More "after hours" hard ticket dates

[HauntedPirate]

Oh good.

@George, you got that poo bucket ready? We have our first customer.

Tell me you aren't surprised by the first customer.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I would have to say that I seriously doubt that AK is taking that much away from MK at night.

Now I'd believe that WDW wants it to, so they left the visitor with no choice.

I doubt in 2015 they surveyed people who were at MK past 10, and found out that 30% of them would rather be at AK instead......

Yikes. That's not how this works.

 

[21stamps]

We are talking about the same destination you visit over and over.

For example, we also take a yearly trip to the mountains and rent cabins, not always the same ones, but they are all in the same area. If one year, that trip cost me 20-50% more, and came with more limitations, I certainly would question that vacation moving forward. Never would I say, shucks, just need to pay more.....

Same with a restaurant you frequent, or a brand you buy. If one day it gets more expensive, you question it, right? Or do you just pay and not notice?

No, I just don’t buy it if the price is more than I’m willing to pay. It’s really that simple.

I’ll add this- Back in November I made a last minute (as in a few days) decision to go to WDW... Poly is my favorite resort, it was available, BUT, I wasn’t willing to pay the price for less than 2 full nights. So, I made another choice.
I could have stood at the Check in and said “But Last year Poly was cheaper!!”
Or, I can just be a decision making adult and choose what fits with my perceived value of those two nights, based on how we will be spending our time.

 

[kong1802]

Yikes. That's not how this works.

Enlighten me.......

In 2015, the last year with great hours and later closings, what changed between then and 2016?

Animal Kingdom offered later hours? This caused WDW to know for sure that it would take people who would normally stay at MK past 10 and go there?

 

[kong1802]

No, I just don’t buy it if the price is more than I’m willing to pay. It’s really that simple.

So you already have a predetermined price ceiling in your head for everything you buy? "When it hits $x, I'm out"...

 

[21stamps]

So you already have a predetermined price ceiling in your head for everything you buy? "When it hits $x, I'm out"...

I make my decisions based on price and what value I perceive in the price. And if that price will have an impact on anything else in the year.
I kind of thought that everyone did this.

 

[kong1802]

No, I just don’t buy it if the price is more than I’m willing to pay. It’s really that simple.

I’ll add this- Back in November I made a last minute (as in a few days) decision to go to WDW... Poly is my favorite resort, it was available, BUT, I wasn’t willing to pay the price for less than 2 full nights. So, I made another choice.
I could have stood at the Check in and said “But Last year Poly was cheaper!!”
Or, I can just be a decision making adult and choose what fits with my perceived value of those two nights, based on how we will be spending our time.

You are doing pretty much the same thing as looking at the trend, you just don't realize it.

2018's price is vastly more than 2015's. It hit your ceiling. It trended past what you were willing to pay.

I also don't stand at check in and berate the staff for the trend. I also choose not to spend more and get the same or less. We are in the same boat.

 

[DryerLintFan]

Messi.

How was a curveball thrown though? Did Disney reduce published hours?

I think the argument here is similar to the halloween and christmas parties..... it doesn't necessarily impact the morning, but those tickets let people in to the parks earlier than the hard ticket event timing. Which, fine, whatever. But it could potentially mean more people than would normally be there will now be there for the last few hours of the day, making things like fireworks viewing spots where you can actually see the projections less available.

So if you already bought all your tickets and paid your room and booked your fastpasses and planned out your time, you could be impacted by larger, unexpected crowds during the latter part of your day.

But if you're going to Disney, you should be planning for crowds, so......

 

[kong1802]

I make my decisions based on price and what value I perceive in the price. And if that price will have an impact on anything else in the year.
I kind of thought that everyone did this.

I think most do, but I also think most notice when the same product they buy every year increases substantially in price.....

 

[Biff215]

Enlighten me.......

In 2015, the last year with great hours and later closings, what changed between then and 2016?

Animal Kingdom offered later hours? This caused WDW to know for sure that it would take people who would normally stay at MK past 10 and go there?

Yeah I'm not buying it either. Attendance had grown so much over the years that keeping AK open later was needed, not just some sort of bonus to allow MK to close earlier. There's likely demand for the MK to be open upwards of 16 hours per day with no problem. Charging what they do for a regular park ticket and then offering early and late "magic" at these prices is disgraceful.

 

[DryerLintFan]

So you already have a predetermined price ceiling in your head for everything you buy? "When it hits $x, I'm out"...

Okay, but seriously, doesn't everybody do this?? Milk.... if it reaches more than $5.50, I'm not buying it. Hotel.... if it's over $300 a night, I'm not buying it. Gas.... shoot, I need gas..... Organic apples,..... $3 each? Eh, I'll buy the pesticide covered ones this week and just wash them really good.

I thought everyone worked on this logical scale of worth. For everything.

 

[DryerLintFan]

I think most do, but I also think most notice when the same product they buy every year increases substantially in price.....

Then stop buying it. When a product reaches your threshold, stop buying it. Find something different.

 

[21stamps]

You are doing pretty much the same thing as looking at the trend, you just don't realize it.

2018's price is vastly more than 2015's. It hit your ceiling. It trended past what you were willing to pay.

I also don't stand at check in and berate the staff for the trend. I also choose not to spend more and get the same or less. We are in the same boat.

But I understand why Poly is priced the way it is. I personally wish it was cheaper, but it’s not. I still see value in the current pricing with a longer stay.. I did not see value in 2 nights with only one day at the parks, leaving early am the next day.
Every decision is a value decision for the specific time in question.

 

[Biff215]

Messi.

How was a curveball thrown though? Did Disney reduce published hours?

They may not have reduced the published hours, but let's be honest. MK hours are often extended in the summer based on crowds. Now that's impossible on these nights. FP+ isn't even open yet for many of these dates, so it's not like WDW could even select them based off of projections. I wouldn't get near the MK on these nights if they sell out like they did recently. HEA is going to be even worse than usual, but I guess that's completely fair to the day guest who paid just as much for admission.

 

[kong1802]

Okay, but seriously, doesn't everybody do this?? Milk.... if it reaches more than $5.50, I'm not buying it. Hotel.... if it's over $300 a night, I'm not buying it. Gas.... shoot, I need gas..... Organic apples,..... $3 each? Eh, I'll buy the pesticide covered ones this week and just wash them really good.

I thought everyone worked on this logical scale of worth. For everything.

Then stop buying it. When a product reaches your threshold, stop buying it. Find something different.

As I stated, they do. But they also notice when they get less for more, or more for the same.

And you are right, people can choose to stop buying something that hits a threshold.

But, they are also free to point it out......

Unless I missed that, and you can't point it out. Only choice is stop buying, but not stop buying plus point it out. Or certainly not keep buying, but point it out. Just stop buying, got it....I'll see if I can get on that. Or, perhaps your "advice" has reached my threshold, so I'm not buying it

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Enlighten me.......

In 2015, the last year with great hours and later closings, what changed between then and 2016?

Animal Kingdom offered later hours? This caused WDW to know for sure that it would take people who would normally stay at MK past 10 and go there?

You can't track it on a guest-by-guest basis obviously. There's no way to know what a 2018 guest would have done back in 2016. But you can analyze trends.

Using made up numbers, let's say on an average January night in 2015 there were 30,000 guests at MK, 20,000 guests at Epcot, 15,000 guests at Hollywood Studios, and zero guests at Animal Kingdom. Disney projects that, on average, July is 10% busier than January so they plan July hours to accommodate 33,000 guests at MK, 22,000 guests at Epcot, and 16,500 guests at Hollywood Studios.

Now, with Animal Kingdom open later, Disney sees that January 2018 has 25,000 guests at MK, 15,000 guests at Epcot, 10,000 guests at Hollywood Studios, and 15,000 guests at Animal Kingdom. Using the 10% lift, Disney projects that in July they will have 27,500 guests at MK, 16,500 guests at Epcot, 11,000 guests at Hollywood Studios, and 16,500 guests at Animal Kingdom.

 

[kong1802]

You can't track it on a guest-by-guest basis obviously. There's no way to know what a 2018 guest would have done back in 2016. But you can analyze trends.

Using made up numbers, let's say on an average January night in 2015 there were 30,000 guests at MK, 20,000 guests at Epcot, 15,000 guests at Hollywood Studios, and zero guests at Animal Kingdom. Disney projects that, on average, July is 10% busier than January so they plan July hours to accommodate 33,000 guests at MK, 22,000 guests at Epcot, and 16,500 guests at Hollywood Studios.

Now, with Animal Kingdom open later, Disney sees that January 2018 has 25,000 guests at MK, 15,000 guests at Epcot, 10,000 guests at Hollywood Studios, and 15,000 guests at Animal Kingdom. Using the 10% lift, Disney projects that in July they will have 27,500 guests at MK, 16,500 guests at Epcot, 11,000 guests at Hollywood Studios, and 16,500 guests at Animal Kingdom.

And this clearly explains to you that MK should close at 10?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

They may not have reduced the published hours, but let's be honest. MK hours are often extended in the summer based on crowds. Now that's impossible on these nights.

It's once a week. They still have the opportunity to extend hours something like 80% of the time.

FP+ isn't even open yet for many of these dates, so it's not like WDW could even select them based off of projections.

Wut? You think Disney only has projections out 60 days in advance? Disney has projections from now until 2027 at an absolute minimum.

 

[21stamps]

I think the argument here is similar to the halloween and christmas parties..... it doesn't necessarily impact the morning, but those tickets let people in to the parks earlier than the hard ticket event timing. Which, fine, whatever. But it could potentially mean more people than would normally be there will now be there for the last few hours of the day, making things like fireworks viewing spots where you can actually see the projections less available.

So if you already bought all your tickets and paid your room and booked your fastpasses and planned out your time, you could be impacted by larger, unexpected crowds during the latter part of your day.

But if you're going to Disney, you should be planning for crowds, so......

True, I just look at it like it actually balances out, because a lot of the night time event people won’t use a ticket during most of the day as well. So it takes away crowds in those hours.

I think most do, but I also think most notice when the same product they buy every year increases substantially in price.....

Of course people notice it. I’m taking a cruise the same week as I did last year.. priced 3 itineraries, all of them are within $200 of each other.. and all are nearly $1000 more than last year between higher rates, higher gratuities, and higher restaurant prices. Even the exact same ship and itinerary that I took in 2017.

So I could cry over spilled milk.. or I just decide to go or not go.

Do you see what I’m saying at all? Last year’s price is not this year’s price in anything that you buy.. the only thing left to do is determine if you still WANT to do it. That’s it, that’s all that matters in the end.
If you Don’t Want to do it- again thats ok too!

Make decisions that are best for you, but understand that a business is a business, and they will keep raising prices as long as their product is in demand. It is not an Evil Attack on you, it’s not something that they Take Away from You.. pricing/events/hours is their decisions to make, and theirs alone. They do not owe you the past.

 

[DryerLintFan]

As I stated, they do. But they also notice when they get less for more, or more for the same.

And you are right, people can choose to stop buying something that hits a threshold.

But, they are also free to point it out......

Unless I missed that, and you can't point it out. Only choice is stop buying, but not stop buying plus point it out. Or certainly not keep buying, but point it out. Just stop buying, got it....I'll see if I can get on that. Or, perhaps your "advice" has reached my threshold, so I'm not buying it

Oh, no! Point it out to your hearts content!! Raise your voice, even, because enough voices raised in unison could make a difference.

I buy farm fresh eggs. I think they taste worlds above supermarket eggs. I cannot eat a supermarket egg any more. But when I see that the supermarket eggs are 59 cents a dozen and I'm paying $4 a dozen, I cringe a little bit. I point it out. But I don't go to my farm fresh egg people and demand that they lower their prices. I feel like what I'm getting is worth the extra cost.

Something like a vacation that you've always gone on every year having the price increase and quality decrease, I wouldn't feel the same way as I do about my eggs. It would devalue the vacation for me. So I totally get what you're saying and agree, but I also feel like once something hits your threshold you need to stop buying it. My eggs will likely never hit that threshold for me, but Disney...... who knows.