We are there

[SorcererHeidi]

What a wonderful tradition. Would you mind if we borrowed it? We were in Disney the week after 9/11. I still get teary when I remember the barbershop quartet singing "God Bless America" on Main Street and all the guests joining in and crying.

Not at all - I would be honored and touched. I also love to watch/get teary eyed at the Flag Retreat.

 

[disneysteve]

As far as I know, the Magic Kingdom doesn't close before 9:00 very often. Six times a year, maybe?

You're way off.

There are Christmas parties on 21 nights. There are Halloween parties on 34 nights. So that's 55 nights right there -nearly 2 months worth of the year - when the park closes at 7pm to regular guests. There are also various other days when it closes early. Plus, I wouldn't consider 9pm to be that great either. The park used to be routinely open until midnight, at least during the summer months and peak vacation times like spring break.

 

[rteetz]

You're way off.

There are Christmas parties on 21 nights. There are Halloween parties on 34 nights. So that's 55 nights right there -nearly 2 months worth of the year - when the park closes at 7pm to regular guests. There are also various other days when it closes early. Plus, I wouldn't consider 9pm to be that great either. The park used to be routinely open until midnight, at least during the summer months and peak vacation times like spring break.

It’s actually 6PM now. They moved the parade up to 2PM because they want all guests out by 6PM. Party guests can start coming in at 4PM.

 

[leebee]

With inflation, $72 in 2003 is $97 dollars today. I'm not sure what POFQ goes for a night these days, but I'd guess you could find rooms there in the $150 range. It is still more, sure, but there are also extra amenities, such as WiFi.

That stuff is cool and I wish they would bring it back. The only reasons why all/most of the restaurants have the same napkins, etc. is to save a few pennies here and there. I don't think it is worth it...I'd rather every place have something special and unique.

All of the extra stuff is fine, to me. I mean, it is extra. It doesn't take anything away from the "normal" experience.

And I just don't buy the notion that hotel prices are so high.

The DIS just did the 7 in 7 on Coronado Springs. They paid $150 for the room there and it looks like a fabulous room. I've paid $150 dollars for rooms at Double Tree and Hilton hotels in places like Washington DC, Boston, Chicago, and Kansas City that weren't as nice or were just as nice.

For our dates in August, POFQ's cheapest room (std view) is $245 plus tax a night. That's rack rate, but you aren't going to find a 50% discount anywhere. I don't know how the DIS guys got it for $150; they must have had a Florida resident discount and gone at a different time of the year.

That stuff IS cool, and it's part of what made Disney so cool, and such a value. What other places would do that? No place, but Disney. However, they started chip, chip, chipping away at all the cool stuff, to save money, while admissions, food, hotels, etc. continued to go up and up. Heck, I remembered when each country in World Showcase had its own life entertainment. Imagine! An OoomPah band that played in the middle of the German Pavilion (Chicken Dance, anyone?). Living statues in France, lumberjack show in Canada, acrobats in China, belly dancers and musicians in Morocco, etc. There was a character bus that would stop around Epcot and the characters would come out to play. Fantastic light shows timed to music, Lights of Winter, all kinds of amazing things that were. just. there. But now they aren't, and the prices continue to climb.

All the extras don't take away from the normal experience, but it means that those with means have more. I know, I know... if you have it, spend it, sorry to those who don't... but I don't believe that was Walt's original intention when building these parks. Now I KNOW it's the Board's intention, with these parks, to make as much as possible, as quickly as possible, while delivering a minimal experience. Disney isn't what it used to be. It USED to be an expensive vacation, but the value was there. It's still an expensive vacation, but I question the value any longer (which is interesting, as now we can so much more easily afford a Disney vacation).

 

[dina444444]

For our dates in August, POFQ's cheapest room (std view) is $245 plus tax a night. That's rack rate, but you aren't going to find a 50% discount anywhere. I don't know how the DIS guys got it for $150; they must have had a Florida resident discount and gone at a different time of the year.

That stuff IS cool, and it's part of what made Disney so cool, and such a value. What other places would do that? No place, but Disney. However, they started chip, chip, chipping away at all the cool stuff, to save money, while admissions, food, hotels, etc. continued to go up and up. Heck, I remembered when each country in World Showcase had its own life entertainment. Imagine! An OoomPah band that played in the middle of the German Pavilion (Chicken Dance, anyone?). Living statues in France, lumberjack show in Canada, acrobats in China, belly dancers and musicians in Morocco, etc. There was a character bus that would stop around Epcot and the characters would come out to play. Fantastic light shows timed to music, Lights of Winter, all kinds of amazing things that were. just. there. But now they aren't, and the prices continue to climb.

All the extras don't take away from the normal experience, but it means that those with means have more. I know, I know... if you have it, spend it, sorry to those who don't... but I don't believe that was Walt's original intention when building these parks. Now I KNOW it's the Board's intention, with these parks, to make as much as possible, as quickly as possible, while delivering a minimal experience. Disney isn't what it used to be. It USED to be an expensive vacation, but the value was there. It's still an expensive vacation, but I question the value any longer (which is interesting, as now we can so much more easily afford a Disney vacation).

They recorded the 7in7s in late January/early February. If it was on a weeknight the discount off the rack rate can bring the rooms down into that $150 range.

 

[darrengs]

For our dates in August, POFQ's cheapest room (std view) is $245 plus tax a night. That's rack rate, but you aren't going to find a 50% discount anywhere. I don't know how the DIS guys got it for $150; they must have had a Florida resident discount and gone at a different time of the year.

Yes they had a Florida resident discount, and it was a single weekday in February.