Disney forcing us to $pend even more at their re$ort$

[RoadiJeff]

Respectfully, you spent more for your Universal ticket than your Disney ticket, simply because you chose to. If we're going to stick to apples-to-apples comparisons, a 1-day ticket to either Universal park starts at $109 -- precisely the same amount you spent for a 1-day ticket to a WDW park. So I guess I need to amend my statement, to the effect that if you just want to visit 1 park for 1 day at each property with a base ticket, then the price is the same.

However... you said in your original post that you'd "visited both places" -- Universal and Disney -- "for a week." As such, my assumption was that the relevant comparison was between multi-day tickets at each property, and not 1-day, 1-park tickets purchased a la carte. If we were comparing multi-day tickets sufficient to make up a week-long visit, you could have bought a 2-park seasonal annual pass at Universal for $349 -- only $10 more than the cost of a 3-day park-to-park ticket at Universal, but $50 less than the price of a 3-day Disney 1-park-per-day base ticket and $180 less than the price of a 3-day parkhopper. Plus, the annual pass would entitle you to significant Universal hotel discounts and even some restaurant discounts, not to mention you could return to the Universal again for free, most days, for the next 12-15 months.

OK, I looked in my email receipts and for two days of single park tickets at Universal I paid $259.43 - $129.72 per day. For three days of single park tickets at Disney I paid $382.86 - $127.62 per day. I guess the main difference was paying over $170 for a one-day Express Pass at Universal. However, my original reply was to someone who said they were going to Universal instead of Disney because of the high cost of WDW and I said that it is not any cheaper over there.

 

[Weather_Lady]

OK, I looked in my email receipts and for two days of single park tickets at Universal I paid $259.43 - $129.72 per day. For three days of single park tickets at Disney I paid $382.86 - $127.62 per day. I guess the main difference was paying over $170 for a one-day Express Pass at Universal. However, my original reply was to someone who said they were going to Universal instead of Disney because of the high cost of WDW and I said that it is not any cheaper over there.

I understand. My point was that in an apples-to-apples comparison that encompasses the typical expenses that make up a vacation (e.g., tickets, food, hotel, merchandise), Universal is, on balance, cheaper than WDW,* and that the person to whom you were responding was correct.

*To convert your trip to an apples-to-apples comparison, in acknowledgement of the fact that the per-day price of both properties goes down the longer you visit:, if you'd bought 3 days of 1-park access at Universal, you'd have paid $298, or $100/day, compared with the $128/day you paid for 3 days of 1-park access at Disney.

 

[UNCgolf]

OK, I looked in my email receipts and for two days of single park tickets at Universal I paid $259.43 - $129.72 per day. For three days of single park tickets at Disney I paid $382.86 - $127.62 per day. I guess the main difference was paying over $170 for a one-day Express Pass at Universal. However, my original reply was to someone who said they were going to Universal instead of Disney because of the high cost of WDW and I said that it is not any cheaper over there.

Hotel rooms are much cheaper -- you can stay in a hotel at Universal that's nicer than most hotels on Disney property for roughly half of what it would cost you to stay at a Disney deluxe, and you get the Unlimited Express Pass included with your room.

 

[Goofyernmost]

First, I'd like to address the "no one is forcing you" issue. It's true, no one HAS to go to WDW. But, for the people who want to go, and have been before, they have 2 options, neither of which are attractive: pay more to get the same experience as you've had before, or pay the same as before and get less of an experience than previously. Either way, less value for your $.
Second, if you do not want to pony up for WDW, but enjoy the Orlando/Kissimmee area, a much lower cost option would be to rent a vacation home, relax around the pool, and take day trips to the other attractions. We have done that once, and are planning it again for this March. The cost breakdown: for a 5 bed, 5 bath, 2800 sq ft villa with pool, for 10 nights, 7 people, $2300-$2700-the same price as 8 nights for 3 people at a moderate WDW resort room at 300 sq ft. Park tickets with park hopper for 7 days, 3 people: $2000; going to Kennedy Space Center, Medieval Times, go karts, Fun Center, etc for 7 people-less than $1000. Food for 3 people for 8 days at WDW restaurants: $1000-$1200 minimum; groceries and occasional dinner out for 7 people for 10 days, $400-$500. Total: WDW $5700-$6000, off-property vacation $4000-$4200 (WDW: $240-$250 per person per day, villa vacation: $55-$60 per person per day). If you have to have the Disney experience, then the villa vacation is not gonna work, but, if you're flexible, then it will save you lots of $$.

I'm not sure who the marketing person was that found a way to convince people that sleeping in a massively expensive room, in a hotel themed with plastic objects was the Disney Experience. Seems to me that it was pushed out about the same time as the Magical Prison Bus was instituted. It sure never has been for me. I have a lot of dreams when I am asleep but very few to almost none have anything to do with Disney.

The Disney Experience for me is the parks, the parks, the parks. That was my experience on my first trip, that was the experience that I remember so happily, that is the experience that my children (now in their mid-40's) still remember vividly, that is the experience that has brought me to WDW 45 times, Disneyland once, and Disneyland Paris once. It was not about the bed that I was going to sink into unconsciousness in. It was the parks. To me... That is the true Disney experience.

Everything else can be done just about anywhere. Nice hotels, good restaurants and pleasant landscaping is not a Disney exclusive. I did one of those just offsite villas for 11 people. Granted it was off season (they used to have one of those) but it was a week, 6 bedrooms, 5 baths, huge rooms, living, dining, kitchen, play room with pool table and air hockey plus a full size screened in pool and jacuzzi. (Are you sitting down?) $790.00 for the week and that included a free car rental. Clarification = year 2008.

 

[JusticeDisney]

I understand. My point was that in an apples-to-apples comparison that encompasses the typical expenses that make up a vacation (e.g., tickets, food, hotel, merchandise), Universal is, on balance, cheaper than WDW,* and that the person to whom you were responding was correct.

*To convert your trip to an apples-to-apples comparison, in acknowledgement of the fact that the per-day price of both properties goes down the longer you visit:, if you'd bought 3 days of 1-park access at Universal, you'd have paid $298, or $100/day, compared with the $128/day you paid for 3 days of 1-park access at Disney.

There’s a reason why Universal is cheaper than WDW. And it isn’t because they don’t like making money at Universal.

 

[eliza61nyc]

I’m still going to Disney.

I think that's what they are more upset about. lol and they may tar and feather you if you say you stay on site.

 

[RoadiJeff]

Hotel rooms are much cheaper -- you can stay in a hotel at Universal that's nicer than most hotels on Disney property for roughly half of what it would cost you to stay at a Disney deluxe, and you get the Unlimited Express Pass included with your room.

When I was checking Universal resort rooms for a 7-day stay for the second week of this month there were none available. I did find a Comfort Inn very close to Universal through Priceline for around $70/night and that's where I ended up staying. No free Express Pass but free breakfast and free Universal shuttles each day and no surcharge for rental car parking. I was meeting some family members, some of whom I hadn't seen in decades, and so my vacation dates were not flexible. They were staying at a Universal resort, about 1/2 mile from my hotel.

It was sort of a last minute vacation. Whenever I go back some day/month/year I'll try and plan further out.

 

[eliza61nyc]

so not sure if this has been posted but here's some thing tangible folks can do. who knows, stranger things have happened.

117,585 people signed and won this petition

Fire Disney CEO Bob Chapek

www.change.org

 

[OG Runner]

Hotel rooms are much cheaper -- you can stay in a hotel at Universal that's nicer than most hotels on Disney property for roughly half of what it would cost you to stay at a Disney deluxe, and you get the Unlimited Express Pass included with your room.

Please show me the numbers to justify this statement. Remember to include the time of the year that it is applicable.
Also considering Universal only has three hotels the Unlimited Express Pass is included with, (Hard Rock, Portofino &
Pacifica), what Disney Resorts do you feel they are comparable to? I like the Portofino and the Pacifica, but what Disney
resort is the Hard Rock comparable to? I still don't understand why the rates at the Hard Rock are higher than the other
two.

 

[UNCgolf]

Please show me the numbers to justify this statement. Remember to include the time of the year that it is applicable.
Also considering Universal only has three hotels the Unlimited Express Pass is included with, (Hard Rock, Portofino &
Pacifica), what Disney Resorts do you feel they are comparable to? I like the Portofino and the Pacifica, but what Disney
resort is the Hard Rock comparable to? I still don't understand why the rates at the Hard Rock are higher than the other
two.

I stayed at the Royal Pacific a few years ago and my room was $250-300 less per night than a room at any Disney deluxe at the same time.

I'm not making this up out of thin air; their rooms are far cheaper than Disney's rooms despite providing a much larger benefit. I suppose that could have changed significantly in the past 4 years since I was at Universal, but it seems unlikely. I paid almost the same price for a room at Port Orleans last year as I did for my room at Royal Pacific.

EDIT: I just looked them up. Right now, with no discounts of any kind, a standard room at the Royal Pacific is $424 a night. A standard room at the Polynesian is $702 a night. I think the rooms at the Royal Pacific are nicer than the new Polynesian rooms, and the Unlimited Express Pass is a much bigger benefit than anything you get at the Polynesian -- the monorail is nice, but you can walk to everything at Universal from the Royal Pacific so that kind of transport is unnecessary. Polynesian does have more overall theming, and I generally prefer that about Disney resorts, but that's nowhere near enough to make up for an almost $300 a night difference, especially when the Royal Pacific gives you the best hotel perk available at any theme park.

 

[giantgolfer]

I think that's what they are more upset about. lol and they may tar and feather you if you say you stay on site.

I’ll have to keep my mouth shut about where we are staying next week then.

 

[SteveAZee]

I think that's what they are more upset about. lol and they may tar and feather you if you say you stay on site.

The tar is free... the feathers are an upcharge.

 

[Toodycat]

I’m confused. I recently made a one night reservation at POR for May. We are then moving to AKV, but it is only one night at POR. Also, I already own my Magic Bands. Can we just keep using the same ones?

As for the poll, none of those items resonate that much with me because for-profit businesses gonna profit. I never used Annual Passes, Memory Makers, or MDE, so I have no feelings on those items. I haven’t liked the fast pass arrangement since it went online. When you could just get fast passes by putting your admission card in a kiosk at the attraction and then return. that was convenient. But I never liked arranging all our attraction fast passes online months in advance. I’m hoping maybe Genie + Lightning Lane will make it less stressful, but I’m not sold on Genie+ in general because I don’t want suggestions based on our family’s interests. Most algorithms are frustratingly inexact in their “personalized” recommendations. How do I tell an app that I have a seizure disorder and can’t go on any attractions with flashing lights or that my husband hates some, but not all roller coasters?

Part of the problem is that a trip to WDW is now considered a rite of passage event in American childhood. (I didn’t get there til I was 20 and my now-husband took me.) Kids and parents feel left out if they haven’t been. Many people get super- creative about how they afford it from my former student who was a single mom and scrimped to take her son and stay at a value to the car service driver who drove us to the airport for one of our Disney trips and described how his extended family rented a big house near the parks and had the times of their lives both in and out of the parks at a reasonable price because of how they split the rental costs and didn’t always eat out to the family standing next to us on line for Winnie the Pooh who described how they drove from New Hampshire and had brought sandwiches to MK in their knapsacks. But even with those strategies, not everyone will be able to afford a trip to Disneyworld. It’s a shame and I wish wages were higher so more people could afford to a Disney vacation—-or whatever their family wants to do—-but I don’t think we can be surprised when a publicly traded corporation makes revenue generating decisions.

 

[mikeanabean]

I am upset about the prices and the removal of perks but there is really only two things I can do. I can either accept the gouging or dont Go. If I go I just won’t get any souvenirs or anything like that.

 

[OG Runner]

I stayed at the Royal Pacific a few years ago and my room was $250-300 less per night than a room at any Disney deluxe at the same time.

I'm not making this up out of thin air; their rooms are far cheaper than Disney's rooms despite providing a much larger benefit. I suppose that could have changed significantly in the past 4 years since I was at Universal, but it seems unlikely. I paid almost the same price for a room at Port Orleans last year as I did for my room at Royal Pacific.

EDIT: I just looked them up. Right now, with no discounts of any kind, a standard room at the Royal Pacific is $424 a night. A standard room at the Polynesian is $702 a night. I think the rooms at the Royal Pacific are nicer than the new Polynesian rooms, and the Unlimited Express Pass is a much bigger benefit than anything you get at the Polynesian -- the monorail is nice, but you can walk to everything at Universal from the Royal Pacific so that kind of transport is unnecessary. Polynesian does have more overall theming, and I generally prefer that about Disney resorts, but that's nowhere near enough to make up for an almost $300 a night difference, especially when the Royal Pacific gives you the best hotel perk available at any theme park.

Okay not quite the have you were mentioning. The Express Pass is a great perk also. Still a little difference in four parks versus two.
(don't even try to throw in Volcano Bay or you end up down six to three) Overall Disney gives you more, more ride options, more dining options and more resorts. You realize Universal actually was charging for parking long before Disney ever did. Yes, chances are very good that you will pay more for WDW, you will also get more.

 

[RoadiJeff]

Please show me the numbers to justify this statement. Remember to include the time of the year that it is applicable.
Also considering Universal only has three hotels the Unlimited Express Pass is included with, (Hard Rock, Portofino &
Pacifica), what Disney Resorts do you feel they are comparable to? I like the Portofino and the Pacifica, but what Disney
resort is the Hard Rock comparable to? I still don't understand why the rates at the Hard Rock are higher than the other
two.

How old is that information? The reason I ask is a few weeks ago some family members stayed at the fairly new Universal Dockside Inn and Suites. They had a 2-bedroom suite for 6 days and they said it included Unlimited Express Passes. They may have thought it included that perk with the hotel stay and gotten it confused with the cost of their park hopping ticket package. A basic Dockside Inn room is a pretty good deal if it includes an Unlimited Express Pass.

 

[Freddie46]

I don’t like all the increases, and things that were once a perk that we now have to pay for. But I’m going anyway.

Disney has never been affordable for everyone. I grew up middle class. As a young adult, I learned that taking us to Disney Land had been a dream of my mom’s since we were born. She took out a personal loan to take my brother and I in the late 80’s. We stayed with extended family, and only went to DL for two days, and she still needed a personal loan. My husband and I have taken our three kids three times, and will go again in March 2023. We work overtime and save. It takes us a couple years to save what we need for each trip. For us, airfare is where we get hit the hardest.

To me, all the complaining only puts a dark cloud over things. The complaining isn’t going to change anything. There is no way your complaints or petitions are going to get the millions of people around the world to stop going to Disney. Therefore Disney has no reason to change what they’re doing.

I guess I’ll continue to be part of the problem by continuing to go and loving everything minute of our trip!

 

[UNCgolf]

Okay not quite the have you were mentioning. The Express Pass is a great perk also. Still a little difference in four parks versus two.
(don't even try to throw in Volcano Bay or you end up down six to three) Overall Disney gives you more, more ride options, more dining options and more resorts. You realize Universal actually was charging for parking long before Disney ever did. Yes, chances are very good that you will pay more for WDW, you will also get more.

I wasn't arguing WDW vs. Universal -- I was solely talking about hotel value. I like WDW a lot more than Universal, but staying at one of the Universal deluxe hotels is no comparison with Disney in terms of value for your money. The Royal Pacific is arguably a nicer hotel than the Polynesian and offers much better perks, but costs significantly less.

 

[OG Runner]

How old is that information? The reason I ask is a few weeks ago some family members stayed at the fairly new Universal Dockside Inn and Suites. They had a 2-bedroom suite for 6 days and they said it included Unlimited Express Passes. They may have thought it included that perk with the hotel stay and gotten it confused with the cost of their park hopping ticket package. A basic Dockside Inn room is a pretty good deal if it includes an Unlimited Express Pass.

This was up to recently. If they have changed it that is definitely a plus. You know early park hours are for all Disney resort guests and not just for those that stay in specific resorts?

 

[OG Runner]

I wasn't arguing WDW vs. Universal -- I was solely talking about hotel value. I like WDW a lot more than Universal, but staying at one of the Universal deluxe hotels is no comparison with Disney in terms of value for your money. The Royal Pacific is arguably a nicer hotel than the Polynesian and offers much better perks, but costs significantly less.

How old is that information? The reason I ask is a few weeks ago some family members stayed at the fairly new Universal Dockside Inn and Suites. They had a 2-bedroom suite for 6 days and they said it included Unlimited Express Passes. They may have thought it included that perk with the hotel stay and gotten it confused with the cost of their park hopping ticket package. A basic Dockside Inn room is a pretty good deal if it includes an Unlimited Express Pass.

Hi! Just to confirm, I checked the Universal Orlando website and the Hard Rock, Portofino and Pacifica are the only resorts that include the express pass. This is current information.