A sequel? Nah, not this one

LuvtheGoof

Grill Master
Premium Member
That has been their prerogative since Iger became CEO. More Franchise/IP integration, don't increase capacity and higher prices to increase average per guest spending.
Not sure what this has to do with what I was replying to?? Just another bash at Disney management for what has happened in the past.
 

LuvtheGoof

Grill Master
Premium Member
I think the reference was to Universal's "buy a day come back all year" promotion
Well, that sounds just like the Six Flags promotions. Is that really what they are looking to be like? I am hoping that once Disney starts selling APs again (we'll be first in line), that there might be either a price adjustment or at least a temporary sale. Time will tell.
 

MisterPenguin

President of Animal Kingdom
Premium Member
So are you saying that Disney is allowing more APs because they're not getting enough park reservations from hotel guests? My feeling is that they are allowing more APs due to the fact that they are allowing more people into the parks period.

It's a little of both.

WDW needs to make sure there are reservation spots for resort guests, so, they kept AP and cast spots low. Now that they know that guests aren't going to the resorts (a lot due to travel restrictions and people not wanting to go to well publicized "hot spot"), there are more spots for APs and cast.

My jest was that Uni saw a big increase in guests when they had the "buy a ticket now and we'll make you an AP for the rest of the year deal."

Disney hasn't done any enticements that extreme... yet. Disney has started a new Florida resident four day package.
 

JoeCamel

Well-Known Member
It's a little of both.

WDW needs to make sure there are reservation spots for resort guests, so, they kept AP and cast spots low. Now that they know that guests aren't going to the resorts (a lot due to travel restrictions and people not wanting to go to well publicized "hot spot"), there are more spots for APs and cast.

My jest was that Uni saw a big increase in guests when they had the "buy a ticket now and we'll make you an AP for the rest of the year deal."

Disney hasn't done any enticements that extreme... yet. Disney has started a new Florida resident four day package.
The "new" 4 day FL ticket isn't new. I used that to experience FoP about a year after it opened. About the same price per day too.
 

LuvtheGoof

Grill Master
Premium Member
“Happened in the past”? It’s still their guiding philosophy for the parks.
So you're saying that the entire Pandora land in AK, both TSL and SWL in HS, Rat and Guardians in EPCOT, and Tron in MK are NOT adding additional attraction capacity to the parks in the last several years?

And please don't go off on what was taken away in HS, as while they had the Backlot tour and LMA, neither of those had as many going there as the current TSL and SWL.
 

mgf

Well-Known Member
So you're saying that they are ok with just barely breaking even on the parks? I completely agree that they are taking things very carefully and slowly, to ensure that the guests have a safe enjoyable visit. But I also think that they are slowly increasing the amount of people allowed in the parks, as evidenced by the have fact that have increased the AP reservations recently.

Let's take your post for the sake of example.

I am saying they made the choice to accept a "barely break even" scenario. (Sidebar - Chapek but the "positive contribution" marker down publicly, so break even plus $1 would technically do that. It would cover fixed cost carry plus show a return.) They might not like it, but they choose to accept it. I am of course again making the assumption that they could find demand if they pulled certain levers (lowered prices, changed restrictions, gave away a free mickey bar, etc) because I do not believe the demand is gone. It is just depressed. Underlying economic data supports my assumption fairly well. I can break those economic indicators down but that would get us a little off topic.

Second, if they have in fact increased AP reservations recently (did they or do they just appear to be more easily secured - genuinely do not know), then they are starting to pull new levers as part of their strategy choices.
 

LuvtheGoof

Grill Master
Premium Member
Let's take your post for the sake of example.

I am saying they made the choice to accept a "barely break even" scenario. (Sidebar - Chapek but the "positive contribution" marker down publicly, so break even plus $1 would technically do that. It would cover fixed cost carry plus show a return.) They might not like it, but they choose to accept it. I am of course again making the assumption that they could find demand if they pulled certain levers (lowered prices, changed restrictions, gave away a free mickey bar, etc) because I do not believe the demand is gone. It is just depressed. Underlying economic data supports my assumption fairly well. I can break those economic indicators down but that would get us a little off topic.

Second, if they have in fact increased AP reservations recently (did they or do they just appear to be more easily secured - genuinely do not know), then they are starting to pull new levers as part of their strategy choices.
Well, @marni1971 said that they haven't increased the amount of people allowed in the parks, so the increased AP availability is due to lower park reservations from resort guests. September is one of the slower times of the year, so makes sense that there aren't as many resort guests to make park reservations. I have to applaud Disney for increasing the AP reservations, as they didn't need to do that at all, but chose to.
 

Surferboy567

Well-Known Member
Literally the only two things the park will have going for it are Ratatouille and Guardians. And the Guardians ride is really going to deliver. Rumors of giant planetarium domes similar in scale to the old Horizons space scenes. Show scenes in between. It's Revenge of the Mummy x100. It's probably the only thing about the parks I am bullish on tbh.

At least that sounds great. Doesn’t EPCOT also have Harm though?

EDIT: As well as Spaceship Earth, 220, Play!, Moana as well as the new entrance. Not saying Play! and Moana are blockbusters but it’s still something.
 
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lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
So you're saying that the entire Pandora land in AK, both TSL and SWL in HS, Rat and Guardians in EPCOT, and Tron in MK are NOT adding additional attraction capacity to the parks in the last several years?

And please don't go off on what was taken away in HS, as while they had the Backlot tour and LMA, neither of those had as many going there as the current TSL and SWL.
Capacity is a net equation, to claim removed capacity is irrelevant is disingenuous. Capacity is also relative. Disney has for years been trying to keep attractions per guest per hour as low as possible and experiences per day to around eight. These additions were just enough, and some rushed, to keep satisfaction levels at an acceptable level. They were not additions intended to raise attractions per guest per hour into the sweet spot of 1.5 - 2.
 
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Doberge

True Bayou Magic
Premium Member
So you're saying that they are ok with just barely breaking even on the parks? I completely agree that they are taking things very carefully and slowly, to ensure that the guests have a safe enjoyable visit. But I also think that they are slowly increasing the amount of people allowed in the parks, as evidenced by the have fact that have increased the AP reservations recently.

I believe the evidence that they want more people is that they've opened new discounts to some out of state folks for Fall travel. Rack rate rooms on two fronts pushed lower on site guests and thus crowds. First, WDW intentionally kept people away with intentional decisions to not offer general public didn't to non Florida residents. Second, the intentional decision to tell people with previous discounts that they could not modify the reservation without paying rack rate forced others to cancel reservations.

Then removing park hopping pushed some APs to cancel trips. Altogether, they deliberately chose to decrease crowds and were quite successful.

Whether it's phrased as "Disney pushed too far and didn't meet it's minimums" or "Disney is ready to slowly increase crowds," the answer doesn't matter as much to us as it does the business. Either way, Disney is a mouse trap and Disney is now ready to slowly bait people back the the resorts with discounts and then park crowds will follow.
 

Piebald

Well-Known Member
How is SeaWorld? Didnt they just trump Universals offer and have a pay for a day come back for the next 15 months deal?
Even booking a reservation at one of their restaurants for Magical Dining Month ensures free admission into their park if the reservation is early and they close later that particular day.
 

LuvtheGoof

Grill Master
Premium Member
Capacity is a net equation, to claim removed capacity is irrelevant is disingenuous. Capacity is also relative. Disney has for years been trying to keep attractions per guest per hour as low as possible and experiences per day to around eight. These additions were just enough, and some rushed, to keep satisfaction levels at an acceptable level. They were not additions intended to raise attractions per guest per hour into the sweet spot of 1.5 - 2.
Hmm, have to disagree. When they opened Pandora with 2 new attractions, they moved the FotLK to a new location, so no loss there at all, and they certainly increased capacity there. Now they are adding 3 completely new attractions with no loss in EPCOT, so again, adding capacity. They are also adding Tron in MK without the loss of any attractions, and yet again, adding capacity. And in HS, they added 2 attractions to TSL, and 2 completely new attractions in SWL that replaced 2 attractions, so exactly how is this NOT adding capacity?

I will completely agree that when Iger first took over, that he might have thought that the theme parks didn't need much of anything, but that has obviously changed in his later years. He may not have wanted to do it, but at least he finally is. And without the pandemic, we would have been getting even more.
 

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
Hmm, have to disagree. When they opened Pandora with 2 new attractions, they moved the FotLK to a new location, so no loss there at all, and they certainly increased capacity there. Now they are adding 3 completely new attractions with no loss in EPCOT, so again, adding capacity. They are also adding Tron in MK without the loss of any attractions, and yet again, adding capacity. And in HS, they added 2 attractions to TSL, and 2 completely new attractions in SWL that replaced 2 attractions, so exactly how is this NOT adding capacity?

I will completely agree that when Iger first took over, that he might have thought that the theme parks didn't need much of anything, but that has obviously changed in his later years. He may not have wanted to do it, but at least he finally is. And without the pandemic, we would have been getting even more.
Again, adding capacity doesn’t mean much if it the larger goal is to keep attractions per guest per hour low.
 

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