$53 dessert with that $115 steak? Article on Theme Park leaving middle class behind...

KeithVH

KeithVH

Well-Known Member
Too much class envy and angst in the article. Even a little here. Extrapolating the arguments, we should be complaining why first class tickets cost more than coach or that a BMW costs more than a Kia. Or closer to home, shouldn't a GF room cost the same as any other hotel's room?

Same thing goes for tickets. What I read is that tickets, or anything else, shouldn't be priced at what they are due to evil corporation profit seeking. That pricing for things should be indexed to some relative value for what popularly is determined to be "middle class". Why stop there? Shouldn't EVERYONE, regardless of their economic status, be entitled to go to Disney? No? Then who gets to decide what the price point is?
 
CaptainJackNO

CaptainJackNO

Well-Known Member
I didn't view the article in those terms. I didn't interpret class envy. Overall, I believe the writer was contrasting the focus demographic from Disneyland in 1955 to the focus demographic today. Sure, the author has the tone of disagreement, but that's their right. What's funny is that, and I am assuming that the previous post was referring to my posts, it appears that an assumption is being made that someone who doesn't agree with the current business model is not within the current perceived target demographic. On the contrary, I actually am within the target demographic as outlined in the article, yet I still feel the current direction is not sound business practice long-term. I believe that there are, and have long been, premium options for the higher income, more discerning financially selective people, i.e. Hoopdee Doo, Deluxe hotels, Kingdom tours, dessert parties, and high end restaurants. No one argues against that. You spend for what you want. Where the question is coming in is with options that were once general now appearing to be premium priced, as well. One cannot ignore the feeling of some long-term visitors, whose income may not have changed beginning to see offerings that were once not premium becoming premium priced. That is where, I think, people begin to get upset. This is not, in my opinion, a class envy issue. No one's clambering for closing deluxe resorts, golf courses, or high end restaurants, or the vacation clubs. No one should ignore the loyalty that exists with Disney fanatics of all backgrounds (as evidenced by thousands of sites like this) and the expectation of 2-way brand loyalty from those fans. Think brand loyalty isn't important? Anyone remember the effect of Coke's new formula, Domino's change in sauce, Sears' price increases through the years from affordable to more high-end, or McDonald's current struggles? Not much different here, folks. My point, again, is there are long-term effects of business decisions.
 
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graphite1326

graphite1326

Well-Known Member
sshindel said:
You need to bring the last 3 year's tax returns now in order to activate your MagicBands.
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I recently booked a trip to WDW. I looked around and waited and got the deal I wanted. It is cheaper than the price I have paid for the last 3 trips. However, let's put this in perspective I just took a trip to New Orleans for a week. The cost was $1000.00 more for the same amount of days than the price of my WDW all included package. AND I had to get my own luggage at the airport.

So give me a break on this post.
 
sshindel

sshindel

The Epcot Manifesto
graphite1326 said:
I recently booked a trip to WDW. I looked around and waited and got the deal I wanted. It is cheaper than the price I have paid for the last 3 trips. However, let's put this in perspective I just took a trip to New Orleans for a week. The cost was $1000.00 more for the same amount of days than the price of my WDW all included package. AND I had to get my own luggage at the airport.

So give me a break on this post.
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sarcasm.jpg
 
DisneyJunkie

DisneyJunkie

Well-Known Member
hakunamatata said:
I hate the fact that Disney profiles as to exclude the middle class.
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Actually they feel that places like Cosmic Rays (which I do like, don't get me wrong) are high class dining for the middle class people. They consider it a dinner show, since Sonny Eclipse does perform for you.
 
G

GrammieBee

Well-Known Member
It is a basic fact of life. Based on your income there are things you can afford to buy and do and there are things you can't afford to buy and do. You do not have to have the best of everything, you just do and buy the best you can afford. Not everyone who visits WDW is in the top 10%, but they almost certainly need a better than average income.
For a WDW vacation there are many ways to bring down the price of a vacation. There are package plans, meal plans, room discounts, value resorts or staying off property, longer stays mean cheaper ticket prices per day, bring your own snacks, fill your own water bottles ,eat breakfast in your room, forget the classy restaurants, visit less frequently, etc.,etc.,etc.
Even with these savings there are many who cannot afford WDW. Again, fact of life. A Disney vacation is not an entitlement.
Where it IS getting "stickey" is in the taking away the usual amount of time paid to spend in a park because you have to leave unless you have spent more money for a special event. This is becomming increasingly common. If the parks remain open and some are having a dessert party, that is not affecting anyone. If you want to go and can afford it, you go. If you can't or don't want to afford it, you don't go. On the other hand, if the entire park is closed because of a party, then everyone who could not afford it is affected, especially if this happens multiple days during a week.
 
JIMINYCR

JIMINYCR

Well-Known Member
Class envy all the way. Wonder what kind of vehicle the Post big wigs drive, their salaries and benefits are, how big a house the live in, what vacations they take. Oh, we're not pointing fingers....
The article tries throwing it in our faces that if my vacation is better than yours I'm an evil, greedy, selfish person. Because I get more than you, its got to be wrong. How unfair it all is. Dont bother to point out that I work more hours in a week, drive myself to run my business, sacrifice more than others to get by, choose to spend my money on something I will enjoy. Instead lets be fair, everyone should have the same WDW vacation. No one gets anything more than anyone else. Lets all be the same, no one gets a better room, a better meal, a different experience where someone ever feels slighted. Lets trash Disney for having options some guests can afford and others cant. But the thing is, they can if they wanted it enough, were willing to work for it and saved for it. Evil, evil Disney for making us choose to have a vacation thats less than someone else has.
 
Club Cooloholic

Club Cooloholic

Well-Known Member
Comparing plane tickets to theme park tickets doesn't work! I liken this more like comparing a ticket to an NFL game. The newer stadiums have nicer amenities but prices are rising as the teams cater more to local fan bases. If the team stinks those corporate dollars start to shrink and fans stop coming, the fans that might have gone in the past might never return, or found other interests with their cash. And they may have missed out on cultivating new fans. The NFL haa TV dollars and shares a lot of cash so good franchises can carry bad ones. Disneyworld does not have this.
 
A

Arthur Wellesley

Well-Known Member
Larry Mondello said:
If it is only upper class people that go to Disneyworld now then those that do go are doing a fantastic job of purposely dressing and acting like middle class folks. Some are real good and appear lower class.
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I know what you mean. I once went with nice pants, and a nice button-down shirt tucked-in.

Then it dawned on me, I'm not in the upper class, so what am I doing dressed in fine garments? :facepalm:
So I quickly un-tucked my shirt, unbuttoned the top two buttons, and messed my hair up a little so to not give off a false impression of my true worth.

Us middle class slop need to learn our place.
 
Tom P.

Tom P.

Well-Known Member
Based on the attendance numbers for Disney World, either there are a *lot* more rich people than we have been led to believe, or the middle class is managing to find a way to afford it just fine.

Has Disney raised prices more than I'd like? Sure. But I also view Disney World as a premium product. You don't expect to pay the same to go an NFL game as you do for admission to your local high school matchup, and I don't expect to pay the same to go to Disney World as I do to go to the local amusement park.

Even so, as others have said, if you look for the deals and are flexible, a Disney World vacation can actually be cheaper than many other vacations people take. Price out a week at Great Wolf Lodge sometime. You might be surprised.
 
Tom P.

Tom P.

Well-Known Member
And also, the article paints a horribly one-sided perspective.

"A visitor to Disney’s central Florida fantasy-land can now dine on a $115 steak, enjoy a $53-per-plate dessert party and sleep in a bungalow overlooking the Seven Seas Lagoon starting at $2,100 a night."

Yes, they *can*. But they certainly don't have to in order to make a trip to Disney World. They can also eat for less than $20 at many of the quick service locations and food courts and snag a room at All Star Movies for under $100 a night.

The fact that Disney World *offers* high end options doesn't mean there aren't other options that more people can afford.
 

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