Disney today - are we getting value for our money?

[Now Is The Time]

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)

Family of four. Bill = $150. Tip = $27. $27 x 10 = $270

So yeah, 18% = Hundreds of dollars over 10 days easily. Guess you aren't that much of a generous tipper after all???

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:

 

[ThinkTink721]

I think it's a good deal for the entertainment, magic & memories that you get in return! :wave:

 

[disneytopdog]

You have to look at the entire picture, entertaiment, lodging and food for 7 days 6 nights(in my case) it is no more expensive than a stay at an all inclusive Caribbean resort or a crusie of equal length. In fact I think it is a better value, more choices of things to do at Disney and in the Orlando area than a Caribbean resort or cruise.

 

[mousefan1972]

I've been debating the very question asked in your thread title since Sunday a.m. when all the 2008 package info came out. I'm still on the fence. The value of the DDP has decreased, ticket prices have increased and as you mentioned, if you want your tickets not to expire you must pay for it. Resort prices also went up (as expected). At our resort of choice (Poly) the regular season rate for April '07 was $385/night plus tax, for April '08 it's $399 plus tax. Is that a reasonable increase? Coupled with the DDP changes and ticket price increases, I don't know. We'll still go next Spring, and hopefully have a wonderful vacation, but I definitely feel as though I'm not getting as much value for my money. We'll see.

 

[Dr Albert Falls]

Keep in mind, the "no expiration option" is not so much a way for Disney to make money, but rather it cuts down on ticket fraud while also enabling them to offer a cheaper price for the more days purchased.

For ticket fraud, it deters someone from buying a ticket and re-selling it on the street or eBay. The ticket clearly shows the expiration date. (If you're stupid enough to buy one off the street, that's your problem) The expiration date is basically a self-destruct function of the ticket. But since some people do want to extend the ticket's life, they must pay for it. That also creates a more expensive ticket that's not going to be easily re-sold on the street.

Also, Disney's price structure clearly wants people to come for 5 or 6 days, rather than just 1 or 2.

With a 7-day ticket, instead of $71 a day, you're paying $20-something a day (sorry, I don't have the new prices in front of me). That $20-something is WAY cheaper than the per-day cost of the old no-expiration Park Hoppers.

So, what prevents someone from buying a bunch of 7-day tickets at $20-something a day and using them over the next several years? The 2-week expiration. The expiration date prevents someone from abusing the discount Disney is giving for a multi-day ticket. But they also give you the option to override it...at a cost.

 

[erasure fan1]

I think you are still getting value because of all the things Disney offers you to do. Yea the value has gone down a bit and for some you may have to find alternative ways to save but overall if you plan right it still is a value. I hate price increases like most everyone else but what can I do? Not go, I know thats not going to happen, And you know who else knows it? Disney.:lol:

 

[Shrike]

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:

Kids in Sudan would say the same about anyone who has the ability to attend WDW.

 

[goalman43]

you really have to look at the overall picture. Look at the price of gas, the price of a car, or a new house. These things always have and always will increase in price over time. I'm no economics expert, but this is a basic fact of life.

Does it suck that tip is no longer included with DDP ? Yes. Does it suck that ticket prices have increased? Yes. Does Disney still offer an all inclusive vacation that most people can afford? Yes. There are all kinds of options out there for WDW, we all need to decide what our personal financial situation allows. However, there is an option for most people out there.

As mentioned by another member a trip to Disney is very comprable to a Cruise or stay at a beach resort. Disney offers a great deal more though. This is a "city" of a resort, with an unfathomable number of activities, many of which are included with your vacation at no extra charge. Try going to Cancun, and getting a hotel, amusement park tickets, transportation, dining, entertainment, and excellent customer service for one price. Its not going to happen.

Yes Disney is costly, but is it worth it? Absolutely. :animwink:

 

[raven]

If they change the Dining Plan to what I've been reading then I don't think that it will be a value anymore. Part of the reason to get it is to be able to dine at places you couldn't afford and for them to pick up the entire tab...tip and all. People are going to be watching what they order now knowing that they will have to fork out a heavy tip.

As for ticket prices it doesn't really effect me as an AP too badly. I have certainly got my money's worth even at crowded times of the year. Disney has many shows, parades and street entertainment to make it worth your while even if you don't go on a ride.

I heard one member complaining that they not getting their renewal on their FL Resident's Pass because of the price increase. He said he goes to WDW as much as he can but doesn't feel it's worth to renew it because they haven't added anything of value the past year.

So I did the math: He said it was $320 to renew his pass (not going by the official price but by what he posted). So if he went 2 times per week that comes down to $3.08 per trip. With the increase he would be paying around $3.36 per trip. So he's telling us he's not getting it again because he would have to pay an extra 28 cents per trip. I just don't understand the problem. :zipit:

 

[rodfarrell00]

Magic My Way

I think it's funny when corporate announcements, at Disney and elsewhere, begin with, "For YOUR convenience...." and then they tell you something that's not convenient at all.

Here's Magic My Way......

We stayed in the Contemporary, in the late lamented north wing, for $60.00 a night, on the Bay Lake side.

We stayed six days and five nights. Went into the park four days, spent the other two lying around, swiming in the lake, going in the pool, and grilling lunch. (Yes, there were grills at the Contemporary.) It was RELAXING. (We were relaxed because we weren't forced to buy park tickets for every day we were there.....)

One day we rented a little round boat (I think it was called a "Bob-a-round") with a little put-put motor. We took it from the Contemporary dock to just in front of the Magic Kingdom, and enjoyed the view while we ate sandwiches from the cooler, and had sodas (and wine for Mom and Dad) from our cooler. (Which came from a grocery store....no need for tax, tip, or Disney Dining Plan.....)

The Magic Kingdom stayed open until 1:00 every summer night. (No, it didn't close and then re-open for a "special" party "for our convenience" that required a new expensive hard ticket....) Mom and Dad went back to the room early (for some private Mom and Dad romance time) while my brother and I (I was 14, he was 12) went on rides and took the monorail back.

When we ran out of E tickets, we bought another book.....they were 90 cents each, and I'm pretty sure a book of five went for the discounted price of $3.50. We could handle it.

Every time we went there were amazing, exciting new rides. (New construction, not refurbs.)

Okay, so that was 1972, 1975 and 1976. Things have certainly changed (and not just as a result of inflation.)

Now, when we go to Disney the price structure pretty much forces you into all-inclusive tickets for the whole time you're there, so I (that means Dad) feel like we're "on the clock" the whole time since I'm paying through the nose for everything. We run around like crazy, eat Disney food at Disney prices, take lots of pictures and leave the place thoroughly broke and thoroughly exhausted.

We have fun, but we go a LOT less frequently. I just can't relax at Disney because they insist on magic THEIR way.

 

[Now Is The Time]

Excellent post rodfarrell00 - and I couldn't agree more. In many ways WDW is a creature of it's own success. With 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, Downtown Disney, etc. etc. there is almost too much to do. I wouldn't trade any of it mind you, but these days it would take an average guest at least 2 weeks to see and do everything. Not many of us have 2 weeks in vacation nor the money to do that. One might logically say "Well do what you can on one trip and then do the rest when you come back.." but who's gonna skip Haunted Mansion, Soarin', or Tower Of Terror on the second time around simply because you did it the first time? No you're gonna wanna do everything again. We are always hoofing it around the parks at top speed just to make sure we have time to do everything!

It's so funny to me that back when MK was the only park at WDW, our family would still spend 5 days there! Now I'm trying to do 4 parks across that same 5 day period which is tough. In the old days you could "see it and soak it in..." Today I get to see it, but don't have much time for soaking.

Getting back to my first question about overall value, I'm sorry but I just don't think you can compare a Disney vacation with a Caribbean cruise or something like that. To me that's like comparing apples and oranges. The only way I can compare Disney is to compare it to.. itself.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

After reading the above post, I really wish Disney would just stick to the A-E ticket books (although some cluless guess might be confused by that). And remeber, in those days how there were "free" attractions like the Diamond Horseshoe or Circle Vision 360 that were included with park admission (which was under $3)? The current Disney makes it hard for the average family to go more than once in a lifetime, so wouldn't it be more profitable in the long run to have that same family go multiple times? I realize that Disney World has to make more money than any other Disney resort becuase that's where 80% of there Theme Parks and Resorts profits come from, but price gouging doesn't mean quality. paying $71 for a single days admission to watch rides like CoP and HM fall apart is not appealing either. Compare this to Tokyo Disneyland where one can get a 2-Day park hopper for around the same price as a WDW one day one park ticket. or Hong Kong Disneyland where one day costs a little more than half WDW's price. Disneyland in California and Paris is also cheaper, while those parks have more to do and are better taken care of. $20 a day for a ticket over 7 days sounds fun, until your charged $400 a night to stay at a hotel and $100 per person per day for food (without Dinning plan). Not to mention $800 for a plane ticket per person, and your whole trip ends up costing
$1000's and $1000's. With that price, it sounds really fun to get up at 6am every day and stay up till 1am each night.

I want to be able to enjoy Disney, but each year it's harder and harder to do.

For curiositys sake, can anybody ajust for inflation the cost of a Ticket book from the 70s? So that we can see how much "value" were getting.

 

[RiversideBunny]

In the early days there was only one park. Then two. Now four.
WDW keeps adding value for sure.
They also keep adding new rides and upgrading some old ones.

What would make people not go back to WDW would not be the size of the place nor the normal yearly price increases.

What could cause people not to go back, however, could include:

1. Boredom. Been there; done that.
2. Too crowded. Can no longer have a good time due to the crowds.
3. Kid (or adults) say: I'd rather go to the beach this year. Or Europe. Or the mountains, etc.
4. The type of people going to WDW now are not conducive to a having a good time there. Somehow it's changed.

There could be others but the value is still there, I think.

 

[jakeman]

After reading the above post, I really wish Disney would just stick to the A-E ticket books (although some cluless guess might be confused by that). And remeber, in those days how there were "free" attractions like the Diamond Horseshoe or Circle Vision 360 that were included with park admission (which was under $3)? The current Disney makes it hard for the average family to go more than once in a lifetime, so wouldn't it be more profitable in the long run to have that same family go multiple times? I realize that Disney World has to make more money than any other Disney resort becuase that's where 80% of there Theme Parks and Resorts profits come from, but price gouging doesn't mean quality. paying $71 for a single days admission to watch rides like CoP and HM fall apart is not appealing either. Compare this to Tokyo Disneyland where one can get a 2-Day park hopper for around the same price as a WDW one day one park ticket. or Hong Kong Disneyland where one day costs a little more than half WDW's price. Disneyland in California and Paris is also cheaper, while those parks have more to do and are better taken care of. $20 a day for a ticket over 7 days sounds fun, until your charged $400 a night to stay at a hotel and $100 per person per day for food (without Dinning plan). Not to mention $800 for a plane ticket per person, and your whole trip ends up costing
$1000's and $1000's. With that price, it sounds really fun to get up at 6am every day and stay up till 1am each night.

I want to be able to enjoy Disney, but each year it's harder and harder to do.

For curiositys sake, can anybody ajust for inflation the cost of a Ticket book from the 70s? So that we can see how much "value" were getting.

I know I am nitpicking here, but the prices you quoted seem somewhat inflated for a per person example.

I believe a vacation to Disney, just like everywhere else, falls under the saying "only amateurs pay retail". I can see you paying this if you are an uninformed consumer booking at the last minute but on average I believe for the most part most of these estimates could be cut in half, if not more.

$400 a night for a hotel would be one of the deluxe resorts or a poorly choosen moderate.

$100 a day per person for food probably isn't as inflated as the other numbers but would seem to dictate that you would be eating at a TS at least once a day. I know my wife and I carry $100 in cash for food and usually have some left over at the end of the day, for both of us.

$800 for plane ticket. I'm a business travel and my company would have words with me if I didn't try and find a better flight for less than $800. We typical pay closer to $200-$300.

Everyone also keeps harping on the $71 per day, but with the current pricing structure its like complaining if Walmart was selling single serve Cokes for $10 when a case of them right next to them are 20 for $15.

To sum up, the prices describe in this post and throughout these threads are not for typical vacations. Also, if someone pays these prices and insist on taking a complicated vacation like Disney without research then I don't have too much pity when they complain about value (this is not directed at the poster). If these were the prices I were paying for a moderate vacation at Disney I would feel ripped off too.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

the prices I commented on were pased on the prediction of a family not knowing of such a thing as mousesavers or annual pass discounts, they could be going during a buisier time of the year, they could be buying from the WDTC and "not room" only etc.

Plane ticket prices vary from where your traveling from (say outside of the US) what airline, including the ridiculously high airport taxes and extra fees. (driving could be cheaper too) These prices are not neccisarily what my family pays when we go to Disney, but for the average family thinking "Wouldn't it be fun if we went to Disney?" and then found out a price. Yes you can get a cheaper hotel or flight rate, but it takes alot of time to reaserch and look up and compare deals. Planning a Disney vacation is a full time job and extremly complicated to plan out every detail exactly in adavence and you get little flexability.

 

[rodfarrell00]

Value for the buck

I agree that you can get your money's worth at Disney. The point of my post above was simply to say that in the past, you could just show up, wander around, have a nice meal, not feel pressured, be entertained and relaxed at the same time.

Now you have to plan meticulously, think carefully about what ticket plan to get, make restaurant reservations far in advance, and just generally be disciplined about your fun so you don't wind up feeling ripped off. (As an old friend says, "It's hard #$&^%$#$% work having this much fun!) Then you can jump into the whirlwind, work through your checklist, see everything on schedule and congratulate yourself on how much fun you had.

Given the amount of effort, planning and expense involved, though, and the fact that the place doesn't change that much from year to year, I've reached the point where I'm content to go once every five years or so and take it easy with the rest of my vacation time.

 

[Deadmanwalking]

After reading the above post, I really wish Disney would just stick to the A-E ticket books (although some cluless guess might be confused by that). And remeber, in those days how there were "free" attractions like the Diamond Horseshoe or Circle Vision 360 that were included with park admission (which was under $3)? The current Disney makes it hard for the average family to go more than once in a lifetime, so wouldn't it be more profitable in the long run to have that same family go multiple times? I realize that Disney World has to make more money than any other Disney resort becuase that's where 80% of there Theme Parks and Resorts profits come from, but price gouging doesn't mean quality. paying $71 for a single days admission to watch rides like CoP and HM fall apart is not appealing either. Compare this to Tokyo Disneyland where one can get a 2-Day park hopper for around the same price as a WDW one day one park ticket. or Hong Kong Disneyland where one day costs a little more than half WDW's price. Disneyland in California and Paris is also cheaper, while those parks have more to do and are better taken care of. $20 a day for a ticket over 7 days sounds fun, until your charged $400 a night to stay at a hotel and $100 per person per day for food (without Dinning plan). Not to mention $800 for a plane ticket per person, and your whole trip ends up costing
$1000's and $1000's. With that price, it sounds really fun to get up at 6am every day and stay up till 1am each night.

I want to be able to enjoy Disney, but each year it's harder and harder to do.

For curiositys sake, can anybody ajust for inflation the cost of a Ticket book from the 70s? So that we can see how much "value" were getting.

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.

Though frankly... I find myself feeling that on the one hand the hotels are way over priced (probably because I can easily see what is available from non-disney hotels that provides the same product [a good nights sleep]).... and yet on the other hand I would be more than happy if they raised the price of admission.... In fact if they doubled it I wouldn't shed a tear. Maybe if they raised the prices enough the parks wouldn't be so crowded.

 

[hcswingfield]

Here's how we make sure we get our value for our $:

1. We have annual passes. We go twice a year, so the passes pay for themselves by the middle of the second trip.

2. We wait until the AP resort discount rates get posted before we book. That way we know we get the best resort we can afford each trip. And we get the AP discount.

3. We don't go during peak rate times.

4. Since we have annual passes, we aren't able to do the dining plan. Not a problem. We bring cereals and fruit and eat breakfast in the room. It's cheaper, faster, and much quieter than a food court. We have our sit down meal at lunch, when it's less pricey, and do counter service for supper. That way we don't have our heavy meal at the end of the day, we aren't tied in by reservations, and we can eat when and where the urge directs us.

5. Since we have annual passes, we don't do any of the room/ticket packages. We priced these out, and realized we saved a lot of money by booking the room separately without a package, and buying the AP.

If we didn't go twice a year, we might re-think buying the AP. But so far it's been the only reason we've been able to afford a Deluxe resort. Boardwalk in early December at the AP rate is usually quite reasonable.

 

[jt04]

Personally I would love to see the return of A-E tickets and pay as you go for shows. Doubt it though:brick:

 

[magic minnie]

I actually think the ticket prices are pretty fair. I just bought (before the price increase) a 10 day park hopper with no expiration and water parks fun and more. I paid, ballpark, about $43/day for the 10 days in the park and $9/day for the 6 water park/Pleasure Island visits. We will use these tickets for about 3 vacations, since we go to the parks 2-3 days per vacation. I think this is actually an improvement on the park hoppers of the past. Cedar Point and King's Island isn't much cheaper and we all know the superiority of Disney parks in regards to theming, atmosphere, and service.