What Defined the Decade at WDW?

[The_Jobu]

The new 14 day thing bothered me so much I actually took the time to send a polite email that will promptly be filed in their recycle bin.

I hardly ever do stuff like this but this new thing just pushed my button.

and just to keep you all updated, for my email I got back absolutely no reply

 

[EricsBiscuit]

Cupcakes

 

[Disstevefan1]

I will repeat what many have said; number one is overcrowding and the attempt to fix that is number 2, massive price increases on everything.

The massive price increases did nothing to reduce crowds, the parks are just as mobbed as ever..

 

[xdan0920]

I will repeat what many have said; number one is overcrowding and the attempt to fix that is number 2, massive price increases on everything.

The massive price increases did nothing to reduce crowds, the parks are just as mobbed as ever..

They don't raise prices to reduce crowds. They raise prices to increase profit. They want more people AND increased prices.

 

[UNCgolf]

The final nail in the coffin for EPCOT and everything that was unique about it. It had long since lost its status as the best theme park in the world due to neglect, but rather than fix it, they decided to just demolish it.

 

[Ninja Mom]

They don't raise prices to reduce crowds. They raise prices to increase profit. They want more people AND increased prices.

But Bob Iger himself publicly stated* that a reason that they were raising prices was to help control the crowds.

Anyone paying attention knows that it doesn't work that way and this was just a naked cash grab to keep the stock price on it's mandatory, ever upward direction.

I'm posting this as a reminder of how Bob Iger is putting lipstick on his profits pig.

* https://thekingdominsider.com/walt-disney-world-ticket-price-increase-2019-bob-iger/

“WE KNOW THAT CROWDING CAN BE AN ISSUE AND WHEN OUR PARKS ARE AT THEIR MOST CROWDED, THE GUEST EXPERIENCE IS NOT WHAT WE WOULD LIKE IT TO BE,” IGER SAID. “SO WE ARE LEVERAGING THE POPULARITY TO INCREASE PRICING AND TO SPREAD DEMAND — TO GET MUCH MORE STRATEGIC ABOUT HOW WE ARE PRICING, SO THAT THE PARKS ARE STILL ACCESSIBLE BUT IN THE HIGHEST PEAK PERIODS WE ARE TRYING TO MANAGE THE ATTENDANCE SO THAT THE GUEST EXPERIENCE ISN’T DIMINISHED.” Bob Iger.

I think we all know that maintaining adequate staffing levels, not constantly cutting entertainment, maintaining attractions so they are in regular working order will go much further toward improving "Guest experience".

~NM

 

[George]

You know ticket expiration rules have gotten far more byzantine over the past year, right?

Now they expire inside of a much shorter time frame, and it depends on length of the ticket/how long you are staying on WDW property.

The new pricing rules are also very confusing.

I've kept up with WDW ticket pricing for roughly the past 20 years, and I have never seen anything so crazy. Plus, the website is super slow.

Tell me about it. I'm going with a group of friends at the end of Feb (50th birthday for one of us). We all had what were known as "three season salute" Disney tix in HS. So, this mini trip is celebration of those old mid/late 80s trips. Some in our group haven't been in a while and tried to do things like upgrade a one day ticket into a 4 day Florida resident discovery ticket (short story - 4 phone calls led to failure and the 4 day discovery ticket was bought in addition to the super expensive one day one park ticket). So, here's part of what happened. The friend who is celebrating his 50th got us a FW cabin. He thought we'd just get tickets when we got there. Friend number 2, read about Disney resort reservations being able to do fastpasses 60 days in advance so he got everyone who might be going a super expensive one day ticket (luckily for this friend, everyone was able to go, he doesn't know about not actually getting your money back if you don't use the ticket). They then called me (I live in the midwest now, so they thought I probably wouldn't be able to go since I'm not at all local) and I told them that I've planned multiple family reunions and the like an could help. Friend number 1 has already made the classic mistake of creating a second MDE account since he couldn't remember the login to his first one. I've also learned that in order to change your ticket you need the home address of the person who bought the ticket and even then you might not be able to change the ticket in a timely fashion (always on hold for a long time...ticket seller is logically not the same as ticket updater changer. Further, ticket updater changer has labyrinthian rules designed to protect you from purchasing an inexpensive upagrade). I should note, that not once was anyone proposing that the same credit card be used to upgrade the ticket an in each case the ticket was linked to the correct account. Hours on the phone eventually led to failure (or purchase of a second ticket which may have been the goal). I usually have success with this kind of thing but I am starting to question my patience since I may only have this life. Thus, I am leaving more to my fellow adults to do.

Also, back to Friend number 1. He's not a dummy, but he is busy. He has two kids, his wife works, and he's an MD. His last couple of trips to MK were disasters because he just wandered around with his kids and didn't know how fastpass worked. He was thinking this might be his last trip ever, but he now knows how the system works. He doesn't like it though. Friend number 2 is an electrical engineer. He does like the system because it appeals to his personality. Friend 3 (who tried to get his ticket changed...I also called on his behalf) is a sommelier. He's not at all on board with dealing with a database when he goes to Disney World. Friend number 4 - store manager I believe, has been eviscerating the new system because he thinks its insane.

I'm taking a bit of time and am going with friend number 3 to the studios the day we check out because he wants to check out the new SW thing. I'm guessing we'll still be in boarding group land during that time (March 1 to be precise). Luckily he'll be with me and my iPhone 11 because he has an inexpensive phone that he uses for (this will come as a shocker to young people) for phone calls and texting.

Anyway, this experience and getting together with my sister's family this October (we went a lot this year on APs, my sisters family met us for a day at DAK and I was surprised their tickets were only good on that day) has made me aware of many of the new ticketing regulations/foibles/rules.

To circle back to friend number 2 he asked me about eating at MK for 20 bucks for the day because he ate there pretty well for 10 bucks/day back in 87-88. He figured doubling the amount should be about right. I said, "if you eat one meal". He said, "I'm not talking about Crystal Palace." I said, "That place is conservatively 50-60 bucks per head for a buffet that features Pooh characters." He was flabbergasted. This should be an interesting trip.