SCB502
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Why? Are you sure about this?
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Is Disney World ours? And therefore,"those People" shouldn't be able to enjoy what we can't afford?
- Thread starter Dad 2 M & M
- Start date
Pumbas Nakasak
Heading for the great escape.
Luxury item my hairy scottish hoop.
Well, yes. Except for a bus to AK, we rode the monorail many times every day. Almost exclusively during our stay. Several trips were just from GF to MK, then to CR, then to TTC or Poly then to EPCOT. Back and forth a lot. Monorail crawl a few days as well. EPCOT pretty much every evening. That's 4 trips minimum each, and we usually included a stop at the Poly for an adult beverage. We took a boat from EPCOT to HS and back, so no bus from the resort. Over the 38 years that I've been going to WDW, I've ridden the monorail literally thousands of times.
PinnySmart
Well-Known Member
Just leaving the after hours event and it was worth every cent. Best night I've had in the MK in 20 years. I wish everyone could experience it.
ninjaprincesst
Well-Known Member
I really don't see this as an issue as the after hours event is not selling well, so I can't imagine it will be expanded. They are already having to offer huge discounts to season pass holders to get the tickets to sell.
expanded, doubtful.......using the data to price other events...sure thing. ....
Yelloweaver
Well-Known Member
It's a neat idea, yes, its expensive. Though the half price to DVC members is nice. However for me, my daughter is 9 years old and by 9:30 she is tiring out, so we wouldn't be buying this option right now anyway. Maybe if its available and around when she is older and we can actually enjoy it, sure. To each their own really, I don't see a reason to cry about it 
Darth Figment
Well-Known Member
I just hit the extra magic hrs. My family and I ride all the ridea we really wanna ride 1st . Then the rest of the day take in the sites and ride the less popular rides . Sometimes you can git every ride in AK 2 or 3 times before the general public is in .
jloucks
Well-Known Member
It is really close to Apple to apples. Luxury goods with finite supply. Both the super bowel and WDW have limited supply. The demand per hour for the Super Bowl is more (and thus the price), but they are the same thing.
Now, the weasly part to supply with WDW is that it can be defined different ways.
1) Park capacity
2) Ride Capacity
3) line length
4) food capacity
...or multiples of the above.
In my opinion WDW capacity should be based on more than just how many people can be sardined in there.
...and hence we have the premium hours. I for one think $600 for a special park event is money well spent. For me, park capacity is 30 minute wait per attraction/food and NOT how many can be jammed in.
In other words, I won't go when the park is sardine packed.
WDW needs to appeal to higher income families because *insert dozens of common sense reasons here* and without that income, they are not maximizing profit. Like it or not, it is just like all sorts of other areas of society.
We are a capitalist society. Why wouldn't is be?
Ahhh!! The rope drop at AK...rode EE so many times we were delirious....you can see it in photos hours later...still looked a little daffed
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rkleinlein
Well-Known Member
Unfortunately it seems that Disney World is becoming more class stratified and in more places--like the rest of the vacation industry. Which is a shame, because going to Disney shouldn't feel like going to Las Vegas. And the fact that some people are willing and able to pay for these "extras" is completely beside the point. It's one thing to have different levels of luxury and pricing at hotels, but everyone who walks through the gates of the parks should be treated the same and should feel like they're getting a premium experience. Instead it's becoming clearer and clearer that Disney now divides their guests into two distinct classes. The language Disney uses says it all: "VIP" seating for fireworks and Fantasmic and After Hours for select guests while the park is closed to "other" guests. They already charge for umbrellas and covered seating at water parks. Maybe they should convert some monorail cars into "first class" so deluxe resort guests don't have to sit next to the value resort riffraff.
And though I do find it a blatant cash grab and a distasteful "velvet rope-ification," at least the Magic Kingdom's after hours truly is after hours. The Christmas and Halloween parties are NOT after hours. They close the park early and kick out everyone who didn't pony up the extra $70-$80 per person to stay until normal closing time. And what do you get? Nothing more than you get on non-party nights with regular admission. I don't think "free" cookies and hot chocolate cut it, and nobody should have to pay extra to see a Christmas parade at Christmastime. I think this is the most egregious boondoggle at Disney, but clearly I'm in the minority because they continue to sell out.
And though I do find it a blatant cash grab and a distasteful "velvet rope-ification," at least the Magic Kingdom's after hours truly is after hours. The Christmas and Halloween parties are NOT after hours. They close the park early and kick out everyone who didn't pony up the extra $70-$80 per person to stay until normal closing time. And what do you get? Nothing more than you get on non-party nights with regular admission. I don't think "free" cookies and hot chocolate cut it, and nobody should have to pay extra to see a Christmas parade at Christmastime. I think this is the most egregious boondoggle at Disney, but clearly I'm in the minority because they continue to sell out.
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This type of attitude isn't really that uncommon when you have a price increase for something. These people were happily paying it when it was 10 or 15 dollars cheaper and happy as clams, the special events were still happening during that time but they also went during regular times and didn't complain. Now the price has finally cut them out of the customer list and they are just throwing stones at anything because they are upset. They don't realize that 10-15 dollars ago there were millions of people that couldn't afford Disney then and still can't... those people don't whine about it as if it is some grand conspiracy because it wasn't and isn't - its just business you charge what the market will pay.
These people complaining are also showing their ignorance. If you aren't making enough money to pay for the 100 dollar Disney ticket the next best thing is to pay the 60-70 dollars for the special event ticket which gives you access to most everything in the park you would have during a regular trip. Yes you don't get as much time, but when they normally allow you to enter at 4:00 and then stay to midnight you are getting 8 hours and it is a less crowded 8 hours that allows you to get in about as many rides as someone could get if they did a rope drop to close peak day.
I think it is because the rooms have priced themselves out of the market in lots of different ways. Unlike the parks I can easily compare my room off-site to my room at Disney and if I see the prices way out of whack I stay off site. Frankly most of our trips to Disneyworld have included on-site and off-site time because we don't just do Disney anymore, but after the last trip I honestly don't think we will be doing any on-site resorts anymore - they just aren't worth it. Last trip some of the pools were closed, the place wasn't that well maintained and too make it worse our other non-Disney hotel was at Universal where everything was much better shape all the pools were open and they actually had more to do... and best of all we went from a one room Disney to a two room suite at Universal for less money... In fact we even went from the Universal hotel to Disney one night because no one wanted to do Fright Night at Universal, which let me know that the travel time from Universal's hotels to Disney wasn't that bad.... Next trip to Disney we'll be staying in a Universal hotel and commuting to Disney, better hotel and better price... The only thing Disney hotels have had that I can't get else where is the longer lead time on the fastpass plus, but we rarely plan out trips months in advance so we don't get any benefit from it when even 45 days out some rides are already filled.
Unomas
Well-Known Member
I think this is going to be a real problem for Disney in the next 10 years. Harry Potter saved that resort and gave them a blank check. They've been building non-stop since. More resorts, attractions, and restaurants. And they've recently purchased all that land for a third gate. I think you will see a lot more people that would traditionally stay at Disney, staying at Universal.
Chef Mickey
Well-Known Member
Curious what you were able to do. I was there too and it was pretty dead. 2,000 people? Seemed like 500.
Chef Mickey
Well-Known Member
How many shares do you own? Disney is owned by the shareholders, nothing more.
If you can afford it, you do it...if you can't, too bad. This isn't communism and Disney/society has no obligation to help people do things they can't afford. Can't afford it? There are a million opportunities to make money, particularly in America. You shouldn't complain. America already bends over backwards for lower income people...they don't need a trip to Disney too.
If you can afford it, you do it...if you can't, too bad. This isn't communism and Disney/society has no obligation to help people do things they can't afford. Can't afford it? There are a million opportunities to make money, particularly in America. You shouldn't complain. America already bends over backwards for lower income people...they don't need a trip to Disney too.
rkleinlein
Well-Known Member
I don’t think anyone begrudges anyone the freedom to spend their money where they see fit or wants America to go all commie so “those people”—those poor lazy people—can go to Disney World. What I think some people find troubling is that:
1) Disney is now up-charging for things which should be standard at Disney-caliber parks (like Christmas parades, a place to watch fireworks, and umbrellas), and
2) Disney is catering more frequently, blatantly, and unabashedly to the very affluent in ways and in places that some find distasteful.
It’s not sour grapes at not being able to afford the Magic Kingdom After Hours. It’s about offering a premium experience only to those who are willing to pay extra—a lot extra— while the “other guests” are stuck with a lesser experience because there aren’t enough attractions in the world’s most popular and most lucrative theme park to reasonably accommodate the ever-growing crowds. Forget about whether or not certain people are able to pay more; the fact that anybody is willing to pay more than the price of a one day ticket for access to select attractions for a few hours after midnight says something about what the place is like during normal operating hours.
What if Disney started charging for FastPasses? I would pay. What if they started offering “VIP FastPasses” for say, $500 per day which allowed purchasers to skip all lines for every attraction without making reservations (like Univeral’s Express Pass)? Again I would pay because I’m lucky enough to be able to afford it. What if people willing to pay for “VIP Dining” got guaranteed tables at popular restaurants by bumping “other guests”? There are any number of perks for which certain people would be willing to pay extra. But that doesn’t mean Disney should go down this road paved with gold. Unfortunately it looks like that’s the direction they’re headed.
This is wrong not because some people can’t afford it. It’s wrong because a Disney theme park should not be two separate universes existing in the same space which offer one set of experiences for those who are willing or able to pay more and another set of experiences for those who are unwilling or unable to pay more.
Resort hotels are more appropriate places to soak—I mean cater to the affluent.
1) Disney is now up-charging for things which should be standard at Disney-caliber parks (like Christmas parades, a place to watch fireworks, and umbrellas), and
2) Disney is catering more frequently, blatantly, and unabashedly to the very affluent in ways and in places that some find distasteful.
It’s not sour grapes at not being able to afford the Magic Kingdom After Hours. It’s about offering a premium experience only to those who are willing to pay extra—a lot extra— while the “other guests” are stuck with a lesser experience because there aren’t enough attractions in the world’s most popular and most lucrative theme park to reasonably accommodate the ever-growing crowds. Forget about whether or not certain people are able to pay more; the fact that anybody is willing to pay more than the price of a one day ticket for access to select attractions for a few hours after midnight says something about what the place is like during normal operating hours.
What if Disney started charging for FastPasses? I would pay. What if they started offering “VIP FastPasses” for say, $500 per day which allowed purchasers to skip all lines for every attraction without making reservations (like Univeral’s Express Pass)? Again I would pay because I’m lucky enough to be able to afford it. What if people willing to pay for “VIP Dining” got guaranteed tables at popular restaurants by bumping “other guests”? There are any number of perks for which certain people would be willing to pay extra. But that doesn’t mean Disney should go down this road paved with gold. Unfortunately it looks like that’s the direction they’re headed.
This is wrong not because some people can’t afford it. It’s wrong because a Disney theme park should not be two separate universes existing in the same space which offer one set of experiences for those who are willing or able to pay more and another set of experiences for those who are unwilling or unable to pay more.
Resort hotels are more appropriate places to soak—I mean cater to the affluent.
Just took a quick look at Hilton vs Disney Value Resorts pricing for next week. The All-Stars are $135 non-discounted and the cheapest Hilton in Lake Buena Vista is $97 (Buena Vista Palace in Disney Springs), with the next cheapest being a Hampton (Palm PKWY) @ $136 bucks.
That was a quick look and only compared non-discounted All-Stars to Hilton. The Ap discount gets the All-Star price below Hilton.
I'll take another look soon and have a broader range in the comparison.
What do you mean lucky enough? What is your secret? Lottery?
rkleinlein
Well-Known Member
Apologies if I am wrong, but my use of the phrase "lucky enough" seems to have stoked your ire. Would you have preferred I wrote "fortunate enough," "rich enough," or "successful enough"? Would that have made a difference? What's your point and what does it have to do with my comments?