Is Disney Too expensive?

[DarthVader]

First, I'm not trying to troll anyone or intentionally trigger folks, but hear me out. I have a vacation scheduled for February vacation, so I'm not taking this lightly.

Just using broad strokes, my February vacation at POR for 9 days is budgeted to be about 14k (everything, food, universal, misc exp). Back in 2017 the same resort, same park tickets and length, etc - I paid around 6,500. Now that 14k was going to be 16k but I was able to use skymiles for the flight down.

Sticker shock really doesn't describe what I'm feeling and in all honesty there's a level of sadness because I really do feel like Disney is pricing this out of reach. I also have the very real sense of them nickel and diming us at every step. Free services have been replaced with ones that cost us money.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

It really is subjective. There are still options relative to where you stay, where you eat, and the amount of days you are at the park. You can spend $4200 for a week at a deluxe or stay off property for $1600. Eat at a $150/$200 TS or opt for a $60 QS or eat off property

But yes. It’s gotten more expensive. What irks me as much (if not more) is - they’ve just made the thing too complicated. Especially for that first time visitor - the one they are apparently targeting. I just don’t see how it all squares.

 

[ShookieJones]

Overall, we all love Disney, and we've gone there almost every other year or every 3rd year since my kids were little but given how Disney priced themselves out of the middle class, it was time for something new. I'm not cancelling this vacation as a form of protest nor am I under any delusion that my cancellation will be felt by Disney, but rather as others stated above - finding a vacation/trip that we as a family feel it will be value for our money and time. Especially since I've been saving up for this since 2018.

But it is a form of protest, and the ONLY kind that matters. I think you're doing the exact right thing and contrary to what you're saying I believe it will eventually be felt by Disney. They're making moves that are tipping the scales. It's not going to happen all at once, but families will be reaching that tipping point slowly but surely (we're really close now) and eventually it will make a difference. There is only so far that this can go.

Either way kudos to you for making the first step and voting with your wallet.

 

[Disorbust]

For ever guest who says "enough" there are a 100 sheep waiting to be fleeced. That being said, I do believe when travel, internationally, becomes more normal I think they will feel it then. When a week in Paris is less then a WDW vaca there has to be a recognizing

Many times I thought Disney crossed the tipping point but this time feels different. People are fed up getting screwed, look at the "great resignation". Add to that the loss of talent, labor shortage, it just feels like the perfect storm.

 

[GimpYancIent]

For ever guest who says "enough" there are a 100 sheep waiting to be fleeced. That being said, I do believe when travel, internationally, becomes more normal I think they will feel it then. When a week in Paris is less then a WDW vaca there has to be a recognizing

Many times I thought Disney crossed the tipping point but this time feels different. People are fed up getting screwed, look at the "great resignation". Add to that the loss of talent, labor shortage, it just feels like the perfect storm.

The Disney organization has gloated for decades that various means had to be developed to control the immense crowds that flock to the parks. Many schemes have evolved primarily involving increased prices and fee's while also (to pad the bottom line) reduced the quality of the experience, services and products. So! Congratulations Disney crowd control is now a fading issue. "The Magic" that special effect has faded, and Disney properties are no longer the gold standard other entertainment venues want to be. Disney is now just another amusement venue (with a hefty price tag) now folks are seeing a multitude of other entertainment venue options that are cost effective, appealing, excite and fun.

 

[DarthVader]

For ever guest who says "enough" there are a 100 sheep waiting to be fleeced

That's what I don't like seeing. I don't think people (whom I count as one) should be considered sheep. For many they love the experience and while expensive its still worth it for them. I really do think Disney is taking advantage of people's love of WDW. I could be wrong, but with inflation and cost of living increasing and its harder for most working families to make ends meet. A time is coming where they will choose to a different vacation.

I mean just look at my prior experience - a few years ago, a 6 day ticket and 9 days at the POR was priced in around the 2700 neighborhood. Fast forward to 2022 and that same resort/ticket package cost me 5900. Flights, other tickets, meal budget etc pushed my vacation in the 12 to 14k range. Flights to Orlando are outrageous

 

[yensid1967]

Oh really, I had not realized. Maybe i'm wrong, but given that this sight has many people coming and going as their vacation draws close, you get a transitory type of viewership. I myself seem to trail off on activity in direct proportion to planned vacation.


The wife and I are seriously talking about that as we speak. Part of the issue I'm having is the feeling of disney trying to squeeze every red cent out of their customers - its leaving a bad taste in our mouth. I'm not anti-disney, and I really don't want to cancel it, but 14,000 dollars (at a moderate resort) seems, well too expensive.


Perhaps, but talking about it will help everyone and provide some insight and perspectives that I might not be aware of.

Maybe I'm wrong, but...
NO! You're not wrong about the pricing! But there are a lot, including myself, that feel Disney is pricing the average guest out of being able to afford a Magical DIsney Vacation! I remember when Disney was THE place to go on vacation...families would save for years just to spend one week in Magic! But I think Disney, as well as other companies, are using the COVID pandemic as an excuse to raise prices without giving a good reason why! I am the guest that has to save for 5 years to enjoy 1 week at Disney! But Disney is a business and will keep raising prices and cutting services until their bottom line starts to get hurts by guests who choose to go somewhere else!
The wife and I are seriously talking about that as we speak...
Here is my cents worth...try booking at Universal for your stay and go to Disney when you want. There are other things to do In and around Orlando than just DIsney. We have tickets for WILD FLORIDA Safari(wildfloridairboats.com), Sea World, Discovery Cove, Busch Gardens Cocoa Beach Tampa Florida Keys! You will be in the center of the sunshine state...make Orlando your homebase and branch out and discover the other side of Florida!
OR Stay OFF PROPERTY! and save some money! There are some really nice 3 star hotels for LESS THAN $100 INCLUDING HOT BREAKFAST BUFFET! I use undercovertourist.com to get the best price on DISCOUNTED tickets, other attractions, hotels and rental cars at 50% off!

 

[John park hopper]

Talked to my sister who lives in Fl got on the subject of WDW--- add her to the list of done with Disney

 

[hsisthebest]

It's not just the question "is it too expensive," for me it is much more "what value am I getting for my money"? For example, the lowest priced onsite room I could get for my family of 6 would be to cram us all in at Art of Animation for $450-$550 a night depending on where we go. For that same price I could stay in an offsite condo/vacation home rental with 3-4 bedrooms, a private pool, and a private movie theater room. So while AOA is not "too expensive" I might just choose to spend that money elsewhere or on something different.

 

[yensid1967]

Talked to my sister who lives in Fl got on the subject of WDW--- add her to the list of done with Disney

She won't be the last! I am still considering my trip in 2026, but will make a final decision when we get to 2026!
Might choose Disney 1 day only and Universal a few days then explore Florida for remaining days!

 

[hsisthebest]

So the Wife and I have been talking and I brought the kids into the conversation as they're 16 and not really kids. I wanted their input, suggestions and thoughts because they've been very excited for Disney.

I offered two alternatives, such as removing Universal from our itinerary, some dinners/shows and what not and we certainly can make the trip more affordable. That was option A.

Option B is that we book a trip to Hawaii in the summer. I did some very preliminary numbers, i.e., just googling packages, airline flights and and what not and the cost of a 10 day vacation to hawaii is cheaper then the 9 day Disney trip.

Now some clarifications, the Hawaii trip will most likely turn out to be just as expensive if not more, depending on if you island hop, you pick a lot of shows, etc etc. So I'm not looking at this strictly as selecting Hawaii because its cheaper but rather a new experience and something fresh for the girlies.

So far they've voted overwhelmingly for Hawaii since we've been to Disney several times. Prior to this discussion, I had cautioned them that the Disney parks will be exceedingly busy - in February - if you look at any resort for 02/18 -> 02/26 there's not a single Disney resort available. I've never seen that in my life (I know there may still be some resorts closed due to the pandemic). Speaking of the pandemic, my kids are a bit more cautious about being shoulder to shoulder with so many people and in many situations in a crowded building. That was a major concern for them (and the wife and I as well).

Finally, people that we know have recently returned and have reported a less then magical time, some even reported that the CMs being short and/or on the rude side which is REALLY surprising. I'm thinking (and hoping) that's just an odd situation that is not a trend.

Overall, we all love Disney, and we've gone there almost every other year or every 3rd year since my kids were little but given how Disney priced themselves out of the middle class, it was time for something new. I'm not cancelling this vacation as a form of protest nor am I under any delusion that my cancellation will be felt by Disney, but rather as others stated above - finding a vacation/trip that we as a family feel it will be value for our money and time. Especially since I've been saving up for this since 2018.

We went to Hawaii instead of Orlando this past summer (mostly due to Covid in FL). It was the best trip of our lives and cost about the same for our family of 6. We didn't Island hop, but toured most of the Big Island. NO stress that comes with a Disney trip and trying to get to the best/newest things. The whole island is laid back unless you are looking for adventure.

 

[ShookieJones]

Keeping things fair, a point that should be made in this thread is that a lot of people keep mentioning airfare. That is ONE thing that can't be blamed on Disney. We're paying almost double what we normally pay for flights down and back.
Another thing, we're paying more than double to rent a car. There are a lot of recent price hikes due to COVID that have gone into effect that have caused our vacations to be a lot more expensive than they used to be.

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

Keeping things fair, a point that should be made in this thread is that a lot of people keep mentioning airfare. That is ONE thing that can't be blamed on Disney. We're paying almost double what we normally pay for flights down and back.
Another thing, we're paying more than double to rent a car. There are a lot of recent price hikes due to COVID that have gone into effect that have caused our vacations to be a lot more expensive than they used to be.

That's true about the airlines prices! We live in N. Mn. and we are many miles from WDW.
But we will probably drive the next time we go to Florida (not disney).
Why? Because we have family in Tn. who we can visit and get a rest from driving.
Then it's not that far to Florida from Tn. We've done it before and it was ok.
I know we could be in Florida in a few hours on a plane, but not until the prices come back down.
Also, we like having our own car.
So, even though we live hundreds of miles away, close to Canada, we choose to drive with stops along the way.
I forgot to mention that we are retired so are under no time constraints for vacations.

 

[ShookieJones]

That's true about the airlines prices! We live in N. Mn. and we are many miles from WDW.
But we will probably drive the next time we go to Florida (not disney).
Why? Because we have family in Tn. who we can visit and get a rest from driving.
Then it's not that far to Florida from Tn. We've done it before and it was ok.
I know we could be in Florida in a few hours on a plane, but not until the prices come back down.
Also, we like having our own car.
So, even though we live hundreds of miles away, close to Canada, we choose to drive with stops along the way.
I forgot to mention that we are retired so are under no time constraints for vacations.

I have so many fond memories of drives to Florida from Connecticut, both as a child with my parents, then with wife, then with my wife and my kids to visit my parents when they moved down there. Once we started going to Disney on a regular basis it was always a plane to maximize our time. If we were retired, I would do the exact same thing, I enjoy driving and I would do it in a second if there were no time constraints.

 

[LeighM]

That's what I'm sort of worried myself. I put it this way to my kids once they said they preferred a trip to Hawaii over WDW (I held back so they'd form their own opinions) - my concern was that we've had nearly perfect WDW vacations in the past and when you're at the pinnacle the only place to go is down. I was worried that this trip could be less then magical in that sense.

My concerns were
1. Budget, as its been discussed in this thread.
2. Crowds, I've never ever seen every single resort on property fully booked.
3. Excessively long lines, thanks to #2 AND the fact that there's no longer a free fast pass system. People's trip reports here and from friends bear this out, wait times measured in hours instead of minutes for many rides


That certainly can put a damper on your own vacation. While we've heard of Karens (what's the male version?) before It seems so people coming out of the quarantine of 2020 have been rude and selfish.

Perhaps when my kids graduate HS (just a couple of years from now), and conditions change to make it a bit more value we'll return.

The sad part is that Disney isn't alone in the gouging department. Airlines were also a major factor to my re-thinking. All of I heard was in 2020 and 2021, was how airlines were hurting and were desperate for travelers, That never really materialized for me. A one way trip to Florida was in the 2k range and even then I had to fly out of a different airport in a different state and the destination was Tampa not MCO given the exorbitant cost or a Bos to MCO flight For context, I'm used to flying round trip from Bos to MCO for 1,000 to 1,500 (for a family of four)

In an odd twist, flights to Honolulu (from Boston) can be had for as low as 1,500 dollars (one way) I find it really disheartening that a flight down the eastern seaboard is 2x that of a flight basically a quarter way around the globe.

I can honestly say that our resort wasn't fully booked and I hardly ever saw many people there. We were at French Quarter and they still had room availability the day before we checked in. And because they aren't doing full occupancy, it was a very quiet trip. The food court was never packed and the pool hardly had anyone in it every time we walked by for the boats to DS. Even the buses to the parks were never crowded. It was just the parks that were horribly crowded - I'm assuming Disney might still be playing with ride times and attraction vehicles. I really didn't like the nickel and dime feeling while there. My husband and I are only a family of 2 and we can afford to stay at a deluxe, if we chose. I just like and prefer the feel of the moderates. I don't like how they took the "free" evening magic hours away from every resort guest and gave them to deluxe guests only. I REALLY have a big issue with that one. Maybe because my family was poor when I was growing up and we had to save all year and use tax refunds to be able to take one vacation a year. I just don't think that the deluxe guest experience should automatically be better than those guests at a value. I think that same principal is why I hated the Individual Lightning Lane so much. We could pay $33 to ride Rise of the Resistance (when it was actually operable) but my friend who has a family of 5 cannot. I know life isn't "fair" but Disney, who has marketed it's parks as being a family destination where everyone can experience the magic, should attempt to do better. I remember how emotional I would get during my early trips when I would see all generations experience a ride together. A grandpa in his scooter, creating memories with his granddaughter, while riding Little Mermaid. Those sorts of experiences is what made a Disney trip priceless. And Disney has gotten more visible about putting a price on everything. I know they're a business, I was a business major and did a few studies of Disney as a corporation. So I get it - they need to make a profit. But in previous trips, I felt like that scale was carefully balanced - giving the guests a good experience and still make a profit. This trip, I felt like the scale was heavily tipped towards the profit. I don't want to put the full blame on Chapek, although I do think he has a big hand in it. But is it from the Board who is getting greedy? Is it just to make up for the billions in lost revenue caused by the pandemic? I really don't know. The logical side of me wants to withhold judgement to see what happens when the world finally returns to a new normal but the nostalgic and emotional side of me that adores Disney is still very sad to watch it happen.

 

[DarthVader]

I REALLY have a big issue with that one. Maybe because my family was poor when I was growing up and we had to save all year and use tax refunds

Same, there were times growing up where I had pasta with butter because my mother could not afford tomato sauce. I never had an opportunity to go on vacation growing up,. As an adult frequenting Disney, it typically took me 2 years of saving and scrounging as well. More so now, because of how expensive it is.

I just don't think that the deluxe guest experience should automatically be better than those guests at a value.

Honest question - what do you think should differentiate deluxe vs. moderate vs. value. In many respects I agree with you but should not deluxe resorts have more amenities?

 

[yensid1967]

Keeping things fair, a point that should be made in this thread is that a lot of people keep mentioning airfare. That is ONE thing that can't be blamed on Disney. We're paying almost double what we normally pay for flights down and back.
Another thing, we're paying more than double to rent a car. There are a lot of recent price hikes due to COVID that have gone into effect that have caused our vacations to be a lot more expensive than they used to be.

I am taking AMTRAK and for 50% off Car Rentals...use undercovertourist.com! or Amtrak.com use Ask Julie for Car Rentals

 

[LeighM]

Same, there were times growing up where I had pasta with butter because my mother could not afford tomato sauce. I never had an opportunity to go on vacation growing up,. As an adult frequenting Disney, it typically took me 2 years of saving and scrounging as well. More so now, because of how expensive it is.



Honest question - what do you think should differentiate deluxe vs. moderate vs. value. In many respects I agree with you but should not deluxe resorts have more amenities?

I definitely think that deluxe, moderate, and value resorts should have different amenities. And they do. If I stay at a value, I'm not going to complain about the lack of a pool slide, hot tub, better themed pools, or sit down restaurant. I don't expect the beds and furnishings to be as plush as they are in a deluxe. Heck, I wouldn't even care if bus transportation to the parks are better at the GF than they are in a value. That's why each tier of resort has a higher price point. You get what you pay for - at that resort. I don't expect to stay at an All Stars and have pool hopping privileges to the Poly lol. However, at the parks, everyone pays a similar price point to enter. Those that can afford it already get access to separately ticketed after hours parties or seasonal events like the Halloween or Christmas parties. To further take away nighttime hours from those that can't afford to pay to play is wrong. It's the same principal over why I don't like the individual lightning lane charges. I don't like the concept of Genie+ after having FP+ for free. After my recent trip, the free Genie option is a joke. But I could choose not pay for Genie+ and still wait in the standby line, which I often did. But, because of the crowds and ride breakdowns during my trip, I would not have been able to ride Ratatouille without paying for it. The extra 30 minutes at the parks in the morning is a great benefit for resort guests and it allowed us to ride Rise of the Resistance (in addition to an ILL purchase later in the day). However, I don't think the extra 30 minutes in the morning is comparable to an extra 2-3 hours after park closing. The parks after dark is a completely different experience. I'm curious to see if they extend it from MK and Epcot to AK and HS next year. Bc, if they do that at AK, then it's totally limiting the park goers experience in Pandora.

 

[DarthVader]

it allowed us to ride Rise of the Resistance

Nice, my wife shared a link about a poor family waiting in line for that ride for 4 hours and just as they were in the front of the line, the ride broke and closed down. At that point it was at night and they had no recourse, and Disney didn't offer any options either.

Here's the link to that story https:///2021/12/disney-guests-wait-four-hours-broken-ride-ad1/

To further take away nighttime hours from those that can't afford to pay to play is wrong.

I agree completely, I wanted to see where you were coming from. I think if you stay at a deluxe resort, you should have resort amenaties commensurate with what you paid. It should not extend to the parks.

 

[mikeanabean]

With these posts it seems like they either want to justify paying that price or justify not going and it’s getting old. I personally think it’s too expensive for what you get anymore. If it wasn’t for my Hilton points we would not be going in April.

 

[LeighM]

Nice, my wife shared a link about a poor family waiting in line for that ride for 4 hours and just as they were in the front of the line, the ride broke and closed down. At that point it was at night and they had no recourse, and Disney didn't offer any options either.

Here's the link to that story https:///2021/12/disney-guests-wait-four-hours-broken-ride-ad1/


I agree completely, I wanted to see where you were coming from. I think if you stay at a deluxe resort, you should have resort amenaties commensurate with what you paid. It should not extend to the parks.

My husband and I can now afford to stay at a deluxe if we wanted to. But if we're spending most of our time in the parks or DS and not at the resort, it doesn't make financial sense for us to pay deluxe prices if we aren't going to enjoy any of the amenities we would be paying for. One of the more recent changes I've never understood, and don't much like, is Disney charging resort parking. It stinks of a money grab. And, like I said, I was a business major and I've had plenty of work experience with budgeting so I understand the need to make money and the costs of upkeep lol. But why is a parking space at a deluxe more expensive than parking at a value? The parking spots aren't bigger, closer, themed. In fact, you often have to park further away from your room at a deluxe resort. Why the price difference - a parking spot is a parking spot, right? For them to say that if you can afford to stay at a deluxe then you can afford to pay an arbitrary higher parking price makes me roll my eyes. Is it because more deluxe guests fly into MCO and took MDE so there were less people to pay for the upkeep of the parking lots? The costs of a Disney room have always been higher bc of the Disney bubble and what was considered inclusive - parking, MDE, MagicBands, transportation to the parks, EMH, early FP and ADRs, and others I'm forgetting. However, the room prices are going up and no more free parking, no more free Magical Express, no free Magic Bands, shorted EMH to 30 minutes in the morning, and free FP is gone. They've now lost me on the perceived value of what I was getting from staying at a Disney resort. My friends and family know me as the go to Disney planner and lifelong love of Disney. However, for the first time, I told a friend of mine that it would be in her family's best interest to look into staying off resort when she asked me my opinion. I'll go back at some point but I will be changing how I do Disney. The changes they made have affected my enjoyment of the theme parks to a big enough degree where I do not think I'll be doing a park focused trip next time I go to Disney. I still love the resort, parks, and company. But I do think the company has made many wrong turns recently.