Disney Springs Plans: What do they mean?

[DocMcHulk]

Will the DTD be payed parking, or will the free parking like today still continue?

 

[tracyandalex]

I've long said that Disney takes advantage of many guests who don't know what a deluxe (even typical 4-star hotel) resort is supposed to be like.
That's the only thing I can believe when people are spending $300-400-500-600-do I stop? for a standard 'deluxe resort room' at WDW. These people largely have to be simple folks who don't travel much and don't understand what that price is supposed to buy you.

I have to agree. While we do try to stay deluxe as often as possible we would never pay rack rate and are well aware that we are paying a special Disney price. We have stayed in much nicer hotels in Buckhead and various beaches in the Miami area as well as many others for less.

As I said in your other thread we recently refused to pay around $140 per night ( a discounted price ) for POP and will be staying at one of the hotels near DTD in a larger/nicer room for way less. I have no idea how they will be able to justify charging even more for POP than they already do! The last time I could force myself to pay for an All Star was with a CM discount.

In the interest of full disclosure I do have to admit that after our cruise (which leaves next week!!!!!!) we are spending 2 nights at AOA at regular price . We are doing this purely to appease DD who has been dying to stay at the Little Mermaid hotel since it opened. I hope she likes it too because I can't really think of a scenario where we will pay rack rate for that one again and I don't have some kind of massive heart attack!

 

[WDW1974]

I'm sure Hench was involved, but so were these guys. I don't think they'd show it off if in their portfolio if they were just yes-men for Imagineering:
http://www.sussmanprejza.com/portfolio/project/walt-disney-world-euro-disney
http://www.sussmanprejza.com/sites/default/files/Disney.pdf

No. They were behind it. But Hench was always the 'color man' for WDI and he either came up with it himself or advised them on the use of it.
And, as you can tell if you haven't been to DLP, Paris is just as bad.


I'm surprised it took them this long. I'm not totally up on the rack rates now, but I know if you go back five years or so, Pop and the All-Stars were shackled to each other even though Pop probably had much higher demand.

If you want a guess on where this will all end up, I say look at Disneyland. I can go online right now and tell you the rack rate for every WDW hotel for every day of 2013. Here's the Grand Flo. Now try to do the same thing for the Disney-owned hotels in CA. I don't think it can be done. I think in the near future, you'll just get your quote from Disney, decide if you can afford it or not, and book. You won't have 17 spreadsheets of data in front of you to tell you if it's a good price or not. You want to leave on a Wednesday when we probably won't fill that room until Saturday and we think we can still sell that room to someone who will stay the full week? Gonna cost you.

I just wish you could book a room at Disney like any other hotel chain of the size. Call and they give you options and best rates, openly ask you if you qualify for discounts as well, instead of hide them.

 

[FrankLapidus]

I'm obviously in the minority but I actually quite like the sound of these plans, although I'm a Brit so I don't share the jaded viewpoint of malls as some of you Americans do. Plus I do love a nice water feature so Disney Springs is right up my street. As we're regulars at Port Orleans French Quarter, one of my favourite things to do at WDW is catch a boat down to DTD for an evening stroll so I'm in favour of improving the area and providing more things to do down there.

 

[WDW1974]

Unfortunately "Clever Name" has been misinformed. The problems go much deeper than just direct busses to the parks. Parking problems have been a constant issue since the rebranding of downtown Disney. Busses were and are only a small portion of the problem.

There have been problems, but they largely haven't been beause of a lack of parking. More because of how it is spread out. How the roads and bus depots cut through areas that would be prime parking (and once were) and people having no desire to park down by the Westside, no matter how bad parking gets at PI/Marketplace.

 

[WDW1974]

Will the DTD be payed parking, or will the free parking like today still continue?

Hasn't been officially decided yet.

 

[DocMcHulk]

Hasn't been officially decided yet.

that worries me.

 

[Alektronic]

There have been problems, but they largely haven't been beause of a lack of parking. More because of how it is spread out. How the roads and bus depots cut through areas that would be prime parking (and once were) and people having no desire to park down by the Westside, no matter how bad parking gets at PI/Marketplace.

Yes, I remember that I used to be able to park in front of PI and parking was much easier then before they remodeled it all for the bus stations.

 

[WDW1974]

Yes, I remember that I used to be able to park in front of PI and parking was much easier then before they remodeled it all for the bus stations.

Yep ... none of the entrance and egress is natural anymore. Much of it is convoluted and results in traffic, delays and frustration.

A parking structure in and of itself will not solve these issues.

 

[TP2000]

I've long said that Disney takes advantage of many guests who don't know what a deluxe (even typical 4-star hotel) resort is supposed to be like.
That's the only thing I can believe when people are spending $300-400-500-600-do I stop? for a standard 'deluxe resort room' at WDW. These people largely have to be simple folks who don't travel much and don't understand what that price is supposed to buy you.

BINGO! We have a winner.

Sadly, that is one of the few things shared identically between the coasts, as Disneyland's "deluxe" hotels are guilty of that as well. They are charging Four Seasons prices for Airport Sheraton service.

Hint For Those Who Don't Get Out Much: A Kissimmee Junior College co-ed gushing "Have a Magical Day!" for the 43rd time during her shift doesn't mean you are staying at a top-notch resort hotel. And yes, it's terribly cute and eternally precious when the maid arranges the kids stuffed animals on the bed, but that isn't it either.

 

[RedDad]

I have to agree. While we do try to stay deluxe as often as possible we would never pay rack rate and are well aware that we are paying a special Disney price. We have stayed in much nicer hotels in Buckhead and various beaches in the Miami area as well as many others for less.

As I said in your other thread we recently refused to pay around $140 per night ( a discounted price ) for POP and will be staying at one of the hotels near DTD in a larger/nicer room for way less. I have no idea how they will be able to justify charging even more for POP than they already do! The last time I could force myself to pay for an All Star was with a CM discount.

In the interest of full disclosure I do have to admit that after our cruise (which leaves next week!!!!!!) we are spending 2 nights at AOA at regular price . We are doing this purely to appease DD who has been dying to stay at the Little Mermaid hotel since it opened. I hope she likes it too because I can't really think of a scenario where we will pay rack rate for that one again and I don't have some kind of massive heart attack!

We're the same way. We love the deluxe resorts, but anything over $300 is just insane, as is $140 for a room at Pop! We've stayed there for half that!

 

[scpergj]

We're the same way. We love the deluxe resorts, but anything over $300 is just insane, as is $140 for a room at Pop! We've stayed there for half that!

We've stayed for less than half of that. We were there the first weekend they were open - they opened earlier in the week (was it a Monday?) and we checked in that Saturday night for one night. If I remember correctly, we paid $45 or so for that night....

 

[RedDad]

We've stayed for less than half of that. We were there the first weekend they were open - they opened earlier in the week (was it a Monday?) and we checked in that Saturday night for one night. If I remember correctly, we paid $45 or so for that night....

Well our stay there was less than 2 years ago, and if I remember correctly we paid $67 per night. You can't stay at a Days Inn for that!

 

[71jason]

Yeah, well....

See, some people define parking as the availability of a parking spot SOMEWHERE around the DTD area. As I've said before, my family and I are not adverse to walking - I regularly run 3+ miles two or three times a week, and my wife runs and rollerblades regularly; we are all pretty well physically fit. There are times, however, when we really don't want to park all the way over by Cirque to go the the Lego store and The Earl of Sandwich on our way home (when we are there for long weekends, that is our last stop to pick up some Lego and sandwiches for the trip home) - that trip would be quite difficult with food and a large Lego box!

A parking structure to allow the majority of customers to park closer would be a very welcomed addition.

I agree to an extent. I'd be at Earl of Sandwich for lunch a lot more if I knew I could park relatively close. But (i) the plans seem to indicate this parking garage will not offer easy access to Marketplace--makes sense, if it did, West Side would soon be in the same boat as before, and (ii) parking in a garage invites even more problems than the current mess the eastern parking lots are in. One car waiting for a space has the potential to jam up the entire garage, rather than a single lane on a surface lot. This will also likely force all traffic turning left onto BVD into a single lane, rather than spreading it out to an extent as it is now. Same goes for cars turning left into the garage, barring a flyover which I've heard nothing about.

It's also telling that there's nothing on the West Side or the former PI you consider on a par with Earl of Sandwich.

 

[DougK]

BINGO! We have a winner.

Sadly, that is one of the few things shared identically between the coasts, as Disneyland's "deluxe" hotels are guilty of that as well. They are charging Four Seasons prices for Airport Sheraton service.

Hint For Those Who Don't Get Out Much: A Kissimmee Junior College co-ed gushing "Have a Magical Day!" for the 43rd time during her shift doesn't mean you are staying at a top-notch resort hotel. And yes, it's terribly cute and eternally precious when the maid arranges the kids stuffed animals on the bed, but that isn't it either.

And Disney's Concierge is even more of a joke!

 

[DougK]

I've long said that Disney takes advantage of many guests who don't know what a deluxe (even typical 4-star hotel) resort is supposed to be like.
That's the only thing I can believe when people are spending $300-400-500-600-do I stop? for a standard 'deluxe resort room' at WDW. These people largely have to be simple folks who don't travel much and don't understand what that price is supposed to buy you.

It is the same thing with WDW's "Signature" restaurants - with the obvious exception of Victoria and Albert's which is a fantastic dining experience. The other "Signatures" are over-priced and over-rated. Disney really counts on customers who do not dine out much and do not demand a high-level meal even though they are paying high-level prices.

 

[WDW1974]

BINGO! We have a winner.

Sadly, that is one of the few things shared identically between the coasts, as Disneyland's "deluxe" hotels are guilty of that as well. They are charging Four Seasons prices for Airport Sheraton service.

Hint For Those Who Don't Get Out Much: A Kissimmee Junior College co-ed gushing "Have a Magical Day!" for the 43rd time during her shift doesn't mean you are staying at a top-notch resort hotel. And yes, it's terribly cute and eternally precious when the maid arranges the kids stuffed animals on the bed, but that isn't it either.

Yep. I see it over and over again. People who are Motel 6 types, maybe Holiday Inn Express (some of those are quite nice, but basic) and have no idea what 4-5 star service is all about.

I dunno. I'm just an ignorant Spirit that spent $86 for TWO rooms at a 4-star resort 10 minutes from WDW at Christmas because I don't need to sleep with Pixie Dust ... that's what the fanboi minions are for.

 

[WDW1974]

We're the same way. We love the deluxe resorts, but anything over $300 is just insane, as is $140 for a room at Pop! We've stayed there for half that!

I have never spent over $250 for a standard WDW deluxe room and I never would.

As for Pop, it's quite nice and convenient enough when you can get a CM rate of say $40-50 a night when you really want to be on property. But I truly feel anyone paying $140 a night to stay there has a profound lack of understanding the value of money and any savvy when it comes to travel.

 

[WDW1974]

Well our stay there was less than 2 years ago, and if I remember correctly we paid $67 per night. You can't stay at a Days Inn for that!

Some advice: try Priceline.com's 'Name Your Own Price' bidding service.

I have stayed at Gaylord Palms, Rosen Shingle Creek, Dolphin, DD Hilton, Buena Vista Palace for starters all in that $67 range (some less).
It's very easy.

Check out BetterBidding.com and BiddingForTravel.com for specifics.

Disney even toyed with getting rid of excess inventory with PL.com in 2006, throwing out rooms at ASMu and during the summer for $35 a night.

 

[WDW1974]

It is the same thing with WDW's "Signature" restaurants - with the obvious exception of Victoria and Albert's which is a fantastic dining experience. The other "Signatures" are over-priced and over-rated. Disney really counts on customers who do not dine out much and do not demand a high-level meal even though they are paying high-level prices.

I would agree and disagree with that statement. Overpriced, certainly. But many signature locales like California Grill, Narcoosee's, Jiko, and Artist Point have always provided wonderful dining experiences.

Victoria and Albert's takes fine dining to a whole different level and has earned everyone of those five diamonds it has. But it's not a place you go for a normal dinner unless you're a foodie.