Expect more premium events with recent organizational changes

montyz81

montyz81

Well-Known Member
drizgirl said:
It will be fascinating to see what they come up with next. :rolleyes:
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I heard from a bus driver that personal cabanas will return except now they will be autonomous. You will just sit in them until you get to the ride, through the line, and are ready to board. Actually, I heard the cabana will just move onto any omnimover, boat ride or coaster track without issue. You will sit in your cabana all day without moving (Think John from Wall-e). Up charge for that ticket will be $400/person per day.
 
flyerjab

flyerjab

Well-Known Member
Josh D'Amaro is a name I am familiar with as being a previous VP for DAK. I know that Pete Werner on the Dis Unplugged podcast always talked very highly of him, and he isn't one to do that sort of thing very often.

I will be interested to see if he adds some new variety for these events. I can't believe that the Harambe Nights was never continued beyond that one year. It was expensive, but it really was a truly unique experience. I would hope that they would look into doing more types of upcharges like that. I will pay for upcharges if I feel that the experience is worth it. The Wild Africa Trek is another perfect example, or the Caring for Giants.
 
ford91exploder

ford91exploder

Resident Curmudgeon
flyerjab said:
Josh D'Amaro is a name I am familiar with as being a previous VP for DAK. I know that Pete Werner on the Dis Unplugged podcast always talked very highly of him, and he isn't one to do that sort of thing very often.

I will be interested to see if he adds some new variety for these events. I can't believe that the Harambe Nights was never continued beyond that one year. It was expensive, but it really was a truly unique experience. I would hope that they would look into doing more types of upcharges like that. I will pay for upcharges if I feel that the experience is worth it. The Wild Africa Trek is another perfect example, or the Caring for Giants.
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WDW has always had 'upcharges' even back to the 'Gold Key' days, But back then they were ADDITIONS to the experience, I also was surprised that Harambe Night's was not continued, I did the Wild Africa Trek and If I was not committed to not giving Disney any more money I would have liked to have done the Caring for Giants. One of my favorite 'upcharges' was horseback riding but once again that was an addition TO the WDW experience not something that was removed and subsequently added back with a price tag.

I have no problems with upcharges which are ADDITIVE to the basic experience like those mentioned, but I have a real problem with things that are removed from the basic experience and sold as an upcharge and the increasing 'sell the park twice' days.
 
Tavernacle12

Tavernacle12

Well-Known Member
There's certainly additional upcharge events I wouldn't be opposed to and maybe even consider depending on price. A pre-opening behind the scenes tour of Haunted Mansion with the lights on, special viewing for the lions or cheetahs in Kilamanjaro, cheese plates on the Peoplemover...

I've done and really enjoyed the Behind The Seeds tour, and more things like that, where possible, would be really fun.

So long as the events aren't removing things from the normal guests I suppose I'm not opposed to them.
 
contrariwise

contrariwise

Well-Known Member
Sonconato said:
Exactly. I already thought there was someone sitting at a desk whose sole job was to figure out how to add more upcharges and take away more that we were already paying for.
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Someone? I thought there was a whole multi-story warehouse full of people whose sole job it was to separate people from more of their money while offering little to nothing in return.

Someone has probably said it more eloquently than me, but I'll try to put my feelings into words. We have paid for "upcharge" events before they became ubiquitous. I have found value in some, and virtually none in others.

I don't hate all "extras". I don't hate "extras" in principal. I especially don't hate extras that are truly extras (not things that used to be free and now require a surcharge). And I don't give a flying flip about extras that don't impact MY experience as a guest who has not ponied up the surcharge.

Here's what I hate:

(1) Charging for things that used to be free. What a lazy and greedy way to do business. And from a company that used to be the gold standard for creativity.
(2) "Extras" that negatively impact the guests who have not bought in - whether by impacting a view or making us feel like second class citizens;
(3) "Extras" that insult the intelligence of the customer. You may as well just call us rubes and be done with it. It used to feel like we (customer and company) were in it together. Sometimes, it now feels like company vs. customer.
(4) The fact that "extras" seems to be the primary business focus, rather than the bread and butter of the business. Again, lazy and greedy.

You can call me a gloom and doomer if you want. This newest wrinkle does not make me optimistic.
 
ford91exploder

ford91exploder

Resident Curmudgeon
wdwmagic said:
I think it was more to do with the fact that the headphone jack took up a huge amount of internal space that could be better used and it was analog. The future is wireless and digital. Like a lot of legacy ports, Apple was the only one brave enough to make the change. And they did include an adaptor in the box of every iPhone sold to support legacy headphones, so it was not primarily a money making move in my opinion.
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It was also done at the behest of the MPAA to close the 'Analog Hole' because once you have the signal in analog form you can use it in a variety of fashions including uploading it in a DRM free format. Most do not have the skill necessary to build a bluetooth audio adapter.

There was no reason whatsoever to obsolete a universal standard (3.5mm stereo jack), I have an iPhone SE now but the next phone will likely be 'something else' because of this. The presence of the jack did not preclude the use of wireless headphones/earbuds but most people don't like them because they all require unique chargers and usually when they exhaust their battery there is no convenient means to recharge them at 35,000 ft or on a run somewhere.
 
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larandtra

Well-Known Member
I am not sure why everyone is in an uproar. Let me think. Ive had an AP for quite a long time and I cant think of any "options" Ive lost with it. I stay on and off property but again, trying to think about what resort or park experiences they have taken away and are now charging for. Hmmmm, I cant think of any so could you go ahead and remind me of things that have been taken away from my experience I have to pay for now? Its a company and they do need to generate revenue. I guess as someone who is involved in financial decisions, deals with ROI every day, and has to think long term as to whats best for our customers and generates revenue to keep the company growing, I must look at things in a far different way than some people here. The little "extra" stuff WDW offers are specifically to generate revenue AND hopefully improve the guests experience. When they dont work, it shows, as people talk with their wallets. I would assume the reason they took away the Harambe Nights is one of those that wasnt a guest dislike, it probably didnt generate revenue to cover costs.Its pretty simple, if you dont like the extra stuff, dont pay for it. best way to speak is with the wallet. And Im still trying to figure out what things Ive "lost" and have to pay for now.
 
Roknrollrghostr

Roknrollrghostr

Well-Known Member
flyerjab said:
Josh D'Amaro is a name I am familiar with as being a previous VP for DAK. I know that Pete Werner on the Dis Unplugged podcast always talked very highly of him, and he isn't one to do that sort of thing very often.

I will be interested to see if he adds some new variety for these events. I can't believe that the Harambe Nights was never continued beyond that one year. It was expensive, but it really was a truly unique experience. I would hope that they would look into doing more types of upcharges like that. I will pay for upcharges if I feel that the experience is worth it. The Wild Africa Trek is another perfect example, or the Caring for Giants.
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I looked into him a bit more and it seems he's very involved in the CBR & CSR expansions. In my opinion, these are moves that both enhance profit and guest experience. A new rooftop restaurant for fireworks viewing, more moderate room availability, new waterfront dining and more centralized access at CBR- all of these things sound like positive improvements to me. Yes, there is the short term inconvenience for guests with the construction going on, but that seems to have been handled very well with large incentives (high value gift cards, greatly reduced room rates) for guests. I'm not sure who to give credit to the express bus transportation to, but as D'amaro has been overseeing transportation, I'm sure he must have been involved in this as well. It's another thing I feel enhances both guest experience & profit and I plan on doing it for my next trip. I also don't feel that it negatively impacts the experience for those who don't wish to pay for it.I'm feeling optimistic about this move. There will always be misfires but I think there is great potential as well.
Tavernacle12 said:
cheese plates on the Peoplemover...
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And that's just brilliant ;)
 
HauntedPirate

HauntedPirate

Park nostalgist
Premium Member
Some are acting as if the parks don't generate a profit for the company. Go check their publicly available financial statements, look up how much profit P&R have generated in the past 6-7 years, and then let the rest of us know just how much more profit and profit margin the parks should be generating. We'll wait...
 
asianway

asianway

Well-Known Member
flyerjab said:
Josh D'Amaro is a name I am familiar with as being a previous VP for DAK. I know that Pete Werner on the Dis Unplugged podcast always talked very highly of him, and he isn't one to do that sort of thing very often.

I will be interested to see if he adds some new variety for these events. I can't believe that the Harambe Nights was never continued beyond that one year. It was expensive, but it really was a truly unique experience. I would hope that they would look into doing more types of upcharges like that. I will pay for upcharges if I feel that the experience is worth it. The Wild Africa Trek is another perfect example, or the Caring for Giants.
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I can, as with Villains Unleashed, they both spent a ton on entertainment and name talent and many fewer attendees. Much lower margins than people snapping up MNSSHP tickets in the tens of thousands for running a 15 yo parade and fireworks and mostly daily ops meet n greets.

Star Wars Weekends were subsidized by Lucas - thats what killed them, not the gutting of the park. SWW utilized nothing on Sunset, they could have kept them going if they shifted things around.

For a true high end event, tickets would have to be $200+.but then "Disney would be greedy" so until then, everyone gets what they deserve.
 
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larandtra

Well-Known Member
What are you waiting for? Why dont you tell me what experiences I have lost in the parks or resorts that I previously had with my AP that I do not have now???? Crickets...If you have an issue with a company making money, Im sorry, thats business and capitalism. Even Walt understood that. You dont think he started the company to sit in a farmhouse and make 10 dollars a day do you? They try anything to generate revenue and give guests options of new experiences. That is how business works. I have seen the P&L reports for Disney Company. As a stockholder, I should see them, look at them, and understand them. The fact they are making a profit thrills me to no end. Would I like to see more fo it put into WDW to improve the parks and give us a greater experience for our dollar? Sure, but, I also understand that employees need to be compensated. The wage scale to keep talented people isnt an easy one to manage. I think some of you really do nto have a good grasp of business principles and see WDW as a bottomless pit of money they can spend to give you whatever you want as cheaply as you want it.
 
ABQ

ABQ

Well-Known Member
larandtra said:
What are you waiting for? Why dont you tell me what experiences I have lost in the parks or resorts that I previously had with my AP that I do not have now???? Crickets...
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For one, you've got fewer places to view fireworks due to the encroachment of paid for viewing areas tied to dessert parties, as well as FP+ areas that didn't exist in year's gone by. I'm not saying all these things are bad, you can still see fireworks from other areas, but without paying to play, there are not as many options and you have to camp out well in advance in some cases.

I'm just playing devil's advocate here, I'm not on one side of this debate or the other. But there are things that used to be included in your AP which no longer are.
 

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