Does Disneyland have too many annual passholders? - OC Register

[Darkbeer1]

https://www.ocregister.com/2018/06/05/does-disneyland-have-too-many-annual-passholders/

>>As much as some Disneyland fans would love to have the power of Thanos and make half of the crowd disappear with a snap of their fingers, Disneyland isn’t about to give up the money it makes from selling what is reported to be hundreds of thousands of annual passes every year.


To Disneyland, the answer to the question is clear. No, Disneyland does not have too many annual passholders. But even resort managers will concede that Disneyland often does have too many of those annual passholders in the park at once. So the resort must look for creative ways to manage those crowds.<<

>>In Disney’s perfect world, paying customers would fill the park every day of the year, but Disney never would draw so many customers that it would have to turn people away or see customers leave in frustration before buying a full day’s worth of food, drinks and souvenirs. Hitting that balance would mean the company truly has maximized its income from the Disneyland Resort, with there never being a lightly attended day at the park again.<<

 

[Rich T]

Yes. DL does too many passholders. The correct number should be zero.

 

[mickEblu]

I’ll give mine up if everyone else does.

 

[Phroobar]

I’ll give mine up if everyone else does.

Done!

 

[mickEblu]

Done!

LOL

But you don’t have an annual pass to give up.

 

[Rich T]

I’ll give mine up if everyone else does.

Done! (Okay, done a few years ago and haven't had one since.)

 

[mickEblu]

Done! (Okay, done a few years ago and haven't had one since.)

Thing is, in the current climate, the value just isn’t their for a family when it comes to day tickets. 4 Park hoppers = $600+ .... for what? To brave the crowds all day long and wait in line after line and calculate how to get from one side of Main Street to the other without getting mowed down? Nope. That’s why I always say it starts with Disney, not the consumers. They need to find a way to bring more value to those strategically high priced Day tickets. Which of course is me saying they have to change their strategy. Make day tickets more desirable and annual passes less desirable. Which of course won’t happen because they would lose money. So basically we re all wasting our breath.

 

[Rich T]

Thing is, in the current climate, the value just isn’t their for a family when it comes to day tickets. 4 Park hoppers = $600+ .... for what? To brave the crowds all day long and wait in line after line and calculate how to get from one side of Main Street to the other without getting mowed down? Nope. That’s why I always say it starts with Disney, not the consumers. They need to find a way to bring more value to those strategically high priced Day tickets. Which of course is me saying they have to change their strategy. Make day tickets more desirable and annual passes less desirable. Which of course won’t happen because they would lose money. So basically we re all wasting our breath.

The AP flood is one of the many reasons I've cut my visits down from three or four times a year to once every... well it's been four years since my last visit and counting. It's hard to describe to people who only are familiar with DLR in its current state, but a trip to DL used to: 1) be relaxing and pleasant even when crowded, 2) require no reservations or rushing to grab Fastpasses and 3) be worth far more than the price charged. I used to enter DL and get my money's worth before noon. That was the DL that inspired and charmed so many Boomers.

 

[mickEblu]

The AP flood is one of the many reasons I've cut my visits down from three or four times a year to once every... well it's been four years since my last visit and counting. It's hard to describe to people who only are familiar with DLR in its current state, but a trip to DL used to be 1) relaxing and pleasant even when crowded, 2) require no reservations or rushing to grab Fastpasses and 3) worth far more than the price charged. I used to enter DL and get my money's worth before noon. That was the DL that inspired and charmed so many Boomers.

I agree and I also miss those days. It sucks that there is rare a time I can put my 2.5 year old down and have him run or walk around the park a little. Its a catch 22 really because In these conditions I don’t see any value in day tickets.

 

[Rich T]

I used to buy a lot of DL merchandise on those visits, including gifts for everyone who stayed home. No more DL trips...no more buying DL merchandise. My bank account is happy, at least. The only money Disney gets from me now is a movie ticket once a year or so (and Ducktales. I confess I'm digitally buying every episode of the new Ducktales).

 

[Phroobar]

LOL

But you don’t have an annual pass to give up.

That's true. I better go buy a premier pass and give it up in a year or three.

 

[mickEblu]

That's true. I better go buy a premier pass and give it up in a year or three.

Lol

 

[Phroobar]

The AP flood is one of the many reasons I've cut my visits down from three or four times a year to once every... well it's been four years since my last visit and counting. It's hard to describe to people who only are familiar with DLR in its current state, but a trip to DL used to be 1) relaxing and pleasant even when crowded, 2) require no reservations or rushing to grab Fastpasses and 3) worth far more than the price charged. I used to enter DL and get my money's worth before noon. That was the DL that inspired and charmed so many Boomers.

I gave up mine because I kept leaving the park angry. I understand why little kids cry when they leave Disneyland. They are physically and emotionally exhausted. It's like the park is full of psychic vampires and you leave drained. It's not fun waiting and swimming through the crowds and dealing with line jumpers. If you get in line, make sure your entire party is with you. I get sick of having fifteen people pass me in the fast pass line!

 

[Animaniac93-98]

The issue isn't annual passes, it's the mentality of those who own them. Disneyland is supposed to be an amusement park for tourists, not a place to just "hang out" after work or school. That's when the parking lot and streets fill up with people who don't spend much per visit.

Instead of block out days, Disney should just limit the total number of visits you can make in a year. Use all 12 visits by March 3? Too bad.

 

[mickEblu]

I gave up mine because I kept leaving the park angry. I understand why little kids cry when they leave Disneyland. They are physically and emotionally exhausted. It's like the park is full of psychic vampires and you leave drained. It's not fun waiting and swimming through the crowds and dealing with line jumpers. If you get in line, make sure your entire party is with you. I get sick of having fifteen people pass me in the fast pass line!

I feel this way every time I leave and yet like clockwork, 3 weeks later I’m back. For some reason between visits I brainwash myself into thinking the next visit will be blissful. I visualize my family and I walking around the park, enjoying the great weather, atmosphere and nice landscaping but it’s rarely ever that. It’s crowds and lines and your toddler crying every 3 feet because that’s how often Disney is trying to sell you something. It’s people stopping abruptly in a main walkway to tie their shoe, ramming your ankle with their stroller or just having no awareness of space at all. It’s just what happens when there are too many human beings crammed into one place.

 

[mickEblu]

The issue isn't annual passes, it's the mentality of those who own them. Disneyland is supposed to be an amusement park for tourists, not a place to just "hang out" after work or school. That's when the parking lot and streets fill up with people who don't spend much per visit.

Instead of block out days, Disney should just limit the total number of visits you can make in a year. Use all 12 visits by March 3? Too bad.

I’ve been saying this for years. I’d be totally cool with a hard cap “AP” with 12 visits but people who live very close and can go to DL on a whim and vloggers would probably disagree.

 

[Rich T]

The issue isn't annual passes, it's the mentality of those who own them. Disneyland is supposed to be an amusement park for tourists, not a place to just "hang out" after work or school. That's when the parking lot and streets fill up with people who don't spend much per visit.

Instead of block out days, Disney should just limit the total number of visits you can make in a year. Use all 12 visits by March 3? Too bad.

Or, instead of APs, just offer reasonably-priced non-transferable multi-day tickets. The old Flex Passes used to be awesome.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Yeah, Disneyland isn't a hangout place. The Haunted Mansion Fastpass area is for picking up a Fastpass and continuing on your merry way, not sitting for hours and filming yourself drinking Diet Coke for weirdo YouTube viewers.

 

[Kram Sacul]

Eliminate the cheap and easy to afford monthly payments. The only APs in the park, if any, should be a handful of who saved up.

 

[Travel Junkie]

Disney loves AP's. They are not going anywhere as long as Disney makes money off of them.

It's not a popular opinion in these parts, but no it doesn't have too many AP's. They wouldn't be spending the money they are over the next few years if they didn't have that base of guaranteed revenue.