Disney's Price Increases are obscene....

[mesaboy2]

To give you an example of what I would would count as innovation would be the Little Mermaid attraction. Is it a lovely attraction, certainly worthy of the Disney brand, however there is nothing ground-breaking about it. Lets think a little about the living character initiative, and some of what we have seen coming out of that sector of WDI. Now, take some of that cutting edge technology, add it to a traditional dark ride- and you have dark ride 2.0. Something different and spectacular, something innovative and new, something that will make other theme parks stand up and notice. The type of ride that will be copied or at least attempted in other theme parks.

I assume you meant "would not" count as innovation here.

I think what I've seen so far of Seven Dwarves Mine Train looks innovative. And of course it's not at WDW, but what I saw of Radiator Springs Racers looked pretty sharp too. Just giving other examples.

 

[gkrykewy]

Please tell us how the dollar is not shrinking. Current inflation data shows an approximate 3% inflation rate. In the past 5 years the cumulative inflation rate is approx. 13%.

I did not say there was no inflation. A 2-3% annual rate of inflation is normal in a relatively stable economy. I said that the dollar is not weak relative to other currencies, which it isn't. It's quite strong at the moment.

 

[CandleontheWater]

I assume you meant "would not" count as innovation here.

I think what I've seen so far of Seven Dwarves Mine Train looks innovative. And of course it's not at WDW, but what I saw of Radiator Springs Racers looked pretty sharp too. Just giving other examples.

Fixed it!

The mine train does look nice, and I think they knocked it out of the park with Carsland. These are the sort of things I'd like to see more of, as I think we should considering the price increases.

I never said Disney did everything bad, I'd just like to see them do even better, and I know they can, especially with the extra capital infusion from ticket increases.

 

[mistysue]

I want to comment on the value of Disney vs. my weekend trip I just got back from. We left home Friday night, returned Monday morning and as a family of 5- spent roughly $1200.
We stayed at Great wolf lodge for 3 nights and spent one day at cedar point.
I contacted both the hotel and the theme park multiple times regarding my son's allergies and seeing if he would be able to eat at either location and was told they would be able to help us when we arrived, even when made aware of all of his allergies.
Ok- so Great wolf lodge was a great experience, but the various chefs (two sit-down restaurants, an ice cream place and a fast food place) all REFUSED to give us any ingredient or allergy information. The girl at the ice cream place actually told me she had a sorbet that she thought would be safe, but it was in the basement and was not going to go down and bring it up just for one person. (!) We ended up grocery shopping and having to eat cereal and snacks most of the weekend.

Our day at cedar point- the entire day was out in the hot sun (rides don't have a/c, no shade in lines) and my 1 year old was not able to go on any single ride all day. We did not find any areas he could play in either. He would have been allowed on the ferris wheel, but it creeps me out because the doors don't latch shut or anything. My other son could have exactly a hot dog without the bun or a taco without the cheese (from one location only) and despite ordering no bun, we kept being handed hot dogs that had been in the buns long enough that there were chunks sticking when we took it out. We had to find a drinking fountain and wash the $5 hot dog off then watch him break out.

So even with the price increases, we paid $1200 for 3 days vs. about $4,000 we will pay for 12 days at Disney... at Disney they will feed my older son while I get food made for me and my younger son can actually have fun with us... In the August heat we can be comfortable in lines and on rides. The per day cost is lower at Disney and the value will be so much greater. Plus I won't have to drive myself around town.

 

[wbeem]

My Cost of Living has gone up. I want my pay raise. So do the 61,999 other Cast Members at WDW. Where is the money coming from? Maybe a price increase?

I hate to break it to you, but you aren't OWED a pay raise just because your cost of living has gone up.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

didn't Disneyland's annuals go up even more than WDW's did?

25-35% depending on the type.
Park hopping cost doubled (and was free 2 years ago for passes over 3 days).

 

[eliza61]

For the life of me, I can't recall a crystal ball coming out during IllumiNations. Maybe I was just never there when it occurred?? Not sure.

AT the end of illuminations a big "globe" think comes out and you can see all types of faces of historical people and pictures of animals from the planet. it's really cool
I would be unhappy with a room not being maintained, especially after repeated attempts to get it done. If it had been me though??? I would have pushed all those butts off the balcony, with my foot, after an hour had passed without any visit from housekeeping!!!

There is always room for improvement, even at WDW. I just have had very few instances where I have been really unhappy. And when those instances occurred, I complained to management. Usually resolved to my satisfaction..usually.

which is what we did, but the point is goofy, I paid for some thing that was not delivered and that in not acceptable. especially when I give you the opportunity to make it right. If you buy an item and it's broken when you get it out of the box, do you say, "well I'll fix it myself"? sure it's not the same thing but it's the same premise.
Why should I have to clean a hotel room. call me crazy but at 300 bucks a night, why is that too much to expect? How low have our standards become when a dirty hotel room is ok and we should clean it ourself? I keep thinking what would have happen in my family's restaurant if a customer had to complain about the same problem 3X's, LOL. the staff would have been pretty much unemployed at the end of the night (Ok maybe a slight exaggeration but by the time my grandfather, the owner got wind of it, firing may have been the easy way out).
I too use to have few instances but my problem is now my instances are running way too many together.
I posted a review (you can search) of the horrible dinner at Ohana. It was the first time in 12+ trips that I can recall asking for a total refund. Yes I got it but why should I now say that Ohana's is a good restaurant.

I wish for imo it was only rarely. Now it's the exact opposite. We are pleasantly surprised when housekeeping does a good job. Our standards for the restaurants are pretty low, that we are more than surprised when we get a fabulous meal.


I don't know how long you've been going but I remember when fantasmic was shown nightly so HS wasn't a mad house on fantasmic days. I remember when you had pre show entertainment like singing quartets, so especially in the summer when I tend to go you're not sitting in a hot ampitheater being bored. Indiana Jones always had a preshow comedian working the crowds.
I remember Broadwalk being wall to wall "booths" with attractions every night. last august you got a few open during the week, maybe one or two.

Does it ruin my vacation? no but I've had great vacations when a huricane hit my island. but is it a noticeable slide into medicoracy (sp) without a doubt.

That's just my take. I do wish everyone continued magical vacations, we give the mouseworld less of our money, rarely eat on site and now only stay onsite when we use or points. So we get our disney fix and don't feel disappointed because we know what to expect and what not to expect.

 

[DeaverTex]

I hate to break it to you, but you aren't OWED a pay raise just because your cost of living has gone up.

I'd have to agree. Where I work, there haven't been any pay raises in three years. And our cost of living goes up every year.

 

[larryz]

There is a difference between saying I can afford it and saying I make more than 99.2% of you.

Ya know what? When he's flying the airplane that I'm sitting in the back of, I don't care how much money he's making, as long as he gets me to where I'm going safe and sound. Especially if it's MCO.

In fact, I PREFER that he's making enough to keep him happy and focused on watching all the systems, instead of surfing the web looking for a new job.

 

[larryz]

You missed the fact that all of the park updates, well, they are to be expected! Disney should change all the queue lines every year, just to keep them fresh for those of us who go at least once a year!

That's not fair to those who go every six months... your turn.

 

[larryz]

I hate to break it to you, but you aren't OWED a pay raise just because your cost of living has gone up.

I'd offer that if Parks and Resorts have done well during the year, and are contributing to solid performance, that alone would justify a pay raise for the CMs at WDW.

 

[POOHsie]

I hate to break it to you, but you aren't OWED a pay raise just because your cost of living has gone up.

Those at the top get their pay raises and bonuses, even when their corporations don't make money. Even as they scale back on employees and make the workers double-up and triple-up on what their job duties used to be. Then there's the hidden pay reductions, like increased health insurance co-pays, reduced hours, less employer 401k contribution matching. I believe the working class is owed a pay increase. You Betcha!

 

[North of Mouse]

I was at WDW 3 months ago, and didn't experience one ride breakdown. Not one. And then there is the fact that Disney is now spending a lot of time and money refurbing rides too. So maybe I just don't see it as Disney is letting the place fall apart, and not doing anything about it. I see them as doing a lot, quite frankly.

Neither did we experience one ride that broke down. We saw lots of renovations going on though which is fine by me. I do know one thing, if we ever get to complaining about any and everything that does or does not get done, we will quit going. As I've said before, we've been going since '72 and it has NEVER been perfect there, but it sure beats anything else of that magnitude to us. People complain when things are shut down for renovations when it's time for their vacations, so when are they supposed to be doing all these updates. When the monorail hours were just recently cut back to allow for work on the GF villas area you would have thought the whole of Disney had collapsed the way some were moaning and groaning about it. Sheesh, people, you can't have it both ways. It's like "do it, but not during MY vacation time". Almost like in most neighborhood areas when certain improvements need doing, it's "Not in My Backyard"

 

[Momtomouselover]

Neither did we experience one ride that broke down. We saw lots of renovations going on though which is fine by me. I do know one thing, if we ever get to complaining about any and everything that does or does not get done, we will quit going. As I've said before, we've been going since '72 and it has NEVER been perfect there, but it sure beats anything else of that magnitude to us. People complain when things are shut down for renovations when it's time for their vacations, so when are they supposed to be doing all these updates. When the monorail hours were just recently cut back to allow for work on the GF villas area you would have thought the whole of Disney had collapsed the way some were moaning and groaning about it. Sheesh, people, you can't have it both ways. It's like "do it, but not during MY vacation time". Almost like in most neighborhood areas when certain improvements need doing, it's "Not in My Backyard"

Well, I wish we could have said the same thing. We walked all the way to Thunder Mountain only to find it closed 3 times, Space Mountain broke down on us once, we chose MK as the park to go to on our last day so my son could play the Sorcerers of MK game and wouldn't you know it was down (all morning!!). Due to the rain, not Disney's fault but frustrating, our Fantasmic show started and then was cancelled (after they told us in was just going to start late) and it seems like they could have offered us passes for the next night show after all that waiting, the Indiana Jones show we saw was missing the exciting exploding truck part, we waited an insanely long time to see Soarin and our seat was right next to a large spot on the screen, a belt broke at Blizzard Beach that brought up the toboggan rafts so those slides couldn't be used, one time the monorail stopped for a bit and it wouldn't have been so bad but the A/C wasn't working in our crowded car at the time. One of our rooms had a buzzing refrigerator and wasn't cleaned that well (the room not the refrigerator). We called about the refrigerator but on the second day just decided to unplug it. We had to get up early to get to the CL to get breakfast unless you were ok with a bagel since they didn't always replenish the croissants or other pastries, we had two nights (and I didn't hit everyone so not sure about others) where our CL apps were exactly the same, and we had one restaurant experience that was less than desirable and another that was so-so at best. I noticed more than one messy bathroom but it was late at night at the parks so maybe that is why. We would sometimes return to use a FP and there was a line to get into the FP line which appeared longer than the standby, however, we did learn that this was misleading but not until we walked away a few times... None of these things alone are showstoppers or ruined our trip but it is a little much in a one week trip and I guess i have a bit of sour grapes because of it (and these are just specific things that happened on top of the expected construction, rehabs, crowds, etc. but altogether they do really impact the "magic"). It is just sort of a bitter pill to swallow that now I also have to pay more for a childs AP as well as mine or for tickets for the family.

Now....we did still have an enjoyable trip and made some good memories. However, it doesn't mean there weren't issues and I do think value and expectations are changing overtime. Yes, we will go back, but maybe just once a year and/or we will also change the way we visit. I do hope the Disney I originally fell in love with comes back to life and that there is a focus on truly caring about the experience of all visitors and not just focusing on the new visitor and that they catch up on maintenance and construction.

OK, I have said more than enough, and will try to go back to being positive. However, right now when people ask about going I have a hard time saying "you really must go" and am instead saying "I would wait a year or two".

 

[maxiesmom]

I thought Fantasmic was back to every night now.

Honestly, I'm glad I don't vacation with some of you, because it sounds like you have more bad things happen during one trip than I have in all of my trips! Or maybe it is just that I am still so excited to be there, and so wrapped up in the magic that I don't remember that a ride vehicle had a broken seat belt, or that my fridge made an odd noise.

I think a few posters have Way Back When syndrome. As in, "Way back when they used to have one housekeeper for each room. And they walked to their jobs, uphill both ways." Nothing is ever the same as it used to be. Looking back in rose colored glasses doesn't make anyone happy in the long run.

 

[fla4fun]

Well ... if 3/4 of your kids prefer the attractions at Universal, then go to Universal! They may well have "aged out" of Disney .... but IMO, that's not Disney's fault. I'm thinking that at one point in time, Disney was their preference, otherwise why keep taking them there. Have your kids said WHY they prefer Universal? Disney and Universal have always appealed to different audiences. It could be that your kids are simply part of Universal's target, not Disney's. If Disney HADN'T raised its prices this year, would you have bought APs again, even though 3/4 of your kids would rather be at Universal?

I agree with these sentiments. I am a Disney fan. I don't like Universal. It's not that I dislike it because it's not Disney. I just don't like it. Working in the travel industry has it's perks and over the years I've had the opportunity to go to Universal free several times. I tried it three times, and disliked it more each time. I'm not a thrill ride person, and I haven't seen most of the movies their attractions are based on (including reading or watching Potter), so they just have no interest for me. But at the same time, I am not going to bad mouth Universal - it's not that their product is bad, it just doesn't appeal to me. I believe that Universal and Disney do target different demographics for the most part and based on my experience as a local, most people have a preference of one over the other. If Disney just isn't doing it for your family any more, then go to Universal. All we ask is that you don't come back to a Disney message board and try to convince us that Universal is "better" than Disney. That's what Universal message boards are for! The only thing I can say about Universal is that they have raised their prices twice in less than a month. Are the Universal boards full of complaints about the second increase, and whether it's just greed or good business?

I will have to say that other than the planned refurbishments, I have not come across any attractions that were just "shut down" on any of my recent trips. I was there for ten days in September, in December, in January, and in May, (with a couple day trips in between) and every attraction I visited was open and running normally. My resort rooms were clean and everything in them was operating properly. I didn't have any issues with transportation either. I'm not glossing over any issues, or trying to minimize them - they just weren't there (at least, not when I was).

Of course, one thing we all have to remember is that people are more likely to visit a message board to complain than they are to praise. So for every one positive post you see regarding an attraction or a resort, there will be two dozen negative ones.

 

[fan1080]

Well, not every business is allowed to set prices in that manner. They have fee schedules and are required to charge accordingly.

And is Disney one of those businesses?

I hate to be the harbinger of doom, but if people are so against capitalism and free enterprise, the US is certainly the wrong place to be living.

 

[goofy4tink]

which is what we did, but the point is goofy, I paid for some thing that was not delivered and that in not acceptable. especially when I give you the opportunity to make it right. If you buy an item and it's broken when you get it out of the box, do you say, "well I'll fix it myself"? sure it's not the same thing but it's the same premise.
Why should I have to clean a hotel room. call me crazy but at 300 bucks a night, why is that too much to expect? How low have our standards become when a dirty hotel room is ok and we should clean it ourself? I keep thinking what would have happen in my family's restaurant if a customer had to complain about the same problem 3X's, LOL. the staff would have been pretty much unemployed at the end of the night (Ok maybe a slight exaggeration but by the time my grandfather, the owner got wind of it, firing may have been the easy way out).
I too use to have few instances but my problem is now my instances are running way too many together.
I posted a review (you can search) of the horrible dinner at Ohana. It was the first time in 12+ trips that I can recall asking for a total refund. Yes I got it but why should I now say that Ohana's is a good restaurant.

I wish for imo it was only rarely. Now it's the exact opposite. We are pleasantly surprised when housekeeping does a good job. Our standards for the restaurants are pretty low, that we are more than surprised when we get a fabulous meal.


I don't know how long you've been going but I remember when fantasmic was shown nightly so HS wasn't a mad house on fantasmic days. I remember when you had pre show entertainment like singing quartets, so especially in the summer when I tend to go you're not sitting in a hot ampitheater being bored. Indiana Jones always had a preshow comedian working the crowds.
I remember Broadwalk being wall to wall "booths" with attractions every night. last august you got a few open during the week, maybe one or two.

Does it ruin my vacation? no but I've had great vacations when a huricane hit my island. but is it a noticeable slide into medicoracy (sp) without a doubt.

That's just my take. I do wish everyone continued magical vacations, we give the mouseworld less of our money, rarely eat on site and now only stay onsite when we use or points. So we get our disney fix and don't feel disappointed because we know what to expect and what not to expect.

Okay..you meant the globe...when you said 'big crystal ball' I was confused...never saw that. I have seen the globe on every visit...well, the times I've stayed for IllumiNations anyway.
I agree that there are certain standards that need to be met. But, in all reality, stuff changes. We used to get our windshields washed every time we got gas at the service stations. Not anymore!! We used to have bag boys bring our groceries in our cars..not anymore.
Life changes..and usually, prices/costs go up. They seldom go down. And life usually shows us that we get less for those rising costs. Is it right? No, not really.
But, I'm one of those people that, as I've said before, goes to WDW often. I started going late in life...back in '99 when I was just 50. And I go at least once a year, more often than that until recently. College tuition is draining my bank account!!!! And I have seen changes..but none of them have hugely impacted my fun at WDW. And I am also one of those that has an AP (usually) and owns DVC. My dd is heading to WDW this coming weekend, a graduation trip with two of her best friends. When we discussed her budget, I asked her what in God's name would she possibly buy??? She's been so often there really isn't much left to buy!!! We seldom buy gifty type things anymore. Besides...there is a remarkable sameness to everything.
There are some cost saving measures that drive me nutty. I used to love having beverage stirrers from each restaurant..they were all different. Same with the papergoods. Napkins at each restaurant were representational of that particular restaurant. Not anymore. They all use the same stuff.
So yeah, it's happening all over. But I have to say it shouldn't be so hard for housekeeping to do their jobs. Clean the room...period. That's a huge pet peeve of mine. I can almost understand attractions breaking down. I can almost understand other cost cutting measures. But I have never been able to justify a less then well cleaned room. That's the one thing I refuse to tolerate or accept.

 

[eliza61]

I thought Fantasmic was back to every night now.
Not sure, when I was there August of 2011 it was not nightly
Honestly, I'm glad I don't vacation with some of you, because it sounds like you have more bad things happen during one trip than I have in all of my trips! Or maybe it is just that I am still so excited to be there, and so wrapped up in the magic that I don't remember that a ride vehicle had a broken seat belt, or that my fridge made an odd noise.

I think a few posters have Way Back When syndrome. As in, "Way back when they used to have one housekeeper for each room. And they walked to their jobs, uphill both ways." Nothing is ever the same as it used to be. Looking back in rose colored glasses doesn't make anyone happy in the long run.

I've always admitted that two of the issues are totally mine.

1) I do remember the glory days of disney so it's hard when you seem to get less for more. I've also stated that I have lowered my standards, but sorry it's hard not to feel nostalgic about it. Sure every thing changes but some changes are not for the better. Like I said, it was wonderful when you went to beauty and the beast and they had that great singing quartet "four for a dollar" I believe they were called. They came out and entertained you until the show started. Now you sit on metal benches and just sit. Does it ruin my vacation? nope not at all. Does it give me the feeling that there is "less" offered? Definitely. This imo is not a change for the better. Haven't you gone some hwere and said "boy remember when they used to do XYZ" and been sad to see it go?
Like others have said, I do remember when the gift shops carried unique great items. Now people use the excuse, "well I don't go to disney to buy soviners (sp)". Well I don't go there for shopping either but it use to be fun looking for a cool villians tee shirt that was different. Not the generic cheap stuff they have now. Once again, does it ruin my vacation? Not at all, probably helps it because I spend way less but I do feel nostalgic that very thing looks the same.

2) another issue is that I use to go every year, when you do that you tend to take off the "pixie vision" because you notice the "little" things. So while you may not think a fridge making an odd noise is a problem, if that odd noise is annoyingly loud at night and you can't sleep, well then

Don't ever think for one minute that I want you to have a less than thrilling vacation, I want everyone's trip to the world to be magical. For me, this will be my last for a while, the only reason why we're going this October is because my dh is suffering from some serious medical issues and we can use our points very easily and not have to plan a vacation, so wdw is our "old standby". Hopefully after a few years off, seeing the real world, we'll get the magic back or disney will raise the bar higher.

 

[phyllis1966]

Our first trip was before we had DD, in 1997 - I fell in love (even though my first look at the castle was that pink birthday cake!). Since 2002, we've gone almost every year, and I have to say, I'm still in love. I'm not wearing rose-colored glasses, but I don't search out bad stuff, either.

I would never put anyone down for their feelings - everyone has a right to their own feelings. I do, however, believe in what many call the "law of expectation," otherwise known as a self-fulfilling prophecy. Again, to be clear, I'm not trivializing anyone's less-than-stellar experiences, but I try to go on every vacation, no matter where, expecting that I will have a wonderful experience, and I always do. There may be a hitch here and there, and a less-than-clean room is indeed unacceptable, but 99% of the time, our vacations are lots of fun. To be clear, I would categorize myself, and DH for sure, as someone with high expectations.

I will say, though, that we travel to WDW, specifically, in the fall when it's less crowded, and I definitely think that factors into the difference in some experiences.

Have fun, everyone!