Disney Survey on implementing a $15 resort fee

[Andrew C]

Somehow, in my mind, I don't see the benefit of such price hikes when they're already making record profits.

To make more profit, maybe? Or maybe to help cover additional costs that could arise? Not saying I like to pay more or that it won't make me hesitate to book in the future if the cost of a trip reaches a level I am not comfortable paying. But because I don't like it doesn't mean I think Disney should not want to make more profit. I would expect they are going to continue to price based on what the market allows.

 

[Seanual757]

All it's going to take is for the economy to take a dump or a major event like 9/11 and you will see Disney shares, attendance, etc... plummet, or one major revolt and Disney can kiss the profits good buy. At some point families are going to say no more and I have a feeling it’s coming.

As an annual pass holder and DVC owner I do not want to pay resort fees as it is I am paying for 5 annual passes that include a memory maker I only need for 1 person since it covers the whole family but some bean counter figured out make us all pay.

As a DVC owner I pay enough in annual dues we should not have to pay for stuff that is already included and we are paying for the resorts anyway.

 

[raven]

To make more profit, maybe? Or maybe to help cover additional costs that could arise? Not saying I like to pay more or that it won't make me hesitate to book in the future if the cost of a trip reaches a level I am not comfortable paying. But because I don't like it doesn't mean I think Disney should not want to make more profit. I would expect they are going to continue to price based on what the market allows.

The issue that a lot of us are seeing isn't just about them making a profit but where that profit is going. In the past couple of months we have seen numerous upcharges across the property and cutback on both employees and resort offerings. These things are being reported as "money saving measurements" in order to send more money to complete the, already over budget, Disneyland Shanghai, or what I like to now call it: "Disneyland ShangHEIST."

 

[raven]

All it's going to take is for the economy to take a dump or a major event like 9/11 and you will see Disney shares, attendance, etc... plummet, or one major revolt and Disney can kiss the profits good buy. At some point families are going to say no more and I have a feeling it’s coming.

Such an event could happen depending on what happens on November 8th this year.

 

[Andrew C]

The issue that a lot of us are seeing isn't just about them making a profit but where that profit is going. In the past couple of months we have seen numerous upcharges across the property and cutback on both employees and resort offerings. These things are being reported as "money saving measurements" in order to send more money to complete the, already over budget, Disneyland Shanghai, or what I like to now call it: "Disneyland ShangHEIST."

I understand what you are saying. And these things affect different people in different ways for sure.

Such an event could happen depending on what happens on November 8th this year.

sheesh...that could happen no matter what happens on November 8th...

 

[disneyflush]

I wish it were more affordable to take a Disney vacation. I wish Disney had any incentive at all to cut their prices to save their visitors money. Its fun to say and think about.

 

[Mike S]

I've been moved to join this forum in large part by what's going on in WDW right now. We, as loyal patrons, are not only taken for granted, but actually taken advantage of in order to prop up other lagging aspects of Parks & Resorts. Thank you sir, may I have another?

That said, count me in the camp that would prefer a $15 increase in the room rate than an additional line item.

Great username and welcome to the forums

 

[note2001]

I finally had time to look at this topic across the web (no surprise, it's a hot topic with passionate responses) What I have been reading shows that for the most people are in one of two groups:

1. Those who scream and cringe at any mention of a price increases; (Physical/Financial group)
2. Those who don't want Disney messing with our heads. Games not welcome. (Emotional/Logical Group)

The survey was not put out to test how a price increase would be viewed and accepted. They don't give a squat if we feel a Disney vacation is "worth it". It was all about the emotional response to the term "fee". I only wish there were more folks who understood this. (By the way, of all the sites I've read, I'm happy to report that this is the most logical group. Go figure. )

 

[Nick Pappagiorgio]

I keeps seeing people arguing over shareholder issues and going back and forth on capitalism and being publicly traded yada, yada, yada. But obviously the parks have always existed in a free market and the company has been public since '57. It is only very recently that there have been these add on fees and hikes. If it is simply because of "diznee is a biznee" they would have been working harder to gouge people back in the day.

 

[Nick Pappagiorgio]

I agree, but I think it is a very peculiar aspect of American capitalism that people in the United States need to think about. Not being from the US (I'm an Australian now living in Germany), it strikes me that you're always being screwed as a consumer in the US with hidden fees, tips, taxes not included on price tags, etc. The whole idea of free market capitalism is supposed to rest on the ability of consumers to make rational decisions, yet the entire consumer economy in the US seems based on tricking people into making irrational decisions by hiding real costs and marketing strategies designed to mislead. This is all then supported under the idea of deregulation allowing the free market to work its magic.

To me, it seems like the philosophy that Walt Disney employed when designing the parks has traditionally led to a business model at WDW that at least continued to put a reasonable emphasis on high quality which made the other digressions into the worst aspects of contemporary US consumer culture somewhat bearable. Increasingly, though, quality is being whittled away and the worst tricks of the trade are being embraced which is degrading the whole experience.

I think you sum it up excellently. I think a lot Americans (of which I am one) have this sort of blind faith in capitalism (and that capitalism being unfettered capitalism). And having run a small business I get that regulation often runs the spectrum from onerous to simply stupid. And the balance generally only swings in favor of the consumer when we have regulation (such as the airline pricing law I discussed earlier) to force companies to change their behaviors.

 

[WDWFigment]

A while back didn't you compare cost of WDW to a Tokyo trip? I'm wondering how much better that math looks today, even with Tokyos pending ticket increase.

I didn't do one directly, but I tried to dispel the myth that traveling to Japan is outrageously expensive here: http://www.disneytouristblog.com/save-money-tokyo-disneyland/ after being called a 1%er an irritating number of times.

That was a couple of years ago, and since then the value proposition has improved considerably. WDW price increases outpacing TDR's are part of that, but the bigger impact has been falling airfare and the dollar strengthening against the yen.

Airfare was the hurdle at that point, but I get near-daily Airfarewatchdog alerts to NRT & HND, and I've seen <$600 airfare for East Coast airports on numerous occasions. I've seen <$500 airfare out of LAX for numerous dates, too.

Park tickets, on-site official hotels, and dining are all cheaper at TDR. It's now literally cheaper for me to visit Japan than it is Walt Disney World and that includes the unlimited 7-day JR rail pass for the Shinkansen to Kyoto. It's still a YMMV scenario based upon where you live, how many kids you have, and which tier of on-property hotel you'd do at WDW, but for a lot of people, traveling to TDR now would cost about the same or less as a vacation to WDW.

 

[asianway]

I didn't do one directly, but I tried to dispel the myth that traveling to Japan is outrageously expensive here: http://www.disneytouristblog.com/save-money-tokyo-disneyland/ after being called a 1%er an irritating number of times.

That was a couple of years ago, and since then the value proposition has improved considerably. WDW price increases outpacing TDR's are part of that, but the bigger impact has been falling airfare and the dollar strengthening against the yen.

Airfare was the hurdle at that point, but I get near-daily Airfarewatchdog alerts to NRT & HND, and I've seen <$600 airfare for East Coast airports on numerous occasions. I've seen <$500 airfare out of LAX for numerous dates, too.

Park tickets, on-site official hotels, and dining are all cheaper at TDR. It's now literally cheaper for me to visit Japan than it is Walt Disney World and that includes the unlimited 7-day JR rail pass for the Shinkansen to Kyoto. It's still a YMMV scenario based upon where you live, how many kids you have, and which tier of on-property hotel you'd do at WDW, but for a lot of people, traveling to TDR now would cost about the same or less as a vacation to WDW.

And many times more enjoyable

 

[Mike S]

I didn't do one directly, but I tried to dispel the myth that traveling to Japan is outrageously expensive here: http://www.disneytouristblog.com/save-money-tokyo-disneyland/ after being called a 1%er an irritating number of times.

That was a couple of years ago, and since then the value proposition has improved considerably. WDW price increases outpacing TDR's are part of that, but the bigger impact has been falling airfare and the dollar strengthening against the yen.

Airfare was the hurdle at that point, but I get near-daily Airfarewatchdog alerts to NRT & HND, and I've seen <$600 airfare for East Coast airports on numerous occasions. I've seen <$500 airfare out of LAX for numerous dates, too.

Park tickets, on-site official hotels, and dining are all cheaper at TDR. It's now literally cheaper for me to visit Japan than it is Walt Disney World and that includes the unlimited 7-day JR rail pass for the Shinkansen to Kyoto. It's still a YMMV scenario based upon where you live, how many kids you have, and which tier of on-property hotel you'd do at WDW, but for a lot of people, traveling to TDR now would cost about the same or less as a vacation to WDW.

Wish that were true for me, I would go in a second. WDW's only about 3 hours away though so it's much cheaper.

 

[BrerJon]

I didn't do one directly, but I tried to dispel the myth that traveling to Japan is outrageously expensive here: http://www.disneytouristblog.com/save-money-tokyo-disneyland/ after being called a 1%er an irritating number of times.

It irritates me so much when people talk about Tokyo Disneyland as something they'd love to do 'one day', but you can tell they have no intention of actually going through with it. Then in just a few months those same people will be eagerly planning WDW trips and booking restaurants 180 days out etc... Just go to Tokyo, it's cheaper than WDW for many people, and will be a far more memorable vacation.

Anyone going to WDW year in year out, but who has never been to Tokyo, is insane in my view, when the all-in price (food, loding, airfare, tickets) for most people are pretty much comparable.

 

[halltd]

I didn't do one directly, but I tried to dispel the myth that traveling to Japan is outrageously expensive here: http://www.disneytouristblog.com/save-money-tokyo-disneyland/ after being called a 1%er an irritating number of times.

That was a couple of years ago, and since then the value proposition has improved considerably. WDW price increases outpacing TDR's are part of that, but the bigger impact has been falling airfare and the dollar strengthening against the yen.

Airfare was the hurdle at that point, but I get near-daily Airfarewatchdog alerts to NRT & HND, and I've seen <$600 airfare for East Coast airports on numerous occasions. I've seen <$500 airfare out of LAX for numerous dates, too.

Park tickets, on-site official hotels, and dining are all cheaper at TDR. It's now literally cheaper for me to visit Japan than it is Walt Disney World and that includes the unlimited 7-day JR rail pass for the Shinkansen to Kyoto. It's still a YMMV scenario based upon where you live, how many kids you have, and which tier of on-property hotel you'd do at WDW, but for a lot of people, traveling to TDR now would cost about the same or less as a vacation to WDW.

I've been to Tokyo Disney Resort and it is amazingly awesome. If you're even the tiniest bit of a Disney fan, you HAVE to go to Tokyo. Plus, if it costs the same or even barely more than a trip to WDW, it's a no brainier. GO! GO without hesitation!

 

[Clamman73]

I was looking for a one night stay for a bunch of different resorts the other night for a client and for early May the Bungalows were in the mid two thousand dollar range for a single night's stay. Marie

I'm trying to comprehend that...can't.

 

[BrerJon]

I'm trying to comprehend that...can't.

With check-in time of 4PM, check-out time of 11AM, a Disney hotel night is 19 hours. So a night in the Poly bungalows is about $130 per hour. There's a lot you can buy for an hour for that money!

For the cost of one night in the bungalows, you could buy 19 nights in a suite at the Doubletree Suites or the Sheraton at Disney Springs.

Or do the bungalows hold some super valuable secret experience that makes it totally worthwhile?

 

[Clamman73]

With check-in time of 4PM, check-out time of 11AM, a Disney hotel night is 19 hours. So a night in the Poly bungalows is about $130 per hour. There's a lot you can buy for an hour for that money!

For the cost of one night in the bungalows, you could buy 19 nights in a suite at the Doubletree Suites or the Sheraton at Disney Springs.

Or do the bungalows hold some super valuable secret experience that makes it totally worthwhile?

The doorbell can ring a different chime each time you press it.

 

[wogwog]

Las Vegas wants to be sure they stay ahead of Disney.


http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/travel/sc-need-to-know-travel-0315-20160310-story.html

 

[UncleMike101]

With regards to fees: I remember when the bank I used to use decided to nickel and dime me for fees for everything. I remember them implementing the fee to speak to a teller. I also remember closing my accounts and telling them, after they asked why I was leaving, "With your fees you've made it clear that you'd rather not deal with me. You don't want me to bother you on the phone or in person or just about in anyway possible. So I've found a bank that does want to do business with me."

I'm starting to feel the same way with WDW. It's not a particular fee that's the problem, it's all of it (fees, up-charges, cuts, numerous special-ticketed events, etc.).

I had the same situation with a national bank.
They "required" that I keep a fixed amount of cash in my checking account to avoid monthly "maintenance fees" such as per check fees, failure to keep minimum balance fees, and monthly bank statement fees.
Since I already had accounts in two other banks that waived such fees because I'm a senior citizen I closed my account at the rapist bank.
It's my money and I'll decide where, and how much, I keep, spend, or invest in any particular place.
And that goes for Disney as well.
At this rate they will soon exceed the amount I'm willing to invest in our vacations and I'll take my discretionary cash elsewhere.
They won't miss me in particular but when thousands of others who feel the same as I do take their vacation dollars elsewhere Mr. Iger will have some explaining to do to the Disney investors.