Resort Survey ... on Resort Fees

[BrittyRo]

This is getting ridiculous. Also when is the room rate at the Poly EVER 350$

 

[DisneyQueen1320]

I doubt DVC will have to pay the resort fees. I think this will be a way to sale DVC.

 

[iamsarahpotts]

So this pays for both DME and parking? Who uses both?
It pays for Tragic bands? Gee, now you charge me extra for faulty technology.
Childern's Activities? I am a single adult. I don't have kids why should I pay for htat
Resort Entertainment?? Well considering the current trend is to lay off all the entertaiment that's not worth much!
WiFi? Wait, I can't get on a ride without using your stupid APP and you now I have to pay for it and the Fast Passes

Just another reason to stay off site. (Of course this will shoot a big hole in the chant of "the fees at the Swan/Dolphin make it cost more then Disney... math I have never followed since the hotel rooms are often less then half a Disney "deluxe")

Poor service and high costs don't create loyalty Disney!

Also, like we haven't already been paying for all of that?! Like they've just been giving it to us out of the goodness of their hearts?! I don't think so! I actually really like MDE and Magicbands, but you are right - they can't implement a new system that we are nearly required to use and THEN tell us we have to pay extra for it! (I mean they CAN, but we aren't stupid, we know what they're doing!)

 

[grimley1968]

It's par for the course in the 20-teens WDW: get customers to pay more money for less value.

WDW lost me the last few years with FP+, but this is like rubbing salt in the wound for those who still put up with WDW.

There was a time when WDW was better than just about any other company in the tourism industry at providing value for an upfront cost (though it's always been high). Now it seems WDW is trying to nickel and dime their guests like the airlines.

 

[TwoMisfits]

My general reaction to this is a big yawn, since most people are generally going to look at the total cost of the room and not just the base rate. Disney has always increased room rates substantially every year, and it doesn't matter to me if they break out these fees or build them into the base rate. To me, a base rate of $350 a room plus $15 for services is the same as a rate of $365 per night without the separate resort fee as long as the services are the same.

I think there would be a revolt if they tried to add these fees to stays with DVC points. It would cause some people to pull out their contracts to see if this would even be allowed.

I wonder if one of the objectives of something like this is for the company to reduce the amount it has to pay in some state or local taxes. We all see that string of room and occupancy taxes that get added on to base hotel rates at Disney and everywhere else. Maybe hotel services that are priced separately and are not directly related to occupancy of the room are not subject to those taxes.

The fee is not the same...it will never go down as an add-on. So, when Disney reduces rack rates, you're still paying 100% of the resort fee. It's a sneaky way to increase prices for everyone without actually doing it. So, if you get a 30% off code for a $200 room+$15 fee or a $215 room, you'd pay $155/night the new way or $150.5/night the old way (and it's worse at values)...$5/night is nothing to sneeze at (especially with the amount of rooms Disney has)- it's free money for Disney...and this assumes the fee stays at $15...I can easily see $25-$30/night...

So, Disney comes out financially way ahead and doesn't have to say they increased hotel prices $15/night - win/win for them and lose-lose for the consumer...

 

[Angel Ariel]

Disney's resorts are expensive enough already. This makes me thankful we have access to Shades of Green. We stayed with Disney last time we were at WDW, but even without the 60 day FP+ benefit (SoG only gets the 30 day window), Shades is looking like a better option when we finally do take DD there again.

 

[snayak]

I hate mandatory resort fees. We generally stay at the Swan, which has a $25/night fee which includes:

• Unlimited domestic long distance and local calls
• Unlimited access to the resort’s health club facilities
• In room high-speed Internet access
• 2 bottles of water daily

Its $25/night even if I pay with points, so my "free" 5 night stay is still $125+tax out of pocket, for what amounts to 10 bottles of water and WiFi (which we don't even use since we live in the USA and have voice & data on our phone!).

This doesn't even cover parking! And, its never baked into the rates you find online (until you are making the reservation) - total sticker shock.

 

[PBB]

="wisblue, post: 55317170, member: 49446"]"I think there would be a revolt if they tried to add these fees to stays with DVC points. It would cause some people to pull out their contracts to see if this would even be allowed.

I was thinking the same thing......we have been DVC members since 98. As DVC members, we have already paid for the hardware to provide WiFi through our annual dues. So, there would a double dipping argument occurring. This is how class action lawsuits begin.

Disney implemented "New York Pricing" policies across the board over the past few years. They believe the resort hotels and restaurants are equal to New York Hotels and Restaurants. If you park your car at a NY hotel it will cost $75-100 a day to park at the hotel parking lot. If you stay at a Class A hotel it is common to charge a per night fee for Internet access. Your going to pay $3 for a bottle of soda or $12 for a mixed drink.

If you look at the items that Disney is stating the "resort fees" are going to pay for in this survey, these items and services are already in place. Many for a very long time. It appears the Magic Band system has become a boondoggle for Disney and they are trying to recoup the billions they invested in this program. Maybe, they should give each person one MagicBand and when the battery dies you get another. If your a person that travels to WDW do you really need a MagicBand for each resort for each visit? My brother in-laws' family of four have a total 28 Magicbands. Now, a purple one is available!

WDW will eventually or has become a resort for the upper class to visit multiple times and the middle class to visit once in a lifetime. This is no longer Walt Disneys' concept of a resort or theme park.

 

[rteetz]

http://www.wdwmagic.com/resorts/wal...a-nightly-resort-fee-to-its-resort-hotels.htm

 

[Nancyg56]

I was thinking the same thing......we have been DVC members since 98. As DVC members, we have already paid for the hardware to provide WiFi through our annual dues. So, there would a double dipping argument occurring. This is how class action lawsuits begin.

Disney implemented "New York Pricing" policies across the board over the past few years. They believe the resort hotels and restaurants are equal to New York Hotels and Restaurants. If you park your car at a NY hotel it will cost $75-100 a day to park at the hotel parking lot. If you stay at a Class A hotel it is common to charge a per night fee for Internet access. Your going to pay $3 for a bottle of soda or $12 for a mixed drink.

If you look at the items that Disney is stating the "resort fees" are going to pay for in this survey, these items and services are already in place. Many for a very long time. It appears the Magic Band system has become a boondoggle for Disney and they are trying to recoup the billions they invested in this program. Maybe, they should give each person one MagicBand and when the battery dies you get another. If your a person that travels to WDW do you really need a MagicBand for each resort for each visit? My brother in-laws' family of four have a total 28 Magicbands. Now, a purple one is available!

WDW will eventually or has become a resort for the upper class to visit multiple times and the middle class to visit once in a lifetime. This is no longer Walt Disneys' concept of a resort or theme park.

I have thought about this new survey and how, if the fees are implemented, I would regard my WDW vacation. Right now, I look at the bottom line cost of my trip and then determine if the cost is within my budget. If I need to tweak some aspects of my choices I will then do so. For instance, this trip I want to stay Deluxe, and have decide that in order to so so, I am going to forego party tickets and hoppers. I am not willing to give up anything my family considers a deal breaker. I also refuse to include spending money in this portion of my budget. So, now I am being asked to pay for things that are already included in my vacation planning, and if that amount puts me over my budget, or in this case, offends me, how do I choose to handle this? For me, there is a difference between deciding that in order to have what I want I give up something else, such as hoppers and party tickets, and giving up something because Disney decided that I will happily pay more if they call it something other than a resort room rate hike. Right now we stay onsite. I like onsite, and I do not pay WDW rates to visit other Orlando area attractions. If one of the choices my family needs to make is onsite of off for a WDW vacation, then that means a vehicle and that means we hit the road and visit other places in teh Orlando area.

So, my bottom line is that if this survey is indeed a trial balloon to see how folks will react, then this sinks it for my family. I always have had a line that I will not cross for any vacation, and this is my WDW line in the sand.

 

[damo]

These have been in place at the Disneylan hotels for over a year now. I am kind of surprised they haven't tacked them on at all the WDW resorts.

There is a parking fee at the DL hotels. If you don't have a car, you don't pay the fee. That is different.

They used to have a mandatory resort fee but eliminated it and instituted the parking fee for those with a car instead.

 

[HopperFan]

While I wouldn't be surprised on this one - Disney sends out all kinds of surveys regarding hotels.
Last year I got one after I stayed at POFQ.
Here are just a few of the items it asked me if I would be interested in or find valuable regarding my room:

- Towel Warmer
- Robes and disposable slippers
- Bedside control of lights, thermostat and drapes
- Microwave
- In Room Smart TV
- Borrowing special phones
- View fireworks on my room tv
- Reading materials on Disney History and storybooks - that I can take home
- Ability to select pillow styles
- Complimentary 32 oz water
- Hardwood floor or vinyl instead of carpet
- Filtered water dispenser
- White noise machine
- Viewing of hotel bill and booking of hotel services on phone
- Dimmable lights
- Step tools and toilets with built in child seats
- Touch screen device allowing MDE booking etc
- Utilizing smart tv as a computer
- Bathroom scale
- Xbox or Wii in room
- In room snacks
- Smart TV had about 14 options but equal to computer uses
- HUGE list of bathrooms options both in design and extras


AND the list went on and on. They are always testing the waters so hopefully they get LOTS of NEGATIVITY on this slippery slope.

 

[Redcon1]

Unless, like a previous poster noted, this fee would be tax-exempt for Disney, why not just hike the rates an extra $15 and make it easier for the customer to determine what they're paying upfront.
Everyone expects them to raise the rates anyway and just rolling in the additional $15 into the price and not breaking them out separately would probably be viewed less as a negative by the public (even if we're still paying the higher price). It's all about perception and convenience for the customer.

And thinking about it a little more, Disney (and other hotels that charge the resort fee) open a can of worms by specifying what services the fee is for. As another poster pointed out, they don't use many of the services listed and why should they pay extra for them. If the rates are raised and are all inclusive, there's probably less complaining and customer service issues from guests on having to pay for unused services.

 

[Buttrcp16]

I guess Disney has not heard the phrase........Pigs Get Fat Hogs Get Slaughtered............The mouse has become a hog.

Polynesian Hotel Unparallelled Guest Service?? Really??? Having a maintenance guy spray chemicals in the lake with a gasoline engine pump and then blowing sand with gas blower at 7 a.m. is considered unparalleled ?? Even the Fairfield Inn wouldn't treat a guest like that........is the 8 am knock on the door by housekeeping on your check out day (even though privacy sign on knob), unparalleled guest service?

Or having a CM knock on your door THREE separate times at midnight when you and your kids are asleep and you have the privacy sign on the door... Because he's trying to find the guest that wanted coffee grounds.

 

[EricInPA]

Going on the assumption this won't apply to DVC reservations it doesn't apply to me, but to comment as a cash guest:

This likely wouldn't change my decision to stay onsite over offsite. To this point I've pretty much treated all of the "complimentary" stuff as just part of the already high price. I'm part of the problem

 

[afan]

I don't agree with starting to charge for something that was either "complimentary" or really already included in the room rate. What I may have an issue with is how they implement it if they do. I already have a room booked for November that was booked without a resort fee. Will they do like the airlines when they raise the bag or pet fee and say if you booked by this date you will pay the old fee? Because I've had them raise both those fees on various trips over the year and because I had booked under the old fees that was what I paid.

I've also read, though I can't remember it all and don't have time to research it, that resort fees can be optional, especially if you don't use any of the items. It's paid at check in, so it would seem it would be easy to argue and it will probably be something they comp often as a way to make guests happy when something goes wrong. But I would ask them to remove it if they implement it before my trip because the room I've booked doesn't have it. They can't raise my rates once I've booked, and even if it says something in the fine print, I think you would have a valid argument for getting the fee removed.

 

[DoingDisney]

My general reaction to this is a big yawn, since most people are generally going to look at the total cost of the room and not just the base rate. Disney has always increased room rates substantially every year, and it doesn't matter to me if they break out these fees or build them into the base rate. To me, a base rate of $350 a room plus $15 for services is the same as a rate of $365 per night without the separate resort fee as long as the services are the same.

I think there would be a revolt if they tried to add these fees to stays with DVC points. It would cause some people to pull out their contracts to see if this would even be allowed.

I wonder if one of the objectives of something like this is for the company to reduce the amount it has to pay in some state or local taxes. We all see that string of room and occupancy taxes that get added on to base hotel rates at Disney and everywhere else. Maybe hotel services that are priced separately and are not directly related to occupancy of the room are not subject to those taxes.

The object of this is a money grab, nothing more.

Your original premise would hold if they didn't ALSO increase the price of rooms. But of course they will do both.

Interesting you see a problem with them doing this to DVC owners, though there is nothing in the contract to stop them from doing so.

The reality is that Disney has, consistently, charged more for their rooms and has highlighted that those rooms were worth the extra cost BECAUSE of things like DMH, DME, Busses, etc. Adding a service charge for these, when the company is posting record profits, making cutbacks etc, is pure greed.

 

[DoingDisney]

My response to that echoes what a few other people have already said...if you're going to raise room rates, then just do it. It's really annoying to have a price listed and then have to go through a whole song and dance just to get the "actual" price...especially if you're trying to do comparisons between different hotels. Also, psychologically, its super frustrating to browse while planning a trip, make some decisions and then remember "oh ya I have to tack on an extra hundred bucks" or whatever to the end price. One of the great things about staying on-site is that when you see your price and pay it, you know everything is included.

Indeed, and if they do this it will just be the start, its just one more product stream that disney would be able to increase the price on. So that next year or the year after, when they increase room rates by $10, or 10% or whatever, they can also increase the cost of the "resort amenity fee" by a dollar, or 5.

 

[Sean91]

Well I guess they have to pay for the separate cloths to clean table tops with somehow

 

[DoingDisney]

DVC - Interesting Idea - Perhaps Disney wants to add this resort fee in part because as they flip more rooms over to DVC they want to pull another revenue stream from them, since they can't simply increase the room rate (other than dues, but they can't increase that nearly as fast as they have increased resort room fees)