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RBrooksC
07-08-2011, 02:01 PM
Every year, around this time when Disney increases their park prices, people gripe and groan about it.

Well, I was looking at where my family and I used to go to the beach when I was a wee lad, Wildwood, NJ.

In that town, the boardwalk is basically a full amusement park, with three piers and two water parks.

Just to give a comparison I thought I would show what the multiday pricing is for Morey's Piers and for WDW.

For their four day multipass it is $182 and children are $130.

For Disney it is 299.95 for adults and $280.95 for children.

Yes, that is about a $120 more per ticket. But consider what one is getting for that price.

So, while Disney is expensive, it isn't much more expensive than alternatives.

vicster
07-08-2011, 03:46 PM
So, while Disney is expensive, it isn't much more expensive than alternatives.

And worth every penny!!!!!!!!!

magicman
07-08-2011, 04:23 PM
My gripe is that Disney price increases are outpacing other entertainment inflation rates & inflation rates in general. In the last 30 years, the price of a ticket has gone up 894%.

At the same time, I will say that Disney should charge what the market will bear. (It just hurts to not be able to visit as often as I once did.)

Mickey91
07-08-2011, 04:29 PM
We feel it more when we want to come for a short trip. Disney is pricing out those "let's go to Disney for a couple of days" trips because the tickets are marketed for a much longer stay. While I love to take 10 day trips to Disney, if ticket prices were more even for smaller stays, we would go a lot more often. We used to decide on a Friday morning to go to the MK for the day on Saturday and come home Sunday. Between the ticket increases, resort rate increases and gas prices, those impromptu trips are forever in the past. Someone other than Disney will get the benefit of our need to get away for the weekend.

MagicalGuest
07-08-2011, 10:29 PM
We love Wildwood! For the past two summers we've paid almost as much for eight nights in Disney as we paid for 10 nights in Wildwood, so we skipped the beach. (BTW, we stay at the values when the meal plan is included to save $ and fly off-peak.)

This year the deals weren't as good at Disney and airfare was outrageous, so we've opted to go back to Wildwood. I'll say hi to Morey for you!

Fastpasssteve
07-09-2011, 12:23 AM
If one of my travel companions didn't have extra DVC points left, we might not have been able to make our upcoming trip in less than two weeks. We're going for 8 days, so we are getting a pretty good deal on park tickets.

I understand about short trips being a thing of the past due to the sliding park ticket schedule. Hopefully, Disney will become more creative so they can get what they need, and we can get what we want.

NJGIRL
07-09-2011, 10:44 AM
We're going to Wildwood tonight. We will spend an easy $200 tonight just for the three of us for dinner, a few snacks, and playing games. We won't be doing the water park and probably only a few rides if any.

ransam
07-09-2011, 11:38 AM
the price for disney has never bothered me. the reason is i always have a choice not to go. I just got a 30 dollar increase in my electricity, and my cable company cut some channels but their rates are higher. that pisses me off because there's nothing i can do about that. i feel trapped about that.

when you compare prices to wdw to other things it a pretty good vaule.
and it really hasn't increased as some others.
30 years ago you could buy a concert ticket to the top band in the country for an average $6. ( i was a huge concert goier and was looking at my concert stubs last night.) now you're lucky to get a ticket to the top act for less than $50. Movies were about $4. last night i paid $14 for a movie. In college 20 years ago, at Kansas University, i bought a sports package for $35. Now if you want to buy the sports package, you hve to enter a lottery, and if you are lucky enough to get drawn, the package is almost 200 dollars.
if you think about it, over the last 30 years, the concert experience, movie experience, and sporting event's haven't changed that much.
but disney, while they have increased prices, the experience is so much different. they have 2 completely new parks. Added many hotels, downtown disney, boardwalk, new and improved rides, shows, events.

so sure the prices have changed. but so has other entertainment experiences.

RBrooksC
07-09-2011, 02:07 PM
We love Wildwood! For the past two summers we've paid almost as much for eight nights in Disney as we paid for 10 nights in Wildwood, so we skipped the beach. (BTW, we stay at the values when the meal plan is included to save $ and fly off-peak.)

This year the deals weren't as good at Disney and airfare was outrageous, so we've opted to go back to Wildwood. I'll say hi to Morey for you!

Well, I would much perfer it if the original Hunt's Pier were open, but that is a subject for a different thread. But, when one looks at the other options, it can add up so, when looked it it from that way, it really isn't so outrageous to understand why Disney is pricing they way they are.

jazzy
07-16-2011, 12:18 PM
My gripe is that Disney price increases are outpacing other entertainment inflation rates & inflation rates in general. In the last 30 years, the price of a ticket has gone up 894%.

At the same time, I will say that Disney should charge what the market will bear. (It just hurts to not be able to visit as often as I once did.)

I have to say i dont care how much magic Disney delivers, no family of 4 can afford to visit Disney for some ever in their life time, with recession and people getting back on their feet after being out the work force for quite some time. Spending your money on a Disney vacation is ill advised however it would be a great selling point for Disney if they grant a struggling family in this economy a free dream vacation. That would be awesome.

texas211
07-16-2011, 05:35 PM
I feel my comment almost belongs in the " you might be a Disney snob if..."

But, i hate it when people complain about the prices. You are going to Disney. What do you expect. Quality isn't cheap.

Plus, it may be elitist, but one the reasons why i have usually stayed at more expensive hotels and resorts, i like the better company. I don't want someone in line ahead of me complaining a burger costs $10 bucks when you've spent hundreds to travel to Orlando, hundreds more to stay at a resort. Tickets are expensive, but worth it. Pay cheap, get cheap. Pay more, hope to get more.

Tinkerbella16
07-18-2011, 10:17 AM
Funny that you posted this because me and my sister say it all the time!!! My uncle loves going to Wildwood or Ocean City for a long weekend friday-monday and, for what they always pay for 4 days down the shore, we can stay a whole week at WDW!!! You get so much more at Disney!!

DNS
07-18-2011, 01:29 PM
I could be wrong here, but I don't see Disney pricing short trips out of range - I see them giving better discounts for longer trips and that makes good business sense. I know I have planned a couple of 5 or 6 day trips, then I see how little it costs in ticket prices to stay an extra 2 or 3 days and I find myself planning a longer trip. Plus travel expenses are no more to stay 3 days or 10 days. I realize some people cannot get away that long, but I understand why they price such discounts for longer trips.

RBrooksC
07-18-2011, 01:39 PM
I don't think Disney has priced themselves out of anything.

When you look at other options, Disney is about on par. They may be a little more expensive but not much more and many times one is getting more for their vacation dollar.

But I think before podcasters, forum posters, fanboys, people in general complain about the prices, they need to compare the cost of a multiday trip some place else. See where Disney lies within that sphere and go from there.

ChipNDale79
07-18-2011, 01:56 PM
I understand that Disney is a business and at the end of the day what really matters is the bottom line. However, I do think the ticket prices are getting a little high. Can I spend a week at disney for about the same amount of money as i could at the beach and do a lot more stuff? Sure i can. IMO the week long vacations are still a good value, if you stay at a value or moderate resort.

In our case because of price increases the 2, 3, or 4 day trips during the year are now out of the question for us. We can't afford to spend the money on gas to drive 8 hours each way, the price of hotel rooms for a night or two, and then the large amount a Disney Ticket for a couple of days cost.

So for us, we've had to cut back to once a year for a week long vacation. No more once a year week long vacations plus 2 or 3 smaller trips a year.

RBrooksC
07-18-2011, 02:19 PM
Maybe, but as I said, to get a multiday pass at Wildwood, NJ for their boardwalk that isn't nearly as good as WDW you are paying $120 less. $120 less is a drop in a bucket. That doesn't include cost of a hotel stay at the beach, nor food, nor anything else.

A trip to the New Jersey shore is about on par with a trip to Disney.

Yes, one may have to travel further, but for the cost, one is still on par with other vacations.

ChipNDale79
07-18-2011, 02:31 PM
We have other options around us for long weekends that cost a lot less than a trip to Disney. Like going to the mountains and camping and hiking for the weekend, we'll do that more often now then go to Disney.

Thats simply a cost thing for us, if Disney was a better value for short trips, we'd go more often.

RBrooksC
07-20-2011, 01:46 PM
Just on a whim, I checked out some motel pricing in Wildwood. Just to compare amusement prices, coupled with hotel prices. I checked out two hotels. One in Wildwood Crest, south of the boards and another right on the southern tip of the boards.

Both prices were on par with a Disney moderate to deluxe resort at around $270 per night in the height of the summer season.

So, to go to the beach, the cost is going to be in the WDW ballpark.

Yes, this is one example and I am sure people will say, "You can go *here* and pay much less." I am comparing what many on the east coast would do during the summer, the beach to a vacation in WDW.

Disney isn't that much more expensive than going to a beach in Southern NJ.

ChipNDale79
07-20-2011, 02:05 PM
Just on a whim, I checked out some motel pricing in Wildwood. Just to compare amusement prices, coupled with hotel prices. I checked out two hotels. One in Wildwood Crest, south of the boards and another right on the southern tip of the boards.

Both prices were on par with a Disney moderate to deluxe resort at around $270 per night in the height of the summer season.

So, to go to the beach, the cost is going to be in the WDW ballpark.

Yes, this is one example and I am sure people will say, "You can go *here* and pay much less." I am comparing what many on the east coast would do during the summer, the beach to a vacation in WDW.

Disney isn't that much more expensive than going to a beach in Southern NJ.


I dont think a lot of people are arguing that, as i noted above, we'll still go for a yearly vacation. However the short trips in between have stopped, the short trips IMO are too expensive. The longer you stay the better the value.

RBrooksC
07-20-2011, 02:12 PM
I know, but living in MD, I would never make a short trip to Disney. Too much time and trouble to do that.

What my point is, whenever Disney raises their price, whether it be in a forum or, especially, on a podcast, somebody is whining and complaining about how Disney is pricing themselves too high. What I am just trying to say is their pricing is not far out of line from what other places charge.

ChipNDale79
07-20-2011, 04:49 PM
I know, but living in MD, I would never make a short trip to Disney. Too much time and trouble to do that.

What my point is, whenever Disney raises their price, whether it be in a forum or, especially, on a podcast, somebody is whining and complaining about how Disney is pricing themselves too high. What I am just trying to say is their pricing is not far out of line from what other places charge.

I agree, If you are doing what most people do, which would be a full week vacation at Disney and if you compare that to just about anywhere else for a week, Disney is going to be cheaper just about every time.

LisaP
07-20-2011, 10:54 PM
Every year, around this time when Disney increases their park prices, people gripe and groan about it.

Well, I was looking at where my family and I used to go to the beach when I was a wee lad, Wildwood, NJ.

In that town, the boardwalk is basically a full amusement park, with three piers and two water parks.

Just to give a comparison I thought I would show what the multiday pricing is for Morey's Piers and for WDW.

For their four day multipass it is $182 and children are $130.

For Disney it is 299.95 for adults and $280.95 for children.

Yes, that is about a $120 more per ticket. But consider what one is getting for that price.

So, while Disney is expensive, it isn't much more expensive than alternatives.

AMEN! This was precisely my selling point to DH for us to head to WDW in late August instead of Wildwood. I also grew up vacationing there every summer, and now enjoy taking my boys there for beach vacations.

We have a few perks to cash in on to visit WDW in August (we were just there in April at Poly). I did the math ... our usual place in North WW (our clean, oceanfront efficiency dump lol), ride tickets, dining, etc. Then I compared it to what we could do in WDW and said for a few hundred bucks more we can go back to the "happiest place on earth!" The WW motel rates are in the same neighborhood as a night at WL in WDW.

Not to mention, it's been hotter here in NJ this month than it has been at WDW! :thedolls:

There are plenty of alternatives to WDW for vacations. But I have found if you compare costs to go elsewhere, Disney is a good bang for the buck :) and in our case, maybe even relief from the heat :confused:

JWB3
07-22-2011, 03:27 PM
It may be comparing apples and oranges, but has anyone checked out lift ticket prices recently? I live in the Northeast and I'm pretty sure lift ticket prices at places like Killington and Stratton in VT will be over $90/day this year, a little cheaper on weekdays. Even small family-type places charge close to $70/day. There are lift and stay combos to be had, but still comes to more than most WDW per diems. Just sayin...

Terra
07-22-2011, 03:45 PM
I feel my comment almost belongs in the " you might be a Disney snob if..."

But, i hate it when people complain about the prices. You are going to Disney. What do you expect. Quality isn't cheap.

Plus, it may be elitist, but one the reasons why i have usually stayed at more expensive hotels and resorts, i like the better company. I don't want someone in line ahead of me complaining a burger costs $10 bucks when you've spent hundreds to travel to Orlando, hundreds more to stay at a resort. Tickets are expensive, but worth it. Pay cheap, get cheap. Pay more, hope to get more.
You're right, that is a little elitist ;) As I've mentioned in other posts we are a dual income household, but a small dual income of net: $1800 a month for a family of four.

Thankfully we do live in Florida and can do the monthly payment plans from our debit card. Though we may not be staying in luxury hotels that doesn't mean we are low class. I hate that this assumption and classist view is made so much. I don't even complain about the price of food/tickets when I go. And on the rare occasion we do a weekend trip, we stay at the off site $25 a night HoJo. But you'd never know it by standing behind us in line! We're there for the fun and magic.:mickey:

disneymom2000
07-22-2011, 04:07 PM
As a travel advisor I see people divided into two groups. Those who don't worry about the recession and take the no holds bar on the vacation attitude and then the ones who are more frugal and realize that they can't spend everything they have to take the vacation they really want. Due to the first group, Disney (and any vacation venue) can continue to increase their charges because they know that people will pay. I haven't seen a decrease in vacation requests to Disney in the past 3 years so that tells me that Disney will continue to increase their prices until they have to look at a decrease in requests. This is the way of business.

UCJen
07-22-2011, 06:07 PM
You're right, that is a little elitist ;) As I've mentioned in other posts we are a dual income household, but a small dual income of net: $1800 a month for a family of four.

Thankfully we do live in Florida and can do the monthly payment plans from our debit card. Though we may not be staying in luxury hotels that doesn't mean we are low class. I hate that this assumption and classist view is made so much. I don't even complain about the price of food/tickets when I go. And on the rare occasion we do a weekend trip, we stay at the off site $25 a night HoJo. But you'd never know it by standing behind us in line! We're there for the fun and magic.:mickey:

I agree with you.

Amount of money spent does not have a direct relationship with the amount of class one has.

I saw enough questionable behavior at my last stay at the BC. Getting loud, abusive and drunk poolside, while letting your children run amok and unsupervised happens even at the Deluxe level.

texas211
07-22-2011, 06:11 PM
You're right, that is a little elitist ;) As I've mentioned in other posts we are a dual income household, but a small dual income of net: $1800 a month for a family of four.

Thankfully we do live in Florida and can do the monthly payment plans from our debit card. Though we may not be staying in luxury hotels that doesn't mean we are low class. I hate that this assumption and classist view is made so much. I don't even complain about the price of food/tickets when I go. And on the rare occasion we do a weekend trip, we stay at the off site $25 a night HoJo. But you'd never know it by standing behind us in line! We're there for the fun and magic.:mickey:

Hey, I remember HOJO's as a kid. My brother in law was thinking about staying there. He has to be more frugal. HOJO over there okay for what it is?

What I mean is i hate standing there, and someone is going on about 10 burgers as they stand there in a $40 Disney shirt and paid hundreds to get in. I appreciate value, don't get me wrong. But, it comes with where you are. At Disney, it'll cost. Magic isn't cheap. Like going to the ballgame, $7 beer. I did notice Disney beer is cheaper than the ballgame. :)

Terra
07-22-2011, 06:17 PM
I agree with you.

Amount of money spent does not have a direct relationship with the amount of class one has.

I saw enough questionable behavior at my last stay at the BC. Getting loud, abusive and drunk poolside, while letting your children run amok and unsupervised happens even at the Deluxe level.
I really dislike that behavior around children in general. Kind of a poor example. I feel ya!

Hey, I remember HOJO's as a kid. My brother in law was thinking about staying there. He has to be more frugal. HOJO over there okay for what it is?

What I mean is i hate standing there, and someone is going on about 10 burgers as they stand there in a $40 Disney shirt and paid hundreds to get in. I appreciate value, don't get me wrong. But, it comes with where you are. At Disney, it'll cost. Magic isn't cheap. Like going to the ballgame, $7 beer. I did notice Disney beer is cheaper than the ballgame. :)

Yeah there okay. You have to weed through sometimes. I read all the reviews. If it's average or above, I'll give it a whirl. Basically we only sleep there. As long as there are not bugs crawling everywhere and it's not filthy, I'm good! :) "looking old" doesn't bother me if that makes sense.

I agree with you there too! It's one thing to spend $40 on a shirt knowing food is also going to be expensive, so don't complain! If you want to spend the money on souvenirs then pack some food or buy it, but don't complain!!

Thankfully living 45 minutes away, I generally pack food for my 3 and 4 year old [because you know they don't appreciate Disney food yet! ;)] and I take the money I would have spent on their food and buy them some kind of small toy each time :)