How much is too much for you?

des1954

DIS Veteran
Joined
Aug 10, 2007
Messages
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There is another thread inquiring if Disney will "spring" another ticket price increase in August. According to a blog that Jen posted a link to, Disney has increased their admission prices in August for the past (was it) 5 years with no warning.

In reading some of the replies on this blog, I came to the realization that some people feel they're entitled to special privileges on pricing simply because....(insert the reason here). While it is nice that Disney does offer discount rates for various reasons, the fact remains that it is THEIR company, and as such, can charge whatever they wish for admission. The same goes for the resort pricing. They can charge whatever the market will bear.

What I don't get is why people feel they are entitled to get special rates? While I would love to be able to own a Prevost, I never will own one because I don't make enough $$ to buy one. While I would dearly love to attend a Super Bowl, I won't because I could never afford a ticket. That's just a fact of my life.

There will probably come a time that Disney will jack up their rates to more than I'm willing to pay. If that happens, is it Disney's fault that I don't have enough disposable income to be able to pay the rates? Some people really think that's the case, and Disney becomes the "bad guy".

We quit buying AP's to the Busch (now Inbev) parks because they simply don't have as much to offer as Disney. They are not as pristine and as well maintained as Disney. They don't have the ambiance of a Disney park.

There will always be the "have's" and the "have not's" in the world. I fall somewhere in the middle, and I am comfortable with that. Those that fall into the "have's" category are there for a reason. Most of them worked hard at getting a good education which allows them to vie for higher income positions. Very few of them had $$$ bestowed upon them by the "gods". I just don't follow the reasoning of the "have not's" who think that they are entitled to "luxury" on a minimum wage income.

That being said, unless it is a very special trip, I will not book a trip at FtW any longer unless I can get a campsite for less than $80/night. That's my limit. Unless the Florida Lottery Commission starts cooperating with me, that will be my limit for many years to come. Once I can no longer book a site at that rate, I will most likely quit going to FtW. Of course, years ago I said I would not pay more than $30/nite, yet here I am still going to FtW as often as I can. The first time we camped at FtW, the sites were around $10/nite. Of course, I was only earning $120/week then, and $10 a nite to me was a king's ransom. I guess it's all relative.

So - what's your limit?
 
You will pay about 10 bucks more than me Debbie. $70 is my limit. Unfortunately tax get's added to that so I guess $80 it is. You won't catch me there for the Christmas or Spring Break. We used to go SB and it was around $50 a night but now it's up in the 70's. We're finding other avenues to use. It might not be the fort but it is what you make it.

I'm actually getting quite good at bumming. Last week I had the pup behind MrsGus' 5'er (2 free nights at the fort) and this week we're with Lorna and Richie in their camper in Crystal River. Next week my aunt wants us to stay at North Beach CG near St. Augustine. She's getting the site in return for accomodations. I could get used to this lol. Anybody need a worthless camping bum? I did bring Margarita mix and some Jose' so I'm not totally a bum unless you just don't drink.
 
Don't know when or if we will hit a point where we will quit going but that's one advantage of the FORT you don't have to go to the parks. We currently use the non expiring hopper ticket because we spend more time at the FORT then at the parks.

Camping prices are really relative to other parks. Cedar Point gets $70.00 just to camp and they definitely don't have the ambiance of the FORT.

Especially in the winter:)
 
We have been going to Disney for more years than most of you have age, but this last april we stayed there (FW) for 7 days and didnt go to the parks. We went to Universal for the first time for $99.00 for a 7 day pass. I must say it was a nice change, as much as we love Disney World they are making it very expensive..
 

It is funny that you posted this because I am in that thought process for annual passes. I can not justify the cost. The ONLY reason I am even thinking about them is for Christmas and DD said she wanted to go. We found Royal Coachman that is 1.5 hours from our house. It is a great CG (not the Fort, but it has a great pool and it really close to the beach) With the summer BOGO it is $20/ night. I realize that the Fort has so much to offer and it is worth the money. My DH and I are both Realtors and we don't know what is going to happen with our market. I don't want to be reckless. Heck, I am grateful to have a camper right now. I could driveway camp and be content! (I know I could get a chaise at the "resort pool" with out a problem!)
Disney is a business with shareholders to report to. The cost to run day to day ops goes up, Disney won't be the one to take the loss. Businesses don't run that way. It is not a state run park that is there for our enjoyment and run to break even. I do think, however, that the prices are getting to the point where I will look elsewhere for camping. we will always go at Halloween, and Christmas if possible but that is it. Heck, if we go less maybe it will be more special :love: I have gone from the mindset of premium sites to full hook up. I may skip the golf cart this year as well.
So, in conclusion, I will still go but scale back to a full hook up, skip the cart and my max is $80/night. Good thread!
 
Allison - When we lived in Bradenton & Sarasota, we used to camp with friends at Royal Coachman, a lot!! Good times were had by all! In the winter they used to have a lot of daily planned activities. Not so much in the summer - but it was still fun. If you want to travel another 30 minutes north, there's a campground on the south end of Siesta Key. It's very small, and very "packed in", but it's right on the beach! There's also a very nice campground on the water in Cortez by the name of Holiday Cove. It's been recently remodeled and is quite lovely!!

There used to be a campground near or in Punta Gorda by the name of Rambler's Rest, and one on N. Ft. Myers Beach called Sunset Cove, or Red Sunset, something like that. I'm not sure if either one are still open, but both used to be very nice campgrounds.
 
We have been going to Disney for more years than most of you have age

:rotfl:I'm assuming the "1960" in your screen name is the year you were born! The "1954" in mine is my year of birth! We've been camping at FtW since our honeymoon in 1974 - when you were about 14! Love it, and love other long time FtW campers!
 
Like was said, the price is all relative. We can still travel from Maryland and stay cheaper at The Fort than go to Ocean City, Maryland. I love going over Christmas, but it is hard to justify the added price. However, you are paying for the experience and as the saying goes, "It's priceless".
 
The prices seem to be getting pretty high. I just got the price for my May 2011 trip and for a preferred site it is $92 on the weekend and that's only for regular season. We are used to going during value season and staying in a full hookup so this was a shocker to me. I don't think I want to pay $100 a day, with taxes, just to stay at the fort. Think we might switch this trip and stay elsewhere but haven't made up our minds just yet. Hoping to get a AAA/AP rate to ease the pain alittle.

I'm with you Debbie, $80 a day in my limit.
 
I agree about 80 is my limit also. However, the longer the stay, the lower my limit will be. If I'm there for my 2-week December trip, don't think I'd be willing to pay $80 a night for a partial for 2 weeks. That's just too much.
 
We have a yearly budget, so not sure what nightly rate would be too much, probably around the $80 mark also. I did have a chat with a jellystone cg for our trip last month. I asked the lady if the rate online was correct since surely $94 per night plus tax was wrong, afterall I could camp at FW cheaper and get a lot more. She told me to camp at FW then!!! I booked the KOA in that city & gave her the one-finger wave as I drove past. Oh, and the KOA was really nice.
 
I agree that our limit is also around the $80 mark.

We thought about "saving money" and doing some weekend trips around the area.

Once you add up gas money and attraction money, it's actually just as much to go to the Fort. Thus, we're going for fall break. It's going to be a Fort focused trip with only two days in the park.
 
There is another thread inquiring if Disney will "spring" another ticket price increase in August. According to a blog that Jen posted a link to, Disney has increased their admission prices in August for the past (was it) 5 years with no warning.

In reading some of the replies on this blog, I came to the realization that some people feel they're entitled to special privileges on pricing simply because....(insert the reason here). While it is nice that Disney does offer discount rates for various reasons, the fact remains that it is THEIR company, and as such, can charge whatever they wish for admission. The same goes for the resort pricing. They can charge whatever the market will bear.

What I don't get is why people feel they are entitled to get special rates? While I would love to be able to own a Prevost, I never will own one because I don't make enough $$ to buy one. While I would dearly love to attend a Super Bowl, I won't because I could never afford a ticket. That's just a fact of my life.

There will probably come a time that Disney will jack up their rates to more than I'm willing to pay. If that happens, is it Disney's fault that I don't have enough disposable income to be able to pay the rates? Some people really think that's the case, and Disney becomes the "bad guy".

We quit buying AP's to the Busch (now Inbev) parks because they simply don't have as much to offer as Disney. They are not as pristine and as well maintained as Disney. They don't have the ambiance of a Disney park.

There will always be the "have's" and the "have not's" in the world. I fall somewhere in the middle, and I am comfortable with that. Those that fall into the "have's" category are there for a reason. Most of them worked hard at getting a good education which allows them to vie for higher income positions. Very few of them had $$$ bestowed upon them by the "gods". I just don't follow the reasoning of the "have not's" who think that they are entitled to "luxury" on a minimum wage income.

That being said, unless it is a very special trip, I will not book a trip at FtW any longer unless I can get a campsite for less than $80/night. That's my limit. Unless the Florida Lottery Commission starts cooperating with me, that will be my limit for many years to come. Once I can no longer book a site at that rate, I will most likely quit going to FtW. Of course, years ago I said I would not pay more than $30/nite, yet here I am still going to FtW as often as I can. The first time we camped at FtW, the sites were around $10/nite. Of course, I was only earning $120/week then, and $10 a nite to me was a king's ransom. I guess it's all relative.

So - what's your limit?

Last year will be our last at FW. The price for camping (plus towing) has surpassed renting a pool house for our whole family. It's minutes from DW (with an AP we don't need to pay to park) and we don't do EMH. Can cook our meals at the house, have washer/dryer in the house (no laundromat) and have a private pool and whirlpool. For us, it just makes all the sense in the world. Sad because we started camping at the fort when DD was 5, now she's 31, but need to adapt to changing times and what is best for our family $$. We'll still go to DW (maybe not as often), but staying on site is out of our budget and we are all looking forward to our new adventure.
 
If we ever get back into camping, it will be $70. That's what we paid for our hotel on July 4.
 
If we ever get back into camping, it will be $70. That's what we paid for our hotel on July 4.

Wow! You got the Omni for $70/night? That's incredible! I thought that place was much higher than that. You had a suite, didn't you?
 
yeah, but we had a connection. It's also normally an additional $14 to park and $16 "resort" fee.....
 
I boycotted FW last year because they couldn't figure out what level their campsites were going to be. I was mad about the conversion of loops to premium and preferred, so Disney got very little of my money last year. This year, I will be going back, but only because they left my favorite loops as full hook up.
 
I've noticed quite a few posts where people who would normally camp are choosing a resort instead. Does appear that as much as folks enjoy the fort and would even prefer to camp, it doesn't make a whole lot of financial sense. Given the discounts offered on the resorts..(I know we've gotten some great AP rates in the past)..and the increase in the price of the sites, not to mention the limited availability of full or partial sites, I can see why even die hard campers are looking at other options..especially in this economy.
 
I can see why even die hard campers are looking at other options..especially in this economy.

And there's the real irony in all this. Most people who don't camp think that campers choose to travel this way because they can't afford hotels. And once you get beyond the cost of the RV, camping is typically an affordable travel option. But it's crazy that the cost of a site at the Fort is where it is relative to a hotel room.

We will still visit the Fort when we can, partly because our family size would force us into two hotel rooms or a suite...which makes the Fort more affordable in comparison. But, we will be going at most once a year, so we save up like any other major vacation. It's not a weekend camping option for us like for those of you in Florida, so we will just "suck it up" and pay if we want to go.
 
It is almost sad to read the posts for thsi discussion. I have been hanging around this camping forum for only about a year and love to spend to time with my Cyber FW family, so to hear that so many of you are going to be limiting or even stopping your trips to the Fort makes me so sad!! :sad1:

We too are in the same boat. We have a DD1 and DD3 (who now requies a ticket) and though we would love to take them often it is just too expensive. We are big planners so the rule has become if we dont have the CASH then we just dont go. That's what happened to our Spring trip this year.

We also have been going for 2 weeks every December for several years....the past few we have gotten free dining since Grandma and PaPa rent a cabin while we camp. But since this is likely to be the end of the road for the free dining train our annual vacation may be shorting significantly in the coming year.

Keep saving those pennies and pulling those extra shifts when you can.....hope to see you all real soon........:grouphug:
 


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