Disney outpricing me!

[PetefromRI]

I haven't been to WDW in about 3 years now. We were going quite often before that. We've been traveling to the Caribbean instead and so We decided it's about time for a trip back to our favorite place in the world,talk about sticker shock! The room prices are crazy high and the tix aren't cheap either.We found that Universal was such a better deal,and although we love Universal,Disney will always be home.Even the Value resorts are stupid expensive. I think Disney may be a 1 every 5 years trip for now on instead of our twice or better annually. Kind of sad that the working class has been priced out of the magic but so be it.I'm not the only person that we know who says the same thing. Off my Soapbox now.Still have wonderful memories of Disney.

[PopPhan]

If you are a Sam's Club member, check out their prices for tickets. I just got a Platinum Annual Pass (yesterday) for under $925 including taxes. That's about $200 under the new PAP price without taxes included.

The nice thing is that you can attach the voucher information to your MDE account and not have to activate it until December 31, 2030!!!!! It is there and ready for me when I am ready to go back and I don't have to worry about price increases in the interim!

[kathkwilts]

I haven't been to WDW in about 3 years now. We were going quite often before that. We've been traveling to the Caribbean instead and so We decided it's about time for a trip back to our favorite place in the world,talk about sticker shock! The room prices are crazy high and the tix aren't cheap either.We found that Universal was such a better deal,and although we love Universal,Disney will always be home.Even the Value resorts are stupid expensive. I think Disney may be a 1 every 5 years trip for now on instead of our twice or better annually. Kind of sad that the working class has been priced out of the magic but so be it.I'm not the only person that we know who says the same thing. Off my Soapbox now.Still have wonderful memories of Disney.

Yes, we have also had to cut down on our trips and I know people who just can't afford to go any more. I hope that Disney isn't pricing itself out of the market...

[Cinderelley]

People will pay the prices to go see the new stuff, so Disney's pockets are still getting stuffed. Eventually they will hit the ceiling, but it hasn't happened yet.

[texas211]

Yes, we have also had to cut down on our trips and I know people who just can't afford to go any more. I hope that Disney isn't pricing itself out of the market...

Nah, they are just catering to the folks who can afford a premium trip, and pay more per person. Hence more wow factor, more contemporary renovations, etc. If you build it, people will pay it. If they lose 3 lower paying customers, but get 1 premium, then they must figure to still make more money, and reduce crowds.

[texas211]

Yes, we have also had to cut down on our trips and I know people who just can't afford to go any more. I hope that Disney isn't pricing itself out of the market...

Nah, they are just catering to the folks who can afford a premium trip, and pay more per person. Hence more wow factor, more contemporary renovations, etc. If you build it, people will pay it. If they lose 3 lower paying customers, but get 1 premium, then they must figure to still make more money, and reduce crowds.

[Cinderelley]

Nah, they are just catering to the folks who can afford a premium trip, and pay more per person. Hence more wow factor, more contemporary renovations, etc. If you build it, people will pay it. If they lose 3 lower paying customers, but get 1 premium, then they must figure to still make more money, and reduce crowds.

I don't know. I could still afford to go, but I won't. After the big family trip my daughter is planning in 2022, I'll quit going unless things change. I've already cut back my trips to Disneyland due to being unhappy with the changes there. There is way too much in this world to see to waste my time and money on short sighted, money grubbing jerks.

[texas211]

I don't know. I could still afford to go, but I won't. After the big family trip my daughter is planning in 2022, I'll quit going unless things change. I've already cut back my trips to Disneyland due to being unhappy with the changes there. There is way too much in this world to see to waste my time and money on short sighted, money grubbing jerks.

Yeah, so many islands, tropical places, with fewer people. Might even check out some cruise ships.

You knew it was getting back when last year or so when they were experimenting w/ the private tents in Tomorrowland.

[Cinderelley]

Yeah, so many islands, tropical places, with fewer people. Might even check out some cruise ships.

You knew it was getting back when last year or so when they were experimenting w/ the private tents in Tomorrowland.

I already had this planned before recent developments, but next year we are only doing one week at Disney. The second week we are doing a Caribbean cruise.

The year after is Mardi Gras, South Dakota and Nintendoland if it is open.

[texas211]

Its funny how WDW can make you both happy and bitter.

[1DisneyNut]

I don't know. I could still afford to go, but I won't. After the big family trip my daughter is planning in 2022, I'll quit going unless things change. I've already cut back my trips to Disneyland due to being unhappy with the changes there. There is way too much in this world to see to waste my time and money on short sighted, money grubbing jerks.

I feel exactly the same. The only reason we have been the past couple of years is for special events our kids were participating in such as cheer. We haven't planned any actual vacation trips to WDW in several years. We have one more special event we will attend in February and that will be it. We have no intentions of planning any vacations there any time in the near future. I am sure I will get the itch and want to go get a quick visit for nostalgia but as for a vacation destination.....I am out.

I cannot relate how glad I am that I decided to hold off and think about DVC a little more when I took the tour and almost bit 11 years ago. I think we have only planned and taken two actual vacation trips to WDW since taking that tour. At first it was because of the recession affecting business for a couple of years but since then it has been because of all the changes and aggravation involved in planning and executing a trip. The money isn't a factor....it is the changes. I hate them with a passion.

[texas211]

The money isn't a factor....it is the changes. I hate them with a passion.

Amen!!!!

[Cinderelley]

I cannot relate how glad I am that I decided to hold off and think about DVC a little more when I took the tour and almost bit 11 years ago. I think we have only planned and taken two actual vacation trips to WDW since taking that tour. At first it was because of the recession affecting business for a couple of years but since then it has been because of all the changes and aggravation involved in planning and executing a trip. The money isn't a factor....it is the changes. I hate them with a passion.

I find that it gets easier to skip Disney the farther out it is from my trip there. I guess it is an addiction like smoking cigarettes. :P

My son and I are currently looking at Caribbean cruises for next year. I am finding that I'm more excited about that than our trip to Disney World in November. We just have to pick out our room and our shore excursions, not a minute by minute agenda 60 days out.

[RunDMV]

We are done.

I was done after the detestable FP+. After two trips a year for nearly two decades, I stopped going because of FP+. But then we moved to Florida. We have had Florida resident APs for three years. Not going to renew them when they expire.

Parking fees? 25% price increases? Boring, unimaginative food choices. FP+ to manage crowds and spy on your every move.

Iger is a bad person. Chapek is a bad person. Greedy men with insatiable appetites for millions of dollars to line their already filthy rich pockets. I refuse to make them 1 Penny richer.

[Cinderelley]

Boring, unimaginative food choices.

And it cracks me up how they present every little item as big news -
Look we made a cupcake . . .
Look we made another cupcake . . .
Look we made a third cupcake with a different color on it.

They do it with the mickey ear headbands too. I don't really care if some "celebrity" came up with a new headband idea. They aren't any better than regular people. In fact, I enjoy the ones people make on Etsy more than the ones that were presented by the "celebrities".

[SodaPopMGK]

We own DVC and find ourselves spending more time at the resort and eating off-site. One of our sons lives in Orlando because he's in a graduate program, so we use our DVC more as a nice place to stay while visiting him. I never thought I'd be happier leaving to eat but like others have said the food is expensive and boring. If I'm going to pay $50 plus for a steak I'd rather go to the Capital Grille. I think the parking is outrageous and we don't have to pay.

[Yooper]

I'm going in January with a friend who has never been there, and unless my deployed son returns and really wants to go, this is my last trip.
I've been in love with WDW since my first visit in 1971 (Disneyland before that), but the cost and crowds and little petty things like charging for parking now has done me in. The food is not very good, but it's expensive, the ticket prices are outrageous, as are the resort prices. Really? $650/night for the Poly in the off-season AND charging for parking? Too much, and it happened too soon to make it palatable for me.
I'm planning this last trip for 4-5 park days, and will enjoy it. And then walk away because I can go to Europe for a month (and have) for less than the cost of a trip at a value resort at WDW.

I just spent a month in Italy renting very nice apartments and having a fabulous time with great restaurants- for a bit under $2000. Makes it hard to spring for a Disney trip.

[baldburke]

Although for every family that drops out, there's probably at least two behind them to pick up the slack. Disney isn't hurting for money for sure and wouldn't go down even if all of Intercot decided to protest.

How do you spend your entertainment and leisure dollars? Disney and Universal are somewhat unique because they crossover between entertainment and leisure, but for entertainment you have things like sporting events, concerts, movies and other ways to pass your time. Then for for leisure you have all modes of travel including hotels, rentals, timeshares and outright ownership if you choose that path. Brands run the gamut from the Dallas Cowboys to Hilton to Ticketmaster and Regal Cinemas, plus of course our beloved Disney.

I know we don't see it here, but unless you are sneaking in snacks and using coupons, it's darn near impossible to do a movie for a family of four for under $100. Let alone if you want to do a professional sports event like football. Baseball you couple maybe do for four on a strict budget and the cheapest seats for under $200 with parking and food, but I would guess for football you are up over $500 for a single game. Let's not even talk season tickets!

The same is true for hotels, property rentals and airfare. Don't fool yourself that airlines aren't making money despite offers of cheap seats between fees and add-ons. Heck, we pay a pretty penny to rent a beach house every year. Sure it's close to the beach and has lots of room for our guests, but we're only renting it for one week out of about 13 between Memorial Day and Labor Day and it keeps going up every year.

We could go on and on from things like grocery bills to tuition to whatever else suits your needs. Nothing is getting cheaper! So beat up on Disney if you like, but why complain about it here? I'd have to imagine the average age of Intercotees is in their 50's, plus or minus 5 years, so it's maybe mostly made up of people between say 45 to 65. I doubt the millennials have big numbers here. They probably get most of their info via social media. There maybe be some older folks here, but again my guess is that most lie between 45 and 65. I guess what I'm getting at is that we are just a very small subset of people that partake in Disney's universe. Why spoil this universe, Intercot, with complaints about pricing? I'm here to enjoy Disney, not bash them.

[PunzelBelle]

We could go on and on from things like grocery bills to tuition to whatever else suits your needs. Nothing is getting cheaper! So beat up on Disney if you like, but why complain about it here? I'd have to imagine the average age of Intercotees is in their 50's, plus or minus 5 years, so it's maybe mostly made up of people between say 45 to 65. I doubt the millennials have big numbers here. They probably get most of their info via social media. There maybe be some older folks here, but again my guess is that most lie between 45 and 65. I guess what I'm getting at is that we are just a very small subset of people that partake in Disney's universe. Why spoil this universe, Intercot, with complaints about pricing? I'm here to enjoy Disney, not bash them.[/QUOTE]

I’d have to agree with the bulk of what you said except maybe the age group. I have no idea really but I’m 37 (elder millennial!) new Florida resident turned passholder and I found social media repetitive and useless for Disney news. Especially the blogs which I’m guessing get a lot of their info here. I see info posted here than within hours exact quotes go up on several blogs.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Cinderelley]

Although for every family that drops out, there's probably at least two behind them to pick up the slack. Disney isn't hurting for money for sure and wouldn't go down even if all of Intercot decided to protest.

How do you spend your entertainment and leisure dollars? Disney and Universal are somewhat unique because they crossover between entertainment and leisure, but for entertainment you have things like sporting events, concerts, movies and other ways to pass your time. Then for for leisure you have all modes of travel including hotels, rentals, timeshares and outright ownership if you choose that path. Brands run the gamut from the Dallas Cowboys to Hilton to Ticketmaster and Regal Cinemas, plus of course our beloved Disney.

I know we don't see it here, but unless you are sneaking in snacks and using coupons, it's darn near impossible to do a movie for a family of four for under $100. Let alone if you want to do a professional sports event like football. Baseball you couple maybe do for four on a strict budget and the cheapest seats for under $200 with parking and food, but I would guess for football you are up over $500 for a single game. Let's not even talk season tickets!

The same is true for hotels, property rentals and airfare. Don't fool yourself that airlines aren't making money despite offers of cheap seats between fees and add-ons. Heck, we pay a pretty penny to rent a beach house every year. Sure it's close to the beach and has lots of room for our guests, but we're only renting it for one week out of about 13 between Memorial Day and Labor Day and it keeps going up every year.

We could go on and on from things like grocery bills to tuition to whatever else suits your needs. Nothing is getting cheaper! So beat up on Disney if you like, but why complain about it here? I'd have to imagine the average age of Intercotees is in their 50's, plus or minus 5 years, so it's maybe mostly made up of people between say 45 to 65. I doubt the millennials have big numbers here. They probably get most of their info via social media. There maybe be some older folks here, but again my guess is that most lie between 45 and 65. I guess what I'm getting at is that we are just a very small subset of people that partake in Disney's universe. Why spoil this universe, Intercot, with complaints about pricing? I'm here to enjoy Disney, not bash them.

I'm not really sure what anyone's age has to do with anything. My parents no longer go to Disney. (The same parents who got me hooked on it.) My boys only go when I ask them to go. One is a homebody, and the other thought it was way overpriced a few years ago. They won't continue to go after I'm gone. My DD may make occasional trips, but her next planned trip isn't for 3 years - by her choice. The grandkids definitely won't be brought up on Disney like I had originally foreseen. Instead, they will see the real world, not just pavilions around Epcot.

As far as why complain here, it's a Disney discussion board. Why wouldn't they complain here? Discussing Disney is what it is for. While we may not all agree on a specific point of view, everyone has a right to make their point heard.

How do I spend my entertainment dollars? I pay $20 a month to play an online game. No movies. No sports. No TV. No concerts. Not interested.
If I'm doing something with my kids, we'll go out shooting, to an escape room, laser tag, a painting or pottery place. Any of those are cheaper for all of us than a one day ticket at Disneyland or Disney World for one person. We usually have a sit down dinner prior to or after our activity. Those meals are also cheaper than a meal at Disney.

My leisure dollars - over the next couple of years, I have week long trips planned to Colorado, Idaho, a Caribbean cruise, South Dakota, New Orleans for Mardi Gras, two trips to California, a trip to Disney World,and a trip to universal when nintendoland opens. Other than the trip to Universal, I know the other trips will cost much less than a trip to Disney World. I am not sure how much the Universal trip will cost. I expect to have as great of a time on each of those trips as I would at Disney.

Disney isn't hurting for money now. They can float along on their reputation for a long time. After a while though, their reputation won't be that shiny, and people will start going elsewhere.

[texas211]

If you are comparing Disney to the Cowboys, then you really are in trouble. Overpriced, not worth it. Cowboys are horrible to boot.

[showmethemouse]

I just wanna say that this will be my last trip to Disney I'm only going because my son fiancé has never been but it's gotten extremely expensive took me 3 years to save up for this vacation in 2003 we went with a family of 4 to Disney to cost me 1700 dollar me and my son used to go every year we are big Disney fans love love love me some Disney but now in 2019 for a family of 3 it's cost me 2900 but I think what really did me in with vacationing at Disney is when I seen an article in the Tampa Bay news saying that Disney is suing for outrageous property tax and I just can't believe it

[texas211]

3k? Wow, I'm thinking that's not bad. Disney has gotten crazy expensive, especially if you are doing the resorts. And they don't even let you have the bar soaps and shampoos anymore. :)

[PopPhan]

I just wanna say that this will be my last trip to Disney I'm only going because my son fiancé has never been but it's gotten extremely expensive took me 3 years to save up for this vacation in 2003 we went with a family of 4 to Disney to cost me 1700 dollar me and my son used to go every year we are big Disney fans love love love me some Disney but now in 2019 for a family of 3 it's cost me 2900 but I think what really did me in with vacationing at Disney is when I seen an article in the Tampa Bay news saying that Disney is suing for outrageous property tax and I just can't believe it

No offense, but with the inflation rates we have been living with, $1,200 in 16 years is really not all that bad. I understand what you are saying, and you are paying for 3 now rather than 4...What is the difference in flight costs? Bet the percentage increase is 'in the ballpark.'

My first trip, with my ex (not at the time LOL,) was also in 2003 and we paid $77/night for Caribbean Beach for the two of us. Now, see what $77/night will get you there -- NOTHING! Even Value resorts are in the $125/night range.

I still believe that you are getting your money's worth on trips. It may not seem that way right now, with all the destruction/construction going on (big reason I have 'banked' an Annual Pass) and everything that is closed, but there is still so much to see and do there.