Priced out does not necessarily mean they couldn't go there if they scrimped and saved and never spent money on anything else. It means either they used to be able to afford it or traditionally they are in a bracket who would have been able to afford it. "Whining" about that is an entirely reasonable response. It's legitimate to question whether Disney really should be something that requires you sacrifice to "MAKE IT HAPPEN" or indeed whether it actually is good enough to justify such behavior.
The difference between Disney and Europe is that Europe isn't a single entity, you can't point it and say "this is why we can't afford to do this". It's a flawed comparison. You can, and I do point to some of the airfares however and complain about the absurdity of them.
Of course so long as people continue to talk about "magic" and "trip of a lifetime" Disney will be able to continue raising prices while lowering quality.
Europe might be a flawed comparison, but a ski trip, a cruise, a trip to Mexico, etc. - all of those vacation destinations are "priced out" of many people's budgets. And they accept it. Beyond vacations, we ALL (except maybe the über-wealthy) get priced out things somewhere along the way - be they vacations, cars, houses, etc.
I get it that it used to be an "AND" option and now it may be an "OR" option or a "WAIT & SAVE" option and that's a bitter pill to swallow. And just because you are "traditionally within a bracket who would have been able to afford it" doesn't mean you're entitled to afford it. If you are in that bracket, then my guess is that it wouldn't even require huge sacrifices to save up - if it's a priority for you and your family. Sometimes things we enjoy take a little more effort to obtain. And bottom line - we are talking a VACATION destination, not a basic need but a "want."
I'm not exactly sure I understand when you say, "It's entirely legitimate to question whether Disney really should be something that requires you to sacrifice..." Are you saying that Disney SHOULD be affordable? Or are you saying that one should question the VALUE of it? If the former, no vacation experience is owed to any of us. If it is the latter, then that is up to the individual to make that determination...and some may say no - it's not worth the money right now.
I will give it to you that being a publicly traded company has is pros and cons. One of the pros is having capital to invest in expanding the companies products, services, locations, etc. The con, of course, is having to answer to shareholders. Shareholders expect a return on their investment, and thus, decisions are made based on keeping shareholders happy. It's a delicate balance and sometimes companies swing too far in favor of the shareholders to the dissatisfaction of their customers. Has Dianey done this? Who knows - only time and revenue will tell.
I kind of fall into this category. I was lucky enough to start going to Disney in 06 when room rates, tickets, flights and rental cars were all unimaginably cheap. Even though I was in law school at that time, I feel I could better afford the trip at that point than I can now that I have an actual job. So it does kind of suck. I think that is where my whining comes from. It just kind of sucks that I feel like I should be able to better afford a trip to Disney now that I'm employed, but the prices have gone up so much that isn't really the case.
And I'm in the opposite boat. When the economy was in recession we had to make major sacrifices so that my DH's business stayed afloat. There was no way we could have afforded to go to Disney - or any other vacation for that matter - back then.
I suspect that there are a number of people like you who were in a position to take advantage of those offers and were spoiled by it (in a good way). I mean - wow! I hear about the stay 4 nights get three free (or whatever deal that was) and I think what an amazing deal that was! That must have been the life, because I'm sure the parks were not crowded either! But don't you think that for you - you WILL be able to afford it again? Maybe not as soon as you'd like, but isn't it reasonable that you could save up over two, three, four years to go again? I mean, I went in high school, went for college graduation (thanks to working at The
Disney Store for three years in college) and ONCE when I lived in Orlando for grad school. Then I didn't get to go back for 14 years! Sometimes we go through seasons of life where we just can't go - and it may not even have anything to do with pricing.
I will say that I do feel badly for our international friends - they are subject to exchange rates which are somewhat unpredictable and completely out of their control. That adds a completely different layer of complexity that is truly out of their control.
Anyway, I just felt the need to to add some perspective. WDW is a vacation destination, not a rite of passage. One day I may no longer be able to afford it, or I may decide it's not worth my family's hard-earned and saved dollars. But, I'll take responsibility in either case, just as Disney will have to take responsibility in the long run for the decisions it makes regarding pricing.
