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

[MickeyLuv'r]

Yup, let's throw food costs in there as well, because the cost of the hotel is only one component of the trip. In the end you add them all up and it's called (wait for it.......) the final bill.

Good job trying to convince everyone that nobody looks for the best prices when planning an expensive vacation. And should they, do they use some rather elaborate strategies to leverage discounts? Naw, a simple Google search would show there's hardly any information available on how to do that, right? Everyone pays rack rate LOL.

You previously called it "cherry picking" - and to be honest, if you aren't doing that for the when, where, and how of every vacation you plan, you're spending too much.

To be fair, I've sometimes taken spontaneous vacations, road trips, and spur-of-the-moment amusement park visits. Sometimes it is fun just to take in the vibe of a place without first researching it to death. Those are actually some of my best vacation memories! If is fun to just discover some place new, find an out of the way cafe or to let a sunny day serve as an excuse to get outdoors.

Though even then, we usually now manage to check for a coupon, discount, and maybe a review or two.

There are some gems not far from Orlando. If anyone ever wants to break out of the bubble, I suggest a day trip to some of FL's parks. There's Ocala, Honeymoon Island, the Everglades/Big Cypress, Silver Springs State parks, lots of beaches, and Fort Augustine, just to name a few options.

They (currently) cost a small fraction of what you'll spend at a theme park.

 

[DarkMetroid567]

Don’t you need to first activate the AP to get the AP rates? It’s been awhile since I held a UOAP.

I came to this forum over 20 years ago to find news of WDW/Universal discounts. I bought my first Universal AP in that same time frame. On my way out of Islands, Universal had big signs advertising that tickets could be converted to AP's. (still do, I think) So I asked, and - back then- it cost me less than $5. It was a no-brainer, IMO. I renewed for years, because the renewal price was the same as a regular park ticket. (+ all the discounts)

Simply, Universal has long had a different marketing approach than WDW when it comes to AP's. Where Universal prominently makes offers like AP Appreciation Night and bonus extensions on renewals, WDW AP holders are lucky to get a crappy magnet as their incentive.
Universal is prominently advertising AP pricing on the page where they sell Epic tickets, and everyone can see the hotel discounts. It is a different from WDW, where they hide the AP hotel rate from non-AP holders and stopped selling AP's to even DVC.

Mind, I'm not taking this discussion all that seriously, I'm just pushing back a bit, because Universal more actively courts AP sales than WDW does.

It does illustrate overall demand pretty well, though. There’s a reason Disneyland charges you up the butt for a Magic Key and still forces you to do reservations while Universal Studios Hollywood can sell an AP upgrade for $40.

People don’t typically want to come back to USH that frequently. Too many people want to come back to Disneyland too frequently. The mouse knows its grip.

 

[flynnibus]

Mind, I'm not taking this discussion all that seriously, I'm just pushing back a bit, because Universal more actively courts AP sales than WDW does.

Of course they do - because until recent years there is little reason to spend the normal trip multiplier amount of time at USO compared to WDW.. so they had to work a lot harder to convince people to commit to the upsell.

But none of that matters when people are throwing out BS comparisons - Bad cites are bad period. No one is trying to compare their individual trips here. It's people using bad data to support floppy arguments.

 

[flynnibus]

Don’t you need to first activate the AP to get the AP rates? It’s been awhile since I held a UOAP.

I believe before it was only available to call and ask about availability of AP rates for certain dates if you didn't have an AP already.

But hey, let's not let facts get in the way of a good BS cite.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

IMO, it is always smart to check the price/perks of an AP when visiting any tourist spot. Sometimes the bonus perks more than cover the difference on the first visit, because they often include things like free parking, discounts on additional tickets (or free companion allowances), plus merchandise/food discounts.

Again, I'm left wondering whether it's me that weird, but do most people research APs whenever they are travelling somewhere? That seems like another thing that might be common on here but not particularly representative of how most people vacationing in Orlando (let alone to other tourist destinations) think.

I'll also quietly say that if it's actually true that WDW and Universal resorts are currently being filled with people taking multiple trips every year, then the complaint that WDW is becoming too expensive to visit several times a year is not especially sympathetic.

 

[DarkMetroid567]

Again, I'm left wondering whether it's me that weird, but do most people research APs whenever they are travelling somewhere? That seems like another thing that might be common on here but not particularly representative of how most people vacationing in Orlando (let alone to other tourist destinations) think.

I'll also quietly say that if it's actually true that WDW and Universal resorts are currently being filled with people taking multiple trips every year, then the complaint that WDW is becoming too expensive to visit several times a year is not especially sympathetic.

I bought APs for Kentucky Kingdom and the SeaWorld parks last year and proceeded to basically lose money on those decisions. I’ve stopped looking at buying APs lol

 

[UNCgolf]

Universal doesn’t have a bubble and their hotels lack immersive theming.

Unfortunately Disney is following their lead here by skipping immersive theming on basically all new hotel builds and additions.

 

[UNCgolf]

Really? That would surprise me, but I guess anything is possible.

Disney does have DVC to encourage frequent visits with hotel stays, but I would be surprised if Universal's typical hotel guest (or Disney's typical non-DVC hotel guest) is returning several times a year.

I would be completely dumbfounded if the average Disney guest was there more than once a year.

Not counting locals, I guess.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Don’t you need to first activate the AP to get the AP rates? It’s been awhile since I held a UOAP.

I think you just need to show it at check-in. Even then, WDW and Universal used to allow a small grace period- like 24 hours- so guests could arrive at the hotel first. Now that tickets are mostly bought online they might be a little more strict.

You can still buy a Universal AP over the phone.

You do need the AP before you can get the free parking though.

 

[Calmdownnow]

To be fair, I've sometimes taken spontaneous vacations, road trips, and spur-of-the-moment amusement park visits. Sometimes it is fun just to take in the vibe of a place without first researching it to death. Those are actually some of my best vacation memories! If is fun to just discover some place new, find an out of the way cafe or to let a sunny day serve as an excuse to get outdoors.

Though even then, we usually now manage to check for a coupon, discount, and maybe a review or two.

There are some gems not far from Orlando. If anyone ever wants to break out of the bubble, I suggest a day trip to some of FL's parks. There's Ocala, Honeymoon Island, the Everglades/Big Cypress, Silver Springs State parks, lots of beaches, and Fort Augustine, just to name a few options.

They (currently) cost a small fraction of what you'll spend at a theme park.

Just remember (before your spontaneous Florida beach trip) to check the internet to find out if red tide algae and dead fish are likely to be part of the experience today.

 

[flynnibus]

I would be completely dumbfounded if the average Disney guest was there more than once a year.

Not counting locals, I guess.

Well that's just it... avg by what count? Between unique people? Or across bodies present?

Majority of guests in the park? I would say no
Notable percentage of guests in the park? I wouldn't be surprised at all if the number was easily in the 10+% range

If the number were tiny, Disney wouldn't have been putting AP prices to the moon like they did in recent years.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Again, I'm left wondering whether it's me that weird, but do most people research APs whenever they are travelling somewhere? That seems like another thing that might be common on here but not particularly representative of how most people vacationing in Orlando (let alone to other tourist destinations) think.

I'll also quietly say that if it's actually true that WDW and Universal resorts are currently being filled with people taking multiple trips every year, then the complaint that WDW is becoming too expensive to visit several times a year is not especially sympathetic.

Yes. At least I've known to check for some 20 years. As I said, I originally came to this forum to pick up moneysaving tips. It works well at museums and places like historic sites.

Rick Steves and/or other budget travel guides were suggesting it as a travel hack even earlier, like as far back in the 1990's.

It is just second nature to me now. By the way, if you have a WDW or Universal AP, you can also sometimes get an AP rate at a few Marriott properties (the ones closest to WDW and Universal). that one is a little less weel known, the code is QWH.

I agree with your second post. With perhaps a small allowance that AP holders might technically still be making 2 trips per year- sorta. One way to save with an AP is to book a trip say March 7-14 this year, and another trip maybe March 1-7 of 2026, just before the AP expires. Then they let the AP expire, and don't go at all until maybe March of 2027. So they are really going about once a year.

But once you have an AP, at least at Universal, then mid-year visits might be pretty cheap if you can drive/get a budget air deal, get a cheap hotel, and eat on the cheap.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I would be completely dumbfounded if the average Disney guest was there more than once a year.

Not counting locals, I guess.

I believe Disney has said their average guest visits every 2-3 years.

Now the smaller % that come multiple times a year distort what the make up of the guest population on any given day is though

But not looking at unique guests, most are not there more than once a year

 

[Laketravis]

There's a reason WDW puts blackout dates on Florida AP's and requires park reservations for all AP holders.

This garbage about using "a particular" price point as somehow being unique and not a fair comparison is ridiculous when it's offered to and used by literally thousands if not tens of thousands of guests.

I challenge anyone to simply ask others in the attraction queue or better yet if you find yourself in a Skyliner with others (which normally means they are staying onsite) the next time you are there how many times a year they come to WDW.

Or simply look at how long the line gets just for a simple magnet.

 

[Laketravis]

$300 each last February when we upgraded two 5-day hoppers to Sorcerer's Passes (since we had another trip planned later that year, post-cruise, with friends). However, your point stands because the non-resident, non-DVC AP would have tacked another $600 on to that price.

This was last November and it would have been less if we only had two park tickets but since they were three park tickets we could only update to three park passes. Reason it was only $175 each was because we upgraded to the "seasonal" AP's with just a few blackout dates that we didn't plan on going anyway.

 

[surfsupdon]

I would be completely dumbfounded if the average Disney guest was there more than once a year.

Not counting locals, I guess.

And the runDisney fandom. We go a couple times a year, but many do not purchase park tickets.

 

[Laketravis]

I'll also quietly say that if it's actually true that WDW and Universal resorts are currently being filled with people taking multiple trips every year, then the complaint that WDW is becoming too expensive to visit several times a year is not especially sympathetic.

I don't hear anyone complaining that it's expensive to visit several times a year. I can vouch for the fact that we either purchase AP's or we don't go at all. Our logic is that we can make multiple visits a year at a much lower cost per visit. My example at USO still stands but to your point I was also able to accomplish the same thing at WDW last November and December when I managed to book 5 nights each time at for around $115 a night. So basically we were onsite at a resort for 12 days with the ability to park hop each day for $1,150 ($49pp per day).

And that's not a unique outlier sort of situation, it's one that any passholder could have done.

Now, we are most certainly EXPOSED to pricing on every aspect of every visit that seems excessive to us so we are able to draw the conclusion that a trip to WDW can be very expensive, but that does not mean we participate in those added expenses.

ETA: I'll add that at this point the cost of WDW AP's and the lack of significant / plentiful room discounts against rising rack rates has reached a level where I don't think the numbers will work as well so we did not renew this year.

 

[JD80]

Someone catch me up, what are we arguing about again? I skipped ahead when you guys were saying everyone had an AP so AP discounted hotels are a thing everyone uses.

 

[Laketravis]

Someone catch me up, what are we arguing about again? I skipped ahead when you guys were saying everyone had an AP so AP discounted hotels are a thing everyone uses.

On any given day in any given WDW park, what percentage of guests do you think:

1. Are there for the first time
2. Have been before but over a year ago
3. Have AP's and plan on visiting several times during the year

Same for USO.

I'll wait............

 

[networkpro]

Someone catch me up, what are we arguing about again? I skipped ahead when you guys were saying everyone had an AP so AP discounted hotels are a thing everyone uses.

You're still in the ballpark, just various portions of a Disney trip that add up

Even Disney Is Worried About The High Cost Of A Disney Vacation​