Rumor Guest Boat Rentals Not Returning

peter11435

Well-Known Member
This would be the most pathetic cost cut to top all pathetic cost cuts. They have MULTIPLE. PRIVATE. LAKES. Use them to their fullest potential.
It’s funny that you frame this as a cost cut. This was a service guests paid for. If the rentals were profitable then it wouldn’t exactly be a cost cut. And if they were not profitable then they really shouldn’t come back in their previous form.
 

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
It’s funny that you frame this as a cost cut. This was a service guests paid for. If the rentals were profitable then it wouldn’t exactly be a cost cut. And if they were not profitable then they really shouldn’t come back in their previous form.

From a Disney business standpoint, absolutely.

However, part of the reason WDW became such a beloved vacation destination was all of the things they offered, even if they weren't always turning a profit (like the unique shops that used to be part of the show in the parks). Cutting literally everything that's not profitable would turn Disney into a relatively bare bones experience compared to its peak.

Of course, as long as people keep paying and showing up regardless of options/quality, there's no reason for Disney to care about that or change anything about how they operate.
 

Skywise

Well-Known Member
This has been happening for a long time now, gradually being removed. I’m interested in the reason, as it would seem like it would be profitable.
Maybe not with insurance.

It's interesting the shift in the resort from the 70s and 80s to today. I think part of it is that the population isn't very athletic anymore. Water skiing on the lake is long gone, boating is a bit of a skill that fewer and fewer people seem to want to bother with these days and nowadays you have to watch out for the boaters trying to land on ye olde discovery island (let alone being drunk). Same with the paddle boats - too much effort!

Also - people on the lake aren't... IN THE PARK spending more money and, likewise, parents that spend thousands to be here don't want to let a dime go to waste NOT being in the parks. C'mon - they got rid of the babysitting services which I thought was one of the most smartest services they could have so mom and dad could have a little "me" time - but it was probably the same thing - one part cost saving and one part people weren't using the service to maximize their dollar spent on their "vacation".

So I can see if as a "win" on both sides here.

If anything I bet Iger and Chapek are trying to figure out if they can just fill in the lake and put up some more DVC timeshares or another gate.

Honestly I'm hoping it's just a temporary measure if it's one at all - but they already shut down the parasailing at the Contemporary and said it wasn't coming back.
 

Skywise

Well-Known Member
I bet you can still rent the GF yacht and book a fishing trip
Honestly - if they ARE going to have fewer boats on the lake they should bring back the Junk that docked at the Polynesian and make it a floating lounge. They should do SOMETHING with all that area to enhance the awe and wonder of the lake...
 

JoeCamel

Well-Known Member
Honestly - if they ARE going to have fewer boats on the lake they should bring back the Junk that docked at the Polynesian and make it a floating lounge. They should do SOMETHING with all that area to enhance the awe and wonder of the lake...
They have three big ferry boats they could make floating party islands at night but people keep falling off when they over imbibe. Bad show to have an unannounced water ride.
 

bpiper

Well-Known Member
It’s funny that you frame this as a cost cut. This was a service guests paid for. If the rentals were profitable then it wouldn’t exactly be a cost cut. And if they were not profitable then they really shouldn’t come back in their previous form.
Yes, guests paid for them and guests we'll make them profitable but when Disney keeps jacking up the prices beyond what's reasonable then demand will fall off and they will no longer become profitable. Me and my son have stopped renting the water sprites because the price went up too high for us. This is a reoccurring problem, Disney keeps upping the prices on everything to make more money but then they reach a point, a tipping point, where the increased price no longer interests people and then the item becomes unprofitable and then is removed. At some point Disney will be bare of any extra add on items because the price will be too high for anyone to pay for. Basically Disney needs a price reset on a lot of items.
 

ImperfectPixie

Well-Known Member
Yes, guests paid for them and guests we'll make them profitable but when Disney keeps jacking up the prices beyond what's reasonable then demand will fall off and they will no longer become profitable. Me and my son have stopped renting the water sprites because the price went up too high for us. This is a reoccurring problem, Disney keeps upping the prices on everything to make more money but then they reach a point, a tipping point, where the increased price no longer interests people and then the item becomes unprofitable and then is removed. At some point Disney will be bare of any extra add on items because the price will be too high for anyone to pay for. Basically Disney needs a price reset on a lot of items.
A sensible person would see demand fall after a price hike, wait a bit to see if demand returns, and if it doesn't, lower the price and see if that fixes the problem. If it doesn't, then you know it's a lack of demand issue, not a pricing issue.
 

bpiper

Well-Known Member
A sensible person would see demand fall after a price hike, wait a bit to see if demand returns, and if it doesn't, lower the price and see if that fixes the problem. If it doesn't, then you know it's a lack of demand issue, not a pricing issue.
You're right, that's what most sensible businesses would do. The key word is sensible. I firmly believe that corporate Burbank tells Disney world we need profits up by 5% and then team Orlando raises everything up to get their 5% profit, but along the way they lose sales due to higher prices and do not generate the profit they had in mind which then causes them to raise a little bit more to finally hit their threshold. I think it's a case of no one in management wanting to make a name for themselves, in a negative way, by saying we are deliberately raising our prices too high and that's affecting our overall profitability. If we lowered the prices, while we would make less on each item, we would sell a lot more and would more than make up the per item lost profit. My economics classes in college all hammered that in to me. I really think it's a case of Orlando management not wanting to go out on the limb and say that we've hit a threshold and can't go any higher.

How would you like to be the manager to stick out your neck and say that our prices are too high and if we lower them we could make more money overall. Economics says yes but if for some reason it doesn't work you're on unemployment.
 

bpiper

Well-Known Member
Look what happened to the Disney strollers. Disneyy was renting them at a reasonable price and you saw them everywhere in the parks. Then Disney decided that they were too much of a hassle to take care of and manage so they raised the prices significantly and immediately the amount that you see in the parks went down by 50 to 75%. Most people are now making their kids either walk or bringing their own strollers. So Disney at some level realize that if they price something too high it will cut the demand and they use that when they want to get rid of something.
 

ImperfectPixie

Well-Known Member
You're right, that's what most sensible businesses would do. The key word is sensible. I firmly believe that corporate Burbank tells Disney world we need profits up by 5% and then team Orlando raises everything up to get their 5% profit, but along the way they lose sales due to higher prices and do not generate the profit they had in mind which then causes them to raise a little bit more to finally hit their threshold. I think it's a case of no one in management wanting to make a name for themselves, in a negative way, by saying we are deliberately raising our prices too high and that's affecting our overall profitability. If we lowered the prices, while we would make less on each item, we would sell a lot more and would more than make up the per item lost profit. My economics classes in college all hammered that in to me. I really think it's a case of Orlando management not wanting to go out on the limb and say that we've hit a threshold and can't go any higher.

How would you like to be the manager to stick out your neck and say that our prices are too high and if we lower them we could make more money overall. Economics says yes but if for some reason it doesn't work you're on unemployment.
I HAVE gone out on a limb...but in a small-ish company that was run by a guy who loved to micromanage...not a huge conglomerate. I've never held back where I thought we could improve with my bosses/company owners.
 

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