A Terror-rific Spirited 13th (ToT fans have lots to fear)...

flynnibus

Premium Member
Let us not forget that in addition to all the up charge options there is also a constant chipping away of the value of what you are receiving for the money you do spend---even for the options.

No no no GrammieBee... your memories are just wrong. Disney is just offering the same things every other company (you despise) are doing.

(I'm auditioning.. this is a piece of cake!)
 

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
So my observations on the past six months..... As I've been afk....

WDW is essentially emulating places like Atlantis. Expensive as hell and if you want to do anything, it costs extra. They're milking every last dime.

The factor that I think is forgotten when people discuss WDW costs is just how many of the guests that flood the parks and stay in the hotels don't pay anything close to full price. School groups, sports groups, foreign tour groups, and convention guests* never pay rack rates and DVC guests have already in a sense "pre paid" for their accommodations (and then get discount tickets). About the only ones who really pay full price for lodging and tickets are families of 7 or less. We often talk about "free dining" and "bounceback" offers here, but the real bargain is when your employer can get you deluxe rooms for $150/night because they've rented dining room & meeting space.

When you're looking to generate revenue in the short term (say, a three month quarter), and not have that always paid on credit, the fastest way to do so is with incremental price increases and pay-as-you-play upcharge experiences. $2 there, $7.50 here, it all adds up when you multiply those figures by the ten and one hundred thousands. I'm wondering if all these increases, new offerings and pricing strategies are part of a greater realization that relying on discount-groups to fill up space is hurting the business in the long term.

*not sure if wedding guests get room discounts too
 

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
Well, looks like the little park that can is doing it again! Fun Spot America in Kissimmee just announced they are building a looping wooden roller coaster in 2017. It will replace two Go-Kart tracks and with proper marketing, they should be able to get some curious WDW goers to come check it out. Between that, Volcano Bay and Avatar, 2017 will be quite fun in the Orlando area...

http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/-2181972.htm


Excellent.
 

Luxe

Well-Known Member
Well, looks like the little park that can is doing it again! Fun Spot America in Kissimmee just announced they are building a looping wooden roller coaster in 2017. It will replace two Go-Kart tracks and with proper marketing, they should be able to get some curious WDW goers to come check it out. Between that, Volcano Bay and Avatar, 2017 will be quite fun in the Orlando area...

http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/-2181972.htm


I can't think of a time where I've been holding on for dear life riding a wooden coaster thinking, "this would be so much better if we were upside down right now" terrifying, but pretty cool engineering. Also, I like the part where your face goes through a support beam, hopefully they iron out this little details before it opens ;)
 

yellowrocket

Active Member
The factor that I think is forgotten when people discuss WDW costs is just how many of the guests that flood the parks and stay in the hotels don't pay anything close to full price.

I'm not sure about school/tour groups, but convention guests usually have a higher rate than leisure or transient overnight stays. It may be different at Disney resorts, but at least that's the way it is at Gaylord Hotels (such as the Palms in Orlando) that has about 80% group / 20% leisure. Most large groups, whether it's a convention/tours/schools, will pay a considerable attrition fee to the resort if they cancel or decrease their initial room order. I can't imagine Disney being any different. It's basically free money because the rooms can then be resold or left empty (those large attrition fees after the Great Recession is what basically saved Gaylord Hotels when thousands of room nights were suddenly cancelled when hundreds of conventions were postponed - of course, they ended selling themselves to Marriott, so it all came out in the wash).
 

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member

FigmentJedi

Well-Known Member
Camp Woodchuck at Tokyo is beautiful. You know how I keep talking about how nice it would have been if they had just upgraded Camp Minnie Mickey into some "North American wildlife through a Disney animation lens" area instead of Avatar? Because this is exactly the sort of stuff I'd like to see in such a concept.

 

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
I know it's just an animation and all, but I sure hope some of the engineering in that animation at time point 0:57 is wrong because there's NO way the clearance envelope between the car and that beam on the main drop is sufficient...
I can't think of a time where I've been holding on for dear life riding a wooden coaster thinking, "this would be so much better if we were upside down right now" terrifying, but pretty cool engineering. Also, I like the part where your face goes through a support beam, hopefully they iron out this little details before it opens ;)
The video is made with No Limits, a video game.
 

WDW862

Well-Known Member
Well, looks like the little park that can is doing it again! Fun Spot America in Kissimmee just announced they are building a looping wooden roller coaster in 2017. It will replace two Go-Kart tracks and with proper marketing, they should be able to get some curious WDW goers to come check it out. Between that, Volcano Bay and Avatar, 2017 will be quite fun in the Orlando area...

http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/-2181972.htm



Pretty hyped about this. Also disappointed as those go carts are crazy fun.
 

GrammieBee

Well-Known Member
No no no GrammieBee... your memories are just wrong. Disney is just offering the same things every other company (you despise) are doing.

(I'm auditioning.. this is a piece of cake!)

To give a serious answer to a not so serious post. My long term memory is just fine, thank you.

Sure, Disney is doing the same thing almost every other company is doing. Cough drops are smaller, Hershey Kisses are smaller, a box of Hamburger Helper is smaller (you can tell I;m not a gourmet chef), a can of condensed soup is smaller, a 2" by 4" piece of lumber hasn't been a 2" by 4" for years, a jar of hand cream is smaller, a box of tissues is smaller, try to find a good woven blanket, airline seats are smaller with less leg room, Mickey Bars are smaller, the variety of desserts offered at last year's dessert party was no where near as astounding as what was offered at the original Magic Kingdom dessert parties ---the list can go on and on..

I don't fault the companies, it's just the way it is. Some things you will always need regardless of the cost, but there are companies that will reach my tolerance limit for price increases, up charges and value offered and they won't have me as a customer anymore. Disney included.
 
Last edited:

flynnibus

Premium Member
I don't fault the companies, it's just the way it is.

This I don't agree with. This is not some law of nature or even inevitable economic outcome. Its complacent and shortsighted acceptance. Plenty of companies prove over and over they can build an identity and brand loyalty through philosophies that aren't just 'follow the negative trend others have set'.

It's not just about $$ charged... Amazon is a great example of this.

The difference IMO is leadership that values the misssion and vision for the company verse simply chasing metrics and being willing to compromise themselves to do so.
 

GrammieBee

Well-Known Member
This I don't agree with. This is not some law of nature or even inevitable economic outcome. Its complacent and shortsighted acceptance. Plenty of companies prove over and over they can build an identity and brand loyalty through philosophies that aren't just 'follow the negative trend others have set'.

It's not just about $$ charged... Amazon is a great example of this.

The difference IMO is leadership that values the misssion and vision for the company verse simply chasing metrics and being willing to compromise themselves to do so.


You do remember that I said ALMOST every other company. I, perhaps should have said I don't despise (the word you used) the companies, rather than I don't fault them. They can be faulted, but despise implies too strong an emotion. Disliking their practices is probably the best description. Anyway, too much to dislike and they lose my business..
 
Last edited:

njDizFan

Well-Known Member
This I don't agree with. This is not some law of nature or even inevitable economic outcome. Its complacent and shortsighted acceptance. Plenty of companies prove over and over they can build an identity and brand loyalty through philosophies that aren't just 'follow the negative trend others have set'.

It's not just about $$ charged... Amazon is a great example of this.

The difference IMO is leadership that values the misssion and vision for the company verse simply chasing metrics and being willing to compromise themselves to do so.
Amazon...what a great evolution and history of a dynamic company. They started by selling books online in the 90's, not expecting to make a profit for half a decade. Since then they revolutionized the publishing business, changed the way we read books, became the most valuable retailer in the United States. And through their Prime brand became leaders in streaming music, books, movies, television. Their home based cloud systems and personal electronic assistant is changing the way we interact with our own house. Personally, Amazon changed my way of life more than any other corporation. They have automated my house, reading, music, television, I don't have to leave my couch to buy anything(including grocery items!) and it is in my hands 2 days or less.

Granted Bezos is not a pleasant person and may be undercutting the entire world's economy...
 

PhotoDave219

Well-Known Member
This I don't agree with. This is not some law of nature or even inevitable economic outcome. Its complacent and shortsighted acceptance. Plenty of companies prove over and over they can build an identity and brand loyalty through philosophies that aren't just 'follow the negative trend others have set'.

It's not just about $$ charged... Amazon is a great example of this.

The difference IMO is leadership that values the misssion and vision for the company verse simply chasing metrics and being willing to compromise themselves to do so.

What kills me is that Guest Service is no longer about making sure the guest has a great experience, its about making sure the mouse gets all it can.... The guests are merely a commodity anymore.

That "Disney Difference" no longer exists.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom