 come in the gate and 5 of them are lower income guest, Disney still got the same amount for admission from those 5 people as they did from the other 95. And that's 5 more admissions to the good. They didn't displace 5 guests who would spend more money because the parks generally don't run at capacity. They didn't take up 5 seats at CRT that paying customers would have taken because they didn't get through the door of the restaurant in order to eat their picnic lunch. Disney didn't lose money on the t-shirts and autograph books they didn't buy. Disney sold them to someone else that day.

It's not any business's intentions to turn away a customer from whom they can turn a profit. Perhaps there's a bigger profit to be made from someone with more disposable income. But the guest who pays for a ticket is still a moneymaker for Disney.

Now, you can make the case for Disney's cost analysis showing that they make more money by raising their rates and making a bigger profit from a smaller group of guests. But the price increases are not aimed at keeping any group of people out of the resorts and parks.

They may not want to keep certain people out but they most definitely do want to attract a majority of people with money to spend. And yes there are times they turn people away, why else do they raise prices during the holidays and summer months? Because the parks do at times reach capacity and they do turn away people. It only makes sense they want those who are more likely to spend. During busy times they don't really offer discounts because they want to have those who are willing to pay rack rate. And I'm willing to bed Disney loses money in those who only buy admission tickets because they are paying more employees and wear and tear of the rides and such.

 

[rainynight]

To add. Its the same with restaurants. They would much rather have a table who will buy appetizers, desserts and drink than a table ordering just an entree with water to drink and then uses a coupon. They make money both ways but obviously they prefer the ones who spends more.

 

[castle1]

Exactly. A real vacation of any sort is expensive. Even a camping trip to the beach. There's just no getting around it. Even a staycation at home will have some economic impact. You have to choose for your family.

My family chose to buy DVC because even if we didn't step foot in the parks, I would more easily be able to get my husband to take a vacation if the rooms were already taken care of. I know that DVC is probably one of those decisions that is not so wise financially, but it is a peace of mind decision, much like a new vs slightly used car. We've taken more vacations together as a family since purchasing. We just got back from our 5th & have our 6th & 7th planned.

After dh had a stroke this January, we both realized that the memories we make will be what we're left with when one passes away. Those will be priceless one day. We may not always travel to Disney. We may not choose to go yearly. We may make other choices with our vacation dollars. But we will make spending down time together as a family a priority. My dad died when I was 10. I don't have many memories of him. The ones I have are dear & precious to me. I want my children to build memories with their dad. We don't know what tomorrow will bring for any of us.

 

[Angie789]

POR is $200 for night, has wonderful resort amenities and beautiful grounds and landscaping.

I honestly don't think anyone who has a lot of experience with actual resorts would classify POR as having "wonderful resort amenities". I do agree that the landscaping is beautiful but for the price, it is lacking.

 

[mndisneylovinmom]

I think Disney wants to keep the poor people out because they are the ones who bring in their own food and who doesn't buy as much merchandise. From a business perspective it makes sense to want to bring in those with money to spend versus people who are scrimping for the bare minimum Disney vacation and only buying park tickets and nothing else. I don't know why anyone would find it offensive that Disney would rather have more well to do people vacationing there than those with low income. If you owned an amusement park which would you rather have...a poor family who will only purchase park tickets or a family with money to blow who will buy expensive character buffets, overpriced souvenirs, $4 bottles of water, $300 night resort rooms, etc.?

Wow! You have some nerve, and also do not know what your talking about!
In life, you must be a very unkind person.

In regards to your comment about "poor people bring their food into the parks"
Your so wrong!! We, along with countless other families who bring food into the park do so, but NOT because we're poor.
So, My Point???? How do I know this? Why do I think this?

My hubby alone makes a very good living. My parents inherited a lot of money, and also own land that is enriched with Oil -- and receive oil checks every month in the double digits... One check is more than most people make in a year. We are are very fortunate that they are very generous with their children and grandchildren. We go to disney, And WE BRING SNACKS into disney with us.

Also, one of our daughters has type 1 diabetes and we MUST always have snacks with us at all times for her. So, again, another reason why people may bring snacks and food into Disney with them, and it's NOT because they are poor!

By the way, you pay $300 a night for your resort? That's funny! We pay that for a meal! And, stay at the grand Floridian and pay about $1,200 a night for our resort room.

 

[Sagginit]

i think disney is not trying to price out all, but i am sure they want to get ride of some extreme budget trip people. i know this is a budget board but they lose money on people who ask for tons of free cups of water to eat with their sandwiches they brought it, on people who bring crock pots and use electricity all day long to cook dinner in their room, or having extra employees in to check "luggage" which is really fridges.

disney sells itself as value but really wants to get you there and then impulse spend. the dining plan exists to ensure that you spend x amount of money on meals, not to give you value. i used to work at victorias secret. the whole reason they give out free panties is to get you in the door and pressured into buying a bra at $50 a piece.

it sucks that the middle class is really taking a hit these days, but disney is a business. it upsets me more that middle class folks are being priced out of homes in some areas or college educations.

i have contemplated if i will give up disney, but i have done pretty good with airfare to orlando, free dining, and not having to rent a car. compared to other trips this runs about the same for us 2 adults. for ex. when i went out west i spent at least $500 on airfare, compared to the less than $200 spent getting to disney.

speaking of savings, anyone hear anything about pin codes? i feel like i haven't seen a pin code post in ages. my mother wants to go back this fall so im starting to run costs and i feel like i have booked for sept in april last time and discounts were out.