Staying At The Resort.... Not Anymore

Originally Posted By DyGDisney

Yes, at WDW I would stay on property because, not being a frequent visitor and not wanting to rent a car, it makes it worth it. And with the different price layers for the hotels you can choose what you can afford. WDW vacations tend to be longer and I believe people spend more time at their hotels. POR is so beautiful we loved strolling along the river in the evening, and taking the boat over to POFQ.

 

Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder

"Maybe when the time comes a little closer, they will start discounting the rates, SPP. I know it's hard to price out more than a month or two with DLR hotels because they don't run their specials that far out."

I asked that very question of the person who helped me on the phone, and he said no, these were the rates. In the 15 years i've been doing this the rates have occasionally dropped, but due to high occupancy rates I was told they did not foresee that happening this year.

 

Originally Posted By cerise667

a good summary, I agree, I feel the way about the AP... there are too many things i need to repair in the home and the price has now hit nearly the same cost as washer/dryer or refrigerator (depends on which goes first).
It is just too expensive to justify. If the economy improves, I'll be back, I enjoy it and I think the price for the APs is fair, it just moved out of my price range.

 

Originally Posted By Yookeroo

I probably wouldn't stay on site as DLR (if I was traveling from out of town). But I do prefer to stay on site at WDW (mostly for the reasons outlined by DyGDisney).

"But only a fool throws money away....there are a lot of fools blinded by an increasingly greedy Disney machine."

I'm not sure this is fair. Some people obviously find it worth the price. Who are you to say they are foolish?

 

Originally Posted By SuperDry

<<< I asked that very question of the person who helped me on the phone, and he said no, these were the rates. >>>

That's definitely the new strategy. I stayed there over the June 15 CarsLand opening and it was over $500/night with tax. I now call it "Disney's Half-a-Grand Californian". I too questioned whether it was worth the money. For the caliber of hotel and level of service, definitely not. But like most things involving real estate, it's location, location, location. You have the same issue with ridiculously-high prices for hotel rooms in Manhattan, compared to the quality of room and level of service when compared to elsewhere. I decided that for me, on that special event weekend, it was worth being right there in the middle of things.

It had booked out completely shortly after the official announcement of the June 15 opening was made, but there were enough cancellations and not enough new bookings such that there were actually vacant rooms that weekend.

That keyed me into their new pricing strategy: they could have very easily filled every room over that weekend, what with all of the CL hype. They would have had to lower the price somewhat toward the end, but they chose not to. Part of the problem with lowering the price as the dates get closer is a) people that are still within their cancellation window can call up and have their price adjusted (and in some cases, if the price dropped enough, it would be cheaper to just pay the late cancellation penalty and rebook), and b) it gets people used to the notion that they never have to pay full price if they just wait awhile to make their booking.

But then on checkout day, it really hit me: I got a note under my door saying that I could extend my stay for only $150/night. The offer made it clear that was only for guests already in residence who wanted to stay in their same room without a break in their stay, and was not valid for any future booking. So, apparently the plan is to keep the rates for new bookings high and not offer discounts, but when they fail to sell out, try to fill up the rooms with a discount rate offered to extenders only. It's quite a clever plan, as they may end up filling most rooms on most nights, without ever having to offer a discount to new bookings.

Only Disney knows how well this is working out for them revenue-wise, but it's apparent to me that a great deal of thought was put into the revenue model and that we're seeing the results of "the new plan for 2012."

 

Originally Posted By Tikiduck

Five hundred dollars a night seems crazy when it is being paid by people who probably cant afford it, and I would guess that adds up to a lot of families.
Some people want the ultimate experience for their loved ones at the parks, even if the costs are crippling.

 

Originally Posted By SuperDry

<<< Five hundred dollars a night seems crazy when it is being paid by people who probably cant afford it, and I would guess that adds up to a lot of families. >>>

No worries. They can charge it to their Chase Disney Visa card and get 2% back! ... and pay it off over time at 14%+ interest.

 

Originally Posted By Tikiduck

How true.

 

Originally Posted By barboy

///(at WDW)You can get a car for a week for less then one night in the higher end and even moderate rooms on-site.///

I'm sure you're right.......

But Animal Kindom and its brothers cost $14 per day to park, rentals(obviously) need gas to operate and one has to allot TIME to get to I- Drive and back.

 

Originally Posted By Goofyernmost

^^^^I was factoring that in. And I-drive isn't the only place to be. Stay on the west side of Rte. 4 on 192 and you are at Disney World in less then 5 minutes. I can leave MK take the ferry across, the tram to the car and be in my hotel room before most people taking the bus on-site even get picked up at closing.

I know I will get killed for saying this but there is more to Florida then WDW. With a car your problems getting to Universal are solved, as is Seaworld. Even Kennedy Space Center becomes an easy possibility. I have taken side trips to Tampa and Silver Springs and only used one day. Also, St. Petersburg beaches or Cocoa Beach and that area, easily accessible. Like I have said many times before...I don't like giving all my cash to just one place.

 

Originally Posted By ecdc

>>I got a note under my door saying that I could extend my stay for only $150/night. The offer made it clear that was only for guests already in residence who wanted to stay in their same room without a break in their stay, and was not valid for any future booking.<<

Now that is interesting. Does this suggest they see a lot of locals staying at the hotel? I mean, I just imagine myself getting a note like that. It's just not feasible - I've got airline reservations, vacation time ending at work, family events to get back to, etc. I imagine most out-of-towners are in the same boat - they could offer me an extended stay for $50 a night and it just couldn't logistically happen, no matter how much I might want to stay.

 

Originally Posted By DyGDisney

^^True, but I think they are more likely looking at CA locals. We live a 7 hour drive away, but never fly. Sometimes it would be do-able to stay an extra night but we don't due to cost. Of course, we don't spend $500/night on a room, but if we were to, $150 for another night would seem cheap!

 

Originally Posted By DyGDisney

By CA locals I mean people who live in CA....but actually people who live in AZ and NV who drive too.

 

Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub

Man I can't tell you how many times I have received that note under the door upon check-out time. Personally it is just about the sourest rudest way to receive...a thank you from management. In my mind it is telling me that 350-500 dollar rate was even a bigger rip-off than you imagined. SInce they can obviously still make a "profit" at the hundred dollar level.
On the other hand WDW has a much more pleasant way to encourage a return visit. They always allow the guest to book a return hotel date before departure and it is usually at least a 30% discount. And it allows you to cancel without penalty. It seems to me that type of a discount is a bigger win-win for all. Somehow it feels more pleasant and not insulting..

I also think it is amazing to factor in all of the "extras WDW has to give to their guests. The trip from MCO included not from LAX...also consider all of the water and boat transportation to be as much fun as any attraction in their theme parks.

Bottom line "Disneyland " wants to be a resort destination but they seem to be afraid of losing their local safety net. And so the hotels fill up for the school vacations and holidays and for the one or two night weekender and that makes them justify high hotel occupancy setting higher dollar costs per night.

 

Originally Posted By tashajilek

"///(at WDW)You can get a car for a week for less then one night in the higher end and even moderate rooms on-site.///"

This is exactly what i do for every trip. I went to WDW over Christmas and some of the resorts were up to $700 a night! The car was great and we were able to dine off property too. We are going to Las Vegas this week and we rented a car for $65 for four days. No cabs, trams or buses needed which can cost more than a car anyways.


Anyways, to the OP i totally agree with you. I would never pay $500 a night unless i was a millionaire. I like to go on multiple vacations a year and my upcoming Disney vacation will be 8 days and for the cost of a Disney hotel i can probably go on two more trips elsewhere.

 

Originally Posted By SuperDry

<<< Does this suggest they see a lot of locals staying at the hotel? I mean, I just imagine myself getting a note like that. It's just not feasible - I've got airline reservations, vacation time ending at work, family events to get back to, etc. I imagine most out-of-towners are in the same boat - they could offer me an extended stay for $50 a night and it just couldn't logistically happen, no matter how much I might want to stay. >>>

It obviously doesn't work for everyone. It didn't work for me. But it may would for enough people for it to be worthwhile for them to offer it. In addition to locals, it might work for anyone that has driven to the resort. It might work for people that have flown in for a vacation longer than just their stay at DLR - think of foreign visitors or even domestic ones that might be in the SoCal area for, say, 7-10 days but stay at DLR only 3 nights. They might be tempted to stay an extra night if they're having a good time and the price is right.

 

Originally Posted By barboy

///I can leave MK take the ferry across, the tram to the car and be in my hotel room before most people taking the bus on-site even get picked up at closing.///

Really!?!?

If true(and you sound very much like you know what you're talking about here), then you have a compelling case.


Ya closing up Magic Kingdom can be madness when one has to queue for a bus.

 

Originally Posted By Goofyernmost

^^^^I have done both...to be fair only once with on-site experience and I would raise my right hand and swear on a stack of bibles that it is true.

Most are pretty simple but MK is a little more complicated. The trick is the ferry. Always use the ferry when leaving. The trams are one behind the other and you get out to the parking lot very quickly. The way out, although somewhat heavy, traffic wise, is really not delayed unless there is an accident and within seconds you are on a multi-lane highway headed for 192 (at least I am, that is where I always stay). And a few minutes after that I am at my hotel. No hassles, no standing in line waiting for buses, no packing like sardines. Just get in the car, turn on the AC and head for the hotel. It works when staying on-site as well. I've tried it. Even if you get caught up in traffic tie ups, you are still sitting comfortably in your vehicle.

I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but for me it's the only way to go.

 

Originally Posted By SuperDry

That's what I like about the GCH: anywhere from 2 to 10 minutes from the park turnstile to my room.

 

Originally Posted By irishfan

>>It obviously doesn't work for everyone. It didn't work for me. But it may would for enough people for it to be worthwhile for them to offer it. In addition to locals, it might work for anyone that has driven to the resort. It might work for people that have flown in for a vacation longer than just their stay at DLR - think of foreign visitors or even domestic ones that might be in the SoCal area for, say, 7-10 days but stay at DLR only 3 nights. They might be tempted to stay an extra night if they're having a good time and the price is right.<<

It also works for people (like me), who were not flying out till midnight on the day of departure and were contemplating paying for a late check out.