Disney World Buries Its Controversial $149 After Hours Experiment

[Tonka's Skipper]

People were willing to pay.

Just not enough of them.

True....and that is the point....very few were willing to pay.

AKK

 

[whiporee]

I think it's worth pointing out that he doesn't cite a single source in his article, and doesn't even admit that he knows whether it's actually gone or not. All he knows is that there are no future nights announced as of now.

He may be right, but he's just guessing.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

I think it's worth pointing out that he doesn't cite a single source in his article, and doesn't even admit that he knows whether it's actually gone or not. All he knows is that there are no future nights announced as of now.

He may be right, but he's just guessing.

I was thinking that myself, but it seems some of the other news media are coming out with the story as well.....fox is one


AKK

 

[whiporee]

I was thinking that myself, but it seems some of the other news media are coming out with the story as well.....fox is one


AKK

But a lot of this stuff becomes circular. He writes a post, someone picks it up, quotes him, and there's still nothing official.

Havent' seen anything from Fox, so I don't know. And it might be a correct report. I just don't see anything to it other than him projecting anecdotal evidence and merging it with the lack of an announcement. I've seen this before -- an "insider" writes something, others quote him and that becomes the story. Happened with the 20 percent labor cuts that were projected based on one insider's report, when in reality they weren't nearly that drastic.

Again, DAH maybe dead and gone, but I wouldn't write it off based on what one guy's guesses.

 

[cel_disney]

I think that the event was very poorly advertised (similarly to club Villian). I also think that they should have had 2 price points - 150$ or 90$ with a park entry already paid.

I do have an AP and DVC and like the 75$ price point even more of course!

 

[luisov]

I don't see why people had such a negative reaction to this event. True, I wasn't that positive at the beginning either, but in reality I just think this event wasn't even targeted to many of us. If people want to pay 150 for a few hours in an empty park, let them do it. There's definitely some value in that. As long as it doesn't affect the regular experience or prices, I don't see what's the big deal.

It all seemed like Disney experimenting a little bit, anyway. Now, I'd love to see what are Disney's conclusions about this event.

 

[Hikergirl]

I do remember reading (when it was announced) that it wouldn't be offered during peak times. I guess that would mean we won't see it in the summer or through the holidays. I can't remember where I read that, but it was not an official statement from Disney so who knows.
I agree that it wasn't really advertised but maybe that is because they wanted to see just how many people who already had their tickets would be interested in paying more for the event like alot do for the parties. I hope they continue it, and a price reduction would be nice especially for those who are already spending the day in the park. They really shouldn't have to pay another $150 (or whatever full price would be) for a few more hours.

 

[TexasKiwiPrincess]

I hope they continue to offer this at various times. I agree that the $150 per person price tag is a bit much, but my indignation that the event was $50/hour evaporated when I realized 1) you don't need a regular park ticket to enter (like with the Extra Magic Morning offer) and 2) you could enter the parks as early as 4pm. That $150 price tag was for a maximum of 10 hours of park time, 30% of which was exclusive access to the park with Minimal crowds. That averages out to $15/hour. Toss in all the ice cream and bottled drinks...I think a lot of people missed what a deal this is. Personally, my only negative to this event would be missing that sweet spot in attendance where there are enough people to generate buzz and energy, but still have minimal to no wait times.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

To me, it just looked desperate.

I'm with you...it looked like a Hail Mary from the start.

People are suggesting somehow this was "research" or "shrewd"

I think they put a really obvious bait on the edge of the cliff and hoped lots of people would dive off going for it.

And the guy who thought of it had to walk the plank instead.

 

[2buzzboys]

Thank goodness!!! Can we get on with our later summer nights the old fashion way - with a regular ticket or pass.

 

[Juliet25]

I hope they continue to offer this at various times. I agree that the $150 per person price tag is a bit much, but my indignation that the event was $50/hour evaporated when I realized 1) you don't need a regular park ticket to enter (like with the Extra Magic Morning offer) and 2) you could enter the parks as early as 4pm. That $150 price tag was for a maximum of 10 hours of park time, 30% of which was exclusive access to the park with Minimal crowds. That averages out to $15/hour. Toss in all the ice cream and bottled drinks...I think a lot of people missed what a deal this is. Personally, my only negative to this event would be missing that sweet spot in attendance where there are enough people to generate buzz and energy, but still have minimal to no wait times.

I agree with you. It would have been something I would have liked to have tried, even at that price. Getting in at 4:00 and getting some exclusive hours at the end sounds reasonable. Plus there's the Mickey bars. The problem, however, would be paying that price five times for all the members of my family. My big complaint with MVMCP and MNSSHP is the crowds. I'd like to find a sweet spot between a splurge that isn't too steep but isn't ultimately worth it (the usual after hours parties, IMO) and a splurge that is just way too cost prohibitive to even consider (at least for my family).

 

[rteetz]

I think it's worth pointing out that he doesn't cite a single source in his article, and doesn't even admit that he knows whether it's actually gone or not. All he knows is that there are no future nights announced as of now.

He may be right, but he's just guessing.

He never does. Based on observations he gets a lot of his info from Disney message boards like wdwmagic.

 

[rteetz]

I'm with you...it looked like a Hail Mary from the start.

People are suggesting somehow this was "research" or "shrewd"

I think they put a really obvious bait on the edge of the cliff and hoped lots of people would dive off going for it.

And the guy who thought of it had to walk the plank instead.

Who's to say that it wasn't Disney testing the waters or something? You and I don't know for sure. Of course we can guess and of course some answers make more sense than others but we don't know the real facts behind it. Disney obviously loves their hard ticket type events and this was one of those and it flat out didn't work.

 

[luisov]

I'm with you...it looked like a Hail Mary from the start.

People are suggesting somehow this was "research" or "shrewd"

I think they put a really obvious bait on the edge of the cliff and hoped lots of people would dive off going for it.

And the guy who thought of it had to walk the plank instead.

Well, they could've been testing the possibility of dissapearing EMH altogether. If it's true that Disney doesn't like EMH anymore, the obvious choice would be to charge for EMH. The $150 tag was a reach, though.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Who's to say that it wasn't Disney testing the waters or something? You and I don't know for sure. Of course we can guess and of course some answers make more sense than others but we don't know the real facts behind it. Disney obviously loves their hard ticket type events and this was one of those and it flat out didn't work.

In the modern age...one can look on their phone and find out nearly all of what there is to learn about Disneys business dealings.

Some of us (just being honest) spend our "relaxation time" doing just that...looking at the numbers, the speeches, the analysts, and the shifts in patterns...

...when you do that long enough...you do get pretty good at spotting decoys and the trends.

This one was forced...urgent. Nor was it very well disguised. It was a float to see if they could use their own problems against the consumer. The ultimate bait and switch...from behind the green curtain.

Other fans...ask what room to request and how to get reservations for Cinderella's.

I'm not saying anyone is more entitled to do one more than the other. It's up to the Individul what Disney is to them.

But let's not say that all opinions are "equal" here...because they are not. And there needs to be a place for that.

This is the first indisputable example of what the consumer needs to do in Orlando for a long time: rejection of a price due to the egregious nature of it.

That's how it looks from way up here in the upper deck - at least.

 

[denecarter]

The original post is a story written for Motley Fool. http://www.fool.com/investing/gener...ial-149-after-ho.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Ah, another angry opinion piece from someone who couldn't afford to attend. What we do know from these boards is that the vast majority of those who went really enjoyed it and many people simply got angry because they couldn't afford to go.

With all due respect your statement is just insulting here to be quite honest. You will always find people who cannot afford something but that's all relative based on so many factors. I could afford the $150 but never would have on principle. It just was too high for me. Sure to some they literally could not spend the $150 per person to attend in their budget but it's..I don't even know the right word to say here..to say those who were not in favor of the event just couldn't afford it. Besides I saw multiple comments from people who got in either for free or for the $75 who stated they wouldn't have paid $150 for it as it was too high for them.

 

[Planogirl]

With all due respect your statement is just insulting here to be quite honest. You will always find people who cannot afford something but that's all relative based on so many factors. I could afford the $150 but never would have on principle. It just was too high for me. Sure to some they literally could not spend the $150 per person to attend in their budget but it's..I don't even know the right word to say here..to say those who were not in favor of the event just couldn't afford it. Besides I saw multiple comments from people who got in either for free or for the $75 who stated they wouldn't have paid $150 for it as it was too high for them.

The other DISer doesn't even know if this writer could afford it. Just jumping to conclusions.

We could have since we are a small group. However we would never pay the full amount.

 

[manning]

Speculation reigns supreme

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

But a lot of this stuff becomes circular. He writes a post, someone picks it up, quotes him, and there's still nothing official.

Havent' seen anything from Fox, so I don't know. And it might be a correct report. I just don't see anything to it other than him projecting anecdotal evidence and merging it with the lack of an announcement. I've seen this before -- an "insider" writes something, others quote him and that becomes the story. Happened with the 20 percent labor cuts that were projected based on one insider's report, when in reality they weren't nearly that drastic.

Again, DAH maybe dead and gone, but I wouldn't write it off based on what one guy's guesses.

Well we will see what happens.

AKK