Still the happiest place on earth ... not in my experience.

[DaveNV]

I started going to Disneyland the year it opened. It was only about an hour from us, we had family in Anaheim (we could go there for breaks), and we loved it. It's not so much the price that bothers me these days, it is how crowded it's gotten. It's not enjoyable [to me] to have to plan the day out to the nano second and have to wait hours for a ride or attraction.

We made it to Disneyland the first time in (I think) 1958, right before I started Kindergarten. I was trying to think of how many times I've been back to either place since. For Disneyland, it'd be maybe three times total. For WDW, I think it's four. Compared to some of you, I'm way, way, way behind on my Mouse time.

Dave

 

[DrQ]

They were probably forced to go and are mouse haters. LOL

I wouldn't call them "haters", but how many marathon runners drag their families along the run for the experience?

 

[pedro47]

TravelTime, please do not said “Disney is behind the eightball in raising price.”
This will give them a new idea that prices are to low.

I can remember paying less than $200.00 dollars for a five days hopper pass that included all the water parks in Orlando .

We have been bless to have visited both parks Walt Disney Land and Disney World.

 

[Luanne]

We made it to Disneyland the first time in (I think) 1958, right before I started Kindergarten. I was trying to think of how many times I've been back to either place since. For Disneyland, it'd be maybe three times total. For WDW, I think it's four. Compared to some of you, I'm way, way, way behind on my Mouse time.

Dave

When I was growing up we went at least once a year, sometimes two or three times. There was a series of years that we went for my birthday in October and I'd get to take a friend. My parents would let us go off on our own. That was the best. We loved the Matterhorn and our record was going on it 8 times in a row.

 

[Big Matt]

You are the good example. Double down on the DVC points and it makes a lot of sense with or without the dining. I'm geeky enough about the mouse to do it, but never really got to where I needed to buy the points. Maybe I should buy a small amount. It's only two of us unless we want a big family event with the adult kids.

As a DVC member, I bought a platinum annual pass for about $550 per person. To stay in 1 bedrooms, I am paying $200 to $350 per night on average for the seasons and views categories I tend to travel in. If I tried to maximize my trips by traveling in the lowest season or staying in studios or staying in the cheaper DVC resorts, it would be even cheaper. I think the cost as a DVC member is very reasonable to stay at the deluxe resorts in one bedrooms. I think the Fast Passes are incredible and easy to use. I was able to make last minute fast pass adjustments even the day of the rides. We were at WDW last August. We never had to wait more than 10 minutes for a ride using fast passes. I pre-booked dining but I was also able to make some last minute adjustments. I think Disney’s current system is great. Gone are the days of 3-4 hour lines when they used paper tickets. It was cheap back then but the long lines and crowded parking kept me away. It is so easy and pleasurable when you’re staying on site at a big Deluxe 1 bedroom and use Disney transportation and Fast Passes as well as pre-book dining. Disney is not perfect and we had some hiccups but overall, it is nothing like the past. The ticket prices are expensive, especially if you buy a day pass, but equivalent (or less) than most concert or football tickets. This thread is sounding like a long rant. It is very repetitive since everytime anything about Disney is posted, I see the same posts. Deja vu...ground hog day...insanity...whatever you want to call it. I too remember the days of ticket books. My first Disney trip was in 1971 (age 5 or 6). My family went 3 times year every year since it opened. I loved Disney but dreaded the waits and hassle of getting in and out of the park. It would take hours extra to deal with all the hassles so I stopped going as an adult until last year. I was amazed. It is like a different place now. It is beautiful and glamorous with all the fancy resorts and nice restaurants. Now it is easy peasy but a bit more expensive in today’s dollars. Also the parks, rides and shows are much more advanced that 40+ years ago. The shows are wonderful. It makes for a nice adults only vacation now.

 

[Jan M.]

TravelTime, please do not said “Disney is behind the eightball in raising price.”
This will give them a new idea that prices are to low.

I can remember paying less than $200.00 dollars for a five days hopper pass that included all the water parks in Orlando .

In 1998 we paid right around $275 for seven day hopper passes that included the water parks and the days never expire. We still have a couple of days left on those passes and keep them along with the receipt for them in our safety deposit box. We live in Florida and get Florida resident weekday select annual passes so our son and his wife will use the days that are left eventually. He jokes that when they use them they will be the oldest tickets the Disney employee who gets them has ever seen and maybe they will even be older than the employee.

 

[DrQ]

In 1998 we paid right around $275 for seven day hopper passes that included the water parks and the days never expire. We still have a couple of days left on those passes and keep them along with the receipt for them in our safety deposit box. We live in Florida and get Florida resident weekday select annual passes so our son and his wife will use the days that are left eventually. He jokes that when they use them they will be the oldest tickets the Disney employee who gets them has ever seen and maybe they will even be older than the employee.

I have a 1999 with one day left. I'm REALLY curious as to what the reaction would be if I presented it.

 

[bluehende]

I finally found a definitive opening cost. Admission was 3.50. A pass with 7 tickets was 4.50.

 

[WinniWoman]

Been there 3 times- enough for us, though I would have liked to at least see animal kingdom and some of the other newer attractions.

Next lifetime. We have moved on.

 

[TravelTime]

In 1998 we paid right around $275 for seven day hopper passes that included the water parks and the days never expire. We still have a couple of days left on those passes and keep them along with the receipt for them in our safety deposit box. We live in Florida and get Florida resident weekday select annual passes so our son and his wife will use the days that are left eventually. He jokes that when they use them they will be the oldest tickets the Disney employee who gets them has ever seen and maybe they will even be older than the employee.

$275 in 1998 sounds like a lot for a 7 day hopper pass. That was 21 years ago. I bought an unlimited platinum annual pass for $550 last year. I will get about 14-16 days out of this pass and the current annual passes come with all kinds of discounts on food and merchandise.

When people complain about Walt Disney World inflation, I think they are neglecting to look at the rest of the market and how everything else has gone up exponentially too in the past 47 years.

 

[TravelTime]

Been there 3 times- enough for us, though I would have liked to at least see animal kingdom and some of the other newer attractions.

Next lifetime. We have moved on.

Just out of curiosity, why are people who are not interested in Disney reading and commenting here?

On another topic, I noticed there is a lot of misinformation on this thread. I feel sorry for people reading the Disney Vacation Club threads and leaving with negative impressions because people who do not own DVC are spreading inaccurate information. I have noticed this not just on this thread but on almost all threads related to Disney.

 

[PigsDad]

$275 in 1998 sounds like a lot for a 7 day hopper pass. That was 21 years ago. I bought an unlimited platinum annual pass for $550 last year. I will get about 14-16 days out of this pass and the current annual passes come with all kinds of discounts on food and merchandise.

No, that sounds right to me. Note, that is a full 7-day pass, no expiration with Park Hopper, so those 7 days could be used over several years, if desired. We got the same ticket a few years earlier and it was definitely well over $200.

Kurt

 

[Janann]

I bought an unlimited platinum annual pass for $550 last year.

I'm guessing that this was an annual pass renewal, you own DVC (full price, not a resale purchase) and you are a Florida resident, correct? Most of us can't get this pricing.

 

[Jan M.]

No, that sounds right to me. Note, that is a full 7-day pass, no expiration with Park Hopper, so those 7 days could be used over several years, if desired. We got the same ticket a few years earlier and it was definitely well over $200.

Kurt

And they include the water parks. A couple of years later they changed those tickets to only include one or two visit to the water parks. Then they quit including the water parks altogether.

 

[TravelTime]

I'm guessing that this was an annual pass renewal, you own DVC (full price, not a resale purchase) and you are a Florida resident, correct? Most of us can't get this pricing.

No, no and no. It was not a renewal. I am not a Florida resident. I live in California. And I did not buy DVC retail.

I got the great pricing as a DVC member. Most people are not going to get any great perks without DVC. Disney is going to be expensive and stressful and crowded because people try to economize by staying off site. The DVC member perks pay for themselves in money and time savings.

 

[TravelTime]

No, that sounds right to me. Note, that is a full 7-day pass, no expiration with Park Hopper, so those 7 days could be used over several years, if desired. We got the same ticket a few years earlier and it was definitely well over $200.

Kurt

If we converted $275 in 1998 to today’s dollars, I am guessing it is equivalent or more expensive than the current annual passes with the discounts many of us can get.

 

[Janann]

I got the great pricing as a DVC member.

Interesting. Its quite possible though that the pricing has changed since the last purchase, and it now matches up with the chart. You got quite a bargain.

http://allears.net/walt-disney-world/wdw-planning/tickets-annual-passes/

 

[DaveNV]

Just out of curiosity, why are people who are not interested in Disney reading and commenting here?

On another topic, I noticed there is a lot of misinformation on this thread. I feel sorry for people reading the Disney Vacation Club threads and leaving with negative impressions because people who do not own DVC are spreading inaccurate information. I have noticed this not just on this thread but on almost all threads related to Disney.

This thread is in the Lounge, where everyone is invited to read and comment.

As to content: My initial comment was that things had certainly changed over the years, and the pricing I offered was to give those who weren't around back then an idea of what it used to cost. I can appreciate that pricing has gone up, but anything I've said here is not a complaint, only my observation. FWIW: If I was near a Disney resort again, I'd probably go. But living across the country from the two USA Disney locations, it's a long way to travel for something that only has average appeal. I don't travel with kids, and so far, my adult kids haven't expressed a desire to go to Disney with their kids. So, on a good note, I'm not likely to be that guy standing in front of you in line.

Dave

 

[paxsarah]

No, that sounds right to me. Note, that is a full 7-day pass, no expiration with Park Hopper, so those 7 days could be used over several years, if desired. We got the same ticket a few years earlier and it was definitely well over $200.

Kurt

With the no expire option, that sounds about right. We bought 10-day no expire tickets with water parks fun and more in 2008 for $475. We still have water park days on them and last used one maybe two years ago.

 

[bluehende]

If we converted $275 in 1998 to today’s dollars, I am guessing it is equivalent or more expensive than the current annual passes with the discounts many of us can get.

Inflation has been pretty tame. Here is the data.

U.S. Inflation Rate, $100 in 1998 to 2018
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index, prices in 2018 are 54.05% higher than prices in 1998. The dollar experienced an average inflation rate of 2.18% per year during this period.

In other words, $100 in 1998 is equivalent in purchasing power to $154.05 in 2018, a difference of $54.05 over 20 years.





Applying that to 275 gives 423. The current price is 590 with tax as a mid range as they adjust by season. The increases have effectively doubled inflation. That also does not include the no expiration that was a very expensive add on.

 

[DrQ]

On another topic, I noticed there is a lot of misinformation on this thread. I feel sorry for people reading the Disney Vacation Club threads and leaving with negative impressions because people who do not own DVC are spreading inaccurate information. I have noticed this not just on this thread but on almost all threads related to Disney.

The title is taking issue with Disney's advertising old slogan "The happiest place on earth." I have had enjoyable times, but I didn't find it true. I started with the sheer expense that can be racked up in the park. As stated before, I observed many tied people drudging through the park.

 

[Jan M.]

From what I found online the price of a day ticket in 1998 was $42. That wouldn't have been a hopper ticket nor included the water parks.

 

[TravelTime]

Interesting. Its quite possible though that the pricing has changed since the last purchase, and it now matches up with the chart. You got quite a bargain.

http://allears.net/walt-disney-world/wdw-planning/tickets-annual-passes/

I calculated my room rates using my 2019 maintenance fees and the 2019 charts for 1 bedrooms in the locations and categories I tend to stay at, resulting in a range of $200 - $350 per night for 1 bedrooms as a DVC member. I did not get a bargain. I have only been a DVC member for a little over a year so I paid close to the recent resale prices. Not a bargain at all but it does pay off in significant cost and time savings.

They did have a 25% discount on the platinum annual pass for DVC members when I purchased it. I doubt living in California that we will purchase another annual pass. I am getting a lot of use out of the platinum pass because I planned to take 2 big trips to WDW while I have the annual pass.

 

[TravelTime]

This thread is in the Lounge, where everyone is invited to read and comment.

As to content: My initial comment was that things had certainly changed over the years, and the pricing I offered was to give those who weren't around back then an idea of what it used to cost. I can appreciate that pricing has gone up, but anything I've said here is not a complaint, only my observation. FWIW: If I was near a Disney resort again, I'd probably go. But living across the country from the two USA Disney locations, it's a long way to travel for something that only has average appeal. I don't travel with kids, and so far, my adult kids haven't expressed a desire to go to Disney with their kids. So, on a good note, I'm not likely to be that guy standing in front of you in line.

Dave

This is very similar to the Mexico safety threads. People are jumping in with misc comments and some misinformation based on what they read in the media. But it is the same thing everytime. Someone posts an article about Disney or the latest change at DVC or the resorts and everyone jumps in to bash, esp people who do not ever go or own at DVC. People on the Mexico forum are tired of the Mexico bashing. I can see why. It gets old real fast to read the same comments over and over again. As a DVC owner, I am not finding the DVC forum to be very helpful. It saddens me to read the misinformation that is posted, mainly for future Tuggers who may become misinformed as a result.

 

[TravelTime]

Inflation has been pretty tame. Here is the data.

U.S. Inflation Rate, $100 in 1998 to 2018
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index, prices in 2018 are 54.05% higher than prices in 1998. The dollar experienced an average inflation rate of 2.18% per year during this period.

In other words, $100 in 1998 is equivalent in purchasing power to $154.05 in 2018, a difference of $54.05 over 20 years.





Applying that to 275 gives 423. The current price is 590 with tax as a mid range as they adjust by season. The increases have effectively doubled inflation. That also does not include the no expiration that was a very expensive add on.

I am glad you posted this and provided some hard data. With what I have read on this thread, I would have gotten the impression that Disney is really screwing the consumer. Inflation averaged about 2% since 1998. It sounds like the annual pass rate has gone up by 3-4% a year annualized since 1998. Since interest compounds quicker at a higher base, the Disney annual pass would not be exactly double the rate of inflation but even if it were, that would be an average of 4% a year. That is not completely out of line given all the innovation that has happened at Disney in this time period and that you are getting a very different product from 21 years ago.

Other timeshare companies (like Marriott and possibly others) appear to be raising prices well above the rate of inflation and they are not offering much that is new. If you look at the historical MFs posted by Steven Ting, it is quite an eye opener as to how much MFs have gone up in the past 10 years. Inflation in the past 10 years has been even lower than 2% since the fed held rates near zero until recently. Inflation was 1.55% average annual from 2008 to 2018 or about 16.6% higher in 2018 compared to 2008. Looking at the charts, I see some MVC resorts have gone up 30-50% in a similar time period. That is just nut when you think about it. But it also helps put Disney price increases into perspective.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_nPQxu6citm-RKTDgP3o_svL3FbtFcOM2AKzq2l-C7U/htmlview

Just for the record, I am not planning to keep my Disney timeshares over the long term. I fell into DVC in 2017 for family reasons and the family dynamics changed. I decided since I paid so much in upfront fees, I might as well be a kid myself and enjoy DVC and Disney for awhile. I could have sold all my points and not lost any money but I chose to hold and enjoy for a couple of years. There are many fun adult things to do. We have never had kids but we were trying to adopt. It fell through and I had already bought the DVC points. I was being overly optimistic about our truly screwed up adoption system, not realizing things could fall through even after telling children that they had new parents. (Okay, I will stop before I get into an adoption system rant, which would lead me into a government rant and somehow all my rants always come back to we pay to much in taxes for getting little to no services. But I am not going to go there today. LOL)