Spin-off Parking fees... switching hotels

[Linkura]

Disney has historically set a precedent and taught us to expect their formerly very high standards and that I will always be treated like a loyal customer and held in high regard. They have taught me that I do deserve an explanation and a gain in value. For decades, that was their model, magic and pixie dust, happy customers will come back and spend more. This whole debacle indicates a change in the winds, that's the unsettling part. As we see more and more fees with less and less effort to justify them, the experience will suffer. Guests will become less forgiving when they feel less special. We are moving in to the late stage of most capitalist corporations cycle. The drive for profit is now consuming their standards for their brand and product. A great example of this is EA games. They've become very corrupted by short term profits and their position in the market has suffered. Now they are seeing the long coming rebellion of their customers. EA sales and stocks are starting to suffer as they've burned up their customer goodwill. It's going to be pretty difficult for them to reverse this damage now. You can only burn bridges so long before you strand yourself.

I don't know that I agree with "should" rise. Will rise, yes, but should? I think Disney is sacrificing their magic and customer satisfaction in the long run for profit now. Many companies do this, and they fall victim to the inertia. People tolerate more than than would normally because of the Disney magic, nostalgia, brand loyalty. Once they do finally turn, it's going to happen far past what it should be "normally" and Disney is going to have to fight that same inertia to win back their customers. Prices will not level off where the market will bear, it will overshoot and correct. Those of us with 401ks know that market inertia is a real thing!

Matt

I made the EA reference in the News thread!!!!

 

[a1tinkfans]

I know exactly how NinjaMom feels. We've done over 25 trips. Stayed at the GF, Poly and YC/BC. Many club level trips.

All the nickel and dimming is finally getting to me. EMH- greatly diminished or an upsell. FP + advantage- now open to Disney Spring resorts also. The fireworks dessert party originally was $30 a person, now $60. Resorts have gotten ridiculously expensive and now the "free" parking is gone.

It just seems like all these things are pushing even die-hard Disney fans away

Sadly, I agree. We re a fla AP holder family..and we ve chosen not to renew.

We ve had so many vacations, quick getaways, family reunions, celebrated everything from birthdays, anniversaries, graduations and even beating Disease ( almost all planned by me for our family/friends).
All stays on site from multi br DVC, CL and just about every resort over the years, im even a stockholder... I’ve just always Believed in Disney, and all the Magic!

But something has changed and tho it started as a slow train... it now feels like a runaway Freight Train of UPcharges and negative changes. ...I have felt overcharged ( mostly room rates and food costs) and nickel and dimed but always tried to justify it based on “past” experiences and wonderful memories.

So yes... there are some out here that have said the latest changes were the final straw.
In the words of my niece, Peace Out!

 

[tinkerbellybutton]

For my family we do not want to stay off site when visiting Disney. I won't go so far as to say we won't go back to Disney because of the parking fees alone. But we also won't book offsite and still visit Disney. Instead we will just take a break from Disney for a while.

We had been visiting Disney at least once a year since 2002, when my kids were 2 years old and 9 months old. We took a nice break from Disney a few years ago for similar feelings on increased costs/decreased service. We took a week long trip Thanksgiving of 2013, and didn't return until Feb. 2017. The only reason we even took the Thanksgiving 2013 trip was because my husbands family did a family trip and I knew I would regret not going with them, otherwise we had decided after our trip in Feb. 2013 that we were done for a while. Instead of our normal one Disney trip and one non Disney trip per year, we either did 2 non Disney trips those years or visited Universal in place of Disney. We actually did 3 consecutive summer trips to Universal in 2015, 2016, 2017, and my kids are saying they are somewhat bummed that we aren't doing Universal this summer. After our upcoming May Disney trip, I think we'll say goodbye to Disney for 3 or 4 years again. It has come to the point that we don't feel, for our family, that Disney is worth the inflated prices they are now charging. We survived no Disney before, we can do it again, while enjoying all the other great places out there!

 

[MuppetFan418]

For the past fifteen years my whole timeline of life revolves around our Disney trips. If someone says "2005" in my mind I think back to what resorts we did that year etc.

I know this is off-topic but my mind works exactly the same way. I don't visit every year but I am constantly categorizing my life by which WDW trips I was between. Glad I'm not the only one.

The recent addition of parking fees has not impacted my future on-site vacation plans (the recent-ish change in pet policy almost did but I've since recovered (mostly)). In fact, we are planning to stay longer than ever next time--we just can't get enough! I won't consider an off-site stay because I've grown too accustomed to things like DxDP, 180+10 ADRs, charging purchases to my MagicBand, and Magical Express. Plus, I love the convenience of the Epcot-area Resorts.

 

[j9isawesome]

I feel ya. A few extra hidden mickeys in the wallpaper isn't enough to entice me to stay onsite anymore. We stay at much nicer "offsite" hotels, with just as many amenities if not more, for a third of the price or less than staying onsite. They're just as close, many offer free shuttles or free parking, and even if they don't it is just a $5-10 uber ride away to any of the parks.

 

[Colleen27]

I have a trip planned for next week, room only reservations, I just booked offsite hotel and saved $100 per night and that’s including all fees. Actual hotel is very similar to what I have book with Disney. Parking fee was the last straw even when It wouldn’t affect us on this trip, I put my foot down. Also canceled all resorts dining. With the money saved will be looking for restaurants options outside the bubble.
Who else have or is contemplating to do the same?

I'm not going that far. I did cancel my "maybe" bounceback booking and am thinking it'll be the Doubletree Disney Springs for our next trip since it is looking like we'll be driving. One room at a moderate, with the parking fee, will be $725+ more expensive than a suite at Disney Springs. That's just not a difference I can justify any more, not when other hotels now get EMH and 60 FP booking. But we'll still spend most of our time in the "Disney bubble" and eat mostly at Disney parks/resort restaurants or in Disney Springs. I haven't seen anything in the immediate area that wows me as far as dining goes, just a lot of national chains, and we're not interested in wasting a ton of time going offsite to eat on our park days. But the state of bus service on the last trip made me really appreciate having a car and it just makes more sense to drive down next time as well, so I am not going to be forking out on a pay-something-for-nothing fee that I can so easily avoid.

 

[Colleen27]

Are the Disney springs hotels cheaper than the values at Disney? We have a stay at all star sports booked for a week that’s $950.

Here's the comparison I put together for our August trip. These are the seven hotels that get EMH and 60 day FPs, because those are the only offsite hotels I'm considering, plus the Disney resorts we'd usually consider. All prices are for a six-night stay on the same dates with resort fees & taxes included. Parking costs are in parenthesis if they were listed on the hotel's booking page.

Best Western, $754.83
Wyndham Garden, $810.67
Hilton Lake Buena Vista, $845.10 ($18 parking)
Doubletree Suites, $903.85 ($22 parking) (suite)
Disney's Pop Century, $946.26 ($13 parking)
Holiday Inn, $984.03 (free parking pkg)
Hilton Buena Vista Palace, $1007.10 ($10 parking)
B Resort, $1206.33 ($22 parking)
Disney's Caribbean Beach or Coronado Springs, $1482.78 ($19 parking)
Disney's Port Orleans, aka the "not a construction site" moderate, $1577.26 ($19 parking)

I'm leaning quite strongly toward the Doubletree myself, because that price is for a one-bedroom suite and the extra space/second sleeping area/second TV would be nice at bedtime since I'm traveling with two teens and a tween.

 

[Floridaman999]

I've never stayed on site and probably never will with the way things are going.

 

[Haley R]

Here's the comparison I put together for our August trip. These are the seven hotels that get EMH and 60 day FPs, because those are the only offsite hotels I'm considering, plus the Disney resorts we'd usually consider. All prices are for a six-night stay on the same dates with resort fees & taxes included. Parking costs are in parenthesis if they were listed on the hotel's booking page.

Best Western, $754.83
Wyndham Garden, $810.67
Hilton Lake Buena Vista, $845.10 ($18 parking)
Doubletree Suites, $903.85 ($22 parking) (suite)
Disney's Pop Century, $946.26 ($13 parking)
Holiday Inn, $984.03 (free parking pkg)
Hilton Buena Vista Palace, $1007.10 ($10 parking)
B Resort, $1206.33 ($22 parking)
Disney's Caribbean Beach or Coronado Springs, $1482.78 ($19 parking)
Disney's Port Orleans, aka the "not a construction site" moderate, $1577.26 ($19 parking)

I'm leaning quite strongly toward the Doubletree myself, because that price is for a one-bedroom suite and the extra space/second sleeping area/second TV would be nice at bedtime since I'm traveling with two teens and a tween.

Maybe it’s just our dates that aren’t much cheaper. I was looking at 10/30-11/6 and didn’t think the Disney springs hotels were much cheaper

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I'm curious what you & others are finding to enjoy for vacation. There is such excitement involved in a Disney vacation & sooooooo many things to see & do & eat, etc. that it's hard for us to find anything that matches that excitement. I'd really love to be able to considering all that's going on with Disney now....

I'm a little late to this thread here so bear with me.

There's a great big beautiful world out there don't be afraid to explore some of it. Keep an open mind about your options. I come from an infrequent Disney visitor's viewpoint but here goes.

2018 Vacation so far:
~4-day ski trip (different place than 2017)

2017 Vacations: *Disclaimer some trips were made easier by having companion pass for me from August 2016-end of December 2017
~4 or 5-day (can't remember exactly) ski trp
~Lake of the Ozarks (not quite vacation vacation to us since it's a popular weekend destination for people in my area to go to during summer months)
~10-days Disney/Universal (used SWA PTS for one ticket and Companion Pass for the other)
~8-day Vegas (3 days paid for by husband's company--business trip extended)
~5-days NYC (2 days paid for by husband's company--business trip extended)

2016
~10-days Hawaii (flew Delta 1 ticket cash 1 SkyMiles pts)
~Used husband's plane ticket to visit him when he was on site in southern Maryland went to D.C. multiple days (lots of Smithsonians), Baltimore, etc ETA: forgot did Capitol building tour complete with going inside the House of Representatives (which was actually in session at that moment and we got to hear Marco Rubio speak on a subject) and the Senate with a tour led by a rep from my State (really really informative tour and it was free)
~Paid out of pocket for plane ticket to visit along with the in-laws up in southern Maryland, went to Mt Vernon, Baltimore (Naval Academy tour), several other places, ETA: forgot did a White House tour (free)
~Used Companion pass to help pack up husband's when he was done on site in southern Maryland went to D.C. again
~Lake of the Ozarks (not quite vacation vacation to us since it's a popular weekend destination for people in my area to go to during summer months)

2015
~Mother-in-law and I drove to visit my husband when he was on site in Katy, TX went to Johnson Space Center among a few other things
~Austin, TX for 7 or 8 days (prior to husband going on site) did ziplining, San Antonio, LBJ Library, etc
~Lake of the Ozarks (not quite vacation vacation to us since it's a popular weekend destination for people in my area to go to during summer months)

2014
~Road trip to Myrtle Beach stopped in Nashville, Asheville (Biltmore Mansion), Myrtle Beach, Savannah

2013
~Plymouth, MA including Salem and Cape Cod
~ETA: How could I forget my honeymoon lol 9-days St. Lucia All-inclusive Sandals resort (that one I do believe was more than Disney/Universal trip taken in 2017 but not by much actually) {ETA: Fixed year--having memory issues here lol}

2012
~Cape Cod also did Six Flags over New England

And the list goes on and I may even be forgetting some things I did in the years above.

All trips were less and sometimes significantly less than Disney was (even if including airfare for the times I flew on Companion Pass)

 

[Monykalyn]

My DD was just accepted for summer alumni DCP-and we will probably be offsite for her check in (won't let her drive 18 hours alone) in May. For her other program we were onsite for check in, and on/off for check out (due to discounts). Got a call from George Kalogridis office in response to email about parking fees. Let them know I have definitely changed plans due to fees. No reason to stay onsite anymore, we are AP holders who can park free at parks, so that isn't an incentive. My impression was they weren't really prepared for the overwhelming amount of negative feedback they got. And as we discovered, other than FoP-we found FP for the two of us for everything else this past week on short notice. Disney has hyped the "must plan in advance" but if you are flexible, it isn't strictly necessary.

I'm leaning quite strongly toward the Doubletree myself, because that price is for a one-bedroom suite and the extra space/second sleeping area/second TV would be nice at bedtime since I'm traveling with two teens and a tween.

Subscribe to Mousesavers if you haven't already. Stayed at DT in January, with waived parking fees. Likely end up here again in May with waived fees. The space is amazing to have with more than a couple people in traveling party!!

Lake of the Ozarks

We are there alot as MiL has 3 (yes 3! trying to sell one, and has Long term renter in one) houses there. Love the Lake!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

We are there alot as MiL has 3 (yes 3! trying to sell one, and has Long term renter in one) houses there. Love the Lake!

It's a great place really. We've been staying near Osage Beach (well really it's Lake Osage just past Lodge of the Four Seasons) for the last couple of years and that's about a 3hr drive from our house.

However, growing up my grandparents lived down there so we visited every summer (I can never remember the mile marker of where they lived). My in-laws (mother-in-law and step-father-in-law) used to own a lake house down there too but sold it prior to me meeting my husband so we've been staying in for rent by owner condos but my father-in-law still owns a lake house in Laurie.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

The bubble is still very much worth it to us. If point rentals didn’t exist I imagine we would feel differently. We’re those suckers who still feel emotionally attached to some of the Disney resorts.

I don’t know that I could justify the price of values/moderates anymore though, we haven’t stayed at those for over 10 years, but I will happily pay similar (or a bit more in some cases) for a studio within walking distance to a park! I would truly rather space trips out more than go without staying in the Epcot area or at BLT. We’re lucky that we can plan far out with little chance of our dates changing, so it works for us. If that changed, I could see moving offsite before paying the crazy rack rates Disney charges.

That said, I think new charges are absolutely ridiculous as are the regular hotel rates. At this point neither apply to us (we’re too far to drive), so our bubble is still intact.

 

[Pinksy]

I always thought the values and even the moderates were really just overdecorated motels

I agree. I hate the themes at the values. Way to busy. ( though AoA looks very nice) The moderates are more tolerable...but even then eh. And the deluxe resorts aren't themed at all in my opinion. WL is themed after a national park. I'm going to Disney...not a national park (WL happens to be my favorite deluxe) But I dont get it. I can go to a cabin anywhere..or a nautical themed place on just about any beach.

 

[crostorfer]

We are going to Portland Oregon this summer and are really excited! We are just beginning our planning. Researching hikes, dining, a trip over to the coast and breweries.

We are hoping to meet friends in Nashville in 2019.

We have several trips planned this summer here in Colorado up in the mountains.

Europe is on my radar and I'm getting dh to at least consider it. Disney and their endless succession of price gouging is making it easier than I had hoped to convince him!

In August I went with my Mom for 7 days in London and a 7 day Scandinavian Cruise. IT WAS AMAZING! When you spend so much time at Disney, you forget that there really is a whole great big world out there. We went to Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, and saw where Walt got his inspiration for the Magic Kingdom. (He ripped off every ride, btw.) We did all the tourist stuff, we wandered through Bruges, Oslo, Copenhagen and London and fell in love with the atmosphere. We stayed in a Verandah Suite on Princess Cruise Lines, and fell asleep with the moonlight bouncing off the ocean. We ate chocolate, and frites, and hot dogs from street carts, and went to fancy dinners and all that jazz. Our hotel room on the South Bank of the Thames overlooked Big Ben and the London Eye. Our other hotel was just across from the British Museum and was so quintessentially British it was insane.

Now, here is the kicker. We planned 18 months ahead and took advantage of deals. We flew round trip from Seattle to London for $500 a person. We got a great cruise deal from early booking and got $250 a piece room credits on top of that. We joined Club Carlson rewards and got a killer deal on the Penthouse Suite, and looked off the beaten path and found the Montegue at the Gardens, which may be the most charming little hotel in London. Cheap! Two weeks in London, and the cruise, with all the bells and whistles, cost me less money than just for my teenage daughter and I to fly to Disney World and stay in a deluxe for 5 days, with tickets and dining.

After experiencing that, Disney has significantly lost its value to me.

 

[PaulaSB12]

Yes, this ^^^....We have stayed offsite (at family’s home and hotel offsite). It’s not the same for us. We also like being in the Disney bubble and forgetting about everything else. We have only rented a car once....and didn’t use it.

I agree I go solo and feel safer in the bubble than out of it. I stopped going to sea world (before blackfish by a couple of years because of their treatment of orcas dolphins etc) I go to universal for a couple of days but am a roller coaster wimp so a couple of days is enough. The last two times I hired a car it spent most of the time in the car park so use taxis or this time Uber to get to Universal for the next trip. If they charge for dime I will just use the virgin free transport instead. I like the dining plan, and will be doing one after hours and one mnsshp party. I am hoping to go back to Pop Century next Christmas as it’s really fun at Christmas

 

[bloomcruisers]

Sorry in advance for what will probably turn into a bit of rambling but a lot leads up to my conclusion.

My family has a 30+ year history of almost annual visits to WDW. We stayed at the Poly back when the only onsite options were that and the Contemporary. We stayed for a week in September every other year and for a shorter Thanksgiving trip in the alternate years. We eventually decided that we couldn't justify the Poly cost. Since there were only 2 parks back then, MK and Epcot; we always also did SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, and Universal after it opened. So since we were out of the bubble anyway, we switched to less expensive offsite properties. That worked fine for us for years.

After the mods opened and the newer WDW parks were added, we came back with the Carribean Beach being our resort of choice. The only years we missed a trip were some years when our kids HS sports coaches would not allow them to miss that week in September (schools are closed for the week but sports continue). I don't remember any major issues with those stays except the most recent where we had paid in advance for a water view room and were given very late access to our room in spite of arriving at 7 am. Then being assigned a parking lot view with no mention that we had paid for the higher grade. When I went back and questioned it, they said they had nothing else available and gave some minimal credit back to the room. Bus service experience that trip was also horrible. We ended up driving everywhere. Gave us incentive to consider the values.

Last fall we moved to Florida and were elated at the ability to buy a reasonable AP and visit throughout the year. So far we've made 4 weekend trips staying at values. Since the weather in winter isn't really conducive for using the pool facilities we figured we'd save a bit. But our hotel experiences and trip experiences in general have been a major letdown. Our first surprise was no coffee pots in rooms. Really? Motel 6 gives you a coffee pot. But we were paying over $150 per night here for 2 adults and 2 children (the grands). Our room was never ready on arrival and we never got notified when it was, though they always said we would be. Though I completed checkin online, I still had to go to the desk on arrival. Some of our magic bands did not work for the door (I apparently have too many bands for MDE to handle). Another trip back to reception. Upon reaching the room on arrival after a full park day and long wait at checkin, with 4 people wanting to use the bathroom immediately we find not 1 square of toilet paper in the room. And no box of tissues to use as a substitute. Again, Really? Waiting for toilet paper to arrive at 11pm is not fun.
Parks saw crazy crowds and long lines even for fast pass. Multiple broken down rides that totally disrupt the schedule I spent hours putting together months before. Lines for QS food had us going hungry and starting to carry a backpack full of snacks. AK being the worst for the food since in spite of the crowds all the street food kiosks closing early (I believe it was 5:00).

I have a long trip planned next month staying at the campgrounds. This will be a first for us but thought the grands would enjoy it, and their parents will be joining us for part of it, exact days as yet to be determined due to work schedules. With the campgrounds, our changing headcount each day isn't an issue vs needing different numbers of rooms for different days. And though I'm not spending a fortune on a deluxe room, we will be spending plenty on meals as we always eat most meals on site with no dining plan. I've spent countless hours planning this with 3 character meals and other QS and TS meals including Cali Grill Sunday Brunch and BOG for a group of up to 7 people. That in addition to all the FP+ scheduling which is now giving me headaches worrying about trying to wing it when we hit the crowds, broken rides and long lines which from reading here seem to be the new norm.

So in spite of that, since we have the APs I tried to schedule some additional trips about a month ago. I called and asked about potential campsite availability for later in the year but got laughed at, that Nov and Dec book up 499 days in advance. What? Seriously?
Okay, I'll try next spring. Sure, I can book a tent site for $150 per night. Again, what? I'm looking for a patch of ground to put my own tent on. No housekeeping, coffee pot, towels or bed linens, walk to a comfort station for toilet and shower, $2 per bag of ice, etc. So no thanks.
I switched back to November. I'm looking for the best deal at a value for the week before Thanksgiving. I tell the CM, I am a Florida resident, AP holder, with a Disney Visa card. I ask which will offer the best deal for that week. Sorry, I'm told there are no deals for any of those. I can have a standard room at All Star for $160+ per night. But she says I can book now and keep watching so that if deals become available , I can call and get it changed. They will not automatically apply it. So I have to add something else to obsess about in addition to ADRs and FP+ scheduling, now also monitor for room rate changes. Sorry is right.

If I look at booking a room at a Marriott, Hilton, or essentially any other hotel brands, I get discounted room rates listed right on the page. Discounts for loyalty program members, AAA, AARP, prepay in advance, plus any random promotions they may have going on such as extra nights or free breakfasts. Plus we can earn and use loyalty points for future stays. That seems to be industry standard. But apparently not with Disney. You have to play their games and waste your time to not get any more royally ripped off for their overpriced rooms with lower and lower service quality.

So, I had booked the $160+ All Star room with the plan to monitor for discount in spite of feeling taken advantage of. But after the parking fee announcement, I have rethought my future plans. I'm not playing the fool for them anymore. I called yesterday and cancelled even though the fee would not apply because the reservation was made before the fee added date. I will look for an offsite property for that stay and will have to do some heavy thinking about whether to renew my AP.

 

[Colleen27]

Subscribe to Mousesavers if you haven't already. Stayed at DT in January, with waived parking fees. Likely end up here again in May with waived fees. The space is amazing to have with more than a couple people in traveling party!!

Thanks for the tip. I do subscribe but don't always read their newsletters because we have stuck with on-site resorts and package tickets in the past. I'll keep a closer eye on it now because we're tenatively planning for Aug on a relatively tight budget (compared to our usual on-site/moderate resort/deluxe dining travel style) and between the cost difference and the extra space the Doubletree looks very, very good. And since I', an AP holder, parking at the parks doesn't cut into the savings.

 

[pattyw]

We're trying the Swan hotel for a couple of days on a Memorial weekend trip. We start out at the Hard Rock Universal and end at the Swan. We won't be renting a car so the parking fees at both hotels don't affect us- but the rise in prices, drastic drop in service has driven us away from onsite Disney stays. We are Marriott members and SPG members so we'll get points at the Swan. Another plus!!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Disney has historically set a precedent and taught us to expect their formerly very high standards and that I will always be treated like a loyal customer and held in high regard. They have taught me that I do deserve an explanation and a gain in value. For decades, that was their model, magic and pixie dust, happy customers will come back and spend more. This whole debacle indicates a change in the winds, that's the unsettling part.

Matt

Agree, but I'd say it slightly differently. Disney has long billed itself as a premium quality brand; think of the Mickey ice cream bars, literally labeled "premium." They've sold themselves as the best of the best.

Disney World Vacation Club promise to deliver "world class service-to ensure your family has the best vacation possible," for the duration of he DVC contract.

(Personally, the advent of DVC (pre-buying on that promise) made me nervous that the preselling would lead to a diminished quality product. There's always a temptation to cut back on a the product after you've already made the sale.