Was there a huge price increase since I was at WDW last year??

[Goin'BacktoDisney]

My family has visited WDW every November for the past 6 years. We go the same week every year. We normally stay in moderate resorts but last year decided to give a deluxe a try. We stayed at Beach Club and absolutely loved it. Every summer I start to make our plans and price out packages and I'm really surprised at how much more the packages are this year compared to what we paid last year! The package I'm pricing at BC is over $600 higher than we paid last year...for the same exact package. Everything is identical...same week, and I'm looking at the same dining package, I'm booking the same park pass packages, and my airfare is almost identical as last year. Even AKL or WL are pricing out over $500 higher than last year.
I have been out of the Disney loop since we returned from our trip last fall and today is the first I've been checking into disboards and pricing plans again. Every year we may pay a bit more than the year before I've never seen such a jump like this! Did they recently hike room rates or park admission? I'm suffering from a bit of sticker shock! What happened??

 

[lockedoutlogic]

the raise both room rates and park tickets at least one time per calendar year - on average...

so your trip will go up every year - more or less


what may be throwing you off - however - is that perhaps you were receiving some kind of promotion, perhaps without even your knowledge, that resulted in the lower cost before.

disney HEAVILY discounted over the last four years or so...probably moreso than any point in their history...to combat the phony real estate crash.

but i've notice a dramatic scaling back of all those promos this year.

and for them...it makes sense: attendance is up, bookings are up, profits are up, demand is good.

maybe thats your answer...did you use a travel agent to book and did you book a package plan or do it via components individually?

those things could also have affected what you got in the past

 

[Goin'BacktoDisney]

I always book my package directly through Disney. For the past 5 years free dining has been offered for my trip, so everything else (room, park passes, etc) have been rack rate. Same is true this year...I have free dining available for my dates again, so the rest of the trip is rack rate. So factoring in free dining both years, nearly identical airfare, same park pass package and same room category...last year my package was $4200, this year it's over $4800, again, those prices factor in free dining both years, so the difference isn't that they've taken away any promotions. I expect to pay a little more year to year, we always do but this is definitely the biggest increase I've seen in one year's time since I've been going to Disney. I did price out other resorts as well. WL or AKL (standard rooms) will cost me about $250 more than BC cost me last year. Anyone else noticing that their trip is costing substantially more than in previous years?

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Historical average rack room rate increase has always been 5-8%. But I don't follow it closely since I bought the dVC...so I can't speak to that in this years case.

But the annual passes
We're basically jacked up 10-12% last month...which is exhorbinant.
I don't know if they increased themiltiday tickets...buy I
Would check there.

If you took a 10% hike on room rate at a deluxe an a 10% hike on tickets...that's pretty much your 600 there.

Check your airline res again too...I know that airfare prices in my neck are substantially higher across the board this year...make sure they are putting the taxes on the tab "under the radar" or have increased their bag/ seat fees.

 

[jojomoore]

Im with you. We visited WDW in November 2009 and 2010 and the total vacation price to visit WDW has increased for me doing same activities, same tickets, and assuming i can get free dining by several 100 dollars. So we are planning on staying in an AOA - LM room or a Royal Room at POR this year because the deluxe resorts are now priced out of my budget unless i rent points. its hard to commit to that since i would have to rent 11 months out. If you do go the same time every year that could be an option for you next year. dvcrequest.com rents dvc rooms.

Tickets have gone up, room rates have increased, dining has increased, christmas party tickets have increased and all of these increases really add up if one likes to visit for a week or more and my family does be cause the drive is not worth it to stay only a few days.

One thing that i noticed is back in 2009 we could add a day to our tickets for the four of us for around 12.00 to 15 dollars a day now, it is $42.00. So, for my next trip I will make sure that i only buy the amount of days that i know i will be visiting parks. I will not purchase tickets for resort days or offsite days, will not plan to visit parks on arrival day or eat in a park when i am not visiting it that day, or buy park hopper or buy water park and more ticket option. This will save some money off the total price of our trip.

 

[DisneyNDecember]

I always book my package directly through Disney. For the past 5 years free dining has been offered for my trip, so everything else (room, park passes, etc) have been rack rate. Same is true this year...I have free dining available for my dates again, so the rest of the trip is rack rate. So factoring in free dining both years, nearly identical airfare, same park pass package and same room category...last year my package was $4200, this year it's over $4800, again, those prices factor in free dining both years, so the difference isn't that they've taken away any promotions. I expect to pay a little more year to year, we always do but this is definitely the biggest increase I've seen in one year's time since I've been going to Disney. I did price out other resorts as well. WL or AKL (standard rooms) will cost me about $250 more than BC cost me last year. Anyone else noticing that their trip is costing substantially more than in previous years?

Yes, I have noticed it as well.
But I have also noticed it at the grocery store, the gas pump, my electricity bill, everything is going up except the paycheck.

 

[sndral]

If you have children, did one of them reach a more expensive 'Disney age' and start paying higher prices for tickets? Are you sure you don't have an extra added to the tickets (eg water parks, for ex.?)

 

[Goin'BacktoDisney]

If you have children, did one of them reach a more expensive 'Disney age' and start paying higher prices for tickets? Are you sure you don't have an extra added to the tickets (eg water parks, for ex.?)[/QUOTE

We still have a couple years with both of my kids getting to pay as "kids". My kiddos are 8 and 5 so they're both paying same fare as last year and our tickets are always standard with no water park or park hoppers.

Sadly, after all these years of being happy, satisfied moderate resort go-ers, we spoiled ourselves with deluxe just once and now we can't afford it again! I almost wish we had never tried Beach Club so we wouldn't know what we're missing!

 

[DebbieB]

$600 sounds like alot. Nov 1 to 18 and 23 to 30 is fall season for Beach Club. Thanksgiving season is Nov 19 to 22 and is quite a bit higher. Not sure what it was last year. Are you sure you are pricing the same view?

 

[sndral]

[/QUOTE

We still have a couple years with both of my kids getting to pay as "kids". My kiddos are 8 and 5 so they're both paying same fare as last year and our tickets are always standard with no water park or park hoppers.

Sadly, after all these years of being happy, satisfied moderate resort go-ers, we spoiled ourselves with deluxe just once and now we can't afford it again! I almost wish we had never tried Beach Club so we wouldn't know what we're missing! [/QUOTE]

Oh well, they just seemed the most obvious causes of sticker shock to me - it's so easy to miss something when you're clicking through all those boxes on the WDW site booking (like insurance added if you don't want it @ the end, or thinking you've added dinning and instead added deluxe dinning, for ex..) I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time @ whichever resort you chose and the kids will love where ever they stay.
I'm so w/ you on YC/BC - sooo convenient if you are an Epcot lover, as I am.

 

[Have3Kids&aHusband]

I understand where you are coming from. Last year while planning our trip I priced it out online. Then I decided to use AAA to finalize our plans. When the travel agent gave me the quote, I was like Wow! AAA has a really good discount. Then I said to book it, the travel agent said I would need to pay in full since the vacation was two weeks away. She had used that year's pricing and when she redid it for 2012 w/the same AAA discount, our trip went up $600. I was surprise it had gone up so much in a year too.

 

[drquest]

Sorry for bumping an older thread, but we stay at Deluxe resorts every year, and I'm looking directly at an $800 increase over last year with the resort and time of year and number of kids being exactly the same.

We usually have a 20% discount or free dining, but I'm seeing no discounts so far that apply. I took free dining last year and picked no dining option this year and it's still $800 higher.

 

[minnie mum]

Sorry for bumping an older thread, but we stay at Deluxe resorts every year, and I'm looking directly at an $800 increase over last year with the resort and time of year and number of kids being exactly the same.

We usually have a 20% discount or free dining, but I'm seeing no discounts so far that apply. I took free dining last year and picked no dining option this year and it's still $800 higher.

It's too early for the late fall/early winter discounts. You'll just have to wait for them to come out. If they are going to offer them at all. I know you checked the same dates, but sometimes the Disney 'seasons' vary by a few days from year to year. Did you check to see that you were still booking in the same season?