Has Disney Pricing Increases/Atmosphere Cuts Altered YOUR FAMILIES WDW Attendance?

[VaderTron]

Obviously people have a right to post whatever they like, but when somebody is posting 50 messages a day saying that they’re finished with Disney, you kind of have to take that with a grain of salt.

You could be talking about any number of people with that statement. If your hyperbolic words were aimed at me, then please note I have not written Disney off. I currently do not have any plans of reacquiring our AP's or visiting the parks or staying at the hotels, etc. Disney's practices and prices have lost my business. That doesn't mean I hate the entire product just because I'm complaining about cost and packaging. The ball is in Disney's court now. They have to win my business back. (Not holding my breath.)

 

[Chi84]

You could be talking about any number of people with that statement. If your hyperbolic words were aimed at me, then please note I have not written Disney off. I currently do not have any plans of reacquiring our AP's or visiting the parks or staying at the hotels, etc. Disney's practices and prices have lost my business. That doesn't mean I hate the entire product just because I'm complaining about cost and packaging. The ball is in Disney's court now. They have to win my business back. (Not holding my breath.)

Why would you think they were aimed at you?

 

[VaderTron]

Why would you think they were aimed at you?

Timing of post.

 

[21stamps]

21stamps, you're saying 2 different things. You want jaded people to stay away, which would diminish crowds. Then you say that Disney wants and needs crowds. Which one are you saying?

Disney wants near full hotel rooms and parks.. any business would. They have that right now even with high prices. If enough people stopped going to make an impact, then prices would adjust again, lower, to fill them back up.

I’m not saying 2 different things here.

 

[21stamps]

So I guess it's OK if I tell you the same thing if you house gets flooded and your insurance company refuses to cover it. "Just move on. You can live somewhere else. It's no big deal. If you drop that insurance policy maybe the insurer will lower their premiums and beg for you to come back. My guess is they won't."

Still no empathy.

Hint: It's when you feel bad for others even if you don't have the same set of circumstances or views.

I’m sorry, is being jaded by Disney a category of people whom I should have empathy for?

is this a joke?

 

[danyoung56]

Disney wants near full hotel rooms and parks.. any business would. They have that right now even with high prices. If enough people stopped going to make an impact, then prices would adjust again, lower, to fill them back up.

I understand what you're saying now. But I don't agree with you - I think Disney would again raise prices to keep the ol' moola flowing.

 

[21stamps]

The ball is in Disney's court now. They have to win my business back. (Not holding my breath.)

You should send an email with these exact words. Maybe they’ll off a discount on your next stay.
I just received a pin code last week, I think it’s because I haven’t been in almost 2 years.

 

[VaderTron]

You should send an email with these exact words. Maybe they’ll off a discount on your next stay.
I just received a pin code last week, I think it’s because I haven’t been in almost 2 years.

There is too much they would have to change. They would never do it all just to get me to come:

Discount on hotel, no parking fee at my hotel, discount on two passes, return of the 20% passholder discount at most TS restaurants, the return of "celebration extras" for when we celebrate our anniversary at a Signature restaurant, a zero tolerance program for rude CM's (or some additional training...not sure the cause of the increase over the past year), increased streetmosphere and entertainment offerings throughout the parks, etc.


Edit: Disney knows I haven't been. I got something from them the other day. It was an offer to save $3750 on Riviera DVC.

 

[VaderTron]

I think it’s because I haven’t been in almost 2 years.

Please don't take this the wrong way...I'm not trying to be snarky. I really mean this not as an attack, but a sincere question:

How in the world can you defend so hard when you haven't even been in 2 years??? I have been...I don't know any more....26-28 times in the past 2 years. Why are you all about defending against the negatives when you haven't even been there to see for yourself if they are true or not? I'm not saying you aren't correct in your views, but they are 2 years old. Things have changed so much in that time.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

This is a key point most people don't realize about the Annual Passholders. They spend SO MUCH MORE money then they ever would if they had to buy tickets at regular price. Not saying there aren't some penny pinchers who use it and abuse it, but the majority spend on dining, hotels, and extras when they have a pass, and they take more trips than they would if they were paying for daily tickets.

100%. My spending per day never decreased when we went from 4-day passes to AP’s. I just spend it on tours, nicer dinners, better rooms, etc.

Then I want to go as many times as possible in an AP year - so I spend a whole lot more than in one 4-day trip.

 

[Raineman]

I understand what you're saying now. But I don't agree with you - I think Disney would again raise prices to keep the ol' moola flowing.

They might do that, but that kind of pricing strategy wouldn’t last. The cost point of a WDW vacation is already not that far away from being cost prohibitive for the majority of the population. If WDW is only affordable for upper class level incomes, there is no level that they could set the prices to make up for that much of an attendance drop.

 

[21stamps]

Please don't take this the wrong way...I'm not trying to be snarky. I really mean this not as an attack, but a sincere question:

How in the world can you defend so hard when you haven't even been in 2 years??? I have been...I don't know any more....26-28 times in the past 2 years. Why are you all about defending against the negatives when you haven't even been there to see for yourself if they are true or not? I'm not saying you aren't correct in your views, but they are 2 years old. Things have changed so much in that time.

If you have done 26-28 Disney trips in a 24 month period, then I completely understand why you’re not so keen to visit right now. There are so many other places to go! I think a lot of people don’t realize that so much of one thing can cause you to want more...but maybe you’re looking in the wrong place for it.

I have not been since Thanksgiving week 2017.. but, I have an extremely Disney-going family and close circle of friends. They’ve all still gone in that time frame, all had a fabulous time. My sister is the least “Disney” of the bunch, and even she decided to go back this year when my parents take the grandkids.

Prior to my 2016 trip, I read negative after negative about how Disney has changed for the worse.. I kept thinking “is this really possible in a 1 year time span?” Guess what? It was wonderful. You wouldn’t know that from threads on this site... but none of the Magic was lost for me and my child.
We did several “extras” that trip, loved them all. I’m not the type of person who needs to squeeze every penny of “perceived value” out of the parks though. We went to MK one day and left by the afternoon (same day as our EMM tickets).. hung out at the resort the rest of the day, another day we just went to MVMCP, did activities like renting a boat during the afternoon, and a pirate cruise for kiddo in the morning.. and another time we went to MK for EMH, no extra money required (we may have done that twice that trip).
On our first full day at WDW I rented a cabana at the pool and watched the Ohio State v Michigan game.. eating, drinking cocktails, laughing, watching my kid come in and out of the pool. One of my best Disney days ever, and it was while watching a football game. After the game we changed, went monorail hopping, stopping to eat, drink, and buy some Christmas themed goodies. Ended the day by watching the EWP and fireworks in our pjs.

That’s the last time that we’ll probably ever do 9 nights or more at WDW. My kid is older now and more into adrenaline activities and seeing new places/new experiences.. still loves WDW, but for us a 10 day trip no longer fits well into our lives and preferences. That’s ok.

Disney sets the stage, we create our own magic.
It’s also ok to enjoy other destinations besides Disney World.
I think too many people don’t realize these 2 important facts.

 

[21stamps]

One more thing to add.. a member here..one who has only negative things to say in this thread and others.. was at Disney World during Spring Break and had negative after negative experience/story.

My sister and her fam went during Spring Break last year... she had a phenomenal time, no complaints, got extremely lucky with her kids being picked for things like having an interactive part in the Star Wars march at HS..and her sister in law getting picked as one of the participants in Indiana Jones.

Could two vastly different experiences be a product of two vastly different mindsets and expectations? Not looking for problems..just enjoying their time?

I think one’s mindset plays a huge factor in their experience. Which is why the same people who talk so much negativity on an online forum, are the ones who have so many issues during their trips.

 

[Chi84]

There's a saying that comes to mind: Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. People who have a positive outlook aren't being foolish or "pixie dusters." They just have a different way of handling bad experiences and putting them in perspective.

 

[wm49rs]

One more thing to add.. a member here..one who has only negative things to say in this thread and others.. was at Disney World during Spring Break and had negative after negative experience/story.

My sister and her fam went during Spring Break last year... she had a phenomenal time, no complaints, got extremely lucky with her kids being picked for things like having an interactive part in the Star Wars march at HS..and her sister in law getting picked as one of the participants in Indiana Jones.

Could two vastly different experiences be a product of two vastly different mindsets and expectations? Not looking for problems..just enjoying their time?

I think one’s mindset plays a huge factor in their experience. Which is why the same people who talk so much negativity on an online forum, are the ones who have so many issues during their trips.

I’ve been here a week now, with no issues, other than Columbus Day weekend crowds. Still doesn’t mean I don’t notice areas in which TWDC needs to step things up. It’s not always “on the person.”

 

[21stamps]

I’ve been here a week now, with no issues, other than Columbus Day weekend crowds. Still doesn’t mean I don’t notice areas in which TWDC needs to step things up. It’s not always “on the person.”

No, but how you react to it is. Example- If you’re taking photos of paint chips instead of enjoying the overall ambiance, then the person is more of the issue than the issue itself.

 

[wm49rs]

No, but how you react to it is. If you’re taking photos of paint chips instead of enjoying the overall ambiance, then the person is more of the issue than the issue itself.

Who said I was taking photos? Please, leave your straw grasping in the politics forum.

And no, if a multi-billion company can’t perform basic maintenance on a regular basis, that’s not on me or any other visitor....

 

[danheaton]

Thus far, it hasn't made a huge difference in our approach since we only go once every year or two. However, I definitely pause when I look at some of the prices. Particularly with the tickets, you're stuck dropping a huge number on tickets for four people.

 

[VaderTron]

If you have done 26-28 Disney trips in a 24 month period, then I completely understand why you’re not so keen to visit right now. There are so many other places to go!

To be clear, no you haven't understood. We have gone that many times because we enjoy Disney. We want to continue to go. We are not tired of the rides, theming, resorts, atmosphere, shows, entertainment, etc. And we do go other places. We just got back from a trip to Asheville and the Blue Ridge Parkway. But we would still like to go to Disney. The Disney that still could exist without the money grabs, and profits-first managing that has been eroding the Disney magic the past few years. If you look back at what I mentioned in a previous post, there are several recent changes that have pushed us over the edge. Walk those back and we would be quite happy. We have overlooked many changes that we felt weren't for the best over the years. However focusing on the majority of what we liked allowed us to enjoy ourselves. The last couple of years Disney stacked insulting money grab on top of insulting money grab. It was too much.

It's like if your jewler took your diamond wedding ring, dunked it in a toilet and then offered it back to you while charging you for "cleaning" your ring. The years and years you had enjoyed wearing that ring wouldn't make that action any less angering. In fact, the treasured meaning it had developed over those years would make it more infuriating. To say that our dissatisfaction with the service and price offered now at Disney does not mean I "hate the ring" (WDW) and just want to walk away from it.

 

[21stamps]

To be clear, no you haven't understood. We have gone that many times because we enjoy Disney. We want to continue to go. We are not tired of the rides, theming, resorts, atmosphere, shows, entertainment, etc. And we do go other places. We just got back from a trip to Asheville and the Blue Ridge Parkway. But we would still like to go to Disney. The Disney that still could exist without the money grabs, and profits-first managing that has been eroding the Disney magic the past few years. If you look back at what I mentioned in a previous post, there are several recent changes that have pushed us over the edge. Walk those back and we would be quite happy. We have overlooked many changes that we felt weren't for the best over the years. However focusing on the majority of what we liked allowed us to enjoy ourselves. The last couple of years Disney stacked insulting money grab on top of insulting money grab. It was too much.

It's like if your jewler took your diamond wedding ring, dunked it in a toilet and then offered it back to you while charging you for "cleaning" your ring. The years and years you had enjoyed wearing that ring wouldn't make that action any less angering. In fact, the treasured meaning it had developed over those years would make it more infuriating. To say that our dissatisfaction with the service and price offered now at Disney does not mean I "hate the ring" (WDW) and just want to walk away from it.

Things change, life moves on. That’s really all that can be said. I do hope that you can either find something new that you love, or maybe learn to accept the changes at WDE. I wish you luck in either one.