No Expiration Tix Need To Be Across The Board

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Ok here is the thing, throw out all the talk about the way they have done business the last 10 years talk. They are in an unprecedented bind right now, how many tickets are they selling right now? Probably next to zero.
But, if you tell the public, right now through say June 1 you can buy a non park hopper ticket, 1 to 7 days with no expiration date, or even 3 to 5 year expiration date, they will be selling tickets tomorrow like hot cakes, and that is money in the company that they otherwise don't have. It also ensures future trips are booked, and if they aren't well they got your money anyway. They could make the purchase tied to a specific name so they aren't resold in anyway.
Remember ticket prices have raised because the crowds have made it feasible to do.

You’re assuming the public will be a hard sell...and I do not.

I’ve just observed a shift in the clientele since Bob starting telling them they’re “luxurious”.

The Eisner marketing strategy - believe it or not - was to foster the repeat business by kissing a little butt.

In some weird paradigm shift - it’s been the opposite since. We now have to “earn” our spots by gobbling up these large scale package programs and “exclusives” upsells...

All meant to generate massive, guaranteed upfront revenue.

If travelers stay away and they have to adjust to a recession...I agree with you and my stance is null and void.

But I’ll have to see it. I don’t trust the overspending consumer culture right now.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

You’re assuming the public will be a hard sell...and I do not.

I’ve just observed a shift in the clientele since Bob starting telling them they’re “luxurious”.

The Eisner marketing strategy - believe it or not - was to foster the repeat business by kissing a little butt.

In some weird paradigm shift - it’s been the opposite since. We now have to “earn” our spots by gobbling up these large scale package programs and “exclusives” upsells...

All meant to generate massive, guaranteed upfront revenue.

If travelers stay away and they have to adjust to a recession...I agree with you and my stance is null and void.

But I’ll have to see it. I don’t trust the overspending consumer culture right now.

Oh I agree, it's been pay more for less at WDW for years. I remember being in MK till 1 or 2 AM with extra magic hours on a random June night. That never happens
You though are assuming its opening soon...if it's another 3 to six months, cash in their hands will be needed to get them through the year.

 

[UNCgolf]

But as to no expiration tickets...not only because they loathe the idea...because they were “appalled” at the idea that someone who paid $47 per day on a park hopper plus in 2002 could enter the stagnant $103 Epcot in 2015...

Yep. I saved a ton of money on a trip in 2018 because I already had a 4 day park hopper from 2011 -- had one day left on a no expiration ticket and added 3 additional days at checkout. I think the cost of adding those 3 days was about the same as buying a one day park hopper in 2018.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Oh I agree, it's been pay more for less at WDE for years. I remember being in MK till 1 or 2 AM with extra magic hours on a random June night. That never happens
You though are assuming its opening soon...if it's another 3 to six months, cash in their hands will be needed to get them through the year.

I don’t believe they are opening soon. I don’t really see how they can run the complexes they built under such restrictions.

 

[Brad Bishop]

I'd also remind folks that APs are "filler", meaning that when people are lining up at the gate screaming, "TAKE MY MONEY!!," APs are typically swept by the wayside and when they're having a hard time drawing a crowd they're courted. Of course, they pushed those people off with huge increases in the last few years which could be a problem but when the park opens again, with whatever conditions, I suspect that they'll court the APs.

They may be in a bind with this one, too, and as @Sirwalterraleigh pointed out, they haven't been out to make customers (I think "guests" is long gone) feel special in a long time and have been focusing on, "How do we pry another nickel out of their pocket???", so I think it's going to be a tough sell going forward.

Also, I bet there are those in management that are so used to the ease of raising prices 2-3 times a year that they'll continue that trend and show, on paper, how much more money they can generate -especially- in these trying times! I don't think they think in terms of "reality" but in terms of spreadsheets.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I'd also remind folks that APs are "filler", meaning that when people are lining up at the gate screaming, "TAKE MY MONEY!!," APs are typically swept by the wayside and when they're having a hard time drawing a crowd they're courted. Of course, they pushed those people off with huge increases in the last few years which could be a problem but when the park opens again, with whatever conditions, I suspect that they'll court the APs.

They may be in a bind with this one, too, and as @Sirwalterraleigh pointed out, they haven't been out to make customers (I think "guests" is long gone) feel special in a long time and have been focusing on, "How do we pry another nickel out of their pocket???", so I think it's going to be a tough sell going forward.

Also, I bet there are those in management that are so used to the ease of raising prices 2-3 times a year that they'll continue that trend and show, on paper, how much more money they can generate -especially- in these trying times! I don't think they think in terms of "reality" but in terms of spreadsheets.

This is the important part...the shift has been to “mining” out the crops. That is a paradigm shift since the Eisner days. It quite possibly was the end game (snap your fingers)...but it’s still a big difference.

 

[erstwo]

If you are turned away before the turnstile then it doesn't matter what the expiry of remaining days are on the ticket if you never got to use it in the first place!

To my understanding - this only applies if you've never yet gone through the turnstiles on your trip. For example: I have a 10 day park ticket. I go to the Magic Kingdom the first day, use my ticket (thus starting the 14 day window in which I can use my ticket) and pass the temperature test and enter the park. I go to Epcot on the second day and pass the temperature test and enter the park.....and so on for 5 days. On the 6th day I can't get in because I now have a temperature (let's say I've developed a sinus infection after sneezing with allergies for the last 5 days and now I have a temperature or I got the flu or whatever....) And I can't get my temperature down and now I can't enter the parks and use my last 4 days on my park ticket. I have to head home - no more time off work. If WDW doesn't make my tickets 'never expire' or give me longer than the current 14 day window then those last 4 days of park tickets I paid for are wasted/ lost.

If they turn people away, they really need to provide a refund to the entire party.

But this becomes some very tricky math - very quickly. Using the 10 day ticket example above - the way the current pricing works, the more days you buy, the less you pay. So let's say I have a 10 day ticket but then I'm unable to pass the temperature test to enter the parks my last 4 days. Currently, I'd pay roughly $100 for the first day of my ticket, $100 for the second day, $90 for the third day, and then let's say $75 per day after that. (these are made up/ example numbers)

Does Disney refund me at a rate of $75 per day? At an average of cost per day ($81.50 in this example)? Do they refund me based on what I consider to be the value of the tickets? Because to me - those tickets I would have used on days 6-10 have a much higher value than $81.50 because if I want to come back at a later date and have to buy new tickets with my refund money - I'll be forced to start at the top of the pricing structure all over again - meaning the new tickets will cost me $100 for the first day, $100 for the second, and so on ($91.25 per day.)

As suggested above - Wouldn't it just be easier to give everyone an extended grace period - say 2 years to use their tickets? Instead of 14 days?

I also wonder - what if I don't pass the temperature test but my daughter does - am I entitled to a refund for her tickets? She's old enough to be in the parks alone now, but young enough she'd never want to go by herself. Again, it seems easier to just give a longer grace period or expiration date for the tickets they sell going forward.

 

[Jon81uk]

To my understanding - this only applies if you've never yet gone through the turnstiles on your trip. For example: I have a 10 day park ticket. I go to the Magic Kingdom the first day, use my ticket (thus starting the 14 day window in which I can use my ticket) and pass the temperature test and enter the park. I go to Epcot on the second day and pass the temperature test and enter the park.....and so on for 5 days. On the 6th day I can't get in because I now have a temperature (let's say I've developed a sinus infection after sneezing with allergies for the last 5 days and now I have a temperature or I got the flu or whatever....) And I can't get my temperature down and now I can't enter the parks and use my last 4 days on my park ticket. I have to head home - no more time off work. If WDW doesn't make my tickets 'never expire' or give me longer than the current 14 day window then those last 4 days of park tickets I paid for are wasted/ lost.

Yes so in your example if you became sick during the trip, it also highlights how bad temp checks are for limiting Covid spread, as you many have been asymptomatic for a few days and spreading the virus.
Basically doing this isn't really helpful to limiting Covid spread.

But yes you should get a refund on those unused tickets if they did turn you away. Same as I would expect for any reason someone is turned away from the park if it isn't their fault.
and a refund is easier than playing around with expiry dates. What if someone can't afford the flight cost to travel again in a few years? Or they lose the tickets? A refund removes a lot of risk. Just give out the proportion of unused days (so if refused admission on day 6 of a 10 day ticket, five days are used so you get 50% of the ticket back).

 

[Brad Bishop]

I also wonder if they'll run into a problem selling the park 2-3 times a day after this. They're pretty used to that income. You can do that when you have people lining up screaming TAKE MY MONEY! It's harder to do that when they've been out of work for months because they can't legally work and suddenly this all looks very expensive.

I still think that if they just charged by the minute that a lot of this stuff would just work itself out. You'd walk in, think, "Nope - too crowded. I don't feel comfortable," and then just turn around and leave. You don't have to try to get the value from your part-day ticket.

 

[Shouldigo12]

Missing my point, if I am turned away, because my temp is reading 100 that day not because of capacity issues. But while we are on the subject lso...haven't some of those tix been sold long before the restrictions? How does a park hopper work, they sold 10k tickets but they are not park specific .

If they have to limit the amount of people in each park (assuming more than one park is open at a time at first), then I'm guessing they won't be doing park hoppers.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

If they have to limit the amount of people in each park (assuming more than one park is open at a time at first), then I'm guessing they won't be doing park hoppers.

Exactly, the tickets they have already sold are not really applicable if they are going to be doing all these restrictions.

 

[RollerCoaster]

When WDW reopens, many are saying temperature tests maybe even a COVID test will be required before being admitted. If this is the case and people will be turned away, seems to me Disney should consider making all tickets have no date restrictions and at least a year or two of Expiration.

When Disney reopens tickets will be date specific and if you're not admitted you'll be given a refund. How does that sound?

Tickets have to be date specific or else they won't be able to control attendance. Once they don't have to control attendance then things can revert back to the way they were. Annual passholders better be prepared for no or very restricted access. There are many reasons why monthly payments were suspended and refunds are being offered.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

When Disney reopens tickets will be date specific and if you're not admitted you'll be given a refund. How does that sound?

Tickets have to be date specific or else they won't be able to control attendance. Once they don't have to control attendance then things can revert back to the way they were. Annual passholders better be prepared for no or very restricted access. There are many reasons why monthly payments were suspended and refunds are being offered.

If I travelled a few thousand miles and was spending $500 a night at a Disney hotel? Just getting park ticket refunds sounds pretty bad to me.

 

[BASS]

I can't fathom Disney registering guest's temperatures. Think of all the costs, the delays at front gate, and the additional manpower necessary to gather that information. And then, as others have mentioned, if you are asymptomatic, you can still be a carrier regardless whether you measure a temperature or not. Why would Disney invest millions (or billions?) into a solution that isn't really much of a solution at all? It's lipstick on a pig.

 

[RollerCoaster]

If I travelled a few thousand miles and was spending $500 a night at a Disney hotel? Just getting park ticket refunds sounds pretty bad to me.

I highly doubt you will get your hotel and travel refunded. You're being ridiculous!

 

[Club Cooloholic]

I highly doubt you will get your hotel and travel refunded. You're being ridiculous!

Who said you should do that? What I am saying is convert all tix to no expiration, right now if I have a dated ticket Disney is compelling me to go use it by that date or be out of luck, but now youer saying I travel and all that just to be turned back at the gate and given a refund?
And you asked how I would feel...in this situation, how would you feel?

 

[BASS]

Who said you should do that? What I am saying is convert all tix to no expiration, right now if I have a dated ticket Disney is compelling me to go use it by that date or be out of luck, but now youer saying I travel and all that just to be turned back at the gate and given a refund?
And you asked how I would feel...in this situation, how would you feel?

I'm not singling you out, but in the scenario you posed above, if Disney were to offer refunds for travel expenses, where do you think that money would come from? Ticket prices would get hiked, and then folks would be complaining about that. Same goes for the no expiration pass. As a poster mentioned above, Disney loses if you can purchase a pass at standard price and horde it as an asset for several years.

I think there has to be a solution, but this ain't it IMO.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I highly doubt you will get your hotel and travel refunded. You're being ridiculous!

Then I HIGHLY doubt you’ll be denied entry to a themepark you have a date stamped ticket for...

“Highly”

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I'm not singling you out, but in the scenario you posed above, if Disney were to offer refunds for travel expenses, where do you think that money would come from? Ticket prices would get hiked, and then folks would be complaining about that. Same goes for the no expiration pass. As a poster mentioned above, Disney loses if you can purchase a pass at standard price and horde it as an asset for several years.

I think there has to be a solution, but this ain't it IMO.

They can’t offer refunds...which means they’ll let you in...which means they can’t operate from a liability standpoint until there is little risk in that.

 

[RollerCoaster]

Who said you should do that? What I am saying is convert all tix to no expiration, right now if I have a dated ticket Disney is compelling me to go use it by that date or be out of luck, but now you're saying I travel and all that just to be turned back at the gate and given a refund?
And you asked how I would feel...in this situation, how would you feel?

It was implied by your response.

You can't control crowds with tickets that are not date specific. No expiration tickets are not date specific.

Also, right now if you have a date-specific ticket and you don't use it you can apply the value (amount paid) towards the purchase of a new ticket for another time. Disney hasn't been giving refunds for unused tickets, but you don't forfeit the money you paid. It's a credit that can be used to purchase new tickets.