Price hike coming 10/9

Andrew25

Well-Known Member
So let me ask y'all this:

Acknowledging that Disney is going to prioritize shareholders and make decisions that help the bottom line more than the guest experience, what do you think Disney should do that would allow them to lower costs (or keep them where they are for years), but still earn higher ROI for their stock price?
Capacity improvement & reduce the complexity of visiting (mainly only sell the Premier Access pass). Both of these need to happen simultaneously.

Increase attraction capacity with attractions people want to experience. (Which unfortunately includes replacing/updating experiences likes China 360/Walt Disney Presents/etc.)

An increase in park capacity, would help reduce (or stabilize) attraction wait-times that would reduce some of the headache around planning and not being able to do everything you wanted.

As for ROI, I'm not entirely against them adding new ways to charge, as long as it doesn't impact the standard guest experience. Which means, I'm fine with dessert parties as long as they don't take away seating from regular paying guests.

A few examples to reduce costs, increase profits and still improve the guest experience:

MK: Relocate Egg Rolls to the Tortuga Tavern and offer specialty beverages along with them. Will help provide the Egg Roll cart with a better location to service all those guests and remove the need to operate both locations... very few people dine at Tortuga.
EP: Open Epcot at 10AM and run the park to 10PM. Keep the same amount of operating hours, but shift closing time an hour later so that locals can visit more often, not just on weekends. Possibly offer a cheaper "After 6PM" ticket to guests arriving that day.
DHS: I've always thought that Disney could expand the Fantasmic theater so that they only run one show a night but provide additional seating for guests. Most nights, the 2nd show maybe generates 2/5 of the theater's capacity, so just add an additional 2.5K seats in the upper level.

I think these smaller improvements over time can deliver great guest experience and profits.
 

LSLS

Well-Known Member
So let me ask y'all this:

Acknowledging that Disney is going to prioritize shareholders and make decisions that help the bottom line more than the guest experience, what do you think Disney should do that would allow them to lower costs (or keep them where they are for years), but still earn higher ROI for their stock price?
I think there is a problem is short term, I don't really know (other than having more stuff, so you can have more people comfortably), I'd have to really think on it. But, I think by thinking on the short term returns, you are potentially really hurting the long term. I know we have heard for years "What's another $5 on $80 tickets," "Is a dollar raise on ice cream bars is not the breaking point for people." But what you've seen is that the $1 price raise that 6 month period wasn't a break point, but the 30% raise over the course of a year to a year and a half since people had returned along with longer lines for everything IS that point. So, the revenues flatlining/dropping some at WDW the past year is a culmination of all the other emphasis on short-term quarterly gains. I think the only way you can get away with all the raising the prices the rates they have is to up your quality, and you've kind of seen the opposite (if you can get away with it). The parks aren't nearly as pristine as they were 20 years ago. The lines are as long or longer than they were 8 years ago. All this while costs for everything have FAR outpaced any sort of supply chain or inflation issues. All this from a total outsider, so I could be way off, just how I know I personally feel on it.
 

Andrew25

Well-Known Member
Does anybody have the new AP renew rates? I know they are usually 15% but sometimes they'll increase/decrease a bit more than that.
 

gerarar

Premium Member
DHS: I've always thought that Disney could expand the Fantasmic theater so that they only run one show a night but provide additional seating for guests. Most nights, the 2nd show maybe generates 2/5 of the theater's capacity, so just add an additional 2.5K seats in the upper level.
I don't think adding additional seating would do much. Even on nights with only one showing, the last sections on the left and right only barely fill up while guests still trickle in after the show starts.
The only time the first show ever really fills up are on peak days, which are like a couple times a month anyways. Standing room section is never used anymore afaik.

Clearly internal data shows that having a 2nd show on busy or slow days is good and boosts revenue across merch, food, etc. Plus I would hate to lose a second show. Love doing double F! nights with some rides in between.
 

roj2323

Well-Known Member
I don't think adding additional seating would do much. Even on nights with only one showing, the last sections on the left and right only barely fill up while guests still trickle in after the show starts.
The only time the first show ever really fills up are on peak days, which are like a couple times a month anyways. Standing room section is never used anymore afaik.

Clearly internal data shows that having a 2nd show on busy or slow days is good and boosts revenue across merch, food, etc. Plus I would hate to lose a second show. Love doing double F! nights with some rides in between.
Having worked Fantasmic enough to have lost count, I can attest to the show maxing out on capacity any time there's a single showing. That said, while the theater is technically expandable, the reality is they are already pushing the limits on the ability for the theater to empty safely & efficiently and the amount of work it would take to add additional points of egress make it not really practical without major park changes.
 

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
I'm told Bob has an extra spring in his step this morning.

Savages! - Governor Ratcliffe Likely Concept - Hero Concepts - Disney ...
 

monothingie

Nakatomi Plaza Christmas Eve 1988. Never Forget.
Premium Member
IMO it's a bad way to do business. Doing what they are doing is pushing away their most loyal fans. I'm not so sure that a better economy is going to draw them back.
It’s not only their loyal fans. It’s the casual guest or the family on the fence about going who’s been pushed away because of the bad rep and word of mouth Disney has gotten for their antics. The loyal guests complain but eventually return, maybe not as frequently, but they do. The normies won’t come back or won’t go to begin with, and that’s a major problem.

The major problem is that the parks and cruise line funds the rest of the company. The rest of the company is a not doing great right now. Which puts more pressure on the parks to bail them out, which means more revenue enhancement initiatives.

What a vicious cycle this creates.
 

jeanericuser001

Well-Known Member
Meanwhile Busch Gardens is $79.99 for a single day ticket with no discounts. Tell me again why Disney is worth $200 a day?
They are also opening up deals on a consistent basis where you can get tickets for as cheap as $35 or fun cards that allow you to get the rest of the year as well as next year. That is not even close to the crazy deals they offer during black friday. Those deals especially for passholders can be pretty insane. Im already looking forward to the reduced price on animal tours. I swear though if they bring back all seasons dining I may just have a coronary.

I suspect disney is trying to raise prices to compensate for the shortfall in revenue as people gravitate to epic universe instead of disney. Its similar to what happened when islands of adventure opened up.
 

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