Anyone else think Disney is getting Greedy?

[nugov2]

It's not a matter of want, it's a matter of ability to buy it. I'm paying $12K already for our WDW vacation. Now I'm supposed to justify another $400 for our party to be part of the privileged?

Yes, you are if you want it. Maybe some people can't spend 12K on a vacation at all so to them you are one of the privileged.

Cut $400 from your budget and apply it here. Change resorts, stay off site, eat one or two less Character Meals. It is for you to decide if it is worth doing and I'm sorry if you can afford 12K on a vacation I don't think adding $400 more is really going to make or break you...doesn't mean you don't think the event is not worth the extra money, but $400 isn't that much money.

 

[siskaren]

I think my father is nine feet tall. Don't blast me if he's not; I don't feel like calling him and asking him.

Huh?

 

[mag73]

I just love those who praise vampire capitalism. As if you were crazy to suggest that things are getting out of hand…like rolling out water to purchase as you wait 2 hours in line to fix your tracking device on your vacation. How dare you complain. Lets see when I was growing up airlines gave you a blanket. Oh yeah and a meal…Oh and heh they even let you check a bag..no two. Heh and when you went to the gas station they checked your oil, oh yeah and they pumped your gas. How dare you complain that Disney is $100 bucks and the hotels like the deluxe $600 for basic motel room..oh guess what no Mickie soap anymore…Oh and yeah I just love Goldman Sax and CEO's making hundreds of millions to rape company's ship jobs overseas gamble. loose and turn the debt over to you the tax payer…can you say GM, AIG anyone..How dare you..Its the American way…didn't you see Wall Street with Mike Douglas….not the talk show host…oh that was when they had programming that lasted more than one minute before they shoved 100 commercials at you…What's wrong with you. Disneyland is God and God is America..It says it right on our money..next to the surveillance eye.

I absolutely agree with you, even though we are guilty of paying for the Disney deluxe hotels. But I guess there is hope, just this week my kids 11&15 said that the tickets to the Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party are just not worth the price. They even argued with my dh when he told them that it would be nice to go just once. When asked if they wanted to go to the Wishes dessert party my 11 yo son said that there is no way we can eat $25 each worth of sweets. Now I can not really argue with that.

 

[fbb]

Huh?

Just having a little fun with the wild Las Vegas statistic thrown out there.

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

Yes. And I refuse to buy into it.

 

[North of Mouse]

Certainly they are greedy! They're a business!! I've never seen a business yet that is satisfied with their current status - always change, grow, make more money, etc. etc. etc. as long as they are in business.

 

[tim123]

Certainly they are greedy! They're a business!! I've never seen a business yet that is satisfied with their current status - always change, grow, make more money, etc. etc. etc. as long as they are in business.

being in business does not equate to greed.
my guess is that you are under 40.
once upon a time this country had family owned small businesses that profited and grew this country and created enormous wealth and liberty…it wasn't always…more profit, downsize, cut benefits, outsource, pay suits 100 million…there is a gradation to profitability and to customer service….yes the corporation serves its shareholders solely and profit is the only requisite…
go back 35 years and you would see a much different and freer country and another way of doing business…20 years from now that memory will be an illusion to the currant generation of essentially slaves to debt with the freedom to chose between coke and pepsi and not much else... who love their servitude and ridicule those who remember a better time.

 

[connie1042]

I never said if it was right or wrong. I just feel that all the added cost for some of the privileges takes its toll or the average person. Like I said, if they can get people to pay for this stuff, they will keep adding things to it. I do pay for some of the things that I feel I want. I have been to both Christmas and Halloween Party. Taken tours. But to have to pay for things that everyone can get for free, just not as good, bothers me. Someone on here said 400 dollars is not that much money. Sorry, but it is to me. I have always disliked people who thought they were better than the average person, just because they had more of everything. Having more, does not make you a better person. Greed feeds Greed. The more you have the more you want, or think you need. In the end, it will not get you to the front of the line.

 

[skylizard]

I just love those who praise vampire capitalism. As if you were crazy to suggest that things are getting out of hand…like rolling out water to purchase as you wait 2 hours in line to fix your tracking device on your vacation. How dare you complain. Lets see when I was growing up airlines gave you a blanket. Oh yeah and a meal…Oh and heh they even let you check a bag..no two. Heh and when you went to the gas station they checked your oil, oh yeah and they pumped your gas. How dare you complain that Disney is $100 bucks and the hotels like the deluxe $600 for basic motel room..oh guess what no Mickie soap anymore…Oh and yeah I just love Goldman Sax and CEO's making hundreds of millions to rape company's ship jobs overseas gamble. loose and turn the debt over to you the tax payer…can you say GM, AIG anyone..How dare you..Its the American way…didn't you see Wall Street with Mike Douglas….not the talk show host…oh that was when they had programming that lasted more than one minute before they shoved 100 commercials at you…What's wrong with you. Disneyland is God and God is America..It says it right on our money..next to the surveillance eye.

 

[GigiDisneyfreak]

I feel like the links provided explained more detail than the op, and actually have more to them than what op said.

The "meeting anna & elsa" isn't just that, you have reserved seating for a variety of shows and events during the Frozen celebration, and if it's anything like the sww package they provide free desserts and drinks including alcoholic ones...that's pretty worth it to me....

As for the VIP tours, it looks like that would probably be worth the cost through being able to ride headliners in multiple parks, plus a table service meal, and transportation between each of the parks (i doubt you'd be on the regular busses for that) not to mention you have a personal guide with you for the whole day and you'd probably also be getting tidbits of trivia & information throughout the day as well.

And if people are going to pay for it, they'll charge for it!

I was just looking at the Disney park blog and it didn't mention anything about alcohol. That would justify the price tag a little bit. It also appears that you don't meet Anna & Elsa, you get to see them. Where did you read alcohol and a meet and greet?

 

[nugov2]

I never said if it was right or wrong. I just feel that all the added cost for some of the privileges takes its toll or the average person. Like I said, if they can get people to pay for this stuff, they will keep adding things to it. I do pay for some of the things that I feel I want. I have been to both Christmas and Halloween Party. Taken tours. But to have to pay for things that everyone can get for free, just not as good, bothers me. Someone on here said 400 dollars is not that much money. Sorry, but it is to me. I have always disliked people who thought they were better than the average person, just because they had more of everything. Having more, does not make you a better person. Greed feeds Greed. The more you have the more you want, or think you need. In the end, it will not get you to the front of the line.

I don't understand what you mean by that? Are you saying that people who have money shouldn't spend it on things that people without cannot have so they don't feel bad? I mean where do you draw that line. What about those who can afford the most bare bones vacation vs the ones who can't vacation at all? Should you not go at all. That is a slippery slope because there is ALWAYS going to be someone who has less or can't do something that other can.

I posted that $400 wasn't that much money(and I stand by that statement for those that vacation to WDW). $400 isn't a lot to any family who can afford to go to disney, stay on site, eat meals in the park, do BBB etc. Even at the bare bones you are spending a couple of thousand. You just have to readjust your budget if it is that particular event is that important to you. Most can't afford to do everything, but they pick and choose what is important for them. Like I said before certain perks/privileges have been around as long as I have been visiting WDW for the last 20+ years. It is never, ever going to be a level playing field when it comes to life. It is just the way it is, but it also doesn't mean that anyone thinks they are better than anyone else. I have yet to see one person post anything that resembles that statement at all.

 

[Reddog1134]

I've seen a lot of people call this a planning board, but it's called " Theme Parks and Strategies" And this thread is discussing theme parks, so what's the problem?

But it's under the "Disney Trip Planning Forums" heading. However, it's the most popular forum so it ends up being a catch-all.

 

[Suvadoo]

But it's under the "Disney Trip Planning Forums" heading. However, it's the most popular forum so it ends up being a catch-all.

OK, I get it now. DUH

 

[DisUniversal]

*sigh* Though I'm sure people will be lining up to snap up this junk

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3298482

 

[bryanb]

Since I moved here nearly 25 years ago, the price of a single day ticket has gone from $31 to $99 (or $95)....that's over 300% price increase. Prices for annual passes have gone up the same percentage. They've added very little in that time with the exception of Animal Kingdom which is for the most part an overpriced zoo. Hopefully "Avatarland" will change that.

They may be supplying what their customers are demanding today, but I feel they are risking alienating a future generation of customers.

$31 to $99 is a 219% increase, not a 300%+ increase. But I get your point. It seems like the cost of everything from food, to hotel rooms, to all of the "extras" have increased by about that much, too.

But the question is whether Disney is "too greedy." 25 years ago, Disney's stock price was around $23.50 per share. Today, the stock closed at $86.84. That's an increase of 270%, which means the stock price has climbed faster than ticket prices have.

The argument that Disney will alienate a future generation has been made a lot, and it's entirely valid -- but I hope they're hiring a lot of smart analysts who weigh all of these decisions both short-term and long-term. Disney is known for world-class data (from surveys, magic bands, daily forecasting/reporting).

What if you had bought shares of Disney 25 years ago? We might not be able to "beat" the system, you can "join" it. It's the ultimate way to be both an owner making money and a consumer paying it.

 

[RalphinSC]

I did the premium dessert party experience for the Star Wars Weekends. Calculated the price out for the drinks, desserts, and snacks. Especially with the alcoholic drinks thrown in that they were serving for $8-$14 a pop, it was a value. Of course, I might not of spent that money on those items if not for the offer. But I left very satisfied with the value I received versus what I paid. And that was with one of our two experiences (the parade) being rained out and cancelled.

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

*sigh* Though I'm sure people will be lining up to snap up this junk

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3298482

I absolutely loathe everything Frozen, but even I wouldn't call these junk. Figure over the course of a 6 night stay you get it for $5/day plus a memento to bring home. That's a steal in terms of Disney merch.

 

[bryanb]

*sigh* Though I'm sure people will be lining up to snap up this junk

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3298482

I'm sure they will. Everyone gets to choose how they want to spend their "leisure" money based on what makes them happy. For some people, it's a nice bottle of wine for dinner. For others, they buy a car that's $2,000 more luxurious than what they really need. Or another t-shirt from some concert. Or collecting pins or baseball cards. Or going to Disney World more than once every 5 years. For any of these things, there are people who will think it's worth it and others who scoff.

Personally, I don't want these bands... but who am I to say I haven't spent my money on stuff that other people consider a waste?

 

[maxiesmom]

Certainly they are greedy! They're a business!! I've never seen a business yet that is satisfied with their current status - always change, grow, make more money, etc. etc. etc. as long as they are in business.

Exactly. A business wouldn't stay in business long if they were not trying to find ways to make more money. Gotta satisfy those stockholders.

I don't think a business is greedy for finding a way to make more money, just as I don't take offense that some people will pay for those extras. And I find it ridiculous to complain about either of those groups. Makes it sound as if you want something, can't afford it, so you decide to berate the company as being greedy. That sounds greedy to me.

 

[virgilatmit]

Hearing about the VIP tour, I do see an argument for it. The podcast listed a bunch of rides that I could get onto, but it would take me four days, as I'd spend the day at each park to get onto those rides. The way I see it, you could go to the parks four days in a row, or you could buy the VIP tour and the one day park hopper. I included the cost for lunch for the four days, but not the VIP tour, since it's included.

VIP tour: $300+$150 = $450
4 days at the parks: $300+$30*4 = $420

Not a big difference between the two. I think I'm actually under-estimating meal costs for spending 4 days in the parks. Plus, you would have to pay for 4 days of parking, not just one.

So who would this appeal to? Most people going to the parks are on vacation and have the time to go to the parks for multiple days. I think going to the park for four days is much more fun than trying to cram them all into one day. I guess this can appeal to people that visit Orlando for other reasons (e.g. coming there for a conference) and don't have a lot of days to visit the parks, or locals. If you could afford it, would you want to experience WDW this way?