Anyone else who might be priced out?

[HopperFan]

Hi everyone. I was really looking forward to booking another trip for next year but now I am not sure. I love Disney World and only stay onsite however, my husband doesn’t share my love and it has been hard enough to convince him to go in the past and now that prices are even higher it might be a hard sell. Most all of my our stays have been moderates, he definitely won’t stay at a value and deluxe resorts have always been pricey for our budget but now the new moderate prices are much more. I am not looking forward to sharing the new prices....just wanted to vent a little.....I knew there would be a price increase, I was just hoping it wouldn’t be this much.

My DH goes with us maybe once every 4 or so years. He also hates the values and will only stay moderate & deluxe. He also doesn't like park centric trips, preferring down days at the pool relaxing. We are 5, so if everyone goes Disney hotels are an issue.

We began staying offsite where there are nice pools. Wyndham Bonnet Creek was a great option, less than a value the way we book, 2 bedrooms, kitchen, great amenities and activities. A few days DH stayed at resort with DS1 which let the rest of us go at a faster pace, doing shorter days at parks and back to have dinner with family. It gave us park people what we want and DH what he wants. One trip we even did 2 days at Universal. Twice we did Discovery Cove. There are a few other hotels we have stayed at as well. It might be an option to meet in the middle that way.

 

[Mrsb1234567]

The prices are getting crazy. We are able to go because my husband is a retired Marine. We stay at Shades of Green, it includes breakfast, and we get the military tickets. This being said, we have not gone in 4 years.

My in-laws are going with us this fall. They have old park hoppers they were going to use to offset the ticket prices. It’s cheaper for them to get the 5 day military tickets with us than to get a three day ticket and use their old tickets that did not expire.

 

[SillySallySews]

We take advantage of the military tickets and discounted rooms, and are very grateful they offer that. We also have the luxury of being able to drive there in less than a day. We are really priced out of any vacation that requires airfare. There are seven of us and we can’t book things too far in advance. If we bought airline tickets they’d have to be refundable. Sometimes I look at going on vacation to Island destinations or Europe, but the airfare for seven people nearly gives me a heart attack.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

I do agree it's insanely expensive and getting more so every year. We decided to go next year and at first were going to book an offsite house for a great price. After discussing the pros/cons of our situation we switched to onsite. Both my parents will need ECV's and we will only have 1 car so can't transport 2 from offsite and this will be our last trip with the "kids" before they are off to college. So we decided to go big because we most likely won't be back for some time.

It does hurt though! We spend 2 weeks in Europe this summer and for 4 people all in (including airfare) it was about $8500. Disney will be closer to $10,000

 

[SaintsManiac]

This November will be our 6th trip in 2 years. We will take a break and not return until 2022. If we can afford to stay onsite we will, but I was looking at rental homes on VRBO and they are NICE. We would drive and we already have tickets in our account, so we could probably swing renting DVC points. We just can't make that call until we see the situation.

I've had so much fun the last couple of years doing the WDW thing. I will be heartbroken at the end of our Thanksgiving trip, but our circumstances are changing and I am feeling the burnout from planning and price increases and the pressure of getting the value out of our APs.

I doubt we will ever have APs again. Never say never, though!

Next year we will look into a more spontaneous approach to vacationing. Also might get to tag along with my husband on a work conference trip.

 

[sethschroeder]

For some staying at a value resort isn't a vacation because vacation is more than just the parks.

My current planned trip I got lower rates at a Deluxe through DVC rental than staying Value.

they reduce ride capacity

Wasn't this just a Jan 2018 thing though with absolute pushback so much so they rolled back the policy supposedly?

Yes there may be some staffing reductions but that comes with cleaning and food people.

Or do you have more recent evidence of this? I ask because it's of interest to me since I purposely schedule around slow times and couldn't find anything really talking about it.

 

[SarahC97]

My current planned trip I got lower rates at a Deluxe through DVC rental than staying Value.



Wasn't this just a Jan 2018 thing though with absolute pushback so much so they rolled back the policy supposedly?

Yes there may be some staffing reductions but that comes with cleaning and food people.

Or do you have more recent evidence of this? I ask because it's of interest to me since I purposely schedule around slow times and couldn't find anything really talking about it.

I've read reports from a few Disney bloggers that they're still doing this with ride capacity and staffing - just not as dramatic as January 2018 (I, coincidentally, was there for that and it was terrible.)

 

[SarahC97]

My current planned trip I got lower rates at a Deluxe through DVC rental than staying Value.



Wasn't this just a Jan 2018 thing though with absolute pushback so much so they rolled back the policy supposedly?

Yes there may be some staffing reductions but that comes with cleaning and food people.

Or do you have more recent evidence of this? I ask because it's of interest to me since I purposely schedule around slow times and couldn't find anything really talking about it.

I know Disney Tourist Blog still talks about reductions in ride capacity as does Touring Plans.

 

[NWOhiogal]

So is Disney's plan to just keep making everything more expensive and the experience more miserable until everybody decides to stop going? Because that seems to be where it's headed...between skyrocketing prices and staff reductions, one wonders at what point "But it's OK because we're at DISNEY!" is going to stop having any meaning...

 

[Uncle Coaster]

I am typically an every three years guy. I was just there in November but when I started looking into places to go in July I decided to price WDW too. It ended up being in the lower half of the lists as far as costs go.

Some places were more because the airports were smaller and had higher costs to fly and larger cities were more because of hotel and other costs.

I should note that I only priced out values because I’m rarely in my room when I travel but to my tastes and touring style Disney is still a relative value even with the continued price hikes.

 

[Beer Me]

We only go every 3 or 4 years but when we do it's a full week on site. The cost can be managed but price increases and added fees take a toll on my perception of Disney. It's always been expensive but at some point you begin to feel taken advantage of and the relationship becomes a bit adversarial. I used to think "damn that's expensive" but pay anyway and have a good time. Now there's a voice in my head saying "this is a rip off!" when I price it all out. It's a fine line but I think it's been crossed.

I'm still thinking about a trip in '20 or '21 but cost will definitely be a factor. I'll be comparing it to other destinations and see what makes sense.

 

[robinb]

We went from annual passholder`s with multi trips per year to one trip every 2 or 3 years due to crowds and increases.

I have a feeling that will be us too when our APs run out. I am in the process of planning a trip in August and even with passes already purchased and AP rates I'm looking at $3000+ for 4 people for one week for JUST the resort and food. Add the $2000 already spent on passes and I'm at $5K+. For a week. At a value resort. I love WDW, but I simply can't spend that much! I'm looking at offsite now and then doing something else next year.

 

[kylenne]

We’re fortunate in the respect that we only ever have to pay for two people, as my partner and I don’t have children, so we have more discretionary income even after bills. We did a blowout dream trip last year at the Poly and will be doing one again next year...I agree with a lot of what’s been said. we are generally not going every year folks, and it’s wild how much cheaper everywhere else looks. For my birthday last month we had a Fallsview king room on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls for what Disney is charging rack rate for a moderate next year, and we got to watch fireworks from our room.

But at the same time, WDW is our happy place. We’re also in our late 30s and the resort is a big part of our vacation, so we stay Deluxe near parks. My solo trip in August I will be staying at POFQ because of the massive discount I got from our TA. We still pay into retirement and pension. But I play the credit card rewards game, buy discounted gift cards, and never stay rack rate. As long as we have the money to make it happen, at the level we’re comfortable with (aka Deluxe) we think it’s worth it because of how much we enjoy it.

I feel really bad for the families with “Disney adults” trying to plan trips nowadays though. I was blessed to go many times growing up with a single mother who worked hard and sacrificed a lot to take us places. No way could that happen now.

 

[ksdave]

A little direct comparison shopping for you. I picked the same week for both a cruise and a WDW deluxe. The cruise is on the Norwegian Breakaway in their Haven area. It comes with all meals, unlimited adult beverages, butler service, concierge service, private pool deck, private sun deck, private lounge, private restaurant, plus all the other amenities on the ship (water park, mini-golf, casino, clubs, shows, etc.) plus visits to three countries/four ports. The Haven is advertised as their "ship-within-a-ship" concept and has to be experienced to be believed. I compared it against a club-level lagoon view at the Poly, with tickets and meal plan included.
Interesting result.

 

[Christine]

The cruise comparisons are great...if you love cruises. I don't care for them at all so I don't even consider them at all.

In some ways, though the Disney rooms don't differ from a large city. I live in the Washington DC area and the rooms in DC are very expensive. If you are staying at a deluxe resort, the amount you'd pay for the same type of room in DC (table/chairs in room, big bathroom, balcony) are equivalent. Then the hotels there charge around $30 per night to park. So I kind of put Disney in that league of "city" pricing.

 

[capegirl]

Exactly. A vacation that means I am cramped in a space meant for two adults and perhaps two kids is no vacation for me. If I rent a home offsite, it is completely offsite and would not include WDW in my travel plans. I am never cooking on vacation, so I won't compromise the cost of food. I want space, nice restaurants.

I am not saying I am not heading back, I have a tentative trip booked for December, however I am really waffling on it and if I cancel, I think I may add a few additional destinations before I am back to WDW.

I'm with you on no cooking vacations, which is why I refuse to rent a house. If I have to cook, and clean I might as well be at home for a staycation. I don't even want to make coffee on vacation. I want to sip my pricey cup of coffee enjoying the view from the balcony of my overpriced room. We are also considering other destinations for 2020, but I'm a Disney girl at heart so I'll always be back.

 

[bigbabyblues]

We are priced out, but rising prices and other factors have caused us to change our mind about how we do the trips.

For the first 10 trips, we stayed onsite and a moderate or value resort, whichever worked out for the particular trip. Our trips are usually 9 or 10 nights; we have done as few as 7 and it was just too short. I always said if we were going to stay offsite, we would stay home. Our 2 boys grew up and as teenagers, refused to share a bed, so we stayed in a moderate and brought an air mattress (6 ft tall boys don't fit on the pull down beds, and we didn't even bother to try). That worked for 2 trips, and then we realized how irritating it was to be stuck in one room. We did price a moderate resort, but then you add the parking fee for the resort (we drive down, so we have our car with us), and we decided to look offsite.

We booked a condo at Windsor Palms. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, so each kid had their own room and nobody had to share. It worked really well, and we will do it this way until the kids are not vacationing with us.

 

[photobob]

I bought AP's for my wife and me in April. We are an 8 hour drive away and the last few years have bought AP's every other year. We try to squeeze four five night trips in on the years we go staying at wherever onsite we can find the best deals. Since the remodel Pop Century has become our go to. I bought AP vouchers from Sam's Club after the most recent announced big price increase on AP's and will probably use those in 2021 for the 50th anniversary.

I'm not sure we will get AP's after these though. My wife has MS and I push her in a manual wheelchair and we really have appreciated the lengths that Disney goes for handicapped accommodation. Cast members are very kind and WDW is so very well equipped for those with disabilities. We both love to go but our budget can only handle so much. The latest increase in AP's will cost for the two of us $450 more than the prior price. It was a pretty obscene price bump from $894 to $1119.

We try to not spend a crazy amount on meals but try to have one table service meal a day at moderately priced restaurant. Since we drive we are able to bring snacks and drinks to curb the cost of eating out every single meal. We will probably still go but not with near the frequency we currently go.

 

[Farro]

We weren't priced out, so much as priced down.

We only visit every few years. Normally we stay Yacht/Beach but for our trip next May we can't afford (at least not comfortably for us) to stay deluxe, so we are trying out a moderate - Grand Destino Tower here we come!

 

[sbobbio]

Definitely turning into a hard sell with hubby!!! It’s becoming more feasible to travel to Europe instead of Disney