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Disneyland considers eliminating monthly payments for annual passes - OCR/SCNG
- Thread starter Darkbeer1
- Start date
MarvelCharacterNerd
Well-Known Member
OMG They really ARE writing an article on every survey question!
Disneyland considers dedicated entrance for annual passholders
Would a dedicated passholder entrance be a perk or penalty?www.ocregister.com
Next up: Disneyland Considers NOT Having a Dedicated Entrance for Annual Passholders!
the.dreamfinder
Well-Known Member
Packing the parks doesn’t boost the stock if it’s just a bunch of APs that stay for two-three hours and leave. They want higher guest spending and the higher profitability that comes with it.
Tamandua
Well-Known Member
I don't really believe APs are the cheapskates everyone makes them out to be. Some are, but there's a reason Disney kept the annual passes so accessible all these years and added extra perks and events for APs only right up until the end. One of my last visits they handed me free Indiana Jones 25th anniversary swag. They wouldn't do that kind of thing if they wanted to discourage AP sales. I would imagine they rake in a fortune on every piece of AP exclusive merch, every new gimmick aimed at APs.
They don't just find themselves at 50% AP capacity on accident. That was what was working best for them before covid. When/if things ever go back to normal, I'm sure they'll drift back in that direction. They will never have the WDW level of guest expenditure. There's no massive resort bubble to force that kind of spending. The California resort is always going to rely on obsessive locals who make purchases out of compulsion to get the latest, greatest exclusive trinkets only available to them and the other one million APs.
All this talk of rewriting the rules thanks to covid is earnings call spin to comfort shareholders. Don't believe for a second that they're happy to be in this situation.
josephinelcajon
Member
Personally I being on social security disability absolutely cannot justify the cost of going any other way than the annual pass. I know here in San Diego zoo and seaworld both do very well with pass holders with none of the Disney problems with locals. I feel like Universal also does ok. The parks that do have problems were six flags use to have a horrible gang problem years ago (no idea now) Knotts was not bad now that I think about it.
Disney had and has problems with some. years ago gangs started coming into the park (I think that was stopped quickly?) Then you had the gothic kids. The rich Karen's that believed they were special above all other demanding! (I think this was the biggest and most annoying of all the groups) The retro 50s dance club was the best always polite and well mannered in my opinion. (are they still around) The handicap which I am part of unfortunately took it way too far inviting a family of 10+ into the handicap loading! Or worse the fakers that are not disabled at all! Some were demanding. I was usually alone or with one person and half the time just used the regular loading.
I think if they decide to do away with annual passes it will be a big mistake and it will of course be spread to all parks. It seems everyone just followed Disney move with prices or passes. Disney always wanted to be only a high end rich vacation where people stay on the resort the entire time. Far from the idea Walt had in my opinion!
Disney had and has problems with some. years ago gangs started coming into the park (I think that was stopped quickly?) Then you had the gothic kids. The rich Karen's that believed they were special above all other demanding! (I think this was the biggest and most annoying of all the groups) The retro 50s dance club was the best always polite and well mannered in my opinion. (are they still around) The handicap which I am part of unfortunately took it way too far inviting a family of 10+ into the handicap loading! Or worse the fakers that are not disabled at all! Some were demanding. I was usually alone or with one person and half the time just used the regular loading.
I think if they decide to do away with annual passes it will be a big mistake and it will of course be spread to all parks. It seems everyone just followed Disney move with prices or passes. Disney always wanted to be only a high end rich vacation where people stay on the resort the entire time. Far from the idea Walt had in my opinion!
Knott's embraced Season Passes, making this announcement the day after the DLR announced the end of the current AP Program.
>>
January 15, 2021 Update
To our Season Passholders,
We want to thank all of our Knott’s Berry Farm Season Passholders for your continued patience and support during this unprecedented time. Knowing our closures have disrupted a new year, we wanted to share some important updates to the 2020 and 2021 Season Passholder benefits:
- As announced last year, 2020 and 2021 Season Passes and purchased Season Pass Add-On Products (if applicable) will be valid for all of the 2021 season, once the park opens.
- Additionally, we will also be offering a Day for Day Extension. For every day that the park is closed in 2021, we will extend season passes for the same amount of days in 2022. This also includes Season Pass Add-On Products (if applicable).
Sincerely,
Jon Storbeck
Vice President & General Manager
Knott's Berry Farm<<
josephinelcajon
Member
Thank god someone appreciates us passholders! I feel this is a perfect announcement in every way the fairest to all with an appreciation message! With Newsome on his way out I hope more can be open for this summer!
It's quite obvious that a dedicated entrance to Disneyland should be right at the west side of the park, near Mickey & Friends parking structure. Skip the tram for almost all APs. Walk directly at Critter Country entrance. A shortcut to Star Wars Land. It could be the exit for all guests especially after fireworks, parades, and Fantasmic.Disneyland considers dedicated entrance for annual passholders
Would a dedicated passholder entrance be a perk or penalty?
Won't happen. Merchandising and DtD tenants want no change in traffic flow
But if you have a bunch of APs who are making the monthly payments and can't get reservations, then you have an unhappy clientele. Likewise, if you have reservations sucked up by APs and tourists willing to pay the full daily rate can't get in, then you have unhappy Disney accountants who would love to sell those full priced tickets and keep the hotels full.
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josephinelcajon
Member
I agree it is not an easy solution. The pre planned black out days are the most fair solution. After thinking about this I think this is Disney attempt for the next year or two to control the crowds and make the max amount of money from the expected rush of quarantined people expected! Once this settles down they would bring back the annual pass and payments only after sales slump low enough.
I have always felt for those that came on their once in a lifetime vacation sometimes from across the world! If in line I try and give them a few tips. I couldn't imagine paying so much for a day and the feeling of how can I see it all! Imagine trying to tell your kids why they did not get to see something!
Old Mouseketeer
Well-Known Member
Ultimately, the AP program problems are a failure of Disney Parks executive management. This is the story of American corporate management in the late 20th century. The emphasis on the next quarter's profits to the detriment of long-term planning and ignorance of any potential unintended consequences has sadly become the norm.
In the case of the AP program, not enough attention has been paid to the effect of DL's AP program on the overall guest experience. This actually goes back to the conversion from ticket books to daily passports in advance of EPCOT's opening. This had a significant impact on the culture within DL Park and Magic Kingdom. The first problem with APs occurred in the late '80s with Videopolis becoming a magnet for the areas teenage passholders and their parents using DL as a babysitter.
The massive expansion of the two SoCal pass categories and the monthly payment option contributed to the entitlement culture associated with a certain type of passholder ("Passhole"). I can report from hearing a plethora of stories from front-line CMs that dealing with these problem APs was excrutiating and backup from Security or department management was spotty at best.
I have a friend who was working in attractions over five years ago and posted at the main gate when they first started taking pictures for multi-day passes and they witnessed the burden that was placed on the ticket takers. APs would present their pass which would "bounce" (boing sound) because they were behind on payments and they would blame the ticket taker and demand that they fix it on the spot. Unfortunately, their touch screen was not linked to the admissions POS system. Rather than following the CM's instruction to go to a ticket booth or Guest Relations, they would demand to see a manager, stopping that turnstyle.
The end result was there was an expanded revenue stream, but also significant hidden costs that were never tracked in computing executive bonuses. This massive population of APs who considered the parks their personal fifedom negatively impacted the park experience for vacation guests with undiscounted admissions and CMs who had to deal with their unrealistic expectations and inflated sense of entitlement.
To be honest, I have known CMs who made friends with wonderful AP "regulars". There are undoubtedly many APs who cherish their relationship with the parks. I have certainly been one of them. I grew up two miles south of the DL Hotel and considered DL like my backyard growing up in the '60s and '70s (loved those Magic Kingdom Club ticket books with all "E" tickets). I had an AP in the late '80s. I loved the off-season themed promotions like County Fair and Blast To The Past. I would ride the Mark Twain and take pics of Splash Mountain being built.
But the AP problem in CA has been a long time in coming. Disney loved the income stream, but consistently ignored many of the hidden risks and costs. I don't blame the APs--I blame Disney mismanagement.
In the case of the AP program, not enough attention has been paid to the effect of DL's AP program on the overall guest experience. This actually goes back to the conversion from ticket books to daily passports in advance of EPCOT's opening. This had a significant impact on the culture within DL Park and Magic Kingdom. The first problem with APs occurred in the late '80s with Videopolis becoming a magnet for the areas teenage passholders and their parents using DL as a babysitter.
The massive expansion of the two SoCal pass categories and the monthly payment option contributed to the entitlement culture associated with a certain type of passholder ("Passhole"). I can report from hearing a plethora of stories from front-line CMs that dealing with these problem APs was excrutiating and backup from Security or department management was spotty at best.
I have a friend who was working in attractions over five years ago and posted at the main gate when they first started taking pictures for multi-day passes and they witnessed the burden that was placed on the ticket takers. APs would present their pass which would "bounce" (boing sound) because they were behind on payments and they would blame the ticket taker and demand that they fix it on the spot. Unfortunately, their touch screen was not linked to the admissions POS system. Rather than following the CM's instruction to go to a ticket booth or Guest Relations, they would demand to see a manager, stopping that turnstyle.
The end result was there was an expanded revenue stream, but also significant hidden costs that were never tracked in computing executive bonuses. This massive population of APs who considered the parks their personal fifedom negatively impacted the park experience for vacation guests with undiscounted admissions and CMs who had to deal with their unrealistic expectations and inflated sense of entitlement.
To be honest, I have known CMs who made friends with wonderful AP "regulars". There are undoubtedly many APs who cherish their relationship with the parks. I have certainly been one of them. I grew up two miles south of the DL Hotel and considered DL like my backyard growing up in the '60s and '70s (loved those Magic Kingdom Club ticket books with all "E" tickets). I had an AP in the late '80s. I loved the off-season themed promotions like County Fair and Blast To The Past. I would ride the Mark Twain and take pics of Splash Mountain being built.
But the AP problem in CA has been a long time in coming. Disney loved the income stream, but consistently ignored many of the hidden risks and costs. I don't blame the APs--I blame Disney mismanagement.
Old Mouseketeer
Well-Known Member
Then you use technology. If they allocate it so that even the lowest tier can go one day during summer peak and one day during holiday it's a lot fairer. Maybe a lottery system. But budget enough slots for every passholder. It might be weekdays only during peak for the lowest tiers. But simply having days when all APs in a category are blocked or unblocked was unworkable in the long run. But one way or another it had to be restructured.