Ticket price increase

[collins316]

I agree with the hotel rooms being the most sky high.
We go once a year, and used to stay at deluxe resorts each visit, WL, AKL.
Now we have firmly settled into the moderates.
If food/tickets kept going up to my next breaking point, I would move to values before changing how I eat at the parks. And I cant give up the ability to park hop.
Since we only go once a year, part of my enjoyment is the meals I have on site. Both sit down and counter service.
When I look at the rate for the deluxe hotels,, even when there is a 30% deal, I cant justify the cost. I am sure I am spending that difference in food/admission anyway, which is a good trade for me.
Bernie

 

[kbelle8995]

I know people want to stay inside the Disney bubble, but there are some good, cheap places to eat within a few miles of Disney.

Tijuana Flats and Sweet Tomatoes - two people can feast for $25

Celebration Town Tavern - you can eat for as little as $10 per person

Five Guys - killer burgers for about $6.00 each

Flippers Pizza - Fresh and good and reasonable

I cant imagine staying at Disney for longer than a night or two and not having access to a car and things off property.

Except for major holidays, car rentals in Orlando are dirt cheap.

I tried Five Guys after hearing about it from you on a show Kevin and loved it and Celebration town tavern as well. I would also suggest going to some of the lounges. I went to Crews Cup got a wonderful turkey sandwich and a beer and managed to stay below $25.00 including tip. No reservation required. Apparently a lot more tourists are seeking out this option. The waitress asked if I was here for a dinner first instead of what I wanted to drink. I ordered the beer because I felt one would be nice.

Still you can find cheaper options and better food quality off property but I had a good experience and good food at the Crews Cup.

 

[jcb]

I know people want to stay inside the Disney bubble, but there are some good, cheap places to eat within a few miles of Disney.

Tijuana Flats and Sweet Tomatoes - two people can feast for $25

Celebration Town Tavern - you can eat for as little as $10 per person

Five Guys - killer burgers for about $6.00 each

Flippers Pizza - Fresh and good and reasonable

I cant imagine staying at Disney for longer than a night or two and not having access to a car and things off property.

Except for major holidays, car rentals in Orlando are dirt cheap.

I just wish Tijuana Flats were on property. But then, the food quality would significantly decrease and two people could feast for a measly $50 (though I should say that the chocolate chip cookie dough flautas would alone be worth $50).

But seriously, I agree with Kevin. I will no longer go without having a car to go off property. But for the Swan/Dolphin, I can't imagine staying for more than a night or two on property ever again. The off property options make staying in a Disney resort unpalatable for us. I've been fortunate enough to go on an ABD trip. I don't mind paying Disney prices for good quality/value. I just cannot justify paying the resort prices. This isn't to slam those who do. It just is no longer worth it to me.

 

[keri125]

I think, and this is purely opinion, that people who frequent these boards or listen to the podcast often times have a skewed sense of what people are willing to pay. I've been to WDW once, in 2010, and was only able to afford it because my cousins are DVC members and my Dad paid for all expenses for me and my son. I became addicted to the boards in researching that trip, but a return trip for me will not happen. I simply cannot afford it. I think there are a LOT of people that would love to go to WDW but cannot afford it, but they are not represented by these boards. I get that obviously people are willing to pay for these tickets if the parks are boasting record numbers, but I don't see it reflected in my life, or my friends/family/co-workers lives. I LOVE Pete, don't get me wrong, but I bristled a bit when he mentioned on his podcast that "we can't get mad at Disney for raising prices if we continue to buy the tickets." (Paraphrasing, obviously.) I remember thinking to myself, so can I get mad at you guys, then, because I'M not purchasing tickets!!
I don't have an answer. I think it's sad that so many people I know and love would love to go to WDW and can't afford it, but I also understand that Disney is a private company and can charge whatever they want. I wonder if there might be a tipping point where WDW is not about the common family anymore, but about the elite who can afford to go. Maybe if they price enough people out, only the rich will be able to go, and the parks will be less crowded. I mean, there are very expensive hotels and tropical get-aways that I cannot afford, but it doesn't mean others can't, and the exclusivity is part of what they pay for. It just seems sad, as Disney seemed to be more inclusive and less about elitism. But I know, I know, they're a private company and can do what they want. (Sorry about the rambling, I'm at work and in a hurry, don't have a lot of time to organize my thoughts!! )

 

[Bellamouse]

I think that people in the lower income brackets can definitely do Disney, just not a monorail resort, etc. For instance, you can priceline a hotel room off property (a nice one) for about $50 a night. Or, two years ago we rented a 3BR/2.5BA townhome at Emerald Island for $490 for the week. We split the cost with another couple we went with, and stayed in a very nice and BIG townhouse for $245 for the whole week. No taxes or extra fees whatsoever. We pricelined a car for $120 and split that with the other couple as well (but still cheap even if we didn't split). We buy 10 day non-expiring passes so each day ticket costs about $33 (we include Waterpark Fun and More as a day since we spend a whole day at the water parks). Those last us three trips (and then some - we always have water park visits left over), and protects us from price increases. We eat breakfast in the room and eat lots of snacks in the parks as well as one TS a day (we really enjoy Disney restaurants overall, so that's part of what a trip to Disney is all about for us, so we save extra to eat on property even though we know we could go off property for a lot cheaper. We definitely don't cook in the room although we could if we really wanted to save $$).

We are far from rich and will likely never be able to afford staying in a monorail resort ($500+ per night???? That's more than our whole week off property costs us. For one night! And we're hardly in the room anyway. I doubt I would ever pay that even if I could afford it. Seems like a HUGE waste - I would rather give the money to charity then spend it like that. Crazy.).

Honestly, what's killing us FAR more than Disney itself are the stupid airline tickets. It's SO difficult to get anything for less than $700 for the two of us. That's a huge chunk. We don't drive because we get very little vacation and it's a two day drive each way. Even if we did drive, with gas and a night in a hotel room each way, it doesn't come out a whole lot cheaper than flying. Maybe a couple hundred bucks. So we suck it up and fly. But that's the piece of the vacation that is really getting out of hand for us.

I have heard they are doing away with the 10 day non expiring tickets though. That would likely put a dent in our budget depending on what the alternatives would be.

 

[WILDERNESS FAN 55]

Anyone ,IMO can afford Disney. It's just a matter of how bad you want it and what priority it takes in your life. In the 80's I made very little money but always found some cash to go to WDW. It was what I looked forward to every year. Started off site then the campground, AllStars then to the moderates. A special week at Poly for anniversary(saved hard for that one) Along the way I(we) gave up a lot of other things because a WDW vacation was worth more than new carpeting in the living room.Also went off season most of those trips.Kids change the season you can visit of course. Now that I'm older an still not rich but better off we own DVC. Two DD's in college means we are at every 2 years right now but I'm still putting some $ aside for the next trip.
Yes I believe evryone can go at some point if that's what they want to do.

 

[Yellosno]

Im lucky that im young and single so I can still afford to go when my family goes. If I had to pay for someone other than myself it would be quite difficult even with my military discount. Luckily I dont have many expenses throughout the year so I can currently afford to do some nice things in the parks (souvenirs, food, etc.). If and when prices go up I will expect there to be bigger and better things coming in the near future. If new and great things come I won't really find much reason to complain, but knowing myself I will complain and keep on coming until there is no way for me not to.

 

[ADP]

I know our family has cut back on how much we spend on property for food. Like Kevin said - Car rentals in Orlando are dirt cheap. I once rented a car for like $68 for a week with promo codes, etc all taxes included. I don't think we'll ever do the Dining Plan again. Sweet Tomatoes is a good option. We do eat a few times on property, but nothing like we used to. However, based on what I see in the Disney restaurants they are still pretty full.

 

[jcb]

I know our family has cut back on how much we spend on property for food. Like Kevin said - Car rentals in Orlando are dirt cheap. I once rented a car for like $68 for a week with promo codes, etc all taxes included. I don't think we'll ever do the Dining Plan again. Sweet Tomatoes is a good option. We do eat a few times on property, but nothing like we used to. However, based on what I see in the Disney restaurants they are still pretty full.

Monday before last (not Memorial Day) the wait for BOG lunch was an hour and a half. It's probably a pyrrhic protest, but I'm nothing if not stubborn.

 

[clomahony]

We're in the same boat where my family has had to change how we do Disney. The first time we went, we stayed at Wilderness Lodge however, now we either stay offsite or rent point from a DVC member. We also eat breakfast in our room, pack lunch and snacks to eat in the parks, and maybe eat at TS only 2-3 times during our trip. It not only saves us money but my kids have numerous allergies and I've noticed alot of the options we used to have are no longer options. The last time we went Beerhaus had a really limited amount of food they could eat and we paid a lot of money - so no more. Finally, we've cut way back on the amount of items we buy in the parks. I only buy a new Disney pen and Christmas ornament each trip and the kids get a few small items. So in the end, Disney really isn't getting more return from my family.

 

[WaltD4Me]

I know people want to stay inside the Disney bubble, but there are some good, cheap places to eat within a few miles of Disney.

Tijuana Flats and Sweet Tomatoes - two people can feast for $25

Celebration Town Tavern - you can eat for as little as $10 per person

Five Guys - killer burgers for about $6.00 each

Flippers Pizza - Fresh and good and reasonable

I cant imagine staying at Disney for longer than a night or two and not having access to a car and things off property.

Except for major holidays, car rentals in Orlando are dirt cheap.

I'm much less enamored with the Disney bubble than I used to be. Yes, I love staying on property, but I stayed off property when I went with my brother's family a couple years ago and it was pretty awesome. They got a HUGE two bedroom suite at a very nice resort for about the price of a Disney moderate. We had fantastic dinners off property every night and I didn't miss eating at Disney at all. I would do that again in a minute. The only thing for me is that I hate driving. Especially in an unfamiliar/confusing place. I have no sense of direction and could get lost in a paper bag, so that is the big thing that keeps me from doing an off property trip on my own or even on property with a car rental. I'm afraid I'll get lost and wind up in Tampa. Or worse.....at Universal!

 

[skier_pete]

Ticket price increase effective tomorrow!

 

[iluvjus]

does this mean if I were to add days to my October stay it would be at the new prices after today?

 

[disneyholic family]

coming from so far away and never knowing if this will be our last visit, we tend to spend almost 100% of our time in the disney bubble - that's why we visit after all..

 

[Quicklabs]

That's really how we save the most money. I have a list prepared, with menus planned well in advance. We get a rental car for a day, make a run to Publix, pick up everything we need and we're set for a week. We eat breakfast and dinner in the room, and pack a lunch for the parks. Easy, tasty and cheap!

 

[*NikkiBell*]

Anyone hear about DVC APs?

 

[wendydarling826]

I called MS today and bought our AP's for August. Price for DVC for a regular AP is going from $425. to $464.

 

[Quicklabs]

It would be so much easier to take if the increases weren't so large each year.

I called MS today and bought our AP's for August. Price for DVC for a regular AP is going from $425. to $464.

 

[*NikkiBell*]

I called MS today and bought our AP's for August. Price for DVC for a regular AP is going from $425. to $464.

I read on the DVC forum it was $410 to renew today and only a $12 difference. You bought one for this price right?

 

[WaltD4Me]

I just read the price for a one day MK ticket is more than the rest of the parks.
$95 for MK...$90 for the other three. Interesting.