A thought coming out of all the FP+ and other turmoil

[jimim]

Not sure where exactly you live but for all the PA folks around here, there is an fabulous little theme park called Knoebels Grove -- about 2 1/2 hours from Philly. There is no admission fee, no parking fee (you park on grass) and the food prices are reasonable. Some people rave about the food, to me it's carnival food and it's good but not rave-worthy. It's such a great little park though. We go at least once or twice a year and it's spoiled me for other non Disney style theme parks. It's awesome!!!

we go every year for wvia weekend but this year we missed it cause we were away. We usually go in august also. It's a great place for the kids. And it's a way cheap day! Lol. Food ya I'm with you but deff a fun junk food day. I eat corn dogs all day. Only time in my life I have ever had em but for some reason I eat em there. Lol

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[jtowntoflorida]

My point in all this was that we seem to be a little spoiled by what Disney does provide in the way of atmosphere, cleanliness, friendliness and service. I am in no way trying to diminish anyone's bad experiences or their feelings of lessened service, etc. But a little perspective seems in order. We're still discussing the happiest place on earth here. What they do is still leaps and bounds ahead of any other amusement/theme park in the country and rivals almost any vacation destination as well. Maybe it's just that the board has become so overrun with negativity about MDE and FP+ (two systems that are still not perfected by the way) that we lose sight of the fact that it's still WDW. That's all.

Frankly, I don't care if local amusement parks suck, and that has no bearing on what I expect from Disney. When I spend thousands of dollars and a week of my time with Disney, I want to feel like I'm getting value for my time and money spent. You're paying $75 for a season pass to a local park. For that amount of money I'd expect the experience that you describe in your OP. I expect much, much more from Disney, and they don't get a pass just because they're the industry leader in theme parks.

 

[nilla]

I took my son to SFGA two years ago and must say that Flash Pass is AWESOME. We won't be back at WDW for a few more weeks, so I don't know how FP+ will work out for us in the park, but what SFGA had was great. We got one of the lower-tiered options, but still were able to ride everything multiple times. The ability to change reservations on the fly was fantastic. I also liked that they used a proprietary device to handle this, so those of us with $10 flip phones weren't left out in the cold

I think that WDW is ultimately going to go with something similar (different tiers for a cost) and will welcome that change if it's done effectively.

As for the difference in the parks, SFGA was miles above in terms of thrill rides (the three craziest rides I've ever been on were there - El Toro, Kingda Ka, and Superman), but the "magic" just isn't there. It's really apples and oranges to me, to be honest. Closest non-Disney thing to WDW I've been at was Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of America, and that's saying something.

 

[Mad Hattered]

I took my son to SFGA two years ago and must say that Flash Pass is AWESOME. We won't be back at WDW for a few more weeks, so I don't know how FP+ will work out for us in the park, but what SFGA had was great. We got one of the lower-tiered options, but still we able to ride everything multiple times. The ability to change reservations on the fly was fantastic. I also liked that they used a proprietary device to handle this, so those of us with $10 flip phones weren't left out in the cold

I think that WDW is ultimately going to go with something similar (different tiers for a cost) and will welcome that change if it's done effectively.

Since we don't have to pay for parking or admission, we always get the Gold Flash Pass when we visit the SFGA near Chicago. It's well worth the $80/each we pay for them. They scan them at the entrance of the ride and I am immediately able to walk to the next ride and jump right on. It works great!

They have the exact same device at Universal (which depending on the time of year costs around $30). It's different than the FOTL pass. The only difference with that one is your wait is as long as the posted wait time. For example, I program Spiderman and my time shows up I can go ride it. As soon as they clear it at the entrance I can program another ride but I have to wait the posted time before I can have it cleared. So if I immediately program The Hulk after entering the Spidey que, and the wait for Hulk is 60 minutes that means I can't get on it until then. That usually means we just drink more beer in the meantime.

 

[ChrisinNJ]

OP, funny you mention Six Flags GA as I am buying season passes for the first time this year... I hate the place, like seriously hate it, but it will give me one more option for something to do with the kids.What sparked the idea was my DD's desire to see R5 over Memorial day weekend. I figure if I am going that once, might as well get SP and go a few more times.

What shocked me, I called to ask some questions. If you don't get the free parking pass, GA charges $25.00 per day to park in that crappy run down parking lot. I thought Disney was expensive at $17.00.

Disney has definitely ruined me for any other theme park.

 

[ChrisinNJ]

I took my son to SFGA two years ago and must say that Flash Pass is AWESOME. .

Hmm I called SFGA to ask if there was a flash pass option on the Season pass. They said no. They also said it was run by an outside company and while I don't remember the prices quoted, it was really expensive.

My plan, since I live 30 minutes away, is to get there at opening, ride a few or until crowds get crazy, and be out before lunch...

 

[DisneyRegulars]

We went to a local amusement park last summer with my 3 year old son. The high school kid manning the gate couldn't get the hand stamp to work and she started swearing about it, in front of my 3 year old. We hadn't even entered the park yet and I missed Disney!

 

[bonrea]

Disney isn't a 'theme/amusement park' to me...it's a destination.

Agreed... But change one word. It isn't a destination so much as it is an "Experience."

Keep in mind that is the way Walt envisioned it and had the Imaginers design and build it. He had taken his daughters to the park and the Zoo and such but there was no real Experience to reflect back on or recall a great time for posterity. That is why when anyone asks me about our trips to Disney they don't understand the passion I have for it. Because they think its just another amusement park. Acres and acres of rides and lame shows and crappy food.

I say if you go, and you don't get it, you didn't try to get it. You MUST let yourself get lost in the Magic or you have wasted your time and money.

 

[DisneyFive]

Agreed OP, but I would never in a million years spend $5000-6000 for a week long vacation to a Six Flags park, or Cedar Point (amazing amusement park) which is closer to us.

While we love visiting Amusement parks, Disney commands more $$$ (unfortunately, a little too much recently I'm afraid) because of what you get with that $$$.

While have a lot of fun at other parks, they are simply really fun places to go for a day or maybe two. Disney World really is a vacation "world" all in it's own category.

Dan

 

[Marvin1968]

OP, funny you mention Six Flags GA as I am buying season passes for the first time this year... I hate the place, like seriously hate it, but it will give me one more option for something to do with the kids.What sparked the idea was my DD's desire to see R5 over Memorial day weekend. I figure if I am going that once, might as well get SP and go a few more times. What shocked me, I called to ask some questions. If you don't get the free parking pass, GA charges $25.00 per day to park in that crappy run down parking lot. I thought Disney was expensive at $17.00. Disney has definitely ruined me for any other theme park.

This past Sunday was last day for free parking pass. Lines to get in and for parking pass were nuts.

 

[Marvin1968]

Yeah, you touched on some of the other stuff there. The parking lot is a total disgrace. It needs to be completely torn up, repaved and repainted. And they need new signage for it as well. We were there last Saturday and I saw several people almost run over by cars leaving the parking lot the wrong way and four busses that had to back up and reroute because they went in the wrong direction. Add to that the tripping hazard that they call walkways in the park. Most of them also need to be repaved due to tree roots pushing up and cracking them. My point in all this was that we seem to be a little spoiled by what Disney does provide in the way of atmosphere, cleanliness, friendliness and service. I am in no way trying to diminish anyone's bad experiences or their feelings of lessened service, etc. But a little perspective seems in order. We're still discussing the happiest place on earth here. What they do is still leaps and bounds ahead of any other amusement/theme park in the country and rivals almost any vacation destination as well. Maybe it's just that the board has become so overrun with negativity about MDE and FP+ (two systems that are still not perfected by the way) that we lose sight of the fact that it's still WDW. That's all.

The parking lot is nuts. People drive diagonal through the parking lot. They need a pedestrian walkway. What scares me is that if they don't take care of the simple things like the parking lot and water tower, how well are they maintaining the rides?

 

[Drinehart811]

All of the negativity regarding changes has been really bugging me. But I have decided to take it with a grain of salt and this is why: THERE IS NO COMPARISON TO WDW. PERIOD. I also get that no one likes change. And in my head I can just see 15 years from now these same people up in arms when disney changes FP+ to something new. (I'm also sure these people will deny it, but the rest of know its true!)

I live in So Cal and have an AP to DL, I have for years. We also have knotts, SIx flags, and universal in the area. It has never occurred to me to pay less for any of those other places instead. I can honestly say I have visited the others combined the same number of times in the last 10 years as I have DL in 6 months. The disney experience is just so far above everyone else I would never enjoy the others as much.

But this is a WDW thread to what is my point? WDW is still in a league by itself. I would NEVER consider a "day trip" to WDW, even though I often do so to DL. I think of it as a vacation experience. And really there is no place I could go and enjoy myself as much that is significantly below WDW in price. Airfare is expensive regardless of where you go, food, entertainment, hotels, all expensive anywhere. What sets disney apart is that they combine all this and make it more affordable for families. I am also a strong proponent that you get exactly what you pay for from disney. The more you put in the more you get. Yes, it's getting more expensive, but what isn't? I LIKE the DDP, yes, I wish I could get an app instead of a dessert but I'm not gonna be all up in arms about it. As someone who still has legacy FP at my home park I am extremely excited about FP+. I hate having to backtrack back to the attraction at DL to use my FP and that's nowhere near as far of a walk as at WDW. No system is perfect but I really believe that FP+ is going to be much better for the vast majority of visitors. For me legacy FP was such pain to use at WDW that I rarely used 2 in one day, just because I hated backtracking, and walking in sweltering heat. Getting to plan some ahead of time, especially for character M&Gs and parades, will make my trip amazingly less stressful. Again, my point is that VACATIONS are expensive, but you get what you pay for.

 

[JeremyGNJ]

The parking lot is nuts. People drive diagonal through the parking lot. They need a pedestrian walkway. What scares me is that if they don't take care of the simple things like the parking lot and water tower, how well are they maintaining the rides?

been a couple years since I've gone to GA...but isn't the rusty water tower actually part of the Gothum theming for Batman?

 

[Bullseye]

Considering we live 18 miles from our park means we are out there quite a bit. We LOVE rides!!! The thing about SF parks is that they add a new ride to each of their parks yearly. No, it may not be themed as well as the Mine Train at Disney, but maybe I want to ride the world's tallest, fastest, steepest wooden coaster.

We can have fun at any park in the country that we want to. Themeing only goes so far for us anymore. Now my experience at WDW is diminished because we can't tour like we used to (FP+ being the reason) and am being asked to pay more for less. Nope.

This is why I wish WDW would start adding some bigger thrill rides to their parks. I wouldn't feel as bad paying as much as I do if they had some rides that compared to the ones you find at SF or Cedar point. But everyone always bemoans "that's not what WDW is about!". Phooey I say! This is one of the reasons we now spend at least two days at US/IOA every trip.

SF's went bankrupt several years ago, yet Great America has added cool new rides every year since. This year they are opening Goliath, the Worlds tallest steepest fastest wooden roller-coaster!

I love WDW for it's charm, nostaglia, and creativity but they need to start getting up to speed on the rides. This was one of the primary reasons FP+ was not a big deal to me. How many times can you ride WDW rides

 

[ChrisinNJ]

This past Sunday was last day for free parking pass. Lines to get in and for parking pass were nuts.

They extended free parking until June 1st. I couldn't get there by last weekend so I figured I would need a gold pass to cover parking, but now I am good. We May go on Sunday.

 

[pdarrah]

I don't get why anyone wants to compare WDW at "$100 per day" - there isn't one of us here that would actually pay that. At the very least, most of us have multiday passes & my family always has APs. We will be taking the last trip on our current APs in June. By the time we are done, we will have used 26 days which works out to about $25 per day per person for WDW. (13 days last June, 5 days in January & 8 days this coming June)

Even a 5-day MYW pass gets it down to $65 per day.

I live near Chicago, but I don't put the cost of my airfare up against the cost of the theme park - if I'm going to go on vacation somewhere warm, I'll be paying to fly - actually, Orlando is usually cheaper than a lot of other possible destinations. I also decide whether the hotel cost is "worth it" to me based on my experience at the hotel. In order to go to WDW more often, we usually stay at Pop - I feel the price for what I am getting there (particularly with an AP discount) is decent value. I have yet to travel on a vacation anywhere and not had to pay a premium for food. The most expensive was when we did a "stay-cation" and spent a weekend in Chicago!

To put the value of the entertainment in perspective, I just look at other entertainment that I spend money on. If we want to go to a show downtown (Chicago) tickets will likely be around $100 (unless we want to sit way up in the 2nd balcony!) Some shows may be less, but many of the ~big shows are much more. In June, my son & I are going to see Queen - I paid $150 each for those tickets. Both a play/musical or a concert will provide me with a couple hours of entertainment. So I'm looking at around $50 per hour to be entertained. Movies are more reasonable - a ticket at my local show is $10.50 and most movies run about 2 hours, so $5.25 per hour, but I certainly don't want to vacation at a movie theater & there aren't that many movies I really want to see.

We typically spend about 10 hours a day in a park at WDW. Even for those who don't, if you spend 5 hours in a park at $65, you are looking at entertainment for about $13 per hour. Even in low season, the parks are usually open 12 hours a day, so if you really want to get your money's worth that $65 per day would be $5.42 per hour - so pretty close to the cost of seeing a movie. With my AP, I paid about $2.50 per hour for my theme park time. I'm pretty sure I'm still getting at least $2.50 worth of entertainment each hour I spend at a Disney themepark!

 

[chrismb22]

i don't get why anyone wants to compare wdw at "$100 per day" - there isn't one of us here that would actually pay that. At the very least, most of us have multiday passes & my family always has aps. We will be taking the last trip on our current aps in june. By the time we are done, we will have used 26 days which works out to about $25 per day per person for wdw. (13 days last june, 5 days in january & 8 days this coming june)

even a 5-day myw pass gets it down to $65 per day.

I live near chicago, but i don't put the cost of my airfare up against the cost of the theme park - if i'm going to go on vacation somewhere warm, i'll be paying to fly - actually, orlando is usually cheaper than a lot of other possible destinations. I also decide whether the hotel cost is "worth it" to me based on my experience at the hotel. In order to go to wdw more often, we usually stay at pop - i feel the price for what i am getting there (particularly with an ap discount) is decent value. I have yet to travel on a vacation anywhere and not had to pay a premium for food. The most expensive was when we did a "stay-cation" and spent a weekend in chicago!

To put the value of the entertainment in perspective, i just look at other entertainment that i spend money on. If we want to go to a show downtown (chicago) tickets will likely be around $100 (unless we want to sit way up in the 2nd balcony!) some shows may be less, but many of the ~big shows are much more. In june, my son & i are going to see queen - i paid $150 each for those tickets. Both a play/musical or a concert will provide me with a couple hours of entertainment. So i'm looking at around $50 per hour to be entertained. Movies are more reasonable - a ticket at my local show is $10.50 and most movies run about 2 hours, so $5.25 per hour, but i certainly don't want to vacation at a movie theater & there aren't that many movies i really want to see.

We typically spend about 10 hours a day in a park at wdw. Even for those who don't, if you spend 5 hours in a park at $65, you are looking at entertainment for about $13 per hour. Even in low season, the parks are usually open 12 hours a day, so if you really want to get your money's worth that $65 per day would be $5.42 per hour - so pretty close to the cost of seeing a movie. With my ap, i paid about $2.50 per hour for my theme park time. I'm pretty sure i'm still getting at least $2.50 worth of entertainment each hour i spend at a disney themepark!

excellent analogy/perspective!

 

[Marvin1968]

They extended free parking until June 1st. I couldn't get there by last weekend so I figured I would need a gold pass to cover parking, but now I am good. We May go on Sunday.

Great news!!
They do it different now u get your annual pass at the gate. Bring your on line printouts and they scan them and your index finger then give you your pass(no more pictures).

The bad news is u still have to go to the tent by superman to get parking put on one of the passes. Just have the annual pass as well as computer printout for parking. Line was long but it moved fast.

 

[Marvin1968]

been a couple years since I've gone to GA...but isn't the rusty water tower actually part of the Gothum theming for Batman?

I don't think so, but I'll check it out next time.

update i found this old picture so it looks like its not.

 

[DisneyFive]

Problem is, there is a Six Flags Great America, and a Six Flags Great Adventure. I'm getting confused with the abbreviation SFGA.

Dan