Are Disney prices too high?

[5kidsmommy]

Yep I won't buy a bottle of water or a turkey leg or go to dessert parties or pay that much for a hot dog. What I will do is use the free water option, find a nice spot to watch the fireworks for free, and search through the menus for the best food deals, sometimes that means packing food (Disney allows that unlike many theme parks) and only buying a few things while there. Seriously you can do Disney on many different budgets and I appreciate that.

 

[Lynne M]

I don't need to reevaluate anything . Disney is just gouging their customers.

There's a very, very old economic principle that says "charge what the market will bear."

Meaning, from Disney's (or any business's) perspective, the prices are just right when they're as high as possible, to produce maximum profit, but not so high that it discourages too many customers from buying. They put a lot of effort into finding that sweet spot.

As long as theme park attendance is where they want it to be, and restaurant bookings are where they want them to be, and spending on merchandise is good, the prices are right.

For Disney. Not for all guests. There will always be people for whom Disney is way out of budget, and all guests do a value calculation ever time they book - "is it worth it?"

For me, I don't worry about prices of water, etc. I look at the total picture and if my enjoyment of my trip was worth the money I spent, I'll keep going. As for souvenirs, I look at those prices the same as I would any purchase at home. If I want it and I feel it's worth the cost, I'll buy it. If not, I don't.

 

[jimandami]

While I do think some of the resorts are overpriced, and absolutely agree prices have increased rapidly, it's really not out of line with the prices of other entertainment options. When we go to our local theme park, bottle water is $3.50 (but they have free ice water, just like Disney), and it costs our family of 4 about $50.00 for a very mediocre counter service lunch. Concert tickets are crazy high and those only last 3 hours or so.

 

[mom2rtk]

I think Disney needs to reevaluate their pricing strategy.

I think they ARE evaluting their pricing strategy.

And I doubt many of us will like the result.

 

[SplashMountainMom]

The prices are pretty high....I can buy a case of bottled water for less than the price of one bottle at WDW. Then there is the US exchange to factor in

 

[BarbieGal457]

Honestly, to me...no. I think this has to do with the fact I live in a major city, so all of these prices really aren't out of line with what things cost here. Most dinners are $50+, most alcoholic drinks are $12+ (usually much more than that), the prices of bottled water/hot dogs/etc at most places like concerts, sporting events, etc....all on par with here. In fact, I visited Pittsburgh and was shocked we got two drinks and two shots for $11. Their highest priced bottle service at a club is $150, whereas here or close-by Atlantic City it's usually at least $300. I know that's not the topic at hand, but I wanted to use it to illustrate how just 5ish hours across my state the prices are almost half of what we pay here for a lot of things.

It honestly is all relative. We spent more on a day at Hershey Park than we do on a typical Disney day. Disney could probably raise prices a bunch more and for me it still wouldn't seem crazy based on what I pay in my own city daily as a result of just living. In fact, most hotels by me are miles more expensive than a lot of the resorts at Disney. A night out to the movies here can easily cost over $100 if you have kids.

They will charge as much as they can as long as people are still willing to pay for it. If people will pay for it, why not? There is no reason for them to lower prices to accommodate people who may think they're too high. They're in it for profit, after all.

 

[5kidsmommy]

The prices are pretty high....I can buy a case of bottled water for less than the price of one bottle at WDW. Then there is the US exchange to factor in

Right, so buy that cheap water and bring it in to Disney, at least the allow it. It's not like Disney forces people to buy water in the parks. Some feel it's worth it to buy that $3 bottle of water because they don't want to lug water around. For them it's worth the convenience. I personally can't justify buying bottled water at bloated prices.

 

[rrehman]

Examples:

Bottled water $3.26
Turkey leg $9.25
Dessert Party $50.00
Hotdogs $8.50
BOMA dinner $45.00 plus
1 day ticket $100 plus
Dining Plan $70.00 plus
Lunch and dinner menus the same price
Refillable mugs $18.00 only 4 refills in 90 minutes lol
Alcoholic beverages $10 $15 plus
Resort pricing exorbitant
souvenirs exorbitant

I think Disney needs to reevaluate their pricing strategy.

It also seems like the quality has gone down too. Anyway these are just a few things. What are your thoughts?

Brunette

Yes they are way too high, but if people are willing to pay it, way not keep raising the prices. I fall victim to it, and yet I still keep paying.

 

[JRawkSteady]

The average prices are pretty much the same in NYC.

 

[Happy_2_B]

Disney prices have been too high ever since the late 70's. The first couple of years ('71 and '72) that the MK was open, as I recall- and that was a VERY long time ago- it wasn't too bad relative to the price of everything else in the economy. Once they saw it was going to be a huge success, though- prices started to climb. I was there in '78 and '79 (didn't make any trips from '72 through '77), and recall it being way more expensive than it was the first couple of years. Doesn't matter- though- still going to keep going back- making my 28th trip this December. Wish AARP had WDW discounts, as I am in that age bracket now (but you probably already figured that out from the rest of the post)- and it would be nice if Disney would give some sort of discount to those of us in this age bracket- although you could make that argument for every age bracket I guess.

 

[BarbieGal457]

I don't need to reevaluate anything . Disney is just gouging their customers.

I don't think this is true. People choose to go there and choose to pay the prices. Besides a park ticket, you aren't forced to buy literally anything else Disney sells. You can get food from offsite or have it sent to your hotel, you can bring in your own waters/drinks/food. You don't have to eat at their restaurants or stay at their hotels. If people WANT to do all that, they accept that the prices just are what they are. They're not going to say "well studies show we CAN charge $5 for a water but let's only charge $2 so people don't think we're greedy or price gouging them." They will keep charging what they can for as long as people are buying it, and people go into it almost always knowing it will be more expensive than your run-of-the mill diner or corner store. It's not up to Disney to make it affordable for people, it's up to people who want to go to budget, save, or find work-arounds to prices they find exorbitant (like food). Whenever I see these topics, I think of a poster (forget who) on here who said before "no one is owed a Disney vacation and therefore it's not Disney's responsibility to keep prices at a lower point to accommodate more people." That does sound a bit harsh but I totally get the viewpoint. If you don't like Disney's water prices, you either don't buy their water or bring your own. Nothing is going to change their minds to lower it until people en masse stop purchasing it at a certain price.

 

[valerie160]

Do I think prices are too high? Yes. Will that stop me from going to disney? Absolutely not! I may not be able to stay at the Grand Floridian or do the DDP each time or go as often as I like, but I'll save and find ways to cut costs that work for us (bring bottled water, pack lunches, stay at value or off-site or rent DVC points, find discount tix, etc). We splurge a bit on vacation, and save for that prior to our vacation to be able to do so. Afterall, it is a vacation, right? So...if I want to eat a $10 turkey leg, I do it without guilt. That being said, we usually always split everything (and save some money to spend on the next thing!) because Disney portions are so huge. Dollar for dollar we spend almost as much on our OBX vacations and we really all enjoy Disney so much more!

 

[ols386]

Yes, their prices are too high on almost everything.

They charge high prices, because they CAN. Folks are willing to pay their prices.

 

[brunette8706]

Whether or not people are foolish with their money is irrelevant to the topic . The bottom line is Disney is still gouging its customers . I don't need a lecture on how to budget my money . It makes me wonder how many people find the recent 10 percent correction in the stock market a bad thing . Investing heavily now , is helping me find good value for my dollar. I am the kind of person that wants to see a good value for every dollar I spend . Spending 3.50 for a free commodity is a foolish waste of money . We have annual passes and do eat at counter services and maybe a table service.

I feel Disney is gouging it's customers, and I felt compelled to point that out.
Brunette

 

[Kathryn777]

I think their prices are low compared to my local park. We went to Carowinds, shortly after we got back from Disney. It was like 14$ for chicken nuggets. The prices are crazy and they don't let you bring ANYTHING in. They took away my 2 year old's fruit cup

 

[bc7ate9]

Whether or not people are foolish with their money is irrelevant to the topic . The bottom line is Disney is still gouging its customers . I don't need a lecture on how to budget my money . It makes me wonder how many people find the recent 10 percent correction in the stock market a bad thing . Investing heavily now , is helping me find good value for my dollar. I am the kind of person that wants to see a good value for every dollar I spend . Spending 3.50 for a free commodity is a foolish waste of money . We have annual passes and do eat at counter services and maybe a table service.

I feel Disney is gouging it's customers, and I felt compelled to point that out.
Brunette

You asked for people's thoughts - that's what they're giving you.

I don't feel like Disney is guilty of price gouging - I think their prices are fair and reasonable for the industry they're in.

 

[Lesverts]

Did they raise the price of water because it was 2.75 when I was there in June?

Only thing I find that is overpriced is hotels on property. But even then 'experience' hotels tend to be in the 300+ dollar range. So meh.

 

[Kathryn777]

And I should add, I can get fp for as low as 55$ per person, per day. Our refill cup is only 16$ (ish) but it costs 1$ to fill it

 

[brunette8706]

You asked for people's thoughts - that's what they're giving you.

I don't feel like Disney is guilty of price gouging - I think their prices are fair and reasonable for the industry they're in.

Yes but I do . Keep paying those exorbitant prices I refuse to.

 

[Magpie]

Examples:

Bottled water $3.26
Turkey leg $9.25
Dessert Party $50.00
Hotdogs $8.50
BOMA dinner $45.00 plus
1 day ticket $100 plus
Dining Plan $70.00 plus
Lunch and dinner menus the same price
Refillable mugs $18.00 only 4 refills in 90 minutes lol
Alcoholic beverages $10 $15 plus
Resort pricing exorbitant
souvenirs exorbitant

I think Disney needs to reevaluate their pricing strategy.

It also seems like the quality has gone down too. Anyway these are just a few things. What are your thoughts?

Brunette

Bottled water? We don't buy beverages at Disney. We're perfectly happy with our ice water, which is better for us anyway.

Turkey leg? Never bought one, but I suppose if I did, I'd be splitting it with at least one other person and calling it lunch. Those things are HUGE!

Dessert party? It's not a must do for us.

Hot dogs? Since we don't pay for drinks, we consider 8.50 well within our budget for lunch. Especially since we like to bring porridge and eat it in our rooms for breakfast.

BOMA dinner? 50 dollars for a high end buffet dinner isn't considered excessive in my town, and you sure can't beat the ambiance.

One day ticket? Those are always the most expensive. I've never paid gate price for a one day ticket. Before we had annual passes, we used Undercover Tourist and looked for deals on multiple days.

Dining plan? We don't eat that much, so purchasing a dining plan makes no sense for us.

Lunch and dinner menus? The handful of places we ate had cheaper prices for lunch when we were there last spring.

Refillable mugs? Two dollars a day works out pretty good for us. We get a drink in the morning, one when we head back to the resort for a nap. And another before bed. Who'd want more than four refills in an hour and a hallf? I'd be peeing like a racehorse!

Alcoholic beverages? I don't drink, and my husband doesn't drink alone, so I can't comment.

Resort pricing? We keep an eye out for discount offers. Plus, we LOVE the Pop Century. Other people opt to stay off site.

Souvenirs? Who needs a bunch of tchotchkes? I'm happy getting a new costume for my Duffy bear. (18.00)

To me it seems the prices are well in line with other parks and venues (which is why we rarely go to concerts any more). I think it's to Disney's credit that most of the things you listed are optional. They're nice, but your vacation won't be ruined if you choose to go without them.

It's simple capitalism. Disney doesn't owe you low prices any more than you own Disney your custom. There is nothing moral or immoral about price negotiation between an entertainment company and a consumer. People like to say they're a "captive audience", but they're not really. They can always choose to take their business elsewhere. It isn't as if Disney is the only manufacturer of insulin in the world, and your choice is pay them or die. At the end of the day, WCW is just a theme park.

They're charging what people will pay, and people pay because they think they're getting good value for their money. Disney doesn't need to reevaluate anything, except possibly whether or not they can charge even more without hurting attendance.