Agree to Disagree! DISUnplugged Show March 22!

[rteetz]

Yeah, I think the 5th gate is the ultimate plan but probably a decade or more away from happening. But if you say they need to spread out crowds to the other parks (as they do), wouldn't a 5th gate help that?

But again, as for right now, the 5th gate thing has no importance to the discussion. If you're charging more to fight crowd control, you better put that money back into the parks.

No a 5th gate will likely cannabilize attendance at Epcot, AK and DHS. MK is always going to be the king park everyone wants to go there. People in the US don't have unlimited vacation days so let's say you vacation for a week. You spend five days in the parks. Two at MK and one at each of the other parks. Add a fifth park. Now most people aren't going to take an MK day away, they will take time away from those other parks. That overall lowers attendance at those three parks.

 

[rteetz]

Dear god, what the hell happens if Shanghai fails? That's gotta be their ultimate nightmare.

Even if Shanghai fails Disney is going to sell it as the greatest thing since sliced bread. I've heard the Chinese are even going to inflate attendance numbers saying it's the most visited Disney park.

 

[JJZMgailey]

I personally think that Disney should consider building another Theme Park somewhere between Orlando and Anaheim.

 

[EricInPA]

feeling like Disney is charging you for what you used to get for free ... or creating different classes of guests where there used to not be (parade viewing, etc.) and where that might lead

I'm not a believer in a 5th gate solving problems. They need to spread out crowds to the other parks. Magic kingdom has a capacity issue. There are 19+ million visiting MK, 12 million at Epcot, and 11 at DHS and AK

These are the two competing problems for Disney. Their parks make $1B per quarter, and are now running up against a constraint that money cannot solve: time. Time to build/expand capacity and the guest's time spent while at their parks.

Plenty of folks will be happy to fork over some extra cash so they don't have to camp out for a spot. People already pay extra for crowd calendars and specialized touring plans from a third party. Just pay Disney directly and not have to plan at all.

Edit: there is an entire cottage industry based around maximizing your Disney vacation. Books, blogs, travel agencies, etc. You already have people paying extra to get more than other guests, it's just not straight from Disney.

 

[pontikes67]

I personally think that Disney should consider building another Theme Park somewhere between Orlando and Anaheim.

FRISCO, TEXAS!!!

 

[SarahDisney]

I personally think that Disney should consider building another Theme Park somewhere between Orlando and Anaheim.

I vote for a theme park in NYC! (Yes, I know, it wouldn't work, but ... they charge a lot of money for airfare these days, and I want to be able to go to Disney all the time!)

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I vote for a theme park in NYC! (Yes, I know, it wouldn't work, but ... they charge a lot of money for airfare these days, and I want to be able to go to Disney all the time!)

Well, there is talk of building a Lego Land in Orange County NY that would be bigger than the one in Orlando ... so hey, anything is possible. Well, ok, a full theme park in Manhattan is probably not possible but a legit Disney park (even if on the smaller side) within driving distance of New York City could do big business

 

[SarahDisney]

Well, there is talk of building a Lego Land in Orange County NY that would be bigger than the one in Orlando ... so hey, anything is possible. Well, ok, a full theme park in Manhattan is probably not possible but a legit Disney park (even if on the smaller side) within driving distance of New York City could do big business

As long as there's some sort of transportation from the city (I'm willing to pay ... but driving isn't an option for me because I can't drive), I'm all for it! It doesn't need to be as big as Disney World, I'll take Disneyland size...

 

[sunshine1]

Kevin had beef!

Also he quoted that he read an article where someone said that orca live longer in captivity then the wild. This is incorrect.

There is an wild orca called Granny who is 103 and lives in the Washington State area.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Kevin had beef!

Also he quoted that he read an article where someone said that orca live longer in captivity then the wild. This is incorrect.

There is an wild orca called Granny who is 103 and lives in the Washington State area.

he also mentioned creating custom breeds of whales like they do with dogs. I am hoping to get #Orcadoodle trending

 

[KingLlama]

Kevin had beef!

Also he quoted that he read an article where someone said that orca live longer in captivity then the wild. This is incorrect.

There is an wild orca called Granny who is 103 and lives in the Washington State area.

Man oh man I wish that wild orca's name was "Fregola".

 

[freediverdude]

The point I was trying to make was I hate all the "new" add-ons. That aren't "new" they are just rehashing old experiences as something you now have to pay extra for now. If Disney holds a special event like Club Villain, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, etc those are additional experiences that provide something extra then what a normal day ticket provides that is completely acceptable, and good for Disney for thinking of new services to provide and make money on. What bothers me is when they take something that was a free/first-come, first-served experience and find ways to charge people for it. Recently we've seen preferred parking, but how close are we to having to pay to meet Mickey? When will a "bronze level" ticket only allow me to watch Hall of Presidents from the back row?

Can Disney charge people extra and label it as providing a service that you don't have to pay for? Sure they are a Fortune 100 company in a capitalist society. But Disney used to be the Happiest Place On Earth for anyone that could afford to walk in the front gates, now I am afraid, and this is speculation that we might see a tiered system where the rich get the full experience while the rest get a shell of the experience unless they pay for the add-ons that used to be free.

If Disney wants more of my money then make the ticket prices more expensive, don't give me some tiered experience where I have to count my dollars every time I want to do something. When will Disney World feel like a carnival where I have pay for every experience?

I do get what you were saying, like a family walks into the hub to watch the fireworks, and the kids ask "why can't we stand over there", or having to walk past the dessert party area in Tomorrowland Terrace and the kids ask why they can't eat those desserts too. Previously the VIP type experiences were much more discreet, not in your face look-we-can-do-this-because-we-paid-more. It's more about the appearance of it and the feeling of being able to do whatever there without feeling you need to buy a bunch of add-ons so you don't feel it's not as nice, whether you can afford to or not.

 

[kbelle8995]

I'm one of the lucky ones who has never walked into a dirty bathroom as folks have described on the boards and the show. But, here's the thing - I don't believe that Disney is *intentionally* making their product less great. There's so much room for human error with things like cleaning and such..

You're lucky Jackie. I've walked into a couple at WDW. The worst was at TTC. I wish I could purge that one from my memory banks. When I was at Epcot this weekend, there was a custodial CM cleaning the restrooms near Spaceship Earth. And the last couple trips I've seen more custodial cleaning the restroom so maybe things are turning around.

I do wonder if this paying extra will extend to other things. As long as people are willing to pay it will.

 

[JJZMgailey]

I do get what you were saying, like a family walks into the hub to watch the fireworks, and the kids ask "why can't we stand over there", or having to walk past the dessert party area in Tomorrowland Terrace and the kids ask why they can't eat those desserts too.

My kiddos used to ask those questions when they were much younger and we just told them 'that's a private party' and they never questioned it. Maybe we were just lucky our kids didn't press the issue, but we never had to tell them we couldn't afford the parties. Plus, they don't have Frozen Coca Cola at those fancy-pants parties!!!

You're lucky Jackie. I've walked into a couple at WDW. The worst was at TTC. I wish I could purge that one from my memory banks. When I was at Epcot this weekend, there was a custodial CM cleaning the restrooms near Spaceship Earth. And the last couple trips I've seen more custodial cleaning the restroom so maybe things are turning around.

I've almost always seen a Cast Member cleaning and they go right down the rows and repeat. I have walked into gross restrooms at public places before and like I do there, if I ever happened on one at a Disney Park, I would figure that the 'mess' had just happened and a Cast Member hadn't seen or been made aware of it yet.

 

[Princess Jaz E Jaz]

I think it comes down to if you are willing to pay or not. If enough people don't pay then Disney will rethink what it's doing.

When I plan a trip I look at what is happening in the parks and if have to to buy an extra ticket I will. Not everyone can do that. I always say Disney is a luxury and you don't have to go and you don't have to pay for things you don't want.

 

[kbelle8995]

I just

My kiddos used to ask those questions when they were much younger and we just told them 'that's a private party' and they never questioned it. Maybe we were just lucky our kids didn't press the issue, but we never had to tell them we couldn't afford the parties. Plus, they don't have Frozen Coca Cola at those fancy-pants parties!!!


I've almost always seen a Cast Member cleaning and they go right down the rows and repeat. I have walked into gross restrooms at public places before and like I do there, if I ever happened on one at a Disney Park, I would figure that the 'mess' had just happened and a Cast Member hadn't seen or been made aware of it yet.

Then your timing is much better than mine Jackie And now if you excuse me a kitty is trying to shove my laptop off my lap. Seriously she is.

 

[KathyTX]

FRISCO, TEXAS!!!

Eeek, no!!!! With the traffic we already have???

 

[pontikes67]

Eeek, no!!!! With the traffic we already have???

Haha. My wife said the same thing.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

I haven't had a chance to read through everything, but I just wanted to expand on my comments during chat today....

My argument is not one that everyone should be able to do everything. I agree about special experiences costing more and fully grasp that it's not in the budget for everyone. My argument is one that Pete normally throws into his rants that didn't seem to make it in today. I get angry when I pay more for less. And if this $150 special event leads to an end to EMH and possibly even an end to regular parks guests getting things like evening parades and fireworks (i.e. the FPs being discontinued), then I think there's reason for people to be angry.

Kevin used the analogy of not being able to buy a particular Porsche, but I don't see it that way. Things like the Villains party, dinner at V&A, and such are great for that Porsche example, but that's not the concern or really applicable here...at least not in my eyes. The concern is that success with this party COULD lead to your regular park admission no longer including things they've included for some time. How would you feel paying that annual price increase on tickets that so many of us have just come to tolerate if they eliminate EMH, parades, fireworks, and evening park hours in general with that admission in favor of them doing hard ticketed evening events for these things? Because if Disney can charge $150 a head extra for this stuff and it's a hit...it wouldn't shock me to see things take this ugly turn. Obviously, it's pure speculation, but that kind of more $ for a lesser experience would be what sends us elsewhere for vacations.

 

[CJLove79]

I think I'm going to have to stick to the comments I made during the show today and reiterate that I really feel these decisions being made are more about crowd control than they are about Disney wanting more money. The Parks are packed and Guests complain. MNSSHP, MVMCP, and other Special Events are packed and Guests complain. They have to do something or it's going to continue to be an all-out uproar online and everywhere. Like most people, I don't like all of these charges for extras, but they are a smart business and they've got a great product that people want.

Also, Disney Parks donated 2 million dollars to Make-A-Wish Foundation for their #ShareYourEars campaign - double their original pledge! They don't have to do stuff like that if they're not so inclined to. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't do it if they couldn't spare the 2 million. At least they're proactively having Guests fill out surveys so they can try to improve these things.

In fact, I think I remember seeing a survey last year that asked if I'd like to see more hard-ticket events; I say 'yes' and I'm sure lots of others did too!

In the times I've been to Disneyland, the only times I've ever seen the crowds even remotely compare to WDW was the week between Christmas and New Year's so I wouldn't expect to see these kinds of nickel and diming things happening there.

Magic costs money to make - Cast Members, electricity, water, gardeners, the list goes on for miles . . .

Jackie, God bless you girl!!!!! I was thinking the EXACT same thing during the whole debate yesterday. LOL. This isn't about profits, Disney will always make profits, the name of the game is to deter as many people as possible from coming to the parks cause they're simply too full. Nobody on the show mentioned that at all and I think that would've ended the debate completely. Everybody is going to have a difference in opinion about this but I'ma cut through all the bull and get right to the nitty gritty. The fact that everybody is having this debate is EXACTLY what Disney WANTS to happen. The anger about charging for what was once free conveniences is EXACTLY what Disney WANTS. And get this everybody.....We as Disney fans are going to pay the charges no matter what, why? Because we're DISNEY FANS!!!!! There's nothing on this planet that can compete with the entertainment Disney provides through their theme parks & resorts around the world, period. I'm not happy about them being on the verge of charge for FPs, Magical Express, etc just like everybody else. But you know what? If I have to pay it, so be it cause I know that my money is going to be valuable in that it helps me get my Disney fix, it pays the CMs, and most of all, helps Disney create & build even MORE experiences that will benefit us in the future such as Star Wars Land AND help make the crowd levels more manageable. I'm looking at the bigger picture here people, the crowds will diminish to a more controllable level because Disney is extremely good at reining in aspects that are getting out of control. So at the end of the day, everybody is right to a certain degree no matter what Disney decides to do. Let's just not lose sight of the fact that this isn't a money game cause Disney will get plenty of it, this is about having a lot of us stay the hell away from the parks. And MAN, is it going to work perfectly. LOL.