News Disney to launch new Vacation Planning site to help guests with date-based tickets

RustySpork

Oscar Mayer Memer
The bumpy, bumpy, shakey, shakey can make for quite a mess. The nearby imagineering classic, Triceratops spin is very smooth and the iconic carnival music drowns out bodily noises, but it is quite short.

TriceraTop Spin may be smooth, but it does provide ample opportunity to distance one's self from such defecation. NOT MINE, WASN'T ME!! :joyfull:
 

jrlang1

Active Member
Ever sense the launch the site has been displaying my reservation check in date wrong 3rd instead of the 4th. I called them and they confirmed my correct date.

Has anyone else been having the same issue?
 

Lensman

Well-Known Member
Spreading out crowds is just the optimistic view of the move. From a business perspective, I suspect that this new mechanism allows Disney to raise prices during the peak seasons without raising prices during the slow seasons. It remains to be seen whether the increased prices during the peak season will have that much of a dampening effect on the seemingly unquenchable demand during those seasons.

And of course this is all designed to make more money. Even trying to increase attendance during the slow periods is designed to make money. That's obvious.

Being one-dimensional in our thinking here isn't very interesting. Neither, to me, does single-minded demonization - of either Disney or other posters who don't share in one's feelings of victimization by TWDC. Edited to add: Single-minded excusing of Disney isn't that interesting either.

That said, no one likes price increases and I'd expect this change to result in peak and high season price increases of about 10% (which the nitpickers should read as 8-12%, so nitpick only if you find increases below 7.9% and above 12.1%, ha!)
 
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flynnibus

Premium Member
The fact the seasonal pricing will be even more visible will play a role IMO. In the past, dining and room charges were 'hidden' in the sense that Disney didn't steer it's customers with up front pricing... instead only showing the package costs, without really emphasizing alternatives. This changes now.

We finally have the head of steam between dining, hotels, and now ticketing IMO. I think it will shape people's visiting patterns... the question is, will we end up chasing our tails here where crowds just become even more unpredictable.
 

Notes from Neverland

Well-Known Member
As a whole, pricing is far more up front now. It was easy to pick a hotel, pick a view and pick the number of days you need tickets for without taking the time to add up the costs until the final package price was delivered. Now, as you pick dates on the calendar for tickets, it's far more intimidating as it's hard not to mentally add it up as you go.

Surprising Disney moved to that type of layout for the mental side alone.
 

SteveAZee

Well-Known Member
Does anyone know if Disney could/would just arbitrarily change all of the pricing on date-based tickets without warning? It seems like they certainly could... just wondering what would stop them. Currently, it seems like the pricing is spread pretty evenly throughout the very (many have observed that the cost difference would do little to change most people's plans), but if Disney starts seeing or anticipating spikes (like when they announce the opening date for SW:GE), the pricing could change radically and do so without warning.
 

RustySpork

Oscar Mayer Memer
Does anyone know if Disney could/would just arbitrarily change all of the pricing on date-based tickets without warning? It seems like they certainly could... just wondering what would stop them. Currently, it seems like the pricing is spread pretty evenly throughout the very (many have observed that the cost difference would do little to change most people's plans), but if Disney starts seeing or anticipating spikes (like when they announce the opening date for SW:GE), the pricing could change radically and do so without warning.

Seems to me the premise of this change is to prepare themselves to do exactly that. They don't have any obligation to warn before updating their price schedules.
 

MisterPenguin

President of Animal Kingdom
Premium Member
Does anyone know if Disney could/would just arbitrarily change all of the pricing on date-based tickets without warning? It seems like they certainly could... just wondering what would stop them. Currently, it seems like the pricing is spread pretty evenly throughout the very (many have observed that the cost difference would do little to change most people's plans), but if Disney starts seeing or anticipating spikes (like when they announce the opening date for SW:GE), the pricing could change radically and do so without warning.

Considering the headache it would be on their end, I'm sure that the prices will be adjusted (higher) once a year as typical.

Plus they need to datamine how surge pricing affected this years' attendance to compensate for next year.
 

SteveAZee

Well-Known Member
Seems to me the premise of this change is to prepare themselves to do exactly that. They don't have any obligation to warn before updating their price schedules.
In a quick chat with UndercoverTourist, it sounded like they have no plans/capabilities to provide date-based discounted tickets for WDW, so I'm wondering if Disney is also limiting or removing their 'competition' in this process.
 

SteveAZee

Well-Known Member
Considering the headache it would be on their end, I'm sure that the prices will be adjusted (higher) once a year as typical.

Plus they need to datamine how surge pricing affected this years' attendance to compensate for next year.

I'm not sure I understand why it would be a headache.
 

MisterPenguin

President of Animal Kingdom
Premium Member
I'm not sure I understand why it would be a headache.

You would have people showing up with tickets in hand that were purchased at different price points, and if they had to move their date and pay the difference, they'd have different prices to pay, and if one of them changed their dates at a different time than the other, then even another change in cost.

Then you'd have people spouting off "the cheapest time to go is mid-January when costs start at $104 per day," and they'd be wrong if prices fluctuated freely and people relying on that information would be confused and angry.

Unlike a Broadway ticket which is locked to one seat for one and only one particular performance, and thus, the selling price can fluctuate and lock that price down; Disney tickets, however, can be moved to different days, and if that cost keeps moving, it'd be... messy.
 

SteveAZee

Well-Known Member
You would have people showing up with tickets in hand that were purchased at different price points, and if they had to move their date and pay the difference, they'd have different prices to pay, and if one of them changed their dates at a different time than the other, then even another change in cost.

Then you'd have people spouting off "the cheapest time to go is mid-January when costs start at $104 per day," and they'd be wrong if prices fluctuated freely and people relying on that information would be confused and angry.

Unlike a Broadway ticket which is locked to one seat for one and only one particular performance, and thus, the selling price can fluctuate and lock that price down; Disney tickets, however, can be moved to different days, and if that cost keeps moving, it'd be... messy.

Ah, so more of a headache for guests (and travel agents... assuming such animals still exist) rather than a programming/site/accounting problem. It sure sounds like they added the caveat about 'changing tickets could cost you more if the price go up and if the price goes down you won't get getting a refund' to cover some of that. I'm thinking it's more like airline tickets... whose prices are in flux on a daily basis, or so it seems.
 

MisterPenguin

President of Animal Kingdom
Premium Member
Ah, so more of a headache for guests (and travel agents... assuming such animals still exist) rather than a programming/site/accounting problem. It sure sounds like they added the caveat about 'changing tickets could cost you more if the price go up and if the price goes down you won't get getting a refund' to cover some of that. I'm thinking it's more like airline tickets... whose prices are in flux on a daily basis, or so it seems.

Well you see here how some people are overwhelmed by the complexity of the whole process, the last thing WDW needs (for now) are constantly fluctuating prices.

But, it could happen, even if unwise at this stage of introducing surge pricing.
 

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