Resort Fees, if Disney Charged one, what would you do?

[MommaBerd]

I think the resort fee is TERRIBLE marketing and PR for many of the reasons stated above. Guests pay a premium room rate for the "free perks" of MB, DME, EMH, etc. To add a resort fee that explicitly charges for what were "free" perks is just stupid. Additionally, they will have two separate ways to raise rates - room prices AND resort fees.

We are splurging this upcoming visit and doing a split on-site/off-site trip. In the past we have always stayed off-site for the additional room. Since we drive, have a larger family, and can travel in the "off" seasons, it is very difficult to justify the cost of staying on-site. Would a resort fee influence our decision to stay on-site? Resoundingly yes! We would choose to stay off-site the entire trip.

 

[MillauFr]

I don't understand all the fuss about resort fees. People can add can't they? I just wish they would start charging for parking so those who aren't using the service don't have to pay for it.

 

[Marionnette]

I don't understand all the fuss about resort fees. People can add can't they? I just wish they would start charging for parking so those who aren't using the service don't have to pay for it.

 

[manning]

Staying offsite is an interesting situation. You may get more room (for less money), but then add in your "extras." You only get to make FP+ 30 days out, not 60+. You don't get a magic band unless you pay $13 each. Parking at a park is $20 per day. No EMH which is vital to some people's touring. How much is all of that worth?

To me, not much.

 

[DisneyFansInLINY]

We always stay on property. We could stay at my parent's 5 bedroom 3 bathroom vacation house in Kissimmee for free. But DH hates to drive on vacation. We are also DVC owners but often book cash stays because we never have enough points.

And we continue to go to Disney with all of the increases on tickets, dining and room rates. Although, we are starting to get annoyed. But not enough to stop going just yet.

However, we hate to be nickeled and dimed.

So if Disney adds on a resort fee to cover the already included hotel amentities, then we will sell our points and stay at my parent's vacation home. We would also stop buying annual passes and explore Universal, Sea World and the rest of Orlando.

Now some people might argue that is a ridiculous reaction to $15. But $15 per night adds up, especially when the nightly cost of the hotel is already expensive. Disney has offered these wonderful amenities as included with your stay. If they slap on $15 per night for those same amenities, than where is the justification for the nightly rate? At some point you have to put your foot down and say no way to extra charges. Because if you don't, prepare to be nickeled and dimed on more things to come.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

Staying offsite is an interesting situation. You may get more room (for less money), but then add in your "extras." You only get to make FP+ 30 days out, not 60+. You don't get a magic band unless you pay $13 each. Parking at a park is $20 per day. No EMH which is vital to some people's touring. How much is all of that worth?

FP at 30 days not tragic
MB? I own at least 10 - no problem
Parking - we have APs - free parking - no problem
No EMH - we can survive that

We have never stayed offsite but if they do start charging a resort fee we will probably start - to me this is just another way to double raise prices - up the per night fee and add on a resort fee. Then raise the resort /night prices next year and oops - the resort fee goes up as well....

 

[Hiitsme]

I wish they wouldn't call it a "Resort Fee". That is such an insult to us. Just raise the prices again including that "Resort Fee" and leave the stuff built into the price. We would still be upset but maybe not as angry?

 

[manning]

We always stay on property. We could stay at my parent's 5 bedroom 3 bathroom vacation house in Kissimmee for free. But DH hates to drive on vacation. We are also DVC owners but often book cash stays because we never have enough points.

And we continue to go to Disney with all of the increases on tickets, dining and room rates. Although, we are starting to get annoyed. But not enough to stop going just yet.

However, we hate to be nickeled and dimed.

So if Disney adds on a resort fee to cover the already included hotel amentities, then we will sell our points and stay at my parent's vacation home. We would also stop buying annual passes and explore Universal, Sea World and the rest of Orlando.

Now some people might argue that is a ridiculous reaction to $15. But $15 per night adds up, especially when the nightly cost of the hotel is already expensive. Disney has offered these wonderful amenities as included with your stay. If they slap on $15 per night for those same amenities, than where is the justification for the nightly rate? At some point you have to put your foot down and say no way to extra charges. Because if you don't, prepare to be nickeled and dimed on more things to come.

I like this idea. DVC owner myself. Bought in early when prices were low. My stays are basically using the pool. Don't buy trinket anymore. Walk around Disney Springs is a walk around. I go there for the ice cream and occasional Earl of Sandwich ( which is reasonably priced and good).

I don't spend much there.

 

[Vernie822]

For now, if Disney raised their price $15/night, I may or may not even notice. Hotel prices fluctuate based on season anyways, so I may not notice that the price is $15 more unless someone told me Disney raised their prices.

I'm not really annoyed about Disney raising their prices, I'm annoyed that they're calling it a resort fee. So when there's resort discounts, the $15 fee still applies. I've also read that this wouldn't be accounted for in TA commission. To say they are going to all of a sudden charge a resort fee, for things they've been including in their hotel prices anyways, is ridiculous.

 

[smiths02]

I will be very upset if a resort fee appears on our June vacation...that we already have booked. I hope they wouldn't do that.

We went 2003, 2009, 2011, 2015 and will go twice in 2016 (bought annual passes). With the rate things are going, I only see us going back once or twice over the next 10-15 years. Since we are a family of 5, our kids are getting older (so they could handle more time in the park) and we might start having interest in things other than Disney, renting a vacation home might become more alluring.

 

[cruisingtwins]

I think devoted on-siters are going to on-site no matter what. A few may go to the dark side and stay offsite. For me it just adds up to the price which is already high and for us the value is just not there so I cannot see us doing frequent trips to disney as we used to.

 

[kevgraub]

I certainly hope that all the people who claim they will quit going to Disney World over having to add $15 to the published price for a hotel room follow through with their plans - especially if those people all plan on going at the same time I do.

The extra time it will take me to add $15 to the published room rate to figure out the actual cost of the room each night will be more than offset by the shorter lines at the parks after thousands of people quit going as a protest to having to do math.

 

[cruisingtwins]

I certainly hope that all the people who claim they will quit going to Disney World over having to add $15 to the published price for a hotel room follow through with their plans - especially if those people all plan on going at the same time I do.

The extra time it will take me to add $15 to the published room rate to figure out the actual cost of the room each night will be more than offset by the shorter lines at the parks after thousands of people quit going as a protest to having to do math.

The thing is if people are not booking disney will release discounts so the rooms will be booked either way and you will get stuck paying the 15$ resort fee and standing in long lines.

 

[Marionnette]

I certainly hope that all the people who claim they will quit going to Disney World over having to add $15 to the published price for a hotel room follow through with their plans - especially if those people all plan on going at the same time I do.

The extra time it will take me to add $15 to the published room rate to figure out the actual cost of the room each night will be more than offset by the shorter lines at the parks after thousands of people quit going as a protest to having to do math.

You're missing the point that people are trying to make. It's not the amount. It's the principle. It's a way to circumvent paying TAs their fair commission, collecting hotel taxes for the local communities (resort fees are not taxed) and allowing the guest a full discount on their room rate...rack rates get discounted but the resort fee is fixed.

If you think that this is repugnant to some of us because "math is hard", you don't know Budget Board members very well.

 

[kevgraub]

You're missing the point that people are trying to make. It's not the amount. It's the principle. It's a way to circumvent paying TAs their fair commission, collecting hotel taxes for the local communities (resort fees are not taxed) and allowing the guest a full discount on their room rate...rack rates get discounted but the resort fee is fixed.

I can understand how TAs may be upset. But I seriously doubt that many of the people that are upset about this proposed fee are looking at it from the perspective of cheating TAs out of their commission or how much the local communities collect in bed taxes. I understand that some may take this approach, but I'd bet if you polled 1,000 average Disney fans who are upset about the proposed fee why they are upset, less than 10 would give the reason you have given. Most would be upset because of things like "I already pay a lot to stay onsite so that I get these 'free' perks, and now they want to charge for the free perks" or "I hate how they are nickel and diming me all the time by adding extra fees". They are looking at it from the perspective of what it costs them, not how it affects their TAs commission or the local economy around WDW.

As far as the issue on discounts - Disney is going to get what they want when it comes to the room rates. They can either add $20 to the cost of the room and then when the 25% discount comes out that gets cut to $15, or they can add on a $15 resort fee that does not get discounted. At the end of the day, you are paying $15 more for the room, regardless of how they set it up.

Honestly, I'm not a fan of the resort fee idea either. I think Disney would be smarter to just add $15-$20 to the cost of the rooms if that is what they want to do. But whether they add the cost to the room rate or add it on as a resort fee really makes no difference to me or my plans on going to WDW.

 

[georgina]

I don't understand all the fuss about resort fees. People can add can't they? I just wish they would start charging for parking so those who aren't using the service don't have to pay for it.

Yeah, they should start charging for magical express, so those who don't use it don't have to pay for it!

I have paid resort fees other places, so while disappointed, we would pay it. We don't go that often though.

 

[kymom99]

The one place I have seen resort fees was in Vegas. They advertise really good deals on rooms and then tack on the resort fees. They recoup the resort losses because they make money in their casinos. But Disney doesn't advertise really good deals. So to me this doesn't make a lot of sense. People already have sticker shock when they see the rooms rates alone.
One thing I believe is that people new to Disney don't know any different. As with all the other changes, they aren't going to be put off because they will just be the new generation of visitors who accept this as standard practice.

 

[morgan98]

I think Disney charging a "resort fee" at their properties is sort of laughable. This is something I am used to seeing at very high end convention resorts or the Ritz Carlton. Quite frankly, none of the Disney hotel experiences really come near the experience at the properties where I have seen a resort fee. To me, that is what makes it look like a money grab.

I have stayed at plenty of hotels nicer than Disney properties that do not charge resort fees.

 

[Anthony1971]

We have owned DVC for almost 12 years... so mostly immune to the pricing increases and truthfully inexpensive to stay onsite with factoring the buy in cost form way back then... But that is another story... the more important number here is 12 years ago and been going since long before that... Sorry Disney which I do enjoy but they are leaving a bad taste in my mouth over the past few years period... A LOT has changed so them charging a resort fee to me will be something that will happen and is expected.. agree with it NO... We are starting to move on and will likely be going to universal more because of the thrill rides and the age of children.... I will say Universal is good in it own way but a far cry from Disney simply because of sheer size... not switching for pricing but because I can so I do not need to consider pricing and will still go back to Disney here and there...but will sell my larger DVC contract and keep the small one in the next few years.
I do pay resort fees at places that consider them self resorts now in fact every resort that has some type of decent facilities has a resort fee and some I have paid as high as 10%... like it... NO... pay it yes... one example is Great wolf Lodge want an indoor water park pay the fee... no other way to use the water park...do not see how Disney can justify the same BUT they will find a way.... 25 years ago you could not use the resort monorail unless you showed you were staying at one of the monorail resorts THAT was the time to have a resort fee ..

 

[TheDisneyDoll]

I think they just need to add it in to the room cost per night. It looks less menacing that way and doesn't add to the stick shock when you're ready to book. Plus i'm pretty sure there is already a resort fee included in the cost now, i don't know what the point of adding it separately.
The real problem is that the fee covers things that are "free" at the resort now. They've been doing those activities or providing those amenities for years, of course it's being paid for somewhere but adding on a resort fee and claiming thats what its for is kind of BS.
We know they're just looking for a way to make more money, just raise the price, no fake fee needed.