$53 dessert with that $115 steak? Article on Theme Park leaving middle class behind...

Club Cooloholic

Club Cooloholic

Well-Known Member
CaptainAmerica said:
Totally irrelevant because Disney doesn't care. Some of y'all act like Disney's perfect world is attendance growth with Universal having declining attendance. That isn't the case AT ALL. Disney does. not. care. what Universal is doing as long as Disney is hitting their internal targets.
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Probably true. After all getting people to Orlando is half the battle.
 
H

Hockey89

Well-Known Member
CaptainJackNO said:
I didn't view the article in those terms. I didn't interpret class envy. Overall, I believe the writer was contrasting the focus demographic from Disneyland in 1955 to the focus demographic today. Sure, the author has the tone of disagreement, but that's their right. What's funny is that, and I am assuming that the previous post was referring to my posts, it appears that an assumption is being made that someone who doesn't agree with the current business model is not within the current perceived target demographic. On the contrary, I actually am within the target demographic as outlined in the article, yet I still feel the current direction is not sound business practice long-term. I believe that there are, and have long been, premium options for the higher income, more discerning financially selective people, i.e. Hoopdee Doo, Deluxe hotels, Kingdom tours, dessert parties, and high end restaurants. No one argues against that. You spend for what you want. Where the question is coming in is with options that were once general now appearing to be premium priced, as well. One cannot ignore the feeling of some long-term visitors, whose income may not have changed beginning to see offerings that were once not premium becoming premium priced. That is where, I think, people begin to get upset. This is not, in my opinion, a class envy issue. No one's clambering for closing deluxe resorts, golf courses, or high end restaurants, or the vacation clubs. No one should ignore the loyalty that exists with Disney fanatics of all backgrounds (as evidenced by thousands of sites like this) and the expectation of 2-way brand loyalty from those fans. Think brand loyalty isn't important? Anyone remember the effect of Coke's new formula, Domino's change in sauce, Sears' price increases through the years from affordable to more high-end, or McDonald's current struggles? Not much different here, folks. My point, again, is there are long-term effects of business decisions.
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How you read that and didn't get class envy is amazing.... Truly amazing.
 
LilWalt

LilWalt

Active Member
I don't like the prices going up on anything, but if I choose to pay for the things that are not necessity items then who am I to complain about the price. My family goes to Disney yearly and has now for 8-10 years. I'm not rich but not dirt floor poor either. It's a sacrifice that we choose to make to attend.

I don't blame Disney, the point of running a business is to make money. I haven't seen empty parks or hotels so I assume not very many people care.
 
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xstech25

Well-Known Member
I will say the prices are pretty much outrageous for a family vacation for any period of time. But the fact is it doesn't matter, Disney World has always been outrageously expensive for a family vacation but tens of millions of people still go every year.

The year before Harry Potter opened annual passes with parking were less than $200. Now they are $335 and that hasn't stopped their attendance from going way up. When people are willing to pay that kind of money for your product they will charge that kind of money. Now you could say "well Universal has been adding more rides to justify the price increases" etc etc...yea, well fact is it doesn't matter, Disney still broke their all time attendance record last year. Population grows, demand for Disney products goes up, attendance is going to go up, prices are going to go up.

Also Disney has a ton of money sitting in reserves right now, if attendance were to start to drop like many doomsday on here suggest they could build rides and draw crowds rather quickly. The chances of attendance dropping right now as the economy has come back is pretty low.

Also in regards to this article yes Disney obviously is trying to cater to higher income people because they spend more money. Walt Disney also died in 1966 and the Walt Disney Company is the worlds largest media conglomerate with $50 billion in total revenue. This author has been asleep at the wheel since 1984.
 
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Matt_Black

Matt_Black

Well-Known Member
Good points. Also, Disney as a whole is very popular, between the animated films, the various Disney channels, Star Wars, etc. People know that a lot of that is represented in the parks. You'll note that when Disney films weren't so popular (2000-2006) also marked a downturn in park attendance (though there were other factors at play then).
 
LdyApxr

LdyApxr

Well-Known Member
I often wonder if the people that write these articles ever actually GO anywhere. Even my teenager asked that. We attend several concerts and MotoGP events each year and still hear people complaining about the cost of a soda at the races or a t-shirt at the concerts. Have you ever been to ANY sporting event venue where you see a soda or water for the same price you see it in Walmart?
 
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thomas998

Well-Known Member
CaptainJackNO said:
One cannot help but pick up on the sarcasm of some of you, and you're right, no one is forced to go to WDW; however, the article does make a good point. As some on who goes to the world with family every year to year and a half, the direction the world is going is toward somewhat of a caste style approach. I know that's going to cause some people's hair to catch fire, but it's true. What I find totally fascinating is that some people who support this approach will also complain that the company's focus on stock prices has led to fewer upgrades and additions to the parks. If you're honest with yourself, you will see it's the same argument. Attracting less regular guests at higher prices spikes profits and doesn't require frequent upgrades and improvements. It's all driven by business execs who have no interest in staying with the company long term, boost their portfolio, then move on to the next corporation. They don't care about the long term effects of their policies. And remember, what goes up must come down, and it will. What happens to the majority of the population when a company prices out and alienates that groupwhen the higher 10 percent can no longer float the ccorporate boat?
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I'm all for a caste system at Disney... Let folks in the park at 8:00am if they stay at a Deluxe Resort, 10:00am if they stayed at a Moderate, Noon if they stayed in a Value, non-resort guest enter at 2:00pm... Passholder would be 10:00am for Deluxe passes, noon for the regulars and 4:00pm for Florida residents. Now that would certainly help crowds and give people a way to justify the over priced resorts... I know they are seem to be trying to increase the value of the resorts with the magic bands but a nice differentiated entrace time would be easier to quantify.
 

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