Touche`. Perhaps I should clarify that Disney is the only place I know that adds sour mix to bourbon cocktails.
Disney used to be more affordable and less crowded. There are great amusement parks that are affordable and less crowded. Just trying to understand the logic behind the two being mutually exclusive.
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Yes, it was! What happened?!? DVC? More resorts/rooms that space in the parks?
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Probably, bad planning. And now the easy way out is charging more and more for less and less?
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Population growth, increased popularity, increased income for relevant demographics, increased international tourism, etc. If demand goes up, you either increase prices or have a shortage (crowding) or both.
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Not recently. Ahem.
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I take that all of this grew faster than the ability of Disney to expand and accommodate? Makes sense. Still want to complain though 
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Good point. Though probably offset by more domestic visitors since we can’t travel to other countries as easily either.
Other vacation destinations don’t market themselves at children, telling them how “magical” they are and showing their favorite characters and saying “You can come for only $X!”
If they’re going to price themselves out of reach for most families, they should stop marketing themselves to those families’ kids.
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I get what you’re saying. But to play devil’s advocate (because it’s me), while they market toward families with kids, I’m not sure it’s at a specific demographic (e.g. middle class). That might just be assumed by the middle class.
Ultimately, families that love Disney but definitely can’t afford to go can’t let their kids develop unrealistic expectations, and instead distract with less expensive trips and entertainment options.
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I’m not sure they are marketing to families that can’t afford it. I tend to agree with what @Tall_Paul1 said. There are plenty of families with kids that can afford it, just look at all the trip reports on here and on Chat. Long trips, deluxe resort trips, multiple long trips a year. Experiences like building light sabers and droids. I don’t think Disney is marketing to all families with kids, but to families with kids plus the means to visit. It was never meant to be a low cost vacation. And honestly, it is so busy at the cost it is now, imagine if it was cheaper. It would be Christmas level crowds every single day. Like I said before, there were 1 million Disneyland AP holders before we all got cancelled. 1 million! Prices are too low if that many people (many of them living in very expensive Southern California), can afford an AP.
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I do hear what you’re saying about supply and demand and overcrowding of the parks. I can say with assurance, though, that the marketing hits kids whose families can’t afford the trip. I personally know at least two families where the children desperately want to go to WDW and there is pretty much no way that their parents will ever be able to take them.
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I do feel for those kids, and others like them. Not sure what the answer is though.
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Add to that
3. Disney should pay its workers more (esp after so many got laid off during the pandemic, I would wish for better pay and job security for all of them – it looks like their jobs have only gotten harder in the past year-plus)
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I also don’t know how you would market to only demographics that can presumably afford you. That seems both not like a for-profit business (to cast a narrow net) and also presumptive (like what, lower-income people don’t read particular things or watch particular shows or listen to particular radio stations? where would be okay to market versus not market without being offensive as if some kind of media isn’t “for” lower-income people as well as higher? my daughter hears about Disneyland on our morning commute on the top-hits radio station).
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You’re right - targeted advertising is probably not easy/simple. It’s probably easier to change the content of your ads than who sees them. I don’t see WDW not trying to get kids to want to go there, though. It’d be bad for their bottom line. If it could be done, I think there’d be some hope of them targeting their ads better, but maybe it can’t be done? I certainly don’t know how.
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The only parks I see advertised on national TV, at least where I live, are DW and Universal. Other parks do well without that kind of advertising. (Many of the others stick to social media or the radio). So is it really necessary?
Edited to add: forgot, once in a while I see Sesame Place, but I think that might be regional since we are about 2-3 hours from their location.
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That’s what I was thinking. Am there are plenty of those. And I love reading their trip reports!
I just hope Disney keeps there prices such that I cam go for a week every five years or so!
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They are having trouble hiring too. Others have mentioned the bus driver shortage. School districts are having trouble finding school bus drivers and the news reported that bus drivers said they can make more money driving buses for Disney than the school district. School bus has different hours than a Disney bus, but I wanted to make the point that FL has some of the lowest pay in the nation.
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