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Is Disney about to begin charging a “Resort Fee?

Is Disney about to begin charging a “Resort Fee?


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I love to travel, but I despise “resort fees.”  You find a hotel you like at a price you find agreeable, then you get to the final check out to find they charge you an extra $15 or $20 per day you weren’t expecting.  A recent Disney survey suggests that Disney is toying with this idea.

In a recent guest survey, many were questioned concerning Disney moving into the lucrative cash flow known as “resort fees.”  Here’s a sample question from the survey:

A standard room in a deluxe resort such as Disney’s BoardWalk Inn or Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort with an average nightly rate of $350

Includes:

  • Unparalleled Guest service
  • Close proximity to theme parks
  • Transportation to and from the parks
  • Online check-in

A resort fee of $15 per night would be assessed which includes:

  • Disney’s Magical Express
  • MagicBands
  • Priority Disney Fastpass+ planning up to 60 days prior to arrival
  • Resort entertainment and children’s activities
  • Wi-Fi
  • Extra Magic Hours
  • Parking at the resort and theme parks

It’s an exact, word-for-word, copy of the main question.  Note that they are asking for a flat fee, not $15 per item.  I’m sure it would be proposed to you as reducing the actual cost per night or something, but the reality is they are asking you if you are willing to pay them an extra $15 per night to receive the same benefits you are currently receiving in your regular room rate (which is already considerably higher than any other in the area).

The survey in demonstration above would go on to ask if you use social media or blogging and, if you answer yes, you get bounced mysteriously out of the survey.  I would presume it’s because they don’t want any more of the survey to appear on sites like this.

I’ve always enjoyed the fact that I can see the real cost of my stay in a Disney resort live, and not have to find the hidden fees like Loewes Universal resorts, who charge $20 per night for parking.  I understand when booking a Disney vacation that all that stuff was already rolled into the cost of the room.  All the recent increases like an extra $2 or $3 for cheeseburger, various manhour cuts and now this leave me scratching my head lately.  Disney isn’t broke, they are still making billions, they just need more cash to pay for Shanghai and you’re left paying for it.  What will happen if Chinese guests don’t support the park like Euro Disney experienced for decades?

If Disney implements this extra fee, it would provide at least an extra $375,000-400,000 per day in cash flow from 30,000 Disney World hotel rooms alone, assuming the room rates remain the same.  I wouldn’t mind an extra $140 million in my stocking this Christmas.

So, how would you answer this survey question? 

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Sandy

Thursday 17th of March 2016

We have already started staying off property in a condo. It is not worth it to pay so much for a room that you are rarely in. We are a family of 5 so the cheapest room we can get is Port Orleans and with a discount that is usually around 230.00! We paid a fortune only to have long waits on really crowded buses.Walt is rolling over in his grave for sure! Middle class people like me can hardly afford it and now it is getting more and more ridiculous. We are a Disney family with minnie and mickeys on the back of our van, but if they don't stop raising prices we will have to look elsewhere for a vacation. Disney better watch out, they are making a lot of people really mad. Look at Easter week this year, no extra EMHs! I think if they go through with a resort fee, that will be the last straw for many people. I think Disney thinks they are invincible. We will see!

Jill

Saturday 12th of March 2016

Not no but HELL NO!

Nancy Duerr

Thursday 10th of March 2016

How do we start a petition to stop this ridiculousness or where can we post our feelings about this? Disney needs to know! I guess because they are losing so much money on the overseas location, they want to recoup their losses from us. Everyone reading this - let's email Guest Services and let them know we don't want these fees. Hopefully, they will pass them on to the Corporate bigwigs who are considering this.

Kim

Thursday 10th of March 2016

Perhaps Disney is considering this because of the tax implications and not a greed issue. Okay, so aside from Disney increasing prices every time someone sneezes, Room rates are taxed. They then have to draw from that pool of money the amount needed to pay for items that are tax-deductible on their end. The winner here is the state of Florida as they make money off of items that otherwise should not have been taxed.

Now, to make this transition go better what Disney needs to do is reduce room prices by $15 as they add the fee - but we know Disney's calculators do not have a minus sign.

kennythepirate

Thursday 10th of March 2016

Fees are taxable in Florida as well.

UncleMike

Wednesday 9th of March 2016

Disney is milking their cash cows (Us) dry.Mr. Iger and friends need to learn to manage the money that they already get instead of holding us upside down to shake the last nickel out of our pockets. Sinking a fortune into a likely financial disaster in China and making up the deficit by gouging their American customers will result in Americans taking their discretionary dollars elsewhere. I have relatives who are complete Disney addicts but are going to Universal and the beach for their FL vacation this Summer.

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