Spirited News & Observations II -- NGE/Baxter

[71jason]

?? What is a magic season ticket?

I'm not aware of any tickets Disney sells today that are transferable

LOL, sorry, a season ticket to Orlando Magic games. Didn't mean anything Disney! Should've gone with the Dolphins. It's pretty standard in sports that if you aren't using your tickets, somebody else can--I've had a couple friends offer me Solar Bear tickets this season. But yeah, that's not theme park tickets.

 

[flynnibus]

LOL, sorry, a season ticket to Orlando Magic games. Didn't mean anything Disney! Should've gone with the Dolphins. It's pretty standard in sports that if you aren't using your tickets, somebody else can--I've had a couple friends offer me Solar Bear tickets this season. But yeah, that's not theme park tickets.

Slightly different.. in the traditional sense a season ticket holder doesn't have one ticket that works for all games.. but rather gets tickets for all the games they bought. So each ticket can be resold/transferred individually without impacting the relationship of the season ticket holder itself. As a season ticket holder.. I still get 40 individual tickets, etc. A 'season ticket' isn't a ticket in this sense.. but rather an agreement to bulk buy a bunch of tickets and associated perks of the relationship. It's more about a agreement/relationship between the team and buyer.. that includes buying tickets.

Contrast that with an theme park AP - which is a single 'ticket', that is able to be used more than once.

The change here in the proposed law is just about changing the default condition.. what must be disclaimed to the consumer. They want to make it so the ticket itself doesn't have to say the multiday ticket isn't transferable.. but that non-transferable is the default unless they say otherwise. A common sense position most people accept anyways.

 

[scpergj]

Slightly different.. in the traditional sense a season ticket holder doesn't have one ticket that works for all games.. but rather gets tickets for all the games they bought. So each ticket can be resold/transferred individually without impacting the relationship of the season ticket holder itself. As a season ticket holder.. I still get 40 individual tickets, etc. A 'season ticket' isn't a ticket in this sense.. but rather an agreement to bulk buy a bunch of tickets and associated perks of the relationship. It's more about a agreement/relationship between the team and buyer.. that includes buying tickets.

Contrast that with an theme park AP - which is a single 'ticket', that is able to be used more than once.

The change here in the proposed law is just about changing the default condition.. what must be disclaimed to the consumer. They want to make it so the ticket itself doesn't have to say the multiday ticket isn't transferable.. but that is the default unless they say otherwise. A common sense position most people accept anyways.

Yeah, that is the way it works with Jacksonville Jaguar tickets - you get individual tickets for each seat at each game.

 

[flynnibus]

Yeah, that is the way it works with Jacksonville Jaguar tickets - you get individual tickets for each seat at each game.

Yeah, most professional sports setup is that way to my knowledge. But some are moving to 'token' based systems for season ticket holders.. for perks and even tickets. I assume for ticket resale.. they must allow doing something like transfering your right for a game to a physical or e-ticket that can be resold or transferred.

Teams are very well aware most season ticket holders share their tickets to justify the expense

 

[luv]

I don't think "social media" is as important as Disney seems to think it is. For whatever that is worth.

 

[Rodan75]

Social Media is important, but it appears their social media consultants are pretty crappy.

 

[WDW1974]

I think the DPB has as much to do with having an honest dialog with fans as MM+ has to do with making vacations more MAGICAL.

Well, they went in the toilet last week. Blondie took the trip ... now she never once mentioned restrooms or toilets, but she had a blog post about the new crappers with lots of pics. She referred to the area as a rest area. Those are great if you're driving along I-95 and need to empty your bladder, but she isn't fooling anyone. The DPB did a post on freaking toilets because they haven't got anything better to write about. Sad.

 

[WDW1974]

A bit of NGE news I haven't seen elsewhere, but probably not worthy of its own thread:

Starting in May, maingates (the comp passes Cast Members get) will no longer be printed at the ticket gate. Instead, each CM will get a plastic RFID ticket for each maingate they have, as well as their "maingate card." At the ticket gate, tap your "maingate card," then tap your "maingate #1" ticket to activate it for the day, then "maingate #2", etc.

The kicker is the maingate tickets are permanent. If you lose them, you'll get fined (I assume the price of a one-day ticket). This means CMs are far more likely to loan their maingate only to people they know well enough to get the tickets back at the end of the day. Mom and dad? Sure. Your roommate's cousin's parents? Probably not. WDW has been cracking down on CMs effectively selling admission for a while now, but I think this RFID-enabled plan might be the most effective way yet.

Thanks for the info. Heard this, but haven't had a chance to post.

I certainly agree with your thoughts. I'm wondering if they'll still be using the biometrics too or will they stop? I am still stupid enough to pay for AP (31 years and counting) while my family long since gave up. My family and other close friends are always comped/walked in by some truly wonderful friends of mine, so this won't affect them.

But I am sure that Disney is looking to also intimidate some younger CMs who might be bartering and using the tix as currency with 'friends of friends' or 'my neighbor's cousin's daughter and her family' ...

It also makes thing more complicated for those guests. They now have to make arrangements to return those tickets to the CM either later that day or soon after.

 

[WDW1974]

http://variety.com/2013/biz/news/will-disneys-ceo-shuffle-stay-on-course-for-2015-1200328718/
According to this article Disney is trying to convince Iger to stick around with the company past 2015 to see Shanghi Disneyland and his Star Wars deal come through

Actually, Bob is apparently having second thoughts -- not the Board -- as he thinks the fortunes of the company will just go higher with Marvel and Lucas, and he'd like to actually open the first Disney park on the Chinese Mainland.

So, he's been planting word around and having folks whsiper that Disney doesn't wish him to move on in 2015. This story was planted by Iger's people. As to SDL, while Iger will take the credit for it, Michael Eisner and Paul Pressler opened the door back in the late 90s.

 

[WDW1974]

Please No! I can't bear the thought of 1 more year with him as CEO let alone 4. Interesting to see that Variety apparently has a man crush on Tom Staggs.

All it will take is one major problem with P&R for Tom Staggs to lose the small cache of support he has for Iger's job. People want an outsider to run the company and I would be very surprised if that didn't happen.

 

[Rodan75]

Actually, Bob is apparently having second thoughts -- not the Board -- as he thinks the fortunes of the company will just go higher with Marvel and Lucas, and he'd like to actually open the first Disney park on the Chinese Mainland.

So, he's been planting word around and having folks whsiper that Disney doesn't wish him to move on in 2015. This story was planted by Iger's people. As to SDL, while Iger will take the credit for it, Michael Eisner and Paul Pressler opened the door back in the late 90s.

Honestly, the company could do a lot worse. Like him or not, he has been good for the company as a whole.

 

[WDW1974]

The problem is there is no place at WDW where Harry Potter merchandise is theme appropriate

Really? I think you could sell Potter merchandise at numerous locations at TPFKaTD-MGMS for starters ...

 

[WDW1974]

I got an interview.

I hope you sent George my best. I do hope to see him in the near future ... so much to catch up on ...

 

[WDW1974]

?? What is a magic season ticket?

I'm not aware of any tickets Disney sells today that are transferable

No, they're not. I am not exactly sure of the policy with comps though. I did have an UGLY incident about 5-6 years ago at DLR. I had four comps left for me, but two of the friends they were for couldn't go at last minute. I thought I'd make a little MAGIC of my own and hand them off to two strangers (see, the Spirit has a big heart ... too!) Well, I went up to a family of five who were in line for tickets and told them I had free tix and didn't need two of them and that I didn't want anything for them. The CM in the booth must have had cat-like eyes because she started screaming at me from inside the booth and totally freaked the family out who nervously declined.

I wasn't happy. ... I just moved out a bit from the booths and found a young couple and they graciously took the tickets and thanked me profusely. Since the tix were comped and in my name, I don't see how/why Disney could have any say on who actually used them beyond one for me.

(oh, and they were all dated -- only could be used that day!)

 

[WDW1974]

Another my magic+ app update today... Including an updated terms and conditions...

Yes, saw another five pages ... no energy or desire to read through it. Wanna give me the highlights in 200 words or less?

 

[WDW1974]

Merchandise was only one small example. One I witnessed on a daily basis at a ride I worked was how Maintenance would be denied entry into a ride to address show quality because Operations didn't want to lose ride count for an hour. Or how a dining facility can't sell the food they want because the people running the dining plan says food must remain below a certain expense to justify free dining. Or how Imagineering can't make the changes they want to a certain DHS icon because marketing is afraid of losing a profitable merchandise image. The different departments of WDW do so much catty in-fighting that they don't have a greater vision for what the resort should be doing.

Nothing to add. I just wanted to make sure people read your post!

 

[WDW1974]

Honestly, the company could do a lot worse. Like him or not, he has been good for the company as a whole.

Of course. It certainly could do worse. But it could also do better.

A lot of what he is doing is with smoke and mirrors and designed for short term gains. And let's not even start talking about his strategy for content in which Disney doesn't create, it acquires.

 

[flynnibus]

Yes, saw another five pages ... no energy or desire to read through it. Wanna give me the highlights in 200 words or less?

Tweaks more than anything.. but they put APs at the 60 day reservation window along with MYW explicitly..
Referring to advanced ordering at resturants as a FP+ experience..
More explicit references to ages throughout..
Said explicitly that the RFID cards are not read by the long range readers..
Defines 'vacation notifications' as a form of notice from the app to the guest people can control the preference for..

Those are the highlights

 

[WDW1974]

Tweaks more than anything.. but they put APs at the 60 day reservation window along with MYW explicitly..
Referring to advanced ordering at resturants as a FP+ experience..
More explicit references to ages throughout..
Said explicitly that the RFID cards are not read by the long range readers..
Defines 'vacation notifications' as a form of notice from the app to the guest people can control the preference for..

Those are the highlights

I can't see myself ever knowing what park I'm going to be in two months ahead (some of my trips are made on two weeks notice, some two days!) ... one would wonder if you can just make as many days ressies as you desire (just in case ... sorta like what many folks do for dining)?

Let's say I know I may be up there around May 20th. What prevents me from making ressies for nine days in a row ... just in case? And what happens if I make them and cancel them? Is there a limit to the number of days you can make them for? Do we know if you are limited to just one park yet (everything I have heard is yes to actually discourage park-hopping) per day?

Not even gonna touch the long range vs. short range deal again ... not now anyway.

 

[flynnibus]

I can't see myself ever knowing what park I'm going to be in two months ahead (some of my trips are made on two weeks notice, some two days!) ... one would wonder if you can just make as many days ressies as you desire (just in case ... sorta like what many folks do for dining)?

Let's say I know I may be up there around May 20th. What prevents me from making ressies for nine days in a row ... just in case? And what happens if I make them and cancel them?

Same issue that you have now with ADRs.. besides the ones with the $10 fee.. you can make all the ADRs you want without even requiring tickets.

I find it interesting that the pre-order stuff they have labeled as a FP+ experience.. are you going to give up a ride on Splash mountain so you can pre-order food? that doesn't sound attractive. Not sure why they have labeled that a FP+ experience.. and do I need that AND an ADR? almost leads to more questions then answers..

Is there a limit to the number of days you can make them for? Do we know if you are limited to just one park yet (everything I have heard is yes to actually discourage park-hopping) per day?

One park per day is still pretty clear in the ToS as a 'yes'. How much you can book is not addressed at all. There are plenty of models they can use here.. just have to see which way they go.