Disney After Hours returns to the Magic Kingdom at new lower pricing

[Gabe1]

Which is DOUBLE what it used to cost 10-12 years ago.

Yep but still much less. When my kids were younger the extra hours were a $15 dollar upcharge for the band. About the same price we paid for our first Halloween after hour party. We struggled with giving Disney an extra $60 dollars for the 4 of us back then for both extra hours and a party over 'principle' back in the day. We did both but genuinely wrestled with the upcharges for closing the parks early and then forking over more to stay in the parks during normal park hours of yesteryear. It was frustrating both then and now.

 

[Gabe1]

You see, right there is exactly the marketing strategy that I have a giant problem with. Before the mouse made oodles of money and you didnt feel squeezed & you got a good value for your money. Now? Ooooffff.

Agree. We now spend 1/3 of our vacation time at Universal and their Resort Rooms. Certainly not the same experience but a great experience on its own. It is nice to be welcomed onto a property that wants and encourages you as a guest.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Agree. We now spend 1/3 of our vacation time at Universal and their Resort Rooms. Certainly not the same experience but a great experience on its own. It is nice to be welcomed onto a property that wants and encourages you as a guest.

What disturbs me is that we've seen this coming. We've seen what the company is turning into.

Its not the company that I really liked. Its not the company that treated the guest right. The guests are now viewed as a commodity and thats disturbing.

 

[HauntedPirate]

The DVC events are not the same thing. After Hours is basically keeping the park open another few hours. DVC is more like a corporate party with "rare" characters, special fireworks, and only Fantasyland and Tomorrowland are open. The later holds more value to me, and if they were to add buffet stations and banquet bars and make it $199 I'd think it would be immensely popular even within this site.

Though After Hours would hold value for someone with limited park time, I think it's too narrow a niche.

Not sure it's all that different of an event:

From DVC: "We’re continuing the magic and kicking off the new year in true Disney Vacation Club fashion! You are invited to join us for an enchanting night at Magic Kingdom® Park! Play in the park after dark! Join us for this complimentary, after-hours event for a night full of magic and excitement, as we open select areas of the Park for Members and their guests. You’ll find shorter-than-usual wait times at some of your favorite attractions, meet a colorful cast of familiar (and off-the-beaten-path) characters, dance to the beat with our DJ, enjoy complimentary light refreshments and more!"

Also, this runs from 10pm-1am, and "Disney Vacation Club Members and their Guests can enter Magic Kingdom Park beginning at 8:00 pm". And note there is no mention of any special fireworks show, but I presume one would be able to watch "Wishes" if you arrive at 8pm.

Vs.

From DPB: "Disney After Hours events are limited to a small number of guests, allowing attendees to maximize their time in the park with little to no wait at 25 attractions and experiences, like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid, Space Mountain and many more. The Disney After Hours ticket allows park entry as early as 7 p.m., which gives attendees time to enjoy the park’s nightly “Wishes” fireworks, and then remain in the park for three hours past the park’s scheduled closing time. In addition, ice cream novelties and select beverages are also provided as part of your admission."

I know the list of attractions for the After Hours events a little more varied, but to me this is two sides of the same coin. Either way, the $119+tax After Hours events don't offer up sufficient value to me and thus is both too rich for my blood.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Not only positive - it depends on the objective, which may not necessarily be obvious from the survey questions. (ETA: If customer satisfaction survey, then yes, they want mainly positive feedback ie confirmation bias)
A couple of things: 1. I think that their market research is conducted in a way to satisfy the end-user: management, and that the results are used to justify (or reject) new initiatives.
2. I think that they have to serve several types of consumers (domestic/international, families with or without children, young adults, etc), who like different things, and they don't necessarily know what they do or don't like or what they would be willing to pay for (MM+ was supposed to help resolve this). They are increasing the segmentation of their consumer market via price discrimination, which drives changes in the market, too.
(You posted a good list several pages back of who might be attracted to an After Hours event like this, ETA: many of whom are not the 'traditional' Disney consumer of families with young children).

1 & 2. Exactly! Surveys can and are worded to get the results desired. It happens all the time. And customer segmentation is done only to increase revenue.

Hypothetically, if Disney management wanted to pad or just make their bottom line numbers and growth targets, and in order to do so needed to implement a whole host of upcharges, paid events, and the like, they can send out surveys worded specific ways to get their desired results in order to justify their schemes.

Only hypothetically, of course. I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade here, I'm just saying that surveys and data are just numbers to be manipulated to obtain whatever result is desired. Disney does it, and so do thousands of other businesses.

 

[monothingie]

1 & 2. Exactly! Surveys can and are worded to get the results desired. It happens all the time. And customer segmentation is done only to increase revenue.

Hypothetically, if Disney management wanted to pad or just make their bottom line numbers and growth targets, and in order to do so needed to implement a whole host of upcharges, paid events, and the like, they can send out surveys worded specific ways to get their desired results in order to justify their schemes.

Only hypothetically, of course. I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade here, I'm just saying that surveys and data are just numbers to be manipulated to obtain whatever result is desired. Disney does it, and so do thousands of other businesses.

 

[21stamps]

The "magic" is definitely long gone for some. The entire point of a survey is to get feedback on whatever it is you are providing a survey on. It is utterly pointless for Disney to only want a survey that is positive.

 

[drizgirl]

Market research has many purposes, merely one of which is to go on a fishing expedition for actual truth.

 

[SorcererMC]

1 & 2. Exactly! Surveys can and are worded to get the results desired. It happens all the time. And customer segmentation is done only to increase revenue.

Hypothetically, if Disney management wanted to pad or just make their bottom line numbers and growth targets, and in order to do so needed to implement a whole host of upcharges, paid events, and the like, they can send out surveys worded specific ways to get their desired results in order to justify their schemes.

Only hypothetically, of course. I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade here, I'm just saying that surveys and data are just numbers to be manipulated to obtain whatever result is desired. Disney does it, and so do thousands of other businesses.

The problem of course is that skewed guest satisfaction surveys produce 'blind spots' whereby a business might not know that customers are dissatisfied with the product/experience or might not know why; comments sections don't always yield results because they get coded, too....(which is why I encourage people to communicate directly to register satisfaction or dissatisfaction rather than just voting with your wallet, as I think you previously mentioned).

 

[Bandini]

Market research has many purposes, merely one of which is to go on a fishing expedition for actual truth.

It's amazing how data can be skewed to suit a certain purpose. There are experts who write surveys to assure they get a specified outcome.

 

[Andrew C]

It's amazing how data can be skewed to suit a certain purpose. There are experts who write surveys to assure they get a specified outcome.

What are they really experts in then? Deceit?

 

[Kman101]

You're fooling yourself, imo, if you don't think they skew the results or want it to fit their agenda. Have any of you received a link to a survey after your vacation? They want certain responses which leads to more questions. It's not as "nefarious" as some make it out to be but let's not kid ourselves.

 

[ford91exploder]

What are they really experts in then? Deceit?

Think 'Push Polling' they are trying to create a predetermined outcome which matches their narrative with the questions so they can back them up with 'data' for TWDC senior management, Since senior management never visits the parks they get away with it.

This kind of stuff did not happen with Miller/Walker/Eisner because they regularly visited the park as both guests and low level CM's so they had a 'feel' for the parks and their current vibe.

 

[ford91exploder]

The "magic" is definitely long gone for some. The entire point of a survey is to get feedback on whatever it is you are providing a survey on. It is utterly pointless for Disney to only want a survey that is positive.

Not if your job depends on it.

 

[21stamps]

Not if your job depends on it.

Now this I agree with. A company, typically a manufacturer, is not creating the survey for that reason though. They are demanding impossible satisfaction and punishing the (insert whatever job here) for it. I have a huge issue with that. However, that's a different scenario then the Disney survey.

ETA- example- the guy who installed my AC and furnace.. when he started telling me about the survey I laughed, told him I get it, I deal with a version of that too, and he would be golden.

 

[ford91exploder]

What disturbs me is that we've seen this coming. We've seen what the company is turning into.

Its not the company that I really liked. Its not the company that treated the guest right. The guests are now viewed as a commodity and thats disturbing.

Disney is at stage 3 (ESPN/Media) (P&R is in Stage 2) of corporate failure as they are taking customers for granted, All the pieces are now in place for an epic corporate failure.

The Full Slide Deck is here for the curious

http://www.icap.org.pk/wp-content/uploads/cpd/ppt/CPIMAICAP.pdf

 

[ford91exploder]

Now this I agree with. A company, typically a manufacturer, is not creating the survey for that reason though. They are demanding impossible satisfaction and punishing the (insert whatever job here) for it. I have a huge issue with that. However, that's a different scenario then the Disney survey.

Disney unfortunately is famous for it's toxic management culture where the type of activity you note goes on all the time.

 

[larryz]

What are they really experts in then? Deceit?

Marketing. Which some would say is the same thing.

 

[Gabe1]

What disturbs me is that we've seen this coming. We've seen what the company is turning into.

Its not the company that I really liked. Its not the company that treated the guest right. The guests are now viewed as a commodity and thats disturbing.

Sadly it is on every level now including taking pressure off the transportation failings by upcharge to bypass long commute times between parks and a prehistoric security system to enter a park. Can I tell you how smooth security was at Universal who mocked theirs after modern day TSA airport screening?

I guess one of my greatest disappoints is my favorite moderate resort POR, my kids are grown but we grand opened both the FQ and POR under different names decades ago. On a recent trip (3) we opted for the Bayous over the mansions which is rare for us. Mistake. The longest wall was one piece of mismatched furniture from the window to the bath wall. Even the coat rack was not useable anymore. With the beds now on a platform you can't even slip luggage under the beds. No longer is there a dresser but 3 small drawers under the murphy bed. And this room is for 5 freak'n people? Why not put in a bunkbed in lieu of the other queen like AKL and leave the room functional?

Now how do you hang a coat or poncho on that coat rack. Crawl on floor to use drawers? $200-250 a night. It is getting sad to watch all this unfold.

 

[larryz]

Even the coat rack was not useable anymore.
Now how do you hang a coat or poncho on that coat rack.

Perhaps management has decided that a coat rack is a Deluxe-level amenity... but it still looks usable for hats and short-strap bags.