I used 30 days as a random test of cost. Three 10 day tickets in mid august came out to around $1800 with tax. That is 30 days. A 7 day ticket in October was $720.
My point is that the reason APs are not back is because they missed the price point low when they reintroduced them and the demand of APs and day ticket guests are too high. And they would rather fill the parks with day ticket guests than APs.
Your saying that $1700 would significantly reduce the number of AP.
So let me get this straight. Even though demand for their product is so high that they have essentially no hotel room availability the months of October, November and December; that they had to pause sale of almost every AP; that the rest of this month you cannot get a park reservation to MK; your argument is that they should not increase the cost of APs? And I wouldn’t limit this argument to only APs. Based on their statements it seems as if price increases are coming across the board.
A contradiction
They would rather fill the parks with day guests than AP guests BUT the day guests can't get reservations the rest of the month, but AP can???
Every single AP can get reservations at the MK and all the parks every single day they are eligible for the rest of the month.
Doesn't sound like Disney doesn't want APs ~ they could easily block them and move slots to the other buckets. What this says TO ME is that Disney is depending on APs to fill the parks. APs can opt to not come at all if they can't get a park they want - while regular ticket holders have to use their tickets so WDW can force them to the other parks.
MY OPINION ONLY
This thread is full of lots of guessing, little to no facts and a lack of understanding on who holds APs and what their existence means to Walt Disney World. Disney doesn't offer APs for goodwill and the benefit of guests - no theme/amusement park does. They do it for the companies benefit. A big one is an upfront cash investment Disney can use as
@Pooh's World stated. There are other benefits even though most don't seem to be able to see them. Proof at the moment is that APs can book any MK day in their ticket options for the rest of the month while day tickets and even hotel guests can not.
Disney offers APs for Disney's benefit and I would be shocked if they went away, especially WDW. Do they likely need some adjusting? yes, at both parks and we'd each have an opinion based on our own scenario. For 9 years I had an out of state WDW AP. For the last 6 years I have had a FL WDW AP. Either way I need hotels, dining etc. all those same expenses out of state guests have.
I do believe they messed up when they brought back the WDW AP and
I expected something more like:
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Pixie Pass - exactly what I expected. This one is competing with Universal but with LOTS of block out dates that Universal doesn't have. That alone makes it's price point much higher than it looks.
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Pirate Pass - why? Def not worth the price when Sorcerer is not much more. Eliminate it and force those folks to Sorcerer.
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Sorcerer Pass - A great option for many including DVC. With such limited block out dates I would raise the price on this one and consider adding a few blockout dates. It isn't so much the price per day but the option to add in weekends and most holidays to your vacation gives this one IMMEASURABLE amount of additional value.
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Incredible Pass - No restrictions, not even the most peak times to go at the holidays. Perhaps they should have restrictions during holidays. With double the parks, more park reservations and available hotels I think the Incredible Pass has more value than a DL pass, so maybe even $1499-$1599 it is a deal.
It's not that demand is so high it's that availability is so low. It's artificially influenced demand that they have created by failing to staff properly.
Can't be said enough because the folks in the back "can't" hear it but YES, WDW has had a very slow re-entry because they simply aren't staffing it as they used to. They declare the parks are at/above 2019 capacity - HELLO THAT IS A LOT OF PEOPLE - but we can clearly see that they are not staffed at those levels. This impacts dining whether it's getting food out of at QS kitchen or availability/turnover of tables at TS location. This impacts ride efficiency, moving folks through the lines, loading, unloading and even if you add just a couple minutes to each load you slow those lines down. This impacts entertainment that draws thousands of people away from attractions.
I think most of it was deliberate because of all the money they have saved. Disney making profits is because they are spending less and guest prices have been increased. At some point the two clash and they need to be ready.
Right now there are TONS of open jobs at Disney, many with bonuses from $1000-$4500. Is no one really applying? Right now some entertainment is not back because of the difficulty they've had hiring those folks? I remember when that was a dream job with tons of applications. I think we have a lack of applicants and a lack of urgency on Disney's part because they are saving money. I do think we'll see some change when the DCP is fully in place and I look forward to them.