Are Disney prices too high?

[minnie-apple-mouse]

That is a crazy bargain! Way less than what I pay out for way more than what I get. I couldn't do it anyway though. I'm not retired and I have school kids. Enjoy.

I hear ya.

Mostly just wanted to respond to folks staying longer, and how many many many of us DVCers do it. And why DVC can be so popular.

 

[10-4 Good Buddy]

I hear ya.

Mostly just wanted to respond to folks staying longer, and how many many many of us DVCers do it. And why DVC can be so popular.

I like your math. But you have to buy DVC to get that deal, right? What did that cost you?

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

So am I when I go! I mean they have to have their talking time....track concerts are not the best.

AKK

 

[Davey Jones II]

I totally agree, especially with the bolded.

I went to the Home Run Derby in Cincinnati a couple of months ago. It was extremely expensive, even compared to going to a regular game. We had very nice seats behind home plate and my ticket alone cost over $300. We stayed over night and my share of that cost me about $60. I had 3 beers that cost about $10 apiece at the Derby, and about $20 worth of questionable food there. We went out to eat in a couple of nice restaurants in the Cincy/Northern Kentucky area and my share of that was over $100. So my little sojourn in Cincy cost me a little over $500. Expensive? Oh yes. But it was about 1/10th the cost of a Disney vacation for a week for a family. With the way Disney front loads their ticket costs, even one day at WDW for my family and one night at even a value resort would cost significantly more than my Home Run Derby outing.

It's just not a good comparison, IMO.

I think it is a pretty good comparison, because you are really comparing the yearly cost of entertainment options. If you go to the occasional concert, ball game or other event, those costs add up over the course of a year. For the total amount of entertainment you get, you will often end up spending the same or more than the total cost of a WDW vacation. But because a WDW vacation is a complete package deal, there is a lot more entertainment packed into your days. And that is why people still see value in it.

As an example, I rarely go see first-run movies, I never pay to see a ball game and rarely see concerts (although I would have loved to go see U2 and AC/DC when they passed through Montreal this summer) and I almost never go to other special events. OK, some would say that I live live a hermit. But every year, those sacrifices mean that I can afford to shell out the high cost of a theme park vacation. I know that if I indulge in the above mentioned fun, those costs add up over time, and may cost me a much-needed vacation.

 

[G.Goof]

Joining late, but here's my $0.02 worth...make that my $3500.00 worth. Is a Disney vacation cheap? Nope. Is it priced too high? Not according to what the market currently seems to show. Posts here suggest that there aren't any more non-crowded days at Disney, so the market seems pretty willing to pay the current prices. Is it a good value? That's a much better question. For me, it is. I feel I get a lot of bang for my buck at Disney. There is so much to SEE and DO that I struggle just to get my head around it all. I always realize later that I missed something I would have liked. (Yeah! Now I get to plan another trip to go see/do it.) But it's only a value to me because I LOVE going to Disney. If this wasn't my cup of tea, I doubt I would look at it as much of a value.

 

[minnie-apple-mouse]

I like your math. But you have to buy DVC to get that deal, right? What did that cost you?

BWV $65, BCV $70, each are worth close to $100 now

 

[RoryRose]

I hear ya.

Mostly just wanted to respond to folks staying longer, and how many many many of us DVCers do it. And why DVC can be so popular.

DVCers have a habit of ignoring the initial cost of the DVC contract, which you did in your previous post.

 

[GaryDis]

DVCers have a habit of ignoring the initial cost of the DVC contract, which you did in your previous post.

Unlike the vast majority of timeshares, DVC contracts have the reputation of maintaining or even increasing their resale value, so most DVCers don't consider this a cost, just an investment that they expect to recoup.

 

[grimley1968]

It also seems like the quality has gone down too. Anyway these are just a few things. What are your thoughts?
Brunette

My thought is that, as WDW currently exists, it costs too much. If we got the same things as in the past:
- legacy FP that worked consistently and assured a "clean slate" daily
- parks that were full of attractions and/or entertainment, instead of EPCOT and DHS which have been stripped of many favorite attractions with no net new attractions in years. It will be years before either of these parks have anything new, unless you're willing to accept a Frozen ride as a suitable replacement for Maelstrom (I'm not) and a Frozen museum to replace the mini-Viking museum in the Stave Church (I'm not). As for the announcements for DHS, they sound exciting, but both my little girls will certainly be adults by the time that happens (if we predict by the amount of time Avatarland in AK is taking) and we will have long moved to a preference of sitting by the beach rather than planning every detail of every day months in advance. The additions in MK and AK don't come close to offsetting the subtractions in EPCOT and DHS, and frankly Pleasure Island.
- a more reasonable 30-day ADR system instead of the ridiculous 180-day ADR system. I'm fine with CC holds on some reservations, but doing so 6 months out is too ridiculous in the planning extreme for me.
- a deluxe resort system that was not almost constantly being torn apart for DVC construction.

it would be a decent cost, but not with current conditions at WDW.

It's not simple enough for me to say the quality has gone down, when some of the remaining attractions are great, but so much of what made WDW special to us no longer exists, yet prices keep rising for every facet of a WDW vacation. It truly feels like we are paying more for less.

 

[10-4 Good Buddy]

BWV $65, BCV $70, each are worth close to $100 now

That's it? I don't understand - are you buying points? I thought DVC have a substantial upfront cost ($20K-$40K??) and then annual maintenance assessments?

 

[minnie-apple-mouse]

That's it? I don't understand - are you buying points? I thought DVC have a substantial upfront cost ($20K-$40K??) and then annual maintenance assessments?

My example would require 166 BWV points at $65 or $10,790. We can sell that today for around $16,000.

 

[RoryRose]

Unlike the vast majority of timeshares, DVC contracts have the reputation of maintaining or even increasing their resale value, so most DVCers don't consider this a cost, just an investment that they expect to recoup.

I know that. But people who own DVC conveniently don't mention how much their initial upfront cost was for their "free" or "cheap" vacation.

 

[minnie-apple-mouse]

I know that. But people who own DVC conveniently don't mention how much their initial upfront cost was for their "free" or "cheap" vacation.

It takes money for sure, choices on cars, homes and lifestyles all relate. $10,000 doesn't go far on WDW Deluxe (which we would stay at if not for DVC), even Value actually, and certainly not a car. Esp at 2 weeks a year.

 

[RoryRose]

It takes money for sure, choices on cars, homes and lifestyles all relate. $10,000 doesn't go far on WDW Deluxe, even Value actually. Esp at 2 weeks a year.

I've been vacationing at Disney World for 10 years. I don't believe all of my trips combined have cost $10,000.

 

[minnie-apple-mouse]

I've been vacationing at Disney World for 10 years. I don't believe all of my trips combined have cost $10,000.

How much has your lodging cost over 10 years? ANd how long do you stay?

 

[RoryRose]

How much has your lodging cost over 10 years? ANd how long do you stay?

Each trip was a different amount of days, but anywhere from 5-8 days. I've stayed value, mod, deluxe and offsite. The only fixed price is tickets, everything else can be worked around to spend less money.

 

[10-4 Good Buddy]

I'm still wondering what the upfront cost was?

Some consider it an "investment" while others might consider it a sunk cost. Different strokes for different folks but it certainly shouldn't be ignored.

 

[minnie-apple-mouse]

I'm still wondering what the upfront cost was?

Some consider it an "investment" while others might consider it a sunk cost. Different strokes for different folks but it certainly shouldn't be ignored.

Its on there, $10,700 now worth $16,000.

 

[10-4 Good Buddy]

Its on there, $10,700 now worth $16,000.

How is that "worth" determined? Is that a guaranteed price you could sell it for today? If so, that's a great deal - I found some more information on current average costs:

http://vacation-club-review.toptenreviews.com/

In regards to the original topic "Are Disney Prices Too High?" - If you are saying that one should only consider the annual membership/maintenance charges divided by the number of nights per year as an annual "nightly cost" because you are guaranteed to make get your original payment or more back when you sell it then the average nightly cost at those resorts compared to public booking rates sound pretty good. And really low. Assuming, of course, that you do sell it and not keep it until the deed expires.

 

[minnie-apple-mouse]

Each trip was a different amount of days, but anywhere from 5-8 days. I've stayed value, mod, deluxe and offsite. The only fixed price is tickets, everything else can be worked around to spend less money.

Well to make it easy, lets average $134 a night tax included is $150?

7 nights $1,050

1 week a year is $10,500.

Now that is a "sunk" cost gone forever.

Drop my example in 1/2, to one week a year to compare. Now I have a 7 day hopper for $250 (instead of 14) but still?

And half the investment (83 points) is $5,350. The dues stay the same, so its still $55 a night.

So now for one week a year, $5,350 down and $415 a year dues. Over 10 years that is $4,150 in dues.

So for $9,500 I stayed Deluxe every year, and have an asset worth $8,300.

Or I stayed for a week every year for 10 years for $1,200. $17 a night deluxe.

Or I could have stayed at BW for 7 nights a year for 10 years on cash for about $25,000 ($350 a night) and have no asset to sell.