the cost of disney

[chipndale09]

Hi,

Has the price of a Disney vacation gone out of whack??

We are avid Disney vacationers, we have been every year for the last 6 years and always stay on site, with dining plan, park hopper and more. However, due to logitical reasons, this time we will be off site but close to downtown. We have decided to eat and explore the World on the outside, i.e. boardwalk, downtown and resorts restaurants, no parks. While investigating ADR,S , i came across the individual resorts, The Contemporary is $1000/nite, many moderates are going close to $300/nite. is this crazy???

Has Disney become out of reach for average joe vacationer?? Being Canadian to boot, with the exchange, wow!!

Any thoughts has the pricing been deliberatly set at a higher level??

cheers

 

[CP_alum08]

Everything gets more experience, including Disney. I've said it before: Go anywhere in the world and it's going to be more expensive than Disney if you eat well and are entertained the whole time. Traveling is expensive and isn't getting cheaper.

That REALLY depends on how you vacation. Last year we spent 6 days at an all inclusive resort in the Dominican and it was cheaper than going to Disney (air, hotel, park tickets, NOT including food at Disney) and the resort itself was substantially nicer than any of the moderates which we would have stayed at.
Also, "eating well" at WDW is very subjective.

 

[Chef Mickey]

That REALLY depends on how you vacation. Last year we spent 6 days at an all inclusive resort in the Dominican and it was cheaper than going to Disney (air, hotel, park tickets, NOT including food at Disney) and the resort itself was substantially nicer than any of the moderates which we would have stayed at.
Also, "eating well" at WDW is very subjective.

I'd counter that by saying I'd agree with your statement about "how you vacation."

For my money, all inclusive is very subjective, but for me, isn't good enough when traveling around the world. High end hotels don't do all Inclusive: Four Seasons, Ritz, Shangri La, etc. So yes, you can do all inclusive for cheaper if you want a lower end experience.

I don't go to Disney for fine, Michelin Star style dining, but there are certainly solid restaurant choices. I also focus more on the parks, shows, and Disney experience than I do staying at an overpriced Grand Floridian. The top I'll go is typically Beach Club or Animal Kingdom Lodge. When I'm at Disney, I'm there for the nostalgia, the rides, and feeling like a kid. If I'm overseas, I want to feel safe, stay at a 5 star hotel, and have great dining of my choosing. None of the hotels at Disney are really a great value...you're paying for being at Disney. The Grand Floridian is like a 3 star compared to the Ritz.

Again, not hating, but you can't really compare all inclusive in the Dominican...it's not a super high end destination.

 

[erasure fan1]

Has the price of a Disney vacation gone out of whack??

I look at it like this. I do complain about the cost of Disney getting out of hand but it really boils down to value for me. I don't mind if the prices go up if there is content to warrant such increases. I feel Disney has not done near enough over the last so many years to justify its price increases. Their increases are based on we can so why not, rather than pushing their product forward like Universal has done. That is what bothers me the most.

The Disney food isn't expensive other than the $3 water and snack type things. Even awful place slike Chilis or Olive Garden have worse food and are even more expensive.

Really? The last time we went to Chili's, our bill was about $35 for my family of 4 with drinks and we shared a dessert and appetizer. And aside from a few places I have eaten at Disney, most of the restaurants are at the Olive garden Chili's level or below. Our last meal at Mama Melrose was almost $100 for just the meal and drinks. I was just going through receipts from our last trip and our quick service meal at the pool was about $40 for lunch, 3 burgers, 2 drinks and a kids meal.

 

[Chef Mickey]

I look at it like this. I do complain about the cost of Disney getting out of hand but it really boils down to value for me. I don't mind if the prices go up if there is content to warrant such increases. I feel Disney has not done near enough over the last so many years to justify its price increases. Their increases are based on we can so why not, rather than pushing their product forward like Universal has done. That is what bothers me the most.


Really? The last time we went to Chili's, our bill was about $35 for my family of 4 with drinks and we shared a dessert and appetizer. And aside from a few places I have eaten at Disney, most of the restaurants are at the Olive garden Chili's level or below. Our last meal at Mama Melrose was almost $100 for just the meal and drinks. I was just going through receipts from our last trip and our quick service meal at the pool was about $40 for lunch, 3 burgers, 2 drinks and a kids meal.

It would not be possible to order what you did at Chili's for $35 unless they have a Chili's in El Salvador. Plus, Chili's is worse than Cosmic Ray's.

 

[SMS55]

I remember when the value resorts were around $76 a night. *sigh*

I remember when it was $55 a night for Florida residents during the value season.

 

[erasure fan1]

It would not be possible to order what you did at Chili's for $35 unless they have a Chili's in El Salvador. Plus, Chili's is worse than Cosmic Ray's.

Not true, 2 for $20 comes with an appetizer and on Tues. kids eat free. Plus our drinks and a desert and there you have it. Even if you add in 2 kids meals at $7 each you are still a far cry from what Mama Melrose was. The food at Disney aside from a few things is average at best with a premium price tag. As far as Cosmic rays goes, I have had better chicken at Boston Market. My point was more about the food cost, you said it wasn't expensive and mid level restaurants cost more, but thats just false.

 

[Chef Mickey]

Not true, 2 for $20 comes with an appetizer and on Tues. kids eat free. Plus our drinks and a desert and there you have it. Even if you add in 2 kids meals at $7 each you are still a far cry from what Mama Melrose was. The food at Disney aside from a few things is average at best with a premium price tag. As far as Cosmic rays goes, I have had better chicken at Boston Market. My point was more about the food cost, you said it wasn't expensive and mid level restaurants cost more, but thats just false.

My point is Chilis = Cosmic Rays in food quality and price. You compared a Tuesday speciall for kids and a 2 for 20 deal. Just comparing off the menu items, they are similar.

Mama Melrose isn't a good example of a good place at WDW. I don't like their food either.

 

[Disneydreamer23]

In september a Saturday night at pop was 120.00 and carribean beach was 201.00 I think that's a great rate!

 

[ParentsOf4]

I remember when the Contemporary was around $76 a night

Oh wow, when was that? Wouldn't that be nice!

Back in the late 70s/early 80s. Stayed in a MK view tower room with a friend and as students we were both worried if we could afford to split the room cost...for one night!

Back when the average household income was a little over 13 grand a year.

Exactly. People seem to not take into account salaries at the time when bringing up what things used to cost. Disney has always been a serious expense for most people.

Late 70s or early 80s. Let's split the difference and call it 1980.

In 1980, median household income was $17,700.

In 2013 (the last year for which numbers are available), median household income was $51,900.

Your $76/night room at the Contemporary works out to $223/night in 2013, roughly the price of a WDW Moderate Resort today.

You didn't say what time of year you went but, in 2015, the Contemporary's lowest rack rate room is a Garden Wing Standard View room, starting at the fire sale price of $400/night during the slow season.

Of course a Tower Theme Park View room for Christmas is available for an easy $846/night.

Card Walker (Disney's CEO at the time) learned under the Disney brothers, who believed in providing Guests with outstanding service at reasonable prices.

What's changed more than anything since 1980 is corporate Disney's attitude towards its 'Guests'.

 

[Tuvalu]

Your $76/night room at the Contemporary works out to $223/night in 2013, roughly the price of a WDW Moderate Resort today.

You didn't say what time of year you went but, in 2015, the Contemporary's lowest rack rate room is a Garden Wing Standard View room, starting at the fire sale price of $400/night during the slow season.

We went in the summer; however I believe room rates were the same every day of the year. There certainly weren't as many categories (or even sub-categories) as there are today!

Agree that Disney has upped prices at the Deluxe resorts far beyond normal inflation. Thanks for breaking it down for us.

 

[Tuvalu]

What kind of room?

It was a tower room, MK view.

 

[ParentsOf4]

It was a tower room, MK view.

2015 summer rack rate for a Tower Theme Park room is $616/night.

It's painful to think you once paid $76/night.

People recall WDW being expensive in the 1970s and 1980s.

It was.

For a factory worker making perhaps $20,000 a year, $76/night (today's equivalent of about $225/night) was a lot of money for a hotel room. Heck, $225/night still is a lot of money for many.

However, today's $616/night at the Contemporary isn't simply expensive. For many, it's unachievable.

 

[anchorman314]

Like others have said, cost is completely relative. This past June, I went to a wedding and spent $130 for a night in Central Connecticut. I just checked, and for a similar Saturday night in June 2015, I can get a room at POR for $160 (Spring Offer).

 

[draybook]

I remember when the value resorts were around $76 a night. *sigh*

I was able to snag our all star music room last September for 81 bucks a night via Priceline. I was ecstatic.

 

[Dwarful]

I'm not sure what you are looking at, but a check of Disney's web site has a Garden View room for 7/11/2015 - 7/18/2015 for $3123 at the Yacht Club with 2 adults and 3 children. While an increase from 2010, it certainly isn't double. Where do you get your $5000 from?

I just took a quick look on the disney website. I used the same travel dates 7/17 - 7/24 and I included the dining plan because in 2010 our price included the dining plan. We also had the old photo pass but I didn't include that because I know the cost was not the same as the memory maker is now. But maybe I didn't look correctly, if not, I apologize. But I did try to compare apples to apples and make it the same. This is what I am seeing on the waltdisneyworld website:
$5,461.94USD this price includes everything we had on the 2010 trip...hotel & dining with no park passes. I haven't been able to price that same thing for these dates and keep it under $5000 while including the dining plan. If I dropped the dining it would be quite a bit cheaper...but we paid for the dining in 2010 and we will still have to eat in 2015 so I tried to keep it the same.

 

[disneyfriend32]

We had a beautiful trip planned last year for a family of 5. All my ADRS booked on day 180. Well when they offered the gree dining plan they excluded POR, the only resort in alll of WDW that accomodates a family of 5 in a standard room. Please understand this trip with free dining would have cost us $3500 without airfare and spending money. I was so angry they did this I decided never to commit to stay on property again. For $4000 we can stay at Embassy for 10 days, 4 day WDW tickets, 1 day at Discovery Cove and unlimited access to Sea World & Aquatica. I still feel they excluded that resort to force the family of 5 to spend another 1-2thousand on accomodations and I feel ripped off. I cancelled the trip and bought a swimming pool!

 

[Master Yoda]

I still feel they excluded that resort to force the family of 5 to spend another 1-2thousand on accomodations and I feel ripped off. I cancelled the trip and bought a swimming pool!

or.....considering that PORS is one of the most popular resorts on property, it is much more likely that it was exceeding its booking numbers and there was no reason for Disney to offer a promotion.

You don't put an item on sale when it is flying off the shelf at full price.

 

[BrianV]

Is it true that the POR is the only resort at wdw with rooms that hold 5? I know that was not always the case--when we were kids my parents always booked a room for 5 despite their being only 4 of us so that we could get a room with a sleeper couch, at no extra cost. They always had a room card for William, my imaginary brother.

I didn't know anyone ever paid rack rates these days, and their discounts make the rooms competitive. Since 2010 we have stayed at poly, WL, and boardwalk and each time at 30-40% off the rack rates with a promotion. (We also stayed offsite once...not again.). When we go down in march we are staying at the dolphin at a conference rate. I'm sure even with the discounts these prices exceed the inflation adjusted 1970s prices. I'll have to dig up exactly what we paid at some point for our last three trips.

 

[Master Yoda]

Is it true that the POR is the only resort at wdw with rooms that hold 5? I know that was not always the case--when we were kids my parents always booked a room for 5 despite their being only 4 of us so that we could get a room with a sleeper couch, at no extra cost. They always had a room card for William, my imaginary brother.

I didn't know anyone ever paid rack rates these days, and their discounts make the rooms competitive. Since 2010 we have stayed at poly, WL, and boardwalk and each time at 30-40% off the rack rates with a promotion. (We also stayed offsite once...not again.). When we go down in march we are staying at the dolphin at a conference rate. I'm sure even with the discounts these prices exceed the inflation adjusted 1970s prices. I'll have to dig up exactly what we paid at some point for our last three trips.

No.

For a while it was the only moderate that would hold 5 (excluding suites) and it was one of the least expensive options for a party of 5. Up until late last year, it was the only standard room at the moderates or values that would allow anything greater than a party of 4. That is the closest it ever got to being "the only option".

Nearly all of the deluxe resorts will allow 5 in a standard room.

Caribbean Beach is currently being refurbed and will allow 5 in a standard room.

The Art of Animation as well as the family suites and the cabins at Ft Wilderness will also accommodate parties of 5

 

[Tuvalu]

POR used to be the only moderate resort to sleep 5; with the current refurb at CBR those rooms will now sleep 5.

All the monorail resorts have rooms that sleep 5 (with the "sleeper couch" or futon that you remember) as does Yacht & Beach and Boardwalk. (WL and AKL have suites which will sleep 6.)