Is it just me, or has Disneyland Hotels gotten ridiculously expensive?

[Malcon10t]

I agree!!! Some perks I think Disney could give hotel guests are: EE/MM should be for hotel guests only. Parking should go back to being free for hotel guests, one car, second car, charge $10 per night. Option to purchase a mug (like they have in WDW for $10) to get unlimited drinks free in the hotel you are staying. 2 Fastpass for any ride, per person per day. Coupons for half off one item, ANY ITEM NO EXCLUSION. Rice Krispie Mickey Heads waiting for you in your room when you arrive first day. Discounted room rate for next visit (50% off if returning in 3 months, 40% off if returning in 4-6 months, 30% off if returning in 7-10 months, 25% off anything after that. Discount on Halloween Party tickets, Discount on World of Color dessert package. 15% off all purchases including food. That is what I could think of spur of the moment. I know once I post, I will think of more.

Why? Business offers extra perks for 1 of 2 reasons. 1.) Because demand isn't exceeding supply or 2.) to increase the value (and price) of a package. Since the demand for the Disney product exceeds the supply, there is no need to offer this. This is something to offer and increase the price. If you have an AP, you get 10-20% off purchased of food and merchandise, Halloween Party tickets, ad other items. Rice Krispie treats in your room? Some levels of stays do include this already. Fastpasses with your stay or free parking? This is offered in some packages. But none of it is "free". It is all included in the cost of your package.

If I am selling widgets, and I only have 500 widgets to sell a day for $50 a widget, and on the majority of days, you sell 495-500 widgets. Why would you offer something extra, when your demand is already equaling your supply? Now, if you were only selling 300, then you might want to discount them, or offer a coupon, or find a way to increase sales.

People complain about the price of admission to the park. However, look at the crowds. It doesn't seem to be decreasing sales. When the prices rise, and attendance declines, they will have hit the wall. But for now, attendance isn't being affected by pricing.

 

[StormyCA]

I really enjoy staying onsite, but it's a splurge. A splurge that is hard to talk some of my family members into. Luckily we got a 40% off pin code so I was able to score our next stay at DLH for $243/night, which I think is totally reasonable. There's been rates I've paid that are a little over $600/night. That's a bit too steep. I do think staying onsite should come with more perks. It would add to the value. I think early entries should be for onsite guests only, and maybe something else...not sure.

Dang! Lucky you! I get pin codes for WDW all the time and we've only been there ONCE (AND stayed in the campground at FW). I never get codes for DL and we stay onsite pretty much every year.

Wonder what the 'magic formula' is?

And I think the 'something extra' for onsite guests should be a 'magic ticket' that would permit an 'up the exit' entry to any ride. Maybe one per day? Over a 5 night stay, that would take care of most of my 'must-dos'.

 

[otten]

Dang! Lucky you! I get pin codes for WDW all the time and we've only been there ONCE (AND stayed in the campground at FW). I never get codes for DL and we stay onsite pretty much every year.

Wonder what the 'magic formula' is?

And I think the 'something extra' for onsite guests should be a 'magic ticket' that would permit an 'up the exit' entry to any ride. Maybe one per day? Over a 5 night stay, that would take care of most of my 'must-dos'.

I think the magic formula probably changes depending on whatever their current push is. We got a pincode for our upcoming stay too and my theory is that we got one because we are Canadian, a market that Disney is actively going for at the moment (as evidenced by the ticket promo) and we have both park tickets purchased and dining reservations during the pin code validity period. It wouldn't be hard for Disney to figure out that we're going so if they have rooms to fill, going after those people makes sense.

 

[mummabear]

Disney is offering more stuff each year. At DLR - CarsLand, World of Color, Star Wars Land. Guardians of the Galaxy

In Florida, Pandora: World of Avatar (opening next month - I will be there! ), Star Wars Land, Toy Story Land, New FantasyLand.

They could charge lower prices and keep the parks frozen in the 1980s. That would sure keep customers away! You could have the parks to yourself!

I agree and disagree, their investment has matched the demand and profit.
And the investments they are making are not nessecarily bringing a large amount of new attractions.
Take Gotg: our net gain is 0 where they could have built a new Gotg and left tot alone...
New Fantasyland at WDW for all the space it takes up, all the money it cost and all the time it took, didn't have a huge net gain in rides.
Star Wars land from what I have read will have only 2 rides...

 

[HydroGuy]

I agree and disagree, their investment has matched the demand and profit.
And the investments they are making are not nessecarily bringing a large amount of new attractions.
Take Gotg: our net gain is 0 where they could have built a new Gotg and left tot alone...
New Fantasyland at WDW for all the space it takes up, all the money it cost and all the time it took, didn't have a huge net gain in rides.
Star Wars land from what I have read will have only 2 rides...

I agree GOTG was net zero (probably a negative actually with the loss of the perfect ToT ride!).

But New FantasyLand at WDW added two significant new rides and doubled the capacity of the slow loading Dumbo which really meant building an entirely new second ride. They also added Enchanted Tales. And new dining venues and activities. That was a lot of change.

SWL will be absolutely huge for DL and DHS. Two rides or not, it will be huge. DL itself has not done anything like this for decades. It will be huger (is that a word? ) than CarsLand, which was already huge.

Anyways, I am glad we sort of agree. IMO it is awesome to see Disney making so many huge investments in their parks. DL has had a back seat to DCA for the last 15 years as far as investment in new rides. And WDW seemed stuck in a rut for a long time but now they are going all in. Poor Epcot is the only place not really moving forward but I expect that will change either after Pandora is launched or Toy Story Land in 2018.

 

[Nonsuch]

A very interesting discussion. A few random thoughts to add:

GCH prices:
It's amazing that Standard View rooms are $600/night even with the ongoing renovations and pool closure. Club Level rooms are $1000/night, and the lounge will be temporarily relocated (location unannounced) for several months. Once the renovations are complete, I would not be surprised to see $700/night Standard View rooms in 2018. Star Wars Land will certainly push prices even higher...

Onsite Hotel Perks:
Some great suggestions have been posted, but with high occupancy there seems to be little reason for Disney to add more perks. One perk I do expect to return is the 2 fastpass (per guest, per stay), which has been offered many times. I first experienced this perk when Little Mermaid and Star Wars 2.0 opened in June 2011. These fastpasses could be used on Little Mermaid, although that attraction does not have "regular" fastpass. These fastpasses allowed onsite guests to experience the 2 new (and heavily advertised) rides without waiting for hours. Similar fastpasses (or other perks) will likely be offered to assist onsite guests with the 2 Star Wars attractions.

VGC:
DVC salesmen describe purchasing a Disney timeshare as paying "today's prices" for vacations in the future. Amazingly, this has proved to be true (considering the reputation of timeshare salesmen is below used car salesmen). I purchased VGC in 2010, when $250/night was a common discounted GCH rate -- and used that price to very roughly compute the value of DVC ownership. Resale prices for VGC are very high, but can still allow new owners to pay "today's prices" for future DLR vacations. Check out the DVC Forums for more information.

 

[mummabear]

I agree GOTG was net zero (probably a negative actually with the loss of the perfect ToT ride!).

But New FantasyLand at WDW added two significant new rides and doubled the capacity of the slow loading Dumbo which really meant building an entirely new second ride. They also added Enchanted Tales. And new dining venues and activities. That was a lot of change.

SWL will be absolutely huge for DL and DHS. Two rides or not, it will be huge. DL itself has not done anything like this for decades. It will be huger (is that a word? ) than CarsLand, which was already huge.

Anyways, I am glad we sort of agree. IMO it is awesome to see Disney making so many huge investments in their parks. DL has had a back seat to DCA for the last 15 years as far as investment in new rides. And WDW seemed stuck in a rut for a long time but now they are going all in. Poor Epcot is the only place not really moving forward but I expect that will change either after Pandora is launched or Toy Story Land in 2018.

Totally agree that loosing TOT is actually a net loss!

I also agree Star Wars land will be huge (although not something that is a draw card for my family it has such a massive and loyal fan see of course it's going to be a huge hit) my issue with it is that it is going to be such a huge driver of crowds (by attracting so many people) and it only has 2 rides to disperse those crowds.
Take Carsland which I adore, there are so many small things that are cute (and I think Star Wars land will have all these things too) but it only has 3 rides and look at the wait for RSR all these years later-for a theme with less of a base than SW, if they had built another 1-2 rides it would be spreading the crowds further.

 

[dshimel]

Star Wars land from what I have read will have only 2 rides...

As opposed to Carsland with 3, New Orleans with 2, Critter Country with 2, Hollywood land with 2, Grizzly Peak 2....

The point is that they could make the parks really suck, as they did back in 2002 when Disney Store's Paul Pressler was running he resort, back BEFORE DCA had Tower, Monsters, Mermaid, Bugsland, Carsland, Turtle Talk, Toy Story Mania.

That would drive down prices and crowds.

I have a picture of a status board from Sept 2003 with Thunder down because they just killed someone, Space Mt down for 2 year retrack, Matterhorn down for regular off-season rework, Splash down for maintenance, Mansion down for holiday overlay, pirates down because when it reopend from prior rehab boats kept getting stuck.... Parks were 1/3rd the price and still empty back them.

 

[A. Mara Ziwadie]

I agree!!! Some perks I think Disney could give hotel guests are: EE/MM should be for hotel guests only. Parking should go back to being free for hotel guests, one car, second car, charge $10 per night. Option to purchase a mug (like they have in WDW for $10) to get unlimited drinks free in the hotel you are staying. 2 Fastpass for any ride, per person per day. Coupons for half off one item, ANY ITEM NO EXCLUSION. Rice Krispie Mickey Heads waiting for you in your room when you arrive first day. Discounted room rate for next visit (50% off if returning in 3 months, 40% off if returning in 4-6 months, 30% off if returning in 7-10 months, 25% off anything after that. Discount on Halloween Party tickets, Discount on World of Color dessert package. 15% off all purchases including food. That is what I could think of spur of the moment. I know once I post, I will think of more.

What does MM and EE stand for? At WDW, is parking at the parks still free for guests staying on an official WDW resort (onsite)? (I suspect you may be referring to Disneyland Resort with respect to free parking for resort guests.) Thanks!

 

[A. Mara Ziwadie]

Why would you want them to offer more perks? To push demand even higher, to raise prices that much more?

To make it worth it to you? They are going to raise prices until enough people decide it is not "worth it" to reduce demand down to capacity.

More people want to stay there than "fit". So prices go up until you decide to stay somewhere else, then the demand is in line with supply.

I think for value. It seems that is lacking. The struggle with Disney is that the notion of value is lacking. And "getting what you pay for" doesn't cut it anymore because so many of the good things of the past have been cut to increase profits. I agree that, yes, Disney is a business, but what it was founded on was not. That causes the clash.

 

[A. Mara Ziwadie]

From a kid's perspective, I will definitely say that's true. If a kid is talking to me about pixie dust, I will smile and agree. When an adult does, I'm more likely to roll my eyes. I guess as an adult, I see the engineering and design and appreciate it for what it is.

Don't really agree with you about WDW. I had this fight with a friend recently. If you look at park experience, DL is better. It's cuter, more compact, more interesting. WDW has four parks but there's a lot of stuff there that is just...lacking. Dinosaur Land. The tangled bathroom. Many of the facades. I actually loved 7 dwarves but there are definite design weird stuff there. Most of Epcot. BUT I will say that unlike at DLR the bubble experience does exist for me at WDW. I adored fort wilderness and the sheer variety of food and restaurants.

But y'know, I'm not one of the people who will be priced out ever simply because I don't hit the parks on a regular basis. It's a whim thing... more than anything based on boozy orange slushies and illuminations at Epcot vs Indiana jones and blue bayou at DLR.

I agree with some of this. For me, I prefer DLR (specifically the MK at DLR) during Christmastime. I've been to both DLR and WDW celebrations, and the one at the Magic Kingdom at the Disneyland Resort has more charm.

 

[dshimel]

What does MM and EE stand for? At WDW, is parking at the parks still free for guests staying on an official WDW resort (onsite)? (I suspect you may be referring to Disneyland Resort with respect to free parking for resort guests.) Thanks!

MM = Magic Morning. Tue, Thur Sat at Disneyland. 3-day or longer ticket, purchased in advance, gets 1 Magic Morning day.
EMH = Extra Magic Hour. On-site hotel guests every day for length of stay. Tue,Thur,Sat at Disneyland (with MM), DCA other days (only hotel guests).

EE = Early Entry = MM+EMH.

 

[mummabear]

As opposed to Carsland with 3, New Orleans with 2, Critter Country with 2, Hollywood land with 2, Grizzly Peak 2....

And that was my point about Carsland-while cute and what is there is amazing that there isn't enough substance to add enough capacity.

Star Wars land in particular is going to attract significantly more people than the attractions it is adding can absorb.
The parks are already over crowded, a lot of people think the answer is to raise prices to cull visitor numbers (or limit the types or payment options of passes for the same effect) but there is another answer Disney needs to use more of its profit (at this time) to keep up with attraction numbers vs visitor numbers. And a new ride is not taking a popular fan favourite and putting a new overlay on it.

 

[onlyoneash]

I think the magic formula probably changes depending on whatever their current push is. We got a pincode for our upcoming stay too and my theory is that we got one because we are Canadian, a market that Disney is actively going for at the moment (as evidenced by the ticket promo) and we have both park tickets purchased and dining reservations during the pin code validity period. It wouldn't be hard for Disney to figure out that we're going so if they have rooms to fill, going after those people makes sense.

I am hoping for one of these pin codes one day as well! But as many have been discussing, Disney doesn't need special discounts to fill rooms, so my guess is there will be less and less of them until the next recession. We have gone on a Disney cruise and recieved special incentives before in the mail, but none for DL or WDW. If anyone figures out the "special formula" do tell

 

[onlyoneash]

What do you think will the effect of prices on hotels on Harbor once the Eastern Gate gets built? I heard rumors Disney is going to build another hotel as well? Assuming that is true, maybe we see a spike in prices for the next few years especially with Star Wars Land and then a decline as more hotel rooms are available and people get used to the new entrance.

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2016/08/new-disneyland-resort-eastern-gateway-coming-in-2018/

 

[HydroGuy]

And that was my point about Carsland-while cute and what is there is amazing that there isn't enough substance to add enough capacity.

Star Wars land in particular is going to attract significantly more people than the attractions it is adding can absorb.
The parks are already over crowded, a lot of people think the answer is to raise prices to cull visitor numbers (or limit the types or payment options of passes for the same effect) but there is another answer Disney needs to use more of its profit (at this time) to keep up with attraction numbers vs visitor numbers. And a new ride is not taking a popular fan favourite and putting a new overlay on it.

Well, DCA has got 80-90% of the attention from Disney for the last 10+ years. They seem to be firing on all cylinders and do not need another expansion now.

DL needs some attention and that is what is happening. Yes SWL will draw more people, but it will also add more space, of course the rides, but dining and experiences. That will take pressure off the other rides.

I can't disagree with anything they have done except for ToT. That was a bad move IMO.

From the WDW boards I read something I do not know much about but somehow Marvel has a licensing agreement with Universal Studios Orlando that pre-dated the Disney acquisition so Disney cannot build Marvel rides at WDW. But it only applies in the east and not the west so they can build Marvel rides at DLR.

There is a huge fan base for Marvel out there (I am not one of them - Star Wars, definitely, but not Marvel). It is good business for Disney to tap into that like they have for Star Wars and for Pixar. I just wish they chose another ride to transform as ToT was one of the few perfectly themed rides that Disney has.

 

[dshimel]

What if GotG ToT is part of the post SWL expansion of a couple more Marvel rides in the small area between ToT and Candy Cane?

 

[Westcoastwild]

I agree with some of this. For me, I prefer DLR (specifically the MK at DLR) during Christmastime. I've been to both DLR and WDW celebrations, and the one at the Magic Kingdom at the Disneyland Resort has more charm.

Oooh. Really? This is something I've been wondering about. I want to see the decorations but can't decide between between LA or Orlando for this. Neither is out of the question- I want to fly to NYC afterwards, but can probably do it just as cheaply from LAX as MCO.

 

[dshimel]

there is another answer Disney needs to use more of its profit (at this time) to keep up with attraction numbers vs visitor numbers. And a new ride is not taking a popular fan favourite and putting a new overlay on it.

But if they put in a lot of A-C ticket rides, people complain about the "six flags" quality of the rides (see Paradise Pier).

If they put in high quality rides, those cost $100 million+, and you will only do that if you're adding 1 million visitors a year, which is more new visitors than the attraction can absorb... especially with FastPass leaving half the riders out of the line.

And where are they going to put all these new rides?

 

[Westcoastwild]

Well, DCA has got 80-90% of the attention from Disney for the last 10+ years. They seem to be firing on all cylinders and do not need another expansion now.

DL needs some attention and that is what is happening. Yes SWL will draw more people, but it will also add more space, of course the rides, but dining and experiences. That will take pressure off the other rides.

I can't disagree with anything they have done except for ToT. That was a bad move IMO.

From the WDW boards I read something I do not know much about but somehow Marvel has a licensing agreement with Universal Studios Orlando that pre-dated the Disney acquisition so Disney cannot build Marvel rides at WDW. But it only applies in the east and not the west so they can build Marvel rides at DLR.

There is a huge fan base for Marvel out there (I am not one of them - Star Wars, definitely, but not Marvel). It is good business for Disney to tap into that like they have for Star Wars and for Pixar. I just wish they chose another ride to transform as ToT was one of the few perfectly themed rides that Disney has.

I don't know that they really needed a new ride. I'm thinking it's just that for licensing purposes they maybe needed to reskin the TOT in DCA. It's probably a cheap way to to reach out to Marvel fans. Much like FEA/maelstrom was a cheap way to reach out to frozen fans.

Carsland mostly happened, I think, as an effort to "rescue" DCA. And it worked. DCA was NOT a full day park when it first opened. I went back after Carsland opened and I was surprised to find how much they'd fleshed it out.

Like you said, they're now turning they're attention to DL. And I think the main goal there is to cash in on SW and also maybe improve crowd flow. Because at DL it's usually not about how crowded it is- it's the bottlenecking in various spots.