WSJ: Even Disney Is Worried About The High Cost Of A Disney Vacation (gift link)

[Tha Realest]

Wait until AI and hyper-targeting gets implemented (e.g., where two people, looking at the website at the same time, get quoted different prices based on what the server can infer about the visitor - income bracket, past purchases, geographic area). It’s already happening in retail.

 

[SamusAranX]

Wait until AI and hyper-targeting gets implemented (e.g., where two people, looking at the website at the same time, get quoted different prices based on what the server can infer about the visitor - income bracket, past purchases, geographic area). It’s already happening in retail.

I hate it here

 

[Nubs70]

Wait until AI and hyper-targeting gets implemented (e.g., where two people, looking at the website at the same time, get quoted different prices based on what the server can infer about the visitor - income bracket, past purchases, geographic area). It’s already happening in retail.

Wait until AI can read your remaining credit balance by looking at your face.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Wait until AI can read your remaining credit balance by looking at your face.

“How much for our burgers, fries, and sodas?”

“All of it”

“I asked how much for our meal”

“How much you got?”

 

[Tha Realest]

Can you imagine the surge pricing over Christmas and New Years? On top of the variable pricing they have in place?

You’re going to have to book a WDW vacation like DCL if you want the best “deals”

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Ordinary Guests see the extra special treatment that the Bought and Paid for Influencers and Grifters get that they don't.

The actual guest experience is not all cupcakes and pixie dust like the Instagram, TikTok, or Youtube shills make it out be.

Perhaps the word needs spread about this?


Maybe more air need not give to be given to every ex cp who didn’t want to go home or orlandite that decides they’re the next “insider”?

Let’s start here: don’t ask kids who are grabbing every tweet rumor and reposting it as “a scoop” to give “details” about something they are just parroting? It’s been happening more and more…

And also do “interview” them on your lame podcasts…to keep it from the 9 people who tune in…

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Can you imagine the surge pricing over Christmas and New Years? On top of the variable pricing they have in place?

You’re going to have to book a WDW vacation like DCL if you want the best “deals”

That’s where it gets fishy

Those times are not NEARLY as bad as they traditionally have been.

So if all of the sudden prices are jumping…what guarantee does any customer have that it’s not being arbitrarily?

Or to translate: can they resist not committing fraud?

 

[Agent H]

Ordinary Guests see the extra special treatment that the Bought and Paid for Influencers and Grifters get that they don't.

The actual guest experience is not all cupcakes and pixie dust like the Instagram, TikTok, or Youtube shills make it out be.

What do mean grifters? You mean people like wdw pro?

 

[MisterPenguin]

I'm confused here. Isn't there dynamic/surge pricing for day tickets and room reservations already in place?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I'm confused here. Isn't there dynamic/surge pricing for day tickets and room reservations already in place?

No…this is no set price on a given day…

They would be raising prices as they sell them…with no safeguards that those prices actually reflect the number of visitors in The park

It’s like last weeks tuna

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

What do mean grifters? You mean people like wdw pro?

That’s one

There are many others

 

[Jrb1979]

I'm confused here. Isn't there dynamic/surge pricing for day tickets and room reservations already in place?

It would be more like how Airlines do it. Example you looked at the price for a week from now for MK. Today it says $160 but tomorrow that price could be $170 maybe more.

 

[monothingie]

What do mean grifters? You mean people like wdw pro?

The social media people whose livelihood relies on Disney to provide them special access, comps, and swag in exchange for swooning positive exposure on their platforms.

Pro gets his clicks by the exact opposite side, but he doesn’t have a global media company buying him off.

 

[monothingie]

That’s where it gets fishy

Those times are not NEARLY as bad as they traditionally have been.

So if all of the sudden prices are jumping…what guarantee does any customer have that it’s not being arbitrarily?

Or to translate: can they resist not committing fraud?

Just like park reservations, LL, Premiere Pass, etc.

 

[Jrb1979]

Just like park reservations, LL, Premiere Pass, etc.

Difference is, other than reservations, none of those things are needed to visit the park. A ticket is required to visit.

I don't understand why they want to make things so difficult and complicated to visit.

 

[flynnibus]

I'm confused here. Isn't there dynamic/surge pricing for day tickets and room reservations already in place?

No - that’s just different prices - they are still fixed and published- hence predictable. Based on schedules- not current bookings.

Dynamic would be variable based on booking patterns and susceptible to lower predictability.

Nevermind the frustration that you maybe paying way more than someone else getting the same product

 

[MisterPenguin]

No - that’s just different prices - they are still fixed and published- hence predictable. Based on schedules- not current bookings.

Dynamic would be variable based on booking patterns and susceptible to lower predictability.

Nevermind the frustration that you maybe paying way more than someone else getting the same product

Okay, I understand now what is meant, thanks.

But... When Disney offers their usual discount rooms and I grab them immediately, I'm paying less for that than other guests that didn't grab the discount when it was offered.

It's almost like a reverse surge. The standard rack rate is a default surge in this case.

There are also deals on tickets at times. And people who buy more tickets at a time get discounts for each extra day. And APers who go often enough are paying a lot less for park entrance than those without AP.

The point being is that there are already lots of cases of people paying different amounts for the same thing.

And just some parallel points of information. Disney does surge pricing for the tickets to their Broadway shows (Disney pretty much invented Broadway surge pricing). And airlines use surge pricing. As do hotels.

Although, I think it works in Disney's favor to keep raising the base/default price and offering discounts when it behooves them as a sort of reverse-surge tactic. It becomes more palatable when people think they missed out on a limited-time discount than to find an upcharge surge fee as the cause of them paying more.

 

[Alice a]

Okay, I understand now what is meant, thanks.

But... When Disney offers their usual discount rooms and I grab them immediately, I'm paying less for that than other guests that didn't grab the discount when it was offered.

It's almost like a reverse surge. The standard rack rate is a default surge in this case.

There are also deals on tickets at times. And people who buy more tickets at a time get discounts for each extra day. And APers who go often enough are paying a lot less for park entrance than those without AP.

The point being is that there are already lots of cases of people paying different amounts for the same thing.

And just some parallel points of information. Disney does surge pricing for the tickets to their Broadway shows (Disney pretty much invented Broadway surge pricing). And airlines use surge pricing. As do hotels.

Although, I think it works in Disney's favor to keep raising the base/default price and offering discounts when it behooves them as a sort of reverse-surge tactic. It becomes more palatable when people think they missed out on a limited-time discount than to find an upcharge surge fee as the cause of them paying more.

This doesn’t work for everyone. For instance, we bought 2-day park-hoppers last spring for a September trade show in Orlando, which was then cancelled because the distributor declared bankruptcy.

I bought them through Disney instead of Undercover Tourist (how are their prices going to work with variable pricing?) because they were just 2-day hoppers, so no discount through UT.

We re-booked for early December to avoid hurricane season, and then decided to hit a bunch of tour dates with a favorite band instead as they announced their tour right after we booked.

Adding an extra day to those 2-day hoppers cost $500.

Last week, I rebooked WDW for early April to see Muppets one last time, and also because these tickets are hanging over my head.

$100 to change dates. Yesterday, I found out that the exact dates we booked, a favorite band who has never come East is playing nearby.

So… we’re going to have to rebook for early December again to avoid hurricane season, pay to move the dates again, and I really don’t like booking more than 4 months in advance because things constantly come up.

I’ve already paid over $1400 for 2 3-day hoppers because I’ve had to move them so many times.

I can’t imagine what kind of mess variable pricing would add to this. It makes everything so much more of a pain.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

No - that’s just different prices - they are still fixed and published- hence predictable. Based on schedules- not current bookings.

Dynamic would be variable based on booking patterns and susceptible to lower predictability.

Nevermind the frustration that you maybe paying way more than someone else getting the same product

We will have to see the specifics but I think it might function more like cruise lines than airlines - and Disney already does it with their cruise line

So the day the tickets comes out is basically the cheapest they will ever be (other than a promotion, etc) and then as the ship fills up (or in this case the parks) the pricing goes up. So it will motivate people to buy as early as possible - just like is the case with cruises - you buy a year in advance and it is cheaper than the people who buy 3 months in advance and is cheaper than those that buy 3 weeks in advance (assuming a popular day)

Plus this way Disney can potentially start even cheaper than current pricing (but that won't last long) but they can at least market it that if you are willing to lock in early a Disney trip is cheaper than in the past and thus we are making it more affordable which we know is something our guests want, etc.

 

[JoeCamel]

We will have to see the specifics but I think it might function more like cruise lines than airlines - and Disney already does it with their cruise line

So the day the tickets comes out is basically the cheapest they will ever be (other than a promotion, etc) and then as the ship fills up (or in this case the parks) the pricing goes up. So it will motivate people to buy as early as possible - just like is the case with cruises - you buy a year in advance and it is cheaper than the people who buy 3 months in advance and is cheaper than those that buy 3 weeks in advance (assuming a popular day)

Plus this way Disney can potentially start even cheaper than current pricing (but that won't last long) but they can at least market it that if you are willing to lock in early a Disney trip is cheaper than in the past and thus we are making it more affordable which we know is something our guests want, etc.

I think the rate of sales is a factor too so if sales are slow you see price reduced? First day issue may not be the least expensive if they do.