A Spirited Dirty Dozen ...

[GoofGoof]

It's a theme park, not the grocery store or a hospital.
If they raise their prices too high, people can, should, and will chose not to go, without feeling somehow victimized.

I get that. Disney is a business. Blah,blah,blah.

 

[GoofGoof]

There are lots of things they could do that would replace the 365day passes and still satisfy the majority of wdw pass holders... Especially the non Orlando people. "All you can eat" really isn't the advantageous form for most people. Breaking the inertia and backlash would be the hardest part.

Maybe that's the plan. It seemed more to me like a money grab since the second question asked if people would be willing to upgrade to a premium AP to gain access.

 

[Bairstow]

I get that. Disney is a business. Blah,blah,blah.

Yep. People keep forgetting this and keep getting disappointed.

 

[Mike S]

The real issue as people have pointed out is the DLR AP population and it will likely take care of itself when SWL opens there. Assuming that it either opens around the holidays or during the summer, all but the highest end AP's will be blacked out anyway.

DLR has been moving that direction already. Several of the new things recently opened when lower tier AP's were already blacked out and all indications point to the upgraded Fantasmic will open during one of these times as well. It's a perk for owning the top tier pass to be able to go opening day.

Now if they black out the top tiers when SWL opens at either DLR or DHS then I would have an issue with it, but if it is only the lower tiers that can't go the opening few days day or weeks then I'm ok with it.

I have the gold level AP. I chose it because I never go during the times that are blocked out anyway which are basically New Years, spring break, and Christmas.* Now if I'm all of a sudden blocked out during more times of the year just because something new opens I have every right to be upset about it and voice my feelings.

*I used to pay the same price with no blockouts. Damn surge pricing...

 

[Magenta Panther]

Yep. People keep forgetting this and keep getting disappointed.

Yes, Disney has always been a business, but once upon a time, it was a business run by a visionary. That's the glue for me. Maybe it's just a faded memory by now, maybe the people who succeed him will always be unworthy and shallow and greedy and exploitative, at least when it comes to the parks. But the fact that they are and that Walt is truly dead just makes me angry. And I'm a relative kid for crying out loud. I'm afraid that the day will truly come that what made the Disney parks special will completely fade away, and all it'll boil down to is who builds the better ride, Disney or Universal or Knott's Berry Farm or whoever. That's makes me angry and depressed. I bet Roy Disney Jr. would spit in Iger's face if he could see what he's done. He was never crazy about him, from what I understand. How right he was.

 

[thehowiet]

Yes, Disney has always been a business, but once upon a time, it was a business run by a visionary. That's the glue for me. Maybe it's just a faded memory by now, maybe the people who succeed him will always be unworthy and shallow and greedy and exploitative, at least when it comes to the parks. But the fact that they are and that Walt is truly dead just makes me angry. And I'm a relative kid for crying out loud. I'm afraid that the day will truly come that what made the Disney parks special will completely fade away, and all it'll boil down to is who builds the better ride, Disney or Universal or Knott's Berry Farm or whoever. That's makes me angry and depressed. I bet Roy Disney Jr. would spit in Iger's face if he could see what he's done. He was never crazy about him, from what I understand. How right he was.

Ironically, idealism doesn't appear to be at all welcome here...an Internet forum dedicated to Walt Disney World...

Side note, whenever I read content from certain posters here all I picture is Jeffrey "The Big" Lebowski yelling "your revolution is over, Mr. Lebowski. Condolences! The bums lost!" Me being The Dude in this scenario just end up making myself a White Russian and getting lifted, so in the end it's all good. Some people are just very un-dude.

 

[BrianLo]

Why not give us exclusive previews for a month or two before the official opening so some of us are less compelled to go later when the tourists come?

Ironically, this is the exact same proposal, except in reverse. So you don't have any problem screwing over the tourists instead?

 

[Mike S]

Ironically, this is the exact same proposal, except in reverse. So you don't have any problem screwing over the tourists instead?

All the tourists planning their trips for Star Wars Land will be there and experience it when it officially opens. No one would be expecting anything before that date. It could also work like how USH did it with HP. APs had a certain window where only they were allowed in each day and then it soft opened for everyone the rest of the day.
http://insideuniversal.net/2016/03/...views-of-the-wizarding-world-of-harry-potter/

This is, imo, the best solution that's fair to everyone.

 

[Cesar R M]

Did you not read the part that said "look beyond yourself"?

You also need to accept that the ap program is not a perpetual program. You don't get the same perks every year. Something people just need to accept as things change.

YEah man, you're right. We should all throw our underwear down and bend over.. because.. well money right?

 

[NearTheEars]

I have the gold level AP. I chose it because I never go during the times that are blocked out anyway which are basically New Years, spring break, and Christmas.* Now if I'm all of a sudden blocked out during more times of the year just because something new opens I have every right to be upset about it and voice my feelings.

*I used to pay the same price with no blockouts. Damn surge pricing...

My question would be how will the blackouts be handled. Currently we have a set calendar. And I don't think that would be possible when it comes to new attractions opening because they always seem to be delayed. What if an AP has a vacation booked already and then all of sudden the blackouts get shifted because the ride isn't ready yet. They'd be pretty screwed.

 

[Mike S]

My question would be how will the blackouts be handled. Currently we have a set calendar. And I don't think that would be possible when it comes to new attractions opening because they always seem to be delayed. What if an AP has a vacation booked already and then all of sudden the blackouts get shifted because the ride isn't ready yet. They'd be pretty screwed.

An excellent point.

 

[xdan0920]

Yep. People keep forgetting this and keep getting disappointed.

What if people remember this, but disagree with the general business practice of.... price gouging their guests to the point the guests have to stop coming?

 

[SorcererMC]

What if people remember this, but disagree with the general business practice of.... price gouging their guests to the point the guests have to stop coming?

Exactly. They expect that they will alienate a certain amount of customers by implementing this pricing strategy ie blackout date or pay ~$100 for entrance; hence the survey to gauge it. They want some kind of certainty as to how many people will turn their back vs. how many will pay extra and how much they can still profit. They know that some people will pay for exclusivity, but they also know that there can only be so much bad press over pricing and it could backfire.

Edit: In order to implement this kind of price discrimination successfully, they have to know the demand elasticity (ie quantify it for something like Star Wars).

 

[BrerJon]

Yes, Disney has always been a business, but once upon a time, it was a business run by a visionary.

The 'Disney is a business' excuse crowd seem to think that being profitable, and giving good service, good value for money, or unique attractions, are mutually exclusive. They will excuse anything Disney does as being OK because it will bring in money, but the thing is that's just not true in the long term. Even if good service costs more, it generates more money in the long run for the company.

Look in any other sector - airlines, fast food, fashion... it's the brands that give good value for money, that exceed customer expectations and go above and beyond, they're the ones that rake in the high profits. The brands that focus on nickel-and-diming, extracting every penny, and gradually giving a worse and worse service, they're the ones that have the most financial troubles.

 

[Andrew C]

The 'Disney is a business' excuse crowd seem to think that being profitable, and giving good service, good value for money, or unique attractions, are mutually exclusive. They will excuse anything Disney does as being OK because it will bring in money, but the thing is that's just not true in the long term

I haven't seen anyone do this over the last few pages. I have seen reasonable arguments from both sides.

 

[gmajew]

I don't know. It looks good but appears to be similar to Miss Peregrines's Home for Peculiar Children that opens next week.

Also, Fantastical Beasts is going up against Moana for the Thanksgiving weekend box office take. I don't think it stands a chance against Moana but we'll see.

Fantastical Beasts will beat Mona... Mona will have legs but the first couple weeks the Potter fans are going to go nuts...

 

[wdisney9000]

It's a theme park, not the grocery store or a hospital.
If they raise their prices too high, people can, should, and will chose not to go, without feeling somehow victimized.

Isnt that moving away from the core ideals and principles that made the parks such a popular destination in the first place? Im not trying to trot out Uncle Walts corpse here, and as most of us know, he was a shrewd businessman but he understood that high quality and affordability were something that every other amusement park was missing.

Are you excusing the company for abandoning those principles simply because the parks are more popular now? Or just because 40 years have passed? Just because they can, doesnt mean they should. All this nonsense the are considering with the AP is the exact same nonsense they did with MM+. They are taking something extremely simple (and effective) and making it overly confusing and ridiculous. And why? What are the true reasons? Dont tell me its to enhance our experience, or make planning a trip easier. They have the most sweet and ripe lemons, and instead of making the best lemonade ever, they are trying to make Spaghetti-O's.

 

[disneyflush]

Fantastical Beasts will beat Mona... Mona will have legs but the first couple weeks the Potter fans are going to go nuts...

100% agree. The pent up demand for new Potter content of any form is incredible. $100 million opening weekend.

 

[ford91exploder]

Your excusing Disney for wanting to rob Peter to pay Paul simply because they sat on their laurels for so long and now have an attraction capacity issue. And as @lazyboy97o mentioned, not all AP'ers live in Orlando, or even Florida. Last year was the first time my wife and I did not renew our AP's because of the declining benefits and rising prices. We live out of state. We would stay at Deluxe resorts for 5-7 days most trips, several times a year. We ate at a few TS and occasionally Signature spots on each trip. We bought merchandise and attended up charge events several times a year and anybody who has read my Trip Reports will vouch for the insane amount of money we spent on booze each trip.

When we first started visiting as a couple around 12 years ago, we could get a room with our AP discount (usually 30-35%) within a 30-40 day window and always had a variety of choices. A few years ago, that became a nightmare and we had to start booking within a week or two of the AP discount dates being announced otherwise, all availability was gone. Then we started noticing that the AP discount was being slashed all over the place and eliminated in most areas. The price of the AP kept rising, but we remained loyal. Then, last year, I started calling in June to make sure I did not miss the fall AP resort discount. They do not let you know the exact date they release it, so I called weekly and checked the website everyday to insure I did not miss the release of the discount. I awoke one morning to see the website had released the fall discount so I happily logged in to book a room at YC. All I got was "no availability". I tried BC, same result. I tried BW, same result. This was within 24 hours of the dates being released. I figured the reservation system wasnt working properly so I called. I was told by the CM that all AP discounted rooms had been booked at YC, BC, and BW. I asked how that was possible within 24 hours. Her response was that "We released the dates on the website yesterday, but anybody who actually called in to book a room was able to get the AP rate for the 9 days prior to the website releasing the dates". I asked her to check the log of my calling history. She noted I had called about a dozen times within the last few months. I even had the CMs make a note of why I called each time to create a digital paper trail. I asked why in all the times I called to inquire, that I was never told about the dates being released earlier via phone reservation. She had no response. All she could offer me was an AP discounted room about 20 days after the dates we wanted and it was only for 3 days, not the 5 days we wanted. She told me she was "supervisor" (but she used a different term for it) and assured me that there was absolutely nothing that could be done about it.

I sent a polite email and CC'd it to several executives about my situation and why would not be renewing because of the declining service. Low and behold, I got a call THE SAME DAY from a very nice executive who was more than happy to get us the room we wanted with our AP discount. I asked her why the CM at GR on the phone assured me it was not possible and she told me, "I have more power than they do". While it was nice to get a call and have the situation fixed, it was just too much hassle for me to want to renew again for at least a few years. The executive who called even told me that she looked up our history of visiting and how many times we had stayed on property at deluxe and club level resorts. So I asked her why there was nothing in place to prevent loyal customers who spend good money, (more than one and done'ers) from getting shafted. She cited the fact that they switched operating systems over the years and the newer systems just dont give the call center enough information to know a guests complete history. Who knows, either way, we didnt renew because I should not have to endure what I did just to be able to get a simple AP resort discount. I wasnt asking to be "loved by Disney the most", I just wanted the small discount to save a few bucks on my room, that we would have spent in the parks most likely anyway. We were dropping $7-10K annually at WDW and thats not counting the trips we took with our family when they visited. Not anymore though. Sorry for the long post.

Same story for many of us here, Bottom line though Disney has lost repeat business with yearly spend of 4-5 figures from my family at least. Yeah I miss going but work has been insane and the rest of the crew has gone elsewhere without me. But Disney also lost the 'small' business as well because I used to schedule trips through MCO for Disney 'snacks' so to speak maybe and afternoon or day.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

Same story for many of us here, Bottom line though Disney has lost repeat business with yearly spend of 4-5 figures from my family at least. Yeah I miss going but work has been insane and the rest of the crew has gone elsewhere without me. But Disney also lost the 'small' business as well because I used to schedule trips through MCO for Disney 'snacks' so to speak maybe and afternoon or day.

Thank goodness, so we won't have to see any more about how lousy your service/room/visit, etc. was.