New Mid-Day Ticket Option

[Ravenclaw78]

How do you figure this is a price cut, their charging you $88 for 6 hours (12-6) in the park= per hour cost is $13/hour -- a 2 day park ticket is $107 per day for 9 hours(9-6) per day= $11.88/hour. All Disney has given you is the option of less time in the park and charging you their same going rate.

Because if you're planning on getting there after noon anyway, why pay for the whole day when you can pay for a half-day? It isn't intended to convince someone who would otherwise be at rope drop to show up at noon instead. This isn't calculus, folks.

 

[Horizons '83]

This is not just a Magic Kingdom ticket, nor is it only good on party days, which is all you've quoted. The other three parks are all open later (either 8, 9, or 10 p.m. in most cases), as is Magic Kingdom on non-party days.

Agreed.

If you plan it out accordingly, (buying a 4 day ticket) using September 3 through 6 as an example:

Epcot on Tuesday from 12PM to 11PM - 11 hours (Mid Day Ticket is $7.18 an hour, Regular Full day price is $8.92 an hour)
MK on Wednesday from 12PM to 12AM - 12 hours using EMH (Mid-Day Ticket is $6.58 an hour, Regular Full day price is $7.25 an hour)
HS on Thursday from 12PM to 10PM - 10 hours (Mid-Day Ticket is $7.90 an hour, Regular is $8.28 an hour)
AK on Friday from 12PM to to 9:30 PM - 9.5 hours in the park (Mid-Day Ticket is $8.32 an hour, Regular is $9.28 an hour)

Multiply that across a family of 4 and you can easily save a nice chunk of change. To argue that this couldn't save people money is flat out wrong. This deal isn't for everyone (including me because I like to rope drop and love the parks in the early AM) but it can certainly be of others.

 

[Tom P.]

You know there's a difference between white knighting for Disney and being a fan who can still be objectively critical right? You don't have to exclusively be the former to be able to call yourself a fan and if anything I'd consider said white knighters to be absolute suckers who probably get screwed on the regular by big corporations.

If they were actually being serious about this as an option, and not just doing it to avoid more bad press while trying to address the fact that attendance was down, they'd offer it as a one-day option too. Can confirm when I worked in ticket sales that half-day or afternoon-only tickets were a multiple-times-a-day inquiry. They'd make a killing selling the one option they still don't offer.

I understand what you are saying. My point is that there is a significant percentage of active posters on these boards who are, let's say, black knighters in that literally every single move Disney makes gets a negative reaction. That's what I am talking about. Of course there can be legitimate criticism. I've engaged in it myself. See the thread I personally started called "Insanity Pricing Officially Reached" regarding value resort pricing in 2020. But some people just seem to have a knee-jerk negative reaction to every single thing that makes me question if they actually even like Walt Disney World anymore.

 

[Flynnwriter]

Disney has lost their minds lately with ticket pricing. It’s really driving the public crazy. Go back to one price, one operating day, no special late night or early morning tickets. Basics Disney!

 

[KBLovedDisney]

Disney has lost their minds lately with ticket pricing. It’s really driving the public crazy. Go back to one price, one operating day, no special late night or early morning tickets. Basics Disney!

To Disney:

 

[MinnieWaffles]

Wailing! Gnashing of teeth! Just...don't buy this ticket then? I think it would work quite well for me if I couldn't get the UK Ultimates ticket, I like to sleep in. Plus you still get 3 fastpasses.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Would probably be a huge seller if offered for day-of-arrival instead of offering only multi-day options.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Not impressed with the pricing.

 

[Disney Analyst]

I always thought they should offer an evening ticket, valid after 5PM.

 

[Disone]

How devious of them, especially when the MK closes at 6PM 4 days/week till the end of December.

If true, 6pm closings at MK plus earlier then traditional park opening times could also be exactly why they're doing noon versus the more typical after 3 or 4 p.m. many other theme parks offer a discount on.

 

[larryz]

I always thought they should offer an evening ticket, valid after 5PM.

Yeah, that would work great on Hard Ticket Party nights... for them!

 

[danlb_2000]

I always thought they should offer an evening ticket, valid after 5PM.

They sometime do that for convention attendees.

 

[eddie104]

I understand what you are saying. My point is that there is a significant percentage of active posters on these boards who are, let's say, black knighters in that literally every single move Disney makes gets a negative reaction. That's what I am talking about. Of course there can be legitimate criticism. I've engaged in it myself. See the thread I personally started called "Insanity Pricing Officially Reached" regarding value resort pricing in 2020. But some people just seem to have a knee-jerk negative reaction to every single thing that makes me question if they actually even like Walt Disney World anymore.

You’re preaching to the choir.

 

[MrPromey]

Could this be in an attempt to spread the crowds out at opening in order to reduce staffing for: Busses, parking lot attendant, security and turnstiles?

Nope - this is a tact admission that they've hit the pricing wall on tickets.

We all know the least crowded time to be in the parks is in the morning but they can't offer "until noon" tickets because they have no way to get those people out of the parks.

Instead, they'll offer discount tickets for the time of day that is most crowded already because it is the easiest way for them to handle it, logistically.

This is a classic marketing technique to offer a discount without it being a "discount" by creating a "generic" product to offer at the lower price or by providing the same product, slightly feature crippled so that it can be sold at a lower price point.*



*an example of this is a Samsung TV I bought years ago at a Black Friday sale. It was the exact same model they made and sold for $300 more at retail but through software, had certain features dissabled. They did this because it was cheaper to to do with the assembly than create a totally new discounted product. Lucky for me, there was a hack to load the other model's firmware onto these and unlock the nonexistent features.

In this case, you won't be able to hack those morning hours into the tickets, I don't think.

 

[MrPromey]

This board never disappoints.

I saw this announcement and thought it was a great idea and would be a good way for my family to save some money without changing anything about the way we like to do the parks. I also immediately knew that if I came here and checked, this would be almost universally decried by the folks here. The most hardcore of Disney fans who hate literally everything Disney does.

Thanks, guys. Never change.

This will undoubtedly work out for some (possibly many) people.

That's the surface takeaway and for many, that's enough.

I think you might be confusing people considering Disney's motive for offering this with taking a negative attitude towards it being offered.

When in the last 20 years have you seen Disney make any moves intended to not take more money from guests?

Maybe this is the first of many moves by a new guest-friendly and less cynically minded management focused on providing guests greater value for their money and intended to improve overall guest experience.

... Or maybe they're just worried about light attendance?

Are we "hating" Disney if we think it's more likely to be the second reason?

Whatever the reason, if this works out for people, it's a win but of course, not raising prices so high to begin with would have had the same impact and spread the crowds more uniformly across the day.

 

[flynnibus]

Disney has completely abandoned the idea that your pricing should be simple to understand. They are just layering option after option now. This comes back to haunt companies when consumption of your product is not clear and digestable by your customers.

It's pretty absurd. If Disney wanted to be doing this 'based on guest demand' - they should have done it the other way around.. and sold tickets that leave early cheaper.. so people going on party days could be less screwed.

 

[flynnibus]

They sometime do that for convention attendees.

Its all the time... available through travel agents and the convention folks.

Used to be cheap.. like $40.. I think I paid more like $60+ last time. I believe they are over $70 now

 

[MrPromey]

Disney has completely abandoned the idea that your pricing should be simple to understand. They are just layering option after option now. This comes back to haunt companies when consumption of your product is not clear and digestable by your customers.

Not to say it's what Disney is doing but this reminds me of the confuseopoly. Yes, it creates a level of stress in customers because it causes them to second-guess and compare until the cows come home on things that are intentionally difficult to compare, often without ever being sure they got the best deal but it works in other industries so I guess why not here?

It's pretty absurd. If Disney wanted to be doing this 'based on guest demand' - they should have done it the other way around.. and sold tickets that leave early cheaper.. so people going on party days could be less screwed.

How would they know to shuffle those early guests out of the park, though? They do it for the parties by making everyone attending wear wrist bands that need to be cut off so they can identify non-party guests attempting to attend things after-hours but I can't imagine them trying to implement this as the norm for all normal day-guests.

Just imagine "First they want my fingerprint. Then I have to wear this one bracelet.. Now I have to wear ANOTHER bracelet!". Yeah, that wouldn't go over and unless they required a ticket scan for every guest entering every attraction (along with the delays and confusion it casues as witnessed on the fast-pass side daily) that's the only way they could do it.

 

[flynnibus]

Not to say it's what Disney is doing but this reminds me of the confuseopoly. Yes, it creates a level of stress in customers because it causes them to second-guess and compare until the cows come home on things that are intentionally difficult to compare, often without ever being sure they got the best deal but it works in other industries so I guess why not here?

It's most frequently used by companies to make comparisons less easy.. and/or to make consumers more reliant on pushy sales people whose sales pitches become harder and harder to analyze for best value. It's intentional obfuscation to be able to upsell or sell customers on deals that aren't necessarily the best deal. It's sleazy.

And other times its done by companies that just get caught up in trying to make permutations to fit all kinds of ideas or buyers.. and all they do it confuse customers and ultimately risk running them off when they get frustrated by either the effort needed, or because they aren't getting the packages they feel fit them best. Basically.. it's a failure of product marketing to keep themselves in check and usually results in poorer customer satisfaction. "I need a decoder ring to figure out how to buy this" is not the state you want to be in.

How would they know to shuffle those early guests out of the park, though? They do it for the parties by making everyone attending wear wrist bands that need to be cut off so they can identify non-party guests attempting to attend things after-hours but I can't imagine them trying to implement this as the norm for all normal day-guests.

I'm not really suggesting they do it but rather point out that if it were really about 'customer need' or satisfaction.. they'd be focusing on solving THAT problem... not really 'late risers'. The idea of a half-day ticket is nothing new and used by the company for decades to try to lure locals in to world showcase, etc... but the point of those tickets and their price is to be big discount, limited application... much like the convention tickets.

Offering ~20% off to show up just a little later in the morning isn't really customer focused no matter how people try to spin it. It's Disney teasing different price points to see what people would do if offered a cheaper price. What are they willing to give up?

Just imagine "First they want my fingerprint. Then I have to wear this one bracelet.. Now I have to wear ANOTHER bracelet!". Yeah, that wouldn't go over and unless they required a ticket scan for every guest entering every attraction (along with the delays and confusion it casues as witnessed on the fast-pass side daily) that's the only way they could do it.
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[Admiral01]

We are rarely in the parks before noon. This is a fascinating option that we may very well take advantage of.