News Disneyland cancels Annual Pass program

[Vegas Disney Fan]

Lol yeah I’m pretty sure the conversation usually starts with the hating and not people defending vloggers out of thin air. I honestly don’t have a dog in this fight. I just find the hate amusing and kind of hypocritical.

I find it frustrating, everything is so negative and hostile these days, unfortunately you can’t even escape it on something lighthearted like a Disney fan site anymore.

 

[flynnibus]

Are you the same flynnibus from pinside?

There is only one...

 

[mickEblu]

I find it frustrating, everything is so negative and hostile these days, unfortunately you can’t even escape it on something lighthearted like a Disney fan site anymore.

Oh was it not always like this? Lol I’ve only been on these kind of sites (here and rat chat first actually) since like 2013. I’m certainly am guilty of being negative from time to time. Hard not to with some of the boneheaded decisions that Disney has been making.

 

[flynnibus]

In short, If one isn’t following these people on YouTube or other social media platforms then it shouldn’t be affecting them. Why are people watching videos that bother them? There are certain vloggers that annoy me. I don’t watch them. Problem solved.

When there was just a handful... it was no big deal. But now they overun and pollute so much of the normal space.

Its like people who say “who cares about cheap china knockoffs... just don’t buy them”. But now when you shop on amazon or ebay it’s difficult to find the signal from the noise because there is so much garbage floating around. Same thing with content. When there is so much garbage and so many copycats... it becomes a negative that impacts others... not simply “just don’t watch”.

And then we could talk about Disney’s manipulation of these audiences... etc

Basically... they aren’t inert... even if you don’t watch them.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

Oh was it not always like this? Lol I’ve only been on these kind of sites (here and rat chat first actually) since like 2013. I’m certainly am guilty of being negative from time to time. Hard not to with some of the boneheaded decisions that Disney has been making.

I think we all call out Disney for some of their decisions, that’s different from making fun of people and finding enjoyment in suffering though.

 

[mickEblu]

When there was just a handful... it was no big deal. But now they overun and pollute so much of the normal space.

Its like people who say “who cares about cheap china knockoffs... just don’t buy them”. But now when you shop on amazon or ebay it’s difficult to find the signal from the noise because there is so much garbage floating around. Same thing with content. When there is so much garbage and so many copycats... it becomes a negative that impacts others... not simply “just don’t watch”.

And then we could talk about Disney’s manipulation of these audiences... etc

Basically... they aren’t inert... even if you don’t watch them.

Like I said I can only go off my experience as an AP for the last 7 years going 15-20 times a year.

How is it a negative that impacts others? It provides you less good entertainment on YouTube?

 

[Stevek]

I’m not concerned about any of the Florida parks.

I know a lot of people here don’t really like USH, but I do. I treat my USH pass like I treated my Disney one. I’d show up for maybe a few hours. Go and eat, see some friends that still work there, hop on a ride or two (maybe do the Studio Tour), get some of those doughnuts at Sparky’s in CityWalk, then take the short train ride back home.

I don’t think about Disneyland when I’m there. I like that USH knows it’s not Disneyland or any other theme park and doesn’t try to be. It’s a tiny theme park that is attached to a 100+ year-old ionic movie studio. USH fans take it as it is. I also like the guest demographics at USH. Lots of foreigners that are amazed by everything lol.

I’m glad that we all have options and choices.

I would actually be fine doing something like this...I still enjoyed the studio tour and a couple of the live shows. I could probably meander through Potter land every trip (have not been there yet) as well. That being said, too much of a road trip for us. It's been many years since we've been there and we had the same buy a day, get the year thing...went twice.

 

[Snoballego]

For the record, my only issue with the v-loggers is when the filming of their content impedes other guests' experiences at the park. Off the top of my head I can think of five examples that I witnessed personally in the parks.

They all classify under two buckets:

1) The actual logistical filming is physically impeding other guests' experiences. This isn't a 5 year old little girl giving an extra long hug to Cinderella on her first visit and spending 90 seconds extra with Cinderella at a character breakfast delaying her visit to the next table. It is a 30 year old with a camera screaming so obnoxiously at each character in the a 3 o'clock parade when the characters passes by that it attracts all the attention to them and catch some more direct interactions on their camera shot (and also bumping into you twice during the process).

2) Trying to be the "Show within the Show". While filming on the Jungle Cruise, "hijacking" the interactions with the Skipper so the v-logger becomes an unnecessary co-star throughout the ride and the Skipper misses some of their traditional lines because they are too busy just interacting with each other.

It is not like Michael Jackson walking into Space Mountain with Bubbles and waiving to everyone as he does to skip the line.

In my opinion, when they are in the park, the V-loggers don't make your experience there more magical. However, the creating of their content can certainly inconvenience you or make your experience less magical.

 

[mickEblu]

For the record, my only issue with the v-loggers is when the filming of their content impedes other guests' experiences at the park. Off the top of my head I can think of five examples that I witnessed personally in the parks.

They all classify under two buckets:

1) The actual logistical filming is physically impeding other guests' experiences. This isn't a 5 year old little girl giving an extra long hug to Cinderella on her first visit and spending 90 seconds extra with Cinderella at a character breakfast delaying her visit to the next table. It is a 30 year old with a camera screaming so obnoxiously at each character in the a 3 o'clock parade when the characters passes by that it attracts all the attention to them and catch some more direct interactions on their camera shot (and also bumping into you twice during the process).

2) Trying to be the "Show within the Show". While filming on the Jungle Cruise, "hijacking" the interactions with the Skipper so the v-logger becomes an unnecessary co-starthroughout the ride and the Skipper misses some of their traditional lines because they are too busy just interacting with each other.

It is not like Michael Jackson walking into Space Mountain with Bubbles and waving to everyone as he does to skip the line.

In my opinion, when they are in the park, the V-loggers don't make your experience there more magical. However, the creating of their content can certainly inconvenience you or make your experience less magical.

I agree. However this just isn’t what I experienced at the parks nor is it behavior from the vloggers that I do watch.

 

[Stevek]

Hope we've exhausted the pro/con vlogger discussion as it's come up multiple times, multiple threads. While I think it's relevant to share reactions we are seeing on the net, be it vloggers, instagram, twitter, etc, I think we've beaten the vlogger horse to death. Sooner or later this thread will have tangents on Newswom, Masks and Vaccines

As for the AP thing, my hope is that Disney will reduce the day ticket price to make up for some of the attendance drop and revenue loss at least until they roll out the new membership program. I know that's probably wishful thinking.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I would actually be fine doing something like this...I still enjoyed the studio tour and a couple of the live shows. I could probably meander through Potter land every trip (have not been there yet) as well. That being said, too much of a road trip for us. It's been many years since we've been there and we had the same buy a day, get the year thing...went twice.

Distance is definitely a major factor. I live much closer to USH and can take a quick train ride up there. I don’t drive, so getting to the DLR is a major hustle for me.

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

All discount programs, of which AP is one, are enticement programs to get bodies into your store/park/website whether offered by Disney, Universal, or Amazon.

If you don't need to offer an enticement program because you're that popular, it doesn't make sense to do so unless you are sneakily making those people pay more in other ways to offset the discount you enticed them with.

And if your enticement programs becomes too popular and it causes operational difficulties... there's an easy solution: Stop the program. Then you can jump start a new enticement program with discounts that are less steep and has controls on it so that there are no more operational difficulties.

Watch Out, Mr. Penguin, you are using alot of common sense! LOL! Everything you say makes sense, whether we want to believe it or not.

 

[Ryan120420]

It all went downhill when monthly payments were added. Disney got to increase their numbers dramatically, which also meant they had so may passholders that it didn't make economic sense to provide the same level of service and benefits as they did before.

2015 was the last time they did good events for passholders. Just did some research and 2011 is when monthly payment plans started for Disneyland.

The monthly payment plans were introduced in November 2008 for Southern California Residents only. A few years later it was expanded to every resident of California.

Then the entire year of 2009, Disney gave every guest on their birthday a 1-Day, 1-Park ticket that could be used towards an upgrade to an Annual Pass either paid in full or as the down payment on the payment plan.

2009 is when the AP numbers exploded. People took advantage of Disney's offer.

 

[rreading]

I’m sure that Disney knows how their attendance at DL would have been over the last few years without passholders. Thus they know whether they can survive without their locals (how numbers will change after corona is a separate question).

It certainly makes sense to pause the AP system since (as already mentioned) it would overwhelm the system.

Like many others who have traveled to DL (we as DVC members staying at VGC), we found DL extremely crowded in the afternoons/evenings and on weekends. Since CA is 2h behind us, we were able to get started early, but the parks became progressively less pleasant as the day went on.

Like others, I definitely hope to visit it in a less-crowded state. I certainly don’t mind the idea of locals there; but it does make sense for them to think of it as more than just a local hangout

 

[DanielBB8]

Once 100% capacity can be achieved without social distancing, I expect APs will be back. The new Flex Pass should be the only AP offered. Reservations is the way to go. They should also offer a multi ticket pass for California locals that expires within an year. This will replace the SoCal AP. Locals will not behave like high spending tourists so incentives and discounts are necessary.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

When there was just a handful... it was no big deal. But now they overun and pollute so much of the normal space.

Its like people who say “who cares about cheap china knockoffs... just don’t buy them”. But now when you shop on amazon or ebay it’s difficult to find the signal from the noise because there is so much garbage floating around. Same thing with content. When there is so much garbage and so many copycats... it becomes a negative that impacts others... not simply “just don’t watch”.

And then we could talk about Disney’s manipulation of these audiences... etc

Basically... they aren’t inert... even if you don’t watch them.

This is spot on.

 

[Disney Irish]

I've been thinking about the "membership" program that Potrock said they would be using in the future. This makes me think they might be looking to dust off an oldie but goodie, The Magic Kingdom Club:

For those not familiar with the program, it was a discount membership program used primarily at companies as a perk. Yesterdayland has a good write up on it. But it makes me think they might be trying to revive this old program, which I wouldn't be opposed to as it provided some good discounts back in the day prior to APs.

 

[flutas]

In the 10 years between 2008 and 2018, DL saw an increase in 4 million guests per year.

DL doesn't need to entice more people with deals like APs.

Universal's brazen "we love our APs" is telling that they need to entice people to come to their park, otherwise, what they're offering isn't worth full price.

DL and MK have an overcrowding problem. The solution is to remove enticements and raise prices, OR... have a permanent reservation system to prevent the parks from being overcrowded. And if there were a reservation system, boy, wouldn't APers be enraged when they find they can't go to the park on a whim because all reservations are taken... for every day for the next six weeks. We saw that kind of anger at MK's reservation system when a lot of APers couldn't make a reservation.

I would just like to point out, that 4m increase most likely includes APs and every visit by an AP as a new "guest".

 

[No Name]

I'm waiting for the videos with tears. I guess you can pay for a ticket once a week but man, I can't picture they generate nearly that much revenue.

Disneyland vloggers aren’t relatively popular compared to other kinds of YouTubers, but even so, ones like Fresh Baked and Justinscarred make tens of thousands per year. The most popular parks vlogger is TimTracker, he makes a cool six figures off of YouTube alone, and Disney often gives him free tickets because they like the exposure.

Most people don’t realize or can’t fathom that Disney likes the vloggers.

 

[MisterPenguin]

I would just like to point out, that 4m increase most likely includes APs and every visit by an AP as a new "guest".

Yes.

Tho, that doesn't diminish that there are an extra 4M bodies in that park as compared to 10 years ago. Doesn't matter if it's the same family six days in a row, or an APer who visits 20 times on disparate days. The park is that much more crowded.