AP sales…

[HHISand]

I would be happy with a Pixie pass for DVC. We never go on Saturday or holidays and rarely on Sundays because of the crowds. We find something else to do on those days if we are there.

 

[RivShore]

With the college program back in gear and other things, hopefully staffing will return as well!

As I mentioned earlier, I think staffing has really ramped up the last few weeks. In addition to CP, I think more international workers are coming back. Cases in point, no less than 7 employees in the MK baby center the first week of Sept. Also multiple "can I help you's" while someone was already helping me at the WL desk. Also, no delays in QS food orders and same with TS.

 

[Brian Noble]

This isn't that complicated, and BC told us why at the end of his answer (emphasis added):

Our ticket prices and constraints we put on how often people can come [to the parks] and when they come is a direct reflection of demand. When is it too much? Demand will tell us when it’s too much.

Right now, they don't need to sell new APs--which are, effectively, a discount program for frequent guests. They have all the turnstile clicks they want with guests paying full freight, while still allowing current passholders to renew if they want and selling the odd weekday-only FL resident pass here and there. They don't need to discount admission any more than they have.

If and when they need to, they can let off the gas and resume some sort of bulk-attendance discount. People's memories for this sort of thing are short, especially when they need a little hit of that pixie dust.

 

[CraigInPA]

DPEP is in charge of APs and not DVC.

So, that is who I would write to..Josh D’Amaro, as they make the decisions regarding sales of the AP.

That means no other division, including DVC has enough power to change things unless DPEP wants them changed. And it’s clear they, and the higher ups don’t want to sell APs.

Obviously it doesn’t hurt to email Bill but in the end, it’s not up to him and since DVC can’t sell them on their own, we are stuck.

Even though I have my AP, I have written a few times to DVC saying that I think they should be working harder to get us a discount in tickets as a temporary solution until APs are on sale again.

IMO, that has a better chance of happening since tickets are available!

Although, if Bill receives a lot of the same suggestion, he could advocate for that with Josh.

If Josh receives a lot of the same suggestion, and Bill contacts him saying he's getting inundated with the idea, that may trigger it to be implemented.

 

[Sandisw]

Although, if Bill receives a lot of the same suggestion, he could advocate for that with Josh.

If Josh receives a lot of the same suggestion, and Bill contacts him saying he's getting inundated with the idea, that may trigger it to be implemented.

Thats why I said it doesn’t hurt to send to Bill as well. I simply believe that if DVD could have gotten it done, it would be happening as its the biggest perk for DVC and selling points.

But, it still remains that APs are not within DVCs control to offer so if one wants to share a complaint it should go to the person who is in charge of the division who offers them.

Based on the statements from the CEO and CFO, they are certainly aware of all the current complaints for many guests, including DVC owners, about no sales but have stated they just don’t see the need to open sales for those types of passes right now.

 

[RivShore]

This isn't that complicated, and BC told us why at the end of his answer (emphasis added):

Right now, they don't need to sell new APs--which are, effectively, a discount program for frequent guests. They have all the turnstile clicks they want with guests paying full freight, while still allowing current passholders to renew if they want and selling the odd weekday-only FL resident pass here and there. They don't need to discount admission any more than they have.

If and when they need to, they can let off the gas and resume some sort of bulk-attendance discount. People's memories for this sort of thing are short, especially when they need a little hit of that pixie dust.

I have said the same many times, demand will dictate next steps. As soon as they feel they have priced things to the point where demand is less than they want, adjustments and discounts will soon follow. Amazing how the laws of economics apply even to pixie dust.

 

[CalOilerGurl]

I would be happy with a Pixie pass for DVC. We never go on Saturday or holidays and rarely on Sundays because of the crowds. We find something else to do on those days if we are there.

Us too! I am totally happy making Saturday and Sunday our resort days or DS - I would LOVE if they offered a Pixie pass for DVC. Free up the weekends for that big spending family from Colorado Bob!

 

[kboo]

Gentle reminder to please make an effort to NEVER give front line CM's any hassle or attitude over this. They're often under tremendous pressure for not the greatest wages. I realize it can be frustrating, but there are better channels to vent this and not direct it at a cashier who's just doing his or her job.

I was (one of) the people who complained/vented here about being asked to show ID at an in-park gift store. Yes, I am aware of the rules and did not take it out on the front line CM. At that same time, for years that rule had not been enforced, so I prefer not to bring difficult-to-replace items to the parks (i.e. driver's license, cash/credit cards). Just ended up not purchasing the small item (candy? something very small) that I was on the fence about anyway. Ultimately, it will probably just deter me from making impulse purchases when in the parks; that's probably not so bad for my budget anyway.

eeding the needs of our superfans, but we’re heeding the needs of everyone who travels from across the country one time every five years. We have a real high-class problem: We have much more demand than there is supply. What we will not bend on is giving somebody a less than stellar experience in the parks because we jammed too many people in there.

When did they say that? I know they have said its down for all time highs just before the pandemic but don't remember seeing a number put to it.

Our last pre-shutdown trip was Xmas/NYE 2019 and if that had been our first or once-in-many years trip, I probably would not have come back for a long time... There *maybe* had been a level 1 closure in MK on 12/30, we were certainly jammed in there for the early-early NYE celebration, and when we left EPCOT around 8pm on 12/31 it was getting very very hard to walk out of WS. It was hard to go anywhere, it was impossible to get on any rides, and we were just there for the special fireworks, dance party in the hub, and dinner (ADR). While it was a TON of fun, and one of the most memorable experiences at WDW, we also knew what we were getting into and if it had been a "once in a lifetime" trip I probably wouldn't have wanted to come back.

(This was also the trip where we were up at 5am or earlier to get into HS early (in the rain) (with small kids) in order to try to get a BG for Rise of the Resistance. Remember those days?)

You can have a good time without the extras especially for us DVC'ers where it's not the end of the world if you don't get on a ride this trip. We survived fine last week of Aug. without paying a penny extra for G+ or ILL. The crowds were a bit less than the summer and it made for a much much better overall trip.

Agree with this 100%. The least crowded I saw was August 2021. Things were still building up and less people traveling. It was great. Can't say I've experienced that since.

We have now had a trip with G+ (Xmas 2021) and without (late August 2022). Aug 2021 was Delta surge and pre-G+, right?

I don't mind the park pass reservations one bit, it actually makes it easier for our family because there's less complaining and everyone trying to advocate for last minute changes! And G+ gives us the opportunity to start a little later than rope drop. Even over Christmas, if we went at opening or early opening, we could usually walk on to most rides, and be mostly "done" with MK by 11am. We used G+ on this last trip only for HS, and bought one ILL for Guardians because we wanted to ride 2x in a day. Also bought one ILL for RotR, but kids and aunties went standby around 10am and waited about 45 min. to ride so they rode 2x that day. Otherwise, all the other rides we did standby. I don't feel compelled to buy G+ every day, but feel like it does give us some flexibility.

I would be happy with a Pixie pass for DVC. We never go on Saturday or holidays and rarely on Sundays because of the crowds. We find something else to do on those days if we are there.

Our last trip ended with Labor Day weekend - and our last Epcot Day was Sunday - we took our time going in, rode the Nemo ride and Guardians 2x (BG + ILL) and noshed. It was really, really hot. I'm glad we had APs so we didn't feel like we were wasting our $ to pop in, ride 3 rides and eat. Both weekends it was somewhat crowded, but my overall comparisons to pre-COVID (we used to go at the same times of year):

Thanksgiving/Xmas pre covid felt like 5-10x the crowds over the holidays since Covid. Thanksgiving 2018 I remember days where it was wall to wall people in MK, where all we could do was shuffle. It was awful. 10-20% of those crowds still feels "crowded" in MK and HS but not like that. There were 6hr waits for FOP, 30-45 min waits for Small World... no thank you.

Late summer this year - we missed the Europeans who used to outnumber the Americans at that time of year. Both 2021 and 2022 we had incredible walk on experiences at FOP, Space, 25 min for 7DMT, Everest all around late morning on a weekday. This past trip, we didn't even come close to rope drop, and still had an easy time without G+. We went to MNSSHP and those were the biggest crowds we experienced. My kids would have preferred to do more rides (!!) but the lines were longer than our days at MK, and I'm glad we made the parade and fireworks a priority. I could totally get behind a pixie pass for WDW after this last trip.

 

[Nursemanit]

People keep saying this, but they really don’t, unfortunately. Riviera and GFV are apparently selling like hotcakes despite AP’s being unavailable for 2.5 years. Granted, I believe some are still buying on the false promise of being able to buy a Sorceror’s Pass eventually, but as long as they are selling DVC at a brisk clip they have no incentive to offer current blue card holders anything.

DVC is not "selling like hotcakes" the numbers are down 25% compared to pre pandemic sales.

 

[Ms Bibbidi]

@Ms Bibbidi, do you mean this? I can't tell, but it seems like you might. This would certainly limit the number of AP holders. They'd definitely lose me.

If you're being sarcastic, then you've low-balled the price. $5,000 is more like it. In fact, if they were really serious about limiting attendance, they could raise the price of a one-day pass to a flat $1,000 per person, regardless of age. That would definitely uncrowd the parks.

Actually, yes. I meant it. I think Chapek is still hard focused on "his truth" that passholders are less profitable than ticketed guests. So, obviously, there is some number out there that would balance that per guest value in his eyes. What I don't like is being "managed." I am an adult and I should be the one to decide how often I go (or not) and when I go (or not). Chapek spoke with some obvious falsity when he said:

“We love all our fans equally. We love the superfans, obviously. But we also like the fans that don’t have the same expression of their fandom. We want to make sure that our superfans who love to come with annual passes and use [the parks] as their personal playground — we love that. We celebrate that. But at the same time, we’ve got to make sure that there’s room in the park for the family from Denver that comes once every five years. ” (Bob Chapek, CEO The Walt Disney Company, Interview with The Hollywood Reporter 9-10-2-22.)​

Love equally?!? "Come with annual passes and use [the parks] as their personal playground"? How insulting!!! Remember, he was calling APs "undesirable mix" and "Legacy" fans. Now he is trying "Superfans" but it isn't the label. It is the placement of passholders as below equal guests with other guests. I intensely dislike being managed in this way and in being presumed to be less valuable just because I accepted an offer of a package of discounted gate admission price. They made the offer. Then, to top that, behind the scenes, they tried to short-shrift the park reservation availability without full legal disclosures (so says the CA lawsuit.) Disney is a for-profit business. They are indeed driven by demand and price. Price will impact demand. Price will impact their DVC market. Price will be the point at which Mr. Chapek decides he can value all guests the same. He doesn't need to cater to me. He doesn't need to disadvantage me from the contract he appeared to sell me. He needs to decide the fair price and I, along with about 500,000 other passholders at WDW, will decide if it is worth it to me. Above board. Arms length transaction. But, ditch the shifty business practices and get it all above board. If Chapek decides that price is $2,500 or $5,000 then so be it. The next decision is mine.

 

[heynowirv]

I agree. I have always had to show proof of my DVC for food and dining discounts. Most of the time, ID was only for shopping...but they have asked it at a few places for dining. However, since they went digital, I have not had to show my ID as much as before.

We were there for a quick 3 night stay end of August and only once was ask to show our digital wallet to show our credentials.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Well, dare I say that at $3k/adult, you're going to run a lot of DVC'ers away. And with nobody to replace them with. That number for a family of 4 is way above the line for the average DVC member and their families. I can't prove it because I don't have the data to support it, but I'd be willing to bet a stupid amount of money on it.

 

[heynowirv]

Actually, yes. I meant it. I think Chapek is still hard focused on "his truth" that passholders are less profitable than ticketed guests. So, obviously, there is some number out there that would balance that per guest value in his eyes. What I don't like is being "managed." I am an adult and I should be the one to decide how often I go (or not) and when I go (or not). Chapek spoke with some obvious falsity when he said:

“We love all our fans equally. We love the superfans, obviously. But we also like the fans that don’t have the same expression of their fandom. We want to make sure that our superfans who love to come with annual passes and use [the parks] as their personal playground — we love that. We celebrate that. But at the same time, we’ve got to make sure that there’s room in the park for the family from Denver that comes once every five years. ” (Bob Chapek, CEO The Walt Disney Company, Interview with The Hollywood Reporter 9-10-2-22.)​

Love equally?!? "Come with annual passes and use [the parks] as their personal playground"? How insulting!!! Remember, he was calling APs "undesirable mix" and "Legacy" fans. Now he is trying "Superfans" but it isn't the label. It is the placement of passholders as below equal guests with other guests. I intensely dislike being managed in this way and in being presumed to be less valuable just because I accepted an offer of a package of discounted gate admission price. They made the offer. Then, to top that, behind the scenes, they tried to short-shrift the park reservation availability without full legal disclosures (so says the CA lawsuit.) Disney is a for-profit business. They are indeed driven by demand and price. Price will impact demand. Price will impact their DVC market. Price will be the point at which Mr. Chapek decides he can value all guests the same. He doesn't need to cater to me. He doesn't need to disadvantage me from the contract he appeared to sell me. He needs to decide the fair price and I, along with about 500,000 other passholders at WDW, will decide if it is worth it to me. Above board. Arms length transaction. But, ditch the shifty business practices and get it all above board. If Chapek decides that price is $2,500 or $5,000 then so be it. The next decision is mine.

I agree and think it will take a snow blizzard in Orlando before they open AP's to people who don't have them yet.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

I agree and think it will take a snow blizzard in Orlando before they open AP's to people who don't have them yet.

Irony is how is that fair to people that don't have them and need them? Point being that those of us that do have them, are holding on even tighter knowing they aren't available. If they are even remotely implying that they are waiting for the pool to open up from those who don't renew, we all know where that's headed. And they do too, furthering your point..

 

[heynowirv]

Irony is how is that fair to people that don't have them and need them? Point being that those of us that do have them, are holding on even tighter knowing they aren't available. If they are even remotely implying that they are waiting for the pool to open up from those who don't renew, we all know where that's headed. And they do too, furthering your point..

I believe everything I said. We still have about 15 days left on our NE tickets that we bought in Feb 2011 when they announced they will no longer selling them. 3 years or so from now if AP's are still unavailable then so are our park days.

 

[Ms Bibbidi]

Well, dare I say that at $3k/adult, you're going to run a lot of DVC'ers away. And with nobody to replace them with. That number for a family of 4 is way above the line for the average DVC member and their families. I can't prove it because I don't have the data to support it, but I'd be willing to bet a stupid amount of money on it.

$3k per annual pass -- adult or child. Yes. I agree. It would drive a lot of people away from buying annual passes. That is where, if Disney offers something, we, as consumers, have to make a decision.

 

[Ms Bibbidi]

I agree and think it will take a snow blizzard in Orlando before they open AP's to people who don't have them yet.

Looks that way.

 

[RivShore]

Looks that way.

Or perhaps a decently deep recession?

 

[heynowirv]

Or perhaps a decently deep recession?

I prefer the blizzard

 

[cm8]

I secretly think that some of you would rather they raise the prices to price out all the ones who currently have them because they are out of your reach. I am blessed to have a very large disposable income so these prices don’t hurt yet and it’s 4 of us, but I will most certainly not renew if they raise them to where we are paying between $3k and $5k for AP’s.

We currently have Incredipass with all the options($16xx.. x’s 4 with taxes)! Even then, that was nothing to sneeze at! I’d be dang gone if I were to pay $5k x 4 for AP’s. I’d still use my DVC as accommodations how it’s intended and visit other places. WDW would become my Legacy place to visit!