With all the price increases is it worth even going?

[Pinnochio]

makes me long for the day when they raise prices again.

Is that you Bob Chapek??....

 

[DCLMP]

It’s true. Disney “Deluxe” is comparable to a mid-level Marriott or Hilton.

I agree. You are paying for location. I enjoy the theming of the Disney hotels, but you can get that a moderate or value too. I used to think Disney had great customer service, but that's gone by the wayside the last few years.

 

[Smugpugmug]

It’s true. Disney “Deluxe” is comparable to a mid-level Marriott or Hilton.

With Disney deluxe resorts, you're really paying for the convenience of being on property or in some cases, the convenience of being able to walk to a park. They're not in any way supposed to be really luxurious. I recently saw a video of someone doing a tour of a $970 a night theme park view club level room at the Contemporary and no offense but the room looked really bad for the price.

 

[Ms Bibbidi]

This eases my mind some. We have Gold APs and have been told that when we activate them we will receive a Sorcerer's AP at no additional charge. I do plan to call Disney to confirm as we do not plan to visit for several more years, at least until we have grandkids which will probably be quite a ways into the future.

My apologies. I know the change was a big deal so I was talking about the new character passes. Good idea to call though as the little fine print says Disney reserves the right to make changes.

 

[Minnie1222]

A lot of people don't consider Disney deluxe hotels to be deluxe compared to the hotels in Europe you are talking about.

Agree! And that's why I said they're only deluxes in their respective bubbles.

 

[brentm77]

A lot of people don't consider Disney deluxe hotels to be deluxe compared to the hotels in Europe you are talking about.

This is the major point to be made. You have to compare apples to apples. A Disney deluxe is only comparable to a moderate hotel, at best, in most major cities. In addition, prices vary significantly through Europe. Paris is one of the more expensive cities to be looking at. Our hotel in Rome was 600 Euros a night (to sleep four), was in a fantastic location, was nicer than most Disney deluxe hotels, and the view was unbelievable. There were less expensive options we considered that had rooms as nice as the deluxe resorts.

I just can't express enough how much better this trip was compared to a Disney trip. Our week in Rome was unforgettable, surprisingly relaxing and stress-free, and the food wasn't even in the same league as what Disney is selling these days. We boarded a Disney cruise for the second half of the trip, which was out-of-this-world, but more expensive than the parks. My only point is that Disney is competing for travel dollars, and they are beginning to lose the competition for our families dollars. They need to do better before the travel boom cools off or they will be hurting very badly.

 

[samster]

My trip in April for the race weekend is my last. The CEO basically looks into the camera and says "I don't care about my loyal customers. High rollers are the wave of the future and I'm going to ride it until it's dry!" He can scratch

 

[DCLMP]

This is the major point to be made. You have to compare apples to apples. A Disney deluxe is only comparable to a moderate hotel, at best, in most major cities. In addition, prices vary significantly through Europe. Paris is one of the more expensive cities to be looking at. Our hotel in Rome was 600 Euros a night (to sleep four), was in a fantastic location, was nicer than most Disney deluxe hotels, and the view was unbelievable. There were less expensive options we considered that had rooms as nice as the deluxe resorts.

I just can't express enough how much better this trip was compared to a Disney trip. Our week in Rome was unforgettable, surprisingly relaxing and stress-free, and the food wasn't even in the same league as what Disney is selling these days. We boarded a Disney cruise for the second half of the trip, which was out-of-this-world, but more expensive than the parks. My only point is that Disney is competing for travel dollars, and they are beginning to lose the competition for our families dollars. They need to do better before the travel boom cools off or they will be hurting very badly.

We did three days in London before our cruise and three days in Paris after our empty Disney cruise. The plan next year is spend 4 nights in Munich and then Fly to Rome for our cruise on the Odyssey. I could be swayed to change if DCL releases discounts that close the gap on the price, but as it's stands now Disney is not competitive in pricing. The Odyssey is a new ship with lots to offer. The Dream albeit older is very nice and well maintained ship. The only thing separating the two is about 7000 dollars. That is quite a spread.

 

[pryncess527]

If the cost of a Disney vacation to you is a small fortune (like it is for me), it's not worth going.

For those who have a lot of spare money lying around, using it at Disney is as good as any other "want" purchase. For those who don't, there's a LOT of other bang for your buck you can get in many places and for many things, EVEN in a time of unbelievable inflation...

This exactly

$ means more to one person than another depending on how much they have

 

[Lisa P.]

...a coupling of higher costs along with a tiered removal of people who behave inappropriately would go a long way toward making the experience better for everyone. In the ultimate example of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, high enough costs will lead to lower crowds, and lower crowds will lead to less stress in the parks. Less stress in the parks will lead to less incidents of poor guest behavior.

Not sure if I agree with grouping "higher costs" with "a tiered removal of people who behave inappropriately". How would the tiered removal work? Are you equating wealthier clientele with better guest behavior or am I missing your meaning? Some of the loudest, most entitled, and rudest guest behavior that I've witnessed directed at CMs, has been unhappy guests staying at Disney Deluxe hotels at check-in or at Guest Relations counters at the parks, shouting about not getting what they wanted after spending so much money.

Or do you mean a different kind of inappropriate behavior (ex., line-cutting, poor clothing choices)? Certainly, I've seen pretty poor behavior from some inadequately chaperoned youth/sports groups and large tour groups. But it's extremely unlikely that Disney would ever turn away or out-price travel groups. I've also seen a lot of stressed-out parents yelling at their kids because they've spent so much money and their kids were too worn out to enjoy it after the first day or two, while the parents pushed to get value for their dollar by touring hard all day long. So I guess I don't understand your idea of higher costs reducing stress and reducing inappropriate guest behavior.

The parks may still be packed to the gills, but I guarantee the per-guest spend starts to drop, as well hotel occupancy rates, as guests look to cut costs while visiting or vacation elsewhere. Disney is enjoying the benefits of pent-up vacation spend, but it won't last forever.

^^ This. ^^ We've certainly seen recessions before: better hotel discounts... free add-on ticket days... free dining... whatever it takes to get to a minimum level of occupancy and attendance. With Covid layoffs, the whole hospitality industry saw huge numbers of workers change their field of work and the industry still suffers difficulty in getting people back to work in hospitality. WDW cannot afford to lose staff further with a recession, imo. So, they'll likely pay attention to keeping that minimum level of occupancy and attendance through the coming recession, and avoid cutting CM hours. We'll see.

 

[gharter]

Not sure if I agree with grouping "higher costs" with "a tiered removal of people who behave inappropriately". How would the tiered removal work? Are you equating wealthier clientele with better guest behavior or am I missing your meaning? Some of the loudest, most entitled, and rudest guest behavior that I've witnessed directed at CMs, has been unhappy guests staying at Disney Deluxe hotels at check-in or at Guest Relations counters at the parks, shouting about not getting what they wanted after spending so much money.

Or do you mean a different kind of inappropriate behavior (ex., line-cutting, poor clothing choices)? Certainly, I've seen pretty poor behavior from some inadequately chaperoned youth/sports groups and large tour groups. But it's extremely unlikely that Disney would ever turn away or out-price travel groups. I've also seen a lot of stressed-out parents yelling at their kids because they've spent so much money and their kids were too worn out to enjoy it after the first day or two, while the parents pushed to get value for their dollar by touring hard all day long. So I guess I don't understand your idea of higher costs reducing stress and reducing inappropriate guest behavior.



^^ This. ^^ We've certainly seen recessions before: better hotel discounts... free add-on ticket days... free dining... whatever it takes to get to a minimum level of occupancy and attendance. With Covid layoffs, the whole hospitality industry saw huge numbers of workers change their field of work and the industry still suffers difficulty in getting people back to work in hospitality. WDW cannot afford to lose staff further with a recession, imo. So, they'll likely pay attention to keeping that minimum level of occupancy and attendance through the coming recession, and avoid cutting CM hours. We'll see.

Will be interesting to see how it plays out. They just announced staffing cuts and hiring freezes.
And that is before Epic Universe opens.

 

[Beer Me]

With Disney deluxe resorts, you're really paying for the convenience of being on property or in some cases, the convenience of being able to walk to a park. They're not in any way supposed to be really luxurious. I recently saw a video of someone doing a tour of a $970 a night theme park view club level room at the Contemporary and no offense but the room looked really bad for the price.

I saw that video and it was pretty damning. Walking to the MK and a few snacks are nice but not $1000 nice. Those rooms are pathetic. It’s just straight up gouging at this point. But people keep booking …

 

[Smugpugmug]

I saw that video and it was pretty damning. Walking to the MK and a few snacks are nice but not $1000 nice. Those rooms are pathetic. It’s just straight up gouging at this point. But people keep booking …

I agree. The theme park view and being able to walk to MK is NOT worth $970 a night. That room looked terrible for the price (also a little biased since I'm not a huge fan of the Incredibles theming. It looks tacky to me). You can probably get a room at the Four Seasons for cheaper and the room is WAY nicer.

 

[GeneralTso]

Absolutely everything in our lives is more expensive now and it's not going to change for a while.
I truly believe Disney could raise their prices every 6 months and people will continue to pay and attend.
Many Disney fans have tons of money (aka, rich) and will make this work out. For others, that's the point, they're trying to squeeze you out.

If Disney holds great value to you and your happiness, you'll prioritize and make it happen. For others, no way.

 

[gmi3804]

Not sure if I agree with grouping "higher costs" with "a tiered removal of people who behave inappropriately".

You need to watch The White Lotus.

 

[Figvention]

A lot of people don't consider Disney deluxe hotels to be deluxe compared to the hotels in Europe you are talking about.

Disney deluxe room overlooking a parking lot is downright laughable

This board is mostly made up of high income earners so most of you will say… “well supply and demand”, “market conditions”, ect… but you want to live in a country where most people can afford a Disney vacation. A rising tide raises all boats but the inverse is just as true. Thankfully I’ll be Disney free come 2023 as my conscience can’t support this, %#^^}!

https://nypost.com/2022/11/15/disney-world-to-raise-prices-as-soon-as-next-month/amp/

The Mouse House, which reported record sales for the year in its fiscal report last week, announced Tuesday it will jack up the price on single-day tickets and annual passes on Dec. 8.

Currently, the lowest price for a one-day ticket to any of its four Orlando theme parks is $109. But now, Magic Kingdom prices will start at $124 and skyrocket to $189 depending on the date and demand.

The tickets will cost closer to the $189 price point specifically during the week of Christmas to New Year’s, Disney said. However, more than 99% of its one-day, one-park tickets will be under $189.

Let me say with poise and some remaining dignity of what I thought of Disney… jump off a cliff. If it wasn’t for my daughter, would have canceled the Christmas trip. I can’t believe this, theft and gluttony

 

[DCLMP]

Absolutely everything in our lives is more expensive now and it's not going to change for a while.
I truly believe Disney could raise their prices every 6 months and people will continue to pay and attend.
Many Disney fans have tons of money (aka, rich) and will make this work out. For others, that's the point, they're trying to squeeze you out.

If Disney holds great value to you and your happiness, you'll prioritize and make it happen. For others, no way.

Some people will pay and attend. It's become unaffordable for most. It's come close to 2019 attendance this year, but I think we will see a drop off next year. The economy will dictate what happens. In addition a lot of people are unhappy with the experience even rich people want a good vacation and good customer service.

 

[MarkNC2Disney]

Some people will pay and attend. It's become unaffordable for most. It's come close to 2019 attendance this year, but I think we will see a drop off next year. The economy will dictate what happens. In addition a lot of people are unhappy with the experience even rich people want a good vacation and good customer service.

I’m with you that the trends in customer service are very concerning.

 

[shafke]

I was watching a video that basically was saying Disney has been banking on its brand loyalty for a while now and much of the blame for the current state of Disney can be blamed on the last few years of Iger and his vanity projects which was not helped by the change to Chapek. One thing that was mentioned is you get (and I think we are starting to see) a slow departure of loyal customers until you come to a tipping point where there is a sudden drop off of these loyal fans from which it will be difficult to recover. It was compared to diving in a body of water... as you go down the temperature slowly decreases until you reach a point where there is a border and when you pass that there is a huge change in temperature. Right now Disney is on that slow descent.

 

[gharter]

I saw that video and it was pretty damning. Walking to the MK and a few snacks are nice but not $1000 nice. Those rooms are pathetic. It’s just straight up gouging at this point. But people keep booking …

I think I saw the same video and thought the same thing.