Just a small observation on my part. We have been going to WDW 2-3 times a year since we retired in 2016, except for the Covid period. Our last trip was 2weeks ago. In my humble opinion, the parks were crowded, resort transportation was full, standby lines long, the dreaded Genie+ LLs were full.
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Priciest Place on Earth
- Thread starter Grumpy4196
- Start date
CampbellzSoup
Well-Known Member
Yeah I read the article this family spared no expense..
Roughly 2015, when a certain bald crap peddler was installed as the head of P&R. Coincidence, I'm sure.
Yes, prices were on an steeper-than-in-the-past upward trend before that, but it went into overdrive with $lappie.
CampbellzSoup
Well-Known Member
I wrote this on the DIS but it’s totally true that I without any real value to staying on property I stay in off site accommodations and the food outside is absolutely delicious. Doing those things I don’t feel cheated or have a sour taste in my mouth about disney.
We were Annual Pass holders, DVC members and visited at least once or twice a year for 35 years until Disney took the opportunity provided by Covid to greatly reduce the value and increase the prices - charging for things that were at one time free perks for Passholders and DVC members. When you feel like you are being exploited is when we drew the line and no longer visit. Disney was once a place of magic now surly employees in their own clothes no longer provide that. The new Disney vision to promote LGBTQ over everything else has been the final straw. There are those of course who will pay more for less and less and are quite happy with the new Disney but now my entire family are not in that number.
DfromATX
Well-Known Member
Cruising has been back for a while now. I went on one exactly a month ago. Ours was a reschedule of a cruise cancelled a long time ago and re-booked a while back (mid pandemic) so we were actually able to get the alchohol package for half price, which was a pretty sweet deal! However, we've been looking at booking another cruise and prices have gone up a lot there too, unfortunately. But still, cruising (not with Disney) is a pretty affordable and nice vacation, if you're into that sort of thing.
Tha Realest
Well-Known Member
Ad hominem attacks as to the source aside, variations of this article are run every month or so.
Here’s the Tampa Bay Times yesterday:
www.tampabay.com
Washington Post in March:
Care to address the core issues raised, rather than attack a news source that doesn’t confirm your priors?
Here’s the Tampa Bay Times yesterday:
Expect to pay more to cut in line at theme parks this vacation season
With Disney’s new $15 charge bringing record revenues, expect the whole theme park industry to add upcharges to save time in line, an expert predicts.
www.tampabay.com
Washington Post in March:
Care to address the core issues raised, rather than attack a news source that doesn’t confirm your priors?
danyoung56
Well-Known Member
Well, I just read the article. And there aren't a lot of items to dispute. Disney did discontinue the airport shuttle, they are charging for hotel parking, and prices have gone up well ahead of the inflation curve. The only thing in the article that was factually incorrect was about the parking shuttles. Disney has in no way discontinued the shuttles - they just have yet to open post-pandemic.
It's no secret that a WDW vacation can be expensive. But as others have said, everyone has a choice. I'm sure I couldn't have visited as many time as I have if I had a wife and a bunch of kids, so that's worked to my advantage. If you can't afford it, don't go. Or do things like stay off property or don't get a park hopper or don't buy Genie+. You can have a great time and still be able to afford it.
It's no secret that a WDW vacation can be expensive. But as others have said, everyone has a choice. I'm sure I couldn't have visited as many time as I have if I had a wife and a bunch of kids, so that's worked to my advantage. If you can't afford it, don't go. Or do things like stay off property or don't get a park hopper or don't buy Genie+. You can have a great time and still be able to afford it.
JIMINYCR
Well-Known Member
Ho hum…. Just another hit piece like others we’ve seen occasionally. You should know what the price will be and then decide how you can work it out to make it more affordable. Yes Disney has gotten expensive and it can be an issue for some to afford but don’t splurge and then complain after the trips over. No one gets anything these days at a cost that once was. And no business can be run by giving away their product at costs we’d ask for because we would like it to be cheap.
EricsBiscuit
Well-Known Member
Yeah I said single site employer. Way to not read my post. Not even worth discussing further.
Nobody's going to write a nicey nicey piece about Disney World in a mainstream outlet, not because of politics, but because 1. negative stories get more reads and 2. there isn't anything recent about Disney World that is worth an unqualified positive story. When Guardians opens, that might get some positive coverage. Until then, "my family is well off and we can afford to go to Disney World even though it's more expensive" isn't really what a media outlet wants to put effort towards.
Sorry...You must have missed my follow-up.
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
They’re getting this kinda article from all over the spectrum…I don’t think you can tie this back to that political boondoggle.
This is more linked to the labor/inflation/cost/stock decline stories
But to get on the 3:00 guardians ride today…gonna cost your 3 years old about $150+$15+$20…
So the low end costs aren’t exactly reflective of a mass audience either.
This is more linked to the labor/inflation/cost/stock decline stories
Ahhh…so YOU Are Bob Chapek?
Yeah…I get that…it’s a misdirection…
But to get on the 3:00 guardians ride today…gonna cost your 3 years old about $150+$15+$20…
So the low end costs aren’t exactly reflective of a mass audience either.
LittleMerman
Well-Known Member
I don't need to read the article to tell someone that WDW is way overpriced. The resorts, tickets, and food are all overpriced. Then there are all the add-ons like Genie+, LL, MagicBand, etc. And with Disney taking away some perks like Magical Express, it adds to the cost. And that's all on top of getting down to FL in the first place.
There's no doubt that it's out of control. For those of us that are true fans and can afford it, it's still a really fun experience, but it's a tough pill to swallow spending so much money at one time and things continuing to get more and more expensive. But Disney will take a hit for some of that - more families just won't go or will stay off-site, go for shorter trips, or spend more time at their competitors like Universal. I've heard a lot of talk about Disney catering to the rich lately and I agree that they are but it's sad. Disney is not a luxury brand.
I don't know if Disney will ever get better but it's obvious that they put profits first before their product and customers and that's where the disconnect is. It used to feel like our experiences were the priority. A lot of the magic is gone when everything is such an obvious cash-grab. Of course, Disney is a for-profit business, but again, everything is insanely overpriced to what seems like an unnecessary level.
There's no doubt that it's out of control. For those of us that are true fans and can afford it, it's still a really fun experience, but it's a tough pill to swallow spending so much money at one time and things continuing to get more and more expensive. But Disney will take a hit for some of that - more families just won't go or will stay off-site, go for shorter trips, or spend more time at their competitors like Universal. I've heard a lot of talk about Disney catering to the rich lately and I agree that they are but it's sad. Disney is not a luxury brand.
I don't know if Disney will ever get better but it's obvious that they put profits first before their product and customers and that's where the disconnect is. It used to feel like our experiences were the priority. A lot of the magic is gone when everything is such an obvious cash-grab. Of course, Disney is a for-profit business, but again, everything is insanely overpriced to what seems like an unnecessary level.
I've said this before but the cost of a Disney vacation really is relative. If you have 2 weeks vacation a year and usually you spend 1 week in a mom & pop motel in Myrtle Beach and the other week driving to Indiana to visit relatives, then yeah, the year you choose to use one of those weeks on WDW is going to be a shock to the system.
We usually spend a week in Hilton Head every year. A couple years ago we got to our $4,500 rental house on Saturday. On Sunday I shelled out $520 for 4 of us to play golf, 2 kids rented Jet skis for $350, wife and daughter went parasailing, there's another $250. So, now its 1:00 pm on Sunday and we're sitting on the porch and we've spent $1,120 for the mornings activities. What do you all want to do this afternoon? And the next 6 and a half days?
Sure, Disney is expensive, but, I don't think it's expensive compared to similar level vacations.
We usually spend a week in Hilton Head every year. A couple years ago we got to our $4,500 rental house on Saturday. On Sunday I shelled out $520 for 4 of us to play golf, 2 kids rented Jet skis for $350, wife and daughter went parasailing, there's another $250. So, now its 1:00 pm on Sunday and we're sitting on the porch and we've spent $1,120 for the mornings activities. What do you all want to do this afternoon? And the next 6 and a half days?
Sure, Disney is expensive, but, I don't think it's expensive compared to similar level vacations.
Vacationeer
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
It’s expensive no doubt. No way around the insane ticket prices unless having access to ‘low’ priced AP and alot of use.
Our WDW budget for next 2 person 5 day trip is $1500 for the room, $1250 on tickets and $1250 food. We could opt for Pop possibly at $800, $1100 tickets if we cut the hoppers, and $600 for quick services we like. $4k vs $2.5k, we’ve gone both paths previously. For us one is a celebratory splurge and the other enjoyable too.
It would not be fair to say a 5 day trip costs $4k. It could cost that. I could also cut it down to $400 for AirBNB and a crafty $300 food budget, tickets can’t budge much but let’s do 4 day x2 $1000, and transport costs will be added. The non-park day in the middle helps rest us for 4 open-to-close park days. $2k could work to see WDW.
Oh wait! We left the kids home, haha. They were offered to go but letting Mom & Dad enjoy a trip alone because young adults ‘have better things to do’ anyway. If they tagged along rooms costs won’t change, food budget only goes up 50% because we’d do more groceries and meal shares, and the tickets… there’s the big cost.
Our WDW budget for next 2 person 5 day trip is $1500 for the room, $1250 on tickets and $1250 food. We could opt for Pop possibly at $800, $1100 tickets if we cut the hoppers, and $600 for quick services we like. $4k vs $2.5k, we’ve gone both paths previously. For us one is a celebratory splurge and the other enjoyable too.
It would not be fair to say a 5 day trip costs $4k. It could cost that. I could also cut it down to $400 for AirBNB and a crafty $300 food budget, tickets can’t budge much but let’s do 4 day x2 $1000, and transport costs will be added. The non-park day in the middle helps rest us for 4 open-to-close park days. $2k could work to see WDW.
Oh wait! We left the kids home, haha. They were offered to go but letting Mom & Dad enjoy a trip alone because young adults ‘have better things to do’ anyway. If they tagged along rooms costs won’t change, food budget only goes up 50% because we’d do more groceries and meal shares, and the tickets… there’s the big cost.
Vacationeer
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Same here. It’s still in the range of budgets we do other places.