Annual Pass prices raised (again)

[GiveMeTheMusic]

I think it's great they've jacked up the DTD parking prices and shortened it to 2 free hours. People use that lot to go into the parks all the time and it makes actually visiting DTD next to impossible, so I will appreciate actually being able to park my car there when I need to just go to DTD.

 

[TP2000]

"People went ballistic. 'You want $1000 for a pas and IT department can't fix this?' 'I want to go in the parks tonight, Do you have a supervisor that will be letting me in?'."

Sounds like people were acting very entitled, if you ask me. I feel bad for the CMs who have absolutely nothing to do with the price for a pass or the IT issues.

I know @Mukta didn't behave like this, but many Southern California Annual Passholders can get very snotty very quickly when things don't go their way.

Stuck in that line of local AP'ers trying to renew after work were also families who had just flown in 16 hours from Sydney or driven 20 hours from Seattle and wanted to buy tickets and get their vacation started as soon as possible. Those are the folks who should be escorted into the parks by a supervisor when the computer system crashes.

 

[TP2000]

I think it's great they've jacked up the DTD parking prices and shortened it to 2 free hours. People use that lot to go into the parks all the time and it makes actually visiting DTD next to impossible, so I will appreciate actually being able to park my car there when I need to just go to DTD.

Agreed. That Downtown Disney lot was the biggest AP scam at Disneyland, short of a DAS card for your tennis elbow. A year from now they need to dial it back to one hour free instead of two.

Entry signs were changed on Sunday.

 

[Curious Constance]

I know @Mukta didn't behave like this, but many Southern California Annual Passholders can get very snotty very quickly when things don't go their way.

Stuck in that line of local AP'ers trying to renew after work were also families who had just flown in 16 hours from Sydney or driven 20 hours from Seattle and wanted to buy tickets and get their vacation started as soon as possible. Those are the folks who should be escorted into the parks by a supervisor when the computer system crashes.

I have to agree with you on that one. MiceAge talks about the most loyal Disney customers being APers? I have to say that's leaving out and rather offensive to the tens of thousands of people who live in another state or country and have to spend thousands of dollars just to get to Disneyland and stay in a hotel and eat away from home for days at a time. Just for my family to go to Disneyland for 5 days we have to spend a minimum of $4000 and that's staying at a reasonably priced hotel, not a Disney property. And we just live one state up!

 

[Stevek]

Man, I remember the good old days where we went to Disneyland once, maybe twice a year and the anticipation was Christmas morning-like. Now we have a whole subset of society that has been spoiled for a couple of decades and throws a fit every time Disney raises prices and uses Disneyland like their social gathering place the same we we used the mall back when I was young. Monthly, weekly or daily visits by folks who spend far less per visit than the "tourist" who now gets rewarded with a jam packed parked for that $5-10K they just spent to get here. At the end of the day, Disney created this monster not necessarily because of the AP program overall, but because they allowed monthly payments. Want to fix it, no more monthly payments on new or renewal AP's. Pay up front or you're out of luck. That will thin the herd. Then 2-3 years, drop the AP price to a manageable level and get some of those lost folks back resulting in reasonable crowds. And no...I don't think they'll drop the AP price, just wishful thinking.

 

[Stevek]

I have to agree with you on that one. MiceAge talks about the most loyal Disney customers being APers? I have to say that's leaving out and rather offensive to the tens of thousands of people who live in another state or country and have to spend thousands of dollars just to get to Disneyland and stay in a hotel and eat away from home for days at a time. Just for my family to go to Disneyland for 5 days we have to spend a minimum of $4000 and that's staying at a reasonably priced hotel, not a Disney property. And we just live one state up!

MiceAge probably defines loyalty as those who visit the park more often which probably not 100% accurate though there is probably a subset that are truly loyal and will pay any price Disney puts out there. Having an AP does not make you loyal. Visiting once a day does not make you loyal (maybe insane). Visiting once, maybe twice a year and spending $5K on tickets, hotel, food and souvenirs does. At the end of the day, if it's not affordable, stop paying. Disney is not going to miss me or any lapsed AP'er as there will likely be someone to replace me. I'm ok with that...I'll go back to visiting once a year and make the visits more meaningful to me.

 

[dweezil78]

Man, I remember the good old days where we went to Disneyland once, maybe twice a year and the anticipation was Christmas morning-like.

Oh totally. Literally could not sleep the night before hitting the road for our annual WDW trip as a kid. The wait was torture!!! I miss that and am sad my son will never get to experience it... unless of course we just decide to not take him more than once a year which I'm not sure is possible haha.

Want to fix it, no more monthly payments on new or renewal AP's. Pay up front or you're out of luck. That will thin the herd.

Yep. A Disneyland AP has become akin to paying any other monthly utility bill. I think it's much harder for people to plunk down that kind of $$$ all at once -- both financially as it requires more in the bank and mentally as the cost instantly seems that much greater.

 

[TP2000]

I have to agree with you on that one. MiceAge talks about the most loyal Disney customers being APers? I have to say that's leaving out and rather offensive to the tens of thousands of people who live in another state or country and have to spend thousands of dollars just to get to Disneyland and stay in a hotel and eat away from home for days at a time. Just for my family to go to Disneyland for 5 days we have to spend a minimum of $4000 and that's staying at a reasonably priced hotel, not a Disney property. And we just live one state up!

There aren't tens of thousands of you, there are millions. And you are very loyal. More loyal than many local APers who just drop in for a bit on Sunday before they go to Target.

Any Oregon family saving thousands and planning for a year to drive 15 hours to go to Disneyland is more loyal than a kid in Fullerton who only pays 600 bucks on a payment plan and doesn't have to plan more than 30 minutes in advance.

Many SoCal Disneyland APers aren't loyal, they are just bored.

 

[Stevek]

Any Oregon family saving thousands and planning for a year to drive 15 hours to go to Disneyland is more loyal than a kid in Fullerton who only pays 600 bucks on a payment plan and doesn't have to plan more than 30 minutes in advance.

Many SoCal Disneyland APers aren't loyal, they are just bored.

That Oregon family is much more valuable to Disney and the local AP and that's why they are trying to thin the herd...make it more appealing for more people like them to visit versus more AP's. Imagine you are planning that once a year family vacation, willing to plunk down $5K to visit Disneyland but are reading the crowd horror stories. Nope, going to Hawaii instead...which quite honestly we've decided is a better value for our money and are doing next year instead of things like a DL AP.

As for the Disneyland APers...many are also addicted. I was one of them, working a mile away it was easy to drop in during an extended lunch or go over after work. And then at some point, I stopped enjoying the parks and was looking at all the chipped paint or for a burned out light bulb. I knew at that point I needed a break. Thanks Al Lutz : )

 

[Curious Constance]

There aren't tens of thousands of you, there are millions. And you are very loyal. More loyal than many local APers who just drop in for a bit on Sunday before they go to Target.

Any Oregon family saving thousands and planning for a year to drive 15 hours to go to Disneyland is more loyal than a kid in Fullerton who only pays 600 bucks on a payment plan and doesn't have to plan more than 30 minutes in advance.

Many SoCal Disneyland APers aren't loyal, they are just bored.

And it doesn't have to be a competition for who is more loyal. I think just a bit of perspective and maturity from the APers would go a long way.

 

[Curious Constance]

MiceAge probably defines loyalty as those who visit the park more often which probably not 100% accurate though there is probably a subset that are truly loyal and will pay any price Disney puts out there. Having an AP does not make you loyal. Visiting once a day does not make you loyal (maybe insane). Visiting once, maybe twice a year and spending $5K on tickets, hotel, food and souvenirs does. At the end of the day, if it's not affordable, stop paying. Disney is not going to miss me or any lapsed AP'er as there will likely be someone to replace me. I'm ok with that...I'll go back to visiting once a year and make the visits more meaningful to me.

There is nothing wrong with going to the parks often, if I lived closer, I'd go more often than the once every year or two that we can go now. I just think it's important to realize that doing so doesn't make you entitled to anything or expect Disney to cater to your every whim.

 

[ForeverAnna]

Man, I remember the good old days where we went to Disneyland once, maybe twice a year and the anticipation was Christmas morning-like.

I only went to Disneyland three times total during my childhood and I was 30 before I went on a multi day trip.

 

[Stevek]

There is nothing wrong with going to the parks often, if I lived closer, I'd go more often than the once every year or two that we can go now. I just think it's important to realize that doing so doesn't make you entitled to anything or expect Disney to cater to your every whim.

Nope, but there are a lot of people that fall into that entitlement bucket (and a lot that don't of course). And quite honestly, I don't think Disney would have as much of a problem with frequent guest visits IF the AP population spent more per visit. But coming in for 2-3 hours just to ride a couple of rides is a big challenge for park capacity and ultimately isn't very profitable for Disney. Trust me, we were guilty of it many times when we had small children. My wife and daughters would meet me at the office in Anaheim on a Friday at 5, we'd be in the park by 6, would ride a couple of rides, watch a parade and be out by 9 so we could get the girls home. Oh, and we'd eat dinner in the car on the way over. Yeah, we weren't very profitable for Disney. Now the 3 WDW trips and 1 Disney Cruise...we were very profitable for Disney, which is exactly what they want to happen with more Disneyland guests especially with Star Wars land coming onboard. They absolutely have to trim the AP population down dramatically as there will likely be tons of folks traveling from all over the west and perhaps far east/Asia to visit the parks, specifically because of SW. If they don't, it will be a mess like we haven't ever seen at DL.

 

[Stevek]

I only went to Disneyland three times total during my childhood and I was 30 before I went on a multi day trip.

My aunt and grandma came from Arkansas just about every year which meant a trip to Disneyland. And my dad would occasionally get tix to the private party nights for TRW or Pacific Bell which would result in an additional trip...with zero crowds by the way, it was heavenly. Once rode Space Mountain 25 times in a night.

 

[TP2000]

I went to a SoCal Edison private party once in the 1980's. It was like having the park all to yourself. Companies really don't do those private parties any more, do they? I imagine they went the way of the Company Christmas Party and all the other little perks in the downsizing of the 1990's.

In other news, from MiceChat today...

Editor’s Note:

• October 6, 2015: Up, Up and Away . . . Disney Parks Annual Pass Increases – After a crazy summer that saw attendance increase by 15% from a year ago, Disneyland raised AP prices substantially on Sunday. On Saturday the Resort set a new one-day attendance record for October, with over 96,000 people combined packing both parks. At 9pm on Saturday night Disneyland alone had over 54,000 people inside the park, a huge in-park number that 10 years ago would have been unheard of even on New Year's Eve.

Oh my Gawd! No wonder they are raising AP rates so much. And this was just a week after Dapper Day weekend when they actually had to close Disneyland's turnstiles for a bit. These types of packed-house attendances are crazy. Obviously Mr. Chapek's strong hints to the Wall Street Journal last week that demand-load pricing is coming to the parks was more than a hint. I wonder if they'll try and roll that out by this Christmas?

 

[Californian Elitist]

I was there this past Saturday, and what MiceChat said is true.

I got to the parks around 3, and crowds were fine, at least at Disneyland. The lines to get into California Adventure were alarmingly long, however. Just a few hours later when nighttime hit at Disneyland, everyone was walking shoulder-to-shoulder. I couldn't take it anymore, so I left.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Raising AP rates will not quell sales or renewals of APs as long as monthly payments are offered. If I'm on a Premium pass monthly payment plan, moving to Signature is an extra $10 or something per month. Signature plus is like $15-$20 extra a month. Either one is perfectly palatable if I'm already comfortable with my regular $50-$60/month payment.

Disneyland isn't interested in reducing AP sales, they just want to take advantage of what APs are willing to pay. Until you see monthly payment plans taken away, TDA isn't trying to lower AP numbers.

They will be successful in getting a lot of APs out of the late December equation. I can't imagine many people are willing to pay $200 for those two weeks unless they have some really compelling reason, especially when the pass is identical in every other respect.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Raising AP rates will not quell sales or renewals of APs as long as monthly payments are offered....Disneyland isn't interested in reducing AP sales, they just want to take advantage of what APs are willing to pay.

Absolutely correct.

I'll be damned if I pay an extra $200 for just two weeks.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Absolutely correct.

I'll be damned if I pay an extra $200 for just two weeks.

That tactic will work like gangbusters. I'd wager a majority of current Premium APs will transition to Signature instead of Signature Plus, relieving the end of December of a lot of AP usage. Mark my words - more blockout dates will be added to the Signature AP, especially if the parks become more comfortable over the 2016 Christmas holiday.

 

[Californian Elitist]

That tactic will work like gangbusters. I'd wager a majority of current Premium APs will transition to Signature instead of Signature Plus, relieving the end of December of a lot of AP usage. Mark my words - more blockout dates will be added to the Signature AP, especially if the parks become more comfortable over the 2016 Christmas holiday.

That wouldn't surprise me one bit.