Price Hikes Galore! (Genie+ variable pricing, ILL, refillable mugs, SWGE lightsaber and droids)

[Lilofan]

Well one thing is for sure, prices for everything in a Disney vacation will continue to go up over time.

I’m looking for a sugar momma to hook up with and pay for our WDW vacation !

 

[eliza61nyc]

I’m looking for a sugar momma to hook up with and pay for our WDW vacation !

Lol I went to Greece and I keep trying to find a rich old Greek. I figured if Jackie O and Diana Ross could do it.....

 

[Livelovedisney]

Could this actually be what Disney wants? I have 2 small kids and definitely want to take them eventually (Disney already priced me out/I will not pay for park hoppers, in-property stays and special ticketed events, hope that's where it stops). But the price increase for longer day tickets is marginal and the per day cost drops more significantly after five days.

So it could be that shorter stays plays right into their strategy (if they believe demand will always be there at peak levels) as the average revenue per guest per day would increase.

Maybe so but my husband and I will not stay longer than our usual stays. It may only be a few more dollars but we have to work around school schedules.

 

[eliza61nyc]

They have always had some stuff outside the park in Orlando, but they know a lot of people that fly in for Disney will stay exclusive to the Disney properties. What hasn't been the case until recently is the over abundance of Disney merchandise in places like WalMart that are way outside the Orlando area. Disney has started pushing the stuff at a much higher rate in areas that were previously not shoveling their stuff. Yes you might find a random Micky shirt or Winnie the Pooh... but I'm seeing lots of other character stuff that looks a lot more like what I would normally see in the parks. So when ma and pa from the midwest go to Disney, even if they don't venture off property they are very likely going to say no to a Disney shirt when they realize they can just buy it from the local walmart when they get back home. It is foolish of Disney to oversell this type of stuff because it will hurt their park sales which generate much more revenue per item. Pushing a Haunted Mansion shirt through Walmart might generate 5 dollar to Disney... but selling it in the park probably generates 30.

I think it maybe geared towards a different market. Especially the merchandise branded from a movie. Fir example Encanto stuff, it's all over the place. I don't think it's marketed for theme park per ser, more of every little girl wants to be the current girl Character, let's let them buy it for birthdays, Christmas etc etc.

I just saw some Hocus pocus stuff in target, so i think they want to "capture" the Halloween market

They have always had some stuff outside the park in Orlando, but they know a lot of people that fly in for Disney will stay exclusive to the Disney properties. What hasn't been the case until recently is the over abundance of Disney merchandise in places like WalMart that are way outside the Orlando area. Disney has started pushing the stuff at a much higher rate in areas that were previously not shoveling their stuff. Yes you might find a random Micky shirt or Winnie the Pooh... but I'm seeing lots of other character stuff that looks a lot more like what I would normally see in the parks. So when ma and pa from the midwest go to Disney, even if they don't venture off property they are very likely going to say no to a Disney shirt when they realize they can just buy it from the local walmart when they get back home. It is foolish of Disney to oversell this type of stuff because it will hurt their park sales which generate much more revenue per item. Pushing a Haunted Mansion shirt through Walmart might generate 5 dollar to Disney... but selling it in the park probably generates 30.

 

[Livelovedisney]

Sadly we've moved our 2023 trip down the road to Uni.
2024 is our 20th anniversary. The plan was WDW but we've been priced out. Guess we're not their target market.
We're taking the kids to Europe instead.

Honestly, this is where my family and I are eventually heading. Once our little one is old enough and out grows Disney we will probably be doing some international travelling rather than going to the parks.

 

[JAN J]

Maybe so but my husband and I will not stay longer than our usual stays. It may only be a few more dollars but we have to work around school schedules.

And when my kids grow (if I can pay for it ) I'll probably be on the same boat!

Your comment made perfect sense, with the price increases, people might eventually be forced into spacing trips more / going less often or shortening their stays to fit their budgets.

It's just that, for the latter (and I built that theory by reading your comment so thanks!), if might actually be something they are striving for, if they believe there is enough demand for it (more families available for shorter stays).

 

[Nottamus]

Disney seems like the only place I can vacation where the real world gets left behind for a week. Doesn’t creep into my brain at all.

For me, other vacations don’t make me forget about the world for a week or 2.

A week at WDW always feels like more than 7 days when I get home …

That’s kind of important.

There will be a point for me (and all of us) where it’s just too much. It’s close- but I still like going.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Honest question - where is a better place to go with better service and more to offer my family of 4 with two young girls (6 and 4) for a week or two? While I agree wholeheartedly that most changes Disney has made over the last several years are money grabs and the service level has declined some - I still can't find a better beginning to end experience for vacation that fits my family. Im not some shmuck whos being abused, I love Disney still! And I can afford their price hikes. So until I find something better, I'm not sure why I would stop going. To hope that my one family's vacations somewhere else changes Disney's behavior while I have a lesser experience? That sounds more ridiculous than just continuing to pay Disney.

Well it does and should fit the best…it was built to specifically fill your needs.

Now the nuance there is the best things were built predominantly in the first 35 years. Iger ended up Being “passable” in the end…less value but not a disaster.
The current yutz is the most unqualified ceo ever and maybe one of the worst in American business. Write that down and watch It play.

I'm sure you'll find people showing up here in short order to tell you that Disney parks today are no better than a Six Flags and that their resort hotels are basically Motel 6's. But I agree with you.

Not legitimately. But it will probably happen.

Where the argument comes is when you get into the quality/value of now compared to before. That’s the thing.

 

[dreday3]

Disney seems like the only place I can vacation where the real world gets left behind for a week. Doesn’t creep into my brain at all.

For me, other vacations don’t make me forget about the world for a week or 2.

A week at WDW always feels like more than 7 days when I get home …

That’s kind of important.

There will be a point for me (and all of us) where it’s just too much. It’s close- but I still like going.

I get it. There a few vacation spots that do that for us, luckily.

But I will say the planning of this April trip, including all the drama with pricing, etc., is really a bright spot to look forward to while we are dealing with some sad life realities right now.
One day we may stop going, but for now I'm happily planning.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Disney seems like the only place I can vacation where the real world gets left behind for a week. Doesn’t creep into my brain at all.

For me, other vacations don’t make me forget about the world for a week or 2.

A week at WDW always feels like more than 7 days when I get home …

That’s kind of important.

There will be a point for me (and all of us) where it’s just too much. It’s close- but I still like going.

I’ll try to repeat this too much…but it was built for that exact reason.

I wonder if USO Hadn’t been built so timidly an run haphazardly for the first 20 years if it would be closer? We’ll never know.

The place that is most often mentioned as a “similar” feel is Dollywood. Comes up a lot. Different…but escapism.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

That’s an excellent point…
Kinda like when Disney doesn’t ask you to justify their price increases?

Actually not at all like that. Analogy fail.

 

[Andrew M]

The worst part about the Genie+ increases is that they could no longer be added to the cost of the ticket. If it was $22/person/day added on to a $400+ ticket, it wouldn't seem as bad.

However now I'll have to shell out $100+ each morning at 7am for a family of 5 ontop of food & merch, after already paying god knows what for my vacation. That's the part that really leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

 

[el_super]

However now I'll have to shell out $100+ each morning at 7am

Isn't this just indicative of the larger problem: excessive demand? You shouldn't have to wake up at 7AM for anything while you are on vacation, but the demand for Genie+ is SO HIGH that you NEED to be there at virtual rope drop. And the NEED to maximize your value in the park is so high that you NEED to always see the top attractions.

If the prices forced demand down, maybe people won't have to wake up at 7AM to get a reservation. Maybe if the lines at the parks started to subside, people wouldn't feel the need to have Genie+ at all.

The place is too crowded. There is no denying that. It would offer a better experience with fewer people.

 

[John park hopper]

Disney has no desire to reduce crowds as long as people keep going they will raise prices. If crowds were truly a concern they would drastically lower the daily attendance by sell tickets in advance. When they are gone SOLD OUT sign goes up for that day, wen ,month. Sports venues, broadway shows and other venues have a limited number of seats sold in advance once they are all sold SOLD OUT sign goes up.

 

[Rickcat96]

Simple fix- not going anymore, period, No matter how high the raise the prices, they will never lower the attendance in each park. so you still will continue to pay more and stand in paid Genie lines.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Actually not at all like that. Analogy fail.

The analogy was the most “disposable” part of that.

Anyway, have a good day, Tony

To be forthright: I didn’t like the “you’re making stuff up”. I don’t know the facts, but the poster formed a defend argument of why it appeared to be a cash grab. It’s not my place to call them a liar without any discussion/consideration. Nor anyones…

 

[Disney Dead Head]

“Disney certainly hasn't increased the salaries of the photographers”

You can’t know that for a fact. Therefore, you’re making stuff up.

“I also see a lot of "NEW" menu items being added to both QS and TS. this is a simple way to raise prices so that folks cant post or look at what it was priced before. Look for a lot of the items that didn't get increases to disappear”

That’s just a completely made up conspiracy theory.

My Neice was a Disney CM Photog in 2019 and she actually confirmed what I said with a current CM Photog s

In regards to the Food, I have been in the Restaurant business for over 25 years and this is exactly how many restaurant chains adjust food items when they become too expensive to sell. you simply add a new item to replace the old one and if need be you keep the old one on till you 86 it off your menu

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Isn't this just indicative of the larger problem: excessive demand? You shouldn't have to wake up at 7AM for anything while you are on vacation, but the demand for Genie+ is SO HIGH that you NEED to be there at virtual rope drop. And the NEED to maximize your value in the park is so high that you NEED to always see the top attractions.

If the prices forced demand down, maybe people won't have to wake up at 7AM to get a reservation. Maybe if the lines at the parks started to subside, people wouldn't feel the need to have Genie+ at all.

The place is too crowded. There is no denying that. It would offer a better experience with fewer people.

Textbook fail…

Genie never sells out…some of the individual lightning lanes do over the course of the day.

So “excessive demand” doesn’t fit the narrative. Next week a quiz on chapter 7

 

[MisterPenguin]

But in Uni you can simply purchase Maxpass AND still have a pleasant experience with most ride times being very manageable / short (I did go to IoA and USF last year, got several rides done!).

I don't disagree.

And ILL and Genie+ allow the same thing for WDW.

BUT... it's at least one quarter the cost to do that at WDW. And the Maxpass cost can sometimes surge to nearly twice its base price.

IOW... WDW line-cutting is dirt cheap compared to UNI, which was my original point.

AND... occasionally, the Maxpass queues at UNI are half hour waits because they don't schedule them except for "sometime this day."

 

[eliza61nyc]

I get it. There a few vacation spots that do that for us, luckily.

But I will say the planning of this April trip, including all the drama with pricing, etc., is really a bright spot to look forward to while we are dealing with some sad life realities right now.
One day we may stop going, but for now I'm happily planning.

Lol, duck and cover. You are not what they want to hear on this site.