The counterpoint

When I discuss DVC price increases, I must evaluate the other side of the conversation, though. EVERYTHING at Disney costs quite a bit more than it did in 2014.

I’ll use three resorts, one from each tier, to perform a comparison. Rooms at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort started at $96 per night for rack rates. In the Moderate Tier, Disney’s Port Orleans – French Quarter listed for $182 at the low end. Finally, the expected price jump occurs at Grand Floridian, which began at $554 nightly and quickly escalated from there.

Today, Disney has introduced a great deal of complexity with its rack rate pricing. The same room could cost 20 percent more on a Wednesday than a Monday and so forth. I've baselined the prices to allow for this, as merely stating the lowest possible cost isn't an apples-to-apples comparison anymore.

At All-Star Music, a fair rack rate estimate has jumped to $135 on the low end. At Port Orleans – French Quarter, $265 per night is now the norm. Finally, the Grand Floridian comes with a “hide the children’s eyes from the horror” sticker shock of $730.

I should add some caveats here. Across the hotel industry, rack rates provide the equivalent of a list price akin to MSRP at retail stores. Disney guests can and do find lower prices as long as they’re willing to do their homework.

You get the point, though. Based on inflation alone, All-Star Music should cost $104.61 instead of $135. At French Quarter, guests are paying $265 rather than $198.33. And Grand Floridian borders on gratuitous pricing, as inflation would suggest $603.69 rather than $730.

Disney price increase articles aren’t just clickbait. The company’s done something daring here, testing the gumption of potential customers.

Is DVC still a good deal?

I've maintained all along that DVC isn't for everyone. Even the smallest purchase costs the equivalent of an inexpensive used car. A direct purchase of 200 points is the same or more than many popular new vehicles.

The rapid ascension in cost stems from a corporate initiative. Disney executives have believed for a long time that they have some elasticity in theme park pricing. CEO Robert Iger has mentioned on several earnings calls that he still sees some upward growth in the cost, and the frequent reports of high park traffic support this notion.

As the pain point pricing philosophy takes hold, DVC purchases have gotten swept up with everything else. I've always believed that the resales market provides better value for DVC ownership. However, the recent rules changes have introduced a level of nuance to the discussion.

What’s clear is that DVC costs more than it did. In some cases, the price is dramatically more, which just plain sucks. However, I have stayed at two DVC resorts over the past four months. Then, I spent a night this week at an upscale hotel chain, and it just wasn’t anywhere near the quality of Disney.

So, I must acknowledge that the company's correct. Even though I pay more, I still feel like Disney delivers quality that vastly exceeds the expense. That still goes for my DVC membership, too.