Some disturbing Disney pricing info

[lambdabeta]

Completely agree about the rooms looking sterile!!! We stayed at CSR last month and simply did not like the new rooms! Felt like my mom's hospital room!
I found our pamphlet from my first WDW trip in 1984 and the price listed for a 3-day World Passport is $42 for an adult, $34 for child (age 3-12). It was a "hopper"! Yes, it's just 2 parks.... but still a hopper and included transportation between parks. In 1984, minimum wage was $3.25.... I was lucky enough to be making about $6.25 at the time. So for me.... I had to work 6.72 hours to pay for the 3 day ticket.... so a little less than a day's pay. But if someone was only making minimum, that's just under 13 hours of work.
Now, today..... For a 3 day hopper, I have to work just under 20 hours to purchase it online from a dealer at a discounted price. If I was making minimum in Oh, $8.30 .... It would take me 46 hours to pay for that same ticket!!! WOW!!! That is pretty eye-opening!!! Our vacations to WDW that I thought were "very affordable" when my kids were little, simply are NOT so affordable for my grandkids!


So many people are feeling the same now!

Exactly the point. Very good analogy.

 

[cindyfan]

Less than anything else on property. I don't drive so staying on property is a must so I stay at values and often get a room for less than $100 a night. I've stayed in only refurbished rooms in Pop and Movies and love the contemporary style of both. The floors have never been dirty and I've always received excellent service.

Pricing isn't awful. Costs go up everywhere not just at Disney.

When is the last time you got a room at a value for less than $100? Not anymore!!!! not with the last price hikes the last couple years!
As for the floors not being dirty in a newer room.... you should have seen what we walked into at CSR last month! Nasty, sticky stuff on the bathroom floors, piles of dirt and food crumbs under and around the beds and dresser! it was terrible!

 

[dansdad]

When is the last time you got a room at a value for less than $100?

In May we stayed at Sports for $91 and 2 weeks ago paid $87.

 

[cindyfan]

In May we stayed at Sports for $91 and 2 weeks ago paid $87.

That’s great!! What’s discount did you use!?

 

[dansdad]

That’s great!! What’s discount did you use!?

Trip in May used a room only bounceback. Trip a couple weeks ago used a PIN received in the mail.

 

[NYCgrrl]

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Not that they care, but after 22 straight years of staying on property, they've priced us out. I say that simply because we won't even consider a Value resort after the room refurbs. Sorry to offend anyone, but the new rooms are sterile, boring and ugly. I can't imagine what Disney was thinking. And as much as I love the moderates, no way am I going to spend nearly $300 a night for one of those rooms when we can get a 2 bedroom villa with 1,000 more square feet of space at Bonnet Creek for less money.

To put Disney's ridiculous price hikes into perspective I read something interesting today. 35 years ago, to purchase a 3 day ticket was the equivalent of working 11 hours at what minimum wage was. Today, for the same ticket and at today's minimum wage, you'd have to work 51 hours. Since 2010, Annual Passes have doubled in price and park tickets have increased 80%.

I don't really understand your answer. What does your experience with the cost of things in the early 80's have to do with the price of the resort now? The OP was commenting on how they are priced out. Their analogy has more to do with how long you needed to work at minimum wage to pay for park tickets 35 years ago vs. today. It is comparing apples to apples. Your post is talking about your experience living in the NYC area in the early 1980's. Everyone's priorities are different. As a young couple starting out I may prioritize buying a house over a Disney vacation also. If you wanted to go to Disney 35 years ago you could have saved for that instead of a house. It was that simple and it was easier to do back than. It takes a lot more money to stay in the MK resorts now than it did then. Yes they have cheaper options but like the OP stated they would rather stay offsite than pay those prices for what you get. I agree with them.

BTW, the person that bought the 2 million dollar house may not be able to afford Disney because they are trying to pay the mortgage on their house. It is all relative. There are plenty of people who figure out a way to afford to go to Disney because that is their priority. They would rather spend their money there than somewhere else and they find every discount so they can afford it.

The OP specifically compared costs from 35 years ago to costs now so I responded in kind giving more examples of actual 1980's costs and times; definitely an apple to apple comparison as I understand the term.
You jumped ahead to the future of the person who just paid almost 2 mil for a residence. We can only guess what will happen with them but if this region's economic history is any barometer they will pay off their mortgage in at least the traditional 30 years and the house will continue to increase in value.

I chose a primary goal of buying real estate/increasing my assets for the longterm with another goal of giving my children what I considered a quality education. We still vacationed (a month every August) but in a diiferent manner than Disney which struck me then and now as a bit of a pastiche. This doesn't mean I don't enjoy my time there but accept it for what it is. There is no way I would have chosen working say a extra job to fund a Disney trip over either buying a house or paying for my childrens' future education.

 

[Captainkidd76]

Less than anything else on property. I don't drive so staying on property is a must so I stay at values and often get a room for less than $100 a night. I've stayed in only refurbished rooms in Pop and Movies and love the contemporary style of both. The floors have never been dirty and I've always received excellent service.

Pricing isn't awful. Costs go up everywhere not just at Disney.

Discounts are anomalies and nothing to plan by. I never paid more than $100 per night at a Value. I haven't seen it fall below $130 in a few years. To be fair, we go in July.

That being said, pricing is awful. There are always discounts to be had at certain times of the year. Off property as well. But when you consider what rack rates are now versus just 10 years ago, it's crazy. Ticket prices are even worse. Think about it....in just 10 years admission has basically doubled. That is insane.

 

[KatyWDW]

35 years ago, WDW only had 2 parks so it’s hard to compare prices then to now when you “get more” with tickets now.

 

[Captainkidd76]

35 years ago, WDW only had 2 parks so it’s hard to compare prices then to now when you “get more” with tickets now.

True. However, 10 years ago they had 4, same as today, yet admission prices have basically doubled, where as federal minimum wage hasn't increased at all in that time.

 

[Planogirl]

I'm with you Captain Kidd. We stayed at Pop Century just before the renovations and it was OK. I really dislike the new "could be anywhere" rooms though particularly for the price but to each their own. I'm over staying onsite or even focusing on the Disney parks. We've been many times so it's fine.

 

[kaytieeldr]

35 years ago....Reaganomics and runaway inflation to set the times in historical and economic terms.
Long distance calls were kick butt expensive in any economic times dollars and unfortunately necessary on our end; conversations were hurried, LOL.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I don't really understand your answer. What does your experience with the cost of things in the early 80's have to do with the price of the resort now? The OP was commenting on how they are priced out. Their analogy has more to do with how long you needed to work at minimum wage to pay for park tickets 35 years ago vs. today. It is comparing apples to apples. Your post is talking about your experience living in the NYC area in the early 1980's. Everyone's priorities are different. As a young couple starting out I may prioritize buying a house over a Disney vacation also. If you wanted to go to Disney 35 years ago you could have saved for that instead of a house. It was that simple and it was easier to do back than. It takes a lot more money to stay in the MK resorts now than it did then. Yes they have cheaper options but like the OP stated they would rather stay offsite than pay those prices for what you get. I agree with them.

BTW, the person that bought the 2 million dollar house may not be able to afford Disney because they are trying to pay the mortgage on their house. It is all relative. There are plenty of people who figure out a way to afford to go to Disney because that is their priority. They would rather spend their money there than somewhere else and they find every discount so they can afford it.

No, she is comparing prices 35 years ago to prices now - to demonstrate that Disney is not alone in either price hikes or inflation.

 

[Captainkidd76]

No, she is comparing prices 35 years ago to prices now - to demonstrate that Disney is not alone in either price hikes or inflation.

They're not alone, but they're more out of line. Honestly, the more frightening trend to me is the last 10 years.

 

[indoshakespeare]

I agree with moderate pricing. if I pay over $250 per night, i better get a hotel with hallways, not motel style accomodation. However, I find the pricing of value resort just right.

 

[Nancyg56]

Discounts are anomalies and nothing to plan by. I never paid more than $100 per night at a Value. I haven't seen it fall below $130 in a few years. To be fair, we go in July.

That being said, pricing is awful. There are always discounts to be had at certain times of the year. Off property as well. But when you consider what rack rates are now versus just 10 years ago, it's crazy. Ticket prices are even worse. Think about it....in just 10 years admission has basically doubled. That is insane.

I think discounts should be added into the equation. I will never pay full price, not at a deluxe, not at a value. I won't say "rack rate" because I generally will use a FD promo. My budgeting usually comes down to what I pay per person per day. I used that philosophy back 35 years ago, and I use it now.

True. However, 10 years ago they had 4, same as today, yet admission prices have basically doubled, where as federal minimum wage hasn't increased at all in that time.

Federal minimum wage is not a standard of reality IMO. My role at work is primarily payroll, and the companies I run it for are not in line with the Fed wage. With the exception of the pizza places, which mostly keep the MA minimum wage as there wage, most pay well above even State minimum wage. SO yes, costs are rising to vacation in WDW, however I am not sure using the federal minimum wage to illustrate that is as helpful as one would think. My DD did a cost analysis of what we paid 13 years ago, and what we are paying on this trip, and while it was not strictly apples to apples, she found it was pretty much in line with the raises in pay they and we recieved. I had no interest in that exercise other than to agree while she shared it with my DH to bring him out of the trance he had fallen into after we gave him the final cost. I can't attest to the accuracy but she is a wizard at this kind of thing, so I trusted her.

 

[Captainkidd76]

I agree with moderate pricing. if I pay over $250 per night, i better get a hotel with hallways, not motel style accomodation. However, I find the pricing of value resort just right.

I used to. But when I was pricing out our vacation for next July and discovered we could stay at Bonnet Creek in a 1,300 square foot beautifully decorated villa for the same price as an undecorated 260 square foot room, that's when Disney lost me. And I love the Value resorts. Love the themes, love the food courts, love the bus service. But we do like to come back to the room and relax a bit during the day and there's no way I could relax in those rooms anymore. I'd feel like I was visiting someone (or staying) in a hospital.

 

[maxiesmom]

I'm not sure how it is "disturbing" that prices have increased over the years for Disney World. They have added parks, and are expanding parks and upgrading the resorts. Some people like the new look, some like the old. Nothing unusual there.

We all have budgets, and have to decide what is worth the cost to us.

 

[maxiesmom]

Btw, someone mentioned you can't rely on thing such as pin codes to keep costs down. You can't. But you can't rely on an off site hotel waiving their fees, as another poster mentioned happened to them. If you check and add in the fees, many of them cost more than a Disney value.

 

[Captainkidd76]

I'm not sure how it is "disturbing" that prices have increased over the years for Disney World. They have added parks, and are expanding parks and upgrading the resorts. Some people like the new look, some like the old. Nothing unusual there.

We all have budgets, and have to decide what is worth the cost to us.

A 100% increase in less than a decade is disturbing to me.

 

[Nancyg56]

Btw, someone mentioned you can't rely on thing such as pin codes to keep costs down. You can't. But you can't rely on an off site hotel waiving their fees, as another poster mentioned happened to them. If you check and add in the fees, many of them cost more than a Disney value.

ANd for those of us who fly, add in car rental and parking fees in the parks.