Who should be excluded to help with the overcrowding problem.

[Missing20K]

The three on the left.

EDIT: It's seemingly impossible to find a google image of Iger and Chapek with no one else in frame.

 

[lazyboy97o]

You know, I keep hearing that, but I've yet to understand what Disney gains by decreased capacity. Seem like all they would get out of it would be angry, frustrated Guests. I'm really am asking because I cannot understand it. Could you or someone explain it to me? I must be missing something that puts it all in focus.

They save on labor and building costs. I’m not talking just about reduced staff but the total peak capacity of the park and its venues. As I said in a previous post, Magic Kingdom has less dining capacity and it is because Disney has successfully conditioned its audience to accept, and in some causes even praise, planning months in advance, waiting longer and eating at odd hours.

 

[RobWDW1971]

They save on labor and building costs. I’m not talking just about reduced staff but the total peak capacity of the park and its venues. As I said in a previous post, Magic Kingdom has less dining capacity and it is because Disney has successfully conditioned its audience to accept, and in some causes even praise, planning months in advance, waiting longer and eating at odd hours.

You're dead on - it's like some mass hypnosis they've achieved. When I was at WDW recently, you could hear so many conversations of people bragging they got a dinner reservation at 4:00 pm months in advance or got their FP for Jungle Cruise two months ago! Again, not complaining about how insane having to plan where you eat lunch and when you ride the tea cups on vacation months in advance, but actually feeling proud they understood and worked the system.

All I could think of was "Thank you, sir, may I have another!"

 

[Kamikaze]

And if less costs does not equal less attendance and less spending, then they are encouraged to keep cutting. That is what is crazy about the Disney situation, I can't remember many consumer situations like this, but good to be them right now.

Not exactly like that, but its the same as many companies operate.

Look at iPhones (and the top end Samsung phones now) - they make more on each phone than they did years ago, and they sell even more of them each year.

 

[Kamikaze]

That part I partially understand and how they make short term profit, but line attractions, with trains or omni's are filling up as fast as they can be filled up, the number of CM's is pretty irrelevant. That's the first thing and the second is they are in a public service business and not accommodating the customer eventually catches up with every public service establishment. It is like investing in a brick and mortar attraction in that it is investing in the enjoyment of the people that they are relying on for income. I guess that they only thing they are concerned about is today with absolutely no thought about the future. They are not failure proof, contrary to the belief of some.

For an easy to visualize example: If they staff only enough to load one side of PotC, that allows them to save at minimum 3 CMs per shift. Loading only one side of the attraction slows down the loading process, thus reducing the capacity of the attraction per hour, even if every boat goes out full.

 

[Kamikaze]

The three on the left.

EDIT: It's seemingly impossible to find a google image of Iger and Chapek with no one else in frame.

FreshBaked Disney caught Iger interacting with R2-D2 on RotR opening day. He pans back a little bit, and who is just out of frame like some sort of man in the shadows? Chapek. And no, Chapek took no part.

 

[RobWDW1971]

Not exactly like that, but its the same as many companies operate.

Look at iPhones (and the top end Samsung phones now) - they make more on each phone than they did years ago, and they sell even more of them each year.

Yes, but I get great joy out of my new iPhone 11 Pro and its faster processor, better camera, etc. They are delivering on a positive experience that will then make me sign up for the next one.

This is an entirely different phenomenon - Disney is charging top dollar and providing a terrible guest experience (just today the lines for Snow White, Space, FOP, Safaris were all over 2 1/2 hours), only a small percentage can get on the headliner new attraction, Epcot is a construction zone, higher prices throughout, lower levels of service/quality, and just a much less enjoyable overall experience than years ago. And in SPITE of all of that, people are lining up to pay the prices, deal with jam packed crowds, etc.

One would have thought these negative experiences in a world of social media would just be killing the parks now, but those Instagram desserts and shots in front of the castle are like gold. I find it truly fascinating.

 

[Kamikaze]

Yes, but I get great joy out of my new iPhone 11 Pro and it's faster processor, better camera, etc. They are delivering on a positive experience that will then make me sign up for the next one.

This is an entirely different phenomenon - Disney is charging top dollar and providing a terrible guest experience (just today the lines for Snow White, Space, FOP, Safaris were all over 2 1/2 hours), only a small percentage can get on the headliner new attraction, Epcot is a construction zone, higher prices throughout, lower levels of service/quality, and just a much less enjoyable overall experience than years ago. And in SPITE of all of that, people are lining up to pay the prices, deal with jam packed crowds, etc.

One would have thought these negative experiences in a world of social media would just be killing the parks now, but those Instagram desserts and shots in front of the castle are like gold. I find it truly fascinating.

Fair points, but Apple isn't the only example. Plenty of places use the 'less for more' methodology to influence their bottom line. Shrinkflation in foods, for example.

By no means am I excusing Disney. Running a company that has never done better like its going out of business is inexcusable. But they aren't the only perpetrators.

 

[John park hopper]

So basically guests are paying top dollar to wait and wait and wait for a 5 minute ride I'm beginning to think the majority of people are mindless drones and Disney knows it

 

[RobWDW1971]

Fair points, but Apple isn't the only example. Plenty of places use the 'less for more' methodology to influence their bottom line. Shrinkflation in foods, for example.

By no means am I excusing Disney. Running a company that has never done better like its going out of business is inexcusable. But they aren't the only perpetrators.

We're talking past each other - I am not criticizing Disney, I am talking about the fascinating dynamic of the consumer eagerly willing to pay more for a diminished experience. Every company works to improve margin, of course, but this is a situation where Disney openly is telling the consumer their experience is not important to them, the guests are having bad experiences, and they are still eager to buy the product and pay more for it. Disney is only doing what the guests are allowing them to do - I'm not only not criticizing, I'm jealous! I wish my businesses over the years could just abuse the customers and print money year after year!

 

[donaldtoo]

You're dead on - it's like some mass hypnosis they've achieved. When I was at WDW recently, you could hear so many conversations of people bragging they got a dinner reservation at 4:00 pm months in advance or got their FP for Jungle Cruise two months ago! Again, not complaining about how insane having to plan where you eat lunch and when you ride the tea cups on vacation months in advance, but actually feeling proud they understood and worked the system. All I could think of was "Thank you, sir, may I have another!"

How the hell is Pixie Dust not a controlled substance...?!?!?!

 

[Vacationeer]

Expand the hours, spread the crowds. Wait times dropped for months with the addition of 1 hour EEMHs at MK & AK every day last fall. The 3 hr EEMH over at HS had a huge impact as well but interestingly even that 1 hour made a huge difference in park flow.

They prefer it to always feel somewhat crowded. For every disappointed guest, 2 more willingly buy upgrade tickets because they find value in not being the shmuck suffering crowds. Stress reduction is a big seller at WDW right now. Not only can OpEx be cut a bit, the add-ons are easier to sell. With so many new things on the horizon at WDW interest won't subside anytime soon. Crowded parks also have psychological appeal to confirm it must be fantastic if everyone else is going.

My response is adding cheaper days to the end of our hopper tickets. Then we get a bunch more FPs, time & flexibility to avoid the worst crowds without getting whacked on the head too hard

 

[Tony the Tigger]

We're talking past each other - I am not criticizing Disney, I am talking about the fascinating dynamic of the consumer eagerly willing to pay more for a diminished experience. Every company works to improve margin, of course, but this is a situation where Disney openly is telling the consumer their experience is not important to them, the guests are having bad experiences, and they are still eager to buy the product and pay more for it. Disney is only doing what the guests are allowing them to do - I'm not only not criticizing, I'm jealous! I wish my businesses over the years could just abuse the customers and print money year after year!

My guess is there’s enough of a percentage of people who either don’t know they have bought into a diminished experience (first timers and once in a lifetimers) or genuinely don’t feel a diminished experience. Some folks just have a rosy perspective. I’d be hard pressed to come up with how my experience has diminished in the last 20-odd years other than pricing going up and the loss of the potato-wrapped snapper at the Flying Fish.

As long as families keep having kids, they won’t run out of a new pool of guests.

 

[ElvisMickey]

Disney quiz on the very basics of the company after you get off the monorail/ferryboat/bus...1-10, True/False. If you don’t get a score of 90% or higher, you have to turn right back around and leave. And Disney keeps your parking fee if you drove .

 

[unmitigated disaster]

Disney quiz on the very basics of the company after you get off the monorail/ferryboat/bus...1-10, True/False. If you don’t get a score of 90% or higher, you have to turn right back around and leave. And Disney keeps your parking fee if you drove .

But, but... where would that leave Katiebug?

 

[xdan0920]

I say we set a weight limit and an income floor. Over "x" pounds or stone for you imperialists, and you are barred entry. Make under "x" dollars or pounds or euros or whatever make believe money, you are barred entry.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

I’d be hard pressed to come up with how my experience has diminished in the last 20-odd years other than pricing going up

This is why we can't have nice things.

 

[Disstevefan1]

.... the consumer eagerly willing to pay more for a diminished experience ...... this is a situation where Disney openly is telling the consumer their experience is not important to them, the guests are having bad experiences

Now THAT is Disney MAGIC!

 

[Animaniac93-98]

We're talking past each other - I am not criticizing Disney, I am talking about the fascinating dynamic of the consumer eagerly willing to pay more for a diminished experience.

They think they're getting a better experience by paying more and doing Disney's own forecasting work.

 

[Raineman]

Everyone except WDW Magic members and their immediate families should be excluded. Any members of The Site That Shall Not Be Named, especially the creator, will be trespassed by merely stepping foot on Disney property, giving them time to write more clickbait "opinion is news" crap that they churn out on a regular basis.