How much has the Cost of your Trip increased ? Have you adjusted ?

[DoingDisney]

Hey folks, so on another thread about the $149 Extra Money Hours I pondered if the event would be doing better if prices (Hotels, tickets, food, Merch) hadn't increased so much over the last few years:

"I do wonder if this event would be doing better, or would do -even- better in the future, if it weren't for all the price increases and cuts at disney recently. The entire cost of a disney trip for a week has gone up well over $1000 for our family of 2 (just 2) in the last couple years, and thats not including this year's increases. Ticket prices up again, food prices through the roof (increases as much as 35% this year alone, for the exact same food, though rumors are chefs have been told to decrease portions and cut quality). If my trip is costing me $1000+ more than it used to, I am going to be less likely to splurge on things like this event. On top of that I imagine even for first timers, maybe even MORE for first timers, with the much higher cost of a trip, such a splurge (when they don't really know or see the difference) would be even less likely."


This brought me to wonder - How much have the prices of your trips increased over the last few years ? Has this impacted your likelihood to purchase extras Extra hours, Wild Africa, guided tours, special events, parties, etc ?

Is there anything you have done to adjust to this increase in price ? Do fewer days but try to cram more in ? Add in resort days ? Add in water parks and more option but on fewer days tickets ? Buy less food in the park, bring more drinks/snacks with you ?

Would be interesting to see people's strategies regarding this.

 

[Ngwira]

My strategy is to cut down on things we can control, like less TS and less park days. Ultimately, Disney will price people out which is sad. I know that the cruise we are doing in August will likely be our first and last as the cost for next years same exact cruise is $800.00 more!!

 

[mrsR123]

Ticket prices and food are the things that just seem to go higher and higher and that bother me. I have DVC, so I am comfortable with my room, but I feel like everything else is becoming nickle and dime me to death!

I long for the days when we could buy the dining plan for like $37 a night. There's no way that I'd pay the current price, and DVC gets a discount.
The overall restaurant costs have gotten so high that we eat out less and less.

I'll splurge on something unique, but mostly, it feels like Disney is price-gouging.

 

[mindeola]

We are very fortunate that Disney offers the deeply discounted Military salute four day hopper and room discounts. If they did not , I have no idea if we would still go.

We stopped using meal plans when I realized we could still enjoy table service and fave restaurants and save money. I briefly considered doing the $149 after hours event, but we would have cancelled Ohana and Crystal Palace to justify it. In the end, the family voted to keep our two ADR's instead.

last year I did a trip where I met my sister and nieces there. I rode the Megabus instead of flying. saved me $360.00. Did not hurt Disney with that one though- just my behind.

 

[TeamSy]

I think we're realistic that things increase yearly. It's mostly just the way it is. If it gets too expensive than we just won't go, but if we keep cutting things out what would be left? Nickeling and diming a trip is no fun and adds too much stress. I would wait to go until you save to make it fun and comfortable.

What works for us:

• We have a lot of things going on this year, so we definitely don't want to spend as much as we did on last years trip. Last year we did BOTH water parks. We aren't going to do that this year, and with our travel agent's promo a park is INCLUDED in their price, so we'll just do one water park this year. That alone saved us about $100.
• We get a great discount through the agent we use, so it makes us feel good comparing it to what Disney offers for the same room/time.
• We don't spend for park hoppers. The additional cost is just not worth it for us and it's too much moving around on a daily basis. We get enough of that in ONE park. So that alone saves $.
• If you don't have an airline credit card, get one. Racking up miles is EASY and I can't remember the last time we paid for a flight. A lot of cards have sign on bonuses that will basically get you round trip tickets. Use it for everything (you can pay it off right away), and you'll be surprised how those miles add up!

 

[jknc]

Hey folks, so on another thread about the $149 Extra Money Hours I pondered if the event would be doing better if prices (Hotels, tickets, food, Merch) hadn't increased so much over the last few years:

"I do wonder if this event would be doing better, or would do -even- better in the future, if it weren't for all the price increases and cuts at disney recently. The entire cost of a disney trip for a week has gone up well over $1000 for our family of 2 (just 2) in the last couple years, and thats not including this year's increases. Ticket prices up again, food prices through the roof (increases as much as 35% this year alone, for the exact same food, though rumors are chefs have been told to decrease portions and cut quality). If my trip is costing me $1000+ more than it used to, I am going to be less likely to splurge on things like this event. On top of that I imagine even for first timers, maybe even MORE for first timers, with the much higher cost of a trip, such a splurge (when they don't really know or see the difference) would be even less likely."


This brought me to wonder - How much have the prices of your trips increased over the last few years ? Has this impacted your likelihood to purchase extras Extra hours, Wild Africa, guided tours, special events, parties, etc ?

Is there anything you have done to adjust to this increase in price ? Do fewer days but try to cram more in ? Add in resort days ? Add in water parks and more option but on fewer days tickets ? Buy less food in the park, bring more drinks/snacks with you ?

Would be interesting to see people's strategies regarding this.

Brilliant business move by Disney to put your price at the gas pump savings directly into their pockets.

 

[Parker Clan]

We got a labor day package thru a Travel Agent.. In the past we had just booked thru Disney or AAA. We got a great deal on hotel and tickets, much more than we usually get.
We also budget throughout the year, putting $ from each paycheck, bottles & change, and I use gift cards I got from work, credit card points etc.
I'm scared to think what the cost will be with kids.. It's just me and DF for now!

 

[Tomh]

Our cost has increased significantly over the years. Up until this year, we were able to absorb it simply by not having as many people with us. First trip was 7 people, second was 4, then we did 5 for a few years. The past two years it was just 3 of us. This year, we are back to 4, and with the increases in price, and the need to rent a car (something we hadn't done in the past) we have made some changes to decrease the cost of the trip.

We are staying offsite for the first time, not using the dining plan as a result, purchased our tickets through a 3rd party to save some money, and we will be eating breakfast at the rental house most mornings, as well as bringing lunch with us for quite a few days to reduce the cost of meals.

 

[Micca]

Disney is a priority for us, so any cutbacks would be more along the lines of saving money on daily living expenses. The only Disney related thing would be eating/drinking more in the villa rather than spend money for resort eateries. This is more based on convenience and quality, but it does result in spending less money on food

 

[WIcruizer]

We haven't really changed anything. If we feel anything is a good deal, and it's something we really value then we'll pay for it. Whether it's a souvenir that's an extra $1, upgrade to a better room, extra days, whatever. It's not looking at it a "spending x amount" on a WDW trip, we look at it as what are we getting for our money.

Another example, while we love DCL we haven't been on a DCL cruise in 10 years. NCL, Princess and RCCL are also very good, and we have enjoyed every cruise. We just can't justify paying WAY more for DCL. It's not that is costs too much, it's all about VALUE.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

We decided to go in May instead of March. That helped with resort costs a little bit but for our family of 5 it dropped our airfare by $1000. That along with the pin code we got allowed us to stay deluxe instead of moderate this year for about the same overall vacation cost. We also got an extra day of tickets "free" with the promo running at the time. We don't do upsell or hard ticket events in part because we've only been a couple times so there is still a lot for us to see (someday I want to do Wild Africa Trek though) and also, most of them seem way over priced to us (family of 5 so those things add up quickly).

 

[minnie mum]

We've definitely been planning a lot of cut backs in planning our next trip. Only 8 days instead of 12. Way fewer TS meals and no signatures. Tickets will be from a 3rd party reseller - no PHs. We'll do all our breakfasts in our room and buy groceries for water, sodas and snacks. No hard ticket extra events. No tours. No memory Maker ( We've got 4 adults, all with perfectly working cameras).

And after this trip we won't be going back again at least until SWL is finished.

 

[BeerMe]

We are able to get military tickets and military discounts which are pretty substantial, but even a 40% discount doesn't make things economical. A six day stay last December at SSR still cost nearly $3,000 which is $500/night. That is our limit. We will not stay at the upper end Disney hotels anymore, which is OK since POFQ is far and away my favorite. Plus we can stay at Shades of Green when we want. Anymore we stay offsite at time share properties which we can get for $60/night or less through the military - 2BR, 2 Bath - nice time shares - about the same amenities as DVC. I will admit the pools aren't as nice but they're not bad either. We've stayed at DVC and off site time shares several times so we can make the comparison. So, yes, prices have changed where we stay. And ticket prices haven't impacted us as much but we are more likely to schedule long trips to take advantage of APs.

 

[AJA55]

Specifically:

We are staying in a less expensive room.

 

[kittyab]

We definitely cut back on our dining plans and if the Halloween party is more what I am willing to pay, that will be cut too. We refuse to spend a insane amount of money for a vacation.

I personally feel that Disney has gotten too greedy.

 

[rpb718]

We haven't really changed anything. If we feel anything is a good deal, and it's something we really value then we'll pay for it.

This ^

DW and I are at an age where we don't worry as much about the costs for the experiences we prefer to enjoy at the parks. If it's something we want to splurge on, then we do it. No regrets.

 

[Hopefully]

Ticket prices and food are the things that just seem to go higher and higher and that bother me. I have DVC, so I am comfortable with my room, but I feel like everything else is becoming nickle and dime me to death!

I long for the days when we could buy the dining plan for like $37 a night. There's no way that I'd pay the current price, and DVC gets a discount.
The overall restaurant costs have gotten so high that we eat out less and less.

I'll splurge on something unique, but mostly, it feels like Disney is price-gouging.

Can you eat out at your home town restaurant for the same cost as you could 5, 7, or 10 years ago? I can't. Yes I loved the $37 a night DDP too , but that was a long time ago. Nothing is the same, cost wise.

We haven't really changed anything. If we feel anything is a good deal, and it's something we really value then we'll pay for it. Whether it's a souvenir that's an extra $1, upgrade to a better room, extra days, whatever. It's not looking at it a "spending x amount" on a WDW trip, we look at it as what are we getting for our money.

Another example, while we love DCL we haven't been on a DCL cruise in 10 years. NCL, Princess and RCCL are also very good, and we have enjoyed every cruise. We just can't justify paying WAY more for DCL. It's not that is costs too much, it's all about VALUE.

This is how we approach WDW as well. It is our annual treat. We don't eat out often. We don't go to the theatre or rent movies. Etc. We both work hard at full time jobs. We value our vacations. If necessary we will save longer for our trip, but for now it's not an issue.

 

[monorailrabbit]

Disney is a priority for us, so any cutbacks would be more along the lines of saving money on daily living expenses. The only Disney related thing would be eating/drinking more in the villa rather than spend money for resort eateries. This is more based on convenience and quality, but it does result in spending less money on food

This is us as well. We have a separate "Disney account", and any extra $ we have goes there, including things we sell on ebay, garage sales, etc.) We also have Disney Visa and those points are nice. Also, we limit ourselves to one special or new things per trip. (I.e. dessert party, this trip, possibly AK Trek the next). We also stay value. It's on my bucket list to someday stay at the Contemporary... but for now it's just not an option.

 

[Micca]

This is us as well. We have a separate "Disney account", and any extra $ we have goes there, including things we sell on ebay, garage sales, etc.) We also have Disney Visa and those points are nice. Also, we limit ourselves to one special or new things per trip. (I.e. dessert party, this trip, possibly AK Trek the next). We also stay value. It's on my bucket list to someday stay at the Contemporary... but for now it's just not an option.

If you are a WDW regular--a trip or two per year, and you plan to continue that pattern, you should consider looking into DVC. The initial outlay is substantial, but in the long run it affords you the opportunity to stay "deluxe" on every trip. And you can bet Disney will continue raising resort prices for the foreseeable future. Just a thought.

 

[monorailrabbit]

If you are a WDW regular--a trip or two per year, and you plan to continue that pattern, you should consider looking into DVC. The initial outlay is substantial, but in the long run it affords you the opportunity to stay "deluxe" on every trip. And you can bet Disney will continue raising resort prices for the foreseeable future. Just a thought.

Is it bad to admit that I'm just too lazy to really look into how that works? For some reason it confuses the heck out of me when I try to research it, so I just give up, haha! Don't get me wrong, though - I still super love AllStar Movies, it's just on my bucket list to ride the monorail in my Disney PJ's!