Resort Prices - Wow

[captainkidd]

I can honestly say, for the 1st time ever, I'm strongly considering skipping Disney all together in 2011 for another vacation destination. I was looking at the resort prices for 2010, and Disney is getting nuts. $365 for the Poly during value season. Over $200 for a moderate during the summer. Nearly $150 for a Value during the summer.

We always get either a AAA rate or an AP rate, but if the time comes when neother are available, that'll be it for a while. Having stayed at the Poly before, I think Disney is out of their mind charging upwards of $400 per night. Then again, a lot of people stay there, so maybe it's just me.:shrug:

 

[Jim L Clifton]

No...it's Not....JUST YOU.I used to stay there(9 times)!,NOT anytime soon at those prices!
Jim

 

[Monty]

Disney charges what the market will allow. Isn't Capitalism grand?

 

[harryk]

Just love Capitalism. There is no better system.

 

[Susan Savia]

Unfortunately, that is one of the reasons we do not (cannot) stay onsite. Even with the values when taxes and extra person figured in its simply too much. Our simple offsite accommodations for $49 a night with micro/fridge, newspaper, pool, onsite restaurant, and l mile to the parks is fine for us.

 

[captainkidd]

I've always passed up my MIL's free timeshare at Vistana because I love the whole 24/7 Disney experience. I'm definitely over it now. A Disney Vacation is becoming something that caters to the well to do. We do pretty well, but a vacation shouldn't be an expense that keeps you up at night wondering how to pay for it. That's what Disney has started to become.

 

[captainkidd]

FTR, like many of you, the only time we can take our family vacation is in the summer time. Here is just a sampling of the per night room rates for next summer at Disney Resorts. Keep in mind, this is for a basic room, standard view:

Polynesian - $425 ($445 on weekends)
Grand Floridian - $465 ($485 on weekends)
Wilderness Lodge - $300 ($320 on weekends)
Moderate Resorts - $185 ($200 on weekends)
Value Resorts - $119 ($134 on weekends)
Yacht and Beach Club - $390 ($410 on weekends)

$119 isn't bad by any means, but for Disney to still call it "Value" is a bit ridiculous.

 

[Mr Wizard]

I fully agree that their room prices are nuts. For many, many years we stayed offsite because it was that or stay home. We only stay onsite in the off season, in a value, when there is a deal and usually free dining. That is the only way I can justify it. We stayed at the Poly early this year for the first and most likely last time ( because of the cost, the motel was terrific )and the only way we could afford it was to use four and a half years of saved Visa card points. And it still cost me $400.00 out of pocket for a week!

 

[durangojim]

I agree, that the prices have become insane. I view the passholder discounted prices as what the resort really should be charging (example: $200/night for standard room at BC during value and $89/night at moderate during value) and I cringe at anyone paying full retail for any of the deluxes. If you look at what they're charging and then compare those rates to what true luxury or deluxe hotels charge, it will make you sick. Disney is a wonderful vacation spot, but starting next year we will only spend about 12 days there instead of the 20+ that we usually spend (almost exclusively at deluxes). I'd rather take that same amount of money and go to Hawaii and be pampered in a 5 star hotel where the concierege can actually make spur of the moment reservations at a popular restaurant, and that we can still have a great time. If they ever get rid of the discounts, our time spent at Disney will be cut to about 8 days per year. It sad to see them possibly pricing themselves out of the market without offering any real additional benefits for the increased price.

ps. I also wonder what the Four Seasons will charge. If it's less than the GF, I could see it seriously affecting the GF's reservation levels.

 

[bears163]

i totally agree. it is getting out of hand. We are DVC members but i always check the rates of rooms. there is no way we could afford to go with out DVC. Yes we are paying alot now but in a few years it will be paid off. We have 6 in our family & would require to get a 2 bedroom every trip. i can not see paying those prices every year. for a moderate that is 350-400 a night....Crazy. for deluxe you are talking 600 a night (2 rooms)

 

[eroyee]

I agree,too, unless you get a pin with a huge discount. we have always stayed on site cause I cant stand being away but may have to start considering the off site rentals next visit. Its too bad......

 

[wdwwdeagle]

i totally agree. it is getting out of hand. We are DVC members but i always check the rates of rooms. there is no way we could afford to go with out DVC. Yes we are paying alot now but in a few years it will be paid off. We have 6 in our family & would require to get a 2 bedroom every trip. i can not see paying those prices every year. for a moderate that is 350-400 a night....Crazy. for deluxe you are talking 600 a night (2 rooms)

I would hazard a guess that this (DVC) may be one reason why room prices are shooting up. Maybe Disney feels it makes the DVC more enticing when you don't have to worry about prices changing, so they put "the fear" in us by increasing hotel rooms each year?

Until this year, we have only traveled to the World on MYW packages, so I've never paid that much attention to the room-per-night cost until now (we now have APs).

Maybe it's just me, but somehow, it didn't seem as shocking to say "our whole vacation will cost $xxxx," as it does when you see that they are charging $350+ per night for a hotel room. Now,the AP discount helps, but still.... if you are staying at a deluxe, it's generally over $225 per night. I don't know where else I would pay that much money to stay in a hotel, except NYC or Paris.

 

[wdwmagic]

FTR, like many of you, the only time we can take our family vacation is in the summer time. Here is just a sampling of the per night room rates for next summer at Disney Resorts. Keep in mind, this is for a basic room, standard view:

Polynesian - $425 ($445 on weekends)
Grand Floridian - $465 ($485 on weekends)
Wilderness Lodge - $300 ($320 on weekends)
Moderate Resorts - $185 ($200 on weekends)
Value Resorts - $119 ($134 on weekends)
Yacht and Beach Club - $390 ($410 on weekends)

$119 isn't bad by any means, but for Disney to still call it "Value" is a bit ridiculous.

What really puts things in perspective is that during this past summer we had rates of $129 at the Swan and Dolphin.

 

[durangojim]

What really puts things in perspective is that during this past summer we had rates of $129 at the Swan and Dolphin.

Or if you consider that just 5 years ago I was able to stay at WL in a courtyard view room arriving Christmas day and leaving the day after New Years for $120/night with my AP discount!

 

[bgraham34]

That is why I bought into the DVC. I purchased resale with 50 points. It got my foot in the door at least. I knew I would not be able to afford staying at anything other than value or Moderate at the prices they were charging.

 

[pax_65]

I would hazard a guess that this (DVC) may be one reason why room prices are shooting up. Maybe Disney feels it makes the DVC more enticing when you don't have to worry about prices changing, so they put "the fear" in us by increasing hotel rooms each year?

I doubt that Disney is pushing DVC by raising hotel prices. However it does make me grateful that I'm a DVC member - as these price increases do not affect me. So maybe it's a side effect DVC will try to capitalize on.

I think the greater story is all the discounts Disney has been offering. With buy x nights, get x nights free, and free dining, Disney has kept attendance at acceptable levels but income has dropped drastically. Disney has to be looking for ways to recover that income. The two most obvious options are to increase ticket prices and increase hotel prices.

I will add to the earlier comment that Disney is for the "well to do" now. I agree with this trend... in the parks now I feel like you see more of a separation - the high-income family stepping off the monorail from the Grand Floridian or Contemporary, and the low-income family driving in from off-site or jammed in a single room at a value resort.

My impression based on years of going to the parks is that today you see fewer middle-class families making return trips every year because of the cost involved to stay at a moderate/deluxe - except obviously for those who are already DVC members.

 

[The Mom]

I would hazard a guess that this (DVC) may be one reason why room prices are shooting up. Maybe Disney feels it makes the DVC more enticing when you don't have to worry about prices changing, so they put "the fear" in us by increasing hotel rooms each year?

Until this year, we have only traveled to the World on MYW packages, so I've never paid that much attention to the room-per-night cost until now (we now have APs).

Maybe it's just me, but somehow, it didn't seem as shocking to say "our whole vacation will cost $xxxx," as it does when you see that they are charging $350+ per night for a hotel room. Now,the AP discount helps, but still.... if you are staying at a deluxe, it's generally over $225 per night. I don't know where else I would pay that much money to stay in a hotel, except NYC or Paris.

I get emails from Atlantis all of the time, so am used to seeing even higher prices. That's why I haven't been back in years. I've also paid a ton of money for crappy hotel rooms in "popular" areas (try getting a last minute room in Mystic, CT or Cape Cod in July some time ), due to college searches, weddings, funerals, etc.

It's location, location, location. If people stop booking the rooms, the prices will come down.

 

[bugsbunny]

Hotels are way over priced. But if the market it funding it, then don't expect any changes.

As long as WDW can offer the magical express and the need to not rent a car by staying on property, I guess those are the only 2 things keeping me there. I've been on the fence with this for awhile and I think I'm beginning to fall over to the off-property side. On my last trip, I found myself getting cabs back to the hotel simply becuase the bus service was abnormally slow. At one point, I waited 45 minutes to get a bus back to the WL from Epcot. I'm not talking round trip, I'm talking standing in line waiting and waiting. Probably had at least another 30 minutes, so got a cab. No waiting and at like $5/head, we were back in 10 minutes. Another time, we waited an hour and 15 minutes at the WL to get a bus to Epcot. And that was only becuase we called to complain. That bus got halfway to Epcot and then turned around to go to FtW since they were having the same problem. Got to bus stop at 4:30 at WL and got to Epcot at 6:15! Good thing I was at deluxe hotel and getting all the "better" services and perks!

 

[worldfanatic]

It's location, location, location. If people stop booking the rooms, the prices will come down.

So true, the Free Market rules.

Count one more happy DVC member here.

 

[Sloan]

I've been going less

In years past (say 2000 to 2006) I made about 3-5 trips a year - usually a 3 or 4 day 'weekend', and almost always stayed in a deluxe (using my passholder discount at Contemporary, Animal Kingdom Lodge or Beach Club).

In the most recent 3 years, I've only been up there like 2 times total - and my next vist (36 days) will be my first time in a moderate in many years. With what seem like the massive increases in prices for the deluxe resorts, I've gone elsewhere - Europe and South America - for about the same the Disney trip would cost. Now I'm wondering if I should even bother getting a new Annual Pass - more so because the free dining (that I never use) is making dining less enjoyable. This upcoming Food & Wine Festival visit may be kind of 'make or break' - if its not a really magical trip, I may be taking an extended Disney break ....