Surge Pricing Holding Up (Semi) Annual Increase ...

[DisneyGentleman]

I don't disagree - Disney appeals to addictive behaviors.

 

[Katie G]

As to USH's price increase people generally don't get upset if the price increases include ADDED value (like a new land), The uproar about the WDW price increases is the price went up and things were taken AWAY!!!,

Also recall the biggest price increase in Disney history was when MDE kicked off the 'Disney Decade' as tickets were underpriced then and the additional revenue was used to expand and plus the parks. Unlike now where the price increases are being used to fund stock buybacks and ill advised foreign parks.

USH's price increase is for every day though. Walk up to the gate any day at USH and its now $115. Disneyland's highest price is $119 but that is only on some days, and they did reduce price for some days too. Even though you can get discounts by purchasing online in advance for USH, you have to pick a date and your ticket is only valid on that date. What happens when your kid gets sick or the weather sucks??... too bad, that ticket is only valid for that date and is non-refundable. I read the fine print. So if you want a ticket that isn't dated, you have to pay the $115. I can still get a ticket for less than that to DL which still has way more to offer.

 

[Katie G]

Id like to add that the price hike at Universal was just a normal increase, this time it was ahead of Disney, we all expect that anyway. The real deal here is the surge aspect of it. They raised prices more, not to keep people away, but to nickel and dime the ones that would be there in super busy days.

Pricing at Universal Orlando was normal and ahead of Disney. They are referencing the very recent quiet price hike of Universal Hollywood. 20% is never normal. Disney got a lot of flak for taking close to that on SOME days of the year. USH just did it for every day of the year and you don't really hear much about it. Double standards always irk me.

 

[bhg469]

Pricing at Universal Orlando was normal and ahead of Disney. They are referencing the very recent quiet price hike of Universal Hollywood. 20% is never normal. Disney got a lot of flak for taking close to that on SOME days of the year. USH just did it for every day of the year and you don't really hear much about it. Double standards always irk me.

That's a larger hike and we can argue all day about who is worthy of more money but the surge pricing is definitely the less welcomed change. They reinvented their pricing structure, it's much more news worthy, especially when they had a very dull year in regards to park upgrades.

 

[Katie G]

That's a larger hike and we can argue all day about who is worthy of more money but the surge pricing is definitely the less welcomed change. They reinvented their pricing structure, it's much more news worthy, especially when they had a very dull year in regards to park upgrades.

How can you call it "surge pricing"? Once the days are set as Peak, Regular, or Value, they don't change. It cost more on highly demanded days, no different than hotels, cruises, airlines, or ski lift tickets. In fact, even movies have differential pricing based on what time of day you are going.

Surge pricing is a volatile and variable pricing method in which you have control of both supply and demand. When demand spike above supply, you can rapidly change the price of the item to incent more supply. This would be like Amazon changing pricing on thousands of items on an hour by hour basis, sometimes based on demand, but also sometimes based on where you are located and how many times you have looked at an item. There are plenty of documented cases of all of this happening, but this is not what Disney is doing.

 

[EOD K9]

As @Katie G stated, I thought surge pricing was going to be based on daily changes. Quiet morning, one price, then several thousand people come in later and the price goes up.

 

[bhg469]

How can you call it "surge pricing"? Once the days are set as Peak, Regular, or Value, they don't change. It cost more on highly demanded days, no different than hotels, cruises, airlines, or ski lift tickets. In fact, even movies have differential pricing based on what time of day you are going.

Surge pricing is a volatile and variable pricing method in which you have control of both supply and demand. When demand spike above supply, you can rapidly change the price of the item to incent more supply. This would be like Amazon changing pricing on thousands of items on an hour by hour basis, sometimes based on demand, but also sometimes based on where you are located and how many times you have looked at an item. There are plenty of documented cases of all of this happening, but this is not what Disney is doing.

OK so you think it's good for consumers then? Disney's excuse for this was balancing crowds but we all know that is a lie.. Or do you think that's true?

 

[Andrew C]

OK so you think it's good for consumers then? Disney's excuse for this was balancing crowds but we all know that is a lie.. Or do you think that's true?

probably not good for those who are looking to buy a one day ticket on a peak day....

 

[Bob Harlem]

Universal Hollywood needs it for two reasons, it can't handle the crowds nearly as well and the CA minimum wage is likely going up to $15 (which *WILL* force a price increase in the parks)

 

[DisneyDebRob]

Universal Hollywood needs it for two reasons, it can't handle the crowds nearly as well and the CA minimum wage is likely going up to $15 (which *WILL* force a price increase in the parks)

That seems to be one of the only reasons I won't complain as much to price increases yearly. More pay for CM's and yearly noticeable upgrades to the parks then I'll keep my mouth shut.

 

[Cesar R M]

How can you call it "surge pricing"? Once the days are set as Peak, Regular, or Value, they don't change. It cost more on highly demanded days, no different than hotels, cruises, airlines, or ski lift tickets. In fact, even movies have differential pricing based on what time of day you are going.

Surge pricing is a volatile and variable pricing method in which you have control of both supply and demand. When demand spike above supply, you can rapidly change the price of the item to incent more supply. This would be like Amazon changing pricing on thousands of items on an hour by hour basis, sometimes based on demand, but also sometimes based on where you are located and how many times you have looked at an item. There are plenty of documented cases of all of this happening, but this is not what Disney is doing.

The hotels always have had these kind of price structure.
The parks didn't.
Problem is, unlike the hotels.. the park prices NEVER GO LOWER.

That seems to be one of the only reasons I won't complain as much to price increases yearly. More pay for CM's and yearly noticeable upgrades to the parks then I'll keep my mouth shut.

Except in these days... with the cost cuts.. Less CMS will be there and less quality will be offered.

 

[BernardandBianca]

How can you call it "surge pricing"? Once the days are set as Peak, Regular, or Value, they don't change. It cost more on highly demanded days, no different than hotels, cruises, airlines, or ski lift tickets. In fact, even movies have differential pricing based on what time of day you are going.

Surge pricing is a volatile and variable pricing method in which you have control of both supply and demand. When demand spike above supply, you can rapidly change the price of the item to incent more supply. This would be like Amazon changing pricing on thousands of items on an hour by hour basis, sometimes based on demand, but also sometimes based on where you are located and how many times you have looked at an item. There are plenty of documented cases of all of this happening, but this is not what Disney is doing.

OK so you think it's good for consumers then? Disney's excuse for this was balancing crowds but we all know that is a lie.. Or do you think that's true?

I'm not going to presume Katie G needs additional support, but my personal impression from your comment on her quote is Where in the world did you get that? She stated a number of facts, and some analogies, but as far as I can see, she did not opine on whether or not it was a good idea. A reasonable discourse involves understanding a stated opinion and reacting accordingly, not making up from thin air a opinion attributed to someone else.

 

[bhg469]

probably not good for those who are looking to buy a one day ticket on a peak day....

and wouldn't you know it.. I am that one day visitor. I refuse to buy 3 days because its cheaper in the long run because frankly Disney hasn't added enough to keep me intrigued for more than a day anymore. Maybe if they keep closing the parks earlier, two days might be necessary.

 

[Andrew C]

and wouldn't you know it.. I am that one day visitor. I refuse to buy 3 days because its cheaper in the long run because frankly Disney hasn't added enough to keep me intrigued for more than a day anymore. Maybe if they keep closing the parks earlier, two days might be necessary.

Be sure to go for that 1 day during "value" season then if you can.

 

[bhg469]

Be sure to go for that 1 day during "value" season then if you can.

Funny enough I went the day the new pricing took effect, it was a value day but I had purchased the ticket 2 days before, thanks to the forums.

I dont see myself going back for at least 2 years though.

 

[Katie G]

OK so you think it's good for consumers then? Disney's excuse for this was balancing crowds but we all know that is a lie.. Or do you think that's true?

Depends on if you are a glass half full or half empty kind of person. I tend to be half full.

You could view this as a benefit to consumers as it gives additional choice based on budget. Low season times are now much cheaper than peak times because rooms and tickets (+airfare) are seasonally priced. It is likely more transparent to the customer as well, indicating expected attendance levels with the ticket purchase instead of not knowing because all tickets are priced and named the same. You could also say its a benefit to the budget conscious people when you look at annual increases. Historically, everyone was hit by an equal price increase. In this case, only some people would need to pay a higher price. So budget conscious people wouldn't have the same level of increase if they can be flexible in their vacation timing.

Disney already blocks out CM and has blockout dates for APs during the busiest times of year. So I would say balancing crowds is 1 factor in a long list of factors for why they chose to do Seasonal. From an analytical standpoint, price is a highly proven motivator of consumer choice.

 

[NearTheEars]

Funny enough I went the day the new pricing took effect, it was a value day but I had purchased the ticket 2 days before, thanks to the forums.

I dont see myself going back for at least 2 years though.

Funny how stating how long people plan to wait before a return trip is becoming a badge of honor.

Now, what I actually do like about it, is that folks are finally coming around to the idea of speaking with their wallets and not just suffering through trips because a WDW vacation is just what they've always done.

 

[NearTheEars]

Depends on if you are a glass half full or half empty kind of person. I tend to be half full.

You could view this as a benefit to consumers as it gives additional choice based on budget. Low season times are now much cheaper than peak times because rooms and tickets (+airfare) are seasonally priced. It is likely more transparent to the customer as well, indicating expected attendance levels with the ticket purchase instead of not knowing because all tickets are priced and named the same. You could also say its a benefit to the budget conscious people when you look at annual increases. Historically, everyone was hit by an equal price increase. In this case, only some people would need to pay a higher price. So budget conscious people wouldn't have the same level of increase if they can be flexible in their vacation timing.

Disney already blocks out CM and has blockout dates for APs during the busiest times of year. So I would say balancing crowds is 1 factor in a long list of factors for why they chose to do Seasonal. From an analytical standpoint, price is a highly proven motivator of consumer choice.

Nothing was made cheaper ticket wise with this decision. One day prices at the time were the baseline and then it went up from there.

 

[Andrew C]

Funny how stating how long people plan to wait before a return trip is becoming a badge of honor.

Now, what I actually do like about it, is that folks are finally coming around to the idea of speaking with their wallets and not just suffering through trips because a WDW vacation is just what they've always done.

Who around here has been suffering through WDW trips because that is the trip they have always done? I only time I would "suffer" through anything would be because my family still enjoys the activity.

 

[NearTheEars]

Who around here has been suffering through WDW trips because that is the trip they have always done? I only time I would "suffer" through anything would be because my family still enjoys the activity.

A lot of people from what I have read. And many point to your second thought as the reason.