Edit: I just noticed http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=74227 discussed this but here is an artical about it...
Walt Disney World is targeting families with toddlers and preschool children to fill up hotels in August and September, when folks with older kids head home to start getting ready for school.
The new "Magical Beginnings" program, from Aug. 13 through Sept. 30, will have hotel and meal packages, along with more entertainment and activities, for families with small children, Disney said Tuesday.
"This is for families who aren't constrained by school calendars to visit when it is a little less crowded," said Leslie Ferraro, senior vice president of global marketing strategies for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. "We've heard from our guests that this [age] is a great time to take your children. It's when . . . everything comes to life. This is a great time, but it's also a difficult time because of all the hassles associated with traveling with little ones."
Much of Magical Beginnings will be exclusively for visitors who book Disney World hotels. For example, such families will be able to get into the Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland an hour earlier than the park's usual opening time on a few select days. And they'll have more exclusive meet-and-greet opportunities with costumed characters.
However, some of the offerings, including several entertainment acts such as the Wiggles and Playhouse Disney in Concert, will be available to all families.
Analysts said the program makes sense because the summer crowds drop off quickly in August. That's increasingly true in recent years as more and more districts nationwide move up their school calendars.
Dennis Speigel, president of International Theme Park Services in Cincinnati, said a lot of parks have been trying various deals to extend the summer crowds after school starts, but he knows of none that has specifically targeted families with young children.
"This is a great thing for Disney. It's filling a void. Today, the young parents are looking for opportunities to re-create," he said. "They [Disney] are doing some great target marketing."
Disney said the marketing program is based in part on surveys by the Maitland-based travel marketing firm Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown and Russell, which found that families with toddlers and preschool children are more willing and likely than other families to take late-summer or early-autumn vacations.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/tourism/orl-disney2606apr26,0,6635543.story?track=rss
Walt Disney World is targeting families with toddlers and preschool children to fill up hotels in August and September, when folks with older kids head home to start getting ready for school.
The new "Magical Beginnings" program, from Aug. 13 through Sept. 30, will have hotel and meal packages, along with more entertainment and activities, for families with small children, Disney said Tuesday.
"This is for families who aren't constrained by school calendars to visit when it is a little less crowded," said Leslie Ferraro, senior vice president of global marketing strategies for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. "We've heard from our guests that this [age] is a great time to take your children. It's when . . . everything comes to life. This is a great time, but it's also a difficult time because of all the hassles associated with traveling with little ones."
Much of Magical Beginnings will be exclusively for visitors who book Disney World hotels. For example, such families will be able to get into the Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland an hour earlier than the park's usual opening time on a few select days. And they'll have more exclusive meet-and-greet opportunities with costumed characters.
However, some of the offerings, including several entertainment acts such as the Wiggles and Playhouse Disney in Concert, will be available to all families.
Analysts said the program makes sense because the summer crowds drop off quickly in August. That's increasingly true in recent years as more and more districts nationwide move up their school calendars.
Dennis Speigel, president of International Theme Park Services in Cincinnati, said a lot of parks have been trying various deals to extend the summer crowds after school starts, but he knows of none that has specifically targeted families with young children.
"This is a great thing for Disney. It's filling a void. Today, the young parents are looking for opportunities to re-create," he said. "They [Disney] are doing some great target marketing."
Disney said the marketing program is based in part on surveys by the Maitland-based travel marketing firm Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown and Russell, which found that families with toddlers and preschool children are more willing and likely than other families to take late-summer or early-autumn vacations.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/tourism/orl-disney2606apr26,0,6635543.story?track=rss
