Price gouging

[Shanna-like-Banana]

I’m curious as to when they will feel that enough money is enough.

The gap between having enough and wanting more may never close

 

[focusondisney]

I really hope I’m not upsetting anyone over this issue besides Disney corporate executives. It’s just that they are phasing out people could barely afford to come here to begin with. Thankfully me and my family do not fall under that category but I know a lot of families who would really like to enjoy these parks but you cannot afford it and again that is sad .

Lots of families have never been able to afford a Disney vacation. My family couldn’t when I was young, nor my DH’s. Both my parents worked & we still couldn’t afford it. We have relatives with young kids now who unfortunately can’t afford it. There are lots of luxury extras average families can’t afford. And that is what a Disney vacation is: a luxury extra.

You feel bad for families who used to be able to afford a luxury: a Disney vacation. But there are millions of kids in this country whose parents struggle to afford necessities. They will never be able to afford luxuries, whether it is a top of the line SUV, huge new build house or a Disney vacation. Our local tv station does an annual “fill a backpack” promotion to give school supplies to hundreds of kids whose parents can’t afford them. And our newspaper does a holiday toy drive for kids who wouldn’t get gifts otherwise.

These families aren’t being “phased out” from Disney vacations, they were never “in”. There are things in this life that are out of reach of many people. That doesn’t make it price gouging. It’s just life in a free market economy.

 

[Darcy03231]

Prices won't go anywhere but up as long as people pack the parks. If you don't want to pay the prices, either don't go, go less frequently or for shorter periods of time. You can also off-set costs by staying off-site and eating meals off-site.

We used to be yearly (and sometimes 2-3x per year) visitors. After two disappointing back to back trips we decided enough was enough and started exploring other vacation options. Imagine my surprise when I found I could go to other countries, spend longer periods of time, see/do amazing things, eat wonderful food and stay in true luxury hotels, all for less than what a week at a value resort and counter-service meals cost! I also found that I didn't miss WDW as much as I thought I would. There's a big world out there to explore.

We still go to WDW, but now it's more of an add on to an existing vacation. DH and I spent two days in the parks after a cruise in 2017, mostly so he could see Pandora (he's a huge Avatar fan). We'll probably go back once Star Wars is finished (he's fan of that too), but will most likely do it as an add-on to another vacation.

Guess what - - Disney doesn't care that they lost our vacation dollars because someone else was right there to take our place. It won't be until people stop going that they'll do anything about higher prices.

 

[LizzyS]

I'm really tired of seeing posts about greed when I'd bet the people who make those statements haven't thought about what it takes, money-wise, to run a theme park/mega-resort. How can you say it's pure greed and know that unequivocally? Have you examined Disney's financial statements, which are public for everyone to see?

Previous posters are right in that a Disney vacation is a luxury, not a right. There are many things I'd like to have or do if I could afford it, but I can't and that's life. Go less often. Do it more budget-friendly.

Disney's not the only company that raises prices, they pretty much all do.

 

[Searc]

I'm really tired of seeing posts about greed when I'd bet the people who make those statements haven't thought about what it takes, money-wise, to run a theme park/mega-resort. How can you say it's pure greed and know that unequivocally? Have you examined Disney's financial statements, which are public for everyone to see?

Previous posters are right in that a Disney vacation is a luxury, not a right. There are many things I'd like to have or do if I could afford it, but I can't and that's life. Go less often. Do it more budget-friendly.

Disney's not the only company that raises prices, they pretty much all do.

Disney made $13 BILLION in pure profit in 2017. It's greed.

 

[LizzyS]

https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2017/12/05/disney-fiscal-2017-in-review/#503901ad263f

Do remember that Disney's a large company consisting of different divisions and it's more complicated than just the theme parks segment. Expansions, refurbs, etc., also cost money, which are things I see people complain about regarding the theme parks all the time. This is a highly complicated company and we are not privy to every detail.

I have a business degree and I respect the fact that business decisions are tough and may not always make sense to the consumer.

 

[slpeters]

Disney made $13 BILLION in pure profit in 2017. It's greed.

I don't quite see how the raw figure necessarily says anything in particular about the motivation or even the methods. The company I work for had net profits of $24 billion in the same period. So does that make us almost twice as greedy?

 

[kaytieeldr]

Disney made $13 BILLION in pure profit in 2017. It's greed.

Big deal. Even if this has been the 2016 figure, Disney would not have even cracked the top ten (purely) profitable companies http://fortune.com/2017/06/07/fortune-500-companies-profit-apple-berkshire-hathaway/

 

[hsmamato2]

I think my point was not the entire economy crashing, but a large part of the population stops planning Disney trips 1) b/c they've already gone and 2) b/c they have been,and even tho they like it,they can clearly see the cost isn't living up to the media hype(social and otherwise).....
Kind of like how todays visitors are streaming in based on long held dreams and plans from the past few years..... but once that cycles thru,and prices continue to skyrocket while the experience itself diminishes (and it has,see above two points) ...THEN I predict a slowdown of influx of visitors. Maybe even enough to see some stepping up on Disney's part again to either match the price to the experience or lower the prices accordingly. (I have my own personal 'diminishments' in the experience lately,I;m sure we each have our own)

 

[kaytieeldr]

Kind of like how todays visitors are streaming in based on long held dreams and plans from the past few years..... but once that cycles thru

I disagree. The vast, fast majority of current and future visitors to because of excellent marketing on Disney's part. As the world population increases, so will the number of WDW visitors.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

Disney was never meant to be affordable, I have been going once or twice a year since I was a kid in the 80s and even back then it was not affordable to many people. It's a luxury vacation, even if you are staying in the values. When will enough be enough? Never. I just posted this on another board, we book our vacation while still on vacation and we have been booked for a year now. My mother in law decided to join us at the last minute for a couple days of our vacation. We are staying at the Grand Floridian for a couple weeks in the Royal Palm Club and the price is around 1000.00 a night. THERE WAS NOT ONE ROOM AVAILABLE FOR HER?!?! There are people that pay THOSE prices, so there is no lack of people wanting to go. I finally got her a place at the Poly but it took a few calls and moving her dates around a few times. Dining this late in the game? Forget about it. She had to pick and choose from a sad list of what was left for her and my sister in law. This just goes to show that no matter what the price, people will always pay it. They raise the price because there is no VALUE season anymore, there seems to be a crushing of people no matter where you go and what season you go. If they made it cheaper, it would be more crowded and the lines would be more insane and people would complain more and more.

Something is worth what people will pay and people are paying. You can book a resort 499 days out and before each trip to a resort, we spend a week at the Fort and we book that trip 499 days out and I can barely get in there. This year before we get to the Grand, when we are at the Fort, I have FIVE reservations because I had to piece it together in chunks. Even the 'cheapest' resort is still insane to get into!

 

[davecold]

My kids all are considered adults at Disney, since my last trip. Scared to start pricing our next trip!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Dining this late in the game? Forget about it. She had to pick and choose from a sad list of what was left for her and my sister in law.

Off topic, but have her check again the day before. People frequently hold reservations that long. She will probably have to check each day, but good chance she can eat at some places she wants If she's successful, remind her to be sure to cancel her original reservations.

 

[Hikergirl]

Disney made $13 BILLION in pure profit in 2017. It's greed.

Their stock was down the other day, you should have bought some
Or at least look at the things companies do with their profits.

 

[Dakota731]

Kind of like how todays visitors are streaming in based on long held dreams and plans from the past few years..... but once that cycles thru

Nope I’m steaming in because I got a long awaited grandchild! As long as people keep having kids and grandchildren then WDW will remain a coveted place to visit.

 

[ShannyDoesDisney]

When I was a kid my family had to save for years to afford a Disneyworld vacation. But the price has jumped a lot faster than salaries and has become out of reach for many more than before.
I also think if im paying $500+ a night for a room that paying for parking is annoying. If it was in a large city or a place where real estate is insanely expensive then I would understand.
Who wants to feel nickel and dimed?
I'm sure we will take our kids still but will happily travel other places where I feel offers more value (other cultures etc)

 

[Dakota731]

Next time you have a house to sell and it’s worth $300,000 then you should sell it for $20,000 so everyone can afford it. Don’t be greedy and try to make a profit.

 

[Nebraska_Disney]

Would people rather Disney just call it a resort fee instead of a parking fee? When you pay thousands to go to WDW, it is a choice. Paying for parking(or whatever) is part of that vacation.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Would people rather Disney just call it a resort fee instead of a parking fee? When you pay thousands to go to WDW, it is a choice. Paying for parking(or whatever) is part of that vacation.

Well paying for overnight parking at the resorts when you're an on-site guest wasn't part of that vacation til this year.

 

[halfpintpeggy]

Would people rather Disney just call it a resort fee instead of a parking fee? When you pay thousands to go to WDW, it is a choice. Paying for parking(or whatever) is part of that vacation.

No, I doubt that calling it a, "resort fee" would sit well with people. Everyone knows that the parking fee & the resort fee are already bundled into the cost of the over priced rooms at WDW.