News Disney CFO Hugh Johnston Says Dynamic Pricing Is Coming to the Parks

[Basil of Baker Street]

Disney is notoriously cheap for talent and general labor. The only ones overpaid are in the C-Suite.

I know no one wants to hear it but Disney is overpaying the bottom as well.

 

[HauntedPirate]

I know no one wants to hear it but Disney is overpaying the bottom as well.

"BuT tHeY hAvE tO sO tHeY cAn AtTrAcT qUaLiTy PeOpLe!!!1!!"

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Robert is like a jelly of the month membership.

…the gift that keeps on giving the whole century long

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

We’re not gonna have this debate about Disney paying well here, are we?

That’s settled science

It would be more productive to talk about new countries in Epcot

I’ll go first: I hear the USSR and Yugoslavia are coming

 

[MisterPenguin]

Will this have any push back against free loading locals over high spending out of town/international visitors.

I asked Josh about this and he put down his peanut butter sandwich to explain there will be no changes in policy.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Will this have any push back against free loading locals over high spending out of town/international visitors.

Red alert…all hands to battle stations!!!

 

[HauntedPirate]

Will this have any push back against free loading locals over high spending out of town/international visitors.

Unconfirmed rumours point to AP's getting cheaper for 10 of the 12 months of the year due to "dynamic pricing" in an effort to boost local and AP attendance.

 

[DisneyHead123]

Maybe wait a few years. My kids were 7 and 8 on our first cruise they loved the child clubs. They do more than just arts and crafts. They have a lot of hi-tech stuff. The tween and teen clubs are where Disney really shines in keeping the trouble makers busy. I can criticize Disney all day for their prices and the lack of walking track on the new ships, but I'll never say a bad word about their youth and teen clubs.

Oh I agree, and to clarify, I was talking about staff led activities outside the kids clubs. I think those are more standard craft type stuff, but the clubs look very impressive.

 

[MrPromey]

Will this have any push back against free loading locals over high spending out of town/international visitors.

It's my understanding they'll be providing two ILL to locals daily for Cosmic Rewind in an effort to to push more of them to that side of the park and reduce overall crowding over at Moana's Journey of Water and Nemo and friends for the international and out-of-towners so that's pretty cool.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

It's my understanding they'll be providing two ILL to locals, daily for Cosmic Rewind in an effort to to push more of them to that side of the park and reduce overall crowding over at Moana's Journey of Water and Nemo and friends for the international and out-of-towners so that's pretty cool.

And a special area for complimentary ham sandwiches that takes up half the kitchen at le cellier

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

Will this have any push back against free loading locals over high spending out of town/international visitors.

Like we pay for the rides. We got a pass. Our price is locked in. We get parking included. Plus they don’t charge for QS tables. No impact at all.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

We’re not gonna have this debate about Disney paying well here, are we?

I really hope not.

I think our time would be better served by discussing AP tipping philosophies and patterns while dining at WDW.

 

[GhostHost1000]

It's my understanding they'll be providing two ILL to locals daily for Cosmic Rewind in an effort to to push more of them to that side of the park and reduce overall crowding over at Moana's Journey of Water and Nemo and friends for the international and out-of-towners so that's pretty cool.

Don’t forget about the mass crowds at the Encanto sing along and out of place DJ shows not far from the middle school cafeteria hall

 

[lentesta]

Don’t forget about the mass crowds at the Encanto sing along and out of place DJ shows not far from the middle school cafeteria hall

We recorded a show with Jim Shull around dinnertime in EPCOT a couple of weeks ago.

It's worth listening to for Shull's reaction that Communicore Hall was closed at 5:30 pm, and the live band on stage was playing to a total of five people, four of which were playing cornhole.

He simply couldn't believe the hall was closed. Like, he had to walk up to the doors, see the rope barricade and papered-over windows, and try to open the door.

 

[MrPromey]

We recorded a show with Jim Shull around dinnertime in EPCOT a couple of weeks ago.

It's worth listening to for Shull's reaction that Communicore Hall was closed at 5:30 pm, and the live band on stage was playing to a total of five people, four of which were playing cornhole.

He simply couldn't believe the hall was closed. Like, he had to walk up to the doors, see the rope barricade and papered-over windows, and try to open the door.

I'll never forget my last visit where I was there with a few people including a castmember friend.

As we were walking past, someone noticed the new building and asked "hey what's in there?".

His response was "disappointment".

I just about fell over!

But also, link?

 

[Unbanshee]

He simply couldn't believe the hall was closed. Like, he had to walk up to the doors, see the rope barricade and papered-over windows, and try to open the door.

Sounds like this may have been when the hall was being transformed for Festival of the Holidays?

Was his disbelief that Disney would have to have downtime for the transformation? Or did he not understand that the hall closes from time to time between festivals?

 

[JD80]

I was in the hall during the summer and it was teqming full of 4 and 5 year olds physically playing and dancing with goofy. It was pretty awesome.

They definitely can use the space for great things. Kinda sucks when they don't.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I was in the hall during the summer and it was teqming full of 4 and 5 year olds physically playing and dancing with goofy. It was pretty awesome.

They definitely can use the space for great things. Kinda sucks when they don't.

…right

Cause it’s always “teeming” and stuff

 

[Centauri Space Station]

We recorded a show with Jim Shull around dinnertime in EPCOT a couple of weeks ago.

It's worth listening to for Shull's reaction that Communicore Hall was closed at 5:30 pm, and the live band on stage was playing to a total of five people, four of which were playing cornhole.

He simply couldn't believe the hall was closed. Like, he had to walk up to the doors, see the rope barricade and papered-over windows, and try to open the door.

Don’t they close it before each new festival? Why would it need to be open if nothings going on in there?

 

[MrPromey]

Don’t they close it before each new festival? Why would it need to be open if nothings going on in there?

That being how it is and where it is along with being right next to a stage setup that for more operational hours of the year than not, will have nothing on it was just an odd choice. Putting this on the spine right there in the middle and having a really cool looking building there that's closed and a stage with nothing or with entertainment nobody seems to care about just creates a weird dead zone to walk past right in the middle of the park and this is after walking past the inaccessible backside of the Moana walk-through, too.

There was a lot of dead area with what was there before but that was due to stagnation and neglect. They tore that all out and had a clean slate. They could have done anything they wanted. What they did was build something that at certain times of the day and certain days of the year, looks dead and we're not even a half decade into operation of it.

A permanent festival area wasn't a bad idea given how much the park relies on that but don't they already have one of those that's tucked away nicely enough in World Showcase that in the off time, it can seem like it's not even there?

Maybe they should have thought about using that instead or building something similar on an expansion pad in World Showcase. I know why they wouldn't want to use that existing structure since it's a money-maker but I wish they'd have better considered the guest experience with what they did go with.