Washington Post article on Disney vacations

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They need to let fewer people in. Cap the admittance/attendance numbers but keep prices the same. It’s ridiculous to pay almost $200 per ticket (once you include genie+) and still have to wait in such long lines and be on your phone all day strategizing.

This!!

They could totally cut down on line length through this mechanism , but why when they can convince people to buy fast passes on top of the already exorbitant price of the Disney experience.

What about a family that can barely afford it, so they have to bypass the fast passes? They just get left in the dust all day by rich kids who can step in front of their kids for all of the good rides??

The business model really turns me off. Why feed the greedy monster?

I know, right? And what about the kid who really wants to ski at Deer Valley, but can't afford to, an so has to content himself at Liberty and Whitetail? DV, and Delta, should lower the prices!

And I always wnted to spend a week on a yacht off the coast of France, but we can't just swing it. That shoudl be a lot cheaper.

Its cheaper for us to go to Copenhagen for a week than go to Disney. So....Disney is overpriced. And we get to go to Tivoli which actually inspired Walt Disney with Disneyland!

Also, we arent discussing the cost of entry. The PP is talking about tiers of access within the park. Everyone who enters the park should be treated the same while using park amenities. It would be like having to pay for a clean restroom and if you cant, then you get a porty potty. Or in this case, someone paying to be able to skip you in line.

First of all, your argument would just mean the price of the ticket goes up for everyone regardless of their preferences.

Second of all, a trip to Copenhagen is a totally different vacation than a trip to Disney so the comparison is nonsensical. Also flying to Copenhagen cheaply takes up 2 whole days of the vacation vs a 2 hr direct flight to MCO …

Its 8 hours direct but okay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Side question: what do kids do while waiting in line? Look at phones?

They lose their GD minds. I have really great, well behaved kids, but it's a LOT to ask a 2 year old to wait in line 45+ min. 90 min? Shoot me. And then you repeat all day for 12 hours straight. But to answer your question, we play games on our boogie boards, color, eat a million snacks. I really wish we could have strollers so my 2 year old could nap, but no it's fine if I hold her for HOURS every day. Just schedule a chiropractor appt when you return.

All of my friends whose kids have even minor diagnoses like ADHD or Autism get special medical exemption to cut the line. I actually think this might be why lines are longer for everyone else. One friend made it up and it worked although you do have to have a brief interview with Disney to get the medical pass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They need to let fewer people in. Cap the admittance/attendance numbers but keep prices the same. It’s ridiculous to pay almost $200 per ticket (once you include genie+) and still have to wait in such long lines and be on your phone all day strategizing.

This!!

They could totally cut down on line length through this mechanism , but why when they can convince people to buy fast passes on top of the already exorbitant price of the Disney experience.

What about a family that can barely afford it, so they have to bypass the fast passes? They just get left in the dust all day by rich kids who can step in front of their kids for all of the good rides??

The business model really turns me off. Why feed the greedy monster?

I know, right? And what about the kid who really wants to ski at Deer Valley, but can't afford to, an so has to content himself at Liberty and Whitetail? DV, and Delta, should lower the prices!

And I always wnted to spend a week on a yacht off the coast of France, but we can't just swing it. That shoudl be a lot cheaper.

Its cheaper for us to go to Copenhagen for a week than go to Disney. So....Disney is overpriced. And we get to go to Tivoli which actually inspired Walt Disney with Disneyland!

Also, we arent discussing the cost of entry. The PP is talking about tiers of access within the park. Everyone who enters the park should be treated the same while using park amenities. It would be like having to pay for a clean restroom and if you cant, then you get a porty potty. Or in this case, someone paying to be able to skip you in line.

First of all, your argument would just mean the price of the ticket goes up for everyone regardless of their preferences.

Second of all, a trip to Copenhagen is a totally different vacation than a trip to Disney so the comparison is nonsensical. Also flying to Copenhagen cheaply takes up 2 whole days of the vacation vs a 2 hr direct flight to MCO …

You can get cheap flights to Copenhagen that are direct from Dulles. It's one of the cheaper cities in Europe to fly direct in and out of, though Denmark is on the whole pricier (with a disadvantageous exchange rate) compared to other European countries.

However, the PP is right that you could fly direct into Copenhagen for pretty cheap (I've seen tickets as cheap as $450 if you buy during sales, if you want a bit more comfort and some meals/more luggage, you will probably pay closer to $800-1000 depending on airline), go to Tivoli gardens which is WAY cheaper than Disney and also a million times more accessible (you can get tickets into the park for super cheap, you can buy individual ride tickets or passes depending on whether you want to ride a bunch of things or just a few, you can even access the food hall without paying entrance to the park if you want). Then you could spend a day or two in Copenhagen, take the train to Sweden and spend some time in Malmo or go all the way to Stockholm or spend some time at a rental house on the coast or near a lake and do the whole swimming/saunaing Scandi thing. And you'd still wind up coming around or even under what it would cost to take two kids to Disney for 4 days.

I know this because I priced both vacations out last summer and we wound up in Denmark/Sweden having an incredibly memorable trip that we all enjoyed, but my kids still haven't been to Disney.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They need to let fewer people in. Cap the admittance/attendance numbers but keep prices the same. It’s ridiculous to pay almost $200 per ticket (once you include genie+) and still have to wait in such long lines and be on your phone all day strategizing.

This!!

They could totally cut down on line length through this mechanism , but why when they can convince people to buy fast passes on top of the already exorbitant price of the Disney experience.

What about a family that can barely afford it, so they have to bypass the fast passes? They just get left in the dust all day by rich kids who can step in front of their kids for all of the good rides??

The business model really turns me off. Why feed the greedy monster?

I know, right? And what about the kid who really wants to ski at Deer Valley, but can't afford to, an so has to content himself at Liberty and Whitetail? DV, and Delta, should lower the prices!

And I always wnted to spend a week on a yacht off the coast of France, but we can't just swing it. That shoudl be a lot cheaper.

Its cheaper for us to go to Copenhagen for a week than go to Disney. So....Disney is overpriced. And we get to go to Tivoli which actually inspired Walt Disney with Disneyland!

Also, we arent discussing the cost of entry. The PP is talking about tiers of access within the park. Everyone who enters the park should be treated the same while using park amenities. It would be like having to pay for a clean restroom and if you cant, then you get a porty potty. Or in this case, someone paying to be able to skip you in line.

First of all, your argument would just mean the price of the ticket goes up for everyone regardless of their preferences.

Second of all, a trip to Copenhagen is a totally different vacation than a trip to Disney so the comparison is nonsensical. Also flying to Copenhagen cheaply takes up 2 whole days of the vacation vs a 2 hr direct flight to MCO …

You can get cheap flights to Copenhagen that are direct from Dulles. It's one of the cheaper cities in Europe to fly direct in and out of, though Denmark is on the whole pricier (with a disadvantageous exchange rate) compared to other European countries.

However, the PP is right that you could fly direct into Copenhagen for pretty cheap (I've seen tickets as cheap as $450 if you buy during sales, if you want a bit more comfort and some meals/more luggage, you will probably pay closer to $800-1000 depending on airline), go to Tivoli gardens which is WAY cheaper than Disney and also a million times more accessible (you can get tickets into the park for super cheap, you can buy individual ride tickets or passes depending on whether you want to ride a bunch of things or just a few, you can even access the food hall without paying entrance to the park if you want). Then you could spend a day or two in Copenhagen, take the train to Sweden and spend some time in Malmo or go all the way to Stockholm or spend some time at a rental house on the coast or near a lake and do the whole swimming/saunaing Scandi thing. And you'd still wind up coming around or even under what it would cost to take two kids to Disney for 4 days.

I know this because I priced both vacations out last summer and we wound up in Denmark/Sweden having an incredibly memorable trip that we all enjoyed, but my kids still haven't been to Disney.

Ok that sounds fun but it’s not Disney so thanks I guess? Disney is also logistically much easier. I also strongly doubt your cost calculations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like WDW but I haven’t brought my whole family of 5 back since 2019. For spring break 2023 we all went to universal for the first time and I found their express pass system much easier to navigate and required less advance planning than WDW.

Yes, but it’s only limited to people in those three hotels or people who purchase a la carte and for that it’s about 3-5x the cost of Genie+ per day. Way fewer people have it which is why it can work the way it does. People don’t want Genie to cost $100-200 pp per day like Express Pass, but it would work better if it did.

[Anonymous]

I wish more people would swear off Disney and actually stop going. More rides for us!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Disney fans aren’t exactly the sharpest tools in the woodshed to start with, so it seemed almost cruel to make it so complicated.

I hope you’re proud of this comment. Apparently a$$holery is all you’ve got.

Agree. So tired of the snark. DCUM-ers need to learn to play nicer (or better yet, grow up) instead of constantly putting other people down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Side question: what do kids do while waiting in line? Look at phones?

They lose their GD minds. I have really great, well behaved kids, but it's a LOT to ask a 2 year old to wait in line 45+ min. 90 min? Shoot me. And then you repeat all day for 12 hours straight. But to answer your question, we play games on our boogie boards, color, eat a million snacks. I really wish we could have strollers so my 2 year old could nap, but no it's fine if I hold her for HOURS every day. Just schedule a chiropractor appt when you return.

All of my friends whose kids have even minor diagnoses like ADHD or Autism get special medical exemption to cut the line. I actually think this might be why lines are longer for everyone else. One friend made it up and it worked although you do have to have a brief interview with Disney to get the medical pass.

You're asking for trouble by bringing 2 year olds. My kids are older and we're going for the first time to WDW in a few months. The youngest is 8. We've done Disneyland several times and have mastered Genie+ such that we almost never wait in a line more than 20 mins. Knowing how much patience is required for the heat, lines, and crowds why do people bring babies and toddlers? It's setting them up for failure.

[Anonymous]

I grew up going to Disney World but we live on the West Coast now so it’s easier to make trips to Disneyland. Land is so much easier and less stressful. Cheaper too.

You can decide a couple weeks/months out you want to go to Disney, book a cheap off site hotel within 5-15 minutes walking distance to the gates, stay for 3 nights or so and feel like you got the full Disney experience.

The key is to get to the parks right when they open, but it’s easy to head back to the hotel for an afternoon rest. Decent quick service food options so no booking restaurants months in advance. Characters wander around still. The only thing that can be tricky to reserve is the princess breakfast and the princess makeover thing.

We take the kids to Disneyland every other year or so for 3 days and they are happy. Maybe we will try Disney World when they are older- but only if they specifically ask.

[Anonymous]

I have been holding out on Disney for various reasons. One, their prices have gotten higher than I feel it's worth. Two, I don't like to plan my vacations with military precision, and although WDW is a comfortable drive from our house, so is Universal Studios and it's not as complicated. Three, I'm not that into Disney icons. And finally, their political agenda is tiresome.

All that said... after posting on a previous Disney thread about how Disney can KMA, I just booked a trip. I'm growing tired of Universal and plan to take a break til Epic opens, and I need a park with a similar wow factor. Since Disney brought back their old CEO, I've been warmer to them. And at a recent earnings call, they acknowledged that their relentless social engineering program is turning off consumers and that they need to go back to just... telling great stories. So I checked the prices on a whim and saw hotels are about half of what they used to be. Meanwhile, Universal is experiencing record demand and their premier hotels are going for $800ish per night. So Disney is making good on their claims that they will bring prices back down to earth. I'm willing to put aside my frustration with their crappy, over engineered website and give them another shot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Side question: what do kids do while waiting in line? Look at phones?

They lose their GD minds. I have really great, well behaved kids, but it's a LOT to ask a 2 year old to wait in line 45+ min. 90 min? Shoot me. And then you repeat all day for 12 hours straight. But to answer your question, we play games on our boogie boards, color, eat a million snacks. I really wish we could have strollers so my 2 year old could nap, but no it's fine if I hold her for HOURS every day. Just schedule a chiropractor appt when you return.

All of my friends whose kids have even minor diagnoses like ADHD or Autism get special medical exemption to cut the line. I actually think this might be why lines are longer for everyone else. One friend made it up and it worked although you do have to have a brief interview with Disney to get the medical pass.

You're asking for trouble by bringing 2 year olds. My kids are older and we're going for the first time to WDW in a few months. The youngest is 8. We've done Disneyland several times and have mastered Genie+ such that we almost never wait in a line more than 20 mins. Knowing how much patience is required for the heat, lines, and crowds why do people bring babies and toddlers? It's setting them up for failure.

+1 lol of course a toddler or young child who still needs to nap, wears diapers and just generally has no patience or emotional regulation is going to have a miserable time spending all day a theme park. Save your money and wait until your kids are older!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some of you posters have told me you are Republican, without telling me you are Republican.

Why not just type , “the poor will always be among us.”

Hilarious coming from someone who thinks that affording Disney is a basic human right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have been holding out on Disney for various reasons. One, their prices have gotten higher than I feel it's worth. Two, I don't like to plan my vacations with military precision, and although WDW is a comfortable drive from our house, so is Universal Studios and it's not as complicated. Three, I'm not that into Disney icons. And finally, their political agenda is tiresome.

All that said... after posting on a previous Disney thread about how Disney can KMA, I just booked a trip. I'm growing tired of Universal and plan to take a break til Epic opens, and I need a park with a similar wow factor. Since Disney brought back their old CEO, I've been warmer to them. And at a recent earnings call, they acknowledged that their relentless social engineering program is turning off consumers and that they need to go back to just... telling great stories. So I checked the prices on a whim and saw hotels are about half of what they used to be. Meanwhile, Universal is experiencing record demand and their premier hotels are going for $800ish per night. So Disney is making good on their claims that they will bring prices back down to earth. I'm willing to put aside my frustration with their crappy, over engineered website and give them another shot.

We go every year and I’m curious as to which hotels are 1/2 price. Certainly not the deluxe. I honestly have hard time believing ANY of them are 1/2 price.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They need to let fewer people in. Cap the admittance/attendance numbers but keep prices the same. It’s ridiculous to pay almost $200 per ticket (once you include genie+) and still have to wait in such long lines and be on your phone all day strategizing.

So literally just make less money?

Good luck with that, PP.

Yes. They can afford it.

Sure, but they aren't going to do that as long as people keep coming. Crowds are down, so Disney is offering room discounts and reintroducing the Disney Dining Plan. They will deal with any waning in demand by making small changes like free parking at the resorts, adjusting the Genie Plus dynamic pricing, etc before imposting a cap on admittance.

[Anonymous]

We're going in February so I read that article with interest. After the article (which honestly didn't help explain much) I spent like 30 minutes reading how it works -- I think we're set. Its not really that complicated. I prefer the old system but what can you do.