A bunch of times during our last trip when we didn't have G+ we looked at the wait times and just decided it just wasn't worth it for a lot of rides. We currently have AP's but are going to let them lapse since we are only going 7-9 days next year and the renewal price is more than a 10 day ticket. We are looking at how many days we really need a park ticket, and probably can get it down to 4 days in the parks.
it can take a few offers to get a decent price on what you actually want. Disney doesn’t care how easy it is to sell the points resale…. They want to collect the Maintenance Fees and sell the new units. I do not see them reinstating perks, if anything I see the resale restrictions continuing to be more draconian….They don’t make that much money on resales… they make them on direct….
Different than when the parks (worldwide) were completely shut down with no end in sight and we had record unemployment? There may be some rough sledding ahead with the economy but that was truly a black swan event with much bleaker prospects.
Maybe this is why people are unloading their contracts for so little money right now.
I particularly liked how your financial outlook ended with a Tron ride. That might be the best segue I've seen on hereWe just had a pretty wild ride up after Covid and like any good roller coaster the downs follow the ups. Well, maybe not rock 'n' roll roller coaster, that's kind of straight, then dark and then looping I think...I can never tell. Also I haven't been on Tron yet, so ???? I refuse to watch the preview videos on YouTube.
I think "revenge" DVC buying is over. DVC resales were gangbusters in 2021. I suspect it messed with the normal pattern.
They need to make the product more attractive, and the only way they can do that is to make you want to return to WDW AND STAY ON PROPERTY on a regular basis.
That is the ULTIMATE reason why people bought DVC in the first place. WDW was a more attractive product even just a few years ago.
Find a contract with double ‘23 points and rent them all out that first year and you’ll already be well under $125/pt
A year ago, Poly was $170. Last month, Poly averaged $155. We're now starting to see smallish Poly contracts in the high $140s.
I don't see this being like 2008 at all (so long as the Fed doesn't stay tight too long.) For one, our banks are much better capitalized now than they were then. Second, the recession we face now is almost a voluntary one, meaning the Fed is choosing to put us in one because they have no other tool than to destroy demand to curb inflation. Sure, you could say that we have blindspots now because we had them in 2005-7 and ignored them, which I would agree with. But they are still different. The main reason: this has to be one of the most publicly telegraphed recessions ever. It's a fear, but it's not a surprise. The GFC was a surprise and then became a fear. Not so much this time around. I've been hearing nothing other than a recession is coming since early 2021. To be honest, I'm not sure what I prefer more: the face-ripping rallies of 2020 where unprofitable junk stocks flew to ATHs on a daily basis and gambling was mistaken for investing or 2022 where the stock market balloons leaked helium all year long but quality stocks held their heads high(er). I guess I would choose choice C: a Goldilocks scenario. But that is not likely to happen at all. We don't often get the "middle" when it comes to the markets.
So it looks like its just you and me who still pay attention to the people's index. Glad to have some company. I agree two or three more rate hikes are coming. But I still believe that the rate hikes already done still have not been completely digested by the economy. I fear the Fed staying tight for too long is a more likely error than inflation spiraling out of control, leading to Volcker-like rate hikes.
The Fed has a terrible record on money tightening. They nearly always drive the economy into recessions. They just don't seem to know when to stop and give the rate hikes they've already made time to take effect.
You're absolutely right. Their record is terrible. The Fed has one tool and it's a sledgehammer that breaks the economy to slow inflation. I still do not understand why the unicorn 2% is their goal.
As an example of this, I have 4 nights booked for September at the VGF. If I had rented out the points, instead, I could have stayed one month in a Sheraton or Marriot timeshare in Orlando.
We Americans just want to complain. Gas prices go up, we complain. It's on the news. Gas prices go down, no one says anything. Egg prices go up, we complain. It's on the news. Egg prices go down, no one says anything.
I think it is mostly from shock because gas prices will spike 10-20% overnight, and then take 6 months to drop the same amount a 1% a month. Even though the price per barrel has dropped significantly.
