Disney Parks Price Increases-What is your breaking point?

[LoveDaisy]

We haven’t been in 2 years. It is not so much the cost of the trip but my perceived value for what I am spending. I’ve been a lot I don’t have to go back but I would like to at some point.

There are some things that Disney took away either right before Covid or during Covid that for me really took away value for me. Those include; park purchases brought to your hotel, room service, airport luggage service (I know they are testing a partial return of this, it’s only one way), loss of a chef at BWI club (I know fire regulations), Magic express, nightly turn down service, the citizens of MK and HS, everything at boardwalk shutting down, the replacement of ample hills with generic ice cream. I’m sure there are more but those come to mind.

 

[Brian Noble]

They underestimate my ability to buy a stack of used books for $5 apiece and keep myself entertained for two weeks at home.

I will see your $5, and raise you a library card.

 

[RickNJane]

As many people on this thread, we are DVC. We own on both coasts. We Buy annual passes to WDW but not DLR. Magic Keys are just way too expensive. We do WDW a couple of times a year and always for 2 weeks. If we did not have AP we would probably use a discount ticket broker like we do for DLR. Disney raises park passes, but then offers discounts. You can get into the parks cheaper if you work at it, however there is no escaping the increase in cost of everything else from T Shirts to Dole Whip. I suppose you could bring in your own food and buy T Shirts on amazon, but what's the fun in that?

 

[gmi3804]

I will see your $5, and raise you a library card.

I borrow Kindle books from the library. And if I don't finish them before they're due, I turn off the WiFi before the due date and keep them for a bit longer. I also save string and aluminum foil.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

buy T Shirts on amazon, but what's the fun in that?

Eh many retailers have Disney products. I think you go for what you want. I remember when my husband saw a Pizza Planet shirt at the World of Disney store but it was only available in kids sizes. He found one at Kohl's website in adult sizes.

The quality of Disney shirts is also not as good as in the past, the difference between what we bought in 2017 and what we saw in 2022 was a decent difference in quality.

I've got shirts purchased at Disney, shirts purchased at Hobby Lobby, shirts purchased at Uniqlo, shirts purchased at Kohl's, shirts purchased at Walmart and JCP. There's no reason why someone should view it as "no fun" to get Disney merch elsewhere much less as just doing it to lower costs.

 

[Suger Mag]

Nope
Def. planning another trip

 

[RickNJane]

Eh many retailers have Disney products. I think you go for what you want. I remember when my husband saw a Pizza Planet shirt at the World of Disney store but it was only available in kids sizes. He found one at Kohl's website in adult sizes.

The quality of Disney shirts is also not as good as in the past, the difference between what we bought in 2017 and what we saw in 2022 was a decent difference in quality.

I've got shirts purchased at Disney, shirts purchased at Hobby Lobby, shirts purchased at Uniqlo, shirts purchased at Kohl's, shirts purchased at Walmart and JCP. There's no reason why someone should view it as "no fun" to get Disney merch elsewhere much less as just doing it to lower costs.

I agree on the quality, that is why I prefer to see the mech in person. I have been surprised (and not in a good way) ordering sweatshirts that are pretty light weight once I received them. For me it is more fun to buy souvenirs while enjoying the attraction. I can always buy Disney merch, but things tied to a trip or event, just seems a bit more special.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

I haven't been since 2021, and the breaking point was when they ended included fastpasses and started charging for the replacement system.

Prior to that, I felt that quality had declined in many ways over a long period of time, and that was the last straw.

While I miss the way it once was, I've taken the opportunity to visit more destinations in the real world, that I might not have gotten around to otherwise. National parks have been a great adventure.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I agree on the quality, that is why I prefer to see the mech in person. I have been surprised (and not in a good way) ordering sweatshirts that are pretty light weight once I received them. For me it is more fun to buy souvenirs while enjoying the attraction. I can always buy Disney merch, but things tied to a trip or event, just seems a bit more special.

I agree it can tie it to a special memory being able to buy something while you're there and I enjoy doing that but I won't force myself to do so when I'm not super into what is in the store. At the end of the day outside of a few specific things (mentioned below) no one is going to care or know where you bought something from so it's not like they are going to point out to you in the parks that you didn't get it at the parks.

I'm not into the ears, I don't wear backpacks as a norm in my day to day life so while I love some of the patterns of the loungefly backpacks I won't buy them at this time because I won't use them. I also don't like the spirit jerseys because I don't like having a design be primarily on the back which is almost always going to be covered by my hair and I can't see it. Their normal t-shirts we each bought two of them in 2017 but felt the quality including designs was quite a bit lower by 2022 in person and really disliked the styles (that's the year my husband got his Pizza Planet shirt though from Kohl's and he purchased it while standing in the World of Disney story funny enough).

I generally don't buy merch online (unless it's like my Disney and Harry Potter Vera Bradley purses) so what retailers I mentioned in my other post were all things I saw, tried on and purchased in person.

 

[loves to dive]

Have no idea since I'm not there yet. As long as I have the disposable income I'll keep going. I have an out of state AP and have had one for about 15 years now. Yes, it's expensive, yes the quality isn't what it was say in the 80s but it's still a good fit for me. I do have a spouse, but he hates to travel, I'm talking hates it. We will take our RV to places he has to go work since we can take the dog but as far as taking a vacation, nope not for him. Back when we were active scuba divers (pre-dog days) I could get him to go out of country for that and even get him to Florida often and tack on an extra day but that's it. I, on the other hand, love to travel. Out of the country is off the table for me. I'm not young (closer to 70 then 60) and the thought of me travelling outside the US solo makes hubby uncomfortable so that's a no go. I've visited a lot of the US pre-hubby. When we bought the RV the plan was to take it and go on month or so trips and travel around. Hubby was self employed at that time. He now works for a company and since he's the IT security officer, is pretty much on call 24/7 365 days. It's a pretty big company with hundreds of employees and multiple locations in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, one in Tenn. and right now two in SC. They are in the process of opening more offices in Texas and Mississippi. (thus the travel in the RV to his offices) Sometimes if we go somewhere in the RV I can get him to tack on an extra day but we can only go places that we can either do in 3 or so hours or can take the dog. She is an older yorkie and can't go up the stairs to the bedroom by herself any more and the sounds a RV makes makes her nervous. I don't want her howling and bothering the neighbors or hurting herself trying to go up to the bedroom.

Anyway, WDW is the perfect place for an older solo woman to travel.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

Last time we were there was 2017. I have no idea what it would cost these days, but the price isn't really a deciding factor, it's the fact that no one in our family wants to go.

We still do DCL, but even that isn't really a favorite with the family. I might sneak in a short solo trip in the next couple of years.

 

[longboard55]

Every year we hear the complaints but at least in Anaheim it seems more packed than ever. But it is not really all families, their base customer would seem to be single age 20-40. Its the internet/gaming generation. They do not play golf for $125 a round or pay $150 to go to a pro sports game. They do not even watch sports. They go to Disneyland.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Its the internet/gaming generation. They do not play golf for $125 a round or pay $150 to go to a pro sports game. They do not even watch sports. They go to Disneyland.

I'll admit that this is me lol

I'd rather stick needles in my eyes than watch a sports game and I rarely if ever go to live concerts (I went to my first one in about a decade back in July). I would rather spend that money going to Disney or another type of vacation.

This is purely anecdotal but from what I see from my peers, most people my age go on a cruise if they're doing a vacation. Disney is not in their radar at all in any way. I actually get made fun of a little bit for going, if anything.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

I was pricing a WDW trip for March 2026 last month. We go about every 18 months or so. The plane tickets were stupid expensive and not good times. Certain things are non-negotiable. We do stay value or moderate but always get hoppers, one sit down meal a day, fast passes, and we have drinks and snacks when we want them.

I told dh we could probably go to Europe for the cost of this trip. Sure enough, we about can. I booked it, and we are going to Paris for the first time. We will spend one day at Disneyland Paris.

We will probably go to WDW next October. At that point, we will have about $2,500 in points on our Disney Visa.

 

[longboard55]

I'll admit that this is me lol

I'd rather stick needles in my eyes than watch a sports game and I rarely if ever go to live concerts (I went to my first one in about a decade back in July). I would rather spend that money going to Disney or another type of vacation.

This is purely anecdotal but from what I see from my peers, most people my age go on a cruise if they're doing a vacation. Disney is not in their radar at all in any way. I actually get made fun of a little bit for going, if anything.

Yes travel seems to be a thing. Also dining at interesting places mostly Asian. It is all about experiences.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Yes travel seems to be a thing. Also dining at interesting places mostly Asian. It is all about experiences.

I live in an area with A LOT of Korean and Chinese restaurants and I'll choose them over some mediocre chain with microwaved food every single time /shrug

 

[china mom]

It will take a lot to get me to give up on going to Disney but I hit my breaking point on staying on property when they ended Magic Express and added parking fees for the resorts (since rescinded). I was a stay on property or die person before that. Now we stay in Flamingo crossing or at our house in Windsor Hills (if it is not booked).

We have had APs forever and, even though the price increases are ridiculous, we have worked our whole lives to get to the point where we can spend on things we enjoy.

Plus, DH is retiring in the spring and is already dreaming of snowbirding with me coming down on weekends.

So, no, I have not hit my breaking point with Disney prices.

 

[goofyernmost]

My breaking point was two fold. First, the cost for admission which when you figure in the extra charges now that once were included in your admission since the end (kinda) for the pandemic. Second, the degree of planning and money grab the LL has created just added to my lack of desire to participate. They completely took the Magic out of the Most Magical Place on Earth.