Disney's Price Increases are obscene....

[schwaja3]

I want some of that under $3 gas. It's been holding steady at $3.58 for the last six weeks or so here in NE WI. Before that, it was $3.70 or higher.

Lowest I've seen is $3.55.

Move to Jersey. Not only do we have the lowest gas prices around, we don't pump our own gas!

I paid $3.09 2 days ago, and the prices are still dropping.


Jack

 

[schwaja3]

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[Ramsfan28]

I actually started the gas anology. My point was and is other things do go up and down in price. Apparently Mr.Iger and others have decided that ain't happening at disney world. They are backing themselves into a corner on this one, once they reach the breaking point it is gonna be a battle to get the people priced out back!

Again, I am not seeing how Disney is backing themselves into a corner. I just got back, the parks and restaurants were busy and have been like that for a long time.

I don't think anyone enjoys a price increase but Disney does seem to know what it is doing.

 

[brunette8706]

Yes, every vacation spot is a 'destination spot'...but if I rent a cottage on Cape Cod, I venture away from that cottage. I spend my money in the next town. If I head to NYC, I spend my money in a variety of places.
BUT...with WDW??? The vast majority of guests do not venture offsite. They stay right there, and almost 100% of their vacation dollars go to Disney. That's my point.
So...you have a choice here. Disney is NOT telling you that you have to come to WDW, you have to stay onsite, you have to do all your eating onsite, you have to keep all your money onsite. They DO, however, make it very easy and convenient to do that. There are many ways to 'do' WDW less expensively. You can stay offsite in much less expensive hotels/resorts. You can rent a car and eat offsite as well. Or....shop and get your own groceries. You can head to other sights vs spending all your time at WDW.
No one is demanding that you go to WDW and stay there...at a deluxe resort, with 10 day non-expiring park hoppers, using the ddp. There are ways to do it much less expensively.

All that being said.....yes, it costs a boatload of money to go to WDW. Always has. And yes, things have changed at WDW.....food options have diminished, food cost has gone through the roof, restrooms aren't quite as tidy as in the past (although I've seen just one or two instances of that personally), CM 'magic' seems to be going by the wayside. But again..no one is forcing anyone to go to WDW.
There are plenty of people willing to have that experience..whether it's the same as it was 10 years ago or not. And as long as that's the case, Disney will continue to keep being so expensive.

*
So, I guess there isn't anymore "Disney Difference"?

 

[SaraJayne]

Move to Jersey. Not only do we have the lowest gas prices around, we don't pump our own gas!

I paid $3.09 2 days ago, and the prices are still dropping.


Jack

No thank you.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I have read a good number of posts and now it is basicely the same 2 sides, saying the same thing over and over, just different wordings and 1/2 truths and lies.

Disney puts out the finist family entertainment in the world......no one can honestly debate that......(but I am sure someone will try.....meaningless)


Disney is charging what the market will bear and 99% of businesses in the USA and world are and will continue to do the same thing. Absolutely nothing wrong with that....they deliever a product that is head and shoulders above the other theme parks, movies etc......(OK.....John Carter was a marketing/commerial dud....but its a great movie if you watch it. I can do without the Stitch attaction as well!)

WDW is not cheap........but there is nothing in the world to match the wonder and magic of the place. It is affortable if you go and plan .....Values can be had for under $100 a night.,......less then a box motel along the highways. Multi day Park passes get really *CHEAP* the longer you stay.

OK........food is expensive. However if you go to a sporting event, stage show, concert....any other entertainment venue, you will see real fast that they have gotten VERY expensive too......

The Disney Corporation has one of the biggest donating programs in the world.


So what this all comes down to...If you can't stomack the prices...DON'T GO!.your choice!

*steps off his soapbox*


AKK

We are a capitalistic society. Companies in a capitalistic society will charge what the market will bear. Last time I was at Disney the crowds indicated to me that the market was bearing the cost just fine.

To wish for a different arrangement would be to wish Disney away. It would not exist in a different type of society.

Do I like the price increases? Nope. But when they happen, I tell myself that either I find a way to afford it or I don't. That's it. My only choices. If a majority of others decide they can't afford it and stay home, Disney will drop their prices (like they did post 2008 crash in the form of discounts).

It's not like buying gas or groceries where I really can't opt out.

Again, I am not seeing how Disney is backing themselves into a corner. I just got back, the parks and restaurants were busy and have been like that for a long time.

I don't think anyone enjoys a price increase but Disney does seem to know what it is doing.

 

[goofy4tink]

*
So, I guess there isn't anymore "Disney Difference"?

Don't misunderstand me....I love Disney. I love going to WDW. My dd, 18, is currently on her way home from her first solo trip and she said it was magical. There are still many instances of the 'Disney Difference'. But, for those of us who have been heading down to WDW, multiple times a year, for many years, we notice the changes. Nobody themes like Disney..no one. Yes, I like US/IoA. But they sure as heck aren't Disney!! You can see the differences all over the place.
But, Disney CMs seem to have more lax attitudes. Costs have gone up..for everything. Yet, food choices have gone down...as well as some food quality.

Oh, and by the way??? The naysayers regarding gas at under $3 per gallon??? Good Morning America did a piece on that this morning...many places are under $3 a gall.

 

[larryz]

BTW, go to that link I posted and look up the average price for each state:

PA - $3.414
NJ - $3.341
VA - $3.256
GA - $3.254

Remember what "average" is.

Perfectly plausible to me that some stations in each one of those states is selling below $3 per gallon.

 

[kathy884]

This is a very entertaining post.

Obviously Disney feels it can make these price increases and help not hurt their bottom line and image. Makes sense to me. I have no problem with this. They are a business is a capitalistic society. I think they do some brillant marketing. // I can see some annual passholders like OP being upset and not renewing.

It's up to each person/family to decide whether or not to go to Disney parks / what is worth it / what isn't to us. We have a choice.

For me, I think a Disney theme park day offers a unique product that does have a lot of value, but I can't from a cost perspective justify more than one park day a year for me and my family.

Not just this year but for years, the multiday pricing with no substantial discounts till day four just doesn't cut it for me. And the high charge for no expiration tickets has stopped me from buying those. Prior to that we used to get the multiday tickets.

The onsite lodging isn't worth the extra cost to me (it involves higher food costs too or food court food I don't like), so we don't do that. We do an owner rental at an offsite condo. Their food prices are high too (not a good enough value to do very often). Sometimes though on a one week trip we splurge on one table service meal usually at one of the resorts where we love the ambience -- Polynesian or AKL.

One table service meal, one day at a park, and some incidentals/food at the park is all we spend at Disney on a one week Orlando vacation. We eat some counter service on our park day, but do bring some of our own food in, lowering that a bit.

Their special experience and tours sound really cool, but I just haven't been able to stomach the price and haven't done these. (A theme park admission plus the tour is pretty darn expensive and cuts into the ole vacation budget.) Case in point -- thought about Keys to the Kingdom, but changed my mind. // Thought about the new AK tour that sounded cool to DH till I told him what the price was. Funny how some things sound really neat to us till we hear the price and then all of a sudden we loose interest.

We think a little Disney plus other Orlando activities does offer a good vacation value when/if you're at a point in your life where doing theme parks with your kids is appealing, and we did an annual Orlando trip from 2006-2011. With my vacation budget during that time, I couldn't think of anything else that sounded more fun for one of our two trips a year.

Now we're not so interested in theme parks (not because of pricing changes but more due to changes in interests as our family has gotten older) and aren't at the moment picking Orlando as a vacation choice.

 

[Planogirl]

Some people think that WDW is way better than anywhere else and some people don't. No one is wrong IMO. No one is wrong if they decide that WDW is overpriced either because for some people it probably is. Disney has to watch that line and just make sure that not too many people end up feeling that way.

I don't believe that most of those who come here are representative of the casual traveler. I'm sure that Disney keeps a careful eye on them.

 

[North of Mouse]

Remember what "average" is.

Perfectly plausible to me that some stations in each one of those states is selling below $3 per gallon.

"Average" does not affect me - I get the lowest price without going that far out of my way to negate the savings I quit trying to get it across to "GadgetRick" that it has been for a few days lower than $3 gal. in many states. He was not a "believer"!!

 

[North of Mouse]

Our Disney ressies are 5 mos. away and I can't get an early dining ressie at "Ohana yet - but I keep trying. So will all you that say you're not going back to Disney because of the high prices please quit making ADR's at 'Ohana? Disney KNOWS it's not stopping people from going (a few, here and there) hence the hard to get ressies Now, that you have canceled those ADR's maybe I can get the one I want, thanks!!

 

[eliza61]

I want some of that under $3 gas. It's been holding steady at $3.58 for the last six weeks or so here in NE WI. Before that, it was $3.70 or higher.

Lowest I've seen is $3.55.

Just gassed up here in Southern NJ. $2.99 and we don't pump our own gas. right now, life is good. Only saw the one station, everyone else is hanging around 3.10/gallon.

NJ traditionally has the lowest prices around.

Totally irrelevant I know.

 

[flicx]

Again, I am not seeing how Disney is backing themselves into a corner. I just got back, the parks and restaurants were busy and have been like that for a long time.

I don't think anyone enjoys a price increase but Disney does seem to know what it is doing.

It really is simple why they are backing themselves into a corner. The rate of increases are so far ahead of the rate of inflation that at some point more and more people will be priced out. It is just a math equation.

 

[Art 1]

It really is simple why they are backing themselves into a corner. The rate of increases are so far ahead of the rate of inflation that at some point more and more people will be priced out. It is just a math equation.

But it hasn't come close to happening yet, in fact the opposite has happened.

 

[flicx]

But it hasn't come close to happening yet, in fact the opposite has happened.

???? Really there are quite a few people who have already reached that point. How has the opposite happened?

 

[mom2rtk]

???? Really there are quite a few people who have already reached that point. How has the opposite happened?

Apparently not enough to matter.

 

[Art 1]

???? Really there are quite a few people who have already reached that point. How has the opposite happened?

The place is usually packed. There was a time where certain times of the year you could count on low crowds, not so much now.

IMO, WDW could increase prices another 10%, I would not be surprised to see this in the next 6 months or so.

 

[TLSnell1981]

The place is usually packed. There was a time where certain times of the year you could count on low crowds, not so much now.

IMO, WDW could increase prices another 10%, I would not be surprised to see this in the next 6 months or so.

Free dining, pin codes, etc., make it worth while for the infrequent guest. Florida residents and Vacation Club owners are taking the hit.

 

[HWY20RIDE4MYSON]

Free dining, pin codes, etc., make it worth while for the infrequent guest. Florida residents and Vacation Club owners are taking the hit.

DVC was prob not a wise purchase anyway if people use the 11% interest they try to get you into! I hope most are smart enough to use other options!