Originally Posted By 2001DLFan "We're talking about Disneyland; a place that none of us NEEDS to visit. I figure that if I'm going to do it I might as well throw down the extra dollars and have a good time." Yes, we're talking Disneyland here. You DO know that there are Disney FANATICS who are as addicted to Disney as others are to drugs, alcohol, coffee, etc. They are willing to scrimp on the rest of their lives in order to continue their Disney fix. There are factions that range from Disney purists who won't tolerate any change, to Disney apologists who will accept ANYTHING Disney does. So, while they may not "need" Disneyland in the general meaning-of-life terms, they do because of their addiction.
Originally Posted By ecdc >>they do because of their addiction.<< You should probably do some reading on what "addiction" means.
Originally Posted By doombuggy "because of their addiction" I just can't get my vain puffed up enough to get this damn pineapple whip in.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 "I've told my kids this is our last Disney trip for a while, and next year we're going to New York. Hopefully it'll pan out." You know I live there, right? I already forced Kar2oonman and family to see me while there and I can force you too!
Originally Posted By ecdc >>You know I live there, right? << I do! That was my way of saying, if not this year...next!
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt I love these one on one side conversations. It's like eavesdropping.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance LOL Hans. I do too. I only hope others feel the same about our one on one side conversations. Cuz, I'll admit it, I post things purely for your enjoyment all the time!
Originally Posted By Mr Snappy Hi all...it's been a long time since I was poking around here...good to be back! About the Disney Hotels....It's kind of like the old saying about gambling. Gambling is only a problem if you run out of money doing it. I see the Hotels the same way, it's not a problem if you don't care about the costs. On the other hand, if you do care about costs, not a cheapskate, but really wonder about the value, the Disney Hotels are insanely over priced. Are they nice? Oh my, yes. But I don't really get how they add any "magic" to a stay. It's a nice hotel that is close, nothing more. Because the word "Disney" is plastered everywhere does not make it any more magic than the store at the mall with "Disney" on the entrance. For YEARS, and I mean YEARS, I would do the math on the Disney properties in Anaheim when figuring out our annual vacation plans. I have both the means and the will to spend money on frivolous items like a Kardashian, but I can NOT justify the Disney hotels. We would usually stay at the Hyatt, Double Tree, Embassy Suites, or similar. We did this for years until I bought a time-share. Could not be happier. The money I save now literally pays for the rest of the trip. We use Anaheim as a base and do lots of things in SoCal. This also helps with the burn-out factor. Three days MAX at the parks is what we do. I just don't get how people can spend 7+ days at the parks. That would burn us out for years to come. I don't want my post to come off as telling you how to do your trip, do what makes you happy. But what I do wish people would do is be more honest with themselves and when things do turn sour, stop looking to blame Disney CORP for their issues. The options are all up to you.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt " It's a nice hotel that is close, nothing more. Because the word "Disney" is plastered everywhere does not make it any more magic than the store at the mall with "Disney" on the entrance." That's like saying the difference between DL and Knott's is that the word "Disney" is plastered everywhere.
Originally Posted By MomluvsDisney Mr Snappy, I think you are entitled to your opinions. Everyone has their own ideas of what value they perceive with Disney vacations. Mine, may not be yours and vice versa. It sounds like for you, you find value with certain time spent in the parks. Each person knows what they value and spends their time and vacation dollars accordingly. While my family can easily afford the Disneyland hotels, we prefer to spend our vacation dollars in other parts of our vacation. We prefer visits of 3 to 4 days, several times a year and sometimes quick day trips. So we purchase passes and stay at hotels where we feel we get value for dollars spent and enjoy our park time
Originally Posted By mawnck >>I have both the means and the will to spend money on frivolous items like a Kardashian<< And a Kardashian is definitely a frivolous item. Why you would want to spend money on one, I have no idea. ;-)
Originally Posted By Mr Snappy Besides, less money on Disney hotels means more "Double-Doubles" for me and the boys!
Originally Posted By ecdc It's hard to argue with the point that Disney hotels are overpriced. I don't begrudge anyone who stays "on-site." I usually do it myself. But Snappy is right, when you compare the Disney hotels and their cost to similar hotels (amenities, decor, service, overall opulence, cleanliness, space, etc.), odds are you are paying an extra $100-200 a night than for a comparable room. The larger issue to me is how much people seem to crave feeling like they "got a deal," or did something for as little money as possible. It's all about what one values. Some people value a feeling of saving money above all else. I ain't that guy (though hopefully I'm not too stupid with my cash). Make no mistake: I cannot afford to buy a Kardashian. But I'll splurge for a Disney hotel because it's what I value, all the while judging someone who's crazy enough to fork over hundreds of dollars for the NFL Sunday ticket
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I agree that the Disney hotels are considerably overpriced. You can do better across the board elsewhere... better rooms, furnishings, amenities and service at a lower cost. But for me, at the Disney properties the whole exceeds the sum of the parts... I get a "special feeling" staying there that I don't get elsewhere at ANY price. Why is that? I don't really know. Maybe it's good marketing. Maybe it's Valium in the drinking water. But whatever it is, it has me totally hooked.
Originally Posted By ecdc >>I don't really know. Maybe it's good marketing.<< That's really well said. I'm intellectually aware that I'm swallowing the Disney marketing machine hook, line, and sinker. I read Snappy's post and think, "The man is spot on." And yet...and yet, despite being aware of it, I still fork over the cash and feel as if I'm in for a better experience. I guess I need to stop giving my wife a hard time about that ab machine she bought because of the commercial....
Originally Posted By fkurucz >>On the other hand, if you do care about costs, not a cheapskate, but really wonder about the value, the Disney Hotels are insanely over priced.<< I agree 100%. We stayed at the DLH once. I was underwhelmed.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <And yet...and yet, despite being aware of it, I still fork over the cash and feel as if I'm in for a better experience.> If it's a better experience for you, then it is. "Magic" is such an ephemeral and difficult to define quality to begin with... certainly the Disney hotels have more of it than the Super 8 down the street. Only you can decide if it's worth the extra dollars to you. As someone who has gone both ways - stayed across the street and been happy to save the money, AND stayed at the DLH or GCH and been happy with THAT decision for the better experience or the magic or whatever you want to call it - I don't think there's any "wrong" answer here. You're also quite right that we all have those things we value and are willing to pay for that other people say "wha....?" about. It may be NFL Sunday Ticket. It may be an annual visit to ComicCon (I can't imagine going to that, but to each his own). In my case, I splurged on two $350+ tickets to see Paul McCartney on floor level at the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn as a birthday gift... I've never given a $700 birthday gift before (even if one of the tickets was for me), but I can tell you that for me/us it was totally worth it. It was sort of one of those bucket list things: "See a Beatle live while you still can..." Obviously if that's not high on your list, it may seem like an awfully expensive 3 hours. To me: worth it. Bonus - when the scanned the audience during the Hey Jude singalong, we saw that Jerry Seinfeld and girlfriend were just off to our right.
