WSJ: Even Disney Is Worried About The High Cost Of A Disney Vacation (gift link)

[Tha Realest]

Quick thought, pure conjecture on streamers and YouTubers. They are free advertising for Disney. Many of them have such a co-dependent relationship with Disney that the company need only send an occasional media list invite to keep them in good graces; such a thing in that community is like a War Boy jubilantly reacting if they’ve been seen by Immortan Joe.

 

[Tha Realest]

I think a good start would be to restore value for those staying onsite. That's the sector that seems to have suffered the most loss of perks.

Hey, parking’s free again.

 

[DisneyNittany]

1. They seem like sports fans so of course they care more about the Super Bowl parade then the normal one this was true in the 90s and is true now

I'm not sure how to spell this out, but Walt Disney World Resort hosts a Super Bowl Parade for the Super Bowl MVP the day after the Super Bowl at the Magic Kingdom Park. The tweet was about Philadelphia Eagles fans at Magic Kingdom lining up on Main Street for the Super Bowl Parade that was in the Magic Kingdom Park today.

It has no bearing on the point being made other than that it provided me a gateway to talk to non-WDW people about something they'd be interested in at a Disney Park.

 

[Stripes]

Just want to point out that, after increasing 26% between 2012 and 2019, inflation adjusted median family income is slightly down through 2023 compared to 2019.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Alaska cruise on Norwegian (downright terrible, paid $8,000, biggest waste of money in my whole life), NYC (worse value, decent experience), France (Paris was not a good experience), Hawaii (never appealed to me, family was ready to leave on day 2 of 5).

Regular amusement parks don’t appeal to me. They’re also a poor value when factoring in cost of flight and reduction in accrued vacation time.

I’m just not a beach person. I grew up in California and had plenty of exposure. Recently, I was forced to drive 4 hours to a beach. Waste of a day. And I got food poisoning after eating at the beachside restaurant. But hey, cool sandcastles!
View attachment 843552

I wholeheartedly disagree on Norwegian's Alaskan itinerary. We did their land and see package in the summer of 2018 with 8 of us ranging in age from 8 to 70 and we all agreed it was one of the best vacations we ever had. If you want to argue that the Norwegian Cruise ships aren't as good as Disney, there's no argument there but the itinerary and the overall experience was incredible.

I'm now truly curious what it was that you found so objectionable to it. Feel free to send me a private message.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I heavily agree that Disney leadership isn’t really “in-touch” with what audiences may want but I’m also kinda confused as to what would be a particularly savvy move besides lowering prices. What do you guys propose?

Not even sure they need to reduce prices - Disney was always expensive

But in the past people felt like they got more for their money and the higher cost was more acceptable.

Even if you stayed in a value hotel, which often was less than $100/night you got access to the same extended hours as other, got included magical express, got free Magic bands (that arrived in the mail and built excitement for your trip?).

I have no issue with up charges - always have been there to some extent - but people need to feel like they are getting proper return for the base entry cost and doesn't feel like it is there compared to the past

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Just want to point out that, after increasing 26% between 2012 and 2019, inflation adjusted median family income is slightly down through 2023 compared to 2019.
View attachment 843657

Which is definitely a challenge when the cost of everything is going up so people have less purchasing power and less "extra" $ for things like Disney ....AND even moreso now need to feel like they are getting big bang for their buck if they do spend it on something optional

 

[Laketravis]

Hey, parking’s free again.

Yup, and USO still charges. Apparently it's not that much of a differentiator.

Maybe it's not possible to lower park ticket prices or every single menu item at every CS and TS. But the human psyche can be readily manipulated - for example, they should pull a Costco on a variety of items and services. Or a Walmart "Rollback" - bring those friggin pretzels down to $1.99. They still have margin and now they'd have scale. I'd feel good about buying one. Or ten.

Do the same thing with strategic offerings throughout the parks and resorts - throw it in my face what a terrific (legitimate) value it is. Give me a half dozen value perceptions each day and see how quickly my opinion changes. I might even spend MORE!

Because as it stands right now, I can't find a single legitimate "that's a great deal" value proposition anywhere on property.

 

[RSoxNo1]

From Disney this morning:

Disney Parks Offers: Everything You Need to Know | The Walt Disney Company

Prepare for your next visit to a Disney resort by learning about the promotional deals and offers available across a variety of ticket, dining, & hotel options.

t.co

I'm just going to point out that the sentence that starts with "The thing we hear from millions of guests who visit our parks..." is the definition of survivor bias.

Check the tapes, that language is used in every D23 parks and resorts presentation.

 

[Stripes]

I wholeheartedly disagree on Norwegian's Alaskan itinerary. We did their land and see package in the summer of 2018 with 8 of us ranging in age from 8 to 70 and we all agreed it was one of the best vacations we ever had. If you want to argue that the Norwegian Cruise ships aren't as good as Disney, there's no argument there but the itinerary and the overall experience was incredible.

I'm now truly curious what it was that you found so objectionable to it. Feel free to send me a private message.

We sailed on the Bliss, August 2018. All 4 of us had a miserable experience.

 

[Agent H]

I'm not sure how to spell this out, but Walt Disney World Resort hosts a Super Bowl Parade for the Super Bowl MVP the day after the Super Bowl at the Magic Kingdom Park. The tweet was about Philadelphia Eagles fans at Magic Kingdom lining up on Main Street for the Super Bowl Parade that was in the Magic Kingdom Park today.

It has no bearing on the point being made other than that it provided me a gateway to talk to non-WDW people about something they'd be interested in at a Disney Park.

I know what the Super Bowl parade is no offense but it feels like we’re Arguing in circles about football which isn’t even the main point so can we please stop with this?

 

[Jrb1979]

Which is definitely a challenge when the cost of everything is going up so people have less purchasing power and less "extra" $ for things like Disney ....AND even moreso now need to feel like they are getting big bang for their buck if they do spend it on something optional

My family fits that. While we could afford to go by staying off site, eating off site and no LLs, it wouldn't be that enjoyable. For us, if we can't get get similar to what we had in past visits due to cost we opt for something else.

 

[ConfettiCupcake]

Less ala carte and more all-inclusive feel.

I'm fine with paying more, but I want some guarantees.

Yes, I think I’d point to the unbundling as a big value killer as well. I think they’ve really underestimated the mood killer that nickel and diming and decision fatigue is. Unbundling airport transfers, Magicbands, and FPs from onsite guests just as 3 quick examples (and the latter obviously from everyone) may have given them two areas of cost savings and some new revenue streams, but it also created 3 new expenses for guests and 3 new areas of value propositions that can lead to the feeling of trips not being worth it and being too complex.

They also seem to be blurring the lines between happy spending and reluctant spending, I’d describe that as the difference between a guest paying for the dessert party because they love it and a guest paying for LLMP because they feel like it’s necessary. It’s exciting to decide to go to MNSSHP. It’s not as exciting to research which airport transfers you’re going to take, and which days you’ll need LLMP purchased to make your trip run smoother.

 

[Jrb1979]

It is being built to the standard of a child-focused regional park. It will by its very nature not have signature attractions to the standard of their other parks, and it will exclude entire demographic swaths of the population with the experiences offered. Again, with Disney parks versus Disney cruises, it's "same quality, same demographics, different but potentially overlapping persona"; for a Universal destination park versus the proposed Universal children's park, it's "different quality, extremely narrowed demographic, completely different persona".

You always, always mischaracterize what people say about regional parks. No one is saying that they don't have a place and are unworthy of a visit. In this case, all that is being said is that if you have made a name for yourself with premier destination amusement parks, creating lesser regional parks that don't meet the same standard for attractions, service, and entertainment may negatively impact brand perception.

I disagree. It's only people here that have that view. The average person don't look at like that. In their mind it's a Universal property that is affordable and in their area. Most Americans don't travel to visit parks other than the ones in their area.

 

[Laketravis]

Don't be fooled by Disney's defensive posture and response to the WSJ article. I have it on good authority that the crack marketing team at Disney has been tasked with developing a campaign to address current negative sentiment and are close to garnering corporate approval for the following no-holds-barred aggressive offer:

"In response to recent false reports (we have the surveys to prove it) that a vacation at Walt Disney World has reached a prohibitive cost for most inhabitants of the planet, we are delighted to announce the following special limited time offer:

When you book a 5 night or longer non-discounted stay at select Disney World resorts and purchase a 5 day Park Pass with Hopper for every person in your party, you will receive AT NO ADDITIONAL COST a free leftover holiday lanyard.

Thanks to these promotional perks and offers, there’s never been a better time to plan a visit to a Disney resort!***"

*** excludes 1971-2019

 

[mightynine]

I hear they are going to turbocharge on-site resort stays by looking the other way when you cheat at mini-golf.

Please make sure I am properly credited for this exclusive breaking news.

 

[James Alucobond]

I disagree. It's only people here that have that view. The average person don't look at like that. In their mind it's a Universal property that is affordable and in their area. Most Americans don't travel to visit parks other than the ones in their area.

It is basic brand perception. If you are known for quality and want to continue being known for quality, you don't slap your label on things that don't meet that standard or haven't been carefully vetted (in the case of a partnership or acquisition). If people have a bad experience with one of your products or come to a certain conclusion about the kinds of things you offer based on their limited initial interactions, they will naturally think other things that you do fall under that same quality, service, or experience umbrella. There's a reason companies frequently create subsidiaries for the sole purpose of obfuscating the connection between offerings that don't fit within the desired brand identity of the parent company.

 

[einlanzer]

I will never understand why people like Josh D'amaro. The park experience has done nothing but regress under his watch.

 

[Ayla]

Just out of curiosity, why go?

Are you within an hour or so drive and have young kids?

The "it's for kids" argument from me comes down to you not needing ANY e-ticket or even d-ticket type attractions to anchor such a park.

The Peppa Pig Theme Park is stellar for fans of the show but it was built in part* of the Lego Land parking lot so it's tiny. Unless you're a parent of such a fan with a camera, there is zero there that should interest any adult. No teen in their right mind would be caught dead there unless dragged with a younger family member.

But it's still clean and bright kept up and has memorable places from the cartoon.

They just so happen to have a Peppa Pig Theme Park in Dallas/Fort Worth. It seems like this is what they're looking to compete with.

*and no, they didn't build a parking garage or anything. They just reduced the space for parking to add most of it.

He's 17.

 

[lazyboy97o]

What do we consider a tepid response to an attraction intended for people within close driving distance in the middle of the country?

To me, this really doesn't factor into anything as it pertains to Orlando or Hollywood.

If this is successful, I could see them popping up in other areas, too where there are people this would be priced right for but it's hard to imagine this becoming a fourth gate in central Florida for them.

More than likely, the better attractions (if there are any) might find a home in the existing parks somewhere aimed squarely at this demographic which people with no kids or already older kids will turn their noses up to.

Would I rather they not make "kiddie" rides and instead, make more family-friendly attractions that young children and adults can properly enjoy together?

Absolutely but that's never really been how they've done it and I consider them better than someone like say, Bush Gardens or Seaworld where your choices are Sesame Street where adults can't even really fit on half the rides or white knuckle thrill rides and absolutely nothing in between.

Those comments were about Epic because you swerved over to it and now you’re back to the Kids park.

Frankly, both parks would probably best be served with a tepid response. They’re a bit too extreme in opposite directions.

Epic Universe is too expensive for what is being delivered. Too much demand likely means more of the things this article is about, namely higher prices and more monetization of existing offerings. Kids park is the opposite, too cheap and would further encourage being cheap across the board. The being cheap thing isn’t limited to the one park, they also want Universal Studios United Kingdom to be rather cheap.