Spirited News, Observations & Thoughts IV

[englanddg]

ZOMG, they can see our room rates!

 

[TarzanRocked99-]

I've noticed you can now search for hotel reservations for the swan/dolphin from the main disney world home page. Has this always been like this?

That's always been the case as per the contracted agreement, but they do a damn good job tucking them away where no one can find them.

 

[MattM]

Right, but what I am trying to explain is that people already barely use cash in the parks - they are already using an alternate form of payment. And the Room Key charge has always been available, as well. They theory you are talking about is sound, but your application is missing the details that make it work.

The effect you are talking about has to do with using cash vs. non-cash forms of payment. It's not about exponentially the further you get away from the cash the effect increases to that degree - in order for that to begin to be true, you would have to start with people going from cash to bracelet, when in most cases they are going from credit card to bracelet, or even room key to bracelet (which would see minimal if not impact at that point).

And, in the end, people are still paying in dollars. What would make a big difference would be if, say, they used an entirely different currency system. Kind of like a "Free to Play Game" where you can pay dollars for a certain amount of in-game currency. If everything in game was labeled by dollar amount, people would spend less than if it costs "100 Smurfberries" - even though they bought the Smurfberries with cash and could figure out the exchange rate should they desire.

So if Disney made the bracelets have their own currency - say, "Disney Smiles" - and you loaded them up on the bracelet with cash, that would have the effect you are talking about. Say, you paid $100 for 25 Disney Smiles. When you went to Pecos Bills, a soda costs 1 Disney Smile, and a burger costs 2 Disney Smiles. Hey, 3 Disney Smiles for lunch! Great. Until you realize you just paid $12 for what you would have spent $10 on before.

In this case, people are already spending virtual money - and while I know we should never underestimate the stupidity of the average tourist - it's a big stretch to think that just because it's now a bracelet you swipe besides a card it's somehow going to markedly increase spending. And certainly not enough to justify a billion dollars. Not in a million years. People are dumb, but if you can afford to go to Disney I honestly think you can't be that stupid about money that somehow a bracelet makes you run around the parks spending huge sums more money than you would with your credit card or room key to begin with.

As an aside, it would be hilarious if not so tragic that what we have to talk about Disney's big recent investment is to what degree they can trick people into spending more on food and crap. We are arguing about what degree Disney can manipulate people into spending more money. You know how Universal did that? They built some amazing rides that made the place a world-wide destination for fans. And more are coming. That's how you REALLY increase spending - making people come from all over and live a once in a lifetime experience that makes you not care about the bill later. Not playing people for fools thinking that by paying with a novelty item bracelet over credit cards or room keys is going to bump up the bottom line enough so they can be lazy and not try to actually compete in bringing guests with spectacular experiences, just marginally easier ways to shop...

iTunes tap to purchase?

 

[luv]

Rip, Ride, Rockit is supposed to open again tomorrow.

 

[flynnibus]

Right, but what I am trying to explain is that people already barely use cash in the parks - they are already using an alternate form of payment. And the Room Key charge has always been available, as well. They theory you are talking about is sound, but your application is missing the details that make it work.

If you go back to what I originally replied to - it was the claim that people won't spend more than they originally had/planned to. That is what I was replying to... and doesn't matter that the band is just a new option on top of an existing credit or house system. The rest beyond that is just some other discussion you and others interjected.

And yes, I agree the delta between cash->credit will be much bigger than credit->something else. But just because you already offer a credit option that doesn't mean things are topped out and can not go any higher.

The band does offer elements of convenience above what was prior.. and the bump doesn't have to be 20% or some crazy number to have a big impact. Just raising things a few percentage points alone is huge.

And just because the KTTW option has been around - it doesn't mean everyone used the charge option. This is another option that may help encourage people to use the house charge privilege. Converting people to using the option alone is a gain vs people resisting the house charge privilege.

It's all about incremental bumps - When we are talking the types of dollars Disney is dealing with.. a little percentage is a big dollar amount.

And I doubt the full budget of this was ever promised to be made back in extra revenue. How do we know they didn't take a line like 'Listen, you're going to be spending 500million in the next 5 years just to keep your IT system limping along... instead.. why not spend 1 billion, and get a new platform that enables all these other things, including new revenue, new differentiators, new customer lock-ins, new customer analysis, etc, etc, etc'.

The 'they are spending X billion and getting what back' analysis thrown around on these threads is way to simpleton. Much of this is just 'cost of business' and they know that. The promises and expectations on what they get from it has to be far greater than a single idea that someone pitched 'magic bands will increase guest spending by 1 billion dollars'. People need to stop acting that stupid.

 

[TarzanRocked99-]

Right...as if they run top secret systems....

Try internal hotel and Starwood financials, thanks for playing though. The systems between the two companies don't talk now as is, which is why you can use Disney Dollars at Swan/Dolphin but not the Disney gift cards or KTTW cards.

 

[flynnibus]

Right...as if they run top secret systems....

Hrmm.. you don't think Disney would be interested in knowing what all the starwood properties were doing in Orlando in terms of rates, occupancy, etc?? Maybe those are the type of concerns people would be worried about.. seeing beyond the S&D...

 

[Captain Neo]

I have more of an issue with Disney becoming a real estate and hotel company and, therefore, adding timeshare to EVERY resort it can, than I do with removing a water feature.

They've removed so much from that resort as is. From shuttering Tangaroa Terrace to tooning up the dinner show to removing the fish from the entry waterfalls and the birds from inside to hacking down all the big trees on top of said water feature. So, I guess I am Ok with it depending on what replaces it.

Your dreaming if you think they will replace it with anything worthwhile. I'm willing to bet $100 that if they do tear out those waterfalls it will just be a walking area with a few sofas just like WL and AKL. The current Disney company is incapable of building anything nice and classy. The days of elegant and bold projects like Spaceship Earth, the Monorail systems, and world class architecture are long over.

 

[englanddg]

Hrmm.. you don't think Disney would be interested in knowing what all the starwood properties were doing in Orlando in terms of rates, occupancy, etc?? Maybe those are the type of concerns people would be worried about.. seeing beyond the S&D...

Yes, and you don't think Disney couldn't find out using a basic secret shopper program that costs far less than a few billion on bands?

 

[englanddg]

If Disney wants the "skivvy" on what Starwood is doing, don't you think a few grand to "secret shop" them wouldn't be an investment?

My point is simple, Disney isn't curious in any data Starwood can provide. It's not "top secret" to them (which was implied earlier...)...

 

[RyenDeckard]

While that may be true, Disney still completely dominates the families-with-young-kids demo and I've seen no evidence that it is losing it's place as a "rite of passage" for children. Virtually every week, I see people post pics on facebook of trips to WDW (I'm mid 30's, so I'm talking mostly high school/college associates who have children under 10). Of course, that can often mean just a single trip when the kids are young and not going back.

This is pretty much what is happening, with the exception of two girls I know (who are big Disney fans) everybody else prefers Universal in my age bracket (18-30). This is anecdotal evidence and I'm not saying this is true across the board, just in my case.

 

[RSoxNo1]

I'm enjoying reading this thread while waiting standby for Space Mountain in Disneyland... One of a few rides I don't mind a 55 minute wait, because of it's quality.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I'm enjoying reading this thread while waiting standby for Space Mountain in Disneyland... One of a few rides I don't mind a 55 minute wait, because of it's quality.

Enjoy it for me. Got a Fastpass for it on Monday and didn't even get on. -___-

 

[PhotoDave219]

This must be why the Magic Kingdom had higher attendance last year then IOA and USO combined, and more then 2 million people visited the Animal Kingdom then IOA
http://thedisneyblog.com/2013/06/06/global-themepark-attendance-for-2012-via-tea-report/

This isn't a knock on Universal, but the demise of Disney's popularity seems to highly exagerated

Okay. Thats 2012 numbers and we went over that a few months ago..... but You can get a pass for that.

I'll just ask you this: Do you believe that the guests will always come to Disney, no matter what?

(See also, divine right of kings concept from history class)

 

[PhotoDave219]

didn't feel badgered at all ...sorta in a MAGICal mood when I realize I just booked another DCL cruise today.

I wish this thread hadn't of turned into so many different discussions, most that were already being held in other threads, but I also wish there was no poverty and wars and hate, so ...

There are a few points I absolutely want to get more indepth on, but I've also dropped plenty of news here If people choose ignore it because it isn't blueprints of the new Star Wars land well, there's nothing I can do about that.

I do realize it is now August and we've had another good summer of the same old, some old from WDW and our pals at TDO. Again, I wish I could speed up the few cool projects that WDW has coming but I can't.

I also can,t lie to myself, my friends and the fan community anymore about the fact that UNI is absolutely the best product in O-Town by a mile or three. That epiphany may not make folks happy, either. But WDW has had 14 years since IOA opened to up its game and it simply took its ball and went home. They haven't even been trying and that's what we all know. You think think Disney parks fans in Anaheim (or Paris, HK or Tokyo) are talking about bands and attraction reservations?

Had dinner with people who are "in the know" so to speak tonight: There is no news whatsoever at all on Star Wars. Seems like its "in committee" which means jack(POOH!)....

Its noticed that Disney moves at Glacial speed... and we cant figure out why.

 

[PhotoDave219]

yet, Disney --even with CMs playing with house money -- hasn't found that true. Maybe it was true before the 2007-08 economic collapse, but I watch every dollar i spend (why I love to steal Coke and bars of soap and EMH from my good friends at TDO). Did I say that?

Interesting that this is coming to frutition. The cost of an RFID chip outweighs any potential loss from soda.

Also I'm hearing that the paper cups you would buy from the quick service will have RFID chips, allowing four refills.

 

[PhotoDave219]

When I see slobs in stained t-shirts that barely cover their beer bellies, slouched on couches in the lobby of a so-called Disney deluxe hotel, with their bare feet up on the coffee table, I don't feel like I'm getting my money's worth. So yes, call me elitist. I don't see this kind if thing at deluxe hotels elsewhere.

I'm not saying they should be banned, but I don't think there is anything wrong with requiring certain civilities.

Disney does have a dress code but as usual, its something that is rarely enforced....

 

[PhotoDave219]

Disney coddled these people. Much like the mental defectives in the fan community and the bloggers because it knows that it can take advantage of mental illness for material gain. Pure and simple. The more nuts you are, the more Disney wants you to feel perfectly normal, so long as you have money ad/or great credit. UNI doesn't.

That is why Disney dumbs down menus for simple Americans. That is why Disney makes renting ECVs also damn easy. That is why Disney doesn't have amazing state of the art attractions like Potter that you can't take part in if you're morbidly obese et .

Disney makes being 'special' special ...go to a bloggers meet up if you disagree.

Side thought on the food/free dining issue: We don't understand why the Dining Plan folks dont have a prefix menu or have a special menu that only they can order from while the rest of us who actually use money to pay for our food can have things that are actually good. (It came up during dinner tonight)

 

[PhotoDave219]

The Honey Bo/Bo crowd Spirit saw at Wilderness Lodge are out for a night on the town,

Security showed 20 minutes later, talked with us for a second and we pointed out all the guests that were involved and we're not sure of the resolution. The instigators of the altercation remained outside Trails End the whole time.

 

[PhotoDave219]

This is what I've heard too. Many Disney fans consider Uni's following to be nothing more than misbehaved delinquent drunks. Yet I have never witnessed any of this at Uni. As a matter of fact, the Uni crowds seem more laid back and less entitled than those at WDW.

Ive noticed the crowd at Universal to be a tad more rowdy, mainly because it appeals to more teenagers. (Thats my personal observation)

The flip side? Universal doesnt put up with any Bull(POOH!) from its guests.