Bookings for WDW packages significantly down according to Pete Werner?

[Picklepuppy]

Originally Posted by jclutton

We have seen the dilution of magic at disney for years now, everything costs money and having to plan 6 months out is no holiday for us, it is better holiday to wake up and decide what you want to do on the day, I shouldn't have to know what I'm doing 180/60/30 days from now. Universal is a much better place, staff members seem happy and cheerful, much like disney staff a few years ago.

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We don’t plan anything and still do exactly what we want when we want it! Disney will have you believe that you need to plan everything, but we are in all the restaurants we wanted to and other than one ride, we went on everything we wanted to go on. We stay on site and have a chilled out holiday, we come on the dibb for ideas mainly but we don’t plan anything!

[fleurbie]

I realy feel the oppsite, there's not many holidays that I don't plan a bit for,
If your on a cruise or a tour holiday you have a itinary and no one would question it,
For myself based on my first experience of WDW we didn't have a plan, but we went to the welcome meeting and every day was planed out there, then we had to rush around the park's trying to grab fast pases before they went for the day, if you wanted an evening park you had to Q wasting loads of time, resurants were wait times for the popular ones if you could get a table at all!
So for me to build the excitement of the holiday I can sit with feet up thinking all in hand.
So when I take a lazy stroll around the park's soaking up the atmosphere I can truly enjoy my holiday.
Just to add we've only booked 4 TS meals the rest I will see how we feel when there, but being 2 adults we don't have to worry with set eating times or picky eaters so makes that eaasier☺

[Zigby]

From the perspective of someone who has just booked their first WDW holiday and is staying onsite, I have to be honest and say I think it’s ridiculously overpriced. And seems to require a lot of scheduling in advance - why can I book my dining so far ahead of my fast passes? How do I know which parks I'll be in each day to dine until I know what fast passes I'm able to get on each day?

It’s the rooms that really get me, spending all that money to be crammed into a room with your kids who either have to share a bed or sleep on a sofa/chair bed?

I took my kids to Butlins, and even there in the hotel room they had their own separate room and proper beds. Why is Disney accommodation so sub-standard? I know I could stay off-site, but why should that be the better option? Surely Disney should want people to be clamouring to stay onsite?

I know Disney have suites etc, for often ridiculous prices, but I cannot see why such a wealthy company as Disney cannot provide better ‘basic’ accommodation given the cost. It actually lowered my opinion of them, and certainly didn’t fill me with ‘Disney Magic’!

Don’t get me wrong, we're all looking forward to our holiday and anticipate having a wonderful time. But I'm sure I'm not the only first time visitor looking at the costs and wondering what you really get for all that money...

[Lola]

We have been to WDW many times, I have done a couple of solo trips too. However we now are doing Florida trips minus Disney as I won’t pay the prices now they are beyond reason

[macadoo]

Originally Posted by Zigby

From the perspective of someone who has just booked their first WDW holiday and is staying onsite, I have to be honest and say I think it’s ridiculously overpriced. And seems to require a lot of scheduling in advance - why can I book my dining so far ahead of my fast passes? How do I know which parks I'll be in each day to dine until I know what fast passes I'm able to get on each day?

It’s the rooms that really get me, spending all that money to be crammed into a room with your kids who either have to share a bed or sleep on a sofa/chair bed?

I took my kids to Butlins, and even there in the hotel room they had their own separate room and proper beds. Why is Disney accommodation so sub-standard? I know I could stay off-site, but why should that be the better option? Surely Disney should want people to be clamouring to stay onsite?

I know Disney have suites etc, for often ridiculous prices, but I cannot see why such a wealthy company as Disney cannot provide better ‘basic’ accommodation given the cost. It actually lowered my opinion of them, and certainly didn’t fill me with ‘Disney Magic’!

Don’t get me wrong, we're all looking forward to our holiday and anticipate having a wonderful time. But I'm sure I'm not the only first time visitor looking at the costs and wondering what you really get for all that money...

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Why are you staying on site if you aren’t happy with your accommodation?

[Friday'sChild]

We have been lucky enough to stay on site since the introduction of the fast pass system some years back, however we are now priced out and have reverted to I-Drive, don't get me wrong I feel very lucky to be able to go back but a little disappointed that we can no longer afford to stay on site

[mossyflossy]

We don't stay onsite anymore because it is just too expensive and the quality and space of the onsite accommodation is not on a par with offsite accommodation which is cheaper and far nicer.

As to the parks, in recent years a 1 day US ticket or 2 day UK ticket has worked fine for us.

We've had no difficulty whatsoever getting a dining reservation on the day either. And the same is true of fastpasses.

[Warkman58]

I agree with him.
For the past few years, we gave decided not to pay the huge prices for WDW, yes we have been many times before that, but we now get more pleasure from Universal thin Disney.
I do think Disney have overpriced themselves

[Zigby]

Originally Posted by macadoo

Why are you staying on site if you aren’t happy with your accommodation?

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Various reasons, including having children with special needs who will need to return to the room several times per day, at short notice. On site works for what I need, and I'm not disparaging the convenience and accessibility of Disney’s hotels.

My comment was more in general, in the context of the discussion of lower visitor numbers and increasing costs. I was surprised and a bit dismayed to find the rooms were better at Butlins than at Disney, and am probably not the only first time visitor wondering where the Disney Magic is when it comes to expensive accommodation.

[Tinkerbell]

For me the whole Disney thing has got way of track

Having been and stayed onsite numerous times since 1989, our recent trip in May was nothing like previous trips.

Overcrowded substandard staffing levels. Accommodation from budget through moderate is really not very good. Rooms, even with refurbs as with POR still very dated and tired and competing with nice shiny new places.

I still like the convenience of onsite staying but will no longer accept substandard accommodation etc to be able to do so. Disney has always been a planning Holiday But now with fastpasses etc it’s really not a do as you go holidays. We certainly could not just walk on rides in any parks and we went during two quiet weeks in May.

We have our five nights free accommodation to use up but I’ll only use it when and if the bottom drops out , which it probably will, especially with a potential recession hitting and or if I can afford to go deluxe. I do wish Disney would offer better family rooms two beds for two adults and two or three kids is ridiculous in this day and age