It is not just cost control, it allows for crowd control on a much stronger level.
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News Disney Park Pass System announced for Walt Disney World theme park reservations
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
Correct. I said “cost control”...you said crowd...but the goal is really just “control”.
Period. Creating crowds has become very lucrative for them as well.
SpectroMagician
Well-Known Member
People on here are correct it is all about control. If they brought back Fastpass+ then this might be ok since you are booking Fast passes at a single park anyways, but since you have to wait 30+ minutes for all of the good rides if you pick Studios, you do not get a boarding group, and it ends up being super busy you are just plain screwed till 1:00.
Nottamus
Well-Known Member
We stopped getting the dining plan years ago on how it made us schedule too much, and how it dictated where we had to be at a certain time OVER already having fast passes telling us where to be
now, park passes, we have to plan where we need to be even more, further out.
we will get used to it ...hopefully park hopping gets more relaxed the further along we go.
someone said somewhere....that’s it easier for Disney to add park reservation NOW and cancel it when things get better OVER promising no reservations and having to add LATER
.....maybe this will be rolled back sooner than later ( we can hope)
Edit: I do want to add, that I am not against reserving parks for the reason we have to do it.
now, park passes, we have to plan where we need to be even more, further out.
we will get used to it ...hopefully park hopping gets more relaxed the further along we go.
someone said somewhere....that’s it easier for Disney to add park reservation NOW and cancel it when things get better OVER promising no reservations and having to add LATER
.....maybe this will be rolled back sooner than later ( we can hope)
Edit: I do want to add, that I am not against reserving parks for the reason we have to do it.
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flynnibus
Premium Member
Ehhh... its a big leap to assume a reservation tool for offering discounted admission to a subgroup is a clear foreshadowing of use of reservations for everything.
Do you think Disney is/was ever worried about crowd control? Disney wants as many bodies in the park at all times. Do you also believe that Disney raising prices is also a means to crowd control as well?
Their most profitable solution to crowd control was to resell the parks by having non-stop hard ticket events which often shortened regular park hours. Disney is yearning to get back to that.
There is no money to be made in a park that has artificial capacity limitations imposed on it.
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
Disney loves revenue/cost “certainty”...their research for decades allows them to plan for it...no hiccups
So it’s not a stretch at all to see this as an opportunity for them to “alter expectations” to allow them greater predictive capabilities.
Not a bridge too far.
Never let a crisis go to waste.
flynnibus
Premium Member
Well... discovery cove
. But yes i agree disney doesn’t want people thinking a park is at capacity or could be as a norm... they want everyone there... until they need to turn them away and then just send them to another park
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
It does matter because of the inherent risk of getting Locked out.
Anecdote: I was on the phone with DVC last week 2/7...and the agent ( a good one...thankfully) mentioned they had been inundated with angry calls that week prior. A lot of people looking to cancel tickets or their whole trips for this week (Presidents’ Day)
Why? They didn’t realize that mgm was booked solid...because they aren’t used to booking park days.
That kinda thing is likely frequent and will only get worse as travel ramps up.
I wouldn’t do anything Day of anymore...their policies have all but ended that.
Lil Copter Cap
Well-Known Member
Do we think Disney is shifting into a more focused higher cost/lower crowds mentality for their business? With crowds having been a good "success" indicator in the past, it really started to ruin guest experience. Is there a world in which we see the cost of everything raise, while ensuring lower crowds?
If not, how do you think Disney values theme park success going forward?
If not, how do you think Disney values theme park success going forward?
SourcererMark79
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Not wanting a new covid, but say there's a new strain next year. The ability to prevent overcrowded parks is in place. If there's no novel strain then it could be relaxed.
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
This is a 50% “truth” in my opinion.
What happened for the last 10 years is that Iger has talked “premium”...because he has to kiss investor carcass and justify prices...and the praetorians have taken that literally.
What Disney wants are full rooms and parks with tons of disposable cash at higher prices.
But that doesn’t mean they want less people. They’ve hedged Incase that happens.
What they want is maximum people possible...to squeeze the life out of $11 an hour employees and pour in revenues...but they no longer want to incentivize travel or foster it. They want packed block priced days and new timeshare villas with a waitlist...but aren’t willing to let the market dictate the prices. Blue ocean.
It’s now “look at our Ip...take it or leave it”
So what you’re suggesting could happen...but not because they have any desire for that to be the endgame. Disney Parks were built for huge crowds. Period. That is the historic record. The rub now is the transition from the “phase 2” leadership to “phase 3”...they don’t employ the same methods.
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HarperRose
Well-Known Member
They have so far. Why would this be any different?
The last time their business was drastically impacted after the events of 9/11 and later economic downturn, their competition wasn't nearly as formidable as it is currently. The Florida mega parks landscape is much different than it was 10-20 years ago.
HarperRose
Well-Known Member
I'm talking more of the people who defend Disney no matter what they do. Some people will twist themselves into knots defending how this is good for the customer and why Disney had to do it ('it' being whatever negative change/cost increase/benefit loss).
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
Woah...history foul, Mono
The last “downturn” and the only one of this regime...was the housing glut and I give them full credit. They rolled permanent prices increases out simultaneously with temporary discounts. Like a “middle class tax cut”
It was a sham, but a brilliant management strategy/coup.
Lest we forget: the boards were all about “free dining” from 08-12 (and beyond)...but when called out, people realized their costs were going up 15 or 20% each year.
That’s a hell of a “standard inflation”...free food was never quite so expensive.
This is nothing like 9/11 (i did play with Disney money then)...the conditions were different, the circumstances were different, and the philosophy was different.
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Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
HarperRose
Well-Known Member
My use of the word 'customer' in my previous post was deliberate. People are no longer guests at Disney. They are a means to an end.
djkidkaz
Well-Known Member
I think there is one reason Disney would keep the park pass system once mask wearing and all that is gone. The system does provide details on park attendance and can be used for staffing purposes to cut or increase the labor for a specific day if you see something coming up. I still don’t think it’s necessary though as they are very good at knowing what their attendance is going to be even without this system in place. It just seems like an unnecessary additional barrier for people to come to the parks. You want it to be as simple for someone to get up and go where they want to go on Disney property to spend that money.