MK Themed parties...ripping off regular customers?

[bgraham34]

I don't feel Im getting ripped off. I much prefer to be in the Kingdom at night so therefor I am willing to pay extra to stay in the park at night. Especially with themed parties its a different atmosphere.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

I've bolded the appropriate sentence here.

A vacation at Disney is similar to any other potientially multi-thousand dollar investment.

If we are talking about any vacation greater than 48 hours then these parties should not be an issue as a vast majority of them do not run on consecutive nights.

This is really a non-issue for anyone who plans their vacation. No compensation should be given to those who missed the online calendar, the online ticketing option, the phone booking, the billboard, the check-in pamphlet, the in-room TV commercial, the bus sign, the monorail sign, and the sandwich board outside the front gate.

So the people who are going and miss out on Wishes, which would have been available and accessable without the need for further payment had there been no special events are just poor planners??

:shrug:

Whos asking for compensation by the way?

The more I think about it he more Im convinced theres an a and an o transposed.

 

[LoriMistress]

So the people who are going and miss out on Wishes, which would have been available and accessable without the need for further payment had there been no special events are just poor planners??

:shrug:

Whos asking for compensation by the way?

The more I think about it he more Im convinced theres an a and an o transposed.

To correct you, MK does show WISHES at 6pm to the normal guests; the parties start at 7pm. So guests who paid the normal admission DOES are able to watch WISHES.

 

[progroupie]

To correct you, MK does show WISHES at 6pm to the normal guests; the parties start at 7pm. So guests who paid the normal admission DOES are able to watch WISHES.

Not always, it depends on the time of year the party is being held, they can't show Wishes in broad daylight and during late summer/early fall it isn't getting dark until past seven so the regular guests are missing out on Wishes.

 

[LoriMistress]

Not always, it depends on the time of year the party is being held, they can't show Wishes in broad daylight and during late summer/early fall it isn't getting dark until past seven so the regular guests are missing out on Wishes.

If people really wanted to see Wishes during a non-party night, they should have planned their vacation better. Sounds cold hearted but it's the truth.

 

[mrerk]

It does need to be taken into account that when most of these parties are scheduled, park attendance is low and park hours are shorter. Magic Kingdom isn't going to be staying open until midnight every night during September when MNSSHP is running. They'd typically be closing around 7 or 8 anyway. Same with the majority of the MVMCP dates, there's no need for the MK to stay open until midnight on a nightly basis during pre and postThanksgiving November or the first week or so of December before the Christmas rush hits. So what Disney is really doing is cashing in on what they already have available to them. They aren't cutting the hours for the regular guests, they're extending the hours for the guests willing to pay. When the P&P parties started they were scheduled in from Jan-March, also a slow time with earlier park hours. You aren't going to be seeing special events scheduled for 4th of July weekend or anything.

Finally, somebody who gets it.

 

[TheDisneyGirl02]

It seems now there is a themed MK party at least every other month now. And the question is...at what rate do you keep offering these things and continually shorten park hours for those who cant afford it. The parks usually close at 7 and 2 more hours in the MK can make a world of difference as far as finishing up some things you missed. They should at least offer a 50% discount to people who bought one day tickets...

I love the halloween and pirate parties but there are so many days of it now that you are screwing the average joe, and making the park geared toward those who spend the most instead of those who need the hours the most while on a strict budget. A family of 5 addding MNSSHP tickets after a day at the park would have to shell out 200 extra bucks whearas they could have gotten everything done if the park simply closed at 9 or 10. Im not saying they shouldnt have the parties but they need to figure out a way to compensate those who cant afford it...maybe hook people up with 2 complimentary fast passes on days the park closes early?

Whos asking for compensation by the way?

The OP made the suggestion for compensation by the way of discounted park tickets and/or comp Fast Passes.

To me, I'm just happy to be at WDW - I could care less if there's a party going on the night I'm there...either I'll go to it or I'll just go to a different park. No big deal!

 

[Dwarful]

To me, the numerous parties during the summer months are getting out of hand. Many of the people in our group of 36 ( my daughter's very diverse girl scout troop) who went last year were:
#1. First time visitors who did not understand the scope of WDW
#2. Families who do not have computer access or even know about the vast information on sites like this (let alone how to access it!)
#3. Families who, without help from a wdw veteran (and Pam) would have missed opportunities like seeing wishes, using fast passes, understanding the emh's etc.

I think it is important to remember that there are still first time visitors who will leave with a bad impression because of these little events they didn't know about.

I am not anti-party. We have been to several, but to us, the value of the P&PP in August just wasn't justified. The crowds were big, lines were long and the time it took to see just a few characters were crazy! Give me the theme of the MVMCP anytime.

 

[Chezman1399]

Actually I don't mind the parties because if you were to go their years ago, even when there were less parks, the Magic Kingdom wasn't open as late. Fireworks and lighted parade only happened during the summer. So the parks are still opened to all much longer on average then they used to be.

 

[progroupie]

I always remember Epcot as being the park that stayed open the latest in the 80's/early 90's.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

If people really wanted to see Wishes during a non-party night, they should have planned their vacation better. Sounds cold hearted but it's the truth.

Right, so where does that fit into Disneys legendary customer service? I know it dosent, because they trade on former glories that buys them a lot of slack from brand loyalists. But who will replace them?

By the way I plan fine, but given the amount of people on here who espouse the virtues of winging it, they are going to be pretty ed.

After all theres always Universal and the other parks.

 

[3fordisney]

I find the parties to be worth every penny I spend on it. We went in April and loved the P&P party. We had the best time. We also have been to the Halloween and Christmas ones. If they have one while we are there, we will go. Its part of our planning. If you want to go, you save a little more and find a way to go.

The ability to walk on most rides and walk around a crowd-free park is worth every extra dollar we paid to go. It doesn't take away from the other guests who are not willing or able to pay the difference. You just have to plan your visits around the parties.

I am happy just being at WDW. I wish I were there now... eating a Dole Whip.

 

[jakeman]

So the people who are going and miss out on Wishes, which would have been available and accessable without the need for further payment had there been no special events are just poor planners??

:shrug:

Whos asking for compensation by the way?

The more I think about it he more Im convinced theres an a and an o transposed.

The only folks who would miss Wishes were the ones that would be there less than 48 hours or didn't plan. If you didn't plan then it is your fault, not Disney. There are more than enough resources out there to make you aware of the parties ahead of time.

Right, so where does that fit into Disneys legendary customer service? I know it dosent, because they trade on former glories that buys them a lot of slack from brand loyalists. But who will replace them?

By the way I plan fine, but given the amount of people on here who espouse the virtues of winging it, they are going to be pretty ed.

After all theres always Universal and the other parks.

What does this have to do with customer serivce? Customer service does not neutralize the need for personal resposibility.

If they choose to wing it, then they should deal with the consquences. How is this any different than someone becoming upset because a ride is down while they are there because they didn't check the refurbs on the calendar?

Additionally, you are right, if the consumer is unhappy with the current policies they should communicate their displeasure and take their funds elsewhere.

 

[MousDad]

jakeman, you've taken this from a discussion about "do these parties rip off regular customers" to "do regular customers deserve to be ripped off."

Whether or not you are right about that (the second quote) or not, has nothing to do with the original question.

There can be no other reason, from Disney's point of view, for the implementation of these parties other than to get 2 sets of ticket revenue for the price of 1 calendar day.

Rip-off? Maybe not. Shrewd way to get 120-140% ticket revenue on a given calendar day? Oh yeah.

 

[jakeman]

jakeman, you've taken this from a discussion about "do these parties rip off regular customers" to "do regular customers deserve to be ripped off."

Whether or not you are right about that (the second quote) or not, has nothing to do with the original question.

There can be no other reason, from Disney's point of view, for the implementation of these parties other than to get 2 sets of ticket revenue for the price of 1 calendar day.

Rip-off? Maybe not. Shrewd way to get 120-140% ticket revenue on a given calendar day? Oh yeah.

I understand that my responses have been slightly off topic, but I have been responding to the claims that these parties rip off guest because guest are unaware of them. My responses in one sentence, is "No, because the information is out there regarding the dates of these parties."

I agree completely this is a way to gather additional revenue from admission to the Magic Kingdom. I also believe that while the dates are numerous, they are not an insurmountable obsticle to plan around.

I hope this clarifies my stance.

 

[imamouse]

I am constantly amazed by the number of people I encounter who did not check the park operating hours before they arrived on WDW property. It just doesn't make sense to me to spend so much money on a great vacation and not do a little bit of research.

Not everyone is a planner. Should they be? Probably - but to some, that's not the definition of a vacation. Unfortunately, they learn the hard (and less than magical) way when they encounter an early park closing.

Folks are also confused by park closures for Grad nights and NoJ. At least those are moving to DHS.

Back to the OPs point - I agree that the parties are excessive - especially the PnPP. Enough already!

 

[sandicinderelli]

If they choose to wing it, then they should deal with the consquences. How is this any different than someone becoming upset because a ride is down while they are there because they didn't check the refurbs on the calendar?

Additionally, you are right, if the consumer is unhappy with the current policies they should communicate their displeasure and take their funds elsewhere.

Agree, agree.

I certainly think that when the P&P parties debuted in January 2007, they were a real bargain. The "booty" was phenomenal, lines were super short, theming and music were great (and still is), the parade and fireworks were fantastic with little crowding. IMHO, guests that went to the premiere parties were getting a great deal for their buck.

Plus, the parties ran only until March.

Now, although I still enjoyed the party when my sister and I went, I feel that Disney has shortchanged guests with adding more party dates, running the parade only once, and changing the "booty" dramatically. Although it was my sister's first party, I admit that I was kind of upset to see what and how much they gave us.

I just wish they would have left everything the same for one more year before they started changing things left and right!

Like other posters, I think next time I would do something else during the day like Downtown Disney, and then go to the party. Or just skip the party altogether.

I haven't been to the MNSSHP or MVMCP, so this is my only perspective. (I really like to go to those, though! )

 

[progroupie]

Agree, agree.

I certainly think that when the P&P parties debuted in January 2007, they were a real bargain. The "booty" was phenomenal, lines were super short, theming and music were great (and still is), the parade and fireworks were fantastic with little crowding. IMHO, guests that went to the premiere parties were getting a great deal for their buck.

Plus, the parties ran only until March.

Now, although I still enjoyed the party when my sister and I went, I feel that Disney has shortchanged guests with adding more party dates, running the parade only once, and changing the "booty" dramatically. Although it was my sister's first party, I admit that I was kind of upset to see what and how much they gave us.

I just wish they would have left everything the same for one more year before they started changing things left and right!

Like other posters, I think next time I would do something else during the day like Downtown Disney, and then go to the party. Or just skip the party altogether.

I haven't been to the MNSSHP or MVMCP, so this is my only perspective. (I really like to go to those, though! )

I think the main reason they extended that parties and changed them is because they had the potential to really lose money on them. Those first parties you're talking about were empty, some nights there were less than 10,000 people in the park. Great from a guest standpoint, not so great from the parks standpoint after spending so much on the fireworks, parade, special costumes, etc. I think that's the real reason they extended the dates, to get their moneys worth on the investments.

 

[Dwarful]

I think the big difference is the parties in the spring and fall don't have the same feel as the parties in late May/June/August. Right now they have parties scheduled for Memorial Day weekend and into June. When we went in August lines were not short, character meet n greet wait times were crazy and the darn chocolate was a melted mess everywhere!

I am not against the parties. I loved our first MVMCP! I am so glad we have been able to experience these with our girls. However, I think the price increases are getting out of hand. I also think the frequent parties sort of take away from the 'specialness' of it all. You know Sept/Oct. expect Halloween, Nov/Dec expect MVMCP, you don't expect constant P&PParties.

 

[Lucky]

It seems kind of tacky to add more and more dates to some of these events as excuses to generate more revenue. Halloween parties in early September, for example.

But the revenue Disney gets from the partygoers may help keep prices from going up for the rest of us.

They'll definitely have gone too far though if they keep adding more events, like Mickey's Not-so-Interesting Flag Day Party, Mickey's Kind-of-Lame Valentine's Party, etc.