News Disney Park Pass System announced for Walt Disney World theme park reservations

[deeevo]

How are all of those AP holders doing with this insanity? Or are they just booking overpriced rooms to gain admittance to the parks? I'd consider myself an AP holder but it's essentially worthless at this point. I may as well toss it in the trash.

Since the Silver AP's came out of blackout Saturday we were able to go to MK for the first time since March. It was pretty busy considering all the talk of low wait times. They were pretty long but the hub and Main Street was nice and quite. We are keeping our passes but it was just odd going to the park and not having a lot open. Oh and surgical masks are the only way to go.

 

[DznyGrlSD]

How are all of those AP holders doing with this insanity? Or are they just booking overpriced rooms to gain admittance to the parks? I'd consider myself an AP holder but it's essentially worthless at this point. I may as well toss it in the trash.

I'm local (about 20 minutes from AK). I have 3 parks reservations booked at all times. Currently 8/16, 23, 30 for Studios, AK & EPCOT respectively. As soon as I use one (MK yesterday for example) I book the next available Sunday that I can (I prefer to go to the park on Sunday). I was lucky to get EPCOT for 8/30 about 9pm last night

 

[danielsjt]

Yeah, this is very frustrating as a local over in Tampa. WDW leadership is not happy with the demand so they're cutting the open hours (in a bubble that makes sense!), but then APs (up through and including Platinum Plus) have significant availability limitations placed on their passes (which doesn't make sense if they're having attendance issues!)

Disney, if you want more people to come, perhaps open up some more AP capacity, because there is clearly some demand from your loyal APs.

 

[Gillyanne]

We plan on visiting the parks the week of 31 Aug - 04 Sept; Current reservations are for Tu - Thu (EP, MK, HS); Was hoping I'd be able to get another MK day on Friday for niece and I, and if any kind of "day of in addition to" availability opened, maybe AK on Monday. Well I guess all that is out the window now. Could possibly do AK on Friday, or could take the chance of cancelling one of my days to book something Monday, but then we take the chance of not being able to re-book it. Visit is still 3 weeks away, so I guess we'll see what happens come closer....

 

[deeevo]

How are all of those AP holders doing with this insanity? Or are they just booking overpriced rooms to gain admittance to the parks? I'd consider myself an AP holder but it's essentially worthless at this point. I may as well toss it in the trash.

Funny to see some of the vloggers renting DVC points in order to get in the parks. That is the only they can get in to report what is going on.

 

[MrHorse]

Yeah, this is very frustrating as a local over in Tampa. WDW leadership is not happy with the demand so they're cutting the open hours (in a bubble that makes sense!), but then APs (up through and including Platinum Plus) have significant availability limitations placed on their passes (which doesn't make sense if they're having attendance issues!)

Disney, if you want more people to come, perhaps open up some more AP capacity, because there is clearly some demand from your loyal APs.

I could be wrong, but I suspect that they're not super eager to pull in AP's because they don't spend as much as 'normal' visitors. They may be trying to leave room in case demand starts growing.

Trying to find a way to variably let in more APs on the fly, while still limiting the numbers and doing it all in a way that doesn't upset passholders may be something they deemed to simply be not worth the hassle.

 

[deeevo]

Yeah, this is very frustrating as a local over in Tampa. WDW leadership is not happy with the demand so they're cutting the open hours (in a bubble that makes sense!), but then APs (up through and including Platinum Plus) have significant availability limitations placed on their passes (which doesn't make sense if they're having attendance issues!)

Disney, if you want more people to come, perhaps open up some more AP capacity, because there is clearly some demand from your loyal APs.

Judging by the crowd Saturday I am not sure how much more they could open.

 

[donsullivan]

I could be wrong, but I suspect that they're not super eager to pull in AP's because they don't spend as much as 'normal' visitors. They may be trying to leave room in case demand starts growing.

Trying to find a way to variably let in more APs on the fly, while still limiting the numbers and doing it all in a way that doesn't upset passholders may be something they deemed to simply be not worth the hassle.

There is no doubt they are trying to maximize the revenue per guest entry and Passholders are the lowest number on that measure. However, it does seem like its time for a model that releases unallocated resort guest and day visitor capacity to Passholders on a rolling basis (maybe 48 hours in advance) to enable Passholders to grab some of that capacity on shorter notice. For locals that would likely be a reasonable accommodation without any serious compromise to the other guest profiles.

But at the same time I'm making an assumption there is a measurable amount of unallocated capacity in those other two buckets which is unknown to us. For all I know there are only 10 slots in each bucket not being used, but we can't see that,.

 

[ThatMouse]

As a passholder, it's interesting to watch how we are treated now. I did not like being effectively called a "deadbeat" by Igor. We do book the expensive rooms and spend a lot. We are glad we took the AP refund option. Half the experience at full price makes no sense IMO.

 

[MrHorse]

There is no doubt they are trying to maximize the revenue per guest entry and Passholders are the lowest number on that measure. However, it does seem like its time for a model that releases unallocated resort guest and day visitor capacity to Passholders on a rolling basis (maybe 48 hours in advance) to enable Passholders to grab some of that capacity on shorter notice. For locals that would likely be a reasonable accommodation without any serious compromise to the other guest profiles.

Yeah, my guess is they took a look at that problem and just decided it wasn't worth the effort.

 

[Jrb1979]

Maybe it's time pass holders take their money elsewhere if you are that upset. Florida has some great parks.

 

[donsullivan]

Maybe it's time pass holders take their money elsewhere if you are that upset. Florida has some great parks.

Some local passholders are indeed considering that based on the limited availability to use them at this time. The value proposition has changed dramatically during this period. I"m sure it will change over time, there is just no information as to how long we'll stay in this model. I've got a few weeks before my renewal kicks in to make my decision.

I also have a Universal AP that I can use when I just need to get outside and visit a park.

 

[easyrowrdw]

But at the same time I'm making an assumption there is a measurable amount of unallocated capacity in those other two buckets which is unknown to us. For all I know there are only 10 slots in each bucket not being used, but we can't see that,.

I think another thing is how to appeal to the non-locals. Right now the appeal is low crowds and short waits. If they fill up the slots consistently, then they may no longer have that. I think that would make it even less appealing for someone who might be considering a trip.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I think another thing is how to appeal to the non-locals.

Non-locals aren't allowed to travel.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

As a passholder, it's interesting to watch how we are treated now. I did not like being effectively called a "deadbeat" by Igor. We do book the expensive rooms and spend a lot. We are glad we took the AP refund option. Half the experience at full price makes no sense IMO.

This isn't complicated but Disney has never figured it out.

Resort guests should be exempt from blackouts and FastPass restrictions (during normal times) and have guaranteed access to the park pass system (during COVID times).

 

[easyrowrdw]

Non-locals aren't allowed to travel.

Many are. I think most states (including California and Texas) have no travel restrictions. Chapek said 50% of guests are non-locals.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Many are. I think most states (including California and Texas) have no travel restrictions. Chapek said 50% of guests are non-locals.

California and Texas are not where WDW sources their guests. WDW sources their guests from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, etc. WDW's sweet spot is "guests within 45 minutes driving distance of an airport with a 3 hour flight on Southwest Airlines to MCO."

 

[skyphotographer]

As an AP holder, you can get in. You just need to reserve a resort room or a campsite...etc. In other words, in typical Disney fashion, you need to pay up.

 

[donsullivan]

As an AP holder, you can get in. You just need to reserve a resort room or a campsite...etc. In other words, in typical Disney fashion, you need to pay up.

I'm already paying over $800 per year for that AP and since I live 10 miles from the parks I have no need for a room and suggesting I need to do so to get access to the parks is just arrogance.

 

[SoFloMagic]

Local passholders are getting progressively more frustrated as this keeps getting worse instead of better. As of this morning, you can't get into any park besides Epcot on the weekend until SEP 19, and nothing except EC for the rest of AUG, and pretty much nothing on weekends when most local passholders would visit. It's dramatically changing the calculation of an AP as a local when you need to plan 45 days in advance just to visit. I've had a WDW AP for nearly 30 years and just purchased a renewal that kicks in starting in SEP.

If something doesn't change in the coming weeks (and it likely will) I may contact them and cancel that renewal and just wait until things return to a point where I can actually use it. I've talked to many local passholders recently who are planning the same thing. Either cancelling as it is, or running their current one to the end and then not renewing until the parks become available for local Passholders again.

This. It's an absolute joke to complain about the park being too slow and cut the hours due to "lack of interest" while you block out the people who can easily get to your parks. They're blocking out locals that would be at food and wine twice a week buying their overpriced food (speaking for myself). As I've stated before, they're passing up easy money (that would make their guests happy) so that they can about the big fish not coming. Clowns.