pax_65
Well-Known Member
That would likely be the absolute end of the road for me. Especially given how much I hate FP+ to begin with, I don't see how I could stomach actually paying for it.
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Disney After Hours Event
- Thread starter ECJack
- Start date
That would likely be the absolute end of the road for me. Especially given how much I hate FP+ to begin with, I don't see how I could stomach actually paying for it.
pax_65
Well-Known Member
If I can't climb up and polish the tippy top of Cinderella's Castle, then I'm not doing it.
rael ramone
Well-Known Member
Didn't they originally throttle down the guest count for the various Holiday parties? Then sold more tickets (and more, and more, and more early evening hard closings) and in the end the short lines for the parties went poof....?
Maybe the way they will 'create value' for the upcharge event is for look for ways to further deteriorate the day park experience.
I had wondered this to. Other than the attention its gotten on sites like these, does this offering have any really any exposure to the general public? With the up-charge parties there was at least a theme behind them which usually draws in interest. With this there is nothing. Maybe you'll see an initial demand, but after the first round of nights, I see could easily see the demand dropping off dramatically.
raven
Well-Known Member
Utility trucks, cranes, maintenance vehicles, pressure hoses and other equipment are on over walkway and road after hours. Inside there are wet floors, cords, machinery and more. Also, extremely toxic and dangerous chemicals are also used after hours. Just walking into that is a safety issue.
PhotoDave219
Well-Known Member
Simple.
Because they can.
Its pure elitism..... They have the money to be part of a 3000 person party at MK.
DisneyPrincess5
Well-Known Member
As a member of the 1% (proof of this being my Premium Member Status). I wouldn't pay for this because there is no value to it. This isn't about elitism because you can already get the VIP tours with more benefits at a better price per hour per person.
Unless this is a one-off trial ballon for some other type of future upcharge perk, I am still scratching my head as to who would think this idea would work. (Never mind, given what has come out of management recently with regard to revenue and cost cutting, nothing surprises me anymore.)
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rreading
Well-Known Member
Clearly there are those on both sides of this. However, why not? If the answer is because they will offer it more, then I would reply that the alternative would be raising admission to thin out crowds - which may not work. Charging for additional fast passes or paying for VIP tours doesn't accomplish the same thing for some (including me) who would prefer to be there when the parks aren't as crowded. Going there during slower times of the year is becoming more difficult as every time of the year seems to be busier...so going at the slower times of the day during the slower times has to serve.
They already charge a king's ransom to eat mickey waffles with the princesses in the castle, so why not pay a little more and get to relax in the park early, and ride two of the busiest rides - which opens up you FP+ choices for the rest of the day.
I'd strongly consider it were we there during the summer. Since we'll be there in October, I hope not to need it.
They already charge a king's ransom to eat mickey waffles with the princesses in the castle, so why not pay a little more and get to relax in the park early, and ride two of the busiest rides - which opens up you FP+ choices for the rest of the day.
I'd strongly consider it were we there during the summer. Since we'll be there in October, I hope not to need it.
Crazydisneyfanluke
Well-Known Member
From personal experience, i have done all the rides in FL within an hr of rope drop during spring break. I wont pay for the after hours. You can ride all the rides, experience most entertainment if you plan it right.
DarthMileZ
Well-Known Member
Pointless experience really.
glvsav37
Well-Known Member
Thing is, they've already done this for the DVC after hours party for free. So the planning is already in place. It was crazy popular both nights they held it, so I can see them tossing a line in the water and seeing if they can make it a paid event. They really only announced a handful of attractions that will be open (unless i missed something), so they can base staffing on how well/well not tickets are selling. Would anyone miss Dumbo not being open at 1 am.....Stitch?
I think the price is too high, but if it was lower, I can't see how they could cap it at 3000 (thats what I heard initially). Price helps keep the exclusivity. I can see locals who are looking for a night out and something different to experience at MK, or younger adults w/o kids. If I was simply a vacationing guest (with my kids 10 and 6), no way I'm paying that much to tack on 3 hours of an already exhausting day to risk them checking out at 1am.
Broadway, sports and concert tickets are all this expensive (depending on seats and act), and I've paid that much for 2 or so hours. I don't see these as out of line with those....so for locals who don't have access to Broadway a few miles away like i do, I can see it as a entertainment expense.
I think the price is too high, but if it was lower, I can't see how they could cap it at 3000 (thats what I heard initially). Price helps keep the exclusivity. I can see locals who are looking for a night out and something different to experience at MK, or younger adults w/o kids. If I was simply a vacationing guest (with my kids 10 and 6), no way I'm paying that much to tack on 3 hours of an already exhausting day to risk them checking out at 1am.
Broadway, sports and concert tickets are all this expensive (depending on seats and act), and I've paid that much for 2 or so hours. I don't see these as out of line with those....so for locals who don't have access to Broadway a few miles away like i do, I can see it as a entertainment expense.
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
Don't worry there is still time for chargeable FP this is only the beginning ...
asianway
Well-Known Member
Except the DVC event had a massive entertainment package, including fireworks
ParentsOf4
Well-Known Member
Here's an interesting take from Motley Fool:
Disney World Is So Greedy, It's Brilliant
Leading theme-park operator Disney is trying out a limited-access event at its Orlando park -- charging $149 a person for three hours of exclusive, after-hours Magic Kingdom access.
It seems as if Disney (NYSE DIS) is always coming up with new ways to separate its theme park guests from their money. The latest greenbacks-slurping scheme is Disney After Hours, a three-hour event that will take place at Disney World in Orlando on select nights through April and May, offering more exclusive access to rides, attractions, and character greetings for folks willing to shell out an extra $149 per person.
Disney announced the Disney After Hours events on Wednesday; they will take place on seven consecutive Thursday nights starting April 14.
It may seem outrageous at first glance. A one-day ticket to the Magic Kingdom on any of those Thursdays costs "just" $110. Folks using a multi-day or annual pass are paying a lot less than that. What makes those three hours after the world's most popular theme park closes more valuable than the 14 hours visitors can spend there during the regular operating day? It's promising to include bottled beverages and ice cream novelty treats, but surely drinks and frozen snacks won't be the motivating factors here.
Well, the company is limiting the number of Disney After Hours tickets that it's selling. The theme park giant isn't revealing exactly how many are available -- and the stiff price will be a limiting factor in and of itself -- but the online chatter suggests the ceiling will be just 3,000 guests a night. The Magic Kingdom averaged roughly 53,000 guests a night in 2014, according to industry tracker Themed Entertainment Association. This promotion is already schedule for school nights during the slow season, when the guest count is considerably below that average. Cut the numbers further down to just a few thousand guests in the massive theme park, and they'll enjoy plenty of elbow room, and much shorter lines to ride the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train family coaster or see Mickey perform personal magic tricks at Town Square's photo station.
Selling 3,000 tickets at $149 a pop would amount to an extra $447,000 a night in revenue, and that's before considering any of the additional purchases that guests will make. Even in a world of escalating labor costs, these events will be profitable if they fill up.
The initial reactions haven't been kind. Even the comments on Disney's official parks blog are leaning toward disapproval. Then again, the very nature of an exclusive event is that it won't be accessible to the masses.
Disney is being painted as being greedy, again. Earlier this month it started offering some of its better Magic Kingdom parking lot spaces for a 75% premium. Last month, it introduced demand pricing, charging as much as 18% more for a one-day ticket to the Magic Kingdom during peak season. Now we're seeing another hard-ticket event that's pricing the theme park experience at nearly $50 an hour.
Disney After Hours will be a hit, even if it flops. That's not a flub. Disney already offers guests staying at its onsite hotels access to "Extra Magic Hours," when they get exclusive access to select theme parks either an hour before they open or for three hours after they close to the general public. It is testing Disney After Hours on Thursdays because those aren't nights when the park is made available for Extra Magic Hours. That justifies Disney's move in making everyone -- even resort guests and pass holders -- pay extra for this. However, it also improves the perceived value of the perk. Even if there are far more than 3,000 resort guests enjoying Extra Magic Hours on any given day, this places a perceived $149-a-person value on the "free" perk. That's a lot more than what a family of four is paying for most of Disney's lodging options. In other words, Disney After Hours is a stealth marketing play for its growing array of onsite hotels.
Well played, Disney. Staying up late pays off again.
Leading theme-park operator Disney is trying out a limited-access event at its Orlando park -- charging $149 a person for three hours of exclusive, after-hours Magic Kingdom access.
It seems as if Disney (NYSE DIS) is always coming up with new ways to separate its theme park guests from their money. The latest greenbacks-slurping scheme is Disney After Hours, a three-hour event that will take place at Disney World in Orlando on select nights through April and May, offering more exclusive access to rides, attractions, and character greetings for folks willing to shell out an extra $149 per person.
Disney announced the Disney After Hours events on Wednesday; they will take place on seven consecutive Thursday nights starting April 14.
It may seem outrageous at first glance. A one-day ticket to the Magic Kingdom on any of those Thursdays costs "just" $110. Folks using a multi-day or annual pass are paying a lot less than that. What makes those three hours after the world's most popular theme park closes more valuable than the 14 hours visitors can spend there during the regular operating day? It's promising to include bottled beverages and ice cream novelty treats, but surely drinks and frozen snacks won't be the motivating factors here.
Well, the company is limiting the number of Disney After Hours tickets that it's selling. The theme park giant isn't revealing exactly how many are available -- and the stiff price will be a limiting factor in and of itself -- but the online chatter suggests the ceiling will be just 3,000 guests a night. The Magic Kingdom averaged roughly 53,000 guests a night in 2014, according to industry tracker Themed Entertainment Association. This promotion is already schedule for school nights during the slow season, when the guest count is considerably below that average. Cut the numbers further down to just a few thousand guests in the massive theme park, and they'll enjoy plenty of elbow room, and much shorter lines to ride the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train family coaster or see Mickey perform personal magic tricks at Town Square's photo station.
Selling 3,000 tickets at $149 a pop would amount to an extra $447,000 a night in revenue, and that's before considering any of the additional purchases that guests will make. Even in a world of escalating labor costs, these events will be profitable if they fill up.
The initial reactions haven't been kind. Even the comments on Disney's official parks blog are leaning toward disapproval. Then again, the very nature of an exclusive event is that it won't be accessible to the masses.
Disney is being painted as being greedy, again. Earlier this month it started offering some of its better Magic Kingdom parking lot spaces for a 75% premium. Last month, it introduced demand pricing, charging as much as 18% more for a one-day ticket to the Magic Kingdom during peak season. Now we're seeing another hard-ticket event that's pricing the theme park experience at nearly $50 an hour.
Disney After Hours will be a hit, even if it flops. That's not a flub. Disney already offers guests staying at its onsite hotels access to "Extra Magic Hours," when they get exclusive access to select theme parks either an hour before they open or for three hours after they close to the general public. It is testing Disney After Hours on Thursdays because those aren't nights when the park is made available for Extra Magic Hours. That justifies Disney's move in making everyone -- even resort guests and pass holders -- pay extra for this. However, it also improves the perceived value of the perk. Even if there are far more than 3,000 resort guests enjoying Extra Magic Hours on any given day, this places a perceived $149-a-person value on the "free" perk. That's a lot more than what a family of four is paying for most of Disney's lodging options. In other words, Disney After Hours is a stealth marketing play for its growing array of onsite hotels.
Well played, Disney. Staying up late pays off again.
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raven
Well-Known Member
I am a fall into that category and would definitely NOT pay for this. There are tons of things to do around Orlando that I could get a way better deal for that kind of money.
Do Broadway shows run for 12 hours every day for a cheaper rate than the performances at night? Nope. MK is open for 12 hours during the day at a cheaper rate though, plus MK has been there for 45 years. Broadway shows come and go very quickly and you have to catch them before they close. This isn't the same comparison.
My entertainment expense would be for something I don't get to do or see all the time. Not something that will always be there day after day, year after year. In NYC that means Broadway, I understand. In Orlando where we have endless entertainment possibilities it wouldn't be paying even more money going to the same stale park simply for the added perk of ice cream. We also have a plethora of concerts, shows, sporting events and endless conventions that come and go.
Nothing official yet