Anyone else feel this way?

[markyv]

Just priced 7 nights with Free Dining in the fall for a family of 5. $4500 in the value category is the cheapest option. Really Disney? Is your goal to make a Disney vacation a once in a lifetime experience? Have you given up on your loyal customers who choose to come every year or every other year? I can remember this same trip being around $3,300 just 3 years ago for a moderate. Have not stayed on property since and it appears that streak will continue. I am even now considering not going at all. In my opinion, overall value is decreasing with every price increase.

[manutd1]

What resort did you price.....
We just went, and stayed at POP. 7 nights. There is 4 of us (2 adults and 2 kids) Our total including tickets.....not spending money was just over 2k. We did have a 25% off pin code for the resort. But, Not sure your situation.
As for the cost....It is what it is. For the past few visits it hasn't changed for us at all. If need be...we didnt buy the park hopper which saves kinda alot.
Honestly, WDW or DLR may not be affordable to everyone. But the parks are full and Disney is not seeing a decrease in folks coming to the parks at all....:thumbsup:
I don't know about your financial situation...but for me. There is no cost that would keep us from going every two years. If i must...I'll pull down more overtime but if there is a will there is a way.


I just priced Port Orleans Riverside. 5 folks can stay there. 6 day base ticket w/ no hopper. There is a room offer to the public. The total was 2950.00 plus tax. That was room and tickets. Thats a great rate imho.
Thats inline with your comment about previous years cost.
So, im not sure what value category you were pricing as POR is a moderate.
I put september 6 as check in for 7 nights..... not sure when you meant by fall.
But to answer your question about anyone else feel this way? No, I think WDW/ DLR cost is inline with other destinations. in fact, IMHO its a greta deal. Always has been always will be.

[Goofy4TheWorld]

Just priced 7 nights with Free Dining in the fall for a family of 5. $4500 in the value category is the cheapest option. Really Disney? Is your goal to make a Disney vacation a once in a lifetime experience? Have you given up on your loyal customers who choose to come every year or every other year? I can remember this same trip being around $3,300 just 3 years ago for a moderate. Have not stayed on property since and it appears that streak will continue. I am even now considering not going at all. In my opinion, overall value is decreasing with every price increase.

If you are a family of 5 (everyone age 3+) then there is no true Value resort room at Disney for you to get a price on. A family of 5 would only be able to stay in a Value if you were staying at Art of Animation $uites or All Star Music $uites, but both of those options $ost a $ubstantial amount of money more than a typical Value, and really even more than many Deluxe resort options.

A family of five gets totally screwed if they stay on property at Disney.

[Imalismom]

Also, remember with free dining you have to pay rack rates which is very high with no discounts.

[Goofy4TheWorld]

What resort did you price.....
We just went, and stayed at POP. 7 nights. There is 4 of us (2 adults and 2 kids) Our total including tickets.....not spending money was just over 2k. We did have a 25% off pin code for the resort. But, Not sure your situation.
As for the cost....It is what it is. For the past few visits it hasn't changed for us at all. If need be...we didnt buy the park hopper which saves kinda alot.
Honestly, WDW or DLR may not be affordable to everyone. But the parks are full and Disney is not seeing a decrease in folks coming to the parks at all....:thumbsup:
I don't know about your financial situation...but for me. There is no cost that would keep us from going every two years. If i must...I'll pull down more overtime but if there is a will there is a way.


I just priced Port Orleans Riverside. 5 folks can stay there. 6 day base ticket w/ no hopper. There is a room offer to the public. The total was 2950.00 plus tax. That was room and tickets. Thats a great rate imho.
Thats inline with your comment about previous years cost.
So, im not sure what value category you were pricing as POR is a moderate.
I put september 6 as check in for 7 nights..... not sure when you meant by fall.
But to answer your question about anyone else feel this way? No, I think WDW/ DLR cost is inline with other destinations. in fact, IMHO its a greta deal. Always has been always will be.

I don' think either of your comparisons are really apples-to-apples. Your $2,000 at Pop was a discounted room and NO dining plan, where the OP remembers their stay at around $3,300 with the dining plan, and now has grown to $4,500.

Again at Port Orleans, you can't compare a room-only price for someone who wants a dining plan, because one way or the other EVERYONE pays for their food, there is no such thing as a free lunch. Plenty of people continue to flock to the dining plan, especially when it is marketed as "free", but pricing a Disney vacation has, IMHO, turned into something along the lines of buying a car, they have lots of different prices that they use to keep things so complicated it's hard to compare anything anymore.

[manutd1]

If you are a family of 5 (everyone age 3+) then there is no true Value resort room at Disney for you to get a price on. A family of 5 would only be able to stay in a Value if you were staying at Art of Animation $uites or All Star Music $uites, but both of those options $ost a $ubstantial amount of money more than a typical Value, and really even more than many Deluxe resort options.

A family of five gets totally screwed if they stay on property at Disney.
Not true at all. POR you can have 5 to room. Normal moderate prices. A lot of families of 5 stay there for that reason.

[manutd1]

I don' think either of your comparisons are really apples-to-apples. Your $2,000 at Pop was a discounted room and NO dining plan, where the OP remembers their stay at around $3,300 with the dining plan, and now has grown to $4,500.

Again at Port Orleans, you can't compare a room-only price for someone who wants a dining plan, because one way or the other EVERYONE pays for their food, there is no such thing as a free lunch. Plenty of people continue to flock to the dining plan, especially when it is marketed as "free", but pricing a Disney vacation has, IMHO, turned into something along the lines of buying a car, they have lots of different prices that they use to keep things so complicated it's hard to compare anything anymore.
He didnt get the dining plan. He priced free dining. big difference.
But either way. I don't see it as complicated. It is what it is. Some can afford it some can't. Always has been always will be.
But, he did state free dining. Which is comparable to getting a room discount and paying for food vs not getting a discount and not paying for food. They kinda equal out. Either way. There is always options. Heck, I have a friend who goes EVERY year. They stay at a dirt cheap hotel off property for 50.00 per night. And cram all 6 in a room.....But, in the end, They are at WDW having the time of their life with their limited budget. That is their option and they don't complain. They love going and go every year. Personally, I will never stay off property unless I absolutely have to..and I don't ever see that. But, again ....Those dirt cheap hotels have people in them...once they walk through the gates.....we are all in the "world"
Me personally, If i need to save money...We don't buy park hoppers. Only one park per day and limit souvenirs. It is simply endless they ways to save and budget.

[MW1218]

Just priced 7 nights with Free Dining in the fall for a family of 5. $4500 in the value category is the cheapest option. Really Disney? Is your goal to make a Disney vacation a once in a lifetime experience? Have you given up on your loyal customers who choose to come every year or every other year? I can remember this same trip being around $3,300 just 3 years ago for a moderate. Have not stayed on property since and it appears that streak will continue. I am even now considering not going at all. In my opinion, overall value is decreasing with every price increase.

Actually that is not your cheapest option with a family of five. Five is the magic number at a value where you are automatically placed into a suite at AoA or All Star Music, which are very expensive. You can book a family of five for seven nights at a standard room at Riverside with Free Dining for $3600....I just checked it.

[Basket Mommy]

This is one of the main reasons we joined DVC in 2008. We're a family of 6. We preferred to get one room at a deluxe, and once the youngest child outgrew a Pack & Play, we had to get 2 rooms. Our first time doing that, we could only afford 2 Value rooms (All Star Movies). We hated the values so very much. They were way too small for us (We don't spend all day in the parks. We like to rest!) We took the DVC tour on the 4th day of a 7 day trip. We came home and bought 150 points at HHI for $65 per point (at the time the SSR points were $104 each direct from Disney). Since then we've added 200 more points (also at HHI through resale). We got those for around $60 each and got a loaded contract (200 banked points came with it, so we had 400 pts to use up front. We splurged on a 3 BR on our first trip!)

We were paying about $6000 per trip before we joined DVC. Our membership has paid for itself a few times over in the 7 years we've been members. LOVE IT.

[Goofy4TheWorld]

He didnt get the dining plan. He priced free dining. big difference.

I don't believe it is a big difference. While I am not sure what percentage of people are paying non-discounted full-price for a Disney reservation right now, most of the time you pick one discount or the other, and on average the amount you "saved" on free dining could have also been "saved" using a discounted room instead. My casual observation as of late has been that anytime a free-dining discount is available, there is a room-only discount alternative.

Whether the OP pays for dining or not, he will pay just about the same amount of money at the end of the day. So if you are going to compare prices, you have to either remove dining from all prices or add dining to all prices. One caveat to that is that a family of 5 does have the potential to actually save a little more on free dining, but only when they wanted to stay at a Moderate anyway.

[Goofy4TheWorld]

Not true at all. POR you can have 5 to room. Normal moderate prices. A lot of families of 5 stay there for that reason.

Normal Moderate prices will always be higher than Value prices, and I think it is ridiculous that a family with 3, a 5, and a 7 year old can't stay at Pop Century for $500+ a week less than POR like a family of 4 can. As you posted earlier, your friend puts 6 people in a room at $50.00 per night, but yet not even 5 are allowed at Pop for $150ish a night. That is why I think Disney screws families of 5, the complete unavailability of a Value room for a family of 5. I am aware Disney blames fire codes, but I just can't understand how the $50.00 a night motels do it but Disney can't. In my opinion the Value resorts are FAR safer in a fire than a Deluxe (you will NEVER get trapped or suffocate in the hallway of a hotel with exterior corridors) and yet a Deluxe can have 5 people in every room.

I will concede that Disney has marginally improved their offerings to families of 5 after the POR rehab made ALL POR rooms 5-people approved, where it used to be only the Alligator Bayou section that allowed 5, so that has definitely helped open up availability. But again, what changed at Disney's POR with the fire code that suddenly 5 people can fit into every room, where before only 4 could fit it most of the resort's rooms? The addition of the "trundle bed" in every room didn't change the building's means of egress.

I guess if you prefer Moderate resorts anyway it doesn't matter, but I am someone who only needs a shower and a bed and it always disappointed me that Pop was never an option if I had 3 kids.

[manutd1]

Normal Moderate prices will always be higher than Value prices, and I think it is ridiculous that a family with 3, a 5, and a 7 year old can't stay at Pop Century for $500+ a week less than POR like a family of 4 can. As you posted earlier, your friend puts 6 people in a room at $50.00 per night, but yet not even 5 are allowed at Pop for $150ish a night. That is why I think Disney screws families of 5, the complete unavailability of a Value room for a family of 5. I am aware Disney blames fire codes, but I just can't understand how the $50.00 a night motels do it but Disney can't. In my opinion the Value resorts are FAR safer in a fire than a Deluxe (you will NEVER get trapped or suffocate in the hallway of a hotel with exterior corridors) and yet a Deluxe can have 5 people in every room.

I will concede that Disney has marginally improved their offerings to families of 5 after the POR rehab made ALL POR rooms 5-people approved, where it used to be only the Alligator Bayou section that allowed 5, so that has definitely helped open up availability. But again, what changed at Disney's POR with the fire code that suddenly 5 people can fit into every room, where before only 4 could fit it most of the resort's rooms? The addition of the "trundle bed" in every room didn't change the building's means of egress.

I guess if you prefer Moderate resorts anyway it doesn't matter, but I am someone who only needs a shower and a bed and it always disappointed me that Pop was never an option if I had 3 kids.
Im sure the 6 to a room at the cheap off site hotels...isnt actually legal or within their rules....its just that no one checks or cares. With Disney, and magic bands....they know how many is with you.
I hope you find a good solution.....me personally, IF i had 3 kids instead of two and a 5 person trip. I go with POR and imho that would be the cheapest on site choice. Especially with pin codes...out there. I know POR is always cheaper than a suite at Art of Animation or even the two room suites at say Movies and the all stars.

[Ms. Mode]

Well, the way I see it, you get what you pay for.

We love the Disney experience and have NEVER had a bad vacation since we have become a part of the "Disney Poor" who visit regularly. I would not trade one minute of any of those vacations.

Our moto is, if we can't go on a Disney vacation and stay on property because of the price...we will wait until next year, when we can. :thumbsup:

[John]

Honestly, if I was traveling with a larger party, I'd look into a house with All Star Vacation homes. We've stayed there many times and while its not on property, there is something amazing about staying in a house that is as nice or nicer than your own with your own private pool. Most of them are within about a 5-10 minute drive (no longer than a bus ride from a value) and the amenities are amazing.



I know a lot of folks are scared about staying "off site" but our experience has been very good.

[Cinderelley]

Your example does not include the cost of feeding 5 people, which he would have gotten with the free dining offer.

As far as pulling more overtime, some people can't do that, and what is the cost to your family to not have you around while you are working so much? There are more factors to consider than just the numbers on a piece of paper.



What resort did you price.....
We just went, and stayed at POP. 7 nights. There is 4 of us (2 adults and 2 kids) Our total including tickets.....not spending money was just over 2k. We did have a 25% off pin code for the resort. But, Not sure your situation.
As for the cost....It is what it is. For the past few visits it hasn't changed for us at all. If need be...we didnt buy the park hopper which saves kinda alot.
Honestly, WDW or DLR may not be affordable to everyone. But the parks are full and Disney is not seeing a decrease in folks coming to the parks at all....:thumbsup:
I don't know about your financial situation...but for me. There is no cost that would keep us from going every two years. If i must...I'll pull down more overtime but if there is a will there is a way.


I just priced Port Orleans Riverside. 5 folks can stay there. 6 day base ticket w/ no hopper. There is a room offer to the public. The total was 2950.00 plus tax. That was room and tickets. Thats a great rate imho.
Thats inline with your comment about previous years cost.
So, im not sure what value category you were pricing as POR is a moderate.
I put september 6 as check in for 7 nights..... not sure when you meant by fall.
But to answer your question about anyone else feel this way? No, I think WDW/ DLR cost is inline with other destinations. in fact, IMHO its a greta deal. Always has been always will be.

[Cinderelley]

Honestly, if I was traveling with a larger party, I'd look into a house with All Star Vacation homes. We've stayed there many times and while its not on property, there is something amazing about staying in a house that is as nice or nicer than your own with your own private pool. Most of them are within about a 5-10 minute drive (no longer than a bus ride from a value) and the amenities are amazing.



I know a lot of folks are scared about staying "off site" but our experience has been very good.

When we had our family reunion, we stayed off site at a timeshare. It was just a few minutes away and gave everyone plenty of room to spread out. You have to factor in the cost of renting a car if you don't drive yourself down there. With 15 of us though, it made more sense money wise. Everyone had a fabulous time.

[Gregandmel]

I think you have to LOVE Disney….and get the whole Disney vibe for the cost to not be quite as much of an issue. I will let things fall apart in my house without fixing them (minor things), yet not blink an eye at planning a Disney trip with my family. It's like I'm using Monopoly money when it comes time to plan a trip. It's expensive. No way around it. I have friends and even family who think it's completely INSANE to spend around $5,000 (including airfare) for a one week trip to Disney. I"ve had co-workers who took the leap and swear they will never go back (too hot, too crowded, too expensive, too this/too that) and then others that go and "get it". Disney knows there are LOTS of folks like us that will continue coming back…..as much and as often as we can…..even when we have to start stretching our dollars in order to do it. I don't know what our threshold is to reign in our trips…we haven't gotten to that point yet. :mickey:

[azcavalier]

Just priced 7 nights with Free Dining in the fall for a family of 5. $4500 in the value category is the cheapest option. Really Disney? Is your goal to make a Disney vacation a once in a lifetime experience? Have you given up on your loyal customers who choose to come every year or every other year? I can remember this same trip being around $3,300 just 3 years ago for a moderate. Have not stayed on property since and it appears that streak will continue. I am even now considering not going at all. In my opinion, overall value is decreasing with every price increase.

Hmmm....we're a family of five (youngest is 6, the other four are 10+). We're staying at Caribbean Beach (Moderate) for 7 nights, 8 days, with Park Hoppers and Free Dining this fall, and our total price is $3698. Are you using Magical Journeys?

[TheVBs]

Wow Azcavalier! That's a great deal! :mickey:

I can understand the sticker shock. We've fallen in love with the AoA suites and that's added a fair chunk to our total, especially since we typically do 10 days. We just have to have enough set aside to cover it without impacting something else we're saving for.

[Speedy1998]

This is why we started to stay off property 3 years ago. We usually get a 3 bedroom 2 bath Condo, or a 3 bedroom 3 bath townhouse for the price of a room at one of the moderates. Only 2 miles from Disney property.

Bonus, there is no debate about whether to drive or ride the bus to the park.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

We did compare this year's trip to a few years ago, and were surprised at how much more it was.

Still, we love it, we don't want to go anywhere else (and when we do, it always seems to end up costing just as much as Disney does). When I think about it though, it isn't that bad ... when you think about everything that is included.

OP - where did you get your quote? We're a family of 3 (all Disney adults), and in a moderate, we're around $3,500 for 10 nights/11 days. Adding two more park tickets won't cost that much more.

[mydisneygirls]

I always book directly though Disney, but why don't you give Magical Journey's a try. I'm sure they will be able to find you something a little cheaper than the price you received.

And also, it's not "it is what it is." There are always discounts somewhere. I've actually found rooms on travel sites that are less than what Disney quotes even with the discount they offered.

Markyv didn't post this to be put down for expressing his opinion of how much it would be to take his family. I too think that Disney is getting ridiculous with their prices...especially since they are making a ton of money off the Disney name since no member of the Disney family is involved with the company .

[disney1026]

We actually just downgraded to Pop Century from Caribbean Beach due to pricing. In order to get the Free Dining Promotion, we had to upgrade to the Pirate Rooms. the difference between the Pirate Rooms and Pop Century for our 8 day stay was almost $1000. We decided to use that extra money to do "extras" like the Very Merry Christmas Party.

Just two years ago, we were able to stay at Port Orleans Riverside, for almost the same price as we are staying now at Pop Century. For our family, we rarely spend time in the room, so we didn't feel like the additional cost was justified. But I am hoping that maybe I can get a better deal when fall room rates come out?

[joonyer]

Disney's prices are ultimately controlled by what the market will bear. What may be "ridiculous" for me may be a bargain for somebody else. And the Disney family became immensely wealthy because Walt put his name on the corporation. The shareholders are making a ton of money under the "Disney" name because Walt chose to do it that way. He could have named it the "Mickey Mouse" Company. :D

[John]

Disney's prices are ultimately controlled by what the market will bear. What may be "ridiculous" for me may be a bargain for somebody else. And the Disney family became immensely wealthy because Walt put his name on the corporation. The shareholders are making a ton of money under the "Disney" name because Walt chose to do it that way. He could have named it the "Mickey Mouse" Company. :D


Lots of talk about this topic on the podcast - while true, Disney was about a place families could escape. My hope is shareholders or not, they never loose sight of that.