Disney Survey on implementing a $15 resort fee

[wannabeBelle]

Im sure I cant speak for everyone here but I can say for myself the $15.00 a night fee isn't pricing me out of a Disney vacation. I can certainly still afford it without a question but the question for myself is does this vacation hold the same value for me that it once did? The fee isn't about the cost, it is about how I feel as a consumer. For years I swore by United as an airline and rarely flew anyone else. The day they implemented the baggage fees even for the first piece of luggage, I started looking elsewhere and found I preferred the JetBlue experience. I felt more valued as a consumer and that is important to me. I am still not happy about the bag fees that Jet Blue charges now but between the lower pricing than United and the advent of Southwest flying out of my home airport, I will still have options. There are many changes happening at Disney that people aren't happy about. I can only hope that this is simply a bump in the road and that this will reverse itself quickly and painlessly. Marie

 

[WDW1974]

Just a quickee question on this latest money grab idea by WDW Co "Not Going Out of Business Tomorrow, But Damn It Sure Looks Like It!" ... but how many posts on this 20-page thread are excusing Disney or thinking it's a good idea?

When people look back and write about the destruction of WDW and what exactly caused it one of the top reasons will be the rise of social media where every idiot with an opinion can spread it and companies can use them.

But, hey, I am just back in FL after three months in Europe and see a media campaign basically reBRANDING TPFKaTD-MGMS as The Star Wars Park ... even if there's very little to back up that assertion. One might even say there is less SW product at WDW today than during a typical Star Wars Weekend (remember those?) But rubes will still go ... and George Kalogridis sits in the jacuzzi with Andy looking at spreadsheets that show how cutting boat service at DD or telling CMs to go home after they hit 32 hours (regardless of how they need the hours and how Guests need the staffing) or adding premium parking or cupcake parties will help Bob Iger and Chappie get that bottom line to look like they want and make up for the debacle in Shanghai and the loss of ESPN subscribers etc.

It just all makes me feel sad. Sad for what was lost. Sad for what could be. And sad for the fact that posters on forums like this and the DIS and in the Disney Twit community are used to justify things like this.

Has @WDWFigment weighed in here? He is very negative, with good reason, toward resort fees. I wonder if he'd tell his blog followers that they shouldn't stay at any WDW resort, or hotel in general, that has these. I doubt it, but It's the only way you'll get rid of them. Funny ... I've never paid one in Asia or Europe. I guess the USA is just special.

 

[WDW1974]

It's so common at Epcot to hear guests saying 'Oh I wish I could visit Europe', and then when asked about their WDW trip say 'we're here for two weeks, we have DVC so come twice a year'. Whatever's stopping people from visiting Europe, it sure isn't money.

.

For what most people pay to visit WDW, there are soooo many other places they could go. Many in the USA. Many off continent.

But, hey, I hear they have two new topiaries this year at EPCOT and you can now get your picture taken with hottie Kylo Ren instead of Grampy Darth. Those absolutely should be reasons to plan to blow ten grand on a WDW vacation.

 

[Little Green Men]

There is indeed something seriously wrong when a potential Guest who lives on the East Coast cannot afford to visit and stay 3/4 days at Walt Disney World that is a two hour flight away....but CAN afford to stay a week at Disneyland Resort on the West Coast 3,000 miles away.

Yep.
Tis' crazy, but tis' true.

When considering Park Tickets, flights costs, ground transportation, meals, and hotel room costs it is actually far cheaper to make the trek out West.

Disneyland is great.
More WDW vets need to make the switch like i did some years ago.




-

Where are you getting this? Are you saying you can spend an entire week at the DL resort for less than a week at the WDW resort, or if you go to CA and spend a few days at DL? There's a difference between staying on and off property. Even though DL has off property hotels that are closer, you can still stay at off property hotels near WDW. I'm not seeing a huge difference in price between DL resort ticket and hotel prices and WDW resort ticket and hotel prices.

 

[RonnieHare]

The thing with Bob Iger is like a bad marriage partner. You know he is bad for you, you know he just isn't good, but you are so desperate for him to come good, so desperate that you will overlook the bad. But the reality is he won't ever change. Blind faith can't see there are better men (or women) out there.

I tell you who Disney should make CEO - John Lassister, head of Pixar. This is a man who loves the theme parks. Go read up on google and his love for the parks, such passion. Whilst i am aware the the Disney corporation isn't just solely the theme park division, a man like Lassister who loves the parks would be a dream.

Unfortunately we have a CEO who is nothing more than a corporate man, who love is movies, not theme park rides that he thinks go up and down, etc He just has no love or passion for the parks. It's hard to do anything if you have no love for it.

 

[BrianV]

Where are you getting this? Are you saying you can spend an entire week at the DL resort for less than a week at the WDW resort, or if you go to CA and spend a few days at DL? There's a difference between staying on and off property. Even though DL has off property hotels that are closer, you can still stay at off property hotels near WDW. I'm not seeing a huge difference in price between DL resort ticket and hotel prices and WDW resort ticket and hotel prices.

I've never been to DL but when we price out flights and tickets and hotels and rental cars, it is more expensive for us. This why we have never gone.

Haven't looked recently. Maybe the tickets have stayed relatively cheaper than wdw. The hotels seemed very high and not as many on-site choices (obviously) .

 

[Andrew C]

Just a quickee question on this latest money grab idea by WDW Co "Not Going Out of Business Tomorrow, But Damn It Sure Looks Like It!" ... but how many posts on this 20-page thread are excusing Disney or thinking it's a good idea?

When people look back and write about the destruction of WDW and what exactly caused it one of the top reasons will be the rise of social media where every idiot with an opinion can spread it and companies can use them.

But, hey, I am just back in FL after three months in Europe and see a media campaign basically reBRANDING TPFKaTD-MGMS as The Star Wars Park ... even if there's very little to back up that assertion. One might even say there is less SW product at WDW today than during a typical Star Wars Weekend (remember those?) But rubes will still go ... and George Kalogridis sits in the jacuzzi with Andy looking at spreadsheets that show how cutting boat service at DD or telling CMs to go home after they hit 32 hours (regardless of how they need the hours and how Guests need the staffing) or adding premium parking or cupcake parties will help Bob Iger and Chappie get that bottom line to look like they want and make up for the debacle in Shanghai and the loss of ESPN subscribers etc.

It just all makes me feel sad. Sad for what was lost. Sad for what could be. And sad for the fact that posters on forums like this and the DIS and in the Disney Twit community are used to justify things like this.

Has @WDWFigment weighed in here? He is very negative, with good reason, toward resort fees. I wonder if he'd tell his blog followers that they shouldn't stay at any WDW resort, or hotel in general, that has these. I doubt it, but It's the only way you'll get rid of them. Funny ... I've never paid one in Asia or Europe. I guess the USA is just special.

Nobody around here seems to be happy about a possible resort fee. Really, who wants to pay more for Disney resort that seem to already be at a premium price as it is? Some are just more upset than others, which is expected in my opinion.

 

[Figments Friend]

Where are you getting this? Are you saying you can spend an entire week at the DL resort for less than a week at the WDW resort, or if you go to CA and spend a few days at DL? There's a difference between staying on and off property. Even though DL has off property hotels that are closer, you can still stay at off property hotels near WDW. I'm not seeing a huge difference in price between DL resort ticket and hotel prices and WDW resort ticket and hotel prices.

I am getting it from my own personal experience.

I visit Disneyland yearly ( sometimes twice a year ) and stay for a week each time.
My total cost that includes everything ( hotel, Park tickets, airfare, ground transport, meals, etc. ) averages from about $800 to $1100 depending on when i visit.
I will be visiting again at the end of April, total trip cost is around $950.
I stay 'off-property' at a decent hotel that is a pleasant 6 to 8 minute walk to the entrance turnstiles.


If i were to stay at Walt Disney World for a week on my own, i would be paying a lot more then that even if i did not include staying at a Disney Value Resort.
Including the hotel, way more expensive.
'Off-Property' in FL is not a option for me due to transportation issues.
I used to room yearly at the All Star Resorts...back when they were $65 to $89 a night.
Today those rooms are a lot more, at least they were the last time i looked three years ago.

It's crazy i know...flying 3,000 miles to get a better deal, but it works out to be a lot less expensive for me to trek West then 'waste' my money going to WDW here in the East.
I feel i get far more 'bang for your buck' at DLR...and the weather sure is a lot nicer!

It all comes down to personal choices, but in my experience thus far Disneyland is the better deal for me these days.


-

 

[Andrew C]

I am getting it from my own personal experience.

I visit Disneyland yearly ( sometimes twice a year ) and stay for a week each time.
My total cost that includes everything ( hotel, Park tickets, airfare, ground transport, meals, etc. ) averages from about $800 to $1100 depending on when i visit.
I will be visiting again at the end of April, total trip cost is around $950.
I stay 'off-property' at a decent hotel that is a pleasant 6 to 8 minute walk to the entrance turnstiles.


If i were to stay at Walt Disney World for a week on my own, i would be paying a lot more then that even if i did not include staying at a Disney Value Resort.
Including the hotel, way more expensive.
'Off-Property' in FL is not a option for me due to transportation issues.
I used to room yearly at the All Star Resorts...back when they were $65 to $89 a night.
Today those rooms are a lot more, at least they were the last time i looked three years ago.

It's crazy i know...flying 3,000 miles to get a better deal, but it works out to be a lot less expensive for me to trek West then 'waste' my money going to WDW here in the East.
I feel i get far more 'bang for your buck' at DLR...and the weather sure is a lot nicer!

It all comes down to personal choices, but in my experience thus far Disneyland is the better deal for me these days.


-

do you do anything else in DL(the area) for that week besides visitng the parks?

 

[MinnieWaffles]

It's a theme park. It's a theme park. It's a theme park. Step back. You are too over invested in Disney for your own good.Go outside and get a hobby.

 

[Figments Friend]

I've never been to DL but when we price out flights and tickets and hotels and rental cars, it is more expensive for us. This why we have never gone.

Haven't looked recently. Maybe the tickets have stayed relatively cheaper than wdw. The hotels seemed very high and not as many on-site choices (obviously) .

The Park Tickets are pretty much the same between both coasts, but the hotels are very high priced at DLR.
All three are what WDW Vets would consider 'Deluxe' tiered ( except maybe Paradise Pier ) and in some opinions none of them quite measure up.
If you insist on rooming in a Disney owned hotel out there you will pay through the nose and then some.
They are not at all worth it in my option...far too pricey and they have none of the Resort benefits a WDW Vet would be expecting ( Magical Express, extended Magic Hours options, etc ).
Some insist on having to stay in one though...usually WDW Vets who are so used to 'staying On Property' but at DLR no such thing really exists.
Everyone of course has their own needs and wants however, and of course can stay there if they wish.
I personally just find it very hard to justify staying in a hotel room priced $300 to $500+ a night when i would much rather use that money towards good meals in the Park or neat collectibles.

Off-Property is the must do in CA, in my option.
There are numerous options for all tastes and wallets and quality of hotels that cater to all types and needs.
Some are even closer to the front gates of the Parks then the Disney owned ones, believe it or not!

Flights can be reasonable depending on time of year you visit, time you book, and what airport you fly in to.
In my experience, flying from Boston to LAX is usually the 'cheapest' and most direct option...but i find SNA (Orange County / John Wayne ) to be the better overall airport experience and sometimes the better fare.
I prefer flying into SNA anyway, and highly recommend it over the concrete jungle that is LAX.
Plus, it's closer to Disneyland - 25 to 30 minute ride compared to 45 to 50 minutes (without traffic..LAX can be brutal in this department ! ).
JetBlue also has non-stop service to Long Beach from Boston ( and i believe also New York ), which is a small but very nice modern airport.
Those Long Beach rates are typically a little higher.

So it can be done, you just have to shop around and do a little research.
I hope you make it out there, as i highly recommend a visit !


-

 

[Figments Friend]

do you do anything else in DL(the area) for that week besides visitng the parks?

Yes indeed.
Past visits i have done some incredible road trips with friends ( LA to San Jose via the PCH ) and taken in the typical 'tourist' sights ( Hollywood , etc. ).

Never visited other Parks elsewhere there however...but would like to hit up Knott's one of these days.

-

 

[Rescue Ranger]

What a SLAP in the face this would be. Outrageous. Absolutely outrageous. What the hell would be the point of staying on site?....Isn't that the entire reason people stay on site and pay more to be on site to begin with because of the the whole Disney 24/7 "experience"? To me, this just completely represents them poorly and honestly, quite cheap. Off property, sure charge a fee. But at an official Disney operated Resort? They should be embarrassed to even bring up the subject.

What next, $10 extra per night to use the main pool? $5 per night for towels? $5 per day for Guest Services? $20 per day for the onsite "Disney Experience"? $15 per character interaction charged to your magic band? $5 if you want an autograph? $4 for a coke BUT if you want it served in a paper cup that has the Disney Parks logo on it $6!

 

[ParentsOf4]

Don't they tend to fudge the occupancy rates though by taking swaths of rooms out for maintenance? (Not arguing, but that was my understanding of how they keep numbers up on paper).

In 2015, Disney reported 10.644M available room nights at its domestic resorts.

Disney has a bit over 30,000 resort rooms in the United States, or about 11.012M potential room nights.

The difference between the two is 3.3%. It's not an unusually high number of out-of-service rooms considering that Disney has been performing refurbishments and converting some to DVC.

Disney stands to make over $110M in profit by adding a $15/night resort fee. For places that charge one, $15/night is comparatively low. Once Disney's 'Guests' accept a resort fee as the norm, it's probable this fee will greatly increase within a few years.

 

[hopemax]

I've never been to DL but when we price out flights and tickets and hotels and rental cars, it is more expensive for us. This why we have never gone.

Haven't looked recently. Maybe the tickets have stayed relatively cheaper than wdw. The hotels seemed very high and not as many on-site choices (obviously) .

The onsite/offsite hotels is what gets WDW people. But what people have to understand is that 2 of Disney's on-site hotels were built akin to "off-site." The Grand Californian is the only on-site hotel that has been built and operated like a WDW style vacation resort, and it's "sister" hotel would be more along the lines of the Grand Floridian (is that where you stay at WDW?). The Disneyland Hotel's extensive renovation a few years ago has transitioned it to something that would be more familiar to WDW guests. The Paradise Pier is still just a "decorated" version of the Pan-Pacific that it was. So if you demand a WDW experience you will have a choice of one of 745 GC rooms or 990 rooms at the DLH, and with that limited of supply you will pay for it.

We went to DL for 3 nights/4 days in December and stayed at the Sheraton at the Park (4 star ratings on Trip Advisor). The hotel room and 4 day hoppers for two people were $1099 ($600 was the hoppers). We booked through Get Away Today Travel, so that waived the Resort Fee, but there wasn't free wi-fi. It's a 16 min walk from the middle of the Esplanade to the hotel (google maps). The walk from the Contemporary to outside the MK comes up 9 min. Everyone else has a longer walk+bus/car+walk. And everyone says, "it just feels different at WDW." But I've never much felt this difference while trudging an equivalent amount of time through WDW parking lots to get back to the car or being stuffed like a sardine on a bus at the end of the night.

 

[Foolish Mortal]

ok Disney, enough is enough. It's a business blah blah blah. Just because everyone else is doing it doesn't mean you HAVE to do it ! You can't keep ing people off, eventually it's going to burn you. If this is implemented I guarantee they will eventually start charging for transportation to/from the park. WDW is quickly going from the happiest place on Earth to the greediest place on Earth. Pretty soon all those positive reviews they get as being a good value for the money will start disappearing.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

Can we be real here? For those that do not live in the state of florida or stay in orlando for that matter: Will this really impact you staying at a disney resort? With every change, we always cry foul at disney yet will turn around and post we just booked a magical vacation lol. Just saying

I honestly hate to say this, but a $15 resort fee wouldn't in and of itself stop me booking a room. It would annoy me, but as an international guest I'm so used to hotels in the US pulling this scam that as an infrequent guest I wouldn't have noticed it was new if not for this thread. To me, it's a little like the expectation in American restaurants that customers pay an extra 15-20% in tips as what amounts to an "employee living wage surcharge." So, it would come down to whether I thought the overall cost was worth it as I think it would for most international guests.

On that note, I haven't been to WDW now for three years and have no plans to go back anytime soon. They keep raising prices while cutting things without adding anything I'm interested in seeing. I'm also now a few hours by train away from Disneyland Paris, so I just go there if I'm in the mood for a Disney park. That's, for me, the big problem: WDW is just becoming evermore expensive and ever less interesting.

 

[Pirate665]

I just spent 545 a night at the Grand California and that was with my discount. It was ridiculous. Saddest part is I get a better deal at DLP than I do DLR or WDW. Last year I went to DLP and got a room with my discount at 250 a night, and that was with a Park view. And there wasn't any resort fee or anything. I see where you can go to get a better deal, but I think the better thing to look at in WDW case is the transportation. And I'd get behind the fee if it was to cover transportation... but that's not where that Iger money is gonna go and the fleet already runs on LP so it's a bit better already cost wise.

 

[note2001]

In 2015, Disney reported 10.644M available room nights at its domestic resorts.

Disney has a bit over 30,000 resort rooms in the United States, or about 11.012M potential room nights.

The difference between the two is 3.3%. It's not an unusually high number of out-of-service rooms considering that Disney has been performing refurbishments and converting some to DVC.

Disney stands to make over $110M in profit by adding a $15/night resort fee. For places that charge one, $15/night is comparatively low. Once Disney's 'Guests' accept a resort fee as the norm, it's probable this fee will greatly increase within a few years.

Those numbers mean someone has their site on a HUGE bonus, and they couldn't care less if it destroys something the company has worked hard to create: I'm talking about that perceived mental image that Disney cares about its guests. That is something that takes generations to create.

I'm hopeful that even with skewed numbers from whomever commissioned this survey, those who have the final say know better.

 

[jaklgreen]

They better make them clean. Not like what I encounter on every trip.

You and I must go to different places. I use the restrooms a lot(have OAB and other issues) and know where every single one is so I can get there fast. The restroom have almost always been very clean. With the exception of some pig just leaving a mess, they do an amazing job of cleaning up after people. I have always thought that Disney does and amazing job of keeping the restrooms very clean considering how busy they are. I always thank the restroom attendant when I see her.