Why is DL more expensive the WDW

[drakethib]

We are DVC members who go to WDW quite a bit.

This year we decided we would go to DL just for a change.

Pricing for a 4 night trip the cheapest we could find without Airfare is $1,100.00 at PP.


They seems awful steep and it seems that I can get more bang for the buck at WDW.

Am I off base here?

Thanks

 

[honeymom]

Some people will argue that DL is cheaper, but I agree with you - at least when it comes to staying onsite. I think it is a simple matter of supply and demand. There is a smaller supply of onsite hotel rooms at DL and demand is high, therefore prices can be high. But, a lot of people save money by staying offsite. There really is much less benefit to staying onsite at DL because there are so many hotels within walking distance, or a quick shuttle ride away.

 

[JRDisneyClan]

Onsite accomodations at DL than WDW is not much difference in cost, but also not as necessary. It's also not as economical to use DVC points for DLR accomodations than DVC resorts. There are a number of Good Neighbor Hotels around DL that should bring the cost of staying down significantly.

What's in your cost total?

 

[EnnEss]

DL is far more expensive for on site accomadations. Nearly double. The reason is they just don't have enough hotels to meet demands and there is nowhere to build new ones. In WDW they have ample room and space.

In your case PP is far more costly than the WL in WDW, yet the PP doesn't come close to WDW's WL in quality, experience or immersion. Go figure. Because of the gap in quality and the lesser distances involved in California, it would be more acceptable for many to stay off site there than it would be in Orlando.

 

[drakethib]

DL is far more expensive for on site accomadations. Nearly double. The reason is they just don't have enough hotels to meet demands and there is nowhere to build new ones. In WDW they have ample room and space.

In your case PP is far more costly than the WL in WDW, yet the PP doesn't come close to WDW's WL in quality, experience or immersion. Go figure. Because of the gap in quality and the lesser distances involved in California, it would be more acceptable for many to stay off site there than it would be in Orlando.

It just seems a shame. More people may visit if the price were close I think. I have stayed at PP once before and the people were great, but as you said, it is definalty not the quality of a WDW resort IMHO, but again it was a nice place to stay. At $225 per night for PP, it just doesn't make sense.

I am one of those people who feel (right or wrong) that a Disney trip is not complete unless you stay at a Disney resort. JMHO. Hopefully a DVC resort will pop up in the near future.

I for one will probably just go elsewhere. Just kind of sad that the pricing couldn't be close enough to justify a trip there.

 

[azgal81]

DL only has three disney resort hotels. Most people when they visit DL stay offsite at one of the good neighborhood hotels which are priced about the same as the DW values and most of them are within walking distance and right across from the entrance of the parks.

I don't think DL is more expensive for me it's cheaper because of the airfare and the fact that you only need to get a 3/4 day park hoppers to see everything. We don't stay onsite at DL though.

 

[hlbtimes2]

It just seems a shame. More people may visit if the price were close I think. :

The are NOT hurting for visitors. The 3 resort hotels stay full most of the year. Sometimes in January you can get in for a great rate, but most of the year they are sold out or close to it.

 

[drakethib]

The are NOT hurting for visitors. The 3 resort hotels stay full most of the year. Sometimes in January you can get in for a great rate, but most of the year they are sold out or close to it.

yeah, you make sense.

I guess I just had sticker shock at the price and I just feel WDW has so much more to offer for the $$$$. JMHO again though. Will keep shopping.

 

[JRDisneyClan]

It just seems a shame. More people may visit if the price were close I think. I have stayed at PP once before and the people were great, but as you said, it is definalty not the quality of a WDW resort IMHO, but again it was a nice place to stay. At $225 per night for PP, it just doesn't make sense.

I am one of those people who feel (right or wrong) that a Disney trip is not complete unless you stay at a Disney resort. JMHO. Hopefully a DVC resort will pop up in the near future.

I for one will probably just go elsewhere. Just kind of sad that the pricing couldn't be close enough to justify a trip there.

Now you have some idea of what Walt must've been feeling when he went looking for someplace he could find enough land to continue the vision he had. The tight quarters, the neon jungle, etc...

As for $225/night at PP, it makes perfect sense. No matter how you slice it even though DL is a Disney property, DL is still in a major metropolitan area & while it may not be New York, Chicago, San Francisco or L.A., space is still at a premium, so the cost for lesser accomodations (even compared to other Disney properties) is just as much as better accomodations in an area with more space available based simply on supply & demand. There's no apparent need for more people to visit DL based on the demand in place, on-site or off-site. IMO, you could still experience the Disney magic at DL, which has a lot to offer that MK & WDW can't offer.

DLR just isn't the WDW resort area. It never has been & never will be. Even if a DVC resort is built at DLR, it may be of the quality we're used to, but may still not have the feel of any of the existing DVC resorts. It could be urban style living just to provide the number of accomodations that would be desirable, but there just isn't the space that there is in LBV.

 

[PrincessSitka]

And each year the prices go up

 

[Vanvmom]

I've stayed at Good Neighbor hotels that I preferred to the Paradise Pier.

WDW seems to cater to the DVC members much more so than they do to the non DVC park visitor. For a non DVC member (family of 5), a trip to DL is cheaper (not counting airfare) than a WDW vacation (tickets are cheaper, and hotel is cheaper if you stay at a Good Neighbor hotel). I found it hard to find a non DVC hotel at WDW that allowed 5 per room that was moderate in price (even the 40% off teacher rate that Swan & Dolphin offered was more expensive than the place we stay at DL. DVC members have more transportation options, and more "non-character" dining options than the non DVC members do. Or at the very least, WDW is very limited in what they offer for families larger than 4 people (outside of the DVC resorts).

As far as quality, there really are no DL resort hotels that can compete with the WDW moderate/superior hotels. Grand Californian would be the only comparison as it is similar to the Grand Floridian. WDW is designed to have a very "exclusive" feel to it - everything you could need it provided on the property, so you would never have leave the property during your stay. DL offers less incentives to stay on property (many of the good neighbor hotels are even closer to the front gates of the parks than the resort hotels are, plus many offer free breakfasts). For visits to WDW, I would not even consider staying off property, but there is very little incentive for me to stay on property when visiting DL.

 

[honeymom]

The are NOT hurting for visitors. The 3 resort hotels stay full most of the year. Sometimes in January you can get in for a great rate, but most of the year they are sold out or close to it.

The biggest problem with DL is that it overcrowds too easily. Maybe the GCH should be $1000/nite for a standard room.

I can't believe what we are about to pay for a GCH stay. But, I had a lot of Disney Visa rewards dollars that helped. We didn't like the DLH, but liked the location/looks of GCH so we are biting the bullet and splurging.

 

[Vanvmom]

I talked to someone who stayed at the GCH during the 50th anniversary (on July 15-17) and her stay was close to $3000 (hotel room only- they were AP holders). I've got to think she had a suite, but mama mia that's steep!

 

[JRDisneyClan]

WDW seems to cater to the DVC members much more so than they do to the non DVC park visitor.

WDW was in existence for 20 years before the 1st DVC resort opened & it would seem very short-sighted to say that Disney caters more to its 100,000 or so DVC members than the several million visitors it receives from around the world each year.

For a non DVC member (family of 5), a trip to DL is cheaper (not counting airfare) than a WDW vacation (tickets are cheaper, and hotel is cheaper if you stay at a Good Neighbor hotel).

Not true if you factor in the cost of ownership, both initial & annual cost. True, deluxe accomodations are incredibly reasonable at DVC prices, but it's not for everyone & DVC rentals for non members are available in another location on this board. Tickets to DL are cheaper because there are only 2 parks at DL, not 4, although extended day tickets are cheaper at WDW, thus lowering your daily park cost. There are significantly cheaper hotels surrounding the WDW area than DL (as low as $39-59 if you look at some hotels of comparable quality to some of the Good Neighbor Hotels).

I found it hard to find a non DVC hotel at WDW that allowed 5 per room that was moderate in price (even the 40% off teacher rate that Swan & Dolphin offered was more expensive than the place we stay at DL.

WDW Swan & Dolphin are NOT Disney resorts. They are within WDW, but are part of Starwood Hotels (Sheraton, Westin, etc.) & 5-star accomodations, not exactly Good Neighbor Hotel quality. The recent MLB General Managers' meetings were recently held there. I can't imagine one MLB executive staying at any Good Neighbor Hotel let alone holding multi-million dollar negotiations at the Park Vue Inn or Ramada Maingate, both great hotels for DL trips.

Most Good Neighbor Hotels sleep 4 comfortably with 2-queen bed rooms which is not different than any of the Disney Value resorts, All Star, Pop Century, etc. Until you start looking at suite hotels like the Fairfield, Residence Inn or the like, will you find hotel rooms that sleep more without rolling in additional bedding.

DVC members have more transportation options, and more "non-character" dining options than the non DVC members do. Or at the very least, WDW is very limited in what they offer for families larger than 4 people (outside of the DVC resorts).

WDW Transportation is available to ALL Disney resort guests, DVC member or not. Stay on property or even at Swan & Dolphin & use the WDW Transportation System. There is no transportation available to DVC members that is not available to another Disney guest staying on-site.

As for non-character dining options, there are only 5 DVC resorts at WDW, soon to be 6. That leaves almost twice that many as non-DVC resorts which provide multiple non-character dining options. Additionally, not all character dining restaurants at WDW have character dining all day.

As far as quality, there really are no DL resort hotels that can compete with the WDW moderate/superior hotels. Grand Californian would be the only comparison as it is similar to the Grand Floridian.

The Grand Californian is more like Wilderness Lodge or Animal Kingdom Lodge in theme & decor, both of which are Deluxe Resorts at WDW. It's nothing like the Grand Floridian.

More accurate information is readily available on many other threads within this site regarding trip planning to DL or WDW.

 

[jlmarr]

I guess I just had sticker shock at the price and I just feel WDW has so much more to offer for the $$$$. JMHO again though. Will keep shopping.

Yes, please check out Expedia - Anaheim/Disneyland area and let us know what you find. There are a lot of 3 star hotels in walking distance to DL.

 

[Vanvmom]

Okay JRDISNEYCLAN... you sure told me I'm wrong!

I know Swan & Dolphin are not Disney Resort. My family are Starwood Preferred Guests. They are the only non-resort hotel on property to offer the resort perk of Early and Late entry. They are also the only "moderately priced" hotel to offer rooms for 5 people that we could find in the Passporter. Yes, Swan and Dolphin are 5 star, but like those executives you mentioned, you would not find me staying at Ramada Inn or Park Vue. The quality of my room at Dolphin IN NO WAY exceeded the quality of my room at the Candy Cane Inn. Plus Candy Cane Inn provided free breakfast, refridgerator, parking, and a hotel shuttle. Even the quality of service at Candy Cane Inn exceeded the quality we received at the Paradise Pier Resort Hotel at DL (for half the room cost). I've stayed at the Fairfield Inn (in a non-suite room), and the room was very small compared to the Candy Cane, plus housekeeping services were not available during Thanksgiving or the day after.

Our non park hopper park tickets for 3 days at WDW cost much more than our 5 day DL park hopper tickets ($192/person at WDW vs. $179/person at DL). The number of parks really would not be a cost factor here as I paid for 3 parks at WDW, and 2 parks at DL. There is also the fact that unused days on a WDW Magic Your Way ticket can be used at DL parks, but unused days on a DL ticket can not be used at WDW.

Regarding my quote about the trip being cheaper to which you refuted quoting ownership and other costs... please note that I started that sentence with "for NON-DVC Owners."

As for transportation options... I was not stating that I could not get transportation to the DVC resorts. Not sure why I would choose to go to one if I wasn't staying there though.

I believe the OP's initial concern was that DL does not cater enough to DVC members (no DVC resorts at DL compared to many at WDW). I believe I stated that WDW seems to cater well to DVC members. That was the feeling we got when we were at WDW, as well as when we were planning our trip. So... as non DVC members, and a family of 5, we felt many more options would have been available to us if we were DVC members than we had as non DVC members (those added benefits and options might be why Disney sells so many DVC memberships).

Mea Culpa, I got the name of the WDW hotel most like the GCH wrong, but your issues with my post seem much deeper than that per your comment: "More accurate information is readily available on many other threads within this site regarding trip planning to DL or WDW." You are not talking to a Disney newbie here, and your comments about the accuracy of my real life experiences is uncalled for. Our trip to WDW was more expensive for 3 days than our 5 day trips to DL are.

I think I'll go back to the cruise thread where people aren't so quick to be rude or mean...

 

[AllJackedUp]

I think a lot depends on what you expect from the experience...I used to be a WDW only person who would do DL only as a last resort. I was impressed last year when we went after DCA had opened and DD and all the refurbishment of the grounds. At least, it seemed more like WDW...but now, DL makes a wonderful 4-day getaway that I simply couldn't do at WDW.

I don't think it's as important to stay at a Disney property, as a matter of fact, I think it's somewhat a waste of money, but that's just me. I would rather be able to visit 3-4 times a year, rather than blow all my money on a place where I am just going to shower and sleep. There are plenty of wonderful places in the immediate vicinity.

In Florida, I would never even think of staying off property. There is something affordable for everyone there. I've stayed everywhere from All Star Movies to the Wilderness Lodge.

I think what it boils down to is that you can save as much as you want or you can spend as much as you want. Therefore, it's all a matter of personal preference.

 

[Vanvmom]

I think a lot depends on what you expect from the experience...I used to be a WDW only person who would do DL only as a last resort. I was impressed last year when we went after DCA had opened and DD and all the refurbishment of the grounds. At least, it seemed more like WDW...but now, DL makes a wonderful 4-day getaway that I simply couldn't do at WDW.

I don't think it's as important to stay at a Disney property, as a matter of fact, I think it's somewhat a waste of money, but that's just me. I would rather be able to visit 3-4 times a year, rather than blow all my money on a place where I am just going to shower and sleep. There are plenty of wonderful places in the immediate vicinity.

In Florida, I would never even think of staying off property. There is something affordable for everyone there. I've stayed everywhere from All Star Movies to the Wilderness Lodge.

I think what it boils down to is that you can save as much as you want or you can spend as much as you want. Therefore, it's all a matter of personal preference.

Ditto!

 

[honeymom]

I talked to someone who stayed at the GCH during the 50th anniversary (on July 15-17) and her stay was close to $3000 (hotel room only- they were AP holders). I've got to think she had a suite, but mama mia that's steep!

It is costing us over $2000 (it includes tix) for 4 nights this week. But, part of why we are taking the trip now is that the price is $600 more for the same package in the spring. I suspect it is another $600 in the summer!

Don't get upset by the other poster. I'm not sure that going after each of your points, point by point, was the most sensitive thing to do. But, if you want to see truly mean spirited posts - then checkout the community board.

 

[JRDisneyClan]

Thanks, Honey. No, not intended to be mean-spirited as much as offering a different viewpoint to someone's experiences & opinions for the benefit of someone interested in trying to make a trip to DL or WDW who was reading the thread. It was just easier to break it up & show the differences.

I don't think the OP was commenting on DLR not catering as much to DVC members as much as saying that an on-site stay there seemed really expensive when they were pricing it (and it is). It sure would help DVC members to have a DVC option at DL, though, & that was stated as a wish.

I disagree that WDW caters to DVC members. One of DVC's selling points is that it provides Deluxe accomodations for regular WDW visitors at a fraction of the cost for similar accomodations, but DVC members don't get preferential treatment in areas like available dining options (DDP is available for those staying at any Disney resort, but I'm not sure if that's a Swan & Dolphin benefit or not) or additional transportation methods. Aside from the DDP, I'm not exactly sure what the PP meant by saying that DVC members had more non-character dining options available to them.

I agree that personal preference is the most important factor. The PP felt that WDW Swan & Dolphin was comparable to the CCI. I would agree that, for the price, I don't see the added value that S&D provides at WDW than CCI does at DLR in spite of the fact that S&D is treated as a Disney resort for most things. By most other accounts, however, CCI rates as 3-star lodging whereas S&D rates as 5-star. I don't consider "moderately" priced to be a $400+ rack rate, though, & understand PP's desire to sleep 5 in a single room, but 2 rooms at an AS resort would still cost less than a discounted room at S&D.