Resort prices

[matthew1926]

What happened:( Resort prices are unreal. They want almost as much for CBR preferred view as we paid for WL last year. Seriously considering off site for the 1st time ever.

[Capt_redshirt]

This steady increase has been going on for the last 5 years and with more and more coming in the off season i think those prices will start getting crazy too

[Lindsey310]

I have been noticing it too...and with the prices of tickets it gets pricey real fast. We are paying $237 for a one nights stay at POR princess room in feb...that's with a discount!!!!! :mickey:

[brownie]

As long as there's demand, I'd expect rates to increase.

[greengeen]

It's called inflation and it's normal. Think about what you paid for a pound of bacon or coffee recently, compared to 5 years ago. Or even a few months ago, in the case of bacon!

I highly recommend that people try offsite, if they want to save money. If you are like me, you'll try it and regret it even if it's a ton cheaper. I bought into DVC 5 years ago, because I knew offsite doesn't cut it, and I wanted to insure an affordable onsite vacation for the next 50 years.

[Terra]

I agree!
I do understand about inflation, however the value resorts REALLY are not a great value.
I'm a Florida resident and I'm staying in March [Before the *biggest surge*] and I'm looking about paying $160 a night. That's not really a value.

But I DO agree that it's supply and demand. I'll pay it because I want to give my boys the experience and I love the themes of the value resorts. And I like having the transportation and the little perks. That said it was really hard NOT to book off site. We go several times a year for mini trips and stay off property and do just as well.

But I like to do on site at least once a year or ever couple of years.

[texas211]

One of the reasons we have started doing more offsite and looking at more offsite. We enjoy the onsite experience, but, for what you get... Even if I want to spend the same amount, I can get so much more offsite. Waldorf, Gaylord, Hilton Grand, etc..

[vicster]

We stayed at WL a couple of weeks ago and I was shocked by how much more we paid than last year. Tack on higher airfare and yikes.

[DisneyDadfromPittsburgh]

I am trying to figure out how an average family wanting to stay on Disney property can afford anything but the value resorts.

[epceddie]

If we weren't DVC members (Old Key West) there's no way we could afford to pay the room rates at places like the Contemporary, Polynesian, Grand Floridian, Boardwalk, Beach Club etc. .....
When we use our DVC points for a studio at OKW, the room rate is well over $300 a night. Our DVC membership has already paid for itself and it doesn't run out until 2042.
We've stayed offsite in the past and it's just not the same. We don't like the value resorts and we've found that buying the DVC points eight years ago was one of the smartest things we've ever done. We were just lucky to have the money to pay for them upfront. We still have user fees to pay each year, but we're able to budget for them throughout the year and that makes it easier.
I think that crowds at WDW are just going to keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger. Everyone wants a piece of the Disney pie and I don't think there are any limitations on what they'll be charging for rooms in the future because there are more than enough people out there who are willing to pay through the nose for a Disney vacation.
On the other side of that though, too man cooks spoil the soup and it's going to get to the point where a trip to WDW will become unbearable because of the prices and the throngs of people in the parks, at Downtown Disney, on the monorail and at the pools.

[eandrsmom]

We've stayed offsite for our last several years. Because we always drive, it never was an issue for us. This time, my kids really wanted to stay at the AofA, so we're staying onsite. I have to say, the price is MUCH more than we usually pay for a full condo offsite. My younger kids don't really remember the "magic" of staying onsite, so it will be fun for them. However, I don't think that I will make a habit of staying on property, just because I can get something so much nicer for so mush less money off property.

[VWL Mom]

The room rates really started to climb when Disney started with free dining and constant room discounts. After all, someone has to pay for them. I'm of the thought that I'd rather see all discounts disappear and bring rates back to where they should be but my retail side knows that "free" and "reduced" brings in more people than reasonable rates.

[Lizzy]

We are a family of 5 now and are priced out of staying on property any time in the next few years. We bit the bullet and stayed at the Poly in 2011, and it was fantastic, but it will be a long time before we can afford it again.

Since our kids are at the age where we have to get a suite now it's just not feasible anymore. I always wanted a big family and taking my family to Disney has always been part of the dream.

I am grateful that I am still a FL resident and can at least still do day trips.

[Dulcee]

I'm in the minority. I think value and moderate rates are reasonable. Go to any other major resort area and prices are similar if not higher. Deluxes are pretty out there but you get what you pay for.

[The Hitchhiking Ghost]

I'm in the minority. I think value and moderate rates are reasonable. Go to any other major resort area and prices are similar if not higher. Deluxes are pretty out there but you get what you pay for.

I'm with you a bit too. While I want to stay in a deluxe, I've never been able to justify much less afford the more than double the cost to go from a moderate to a deluxe.

But, we go visit family in a sleeply little town in Iowa and stay at a Holiday Inn Suites, and my bill is $150 a night, granted you get a small breakfast and maybe a slightly larger room, but if I compare that price to POR-AB where our family of 5 usually stays, and then the pricing doesn't seem so bad. Throw in a room discount or free dining and it becomes a wash, plus you get the extra Disney perks.

If the argument is "can you stay cheaper" then most assuredly the answer is yes. But are the prices way out of line, I don't think so. I think other hotel chains are bumping up costs faster than Disney, in my limited observation.

You are certainly paying in part for an intangible when staying on property that you don' t get offsite.

[Sylvia]

I'm in the minority. I think value and moderate rates are reasonable. Go to any other major resort area and prices are similar if not higher. Deluxes are pretty out there but you get what you pay for.

I agree with this thinking.

We have reservations for POP Century for 2 weeks in May. It just happens to be the same time period as my 2-week trip in May 2012. In 2012, I stayed at AS Music, so, even considering that POP Century's rates are slightly higher, in comparison to 2012's rates, the cost for this year's vacation is not unreasonable.

For many years, we stayed on I-Drive, and as I-Drive became more and more crowded and noisy, we had enough. We've stayed at a Disney resort every trip since 1989 and haven't looked back. For us, the pros of staying onsite pay for themselves and far outweigh the cons. We're some of those people who prefer a Disney resort over staying offsite.

We frequently prefer to stay at SoG, CBR, ASMu, or POP Century. But I can see a stay at AKL or Poly in my future.

[Janmac]

But, we go visit family in a sleeply little town in Iowa and stay at a Holiday Inn Suites, and my bill is $150 a night, granted you get a small breakfast and maybe a slightly larger room, but if I compare that price to POR-AB where our family of 5 usually stays, and then the pricing doesn't seem so bad. Throw in a room discount or free dining and it becomes a wash, plus you get the extra Disney perks.

Exactly. We stayed in April 2012 at a Garden View Royal Room at POR for less per night than what we stayed at a Country Inn at Coralville, IA, in July 2012. We did get a 'hot breakfast' at the Country Inn which was okay, and we did have a room only discount for POR, but the rest of the experience was not up to the POR level, either in the room, at the pool or the property in general.

While Disney hotel prices, especially Deluxe, are high, when I compare to the other hotels I've stayed at in the last 2 years (California, Texas, Alabama, and Iowa), I'd still be happy to stay at POR.

Jan

[Gator]

I posted the same thing about a month ago. Absolute sticker shock! Now I was told that the prices I'm seeing are WITH the tax in them, so maybe that's the reason they are so much higher. But inflation is only at about 2% year for the last decade. If that's the case, moderates should only be up $30-40, not $70-80.

[disneynarula]

It is out of control but just in this post you can see that people are willing to pay it, no matter what. Unless people stop paying it and there are a ton of empty rooms it isn't going to end.

We like to stay on property for the convenience of being close to the parks. We also like to use the EMH, especially in the evenings.

I can't see ever paying for a deluxe. IMHO what the deluxe resorts offer is not that different from what the moderates offer. Outside of better transportation for some of the resorts I don't see what the inflated prices get you. I can see the difference between the values and the moderates but sometimes I am not even willing to pay that if we need more than one room.

If you are going to spend a ton of time in your room or at the resort I can maybe see why you would want to spend the money. But why would you want to do that at Disney World. Why not a resort somewhere else in the world? Try something new, people! Put down the Dole Whip and see the rest of the country.

We go places other than Disney. We only go every three or so years and hit the parks hard all day long. For us Disney is all about the parks and a nice hotel is for another place.

We have paid comparable to what a deluxe resort would cost in cities like Paris and London. However there are huge benefits to those hotels. First of all you are in a new and exciting place. Most of them are way nicer than most of the deluxe resorts. At most places a really nice breakfast is included. Usually we can step out the door and be right in the heart of the city. I guess you can compare that to being able to hop on the monorail and be right at the MK but for me it's not comparable.

We did stay off property for a week a few years ago. We live in Germany and came for two weeks and did not want to pay for two weeks on property. We stayed in a condo at the Windsor Hills Resort. It was really nice. A three bedroom condo cost us around $60/night. We may do that again unless a nice discount is offered when we go in September.

[Lindsey310]

I have noticed this too. It was crazy when I checked for POR for 6 days, 5 nights. We are now renting dvc points, staying at a deluxe and paying about $600 less than the moderate. :confused:



14 days!!!!! :mickey:

[disneynarula]

I have noticed this too. It was crazy when I checked for POR for 6 days, 5 nights. We are now renting dvc points, staying at a deluxe and paying about $600 less than the moderate. :confused:



14 days!!!!! :mickey:

We are looking into doing the same thing. It is a good way to stay at a deluxe without deluxe prices. We need two rooms now and my MIL goes with us. We can get a two bedroom villa for less than two moderate rooms.