Changes ahead for 2008 room bookings!!

[Bete]

I see this getting incredibly difficult to go on a reasonable cost vacation and stay on-site at Disney. Also, for the planner this will make you crazy. You won't know if you are getting a good deal ever.

I see any special event time like the Epcot Flower and Garden show, Food and Wine fest, Soap Weekend, MNSSHP, MVMCP, school vacation times through the year, holidays like the 4th of July, etc. all being priced at a premium under this new pricing program. Can you imagine what they will charge for Dec.25 and Dec.31 in 2008!

Also, I think there may be no advantage to booking early anymore. You may get a better deal if you wait. If occupancy levels are down, Disney will probably lower the rate on resorts. I see this as possibly having different prices for different resorts of the same grade level, too. As an example if POP Century is booked up more for a certain time, you may get a better rate to stay at All-Star Sports even though they are considered to be the same value resort level for their standard room accomodations. This will hold true for the Deluxe and Moderate resorts, too. It's like you will have to search many resorts to see what the better deal will be for any level. Heck, you might get a moderate for almost the same as a value if the value resorts are almost all occupied and Disney wants to fill up the moderates more. I would feel very annoyed if this happened to me.

I feel you are getting penalized for staying on-site. Nearby non-Disney resorts won't be charging more for each night depending on what's happening at Disney in a particular time frame. I think it will end up cheaper to stay off-site and stay 1 or 2 days longer to make up for ealry and late extra hours with a Disney resort and still be money ahead. There are plenty of off-site resorts that have shuttle services, etc.

I think Disney has lost me as an on-site guest. I have visited over 2 dozen times across 30 years there and I've stayed on-site 90% of the time. Most of our stays have been a week or longer. I will wait and see how this all pans out, but I don't like the sound of this at all.

If we ever needed a petition to not have a Disney policy changed this is the one!

 

[nbodyhome]

That is weird, it seems like it would encourage more people to stay offsite during the weekends. I would probably do that. Many hotels are actually cheaper on the weekends than on the weekdays (due to no convention traffic).

 

[Geoff_M]

I feel you are getting penalized for staying on-site. Nearby non-Disney resorts won't be charging more for each night depending on what's happening at Disney in a particular time frame.

Actually, these supposed changes would results in WDW Resort switching to a scheme that's fairly consistent is the whole hotel industry. I think it's safe to say that there will still be "deals" to be had at Disney resort in 2008 and onward.

 

[fla4fun]

I know it's a big change, but a lot of hotels do this. I've booked hotels that actually show a calendar on the screen so you can see the nightly rate (and weekends are typically higher, as well as holidays), and which nights have minimum stay requirements. It would be nice to have enhancements like this on Disney's website to make it easier to book the best deal, but their website isn't working right now - I'd hate to see them attempt another upgrade. I wonder how it will work for the AP and Fla Res codes, as well as AAA discounts?

 

[luvchip]

I think we will really have to re-think our 2008 trip if this holds true. We love staying on-site, there are many lovely places off-site that we may begin to look at. There comes a point when the ease of staying on disney property just isn't worth it (financially). It seems to me that Disney is really taking away from families that want to experience the "magic". Not everyone has the luxury of being able to take a mid-week vacation and for us we always go Friday to the following Sunday. This might be the reason to start visiting other attractions on the weekends while in Orlando. Our kids have always been happy just to do all things Disney, but that might not be the case in the future. It really saddens me:.

 

[disgram]

I am so sorry to see this happen! I have taken many trips to the World and have stayed onsite for most of them. I love staying onsite to keep the Magic flowing. This new idea is going to have me and alot of other vacationers staying off property! I will not be able to afford to stay as long if I stay onsite. This is a very bad program.
I can see saying that if you book during one "season" you have to continue in that "season", but to charge more for the weekends, that is just sad. Most airlines say that you must spend a weekend for a better price. Now what will happen??? Disney will be great on the weekends for the locals, but the rest of us who scrimp and save throughout the year so that we can take advantage of the good prices on air tickets are going to get shafted!!!!

 

[dannyh23]

I think Disney has lost me as an on-site guest. I have visited over 2 dozen times across 30 years there and I've stayed on-site 90% of the time. Most of our stays have been a week or longer. I will wait and see how this all pans out, but I don't like the sound of this at all.

If we ever needed a petition to not have a Disney policy changed this is the one!

Sorry, but you'll see the same thing at offsite hotels too... Offsite hotels charge more on weekends, charge more during holidays, etc. If anything, Disney rooms may have been a bargain compared to other offsite hotels on some holidays/weekends.

If anything, Disney was doing everyone a favor by keeping prices the same across the weekends...

 

[mickeyfan2]

I think we will really have to re-think our 2008 trip if this holds true. We love staying on-site, there are many lovely places off-site that we may begin to look at. There comes a point when the ease of staying on disney property just isn't worth it (financially). It seems to me that Disney is really taking away from families that want to experience the "magic". Not everyone has the luxury of being able to take a mid-week vacation and for us we always go Friday to the following Sunday. This might be the reason to start visiting other attractions on the weekends while in Orlando. Our kids have always been happy just to do all things Disney, but that might not be the case in the future. It really saddens me:.

Am I understanding you correctly? You live in Michigan and only visit WDW from Friday to Sunday? So you fly on Friday and Sunday?

 

[luvchip]

No we fly in on Friday and leave the following Sunday 9 nights

 

[shafke]

As others have said... a lot of hotels charge more for weekends than weekdays. My only concern is how the rates are going to be structured.

Will weekends be priced one season level higher than weekdays or will weekends or will their be some other price stucture? If they keep it to one season level higher then you are looking at about $20 - $50 extra per night on a standard room depending on the resort...

Values are $10 - $17
Mods are $10 - $14
Deluxes are $50 - $60

This will add about 3-6% onto the cost of the room on top of whatever rate increase is announced.

 

[OneBadApple]

I just learned how Disney charges for rooms and was quite surprised. I have never stayed at a hotel that charges you the rate at check-in for the entire stay. This policy is actually costing me money as we check in on the last day of regular season and the rest of the trip is in value season. I know that I could have made 2 ressies, but I didn't want that hassle, plus we are most likely going to add in the DDP.

 

[Charleyann]

Well, this will be our first and last trip staying onsite. The anmenties they offer for Values are nil compared to some hotels along the 192. I stayed at a nice clean hotel for 49.00 Cn. It had 3 heated- tropical landscaped pools, kids eat free, 3 restaurants onsite. store, arcade, Cabana bars at the end of the pool with drinks and snacks, free fridges, 25" Tv's, coffee maker with condiments refreshed daily, laundry, buffet breaKfast, Free and decent shuttle service not shared with other resorts and just 1.8 miles from Disney. The hotel backed on Animal Kingdom and there was a shortcut drive. The shuttle also serviced other major Orlando theme parks...

Walt Disney's intention were to have an affordable family theme park. With Walt gone, Disney has became greedy and money hungry. Pretty soon, Disney will be out of reach for the average working Joe!

Charleyann

 

[RumpleMom]

In the past I received the lower value season pricing leading into holiday season. I had no idea I was lucky, I was just going for affordable air fare and when we could travel.

Some people will benefit from the change others will not. It is not unusual for the hotel industry to do this. Try booking a room on an Atlantic Ocean beach in the summer for the weekend. Yikes!

It is supply and demand in a free market society. If customers do not pay the requested price, then supply exceeds demand and prices go done. If enough people are willing to pay the price, then the practice will continue. Who knows maybe this will improve offsite business. This is one of our important freedoms in America, we have a choice.

 

[ptrbryant]

No so sure about the weekend part. Since Disney tries to get you to stay longer, this might backfire. Now S-Th vacations will become more common.

I think this is an important point...WDW has worked the MYW passes so that it became hard to resist stretching a 5-day vacation into a 7 day one. Depending on the pricing, that may make the MYW savings on a longer vacation neutral. I could imagine some people now deciding to spend 5 days at WDW, then perhaps going to Universal or SeaWorld for the weekend.

Karla B.

 

["thegirls"]

I feel this is finally a step that Disney will regret. I also only stay 'on-site' but that will no longer be the case. I am not threatening Disney, just stating a fact. Up until this point I could never justify a reason to say 'off-site' and try some of the nicer hotels but I believe Disney just gave me the reason to go that direction. I believe that once I 'go to the dark side' I will not come back because of pricing and amenities offered!
Even as a TA it almost takes a degree to understanding the pricing structure and room categories and the $$ value to assign when advising clients on resorts, but now it would take a 'masters' to get the most for your $$. I, for one, will not enroll in that program.
I truly believe that Disney has successfully to this point kept it's repeat guest 'appeased' enough with sporadic discount offerings that has thwarted a mass exodus of "wandering outside the pearly gates". I have a strong suspicion that they have pushed their luck with this new policy.
Only time will tell!! I for one am excited now to try a new way to visit Disney and try some of the resort outside the world!! Maybe I'll even visit other attractions during a stay or two!!
I won't stop visiting or stop my love of the parks and the fantasy/escape it provides I just will no longer buy into "the seamless vacation" part that always provoked me to stay on-site.
Debbie

 

[Geoff_M]

Before I state this, what I'm about to say isn't because I'm "pro-Disney" or think that I need to defend their actions (real or reported)...

People need to keep in mind that WDW's primary goal isn't to provide the cheapest possible family vacation, their prime directive, as with any for-profit venture, is to maximum long term shareholder returns on their investments. The bad news for us: The people in charge of WDW resorts have looked at how they price rooms, occupancy patterns, etc. and have concluded (reportedly) that these changes will benefit them economically. The good news: If their intuition is wrong, and such changes result in a negative financial impact to WDW Inc. due to depressing room occupancy if it pushes people off-site, then will be revised in the favor of the consumer. They've done this type of thing before... a year or so ago they "re-vamped" the whole AP discount program. The changes bombed, and they were tossed aside.

If you've followed the press, you'll read that Tourism is "back". Flights are jam packed to levels that haven't been seen since the tech bubble burst in 1999/2000. Business is "hopping" at WDW and so they think (reportedly) now is a good time to make such changes

 

[snowman]

I'm not sure I understand why this has so many people upset.
Most hotels in the "real" world do this and have for a number of years. When I was on Cape Cod for F-I-L's funeral it was over a cold March weekend. While it was still value season, the room rate for Friday and Saturday nights was about $20.00 more than Thursday and Sunday were.

This change won't impact our plans for another trip. And if all the people who say they won't stay on-property now because of the change really follow thru than I'll be able to have my choice of available rooms (and have fewer people with me at EMH)

But, we all will do what feels best for our family/trip/situation at the given time.

 

[Lewisc]

My stays tend to be long weekends. Combine higher weekend pricing with rumored changes to DDP and I'll either be vacationing elsewhere or will be staying off site.

Vegas charges a lot more for weekend nights. I don't think Disney could get away with that kind of premium.

Travel is up, Disney will find out how price sensitive guests are.

The next logical change to DME is allow guests to check in at MCO. I wonder if the computer changes will allow Disney to add that perk.

It makes sense for Disney to charge different rates if the stay straddles the season.

edited to say Disney could "half way it". The new system will let them charge guests different rates for different nights of their stay. Disney could just black out some of the discounts on weekends. Guests might not be able to get a AAA discount for every night of their stay.

 

[Geoff_M]

I also only stay 'on-site' but that will no longer be the case.

Don't you think it's a bit hasty to say that before we actually see what the changes, and their real net dollar effects, are??? At this point, the only thing that's certain is that the rates for 2008 will be higher than the rates for 2007 (as they are every year). I mean if when you first heard about the MYW ticket program you were mainly told you would now have to pay extra(!!!) for tickets not to expire, and pay extra(!!!) to be able to park hop, etc. I bet that'd make a lot of people say that from here on out it would be Universal only. I'm not saying the reported changes will be good, but we need all of the facts before making a determination.

 

[msmayor]

Before I state this, what I'm about to say isn't because I'm "pro-Disney" or think that I need to defend their actions (real or reported)...

People need to keep in mind that WDW's primary goal isn't to provide the cheapest possible family vacation, their prime directive, as with any for-profit venture, is to maximum long term shareholder returns on their investments. The bad news for us: The people in charge of WDW resorts have looked at how they price rooms, occupancy patterns, etc. and have concluded (reportedly) that these changes will benefit them economically. The good news: If their intuition is wrong, and such changes result in a negative financial impact to WDW Inc. due to depressing room occupancy if it pushes people off-site, then will be revised in the favor of the consumer. They done this type of thing before... a year or so ago they "re-vamped" the whole AP discount program. The changes bombed, and they were tossed aside.

If you've followed the press, you'll read that Tourism is "back". Flights are jam packed to levels that haven't been seen since the tech bubble burst in 1999/2000. Business is "hopping" at WDW and so they think (reportedly) now is a good time to make such changes

Well said. Disney is a BUSINESS first...and their goal is always to make more money.

Marketing models must indicate that its possible to tweak their rates to continue their current occupancy levels at a higher cost.

It won't sway me one bit to offsite.