Quote:
Originally Posted by
WDW1974 
As to discounting, WDW has gotten into a vicious cycle of it whereby people now expect free nights, free dining, free gift cards, free ... anything ... and Bob Iger can talk all he wants about ending it, but TDO's actions say the direct opposite.
Is this maybe an artifact of post-terror (ie, post 2001) thinking? I didn't live here in 2001, but my wife visited in January 2002 and found the place deserted. I imagine that had been going on for some months in that particular year, post terror attack, and I'd bet this scared the beejesus out of the execs, enough to maybe make them vow to kill the business cycle and keep the turnstiles clicking every day of every year.
(Of course, a severe oil shock or another travel-related terror attack would destroy those plans, but still)
Well, 9/11 (and the current economic meltdown) wouldn't be hurting WDW nearly as badly if TWDC hadn't greedily attempted to have every guest a prisoner by building 30,000 rooms/timeshares.
I can tell you that discounts (even AP and FLA residents) were not common and very limited. Things like generic 'codes' and 'specials' didn't exist in the 70s, 80s or 90s. But I can also tell you that I haven't paid 'rack' rate at WDW since 4/98. And I have spent hundreds of nights on-property since.
It's a chicken and egg deal, Kevin. Disney has made an environment where it constantly has to discount. Even the whole free dining deal ... if you had mentioned that as something to be considered by Disney in say 1995, the TDO execs would have laughed until they turned blue.
Now, they'll do anything to get people here. Even giving the product away, all the while raising the costs of everything (in other words, they'll nickel and dime you to death, but first they need you here ... and they'll give you a 'great' discount to get you here). And if you're already here (like FLA residents) then they'll let you in for $25 a day!
So, without being TOO
longwinded, while 9/11 was a factor in the discounting, it's not really one now. It's the daily need to fill all those rooms that has created the vicious cycle. 9/11 was a blip (a very serious one for about 18 months and a factor for about a year more, but that's it). I was told by a Disney VP (no longer there) in early spring 2004 that 'we're completely recovered' (meaning from the aftermath of the attacks).
Sadly, I think the current business model (and all those rooms that go along with it) have perpetuated a constant cycle of discounting ... and that causes the quality of everything from food to entertainment to horticulture to suffer as they need to cut left and right to make up for all the discounting damage.
I really don't know how to stop it ... well, actually, I do. I just have no intention of putting my ideas out here for Disney to borrow when I know the six and seven figure contracts many of its consultants make. No freebies, Mickey!
