Disney adds a premium package to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

[mvk]

No, he envisioned a place where all family members could find joy. Or so I've heard.

Are you saying all family members can't find joy at Disney?

It's quite a bit presumptious to say it's a rich man's playground. If you're going to go on a family vacation, it's as easy and affordable at Disney as anywhere else.

It's only slightly more expensive to go to Disney World in mid-July than it is to go to a nice beach and stay in an ocean front room.

Compare the price of staying at the Caribbean Beach Resort, water view, with park hoppers and Dining Plan (regular plan, not QS plan). For my family of four, that is roughly $4,000 plus probably another $1,000-$1,200 for flights. Drop down to All Star Movies and no park hopper, and it's about $3,300 plus flight. That is without any discount codes.

Staying oceanfront at a good Ocean City MD hotel (3 star or better) that same week would cost about $3,000 for room only. We'd spend close to $750 on food and drink for the week. Probably another $250 or so on activities (and that would be on the low end), and another $250 or so on gas. If I didn't want to use my own vehicle for the 800 mile roundtrip, it would be another $350-$400 to rent one for the week.

So I'd be looking, at most, about $500-$1,000 more to go to Disney than go to the beach. Stay at All Star Movies and it would be roughly the same.

For what its worth, trying to book a package through Universal, you can only book through June right now, a weeklong stay there (well at the Hilton Garden Inn because their resorts were not listed under the options on vacation packages in June 2015 for some reason), with airport transfers, tickets, and meal plan would come to about $3,000. Still need to add flights. And figure out what to do with the rest of the week after visiting USF and IOA a couple times each.

A weeklong vacation to a major U.S. city? Maybe New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Los Angeles, or San Francisco? That would easily cost more for us than going to Disney for a week.

Now, I know there are alternatives to Disney, the beach, or a major city for vacation. But I'm not going to compare a week at Lake Erie to going to Disney.

 

[ChipnDale79]

Are you saying all family members can't find joy at Disney?

It's quite a bit presumptious to say it's a rich man's playground. If you're going to go on a family vacation, it's as easy and affordable at Disney as anywhere else.

It's only slightly more expensive to go to Disney World in mid-July than it is to go to a nice beach and stay in an ocean front room.

Compare the price of staying at the Caribbean Beach Resort, water view, with park hoppers and Dining Plan (regular plan, not QS plan). For my family of four, that is roughly $4,000 plus probably another $1,000-$1,200 for flights. Drop down to All Star Movies and no park hopper, and it's about $3,300 plus flight. That is without any discount codes.

Staying oceanfront at a good Ocean City MD hotel (3 star or better) that same week would cost about $3,000 for room only. We'd spend close to $750 on food and drink for the week. Probably another $250 or so on activities (and that would be on the low end), and another $250 or so on gas. If I didn't want to use my own vehicle for the 800 mile roundtrip, it would be another $350-$400 to rent one for the week.

So I'd be looking, at most, about $500-$1,000 more to go to Disney than go to the beach. Stay at All Star Movies and it would be roughly the same.

For what its worth, trying to book a package through Universal, you can only book through June right now, a weeklong stay there (well at the Hilton Garden Inn because their resorts were not listed under the options on vacation packages in June 2015 for some reason), with airport transfers, tickets, and meal plan would come to about $3,000. Still need to add flights. And figure out what to do with the rest of the week after visiting USF and IOA a couple times each.

A weeklong vacation to a major U.S. city? Maybe New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Los Angeles, or San Francisco? That would easily cost more for us than going to Disney for a week.

Now, I know there are alternatives to Disney, the beach, or a major city for vacation. But I'm not going to compare a week at Lake Erie to going to Disney.

Are you pricing in the hard ticket items as well?

When I pay for a disney vacation every year, I expect things to get better every year, I don't expect them to get worse. For the first time in a number of years this was the first year there wasn't an increase in a vacation. I wonder why that's the case? Did enough people finally say enough is enough?

My wife and I went on our honeymoon in 2008 and stayed at PORQ with the dining plan, that trip cost us about $2800, now that same amount of money would we could stay at a value resort for just the 2 of us.

Cost has gone up in 6 years while many things have been cut and very little has been added. The people that are buying these hard ticket items are feeding into the fact that disney doesn't have to do anything to WDW and people will just fork out cash.

If you're tired of disney being lazy and not allowing WDW to grow, and you're paying for these hard ticket items, you're the problem. Plain and simple.

 

[mvk]

Are you pricing in the hard ticket items as well?

When I pay for a disney vacation every year, I expect things to get better every year, I don't expect them to get worse. For the first time in a number of years this was the first year there wasn't an increase in a vacation. I wonder why that's the case? Did enough people finally say enough is enough?

My wife and I went on our honeymoon in 2008 and stayed at PORQ with the dining plan, that trip cost us about $2800, now that same amount of money would we could stay at a value resort for just the 2 of us.

Cost has gone up in 6 years while many things have been cut and very little has been added. The people that are buying these hard ticket items are feeding into the fact that disney doesn't have to do anything to WDW and people will just fork out cash.

If you're tired of disney being lazy and not allowing WDW to grow, and you're paying for these hard ticket items, you're the problem. Plain and simple.

There aren't hard ticket items in July, to my knowledge. It isn't essential to go to a hard ticket event to have an enjoyable time at Disney World. If you choose to, they give you the option to do so. If you choose an even more exclusive experience, they give you the option to do that.

I don't know what to tell you if you expect to pay the same amount you did 6 or 7 years ago. Guess what? You're also paying a lot more for a new car than you did in 2008, you're paying a lot more for gas than you did in 2008, you're paying a lot more for groceries than you did in 2008, and likely, you're also getting paid more now than you did in 2008.

 

[ChipnDale79]

There aren't hard ticket items in July, to my knowledge. It isn't essential to go to a hard ticket event to have an enjoyable time at Disney World. If you choose to, they give you the option to do so. If you choose an even more exclusive experience, they give you the option to do that.

I don't know what to tell you if you expect to pay the same amount you did 6 or 7 years ago. Guess what? You're also paying a lot more for a new car than you did in 2008, you're paying a lot more for gas than you did in 2008, you're paying a lot more for groceries than you did in 2008, and likely, you're also getting paid more now than you did in 2008.

There arent hard tickets in July now, but with the way they are adding them, then I wouldnt be surprised if there are hard tickets in the next coming july.

As far as cars, cars evolve and get better over that time frame. They have different options and better technology, or body styles. When I buy a new car, then yes I expect better technology or a newer body style. That's just me, I'm not going to buy the exact same car for a higher price.

The cost of everything has gone up, but disney has increased prices faster than inflation and have cut services that have been offered.

If you're ok with that, then good for you, I work too hard for my money to be ok with that.

 

[crostorfer]

There arent hard tickets in July now, but with the way they are adding them, then I wouldnt be surprised if there are hard tickets in the next coming july. As far as cars, cars evolve and get better over that time frame. They have different options and better technology, or body styles. When I buy a new car, then yes I expect better technology or a newer body style. That's just me, I'm not going to buy the exact same car for a higher price. The cost of everything has gone up, but disney has increased prices faster than inflation and have cut services that have been offered. If you're ok with that, then good for you, I work too hard for my money to be ok with that.

Then choose to vacation somewhere else, rather than be bitter and rude.

 

[wallrock]

Are you saying all family members can't find joy at Disney?

It's quite a bit presumptious to say it's a rich man's playground. If you're going to go on a family vacation, it's as easy and affordable at Disney as anywhere else.

It's only slightly more expensive to go to Disney World in mid-July than it is to go to a nice beach and stay in an ocean front room.

Compare the price of staying at the Caribbean Beach Resort, water view, with park hoppers and Dining Plan (regular plan, not QS plan). For my family of four, that is roughly $4,000 plus probably another $1,000-$1,200 for flights. Drop down to All Star Movies and no park hopper, and it's about $3,300 plus flight. That is without any discount codes.

Staying oceanfront at a good Ocean City MD hotel (3 star or better) that same week would cost about $3,000 for room only. We'd spend close to $750 on food and drink for the week. Probably another $250 or so on activities (and that would be on the low end), and another $250 or so on gas. If I didn't want to use my own vehicle for the 800 mile roundtrip, it would be another $350-$400 to rent one for the week.

So I'd be looking, at most, about $500-$1,000 more to go to Disney than go to the beach. Stay at All Star Movies and it would be roughly the same.

For what its worth, trying to book a package through Universal, you can only book through June right now, a weeklong stay there (well at the Hilton Garden Inn because their resorts were not listed under the options on vacation packages in June 2015 for some reason), with airport transfers, tickets, and meal plan would come to about $3,000. Still need to add flights. And figure out what to do with the rest of the week after visiting USF and IOA a couple times each.

A weeklong vacation to a major U.S. city? Maybe New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Los Angeles, or San Francisco? That would easily cost more for us than going to Disney for a week.

Now, I know there are alternatives to Disney, the beach, or a major city for vacation. But I'm not going to compare a week at Lake Erie to going to Disney.

Granted everyone's definition of a vacation is going to be different, but no matter how you slice it spending three to four grand on a vacation definitely qualifies as a 'rich man's playground' when Middle Class America is the demographic.

As Disney continues to raise prices at a rate well beyond what would be considered adjustments for inflation it will become a park for the well-to-do.

 

[ChipnDale79]

Then choose to vacation somewhere else, rather than be bitter and rude.

Interesting, I'm bitter and rude.

I bet you consider me being bitter and rude because I have a different opinion than you?

If you want to call me rude, go for it, its no skin off my back. I consider the comments that I've seen others make rude on here as well.

I don't see how I can be bitter towards anything in this subject though. I'm not bitter towards anyone that spends their money on extra stuff. I just think it feeds into the theory of allowing Disney to be lazy and not actually make WDW better. If you call that bitterness, I think its the wrong definition.

If I were bitter then I'd be upset because I wanted to do a hard ticket on a hard ticket and I couldnt afford it, that's just simply not the case.

People value a dollar differently, if someone wants to spend more and more money on the same thing that hasn't really changed, then go ahead. But if you want things to get better and want Disney to be who they have been in the past, the only way that's going to happen is to stop giving them so much money.

Don't get me wrong, Disney is still very magical to me. For goodness sake it's where my wife and I honeymooned. We took our kids for the first time in May, and when my 1 year old ran to Mickey and gave him a full on body hug I nearly broke down in tears. The magic is still there.

But I feel like little by little it is chipping away.

It's not to the point where I won't go to disney, but it is to the point that I won't pay for a moderate resort, nor will I pay for a hard ticket on a hard ticket. To me, that's just absurd.

 

[crostorfer]

Interesting, I'm bitter and rude. I bet you consider me being bitter and rude because I have a different opinion than you? If you want to call me rude, go for it, its no skin off my back. I consider the comments that I've seen others make rude on here as well. I don't see how I can be bitter towards anything in this subject though. I'm not bitter towards anyone that spends their money on extra stuff. I just think it feeds into the theory of allowing Disney to be lazy and not actually make WDW better. If you call that bitterness, I think its the wrong definition. If I were bitter then I'd be upset because I wanted to do a hard ticket on a hard ticket and I couldnt afford it, that's just simply not the case. People value a dollar differently, if someone wants to spend more and more money on the same thing that hasn't really changed, then go ahead. But if you want things to get better and want Disney to be who they have been in the past, the only way that's going to happen is to stop giving them so much money. Don't get me wrong, Disney is still very magical to me. For goodness sake it's where my wife and I honeymooned. We took our kids for the first time in May, and when my 1 year old ran to Mickey and gave him a full on body hug I nearly broke down in tears. The magic is still there. But I feel like little by little it is chipping away. It's not to the point where I won't go to disney, but it is to the point that I won't pay for a moderate resort, nor will I pay for a hard ticket on a hard ticket. To me, that's just absurd.

I used the word rude, because you told everyone that was willing to pay more for extra experiences to "bite you". That was horribly rude.

 

[ChipnDale79]

I used the word rude, because you told everyone that was willing to pay more for extra experiences to "bite you". That was horribly rude.

Ok, so we've got a miscommunication then, if it didn't write it well enough, then i apologize.

What the bite me comment was intended to be in reference to, are the people that have said they would like disney to raise their prices even more (on all things) or charge for FPs so that less people will go to disney, meaning less families can afford to go. I don't apologize for that.

I'm not willing to go as far as to say "bite me" for people who willing to pay for a hard ticket on a hard ticket.

If you want to pay more for a special event then I don't have a problem (except it's allowing disney to be lazy) with that, but I do have a problem when people want to "weed out the rift raft".

Edited:

I actually went back and checked on my "bite me" comment, this is what I said.

To the people that say raise prices so that so many people wont come and I won't have to wait longer in line, bite me. IMO Disney is best when the average family can afford a Disney vacation every couple of years.

It's pretty clear that comment was about raising prices on other things, and not about extra experiences like you stated above, please don't try to twist what I'm saying.

 

[mvk]

Granted everyone's definition of a vacation is going to be different, but no matter how you slice it spending three to four grand on a vacation definitely qualifies as a 'rich man's playground' when Middle Class America is the demographic.

As Disney continues to raise prices at a rate well beyond what would be considered adjustments for inflation it will become a park for the well-to-do.

The average American family of four spent $4,580 on vacation in 2013 according to American Express research/surveys. Yes, it's a lot of money, but when that is the average vacation for a family of four, and you can do Disney for that amount, then I don't think it really qualifies as a rich man's playground.

 

[crostorfer]

Ok, so we've got a miscommunication then, if it didn't write it well enough, then i apologize. What the bite me comment was intended to be in reference to, are the people that have said they would like disney to raise their prices even more (on all things) or charge for FPs so that less people will go to disney, meaning less families can afford to go. I don't apologize for that. I'm not willing to go as far as to say "bite me" for people who willing to pay for a hard ticket on a hard ticket. If you want to pay more for a special event then I don't have a problem (except it's allowing disney to be lazy) with that, but I do have a problem when people want to "weed out the rift raft". Edited: I actually went back and checked on my "bite me" comment, this is what I said. It's pretty clear that comment was about raising prices on other things, and not about extra experiences like you stated above, please don't try to twist what I'm saying.

The term "bite me" is pretty rude in and of itself, don't you think? I'm not twisting anything. You want anyone who disagrees with you on the issue of willingness to pay more, to "bite you".

Disney is going to be what Disney is going to be. Lazy, magical, or anything in between. Even if every person here on the Dis suddenly boycotted, they would still make record profits every year. They don't care about us. I've accepted that, and I am speaking with my wallet in a sense, this time Universal is getting my multi-day park ticket and my resort reservations.

What is the problem with them charging more for different levels of service? I've said multiple times, I love old FP- and wish they'd reinstate it, and I hate FP+. I would GREATLY prefer a system like they have for offsite Uni guests, and at all 6 Flags locations where you can buy your way out of a line, all day long. I have zero problem with that. It isn't taking anything away from a regular park guest, it's just giving an extra bonus to people who are willing to pay more. Happens everywhere. Time and money are inversely proportional.

 

[ChipnDale79]

The term "bite me" is pretty rude in and of itself, don't you think? I'm not twisting anything. You want anyone who disagrees with you on the issue of willingness to pay more, to "bite you".

Disney is going to be what Disney is going to be. Lazy, magical, or anything in between. Even if every person here on the Dis suddenly boycotted, they would still make record profits every year. They don't care about us. I've accepted that, and I am speaking with my wallet in a sense, this time Universal is getting my multi-day park ticket and my resort reservations.

What is the problem with them charging more for different levels of service? I've said multiple times, I love old FP- and wish they'd reinstate it, and I hate FP+. I would GREATLY prefer a system like they have for offsite Uni guests, and at all 6 Flags locations where you can buy your way out of a line, all day long. I have zero problem with that. It isn't taking anything away from a regular park guest, it's just giving an extra bonus to people who are willing to pay more. Happens everywhere. Time and money are inversely proportional.

Oh I'm not going disagree with you that the word bite me is rude, you're trying to twist my words into saying that I told people that do hard tickets to bite me. That is 100% not what I said.

I think it's incredibly rude to "weed out the rift raft" by increasing the prices on everything so less people will go. That's where I have a major problem with some people's post. There are a number of people who have actually said they wished disney charged more for everything so less people can afford to go.

Like I've stated before, my bite me comment had nothing to do with the hard ticket on a hard ticket, that's the 2nd time I've said that to you.

 

[crostorfer]

Overall I get what you are saying and I somewhat understand those who just want to see what it's about. It is fun to find new things to do at WDW, especially for those of us who go all often. I still think it's a lazy effort even if it is fun. My thoughts are that people are just desperate for anything new that WDW is offering and will applaud almost anything. Probably a harsh view but it's honest.

If you think $170 for five hour is absurd, I'm going to bet you've never been to an NFL or NBA game, taking a chance your team will lose, or have seen a legendary performer, (like Madonna or Paul McCartney for example), in concert, only to have them show up an hour late or give a bad show. People pay much more than $170, for shorter amounts of time, and the possibility of either a great experience or a terrible disappointment. At least if you are in WDW, you are guaranteed to at least have a moderately good to great time.

 

[wallrock]

If you think $170 for five hour is absurd, I'm going to bet you've never been to an NFL or NBA game, taking a chance your team will lose, or have seen a legendary performer, (like Madonna or Paul McCartney for example), in concert, only to have them show up an hour late or give a bad show. People pay much more than $170, for shorter amounts of time, and the possibility of either a great experience or a terrible disappointment. At least if you are in WDW, you are guaranteed to at least have a moderately good to great time.

The big missing in your analogy is that generally people aren't forking over a few extra thousands for hotel stays/general admission park tickets/airfares and the like to see a sporting event. And I wouldn't say you're guaranteed to have a moderate or great time. Just ask the folks who attended the Villians Unleashed fiasco at Hollywood Studios.

 

[Ero_FL]

Ok, so we've got a miscommunication then, if it didn't write it well enough, then i apologize.

What the bite me comment was intended to be in reference to, are the people that have said they would like disney to raise their prices even more (on all things) or charge for FPs so that less people will go to disney, meaning less families can afford to go. I don't apologize for that.

I'm not willing to go as far as to say "bite me" for people who willing to pay for a hard ticket on a hard ticket.

If you want to pay more for a special event then I don't have a problem (except it's allowing disney to be lazy) with that, but I do have a problem when people want to "weed out the rift raft".

Edited:

I actually went back and checked on my "bite me" comment, this is what I said.



It's pretty clear that comment was about raising prices on other things, and not about extra experiences like you stated above, please don't try to twist what I'm saying.

Disney is the only major theme park that doesn't charge extra for FastPasses. You have to pay extra at Busch Gardens and Universal to get shortened queue times. Disney just rolled that cost into their full day tickets so that everyone can use it- shouldn't that make you happier?

Our idea of a vacation includes meals where we're not literally rubbing elbows with strangers. Call it "weeding riff-raff" if you want, but that's MY preferred vacation experience. We don't *like* the 50s cafe because we don't like people butting into our meal (we will never eat there). We like table service and avoid counter service whenever possible because fighting with "riff-raff" over dirty tables is not our idea of valuable vacation time. We like preferred fireworks/parade seating. We did the Wishes dessert party- and liked it.

We are willing and able to pay more for those things. If you are not, that's great- but don't get bent out of shape because some of us are.

That being said, I think it's ridiculous to pull from the general experience to up-sell for hard ticket items. Pulling Maleficent/Queen from M&G on MNSSHP was straight up shenanigans. This is from a family who is likely to go to the Soiree. They should have left the Villain/Princess M&G, at least from 7-10:30pm if they wanted to do the Soiree from 10:45. One of the major things I wanted to see/do was get photos with the princess/villain combos.

 

[crostorfer]

The big missing in your analogy is that generally people aren't forking over a few extra thousands for hotel stays/general admission park tickets/airfares and the like to see a sporting event. And I wouldn't say you're guaranteed to have a moderate or great time. Just ask the folks who attended the Villians Unleashed fiasco at Hollywood Studios.

People keep bringing up Villains Unleashed in reference to the Soirée and MNSSHP in general. I agree that VU appeared to be a DISASTER. Those patrons were rightfully able to receive refunds. MNSSHP and the VSS are NOT VU though, and judging by the first night of parties, were very successful. Pete Werner's review is still the only negative I've read. Let's keep this in context. If you want to be mad about the upcharge events, fine. That is your right, but the VU debaucle has nothing to do with MNSSHP.

And once again, if you are so angered by the direction Disney is heading, STOP GOING. Vacation somewhere else. I'm as hyper critical of WDW as anyone, I'm not a "kool aid drinker". I LOATHE FP+. I balk at what they call deluxe rooms for the prices they charge. I see that they continually give less for more money, which is why I'm not staying at a Disney resort next month, I'm not buying a regular Disney park ticket, I'm not eating at a WDW table service restaurant, and next spring we are going back to Disneyland, where amazing and magical things are happening, rather than back to Orlando.

 

[Ero_FL]

The term "bite me" is pretty rude in and of itself, don't you think? I'm not twisting anything. You want anyone who disagrees with you on the issue of willingness to pay more, to "bite you".

Disney is going to be what Disney is going to be. Lazy, magical, or anything in between. Even if every person here on the Dis suddenly boycotted, they would still make record profits every year. They don't care about us. I've accepted that, and I am speaking with my wallet in a sense, this time Universal is getting my multi-day park ticket and my resort reservations.

What is the problem with them charging more for different levels of service? I've said multiple times, I love old FP- and wish they'd reinstate it, and I hate FP+. I would GREATLY prefer a system like they have for offsite Uni guests, and at all 6 Flags locations where you can buy your way out of a line, all day long. I have zero problem with that. It isn't taking anything away from a regular park guest, it's just giving an extra bonus to people who are willing to pay more. Happens everywhere. Time and money are inversely proportional.

And I prefer FP+ to the old FP because I like to pick rides ahead of time- or from my phone- instead of getting up at the crack of dawn to run around the park like a fiend or being SOL. They rolled the "buy your way out" into day pass price so more people could use it. Very "riff-raff" (lol) friendly.

 

[ChipnDale79]

And I prefer FP+ to the old FP because I like to pick rides ahead of time- or from my phone- instead of getting up at the crack of dawn to run around the park like a fiend or being SOL. They rolled the "buy your way out" into day pass price so more people could use it. Very "riff-raff" (lol) friendly.

Id be fine with it if you didnt have to do it 60 days out, i like the idea of doing it the day before.

We also experienced a lot of glitches when we went in May that soured us on it, I do believe most of those are fixed now though.

I don't like that much pre-planning.

I don't think they will charge for the first 3, but I do believe an up charge is coming for the 4th one.

 

[mcd2745]

I wish they would charge for EMH. I wish they'd charge for FPs. Life at WDW would be a lot easier and more carefree if this was the case. I'm all for buying my way out of lines.

I've said it many times, but the old "E-Ride" nights at MK (basically a predecessor to evening EMH) was the best money I've ever spent at WDW.

$10 a person and for a few hours you rode headliners at MK (all 3 mountains, POTC, HM, Astro Orbiter) all multiple times without having to get off the ride.

Of course, if they brought that back, it would be $50 per person and they would increase the maximum number of tickets that can be sold by 10,000%.

 

[lugnut33]

I wish they would charge for EMH. I wish they'd charge for FPs. Life at WDW would be a lot easier and more carefree if this was the case. I'm all for buying my way out of lines.

I can only hope somebody rents the MK for themselves during the week you plan on visiting WDW.