"Budget Cuts" - Now Showing at Disney's Hollywood Studios

[Horizons '83]

Am I the only one who is getting really tired of hearing this argument? Yes DHS now is half the park of what it was a year ago, but in less than a year that will change, and then the year after that the largest expansion in Disney parks history will open, So what do you think will happen if Disney lowers the price of the park now?

A. More people will flock to the park because of the lower price, increasing wait times to the already busy park thus adding "girl scout water" to your ever proliferating fire of hatred towards Disney.
B. When the under construction areas reopen they would then raise the price back up to compensate for the open areas, thus causing "mass public outrage" over jacking the price up on the park with the "cool new ridez!" We of course would know that it was because Disney was simply putting the price back to normal but for the ignorant GP it would seem like even more of a "cash grab" than what some on here whine about every day.
C. Guardians of the Galaxy is replacing Ellen's Energy Adventure and Mickey's Runaway Railway is replacing The Great Movie Ride. This is unrelated to everything else in this post but some people still lack the connection to reality that this is happening. Of course I am sad of the loss of GMR but my emotions will not stop change from occurring.
D. Rock N' Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror are 2 of the highest rated and most popular attractions in the resort (three if you count Star Tours), of course they are going to keep charging the same price while people still flock to these attractions!

I apologize for this rant but I am still amazed at the lack of common sense represented by some people of business practices that the company makes.
Disney is here to make money, they will continue to innovate and evolve to make money. This was true when Walt was in charge, it is true today, and will continue to be true in the foreseeable future.

Movielover out!

While I understand your concern, I think for some of us Disney was able create incredible experiences in the past without it being noticeable where they have cut corners to save money whereas today you can clearly tell where they cut corners to save a few bucks.

Has the mentality always been the same, you bet. From day 1 this was a business and that is fact. The end goal has always been to profit. However, now we are seeing them take actions that really show they are willing to almost do anything for the all mighty buck whether it be shoehorning various IP's into places they don't belong, cutting Meet and Greet's, closing attractions years ago only to have the rot before they take action, etc (somehow I feel UoE will fall into this category soon).

 

[GoofGoof]

Yep. I would love to see actually one day ticket sales? I bet they are close to zero which makes attendance figures like the Tea report just about useless. Even using first click DHS has to be down huge which should mean Universal in Orlando is beating at least one Disney park. Doesn't matter which Universal park.

I think there are still a not insignificant number of people buying single day tickets. Not everyone is aware of what is missing in the park and what is still to come. An educated guest will know the difference but not everyone is educated. I do think that if they dropped the price to 50% of the other parks it would drive a lot of people there. Someone in town planning to spend a day at a WDW park who doesn't know a whole lot about WDW is going to scoop up the cheaper ticket. People love a bargain.

 

[flynnibus]

Yeah I see no reason OMD can't be open to park close but the other stuff isn't that big of a deal. Sure they CAN afford to keep it all open but why would they when they aren't packing in crowds? Sometimes this kind of saving on labor is OK.

Until they realize they are in the SERVICE industry...

Imagine going up to a shop during regular hours and finding they are closed... because no one was there before you. You might be miffed a bit.. but then would go find another shop.

Now realize you were paying for that shop to be open.. and they weren't.

Do you really emphasize the same with the vendor when it's against expectation and your dollar they just kept?

 

[ford91exploder]

Until they realize they are in the SERVICE industry...

Imagine going up to a shop during regular hours and finding they are closed... because no one was there before you. You might be miffed a bit.. but then would go find another shop.

Now realize you were paying for that shop to be open.. and they weren't.

Do you really emphasize the same with the vendor when it's against expectation and your dollar they just kept?

You 'Hate Disney' when you point stuff like this out. Disney used to be in the customer service business. I frankly have no idea what business they are in now

 

[Kman101]

Until they realize they are in the SERVICE industry...

Imagine going up to a shop during regular hours and finding they are closed... because no one was there before you. You might be miffed a bit.. but then would go find another shop.

Now realize you were paying for that shop to be open.. and they weren't.

Do you really emphasize the same with the vendor when it's against expectation and your dollar they just kept?

That's not how a store works though. You aren't paying to enter a department store or big box retail store. The park remains open. It's at their discretion to close what they want when they want. I'm not saying I agree with it, but why would you pay for labor when things are empty? We look for problems in EVERYTHING. And if a department store is slow they often ask their employees if they want to leave early. These two things are very different so I don't agree with the comparison.

 

[flynnibus]

That's not how a store works though. You aren't paying to enter a department store or big box retail store. The park remains open. It's at their discretion to close what they want when they want. I'm not saying I agree with it, but why would you pay for labor when things are empty? We look for problems in EVERYTHING. And if a department store is slow they often ask their employees if they want to leave early. These two things are very different so I don't agree with the comparison.

Scaling your labor is not the same thing as shutting down entirely. The point of the analogy is there is an expectation of operation... retail runs on a convention of normal business hours for their industry... attractions in theme parks have a convention of being open when the park is open. Retail operates when it's not profitable because there is a quid-pro-pro when it comes to access and establishing a trust. They accept there will be hours that are down, so that the store will still be seen as reliable and accessible.

Here we have an experience YOU PAID to visit... and now we need to shape our time to be there 'when crowds make it worth it'?? F that.

 

[Kman101]

But attractions aren't guaranteed to you to be open. Where does it say they are and will be? It's still different than a department store or big box store that you tried to compare to. I understand what you're saying but it's not something that bothers me.

Fire off an e-mail to Disney if it bothers you.

 

[Rumrunner]

But attractions aren't guaranteed to you to be open. Where does it say they are and will be? It's still different than a department store or big box store that you tried to compare to. I understand what you're saying but it's not something that bothers me.

Fire off an e-mail to Disney if it bothers you.

How would you feel if you went into a department store to say buy a pair of socks but the dept selling the socks was closed because they felt there weren't enough business to keep it open all the time. You probably wouldn't understand that or even consider it good business.

 

[RAXIP]

How would you feel if you went into a department store to say buy a pair of socks but the dept selling the socks was closed because they felt there weren't enough business to keep it open all the time. You probably wouldn't understand that or even consider it good business.

The Optical Department usually has reduced hours.

 

[No Name]

With so many small features being chipped away at in addition to the ride closures and construction, do you think it is possible that they will at least extend the Pixar concert? Seems logical they would, with the show being a home run and all...

It's a home run? Not saying you're right or wrong, but how do you say?

 

[Rumrunner]

The Optical Department usually has reduced hours.

Not sure where you shop but most stores do not have an optical department. Stores that have special area like optometry sections treat them as a separate entity. Few consider them as part of the regular operation of the store.

 

[Kman101]

How would you feel if you went into a department store to say buy a pair of socks but the dept selling the socks was closed because they felt there weren't enough business to keep it open all the time. You probably wouldn't understand that or even consider it good business.

That's not how it works

 

[Kman101]

Anyone with a functioning brain, which seem to be severely lacking on this forum lately, would understand and consider it good business to reduce the operating hours of a department that isn't consistently busy. Why would any company waste resources keeping something open that isn't performing to par?

Exactly. And they keep using a department store as a comparison. It's not the same thing.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Not sure where you shop but most stores do not have an optical department. Stores that have special area like optometry sections treat them as a separate entity. Few consider them as part of the regular operation of the store.

In giant department stores and big box stores I've seen departments shut down early: pharmacy, food counters, jewelry, bake shop, butcher counter, photo counters (remember them?)... just about anything which requires specially trained employees and are hardly used late at night.

Don't forget that Epcot has half the park closed down (almost all of WS) until 11 AM...

And doubly don't forget all the restaurants and food carts that close down before the park does.

 

[Rumrunner]

Exactly. And they keep using a department store as a comparison. It's not the same thing.

You are correct a department store and Disney are not the same thing. I don't have to pay a $100 to enter a department store.

 

[Rumrunner]

In giant department stores and big box stores I've seen departments shut down early: pharmacy, food counters, jewelry, bake shop, butcher counter, photo counters (remember them?)... just about anything which requires specially trained employees and are hardly used late at night.

Don't forget that Epcot has half the park closed down (almost all of WS) until 11 AM...

And doubly don't forget all the restaurants and food carts that close down before the park does.

I don't pay a $100 to go into a dept store and if they don't treat me well as a customer I can find another store down the street. Disney advertises as a special place and charges accordingly. Closing early and limiting activities at Disney is quite different than the comparisons you made.

 

[Rumrunner]

Anyone with a functioning brain, which seem to be severely lacking on this forum lately, would understand and consider it good business to reduce the operating hours of a department that isn't consistently busy. Why would any company waste resources keeping something open that isn't performing to par?

You are correct anyone with a functioning brain would be concerned about Disney's questionable treatment of its patrons as good business practices.

 

[Kman101]

You are correct a department store and Disney are not the same thing. I don't have to pay a $100 to enter a department store.

Exactly, you don't. So everyone can stop comparing Disney to a department store. It's not the same thing.

Whether we like it or not Disney can close what they want when they want. It's not about whether I agree (and I don't) or not.

People are looking to make an issue out of this. I understand the argument, but I really don't care that a few things close an hour or two before the park does. They aren't saying Hollywood Studios closes at 9pm and they close the gates at 7pm and kick everyone out. But let's find issues with everything they do.

They could have cut the citizens of Hollywood. They could have cut Fantasmic to a few nights a week. They could have dumped a lot of things but they chose to close a few things a couple of hours before the park does. I'm not going to get angry over this. It's not worth it.

Should we argue the same thing about Animal Kingdom closing the animal trails at dusk? HOW DARE THEY!

 

[Kman101]

You are correct anyone with a functioning brain would be concerned about Disney's questionable treatment of its patrons as good business practices.

You see it one way, we see it another. The outrage here is a bit much.

 

[MisterPenguin]

I don't pay a $100 to go into a dept store and if they don't treat me well as a customer I can find another store down the street. Disney advertises as a special place and charges accordingly. Closing early and limiting activities at Disney is quite different than the comparisons you made.

OK. For years and years World Showcase wasn't open until 11 AM. And restaurants and carts closed before the park did. Many M&Gs aren't available at night.

If you've ever 'rope dropped' OMD, then you have a dog in this fight. If you haven't... then you look pretty silly arguing for a service you never used.