Article: Disney World Still Affordable Despite Rising Gate Prices

[k5jm]

Interesting perspective on Disney Travel by a familiar face

http://www.rttnews.com/Content/ColumnStory.aspx?ID=1668363&Category=ArtsLeisure&Node=B15&pageNum=1

Travel Spotlight: Disney World Still Affordable Despite Rising Gate Prices

7/19/2011 9:27 AM ET
(RTTNews) - Disney recently announced that it is raising theme park ticket prices for the second time in less than a year -- a one-day no-frills ticket to any one of Disney's four Orlando theme parks has increased from $83 to $85, while a 10-day pass will jump by more than 10 percent to $291.

The bean-counters at Disney are confident that Mouse worshipers will continue to take the annual price hikes with a grain of salt. After all, surveys tell them that those who can afford to climb inside the bubble still think of WDW as a solid value.

But if your family vacation to Lake Buena Vista has been threatened by the lousy economy and rising ticket prices, don't despair! With some advice from WDW veterans, you can get the most out of the trip without breaking the bank.

"Wait...how can Disney raise park admission prices during the worst economic slowdown in generations?"

It's very simple: people keep paying them, according to expert Pete Werner, owner of the popular website WDWinfo.com.

Werner says the unusually large increase in the price of multi-day tickets shows Disney is trying to make up for losing customers to Universal Studios and its new Harry Potter attraction.

But while individual ticket prices have been on the rise, Disney has aggressively priced packages including dining and accommodations.

"The package discounts of the past two or three years have been unlike anything we've seen before," said Werner, whose Disboards.com message board is treasure trove of realtime hints and suggestions from other Disney travelers.


The best way to save money on your Disney trip can be summed up in two magical words: Free dining.

The company looks to lure visitors during traditionally slow weeks by offering complimentary meals with the purchase of Magic Your Way room and ticket packages.

So, go ahead: book a few nights at the "Deluxe" Polynesian, or save even more money by staying at Disney's best "Moderate" Port Orleans Riverside near Epcot.

With marvelously detailed theming, bus transportation to all the parks, and boat service to Downtown Disney, Riverside might make you forget the stuck-in-the-70's Polynesian or Contemporary resorts.

For a limited time, get a free dining play when you buy the New Memories Vacation Package for 5-nights/6 days at select Disney Resort hotels for arrivals most night between August 28 and September 24, 2011.

Pay just $86 per person per day in a standard room at a Moderate Resort for a family of 4—for a total package price of $2,047. Dining includes one able service meal, one quick service meal, and one snack per day. Disney will throw in a 20-page PhotoPass Photo Book to preserve your family memories.

 

[disneyholic family]

depends on your definition of affordable....

i don't think it's affordable....
we'll be there in a few weeks, but i wouldn't say it's affordable...
i'm trying not to think about the $25,000 i'm spending for 6 of us to stay at pop century in august....
$25,000.....god...i must be crazy....and we're staying at pop century...
i should get a VIP pass at the very least for that much money....

 

[ADP]

Great to see Pete quoted.

People are still paying for tickets. Disney still feels they can raise prices and it not affect their attendance.

My only beef with the ticket price increases is the rate at which they are increasing. Too much, too fast.

 

[mikelan6]

Did they actually call us "Mouse Worshipers"?

 

[PeterPan09]

I think a lot of us "mouse worshippers" would be less upset about continually rising prices if we saw a corresponding increase in the quality. What we do see is quality and services being reduced even as prices rise.

I can't help but be concerned about the future of the company. I see Disney moving further and further from the company that Lee Cockrell describes in his book.

Sure, we're getting visitors-but are we creating more mouse worshippers? Are we giving people a reason to visit again and again? Or, are we going to be a destination that people hit once while the kids are young, maybe one more time and then they go elsewhere because we're not giving them anything that they can't get someplace else.

 

[disneyholic family]

I think a lot of us "mouse worshippers" would be less upset about continually rising prices if we saw a corresponding increase in the quality. What we do see is quality and services being reduced even as prices rise.

I can't help but be concerned about the future of the company. I see Disney moving further and further from the company that Lee Cockrell describes in his book.

Sure, we're getting visitors-but are we creating more mouse worshippers? Are we giving people a reason to visit again and again? Or, are we going to be a destination that people hit once while the kids are young, maybe one more time and then they go elsewhere because we're not giving them anything that they can't get someplace else.

well put!!
i think that's why i was so annoyed during my trip last year....what i perceived to be a fall in value for dollar..

it will be interesting to see what DS and DH say....they haven't been to WDW in 6 years.....a very long time....so they'll really be able to see negative changes if there are any...

i'm going to have to take a happy pill of some kind to avoid thinking about how much the tickets cost me...since we're going for two weeks, i'll have to buy all 6 of us APs....and since we're water people, that means PAPs....for 6 people that's something like $4200 or something like that... insane really...i can't let myself think about it when we're there...

 

[limace]

depends on your definition of affordable....

i don't think it's affordable....
we'll be there in a few weeks, but i wouldn't say it's affordable...
i'm trying not to think about the $25,000 i'm spending for 6 of us to stay at pop century in august....
$25,000.....god...i must be crazy....and we're staying at pop century...
i should get a VIP pass at the very least for that much money....

How on earth is 6 people costing you 25K at Pop?

 

[Danibelle]

How on earth is 6 people costing you 25K at Pop?

My friend took 9 people to WDW during Christmas week, staying in 2 2bed villas at BWV. They had DXDP, park hoppers, and even did a Grand Gathering. That "package" cost her $25,000.

What extras has this person booked?

 

[disneyholic family]

How on earth is 6 people costing you 25K at Pop?

when one considers the cost of a trip to WDW, you have to factor in the cost of getting there.
For 6 of us to get to Disney World costs $17,000.

The cost of two weeks at Pop for the 6 of us is $8,100 for two weeks including dining. (not including the tips we'll have to pay on the TS meals, and not including the extra meals that i'm sure we'll buy....one CS and one TS is not enough - they'll certainly want a 3rd meal)......

The cost of the tickets is about $4200

oh wait a minute - i added that up wrong....let's see that's actually $29,000 for our two week vacation..

 

[Gelfling_Jen]

My friend took 9 people to WDW during Christmas week, staying in 2 2bed villas at BWV. They had DXDP, park hoppers, and even did a Grand Gathering. That "package" cost her $25,000.

What extras has this person booked?

I'm hoping it was a typo and they're actually paying $2,500! If not, maybe they're staying the entire month of August, in 6 different rooms, all on the DxDP, with park hopper, water park & more, and no expiry tickets, several tours booked, and has included price of airline tickets?!

If they're really paying $25,000 for one trip I would advise to cancel and purchase into DVC for that kind of money. Buy enough points for a 2 or 3 bedroom stay and if there's any money left over, invest it to pay for future annual fees!

 

[Gelfling_Jen]

My friend took 9 people to WDW during Christmas week, staying in 2 2bed villas at BWV. They had DXDP, park hoppers, and even did a Grand Gathering. That "package" cost her $25,000.

What extras has this person booked?

when one considers the cost of a trip to WDW, you have to factor in the cost of getting there.
For 6 of us to get to Disney World costs $17,000.

The cost of two weeks at Pop for the 6 of us is $8,100 for two weeks including dining. (not including the tips we'll have to pay on the TS meals, and not including the extra meals that i'm sure we'll buy....one CS and one TS is not enough - they'll certainly want a 3rd meal)......

The cost of the tickets is about $4200

oh wait a minute - i added that up wrong....let's see that's actually $29,000 for our two week vacation..

I had a feeling you were staying for at least two weeks. I'm assuming you're coming from overseas then because that's a lot to pay for 6 airline tickets.
When I got the DDP a few years ago we managed to not have to pay extra for any meals because we used the snack credit to get a bagel, cereal, danish, or a large muffin for breakfast and saved on drinks by purchasing a resort mug. We would save our counter service dessert for a snack when needed, or could often get an extra drink in replace of the dessert, so we also saved on buying drinks in the parks. On days when we wanted a nice breakfast we did a character buffet breakfast with a late reservation (almost brunch), used the snack credit in between, and had a counter service dinner at a place that gives you a lot for your money, so we never went hungry.

Are your tickets one park per day or do you have hoppers and the other add ons? If you're staying for two weeks you may not need to get hoppers or tickets for 14 days worth because there are bound to be some days that you will just want to relax at the resort, etc.

 

[Cherinva]

We got a fabulous offer 2 weeks ago. 8 Days, 7 nights, staying at a Value, 8 day base tickets (which we will upgrade to hoppers when we get there) and free dining.....for 1,443.00. To us, this is still reasonable.....even with the addition of airfare.

 

[YukiPhnx]

Expert Pete!!!

$4200 may SEEM like a lot to U.S. visitors flying to WDW. But coming from Canada....with all the taxes we have to pay on airfare and airport fees....that actually sounds about right. Not everyone in Canada has the luxury of living near the border and flying from an American airline instead.

 

[disneyholic family]

I had a feeling you were staying for at least two weeks. I'm assuming you're coming from overseas then because that's a lot to pay for 6 airline tickets.
When I got the DDP a few years ago we managed to not have to pay extra for any meals because we used the snack credit to get a bagel, cereal, danish, or a large muffin for breakfast and saved on drinks by purchasing a resort mug. We would save our counter service dessert for a snack when needed, or could often get an extra drink in replace of the dessert, so we also saved on buying drinks in the parks. On days when we wanted a nice breakfast we did a character buffet breakfast with a late reservation (almost brunch), used the snack credit in between, and had a counter service dinner at a place that gives you a lot for your money, so we never went hungry.

Are your tickets one park per day or do you have hoppers and the other add ons? If you're staying for two weeks you may not need to get hoppers or tickets for 14 days worth because there are bound to be some days that you will just want to relax at the resort, etc.

if you come from overseas, you HAVE to stay for at least two weeks, otherwise it's really a waste of money...
if you check out the UK trip planning board, you'll see that many of the brits go for 3 weeks for that reason....to make it worthwhile to spend all that money on airfare..

plus this time we're 3 couples....gone are the days the 4 of us could be in one room, or even two....the "kids" are married, so that's 3 couples in 3 rooms...

i'm planning on having breakfast in the room - we'll have cereal and milk/ bagels etc.

as for the tickets, the way the tickets are set up, once you stay longer than 10 days you're essentially screwed. The only thing to do is buy an AP......
i could buy a 10 day ticket and a 4 day ticket, but the cost would be very close to the price of an AP.....
so it would be stupid to buy anything less...

 

[lugnut33]

I still think a WDW vacation isn't just a luxury. It helps that we bought into DVC, but we still have to buy park tickets and pay for food. When I compare the cost of a park tickets to other things like sporting events or concerts there is still a lot of value in going to Disney.

Also, I don't see this "lack of investment" stuff going on at Disney, especially when I look at what they have done recently with Disneyland, DCA, and WDW. They have invested a ton of money in the parks recently. It's not like they are just sitting back raking in the money.

 

[WaltD4Me]

when one considers the cost of a trip to WDW, you have to factor in the cost of getting there.
For 6 of us to get to Disney World costs $17,000.

The cost of two weeks at Pop for the 6 of us is $8,100 for two weeks including dining. (not including the tips we'll have to pay on the TS meals, and not including the extra meals that i'm sure we'll buy....one CS and one TS is not enough - they'll certainly want a 3rd meal)......

The cost of the tickets is about $4200

oh wait a minute - i added that up wrong....let's see that's actually $29,000 for our two week vacation..

OMG...Just your airfare is $17,000????????? Remind me never to move to the UK. For 3 couples, that is $8,200 for the trip/room/tickets per couple and that doesn't include spending money. Wow.

 

[disprincessatheart]

when one considers the cost of a trip to WDW, you have to factor in the cost of getting there.
For 6 of us to get to Disney World costs $17,000.

The cost of two weeks at Pop for the 6 of us is $8,100 for two weeks including dining. (not including the tips we'll have to pay on the TS meals, and not including the extra meals that i'm sure we'll buy....one CS and one TS is not enough - they'll certainly want a 3rd meal)......

The cost of the tickets is about $4200

oh wait a minute - i added that up wrong....let's see that's actually $29,000 for our two week vacation..

WOW! That's dedication!

 

[DeaverTex]

29K. Wow. It's either dedication or insanity. (Mousesanity?) I've figured out that five days for Mrs Tex and I would be about 2-3 thousand, air fare included, and I'm choking at that. I mean c-h-o-k-i-n-g -- big time. I can't help but think that for that much money, Disney princesses should carry us around the park in sedan chairs.

 

[DrMomof3]

I still think Disney is more reasonably priced than many "comparable" vacations. (That's not to say that Disney is inexpensive just less outrageous than other places). When I asked around at my son's Little League game the other night, many people are planning to go to Atlantis, Beaches Turks & Caicos, Club Med, etc. All of those destinations are pricier than Disney. And that's without including the higher cost of flying to those destinations.
We definitely benefit from living in NY and having a < 3 hour flight. Plus, we have the advantage of several different airport from which to choose so we can shop around for air fare.
I do think it's a little unfair to blame Disney for the high cost of airplane tickets since that additional cost will be there for many "comparable" vacation destinations and isn't Disney-specific. Unless you plan to only go on vacations that are within driving distance of home, that will affect your travel costs. I've rejected many travel destinations that are on our "bucket list" because they cost upwards of $10,000...

Amanda

 

[PeterPan09]

if you come from overseas, you HAVE to stay for at least two weeks, otherwise it's really a waste of money...
if you check out the UK trip planning board, you'll see that many of the brits go for 3 weeks for that reason....to make it worthwhile to spend all that money on airfare..

plus this time we're 3 couples....gone are the days the 4 of us could be in one room, or even two....the "kids" are married, so that's 3 couples in 3 rooms...

i'm planning on having breakfast in the room - we'll have cereal and milk/ bagels etc.

as for the tickets, the way the tickets are set up, once you stay longer than 10 days you're essentially screwed. The only thing to do is buy an AP......
i could buy a 10 day ticket and a 4 day ticket, but the cost would be very close to the price of an AP.....
so it would be stupid to buy anything less...

Many of our British guests purchase a 14 Day Ultimate Ticket that gives them park hopping and water parks. We don't sell them here in the US, I only redeemed them when I was working in ticketing.