No more expiration! Ugh!!!

[ChoppityChops]

My fault. I was under the impression it was okay to share my opinion here. Guess I was wrong because my opinion was pro-business. I promise I won't do it again...

And you complain about Disney pushing people away by not being nice. I'm pretty sure nowhere did I talk down to anyone, or be rude at all. I guess my opinion counts less since I don't have several thousand posts. My fault. I won't post again.

[DRDISNEYMD]

Originally Posted by Lewisc

People buy 12 hamburger buns, use 6 now and freeze 6 for later use. OK maybe not buns but certainly meat.

Years ago virtually all Disney tickets never expired. There was a discount, but not a huge discount, as you added days. MYW tikcets allowed guests to add extra days for literally a few dollars. The intent was those days would be used during your current trip. The extra cost to add non-expiry went up at least once. Basically to remove the significant discount you received in adding extra days to a base ticket.

Disney could just increase the cost for no-expiry. Make it even less attractive.

Add me to the posters who think the RFID wrist bands may be the reason why Disney might wind up getting rid of no-expiry altogether.

~Hmm... this is why Disney got rid of the "double patty" burger. People used to remove one of the patties & ask for an extra bun or something like that, lol.

Originally Posted by Peter Pirate 2

How about just doing something beneficial and nice for the guest? You probably can't understand that as it doesn't fit in some business model you've been indoctrinated to or something...

I believe the reasons they started the practice was (1) because they didn't sell two or three day passes and jumped right to four or five day. Therefore people who didn't fit the niche and didn't want to pay the outrageous one day admission maybe just wouldn't come. (2) also they were not adverse to selling tickets that would cause people to have to return (good business).

Seriously how often does this really happen? Although coincidentally we just found and used two one day passes that had been in the bottom of a drawer (10 years old)!

~Nice find! Oh, I just checked Disney's website and the non-expiration option is still available -- I've seen nothing to suggest that it's going away, not yet -- at least.

Originally Posted by ChoppityChops

My fault. I was under the impression it was okay to share my opinion here. Guess I was wrong because my opinion was pro-business. I promise I won't do it again...

And you complain about Disney pushing people away by not being nice. I'm pretty sure nowhere did I talk down to anyone, or be rude at all. I guess my opinion counts less since I don't have several thousand posts. My fault. I won't post again.

~I appreciate your opinion, there is no crime in expressing an opposing viewpoint! But, honestly you weren't attacked -- maybe your opinion was not "embraced" in the way you had hoped, but that's only because the poster(s) simply don't agree with you -- please don't take it personal.

[twolittletinkerbells]

Originally Posted by jamarmiller

obviously we look at things differently as I look at it like this...............


It's like going to a store, and buying a 12 pack of hamburger buns, and expecting to be able to use 6 now, and put the other 6 in the freezer for the next weekend . Discounts are offered for bulk purchases to use some time later.

When I go to Sams Club/Costco this is my thinking at least. There is no way I can eat the sizes they sell so I buy in bulk to save money and to use SOME OF IT NOW and SOME OF IT LATER

So yeah we are totally on opposite fences here LOL

Exactly. Choppity not to bright with his example here.

[twolittletinkerbells]

Originally Posted by ChoppityChops

Honestly, if I were the Disney execs making this decision, I would not allow no-expiration options at all. To have the expectation that you can buy a 10-day ticket, and take 2 5 day trips is absurd. I don't mean this as a flame (just my humble opinion), but I haven't seen a single reason that adequately demonstrates the position that this is something that Disney is required/should be offering; All I've seen are people being angry that they'll have to pay more now.

It's like going to a store, and buying a 12 pack of hamburger buns, and expecting to be able to use 6 now, and then come back in a year and grab the other 6. Discounts are offered for bulk purchases in the immediacy - not to use some time later. I mean, I get that we as consumers don't want to pay more for a product we already get for less, but frankly, this should be more of a "darn - it was great while it lasted" rather than a "woe is us! Disney's screwing us!"

All that said, I do blame Disney for ever offering this option; from a business perspective - terrible idea.

Actually, I think its a great BUSINESS decision. WDW makes a lot of money on food and merchandise. Cant make that money if people are not there. People who would not normally come back so soon will return trip with cheaper tix and spend their money in the parks.

[lockedoutlogic]

Originally Posted by twolittletinkerbells

Actually, I think its a great BUSINESS decision. WDW makes a lot of money on food and merchandise. Cant make that money if people are not there. People who would not normally come back so soon will return trip with cheaper tix and spend their money in the parks.

The error in your argument - and its a common one that I'm not picking on you about at all - is the assumption that somehow they have a problem getting people there.

With a few very small blips on the screen (in the grand scheme of things) over 40+ years - that just isnt the case. The things that really hurt their attendance are national/ global economic problems - not them squeezing the consumer or new rides at universal - as is typically mistakenly blamed.

If its not you or I, someone will fill the void.

The reality is that they placed the thing perfectly - at the crossroads of latin america, western europe, and the united states (and canada)...and the 90's expansion transformed it from a "cool, exotic" vacation for many to a "can't miss, repeat visit" for alot of the clientele if not the majority.

The argument that they somehow NEED to entice people back is not a very accurate depiction of how WDW operates.

Sure...they love to get all of us back and offer some perks to do so - but the reality is that the place sells itself and they continue to get more people to dive in every single day - far more than they lose.

I'm just saying that while yes, longer tickets have probably provided incentive for multiple visits in the past...
No, taking the no expiration feature away isn't going to change alot.

They did that originally to get more of what they wanted: guaranteed upfront revenue for longer tickets. They were willing to allow the customer to opt out of future cost increases by getting their money at that given day on the calendar.

But their models tell them that more money will be made in the long run if they eliminate it.
And you know what? They're right - because the one thing they don't mess around with are their models. Very thorough indeed.

Don't discount the recent hefty increases in ticket costs either. They have jacked them up at a highly accelerated rate over the last 10 years...and have gotten almost ZERO pushback from us. We just pay it.

Heck, i jumped on a DVC discount offer where i "saved" $300 on a ticket for my 3 year old daughter...but will still probably end up paying $35 dollars or so a day to get her in because the thing still cost $425.00.

Why? because i'm an idiot and a sucker...as are most of us.

When i first worked at WDW - the single day ticket was $49.60 ish for one of the four main parks. It went to $52.50 shortly thereafter and held for a year or two.
That was twelve years ago...
It is now just shy of $100.00...100% inflation in a decade. That's not normal inflation.

And they haven't added THAT much to justify that...they just keep jacking it up and we keep paying. They raised all the annuals - including the delicate florida market - 8-15% across the board last spring.
Nobody said a word.

We keep paying - so why on earth is there any reason for them NOT to eliminate the no expiration clause? I'll be back and i wont be able to get into animal kingdom on a $44 ticket anymore.

Revenue

[Peter Pirate 2]

Originally Posted by lockedoutlogic

The error in your argument - and its a common one that I'm not picking on you about at all - is the assumption that somehow they have a problem getting people there.

With a few very small blips on the screen (in the grand scheme of things) over 40+ years - that just isnt the case. The things that really hurt their attendance are national/ global economic problems - not them squeezing the consumer or new rides at universal - as is typically mistakenly blamed.

If its not you or I, someone will fill the void.

The reality is that they placed the thing perfectly - at the crossroads of latin america, western europe, and the united states (and canada)...and the 90's expansion transformed it from a "cool, exotic" vacation for many to a "can't miss, repeat visit" for alot of the clientele if not the majority.

The argument that they somehow NEED to entice people back is not a very accurate depiction of how WDW operates.

Sure...they love to get all of us back and offer some perks to do so - but the reality is that the place sells itself and they continue to get more people to dive in every single day - far more than they lose.

I'm just saying that while yes, longer tickets have probably provided incentive for multiple visits in the past...
No, taking the no expiration feature away isn't going to change alot.

They did that originally to get more of what they wanted: guaranteed upfront revenue for longer tickets. They were willing to allow the customer to opt out of future cost increases by getting their money at that given day on the calendar.

But their models tell them that more money will be made in the long run if they eliminate it.
And you know what? They're right - because the one thing they don't mess around with are their models. Very thorough indeed.

Don't discount the recent hefty increases in ticket costs either. They have jacked them up at a highly accelerated rate over the last 10 years...and have gotten almost ZERO pushback from us. We just pay it.

Heck, i jumped on a DVC discount offer where i "saved" $300 on a ticket for my 3 year old daughter...but will still probably end up paying $35 dollars or so a day to get her in because the thing still cost $425.00.

Why? because i'm an idiot and a sucker...as are most of us.

When i first worked at WDW - the single day ticket was $49.60 ish for one of the four main parks. It went to $52.50 shortly thereafter and held for a year or two.
That was twelve years ago...
It is now just shy of $100.00...100% inflation in a decade. That's not normal inflation.

And they haven't added THAT much to justify that...they just keep jacking it up and we keep paying. They raised all the annuals - including the delicate florida market - 8-15% across the board last spring.
Nobody said a word.

We keep paying - so why on earth is there any reason for them NOT to eliminate the no expiration clause? I'll be back and i wont be able to get into animal kingdom on a $44 ticket anymore.

Revenue

You said all that. You are correct, as usual. BUT I know this isn't the way you would expect or hope that Disney would behave. Fess up.

[lockedoutlogic]

Originally Posted by Peter Pirate 2

You said all that. You are correct, as usual. BUT I know this isn't the way you would expect or hope that Disney would behave. Fess up.

ehhh...in the grand scheme of rat pinching...

this isn't a big deal. older/more experienced consumers figured out how to use the no expire tickets effectively...but with the explosion of costs that wouldnt be the case moving forward.

At somepoint - the UPH/MYW week long tickets would just be more convenient for pretty much everybody. Annual passes even more so (me).

I find the old tickets to be tedious: you have to keep an eye on what you have left and how to mold your next trip around it. you have to plan on certain parks/certain days to get the "most" out of them based on park hours. you have to do the whole "water park...then downtown or boardwalk" thing on certain days to not use two tickets on each day.

it gets old...got old for me long ago. Had I bought 100 days worth in 2001...i'd deal with it. But nobody really does that. you get a 10 and use it for a few years...then a 7...but overtime if you are a frequent visitor - those that use the no expire - you end up going pass.

This one isn't that bad of a slap as some of the other ridiculous stuff that has come down the pike...

like the closure and mothballing for 5 years of pleasure island - which by the way - is a ticket we PAID for with those old passes that just went away.

[Peter Pirate 2]

Originally Posted by lockedoutlogic

ehhh...in the grand scheme of rat pinching...

this isn't a big deal. older/more experienced consumers figured out how to use the no expire tickets effectively...but with the explosion of costs that wouldnt be the case moving forward.

At somepoint - the UPH/MYW week long tickets would just be more convenient for pretty much everybody. Annual passes even more so (me).

I find the old tickets to be tedious: you have to keep an eye on what you have left and how to mold your next trip around it. you have to plan on certain parks/certain days to get the "most" out of them based on park hours. you have to do the whole "water park...then downtown or boardwalk" thing on certain days to not use two tickets on each day.

it gets old...got old for me long ago. Had I bought 100 days worth in 2001...i'd deal with it. But nobody really does that. you get a 10 and use it for a few years...then a 7...but overtime if you are a frequent visitor - those that use the no expire - you end up going pass.

This one isn't that bad of a slap as some of the other ridiculous stuff that has come down the pike...

like the closure and mothballing for 5 years of pleasure island - which by the way - is a ticket we PAID for with those old passes that just went away.

Again, I agree but will simply add that you never know which tiny, little straw will be the changing point for someone in their realization as to what pixie dust really means. Therefore every time they stray it is important (Landbaron taught me that a long time ago).

[lockedoutlogic]

Originally Posted by Peter Pirate 2

Again, I agree but will simply add that you never know which tiny, little straw will be the changing point for someone in their realization as to what pixie dust really means. Therefore every time they stray it is important (Landbaron taught me that a long time ago).

I never had any such illusion....

unfortunately - i'm in the minority.
Like standing next to Custer waiting for the Sioux

[amcnj]

Non Exp tickets can also have some value to holders in situations when circumstances change, like travel issues, illness while at WDW, bad weather at WDW, etc, and you find you don't need as many days at the parks as you had at first estimated.

[lockedoutlogic]

Originally Posted by amcnj

Non Exp tickets can also have some value to holders in situations when circumstances change, like travel issues, illness while at WDW, bad weather at WDW, etc, and you find you don't need as many days at the parks as you had at first estimated.

that is true...

but in recent years - the reality is that those type of tickets are MOST useful to one group: florida residents.

buy one...use it a couple a times a year...get a weekend here or there.

Well, i have to think part of this is to push florida residents towards the florida special offers and annual passes - where there is an incentive for the purchaser to travel to WDW more often...and of course - perhaps drop a cent or two in the restaurants, bars, and food and wine festival kiosks.

[Calirya]

If I had no expire tickets from 2001, those are still valid right? Just cant buy them for future?

[Figment1983]

I was just booking a package on Disney's site and there was still an option for no expiration.

[super mike b]

We would often use non-expiring tickets for half day visits to one of the parks when we were in town. At a higher rate we can't justify doing that.

[Kathi OD]

Originally Posted by kenban

People do not use these tickets to make two 5 day trips. Actually in that case it is the same price $325 for a 5 day park hopper vs $650 for a 10 day no expire park hopper.

Agreed...unless you use the tickets in different years. That way you avoid paying the annual ticket increase. We used to buy them and go every other, or every third year.