I was speaking primarily of the dessert parties. They were okay, but I wouldn't do them again. However, I've done several of the tours and don't have a problem doing some of them again, especially Wild Africa Trek.
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- Thread starter ptaylor
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I was speaking primarily of the dessert parties. They were okay, but I wouldn't do them again. However, I've done several of the tours and don't have a problem doing some of them again, especially Wild Africa Trek.
21stamps
Well-Known Member
I'm still undecided on the Holiday Wishes dessert party this year.. tried like heck to get it last year.. was sold out every party night of my trip.. then I was kind of glad after reading reviews in my FB trip group.. they all enjoyed it, but it takes up a large chunk of the party.. not sure if I want to commit that much time.
I see a list padded by shops and cafés because we've been through this many times in other threads: DHS isn't down by a dozen attractions because of construction. Of things that are signficant, a show, a ride, and a playground were demolished. DHS has since added more shows than what was lost (and more M&Gs than what was lost). Everywhere else in the park where an attraction has been shut down in the past three years has been replaced with a different attraction. And several attractions have been upgraded. So, they're down in rides but up in shows.
But when you pad your 'lost' list with shops and cafés, you're making Fake News.
The quest for short term profit is hurting the company for the long term. Disney used to be above a lot of the tactics in place now, such as the up-charge everything mentality.
When I get to Epcot on a typical day, around 30% of the tap styles are open. Why not all of them? It is deemed too expensive for labor and the guests can just stand in a long line and wait.
When I want to check out at World of Disney in Disney Springs, there are only half of the available registers open. Why? Because in the quest for cutting costs, they are not staffed at the right level, and instead the guests can just wait.
This is the situation that is happening all across property, and along with the desire to up-charge everything, it will eventually hit guests that Disney is far from the premium experience they once had, and are expected to be paying for.
But anyway, I'm getting off topic
I donr mind up charge events for new unique experiences. Disney does need to work on quite a few things organically that impact people. For example, I have to plan dining 180 out anf FP 90 days out, coordinating both to maximize and be efficient. When the day of your scheduled FP the attraction goes down, simply switching to a multi experience FP does jack crap to make your experience better, especially when you limit what you can use it on (not Frozen, not Pan, nothing Pandora, not TSMWM, etc). You have not helped your customer stay on track. I used to give Disney a pass for weather causing an attraction to go down, but you know what? Disney knows it rains in Florida. Why in the world are they developing attractions that go down when it rains (test track, 7d, etc).
Rodan75
Well-Known Member
That is simply not true. The dessert party existed before FP+. They cancelled fastpasses in general for parades and fireworks.
21stamps
Well-Known Member
I was at an amusement park yesterday.. two rides were down for most of the evening. I was stuck next to a group while at a restaurant who were cursing and more cursing over their fast lane pass being a "waste of 150 dollars per person". They were furious. I think the park protects themself in their terms and conditions. It would totally stink to have that happen at WDW or any amusement park.
peter11435
Well-Known Member
If your Fastpass was for one of the attractions that you listed then you are not restricted from using it there. I really don't see how that doesn't help you. If you have a Fastpass for space mountain and it goes down you can use it at space mountain anytime once it reopens or if you don't want to wait for it to reopen you can use it nearly anywhere else. Only Mine train and Peter Pan are excluded. And if your Fastpass was for one of those two attractions then you would be able to use it at that attraction when it reopened.
That argument holds true only if capacity is unlimited.
If half of the park is closed due to renovation, the capacity of the park is adjusted accordingly. The Studios would then reach capacity during Star Wars Weekends and no further guests would be admitted. Problem solved.
Lets Respect
Well-Known Member
No the original dessert party was on the terrace. Now they have two dessert parties. One on the terrace, one on the Hub. Totally different events
21stamps
Well-Known Member
Where is a dessert party in the hub? I haven't heard of that before.
21stamps
Well-Known Member
Oh for the viewing, OK I knew that.. sorry I was thinking this was something more recent that I hadn't heard of.
Biff215
Well-Known Member
Not all upcharges have to be bad, but if this is true as reported, it doesn't sound like unique events like Harambe Nights would fit the description. It seems like it would entail more special seats, viewing areas, and dessert parties for current offerings. While they may not affect me personally if I choose not to participate, I do believe the long term effect could be damaging to the Disney brand. It may take many years to see it, but I also hope I'm wrong.
Kman101
Well-Known Member
I personally see no issues with their dessert parties and I think a lot of the offerings at AK, like Caring for Giants (I think that's the name?) and the Wild Africa Trek are more than worthy offerings. Those things aren't really what people complain about, for the most part. I'd personally love to do those two tours but just haven't made the time or put aside the money.
Much-Pixie-Dust
Well-Known Member
IMO Wild Africa Trek represents the best of Disney. It is such a wonderful immersive activity. We have some several specialty events and this one is by far our favorite for both value and overall experience.
Kman101
Well-Known Member
I've heard some great things about it. Looking forward to trying it some day.
No Name
Well-Known Member
I read the entire thread at the time, thank you very much. And DAK went largely unaffected while the rest of the parks and resorts suffered. That is exactly my point.
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I dont think you get where I was going with that.
Casper Gutman
Well-Known Member
Upcharges in and of themselves, as you say, are not the issue. WDW has always had them - MVMCP, NSSHP, backstage tours, the old late nights in the park. But those were reasonably priced, appeared to provide value, and didn't interfere with the guest experience.
But there is a line. Its different for everyone, but it exists for (almost) everyone. And when you cross that line, you look desperate and greedy. Guests feel like the park is nickle-and-diming them, is focusing more on upcharges then upkeep, is essentially holding them upside down and shaking until every penny is gone. All this is exacerbated by the wild increases in ticket prices and hotel rates. And when you cross that line for enough guests, it hurts the long term health of the company.
Its also an issue on the level of management philosophy - when upcharges become THE point, as they now have, rather then a minor aspect of management, there's a big problem.
Back in the day, extra time in the parks after hours cost what - 35$? And the crowds were tiny. Now - how much are folks paying for desert parties?