AP renewals will not be allowed

[Disney Irish]

I would think the opposite. DLR is the resort that can get over run with locals. WDW Resort needs passholders to attend the Epcot festivals etc.

I can actually buy into the idea that DL would make more money without passholders. But WDW needs them - not the locals. But the ones in south Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Carolinas, etc. those are the passholders they want and need. They visit 3-5 times a year and usually stay on property. It’s silly to drive them away.

So you're saying that DLR can live without its locals population? I beg to differ, as the whole reason DLR brought back the AP program in the form of Magic Keys was because they saw that locals weren't buying day passes in large enough numbers. So while that might be a dream to some fans, that is a nightmare to TDA, hence Magic Keys.

In reality the idea that either park could live without their locals is ridiculous. Disney wants a full park no matter how they can get them in there. So whether its DLR locals buying the Magic Keys, or its WDW tourists from different states, Disney wants them all.

 

[mickEblu]

Any notion that DLR will cancel their AP program is wishful thinking at best and perhaps a bit delusional.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

So you're saying that DLR can live without its locals population?

Absolutely. If by “locals population” you mean locals being able to buy AP’s.

the idea that either park could live without their locals is ridiculous. Disney wants a full park no matter how they can get them in there.

If that were true standard AP’s would be for sale and there wouldn’t be a reservation system in place.

 

[Disney Irish]

Absolutely. If by “locals population” you mean locals being able to buy AP’s.

If that were true standard AP’s would be for sale and there wouldn’t be a reservation system in place.

At least one of the Magic Keys IS available for purchase today at DLR. You can go right now and look it up yourself.

As for the reservation system, well that is a different matter. If you think the reservation system is going away if there is no AP/Magic Key program, well that is a bit naive. The reservation system is here to stay whether there is some form of an AP/Magic Key program or not. So might as well get used to it.

And again if Disney really thought it could live without the AP/Magic Key program at DLR they wouldn't have brought it back in August. The fact they did shows they found that locals weren't buy the DLR day tickets in large enough numbers to fill the Park to the level they want.

So yeah the AP/Magic Key program is going no where, continued changes yes, but being discontinued completely no.

 

[Disstevefan1]

At least one of the Magic Keys IS available for purchase today at DLR. You can go right now and look it up yourself.

As for the reservation system, well that is a different matter. If you think the reservation system is going away if there is no AP/Magic Key program, well that is a bit naive. The reservation system is here to stay whether there is some form of an AP/Magic Key program or not. So might as well get used to it.

And again if Disney really thought it could live without the AP/Magic Key program at DLR they wouldn't have brought it back in August. The fact they did shows they found that locals weren't buy the DLR day tickets in large enough numbers to fill the Park to the level they want.

So yeah the AP/Magic Key program is going no where, continued changes yes, but being discontinued completely no.

If I had to guess, the reservation system is not going away, I wish it was, but I don't think it's going away.

 

[Disney Irish]

If I had to guess, the reservation system is not going away, I wish it was, but I don't think it's going away.

That would by my guess too, especially since Ken Potrock has already said it was sticking around at DLR.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

At least one of the Magic Keys IS available for purchase today at DLR. You can go right now and look it up yourself.

I don’t consider the Magic Keys a “standard AP”

The reservation system is here to stay whether there is some form of an AP/Magic Key program or not. So might as well get used to it.

The only thing certain in life is change. The reservation system will go away one day. It might be after Chapek and company are gone, but one day it will go away.

 

[Disney Irish]

I don’t consider the Magic Keys a “standard AP”

Well that is the new AP offering, whether you think of it as a "standard AP" or not.

The only thing certain in life is change. The reservation system will go away one day. It might be after Chapek and company are gone, but one day it will go away.

I'm sure everything on a long enough time scale will go away. But I do expect the Disney Park Reservation System to be here for years to come. Ken Potrock has specifically said last week that they are liking the it, so that is proof its not going anywhere anytime soon.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Well that is the new AP offering, whether you think of it as a "standard AP" or not.

I call a “standard AP” the type of AP that Disney offered prior to 2020 and the type of AP that is offered by every other major theme park in the country.

 

[Disney Irish]

I call a “standard AP” the type of AP that Disney offered prior to 2020 and the type of AP that is offered by every other major theme park in the country.

Other than the reservation requirement there is not much different between the former AP program and the Magic Key program, especially at DLR. And while that might make a difference to you and some others on whether its a "standard AP" or not doesn't means its really different at its core, or that its different to TWDC.

 

[CaptinEO]

My guess is simply Disney wants a certain number of each tier of AP a year and doesn't need as many APs as people think.

They clearly sold the number of top tier passes needed and will probably continue to limit them.

I think its great to cut down on APs.

I used to have an AP before covid too, but I admit too many people had them.

The new key "options" have a more limited appeal than old APs and are also capped after a certain amount sold.

This is good any way I see it.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I think both coasts absolutely need pass-holders to keep the parks full, I also think both coasts want to reduce the number of pass-holders so they have more tickets available to the higher dollar day guest.

I can’t see any scenario where they eliminate pass-holders completely because the drop in attendance and income would be massive.

This is a simple pricing issue, I’m seriously mystified why they’ve decided to ignore the obvious solution that not only solves the problem but also creates more revenue and have decided to come up with some convoluted reservation system that leaves everyone upset, disappointed, and likely will result in less revenue in the long term.

I don’t believe they view passholders as “at risk” for not attending - with or without the pass.

Would you?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Other than the reservation requirement there is not much different between the former AP program and the Magic Key program, especially at DLR. And while that might make a difference to you and some others on whether its a "standard AP" or not doesn't means its really different at its core, or that its different to TWDC.

The blackout and park hopping restrictions make it very different in Orlando from a “usefulness” perspective…as it stands.

Different in Anaheim.

 

[Disney Irish]

My guess is simply Disney wants a certain number of each tier of AP a year and doesn't need as many APs as people think.

They clearly sold the number of top tier passes needed and will probably continue to limit them.

This I agree with.

 

[Disney Irish]

The blackout and park hopping restrictions make it very different in Orlando from a “usefulness” perspective…as it stands.

Different in Anaheim.

Well since this thread is in the DLR forum, and the rumor about no renewals was about DLR Magic Keys, I honestly don't see how this really has much to do with Orlando's implementation of their current AP program in the first place.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Well since this thread is in the DLR forum, and the rumor about no renewals was about DLR Magic Keys, I honestly don't see how this really has much to do with Orlando's implementation of their current AP program in the first place.

True. Have a good day.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

They clearly sold the number of top tier passes needed and will probably continue to limit them.

Judging by the availability calendar and the lawsuit they drastically oversold them.

The (DL) parks feel as busy as they did before covid, and rumor is they are now back to 100% pre Covid occupancy, so the big question is how long will this demand last. Is this still restless people spending all the money they saved over the last couple years of staying home or is this permanent demand and “sold out” is just something we need to get used to now?

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

I don’t believe they view passholders as “at risk” for not attending - with or without the pass.

Would you?

No, but from an attendance standpoint there’s a massive difference between those passholders coming a couple weekends a year vs coming a few days or more every month.

With my old AP I averaged about 30 days a year, with my dream Key it’s looking like I’ll get 15-18 days (depending on if I can find one more weekend that’s not sold out before it expires), and we’re only planning on going 2-3 weekends next year on day passes (probably 6 days).

Much easier to get to 20 million visitors a year when 10 million of those visits are coming from a couple hundred thousand dedicated APs who come a couple dozen times a year. If those couple hundred thousand former APs cut their visits by 1/2-2/3 then DL needs to add 5-7 million one time visitors to fill the gap or attendance will see a massive drop. I just don’t see that kind of one time visitor demand.

 

[Th3 DUd3]

My two cents is a little of what CaptinEO was saying. What I believe is going to happen is that they will not open the top two tiers passes again to new people right away, if at all. They will first allow those who have one to renew again. Then they will gauge how many do first by waiting until all of them had a chance to renew or not. Then they will see how the parks are in regards to their attendance and their bottom line. At that moment they will allow new members to get one for a limited time until they feel the number they want is reached again. My guess on that will be March of 2023. I do think the reservation system has made their staffing way easier to manage and again, the point of view is their bottom line.

 

[mickEblu]

My two cents is a little of what CaptinEO was saying. What I believe is going to happen is that they will not open the top two tiers passes again to new people right away, if at all. They will first allow those who have one to renew again. Then they will gauge how many do first by waiting until all of them had a chance to renew or not. Then they will see how the parks are in regards to their attendance and their bottom line. At that moment they will allow new members to get one for a limited time until they feel the number they want is reached again. My guess on that will be March of 2023. I do think the reservation system has made their staffing way easier to manage and again, the point of view is their bottom line.

I think the only thing they need to fine tune is how to respond to the demand for the holidays. Other than that everything seemed reasonable. Also wonder what happens when young children of a family of Key holders become older and require a pass? Would they force my whole family to downgrade or would they make an exception.