Breaking Point for Disney Cost

[Ratpack]

For us, it is like others have said, not so much the cost as the cost to value ratio. We have been going at least once a year and most years 2-3 times since 2002 and were DVC members. I say were as we just sold it as the cost to pay the yearly maintenance fees was no longer justifiable. We have cut back to every other year now as we feel the costs have gone up, but there is less and less of an experience. We always loved Disney for the experience and magic, not so much for the rides. It was always the little things that the cast members did. Now it just feels more like other amusement parks, cast members are not as friendly and they appear to be just getting people through.

 

[DisneyFive]

For us, it is like others have said, not so much the cost as the cost to value ratio. We have been going at least once a year and most years 2-3 times since 2002 and were DVC members. I say were as we just sold it as the cost to pay the yearly maintenance fees was no longer justifiable. We have cut back to every other year now as we feel the costs have gone up, but there is less and less of an experience. We always loved Disney for the experience and magic, not so much for the rides. It was always the little things that the cast members did. Now it just feels more like other amusement parks, cast members are not as friendly and they appear to be just getting people through.

Yeah, the more often you go, I think it's harder and harder to have the magic just happen organically like it does the first few visits. We are constantly looking for new things to do each trip to keep the magic fresh, but after 5 weeklong+ trips in 6 years, we'll most likely be moving on.

The money isn't so much the issue, rather it's that the cost versus new memories and magic ratio is fading. Just natural I suppose.

Dan

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

This is pretty much our family too. We can take relaxing -- for about a half-day, then we want to do something.

As to the cost of Disney World, I think it's pretty reasonable. It was a big deal for my parents to be able to afford to go 30 years ago, and it's a big deal today.

What a lot of ppl overlook is the real thing that drives the cost up is not Disney but themselves. Our first trip, we had 2 kids and a baby, and we did no extra stuff, and ate mostly quick service. By the 2nd trip we were 3 older kids and booking more character meals, and by our 3rd trip we were 4 kids. Now our next trip we no longer fit in a Disney Deluxe room. So what's affecting my costs in the larger scale is my own family changes. The Disney changes of the single day park ticket going from $85 to $100 or whatever, are trivial in comparison. I could cut out one TS meal and more than offset the Disney price increases.

Yes and no. What most people are talking about is the cost to take a trip similar to their last one. We usually go to Disney at the end of September/beginning of October and stay in a moderate. Disney has reclassified this period for 2016 as Fall and resort prices for values and mods went up 15-25%. Couple that with the increase in park tickets and it's too much to offset with one TS meal. Of course we could offest it with less days or by staying at a value instead. Or we could look at staying offsite. I was disheartened to see that discounts in October were so low and I am concerned about how crowded it will be on our next trip. Because of MNSSHP, MK is only open late 4 nights out of our 10 night trip. If it's too crowded, we may need to start looking at other options.

But remember... in 2008, things were so bad that Disney was offering a 4/3 deal. It was truly the Disney deal of a lifetime. And since then, costs have gone way way way up while the product has more or less stayed the same, possibly decreased because of the change from FP- to FP+. So I'm thinking if the US suffered another horrific economic collapse, things would get even worse for Disney than they did back in 2008 and 2009.

They can always offer extra FP+.

I couldn't agree more on the deal of a lifetime quote. That deal was the only way that we have been able to stay at a Deluxe resort at WDW. We did the 4/3 deal and got to stay at the AKL right before Christmas that year. Was an awesome stay with the tree in the lodge etc....probably going to be a while before we get to do something like that again!

We were able to stay CL at the Poly with lagoon view. We'll never be able to do that again.

 

[DisneyPrince1982]

They can always offer extra FP+.

No way would that be enough if the US suffers another 2008ish economic collapse. Think about it. We had FP- back then which basically amounted to near unlimited FP if used correctly. Giving people an extra 3 FP+ per day which need to be scheduled 60 days out wouldn't come close to convincing most people to spend money on a Disney trip if they're suffering economically.

 

[jsmla]

I think I've reached a breaking point as far as the Disney Resorts are concerned. I drive (no need for Magical Express), have an AP (free parking) and don't think the Disney restaurants are all that great (no need for a dining plan) so the value of the onsite perks lies only with the FP+ booking situation. I don't want to ride 7DMT badly enough to spend 100+ a night for Pop Century (my onsite "resort" of choice for solo trips) when I can get a two bedroom condo offsite for $300 for the week.

We'll probably continue with our Ft Wilderness camping but the onsite hotel stays have been cut waaaay back. In 2010 we stayed at the Contemporary, Yacht Club and club level at the Grand Floridian. These days it's the campground or offsite.

 

[epcotty]

The key thing is how pricing has outpaced inflation, I think. If you type in historical amounts into inflation calculators you can realize the difference. Before about the past 10 years, their price increases were typically $2 per year, which still outpaced inflation. If it was still that through more recent years the current 1 day price would be $76. (maybe you could add in a $3-5 for MK w/ the fantasyland expansion but that'd be it). Which shows you how the pricing's all out of whack and has far surpassed inflation. So as it is now, you have to buy at least a 4 day ticket to get in that range, and you can't buy no expiration anymore. I didn't know about the questions regarding tiered pricing before, just read about that. Which is a lot more insane than usual with them and would have people paying even more way over what the price should be at this point. I often go with family who only buy 1 day tickets and can often only go during peak times, I'm sure they would extremely resent having to pay a lot more because of that and so would many others. I think Universal would get a lot more business if disney actually went through with this, I think there's only so much people will take. Basically greedy management wanting to maximize profits.

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

No way would that be enough if the US suffers another 2008ish economic collapse. Think about it. We had FP- back then which basically amounted to near unlimited FP if used correctly. Giving people an extra 3 FP+ per day which need to be scheduled 60 days out wouldn't come close to convincing most people to spend money on a Disney trip if they're suffering economically.

I know. I was being facetious. Went back and fixed it.

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

Has it? I keep hearing about ever increasing crowds. Does someone have actual stats which show that 2015 summer crowds are less than 2014?

Touring Plans does a weekly crowd report on their blog showing how their predictions match up. Here's a link for July 5-11 and another one for June 28-July 4 . It shows that crowds outside of MK were about average.

http://blog.touringplans.com/2015/0...calendar-report-july-5-to-11-2015/#more-93343

http://blog.touringplans.com/2015/07/08/disney-world-crowd-calendar-report-june-28-to-july-4-2015/

 

[DisneyFive]

The key thing is how pricing has outpaced inflation, I think. If you type in historical amounts into inflation calculators you can realize the difference. Before about the past 10 years, their price increases were typically $2 per year, which still outpaced inflation. If it was still that through more recent years the current 1 day price would be $76. (maybe you could add in a $3-5 for MK w/ the fantasyland expansion but that'd be it). Which shows you how the pricing's all out of whack and has far surpassed inflation. So as it is now, you have to buy at least a 4 day ticket to get in that range, and you can't buy no expiration anymore. I didn't know about the questions regarding tiered pricing before, just read about that. Which is a lot more insane than usual with them and would have people paying even more way over what the price should be at this point. I often go with family who only buy 1 day tickets and can often only go during peak times, I'm sure they would extremely resent having to pay a lot more because of that and so would many others. I think Universal would get a lot more business if disney actually went through with this, I think there's only so much people will take. Basically greedy management wanting to maximize profits.

Yeah, call it greed. Call it basic macro economics of supply and demand. Call it expensive.

It's what most large corporations do. Maximize profit. Do I get it? Yes. Do I like it? No way!

Dan

 

[asbyrneva]

I gotta say I understand that Disney is expensive and can get very expensive but we still go. But other trips are expensive too. We started going in early 2009 and the economy was a wreck. As more people have more "disposable income" its gotten more crowded and more expensive. We are lucky enough to book a Disney trip and at least one other trip a year. We have very specific schedules of when DH and DS can go so we usually go at peak times. We fly because we have limited time but we go to Disney because we have fun! DH would much rather spend all vacation days skiing in the winter so he books a ski trip and I book a disney trip. My disney trip is way cheaper and more luxurious than his ski trip. They are both different types of trips and different people will have different break points but its not just Disney that is costly (admission ticket prices have gone up but so have lift tickets at almost every resort). Travel in general will continue to be more expensive as people have more money to spend on it and demand increases so will prices.
I just did a rare long weekend at VA Beach and spent $300 a night for a mediocre hotel room with very little in amenities. So Disney with all it offers seems like a deal to me!

 

[1234lucky]

Disney is quite a bit more for us than renting a place at the beach (whether that be in NJ, Cape Cod or MD). The cost per night may be the same for accommodations but for a family of six I'm not spending anything near the per day cost of park tickets. And I'm not flying there. So for us that is $3000 less than Disney (conservatively). No way do I drop $3000 at the shore for entertainment and food.

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

I think a fair number of people have been evaluating this very question. Some of have been adjusting but still going (shortening length of stay, moving offsite, scheduling fewer ADRs). I think if the rumor about tiered pricing turns out to be true, it could be a breaking point for a number of us.

That is what I was thinking and that is where my breaking point will be determined.

 

[1234lucky]

It depends on what else you would be doing as an alternative. For us, Disney is a good 50% more than our typical yearly family vacations so it's not an every year thing. But we enjoy the beach or mountains or other low key destinations just as much as Disney.

 

[staceywj]

Also from NJ and agree with the Jersey Shore comment! We have a friend whom is renting a 2BR small house for $2000 a week in LBI. Yes, it is steps from the ocean but that price is comparable to the tix and hotel (WBC) for Disney. And, we have pools and washer/dryer. We are driving this year (not b/c of money but b/c DD has ear problems and wasn't cleared to fly).

But, it seems that everything else I booked t was in the $200 range for a family of 4: Pirates and Pals Cruise, Frozen Day at HS, CRT dinner, etc...This is where we may cut something out based upon expense.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Look at the bright side - when WDW prices are low, the American economy is really hurting. Prices have been steadily rising for a few years now, as has our economic recovery.

I'd much rather have economic stability than a cheap vacation.

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

I gotta say I understand that Disney is expensive and can get very expensive but we still go. But other trips are expensive too. We started going in early 2009 and the economy was a wreck. As more people have more "disposable income" its gotten more crowded and more expensive. We are lucky enough to book a Disney trip and at least one other trip a year. We have very specific schedules of when DH and DS can go so we usually go at peak times. We fly because we have limited time but we go to Disney because we have fun! DH would much rather spend all vacation days skiing in the winter so he books a ski trip and I book a disney trip. My disney trip is way cheaper and more luxurious than his ski trip. They are both different types of trips and different people will have different break points but its not just Disney that is costly (admission ticket prices have gone up but so have lift tickets at almost every resort). Travel in general will continue to be more expensive as people have more money to spend on it and demand increases so will prices.
I just did a rare long weekend at VA Beach and spent $300 a night for a mediocre hotel room with very little in amenities. So Disney with all it offers seems like a deal to me!

Domestically, I' m not sure that more people have disposable income. The middle class in the US is shrinking. I think it's more of a case that the people with disposable income have more of it. And Disney is catering to those people with premium packages and special events.

Disney is quite a bit more for us than renting a place at the beach (whether that be in NJ, Cape Cod or MD). The cost per night may be the same for accommodations but for a family of six I'm not spending anything near the per day cost of park tickets. And I'm not flying there. So for us that is $3000 less than Disney (conservatively). No way do I drop $3000 at the shore for entertainment and food.

We don't spend very much money on our beach trips either. The ocean and the pool are enough entertainment for our kids.

 

[mom2rtk]

Domestically, I' m not sure that more peopple have disposable income. The middle class in the US is shrinking. I think it's more of a case that the people with disposable income have more of it. And Disney is catering to those people with premium packages and special events.



We don't spend very much money on our beach trips either. The ocean and the pool are enough entertainment for our kids.

Spot on. On both counts.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

One interesting thing I'm observing is that it seems quite a few folks are either making adjustments to compensate for the increased prices and/or taking fewer trips altogether. This is occurring despite a fairly strong economy mixed with some fairly low gas prices (at least relative to the past 5 years). If the economy were to ever take a nosedive, I'm guessing Disney park attendance would get destroyed to its core.

They would have to bring back the awesome deals they used to offer. That's how we started with onsite. 2009 with the 4/3 deal.

 

[abyrd86]

My family is taking our last Disney trip in October for probably 5 years. We wanted to go one more time before DD turns 10 next June and decided to go for the Halloween experiences. We would like to move and have another baby in the next year or so, so that is why we are putting our yearly vacations on hold. LOTS of things we want to accomplish. It's not a money issue in itself, but we just want to save to be able to do other "life events"

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Domestically, I' m not sure that more peopple have disposable income. The middle class in the US is shrinking.

The wealthy never stopped coming to WDW (where WDW was a vacation choice to begin with) - they were not sufficiently impacted by the recession to stop. The increased crowds ARE coming from the middle class. Though it may be shrinking, the recovering economy has people willing to spend more now than they have in the last 6 years. This is evident everywhere, including in the recovering home prices.

So, while their incomes may not have produced more disposable income, they are willing to spend more on vacations - hence the increased crowds at places like WDW.

Yes, there are packages aimed at the wealthy, but the crowds are primarily just regular folks getting by the best that they can and trying to squeeze a little more joy from this life for themselves and their families.