Annual Pass Rumors??

[Prissyms]

It serves Disney’s purpose. They can reduce attendance and reduce staffing on any particular day.

I get that but it doesn't feel that way.

 

[Ms Bibbidi]

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[Jrb1979]

I get that but it doesn't feel that way.

It's not about the guest anymore. Just enjoy the parks, when they allow you to enter, as best as you can.

 

[Ms Bibbidi]

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[Jrb1979]

No. That does not work. They already gave 3, 4 and 5 on a rolling basis. But when competing with out of state or international travelers that book the best days months in advance that does not work. Also, the elderly, disabled, very young and others cannot tolerate a rope drop to close the whole day. We attend for like 3 or 4 hours. So, May go more frequently, but shorter parts of a day. Anyway if I buy a no blockout who cares if I go two hours a day three times a week?

I'm saying instead of having to reserve your day at the park you get 7 days a month to go whenever you want.

 

[john7994]

Yes. I understood you. With tickets you can plan trips as far out as January 2024. As far as availability the world is your oyster. You can buy any number of strings of tickets 1 to 10 days long. Resorts are length of stay. So if a person had DVC to cover a month and used an AP for admission it would cover a month, or strings of tickets to cover a month, with enough advance planning they can reserve parks for a month. Some do I’ve heard. An Incredi-pass only gets 5 reservation days to hold (rolling basis) between now and when the annual pass expires. So, tickets any string and resort length of stay.

With off-site passholders (Bucket 2) the complaint is showing no reservations available on a day when their passes are not blocked out. But the parks are not sold out or unavailable because there is still availability slowing green in Bucket 1. There is space available in the parks but Disney will not allow a passholder of any tier to reserve a park. That is the manipulation. Disney alone determines how many passholders they will allow to get park reservations day by day.

Passholders believed that when there was park availability for guests they could make a reservation, subject to their tier’s blockout calendar. They were not told that availability also depended on Disney’s sole discretion allowing Bucket 1 guests to jump the line so to speak. They hold reservations for Bucket 1. It got better after the lawsuit was filed for a while but it has been happening again, like Mother’s Day.

Passholders also have to make reservations nearer to the day they go to the parks or they effectively disable their passes. Shorter term planning has far more difficulty running into unavailability. Especially if we do not travel long distances.

So I did use the illustration provided by one of the other posters. Although, as pointed out it somewhat undermined the argument in the example and now I really want to be an AP holder

But along with your explanation, it did serve the purpose to show there is a difference between availability in these two buckets - so at least the mechanism exists for manipulation to be done by Disney. Problem is, I don't know what to do about it going forward, because there isn't just one bucket which was my original assumption.

 

[Ms Bibbidi]

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[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The California litigation so far does not encompass WDW.

I think there was some talk about that part depending on the legal channels it went through in the courts.

 

[john7994]

I would pay a higher price to be reservation free for a no blockout annual pass. Forget the cap of 7 days a month because I go by hours, not by days. I rarely ride rides. Definitely not coasters. I do table service, shows, love the flowers and topiary.

I know, John. We all wish there was one bucket. Right now we wait. The California litigation so far does not encompass WDW. Quite frankly, the pleadings are so weak I do not expect much. Maybe a change of Disney administration. Maybe a recession changes their business practice. Maybe something unknown. We wait.

First off, thanks for being patient with me (and dealing with my frustration) during this process - as you can see - I naively thought a first-come-first-served basis applied - which is why I couldn't understand the issue being presented. So very much appreciated from that perspective.

Secondarily, and a little ironically, I am now mad that AP holders have better availability - although its offset by a few other things as you pointed out - with no future guarantees of how its managed going forward. For me, we often travel with family / friends and plan well enough in advance that if we ever got APs that it would not likely be an issue in conjunction with our DVC reservations. But knowing that its possible, where our travel party might be mixed-bucket (around the holidays), we could find ourselves theoretically in a pickle. I am relieved (but no less annoyed) to see MK is not available on the 4th of July for either bucket

 

[Jrb1979]

I would pay a higher price to be reservation free for a no blockout annual pass. Forget the cap of 7 days a month because I go by hours, not by days. I rarely ride rides. Definitely not coasters. I do table service, shows, love the flowers and topiary.

I know, John. We all wish there was one bucket. Right now we wait. The California litigation so far does not encompass WDW. Quite frankly, the pleadings are so weak I do not expect much. Maybe a change of Disney administration. Maybe a recession changes their business practice. Maybe something unknown. We wait.

No disrespect but you're exactly the type of pass holder they don't like. They want pass holders in the parks spending money.

 

[Ms Bibbidi]

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[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I'm saying instead of having to reserve your day at the park you get 7 days a month to go whenever you want.

Just taking it from my AP friends and my CM friend that would not work. A rolling schedule has its downsides but what you're talking about does nothing to ease what you said Disney was using it for (labor which many of us are not convinced that pans out given park hopping) and it ends up being a restriction that does not make much sense for AP holders.

There's 28-31 days in a month. Why would you pay money for a pass you know you can only get a fraction of the days from the get go not matter the month no matter the season no matter what. Not about a park reservation not being available just straight up you only get these amount of days period. Some AP holders go more frequently than others, some go more frequently depending on the month.

My DISer friends weren't in the parks much in April/early May but they were getting married so time was spent elsewhere then there were cruises they went on, etc but beforehand they would go to the parks a decent amount often after work, they usually avoided weekends for crowds and for reservations but I know they have gone during that time too.

People understand blackouts like weekends or specific holidays but blocking out 21-24 days out of the month always every month is a poor product for a Pass IMO (no offense)

 

[Ms Bibbidi]

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[bsmcneil]

I am forced to buy park tickets all the time.

I'm just imagining a certain Mouse standing behind you at the ticket counter threatening you, discouraging you from doing anything Goofy. Garwsh!

 

[john7994]

I'm just imagining a certain Mouse standing behind you at the ticket counter threatening you, discouraging you from doing anything Goofy. Garwsh!

We all have our burdens in life

 

[bsmcneil]

Blink M-I-C K-E-Y if you need help!

 

[Ms Bibbidi]

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[Lisann]

I spoke with a guest relations cast member about FL annual passes. The only one available is the least expensive one. No upgrading if it becomes available. Did you read that? No upgrading. So, if I purchase an AP and then the other tier levels become available say, a week later, I CANNOT upgrade. I have to wait an entire year to purchase a new AP. It just makes your head hurt.

 

[onegai]

Can I come on this board about Disney annual passes and news and express my shock and outrage? Is that ok? It is sort of related because I no longer care about my annual pass and park reservations or buckets or anything.

I just read a news story about thousands of homeless people in the shadow of Walt Disney World. A new influx caused in part by the effects of covid, like the shutdowns devastated businesses and a callous, careless statement by Disney management.

During Covid, our lawmakers put a moratorium on rents and some mortgages because of the lockdowns. That Covid relief has now ended. The back due amounts have come due. People lost their apartments and homes. There is no planned economic recovery.

Thousands have heard that Disney is having problems hiring enough employees. They came here and are still arriving.

I cannot believe Disney management is so irresponsible to publicly use the media to say parks and dining are not fully open because they are having trouble hiring employees -- with no consideration to the effect that kind of statement would have on some very needy families. It is outrageous!

So they came and cannot sustain the wait. They have ruined credit from the Covid period, no permanent address for IDs and mail, or other problems so they are homeless -- and literally on the streets.

Thousands are living in cars and encampments in the woods. The children in encampments in the woods worry me. This is alligator mating season. Bull alligators are literally walking all over the place. They are hunting and hungry. Those woods around WDW are full of poisonous things and apex predators. I found three cottonmouths in my backyard. Central Florida was and remains a huge swamp everywhere that is not developed. It is not safe to walk a dog in the woods or near any standing water, much less have a toddler play there!

Daily afternoon temps are in the 90s and 80% humidity now and it will get hotter. We may be on the verge of a recession. So things could get worse from here.

Any issue I had with Disney regarding annual passes and park reservations just vanished.

Hello. This isn't meant to be anything other than information gathering since I don't know where this article is to read. Are these homeless people former Disney cast members that lost their jobs during covid? Or are these general florida residents that became homeless?

 

[Ms Bibbidi]

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