Can we talk WDW price inflation???

[Jrb1979]

Regarding the entitlement, I get it. Disney is as much as aspiration as a white picket fence. It's something that middle class families are expected to be able to afford.

Right now I think they are changing their model to increase first time visitors but not aim for repeat trips. They have scaled back on those touches that make it feel like a value. It takes you out of the magic mode, and guests who aren't diehards might make this a one and done. Costs reflect that.

Am I the only one that loves what is happening?

 

[Beer Me]

Am I the only one that loves what is happening?

You might be. What is it that you love about steep price increases?

 

[Jrb1979]

You might be. What is it that you love about steep price increases?

I don't love the steep price increases. I love seeing the top dog get beaten.

 

[Br'er Rabbit is the Best]

All for an over priced Motel 6. It's unbelievable that would will refinance their house so they can stay in the "bubble".

I travel quite a bit for work and for the most part a hotel room is a hotel room. The rooms at the all stars are just fine and the price isn’t outrageous. I think tickets and genie+ are the main drivers here.

 

[Jrb1979]

I travel quite a bit for work and for the most part a hotel room is a hotel room. The rooms at the all stars are just fine and the price isn’t outrageous. I think tickets and genie+ are the main drivers here.

Compared to most offsite hotels it's outrageous.

 

[Br'er Rabbit is the Best]

Compared to most offsite hotels it's outrageous.

Not really. I just priced it out for room only and it’s about $1,119. The closest Hilton garden in for the same period at a semi-flex cancellable rate is $1,091. The closest Hilton is $1,194. There are certainly some cheaper hotels nearby but it’s certainly in the ballpark considering the benefits of staying there (magicband usage, early entry, multiple pools, free theme park shuttle, etc.) I’ve never regretted any of my all-star stays.

 

[courtney1188]

My husband and I stayed at the Contemporary with a fireworks view and the deluxe dining plan for six nights on our honeymoon and paid under 4K. We had a pin code, but still! That was 10 years ago, but the amount Disney prices have increased waaaaayyyyy surpasses standard inflation.

 

[nashvilleash]

Just priced out our annual trip at the GF for 5- the price for 2022 is 1,350 more for the exact same room, exact same dates. That is just the room nothing more. I would understand a little if WDW had everything back, but it is still lacking experiences that we are longing for and I am having a hard time justifying the extra funds for the watered down version of the parks.

 

[Gr8scott]

Everything is getting more expensive these days as inflation is rampant in so many areas. My Wife and I were married in the Wedding Pavilion at the Grand Floridian, reception at the Boardwalk, have multiple DVC contracts, and have always been willing to spend extra for the higher quality Disney provides. What concerns me the most relative to Disney price increases is the simultaneous drop in quality, and niceties cutting that previously separated Disney from the rest of the pack.

The fact of the matter is we are getting far less at the same time paying much more. This leaves us seriously considering selling our DVC contracts and looking elsewhere for vacation plans moving forward. We just returned from a nine night visit staying at Bay Lake and Animal Kingdom and are uncertain right now as to when we will return unless we start hearing some positive news. It’s not that we can’t afford it but after our last visit we left with a feeling of being taken advantage of. Just my 0.02.

 

[Vaughn4380]

It’s not that we can’t afford it but after our last visit we left with a feeling of being taken advantage of.

This is a common theme I am hearing from family and friends that used to go to the World multiple times a year. My wife and I also made the decision to hold off for a few years after our last trip. I am curious to see if enough people feel this way to effect Disney's bottom line, or if new customers will step up and pay.

 

[jpeterson]

This is a common theme I am hearing from family and friends that used to go to the World multiple times a year. My wife and I also made the decision to hold off for a few years after our last trip. I am curious to see if enough people feel this way to effect Disney's bottom line, or if new customers will step up and pay.

If we start seeing reports of lower than expected crowds that will tell us a lot. Right now things are still pretty busy.

 

[jade1]

I don't love the steep price increases. I love seeing the top dog get beaten.

My fear is the top dog doesn't concur.

 

[Kmilos1024]

Here's the reason I think this is a bubble that may burst in a few years Their main target is families with kids. In the past that has always been the baby boomer generation , so the next generation that Disney will need to target are the millennials. There is a problem with their pricing structure for Millennials. Speaking as a millennial most like myself who make good money, are more focused on putting money aside for kids college funds and retirement, and paying for childcare, healthcare etc., after that there isn't a ton left for a Disney vacation.

Since Disney has become astronomically higher than most other vacation destinations, my money will go farther at many other places. By the time I have more disposable income my kids will be grown and will most likely want to go to Universal. If there are many like me which I suspect there are, then one would think there will be a massive gap of time when the boomers are no longer physically able to go and the millenials can't afford it or won't pay for it, and this is when the bubble would burst. I believe we are still a few years off from this, but I think it is coming and Disney is playing a dangerous game with the nickle and diming and higher pricing than most other vacation destinations, all while taking away so much that made it a "magical place".

It's going to be interesting to watch once things are back to normal in a few years.

 

[Lumpy1106]

DW and I made our first trip to WDW together in '93. The period between Thanksgiving and Christmas WDW used to be a ghost town, so there were lots of great deals to be had. Being new college grads we did it on the cheap, and paid $385 per person. We found the deal in the travel section of the LA Times - not exactly a secret. It included this;

• RT airfare from LAX on Delta
• a (cheap) hotel room in Kissimmee (it was fine), 4 nights
• a (cheap) rental car (a 3 cylinder Ford Fiesta as I recall)
• 4 day park tickets, including park hopper and waterparks

It was dang-near perfect for our first ever as a couple, true vacation. I shudder to even run the numbers on what that would cost now.

 

[Lumpy1106]

This is a common theme I am hearing from family and friends that used to go to the World multiple times a year. My wife and I also made the decision to hold off for a few years after our last trip. I am curious to see if enough people feel this way to effect Disney's bottom line, or if new customers will step up and pay.

This is what we are doing. We are DVC and won't be back until summer '23 - at least.

 

[jpeterson]

Here's the reason I think this is a bubble that may burst in a few years Their main target is families with kids. In the past that has always been the baby boomer generation , so the next generation that Disney will need to target are the millennials. There is a problem with their pricing structure for Millennials. Speaking as a millennial most like myself who make good money, are more focused on putting money aside for kids college funds and retirement, and paying for childcare, healthcare etc., after that there isn't a ton left for a Disney vacation.

Since Disney has become astronomically higher than most other vacation destinations, my money will go farther at many other places. By the time I have more disposable income my kids will be grown and will most likely want to go to Universal. If there are many like me which I suspect there are, then one would think there will be a massive gap of time when the boomers are no longer physically able to go and the millenials can't afford it or won't pay for it, and this is when the bubble would burst. I believe we are still a few years off from this, but I think it is coming and Disney is playing a dangerous game with the nickle and diming and higher pricing than most other vacation destinations, all while taking away so much that made it a "magical place".

It's going to be interesting to watch once things are back to normal in a few years.

Man, everybody forgets about us Gen X'ers. I would actually think their current target would be Gen X, with Millennials coming right behind. Gen X is currently all 40+, so they are families with kids but soon those kids will all be leaving home. I do think you are correct that this will be an interesting transition for them.

 

[Gr8scott]

If we do end up keeping our contracts we likely will use the Disney World Location as a launching pad to do other things (Universal, Golf, Kennedy Space Center) or visit the other locations like Vero Beach, Hilton Head, and Aulani. Even though we just activated the highest level annual pass (Incredi-Pass) we likely won’t return to the parks or renew for the foreseeable future. We do still like the rooms, but have noticed a drop off in quality of stay there too. Not anything egregious, just a bunch of small things that added up.

The thing about DVC is that there still seems to be a demand in the resale market meaning if we drop others will take our place so Disney won’t see it in their bottom line. In fact as the buyer won’t get DVC discounts due to Disney’s resale policy so in the end it likely would to boost their profits, albeit a small percentage. The inflation is coming from both ends (higher price/lower quality = lower value) and it will be interesting to see where it peaks and affects crowds but for us I think this time has already passed.

 

[Jrb1979]

Man, everybody forgets about us Gen X'ers. I would actually think their current target would be Gen X, with Millennials coming right behind. Gen X is currently all 40+, so they are families with kids but soon those kids will all be leaving home. I do think you are correct that this will be an interesting transition for them.

In theory that sounds good. If those families are anything like my sister's family, they have no interest in Disney anymore. Her kids are 12 and 13 and are more into parks like Cedar Point.

 

[jpeterson]

In theory that sounds good. If those families are anything like my sister's family, they have no interest in Disney anymore. Her kids are 12 and 13 and are more into parks like Cedar Point.

Yeah. I agree. The upper end of gen x is already aging out. The lower end is still prime family target.

 

[shafke]

No matter how I slice it Disney is becoming way more expensive even after adjusting for inflation.
Going back to at least 2000 Disney has consistently raised prices at twice the rate of inflation.
In checking from 2010, the average inflation rate is about 2.5%. Based on 2010 1 day ticket prices the average today should be about 103.
I did that math based on this years ticket calendar. I haven't been paying too much attention but really, 19 different rates. The average daily ticket price over the year was 134 which would be inline with 5% per year since 2010-twice the inflation rate. Even the lowest cost ticket was still 3% year over year.
Add in the costs that have been broken out of the base price... ie: if you are going to a theme park it now costs you money just to set foot on the property via either resort parking, airport transportation now that magical express is no longer included, or parking at the theme park. (only one of these does Disney not receive any revenue but it still is an expense for the guest).