Disney today - are we getting value for our money?

[jakeman]

I understand completely Animaniac93-98 (by the way, one of the most awesome cartoon series of all time) hwat you are say.

I am simply stating that if any family takes on a Disney vaction without preplanning to get the best rates and value then it is the fault of the family's, not Disney.

Additionally, planning any long vacation relatively far away from home is complicated to make sure you get the best deal. Disney is no exception. Perhaps the only difference is Disney will gouge you a little more for not preplanning.

I disagree with you Rod. My wife and I are still able to go down and not worry about doing everything. We have a list of some things that we want to do and just roll with the rest. Some vacations are more flexible than other. It's all on how we want to spend it. This is an arguement for folks that can or will go more than once. Just so we don't fight, I disagree, but I in no way think you are wrong.

I realize for a family that will only go once there is enormous pressure to do everything. However, I would hope with that pressure there would also be the fiscal resposibility to plan accordingly to maxium "fun per dollar".

 

[rodfarrell00]

No offense taken

No harm, no foul, jakeman......I might have mentioned that I have four kids ages 11-19. Talk about fiscal responsibility!

 

[PhilharMagician]

I cannot believe this crap about ticket prices being to high. There is not one person on these boards that does not complain about lack of maintenance, refurbs, lack of new rides and attractions, how the parks are dirty or even that the CM's don't get paid enough for what they do. Now you complain that the tickets went up. What do you think pays for all the work and salaries???

Just to go to my local Six Flags park wold cost $301.00 for 7 days worth of admission and it would cost me $233.24 for 7 days in WDW. Someone tell me where the value is. (BTW I would not want to spend anymore than 1 day in a Six Flags Park)

The concern about a deluxe resort going from $285.00 up to $299.00 per night :brick:. That is only a 5% increase. If that is not doable then stay at a moderate of value. I have only been able to afford staying at a deluxe resort once for my 15 year anniversary for 3 nights.

Disney is a great value for family vacationing. It is a resort that has things for all members of the family to do and most importantly do together. This coupled with a pricing structure that is cheaper than most cruises and Caribbean destinations. Disney offers many options from deluxe to economy. The problem is when we expect to have the deluxe package with an economy price tag. Earlier this year Disney advertised that a family of 4 could have a WDW vacation for under $2400.00 now with a 5% increase it will now be around $2520.00 which is still inexpensive.

The more money being made by WDC parks means more for the parks. This philosophy is well in effect right now. Just look at how many projects are currently in progress and what is either rumored or scheduled already starting in Jan 08'.

Bottom line is if you don't like it then don't go. The lines will be shorter when I go and I will get more value for my money . I guess it is all in the way things are perceived.

 

[Chezman1399]

Don't forget that the value of the dollar is dropping like a rock as well as the improvements and everything.

 

[wvdisneyfamily]

Ok so the Disney dining plan is changing and there are debates ongoing about that. Park tickets are also on the rise. However, when it comes to tickets and food, Disney over the past few years has created a plethora of so called "options" for guests so that they can pay only for what they want. My question is this (and no I have not run the numbers but I'm sure there are people on here that have) but are we honestly saving money for only paying under this whole "magic your way" plan and the DDP options?

Remember when all park hoppers had no expiration date? Now you get the choice. It's tough to know with inflation but before this "option" was available, do you think that if Disney offered the "no expiration" option back in the 80s that there would have been as much of a difference in price? Looking at prices today for tickets, the difference between having an expiration and not having one is quite significant. Was Disney sticking it to us for all those years in the past by making all those park hoppers automatically expiration free? Or... by offering two separate kinds of tickets were they able to jack up the price of the "no expiration" tickets because this was now an option and not the norm?

On the surface, it just seems to me that "magic your way" is simply a marketing ploy to make you believe you are getting more for you money because you are cutom fitting whatever tickets you want to get for yourself. Question is.. are we?

It doesn't bother me that gratuity is no longer gonna be included with the Disney dining plan. We're only talking one meal per day. My beef with it (no pun intended) is that Disney should not have made the plan include gratuity to begin with because now that they are changing it, you feel as though the deal isn't as good. For the member complaining about spending hundreds of dollars more because of the added gratuity (he did the math below)



I'm sorry, but if you have the budget to take 4 people to Disney for 10 days, I don't feel sorry for you. :lol:

I think that was kind of rude. 10 day Disney trips are not limited to the financially well off. Trust me - I know.

However, I can see your other points. The same trip my husband and I took last year will cost us 5.6% more this year with all of the increases. Our salaries increase by a little over 6%. Kind of depressing in a way that it will take that increase to make-up the difference (you know just break even). However, it's not just Disney. All vacations are climbing in price. We've been pricing beach trips as well as mountain vacations. None of them come cheap. Disney is about par for the course in terms of other vacations when everything (ie. food, gas, entertainment, etc.) is factored in. You made good points though.

 

[DisneyGigi]

This is our second 10 day trip to WDW this year and we are a family of four, we are not well off. We have less in this trip than the last because of better planning.
I agree all vacations are getting higher and for us it is about the same to go to WDW as it is to go to the beach. The value is in the experience that you get for the money you spend and to me nothing is better than WDW.

 

[CThaddeus]

I'll grudgingly admit that the admission isn't that outrageous, even though it feels like they raise it again every few months. Just going to a 2-3 hour musical in LA or NY can cost you upwards of $100 a ticket...and that's usually nosebleed seats.
What I find an unreasonable value are the Disney Hotels. The second I see their promotional materials saying things like, "Starting at ONLY $79 per night" or "accomodations for all budgets" I bust out in laughter. It's insane that even Disney's version of Motel 6 costs almost $30 more a night than your average motel on the 192. For me, a hotel is a storage unit and a place to plop my head at night. I don't go to hotels expecting pampering and such. As long as I've got a clean bed, a TV, outlets to recharge my various electronic batteries, and hopefully a free continental breakfast, I'm a happy guy. While it might be fun to stay "on property," I see no value in staying there. I can rent a car (which I would do even if I stayed on property, so I could go to Target, Taco Bell, Disney Outlets, etc.) and get to the Park probably as fast as those forced to wait on shuttles and busses, so again, no real benefit there. True, you don't have to pay for parking if you stay in a Disney hotel, but if you buy an annual passport, that negates that cost anyway. Call me cheap, but this is an area where I've always felt Disney was gouging the public...yet the public still seems to eat it up, so they'll keep doing it.

 

[disneytopdog]

If the value that you are talking about is being in the most incredible resort built by man on this planet. The price is a excellent value. I have been pricing Hawaiian crusies for my mothers 80th birthday. A 10 day crusie with plane fare is running $1863 a person. Thats just boat(food & cabin) and airfare. All the other activities and shore excursions are extra. Disney with the price increase and changing the dining plan to me is still an excellent value.

 

[The Mom]

I just spent $128 for a Day's Inn room in Easton, MD. It was NOT near a theme park, or on the beach, or even particularly nice. Our hotel room in DC was a bargain at $125/night. (but fairly nice, except for the view)

A few years ago, I spent $160 for a Best Western in Mystic, CT.

It's very common to spend $100 for a halfway decent motel anywhere along I-95 or I-75 while travelling to and from WDW. So the rate in and of itself isn't really an issue. It's the fact that there are so many hotel rooms available offsite for less that makes the WDW ones appear more expensive.

I would have been delighted to get a room of the same quality as Pop Century for $79/night even 6 years ago, while I was doing college tours with my daughter. I paid as much or more for marginal rooms. :hurl:

 

[Animaniac93-98]

a dollar in 1970 is equal to about 5.25 dollars today.... So take whatever price disney charged in 1970 and multiply it by 5.25 and you can compare.

thanks for the info


Ok, so if a Magic Kingdom 12 adventures booklet cost $3.50 in the 70s then it would cost $18.38 in today's dollars. Plus $15.75 for general admission and "free" attractions, the total comes to $34.13 (plus tax) in 2007 dollars.

Now, looking attodays prices, a movie costs $11.95 (with tax) for 2 hours of entertainment, so if you got 12 hors park admission, you would get a good deal. Also, a broadway type show runs between $30-$100 depending upon a seat, as do concerts, so compared to those Disney (or at least Epcot and MK) are good values. But what if the park isn't open 12 hours, or your going to MGM or AK, would you still want to pay $71?

Hotels are the biggest rip off at Disney. For example I could get a 2-bedroom, 2 bathroom, full kitchen villa at Sheradon Vistana Villages for a little more than a "Value season" rate at a single room Disney Moderate resort. Yes some Disney hotels have great locations and services (Contemporary, Beach Club), and are decent with a strong discount, but most of the time your not getting what you pay for.

The Deluxe Dining Plan, by itself is a good deal, but you can't get a room or ticket discount with that package, so your better off buying food with the Disney Dining Experience (the one truly good deal at Disney). Some resturants are good deals. Resort character breakfasts, Boma, Trails End Buffet (notice a pattern?) and some are terrible, like paying $14 for hot dogs and fries at Sci Fi Dine In Theater.

Is it possible to get a good value at Disney? Yes. it it a very unique, yes (well, with 4 other Disney resorts, not really) but it doesn't come easy to get your money's worth.

As a side note, aren't cast member still getting paid only $6 or $7 an hour, like they have been for the past several years? and with "new" attractions like Stitch's Great Escape costing $10 million (with the exception of the $100 million Expedition Everest) I think Disney could be doing more with there extra cash, which, it looks like there finally doing.

 

[disneytopdog]

I just spent $128 for a Day's Inn room in Easton, MD. It was NOT near a theme park, or on the beach, or even particularly nice. Our hotel room in DC was a bargain at $125/night. (but fairly nice, except for the view)

A few years ago, I spent $160 for a Best Western in Mystic, CT.

It's very common to spend $100 for a halfway decent motel anywhere along I-95 or I-75 while travelling to and from WDW. So the rate in and of itself isn't really an issue. It's the fact that there are so many hotel rooms available offsite for less that makes the WDW ones appear more expensive.

I would have been delighted to get a room of the same quality as Pop Century for $79/night even 6 years ago, while I was doing college tours with my daughter. I paid as much or more for marginal rooms. :hurl:

Off subject...is that hotel on the metro? I have been looking for an affordable hotel near(walking distance) a metro station that is not dangerous for a 5 day DC trip?

 

[coasterphil]

For those of you trying to argue that other parks are just as expensive as WDW is, you are out of your minds.

Examples
Cedar Fair Maxx Pass-$89.95
Unlimited Admission to 11 parks across the country

Six Flags Season Pass-79.99
Unlimited Admission to 18 parks across the world


You can argue that you wouldn't pay a cent to step into those parks, but please don't post garbage that says Disney is cheaper than those chains. Disney is far and away the priciest theme park experience in the world, no questions asked.

 

[Thessair]

Personally, I find there to be a pretty big difference between a theme park and an amusement park. I have no problem, even if I have to save to do it, paying for the experience.

 

[Epcot82Guy]

For those of you trying to argue that other parks are just as expensive as WDW is, you are out of your minds.

Examples
Cedar Fair Maxx Pass-$89.95
Unlimited Admission to 11 parks across the country

Six Flags Season Pass-79.99
Unlimited Admission to 18 parks across the world


You can argue that you wouldn't pay a cent to step into those parks, but please don't post garbage that says Disney is cheaper than those chains. Disney is far and away the priciest theme park experience in the world, no questions asked.

While I understand your premise, it's a very different ballgame comparing SF or CF parks because they are not together. Even in OH where CF has 3 parks that are accessible, it requires a day trip to get there. Disney's are within a matter of miles from each other. Whether that justifies the price is up to you, but the season passes are not comparable IMHO.

When it comes down to it, Disney will charge what it can. It is getting expensive because everything is getting expensive. I just got back, and it was still worth it. I agree that you have to look for the deals, but that is true everywhere. With sites like hotels.com and other self-guided travel, you have to do research. Otherwise, you will get taken. That's true everywhere, and at least Disney has options to bring the costs down.

Furthermore, it is the general cost of entertainment that has gone up. Go to a baseball game this summer. Get food at a movie theater. For some reason, people seem to compare Disney food and accomodations to what they find in their backyards. Instead, try comparing them to other theme parks or major resort areas. I think you will find Disney to be somewhat on par if not cheaper for the quality. In fact, I had a wonderful pork chop dinner at Seasons the other night and paid the same for it what I would here at home (and I live in Atlanta, not NY, so prices aren't that inflated).

I think that Disney is just inflating in different areas. The Disney resorts get you extra time in the parks, free transportation, and potentially other amenities. So, they can charge more and do. Same for the park admissions. People will pay, so they charge it. However, I think some aspects like CM pay, food quality, etc. have lower profit margins than they could, so those are now seeing the increases.

It is costly, but so is everything. Go to McDonalds, the mall, and the grocery store and tell me you aren't seeing the same thing. Our economy is down, so prices are up. Just a fact of life in 2007.

 

[kennyj29]

If you are going just for thrill rides than six flags, etc., is a good value. If your going for Disney theming, then there is no comparison. I don't go to six flags and get the same feeling I get at disney. Sorry, there is no comparison. Is disney expensive? Of course, if you don't think it isn't, then your wrong. Can you find good deals at times? Of course, so if you can't afford a regular week at the park wait for off times. I have to go every year because I don't get that feeling any where else I go. It's just Disney!

 

[Texas84]

1) You only have to drop by your local grocery store to get heavily discounted Six Flags tickets

2) We complain about WDW's prices but we still go. Everything else is moot.

 

[disneytopdog]

1) You only have to drop by your local grocery store to get heavily discounted Six Flags tickets

2) We complain about WDW's prices but we still go. Everything else is moot.

I wonder on point #1. You dont even have to go to the store for a discount just pick up a coke can. Has Disney ever had to do a can promotion to attract people to there parks and resort?

As an ex Six Flags employee and life long Disney fan, the crowds these parks attract are totally different. Six Flags(Texas) is now trying to attract the core "Family" business(the crowd Disney already has in its pocket). They(Six Flags) used to try and attract the teenager crowd with cheap seasons passes. Which in reality during the summer the park became a day care center over run by local teens and preteens. Parents would drop them off before opening and pick them up around 6p. I refunded countless tickets to famlies that stood in line with unsupervised children cussing and smoking.

 

[The Mom]

Off subject...is that hotel on the metro? I have been looking for an affordable hotel near(walking distance) a metro station that is not dangerous for a 5 day DC trip?

I tried to send you a PM, but you don't have it enabled.

I used travelocity to book a flight/hotel combo, which lowered the price. It's the Marriot Wardman Park/Woodley Circle. The total (2 RT airfares from JAX and hotel for 5 nights) came to $1056, all taxes included.

There is a Metro stop right outside the hotel; my husband joined us and took it in from Reagan airport. It's a very safe area, with lots of small restaurants close by, along with the National Zoo. (but it's uphill all the way; the next stop, Cleveland Park, is a better choice if you don't want to hoof it.)

We chose it because we were visiting my daughter, who lives nearby, and since it was in August, we wanted a hotel with a pool.

You could also search for Zoo/Hotel specials, as that's how I found it in the first place, then went elsewhere to book it.

I apologize to everyone else for hijacking this thread! As you were, please.

 

[MiduraMagic4]

If you are going just for thrill rides than six flags, etc., is a good value. If your going for Disney theming, then there is no comparison. I don't go to six flags and get the same feeling I get at disney. Sorry, there is no comparison. Is disney expensive? Of course, if you don't think it isn't, then your wrong. Can you find good deals at times? Of course, so if you can't afford a regular week at the park wait for off times. I have to go every year because I don't get that feeling any where else I go. It's just Disney!

Couldnt agree more. Disney is expensive there is not argueing that point. I go for the themeing of the park not for a thrifty day of thrill rides. Just as inflation increases the price of everything increases. As the cost of energy rises (gas, electricity, ect) Disneys costs rise dramatically. I think most of us forget that above being a magical place to get away Disney, as an American Corporation, has an obligation to maxamize shareholder wealth. If raising prices to balance rising costs it has no choice but to do so. Just go have fun and dont let paper green stuff get in the way.

 

[erasure fan1]

Couldnt agree more. Disney is expensive there is not argueing that point. I go for the themeing of the park not for a thrifty day of thrill rides. Just as inflation increases the price of everything increases. As the cost of energy rises (gas, electricity, ect) Disneys costs rise dramatically. I think most of us forget that above being a magical place to get away Disney, as an American Corporation, has an obligation to maxamize shareholder wealth. If raising prices to balance rising costs it has no choice but to do so. Just go have fun and dont let paper green stuff get in the way.

I dont think Disney raised prices because they had to they did it because they could. If I remember right Disney was about 5% up over last year (from last earnings report) and attendance was up in all parks. I understand its a buisness and I still feel Disney has a lot of value, I just dont buy that they had to raise prices across the board. Unless I am missing something Disney is doing very well. I dont mind the price increases as long as I see top notch attractions consistantly coming.