What has Disney Become ?

[Geezer12]

I agree dk413. Disney deluxes pale in comparison to the Four Seasons, Waldorf's etc. People are paying for location (convience) to the resorts. I agree with 2pirates2princessess as well that there is a nostalgia to staying on site and having Disney soap etc in the room. I travel extensively for my work and stay in lots of hotels on the upper tier and most are way nicer and exclusive than a Disney deluxe in regards to amenities and service. We are Florida residents and live a little over 2 hours from Disney World. We can in most cases get a Fl Res rate at the Swan and Dolhpin for around $159 a night. The location is great. And I can throw a rock and hit the Yacht Club or Boardwalk and those resorts with a Fl Res rate are almost always upper $300-$400 range per night. And we find the Swan and Dolphin has better service, better (Heavenly) beds and 24 hour food service/restaurant. We have stayed at the Contemporary, Poly and few others and feel the value and experience of the Swan and Dolphin exceeded that of the Disney resorts. But, as they say, there is a market and Price for everything in life. That's why it's great there are so many options for people to chose from. There's something for everyone.

 

[scrapquitler]

It's definitely not an 'inexpensive' trip, but it CAN be done affordably. There are a wide variety of options for lodging, meals and entertainment in the parks, and it can work for a lot of budgets. We stay at Value resorts, but there are less expensive options (offsite, tents at Fort Wilderness) and there are options that are a lot more expensive. You can carry food into the park and eat inexpensively, or you can do all table service meals, you can do nothing that costs extra beyond the park tickets if you choose, or you can do lots of extra $$$ things that will cost you a lot more.

I wouldn't say that they are going for the luxury crowd, but they are definitely offering more options to get a little extra cash from those that are willing to spend it.

 

[Shanti]

Apparently not too many folks have been priced out of a WDW vacation. All we read about on here is how the parks are always crowded and there is no "off" season any longer. Sounds like plenty of people can afford to go.

Interestingly, though, a lot more of those crowds than ever before are foreigners. Yes, I do see Disney becoming a bit too expensive for the lower-middle class (which probably includes more than half of the American population), and I see affluent foreign visitors filling that vacuum. However, as much of this issue is due to shrinking American economic security as it is due to Disney becoming more expensive. There are many relatively low-cost ways to "do Disney" (stay offsite, cook your own meals, camp at Fort Wilderness...), but the fact is that many American families cannot afford to travel cross-country at all.

 

[GPC0321]

Interestingly, though, a lot more of those crowds than ever before are foreigners. Yes, I do see Disney becoming a bit too expensive for the lower-middle class (which probably includes more than half of the American population), and I see affluent foreign visitors filling that vacuum. However, as much of this issue is due to shrinking American economic security as it is due to Disney becoming more expensive. There are many relatively low-cost ways to "do Disney" (stay offsite, cook your own meals, camp at Fort Wilderness...), but the fact is that many American families cannot afford to travel cross-country at all.

Well, the cost of traveling cross-country and the state of the U.S. economy is not something Disney can control. This thread ("What has DISNEY become?") suggests that Disney is responsible for the fact that working class families may not be able to visit as often or in the manner they'd like.
I'm working class, and I haven't been to Disney in 17 years. I can finally afford to go and have the time this spring. I don't blame Disney or the U.S. economy or anything else for that. It's just life. I don't make a lot of money (public school teacher in one of the worst paid states in the country), so I don't get to go on many vacations. I could get a second job or cut out some other expenses in my life if I wanted to visit WDW more frequently, and in a few years when the mortgage is paid off, the car is paid in full, and hopefully my state continues the trend of giving us raises (that we went 10 years without getting), I may be able to go to WDW again and maybe can start going more frequently. Or maybe not. There's no way to know.

I get kind of irritated at people whose big gripe is that they cannot afford to go on an extravagant week (or two-week) vacation to Disney World every year. I'm sorry but boo freaking hoo. If that's your biggest first-world problem, consider yourself blessed beyond measure.

 

[Goofey Drool]

I thought affordable vacations was an article in the bill of rights....

 

[Grand Admiral]

People are paying for location (convience) to the resorts. I agree with 2pirates2princessess as well that there is a nostalgia to staying on site and having Disney soap etc in the room.

These two points are why we stayed at CR last time around. Previously we had stayed at POR during value season.

I had always wanted to stay at CR my whole life, and it made a lot of sense at the time because my son was almost 3. Being able to walk to and from the hotel was wonderfully convenient. It saved us one day when he had a meltdown in the queue for Space Ranger Spin. We just walked back to CR and went swimming.

 

[Shanti]

I'm sorry but boo freaking hoo. If that's your biggest first-world problem, consider yourself blessed beyond measure.

Imagine someone bringing a first-world problem up on a Disney World discussion board. How inappropriate and distasteful.

I think we're all grateful for what we have. The topic of discussion was vacation affordability, and people should be free to discuss that without getting bashed. Vacations are an important part of our lives, btw.