The future of WDW: Only DVC resorts???

[deerh]

By Dean:While there are ways to hit the world on the cheap, it's all relative and Disney will never be a cheap option.

I will disagree with this. Take a "value" resort- $99/nt x 7=693 + tax=750 or so. Add 4 day hoppers say 2 adults, 2 children- at 250/adult, 195/Child=900-$1650 for hotel and entertainment.

NOW- take a place at the beach (we just paid 1100 for panama city beach) for a week, add entertainment-gulf world, amusement park 4 days- ALL RIDES and that is 300 or 400 dollars. (Compare 4 days at Six Flags), NONE of the above is even close to WDW in rides, etc keep this in mind! Now $1400 or $1500 for Panama City Beach entertainment, and you are within 200-300 dollars difference between the two.

NOW-Also take in consideration, the $99/nt is not the cheapest that you can get All Stars, sometimes $69 with the right discount, value season, etc. So, the cost goes down some.

NOW-I did not count food in there, because you eat at nice places at WDW, and also at the beach-Seafood rest, Etc. (We ate at Captain Andersons rest for $80 at Panama City), you can do that at WDW as well.
JMHO.
Deer H

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by deerh
I will disagree with this. Take a "value" resort- $99/nt x 7=693 + tax=750 or so. Add 4 day hoppers say 2 adults, 2 children- at 250/adult, 195/Child=900-$1650 for hotel and entertainment.

NOW- take a place at the beach (we just paid 1100 for panama city beach) for a week, add entertainment-gulf world, amusement park 4 days- ALL RIDES and that is 300 or 400 dollars. (Compare 4 days at Six Flags), NONE of the above is even close to WDW in rides, etc keep this in mind! Now $1400 or $1500 for Panama City Beach entertainment, and you are within 200-300 dollars difference between the two.

NOW-Also take in consideration, the $99/nt is not the cheapest that you can get All Stars, sometimes $69 with the right discount, value season, etc. So, the cost goes down some.

NOW-I did not count food in there, because you eat at nice places at WDW, and also at the beach-Seafood rest, Etc. (We ate at Captain Andersons rest for $80 at Panama City), you can do that at WDW as well.
JMHO.
Deer H

It's all relative. A week as described can be $2500 for a family of four. That's a lot of money and more than many could afford. You could cut the costs by getting an off site timeshare or condo with a full kitchen but you're still looking at well over $1500 the best you can do. You could go to the beach off season, use the kitchen and spend easily $500 for a week and enjoy the trip. I realize that many wouldn't consider this a vacation but to many it's the best they could hope to do. I know many people who's idea of a trip to WDW is 2 or 3 nights in the Holiday Inn or similar and a day at MK.

I guess the main point was that even a cheap trip to WDW was expensive and more than many could afford. Disney has never shown the need to make things truly affordable. I'm not making a political statement that they should or shouldn't, only the realities involved.

 

[InstImpres]

Originally posted by KNWVIKING
When they opened AK, they didn't see a sudden surge of people adding an extra day or two just so they could see AK, they simple skipped a day or two they would have normally spent somewhere else -Epcot or MGM perhaps. A 5th park would just raise the cost of UPH or other media tickets to a rate that might discourage guests from coming at all.

I agree as many people will only take x days in a row but I know many people who now go more often. When you leave feeling you "missed so much" or better "so much I still want to do", it has many people booking the Bounce back or whatever they call it with the cash ressie.

Originally posted by KNWVIKING
[B No,not everyone one can afford DVC, but so far DVC hasn't run out of us that can. Everything they build-sells. SSR will be the real test because this is the first resort they've built since OKW that isn't a prime location-(please, save the location debate for another thread). If it sells well, it may embolden them to try closing a place like PO or AS. [/B]

I agree on the location issue. My concern (which has been raised in other threads) is SSR is different. People bought OKW and that was what it was. There was no promise of other things. You had to be happy with OKW. If people, including current members, by SSR because it is all that is selling now, with the intent of trading at the 7 month window, I think there will be a lot of dissappointment. With SSR prededicted to take approx. 5 year to sell, people may realize by year 2 or 3 that the 7 month window is now really hard. As more of SSR sells, so many more people will be going for that magical 7 month window change. {Maybe I should be a small VWL contract now, so I don't become one of those people }

Maybe MS can get a new 7 month change hotline to leave the member new reservation line free

Just my thoughts
Sandy

 

[TDC Nala]

"WDW is for families - not just the rich...."

And I'm not a family OR rich. I bought DVC anyway. But most people are not like me or the rest of us and like to return to WDW every year (or multiple trips within a year). For most it's a one-time thing or visits are spread out over several years, and DVC wouldn't help with that.

And those of us who go quite often may not be as concerned with the prime near-a-theme-park location as those who are just dropping in every couple of years or so. I could spend time at WDW without setting foot in a theme park.

 

[Lesley]

I think they need the Moderate and Value resorts to some extent....there will always be those "one timers"....people for whom WDW is a once in a lifetime vacation, but may be on a somewhat limited budget so that they're just splurging to stay on site at all. I think those of us who go frequently, or who are avid WDW fans and always have plans to go back, tend to forget that a huge part of WDW's market is "one timers". Yes, some of them will get hooked, but I don't think its anywhere near a large percentage.

Obviously there are too many value rooms on property for the demand right now....or they would have opened PC (at one time the AS resorts were downright hard to book on short notice....doesn't seem to be the case right now). Same goes for the moderates. But I don't know if POFQ is necessarily the moderate resort with the lowest bookings....it is however, the smallest moderate resort. I tend to think it must be quite popular as in the past when trying to book a moderate on short notice it was never an option. (on a side note...I'm rather upset that by the time POFQ opens again we'll be too big a family to stay there! We have been wanting to try it and haven't had the chance!)

I do think DVC is siphoning off many of the repeat guests from all the resorts. Let's face it...many who can afford 2 weeks in a deluxe resort every year are in the financial position they are because they know not only how to spend money, but how to save it. DVC resorts are just as nice, if not nicer, than the average deluxe resort. I'm not really talking about those who can afford a Rose Garden Cottage whenever they wish...or the King Kamehameha Suite at the Polynesian, or any of the deluxe resorts' concierge suites...but those who have been filling the deluxe standard rooms. Personally, if not for DVC we'd be in the moderates most of the time.

DVC is a great program, but I think much of its success at this point is in the fact that a higher percentage than usual of WDW guests right now are the repeat guests....and with the economy the way it is the repeat guests are looking for ways to upgrade their visits while paying less. DVC is a smart move for them (us). When the economy improves they'll be back to having a vast majority of "one timers"....and the hotels will fill again.

Oh, goodness....I feel like I'm on the rumors board! My apologies for the novel....if you bothered to read this far!

 

[deerh]

By Dean:I guess the main point was that even a cheap trip to WDW was expensive

I am still not clear on the word "cheap". Define "cheap". Is it less than $500, $500-1000 or what. That is too vague an answer, as "cheap" is not defined.

Sure, you can do WDW for $500. Stay off site with priceline, go to a timeshare presentation, get 1 free WDW ticket, and buy 2 days. Probably less than $500. Maybe staying less than a week.

I still say there is LITTLE difference between a WDW vacation and other vacations if doing the same thing-i.e. Staying 7 nights in a value resort, getting a P hopper and comparing that to a "comparable hotel" and "comaparable theme park". Maybe 200-300 dollars or less.

MOST people get a tax refund in April, avg is $1800 dollars or more, I don't buy the notion WDW is for the rich or is not cheap.

YES, it is NOT cheap if I stay at GF for 7 nights, get a UPH Plus, so we need to define "cheap".

P.S. MOST people are getting a refund right now (if have kids), so save it for a WDW trip, and we can ALL go!!!
Deer H