Is Disney Too Commercial Now

[SoCalTrojanSkip]

Now...?

 

[GeneralTso]

It's definitely changed. It's always been commercial. They are trying to make a lot of $$$$.

I like some of the changes, the company needs to zig and zag and keep up. Life moves much faster now and I think they are working to retain that "magic" and also appeal to younger crowds. It's a delicate balance.

Disney will never be a bargain vacation for anyone. It's expensive. Some people can't afford it and maybe never will. Others have money to burn and you can charge anything and they will pay it.
We all have friends (family) that just don't get that Disney pull. They went once 20 years ago and that's good enough forever.
I have wonderful memories from the Disneyland in the 70's. Awesome memories. I still love it today.

 

[Princess Jes]

I foresee a time, with our country's diminishing middle class, when Disney becomes a destination exclusive to the upper class. They've already all but priced out low-income families.

The thing that grinds my gears is people saying that they are middle class and "cant afford to go". Short of living in poverty or literally living week to week and having zero income left after essential food and drinks (not fast food, dining out and alcohol), rent, amenities like gas and electric (you get the picture) in general, people CAN afford things, they just choose to spend their money elsewhere.

Which leads to....

Disney is teetering, at least for me, on being too expensive to the point where I can't go as often as I like

.. Perhaps the middle class feel that they can no longer afford it, but the reality is they can, but they have to save longer/harder and perhaps go less often. It's semantics, but important ones nonetheless

is that the place is just too damned crowded

Which also means that they're not pricing the average goer out at all, in fact, they're attracting more and more park goers.... Food for thought for those complaining that they're pricing everyone out of the market.

 

[disneysteve]

To be fair to the OP, prices at Disney have risen far, far faster than inflation, as a previous poster illustrated.

I remember when a room at the All Stars was about $69/night and a room at an offsite motel was about $50. Today, a room at the All Stars is about $150 and the offsite motel is still $50. Tickets, food, parking have all gotten more expensive at a faster rate than incomes have grown on average so it is true that across the board, Disney is less affordable than it was 10 or 20 or 30 years ago for the average family. For some, that might have priced them out, or, as Jes mentioned, made them go less often.

Personally, it hasn't priced us out but I can't deny that our trips, even though we do a lot of things to economize (drive down, stay offsite, eat many meals offsite, etc.), have gotten more expensive and suck up more of our income than they used to.

 

[pjweaver]

We have scaled back on how often we go to WDW now. It makes our trips more feasible from a money standpoint, but more special too. The cost of round trip airfare is an example; If we go once a year for a longer stay we only pay to fly once.

Our goals now our different than when we were younger, or if we had little ankle bitters with us. Since it is only us and we may not be back for a few years we won't do anything half way. Ten days, deluxe hotel, fine dining, the works. We could go and save money in a lot of areas and go more often, but everyone has their way of doing Disney and ours is to treat every trip like it may be our last.

I will say that if I Disney announced today that my vacation would cost the same as a trip to Hawaii or France I would have to consider those options. There is no set price point I have in mind, but as Disney raises prices I keep finding ways to justify it and keep packing my lunch and earning swag bucks. It makes me wonder how much money I have wasted going out to eat or getting a nicer car over the years.

I suppose my point is that if you really want to and are willing to make sacrifices it is still doable.

 

[T_O]

I grew up in a middle class family. We did not live in poverty. We did not live "week to week." But even back then, my parents could not afford to take the 5 of us to Disney.
I have kids of my own now. We are also middle class, and can afford a few more luxuries than when I was a kid. So yes, if we wanted to, we could afford Disney every year.
My point is, some families CAN afford it, but others can't. And the more Disney increases the prices, the more families will fall into the latter category.

 

[kbelle8995]

I think the prices at Disney has us shopping for other things to do. We did go to Disney a Lot when I was a child. But I Lived in Florida so we never paid to fly there. Also back then there was one park by the 80's there was only two. So you could do Disney in a weekend if you wanted too. Prices have gone up hotel wise throughout Orlando. But Disney's is usually the highest.

When we were pricing hotels to go to Orlando in January, for the same price of a Standard room in AOA we could get a suite at CBBR. So I think the prices do make people shop around more.

And when my sister tried to book a trip to Disney, she researched and came to the conclusion that even with the parking fees she was getting a better deal at Universal's hotels

 

[pjweaver]

I think the prices at Disney has us shopping for other things to do. We did go to Disney a Lot when I was a child. But I Lived in Florida so we never paid to fly there. Also back then there was one park by the 80's there was only two. So you could do Disney in a weekend if you wanted too. Prices have gone up hotel wise throughout Orlando. But Disney's is usually the highest.

When we were pricing hotels to go to Orlando in January, for the same price of a Standard room in AOA we could get a suite at CBBR. So I think the prices do make people shop around more.

And when my sister tried to book a trip to Disney, she researched and came to the conclusion that even with the parking fees she was getting a better deal at Universal's hotels

You really need to do a cost vs value assessment with all of this now. I know, not everyone like planning the way I do, but I find it cathartic in a way.

We have done the time share off property once. We rented a car even though they had a shuttle, but it only ran a few times a day. It was a beautiful one bedroom that slept 6, but it was only the two of us and we use our room to sleep and shower. If I want to swim in a pool I will stay home.

Adding in the car rental, the daily parking, and losing extra magic hours, it was a wash for us between this and a moderate. If it was a family of five I could see it as a huge advantage, especially if you plan on hitting Disney and Universal and Sea World. The one perk I had with driving to the parks was I got to stop at Waffle House, and I love me some of that stuff.

Here's the reason I try to avoid giving advice on Disney, everyone does it differently. My way would never work for @disneysteve and I could never go his way.

 

[disneysteve]

Prices have gone up hotel wise throughout Orlando. But Disney's is usually the highest.

Certainly prices have gone up everywhere. But probably as a result of competition, prices offsite seem to have risen much more slowly than prices onsite.

Heck, I just booked our July stay. We're renting a 3-bedroom, 3-bath townhouse for $75/night. That's no more than we paid 10 or 15 years ago.

 

[BeachyMouse]

Off site prices are a whole different Post. I was speaking of just Disney itself.One thing is true. Prices will continue to rise, new charges will be created, and paid events will be invented as long as the demand is there. BUT, if you listened to The Dis, like I'm sure most of you do, I'm sure you remember a segment about the tour groups from South America cutting back. Wait and see if this doesn't hurt Disney's pocket a little. Hell you couldn't turn a corner without hearing the chants across the park, or on the ride you were on. This may cut them back to where you may see the special rebates during those months usually booked up.

 

[disneysteve]

Off site prices are a whole different Post. I was speaking of just Disney itself.

I realize you were talking about Disney property but I think the offsite environment matters. As Disney has raised prices higher and higher, I think more people are staying offsite, going offsite for meals, making grocery store runs to stock up on snacks and drinks, all to stretch their vacation budget so they can still pay for the theme park tickets and onsite stuff that is unavoidable.

 

[Lisann]

Perhaps the middle class feel that they can no longer afford it, but the reality is they can, but they have to save longer/harder and perhaps go less often. It's semantics, but important ones nonetheless

I don't recall saying I was middle class, or upper class, or had any class at all.

 

[Princess Jes]

I don't recall saying I was middle class, or upper class, or had any class at all.

Lol, I have no class either, however, I'm not sure that I said that you said anything about your class?
Now I'm confused

 

[pjweaver]

Lol, I have no class either, however, I'm not sure that I said that you said anything about your class?
Now I'm confused

Quoted for posterity: In her own words Jes has no class

 

[disneysteve]

Quoted for posterity: In her own words Jes has no class

I disagree. Jes is definitely in a class by herself.

 

[Princess Jes]

I disagree. Jes is definitely in a class by herself.

Lol, this is true... It's not a high class, but a class nonetheless