News Disney to launch new Vacation Planning site to help guests with date-based tickets

[sophie_the_pooh]

Ok, so now I really am confused...Planning used to be one of the best part of the trip for me, but I think they just ruined it. Already rented DVC points though for my next trip, so I have to keep planning...

So, if I was planning to buy 7 days park hopper tickets for June 2019 with the canadian discount, should I buy the tickets now, before the change?

 

[nickys]

They’ve totally shafted (politest wording I could think of ) those who want to visit the parks before and after a cruise.

Say you book a 5 or 7 day cruise and want to add a night before at POP and a couple of nights after at POFQ. The tickets won’t be valid for the whole time, so you don’t get the benefit of the longer ticket; instead you’ll have to buy a 1 day ticket and a separate 2-3 day ticket.

 

[AshaNeOmah]

take a xanax, cancel the whole thing, and go sip frozen margaritas on a beach in Mexico for a third of the cost and way less stress.

No kidding. We've spent 7 days in WDW in the last 18 months, after having APs for 7 of the last 10 years.

It's such a more relaxing vacation to cruise or go to an exotic location for the same cost or less. The crowds turned us off at first and now many of the new changes will do the same. I'm currently on a mini-boycott due to the parking fees anyway.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I miss the good old days when all they did was jack up the prices. Now you need a PHD in Theme Park operations to plan a trip to Disney World.

Thought experiment:

If you're random Joe Guest who visits once every ten years and you go to WaltDisneyWorld.com to book a trip, you enter your dates and your resort and the thing spits out a price. That's it. You're not visiting WDWMagic or MouseSavers or TouringPlans to figure out that Fall Season 2 has rack rates that are 18% above the lowest of the year. You don't know that your quoted rate is based on a 25% off stay-and-play package. You just say when you're coming and who's in your family, and there's a price at the end.

WE make it complicated because WE are the planners and researchers and deal-finders and vacation engineers. But I think we largely bring it on ourselves.

They’ve totally shafted (politest wording I could think of ) those who want to visit the parks before and after a cruise.

Say you book a 5 or 7 day cruise and want to add a night before at POP and a couple of nights after at POFQ. The tickets won’t be valid for the whole time, so you don’t get the benefit of the longer ticket; instead you’ll have to buy a 1 day ticket and a separate 2-3 day ticket.

That's a very narrow and specific subset of guests.

A broader subset that's getting shafted are the teachers.

 

[nickys]

Ok, so now I really am confused...Planning used to be one of the best part of the trip for me, but I think they just ruined it. Already rented DVC points though for my next trip, so I have to keep planning...

So, if I was planning to buy 7 days park hopper tickets for June 2019 with the canadian discount, should I buy the tickets now, before the change?

If you can get them now with a discount, I would. How long does the discount last, and is there any protection there (as in since it’s offered, they have to fulfill the terms of the offer)?

 

[DocMcHulk]

Frequently Asked Questions

• When will date-based tickets expire?

1-Day base tickets are valid for admission on the specific start date selected. Multi-day tickets are valid for admission beginning on the start date selected and must be used within a limited time period.
Ticket Duration
Valid Use Period
1-Day Ticket
Only the start date selected
2-Day Ticket
Any 2 days within 4 days beginning on the start date
3-Day Ticket
Any 3 days within 5 days beginning on the start date
4-Day Ticket
Any 4 days within 7 days beginning on the start date
5-Day Ticket
Any 5 days within 8 days beginning on the start date
6-Day Ticket
Any 6 days within 9 days beginning on the start date
7-Day Ticket
Any 7 days within 10 days beginning on the start date
8-Day Ticket
Any 8 days within 12 days beginning on the start date
9-Day Ticket
Any 9 days within 13 days beginning on the start date
10-Day Ticket
Any 10 days within 14 days beginning on the start date

For example, a 6-day base ticket with a start date of Nov. 1, ticket is valid any 6 days from Nov.1 – Nov. 9.
Add the Park Hopper Option to visit more than one Theme Park on the same day. For example, a 6-day ticket with the Park Hopper Option with a start date of Nov. 1, ticket is valid any 6 days from Nov. 1 – Nov. 9.
Add the Park Hopper Plus Option to include visits to the Disney Water Parks and other attractions—along with the ability to visit more than one Theme Park on the same day. This option also extends the period of time within which you may use your ticket by one day. For example, a 6-day ticket with the Park Hopper Plus Option with a start date of Nov. 1, ticket is valid any 6 days from Nov. 1 – Nov. 10.

• When will tickets purchased as part of a Walt Disney Travel Company package expire?

Date-based tickets purchased as part of a Walt Disney Travel Company room and ticket package will have one of the following valid use periods (whichever is longer): (i) the same valid use period described above, OR (ii) a valid use period beginning on the package resort arrival date and ending on the package resort check-out date. See above for the explanation of valid use period and how valid use period is not the same as ticket duration.

For example, a Guest who purchases a Walt Disney Travel Company package with a 3-Day base ticket and a resort length of stay of 6 nights with an arrival date of Nov. 1; ticket is valid any 3 days from Nov, 1 – Nov. 7.

• Why did you shorten the valid use window for tickets?

The new valid use window for tickets better aligns with observed Guest ticket usage patterns. Guests wanting additional flexibility can purchase a Flexible Date Ticket.

• Will I need to pay more for my ticket if I already purchased it prior to Oct. 16?

No. Please be sure to check the specific terms and conditions on your ticket to confirm the expiration policy.

• Are tickets able to be modified – what happens if a guest needs to change their date?

Yes, you will be able to modify tickets for your Clients prior to the ticket start date. And, for the first time, your Clients will be able to modify their own tickets online or through the Disney Reservation Center prior to the ticket start date. If the ticket is changed to a higher priced date, guest will be responsible for paying the difference in price. There will be no refunds to changes to lower priced dates. If modifications are needed after the ticket start date, guests must visit any Vacation Planning window.

Everything there seems reasonable.

 

[DougK]

Buy now. The price will go up.

No matter how complicated Disney makes this you hit on the one thing that is simple to understand. The prices always go UP at Disney.

 

[AshaNeOmah]

If you're random Joe Guest who visits once every ten years

WE are the planners and researchers and deal-finders and vacation engineers

I'd love to know what the percentages of visitors are in those categories. Not to mention how many of the second category are recruited by friends and family in the first category to plan their trip.

Everyone I know asks for help when planning a trip. It seems everybody knows someone who's a 'planner' or an 'expert'.

 

[docdebbi]

so, can someone verify for me?
i am planning to go in March/April. Should I jump on it today and buy my tickets from undercover tourist so i don't have to deal with my dates being non-flexible? and maybe a cost increase?
they did say the old ones will still work, right?

oh and who knows what happens to maple leaf and undercover tourist? will they be able to accomodate this new system?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I'm not sure why everyone is having such a hard time wrapping their heads around this.

Things that charge you a different price depending on when you go:

• Your Disney resort hotel
• Your non-Disney resort hotel
• Your rental car
• Your airline
• Your cruise ship
• Your movie theater
• Your gas station

This isn't new or different than what we accept in every other facet of our vacation planning, regardless of whether it's a Disney vacation or any other. Why is this so much worse? I've paid Southwest Airlines $300 to get from Providence to Orlando and I've paid Southwest Airlines $78 to get from Providence to Orlando for the same exact service on the same exact plane. The only difference is the time of travel.

so, can someone verify for me?
i am planning to go in March/April. Should I jump on it today and buy my tickets from undercover tourist so i don't have to deal with my dates being non-flexible? and maybe a cost increase?
they did say the old ones will still work, right?

Spring break? Buy them now.

oh and who knows what happens to maple leaf and undercover tourist? will they be able to accomodate this new system?

My totally uninformed guess is that they'll sell the "flexible" tickets that include the associated upcharge.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I'm not sure why everyone is having such a hard time wrapping their heads around this.

Things that charge you a different price depending on when you go:

• Your Disney resort hotel
• Your non-Disney resort hotel
• Your rental car
• Your airline
• Your cruise ship
• Your movie theater
• Your gas station

This isn't new or different than what we accept in every other facet of our vacation planning, regardless of whether it's a Disney vacation or any other. Why is this so much worse?

When I booked Universal Hollywood a couple of years back they did they same. I’m not sure why this is so controversial here. And we knew this was coming on top of it.

 

[trainplane3]

Between this and the cuts that have been happening, I'm aiming my sights for TDL or DLP (yes the money goes to the same pot in the end, but it at least makes a point of avoiding a super close park and going some place much farther away).

My only issue is convincing my parents to come along but they're stuck to "but we have DVC and we want to use it as much as possible" argument. But when they complain about cuts, prices, and lack of new attractions I flip it around and say "you're part of the problem. We can go somewhere new and interesting or we can keep dumping money into a park that doesn't care about guests. I see you're content with lackluster parks". Yes taking friends are an option but none of them save their money well or like committing to a vacation 5 months away .

 

[winstongator]

It’s the new way of preventing overcrowding.

Put off as many potential visitors as possible.

It was so much simpler with plain price increases.

 

[nickys]

Thought experiment:

If you're random Joe Guest who visits once every ten years and you go to WaltDisneyWorld.com to book a trip, you enter your dates and your resort and the thing spits out a price. That's it. You're not visiting WDWMagic or MouseSavers or TouringPlans to figure out that Fall Season 2 has rack rates that are 18% above the lowest of the year. You don't know that your quoted rate is based on a 25% off stay-and-play package. You just say when you're coming and who's in your family, and there's a price at the end.

WE make it complicated because WE are the planners and researchers and deal-finders and vacation engineers. But I think we largely bring it on ourselves.


That's a very narrow and specific subset of guests.

A broader subset that's getting shafted are the teachers.

It’s a very specific example that sprung to mind (maybe because I’m thinking of a cruise in the next couple of years ).

Obviously this is bad news for all sorts of groups. Those that are tied to certain dates, those that love coming for the Christmas week, anyone who have kids in school and can’t / won’t take them out ..........

My example was one where you used to be able to take advantage of a longer ticket and save money that way. And now you can’t. Not purely because of the pricing, but because they have drastically cut the validation period of tickets.

 

[nickys]

It was so much simpler with plain price increases.

That didn’t work, clearly. This is plan B / C / D .... Thought up by more creative thinkers!

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

Practically nobody visits for 14 days except UK guests, and I imagine they'll have a different system.

We do. We have quite a few friends that do as well... all from good ol' Jersey.

 

[FullSailDan]

I'm not sure why everyone is having such a hard time wrapping their heads around this.

I honestly don't have a huge problem with variable pricing in general. Yes, as you said before, hotels, airfare, car rentals, etc all do this already. My concern is that it's just another layer of complexity for a system that is already viewed as challenging to navigate. Disney did a survey years ago about what people felt about the Disney vacation process. Something ridiculously high number of guests said it was stressful, hard to plan, and hard to figure out as a new customer. MM+ was supposed to help, it didn't. Now we're just adding in more to think about and plan.

The point here is that TWDC should be looking for ways to make this seamless to the guest. Millenials, and the high wealth customers that Disney is so desperately trying to cater to, want turnkey solutions. This isn't helping. It's reinforcing that the company continues to be out of touch with the way the customers interact with their product.

 

[ThatMouse]

So if you buy a 4 day park hopper, do you have to use it 4 days in a row or can you have a non-park day?

 

[FigmentFreak]

seriously... can Disney make trip planning or budgeting anymore difficult?

Disney - Hold my Dole whip....

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I honestly don't have a huge problem with variable pricing in general. Yes, as you said before, hotels, airfare, car rentals, etc all do this already. My concern is that it's just another layer of complexity for a system that is already viewed as challenging to navigate. Disney did a survey years ago about what people felt about the Disney vacation process. Something ridiculously high number of guests said it was stressful, hard to plan, and hard to figure out as a new customer. MM+ was supposed to help, it didn't. Now we're just adding in more to think about and plan.

The point here is that TWDC should be looking for ways to make this seamless to the guest. Millenials, and the high wealth customers that Disney is so desperately trying to cater to, want turnkey solutions. This isn't helping. It's reinforcing that the company continues to be out of touch with the way the customers interact with their product.

The high wealth customer doesn't care. This is only "complicated" for average people who actually care about getting the best price / value. If you don't care what it costs and you just want to stay at the Poly for six nights in July, it won't take more than 10 minutes to book that package even under the new pricing model.