Does anyone else expect a "rant" in this coming weeks show?

[Stacy's a freak]

OKW Lover - Cool - thank you!!

 

[rteetz]

This is only the start of the price increases. Remember that ticket survey not too long ago?

 

[*NikkiBell*]

Respectfully disagree Nikki. When I bought DVC I did so knowing that the only benefits I was entitled to are those stated in the sales documents. Basically, I was buying a room at WDW for the next 45 years. DVC does not have to offer us anything beyond that. They aren't penalizing us, they are just offering something extra that isn't quite as generous as before. Perhaps this is a glass half-full/half-empty kind of thing. Or maybe the glass is just the wrong size.

I get that.

When I bought DVC and later added another contract on, I knew full well I was buying real estate via a timeshare program. While DVC does not have to offer us anything beyond that, I think it is in bad form for them to take something away from what has been offered for many, many years. In this case, that is a period of 42 days for which members would have to pay almost $200 extra to visit the parks on top of the annual pass price. I don't think that is right. It's a smack in the face to us who have spent thousands on membership. We already have had the rearrangement of the points charts so that more are used in a one week stay than ever before; adding this on top of it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

On today's show, it was mentioned that perhaps the company does not believe DVC members spend money in the parks. If Disney honestly thinks that this is true, then the company is even more out of touch than I originally thought. I honestly thought that they were starting to treat members better than in the recent past with the new Membership Magic events which have all been fantastic. The move of adding blackout dates is a step backwards.

Similarly, what motivation would I have to add on future contracts now? My time is already being chopped away at the parks. Adding more points at a new DVC resort doesn't exactly make sense now. In fact, this is something that a lot of my colleagues were discussing this morning - many of whom were considering becoming members. All agreed that they would not purchase DVC if Disney was going to then charge them an additional $200 to have access to the parks for a year. Likewise, I know of a few people who are now going to stop buying annual passes and just enjoy their DVC resorts. That is hurting Disney's bottom line in the long run.

All in all, Disney can do whatever it wants. I'll still buy an annual pass. Do I have a leg to stand on in terms of being dissatisfied? Most definitely. I pay my dues each and every month and have already paid thousands for my membership. Will I buy additional DVC contracts? The answer used to be a resounding "yes." Now, I'm not so sure.

 

[Disneybridein2k3]

Since I just bought my annual pass, this particular price increase doesn't affect me personally until next year. And while I don't have a strong opinion, I respect those who do.
Now I totally understand it from a business stance (and admittedly don't know of a different way to fix it), I do think it's so sad to see the commercials for Disney knowing full well there are so many families that would just love to visit but are just simply priced out - the magic is too expensive. I'm not asking for a sliding scale for those people , just making a statement. It's like when they priced so many people out of CRT by forcing the photo add-on to the price. Like I said, I don't know how to fix it and I'm just making a statement. I definitely feel blessed to be able to go to the parks any time I want now but it was less than a year ago when I was saving my dollars to watch my girls' faces light up. It is sad that they are pricing so many people out of the magic.

 

[Princess Jes]

Now I totally understand it from a business stance (and admittedly don't know of a different way to fix it), I do think it's so sad to see the commercials for Disney knowing full well there are so many families that would just love to visit but are just simply priced out - the magic is too expensive.

Just playing Devil's advocate here but... do you also feel bad for those who cant afford a Mercedes? I'm sure many people would love one, they see the commercials on tv.
Or even overseas holidays? not many can afford it, but I don't feel bad for those who cant, that's just life isn't it?

 

[safetymom]

Before I worked for the DIS/Dreams I bought my own annual pass. If I had to purchase my own annual pass today I would still do so because that is my entertainment for the year. I love hanging out in the theme parks with family and friends. It is still a value to me. We quit buying the TIW card several years ago because we didn't find a value in it.

 

[kbelle8995]

Just playing Devil's advocate here but... do you also feel bad for those who cant afford a Mercedes? I'm sure many people would love one, they see the commercials on tv.
Or even overseas holidays? not many can afford it, but I don't feel bad for those who cant, that's just life isn't it?

Yes but Mercedes does not to my knowledge sell themselves to Families Disney does. Whether Disney is a value or affordable is a personal opinion.

I seem to recall that a few years ago, Disney had a marketing campaign that stated that it was affordable if you were on a tighter budget. I haven't seen that campaign in quite a while

 

[Vernie822]

Just chiming in to say that I really love reading everyone's opinions on this. I enjoy the respectful discussions!

 

[disneysteve]

Just playing Devil's advocate here but... do you also feel bad for those who cant afford a Mercedes? I'm sure many people would love one, they see the commercials on tv.
Or even overseas holidays? not many can afford it, but I don't feel bad for those who cant, that's just life isn't it?

Jes, I think the difference is that Disney is not marketed or perceived as a luxury product. If you ask the average guy on the street to name a luxury vacation destination, you're probably going to get answers like Paris or Rome or Fiji. I highly doubt anyone will say Disney World. At least here in the US, going to Disney is no more exclusive than going to the beach. This is a place where our high school kids go for their senior class trip, even from 1,000+ miles away. It's the quintessential American family vacation.

There is a lot of chatter in the US about the disappearance of the middle class. A lot of that is political mumbo jumbo but when people see things they used to be able to afford start to become unaffordable, it gets them upset. Wages have been stagnant for many years while the cost of goods and services has steadily increased.

I totally get that Disney is a publicly owned company and has to keep the shareholders happy. Heck, I'm one of those shareholders. Still, to see prices jump 15% overnight is a little hard to swallow. My income didn't go up 15%. It didn't go up at all. So going to Disney just got a little less affordable for us. Will we stop going? No, because we still have enough wiggle room in our budget to absorb the increase, but I have no doubt that for others that won't be the case and a trip may need to be cancelled or postponed.

Interestingly, Pete alluded to the price hike as being a way to curb the crowds in Disneyland but didn't make the same mention regarding Disney World. I was hoping he would address that. I still believe that at least in part, they are trying to address the overcrowding issue.

 

[Epcot_Fan_76]

I don't think that WDW has a capacity problem, but MK has a capacity problem. I believe that a lot of the blame falls on Disney for not investing in infrastructure. They invested over 2 billion in technology, rather than new attractions that would add capacity to the parks. Disney has planned poorly, and now we have to suffer the consequences with more expensive AP's.

 

[dkrauss]

disneysteve, Excellent synopsis of what this is all about.

The price increase do impact me but only a small bit (from a savings perspective). Otherwise since I've never been an AP holder (and won't become one until next November ). It just doesn't feel like a big deal to me. To those who've had passes for years, FLA and DVC folks........I can appreciate the stress. But in the end..........I agree with Pete too................

Doug

 

[disneysteve]

I don't think that WDW has a capacity problem, but MK has a capacity problem. I believe that a lot of the blame falls on Disney for not investing in infrastructure.

I think there's some truth to that but not entirely. Certainly, MK is the most popular park, but the increased crowds are evident elsewhere too. Have you been following Food and Wine reports? Everything I've seen and read has specifically mentioned how crowded it is and how long the lines are. Dining reservations at the popular places get harder and harder to get. Lines are present even at attractions that used to be walk ons (this is partly due to FP+) like Great Movie Ride, for example.

I also don't know how doing more things to encourage guests to stay onsite will fix anything. Disney only has about 30,000 rooms onsite. The vast majority of guests stay offsite simply because that's where the vast majority of the hotel space is. So they're going to run at near-100% capacity which crowds the hotels, pools, buses, etc. and then there will still be all of the offsite guests and locals coming in too.

 

[Epcot_Fan_76]

Epcot has actually been pretty slow this past summer. Food and Wine definitely increases the crowds, but mostly on the weekends. I also don't think the new AP prices will have much of an effect on crowds. The blackout dates only cover the major holidays and times that are typically busier. I live close to MK and September was way worse than July or August as far as crowds are concerned. I used to avoid MK during the Christmas season, but lately I find myself avoiding it more and more thought the year due to the crowds. It works out alright for me because Epcot is actually my favorite park, but I do love certain attractions at MK. As a local I will be renewing my AP at the higher price, but I will let my Tables in Wonderland card go dead to make up the difference. I would be willing to buy a lower priced AP that had blackout days for MK, but I am not willing to give up the other parks during the blackout dates.

 

[kbelle8995]

I think that it's kind of wierd that Disney is raising prices for quote "Crowd" control. They plan parties, festivals, marathons to get guests in the park. Now they have them and It's a HUGE problem. Where's the disconnect here? Isn't Fp+ supposed to take care of this as well? I was going to type free dining but I think that's more to get guests in the restaurants and the hotels.

Perhaps they need to talk to their marketing department.

 

[disneysteve]

I also don't think the new AP prices will have much of an effect on crowds.

I agree, but I think it's only the first step in a process that we'll see in the coming months, including tiered pricing for regular tickets.

 

[disneysteve]

Isn't Fp+ supposed to take care of this as well?

FP+ didn't do anything to reduce crowds. In fact, it has made lines worse than ever by adding FP+ to rides and attractions that didn't previously have them.

 

[kbelle8995]

FP+ didn't do anything to reduce crowds. In fact, it has made lines worse than ever by adding FP+ to rides and attractions that didn't previously have them.

That's what I think too. I keep remembering that Disney stated that this was to distribute the crowds Sounds like a fail. I don't care for FP+ personally. Tried it didn't like it.

 

[rmm7e]

I can go at low crowds times, but I'm not willing to mentally accept that a low-tier ticket is a discount (as opposed to a peak season ticket). They are not ever going to lower prices. Given the inevitability of the tiered tickets and other possibly bad changes, though, my plan is this:

First, I have 6 or 7 days left on a non-expiring park hopper as well as 9 waterpark entries. Those tickets are gold in the bank and I'm going to hold on to them for single day admissions in the future (for example, when I'm in town for business and want to go to a park, or when I do a Universal trip and want a day a Disney).

Second, I'm going to go ahead and buy 2 five-day park hoppers now and put them away for future week long visits. I can get them for $339 plus tax each through my employer's ticketsatwork.com program. This is a hedge against inflation as well as against ticket terms changing to have blackout dates - though that could still happen with existing tickets, I guess.

Third, I'm probably looking at staying offsite on future trips, or possibly at Swan/Dolphin. I always rent a car anyway. This breaks my heart as the resorts are at least 50% of the joy for me, but they are pricing me out from a value standpoint and I'd rather spend the money on a second trip elsewhere (Costa Rica was phenomenal! and we usually do the Outer Banks as well.)

So while I'm not giving up on Disney or ranting about the changes (much), I am making adjustments to how I'll be travelling in the future.

 

[disneysteve]

So while I'm not giving up on Disney or ranting about the changes (much), I am making adjustments to how I'll be travelling in the future.

I think this will be a very common response. People will be going less often or staying for a shorter time or doing fewer park days during their stay or choosing less costly accommodations or eating more meals offsite. Some combination of changes to keep the overall cost of the trip relatively stable.

 

[Stacy's a freak]

... Interestingly, Pete alluded to the price hike as being a way to curb the crowds in Disneyland but didn't make the same mention regarding Disney World. I was hoping he would address that. I still believe that at least in part, they are trying to address the overcrowding issue.

This! Having large numbers of guests is the best problem to have and WDW has been advertising like crazy in the last decade or so to get here. I can remember a time when seeing a Disney commercial was so rare and made me over-the-moon excited to see to get a quick glimpse into my favorite place. Over the past several years I have seen one practically every time I forgot to fast forward the DVR. Now they have to curb the enthusiasm - haha.