Amazed and Disappointed

[ucfknight]

I'll let you know how "slow" it is in a couple of weeks.

Well, I can go on MDE right now and make a FP+ for 7DMT for 3 weeks from now with multiple times to pick from. You might be OK.

 

[maxiesmom]

I guess I'm considered a millennial and I'm a proud millennial.

Nothing is wrong with being dissatisfied with Disney over hours. Let's face it, it's not just hours that are slipping, housekeeping, bathrooms, rides breaking down are problematic.

This whole thing that Disney can't do wrong or just be happy with Disney all the time is ridiculous.

Of course you can have an opinion that's different that's why I love the Dis. The problem is you called people whiny. It appears you care a lot about this subject.

I find the other end, the fact that everything Disney does is wrong, just as ridiculous. None of us know the ins and outs of Disney as a business. People act as if they are doing things out of spite, which is silly. Maybe the parks have not been as busy later on as they used to be, maybe they are having issues with staffing, none of us know their reasons for having the hours they have. If someone made plans based on a guess, that is their own fault. Good grief.

 

[Boski]

man I really wish JimmyV was still around for threads like these.

 

[LAS2012]

I get what you're saying and I am in the same camp: I hate seeing the late hours shortened. We use them -- we LOVE them.

However, IF this is based on crowd forecasts, I understand Disney's decision as a business. I don't have to like it, but there's a limit to how much I'll complain about it, I guess. And if crowd levels end up higher than currently forecast, they have been known to add hours last minute. Would this is a reason change how you feel about it at all?

I don't think that if the lower crowd forecasts are true that it will change my opinion on the hours, based on the fact that we planned on a hop to MK after EP and HS nightly entertainment. Based on last year's calendar, we would have had four MK hours between those two nights, even after leaving EP and HS at close. Even with lower crowds, hopping won't happen with a 10:00 MK close. Our hope to end the night at MK drove my purchase of hoppers and resort choice (GF), neither of which are cheap. Don't get me wrong -- I'll fully embrace lower crowds and that will increase my customer satisfaction, but it just cannot replace extend hours at MK for the way we plan on touring.

Some of our best Disneyland memories were splitting up for later park hours so DS could enjoy a late night. It felt so magical to him and was a "big deal" to close the park down and ride some big rides with little wait. He specifically asked if we were going to get to do that this time. UGH... I get to be the one to tell him that it isn't going to work that way on this trip. Seriously, that request is #1 of his top 3 requests for this trip and a big factor in selecting summer for our trip.

I've also been at MK when they expanded hours with little to no warning -- the week between Christmas and New Year's. If they expand hours, we will take advantage of it, but it won't be anything we can really plan around. Which leads me back to my customer satisfaction downgrade -- in order to be a savvy Disney consumer the need to advance plan is more important than ever before. If I can't plan on extended hours I have to adjust my days to get the same experiences in during a shortened time, which in reality just means fewer experiences for us.

It's the age old DIS gripe -- you want me to plan meals six months out, rides two months out, but you aren't going to commit to operating hours until right before I show up. I get they can do it, but I don't have to like it. Disney can charge me more than Disney did a year ago and give me fewer park hours than a year ago, but I don't have to be happy. More park hours at AK for two rides cannot replace more park hours for MK with many rides.

I'm really not a complainer or a debbie-downer.... Even reading this I feel like it is in the voice of Sadness from Inside Out, lol! I'm really much more of a Joy! But this is a big deal for my family. We don't visit enough that anything has gotten old or boring or isn't a must-do, so we were really looking forward to those few extra hours.

 

[Beer Me]

A lot of people like the hours out of the sun - I do. Honestly, I think WDW doesn't have enough bars/lounges open late either. I'm an up early/stay up late - get out of the sun for hours in the midday park goer. ...

I go often, so its NBD, but for people that don't go as often, less hours are less hours

Disney World needs more nightlife whether in the parks or somewhere like Disney Springs. I really miss Pleasure Island.

 

[Westcoastwild]

I find the other end, the fact that everything Disney does is wrong, just as ridiculous. None of us know the ins and outs of Disney as a business. People act as if they are doing things out of spite, which is silly. Maybe the parks have not been as busy later on as they used to be, maybe they are having issues with staffing, none of us know their reasons for having the hours they have. If someone made plans based on a guess, that is their own fault. Good grief.

Right. It's the conspiracy theorists or the "Disney is out to gouge us" folks that I disagree with. It does matter that Disney is a business. They have no reason to offer stuff that doesn't make any sense to their bottom line. Leaving the park open until 3 when there may be only a few people in the park at all after midnight makes no financial sense. I get being disappointed but I don't get teeth gnashing and howling in threads like this.

 

[Delirium]

Also one more thing... Hollywood Studios is ONLY open 30 minutes less(9:30pm vs 10pm, same open time) and I would view that park as half a day experience and possible a 1/3(I haven't counted) as many activities to enjoy.

While MK should certainly be open later than 10:00 in the evening, and has more to do than HS, I would not label HS as a half-day experience. We like to do everything that HS has to offer, with the exception of Disney Jr (kids have outgrown it). Between rides, shows, character meet & greets, and photo opportunities, we easily need 1.5 days to do everything.

 

[DaisyJ]

Right. It's the conspiracy theorists or the "Disney is out to gouge us" folks that I disagree with. It does matter that Disney is a business. They have no reason to offer stuff that doesn't make any sense to their bottom line. Leaving the park open until 3 when there may be only a few people in the park at all after midnight makes no financial sense. I get being disappointed but I don't get teeth gnashing and howling in threads like this.

There is a happy medium between 10pm and 3am.

 

[DisneyQueen1320]

I find the other end, the fact that everything Disney does is wrong, just as ridiculous. None of us know the ins and outs of Disney as a business. People act as if they are doing things out of spite, which is silly. Maybe the parks have not been as busy later on as they used to be, maybe they are having issues with staffing, none of us know their reasons for having the hours they have. If someone made plans based on a guess, that is their own fault. Good grief.

I don't think Disney does everything wrong. Disney does many things right. I'm not sure why the hours are cut maybe it is attendance.

One might think attendance is down due to the recently quality of the parks. (Monorail not working or chunks of it failing off.)
I know less people are going in the summer and attendance is up in fall. However I remember listening to the DisUnplugged podcast recently and they were talking about the dip in market share for Disney.

Yes park hours are not the end of the world, but it's starting to feel like Disney is chipping away at those extra special moments. Maybe just maybe the quality of the parks, reduce hours will make others not take a Disney Vacation.

I'm not there yet, but it makes me sad

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Right. It's the conspiracy theorists or the "Disney is out to gouge us" folks that I disagree with. It does matter that Disney is a business. They have no reason to offer stuff that doesn't make any sense to their bottom line. Leaving the park open until 3 when there may be only a few people in the park at all after midnight makes no financial sense. I get being disappointed but I don't get teeth gnashing and howling in threads like this.

There is a happy medium between 10pm and 3am.

Agree and agree!!

 

[maxiesmom]

There is a happy medium between 10pm and 3am.

Maybe the happy medium doesn't make sense for some reason. Maybe after 10pm too few people stay in the parks to make it worthwhile to keep them open? I mean, isn't that usually what people would post? About how great it was to stay when there was fewer guests around? If it was costing them more money to stay open that it was worth then it wouldn't make sense to stay open. We don't know their reason. But it is their business to run.

I would love the parks to stay open until midnight all of the time, but you gotta go when the park is open and make it work the best you can.

 

[mom2rtk]

man I really wish JimmyV was still around for threads like these.

He really was a really big loss to this board.

 

[Alicenwonderment]

I do think 10 in the summer sounds too early. I worked in Fantasyland merchandise years ago. I can tell you that usually the full time staff would take the day shifts and the college program kids got the late shifts. I only did spring programs and I had weekly shifts with walk times of 1:45 am. (walk time is not given anymore as I understand.) The same rang true for one of my roomies who worked in merchandise in Adventureland. After park closes there is much to be done in merchandise. First we close thirty minutes after the park closes. Once park closes we must do the registers and stalk the stores. The only thing that wasn't fun was doing grad nights because we would come in for grad night at 10pm and our next shift on Sunday would begin very early.

 

[Praying Colonel]

FWIW, looking at Touring Plans' historical crowd calendar for July 2016, MK was open 28 times past 10 pm last July: every night but 7/17, 7/21 and 7/23.

This year MK is scheduled to be open 6 times past 10 pm: 7/3-5 and 24-26.

A lot of the 2016 times past 10 pm were 11 pm closings, but that shouldn't be downplayed. That last hour was good for getting in another 2-4 attractions.

 

[twoplustwins]

I was there in April and had an MK closing at midnight. It was still really crowded all the way until closing.

 

[DaisyJ]

What does my Disney trip have to do with anything? And for the record, the long trips only started a few years ago. Prior to that, we only went once every few years. It's one thing to be disappointed about the hours. Sure, fine. I posted once or twice that I was somewhat disappointed because of the irony of the timing of them doing this for my family...my kids are finally old enough to do late nights at MK and NOW they close early. But at the end of the day, so what? It's not like they're closing at noon. Each to their own, but IMO posting what certainly reads like a rant that they're not open to past midnight is rather "millennial".

If you don't see how tone deaf it is to tell people to stop whining about shortened hours while visiting 4-6 weeks a year, there is nothing more I need to say.

 

[DaisyJ]

Maybe the happy medium doesn't make sense for some reason. Maybe after 10pm too few people stay in the parks to make it worthwhile to keep them open? I mean, isn't that usually what people would post? About how great it was to stay when there was fewer guests around? If it was costing them more money to stay open that it was worth then it wouldn't make sense to stay open. We don't know their reason. But it is their business to run.

I would love the parks to stay open until midnight all of the time, but you gotta go when the park is open and make it work the best you can.

I would expect nothing less as a reply from you.

 

[Juliet0778]

Maybe I'm just old, but I'm ready for bed by 11...haven't stayed out past that in years. I couldn't fathom wanting to ride roller coasters at midnight, but each to their own, I guess!

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

"Chintzy"? I don't think that's the word at all:

chintz·y
ˈCHin(t)sē/
adjective

1. 1.
   BRITISH
   of, like, or decorated with chintz.
   "brighten the room with fresh paint and chintzy fabrics"
2. 2.
   informal
   cheap and of poor quality.

And I think this is quite premature...

Chintzy... yep, that's my word choice and I'm sticking to it. "Nickel and diming" might work but it requires more typing.

It is how the trend can APPEAR, whether that is the intention or not

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Chintzy... yep, that's my word choice and I'm sticking to it. "Nickel and diming" might work but it requires more typing.

It is how the trend can APPEAR, whether that is the intention or not

"Nickel and diming" is how I would phrase that sentiment!