Ridiculous pricing

[skyyhiflygirl]

Okay so I haven't taken a Disney trip in a very long time as I lived near there for 6 years. Now I am planning my first trip back to the World and love staying at BWI. When I looked up the "standard" non-discounted pricing for BWI I almost fainted. Its over 500 dollars. That is half my monthly mortgage. The sad thing is I can afford this but would NEVER consider paying this much. Is this really what the average Joe is paying these days? I live in Las Vegas and can get a room (not the locals rate but the book online rate) at the Venetian for 205 a night. If I want breakfast included the rate is 229 a night. This is without discounts or specials. Just the rack rate. It is a much more luxurious resort hotel. Tell me that Disney has not fallen that far off the planet.

 

[Garyjames220]

Supply and demand

 

[gwynne]

Okay so I haven't taken a Disney trip in a very long time as I lived near there for 6 years. Now I am planning my first trip back to the World and love staying at BWI. When I looked up the "standard" non-discounted pricing for BWI I almost fainted. Its over 500 dollars. That is half my monthly mortgage. The sad thing is I can afford this but would NEVER consider paying this much. Is this really what the average Joe is paying these days? I live in Las Vegas and can get a room (not the locals rate but the book online rate) at the Venetian for 205 a night. If I want breakfast included the rate is 229 a night. This is without discounts or specials.

It sounds like you are familiar with ways to look for discounts and deals in Vegas. In the same way, lots of people who go to WDW look for discounts or offers at Disney resorts. These boards can be helpful in keeping an eye out for offers.
Just my opinion, I think it's kind of hard to do a simple comparison of Vegas and WDW hotels. They are very different products.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

At BW, you are paying for location. And people do pay it, as places like BWI don't end up with a lot of open rooms for discounts.

You may want to consider staying off-site if the costs are alarming you. Swan and Dolphin are near the Boardwalk and much less expensive most seasons.

 

[ellie05]

Most people here don't pay rack rate in this boards. Vegas in not comparable to Dinsey at all. Pricing has been discuss in this board extensively. Casino hotels are completely different in every way includidnt revenue wise. If you like to go out in town you can find much cheaper hotels. You pay a premium for location.

 

[buzznina]

Yes the prices are ridiculous, but it's all about supply and demand and they are not having any issues filling their rooms. Usually running at the high 80% to low 90% room occupancy rate, which is much higher then the hotels in Vegas. With that said, I have never and will never pay their rack rate prices. I am not stupid with my money. You can almost always find some sort of discount on room prices. But, I will say WDW has also lowered their discounts as well as the number of rooms available for the discounts.

 

[skyyhiflygirl]

As I said in my initial post, I don't have a problem paying the price to stay at BWI and my numbers for the Venetian are rack rate that the average Joe can purchase on line or through a travel web. My problem is that the last time I looked up BWI rack prices they were just shy of 300 bucks. It is absolutely ridiculous that they have gone up that much. The consumer that doesn't know about AP discounts and packages will pay this much because they want to bring their kids to WDW. This is gouging at its finest. And no, I am not a troll. I am an ap holder and lover of all things that Walt created. I just think that Disney has lost its way. Oh and for auroraborealis, I have stayed many times at BWI. I understand the location and how awesome it is. The Venetian is at the heart of the Vegas strip. I don't question the ability to get that kind of money for a room, I question the sanity of asking for it. So now only 6 figure income peeps and those with a great cash and credit base can afford it. But the problem for me is it is truly not a luxury experience. Its a hotel. Nice, yes. But average at best.

 

[skyyhiflygirl]

Oh and I recently stayed at a Doubletree Suites in SLC and was treated like a queen. It was 99 a night (with a discount of course - but still). Service and room were in much better condition than my last stay at BWI, though I do understand that they have gone through a referb.

 

[gwynne]

As I said in my initial post, I don't have a problem paying the price to stay at BWI and my numbers for the Venetian are rack rate that the average Joe can purchase on line or through a travel web. My problem is that the last time I looked up BWI rack prices they were just shy of 300 bucks. It is absolutely ridiculous that they have gone up that much. The consumer that doesn't know about AP discounts and packages will pay this much because they want to bring their kids to WDW. This is gouging at its finest. And no, I am not a troll. I am an ap holder and lover of all things that Walt created. I just think that Disney has lost its way. Oh and for auroraborealis, I have stayed many times at BWI. I understand the location and how awesome it is. The Venetian is at the heart of the Vegas strip. I don't question the ability to get that kind of money for a room, I question the sanity of asking for it. So now only 6 figure income peeps and those with a great cash and credit base can afford it. But the problem for me is it is truly not a luxury experience. Its a hotel. Nice, yes. But average at best.

It sounds like you find your best travel value in Vegas. No problem with that, it's an individual preference.
FWIW, I'm not an AP holder and I find discounts pretty much each time I go to WDW. I am willing to change resorts, if necessary, to find a deal. Disney advertises their offers in magazines, on TV, and right on their website. They aren't some close kept secret.

 

[alliecat523]

The cost of Disney hotels is something that is discussed on these boards quite a bit. Yes, some people do pay rack rate. It is supply and demand. Disney charges these prices and people pay them. Why would they lower them? There are plenty of options for varying budgets so folks can certainly stay onsite for significantly less than $500.

 

[JaimeK]

Yes I agree it's crazy-priced. But people are paying it. There are some discounts around but when I priced it out with spring discounts and my pin code, it was still $472/night (with taxes). So I didn't book it.

Vegas pricing is so different from any other kind of hotel pricing it's not fair to compare them with ANYTHING else. It's an entirely different market with a different focus. Maybe compare it to Manhattan. Mainly you're paying for location.

 

[BigAlsGal]

That's why we stay at the moderates. They are about half that and you get really nice accommodations.

 

[piccolopat]

We really like the Swan. Prices are considerably lower than the BW, BC and YC while getting most (but not all) of the same benefits as the onsite hotels and they offer discounts such as AAA. We stayed in an alcove suite there in December for under $300 and regular rooms were much less than that. We loved the oversized walk in shower and the separate sectional seating area in the room, too.

 

[skyyhiflygirl]

To piccolopat, I agree. I will probably go with the Swan/Dolphin. . .much less and a great discount for me as I am a nurse. As for those who say "just pay it". This is the problem. I am sorry I live in Las Vegas. I traveled 6 times a year to WDW when I was here before moving to Florida. NEVER in my life did I see these prices. So you say to me "well its about location for BWI". I agree but its 475 a night at Animal Kingdom. What say you now?. . . No location there. Its as far out as you can get on Disney property.

 

[AngiTN]

Sort of like how no ones pays sticker price on a car, no ones pays rack rate at Disney. Well, I'm sure someone does but not often. And if they do it's frequently because they got free dining instead.
Yes, Disney resort prices are higher than just about anywhere else. There are intangibles that you pay for. Only you know if those intangibles are worth it for you. They are for us. We won't go without that on site element of our trip. It's part of the vacation, to us as much a part as the parks are.

And it's really hard to compare Disney rates to Vegas rates. I believe Vegas hotels make their money on things other than the room rate.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

What say you now?. . . No location there. Its as far out as you can get on Disney property.

You aren't understanding location, as far as AKL is concerned. At AKL, your location is that you are basically IN a park. You are surrounded by savannah, populated by giraffes, antelope, zebra and other animals. The hotel is itself the attraction.

 

[PSUGuy]

Consider renting DVC points. At $12 a point an 8 day stay in a standard view studio would be $153 per night, you may get points for less than that, the only downside is that you'll probably have to book 11 months out as those units go fast. The person we're renting from was online the morning our dates opened and all the standards were gone, we ended up getting a garden view.

Bill From PA

 

[tinkerbella16]

Unless I get a REALLY good discount, I would never pay the rack rates for a deluxe resort. We love the moderates for the price and everything they offer. We did however, get an amazing deal for the Beach Club for this September. This is a resort we could never afford at rack rate, actually we couldn't afford any of the deluxe resorts at rack rate - prices are crazy! With the deal we got, we are paying about half the price that we would without any discount, so we could not pass it up. There are a lot of good deals out there for different times of the year, whether it is Disney or an agency that comes out with the offers.. but they are out there. People do pay these prices though, but that is why they are as high as they are. The Swan/Dolphin would probably be a great idea as some have mentioned.

 

[sunsetbeachgal]

Staying on property is expensive. We book during the Disney sales and then book the reservation through Orbitz which often offers a discount in the range of 15% additional off the sale price. The only issue with Orbitz is that meal plans can not be added, it is a room only rate. We buy our park tickets through a reputable WDW ticket seller. We stay at moderate or value resorts.

Staying at an off property hotel or resort can yield a better price but you must decide if you are willing to give up the on-property resort benefits. We take advantage of the buses, early magic hours, and love being on property.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

I agree! It's totally insane. Being a deluxe resort person myself I'm starting to see $500 as a bargain! Most of the monorail resorts even WITH an AP discount are still $600+. Rack rates of $800, $900, and rising every year. If we could quit going to Disney we'd be millionaires.