Return to Disney

[ClassicDisneyGuy40]

I'm visiting again after 25 years. I was at the 25th Anniversary when I was a senior in high school. Im recently divorced and I'm trying to find my inner kid again. I was so excited to build a lightsaber, but I cannot justify the price for plastic? Disney really has changed, it seems like its money hungry. Maybe they are making up for Covid closings...surely I can't be the only one...

 

[Kramerica]

You’ll probably notice some pretty stark differences given the last time you were there was 25 years ago. It might play to your advantage though, you’re not as jaded and might appreciate it more.

It’s still a beautiful place with a ton of fun to be had, you’ll just have to jump through some extra hoops and be tempted to spend more money. I think you’ll have a great time

 

[GimpYancIent]

I'm visiting again after 25 years. I was at the 25th Anniversary when I was a senior in high school. Im recently divorced and I'm trying to find my inner kid again. I was so excited to build a lightsaber, but I cannot justify the price for plastic? Disney really has changed, it seems like its money hungry. Maybe they are making up for Covid closings...surely I can't be the only one...

Enjoy, have fun and don't look at the sticker price.

 

[JIMINYCR]

The light sabers are decent quality. They are not just a hunk of cheap plastic as toys are that you might get at a Wal Mart. They are expensive and Dis has just increased the cost of many things across property. But anything SW brand is in demand and will be costly. You can find other light sabers online for sale from others that are just as expensive, so it isnt just Disney. My DS got one on our last trip and he was very happy with the quality and the show/process going through the build of his saber. There are many things I deem not worth buying or doing because of the cost. If at this point in your life if a light saber is not justifiable for the price then youll have to bypass getting one. Dis is not unlike any other company taking advantage of demand for a product knowing people will pay. You will find many posters here that will complain about every facet of Disney, expense being a huge topic of anger.
Sorry about your divorce and I hope you can use the positive things about a Disney trip to help you heal from the pain and agony from going through it. It is still a magical place that can provide relaxation, recovery and healing if you can look for the positive things they can deliver on and let yourself enjoy the time.

 

[jloucks]

Considering the expense of just getting to WDW, I would treat yourself to a lightsaber. It is small in comparision.

Besides, you know the saying,,, the difference between men and boys are the price of their toys?

I can tell you the bad part will be the horrendous line for the lightsaber. And that is what will be most remarkably different from your trip decades ago. Lines. Mobs of people. And more lines. Also different will be planning and prices, but for us, the lines were the biggest shocker.

Actually, that is not totally true. After my several decades hiatus, our trip in 2012 was not bad crowd wise. It would have been the case post 2016.

 

[JIMINYCR]

Considering the expense of just getting to WDW, I would treat yourself to a lightsaber. It is small in comparision.

Besides, you know the saying,,, the difference between men and boys are the price of their toys?

I can tell you the bad part will be the horrendous line for the lightsaber. And that is what will be most remarkably different from your trip decades ago. Lines. Mobs of people. And more lines. Also different will be planning and prices, but for us, the lines were the biggest shocker.

Actually, that is not totally true. After my several decades hiatus, our trip in 2012 was not bad crowd wise. It would have been the case post 2016.

I’ve kicked myself for passing up something I wanted but didn’t buy because of the price, then after returning home thought how I should have grabbed it when I could. On a return trip I couldn’t find the item again anywhere.
Sometimes treating yourself no matter the cost is worth it.

 

[jloucks]

I’ve kicked myself for passing up something I wanted but didn’t buy because of the price, then after returning home thought how I should have grabbed it when I could. On a return trip I couldn’t find the item again anywhere.
Sometimes treating yourself no matter the cost is worth it.

Exactly. This is why I bought my *$5,000 Starcruiser lightsaber.

*The saber was only a couple hundred $$$,,, getting to it tho, that cost some bucks.

and this big thing...

 

[StarWarsGirl]

Besides, you know the saying,,, the difference between adults and kids are the price of their toys?

FTFY. I know it no longer rhymes, but we women like our toys too.

 

[Lilofan]

The gigantic undercooked, mega sodium laced reheated turkey leg still tastes the same with a tad increase in price .

 

[Kamikaze]

It isn't really the actual lightsaber you're paying the $250 (now) for at Savi's - its the experience. The saber is a souvenir from that experience. You can only have that experience at two places.

 

[eliza61nyc]

It's still our happy place so we continue to go. Is it bat crap expensive? Absolutely but then I haven't found a cheap vacation anywhere else so it boils down to the individual.
It's definitely changed since you've been. Some of the new rides I think are great, some not so much.
We haven't used genie plus but we go during mid September which is a slower time
Many Disney fan based websites have menus with prices so maybe take a look at them so you won't have so much of a sticker shock.

 

[Shiriki_Utundu]

but we women like our toys too.

the star wars cylindrical toy is battery operated; is that a good thing or a bad thing

 

[StarWarsGirl]

the star wars cylindrical toy is battery operated; is that a good thing or a bad thing

It's from a certain point of view

 

[thomas998]

It isn't really the actual lightsaber you're paying the $250 (now) for at Savi's - its the experience. The saber is a souvenir from that experience. You can only have that experience at two places.

What I find telling on the lightsabers is that you can find them at goodwills on a regular basis that are often under a hundred, and these aren't the cheap plastic one they are very often the FX type that sold for more than 300 new. It tells me that these overpriced toys are really a waste of money when so many of them end up given away when people de clutter their homes. They aren't dumped as often as Harry Potter wands, but then Universal sell those much cheaper so you would expect more to be out cluttering kids' closets at a much higher rate.

 

[NickMaio]

I'm visiting again after 25 years. I was at the 25th Anniversary when I was a senior in high school. Im recently divorced and I'm trying to find my inner kid again. I was so excited to build a lightsaber, but I cannot justify the price for plastic? Disney really has changed, it seems like its money hungry. Maybe they are making up for Covid closings...surely I can't be the only one...

It's still a fun place but man those prices and Corp greed have gone bonkers.

 

[jloucks]

It isn't really the actual lightsaber you're paying the $250 (now) for at Savi's - its the experience. The saber is a souvenir from that experience. You can only have that experience at two places.

True, kinda like the Harry Potter wand store Olivanders.

About that tho... I found out that you can skip the line and get in to look around and non-saber shop. Not the entire experience, but if you are not buying a saber, I do recommend you skip the line and look around at least.

 

[jloucks]

What I find telling on the lightsabers is that you can find them at goodwills on a regular basis that are often under a hundred, and these aren't the cheap plastic one they are very often the FX type that sold for more than 300 new. It tells me that these overpriced toys are really a waste of money when so many of them end up given away when people de clutter their homes. They aren't dumped as often as Harry Potter wands, but then Universal sell those much cheaper so you would expect more to be out cluttering kids' closets at a much higher rate.

Ah yes, buyers remorse. I am maybe atypical in that my remorse doesn't kick in for a few years.

A workaround for me is buy a lot less cheap stuff and instead get just 1 or 2 expensive things.

But, yea, too much cheap stuff and I am forced to purge (due to space issues) after a half decade or so.

Exception : Pins. Love me some pins.

 

[thomas998]

It's still a fun place but man those prices and Corp greed have gone bonkers.

While greed plays a part the reality is some costs have gone up over the past 25 years. Minimum wage was about 5 dollars 25 years ago now its 11 in Florida, anytime you increase labor cost by more than 100 percent in a service industry you are going to see price go up dramatically. That can account for some increases... but what chaps my hide is the McDonalds style raising of prices while lower quality BS that Disney has been engaged in over the past couple of decades. Raise the prices, but stop with the cheapening of things...

 

[ppete1975]

I'm visiting again after 25 years. I was at the 25th Anniversary when I was a senior in high school. Im recently divorced and I'm trying to find my inner kid again. I was so excited to build a lightsaber, but I cannot justify the price for plastic? Disney really has changed, it seems like its money hungry. Maybe they are making up for Covid closings...surely I can't be the only one...

I am building my first lightsaber in april. Is the plastic worth the cost..? No. But they are of much better quality and are actually really nice. Depending on how much of a star wars fan you are, you might want to change your mind. A friend of mine built one last year and even though he loves his light saber and found the price fair. He told me the build process almost made him cry as he remembered watching star wars as a kid, and it reminded him of that time. He said the experience was worth the cost even without the lightsaber. Honestly he is what talked me into it, as i find it expensive as well.

So quick story when i went back after about 25 years i was old and jaded, i only went so i could see my nephews enjoy it. I hadnt read anything about what had changed and just showed up, flew in from a business meeting.

I saw the castle and almost wept. I was 8 years old again and now everything Disney transports me back to that. I now have been back twice, and buy way too much disney stuff. I have over 3000 messages on a certain wonderful disney forum..

I think you will forget the price and feel the same.

BTW welcome!! Hope to see you on here more.

 

[ppete1975]

What I find telling on the lightsabers is that you can find them at goodwills on a regular basis that are often under a hundred, and these aren't the cheap plastic one they are very often the FX type that sold for more than 300 new. It tells me that these overpriced toys are really a waste of money when so many of them end up given away when people de clutter their homes. They aren't dumped as often as Harry Potter wands, but then Universal sell those much cheaper so you would expect more to be out cluttering kids' closets at a much higher rate.

I am assuming you live close to the parks? Because I have never seen a lightsaber at a good will.