WashPost - Disney parks unreachable for middle class

[WiltonJohn]

It was the Touring Plans folks, who do lots of data crunching related to Disney resorts/parks.

How do they get their raw data to crunch?

best,

...........john

[WiltonJohn]

Got a reply via PM ... to keep within "terms of service" here. Thanks.

Not actual Disney data.

best,

............john

[Tekneek]

Got a reply via PM ... to keep within "terms of service" here. Thanks.

Not actual Disney data.

best,

............john

For what it is worth, there will likely never ever be data like that from Disney, much less certified by anyone to be accurate (rather than driven by marketing). This third party has the best data available on the subject.

[Wells]

Oh!...but wouldn't you just LOVE to get your hands on that Disney Data! Since the advent of "Magic Bands" they know who you are and where you are when you are on property. All of your family demographics (number in family, ages, point of origin), how often you visit, when you leave your room, when you come back, where you eat, what you eat, what you ride, what you see, what you buy, ect, ect . All with nice neat time stamps. This is a data miners dream! (and a paranoids nightmare!)

[Stu29573]

For what it is worth, there will never ever be data like that from Disney, much less certified by anyone to be accurate (rather than driven by marketing). This third party has the best data available on the subject.

That's true. TP is the best data out there. I use it in all my planning.

[badkitty]

I'd love to see the data but I don't need the data to know I've waited in line longer for rides that I had typically spent little to no wait before FP+. I'm also comparing the exact same time of year.

[SandmanGStefani24]

I'd love to see the data but I don't need the data to know I've waited in line longer for rides that I had typically spent little to no wait before FP+. I'm also comparing the exact same time of year.

Gotta agree w this one. It seems to have averaged out the wait times in a way. Rides with little to no wait now have a moderate wait, and the crazy long wait times are now slightly shorter. (like 90 min vs 120 ) There's no perfect solution, but at least you're guaranteed to ride at least a few attractions, which for those like me who wing it every trip is a little nice.

[pixiesmimi]

We are middle class and retired to boot. We try to go every year. If it wasn't for our military discounts, we might not be able to. But there are a lot of ways to save money and still stay on property no matter your income. It really doesn't cost any more to go to Disney than going to the beach for a week or any other vacation. Have you priced places to stay at the beach recently? And it isn't near as much fun as WDW. I agree that they need to slow down the price increases but so far it hasn't slowed us down.

[dulyjs]

Bottom line....Disney vacations are expensive! More than most, less than some, but for me, unless the Obama administration enacts the "Affordable Vacation Act" (Obamacation) I'll just have to limit my Disney trips to what my budget will support......

Don't give our overlords in Washington any more stupid ideas than they already come up with on their own. One of those morons will establish a universal right to vacation and start subsidizing them.

The article does state that despite the rise in cost the parks are doing bang-up business. And it is a business after all. The problem so many people get hung up on is the "magic" v. business. If they are pricing the middle class out of a WDW vacation, who the heck is packing the parks?

I was fortunate enough to live a few hours from WDW growing up and we took a trip up, either for a vacation or just a day, probably at least once a year from the year it opened until I finished high school. That would be about twelve years. I live farther away now and I don't get down there nearly as often as that. There was a time when I couldn't really afford vacations and you know what? I didn't go! I didn't whine that it was unfair. We must all make choices. Some of them are easy and some of them are hard. Sometimes emotions win out and sometimes it is the cold hard reality of economics.

This was written just like so many others to pick out an industry to vilify. I guess they have run out of other "big" industries to go after (big oil, big pharm, big banks) and try to get people riled up.

Okay, down off of my soapbox now.

[Tekneek]

I'm not sure their cause for writing it was class warfare, but we all get to have our own opinions. There are many people that feel Disney has set itself to favor "once-in-a-lifetime" and "once-a-decade" guests over those who previously attended far more often. I've seen plenty of discussion around that here and elsewhere. I'm not going to fault people for being frustrated, even unhappy, about that. Disney markets itself as something different than Exxon or BP. The marketing is so good that people do forget that pixie dust is just that and isn't real.

It is inevitable that any discussion about prices falls back on Disney being a business and profit being necessary. I don't know that anyone has suggested they should take a loss so that everyone can better afford the trip they want. Accepting that Disney does not care whether you can afford to go or not is something everyone needs to come to terms with. Until attendance declines, they really do not care whether you ever go again.

As far as vacations go, the US is well behind much of the developed world when it comes to vacation allotments. I'm not saying that it is a good or bad thing, but rather that it is a fact.

[Wells]

There are many options available in planning a Disney vacation to help to manage the costs. This is notwithstanding your transportation to and from Orlando which is going to be the same anyway and not determined by anything in the Disney pricing structure. You can book very passable hotel accommodations offsite for anywhere between $40.00 and $70.00 a night, all within 10-15 minutes of the Disney properties. Most of these hotels offer shuttle services to the parks although you need to travel on the shuttles schedule. If you need more flexibility, you can rent a car for a week for less than the cost of one night at a moderate Disney hotel. You still have access to all of the Disney transportation options, reservation systems and dining and entertainment venues once you are on Disney property. If you are an AP or use a shuttle, even better you avoid the daily parking fees. There are also many good reasonably priced restaurants in the immediate area offsite. The whole point is that the mystique of "staying in the magic" is overrated these days since the perceived "perks" of doing so are not really worth the additional cost to have them available. I would not argue that it is very convenient to stay on property at a Disney hotel but as always conveniences come with a cost. You always have a choice.

[SandmanGStefani24]

conveniences come with a cost. You always have a choice.

True words. I admit, just to be a cheapskate I cut all costs I could on one WDW trip just to prove to my friends back home how inexpensive it can really be to visit. I took flights w layovers vs direct. (saved $100) I stayed at a cheap motel. (saved $200 but kinda regretted that one) Rented the economy car (saved $75) and still had a blast. If you are careful you can still get some time at Disney in, but like the OP said, you always have a choice. I figure if I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna be all in. So maybe every other year, now or so. I will only go if I can do it right.

So that being said, WDW isn't unreachable at all. It just needs a bit of saving and planning. Um, I dunno, like EVERY vacation.

[danheaton]

I do feel like Disney may be hurting itself by consistently raising prices. Yes, they're making short-term gains and earning huge profits. However, what they aren't able to gather is how the price impacts guest expectations. People are willing to accept more when the prices aren't so high.

I agree that there are ways to save a lot of money by staying offsite, not eating table service, and buying fewer souvenirs. Even so, the tickets have gotten a lot crazier. I know that is also true at Universal and Sea World, so it's hardly a simple equation. Regardless, I do think there is a tipping point (especially if the country drops into a recession) where Disney may regret all the price increases. They aren't there yet, but it could happen.

[princessgirls]

My husband and I consider ourselves firmly in the middle class.
We make a descent living, and if we didn't live in the ultra expensive area we do, where property taxes alone on my modest cape cod style home are 10K we could afford more.... but why do I want to spend more. We enjoy making memories with our kids, and Disney vacations, but I will tell anyone, I look to do it when they are running a deal. Discount on rooms, free dining, etc. I try to fly on odd days to get the best deal on air, and it's all personal preference, but I try not to spend the most I can, and that keeps us going back. We do enjoy dining, so I have to budget for that. I don't skimp there. I long ago found the value in booking a package with Disney and we never rent a car to save that expense.

I can't afford the Deluxe resorts currently, but it's OK. I will get there one day. For now I do the Pop Century, and it works, and we keep going back.
My husband and I do have on our bucket list for 2020 The Food and Wine Festival at the Beach and Yacht. Just him and I. Both girls will be done with School and we are going to have ourselves a nice little vacation!!!

Everything is going up these days, food, ultilites, taxes, insurance, health care, and our salaries...not soo much. It's a fact of life in 2015 for my family.

I might add that a Jersey shore vacation for my family with boardwalk and waterpark and dining out maybe 4 of the 7 nights costs only $1,000 less than a complete Disney trip. Although I love the beach, Disney is an easier vacation for me!!!!
Julie