Or all those Summer sold-out After Hours events?
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Is attendance really down at WDW this or…
- Thread starter coachb
- Start date
JD80
Well-Known Member
Just for historical reference:
2019:
| 9/1/19-9/18/19; 11/17/19-11/27/19; 12/8/19-12/23/19 | Free Dining for general public | 7/16/19, exp 9/29/19 |
| 9/1/19-12/24/19 | 10%-20% off room-only rates for general public (also bookable as package) – weekend dates excluded from discount | 7/16/19, exp 12/24/19 |
Difference this year is that you can get a 35% discount with a D+ sub. And the amount of volume that is available.
TheMaxRebo
Well-Known Member
Some is locals and some are people who plan trips and around this event
I think the strong sales for this event and the after hours events shows there is still demand for the Disney park experience, just people want something "special" and are more willing to pay for that vs the base/daily experience
I know our next trip we opted to add the party and are only doing 4 regular park days during our week stay vs doing more park days
And things like parties/afterhours events can be great for people staying off property as you get lower crowds/shorter lines
Heck, if doing more a "central Florida" vacation and staying off property you could only do the party or after hours events and get plenty of "Disney " in and do regular days at Universal, etc
wannabeBelle
Well-Known Member
My thoughts exactly!!! Marie
AEfx
Well-Known Member
That's exactly what we did last year. I just won't pay the prices for a week at Disney right now, and even if I was willing, I refuse to sit and play the phone lottery all day hoping to get on the rides I want. The whole thing is a cluster.
So instead, we spent the week at Universal and just did MVMCP.
I have been hugely surprised that Disney hasn't started Studios parties again, specifically for Star Wars - but then again, this is probably the reason why not, as I think a lot of folks would just do that instead of shelling out for a week on property, hoping that you get on the rides sometime while you are there.
MarkTwain
Well-Known Member
Now they mostly tell you to point with two fingers, not to talk about the people inside the costumes, and mind your P's and Q's and then they send you on your way. Unfortunately.
Again, "strong demand" is a rather nebulous statement to make, since we do not know how many tickets are being sold for both After Hours events and the Halloween and Christmas parties. To use the analogy again - It's not a stadium where we can physically see how many seats there are and how many are occupied. And with Disney being so focused on optics, the rumors that they play with ticket numbers to make things appear "sold out" even if they never reached the original cap could be valid. Maybe they don't have enough staff available to reach those numbers and are taking what they can get? Or maybe they have set the cap low enough where they can truly sell out and this is all for nothing. But since Disney never reveals numbers, the rumors and rumblings and doubts are inevitable.
Jrb1979
Well-Known Member
Agreed we will never know. The fact they are sending out emails with discounts says a lot though.
Drdcm
Well-Known Member
I agree. I’m still skeptical that the available tickets for “sold out” July 4 wasn’t lowered artificially as the date approached. It makes sense operationally to have the minimum staff for the expected crowd levels. I can’t say for sure one way or another but wouldn’t be surprised if they do something similar for the after hours events.
The only thing I might disagree with is that they would do it for optics. I think it would be more likely to be cost/benefit determined with ticket prices vs operation and staffing costs.
Jrb1979
Well-Known Member
I am the same username. I don't post as much there as I used to. Especially now with whats gone on and how many are trying to downplay and try to make it go awayOff topic, but @Jrb1979 , do you have the same username on another Disney forum? If you do, I’m a fan of your recent comments on that controversy. I was banned there a few years ago, so just brows the chaos now. Ok, now back to topic.
I agree that the cost/benefit comes first. But the optics, I think, still play a part. If you're on the fence about buying a ticket to one of the Halloween parties going on while you are there, and suddenly one or two are "sold out", is that going to influence your decision (FOMO) and give you enough of a push to buy? My gut says they think it will.
TheMaxRebo
Well-Known Member
True, we will never know specifics. All the Halloween parties sold out last year so Disney could have seen that and raised the cap a bit - never know that either
Only two parties in so far but feedback I have seen said crowds felt very similar to last year so probably didn't change it up or down much, but never will know specifics
TheMaxRebo
Well-Known Member
Definitely true - and I know some people that were in the fence and when they saw other parties sell out they made sure to get theirs vs missing out
On the flip side know others who were interested day of but couldn't get any as they were sold out so Disney could be leaving some $ on the table from those people
Splash4eva
Well-Known Member
Disney is guilty of so many things but imo to falsely claim parties are sold out would be completely foolish of them especially considering they would probably easily be able to sell out day of or day before for people that are their already…
AEfx
Well-Known Member
It's pretty common for events and other things of that nature in general (not just at Disney, but everywhere) to have multiple levels of sell-out, either by holding back quantities of tickets for sale later, or by making more tickets available at later dates. I wouldn't breathe that much into it.
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
The profits come from merch…not hotels. Hotels are the “gateway” to profits…not the breedings grounds.
Minnesota disney fan
Well-Known Member
Just curious, AEfx: But was the after party really packed, or was it an enjoyable crowd? I just wonder if they are going to over promote these after hours parties and cause a crowding problem?
Splash4eva
Well-Known Member
But they dont sell tickets later after they sold out… granted i know for a fact they have availability to give tickets after a sell out as last year it happened to us the party we went to in August rained so they offered us tickets to another sold out party …
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
On these “premium upsell events”
…capacity is always relative and dynamic.
So ask yourself: is there a rush to get tickets a week or two out and that’s why they “sell out”?
…or do they judge when the market is tapped out, announce “sell out”, and use that decree to push the market toward more expensive dates?
Remember…the prices always start low and go higher…