Insanity Pricing Officially Reached

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Mousesavers has just recently published the 2020 rack rates on their site so you can see the increases. I checked Pop, POFQ and ASM to see how rates might have changed. Pop had the largest increase - as much as 19% higher than 2019. POFQ increases are more in the "normal" range, about 6%. ASM had some prices unchanged, but on average the increase appeared to be about 4%.

Also, for those interested in historical discount dates, Mousesavers has a great page with history of when discounts are released and the dates when the discounts were applicable. This includes AP, Disney Visa, Free Dining and general discounts. I think that UK guests have different discounts and promotions, based on what I have read on other forums.

Gondola increases...the first in several such...

To think: some dusters actually tried to dispute that.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

FWIW, we went to the Smokey Mountains over spring break for a few days... and there was not a single hotel in Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg that was <$100. And many of those hotels were far lower quality than Dinsey value resorts. Although Dinsey definitely leads the way, hotels have gotten pretty expensive across the board.

Kiwis to watermelons

Compare wherever you’re talking about in Appalachia to wdw rooms on January 10th, February 22, May 5, and September 15...then you’ll see the baseball bat over the head.

It’s the aggregate pricing that crushes over travel spike periods...but they’re not cheap.

You can’t get a run down all Star room for less than about $200 (plus $25 in tax) or a run down Moto lodge “moderate” room for $300 in one of those busy weeks.

I wish this wasn’t predictable 10 years ago...but dern it - it was

 

[HoldenC]

FWIW, we went to the Smokey Mountains over spring break for a few days... and there was not a single hotel in Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg that was <$100. And many of those hotels were far lower quality than Dinsey value resorts. Although Dinsey definitely leads the way, hotels have gotten pretty expensive across the board.

Right. I am obviously exaggerating slightly but still for the lack of amenities you get in a value room, there is no reason to charge oer $200

 

[DisneyFreak]

Haven't been in a park since February 2017. We used to have annual passes and would go twice a year. Now if we need our Disney fix we just exchange our time share (not DVC) with a Marriott close by, usually over by Grande Lakes, and visit Disney Springs and the resorts or go stay at Vero Beach (the Disney resort touch without the hassle and pandemonium). We are done with the parks until something changes. The prices are ludicrous.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Haven't been in a park since February 2017. We used to have annual passes and would go twice a year. Now if we need our Disney fix we just exchange our time share (not DVC) with a Marriott close by, usually over by Grande Lakes, and visit Disney Springs and the resorts or go stay at Vero Beach (the Disney resort touch without the hassle and pandemonium). We are done with the parks until something changes. The prices are ludicrous.

I find my self looking forward to the “incubator” That a recession will represent.

Of course it’s a “bad” thing...but I’ll be interested to see what’s left of management does to try and plug the damn when it cracks...iger will be gone within the first phase of it.

 

[DisneyFreak]

I find my self looking forward to the “incubator” That a recession will represent.

Of course it’s a “bad” thing...but I’ll be interested to see what’s left of management does to try and plug the damn when it cracks...iger will be gone within the first phase of it.

This happened in the last economic downturn. Disney really were giving some great deals to Florida residents at that time and we took advantage.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

This happened in the last economic downturn. Disney really were giving some great deals to Florida residents at that time and we took advantage.

That’s always been the case at wdw...since the Mideast oil crisis.

I have said this many times...it fits here:

The danger with this group of price gougers is they aren’t in it for the longterm...so there are no natural reasons for them to be “measured”

When the housing crash hit...they actually increased prices, but just couponed it. 30% or so for a couple years.

Now the defenders say that still holds...”they’ll just discount it”

But that is a problem: because the 30% won’t work...it’s gonna have to be 40/50/60% to get the response they need. I don’t think they can do it. But management won’t be there and they’ll dump the stock. Deliberate destruction is a recipe for disaster.

I just checked...the AP slashline when the stock market melted in August 2008 was $469/$588

Umm...as of last Tuesday it is $1119/1219

 

[raymusiccity]

Right. I am obviously exaggerating slightly but still for the lack of amenities you get in a value room, there is no reason to charge oer $200

The 'reason' is always supply and demand. They wouldn't charge so much if the rooms went empty. That's the same reason why they offer 'free' meal plans on a seasonal basis.

 

[My95cobras]

The giant cash grabs from parking to tickets to food to hotels has turned me off so much. I took 7 years off going to the parks after the 2000... I think it is time for another very long break.

 

[GoofGoof]

The parks are “crazy crowded” many times of the year now and just “really crowded” the rest of the time. Imagine how crowded it would be without the price increases driving people away. I’d still rather pay less, but if it thins the herd a little I guess that’s a silver lining. Of course there is enough land for a 5th and 6th gate so that’s another way to fight crowds.

 

[Jon81uk]

Looks it is complete fine to be outraged they're charging that much for what is, essentially, a Comfort Inn with some tacky themeing. And I get it. Its a WDW hotel, it is in a decent location on property, will soon have Skyliner access, But eventually we got to call a spade a spade. The value resorts should not be more than $100/night.

Although the catagories at Disney aren't clear cut any more. The All-Star hotels are value, Pop Century is Value+ as you get an extra transport option, AoA is value++ as it is more in demand and offers a little more than Pop does. Same with moderates, Port Orleans has always had boat to Disney Springs, Carribbean is getting Skyliner, so this makes them more appealing than Coronado. For the same reason Animal Kingdom Lodge is cheaper than Wilderness Lodge which is cheaper than the Poly etc.

Its not possible to just label them value, moderate, deluxe any more. Universal is in a similar situation, with the new Surfside Inn offering low-prices but then Cabana Bay and Aventura offering something a little nicer. They have lots of different options rather than just a few narrow categories.
For me I would actually put the Surfside Hotels above the Disney offerings just because of the internal corridors. There aren't many fancy facilities I want in a hotel room, but having a fridge in the room I can use is present in all Disney rooms, a reasonable bed and a short walk to my room is always good.

 

[eliza61nyc]

Looks it is complete fine to be outraged they're charging that much for what is, essentially, a Comfort Inn with some tacky themeing. And I get it. Its a WDW hotel, it is in a decent location on property, will soon have Skyliner access, But eventually we got to call a spade a spade. The value resorts should not be more than $100/night.

so not really going to get into this old argument about whether the mouseworld has lost it's mind or not or some fancy analysis from others on why the increases are or are not sustainable or what is going to maybe, possibly, probably happen at the next recession.

what they shoulda, woulda coulda is moot imo (just my opinion). The consumer has an option to pony up or not.

Yep the prices are insane, nope not a damn thing you can do about it outside of deciding whether to give them your money or not.

 

[epcotisbest]

Haven't been in a park since February 2017. We used to have annual passes and would go twice a year. Now if we need our Disney fix we just exchange our time share (not DVC) with a Marriott close by, usually over by Grande Lakes, and visit Disney Springs and the resorts or go stay at Vero Beach (the Disney resort touch without the hassle and pandemonium). We are done with the parks until something changes. The prices are ludicrous.

We have stayed at Marriott Lakeshore Reserve a few times and love it. Grand Vista and Cypress Harbour are great too.
One time while staying at Lakeshore Reserve, we had some friends staying at POP at the same time. They came over to visit us one day and hang by the pool and lazy rivers (yes two) and they about passed out when we told them how much we paid for a week there vs. what they paid for five nights at POP.

 

[FamilyCallsMeWalt]

At the moment we booked for about $550 for the Beach Club Resort. But to be fair, isn't it always like that? We're going April 29-May 4.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

Although the catagories at Disney aren't clear cut any more. The All-Star hotels are value, Pop Century is Value+ as you get an extra transport option, AoA is value++ as it is more in demand and offers a little more than Pop does. Same with moderates, Port Orleans has always had boat to Disney Springs, Carribbean is getting Skyliner, so this makes them more appealing than Coronado. For the same reason Animal Kingdom Lodge is cheaper than Wilderness Lodge which is cheaper than the Poly etc.

Its not possible to just label them value, moderate, deluxe any more. Universal is in a similar situation, with the new Surfside Inn offering low-prices but then Cabana Bay and Aventura offering something a little nicer. They have lots of different options rather than just a few narrow categories.
For me I would actually put the Surfside Hotels above the Disney offerings just because of the internal corridors. There aren't many fancy facilities I want in a hotel room, but having a fridge in the room I can use is present in all Disney rooms, a reasonable bed and a short walk to my room is always good.

The "categories" will probably be going away at some point in the near future. They might be going with simply calling them "EPCOT Resorts", "Magic Kingdom Resorts", etc. That way, pricing becomes more flexible for them, as if you don't call it a "value" resort, you can charge more if you call it an "Animal Kingdom Resort".

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

The "categories" will probably be going away at some point in the near future. They might be going with simply calling them "EPCOT Resorts", "Magic Kingdom Resorts", etc. That way, pricing becomes more flexible for them, as if you don't call it a "value" resort, you can charge more if you call it an "Animal Kingdom Resort".

Or you'll get a lot of confusing categories. PoP becomes a Valmod, Riviera gets designated a modluxe, Coronado a luxmod.

I like your way better.

 

[Disneyfreak Jen]

My last trip was December 2018. Prior to that I had gone yearly, and sometimes a few times a year—the year I had the AP, for a number of years. I priced out 2020 on multiple “slower” date ranges and the prices were ridiculous.

I’m starting to do other vacations—cruising (not Disney), and just other types of trips that are equally fun and enjoyable but not as pricey. I will get back to the World at some point, but the pricing has put me in the “no go” category. I used to be able to go down for 4 days, stay at POP, get a reasonable flight, but now I just can’t justify it anymore.

 

[draybook]

I don't think anyone can defend that pricing for a value room. For half of that price, you can literally rent an entire 4 bedroom pool house just minutes off-site. Extra magic hours are NOT worth that extra cost. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

I don't think anyone can defend that pricing for a value room. For half of that price, you can literally rent an entire 4 bedroom pool house just minutes off-site. Extra magic hours are NOT worth that extra cost. Different strokes for different folks.

For us it still comes down to transportation and convenience. I’ve looked into off site condos and they are so tempting. But once you factor in rental car, parking, and paying for parking at the parks, etc- the cost is no longer as dramatic of a difference. We can’t Uber yet as our kids are little. My husband also drives a lot for work so the buses at Disney are an added bonus. He likes not having to worry about traffic, driving, parking etc for an entire week. And like I said above, our January 2020 dates were roughly $122/night. That’s still doable for us.
I do think as our kids get older we will look more into off site. Maybe combine it with Universal and/or a beach vacation.

 

[awoogala]

For us it still comes down to transportation and convenience. I’ve looked into off site condos and they are so tempting. But once you factor in rental car, parking, and paying for parking at the parks, etc- the cost is no longer as dramatic of a difference. We can’t Uber yet as our kids are little. My husband also drives a lot for work so the buses at Disney are an added bonus. He likes not having to worry about traffic, driving, parking etc for an entire week. And like I said above, our January 2020 dates were roughly $122/night. That’s still doable for us.
I do think as our kids get older we will look more into off site. Maybe combine it with Universal and/or a beach vacation.

same. I love the no driving at Disney. I also love being in a hotel, beds made, room cleaned. I don't like the condo/house offsite thing, personally. Now, I would absolutely pick some non-disney, onsite hotels these days- we're hitting Dolphin this summer, and we've done Hilton Bonnet creek. (but ours are old enough for Lyft).