With the Price Increases and Cuts, Are you Delaying your Visit?

[Brad Bishop]

I've already seen several posts on Facebook about people simply forgoing their Disney vacations now and heading elsewhere to get a better bang for their buck. The "free" offers (Free Dining, etc) aren't actually free because they make you spend more money elsewhere as part of the deal. It's all an illusion. I've been telling people to visit Orlando but stay OFF property (much cheaper with more spacious rooms) and see the Orlando outside of the mousetrap.

Thought of a few other things:
- Selling the parks twice in one day (mainly MK with MNSSHP and MVMCP). I don't mind the parties but you used to be able to go to the MK at Christmastime and actually see the Christmas lights at night without paying an extra fee. Now there's 2 nights a week where that happens (so plan carefully or pay up)?
- Selling limited access to M&Gs and other similar things inside those parties which they've already made bank on by selling the park twice (plus party-specific souvenirs, etc.)
- "Come to F&W where you can pay $100 to enter and then walk around our dated park drinking expensive beverages because that's easier than adding something new."
- Cutting hours of parks (recent thread was about water parks over the Summer).
- Cutting EMHs

"It's OK, though, people will still pay because we're Disney!" - that's seems to be the core attitude.

If EP were up to date (or even at least recent) and DHS hadn't been a dud for 20 years and AK hadn't been a 1/2 day park for 1.5 decades then, yeah, premium prices makes sense. Right now they're commanding premium prices based on nostalgia and "Disney".

 

[skyphotographer]

For those of you thinking about going in the future, UT still has tickets at the old prices. I suggest you stock up while you can. I have price protected myself for the next several years of vacations. Its much safer than putting your money in the stock market.

 

[Pixie VaVoom]

Wow does it look like a few of the above posters are Disney PR shills!!
I am DONE!! Cruises are a much better value. I can't get my DH to buy into it after he heard on his "business news shows" that Disney was raising the prices. We WON'T fight the massive, swarming crowds, just to navigate parks where there is not much to do, and the customer gouging is so OBVIOUS !! PT Barmun said there was s sucker born every minute...but we don't aim to be them.
"Now for a nominal fee of $5 you can view the elusive, mystical, EGRESS !!"

 

[POLY LOVER]

the increase in prices without and additional impovements to the parks basically just collects more revenue. the single day is the same, the peak times that most people can only go will be more expensive. So basically you pay more for no noticable impovement experience or you just don't go. I hope they are not killing the goose that laid the golden egg? I don't see how this addresses crowds in the parks, if you wanted to do that you could just set max capacity limits lower than they currently are. So what if they raise prices and the crowds are the same? do they just continue to raise rates until no one shows up?

 

[POLY LOVER]

the light has just gone out in Walts apartment.

 

[Chef Mickey]

Looks like my prediction of demand based pricing came true and Disney realizes they are overcrowded.

I'm interested to know if this will actually affect behavior, if Disney will raise more if it doesn't, and if their goal is only financially driven or if they are truly trying to get the experience in a better state by allowing fewer people in the parks.

I'm actually happy to see them taking action, but I'd like to see what it actually does to crowds. My guess is this is only the first step and it's not even close to enough to deter demand (perhaps that's not their goal).

 

[Brad Bishop]

Maybe they'll introduce "Disney After Lunch".. It'll be a special tickets event on the busiest days throughout the year where you can enjoy the park after noon. The CMs will comb through the guests starting around 11:45AM to get rid of those who haven't paid for the special ticketed event.

It'd just be them bringing another way in which you can enjoy that magical Disney experience but now: After Lunch!

 

[TylerFromMI]

Secured tickets at 2015 prices so I was able to keep my fall 2016 plans. After that, I'll likely wait it out until some of the bigger construction projects are done to visit again, depending on ticket prices at that point...

 

[DfromATX]

We're going in July, but after that it'll be a few years, definitely when all the new lands are built, plus we cruise and do other things.

 

[yensid67]

The census of the posts are saying that "...they have a trip planned, but after the trip, it will be a few years until their next one"

I just hope everyone who says that sticks to their guns and doesn't go for a years or two! Maybe Disney will wake up then!?

I have a trip TENTATIVELY planned for December 2018 to celebrate my 50th birthday, but if things keep going the way they have been, I may end up going to Universal, Sea World and other local attractions! THERE IS MORE TO ORLANDO THAN MICKEY MOUSE! and as much of a Disney fan as I am, and we are on here, we do have a breaking point!

 

[KCL]

We are planning a Nov/Dec trip this year (nothing paid for, yet), and the price increase is not changing our plans - still getting 6 days of tickets. Net increase is $113. Not chump change, but considering our total trip will be just over $7,100, this is not enough of a difference to warrant a change of plans. Prices on everything go up over time, so . Fortunately, gas prices are down and the savings in that area easily makes up for the increase in ticket prices.

Thank you for bringing logic into the equation. But I have a feeling that's not what people are looking for. It's just really not that much more money.

 

[POLY LOVER]

Thank you for bringing logic into the equation. But I have a feeling that's not what people are looking for. It's just really not that much more money.

True, so then it will have no real affect on crowds as they claim it is intended to do. NEXT IDEA?

 

[Brad Bishop]

True, so then it will have no real affect on crowds as they claim it is intended to do. NEXT IDEA?

Yeah - I think when you consider your overall Disney stay that the ticket price increase is fairly minimal but will price some out of the market and that makes sense. If you have a park that can handle 25K people/day and you're filling it up everyday and still have people waiting outside then, yeah, you're leaving money on the table.

What most are complaining about (directed more at KCL & dmw): increase costs in addition to drastic cuts when they've just had a record-breaking year.

It's been a banner year but they can't keep the Monorail running to their deluxe hotels but they'll increase costs across the board. - That kind of stuff.

 

[EOD K9]

I just got $400 round trip tickets to Paris with a stopover in Iceland! Hotels about $30-$40 a night. With the US dollar so strong traveling the world has never been so affordable. (And Disney less affordable)

Ou est-ce que vous allez rester a Paris? Sorry, I cant figure out accent marks on here.

 

[epeterson]

Ou est-ce que vous allez rester a Paris? Sorry, I cant figure out accent marks on here.

And I don't speak French, are you asking me if I am staying in Paris? For a couple days yes, but I am thinking of heading out into the countryside. I am a big Wino (worked at a wine shop for years) so I really want to go to Burgundy/Bordeaux.

 

[shannon12]

Still going this year. Never been to see the Christmas stuff so not giving up the first week in December. We won't have the points available for the rest of 2017 so won't be back until 2018.

 

[EOD K9]

And I don't speak French, are you asking me if I am staying in Paris? For a couple days yes, but I am thinking of heading out into the countryside. I am a big Wino (worked at a wine shop for years) so I really want to go to Burgundy/Bordeaux.

Where are you staying in Paris. What hotel? J'ai ete a Paris trois fois. I have been to Paris three times.

 

[epeterson]

Where are you staying in Paris. What hotel? J'ai ete a Paris trois fois. I have been to Paris three times.

Nice! Its called Hotel Moderne. Its pretty plain, but has decent reviews and is only two train stops way from Les Halles (if I am reading the map right)

 

[EOD K9]

Looks about right. Use Metro as much as you can and buy a book of Metro tickets. It is a good value.

 

[Much-Pixie-Dust]

Totally agree. We used to go twice every year, once in summer and once during fall or winter. Haven't been since summer 2014. DD really wants to go, so we booked under early spring room rate. In the past, Disney would use the discounted rates for days after the promotion as long as least one day was booked under the promotion. Sadly, that is no longer. Our room rate skyrockets on the last day because the promotion ends on the 11th and we check out on the 12th. So now we are leaving a day early to head to the beach. I don't think I would be going, if I didn't already have tix.