Rumor of future discounts

[soarinup]

Take the discounts away & I for one will permanently end my own internal on/off site debate![/QUOTE]drgnfly30

Amen sister!

 

[stepdisney]

If you cant afford to pay for your meals on vacation-you probably cant afford a vacation!

People who get free dining are paying rack rate for the rooms. It's not that you can't pay for your meals, it is that you were smart enough to weigh the discounts and realize that the COST of food (an everyone has to eat) full price is higher than the cost of the room full price.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

For me, the room rates aren't that bad, we usually stay at Pop, what hits me is the ticket prices. When we had AP's, we would go down 3 to 4 times a year and stay 2 to 4 nights. We of course, got the AP room rate. We are now military and the discounts are pretty decent, but there are other options and if I have to I will look into off-site, although I have never stayed off site, except 1 night and that was a hassle.

I, for one, have been spoiled by having access to discounts, and I don't want to pay full price for anything, especially travel.

 

[Camno's Mama]

We'll still go, but we'll go back to staying offsite. We enjoyed renting a house. We like onsite more, but we have a budget. So, we will hit up the grocery stores and spend a lot of our food money offsite as well. No more mugs, no more dining plan.

It's a different kind of vacation, but no less of a vacation. And, honestly, we can vacation elsewhere. Disney has made their vacations more affordable in the last few years. We wouldn't have spent our money there if they hadn't. So, there are people that will stop coming, no matter how much they love it.

In this economy, people are lucky if they're even going on a vacation at all.

 

[stepdisney]

It's so funny that this came out now. My DSis, who will be making her first trip this year, will not be staying on site. She and her DH are military and still think that it is overpriced. I think because we go so often, we have been so use to overpaying for hotels that we forget that we are overpaying....She keeps saying that she is getting a better deal with the military tickets and a 2BR villa offsite and she is right. We already decided to spend half of our vacation at US/Ioa because they start free dining later this year. Lets face it, Disney is already loosing money. Just 2 days staying somewhere else is costing them around $800 from our family alone (rack rate at YC food and tickets).

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

We ended the on-site/off-site debate within our family years ago...we are willing to pay to stay on-site.

The difference the discount makes for us is the frequency of visits. We have had APs for the last year and are making our 4th trip in 12 months very soon. Other than going on a business trip to Las Vegas with DH, we haven't traveled anywhere other than WDW in the last year or so. Before the heavy discounts, we visited WDW maybe once every 2 or 3 years. So by discounting rooms, WDW has generated some small revenue from my family that it wouldn't have had without discounts. For example, we visited during the 4/3 deal, realized how much we loved it and booked for later in the year with the 40% bounceback. We decided to get APs and have booked rooms with that discount. We don't get the dining plan, so we are buying food on Disney property and occassionally merchandise.

Our APs are due for renewal in September and I'm probably not going to renew in large part due to the lackluster room discounts offered recently. We will probably scale back our visits to WDW without APs and good room discounts to once every 2 years.

So for us discounts= multiple visits. No discounts= staying home more.

 

[jcemom]

I'm glad they are considering getting rid of free dining. They turned the restaurants into junk. I feel rushed. The food is sub-par, and I cant stand when they come by with computers to take surveys of you when you are sitting, eating, waiting and paying. Everyone thinks they are owed something. Its a joke. If you cant afford to pay for your meals on vacation-you probably cant afford a vacation!

I do agree that the food has gone downhill. However, I don't think it's due to free dining. I think it's a cost-cutting effort, and would have happened anyway. If there was never another free DDP offer, I don't think anything would go back to what it used to be. Generic menus are here to stay, IMO.

Regardless, it has nothing to do with what I can and can't "afford" but everything to do with how much I am willing to pay for the vacation.

I might be able to afford $45 for a movie ticket, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to pay that price. KWIM?

 

[Poohbear Family]

This isn't about being able to afford it, it's about not getting ripped off......

The biggest flaw in Disneys thinking is that their current pricing is fair market value.

ITA with these statements.

Do we pay "deluxe" rates for hotels at the beach? Yes, but they are truly deluxe suites with ammenities that place them in a luxury category. Also, you're paying for a beach front hotel with private balcony, with the only added cost being umbrella/cabana/chair rentals and any other entertainment which is a fraction of what you pay for theme park tickets, table service meals, souvenirs, etc.

I am curious with how they're running their statistics. Perhaps they run a report for the fall which shows XX rooms booked at rack rate. Once they offer a discount, a % of those rooms change to take advantage of that discount. They probably see that as a loss when the reality may be that a % of the rooms would cancel if they did not offer a discount. I think their projections are getting messed up with the discounts they are offering which also may be why they have some "pay in full now and no cancels/changes allowed" offers have come out.

For me, these discounts/promotions are really incentives to have our family stay on property and visit the Disney parks each day. Without them, I don't have an incentive to do that. We may go, but would probably stay offsite and visit other parks and attractions as well.

 

[Halloweenqueen]

Until "we" are willing to cut back on trips, Disney will continue to increase their profit margin. They are a business after all.

They are a brand. Like Coke, McDonalds, Jack Daniels, Marboro, etc. Disney is an addiction like anything else and they know it.

I LOVE Diet Coke. I know each time they increase the price I still buy Coke. Maybe I cut back on something else, but I will not buy the store brand. It doesn't compare.

Same goes for Disney. Yes, we can stay offsite. Go to the park less days. Pack our lunches, etc. We still want a Disney vacation.

We all see the quality slipping away. Disney knows this. They will continue to take away until we all refuse to go back. This isn't going to happen anytime soon.

They increased ticket prices again last month. There was hardly a discussion on the boards. We will all pay....we are Disney addicts.

That's why the faithful do not get pins. That is why they are weaning us off discounts. They need those discounts to attract first timers.

Be honest...what would it take for you to not go. I know a few would say free dining or no discount, but I bet many would find a way anyway.

Disney knows this.

 

[nrpofp]

Until "we" are willing to cut back on trips, Disney will continue to increase their profit margin. They are a business after all.

They are a brand. Like Coke, McDonalds, Jack Daniels, Marboro, etc. Disney is an addiction like anything else and they know it.

I LOVE Diet Coke. I know each time they increase the price I still buy Coke. Maybe I cut back on something else, but I will not buy the store brand. It doesn't compare.

Same goes for Disney. Yes, we can stay offsite. Go to the park less days. Pack our lunches, etc. We still want a Disney vacation.

We all see the quality slipping away. Disney knows this. They will continue to take away until we all refuse to go back. This isn't going to happen anytime soon.

They increased ticket prices again last month. There was hardly a discussion on the boards. We will all pay....we are Disney addicts.

That's why the faithful do not get pins. That is why they are weaning us off discounts. They need those discounts to attract first timers.

Be honest...what would it take for you to not go. I know a few would say free dining or no discount, but I bet many would find a way anyway.

Disney knows this.

I love diet coke I used to be addicted to it. I gave it up 2 years ago and I can't believe how much money its saved me. I love going to wdw, but I can break the addiction if its not a good value anymore. I will not pay 500 a night for a standard room at a deluxe resort nor will I stay anywhere less than a deluxe. For me its a easy addiction to break. I could easily get addicted to going to Hawaii or taking cruises. There are a lot of things out there beside disney. Disney has always been an affordable fun family vacation for most people if it stops being that I would not assume people are going to keep going.

 

[klmall]

We haven't been to Disney for almost 4 years and looking at rack rates could cause a stroke. We will not pay rack rates to get 'free dining' since we want to stay at the Poly or CR and know that this is not a good $$$ deal. I expected ticket prices to go up and we still have some leftover days from years back to use so that's a given. We buy almost no souvenirs; mayve a pin or two so I'm hoping they still release discounts for the fall in August. Otherwise, it's off-site for us!

When I saw the 2011 resort room prices online it reminded me of those charts on the back of high-end resort room doors under plastic at places other than Disney; you know the ones you see and never pay! My jaw truly did drop!

 

[Susan595]

This is our first and likely only Disney trip, so while free dining would be just lovely I"m kind of getting used to the idea its not coming out for the fall it sucks but nothing I can do, either way we're going. 88 more days !

 

[Texas Rob]

We were going to Disney as a family long before Disney had discounts. If we don't have a discount; such as, free dining or whatever, we will go back over and over again. I would expect the Disney prices to be higher than the local hotel scene. It is Walt Disney. It is the brand you are paying for. With paying for Walt Disney then I expect the Walt Disney Quality and not Wal-Mart Quality. As long as they don't cheapen their product or service I will always be a frequent visitor of WDW.

 

[dandave]

When I saw the 2011 resort room prices online it reminded me of those charts on the back of high-end resort room doors under plastic at places other than Disney; you know the ones you see and never pay! My jaw truly did drop!

Ding, ding, ding!

Personally, I would feel less than intelligent, if I plunked over those rack rates.

 

[saskdw]

The financial implecations gone beyond renting rooms for Disney in this scenario. When people aren't staying on property they spend less money on property. When we vacation we like to enjoy ourselves to the fullest. You could say we are good for the economy. We spent close to $10,000 in Orlando last December, including accomodations, park tickets, food, cabs, shopping, and entertainment. We spend when we get there. But if you want us to come, you have to offer us a fair deal. We aren't stupid and won't allow ourselves to be ripped off, just because we can afford it.

Disney World has a great thing going. There is so much more than just theme parks without ever leaving Disney property. Like a couple of others mentioned in this thread we like to just emerge ourselves in Disney, it's like leaving the rest of the world behind. No rental car. Just everything Disney. They have done a great job and it is our first choice, just give us a fair price and we will come. However try to gouge us and we will go elsewhere.

We spent most of that $10,000 on Disney property. However if we don't stay there we will spend very little at Disney if we even decide to go to Disney at all.

 

[wdwfan]

We just have to wait and see what Disney does in regards to discounts in 2012. They are a business and they have many, many, many rooms to fill. I don't think enough guest from other countries can even begin to make a dent in that area. Empty rooms equals zero dollars.

 

[chrisw127]

I'm a TA and I would say over 50% of my clients book at the values. Yes, I have some clients who are clearly scraping by to afford their vacation, but most people who stay at the values do so because they're good with money and recognize what a few previous posters have said, that it's a good value for the money. They're waiting for free dining for the same reasons.

You should never assume that the person who wants free dining can't afford to vacation at WDW--you'd be surprised.

 

[KrazyKollector]

I'm not of the "I have to have a discount or I won't go" mentality. I will book at full price, if full price is fair. For us December is the only time that works for a Disney vacation. We will never stay at a value so that pricing is irrelevant. When you factor in the pricing of Mod/Deluxe resorts, the park tickets, and ridiculous food pricing the overall cost is waaaay over market value. So they can wean me off of discounts, but they will have to lower their prices to get my business. This isn't about being able to afford it, it's about not getting ripped off.

Disney if you are reading this its real simple: We are going to Florida for 14 days this December. We love Disney and it is our first choice. Discount or lower your Mod/Deluxe prices buy 40% or have a free dining promo (not CS, real dining) and we will stay there 14 nights and spend 90% of $10,000 or so at your parks, resorts, and restaurants. If you don't we will stay elsewhere and spend most of are time seeing the other attractions such as Universal, Seaworld, Busch Gardens, Space Center, Ripleys, Wonder Works, Legoland, etc....there are lots of other things to do and LOTS of cheaper and in some cases better hotels to stay at. I can get a 30% discount at any of the 3 Universal Hotels and lots of deals at other nearby places.

The biggest flaw in Disneys thinking is that their current pricing is fair market value.

We are going to Disney in December and I am just jaw-dropped at the thought of it costing $1000+/day (with the cost of flight and car factored in). The flight and the car are the cheapest parts of the trip.


I just cannot fathom in my head how Disney can think that their deluxe hotels are worth of $300-$400+/night, with $5-600 rates not uncommon. We want to stay at WL but the cost is astounding!

The visitors from other countries must be a lot richer than the average US citizen or they must be getting great discounts. I always thought we were doing pretty good with a $60K a yr income but I guess not!

Granted, we haven't been in a resort hotel since 2007 but then, with a small discount, the rate was $175/night for a suite with a full kitchen.

I'm REALLY having a hard time getting my head around all this. If I thought I could stand outside access rooms, it would be easier.

 

[ostrom]

Very well said saskdw!

 

[ollyg]

The financial implecations gone beyond renting rooms for Disney in this scenario. When people aren't staying on property they spend less money on property. When we vacation we like to enjoy ourselves to the fullest. You could say we are good for the economy. We spent close to $10,000 in Orlando last December, including accomodations, park tickets, food, cabs, shopping, and entertainment. We spend when we get there. But if you want us to come, you have to offer us a fair deal. We aren't stupid and won't allow ourselves to be ripped off, just because we can afford it.

Disney World has a great thing going. There is so much more than just theme parks without ever leaving Disney property. Like a couple of others mentioned in this thread we like to just emerge ourselves in Disney, it's like leaving the rest of the world behind. No rental car. Just everything Disney. They have done a great job and it is our first choice, just give us a fair price and we will come. However try to gouge us and we will go elsewhere.

We spent most of that $10,000 on Disney property. However if we don't stay there we will spend very little at Disney if we even decide to go to Disney at all.

Very well said!!