Fun With Numbers: MK Maingate Blackout Edition

[PhotoDave219]

So here's what the past two Octobers have looked like....

MK is not pulling peak crowds, it is all that mid-range stuff. All the spikes? Those are the day after a Halloween party. And you can clearly see the holiday weekend.

I can't see a justification other than it is a pet project of a manager.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Could be as simple as another money grab or punish the cast because they got a pitiful little raise in pay.

It really looks greedy compared to last year even. Sept 2014 had 1 main gate blackout day. Sept 2015 has 10. Oct 2014 had 18. Oct 2015 has 31. Cheap, greedy, punishment. Any of these reasons or something else?

"Greedy" how, exactly? It's greedy to give away something for free just because you're giving away less of it for free than you have in the past?

 

[PhotoDave219]

"Greedy" how, exactly? It's greedy to give away something for free just because you're giving away less of it for free than you have in the past?

Its part of their employee benefits, so they're reducing the number of times that benefit can be used.

IMO, its perfectly fine to block out major holidays, Christmas & spring break. No problem with that whatsoever. They've gone a tad overboard here.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Its part of their employee benefits, so they're reducing the number of times that benefit can be used.

IMO, its perfectly fine to block out major holidays, Christmas & spring break. No problem with that whatsoever. They've gone a tad overboard here.

Overboard or not, greed has nothing to do it. Disney profits from Maingate use. "Greed" implies that Disney is somehow benefiting financially from the decision to block these dates. They're not. A cast member who is blocked out does not become a cash-paying guest. They just pick a different park or stay home entirely.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Overboard or not, greed has nothing to do it. Disney profits from Maingate use. "Greed" implies that Disney is somehow benefiting financially from the decision to block these dates. They're not. A cast member who is blocked out does not become a cash-paying guest. They just pick a different park or stay home entirely.

I see where you're coming from… I don't necessarily agree with it. I see it as cutting employee benefits. I mean part of Disney's continue justification for paying minimal salaries is the benefits package they give which includes free entry exit number times out of the year to their parks for your friends and family. They've completely cut that without any sense of justification…

And from my own experience the passholder, it's difficult to get out of the Magic Kingdom without spending any money whatsoever… I usually end up dropping five to $10 on water and either a pretzel or an orange.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

And from my own experience the passholder, it's difficult to get out of the Magic Kingdom without spending any money whatsoever… I usually end up dropping five to $10 on water and either a pretzel or an orange.

That's exactly my point. If Disney were being greedy they'd want the CMs in the park spending that $5 to $10. They're actually sacrificing that incremental revenue in the name of the guest experience, i.e. lower crowds.

All of that to say, I don't get October either.

 

[PhotoDave219]

That's exactly my point. If Disney were being greedy they'd want the CMs in the park spending that $5 to $10. They're actually sacrificing that incremental revenue in the name of the guest experience, i.e. lower crowds.

All of that to say, I don't get October either.

If they're blocking out peak crowds, I get that. I can understand that justification. No real argument against that....

 

[ford91exploder]

Didnt seem this way until Capt'n George of the SS Upcharge Events took over WDW.

Yes I quite agree, The 'Nobles and Serfs' dynamic takes hold when executives have their own space away from the business operations. Which is why Walt and MDE walked the parks regularly, Georgie K, Not so much just hangs out with his peeps in the executive offices.

 

[ford91exploder]

The 3-5% of non paying admissions dilutes Per Capita Guest Spend. By reducing non paying admissions, PCGS increases which in turn helps justify ......drum roll..... MM+. The more MM+ needs to be justified, the more management will ratchet down on CM passes.

Yup - by blocking out CM's you can up the PCGS by 3-5% by doing nothing at all. Remember October is a upcharge event month at MK, This will help the numbers look better for Q1 at MK.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Yup - by blocking out CM's you can up the PCGS by 3-5% by doing nothing at all. Remember October is a upcharge event month at MK, This will help the numbers look better for Q1 at MK.

Not really, though. The Street evaluates numbers versus same-quarter prior year.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Not really, though. The Street evaluates numbers versus same-quarter prior year.

Depends on if youre trying to score points with your bosses or The Street....

 

[ford91exploder]

Depends on if youre trying to score points with your bosses or The Street....

If you raise PCGS by 3-5% in Q1 FY2016 vs Q1 FY2015 both 'The Street' and your bosses will like you very much. And you will get additional props for reducing use of employee benefits...

 

[CaptainAmerica]

One thing that I think would be smart would be for cast members with resort reservations to be exempt from blockouts. I'm picturing an ESPN, ABC, Marvel, or Disney Store family traveling from far away and booking their trip months and months in advance just to find out they can't go the the Magic Kingdom. Florida site cast members should be handled a bit differently than other DIS employees, who function much more like "regular" guests.

 

[stini228]

Holy smokes. Its got to be the per guest spend thing.

Wonder if cast room discounts are not long for this world as well?

 

[PhotoDave219]

Holy smokes. Its got to be the per guest spend thing.

Wonder if cast room discounts are not long for this world as well?

Well in a way they have, they got rid of the WDW-CAST hotline years ago....

 

[John]

Holy smokes. Its got to be the per guest spend thing.

Wonder if cast room discounts are not long for this world as well?

In a way they have...last year when we tried to book a Holiday discounted room they only offered one resort....AKL No other resorts were available. I booked on the first available day at the first minute. SO in essence they limited the availability so much that they did away with the discount. We booked the AKL but how many CM's can afford to stay at a deluxe even with a 60% discount? Not many I can assure you.....well at least front line CM's.

 

[John]

I would like to hear other anecdotes from CM's how the room discounts have been handled during other times of the year.

BTW I am scheduled to go in October, I also can assure you that I spend way more then $5-10. We eat meals on property and I tip more then that. Here it is July 14th and we are only a few months out. You have to plan your vacation no later then six months out......it really isn't fair to those who want to visit.

 

[John]

I am not so sure that plussing the other three parks will alleviate the peak crowds at MK. It might to a degree.....but with the DHS makeover and Pandora.....how will that drive attendance up across the board. New first timers? or just increased attendance? Which will off set any negligible effect on MK. IMO it could get worse for MK. On a seven day trip people tend to go to MK more then one day. where they only vist the other three parks one day on their visit. I think all these additions to the other arks will drive attendance up but does little to help with over crowding at MK.....I think it will only worsen. Which will limit CM's and maingates even more. Its a vicious cycle that they are in. WDW has become a theme park destination instead of a resort destination. SO many things have been closed and done away with that were not in the parks. There was a time when Disney marketed the entire resort.....golfing....horse back riding.....all kinds of activities that kept guest busy and out of the parks. Now its We have FP+ reservations....we must....we must go to the park.....we must get our monies worth....tour commando style......How many people say the resort room is only where you sleep and take a shower? No one just enjoys the resorts.( OK very few). In 2015 its all about the parks.

 

[ford91exploder]

One thing that I think would be smart would be for cast members with resort reservations to be exempt from blockouts. I'm picturing an ESPN, ABC, Marvel, or Disney Store family traveling from far away and booking their trip months and months in advance just to find out they can't go the the Magic Kingdom. Florida site cast members should be handled a bit differently than other DIS employees, who function much more like "regular" guests.

Nice, So the people who actually WORK there are lower class citizens of the TWDC universe than some random corporate employee from an unrelated division. Once again the 'nobles and serfs' mentality with P&R CM's as Serfs.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Nice, So the people who actually WORK there are lower class citizens of the TWDC universe than some random corporate employee from an unrelated division. Once again the 'nobles and serfs' mentality with P&R CM's as Serfs.

That has nothing to do with it. I'd apply the same thing to a P&R CM with a resort reservation. You don't see the difference between a Marvel family of five with seven nights booked at Bay Lake Tower, and two attractions CPs with nothing to do on a Friday night?

What is this communist "everyone must be equal or that's not faaaaaair" crap? Spoiler alert: a VP of marketing at ESPN has a lot more than the guy working the register at Casey's. Bigger paycheck, corner office, weekends off, hotter wife, company car. Why? Not because nobles-and-serfs. Because any fully-abled person with a sunny personality can be plugged into a front line role. VPs of marketing don't grow on trees. The CP isn't a lower class citizen in the TWDC universe, they're a lower class citizen in the ACTUAL universe.