They do it all the time: Early ADR entrance, AP entrance, EMH entrance, (early) holiday party entrance.
And they don't seem to be seriously considering or worrying about the people they **** off on the way to that point.
Disney corporate seems be be losing sight of why more people go there than Universal. It's not because they offer more value or have been doing better at adding to their parks over the last decade.
They're eroding the loyalty built on nostalgia that has allowed them to get away with all of this and it only takes one generation who doesn't get that family trip as a kid because parents couldn't afford it or just said to heck with the work and the ever decreasing value proposition to break the return cycle when those kids grow up and have their own kids*...
Of course, that's a result which could take a decade to surface, will happen slowly across time and by the point it is recognizable, will be some future executive's problem, eh?
Sounds about right.
... Then again, how long has it been since things began moving in this direction?
*It's too late for me. As someone who had an AP most of their life, I've already taken my son enough times that it's a thing for him. He wants to know when we're going back. I'm in no hurry. If he'd been born about 5 years later than he was, he might never have gone in the first place, though and it wouldn't be something he'd have memories of and miss.
That’s my thought, too. It seems the entire park (x4 parks) will open rather than a handful of rides.
The same could be said for the EMH hour. Typically the breakers for each rotation come into work an hour after the first batch of CM’s start. Even if it’s 3 rides being open that’s 12 rides in total you need staffing for. Compare that to EMH hour in DAK which has like 5 rides open.
It will begin before the pandemic has ended.
I've got 3 kids under 8. Not having to lug my own carseats through the airport and onto a plane was a great benefit, not to mention the luggage and strollers. Plus the kids loved it, they really enjoyed the bus ride to Disney with cartoons and park videos.
I was thinking more about how parks usually open a little early for everyone.
Exactly. Most of the in-park controversies that have popped up on this site don't matter much to casual park goers. Most people don't really care about whether a ride is an IP or not, for example. But your average person is going to look at the hotel prices and they're going to want to know what they're paying for. If the only thing they're offering is things other, cheaper hotels are offering too, they're not going to want to pay that premium.
I think the Fastpass system will be replaced fairly soon. I'm not happy about 1 and 2 although the only thing we've used recently was the airline checkin service so we didn't have to haul our luggage to the airport - we always rent a car. Never used morning EMH and maybe used evening once a trip. Still, I'm sending an email to Disney objecting to them cutting these perks - maybe it won't do anything but it's better than just complaining here.
Losing the shuttle system is absolutely huge. It splinters the incoming Disney audience into literally hundreds of separate transactions taking place in the airport. I do remember when it re-branded from Mears to MagicalExpress. This will cause literal chaos at Orlando airport for months. This is going to make it like coming into Kennedy or Ohare. Find a taxi, find a shuttle, "oh it's full" wait with your kids & luggage for an hour or so. Oh wait, your 5 year old is hungry... won't that be fun..
I agree. Contact Disney and let them know how this will affect you.
They'll most likely only check at the actual attractions.
Unless they significantly offset the park opening hours to minimize the impact while also reducing congestion at bus stops in the morning. Could be a cut in operational hours disguised as a "gift."
There was a time when I might have been considered a part of that "loyal crowd" but I hit my personal threshold about 3-4 years ago. I was increasingly unhappy about things leading up to that point but that's when I turned the page on personally enjoying it despite the cutbacks, up-charges and changes to really just doing it for my child.
