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

[LSUmiss]

I changed the title because obviously i'm not happy with ticket increases but I don't think the price is that bad for what you get

I agree that I don’t like paying higher prices b/c who would. But, I think it’s still the best overall value for our money based on our interests. And the parks sure are crowded considering all the ppl who claim they have have been “priced out”.

 

[LSUmiss]

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 to a major national sporting event that most people just watch on TV isn't an apt comparison.

This is the argument that I don’t understand the most. Everything goes up. Using the sports analogy my season tickets cost me $18 when I was in school & now they’re $400 & the team is arguably not as good as back then.

 

[pixiedustedme]

This is the argument that I don’t understand the most. Everything goes up. Using the sports analogy my season tickets cost me $18 when I was in school & now they’re $400 & the team is arguably not as good as back then.

I said the issue is offering less while charging more. Not simply charging more. If the experience were equal to what it used to be, I wouldn't mind as much. But they have cut hours, EMH, streetmosphere, parades, other things that used to be standard out of the experience, all while charging way more.

 

[LSUmiss]

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.

But if they still sell as many (which remains to be seen), it could be argued that they have been priced too low for years.

 

[monica9]

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.

I don't understand why everyone keeps saying you can only go on a few rides a day. We go almost every year and we go on every ride we want. I guess it's all in the planning and timing of everything. Heck, last vacation we went on splash mountain 3 times in a row within the hour and that same day were on 7dmt a few times all while getting on the other rides. This is with a lot of stops and breaks since we had our 13 month old with us. There are maybe 2 rides per park that usually go over 60 minutes long. Christmas week. I remember coming on here and reading how people were there and didn't know where all the crowds were. They said it was very manageable. Anywhere you go on Christmas or Thanksgiving is going to be expensive. Imagine New York City on New Year's Eve? if you are going to put yourself in that situation, expect crowds. I know some people can't go on vacations whenever they want (teachers) but spring break is different for every state/school so I know they can find other times to go.

 

[LSUmiss]

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.

I literally just sold my season tickets for this season so I could book another WDW trip. DS is young & we live in NOLA so traveling to BR 6-7 Saturdays in the fall & getting someone to babysit isn’t worth it to us right now. For the same price, I can book another week in WDW & DS can come. And I am MUCH less likely to end up disappointed at WDW. I know what to expect.

 

[erc]

But if they still sell as many (which remains to be seen), it could be argued that they have been priced too low for years.

This. There is always a price point where you lose customers. They have obviously not reached that point yet.

 

[Disneylover99]

But if they still sell as many (which remains to be seen), it could be argued that they have been priced too low for years.

The price of park tickets could go up an additional 50% tomorrow and people will still buy them. I might even buy them if I really want to go. But it doesn’t mean I’m going to look at that and say, still not bad, compared to a sporting event or a concert, if I don’t attend sporting events or concerts anyways, due to the cost.

 

[LSUmiss]

And even with hike an AP is a little over $3/day b/c there are no blackouts. It’s unlikely someone could use it that much, but it’s not prohibited.

 

[LSUmiss]

The price of park tickets could go up an additional 50% tomorrow and people will still buy them. I might even buy them if I really want to go. But it doesn’t mean I’m going to look at that and say, still not bad, compared to a sporting event or a concert, if I don’t attend sporting events or concerts anyways, due to the cost.

I guess I see the OPs point is that all entertainment is expensive these days, but the same ppl probably do the same griping about the money they spend on those things too.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I literally just sold my season tickets for this season so I could book another WDW trip. DS is young & we live in NOLA so traveling to BR 6-7 Saturdays in the fall & getting someone to babysit isn’t worth it to us right now. For the same price, I can book another week in WDW & DS can come. And I am MUCH less likely to end up disappointed at WDW. I know what to expect.

When they raised the TAF fee this year I said we are done. Not buying them next year.

 

[robinb]

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.

I don’t buy for a minute that Disney is trying to control crowds. There is no earthly reason for them to turn away business. Especially when the crowds fuel the pricey add ons like Early Morning Magic. I think the “crowds” theory is simply grasping at straws trying to put a positive spin on the recent ridiculous increase of APs. I’ve been a DVC member and AP holder for over 20 years. I’ve known for a while that Disney really isn’t that into me anymore. They much prefer the “once in a lifetime” guest who buys the DDP, takes their little princess to BBB for a new dress and a hairdo and forks over money for Toy Story EMM because they couldn’t get a FP for Slinky Dog.

 

[DisneyGuy]

I agree with the OP, that the value is still there. I also agree with the concert ticket analogy. I just returned from a 5 day Disney trip, and when I bought my 5 day park hopper, I didn't have sticker shock at all. True, I'm only paying for myself and my family/friends pay for themselves so i'm not paying for a whole family. But as far as concert tickets go, I have tickets to see J. Lo, Aerosmith and Madonna later this year and each one of those tickets were $300-$400 a piece. That's almost what I paid for a 5 day park hopper. Also, one day for me to go to NYC to see a Broadway show is about $200-$250 (including the ticket fee, train ticket and food). At Disney, i'm getting 5 days (at 4 parks) of rides, shows, characters, parades, transportation to and from parks back to our resort by way of boats, monorail and buses (and walking distance) compared to a 2 hour show where I need to pay for parking as well which usually runs $30-$50 depending on the venue and of course, the artist doesn't provide transportation for me. While it's true that you need to work hard to get in all of the rides now due to increased crowds, it can be done and if you are good with the app, making fast passes throughout the day really works well. We do not get up early and rope drop (every day, at least) but we do enjoy staying late and utilizing EMH at night. Again, i'm speaking as an adult who goes with other adults (family and friends) and we pay for ourselves. There are rides in each park we don't do anymore or don't care if we only do them once in a while, but they are still there as options even if we are tired of them or they aren't thrill rides - they are still operating and part of the price.

The resorts are expensive but with the discounts I haven't been priced out yet - but if I were to be "priced out", i'd just go less to have time to save more.

There are things I wish would change and I remember the glory days of the Disney in the 90's but I still feel the parks are money well spent for a Disney fan.

 

[BingoJoe]

Disney is phenominal value for money, including flights and food we tend to spend around £12k for two weeks at WDW in the summer in a deluxe hotel. It cost us almost twice that to say in a carribean resort at easter and in terms on conent and stuff you get for your money it didnt even compare.

 

[Disneylover99]

I literally just sold my season tickets for this season so I could book another WDW trip. DS is young & we live in NOLA so traveling to BR 6-7 Saturdays in the fall & getting someone to babysit isn’t worth it to us right now. For the same price, I can book another week in WDW & DS can come. And I am MUCH less likely to end up disappointed at WDW. I know what to expect.

I understand why you see the OP’s point. It’s relatable to you since you did sell your tickets for the price of a week at Disney.

I have no idea what those seasons tickets were worth a few years back, but maybe a few years ago, you could have sold those same tickets for 2 weeks at Disney.

We all see value differently. Right now I’m looking at it this way, we are a family of four who live in Canada with Platinum AP’s. When you factor in the Canadian dollar, ticket prices for us just went up $1200 + dollars.

 

[pahoben]

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.

I had season NFL tickets for a few years and the costs after a while just seemed high. You buy a “seat license” for a few thousand dollars one time for the right to buy season tickets each year for specific seats. Each of the tickets is then more than $100 plus the parking pass of $25 and then sky high prices for bad food and beer. This is to sit through endless TV timeouts. It just didn’t seem worth the time and money after a few seasons.

 

[Tallis]

I can deal with the rising prices, the ridiculous cost of even camping at Disney, the greedy parking fee at resorts, the food prices, and even the year round crowds now. BUT, the one thing that I can't stand, and is really going to drive us away from Disney, in the end, is the way they are now making so many EMH into paid events. That's the one thing I'm just not going to deal with forever. When EMH disappears altogether, it's likely that we will too.

 

[LSUmiss]

When they raised the TAF fee this year I said we are done. Not buying them next year.

We are in the east upper & haven’t paid any more in a few years. We will keep ours for now but just sold this season.

 

[LSUmiss]

I don’t buy for a minute that Disney is trying to control crowds. There is no earthly reason for them to turn away business. Especially when the crowds fuel the pricey add ons like Early Morning Magic. I think the “crowds” theory is simply grasping at straws trying to put a positive spin on the recent ridiculous increase of APs. I’ve been a DVC member and AP holder for over 20 years. I’ve known for a while that Disney really isn’t that into me anymore. They much prefer the “once in a lifetime” guest who buys the DDP, takes their little princess to BBB for a new dress and a hairdo and forks over money for Toy Story EMM because they couldn’t get a FP for Slinky Dog.

I agree. I don’t think they’re tying to control crowds. I think if it does, they win b/c less overhead for them, but they make the same money; &, if it doesn’t, then they make more money. What I don’t get is why shouldn’t they or any other business charge what they can get away with charging? Do the ppl who complain about wdw price increases just complain in general about costs of everything or do they think deserve some certain price point??? I don’t love that things keep going up either & it’s meant some cutbacks for us as far as what else we spend money on & even how we do wdw. But, I just don’t get the constant complaining about the “value” of wdw. Some of those things ppl complain used to be free that wdw charges for now some of us prefer. For instance, time is $ to me, I’d rather pay for a view than wait for hours for one especially with a toddler now. To me, it’s just good business to offer what ppl want. I think that is just the consumer model now. Ppl would rather pay than wait. It works in other businesses too.

 

[stephk1981]

But if they still sell as many (which remains to be seen), it could be argued that they have been priced too low for years.

I am sure that Disney may feel they were pricing too low....but a 25 percent increase is high. Thankfully we haven't been priced out, it just isn't worth it to me to buy AP's anymore. We like resort time and honestly very rarely park hop, so the price increase helps us cut out an unnecessary third trip every year. By only buying base tickets twice a year we will save money. I have only used the AP resort discount while living in Florida, mostly now I want my reservations made well before so I can get ADR's and whatnot scheduled...so the AP discount hasn't been beneficial to us since we moved. I agree completely, people will definitely still buy them......I just personally don't feel like it's worth my money.