Parking Now $25

[Q-man]

I don't think anyone is arguing that, if you look at the price increases over the past 10 years, I think you'll see that disney is out pacing just about everyone in price increases for their product.

in 2008 at POFQ with 8 day park hoppers and dining plan for 2 adults (rack rate, our first trip, we were stupid) we paid $2800
in 2019 at POFQ with 8 day park hoppers and dining plan for 2 adults (rack rate) $4100, that's not including the parking, so toss in another $200 for that, and now that trip is $4300

That's the level of price increases over an 11 year period.....

2008 was discounted from recession.

 

[RRB]

Pretty much the same strategy I use. With a few exceptions. I buy AP every other year and make sure I go when the AP starts and right before it ends. And it is rare that I rent the points out, will usually bank them and get a bigger (or better) room the next time.

We also have Tables in Wonderland because we like the signature restaurants and enjoy wine and drinks, another way to save money. I know what you mean about banking points, we love to upgrade our room whenever possible

 

[RRB]

Yea, and like I said, I don't mind costs going up, but cuts too? It's like when they shrink the amount in a package of cookies, but keep the box the same size. You get less for the same price, but they kind of hide it. f the price goes up too, then, what's the point? I will be happy to pay more for the same amount/quality, but not more for less.

I see the "the cuts" as minor items in the grand scheme of things (they both reduce and add different things constantly). Some people see them as important and some don't even realize they have been made. The concept of Disney never reducing anything and only adding additional services is not possible.

 

[BrianL]

I see the "the cuts" as minor items in the grand scheme of things (they both reduce and add different things constantly). Some people see them as important and some don't even realize they have been made. The concept of Disney never reducing anything and only adding additional services is not possible.

No, of course I understand that there sometimes need to be cuts, but the way they are doing it rather heavily right now while raising prices, it's definitely not a great look. It's not stopping my trip in a few days though.

 

[Planogirl]

They are doing it all too fast. Every time I come here I wonder what else was cut and what else has gotten more expensive. I expect it now and that's annoying.

I hope that the economy stays strong. No company is too big to fail.​

 

[CampbellzSoup]

I don’t eat or stay in site and have an annual pass so I guess i don’t really feel as though Disney’s sucking the money out of my pocket.

Make choices you can still enjoy the magic without all the extras

 

[Doug M]

I don’t eat or stay in site and have an annual pass so I guess i don’t really feel as though Disney’s sucking the money out of my pocket.

Make choices you can still enjoy the magic without all the extras

Not everyone lives close enough that they can afford multiple trips with an AP. The offsite is the superior option however as it's far cheaper and the onsite benefits are becoming less and less.

 

[Waiting2goback]

I hate price increases like everyone else but keep a couple things in mind. The economy is booming and costs for everything is going up, not just Disney. Also, Disney is spending hundreds of millions on improvements, upgrades, expansions, transportation, rides, as well as wage increases for 75,000 and cost increases from vendors they buy from. It's not feasible to do all these improvements without some cost increases.

I have always consistently said, I don't mind paying more for Disney because of all the extras you get. Walt believed in plussing and plussing seems to be becoming a lost concept. Sure the monorail is still there but it's broken down, dangerous, it smells, and the AC barely works. I used to love riding the monorail, now I take the boats from MK to the hotels. The loss of the parade, etc... and what about the condition of HS for the last two years. It's not a full day park but they charge full price still. And instead of rewarding people who remain loyal while they don't offer them full value for that park during construction, by keeping prices the same when Star Wars opens, you know the prices are going through the roof when it does open.

I realize it's all a choice. It's all a luxury we get to go because some people will never be able to afford to go. I get it all. But the Disney that Walt built is long gone and it's too bad because he cared about the customers and their experience and that's why it became the success it did. Now you get nickeled and domed every time you turn around. And if Disney has $70 billion to by Fox they have money for the other stuff mentioned in other responses.

 

[RRB]

I'm curious about the cuts that are being discussed. Not saying anyone here is wrong, could someone post things that have been cut lately. I would like to see what we're talking about. Also to be fair to Disney, if there are any added items (other than the big improvements that we all know about), these should be posted too.

 

[Alicefan]

This was our first year as AP Holders. I stayed on property in February, April, September and we will be staying again in December and February. We are probably the perfect Disney vacationers in their eyes. We have all our meals on property, my daughter walks away with half a suitcase of souvenirs and we usually do one or two upcharge events. We enjoyed all our stays very much and have some great memories but I'm feeling a bit down with all the increases over the last few weeks. Not trying to be too melodramatic but every new announcement takes a little bit of the magic away. Sadly I'm leaning toward not renewing when our passes are up. I think if another increase were to hit (resort fees??) that would seal it for us.

I'm right there with you. I will be making my 6th trip this year alone from SC. I used to buy 10 day tickets and use them for a couple of years and they took that away from me. Now staying on property is too expensive for what you get, and our upcoming trip in December is nowhere near as exciting as my trips used to be. I honestly have sat here on many a day wishing I hadn't already paid for it because I'd much rather go on a non Disney cruise or something that gives you more bang for your buck. In my 30 years of driving down there, I've never felt so down about it before. I've grown really bitter and I hate it. All they are doing is encouraging people to find ways around the system....myself included. Off property hotel shuttles here I come....IF I come. This will be my last trip for a few years. Now my trips to Disney will be more like a normal family and not the fanatic that I was. Stupid move Disney. Oh and you know when the gondolas and additions to the moderates are complete the Deluxe price tag will follow. Bump this mess!

 

[snappy]

Wow those are cheap DVC points and cheap APs.

Disney math

 

[Alicefan]

Pretty soon Disney World will be a rich mans vacation. I can't believe how expensive it has gotten. We are going on cruises more an more (not Disney) because you get more bang for your buck.

OMG I just said this exact same thing. I went on my very first cruise last month and I AM HOOKED! I'm 47 now and I can honestly say that a Disney vacation HURTS not only my pocketbook, but my body! I couldn't get over how relaxed I was on the cruise. I actually came home feeling like I had been on a vacation and not hiking the Donner Pass. lol I can go on 3 cruises to my one Disney trip. Also, I cancelled my October WDW trip where I was taking my 4 year old niece and staying at POFQ for 4 nights, on the dining plan, only 2 days in the parks, driving myself down, and the price tag to do that....$1321 EACH for me an my best friend to pay the toddlers way in. We are now going to Paris for 9 days, flight and hotel...train ticket to London...hotel for one night in London and train back to Paris for a grand total of $1150 per person!!! Not taking my niece but my God! I can go to Europe for 9 days for LESS than 4 lousy nights in Orlando??? Now THAT right there is pretty telling. Hotwire is your friend folks!

 

[Alicefan]

I see the "the cuts" as minor items in the grand scheme of things (they both reduce and add different things constantly). Some people see them as important and some don't even realize they have been made. The concept of Disney never reducing anything and only adding additional services is not possible.

Why? They certainly are charging us as if that's what they've done.

 

[RRB]

Why? They certainly are charging us as if that's what they've done.

Physical limitations for one reason and staying within an operating budget for another. I know that everyone thinks the increased costs are out of line but I still think that the amount of money being spent by Disney on the property wide improvements is just astronomical. For instance, the Skyliner is reported to cost somewhere around 300 Million dollars. That's 300 with 6 zeros after it. That is crazy. That amount is equal to what it costs to build a Six Flags Park. Disney doesn't charge for on-site transportation so how is this system being paid for? In a previous post, I asked for examples of the cuts so I can understand what people are talking about. I am genuinely interested in see what has been curtailed from the day to days activities.

 

[RRB]

Investors say that Disney is not profitable enough. Vacationers say Disney is too expensive. Park goers complain when older rides are taken down for newer rides. Park goers then complain that the parks are stale. They can't seem to win

 

[SaharanTea]

Physical limitations for one reason and staying within an operating budget for another. I know that everyone thinks the increased costs are out of line but I still think that the amount of money being spent by Disney on the property wide improvements is just astronomical. For instance, the Skyliner is reported to cost somewhere around 300 Million dollars. That's 300 with 6 zeros after it. That is crazy. That amount is equal to what it costs to build a Six Flags Park. Disney doesn't charge for on-site transportation so how is this system being paid for? In a previous post, I asked for examples of the cuts so I can understand what people are talking about. I am genuinely interested in see what has been curtailed from the day to days activities.

Try this thread:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/whats-up-with-all-the-cutbacks.3707861/

Also, Disney is having to dump huge investments into the park right now because so much was neglected over the last 20 or so years. So you could argue they're actually behind.

Epcot is a shell of its glory days (Future World). Animal kingdom wasn't fully realized park when it opened and has been playing catch up since. DHS has had huge sections closed off for a number of years now.

You can see Disney trying to correct some of this, but the cost increases are coming faster than the additions. Many complain Disney is pumping money from the parks to pay for its other failing businesses (e.g., ESPN).

Disney is already seen as an expensive vacation. The cost increases have been far outpacing inflation. Some people are getting priced out, and some people are seeing better value in other vacations.

Those are some of the arguments I've seen in the last few years. Everyone has different tolerances of these things. Your experience may differ.

 

[RRB]

Try this thread:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/whats-up-with-all-the-cutbacks.3707861/

Also, Disney is having to dump huge investments into the park right now because so much was neglected over the last 20 or so years. So you could argue they're actually behind.

Epcot is a shell of its glory days (Future World). Animal kingdom wasn't fully realized park when it opened and has been playing catch up since. DHS has had huge sections closed off for a number of years now.

You can see Disney trying to correct some of this, but the cost increases are coming faster than the additions. Many complain Disney is pumping money from the parks to pay for its other failing businesses (e.g., ESPN).

Disney is already seen as an expensive vacation. The cost increases have been far outpacing inflation. Some people are getting priced out, and some people are seeing better value in other vacations.

Those are some of the arguments I've seen in the last few years. Everyone has different tolerances of these things. Your experience may differ.

I just looked through all 10 pages of the "cutbacks" thread (most of which discusses cost increases, not cuts). Here is everything listed that I could find -

- Permanently closing Rafiki's Planet Watch (later found to be incorrect)
- Cutting actors from ROL
- some Citizens of Hollywood being cut
- Jack Sparrow Pirate Tutorial being cut
- Some other character M&Gs (based on other posts in the same thread, these are changed out, not eliminated)
- Mickey's Backyard BBQ is cut (later confirmed to be relocated due to new hotel construction)
- Reduced extra Magic Hours

There may others that weren't listed but is this really what people are upset about? 4 cuts in all the theme parks combined? This is not a cutback issue, it is a cost increase issue. Like many others have said, each person has to decide if a WDW vacation is right for them. Disney has determined that it needs to improve the product and in order to do that, they have raised prices to pay for those improvements.

 

[Doug M]

Hours cut from AK attractions, hours cut from MK normal schedule in favor of paid events, CMs hours cut reducing ride capacity, probably many others not already mentioned.

 

[Jake]

It’s such a hassle to stay off of property. Yes it cheaper, rooms are bigger. But if you are flying to Disney. You get free buses to hotel, you get Disney buses to parks every 20 ish minutes. It saves you time, you have more time in the parks. If someone wants to go back to hotel they can. Yes I think Disney is out pricing themselves. There bottom line is the most important thing. But when you look at other vacations, they all cost the same. Unless you want to stay at motel 6 and eat Mikey D three times a day. It wii be fun seeing what happens. Everything falls, Sears, Kodak, telephone company, newspapers, even the post office

 

[Planogirl]

I see this comment about Disney spending so much money constantly. Isn't that what all companies do? I've never worked anywhere that wasn't reinvesting profits back into the company to some degree. I never saw the demand for more and more profit at such a level though. Many companies have stockholders. Are such high levels of profit really what all of this is about?

Of course, Disney can and should do whatever it wishes. However I have no intention of worrying about their operating costs any more that I worry about Apple or Texaco or Walmart.