Rumors. Musings. Casual.

[Sectorkeeper71]

Then occupancy fell to 50% and they gutted half the rooms for vacation club.

Ask around…they straight up over priced it and couldn’t sell it

Same kinda thing they did at the poly and the Floridian, though it wasn’t nearly half the rooms at those resorts but one building/longhouse.

It’s why I was so surprised when they originally announced reflections. Half a resort with regular guest rooms? They already have so much they have issues filling now

 

[Ayla]

A benchmark for me is when three of us stayed at the Contemporary (main tower water view) the week after Thanksgiving 2010 with 7 day park tickets and "free" dining. $3800 for 7 nights. Total.

I just priced out the same package for the same time this year. Of course there are fewer "benefits" today than in 2010:
View attachment 769401

Our 10 day European vacation (including a 7 day river cruise) is $11,400 (all in for pre-cruise hotel stay, all ground transfers, airfare, cruise fare, food and some excursions). Plus...IT'S EUROPE!

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

A benchmark for me is when three of us stayed at the Contemporary (main tower water view) the week after Thanksgiving 2010 with 7 day park tickets and "free" dining. $3800 for 7 nights. Total.

I just priced out the same package for the same time this year. Of course there are fewer "benefits" today than in 2010:
View attachment 769401

That’s pathetic

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Same kinda thing they did at the poly and the Floridian, though it wasn’t nearly half the rooms at those resorts but one building/longhouse.

It’s why I was so surprised when they originally announced reflections. Half a resort with regular guest rooms? They already have so much they have issues filling now

Uh huh…u dig?

Reflections was DOA

Never bought that one for a second
So instead they’re throwing finished sheds up with no amenities

So magical

 

[Horizons '83]

Its tough to justify that for sure.

We tend to find deals and work around the dates that have the best ones. For now I'll be using some Marriott points to stay at the Swan Reserve, its really strange but less points then the Dolphin or Swan for the dates we are looking at. 210,000 for 5 nights (42,000 a night) is very reasonable in our opinion, considering its typically 300K for 5 nights. Was fortunate to have some old tickets my parents had, so we are basically paying for food and parking for this trip. Doesn't always work out that way though.

 

[aladdin2007]

Its tough to justify that for sure.

We tend to find deals and work around the dates that have the best ones. For now I'll be using some Marriott points to stay at the Swan Reserve, its really strange but less points then the Dolphin or Swan for the dates we are looking at. 210,000 for 5 nights (42,000 a night) is very reasonable in our opinion, considering its typically 300K for 5 nights. Was fortunate to have some old tickets my parents had, so we are basically paying for food and parking for this trip. Doesn't always work out that way though.

Just wondered if you have stayed at Swan Reserve and what you think of it? We were considering trying it even though I prefer the more traditional Disney-esque resorts.

 

[Horizons '83]

Just wondered if you have stayed at Swan Reserve and what you think of it? We were considering trying it even though I prefer the more traditional Disney-esque resorts.

Sure thing. I’ve stayed here about 4 times and have nothing terrible to say about it. There are a few cons and l’ve listed them here:

Pros:
Can use Bonvoy Points
Walkable to HS and Epcot/Boardwalk
Clean/fresh and only a few years old
Amare is a gem, absolutely love their food
Can utilize the Swan and Dolphin facilities/pools
Wonderful showers and shower pressure

Cons:
Small pool (but you can walk to the swan and Dolphin pools)
Like the S&D you have to pay to park
Resort fee if paying cash or using points
No Disney theming

 

[MagicHappens1971]

Just wondered if you have stayed at Swan Reserve and what you think of it? We were considering trying it even though I prefer the more traditional Disney-esque resorts.

I stayed there when it first opened and loved it! Great location, the rooms are super spacious & modern, didn’t get to the restaurant but the coffee shop was great! Also seemed like the pool was a little small but I very rarely use the pool on a Disney trip.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Back in the day it was fairly common to score 40% off rack rate, especially for APs, Florida residents and through bounceback offers. Rack rate on our honeymoon at the WL in October 1996 was around $220/night, but discounted rooms at about $89-99 per night at Port Orleans and Caribbean Beach, and $149 at WL/AKL were attainable not too long ago historically speaking. I even recall a $99 rate at the Cabins and booked Pop Century for $49/nt for a business trip post-2000. We were frequent/repeat customers in large part because of that 40% off. My how times have changed.

I remember bouncebacks and other offers for $49/night Value rooms well into the 2000's, when things crept up and eventually hit $79/night (when I think rack rates were closing in on $120-130/night). My wife or I had an AP (sometimes both) during those years and we would time our trips so we would get 2 trips from one AP, and thus two trips with discounted rooms until we bought DVC in late 2005.

 

[Sectorkeeper71]

I remember bouncebacks and other offers for $49/night Value rooms well into the 2000's, when things crept up and eventually hit $79/night (when I think rack rates were closing in on $120-130/night). My wife or I had an AP (sometimes both) during those years and we would time our trips so we would get 2 trips from one AP, and thus two trips with discounted rooms until we bought DVC in late 2005.

My family used to do the AP thing back in the day; made the price doable getting two vacations out of it. Now they just jacked the price to infinity for out of staters and think folks can afford to pay for tickets every year.

Instead we just won’t go as often

 

[mkt]

I’d be interested to see the math on this. What attractions / activities did you factor in?
What level of resort at WDW?

Disney World prices are high, but you can still make them make sense.

Relevant video is relevant, jump ahead to 16:34

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Relevant video is relevant, jump ahead to 16:34

but the cost comparisons don’t include any attractions or tours. Cruise ships can definitely be a great value but again, you typically pay more for various tours that you do on those vacations as well.

 

[mkt]

but the cost comparisons don’t include any attractions or tours. Cruise ships can definitely be a great value but again, you typically pay more for various tours that you do on those vacations as well.

Having done plenty of museums and tours in many European, I'm certain that the added expenses would still make it cheaper than WDW.

 

[JD80]

Relevant video is relevant, jump ahead to 16:34

Someone mentioned this video in another thread. Prices aren't that much different. Adjusting for inflation, there is about $168 difference between his 2017 trip and 2024 trip. The major difference is $60 in airport transportation and G+/ILL.

What he didn't mention was ticket discounts for quantities Disney used to have that really no longer exist. A 4 park ticket package is drastically more expensive for a family of 4 now than it was 5 years ago.

 

[JD80]

Also, we'll see how this trends, but since Iger has gotten back most price increases are in line with inflationary increases.

In the 15 years before COVID we saw park attendance (if we use MK as a measuring stick) rise about 20% but park tickets increased 80%. Last few years have been pretty stable. I hope that's a good sign.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Also, we'll see how this trends, but since Iger has gotten back most price increases are in line with inflationary increases.

In the 15 years before COVID we saw park attendance (if we use MK as a measuring stick) rise about 20% but park tickets increased 80%. Last few years have been pretty stable. I hope that's a good sign.

Anecdotal, but the same 5 day park hopper I bought for late September 2022 will cost $62 more for the same rough dates in 2024, or about 12%. I could find tickets cheaper through a couple of avenues I have available but that's just raw cost being compared. I also had more days to use that ticket in 2022, 10 days after first use vs. 6 days this year.

 

[TheIceBaron]

Also, we'll see how this trends, but since Iger has gotten back most price increases are in line with inflationary increases.

In the 15 years before COVID we saw park attendance (if we use MK as a measuring stick) rise about 20% but park tickets increased 80%. Last few years have been pretty stable. I hope that's a good sign.

Depending how bad attendance takes a hit after EU opens, they might be more cautious in general about raising prices and such into the future. It would be curious if someone could find WDWs pricing before and after the Wizarding World first opened.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Having done plenty of museums and tours in many European, I'm certain that the added expenses would still make it cheaper than WDW.

I’m sure you can make the math work either way depending on what you add or take away.

 

[HauntedPirate]

FWIW - The numbers I have show a 98% increase in 1-day regular ticket prices under from 2006-2019, from $64 in early 2006 to $125 for a regular season ticket in 2019. In the same time frame, a seven day park hopper went up 107% and AP's went up 169%.

The day-variable pricing really screws with the calculations once you get to 2018. Basically I pick the middle-of-the-road price or "regular" season price. Not sure if those even exist these days.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Relevant video is relevant, jump ahead to 16:34

For the same amount of money you can spend 6 days at the actual Riviera.​

And... what are you going to do there for six days that rivals six days at WDW? Yes, there are people who'll be at the beach each day and they'll love it. But if you want all-day entertainment for six days... is the Riviera really your destination?