High inventory for Easter Break 2020!! A result of the Price Increases?

[JERSEY8CAR]

I was checking the inventory for DVC studios in April (Easter Week) and noticed a large inventory still available at some of the high demand DVC resorts. Usually the only thing available for Easter week within the 7 month window is SSR.

Is the large DVC inventory for Easter Week a result of the price increases? Maybe Disney should repeat the past and offer the AP perk they had for a limited time to DVC members. Remember when they offered DVC members the Platinum Plus AP for the price of lower AP.

 

[Sandisw]

Maybe more schools this year don’t have breaks tied to Easter week? Easter has always been premium rates so I wouldn’t think that would have an impact since it’s always like that...

 

[Delite]

Well that would be scary for bean counters. I'm wondering how many families bought AP for doing two trips a year are now looking at $$$+ a person more and saying nope.

 

[MrsBooch]

I think Easter fell on April 1st last year and this year it's the 21st. Where I live, Spring Break is typically tied to either the last week of March/rolls into the First week of April depending on how early Easter happens. I'm guessing because this year it is so much later, more people are traveling during Spring Break and Easter is off on it's own.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I think the late Easter means some districts that normally tie break to Easter... aren't. Too close to state testing when you're in late April, particularly in the South.

 

[JERSEY8CAR]

Well I guess this may be a result in the drop of bookings for the Premium rate for Easter 2020. The AP black out dates and higher peak park ticket prices (April 4-17, 2020) are keeping people away. Time will tell.... and the reports will show!!

 

[Matty B13]

It seems like the airline tickets are almost double what the regular rates are during Easter week, that's why when our kids spring break falls on Easter that year, we go in February instead of April.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Seems the same to me as it's been the past 4 years or so. We started an annual April trip in 2015. I actually rented some points back in 2016 or maybe it was 2017 and booked a PVB studio over Easter just 4-5 months ahead.

Spring is no comparison to Fall for booking.

 

[drusba]

With one exception, I am not seeing anything out of the usual for Easter week, which is actually a moderate DVC demand time (as are other spring break weeks); it has never been a week where only SSR was open at 7 months out. There are usually many openings although typically a number of rooms do disappear, particularly studios (and lock-off 2BRs). The exception for 2020 is for the end of Easter week, April 16-18. There is clearly higher demand for those nights than for the earlier part of the week. The reason: that's the Star Wars race weekend.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

With one exception, I am not seeing anything out of the usual for Easter week, which is actually a moderate DVC demand time (as are other spring break weeks); it has never been a week where only SSR was open at 7 months out. There are usually many openings although typically a number of rooms do disappear, particularly studios (and lock-off 2BRs). The exception for 2020 is for the end of Easter week, April 16-18. There is clearly higher demand for those nights than for the earlier part of the week. The reason: that's the Star Wars race weekend.

The Star Wars race is why we now go in April. I was not thrilled to see those nights falling in the Easter week season this year.

 

[kniquy]

I think DVC owners tend to want to stretch their points, so those very high point cost times are actually a little slower DVC times. I think the only exception might be thanksgiving, Christmas and NYE.

 

[cvjw]

We never travel during the Easter holiday. It is a combination of the super high number of points needed, the black out dates on the gold passes and the huge crowds at the parks.

Easter visits get a pass from us

 

[kboo]

It seems like the airline tickets are almost double what the regular rates are during Easter week, that's why when our kids spring break falls on Easter that year, we go in February instead of April.

We get Presidents' Week and Easter/Passover Week. Between the 2 I prefer(red) Presidents' Week because of lower point costs, BUT - we were there the past Easter Week and - the crowds were managed really well,* the weather was glorious, and it *might* be worth the extra points costs because it didn't feel super crowded, there were lots of special Easter foods/celebrations, and it was during Flower and Garden Festival, which I always find a little more humane than Food and Wine.

*2 things WDW did very well for managing crowds: opened MK at 8am every day except 1 day for EMH 8-9; had lots of cast members in the blue shirts at kiosks with ipads to help guests with EVERYTHING. They helped guests with everything from directions, to fastpasses, reservations, and overall crowd management. It was very impressive. Also they pin traded. It felt less crowded than Thanksgiving or Presidents' Week.

 

[kboo]

Also: over Easter week, the Grand Floridian smells like chocolate. Over Christmas, it smells like gingerbread. Maybe that's what the point premium gets you?

 

[mustinjourney]

Also: over Easter week, the Grand Floridian smells like chocolate. Over Christmas, it smells like gingerbread. Maybe that's what the point premium gets you?

I was actually disappointed in the gingerbread smell when I was there in December. I prefer the regular smell.

and yes -- I almost yelled at some kids last week to "GET OFF MY LAWN."

 

[Matty B13]

Also: over Easter week, the Grand Floridian smells like chocolate. Over Christmas, it smells like gingerbread. Maybe that's what the point premium gets you?

We would probably have to skip a year at WDW if we went during the Premier Season at VGFl, with those point requirements! Ouch!

 

[kboo]

I was actually disappointed in the gingerbread smell when I was there in December. I prefer the regular smell.

and yes -- I almost yelled at some kids last week to "GET OFF MY LAWN."

Oh, but the chocolate smell is really really good...

We would probably have to skip a year at WDW if we went during the Premier Season at VGFl, with those point requirements! Ouch!

At first I read this to mean you'd have to skip a year because you ate all the chocolate eggs and got in trouble.

I will admit that we all fit rather nicely in a studio for ... 196 points for 6 nights and it was painful committing so many points for ... a studio.

 

[Frederic Civish]

I believe Disney is continuing to gradually approach that price point where more and more people will just say no.

Look at the shakeup announced today, in the management of Disneyland. I don't feel that the low attendance at Disneyland was due to some planning or promotional error on their part. I just think they finally reached a point where they are starting to price themselves out of the market.

At Disneyland, a ONE DAY Park Hopper pass for the 'most popular' days is now approaching $250. For one day. Meanwhile, just up the road at Knott's Berry Farm, a one day adult pass runs between $55 and $85, depending on the day, and how you purchase it. I will admit that Knott's Berry Farm is not Disneyland, but all it is REALLY missing is the 'Disney Mystique.' However, even with that, if you took Knotts Berry Farm and picked it up and put it down across the street from Disneyland and called it the new, "Disneyland Americana Park" people would accept it without question as being part of Disney.

Knotts Berry Farm has a lot of fun rides, activities, shops, stores and 'things' in general. I went to Disneyland three different times this year, in April, May/June and July. As has been documented, DISNEYLAND WAS NOT NEARLY AS CROWDED AT YOU WOULD EXPECT. We also took some time to go to Knotts Berry Farm. Why not? It is so cheap in comparison that we could hardly resist. Some people in our party definitely liked Knotts Berry Farm a lot. Anyway, when we were there, it certainly SEEMED like Knotts Berry Farm was more crowded than Disneyland.

The point is, as Disney gets more and more expensive in general, with prices for just about EVERYTHING that is Disney rising CONSIDERABLY FASTER THAN INFLATION, and, since people have other good options for their entertainment dollar, I think you will start to see more and more of a fall off, in general, of attendance at ALL Disney resorts and parks. And it will gradually get worse.

 

[Matty B13]

I will admit that we all fit rather nicely in a studio for ... 196 points for 6 nights and it was painful committing so many points for ... a studio.

With the 5 of us, we don't quite fit as easily, but then again the reason we bought DVC was for the 1 & 2 bedroom units and not having to pay for 2 hotel rooms.

"At first I read this to mean you'd have to skip a year because you ate all the chocolate eggs and got in trouble."

 

[kboo]

With the 5 of us, we don't quite fit as easily, but then again the reason we bought DVC was for the 1 & 2 bedroom units and not having to pay for 2 hotel rooms.

"At first I read this to mean you'd have to skip a year because you ate all the chocolate eggs and got in trouble."

We are doing Xmas in a 1BR (379 points). We shall see. I am an admitted points miser.