Disney is going to price us out of the Kingdom..

[Wendy Pleakley]

There are people who were priced out of WDW years or even decades ago.

There are people who have never been able to visit WDW, and never will be.

Yet, people create threads because they personally have been priced out. Not actually priced out, just not able to go "twice in two years".

Nobody loves WDW price increases, but the sense of personal entitlement can really be something else.

 

[bjlc57]

well here are our circumstances , we are now in our 60's ..Two we will finally have a grandchild that will be 5 in 2021..for the 50th. and three we , or me in particular, like to go ever two years.. so for the first time ever, we were going to buy the annual pass.. and go twice in less then a year.. things change.. we are now to the point were as we don't drive . we fly.. because its the two of us.. and that's almost the same cost as four days of hard driving.. and two.. at my age.. its harder to drive.. 3000 round trip miles.. and we never know how many more times that we will go.. I am a big moose.. how many big 70 year olds do you see at disney.. not many..in fact I was commenting to myself just how many people My age were in the parks. not that many.. 30 and 40 year olds.. but for us.. I don't think I have another 40 years to go to this park.. and right now we are in good health.. per se'.. my wife uses a scooter.. and I use one at least part of the time the last two trips.. but again.. things change.. but what really hurts , is that this goes completely against WALT"s vision.. his quote .. you will always be able to buy a 15 cent coffee in the park.. meaning that this park is for every one .. and not just the wealthy ..as for the expansion.. Disney made close to THREE BILLION DOLLARS on just one movie world wide.. they don't have any holes in their shoes.. and they aren't struggling to defeat the next guy.. the next guy has been defeated and you bought all his toys . Honestly there is NO GOOD REASON for this ticket raise.. none what so ever.. except pure profit.. but eventually the laws of economics has to work.. and if you tip or go over the tipping point.. you never seem to come all the way back.. all I ask is When and where do we go back to Walt's dream.. and when does Disney again become about ideas and ideals, and not about record profits.

 

[Chef Mickey]

The key isn't you. It's how many people are priced out? Evidently, not nearly enough. Prices are still too low to have any significant impact on crowds, although price increases do change consumer behavior.

Disney parks are just too limited in capacity and there is a lot of demand.

 

[DuckTalesWooHoo1987]

If not for the fact that we are in the DVC we'd for SURE not be able to go multiple times every year AND stay in Deluxe accommodations every time. We still get a "discount" on our AP's but just yesterday they told us that our AP's are going to $700 plus tax. So for our family of four that's 3 grand JUST on our AP's. We still go enough to justify buying them but it's just getting insane. Then couple that with the fact that now they're even doing "events within events" like the Cruella party they announced WITHIN the Halloween Party which is basically $100 a person so you can go to Tony's and eat some snacks and then have "reserved viewing" for the fireworks. So, theoretically, a family of four that has to pay full price for the Halloween Party and then buys that too would be looking at like $800 for just one day. It's nuts. We even get a discount on the stupid "After Hours" which is literally what our Moonlight Magic events are BUT we get to pay "only" like $100 a person as opposed to the $125 or whatever it is. It's just getting ridiculous and this is coming from someone that is a definite Die Hard.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

We are in the same boat...for our trip next year, we were going to invest in AP for the 4 of us. We are also driving down from NJ to save about 1200.00...now, the AP is not just going up a little bit, but a nice amount. The overnight parking at the resorts is going up as well. The reusable bags are going up. I think its only a matter of a VERY short time when DME will no longer be free. I never thought I would EVER hear my DW complaining about the "nickel & diming" going on in WDW. With SWGE, the crowds will even be worse and they will have no reason to even freeze prices or offer free dining. Don't worry, that too will come to a screeching halt in the not too distant future. When attendance finally levels off (or drops), rather than just address the pricing, they will cut payroll in the parks and add an upcharge for anything not "nailed down" As a NJ resident (and fellow NJ people can attest to this), it feels like our "governor", Phil Murphy is now running the parks. He's upping taxes on EVERYTHING, instituting new taxes on things never taxed before. It's getting like professional sports where only the super rich and corporations are able to afford seats...A sad reality.

 

[BoarderPhreak]

Shut up, serf! Go buy a Mickey Bar™ and Have A Magical Day™!

The more the prices go up, the less I buy.

That's been our strategy as well, whether consciously or not. The last few trips we got a couple of shirts and that's about it. Fewer "fancy" meals. Certainly none of the paid events (the one and only time was the Christmas Party in 2012). The funny thing is, we can afford it - it's the principle. This is why I think raising prices won't affect crowding. People will still go, but they'll forego the add-ons that were essentially a given previously.

 

[THEMEPARKPIONEER]

I just want to start my own park and write Disney out of my life at this point

 

[monykalyn]

With this latest price increase for my AP, I could buy both of us AP's to Universal, get monthly payments instead of a 1 time charge of 2500$ now, and those include an extra set of tickets for horror nights or whatever they are called, a ticketed event that we could enjoy(still think it is a sham that Disney doesn't include a single "ticketed event" bonus, except for a 10/15% discount, for AP's) and spend 2 nights a year on one of their hotels for the price of ONE of our annual passes

And that Premiere Universal annual pass comes with free preferred or valet parking, and one per ride Express pass after four. So no deciding 2 months in advance what you want to do- just show up and ride!
And Halloween horror nights are FUN if very addicting! And it is NOT Mickeys party so please read up if it’s right for you. Just renewed my daughters and my ap and got our Rush of fear tix (with EP) for only about $200 more than ONE Disney annual pass.
Mardi Gras and concerts are included at that level of AP too!

 

[ddbowdoin]

Over the last few years my Disney travels have dropped and my travels have expanded to more self directed trips... Europe and China in particular. While Disney is expensive ... man, they have a solid and well planned experience and product. It’s all there, it works, it’s convenient... that comes at an expense.

When I’m traveling within Europe and Asia it takes work to make things happen, trains... not speaking the language, etc.

How do you make that easier? You hire experienced guides and groups, and guess what... THATS EXPENSIVE.

Point being, everything is expensive when done right. Disney does things right (for the most part / for your average fan)

 

[Chef Mickey]

Over the last few years my Disney travels have dropped and my travels have expanded to more self directed trips... Europe and China in particular. While Disney is expensive ... man, they have a solid and well planned experience and product. It’s all there, it works, it’s convenient... that comes at an expense.

When I’m traveling within Europe and Asia it takes work to make things happen, trains... not speaking the language, etc.

How do you make that easier? You hire experienced guides and groups, and guess what... THATS EXPENSIVE.

Point being, everything is expensive when done right. Disney does things right (for the most part / for your average fan)

Well said. Disney is cheap in comparison to traveling well elsewhere, particularly when you include entertainment and decent accommodations and food.

 

[ddbowdoin]

Well said. Disney is cheap in comparison to traveling well elsewhere, particularly when you include entertainment and decent accommodations and food.

Well... the food, ah... maybe not man. Disney food is TERRIBLE compared to real restaurants out there in the world.

Everything else, they’re good at.

 

[Chef Mickey]

Well... the food, ah... maybe not man. Disney food is TERRIBLE compared to real restaurants out there in the world.

Everything else, they’re good at.

Oh I’m not comparing them it the Michelin Star restaurants I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy, but a place like Citricos, Narcoossee’s, Victoria’s and Alnert’s, or California Grill are solid options at Disney. There are High quality options if you’re willing to spend money.

And while I agree there are good restaurants all over the world, there are plenty of bad ones too. Disney’s food is not even close to as bad as your random spot in Europe or Asia. You still have to do your research.

Disney food sometimes gets a bad wrap because people eat a lot of quick service and buffets.

 

[ddbowdoin]

Oh I’m not comparing them it the Michelin Star restaurants I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy, but a place like Citricos, Narcoossee’s, Victoria’s and Alnert’s, or California Grill are solid options at Disney. There are High quality options if you’re willing to spend money.

And while I agree there are good restaurants all over the world, there are plenty of bad ones too. Disney’s food is not even close to as bad as your random spot in Europe or Asia. You still have to do your research.

Disney food sometimes gets a bad wrap because people eat a lot of quick service and buffets.

It comes down to price... steaks at the Yachtsman, CALI Grill, Le Celliar command top dollar but the counterpart out on the street is 100% better... Ruth Chris, Smith and Wollensky etc. I’m not talking Michelin Rated / James Beard level either. I’m just saying I’ve never had a meal at WDW that met the “wow, that’s the best _______ I’ve ever had”

 

[Chef Mickey]

It comes down to price... steaks at the Yachtsman, CALI Grill, Le Celliar command top dollar but the counterpart out on the street is 100% better... Ruth Chris, Smith and Wollensky etc. I’m not talking Michelin Rated / James Beard level either. I’m just saying I’ve never had a meal at WDW that met the “wow, that’s the best _______ I’ve ever had”

True on being the best thing ever, but I’ll best honest...I think Le Cellier is better than Ruth’s Chris, Saltgrass, Pappas Brothers, Morton’s and Smith and Wollensky.

 

[ddbowdoin]

True on being the best thing ever, but I’ll best honest...I think Le Cellier is better than Ruth’s Chris, Saltgrass, Pappas Brothers, Morton’s and Smith and Wollensky.

Guess we all have our preferences. That’s beauty in life, right?

 

[bUU]

Guess we all have our preferences. That’s beauty in life, right?

Precisely, and as long as so many visit that there are regular complaints about too-long waits in queue, then [1] Disney is doing the right thing with regard to which attrations to offer/which IP to feature; and [2] Disney is underselling itself. Those are frustrating facts to those who don't like the IP and don't like the pricing, but facts all the same.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

If there is any consolation and I can't believe I am actually pointing to a positive thing to come out of this it is that for the last 40 years in North America the birth rate has been less than 2.0 children per mother. In other words, we haven't replaced ourselves since the 1970s. The birthrate is about 1.8 in the U.S., less in Canada and in some cases in Europe even less than that. Nothing against baby boomers but once they die, the population is expected to decline. Maybe by 2030 or 2040. My generation just hasn't had the same amount of children as our parents and we will see the effects of that eventually. It won't be pretty from an economic standpoint among other things..............................but if I can look at the glass half full the Disney parks will be less busy!

 

[John park hopper]

Even though the birth rate may be declining the projected US population will increase from current 300+ million to 438 million by 2050. This is due to immigration-- will this take up the slack in the declining birth rate and not affect Disney (provided they are still here) I have no idea.

 

[xdan0920]

Well said. Disney is cheap in comparison to traveling well elsewhere, particularly when you include entertainment and decent accommodations and food.

Eh. To a point sure. But should an amusement park vacation really be on par with a beachfront hawaiian vacation? I say no. It never was in the past, but now it is.

The cost of my Disney trips has essentially doubled over the last 5-7 years. Has the resort gotten 2x as good? For sure not. Has it gotten half as crowded? FOR SURE NOT. In all measurable ways, the experience has diminished while the cost has increased. In fact, for me, it's been a direct inverse. The cost has doubled while the enjoyment has halved.

Anyhoo....BuschGardens Williamsport and Kingsmill resort here I come.

 

[mguimond1990]

I agree..we are becoming more and more creative to justify going every year..used to do 8 days then it was 6..now we are doing mon-fri this year off site. The prices are getting out of hand. Universal is out here offering reasonable rates for rooms and has a “buy two days get 3 free” park tickets...meanwhile Disney costs 6 mortgages and a newborn.