Josh D'Amaro comments on rising prices and "additional" or removed services: "An inevitable result of progress"

Lilofan

Well-Known Member
I completely disagree. I bet a lot more people can tell you the cost of parking than can tell you the rack rate of a room. I think you are kidding yourself if you think people would significantly notice the rack rate increased $10. Everyone noticed when parking was added (after years of it being advertised as free). I can only speak for myself (and I won't begin to pretend my experience means the same for all), but I ACTIVELY avoid any place charging resort/parking fees if at all possible. And that includes going to places that do cost slightly more but include those things free. It's one of my top pet peeves in travel.

Also, let's not pretend those price increases didn't still happen.
One can always try the Vegas $20 trick. Give it to the front desk agent in hopes for the I help you , you help me upgrade room.
 

el_super

Well-Known Member
But the problem with that argument is they are doing both anyway. They have significantly raised room rates while adding parking and taking away magical express. So they could give a rats butt about the optics of it. They just do it because they can.

What would be the point though? If they could just raise rates with no regard for optics, why not just incorporate the parking into the room rate and continue to raise the prices?

If the demand is still so high, the place must be underpriced.
 

JoeCamel

Well-Known Member
What would be the point though? If they could just raise rates with no regard for optics, why not just incorporate the parking into the room rate and continue to raise the prices?

If the demand is still so high, the place must be underpriced.
I think they break it out for the accounting and it is a perk management can use to placate a disgruntled guest.
 

Disstevefan1

Well-Known Member
But the problem with that argument is they are doing both anyway. They have significantly raised room rates while adding parking and taking away magical express. So they could give a rats butt about the optics of it. They just do it because they can.
THIS ☝️They just do it because they can. Folks will keep showing up and paying.
Unprecedented demand 🤑
 

FutureCEO

Well-Known Member
Realistically, unless the bottom falls out on the parks, this will be a continuing trend. Add $15 a night to pool hop. $20 a night for bus/boat/monorail access, $10 for toiletries, $2 extra for refills at table service... And all will be spun as guest enhancement as you can only pay for what you want.

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Disstevefan1

Well-Known Member
Maybe next year when the national and international travel comes out of the post covid wave and wallets are less 'lose' .. maybe that's when some perks come back ?
I think even though inflation continues to rise, energy cost continues to rise, they may lose some customers, but for folks with money they will keep coming back. I think the times of perks are gone..
 

erasure fan1

Well-Known Member
I think even though inflation continues to rise, energy cost continues to rise, they may lose some customers, but for folks with money they will keep coming back. I think the times of perks are gone..
Of course they're gone. The only chance there is that we see an experience anywhere close to the "good ol days", is if the bottom completely falls out. Even then, they will only do the minimum to lure people back.
 

Lilofan

Well-Known Member
As an Orlando deal hunter that stays in probably a dozen different off-site Orlando hotels each year, from my experience, significant parking fees are uncommon outside of the Disney Springs and Bonnet Creek resorts.
Shades of Green gives their military guests a deal. Parking at Shades is $15 per day.
 

Sir_Cliff

Well-Known Member
Realistically, unless the bottom falls out on the parks, this will be a continuing trend. Add $15 a night to pool hop. $20 a night for bus/boat/monorail access, $10 for toiletries, $2 extra for refills at table service... And all will be spun as guest enhancement as you can only pay for what you want.
Not to derail this too much, but as a non-American this approach to pricing is something that is particularly (and annoyingly) characteristic of how a lot of businesses operate in the US. The most basic example is tipping as a way of not including the labor cost in the price of a meal and then having a mandatory gratuity added, but charging a 'resort fee' is also transparently a trick designed to get you to mentally commit to staying at a hotel on the basis of the quoted price before then revealing the actual, higher price when you go to finalise the reservation. You also need to be careful about reserving a hotel because they have a gym lest you find out once you get there the gym is an additional cost. I hate, hate, hate this way of doing business and find these kinds of bait-and-switch tactics with pricing little better than a con.

As others have said, Disney in part sold its premium prices on the basis of being different from their competitors. Now they seem to want to have it both ways, charging the premiums and then pulling all the tricks their competitors do to separate you from your money in order to get the full experience.
 

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
Not to derail this too much, but as a non-American this approach to pricing is something that is particularly (and annoyingly) characteristic of how a lot of businesses operate in the US. The most basic example is tipping as a way of not including the labor cost in the price of a meal and then having a mandatory gratuity added, but charging a 'resort fee' is also transparently a trick designed to get you to mentally commit to staying at a hotel on the basis of the quoted price before then revealing the actual, higher price when you go to finalise the reservation. You also need to be careful about reserving a hotel because they have a gym lest you find out once you get there the gym is an additional cost. I hate, hate, hate this way of doing business and find these kinds of bait-and-switch tactics with pricing little better than a con.

As others have said, Disney in part sold its premium prices on the basis of being different from their competitors. Now they seem to want to have it both ways, charging the premiums and then pulling all the tricks their competitors do to separate you from your money in order to get the full experience.

What separated Disney hotels in the past was not having all these fees. The price you saw listed and paid up front was just that. No resort fee, no fee to use the gym, no charge for overnight parking or in-room wi-fi. Then you got things like Magical Express, package delivery and extra magic hours on top of that. If you got a" room only" discount at a value or moderate resort, it was worth it for all these reasons.

Now they want to itemize and charge for all these things on top of raising the rack rates.

There's a reason why I don't do multi-night, on-site WDW vacations anymore.
 

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
Perhaps the best microcosm for what's wrong with current leadership's attitude towards the parks is The Diamond Horseshoe.

This was a venue that had live entertainment for decades despite not selling elaborate, expensive meals and drinks. It was incredibly popular, especially with repeat guests who would go to the restaurant or City Hall first thing in the morning to make reservations (back when they were required). It was the kind of thing you may not have seen on your first day, or visit, but would encourage you to go back and appeal to adults who may not be interested in just going on rides. It's value and worth to the company went beyond what little revenue it directly generated. The show was a part of the overall experience and existed to indirectly support admission and lodging, just like any other live entertainment act in the parks.

Now it's making more money than ever thanks to alcohol sales* and easy to prepare fixed meals that cost about $40/adult but the only thing to look at when you eat is...a player piano. The pre-plated dinners started because people needed a place to use Dining Plan credits when everything else was booked (like Liberty Tree Tavern next door), but right now everyone is paying out of pocket, presumably full price. Are they getting a better experience than those who went 20, 30 years ago, despite paying more? This may be the most extreme example of charging more for less, but unfortunately it's not the only one. I've seen live acts at the equivalent venues in Paris and Anaheim in the past 10 years and it's disappointing to see WDW not even try.

*something MK was profitable without for over 40 years, but do you think any of that extra revenue is being invested in the park?
 

JoeCamel

Well-Known Member
As an Orlando deal hunter that stays in probably a dozen different off-site Orlando hotels each year, from my experience, significant parking fees are uncommon outside of the Disney Springs and Bonnet Creek resorts.
The convention hotels and resorts like Gaylord Palms/Champions gate both have high fees. A couple others I've pulled into as well. Most use free parking as a perk though
 

Disstevefan1

Well-Known Member
Perhaps the best microcosm for what's wrong with current leadership's attitude towards the parks is The Diamond Horseshoe.

This was a venue that had live entertainment for decades despite not selling elaborate, expensive meals and drinks. It was incredibly popular, especially with repeat guests who would go to the restaurant or City Hall first thing in the morning to make reservations (back when they were required). It was the kind of thing you may not have seen on your first day, or visit, but would encourage you to go back and appeal to adults who may not be interested in just going on rides. It's value and worth to the company went beyond what little revenue it directly generated. The show was a part of the overall experience and existed to indirectly support admission and lodging, just like any other live entertainment act in the parks.

Now it's making more money than ever thanks to alcohol sales* and easy to prepare fixed meals that cost about $40/adult but the only thing to look at when you eat is...a player piano. The pre-plated dinners started because people needed a place to use Dining Plan credits when everything else was booked (like Liberty Tree Tavern next door), but right now everyone is paying out of pocket, presumably full price. Are they getting a better experience than those who went 20, 30 years ago, despite paying more? This may be the most extreme example of charging more for less, but unfortunately it's not the only one. I've seen live acts at the equivalent venues in Paris and Anaheim in the past 10 years and it's disappointing to see WDW not even try.

*something MK was profitable without for over 40 years, but do you think any of that extra revenue is being invested in the park?
Why should WDW try?
They literally do not need to.
Folks will show up anyway.
 

bhg469

Well-Known Member
The convention hotels and resorts like Gaylord Palms/Champions gate both have high fees. A couple others I've pulled into as well. Most use free parking as a perk though
Gaylord palms will validate if you spend money at one of their restaurants though. I can't remember how much it was maybe 40-50. This doesn't count when they're hosting their Christmas event. I want to say we ate at Moor for my wife's birthday this year and did not have to pay for parking.
 

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