NY Times Today: Is a Disney Theme Park Vacation Still Worth the Price?

[Minnie1222]

I like when people call the Grand Floridian luxurious despite there being widespread reports of the walls being so thin that you can hear full conversations people in the room next to you are having lol

The luxury of GF doesn't come from the room or the resort itself, but rather from its proximity to my favorite park Magic Kingdom. Time is a luxury for me.

 

[Smugpugmug]

The luxury of GF doesn't come from the room or the resort itself, but rather from its proximity to my favorite park Magic Kingdom. Time is a luxury for me.

Is that time worth over $900/night? And no, I didn't make that up. I just looked and that's how much Disney is charging for the Grand.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Time is a luxury for me

Very true but doesn’t change the reality that my time spent working/ saving thru my life has to be accounted for as well.

Taking DGD and her sister for a two week trip to WDW during the height of the Christmas season and at this point I’ve spent over 15K. I could have spent substantially less in central Europe for the same time frame.

 

[New Mouse]

Luxury means different things to different people.

Luxury has an actual definition. Other than being expensive, Disney does not fit the actual definition of luxury.

 

[New Mouse]

The luxury of GF doesn't come from the room or the resort itself, but rather from its proximity to my favorite park Magic Kingdom. Time is a luxury for me.

Bay lake is closer. I assume that is even more luxurious then.

 

[Minnie1222]

Bay lake is closer. I assume that is even more luxurious then.

Sorry I don't do DVC. The Contemporary is also my least favorite resort.

 

[Minnie1222]

Is that time worth over $900/night?

Yes, according to the many people who are staying there right now.

 

[BrianL]

Yes, according to the many people who are staying there right now.

And that's fair. People ARE paying that rate to stay there. I don't know exact occupancy numbers, but if the rooms are full then they are not pricing it too high, luxury or not.

 

[HokieRaven5]

And that's fair. People ARE paying that rate to stay there. I don't know exact occupancy numbers, but if the rooms are full then they are not pricing it too high, luxury or not.

They aren’t totally full but for the first 9 months of Fiscal 24, rooms paid for by cash are at 86% occupancy of an available 7,640,000 cash room nights across all domestic resorts (DLR/WDW/Aulani).

Compared to last fiscal year it’s a whopping 0.17% less cash room nights booked in this fiscal year vs last fiscal.

https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1744489/000174448924000232/dis-20240629.htm

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

In terms of luxury, I think it depends on a bunch of factors, for instance a Disney vacation to a family eating ramen every night for a year just to save for it would I’m sure call it a luxury. I’m sure the ultra wealthy would have a different definition.

What is deemed extravagant living for one doesn’t apply to another. So for some Disney is a luxury for others it seems to be a complete waste of time and money, and for others it’s somewhere in the middle. It’s kind of pointless to define someone else’s meaning of luxury, and it comes off a bit as talking down to someone who may enjoy it

 

[NYCgrrl]

Bay lake is closer. I assume that is even more luxurious then.

I get it.

 

[lowlight]

It’s kind of pointless to define someone else’s meaning of luxury, and it comes off a bit as talking down to someone who may enjoy it

The Four Seasons is the only hotel most experienced travelers would consider luxury on property. I’ve only ever been able to stay in one luxury hotel in my life, and it’s a whole different ballgame. If I McD’s six days a week, sitting down at Tony’s is a luxury, but it isn’t luxury dining and nobody would pretend it is.

 

[lowlight]

And that's fair. People ARE paying that rate to stay there. I don't know exact occupancy numbers, but if the rooms are full then they are not pricing it too high, luxury or not.

Credit card debt is skyrocketing. It’s well over a trillion now. People are charging things like trips to Disney, so while they are paying, they aren’t really able to afford it. There are numerous articles where they’ve interviewed people who have gone into unrecoverable debt over vacations to Disney. Simultaneously interest on that debt has risen. I think after the debacle in 2020 people have a more YOLO attitude with spending and that bubble is gonna pop and make a mess for everyone.

 

[NYCgrrl]

In terms of luxury, I think it depends on a bunch of factors, for instance a Disney vacation to a family eating ramen every night for a year just to save for it would I’m sure call it a luxury. I’m sure the ultra wealthy would have a different definition.

What is deemed extravagant living for one doesn’t apply to another. So for some Disney is a luxury for others it seems to be a complete waste of time and money, and for others it’s somewhere in the middle. It’s kind of pointless to define someone else’s meaning of luxury, and it comes off a bit as talking down to someone who may enjoy it

I haven’t noted anyone on this thread that doesn’t enjoy Disney but I am seeing a difference in how people define luxury. For some it’s a dollar amount while others see it as a high level of attention to details specifically related to a hotel stay in this instance since we are talking about the hotel end of the business as opposed to the park side.

With that in mind there is little standard criteria that a luxury hotel would traditionally have that a Disney deluxe offers. No concierge services, turn down or room service, among other missing attributes.

Which takes us back to another meaning: spending money.
Using that as a barometer, yes, Disney offers luxurious accommodations at their deluxe resorts.

 

[BrianL]

Credit card debt is skyrocketing. It’s well over a trillion now. People are charging things like trips to Disney, so while they are paying, they aren’t really able to afford it. There are numerous articles where they’ve interviewed people who have gone into unrecoverable debt over vacations to Disney. Simultaneously interest on that debt has risen. I think after the debacle in 2020 people have a more YOLO attitude with spending and that bubble is gonna pop and make a mess for everyone.

Right, but that's not really Disney's concern as far as how they price their rooms. If demand does make a hard drop, then they will have to adjust.

 

[Minnie1222]

The Four Seasons is the only hotel most experienced travelers would consider luxury on property. I’ve only ever been able to stay in one luxury hotel in my life, and it’s a whole different ballgame. If I McD’s six days a week, sitting down at Tony’s is a luxury, but it isn’t luxury dining and nobody would pretend it is.

The Four Seasons also costs more than Disney's flagship Grand Floridian. I'm going to WDW in a few weeks, and the nightly rate at FS is doubled that of GF in the same room category. With the AP discount, the GF rate is roughly 1/3 of FS.



No, I don't think Disney is charging a "luxury" price. It would be a different story if Disney were charging the same rate as the Four Seasons.

 

[Minnie1222]

Credit card debt is skyrocketing. It’s well over a trillion now. People are charging things like trips to Disney, so while they are paying, they aren’t really able to afford it. There are numerous articles where they’ve interviewed people who have gone into unrecoverable debt over vacations to Disney. Simultaneously interest on that debt has risen. I think after the debacle in 2020 people have a more YOLO attitude with spending and that bubble is gonna pop and make a mess for everyone.

And there are also many people who don't have credit card debts. I use my credit cards in place of cash. My checking account automatically pays those CC balances on a set date every month. I have never in my entire life incurred a credit card debt.

It's unfortunate for those who go into debt due to vacationing, but not everyone makes poor choices like that.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

With that in mind there is little standard criteria that a luxury hotel would traditionally have that a Disney deluxe offers. No concierge services, turn down or room service, among other missing attributes.

I think the closest might be the Grand Cal at Disneyland. They do turn down services (was just there 2 weeks ago).

 

[Minnie1222]

Very true but doesn’t change the reality that my time spent working/ saving thru my life has to be accounted for as well.

Taking DGD and her sister for a two week trip to WDW during the height of the Christmas season and at this point I’ve spent over 15K. I could have spent substantially less in central Europe for the same time frame.

You're taking the kids to Disney because you know they would have a more magical time there than somewhere in the middle of Europe. It's entirely your choice.

 

[walt34]

Taking DGD and her sister for a two week trip to WDW during the height of the Christmas season and at this point I’ve spent over 15K. I could have spent substantially less in central Europe for the same time frame.

You're taking the kids to Disney because you know they would have a more magical time there than somewhere in the middle of Europe. It's entirely your choice.

Well, as I am from 'somewhere in the middle of Europe' I can assure you that you can have quite a magical time in the snowy Alps around Christmas time. I can also tell you that you can easily spend more than 15K. Skiing is not a cheap activity by any means and there are some really nice and expensive hotels in the area.