willtravel
Well-Known Member
Yep, sounds like MSNBC and CNN propaganda to me.Sounds like Fox News propaganda
Yep, sounds like MSNBC and CNN propaganda to me.Sounds like Fox News propaganda
All TV news is produced by the "drive-by media" for the "low information voters".Yep, sounds like MSNBC and CNN propaganda to me.
You mean the point where we've maxed out the number of Disney fans willing to shell out $7k for a week at Disney? (Thats the number circulated I've heard that it costs, including transportation for a family of 4 to come here)
I think we've reached that point.
Oh, they have...
That's the reason behind enabling/forcing all guests to manage their entire vacation through MM+, booking all their meals and fastpasses months in advance, planning everything down to the last second. It's a virtual ball and chain to keep people on property.
That pendulum swings both ways.Agreed. We don't spend enough on merchandise, Photopass and character meals.
The only adults they want are with conventions. That's where the money is.
CityWalk's club district upstairs is off-limits to under 21 after round 9pm.Again, short term quarterly profits over long term strategy. Should have put the turnstyles back up at PI and not tried to copy citywalk.
Heading to WDW at the end of September. Me, SIL, and another brother's 12 year old son.We should have reached that point a long time ago. How many of the people shelling out $7K can really afford it? What percentage throw it on a credit card and forget about it? I fully agree that $7K is insane for a 1 week vacation, but people still keep coming back. Room occupancy numbers haven't fallen off significantly and still hover around 80%. Sure, they play with the numbers by taking inventory offline or offering deep discounts on blocks of rooms, but people are still for the most part paying the prices. I really think this is what contributed to the whole NextGen mentality of get more cash from the guests you have. They keep jacking up prices on everything and people keep paying it.
NextGen easily could blow up in corporate Disney's face; that's why the recent low participation rate in FP+ prebookings has scared "Team MyMagic+".Thought for future discussion...what is the possibility that the public could reach saturation point and this whole thing completely blow out on them. What if it has the opposite affect. Isn't that possible? Just for an example, I have nothing to back this up other then what I think, there are more people that stay offsite then onsite. (just thinking about numbers in parks as opposed to numbers of rooms available on site) Couldn't that cause more to stay offsite due to mind boggling planning requirements then not. Even if they offered more perks to those onsite, isn't there a point of diminishing returns for customers just as well as there is for providers?
NextGen easily could blow up in corporate Disney's face; that's why the recent low participation rate in FP+ prebookings has scared "Team MyMagic+".
The NextGen initiative was conceived at a time when Universal was something of a joke, when Universal offered little real competition. Essentially, WDW was a monopoly in Orlando and could operate as such. That meant Disney executives could conceive an elaborate strategy to generate much higher prices with little fear of repercussions.
That changed in 2010 with the opening of WWOHP. Suddenly, it was Universal with the buzz. New tourists were flocking into Orlando, not with WDW as a primary destination but with Harry Potter on the brain. Suddenly Disney's monopolistic price discrimination strategy didn't look so good. If threatened with higher prices, Orlando tourists might actually take their vacation dollars elsewhere. But when you've already invested several hundred million into a program, you try to convince yourself that competition is transitory; just a flash in the pan. You arrogantly move forward with your plans because, well, you're Disney!
However, instead of being a momentary bump in the road, Universal has turned into real competition, especially with anyone over 54" tall. Uni keeps investing in brick-and-mortar attractions while WDW plays around with a system requiring "guests" to study an encyclopedia and book their "experiences" 60 days in advance.
With Diagon Alley rolling out next summer, there's a good chance that the entire NextGen initiative could blow up in Disney's face. If Disney tries to move forward with its original plans of truly aggressive price increases (as reported some time ago by The Spirit), then there's an excellent chance a large percentage of WDW's "guests" could take their vacation dollars up the road to Universal.
More and more, it's looking like corporate Disney's plans to charge "whatever the market will bear" will blow up in their faces. The expanded revenue stream that was supposed to result from the NextGen initiative is already drying up and the program hasn't even officially started yet.
My teenagers will have a choice between experiencing some really cool new attractions at Universal or booking their rides on Space Mountain 60 days in advance. What do you think they will choose?
BREAKING NEWS FROM D23!
WDW Jungle Cruise is getting a major refurb and re-named "The Jungle Crate Cruise"
Star Tours getting a new profile and name change to "Crate Tours"
AVATAR PLANS RELEASED! Guests will sit in a cubicle with memorabilia from a fake Pandora expedition.
Journey into Imagi-CRATEtion? Get ready! It's coming!
Oh...can't forget Mater and friends in Crateland. You will get to ride in real wooden crates pulled by characters from the film.
Crate Mountain...The Haunted Cratetion...Swiss Family Cratehouse...the list goes on...GOD I LOVE MAGIC!!!!!!!!
Or...if only we had a crowbar!D23: Crate Expectations
But take this as real world evidence NGE might not be idiot-proof enough yet.
NextGen easily could blow up in corporate Disney's face; that's why the recent low participation rate in FP+ prebookings has scared "Team MyMagic+".
The NextGen initiative was conceived at a time when Universal was something of a joke, when Universal offered little real competition. Essentially, WDW was a monopoly in Orlando and could operate as such. That meant Disney executives could devise an elaborate strategy to generate much higher prices with little fear of repercussions.
That changed in 2010 with the opening of WWOHP. Suddenly, it was Universal with the buzz. New tourists were flocking into Orlando, not with WDW as a primary destination but with Harry Potter on the brain. Suddenly Disney's monopolistic price discrimination strategy didn't look so good. If threatened with higher prices, Orlando tourists might actually take their vacation dollars elsewhere. But when you've already invested several hundred million into a program, you try to convince yourself that competition is transitory; just a flash in the pan. You arrogantly move forward with your plans because, well, you're Disney!
However, instead of being a momentary bump in the road, Universal has turned into real competition, especially with anyone over 54" tall. Uni keeps investing in brick-and-mortar attractions while WDW plays around with a system requiring "guests" to study an encyclopedia and book their "experiences" 60 days in advance.
With Diagon Alley rolling out next summer, there's a good chance that the entire NextGen initiative could blow up in Disney's face. If Disney tries to move forward with its original plans of truly aggressive price increases (as reported some time ago by The Spirit), then there's an excellent chance a large percentage of WDW's "guests" could take their vacation dollars up the road to Universal.
More and more, it's looking like corporate Disney's plans to charge "whatever the market will bear" will blow up in their faces. The expanded revenue stream that was supposed to result from the NextGen initiative is already drying up and the program hasn't even officially started yet.
My teenagers will have a choice between experiencing some really cool new attractions at Universal or booking their rides on Space Mountain 60 days in advance. What do you think they will choose?
New at DAK! Crateceous Trail.BREAKING NEWS FROM D23!
WDW Jungle Cruise is getting a major refurb and re-named "The Jungle Crate Cruise"
Star Tours getting a new profile and name change to "Crate Tours"
AVATAR PLANS RELEASED! Guests will sit in a cubicle with memorabilia from a fake Pandora expedition.
Journey into Imagi-CRATEtion? Get ready! It's coming!
Oh...can't forget Mater and friends in Crateland. You will get to ride in real wooden crates pulled by characters from the film.
Crate Mountain...The Haunted Cratetion...Swiss Family Cratehouse...the list goes on...GOD I LOVE MAGIC!!!!!!!!
It's not going to work for everyone though.
We planned our last holiday down to what we were doing each day, and we will be planning our next holiday down to the day as well.
This is how we are probably going to plan our 2014 Holiday (Nov/Dec 2014).
1 - SeaWorld - Only has 1 night that will have the entire Christmas Spectacular on, so will go then.
I did SeaWorld's Christmas celebration last year and thought it was great. The shows were top-notch, and the park really had a nice holiday vibe throughout.Best of all, everything is included with the cost of park admission, unlike some other holiday parties that we won't name here...
If you study the schedule beforehand, it's also possible to see every single show -- or close to it -- and fit in rides on all the major attractions. (The only show I skipped was the Sesame Street one.)
My only caveat would be to buy any holiday-related merchandise you see if you're interested in it, rather than assuming that you'll find it at other locations in the park later in the day. I only saw the Christmas celebration magnet and passholder pin on sale at the Polar Express/Wild Arctic store, and had to backtrack across the park at the end of the day when I couldn't find them anywhere else.
Heading to WDW at the end of September. Me, SIL, and another brother's 12 year old son.
9 nights/10 days at POP; with free quick service dining (paid to upgrade to regular dining); 10 day Park Hopper passes - $2860.
Direct return flights from Buffalo - just under $1200.
Rental Car - $160 + $40/gas
Breakfast for three at CRT - $160.
Approx. cost of water, Gatorade and snacks from Publix - <$40.
Table Service Tips - $150
Mousekeeping Tips - $50
That's approx. $3700 for 3 for 10 days. And tecnically, we really don't need to spend another cent.
That's getting up there, sure, but still doable for a once/year trip. We always go during Free Dining because that saves us a lot of money.
Heck, it costs $3000+ for Hubby and I to go to an all-inclusive Caribbean resort every February (for one week) and I seldom care for the food, and am a total non-drinker.
For me, WDW is still affordable and enjoyable. When it ceases to be either, I will stop going.
Thanks for the advice. We plan to study the show schedule for 2013 to get an idea of what it will be like in 2014.
Last time we were at SeaWorld was Labor Day Weekend 2011, so did the 14 hour stint that day as well - got to see all the animals, all the shows, and ride all the rides. I think the main issue is that it doesn't really start with the Christmas shows till 5pm, although I guess that THE POLAR EXPRESS Experience runs all day? Still gives 6 hours to try to fit everything in (O Wondrous Night, Sea of Trees, Shamu® Christmas... Miracles, A Sesame Street Christmas, Winter Wonderland on Ice, Holiday Reflections: Fireworks and Fountain Finale), although we will probably be skipping the Sesame Street show as well , so hopefully it will be possible.
If not, we could possibly look at the schedule for the Sunday, see what is on then, and then focus on the Saturday exclusives, and go back and do the rest on the next night, although we would prefer not to do this (extra cost on tickets, parking, etc.)
The "Shark's Underwater Grill Holiday Menu" also sounds interesting - do you have any idea what was on it?
Our days at Disney are jam packed. We hit the parks early, with a plan. We stay late, taking full advantage of EMH. We visit the other resorts, often for dining; but just as often for pleasure. Once per trip, we take the boat from DTD to POR, and walk around that beautiful resort.I definitely agree its doable for a lot less. I think the $7,000 number @PhotoDave219 was talking about is probably more of an average for a deluxe resort not during value season. Even with discounts or free dining a deluxe resort package for 4 for a week in the summer comes to $4,000 to $5,000 not including airfare or spending money.
I'm with you on it being doable for a once a year trip for some. I personally don't spend a lot on fancy clothes, electronics or cars (my Accord has 240,000+ miles and has been paid for for over 6 years now). Where I tend to spend more freely is on vacations. I don't fault others for spending on those other things, its just my preference so I don't think it's necessarily excessive to spend $3,700 on a vacation. $7,000 for a week at WDW seems excessive to me and I personally would not go into debt for a vacation. For me vacations are things you save for not things you pay off over the next 30 years. That's just me, and I know it isn't the American way so I'm probably the statistical outlier in the sample.
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