can Disney bring it all back.. or have they gone TOO FAR...

[monothingie]

Lol in 2021 the year after a global pandemic Disney had over 12 million visitors. Making it still the number one theme park tourist destination . Yes it was down from 2019 but that was pre pandemic.

So thank you no, I'm doubling down.
I would love it if all these "boycott" Disney campaigns would get traction because in the world of big companies money talks but if I was a betting gal, I wouldn't be betting against them.

Except factually you are doubling down on wrong.

Disney executives have stated numerous times publicly and in financial reports that the desire is to lower attendance through price increases. These prices increases either directly through cost of admission, concessions, lodging, etc. or through increased monetization of guests (Genie +) has all proven extremely unpopular with guests. (Both first time and repeat guests.) I've had the conversations with guest retention cast members and what is being told to me is not the exception but the norm, and it should be alarming to anyone paying attention.

If you want to see the end result of where this takes you, the Star Wars Hotel is it. Disney created a super premium high revenue and expensive experience based on an extremely popular IP.

It is less than a year old, heavily discounted, empty, and has wide open availability for the foreseeable future.

 

[tpoly88]

The biggest loss in my option was Fastpass+, this really made Disney stand out among all other competitors who charge for the privilege. The price (although already expensive) to stay in Disney owned resorts was considered more 'worth it' for the pleasure of securing those 'gold dust' ride reservations in advance, bolstered by the excitement of logging on as soon as the times were released and snagging that all important Slinky Dog/Mine Train/etc reservation.

The loss of this and the complexity of Genie/LL, not to mention its accompanying charges, paying for resort parking, the loss of the Magical Express from the airport, less reliable and frequent maid visits, etc, dropped the ball BIG TIME.

Part of the 'magic' of the parks is having everything in place beforehand, dinner reservations booked, fast passes planned, being able to enter those gates and just enjoy. Genie/LL removes that joy and places pressure on the guests continuously during the day.

THAT right there, along with the incredibly exceptional service and friendliness of the staff at the parks and resorts, the quality of the shows and parades, the frequent and exciting updates to the parks and rides, down to the minutest details, has been waning but CAN be recovered, however the invisible 'knife' in the backs of Disneys consumers may leave a permanent scar.

I think the perks they had for hotel guests are few and far between now and not having advanced reservations for the park, dinner etc is a real stress issue on the families that come there. as i walk though the parks with my wife i see the families are just ready to explode and unfortunatley they take it out on the cast members. Someone mentioned that Disney needs to have the cast members love their jobs again. how can they when you have a over stressed family of 5 trying to get on a ride or even get a simple dinner reservation and they cannot. i hark back to a friend of mine that went to disney over the summer, stayed at poly and could not get park reservation. can you imagine that? im at a deluxe disney hotel but i cant go to the park. im rambling but the main fact is disney needs to remember what made the place special and that was the fact you could have a fun family vacation that everyone could enjoy and not have to mortgage the house to do so. Yes the disney of old is somewhat dead and for those of us that went during that era we can still have thoughts on the memories from then but this is a new time but i feel Disney is just absolutely complicating the parks too much and sometimes a simple ride will do.

 

[NickMaio]

Except factually you are doubling down on wrong.

Disney executives have stated numerous times publicly and in financial reports that the desire is to lower attendance through price increases. These prices increases either directly through cost of admission, concessions, lodging, etc. or through increased monetization of guests (Genie +) has all proven extremely unpopular with guests. (Both first time and repeat guests.) I've had the conversations with guest retention cast members and what is being told to me is not the exception but the norm, and it should be alarming to anyone paying attention.

If you want to see the end result of where this takes you, the Star Wars Hotel is it. Disney created a super premium high revenue and expensive experience based on an extremely popular IP.

It is less than a year old, heavily discounted, empty, and has wide open availability for the foreseeable future.

Nailed it - - - - - -
Honestly, what were they thinking.

With all the actors and cost to build - - - it must not be cheap to run the place day to day.

Too complex - - - trying to appeal to people with too much money.
Not a good strategy.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Get maintenance done on all rides, immediately. Forget retheming Splash Mountain and build new Princess and the Frog in an adjacent area. Restore Splash to its original grandeur.

I went to MK for the first time in May. I noticed a lot of maintenance and general cleanliness issues. Static animatronics on small world, Ariel barely moving on Mermaid, static objects in the seance room in Mansion (I actually thought they didn’t move, but someone told me they’re supposed to move), trash in the queues/around the park, and filthy bathrooms. I still had a decent time, but I wasn’t happy about that at all.

 

[_caleb]

I went to MK for the first time in May. I noticed a lot of maintenance and general cleanliness issues. Static animatronics on small world, Ariel barely moving on Mermaid, static objects in the seance room in Mansion (I actually thought they didn’t move, but someone told me they’re supposed to move), trash in the queues/around the park, and filthy bathrooms. I still had a decent time, but I wasn’t happy about that at all.

But that’s MK. It’s always been like that, the regulars just don’t notice. But if you’re used to Disneyland, you notice.

 

[LittleBuford]

It is less than a year old, heavily discounted, empty, and has wide open availability for the foreseeable future.

Is it heavily discounted? My understanding is that they haven’t budged on the price point.

 

[Californian Elitist]

But that’s MK. It’s always been like that, the regulars just don’t notice. But if you’re used to Disneyland, you notice.

That’s unfortunate to hear, if this is true. I hope it’s not true, but, then again, I didn’t see a single custodial CM at the park. Not once. I only went that one time, so I don’t know how often custodial CMs are seen throughout the park. Definitely not what I’m used to. It certainly doesn’t encourage me to return any time soon.

 

[_caleb]

That’s unfortunate to hear, if this is true. I hope it’s not true, but, then again, I didn’t see a single custodial CM at the park. Not once. I only went that one time, so I don’t know how often custodial CMs are seen throughout the park. Definitely not what I’m used to. It certainly doesn’t encourage me to return any time soon.

I’m going to make someone angry here, but I grew up going to Disneyland. Then, for several years, I lived on the East Coast, so switched to WDW. I really do love it, but every trip to MK (in particular) reminded me of how poor the cleanliness, maintenance, and even quality of MK is compared to DL.

(I know: much bigger park, many more guests, etc. But those are just excuses!)

 

[Goofyernmost]

I am not going on with what people say on the boards. I am going by word of mouth when my students return from trips, and when colleagues, family, and friends return. It’s not positive conversations.

If you think that's bad ask the people that have to plan the trip, setup the schedule, balance the park experience with meals and fatigue and most of all those that paid for the experience. It gets much worse. Disney can still be a fun place, but the experience has been darkened. There is nothing worse than paying over one hundred dollars to get into the park and then have your ability to see EVERYTHING dependant on luck, random timing and the ability to pay a whole lot extra just the see the attractions that you went to see in the first place. Negativity for sure and that should be expected on certain threads (like this one). If you think it's annoying imagine how the constant bombardment with how great it is, when many of us know what it was like in the past and how it welcomed everyone. Those with that experience are not generally negative, in fact, at one time we all would have been called Pixie Duster Supreme. Those that think because they only have their own personal experience without living the history really are only speaking for themselves and have no comparison. That's fine and it is likely to continue as are the parks, but you will never experience what it was and if you were to I guarantee your thoughts would change.

 

[Sandurz]

Lol in 2021 the year after a global pandemic Disney had over 12 million visitors. Making it still the number one theme park tourist destination . Yes it was down from 2019 but that was pre pandemic.

So thank you no, I'm doubling down.
I would love it if all these "boycott" Disney campaigns would get traction because in the world of big companies money talks but if I was a betting gal, I wouldn't be betting against them.

Attendance is a lagging indicator, by at least 12-18 months. It's not a restaurant down the street people are deciding to go to this weekend because they're hearing so many good things. It's a huge commitment that people have decided to make months and months ago, based on decades of either positive experiences or positive word of mouth, and it takes a lot to have people cancel. But it's a different story in 2-3 years when people who had a bad time this year never once thought about going back, and never planned a trip at all.

Competent management knows just because numbers are up now doesn't mean everything is rosy when a huge percentage of those millions of visitors have bad things to say about their visit.

 

[LittleBuford]

I’m going to make someone angry here, but I grew up going to Disneyland. Then, for several years, I lived on the East Coast, so switched to WDW. I really do love it, but every trip to MK (in particular) reminded me of how poor the cleanliness, maintenance, and even quality of MK is compared to DL.

(I know: much bigger park, many more guests, etc. But those are just excuses!)

I love both parks equally, which seems to be a surprisingly niche position.

 

[_caleb]

I love both parks equally, which seems to be a surprisingly niche position.

I love them both, too! I just notice some differences, that’s all.

I know this isn’t a WDW vs. DLR thread, but talking about “bringing the parks back,” reminded me that the two coasts didn’t necessarily start at the same levels of quality and cleanliness to begin with (in my opinion).

 

[Disstevefan1]

If attendance keeps going up, are they really limiting attendance?
If they are actually limiting attendance, I would love to see those double secret "limit" numbers.

 

[networkpro]

Is it heavily discounted? My understanding is that they haven’t budged on the price point.

Currently theres a 30% discount for DVC paying with points https://disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com/star-wars-galactic-starcruiser

 

[Californian Elitist]

I’m going to make someone angry here, but I grew up going to Disneyland. Then, for several years, I lived on the East Coast, so switched to WDW. I really do love it, but every trip to MK (in particular) reminded me of how poor the cleanliness, maintenance, and even quality of MK is compared to DL.

(I know: much bigger park, many more guests, etc. But those are just excuses!)

I went to one women’s bathroom in Tomorrowland and found not only trash on the floor, but soiled toilets, too (literally every single stall). My friend and I decided to find another bathroom, but the other guests didn’t mind. I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume it was bad timing.

I’m happy to see fans here calling out the maintenance issues.

 

[Jrb1979]

If attendance keeps going up, are they really limiting attendance?
If they are actually limiting attendance, I would love to see those double secret "limit" numbers.

They aren't limiting attendance and that isn't of the PPR. Its used for 2 main things. One is staffing and the other is to push guests to all parks as equally as possible. It's doing that. All parks are equally crowded now.

 

[el_super]

Disney can still be a fun place, but the experience has been darkened. There is nothing worse than paying over one hundred dollars to get into the park and then have your ability to see EVERYTHING dependant on luck, random timing and the ability to pay a whole lot extra just the see the attractions that you went to see in the first place.

To some degree it was like this before the pandemic. ADRS at 180 days out, Fastpass at 60 days out, room rates through the roof. If the feeling hit and I wanted to plan a trip, i had the options of planning something right then and there (for maybe 2 or 3 weeks ahead) and getting to see almost nothing I would want to see, or putting the breaks on the whole thing and trying to plan a trip for the coming year.

I don't want to be locked into planning for something years out in advance.

Competent management knows just because numbers are up now doesn't mean everything is rosy when a huge percentage of those millions of visitors have bad things to say about their visit.

Yeah but how many of those bad things are being caused by high attendance? Reliance on park reservations and Genie+ is being driven by high attendance. Park reservations have been in place for 28 months and Genie+ for 13 months now. If those alone were having a significant impact on the experience (negatively) we should have started to see some retreat by now.

But people are complaining the experience is bad, and most of that is due to high attendance and obscene demand.

 

[LittleBuford]

Currently theres a 30% discount for DVC paying with points https://disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com/star-wars-galactic-starcruiser

I wouldn’t call that heavily discounted from the perspective of the average guest. The only reason the hotel isn’t full is that it’s so expensive. Were they to lower the price point for everyone, they would have no trouble getting bookings. From what I can tell, the issue isn’t one of concept or quality—by all accounts, it’s a great experience.

 

[Disstevefan1]

They aren't limiting attendance and that isn't of the PPR. Its used for 2 main things. One is staffing and the other is to push guests to all parks as equally as possible. It's doing that. All parks are equally crowded now.

I also heard (could be fake news I don't know) they use PPRs to calculate how much food to prep, such that cast members are not allowed to purchase food in the park when not a guest.

I always thought they had better, less expensive food in the cast members cafeteria anyway.

I have a memory of my Father-in-law (who worked for RCID) while a in the park as a guest going to the cast members cafeteria to get food. Back then, RCID folks had the same access as cast members had and were treated the same as cast members.

 

[Goofyernmost]

To some degree it was like this before the pandemic. ADRS at 180 days out, Fastpass at 60 days out, room rates through the roof. If the feeling hit and I wanted to plan a trip, i had the options of planning something right then and there (for maybe 2 or 3 weeks ahead) and getting to see almost nothing I would want to see, or putting the breaks on the whole thing and trying to plan a trip for the coming year.

I don't want to be locked into planning for something years out in advance.



Yeah but how many of those bad things are being caused by high attendance? Reliance on park reservations and Genie+ is being driven by high attendance. Park reservations have been in place for 28 months and Genie+ for 13 months now. If those alone were having a significant impact on the experience (negatively) we should have started to see some retreat by now.

But people are complaining the experience is bad, and most of that is due to high attendance and obscene demand.

Well, we just got through the biggest season (summer) and the crowds were insane during Thanksgiving week. The real test will be from here on out (or at least just after the Christmas Week silliness). Judging from the crowds on Thanksgiving week, Park reservations are not doing their job.