News Disney Park Pass System announced for Walt Disney World theme park reservations

[Goofyernmost]

The people you are describing are not annual pass holders. Im not defending the reservation system, they should scrap it for all times other than Christmas and Thanksgiving, but it’s not impacting regular guests any more. And for AP holders, its basically just a dumb annoyance.

Yes, I know and have already addressed that. It's was justified during Covid only. Any other time not so much!

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

First thing, I know this is a 5 year old thread. Second, this isn't a local park, people from all over the world and all over this country travel for miles and miles to go to WDW and MK within. There is no better way to cripple yourself then to have someone ride, drive or fly to a place only to find out that the plans they had have to hit the trash because they either didn't know about or wouldn't even have thought to check on such a ridiculous thing as making reservations for a theme park, no matter how popular it got. It is a corporation death wish to even attempt it. People, especially the ultra lazy USA residents would quickly find someplace else to take a chance on with a whole lot of less pre-arrival stress. There might have been a solid reason during Covid to limit the numbers of people there at the same time. But there is no other reason. If they want to accommodate more people. All they have to do is build some people eater attractions and stop closing present attractions. The doesn't help cut down on crowding at all.

They’re not crowded…really at all.

The reservations have no practical value as it stands.

The most likely scenario is they HOPE people will just start showing up on hoards and they can reimplement them en masse.

I’ve seen this fish before

But they have outpriced the market where That’s even a possibility now

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I wasn't being sarcastic. Humorous, perhaps. However, I've worked in the IT field for over 30 years and I am 100% convinced that Disney IT is staffed by morons. But I don't believe the decision-makers are stupid. Not in the slightest. We can disagree with their decisions. I sometimes do; you always do. And, yes, I think sometimes they are greedy. But stupid? No, I don't see that.

…actually…they’re kinda dumb. Not addressing the market where it actually is and failing to plan for longterm
Viability

That’s pretty low brow

 

[Touchdown]

I find the best way to avoid paying for MLL at WDW is to use resort early entry to get a jump start on everyone else. I haven’t been now in over two years so my methods are going to have to change at Epcot and MK (and based on Rise no longer being 2+ hours all the time anymore probably DHS) but if you can get on 3-4 rides during EE and the first 30 min of regular park time and then get on another 2-3 hour in the next 90 min you are set for the day.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I find the best way to avoid paying for MLL at WDW is to use resort early entry to get a jump start on everyone else. I haven’t been now in over two years so my methods are going to have to change at Epcot and MK (and based on Rise no longer being 2+ hours all the time anymore probably DHS) but if you can get on 3-4 rides during EE and the first 30 min of regular park time and then get on another 2-3 hour in the next 90 min you are set for the day.

Early entry does very little to circumvent lighting lane…you can get on one or two things…but it’s not really gonna do too much on the ones that have long lines all day. People still rush the one or two with big lines in the park

Rise of the Abrams is only the time it takes to walk the queue after about 5 pm at night on a lot of days…

The sheer quality of the IP taking it to where it belongs

 

[Touchdown]

Early entry does very little to circumvent lighting lane…you can get on one or two things…but it’s not really gonna do too much on the ones that have long lines all day. People still rush the one or two with big lines in the park

Rise of the Abrams is only the time it takes to walk the queue after about 5 pm at night on a lot of days…

The sheer quality of the IP taking it to where it belongs

I strongly disagree, because you do do those two things and then while everyone else is doing those two things you do 4 other things in 2 hours that otherwise would take 4. You then spend midday doing shows and short wait rides, and pretty much finish a park at 2-3 pm. I then go to another park where every ride I do feels like a bonus. Only park where this has been hard is DHS simply because of the lack of low wait rides.

 

[Tom P.]

…actually…they’re kinda dumb. Not addressing the market where it actually is and failing to plan for longterm
Viability

That’s pretty low brow

Well, that is true, but that's a failing of the American business culture across the board, not specifically Disney leadership. Companies today are almost universally driven by short-term goals and do not plan for long-term success at all. All that matters is showing Wall Street an increase in the latest quarterly numbers. Because that's what the stock market demands.

It's a completely broken system that is not sustainable over the long-term, and it's the reason so much of American business has fallen to foreign competitors, but it's the reality we have today. If Bob Iger started making sacrifices in this quarter's numbers to plan for Disney's success 10 years down the road, the Board would toss him out in about 30 seconds and the stock price would plummet.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Well, that is true, but that's a failing of the American business culture across the board, not specifically Disney leadership. Companies today are almost universally driven by short-term goals and do not plan for long-term success at all. All that matters is showing Wall Street an increase in the latest quarterly numbers. Because that's what the stock market demands.

It's a completely broken system that is not sustainable over the long-term, and it's the reason so much of American business has fallen to foreign competitors, but it's the reality we have today. If Bob Iger started making sacrifices in this quarter's numbers to plan for Disney's success 10 years down the road, the Board would toss him out in about 30 seconds and the stock price would plummet.

From your lips to their ears…

That’s the best case scenario…that bread is stale

But another feature of broken business is he controls the board…which is exactly what happened when Roy Disney fought Eisner…

And nothing was learned

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I strongly disagree, because you do do those two things and then while everyone else is doing those two things you do 4 other things in 2 hours that otherwise would take 4. You then spend midday doing shows and short wait rides, and pretty much finish a park at 2-3 pm. I then go to another park where every ride I do feels like a bonus. Only park where this has been hard is DHS simply because of the lack of low wait rides.

You’re not getting on slinky or tron or flight of passage “first”…you can rush there with the crowd…but you’re gonna use up that Window

If you’re the person that literally sprints to get their first…you’re a nut…and scary…and in the wrong place

 

[Touchdown]

You’re not getting on slinky or tron or flight of passage “first”…you can rush there with the crowd…but you’re gonna use up that Window

If you’re the person that literally sprints to get their first…you’re a nut…and scary…and in the wrong place

I don’t sprint, or run. I walk with a purpose, but the real secret is being at the front of the blob at rope drop. That just requires you to show up early however, and am usually one of the first 100 people in line for a headliner most days. It’s still a walk on. This isn’t a Disney thing, this is a thing I do at other theme parks, national parks, anything else with a line and popular. The early bird gets the worm, at WDW that means being at the bus stop 1 hour before Early Entry to get on that first bus (or monorail to Epcot or start walking to MK.) Thankfully I’m a weirdo and am willing to do that when most aren’t, and yes I realize that means “you still waited an hour” which I agree, but I waited 0 min of actual park time, and that’s what’s important.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I don’t sprint, or run. I walk with a purpose, but the real secret is being at the front of the blob at rope drop. That just requires you to show up early however, and am usually one of the first 100 people in line for a headliner most days. It’s still a walk on. This isn’t a Disney thing, this is a thing I do at other theme parks, national parks, anything else with a line and popular. The early bird gets the worm, at WDW that means being at the bus stop 1 hour before Early Entry to get on that first bus (or monorail to Epcot or start walking to MK.) Thankfully I’m a weirdo and am willing to do that when most aren’t, and yes I realize that means “you still waited an hour” which I agree, but I waited 0 min of actual park time, and that’s what’s important.

You must love early morning Florida concrete more than I do…
In order to lead the mob…you have to wait at the front of it.

Not sure that’s tangibly better

Not ride parks…they’re atmosphere parks

 

[Tom P.]

We are a family of night owls. To the extreme. The odds of our family ever doing rope drop are actually less than zero. And we haven't done rope drop, not even once. In fact, we usually don't show up at the parks until early afternoon and then are there until they kick us out at night.

Sometimes we've used FastPass or bought Lightning Lane or whatever. Other times we haven't. I think on our last trip last year we had Lightning Lane for two days and that was it. And yet somehow we've always managed to do most or all of the things that were important to us and enjoy our days in the parks.

I'm not saying anyone else's experiences or way of doing the parks is wrong. But that's been our experience.

 

[Touchdown]

You must love early morning Florida concrete more than I do…
In order to lead the mob…you have to wait at the front of it.

Not sure that’s tangibly better

Not ride parks…they’re atmosphere parks

And doing the rides that otherwise take 2 hours to ride allows me to enjoy said atmosphere most of the day. 50% of my rides for the day are in the first 2 hours, another 25% in the last 2 hours. Allows me to slow down enjoy the atmosphere, shows, park hop, have a nice meal and sometimes even take a break midday. Totally worth it.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

We are a family of night owls. To the extreme. The odds of our family ever doing rope drop are actually less than zero. And we haven't done rope drop, not even once. In fact, we usually don't show up at the parks until early afternoon and then are there until they kick us out at night.

Sometimes we've used FastPass or bought Lightning Lane or whatever. Other times we haven't. I think on our last trip last year we had Lightning Lane for two days and that was it. And yet somehow we've always managed to do most or all of the things that were important to us and enjoy our days in the parks.

I'm not saying anyone else's experiences or way of doing the parks is wrong. But that's been our experience.

Because the crowds have been dropping..

No BS aside…there is just not the traffic in the park that we endured 5-10 years ago.

So that diminishes the need for lighting lane.

The real thing Disney…with its legion of mouthpiece vloggers…want to keep a lid on is that they are not that useful as it stands…

So you wait 40 minutes for guardians…or tron…or flight of passage?…
Everyone survives with minimal disruption.

Especially later in the day.

But it’s literally free money…they’re gonna push the line on giving false information about their “need”. Prolly somewhere in the “thoroughly disingenuous” thread range

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

And doing the rides that otherwise take 2 hours to ride allows me to enjoy said atmosphere most of the day. 50% of my rides for the day are in the first 2 hours, another 25% in the last 2 hours. Allows me to slow down enjoy the atmosphere, shows, park hop, have a nice meal and sometimes even take a break midday. Totally worth it.

When you last been?

What are you waiting 2 hours for, sailor?

 

[Touchdown]

When you last been?

What are you waiting 2 hours for, sailor?

It’s been 2 years, will be another before I go again (outside of a Halloween and Christmas Party)

Disneyland has been its typical self, but then again I get MLL there as I get 6-8 useful LL there.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

It’s been 2 years, will be another before I go again (outside of a Halloween and Christmas Party)

Disneyland has been its typical self, but then again I get MLL there as I get 6-8 useful LL there.

…yeah…you’re gonna love the tumbleweeds

Enjoy

 

[Tom P.]

…yeah…you’re gonna love the tumbleweeds

Enjoy

WDW's attendance has declined, no question. But even so, it is still the most visited vacation destination in the world and had over 50 million visitors last year. It's not exactly like they are on the verge of bankruptcy.

 

[networkpro]

WDW's attendance has declined, no question. But even so, it is still the most visited vacation destination in the world and had over 50 million visitors last year. It's not exactly like they are on the verge of bankruptcy.

But they have inadvertently solved most of the crowding/capacity issue.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

WDW's attendance has declined, no question. But even so, it is still the most visited vacation destination in the world and had over 50 million visitors last year. It's not exactly like they are on the verge of bankruptcy.

Not disputing that…it has had a sizeable lead since evil Michael built it big…

But the feel is nothing like is was pre plague. The crowds just haven’t come back to near the same
Levels.

And I sometimes think I’m crazy when I walk through on prime days and shocked of how it looks like 2009 or even 2001/2002 for me…

But it’s backed up by the experienced that I trust both on here and in other corners of the world.

And I’m still searching for the person who talks about the attendance trend and “bankruptcy”…