A few observations.
As a prior poster pointed out, a low cost vacation used to be going to a relative’s house and jumping from a tire swing into their lake, followed by a cookout of hot dogs and hamburgers. WDW was a place you dreamt about, and if you were lucky enough, your family went once or twice when you were between the ages of 5 and 12. And while you were there, you stayed at the Howard Johnson’s Main Gate, ate crap, got a balloon, and had the time of your life. Now, all of a sudden people raise the roof if they cannot take their annual trip, or better yet, their twice-annual trips. Let’s get some perspective.
A lot of this started when Disney built Value Resorts and made them so big that they now hold more people than the Deluxe Resorts (which used to be the only places to stay). I’m not going to use the term “riff raff”, but the bottom line is that WDW was opened up to a whole bunch of people in income brackets that otherwise couldn’t afford to go. Is this a bad thing? Not in my opinion. But the fact that Disney shut down construction of POP and never completed the project suggests to me that it didn’t think adding more lower priced rooms was a good idea. Toss in the fact that people were getting $129 rooms and free dining, and lo and behold, there was an expectation that WDW was a place that you had to go to every year.
Somewhere along the line, this economic model started to fail Disney. Low priced rooms. Free food. Allowing people to bring in their own food and have picnic meals. Down goes the bottom line. There is now a clear strategic shift to bring WDW back into the upper echelon of entertainment. Prices go up for a reason. Maybe Disney doesn’t want regulars to come back twice a year. These are the people with the most cost saving savvy. They already own the Mickey Ears and t-shirts. It may be painful for you to realize that you are being jilted by your lover, but that is what is happening. Disney would rather have “regulars” come back every three of four years, and fill higher end rooms with people who will spend money, and with people for whom the dollar is weak and a 2 week trip to WDW is an afterthought. If your own economics only allow a trip to WDW every three of four years, you will survive. Generations of Americans did before you. If I had to guess, I’d say that Disney would like nothing more than to plow POP and ASM under and be rid of them. Sorry if that offends you. But it seems that that is the economic model it wants to chase. Others have used the cruise ship analogy. There is Carnival, Disney, Crystal and Seabourn. Disney wants WDW to be Crystal, not Carnival. If that prices you out, Disney has no moral obligation to bring you back into the fold.
That said, Disney has not (yet) plowed under the Values. You can still stay there. Or you can stay off site like the vast majority of people did from 1971-1990. Value (and Moderate) rooms are still within the means of most people who save up for a vacation. And a 6 day pass for around $250? Come on. Get a grip. Price out what 6 days skiing at Vail or Aspen will cost. Yes, Disney wants WDW to be viewed as the “Aspen” of theme parks. Or Deer Valley. High end. Still. WDW is much cheaper. Don’t ski? Price out what a day’s activity (snorkeling, scuba diving, volcano tour, luau, sailing) will cost you in Hawaii. Do 4 or 5 activities in a week and you will spend double what Disney charges for a park pass for a week. Want to take a golf vacation? Add up how much it would cost to play the courses at Grand Cypress right next store to WDW. Play 5 rounds of golf instead of going to 5 days worth of parks and see what you spend.
Yes, I am one of those people who, when the survey comes out, continues to say that WDW is an excellent value and will still say that after the price increase. I’ve been to Hawaii. Been to Aspen. Been to Vail. Golfed at Grand Cypress. And the only place I come back to year after year is WDW. And cost is certainly on of the factors.
