WSJ: Even Disney Is Worried About The High Cost Of A Disney Vacation (gift link)

[hopemax]

WDW used to be like the #1 Honeymoon destination in the US. Not exactly for kids, is it? This was common knowledge in the 90s and 00s. It’s part of what drove the nice dining and amenities at Deluxe resorts, the golfing, entertainment at the Boardwalk and Downtown Disney, etc. If you say Disney and Honeymoon now, people think you’re a fan, and not it was just what people thought of because Europe and Hawaii were less accessible.

 

[flynnibus]

I could honestly see some kids preferring the art of animation to the poly.

Well in the 80s, the Polynesian offered a cool unique pool slide... a beach... boats... a kids club... snack bar... and monorails at the curb to reach both parks.

Now... it offers a bar you can't just goto adhoc... a pool... monorail to two parks and buses to everywhere else.

 

[Agent H]

Well in the 80s, the Polynesian offered a cool unique pool slide... a beach... boats... a kids club... snack bar... and monorails at the curb to reach both parks.

Now... it offers a bar you can't just goto adhoc... a pool... monorail to two parks and buses to everywhere else.

Minus the kids club does it not still offer all these things?

 

[flynnibus]

Minus the kids club does it not still offer all these things?

Beach is only for walking on... the boats are dinosaurs compared to what kids experience anywhere else today... snack bar is more pool side service now.. and you'll ride buses more than you do a monorail.

The point is it's not really all that unique anymore nor particularly appealing to youth.

 

[ConfettiCupcake]

Bottom line IMO is nobody or very few are booking a resort where the entry level rooms are in the range of like $700-1k a night (rack rate) because their kids really like it. They built this empire on first and foremost adults enjoying themselves and wanting to come back. Some are adults bringing children, some aren’t.

If they manage to erode at that, that’s a problem.

 

[Agent H]

Beach is only for walking on... the boats are dinosaurs compared to what kids experience anywhere else today... snack bar is more pool side service now.. and you'll ride buses more than you do a monorail.

The point is it's not really all that unique anymore nor particularly appealing to youth.

Yes I’m sure kids are so sad that they can’t swim in the alligator infested water.

 

[flynnibus]

Yes I’m sure kids are so sad that they can’t swim in the alligator infested water.

Fun fact... I learned to water ski at WDW as a kid... and survived to tell the tale.

We also enjoyed River Country... w/o fear of snakes or gators.

Maybe recognize what you know of the world now.. isn't what it always was.

 

[Agent H]

Fun fact... I learned to water ski at WDW as a kid... and survived to tell the tale.

We also enjoyed River Country... w/o fear of snakes or gators.

Maybe recognize what you know of the world now.. isn't what it always was.

It was cool back then and I’m glad it existed so kids like you could make memories like that but I think we all know that there would be significant user errors if you could still do it today.

 

[DisneyHead123]

Part of the problem is that, even for older children, there is more “required” adult participation. When my siblings and I were old enough to do so, my parents just turned us loose in the parks and told us to circle back at meal times. Now, with arrival windows for restaurants and attractions, the purse strings attached to pre-bookings you might have, etc., it’s a lot more difficult to let go. Paper FastPass was really the last time the parks facilitated an approachable experience for families that wanted to split up and do different things.

I agree splitting up isn’t really a thing anymore but I think that’s more changed cultural norms than anything. I think kids have to be 14 before they can be alone in the parks.

I will say on the cruise lines I think Disney invests heavily in the kid’s club for this very reason. Drop the kids in the holding pen - er, kid’s club - so mom and dad can check out the Haunted Mansion lounge.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Bluey has a big following among the HS/college/YA age group.

Adults too as we get reminded every episode how we suck as parents compared to a couple of dogs

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

The people who are nostalgic for the parks when they started are pretty old now. Their kids can’t afford to take their families. So what place will nostalgia have down the line?

You hit the nail on the head. We went to WDW with our kids because we were nostalgic for the Disney we watched as kids. We waited each week to watch Wide World of Color and the Mickey Mouse Club.
The kids enjoyed it but I don't think even they knew too much about Mickey. They just loved the rides and atmosphere, and of course, the pool, LOL. They took their kids because we had taken them and had such a good time.
Now that the "grandkids" are grown with kids of their own, Disney is not even on their radar. My grandsons like Mario and other newer cartoon characters. The world has grown so much due to the internet that there is a wide variety for them to access. We only had WDW and Mickey Mouse Club with our 3 channels. So Disney has to contend with all this.

 

[Agent H]

Adults too as we get reminded every episode how we suck as parents compared to a couple of dogs

Don’t worry your just adulting!

 

[DonniePeverley]

You hit the nail on the head. We went to WDW with our kids because we were nostalgic for the Disney we watched as kids. We waited each week to watch Wide World of Color and the Mickey Mouse Club.
The kids enjoyed it but I don't think even they knew too much about Mickey. They just loved the rides and atmosphere, and of course, the pool, LOL. They took their kids because we had taken them and had such a good time.
Now that the "grandkids" are grown with kids of their own, Disney is not even on their radar. My grandsons like Mario and other newer cartoon characters. The world has grown so much due to the internet that there is a wide variety for them to access. We only had WDW and Mickey Mouse Club with our 3 channels. So Disney has to contend with all this.

Valid points, but also some nonsense sprinkled in.

Disney is still a brilliant vacation. Years of penny pinching, not investing in the parks properly have left it flat at times. But as a vacation for a family i don't know anything better, and i've travelled the world. Combine it Universal being nearby it's near enough perfection.

As Disney opens more resorts around the world, you will see less international visitors which can mark down attendance - especially the California parks. With the expansion in Paris, you may see less Europeans visiting Florida.

The nostalga brigrade are horrific. They are simply the worst set of visitors. Disney accountants however must love them, as they give weight to not investing in anything and keeping things as they were forever.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Don’t worry your just adulting!

Saw what you want about his evil plans to take over the tristate area, but that man is a dang good father!

 

[Agent H]

Saw what you want about his evil plans to take over the tristate area, but that man is a dang good father!

I wouldn’t say evil so much as petty and it’s mostly out of obligation to his backstories.

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

Don’t worry your just adulting!

Hey, Agent H, I just want to say it's refreshing having a younger outlook on things on here!

 

[Agent H]

Hey, Agent H, I just want to say it's refreshing having a younger outlook on things on here!

Thanks but @TheCoasterNerd is even younger than I am.

 

[DisneyHead123]

No - in the 70s and 80s Disney was UNIQUE. It wasn't over the top luxury, but it was unlike anything else around. The idea of immersing you in an entirely different environment... the idea that the service level didn't stop at the park gates, but followed you home back to the hotel. The amenities were quality and generous. I remember being young and seeing TOUCHLESS water faucets for the first time in a Disney bathroom. It was just stuff you didn't see or get elsewhere. You were paying a premium price, but getting a premium, unique, and incredibly enjoyable product.

The problem is not a 'new level of expectation', the problem is Disney lost that edge. By the 90s, everyone was doing themed entertainment. You even had people out Disney'ing-Disney with even more elaborate and immersive experiences. People had copied Disney's strategies and the gap between what Disney was vs other spots decreased.

That trend continued, and as Disney got more and more complacent to be 'like everyone else' in terms of policies, strategies, product focus, etc... your hotels became more about 'location, location, location' and not EXPERIENCE.

So now when Disney tries to charge $700/night for a hotel... that is a moderate hotel experience at best.. and no longer wows you... people start to wonder "Why I am paying $700/night for this???"

This isn't new or unreasonable expectations - It's that Disney no longer delivered on the value they used to be able to charge anything they wanted for.

Totally subjective, but I feel like people look back on the WDW of yore with rose colored glasses, while there's a lot of "hedonistic treadmill" effect today. Unpopular opinion but I actually think the parks are leaps and bounds better now than they were in the 70s, 80s and 90s. I loved the parks in the 80s / 90s, but I also recall they were sweltering, it was in the days before Gentle Parenting so if your parents told you to stand in an hour long line in the sun you damn well stood in an hour long line, and most of Epcot was boring as all get out. This woman is saying the new system is too complicated, but it's not like the alternative was to jump on any ride you wanted in 10 minutes back in the day. It was to wait for an eternity or to skip that ride, both of which I remember doing. We just didn't ride Dumbo, or consider riding it, because the lines were way too long, and that was that.

Again, however, totally subjective. YMMV. Also, I do agree that the hotel prices are insane for some of the deluxes. Clearly supported by supply and demand or they wouldn't be that high, but still, insane.

Don't get me wrong, I feel for TikTok mom. I've visited Disney as a kid, a young adult, an auntie, and a mom, and yeah, visiting as a mom is way, waaaay more stressful. It's basically an "Expectations vs. Reality" reel that writes itself, lol. But in my opinion that's not a Disney thing, that's a "being a mom" thing.

 

[Agent H]

Totally subjective, but I feel like people look back on the WDW of yore with rose colored glasses, while there's a lot of "hedonistic treadmill" effect today. Unpopular opinion but I actually think the parks are leaps and bounds better now than they were in the 70s, 80s and 90s. I loved the parks in the 80s / 90s, but I also recall they were sweltering, it was in the days before Gentle Parenting so if your parents told you to stand in an hour long line in the sun you damn well stood in an hour long line, and most of Epcot was boring as all get out. This woman is saying the new system is too complicated, but it's not like the alternative was to jump on any ride you wanted in 10 minutes back in the day. It was to wait for an eternity or to skip that ride, both of which I remember doing. We just didn't ride Dumbo, or consider riding it, because the lines were way too long, and that was that.

Again, however, totally subjective. YMMV. Also, I do agree that the hotel prices are insane for some of the deluxes. Clearly supported by supply and demand or they wouldn't be that high, but still, insane.

Don't get me wrong, I feel for TikTok mom. I've visited Disney as a kid, a young adult, an auntie, and a mom, and yeah, visiting as a mom is way, waaaay more stressful. It's basically an "Expectations vs. Reality" reel that writes itself, lol. But in my opinion that's not a Disney thing, that's a "being a mom" thing.

One thing here it is scientifically hotter on average than back then.

 

[DisneyHead123]

One thing it is scientifically hotter on average than back then.

True, although I think many people have moved their visits around to avoid the summer months.