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

 

[chipndale09]

it just seems to me the Disney pricing is becoming not affordable for the return vistor. I think Mr and Mrs Joe average will save up for a few years to bring the kids to Disney, however, will not return. Family of 4 packages at Disney are $5000, depending where you live and age of kids, you fly and vacation during peak times, flight are $2000..

$7000+ for a 7-10 day vacay is a lot!!

as i said before , we are avid Disney people and are will to drive 24hrs every year to get there to make it achievable. However, it is becoming too much to stay on property ..i just hope the disney people listen and rememeber what it is about...creating memories ...imho

 

[MickeyMomV]

So I went to our "Disney File" and took a look at our first big vacation. In 2001 we paid $3300 for the two of us for a 6 night trip and it included meal plan, hotel (CSR), park tickets, and flight. For our upcoming trip for 3 adults (my son who is 10 no longer qualifies for kid prices) we have 10 nights at CSR with meal plan, tickets, and flight we are at about $5800. So 13 years later we are able to add 1 person and 4 nights and only have it be about $2500 more. Personally I dont think that is too bad at all.

 

[DManRightHere]

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

Disney is too crowded, so price goes up. You can still vacation for much cheaper than what you've stated. You have to utilize discounts, rent DVC points, or stay at value resorts.

 

[chipndale09]

Ummm... you can't really be trying to include cost of airfare when complaining about Disney prices, can you?

So, let me ask you this: where else do you vacation and what do you pay for those vacations? I ask because it has been our experience that the cost of a vacation at Disney is close to the same as other vacation destinations. Hotels and food are expensive at tourist destinations, as are attractions.

no absolutely not complaining about the flight (that is a different beef ), but for many it is factor.

I am just saying the same vacay cost us $3800 a couple of years ago, now it is $5000...

i use to agree the value of Disney vacations was well worth it, i am just starting to have second thoughts. You can,t compare disney to other places, it is a whole different type of vacation. Disney is Disney

i am starting to think to take the disney money, and spend it on few mini trips and do disney every 2-3 years

 

[chipndale09]

Disney is too crowded, so price goes up. You can still vacation for much cheaper than what you've stated. You have to utilize discounts, rent DVC points, or stay at value resorts.

would love to use discounts, however with kids in school, travelling is during peak times and the dicounts are far in between. I understand , y offer discounts when the place is full, it just seems prices are going up and up without any real reason.

 

[BrianV]

would love to use discounts, however with kids in school, travelling is during peak times and the dicounts are far in between. I understand , y offer discounts when the place is full, it just seems prices are going up and up without any real reason.

My only advice is to try to take a long weekend. I just looked back at our last two trip. The weekend we went in October (now in 2011 so many years ago) the poly was 280 (including tax, weeknight, weekend was about $20 more) for a standard room. We went Thursday to Monday. In august 2014 we stayed at the boardwalk for $288 (including tax for the week night, again weekend was about $20 more) again for a standard room. We went Saturday to Tuesday. I can't find our 2010 trip, but it was to the wilderness lodge and I think in the range of $200 a night. But WL is always the cheapest of the deluxes.

All three trips were with kids in school and all three trips had significant savings from their rack rates.

I'm fine with comparing rack rates now to back then, but if you try, you can get decent rates at the deluxe hotels. The second trip, we wanted to stay at the Beachclub but it was much more, so we changed our mind.

 

[KCheatle]

I think it completely depends on when you go. We can stay at WL in September for just around $300 or so per night. That's really not that bad. We just stayed in downtown Kansas City for $200/night for a hotel that doesn't even compare to amenities of WL. Plus, in September, you get free dining. If you go in May, you'll get the room even cheaper at WL with the 30% off that they offer. But, we just went this last July, and the same room was $450/night. It's all about when you go. But that's not unique to Disney. All businesses do that - supply and demand. It's just good business.

 

[TXDisney]

The price to stay onsite at a deluxe resort for a week is getting out of control. I'll be the 1st to admit staying at a deluxe for a week is worth the money, but it is getting ridiculous price wise. Going up so much that we will be doing the dvc in the next few years bc over time it's way cheaper then a week every year at deluxe.

Which is probably exactly what Disney wants!!!

 

[DManRightHere]

would love to use discounts, however with kids in school, travelling is during peak times and the dicounts are far in between. I understand , y offer discounts when the place is full, it just seems prices are going up and up without any real reason.

That is true. We have to travel to the beach in early July for wifes work and costs just suck. The reason prices are high/rising is so many people are paying it.

 

[chipndale09]

My only advice is to try to take a long weekend. I just looked back at our last two trip. The weekend we went in October (now in 2011 so many years ago) the poly was 280 (including tax, weeknight, weekend was about $20 more) for a standard room. We went Thursday to Monday. In august 2014 we stayed at the boardwalk for $288 (including tax for the week night, again weekend was about $20 more) again for a standard room. We went Saturday to Tuesday. I can't find our 2010 trip, but it was to the wilderness lodge and I think in the range of $200 a night. But WL is always the cheapest of the deluxes.

All three trips were with kids in school and all three trips had significant savings from their rack rates.

I'm fine with comparing rack rates now to back then, but if you try, you can get decent rates at the deluxe hotels. The second trip, we wanted to stay at the Beachclub but it was much more, so we changed our mind.

thanks Brian v, we would love to do long weekends during down times , but we live a 24hr car ride away... a kinda long haul for a long weekend...

 

[BrianV]

thanks Brian v, we would love to do long weekends during down times , but we live a 24hr car ride away... a kinda long haul for a long weekend...

Totally appreciate that amortizing $1000 worth of plane flights is easier for a long trip than a short one. But when we get a chance to travel to Florida away from Boston, we jump on it. And there are always trade offs. If you stay for 7 days, it would be expensive to stay at a deluxe any season so we'd stay somewhere cheaper. By staying for a short time, we can splurge on hotel.

My wife and I actually made a Thursday to Sunday trip to universal in January w/o the kids and tickets were $240 each on SW. Then in march will take the kids Friday to Monday but in fairness the dolphin hotel for all but on night and my wife's airline ticket are paid for because she is attending a conference then and a few days before without us all.

 

[disneyfriend32]

I have been watching free dining since 2007 and resorts have never been excluded, POR is the ONLY resort that allows a family of 5 in a stanard room. All the value resorts only allow 4 people. On the moderate side we could have stayed in a cabin at FortWilderness but itwas $800 more and I find that any place you would be required to rent a golf cart to get around at $25-$35 a day is not the place for this family. I took my then family of 4 in 2009 for 13 days and we went to MNSSHP for$2000 plus $550 for airfare. we had 10 day tickets with water parks. Even at 20% increase it should be costing about $3K for my family with airfare comming in at $1500 not $6000

 

[disneyfriend32]

I completely agree - my kids need to go and see this amazing place - but not if its going to restrict everything else we do for the next o last 2 yrs!

 

[disneyfriend32]

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".

Your point is moot- it was the ONLY resort to accommodate a family of 5 in a STANDARD room- not a suite. Then for the first time ever it was excluded from free dining.It was done to force the family of 5 to stay in a bigger room elsewhere - therefore spending far more money. Before I never would have left the property easily spending $1000 a week if not more while there. Now staying off property is our option and we will be visiting other Theme Parks and spending money there instead. So who looses out? Jacking the cost of the trip up made us not even stay there that's $3500 plus what ever we would have spent. I bought tickets on ebay for 4 days at WDW now they get the cost of the ticket plus $500 limit I put on the spending while there.

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

 

[disneyfriend32]

no absolutely not complaining about the flight (that is a different beef ), but for many it is factor.

I am just saying the same vacay cost us $3800 a couple of years ago, now it is $5000...

i use to agree the value of Disney vacations was well worth it, i am just starting to have second thoughts. You can,t compare disney to other places, it is a whole different type of vacation. Disney is Disney

i am starting to think to take the disney money, and spend it on few mini trips and do disney every 2-3 years

Discovery Cove is a pricy 1 day excursion (about $1000) for 5. But it includes all food and drinks including alcohol. With that purchase they gift you 10day passes to Sea World and Aquatica. Staying off property is really a better option for us now because the cost has gone up so high. 2 adult 4 day tickets with waterpark for WDW is about $650.00 and 3 kids tickets $900 plus another $1000 for Embassy ( great breakfast included) THATS $3650.00 for 10 days- with a lot of options. A moderate resort stay is more than $5000for 10days with tickets and WP. that's a big difference and a lot of experience.

 

[Gabe1]

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

We Grand Opened both Port Orleans and Dixie Landing. $89

Yes everything gets more expensive but Disney is far outpacing the CPI in resort prices, food index and increases in park admission. I saw an ad today for Hawaii at an amazing all inclusive resort including airfare for $849 per person double occupancy for 5 nights. No rollercoasters and a different type of vacation but still.....there is a reason why occupancy rates have been down and they are converting deluxe resorts into DVC to cover the bailouts of guests staying on sight.

Miniature golf is now $52 for a family of 4. Ouch.

 

[DisneyDaver]

I think it's all classic economics of supply and demand. Demand for high end entertainment like WDW, major sporting events, and Broadway shows seems to have increased dramatically over the past 15 years. With higher demand, comes higher prices ... particularly for the deluxe monorail resorts which have a limited supply.

 

[BrianV]

If you are claiming that Disney occupancy rates are dropping, you need to review the source of your information. WDW resort occupancy rates are up, and are basically at the industry "full" level of 89%. Just google articles in 2015 to see that the current occupancy rate is about 89%. The Orlando Sentinel, for example, just ran an article last week about Disney occupancy rates.

BTW, quoting a price to Hawaii that is airfare inclusive is misleading at best, especially since you don't include the departure city. I can find much lower prices to Hawaii from LA, than I can from anywhere on the East Coast.

And, I can easily beat your $849 Hawaii vacation quote for a WDW vacation. For example, I can book 5 nights at POP for under $100 per night per ROOM - less than $50 per person - and that is with the Dining Plan. That's the rate my wife and I got on our most recent trip. And, I just found roundtrip airfares to MCO for $75 per person. And, for $300 per person more, I can add a 5-day ticket package for WDW. So, I just found a vacation to WDW - food, airfare, lodging and parks included - for about $625 per person. Oh, and that included one round of free mini golf per person

Indeed. $849 pp won't get me to Hawaii at all. Airfare is more like $1000pp. Typical airfare to Orlando is around 250-350$ pp. (from greater boston). Sure it can reach $800 if you go during spring break, but we avoid that.

In a similar vein, many people here say that people should go to Disneyland instead of wdw. For a family of four from boston, that adds an extra $1000 in airfare before you even walk through the park gate.

 

[chipndale09]

I think it completely depends on when you go. We can stay at WL in September for just around $300 or so per night. That's really not that bad. We just stayed in downtown Kansas City for $200/night for a hotel that doesn't even compare to amenities of WL. Plus, in September, you get free dining. If you go in May, you'll get the room even cheaper at WL with the 30% off that they offer. But, we just went this last July, and the same room was $450/night. It's all about when you go. But that's not unique to Disney. All businesses do that - supply and demand. It's just good business.

No that is not good business, that is greed for more money. We own a successful bouncy house, cotton candy face painting business. We are busy and we don't raise our prices just cause we have more rentals. The reason we are busy is cause we offer a great product with great customer service at a great price. That is why people come back to us. Disney already has two of those things in spades. If you drive ur price up so high that average joe cannot afford it, well guess what, no more average joe. (maybe i'm wrong but i think Disney is marketing towards average joe)

It is already happening in the sporting industry, fans are refusing to pay big$ to to watch a game and teams are suffering, whether it is in basketball, football or hockey.

this is just IMHO

 

[Master Yoda]

No that is not good business, that is greed for more money. We own a successful bouncy house, cotton candy face painting business. We are busy and we don't raise our prices just cause we have more rentals. The reason we are busy is cause we offer a great product with great customer service at a great price. That is why people come back to us. Disney already has two of those things in spades. If you drive ur price up so high that average joe cannot afford it, well guess what, no more average joe. (maybe i'm wrong but i think Disney is marketing towards average joe)

It is already happening in the sporting industry, fans are refusing to pay big$ to to watch a game and teams are suffering, whether it is in basketball, football or hockey.

this is just IMHO

Seasonal pricing has been common practice in the hotel industry since about 5 minutes after the big bang.

You can all it good or bad business, but when you competition does it and your demand exceeds supply, you are wise to follow suit.