Spirited Spring Break News, Observations & Thoughts ...

Omnispace

Omnispace

Well-Known Member
ParentsOf4 said:
Adjusted for inflation, rooms at the Contemporary typically went for under $200/night back in the 1970s, although some rooms ran into the mid-$200's during peak seasons, again adjusted for inflation.

Today's discounted Moderate Resort prices (vs. rack rates) are comparable.

The Contemporary and Polynesian typically ran at near 100% capacity back then. They were really hard to book. I recall people moving their vacation plans based on when they could get rooms at the two resorts.
Click to expand...

$200 vs $600+ ?!! And that's with impacted occupancy! I'd like to book a room for 1974 please... :cool:
 
bhg469

bhg469

Well-Known Member
Omnispace said:
$200 vs $600+ ?!! And that's with impacted occupancy! I'd like to book a room for 1974 please... :cool:
Click to expand...
And judging by my last stay at cbr, if we weren't getting a hefty cm discount we would have demanded to be put in an all star. Pop century was nicer in comparison. The prices for on site are blown up and absolutely not worth it. I'm staying in a suite at a double tree in Boston in a few days that I pay under 180 a night for, and it blows most disney rooms away. It's a very nice double tree though...
 
wdisney9000

wdisney9000

Truindenashendubapreser
Premium Member
Omnispace said:
Sorry to disagree but I don't think Bay Lake Tower is all that great. Makes me think of something you would see at Marina Del Rey...
Maria_del_Ray.jpg


That's not Photoshopped.
Click to expand...
Id have to agree. I dont think its bad. Just not very Disney. The Contemporary, which opened in the 70's has more of a sleek, up to date appearance. BLT is just a building, nothing exciting to look at.
 
ParentsOf4

ParentsOf4

Well-Known Member
wdwfan22 said:
The main reason it was hard to obtain rooms back then is that Disney only offered 3 resorts during the 70s.
Click to expand...
Another reason WDW’s 3 Deluxe Resort hotels (the Golf Resort opened in late 1973) were in such demand decades ago was that they were priced appropriately.

Some who remember those days recall that WDW was expensive. It was, but not like today.

Even today, $200/night is not a cheap hotel for most families. I do a lot of business travel and $200-$250/night gets me into some nice hotels in major North American and European cities.

Back in the 1970s, today's equivalent of $200/night was a lot to pay for a hotel, even at WDW.

Today, it can be challenging to find a WDW Moderate Resort for $200/night.

WDW charged the equivalent of about $200/night for its Deluxe Resort hotels and offered one-day tickets (including the 12-ride Adventure Book) for the equivalent of about $55 today. Onsite guests received ticket discounts, another reason to stay onsite.

Despite these prices, Disney made a ton of money. Disney’s margins then were better than they are today.

Somewhere along the way, WDW's management forgot how to make money without cutting quality and raising prices.
 
wdisney9000

wdisney9000

Truindenashendubapreser
Premium Member
Omnispace said:
I'm sure it was cheap to build.
Click to expand...
Look at the freakin' videos of when they built Contemporary. It was a huge undertaking. It was innovative, daring, expensive, grand, and it wasnt easy. Thats why it stands the test of time. Ive seen and been to the Contemporary a million times, but it never fails when I return and lay eyes on it, it takes my breath away, just for a moment. Its iconic, im comforted by its presence. then I see BLT and throw up in my mouth a bit. jk
 
NoChesterHester

NoChesterHester

Well-Known Member
TalkingHead said:
Not sure about that. He's had quite a few foul ups over the past few years (not to mention his site rarely breaks stories anymore). Typically the articles on that site are linking to other rumors websites. AICN is a shell of its former self.
Click to expand...

Dang... After looking into it I guess you are right. Total shame.

Thanks for the info.
 
bhg469

bhg469

Well-Known Member
ParentsOf4 said:
Another reason WDW’s 3 Deluxe Resort hotels (the Golf Resort opened in late 1973) were in such demand decades ago was that they were priced appropriately.

Some who remember those days recall that WDW was expensive. It was, but not like today.

Even today, $200/night is not a cheap hotel for most families. I do a lot of business travel and $200-$250/night gets me into some nice hotels in major North American and European cities.

Back in the 1970s, today's equivalent of $200/night was a lot to pay for a hotel, even at WDW.

Today, it can be challenging to find a WDW Moderate Resort for $200/night.

WDW charged the equivalent of about $200/night for its Deluxe Resort hotels and offered one-day tickets (including the 12-ride Adventure Book) for the equivalent of about $55 today. Onsite guests received ticket discounts, another reason to stay onsite.

Despite these prices, Disney made a ton of money. Disney’s margins then were better than they are today.

Somewhere along the way, WDW's management forgot how to make money without cutting quality and raising prices.
Click to expand...
My company restricts me to 169 a night unless I'm in a larger market city. I posted just before you that the place I'm staying in Boston in a really great double tree with 2 very good restaurants and huge rooms for well under 200.

What you said about discounting tickets to resort guests is so obvious that it hurts and I think, it's the only way to keep people on site in the future. Just have people purchase tickets before their stay, when they get there, register their fingers so the tickets cannot be given away and boom! Success!
 
wdisney9000

wdisney9000

Truindenashendubapreser
Premium Member
ParentsOf4 said:
Somewhere along the way, WDW's management forgot how to make money without cutting quality and raising prices.
Click to expand...

They also forgot the definition of words like "immersive", "unique", and "original". Now theyre just standard PR claptrap. I picture them forcing imagineers to watch brainwashing videos in a dark room strapped to a chair with their eyelids forced open so they are programmed to spit out those words when asked a question.
 
NoChesterHester

NoChesterHester

Well-Known Member
wdisney9000 said:
Look at the freakin' videos of when they built Contemporary. It was a huge undertaking. It was innovative, daring, expensive, grand, and it wasnt easy. Thats why it stands the test of time. Ive seen and been to the Contemporary a million times, but it never fails when I return and lay eyes on it, it takes my breath away, just for a moment. Its iconic, im comforted by its presence. then I see BLT and throw up in my mouth a bit. jk
Click to expand...

There may be some nostalgia talking here... The only thing that makes the Contemporary "stand the test of time" to me is the monorail running right through the middle. I find the exterior design of both buildings utterly forgettable and the opposite of daring.

I do love the interiors however.
 
PhotoDave219

PhotoDave219

Well-Known Member
bhg469 said:
And judging by my last stay at cbr, if we weren't getting a hefty cm discount we would have demanded to be put in an all star. Pop century was nicer in comparison. The prices for on site are blown up and absolutely not worth it. I'm staying in a suite at a double tree in Boston in a few days that I pay under 180 a night for, and it blows most disney rooms away. It's a very nice double tree though...
Click to expand...

That's an interesting coincidence… I'm going to be in Boston in a few days…
 
DrewmanS

DrewmanS

Well-Known Member
ParentsOf4 said:
Adjusted for inflation, rooms at the Contemporary typically went for under $200/night back in the 1970s, although some rooms ran into the mid-$200's during peak seasons, again adjusted for inflation.

Today's discounted Moderate Resort prices (vs. rack rates) are comparable.

The Contemporary and Polynesian typically ran at near 100% capacity back then. They were really hard to book. I recall people moving their vacation plans based on when they could get rooms at the two resorts.
Click to expand...

You are applying a simple adjustment for inflation, but not all products and services "inflate" at the same rate. Adjusted for inflation, the cost of a 1st class stamp and a bottle/can of coke have remained constant. The cost of food staples has gone down. Movie prices however have increased 4x the inflation rate since the 1970's. Concert and Sporting Event tickets have also exceeded inflation by many multiples. The median home in 1971 was $17,200, adjusted for inflation that would be $100,000 today. The actual median home today is $212,000.

In 1971, admission and a basic ticket book cost $5.75. At $30 a night, the cost of a resort hotel room would be roughly 5 times the cost of a single day ticket.
In 2014, single day adult admission is $99. A room at $600 is 6 times the admission price.
So while both admission and resort prices have climbed about 3 times faster than inflation since 1971, the relative cost to each other has remained constant and the costs have risen similar to other forms of entertainment. When you consider package deals including multi-day tickets, meal plans, extended hours, more rides in parks since 1971, one could argue that the cost of a Disney World vacation has increased less than other types of entertainment.

Not at all trying to justify that WDW is not expensive, simply pointing out that a relative comparison of prices is different from an absolute comparison.
 
PhotoDave219

PhotoDave219

Well-Known Member
NoChesterHester said:
There may be some nostalgia talking here... The only thing that makes the Contemporary "stand the test of time" to me is the monorail running right through the middle. I find the exterior design of both buildings utterly forgettable and the opposite of daring.

I do love the interiors however.
Click to expand...

By far, the best room I ever stayed in on property.
 
Lord_Vader

Lord_Vader

Join me, together we can rule the galaxy.
Fe Maiden said:
We've been running 3 straight weeks with something every night Mon-Thurs. (Saturday is just a given). My stomach has been in knots just trying to figure it all out. Last Tuesday it rained and my one son's game was cancelled and it felt like a mini vacation.

Tonight we have to be in 3 places all at the same time, swim, baseball, basketball. Thank god for grandparents!

And let me just say as an only child, you're not really a parent if you have only one and you can't truly be a great parent until you're outnumbered.
Click to expand...

I have two, one is 21 and the other is 17. The 21yo swam USA swimming through HS graduation and abruptly quit swimming after qualifying and going to zones year after year, we were shocked but she just burned out.

We took a much stricter approach with my son, one sport at a time. Baseball was his choice and he is now playing at the highest level in HS (7A) but I get to sit and watch (a lot of fun when you spend all your waking time on a field) but I miss the days of being in the same dugout with him.

I have a spreadsheet I keep with all the games/practices so I can easily identify conflicts and relay to my coaches. I have a great set of assistants that I can fully trust if I have a conflict but normally games on Tues, Wed, Thur and Sat and heaven help with rain-outs. I am sitting at my desk praying the rain holds off tonight so we can get our game in so we don't makeup during my scheduled Saturday game.

Next year, one team (13-15) highly competitive team only while I manage the younger team and transition to a new coach.
 
Fe Maiden

Fe Maiden

Well-Known Member
Omnispace said:
Sorry to disagree but I don't think Bay Lake Tower is all that great. Makes me think of something you would see at Marina Del Rey...
Maria_del_Ray.jpg


That's not Photoshopped.
Click to expand...

I'm indifferent to the design. Does it take away from the CR, yes. But what worked for me was great room (2br with Lake view), nice pool area (best slide on property if speed is your thing), the convenience of walking to and from the MK, easy monorail access, and great views. Add all those things together and design and placement suddenly didn't seem so important. But I understand people not liking it.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom