Who else feels the price of Disney is not bad considering what you get

[elaine amj]

I am one of those who thinks it is not too bad. I HATE paying higher ticket pruces. But for now, despite the fact that I am a complete cheapskate, Disney hasn't priced me out yet. $150/day is still fair value for all the entertainment I get (of course I pay much less as I get multiday tickets). At $50/day, it is almost cheap!

 

[Carlymouse]

Agree with OP, @westie55 and @elaine amj. Like most people, I'm never happy about price increases, and I sympathize with those who have been regular AP passholders and just saw a HUGE increase. I didn't go to Disney for many years and only recently got the bug as an adult, so I have only known it as a large expense, but haven't felt the increase in a personal way. However, when I think about what I get out of a day, and comparable experiences for the price, I still think it's worth the price. I am not a rope drop to park close person either- I'm happy to show up relatively early, plan out my FPs, and then see what else I can take advantage of- shows, atmosphere and food are part of the experience. After that, enjoying the resorts is fine, and/or returning for a late dinner or show. Hopefully we'll all have a little pixie dust the next few years though and the annual increases can slow down a bit? I won't hold my breath.

 

[cakebaker]

It's as reasonable as any other comparable vacation for us. It costs a lot of money to go, but it costs us a lot of money to go anywhere else we're interested in. It doesn't matter to me what something costs or how good a bargain it is if I don't want to do it. Food is crazy expensive, but it is at any theme park anywhere. We don't waste the time and money on sit down dining anymore and food is the one area we're willing to cut back on- ordering kids meals when we can saves a ton of money and allows us to do the things we love like dessert buffets and after hours events. I understand that not everyone can take the price increases, but I don't think they're outrageous either. I don't think making Disney affordable for everyone in the world is a reasonable goal. There are a lot of things in this world I can't afford, that doesn't mean the pricing on them is insane, it just means I can't afford them. AP's, even at the new prices, can still save a small fortune. I will have gotten 4 trips totaling 23 days by the time my current one expires- that's a pretty low cost per day not even counting what I saved in room, food and merchandise discounts along with no additional cost for Memory Maker.

 

[robinb]

I'm just saying, people spend $200 to go see a live concert for two hours or a professional baseball game for a few hours yet $150 for a day of unlimited ride attractions, shows, parades, fireworks and taking pictures with characters is too much for a 12 hour day.
Does anyone else agree or I'm I the only one?

But it’s not unlimited. It’s limited by the crowds on the day you go and your ability to get FPs. Staying offsite? Good luck with that 30 day FP window. Going between Christmas and New Years? Good luck even walking through the parks not to mention getting on the rides or seeing the characters. And, to add insult to injury, Disney cranks up the price because it’s a “popular time” and ... well ... they can.

If $150 bought me complete walk ons for 12 hours I’d agree with you. Sadly,$150 buys 3 crappy 3rd tier FPs and long lines.

 

[pahoben]

I'm just saying, people spend $200 to go see a live concert for two hours or a professional baseball game for a few hours yet $150 for a day of unlimited ride attractions, shows, parades, fireworks and taking pictures with characters is too much for a 12 hour day.
Does anyone else agree or I'm I the only one?

There may not be any companies that do marketing better than Disney. I guarantee you that Disney had a lot of solid data that supported these price increases that showed higher revenue with increased prices (the lost revenue from people who decided not to go because of higher prices much smaller than the increased revenue for the people that continued to go and paid the new price differential).

As Cakebaker noted there are a lot of significant expenses for a Disney vacation that your incur for any travel vacation. You have transportation to and from and hotel and food that are incurred in any event so people are not that sensitive to park admission price increase.

I am sure that Disney has very good data that shows when everyone does vote with their wallet they will still come out with higher revenue.

 

[fhtpdw20]

I think it also depends on how long you have been going to the parks. Those who have been going for years see the erosion of benefit vs the ever-increasing pricing and up-selling of what use to be free. The first time visitor would not be aware of the change. I am now a widow and my son is grown. For me to go solo costs as much and in some cases more than it did when we went as a family of three not too long ago.

 

[cakebaker]

I think it also depends on how long you have been going to the parks. Those who have been going for years see the erosion of benefit vs the ever-increasing pricing and up-selling of what use to be free. The first time visitor would not be aware of the change. I am now a widow and my son is grown. For me to go solo costs as much and in some cases more than it did when we went as a family of three not too long ago.

As with all things, that doesn't apply to everyone. We've been going since 1987. There has been some erosion of benefits, mostly to on site guests, but there were a lot of negatives in the early years as well. For me, the improvements far outweigh the losses.

 

[vacationer1954]

The question has to be, "What are you going to do instead?" Then you can compare the experience and the price to that. If you find better alternatives, then visit there instead. Otherwise, you have your answer: Disney is the best.

 

[monica9]

I disagree with you. When you go to a concert or baseball game. That's what you get. A two hour concert, you are seeing a two hour (or close to it) concert. When you go to a game, you usually see a whole game (even if rain delays).

At Disney you pay and literally spend (sometimes) hours to wait in line for a,2-3 minute ride. You can wait for a ride, and it close due to "technical" difficulties. You plan months in advance for rides you are interested in, only to find out that repairs are needed, or its in the way of construction, so closed.

You stand in lines to meet characters, even with fast passes. You are standing in a way over crowded area to see fireworks and parades. Again, becAuse it is over crowded you "need" to arrive early for a decent spot. Taking away from that 12 hour time frame of enjoying anything.

Disney has been over selling tickets to enter the parks. I believe last time I heard MK can hold 50,000 guests at a time!

You may believe you get unlimited rides, attractions, etc. but with waiting in extended lines you dont. On a good day you might get 10-15 attractions.

Waiting in line for an hour (and some rides have entertainment while you wait) to see your child's face while on the ride or seeing the princess to take a picture, definitely priceless!

 

[monica9]

Disney is not that bad but



You are VASTLY overpaying. I have season tickets few rows behind home plate for a MLB team ($60-$70 a person depending on the game) and can go to music festival with premiere talent (free tickets I could get).

Your $200 analogy is comparable to staying Deluxe at rack rate with a dining plan and buying your tickets through Disney direct. The whole time ignoring ways to vastly save money.

Again I am okay with Disney's prices but comparing it to a sports game or concert will come out as Disney being vastly overpriced in comparison.

To be clear as an example I could have easily went for free to a music festival tonight with Ludacris, Third Eye Blind, Jimmy Eat World, Silverstein, Chicago, and more (and that's just tonight 1 day out of 11).
[/QUOTE
You get what you pay for regardless of what you are doing. Everywhere over charges. Look at daycares. Ridiculous!

 

[stephk1981]

Prices go up every year, I understand why and that it's part of a growing business. I don't know exact percentages...but I believe others have posted the annual passes went up by almost 25 or 26 percent?!! That is outrageous. I expect resorts & tickets to increase by maybe 5-8 percent each year, but a 25 percent hike really upset me. We have been AP holders for 7 years....I won't renew.

 

[scionchigirl]

Ive spent a LOT of $ on wdw trips for my family the past 14 years, since the 1st trip we took in 2005 that I scrimped and saved for. Some of our best family memories have been spent at wdw. With that in mind, many of our best memories were "free" and pixie dust due to the fact we are an outgoing family (both dh and ds are actors) and put ourselves "out there"...Ive paid for some extra experiences over the years like MNSSHP/MVMCP, Dine with an Imagineer and fireworks parties.I'd have less issues if wdw didnt cut things that add value like streetsmosphere actors,the ability of castmembers to give away freebies,etc...parking fees at resorts,more hard ticket events.If I see more "erosion" of "the magic" in November when I go,this will be my last trip until my now-young adult kids have kids and my grandma genes kick in.

 

[Brett Wyman]

We tend to think of the park ticket and AP ticket increases as pure greed, which is definitely part of it, but remember Disney is also attempting to control crowds in the park. When the crowds eventually thin out, due to recession or others reasons, the increases will slow down. But right now the people just keep coming.

 

[Disneylover99]

We tend to think of the park ticket and AP ticket increases as pure greed, which is definitely part of it, but remember Disney is also attempting to control crowds in the park. When the crowds eventually thin out, due to recession or others reasons, the increases will slow down. But right now the people just keep coming.

It is pure greed but I’m not certain Disney is attempting to control crowds.

Just look at MNSSHP as an example. Prices go up every year. Fair enough. Nobody knows for certain how many tickets they can sell per party, but every year the speculation is that the cap has gone up. They know people will continue to buy, so they will continue to increase prices and the number of tickets sold.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I don't think they are trying to control crowds AT ALL. I know that I'm in the minority on that.

Also, to add to the sporting event comparison the money we were spending on LSU season tickets was equal to a Disney trip and we don't even go to every game. I can tell you once you add food and parking in the ticket price it really isn't worth it to us anymore. I'd rather go to Disney for one week. So I totally understand where OP is coming from on that.

 

[Minniesgal]

The one thing I think is really really overpriced is the food for the quality. Which I don't mind too much as we can cook in our villa or go offsite.

 

[Disneylover99]

I think it also depends on how long you have been going to the parks. Those who have been going for years see the erosion of benefit vs the ever-increasing pricing and up-selling of what use to be free. The first time visitor would not be aware of the change. I am now a widow and my son is grown. For me to go solo costs as much and in some cases more than it did when we went as a family of three not too long ago.

I definitely agree with this. I didn’t take my own family til 2010. We thought it was cheap, clean, and dead. Lol. We couldn’t believe what a great value it was at the time. But there were a lot of veterans at the time complaining how expensive, dirty and crowded it had become.

 

[erc]

Single day admission to Magic Kingdom in 2003 was $52. Today it is $115 not counting newer peak season pricing. That is basically a 5% annual increase. So it is outpacing inflation, but WDW is not the same resort today as it was in 2003. If it hadn't changed at all then maybe admission today would be $70-$80 per day. Really, even in 2003 it was expensive compared to other vacations. But you can't think of it as just an amusement park like Six Flags. (How many rides can I do?). It is an immersive experience. Look at the infrastructure they build and maintain, and the number of CMs that show up 365 days a year to provide that experience. You have to be a fan of Disney creations to enjoy it, but I would never compare what I pay at Disney to any other vacation experience. They are different experiences. I live in New England and during the whole Tom Brady era I have never attended a Patriots game, because the cheapest nosebleed seats I can get would cost my son and me $600 for one game. So there are experiences more expensive than Disney out there.

 

[monica9]

Single day admission to Magic Kingdom in 2003 was $52. Today it is $115 not counting newer peak season pricing. That is basically a 5% annual increase. So it is outpacing inflation, but WDW is not the same resort today as it was in 2003. If it hadn't changed at all then maybe admission today would be $70-$80 per day. Really, even in 2003 it was expensive compared to other vacations. But you can't think of it as just an amusement park like Six Flags. (How many rides can I do?). It is an immersive experience. Look at the infrastructure they build and maintain, and the number of CMs that show up 365 days a year to provide that experience. You have to be a fan of Disney creations to enjoy it, but I would never compare what I pay at Disney to any other vacation experience. They are different experiences. I live in New England and during the whole Tom Brady era I have never attended a Patriots game, because the cheapest nosebleed seats I can get would cost my son and me $600 for one game. So there are experiences more expensive than Disney out there.

Agree. Just went to a Yankees game last week and we paid about $800 for three of us between the train tickets and the seats. That would be about a 4 day pass at Disney for us!

 

[pixiedustedme]

Well, I missed titled this. I meant to say I don't understand why people complain about how expensive Disney is when they get so much out of that money.

People complain because they used to get so much more out of less money. Disney has shortened park hours, cut Extra Magic Hours, and monetized perks that used to be free. So guests pay more and get less. If you're new to Disney and you don't know the difference, you might find it a deal. If you experienced what they used to offer guests in the past but do no longer, all the while steeply raising prices, then it doesn't seem like a good deal for anyone but Disney.

And objectively, it is an expensive vacation. Even a week at WDW staying at a value will cost quite a bit. Most people never go to expensive sports games, so comparing a mass-market attraction like a theme park to a national sporting event that most people just watch on TV isn't an apt comparison.

We still like WDW, by the way. We still go. But we aren't blinded by rose-colored glasses to the reality of the greed.