Price increase show discussion

I always thought Disney Planning was easy once you just read up on it. Barebones is ADRs at 180, FP at 60 and then all your normal vacation planning of figuring out where you want to go each day.

With the 1000s of dollars your're spending on this vacation, if you don't put some forethought in to it, it's your fault for not getting the most out of it.

There is a large segment of the population that prefers a more spontaneous vacation with very little planning involved. I can remember when you could do that at WDW. All restaurants took walk in reservations only, everyone stood in the same line (which moved efficiently), you could change your mind on the fly about where to go and what to do without worrying about a cancellation fee for your meal. My first trip to Europe involved less planning and was booked in a shorter timeframe than the WDW trip I took the same year - and it’s only become worse.

I am not saying people shouldn’t preplan any portion of their WDW trip. However, when that planning feels like an unpaid part time job, it’s a bit much.

I managed to get an AP renewal voucher from AAA at the old rate, so I will be visiting for another year, but these days I find myself stopping to consider whether or not to do so, whereas before it would have been a given. That’s where the danger to Disney lies. The more people who stop to think about it, the more people there will be who decide the answer is no.
 
I don't have a problem with the price increases and have no plans to stop going. I'm semi-retired so money is somewhat limited but I've had to save for vacation before when I was a single mother and working as a secretary so saving for a vacation I want isn't a problem. As far as all the planning, we don't. We are going in 3 weeks (sadly for only 4 nights in the Fort because that was all I could get) and I haven't booked a single FP or ADR. We might book an ADR when we get there but we might not. We might book a FB or two the day of, or we might just wait in line if we want to ride a ride. Prices go up everywhere, level of customer service goes down everywhere. Unfortunately, it's a fact of life now days.
 
Ok, picky point. Things are expensive but I have yet to see a $20 beer at concerts or sporting events or even at Disney! On average it’s around $10 which is still ridiculous.
Not $20, but $13 per beer in Star Wars Land has priced me out of those, which annoys me because my wife and I like trying all the unique beers in the parks. Instead, we go back to Baseline, grab a 22-ouncer for $11 or whatever and head back in.
 
Ok, picky point. Things are expensive but I have yet to see a $20 beer at concerts or sporting events or even at Disney! On average it’s around $10 which is still ridiculous.
I can definitely vouch for the fact that I paid $30 (including tip) for probably the weakest bourbon and Coke I’ve ever had at a Wanda Sykes performance back in March in New York. That said...it was New York.
 


Not $20, but $13 per beer in Star Wars Land has priced me out of those, which annoys me because my wife and I like trying all the unique beers in the parks. Instead, we go back to Baseline, grab a 22-ouncer for $11 or whatever and head back in.
And to be honest, Baseline has better beer anyways.
 
I can definitely vouch for the fact that I paid $30 (including tip) for probably the weakest bourbon and Coke I’ve ever had at a Wanda Sykes performance back in March in New York. That said...it was New York.

Yeah, love being in/near NYC (and I am sure similarly other bid cities) I think numbs you a bit to prices at Disney

Most places a good beer will push $10 ... Heck lucky if can find a happy hour deal on cheap beer for $5
 
There is a large segment of the population that prefers a more spontaneous vacation with very little planning involved. I can remember when you could do that at WDW. All restaurants took walk in reservations only, everyone stood in the same line (which moved efficiently), you could change your mind on the fly about where to go and what to do without worrying about a cancellation fee for your meal. My first trip to Europe involved less planning and was booked in a shorter timeframe than the WDW trip I took the same year - and it’s only become worse.

I am not saying people shouldn’t preplan any portion of their WDW trip. However, when that planning feels like an unpaid part time job, it’s a bit much.


^^ I agree. Nowhere else we have ever gone on vacation requires us to know 6 months ahead of time where we want to be each day or where we want to eat. Following/having a rigid 'schedule' isn't our idea of a vacation. Then there all of those dreadful Disney IT applications to input the data which seem to constantly have 'issues' that requires even more of your time when 'planning' your vacation.
 


Any New Yorker knows you pregame to not get gauged.

actually they were talking about this too with the frequency of folks getting bombed in the parking lots before they head in! which I can't even imagine!

I am literally a life long WDW attendee. My grandmother lived in Winter Park and we visited her at least once and most times twice a year and always hit the parks. Then I went to UCF. Thing is the prices on EVERYTHING have gotten so out of control in comparison to wages. I would regularly fly to/from PVD/MCO for $100ish roundtrip circa 1999. I did not have to get up at the crack of dawn and wait for an airline to release their fares hoping to grab a decent price in the first 30 seconds. My kids have not had the luxury to go as often since the costs are exorbitant. We recently flew to Europe round trip for LESS than what we would have paid to fly to Orlando. We love to travel. And we love entertainment. We are season ticket holders for football and also frequent baseball games. With several concerts thrown in throughout the year. The WDW problem for us is it's supposed to be a FAMILY vacation. So while we will go to the stadium and tailgate pregame, limit to a couple $14 drinks inside and never bother with souvenirs...it's usually just two of us for those expenses. Along those lines no WDW is not over the top expensive. Once we talk about bringing the kids and the room size we need, the airfare and food costs...yikes park tickets...My solution to this is to start looking into DVC so I've been listening to all of those shows as well. We are renting points for the first time for our February trip. My 5 yr old does not care if we say we are going to a concert. If I said bye mommy is going to Disney World without you, well that would be plain mean! I do dream of getting to eat around the world without kids someday.

I love the pre planning. That's why I'm here! I hope they don't take all of that away because the meticulous planning is one thing that gives families like mine an edge up on being able to afford to come. The tips and tricks on discounts, where to go and not, what's worth it and not is all valuable stuff. Get a travel agent if you don't want to do it yourself! It's not like it costs you anything extra!
 
We've opted to not renew our annual passes because of the price increases (since I bought mine in July 2018 there were two increases). I renewed mine, because I'm going without my family a couple times, and I managed to grab a renewal certificate right before the most recent increase. Once that went through, we scrapped the plan of renewing DH & the kids in November and are doing a non-park or special event/party night only 3-day DVC trip before our July cruise. We love the after hours events... but not adding them on to the price of park tickets. So we're scrapping the park tickets and just doing one After Hours or water park day. I'm pretty sure Disney intends the DAH events to be add-ons and more $$ but for us, they're a way to cut back. Even with the DVC Gold AP price, the increase just turned us off - and it didn't help that we were excluded from the AP previews of Star Wars at the same time. We assume our Gold APs aren't "good enough" for Disney now.
 
We did NOT renew this year....out of state family of 6 so the price increase was substantial. I am not sure what out future holds- still love Disney as it is an escape from the daily grind. We work crazy hours and 2 of our kids have special needs which Disney is incredibly accommodating to- I think we will return back to 1 trip a year like we use to do instead of many smaller trips throughout the year. So yes- it did price us out.
 
As long as they keep running discounts for Florida residents, I'll continue going.
Speaking of, I'm new to being an Annual Passholder, and I opted for the Weekday Select pass. I didn't feel $139 down was that bad, and the option to pay the remainder month to month really sold me on it. Granted it has June, July, and part of August as black out dates but to be honest, I live in Florida and I don't even want to go outside in June, July, or August. Considering how busy weekends are as well, I'm totally fine not going on weekends.

The discussion about Disney attendance slumps being an indicator of a potential recession in the future had me concerned though, especially when I read an article later that day about some entertainment cuts in MK. :worried:
 
There is a large segment of the population that prefers a more spontaneous vacation with very little planning involved. I can remember when you could do that at WDW. All restaurants took walk in reservations only, everyone stood in the same line (which moved efficiently), you could change your mind on the fly about where to go and what to do without worrying about a cancellation fee for your meal.
This! Even now, we do not pre-plan our Disney trips. But we are veterans and have been there dozens of times so we know the ins and outs. We're okay if we don't get on FOP or get to eat at BOG. A trip to an amusement park just shouldn't be the ordeal it has become at Disney. No vacation should be. There isn't anywhere else I have ever been where you need to (or even could if you wanted to) reserve dining 6 months in advance. I can count on one hand the number of vacations in my life that we have even planned that far in advance and we travel quite a bit. Even our Disney trips are rarely planned more than 3 months in advance.

I realize it's a totally different sort of trip but in June we spent a week in Dallas. We did a wide variety of tourist attractions - aquarium, observation tower, museums, etc. They were all either booked online a day or two in advance or just bought tickets upon arrival. I don't think we made a single restaurant reservation the whole week, or if we did, it was done on Open Table the day of. Prior to our trip, we did read a bunch of tourism sites and made a list of sites and attractions and restaurants we wanted to check out, but that was the extent of our planning. Everything else was decided when we were there. We didn't need a spreadsheet. We didn't have to plan out every day months in advance. And we didn't have any trouble getting in to anything we wanted to see or do or anywhere we wanted to eat.

That's what most people have in their heads when it comes to vacation planning. Disney World just isn't normal. No sane person would go into it expecting to have to do all of the prep work that has become an integral part of a Disney trip.
 
This! Even now, we do not pre-plan our Disney trips. But we are veterans and have been there dozens of times so we know the ins and outs. We're okay if we don't get on FOP or get to eat at BOG. A trip to an amusement park just shouldn't be the ordeal it has become at Disney. No vacation should be. There isn't anywhere else I have ever been where you need to (or even could if you wanted to) reserve dining 6 months in advance. I can count on one hand the number of vacations in my life that we have even planned that far in advance and we travel quite a bit. Even our Disney trips are rarely planned more than 3 months in advance.

I realize it's a totally different sort of trip but in June we spent a week in Dallas. We did a wide variety of tourist attractions - aquarium, observation tower, museums, etc. They were all either booked online a day or two in advance or just bought tickets upon arrival. I don't think we made a single restaurant reservation the whole week, or if we did, it was done on Open Table the day of. Prior to our trip, we did read a bunch of tourism sites and made a list of sites and attractions and restaurants we wanted to check out, but that was the extent of our planning. Everything else was decided when we were there. We didn't need a spreadsheet. We didn't have to plan out every day months in advance. And we didn't have any trouble getting in to anything we wanted to see or do or anywhere we wanted to eat.

That's what most people have in their heads when it comes to vacation planning. Disney World just isn't normal. No sane person would go into it expecting to have to do all of the prep work that has become an integral part of a Disney trip.

And that prep work is even more of an anomaly among parks too. Even at Disneyland you can still basically just show up and have a decent time. I was stunned at how easy it was to get everything done at Universal during the two days I last visited; visiting Magic Kingdom afterwards was a slap in the face.

I'm a planner. I enjoy the process and getting things together, but increasingly it feels like work...work to know every little detail to (increasingly) MAYBE have a decent experience if there aren't any complications, which between shortened hours, lowered staffing, allowing for WAY too many FP+ reservations, bigger and ruder crowds, AND huge price increases is too much.

While I'm still not averse to giving Disney money in general, they've lost me at WDW until some serious changes are made.
 
Last edited:
I'm a planner. I enjoy the process and getting things together, but increasingly it feels like work...work to know every little detail to (increasingly) MAYBE have a decent experience if there aren't any complications, which between shortened hours, lowered staffing, allowing for WAY too many FP+ reservations, bigger and ruder crowds, AND huge price increases is too much

I think this sums it up really well. Expecting *some* planning I don't think is crazy - 99% of major vacations for most people require some planning. But as you say, when it feels like work just to have a decent time (or at least people have the impression you have to do all this craziness to get in even some of what you want - it is, of course, possible to have a good time with little planning if you have the right expectations) and that work is getting harder to get in all you want and costs go up, etc.

(And I say this as someone who gets super stress out whenever we go anywhere and I don't have a spreadsheet laying out our plans)
 
I don't drink or smoke, there's nowhere to eat out, go to the movies or see shows or plays, not even a Starbucks where I live, I have no mobile phone contract, I pay as I go £10 every couple of months as I don't really need to be in permanent contact with other humans. There are no pockets in a shroud and my daughter will get the house when I kick the bucket, which is more than she deserves. So Disney can have my money in exchange for two weeks of eating and drinking myself silly in between riding attractions, watching shows and parades and shopping.

Going to Disney is not a right, if you can't afford it now then save up, if you balk at the cost don't complain, just don't go. Let me tell you that there is nothing worse than listening to people, generally men, walking around the parks complaining loudly at how expensive it is. Tip to saving money at Disney, don't go.
 
We are also paying the salary increases this same podcast said all cast members should get so you can’t have it both ways.
So few people seem to comprehend this. It's basic math. An employer can't suddenly pay employees more out of thin air. If they want to maintain their profit margin, they need to raise prices and/or cut expenses. They will cut expenses by trimming staff and possibly adding more automation. We're seeing that at Disney with mobile ordering so fewer cashiers are needed. We're seeing it with automated PhotoPass cameras and fewer human photographers. We're seeing it with online check in and the ability to entirely bypass the front desk meaning less staff needed there. And obviously we're seeing it in the form of higher prices.
 
So few people seem to comprehend this. It's basic math. An employer can't suddenly pay employees more out of thin air. If they want to maintain their profit margin, they need to raise prices and/or cut expenses. They will cut expenses by trimming staff and possibly adding more automation. We're seeing that at Disney with mobile ordering so fewer cashiers are needed. We're seeing it with automated PhotoPass cameras and fewer human photographers. We're seeing it with online check in and the ability to entirely bypass the front desk meaning less staff needed there. And obviously we're seeing it in the form of higher prices.

To be honest, the price increases alone aren't the thing bothering me (though this last jump, especially on APs was pretty steep) - is is more the lessening of the project and turning more to "industry standards" . Disney has been expensive fore a while but they provide (or did) a superior product. New iPhones are expensive but it is (supposedly) a superior product. But with the cuts, it makes memory Maker not as good, it seems they are cutting more entertainment (Fantasyland performers and Great moments with the Muppets), they start charging for parking at resorts because it is "industry standard", right now there I only 1 parade total at WDW

Just feels like in the past Dissey was all about setting the standard and now it is cut backs to ensure profits .. that bugs me more than rising prices
 
To be honest, the price increases alone aren't the thing bothering me (though this last jump, especially on APs was pretty steep) - is is more the lessening of the project and turning more to "industry standards" . Disney has been expensive fore a while but they provide (or did) a superior product. New iPhones are expensive but it is (supposedly) a superior product. But with the cuts, it makes memory Maker not as good, it seems they are cutting more entertainment (Fantasyland performers and Great moments with the Muppets), they start charging for parking at resorts because it is "industry standard", right now there I only 1 parade total at WDW

Just feels like in the past Dissey was all about setting the standard and now it is cut backs to ensure profits .. that bugs me more than rising prices
I agree, Phil. Disney used to be the gold standard of customer service and all the best that a theme park and resort could be. It just isn't that anymore. Even if they dropped the price tomorrow, it wouldn't fix that.

I still love it and we will continue to visit so I'm not one of those people complaining about the price but still going. It's more the degradation of the experience that bothers me more than the price.
 
This latest price increase for APs has pushed our buttons too far. We had plans for new APs in April when our next trip is scheduled, along with 2 more unscheduled trips for the year. After the latest price increases we still plan to keep our April trip, but will not purchase APs or go back to Disney anytime soon.
We will, instead, go to other destinations that will cost far less, but we enjoy just as much.

It's actually the combination of price increases, plus cuts in so much of the value received. The past 5 or more years especially have been upsetting to us - adding more and more hard ticketed events that cut park hours, etc. etc. Taking away the fireworks FP area and charging approx. $70 instead for the privilege of being in that area, and giving you a $5 plate of finger desserts for your effort - all this and more.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!






Top