DISNEY if you don't want the average Joe to stay at the parks just say so...

[bryanb]

I noticed there weren't many people in the parks just walking around eating snacks. It's like they all decided they would rather starve than spend $6 on a soft pretzel with cheese. We didn't even get churros this times and each of us only had one Mickey ice cream bar.

They get hourly reports on every transaction, and have dedicated salaried CMs managing every aspect of the business. If this is the case, I'm sure they'll notice any issues with revenue and address it.

Or maybe they had all just had a good meal and were full???? I know as many times as I say I'm going to have a Mickey bar I maybe end up hungry enough for one a trip.

I'm eating more full meals than I did in the past, given the great choices they've added over time, and I guess I'm spending more overall. But that's just anecdotal.

 

[DVCcurious]

Skipping a snack is not starving. In all honestly I should probably skip many snacks if I'm going to hit my target BMI.

Or I could grow 7 more inches and then I'd be the right BMI

I call BMI the bull**** measurement index.

 

[Misha72683]

Or maybe they had all just had a good meal and were full???? I know as many times as I say I'm going to have a Mickey bar I maybe end up hungry enough for one a trip.

We didn't snack nearly as much as we thougt we would. We were just full between our TS z(mostly buffet) meals and the eat.

 

[Disneyliscious]

I have never stayed on Disney property and have no plans to. The resort fee will not affect me. However, it certainly takes away from those who find value in staying on site. Suddenly that "free parking" isn't so free anymore.

 

[mickeysgirl17]

I totally feel the frustration of OP. I am angry that EVERYTHING at Disney is going up much faster than my salary. If it were just Disney going up that would be one thing but EVERYTHING in life is going up along with it. And I'm sorry Disney, you lose out, we love our cable and cell phones more than you .
I do feel like Disney only cares about a wealthier class of people. Even though my DH is way over Disney I think we will still go. We will not come every 3 years anymore. It might be every 5. We might not visit for 6 or 7 days but 4 and no park hoppers or sit down meals. We will try on that next trip after next month staying off property regardless of the "perks" we might miss out on. We will have a car and the kids will be teenagers by then so we can drive off property with few problems.
We will miss Disney hotels for sure but this will save us tons of money on our nightly rates and food if we can eat at least breakfast off site. I will make it my challenge to see how cheap I can go the next time around.

I agree with you and the OP. I'm a single om of 2 and we love Disney. Unfortunately, its becoming more and more difficult to afford a vacation. We can only go once every 5 years or so and I have to start saving pennies at least 2 years in advance. I understand that its not a necessity and other things are more important, but I want to make my kids happy. Disney is raising their prices just because they want to and because they can making it very hard for your average family to afford. I feel as if the magic is becoming lost over the years.

 

[KisstheGirl33]

The reality of the situation is that, like any destination, Disney will be cost prohibitive for some people. While Disney has implemented some cost saving measures, I think we need to acknowledge all of the new things that Disney will have to offer in the coming years. We all know at least some of Disney's plans (new lands, new shows, new restaurants). These new additions will cost Disney millions of dollars - they have to fund it somehow. Quite honestly, the ticket price increases are, in my opinion, so minimal that it won't make or break a vacation for most people. Further, Disney has yet to announce any resort fees. I believe that the possibly was vaguely mentioned in a survey. I think that Disney is something that most "average joes" can afford if planned to minimize costs. Maybe that means staying in a value resort or off-site and packing meals. Not everyone will be able to stay at the Grand Floridian on the deluxe dining plan, but you don't have to in order to enjoy your vacation.

 

[MilitaryMouse]

Oh the exaggeration. The typical higher-end Italian holiday I book for clients is 4,000 to 6,000 for a week staying at places like the St. Regis. Add in a suggested budget of 300+ Euros/day. Add in that rental cars fit for North Americans run 400ish/week. You are easily looking at 6500 for the basics of airfare, hotel and car. Plus about 2000 Euros spending, not including places like Aroma can run as high as 150 Euros per person. So we are talking almost 7,000 to 9,000. For a week. Now please tell me what you are doing at Walt Disney World for 56,000 to 72,000 dollars a week. A week in the most expensive rooms on property is only like 12,000 to 15,000. So where is the other 40,000 plus coming from?

I hope that you're not a travel agent, or at the very least, you're not telling people this is what a typical European vacation costs. We just spent three weeks in Europe - Paris, Normandy, Rome, Florence, Antwerp, Brussels, and Amsterdam. TOTAL trip cost was $3500 for two people, including airfare, lodging, train tickets, fine dining, souvenirs etc, half of what we spent for our December WDW vacation. We could've easily spent less if we cut out a few tours and dinners. Granted, we stayed at beautiful airbnb apartments and not luxury hotels.

Just saying that just b/c you're quoting on the riculously high end of travel costs doesn't mean the pp was exaggerating.

 

[UncleMike101]

Yes but what I don't think a lot of people understand is if they had less tax deducted from their paychecks and they put that extra money in a savings account, over the course of a year they can earn like $1 in interest

It's not the amount of interest accrued that I'm interested in.
I'm just not going to give the Government an interest free loan of my money and then have to beg, plead, and grovel, to get them to return that portion of my money that they feel is due to me.

 

[snayak]

It's not the amount of interest accrued that I'm interested in.
I'm just not going to give the Government an interest free loan of my money and then have to beg, plead, and grovel, to get them to return that portion of my money that they feel is due to me.

I'm with you! Back in the day with 5% savings account rates it was worth putting the money in savings account. Now a days I'd rather owe money than wait for a refund - at least I can put it towards whatever I want (hello big screen TV on Black Friday!), it all evens out in the end. I do have my W4 set pretty high to account for being married and having a mortgage but I don't know how that works with regards to EITC or dependents and all that stuff.

 

[skyyhiflygirl]

Oh the exaggeration. The typical higher-end Italian holiday I book for clients is 4,000 to 6,000 for a week staying at places like the St. Regis. Add in a suggested budget of 300+ Euros/day. Add in that rental cars fit for North Americans run 400ish/week. You are easily looking at 6500 for the basics of airfare, hotel and car. Plus about 2000 Euros spending, not including places like Aroma can run as high as 150 Euros per person. So we are talking almost 7,000 to 9,000. For a week. Now please tell me what you are doing at Walt Disney World for 56,000 to 72,000 dollars a week. A week in the most expensive rooms on property is only like 12,000 to 15,000. So where is the other 40,000 plus coming from?

You seriously went from 7k - 9k to 56k - 72k. OMG, Even if you were talking "per person" you would not come up with the 56k to 72k numbers. Now that is some exaggeration. I have already priced my trip to Italy with my wonderful agent and know what it will cost. Oh and we are staying for 10 days. Since it is only me on the WDW trip I was amazed at what those who end up paying rack rate are paying for their trip. I have never paid rack rate and was just pricing out my trip at rack rate to see what some would pay for the same stay. With your Italy numbers of 9k for a week - even if that were per person, for two would only be 18k. Just saying.

 

[pumpkinhead10a]

I'm not saying gross profit is not a dirty word, but there's a point where gross profit turns into just plain greed and that were Disney treading now! When a trip goes from 1700.00 for2 for 10 days in 2014 and now 2900.00 for the same trip you be the judge! Now they are talking about extra fees on top of this and if they're talking about it, it's going to happen, look at pass history! We had 4 Disney trips in the last 7 years and we have notice the difference on every trip on how things were cut back! Thanks again for all your comments and likes!

 

[Lesverts]

I hope that you're not a travel agent, or at the very least, you're not telling people this is what a typical European vacation costs. We just spent three weeks in Europe - Paris, Normandy, Rome, Florence, Antwerp, Brussels, and Amsterdam. TOTAL trip cost was $3500 for two people, including airfare, lodging, train tickets, fine dining, souvenirs etc, half of what we spent for our December WDW vacation. We could've easily spent less if we cut out a few tours and dinners. Granted, we stayed at beautiful airbnb apartments and not luxury hotels.

Just saying that just b/c you're quoting on the riculously high end of travel costs doesn't mean the pp was exaggerating.

The person I was responding to said that she was staying high class luxury in Italy. 5,000 plus for a week is fairly typical for someone booking at a Leading Hotels of the World, or brands like St. Regis etc. She stated that her luxury Italy trip was 1/8th of what it costs to go to Disney. I merely pointed out how ridiculous that is. In reality most independent touring of Europe I book ranges about between 150 to 250 per night per person with airfare included in nightly cost.

You seriously went from 7k - 9k to 56k - 72k. OMG, Even if you were talking "per person" you would not come up with the 56k to 72k numbers. Now that is some exaggeration. I have already priced my trip to Italy with my wonderful agent and know what it will cost. Oh and we are staying for 10 days. Since it is only me on the WDW trip I was amazed at what those who end up paying rack rate are paying for their trip. I have never paid rack rate and was just pricing out my trip at rack rate to see what some would pay for the same stay. With your Italy numbers of 9k for a week - even if that were per person, for two would only be 18k. Just saying.

You are the one that stated you were going on a luxury holiday to Italy for 1/8 of the cost of Disney. A typical high end European (Italian being on the cheaper end) ranges from 6 to 9,000 a week. 6 to 9,000 times 8 means that your Disney vacation would need to cost in the range of 56 to 72,000 to come close to meeting your ridiculous claim that you can travel in luxury in Europe for 1/8 of the cost of Disney. Even a typical mid-range European independent holiday would have a hard time coming in at half the cost of Disney it you compare a price for couples.

 

[Togadadof2]

I hope that you're not a travel agent, or at the very least, you're not telling people this is what a typical European vacation costs. We just spent three weeks in Europe - Paris, Normandy, Rome, Florence, Antwerp, Brussels, and Amsterdam. TOTAL trip cost was $3500 for two people, including airfare, lodging, train tickets, fine dining, souvenirs etc, half of what we spent for our December WDW vacation. We could've easily spent less if we cut out a few tours and dinners. Granted, we stayed at beautiful airbnb apartments and not luxury hotels.

Just saying that just b/c you're quoting on the riculously high end of travel costs doesn't mean the pp was exaggerating.

Curious to hear how airbnb worked out for you. We're taking the kids to Italy this summer and were looking at it as an option. Any feedback is appreciated, thanks!

 

[momimouse27]

On the comment about just not going to Disney, in order to send them a message. With all due respect, the only way they'll hear that message is if masses of people start cancelling their vacations all at once. And that's not going to happen.

Most of the posters here are bigger Disney fans than the typical vacationer. I don't know very many people just off the cuff who go as often as I do. If I stopped vacationing right now, and refused to go again until something changes, it would be a drop in the bucket, because the majority of trip takers are not folks like us. That being said, this is one of the few things in my life I look forward to besides football season So, will I quit going to Disney and give up my pleasant vacation time just so I can make some sort of statement they don't care about? No. I'll still be unhappy about the price increases, but will plan my trip accordingly-off season, and possibly off site, if need be.

 

[The Novice]

For a lot of us, it's diminishing returns on increasing vacation investment. We're getting tired of paying more to wait in longer lines, eat mediocre food, stay in overpriced hotels and ride crowded transportation. The differentiators that used to make WDW a treasured vacation experience just aren't there for us any more.

If you're tired of longer lines and crowed transportation then you should welcome higher prices. The function of the price of anything (a good or service) is to control the demand. Lower prices would make those lines worse. I would love to see a more substantial price increase to dampen demand.

 

[bryanb]

I understand that its not a necessity and other things are more important, but I want to make my kids happy. Disney is raising their prices just because they want to and because they can making it very hard for your average family to afford. I feel as if the magic is becoming lost over the years.

I was lucky to grow up 20 minutes away from Disneyland, but with ticket prices in the $30s, we still couldn't afford to do a day trip more than once every few years. Disney World was out of the question and not even on the radar; I knew it existed, obviously, but only remember one person in my grade who went there. It never expected my parents to afford it, and I was a happy kid.

Disney is raising their prices because the market demands that they do. Pricing below demand levels creates "deadweight loss" which creates inefficiencies (in extreme cases, shortages that require rationing... kind of like what's happening with FP+, or when the parks are too full and they have to close the gates). Still, I realize many people have their heart set on vacationing at Disney World. And it's frustrating that it can be so far out of reach of so many.

I'll still be unhappy about the price increases, but will plan my trip accordingly-off season, and possibly off site, if need be.

Totally agree with this strategy. I try to go off-season and usually do stay off-site. As great as the Disney resorts may be, I find them terribly expensive given my budget... but I guess there are more than enough people willing to pay those prices. Off-site is a perfectly valid strategy.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Totally agree with this strategy. I try to go off-season and usually do stay off-site. As great as the Disney resorts may be, I find them terribly expensive given my budget... but I guess there are more than enough people willing to pay those prices. Off-site is a perfectly valid strategy.

I mean, it depends. Off-site requires a car, and being willing to give up EMH, and if the Disney bubble is a thing for you (which it is for many of us), staying off-site isn't going to work.

 

[UncleMike101]

If you're tired of longer lines and crowed transportation then you should welcome higher prices. The function of the price of anything (a good or service) is to control the demand. Lower prices would make those lines worse. I would love to see a more substantial price increase to dampen demand.

Uhhh.....
No.
The function of a price point is to ensure that enough patrons partake of the service/product to allow the business to make a profit, provide wages for it's employees, and expand the business to bring in more customers.
Pricing your dedicated customers out of that loop always results in the business's failure and a mad scramble by the idiots who made the unfortunate decision to milk the cash cows dry, to get those customers back.
Often ending in failure.
Reducing the number of patrons will result in more CM's losing their jobs, further cuts in services, and shortened park hours which will result in even more customers staying away.
Business is a balancing act and right now Disney couldn't balance a bowling ball on a pool table.

 

[W.E.D.]

Oh the exaggeration. The typical higher-end Italian holiday I book for clients is 4,000 to 6,000 for a week staying at places like the St. Regis. Add in a suggested budget of 300+ Euros/day. Add in that rental cars fit for North Americans run 400ish/week. You are easily looking at 6500 for the basics of airfare, hotel and car. Plus about 2000 Euros spending, not including places like Aroma can run as high as 150 Euros per person. So we are talking almost 7,000 to 9,000. For a week. Now please tell me what you are doing at Walt Disney World for 56,000 to 72,000 dollars a week. A week in the most expensive rooms on property is only like 12,000 to 15,000. So where is the other 40,000 plus coming from?

It's not a total exaggeration. In 2014 my wife and I spent a week in the heart of London at the Marriott County Hall. All told we spent less than we would have for our typical WDW vacation.

 

[anniemae]

Uhhh.....
No.
The function of a price point is to ensure that enough patrons partake of the service/product to allow the business to make a profit, provide wages for it's employees, and expand the business to bring in more customers.
Pricing your dedicated customers out of that loop always results in the business's failure and a mad scramble by the idiots who made the unfortunate decision to milk the cash cows dry, to get those customers back.
Often ending in failure.
Reducing the number of patrons will result in more CM's losing their jobs, further cuts in services, and shortened park hours which will result in even more customers staying away.
Business is a balancing act and right now Disney couldn't balance a bowling ball on a pool table.

I thought this way too, now I am not so sure. I keep reading how Disney is focusing on the first timer, or once in a life time guest. I kind of think this is accurate. The repeat customer has become savvy at how to save money, i.e. staying off site, buying souvenirs at an outlet in Orlando for much cheaper, bringing meals in with a cooler, shipping water to your hotel room to avoid the high prices of water in the park etc. All this is money out of Disney's pocket. The once in a lifer will tend spend, spend, spend on big meals, lots of souvenirs, hotel, bringing multiple family members for a big gathering, memory maker etc.

Also, as a pp said, the price increase could be to deter some crowds. At first I thought that was ridiculous because I would think they want the parks and hotels filled to the gills, more people = more money. But maybe with all those people, come more costs: you need more staff to handle the people, you need more rides to satisfy those people, you need more space to put all those people. It seem they either have to raise prices or expand. If they raise prices, some people may decide not to go, but those that do go will make up that cost. Disney seems to be doing both, they are raising prices while expanding LOL.