Vacation elsewhere?

[My2Angels]

We went to the beach last summer for 7 days, and spent MORE than we spent going to Disney the year prior during free dining! Also, at the beach you don't have endless entertainment and activities for the kids, without spending more and more money!

We will keep going to Disney at least until the kids are older. They love it so much, and it makes it worth it to see their happy faces! It is a magical place for them right now, and they are growing up way too fast.................

 

[mickey2000]

Even though I have been to Disney many times and like it !
THERE IS LIFE AFTER DI$NEY !!!
I have gone many other places and enjoyed them all.

 

[LSchrow]

the closest to my opinion would be "No, I LOVE DISNEY no matter what", but that doesn't sum it up accurately.
another choice is needed:
i know WDW is a business & don't find the changes out of line, but simply moves that the vast majority of vacation destinations already use (peak time surcharges, etc).
i do like that there is much flexibility with any WDW vacation (one can opt for value, regular, or peak season; dining can be off-site/onite and/or OOP, with DDE, DDP, DxDP; passes can be base, hoppers, and/or include minor parks, & the amount of days is one's choice; resorts range from off-site, value, moderate, deluxe, or DVC villas, etc). each vacation can be custom tailored, & each can be totally different from the previous ones.....
that said, i still find WDW a "good deal" & find it a great way to actually save money if we just want to get away & relax for a week instead of the many, much more costly options
so my choice would be:
no, i find the changes to be simply adjusting to industry standards, & still consider WDW a decent value

 

[RachaelRol]

I didn't vote but I seriously don't knwo where else to go. DS is 6. Where can we go for 10 days full of fun for about $3000? I don't know....

I refuse to do the Jersey Shore. Its 40 minutes from home and I can't sit on the beach. We enjoy the boardwalk on a Friday night. We'll have dinner and ride the rides for a bit. Fun time certainly not a vacation.

Ocean City Maryland, same thing.....


Thoguht about PR since we have family therem but eh....

We need to have fun!!!! I think when DS is about 10 we can do different things like Eurpope, Hawaii, Grand canyon, etc... Until then Disney it is!

 

[kaytieeldr]

I voted No, I will voice my concern and hope that they react. However, I wanted to clarify how I am voicing my concern.

I am going to voice my concern by taking dollars from Disney and spending them elsewhere.

Okay, now, if everybody who's doing that would call Disney and NOT book a visit there, and tell the Cast Member why you're doing both - changing your vacation plans and telling Disney why - it might have some effect.

 

[Tricia1972]

Okay, now, if everybody who's doing that would call Disney and NOT book a visit there, and tell the Cast Member why you're doing both - changing your vacation plans and telling Disney why - it might have some effect.

I know, and unfortunately I realize that I am but a drop of water in a 50 gallon drum. Hopefully more people will follow suit with me (who feel strongly) and maybe we can make a difference.

 

[eliza61]

I know, and unfortunately I realize that I am but a drop of water in a 50 gallon drum. Hopefully more people will follow suit with me (who feel strongly) and maybe we can make a difference.

I guess the difference to me is that from what I've been researching (and believe me this last month, I've been on line seriously searching other vacations) Disney is no different than any other vacation place. Most restaurants that I know of (and once again, this is mainly on the East coast where I live) where already charging surcharges on Holidays. Here in NJ, NY & Philly if you take your mother out to dinner on mothers day, they rack up the price simply because it's mothers day. Hotels here have always charged more on the weekends than weekday, so disney is actually just now catching up . I do write and complain about the quality issues, Disney has got to get that under control. but from a dollar vs what you get position they are still a good value.

We're looking into a week at the great wolf lodge in Niagra Falls on the Canadian side. So far the rooms are running $279/night mid week.

 

[NMW]

Amen! PS I lived in NJ my whole life and positively hated that they charge for the beaches!!!

I spent a summer while in college as a "beach tag" girl in Stone Harbor NJ-best job ever!

 

[gohogs34]

We enjoy Disney and went for 11 years straight. We just went back after a 5 year break and it was fun for the first 3 days and then as it has been in the past, been there, done that. Disney to me is not much of a RR. If you want the value of your money, get up when the park opens and stay till it closes. Walk and walk and walk till you can't walk anymore. We bought a MH and use it as much as gas prices will allow. We will be back to Disney in about three years when the son gets out of college.

 

[eliza61]

I spent a summer while in college as a "beach tag" girl in Stone Harbor NJ-best job ever!

You are scared for life!

 

[Portugal1000]

My big concern is the rate change within your holiday. Last year I arrived at SSR on 19th Dec for 8 nights (it was the last part of 3 week holiday) We paid $222 a night for the whole period.(1 bed villa) Then added on DP and 1 day base ticket which took the total to $2900 for the 3 of us. We had the 40% code. This year, no code and holiday rate for the whole stay means the cost is over $7000. I loved SSR but no way I can pay $4000 extra for the same holiday as last year. I have still booked my 3 weeks from 6th to 27th but will be staying at Bonnet Creek for a fraction of the cost in a 2 bed villa. I love Disney but theres just no contest.

 

[caroline1851]

I would never plan on going to the same place for vacation every year, i prefer to have different experiences.

 

[srgibbs]

I think Disney is going to be seeing a big decline in #'s over the next year. Most people are really nervous about the economy and seeing huge losses in 401K's, and stock market are probably going to be keeping a lot of people doing smaller vacations. We have gone the past 3 years for a week and then a week beach trip and 1 smaller trip close to home. We will cut out the Disney trip this year and just do the beach and our smaller trip and save the rest.

 

[pixiedustholidays]

In 2007 I was at Walt Disney World 4 times (and I live in Canada....no mean feat....)....in March, May, Sept and December and spent a total of 29 nights at Disney onsite hotels. This year we only have one trip planned (Sept, booked on the bounceback special for free dining) to Disney for just 7 nights, and are doing 2 other non-Disney trips (a Princess cruise and a trip to London, England).

I have to say the changes to the DDP kind of led us to make the non-Disney plans. We love Disney and will do it every year, but we probably won't do EVERY trip Disney like we have in the past. I still think the 2008 DDP is a decent deal, but compared to the past years (we've been about 10 times on DDP since it's inception) it's a big let-down.

So the changes to the DDP are basically leading our family to spend 22 fewer nights at Disney in 2008 compared to 2007.

 

[rstamm]

We are hooked big time with Disney and have no desire to go anywhere else for vacations, we go about 3 times a year.

We are going to change and adapt when they get greedy.

We would usually check in during value season and get that rate for our stay, which is usually 10 nights or more.

Now that we can't check in during the last day of value season before Christmas and get value prices, we won't stay there.

Instead of Disney getting 10-14 nights of hotel money from us we got a 3 bedroom 3 bathroom Townhouse with our own pool at Windsor Hills for $69 a night plus tax.

We will continue renting a townhouse unless we get either free dining or they go back to the way it used to be.

Holiday pricing is just ridiculous and we will cut down on the buffets when it is in effect, maybe one or two at most per trip, we will stick with our favorite TS.

It is a shame they want to get greedy, but there are alternatives to what they are doing.

We get a annual pass and get 3 trips on it, which saves a bunch of money, we would love to renew each year but they make the new AP start when your old one expires instead of your next trip, so we wait and plan 3 trips at a time during a year time frame.

Instead of getting mad and finding a new vacation spot, find new ways around what they are doing to make you mad in the first place.

 

[barndweller]

We are big Disney lovers but live out in Calif. We are older adults who timeshare and take at least one pricey vacation every year. Although we would love to plan a WDW trip every year, the terrible decline in the dining experience there has made us rethink our plans to buy into DVC or to even return to WDW anytime in the near future. It is a shame that Disney has not raised the prices enough to maintain the high standard that used to be the norm for anything Disney. Instead, rates have gone up while the Disney standard of excellence has slipped drastically. At the current rate of decline in value per dollar spent, WDW will in very short order become no better than any standard amusement park.

It has always been the small details that made Disney worth the extra money. Those details such as great, friendly service, outstanding variety of dining choices, clean & well maintained lodging, and park rides that were more than just another roller coaster are disappearing. So we will spend our vacation dollars somewhere else and get our Disney fix on a DCL or here at home, at our charming original Disneyland.

 

[Ilovefozzie]

No, it doesn't change anything for us yet. And we do go elsewhere. Colorado, Chicago, Atlanta, LA, Savannah. But we like Disney, for several reasons, and so far nothing they are doing upsets either the DH or myself.

Fine the cost of DDP has changed as well as what we are offered. Personally, I like it. We aren't appetizer eaters anyway. Waste of stomach room for the most part. LOL The room rates work. I mean come on. Colorado mountain hotels cost MORE for one night than Disney is charging.

For us, Disney isn't about the cost of the DDP or room rates. Disney offers our family something that we can't get anywhere else. Family time. Pure, uninterrupted family time. The way that have created their packages we can board the plane in Omaha and do nothing else until we land back in Omaha. They take care of everything and allow our family to be a family.

Where else can a family go and completely lose the world for a week at a time??

 

[Bride In The Attic]

I spent a summer while in college as a "beach tag" girl in Stone Harbor NJ-best job ever!

That is so funny - I live in Texas now but spent the first 16 Julys of my life in Stone Harbor - I miss it terribly (that used to be our house at 93rd street on the beach). I used to dream about being a "beach tag" girl when I got older because I thought I would get to date all the hot life guards

Sorry - didn't mean to hijack the thread....

 

[OKW Mom]

and you paid $8. to park for the evening.

We do vacation in other places, Hershey PA, Gettysburg, Williamsburg, St. Pete, FL.

We like the safety of WDW and hope things start turning around soon in the downfalls we experienced. As a DVC Member, AP holder and Stockholder my family deserves it.

We are boycotting the DDP this year. I had a difference of opinion about length of stay, all people on Reservation, etc. They did not seem to feel it was important and I did not get any signals from them they understood that I did not want to buy a DDP for my sister in law that stays for 2 nights out of a 7 night stay.

So we vote with our dollars.

 

[pinkerbell]

That is so funny - I live in Texas now but spent the first 16 Julys of my life in Stone Harbor - I miss it terribly (that used to be our house at 93rd street on the beach). I used to dream about being a "beach tag" girl when I got older because I thought I would get to date all the hot life guards

Sorry - didn't mean to hijack the thread....

No Problem.... actually .. I'd like to know..
what is a beach tag girl