Raising prices yet again!!!! enough is enough!

[Maeryk]

Yep, we remember when The Emporium/Casey’s side of Main Street was more than just that...now we can avoid the rain through it all, beginning at Casey’s from the hub, all the way through to Town Square. The first time we noticed it, it was “WTH?!?!?! “.

I can remember that side from my first trip (before SM opened), and I remember, clearly, you had a choice of like, four T-shirts, several watches, and a whole lot of china figurines, but that was about it as far as merch went. As they have expanded, so have the stores.

 

[Lou Filerman]

Don’t go. Fairly simple. I for one couldn’t care less about price increases...I hope it keeps people away and makes my 2 trips per year more enjoyable.

 

[geekza]

Arcades have been dead since the late 90s, lol.

The Penny Arcade wasn't the kind of arcade you're thinking of. It was a period-specific Penny Arcade featuring amusement machines from the turn of the 20th Century. Yes, they cost a penny to operate. It was an attraction. Some of the machines that were in there are still lurking about the property, but from what I understand, they aren't in the best of shape. It made a huge impression on me as a kid, especially the Mutoscope machines that were artifacts of the beginnings of moving pictures. It was more of an interactive museum. It was special. It was unique. It made way for more generic shopping.

 

[John park hopper]

My sons loved the Penny Arcade, it was a step back in time I was sorry to see it go

 

[Club Cooloholic]

The Emporium is one big shop.. second biggest on property behind WoD, I think? But the other side still has crystal arts, the watch shop, the Dooney and Burke boutique, the art shop, etc etc.

Arcades have been dead since the late 90s, lol.

First off that arcade was like something from the 1930s not the 90s, it was one of those unique "only in Disney " things that there are less and less of in DW. As to your arcades are dead...oh have you ever seen a Chuckie Cheese, Round One or Dave and Buster's? Still around and still raking it in.

 

[bigrigross]

Over the past 5 years or so, this hasn't quite been our experience. While I agree it is certainly possible- even easy - to spend more money having fun in assorted locations, I've long been a fan of vacationing beyond WDW, and have almost always found great deals elsewhere if I looked.

For a number of years, WDW was priced to incentivize week-long stays. If you went to WDW for 4-5 days, then days 6-8 were VERY inexpensive. (tickets for days 5-7 were $3/day.) Even the dining plan was priced to keep folks eating on-property. In those days, our offsite TS meals cost more than eating on-property.

That got a great many folks to stop pricing offsite options.

For at least the last 5 years, we've found better deals visiting beyond the mouse. Very nice hotels, better food, and many inexpensive+fun things to do all over FLorida.

Just for a start, have you ever been to the Castilla in St Augustine? Walked the nearby shops?Walked the shell-covered shores of Honeymoon Island? Zipped around on an airboat?

Want to know why over the past 5 years they have been raising the prices? Because no one was visiting their parks from 2008 to 2012/13 because of the economic downturn the US had. They limited price increases and put out dirt cheap packages because they needed to increase visitor counts. Now that the economy has recovered and is the strongest its been in a long while, prices go up. They are not having issues with visitor counts and thus raise the prices because they know it wont put anyone off from visiting.

But nonetheless, many high demand vacation spots are going to be expensive. Yeah sure, you can find vacation spots anywhere that will be cheaper than Disney, but try getting a hotel in a decent location in New York City near the tourist areas and you will find that just the hotel room for a week cost more than a disney vacation. My wife and I go to Tennessee every year on top of our Disney trips. You stay out of the tourist traps and its much cheaper. But go to Gatlinburg, and you will see a significant increase of prices. You need to compare Apples to Apples. Not Apples to Broccoli.

 

[eliza61nyc]

But nonetheless, many high demand vacation spots are going to be expensive. Yeah sure, you can find vacation spots anywhere that will be cheaper than Disney, but try getting a hotel in a decent location in New York City near the tourist areas and you will find that just the hotel room for a week cost more than a disney vacation. My wife and I go to Tennessee every year on top of our Disney trips. You stay out of the tourist traps and its much cheaper. But go to Gatlinburg, and you will see a significant increase of prices. You need to compare Apples to Apples. Not Apples to Broccoli.

Oy Vey, tell me about it.
Our second favorite get away is Ocean City NJ. I just got an email from the realtor we usually use to book a rental. I asked her to look for some thing 1 block closer to the beach. lol. looks like my week will be $4,700 bucks (about 1 block from the beach) Now in the interest of full disclosure it's for a 3 bedroom condo so hard to call it apples to apples but beach vacations are getting crazy expensive also. I may try Airbnb as I've heard they are bit less expensive. but I'm with you. lol but of course everyone here says you can't compare to other venues.

 

[Maeryk]

Oy Vey, tell me about it.
Our second favorite get away is Ocean City NJ. I just got an email from the realtor we usually use to book a rental. I asked her to look for some thing 1 block closer to the beach. lol. looks like my week will be $4,700 bucks (about 1 block from the beach) Now in the interest of full disclosure it's for a 3 bedroom condo so hard to call it apples to apples but beach vacations are getting crazy expensive also. I may try Airbnb as I've heard they are bit less expensive. but I'm with you. lol but of course everyone here says you can't compare to other venues.

OC has been creeping up on the prices for years now. Frankly, we usually do beach club or impala because they aren't much more than a condo/rental and are closer to or on the boards. Or stay over at the campground in marmora.

Still the best beach around, IMO.

 

[eliza61nyc]

OC has been creeping up on the prices for years now. Frankly, we usually do beach club or impala because they aren't much more than a condo/rental and are closer to or on the boards. Or stay over at the campground in marmora.

Still the best beach around, IMO.

Oooh thanks for the tip.

 

[geekza]

First off that arcade was like something from the 1930s not the 90s, it was one of those unique "only in Disney " things that there are less and less of in DW. As to your arcades are dead...oh have you ever seen a Chuckie Cheese, Round One or Dave and Buster's? Still around and still raking it in.

I get what they're saying, though. While arcades still exist, at their height, just about every town in America had a video arcade and machines were everywhere from convenience stores to pizza parlors. Once home gaming surpassed the abilities of arcade machines, they died out and the machines that are left tend to be specialty machines that require cabinets that aren't easily duplicated in the home. The complexity of these cabinets increased the cost of purchasing them, in turn increasing the cost to the player, further eroding their usage by the general public. While the kid in me misses the arcades of the 1980's and early 1990's, I completely understand their obsolescence. The Penny Arcade was related to these types of locations only in name and in the fact that it contained multiple amusement machines that one had to pay to use, albeit the cost was literally a penny. From what I understand, Disneyland's is still going strong.

 

[Astro_Digital]

No enough is not enough.
Disney can charge whatever and the parks will fill.
This is Capitalism.

Me I stopped going

 

[bigrigross]

Oy Vey, tell me about it.
Our second favorite get away is Ocean City NJ. I just got an email from the realtor we usually use to book a rental. I asked her to look for some thing 1 block closer to the beach. lol. looks like my week will be $4,700 bucks (about 1 block from the beach) Now in the interest of full disclosure it's for a 3 bedroom condo so hard to call it apples to apples but beach vacations are getting crazy expensive also. I may try Airbnb as I've heard they are bit less expensive. but I'm with you. lol but of course everyone here says you can't compare to other venues.

Yep, thats about the same price only a 2 bedroom at Old Key West would cost for a week (Not even near a beach, just Disney). Lets not get started with any of the newer 2 or 3 bedroom villas in the newer resorts. Its all about vacation location with cost. And some people cant see that and complain about prices. When I went to New Orleans several years ago, I could stay downtown for 500 a night or stay 30 minutes away for 170 a night. Thing was, 170 a night involved driving and traffic. In very popular vacation spots, you have more amenities around you. Staying 30 minutes away, restaurants will be cheaper but you will have less choices and nothing really to do unless you drive. Convenience does cost money and thats what I hate about these threads. People dont factor that in to the package.

 

[eliza61nyc]

I get what they're saying, though. While arcades still exist, at their height, just about every town in America had a video arcade and machines were everywhere from convenience stores to pizza parlors. Once home gaming surpassed the abilities of arcade machines, they died out and the machines that are left tend to be specialty machines that require cabinets that aren't easily duplicated in the home. The complexity of these cabinets increased the cost of purchasing them, in turn increasing the cost to the player, further eroding their usage by the general public. While the kid in me misses the arcades of the 1980's and early 1990's, I completely understand their obsolescence. The Penny Arcade was related to these types of locations only in name and in the fact that it contained multiple amusement machines that one had to pay to use, albeit the cost was literally a penny. From what I understand, Disneyland's is still going strong.

We have a few in the local malls around town. I think they hang in there more because it's a place where "tweens" can gather while in the mall and/or mom and dad can drop off said 'tween" while they go about shopping.

 

[Maeryk]

We have a few in the local malls around town. I think they hang in there more because it's a place where "tweens" can gather while in the mall and/or mom and dad can drop off said 'tween" while they go about shopping.

From the cynical parent perspective, with the amount I'm shelling out for a Disney trip, my kids aren't going to stand around feeding quarters into a machine they can play at the mall.

It's like the video game consoles that were in innoventions.. we HAVE Disney infinity at home.. you aren't sitting here and playing it, kiddo.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Want to know why over the past 5 years they have been raising the prices? Because no one was visiting their parks from 2008 to 2012/13 because of the economic downturn the US had. They limited price increases and put out dirt cheap packages because they needed to increase visitor counts. Now that the economy has recovered and is the strongest its been in a long while, prices go up. They are not having issues with visitor counts and thus raise the prices because they know it wont put anyone off from visiting.

But nonetheless, many high demand vacation spots are going to be expensive. Yeah sure, you can find vacation spots anywhere that will be cheaper than Disney, but try getting a hotel in a decent location in New York City near the tourist areas and you will find that just the hotel room for a week cost more than a disney vacation. My wife and I go to Tennessee every year on top of our Disney trips. You stay out of the tourist traps and its much cheaper. But go to Gatlinburg, and you will see a significant increase of prices. You need to compare Apples to Apples. Not Apples to Broccoli.

1. Disney priced vacations in that time frame so that guests would spend their FL vacation entirely at WDW, as opposed to going to Universal, Busch Gardens, Cape Canaveral, and most especially so they wouldn't eat offsite. Just for a start: that was the era of aggressive DDP pricing.

2. Did you read my post? Because you appear to have missed about 3/4 of what I said, including the part where I said, "it IS possible to spend more money" going to a place other than WDW.

3. Personally, I'll take farm fresh broccoli over a rotten apple any day, but that also has nothing to do with my post. I've visited quite a few amazing destinations that cost - me personally - less than I spend on week at WDW. Please don't blame me if you haven't taken the time to look for better options. I don't even know you.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

From the cynical parent perspective, with the amount I'm shelling out for a Disney trip, my kids aren't going to stand around feeding quarters into a machine they can play at the mall.

It's like the video game consoles that were in innoventions.. we HAVE Disney infinity at home.. you aren't sitting here and playing it, kiddo.

This is why we also don't go to WDW to do things like watch television in our hotel room. I can watch TV at home for far less $ than the cost of being at WDW.

I've also long gone back and forth on the value/cost of vacation options like buying groceries and Magic Express. On vacation, time is money. Sometimes it saves time to spend a little more; other times you can save a bundle by sacrificing a little of your time. It isn't always easy to price the value of those trade-offs.

Then again...sometimes taking a bus/subway/metro/trolley and buying groceries can be part of the fun of a vacation. Like riding on London's double decker buses, San Francisco's trolleys, buying baguettes in Paris, or buying groceries at one of Istanbul's bazaars.

 

[SteveAZee]

I get what they're saying, though. While arcades still exist, at their height, just about every town in America had a video arcade and machines were everywhere from convenience stores to pizza parlors. Once home gaming surpassed the abilities of arcade machines, they died out and the machines that are left tend to be specialty machines that require cabinets that aren't easily duplicated in the home. The complexity of these cabinets increased the cost of purchasing them, in turn increasing the cost to the player, further eroding their usage by the general public. While the kid in me misses the arcades of the 1980's and early 1990's, I completely understand their obsolescence. The Penny Arcade was related to these types of locations only in name and in the fact that it contained multiple amusement machines that one had to pay to use, albeit the cost was literally a penny. From what I understand, Disneyland's is still going strong.

Sorry that this is off topic, but the post(s) reminded me of the HUGE arcade room at the Contemporary a long time ago... anyone else remember it?

 

[aliceismad]

We still have an actual penny arcade not too far from here. It's got a bunch of old, old games. Back to the 30s, I think. It's more museum than arcade, but most still work. We go cause I like the pinball.

Yes, there is that aspect of WDW.

Along the same lines, while I generally appreciate the theming of the WDW hotels, you might say some of them ALSO have their own kind of fake/princess-y thing going on.

Wilderness Lodge is pretty, but more or less it is roughly a fake version of Yellowstone's Old Faithful Inn (or perhaps more accurate to call it a hybrid of several NP Great Lodges). Young kids could easily go to Disney's WL, and not realize the geyser is fake.

Worse, they might come away from Yellowstone thinking that the fantasy WDW geyser was better than the natural geyser.

I'm sure adults realize they aren't actually going to Polynesia...but I wonder if the kids comprehend: Norway= real place, Arendelle=fake place, when they see the Frozen ride located in the Norway pavilion. They might also think the Eiffel Tower only exists at WDW.

The more immersive/real-looking our fake worlds become, well there's a little bit of a risk that the lines between fantasy and reality are getting a little blurry.

Oh, I didn't mean that there is an artificialness surrounding Disney. Of course that exists. I'm sure (for example) Epcot is less impressive to generations now who have the internet and can virtually walk down a Paris street in Google Earth than to generations before to whom a trip to Paris was an extremely rare occurrence.

I was commenting on the possible decline in popularity of the princess model purely because I know several parents, and have seen several news articles concerning "celebrities" and online parent groups, etc., who are not encouraging their children to watch princess-y shows/movies, particularly the old Disney ones. I'm sure Disney sees it as a potential issue and is trying to combat that with the whole "Dream Big Princess" movement. They've certainly started updating the princess model in modern movies.

Perhaps that is neither here nor there though.

 

[geekza]

Sorry that this is off topic, but the post(s) reminded me of the HUGE arcade room at the Contemporary a long time ago... anyone else remember it?

I do. It was enormous. There are some great shots of it in the old "The Mouseketeers at Walt Disney World" special from the late-70's.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Sorry that this is off topic, but the post(s) reminded me of the HUGE arcade room at the Contemporary a long time ago... anyone else remember it?

The Fiesta Fun Center, later Food and Fun Center, was one of the defining traits of the Contemporary IMO. It was to hotel arcades what Storm Along Bay was to hotel pools. Easily the best of any comparable option in WDW.

When the Wave restaurant opened in that space in 2007 they moved the arcade to the 4th floor concourse. That is now a Pixar kids club experience for kids 4-12, but not so much and arcade anymore.