Many Disney World Resorts Show Major Price Increases for 2016

By Dave Shute

Disney World’s 2016 resort hotel prices came out on Monday, and I’ve devoted my spare time to studying them ever since. The upshot?

• Major increases in value and moderate prices from later August 2016 through most of October from a shift in price seasons. Significantly higher prices across the year at Art of Animation Little Mermaid rooms and Finding Nemo family suites, and at Port Orleans French Quarter and Port Orleans Riverside.
• Major increases—10% to more than 15%–in many deluxe resort room types in 2016, although some show little increase and others show increases more in the 4-8% range.

Analyzing Disney resort price changes is difficult—there’s more than 20 hotels, many differently-priced room and view types within them, seven to nine different price seasons over the course of the year, additional weekend and holiday upcharges, and more.

As a result, unless you have a LOT of time on your hands you need to sample, and that’s what I’ve done. In general I sample the lowest-priced rooms at most of the resorts (with some exceptions that are noted below) and analyze:

• Season price increases across all the major Disney World price seasons—e.g. “Regular” season prices for 2016 compared to 2015
• Changes in the dates covered by price seasons that have an impact on price levels—there’s a lot of that in 2016
• Changes in the relative price levels of hotels in a single price class—there’s some of that in 2016

DISNEY WORLD VALUE RESORTS PRICING IN 2016

Price season structure changes

In a major change, 2016 price seasons for later August through the end of October have changed, from the old “Value 2” to “Fall” in later August and earlier September, and from “Fall” to “Regular” from mid-September to almost the end of October.

In both cases the switch is from a lower-priced season to a higher priced season. When combined with general season price increases, example effects include:

• In the first part of the period, with the shift from “Value 2” to “Fall”: for standard rooms, compared to same dates in 2015, Little Mermaid rooms at Art of Animation are up 13%, Pop Century is up 6%, and the All-Stars are up 7%.
• In the later part of the period, later September and most of October 2016 (excluding holiday weekends), with the shift from “Fall” to “Regular,” compared to same dates in 2015: standard Little Mermaid rooms at Art of Animation are up 17%, Pop Century is up 15%, and the All-Stars are up 16%.

Earlier in the year, two short periods are now “Regular” that used to be “Value” or “Value 2”—February 7 through February 10, and August 14 through August 18.

Price level changes

The basic pattern among value resort standard rooms of Art of Animation Little Mermaid rooms being most expensive and the All-Stars being least expensive continues in 2016.

Art of Animation rooms show the highest price increases among these standard rooms in 2016, and the All-Stars the lowest, extending this gap, and putting Little Mermaid rooms shockingly close to standard moderate room prices some dates.

The three Family Suite areas at Art of Animation—Finding Nemo, Cars, and Lion King—have had the same prices. In 2016, Finding Nemo suites are more expensive than the other two, which are priced the same.

Season price increases

Most price seasons the All-Stars standard rooms show no changes vs 2015—considering inflation, that’s in effect a price cut. The exceptions are the Value and Regular Seasons, which have 3-5% increases. Family Suites at Music are unchanged in some major seasons and go up 1 or 2% in others.

Pop Century standard rooms have no price increases for the Summer or Fall seasons in 2016, and increases of 2-4% in the other seasons, with the Value season seeing the highest increase.

Little Mermaid rooms are up across the board 3-5% in the major seasons (a little less in the shorter Easter and Holiday seasons). Value, Fall and Regular show around 5% increases.

Art of Animation suites at Cars and Lion King are up 1 to 3% most seasons (Peak is unchanged). Nemo Suites are up 4 to 7% in the major seasons, with the Value season seeing the highest increase.

DISNEY WORLD MODERATE RESORTS PRICING IN 2016

Price season structure

The moderates see the same price season structure changes in 2016 as the value resorts do—short new Regular periods in February and early August that replace old Value or Value 2 seasons, and the major swap of Fall for Value 2 in later August and early September, and Regular for Fall in later September and most of October.

The effect from later August through most of October is that Caribbean Beach standard rooms are up 7-8%, and Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter standard rooms up 12%.

Price level changes

Until 2016, Caribbean Beach, Port Orleans French Quarter, and Port Orleans Riverside standard rooms had the same prices, while Coronado Springs has tracked them some nights and other nights was $3-5 more.

In a major change, in 2016 Riverside and French Quarter are now the most expensive moderates.

More specifically, in 2016 for standard rooms Caribbean Beach is now generally the least expensive option, then at on average 2% more is Coronado Springs, then at on average about 4.5% more (or 2.5% more than Coronado Springs) are the two Port Orleans Resorts, Riverside and French Quarter.

Season price increases

Caribbean Beach shows 1-3% increases across most price seasons, with Peak a little less and Value showing the highest increase. Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter show increases of 5-8%, with the highest increase being in Value season.

DISNEY WORLD DELUXE RESORTS PRICING IN 2016

Price season structure

The deluxe resorts run to a different price season calendar than the values and moderates, especially mid-July through October, and show little difference to this schedule in 2016, especially compared to the major changes at the values and moderates from mid-August through most of October.

The only significant changes I saw were two new instances of Regular season, both in effect price increases. February 7 to 10 is now Regular instead of Value, and November 4-12 is now Regular instead of Fall.

Price level changes

There’s a bewildering plethora of price points at the deluxes—many view options, some with “Club” service options as well. I only sampled the full set of price changes in seventeen deluxe room types, and based on that saw only one material change among the overall resort price standings.

The Grand Floridian is still the most expensive, and standard rooms at the Wilderness Lodge are still the least expensive.

However, traditionally Animal Kingdom Lodge standard rooms have been very close to the prices of standard Wilderness Lodge rooms, but in 2016 Wilderness Lodge standard rooms see hardly any increases, while Animal Kingdom Lodge standard rooms are up 7-12% in all the major seasons except Fall. So more daylight is emerging between the two Lodges whose cheapest rooms used to be near-equivalent in price.

Season price increases

As noted, standard Wilderness Lodge rooms see no price changes among most of the major price reasons—after inflation, a price cut. The exception is Value 2, which is 6% higher. Courtyard view rooms at the Lodge show no to small increases in many seasons, but prices are up 10% in the Value, Value 2, and Summer seasons. Woods view rooms at the Lodge show 10%+ increases in many major seasons–Value, Value 2, Regular, and Summer.

Animal Kingdom Lodge standard room prices are up only a bit in a few seasons, including Fall, but up 7-12% in many major seasons, including Value, Value 2, Regular, and Summer. Savanna view room prices show large increases across all seasons, from 9 to 17%, with the two Value seasons seeing the largest increases.

Beach Club standard rooms are up from just a bit to 6% in the major seasons, with the biggest increase in Value 2. Garden view rooms at the Beach Club are up 5-7% in the major seasons, with the highest increase in the value season.

Yacht Club standard rooms have the same prices as those at the Beach Club, so too are up from just a bit to 6% in the major seasons, with the biggest increase in Value 2. Garden view rooms at the Yacht Club are a little cheaper than their Beach Club equivalents, and are up around 7% in all the major seasons.

BoardWalk Inn standard rooms show price increases of 4-7%, with the highest increases among the major seasons in the two Value seasons. Water view rooms at the Boardwalk Inn are up 4% in  all seasons except Value 2, which sees a 6% increase.

Polynesian standard rooms show increases of 3% to 8% in the major seasons, with the Regular season seeing the largest increase. Lagoon view rooms are up 1-2% in most major seasons, but up 5-6% in the Regular 2 and Value 2 seasons.

At the Contemporary Resort, both Bay Lake view and Magic Kingdom view tower rooms show a consistent 7% increase across the seasons.

Grand Floridian standard rooms have increases of 10 to 12% in the major seasons. Lagoon view rooms here see much lower increases, 3-7% in most major seasons, but just 1% in the Regular season.

MORE ON THE DISNEY WORLD RESORTS

I’ve stayed in more than 100 different Disney World rooms, suites, villas, and such. Reviews resulting from these stays are linked to here.

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