Bring back more guest experiences please!!

[ford91exploder]

You need the higher income to afford the deluxe resorts at WDW. We have given up on WDW. We will go to FL for Universal.

My family is high income. And we feel like Disney is pricing us out. We now go to DL and stay off property. It’s the best bang for our buck. I can knock out a weekend trip there for a couple of grand. But we’re waiting for fireworks to return.

I’d rather buy $30k of Disney stock than spend it on a WDW vacation, which is what I did after the last earnings call. It’s a much better value proposition.

In a nutshell that's the whole problem with Disney right now, It USED to be one of the premier vacation destinations and a place to be seen by the world (the Beatles broke up at the Poly). Now it's just a good financial investment. and that makes me sad.

The pricing is insane literally insane because when people with 6 figure incomes are 'priced out' the pricing has officially checked out from reality.

 

[ford91exploder]

Interesting numbers, thanks for sharing. $75k is well above the median income, but still far from comfortable. Psychologically I've seen many comments here, whether posters realize it or not, that visiting Disney makes them feel special; they want royal treatment. Hence why CMs are quick to tell you just how different people act at WDW (entitled, to sum it up.) I'd love to see the amount of debt people go into for their Disney fix.

Making people feel like a king or a queen for a day was key to Disney's success, That's why the Traditions program for new CM's ran for weeks training CM's to make everyone feel like a VIP, The entitled behavor we've seen of late may be in reaction to the loss of that training as they expect Disney to be special and yet Disney now treats guests worse than the DMV does. CM's whose only qualifications 1 - they will work cheaply, 2- they are have a pulse. It's a far cry from the standards that BUILT their reputation.

 

[ford91exploder]

Again… looking backwards to the good old days.

First… comparing the originally intended investment to the final investment is the straw man of all straw mans. If this were true, literally every publicly traded company would be on the way to bankruptcy by your logic because they all make ROI/NPV decisions that impact individual project budgets.

Secondly… their streaming business just hit the four year growth plan in less than 18 months… so they are clearly finding successful paths to alternative top line growth.

It’s fine to have an opinion that the current product in the parks isn’t up to your liking based on what you used to know… but to claim that the company is in peril is just plain wrong.

They are clearly catering to higher end customers and pricing out the ‘main street families’ and I understand why some hate that philosophically.

You can hate the culture part of it… but your business argument holds no water.

I work in tech at a high enough level to see the financial sausage being made a big chunk of my compensation are RSU's and options, There is a BIG difference from meeting a 'growth plan' to being cash positive and in many cases a strong negative correlation.

If Disney+ was cash positive they would be crowing about it because it would damage the 'wanna bees' growth potential

 

[RamblingMad]

In a nutshell that's the whole problem with Disney right now, It USED to be one of the premier vacation destinations and a place to be seen by the world (the Beatles broke up at the Poly). Now it's just a good financial investment. and that makes me sad.

The pricing is insane literally insane because when people with 6 figure incomes are 'priced out' the pricing has officially checked out from reality.

I can stay at a resort in Kuaui or Maui for almost half of what the Poly costs. And I’m not talking about cheap resorts. The Fairmont next to the 4 Seasons on Maui is cheaper than the Poly. Why would I pay more for pretend Hawaii? That doesn’t register for me. The pricing is nuts. But I guess some will pay for a trip of a lifetime. I won’t. And I love Disney.

It is a better investment than vacation to me right now compared to WDW. DL still makes sense to me.

I will go back to DL when fireworks return. I do like Disney vacations. I just don’t want to pay too much. Then alternatives start to make more sense. I can stay at a great hotel in London for the price of a moderate.

 

[ford91exploder]

I can stay at a resort in Kuaui or Maui for almost half of what the Poly costs. And I’m not talking about cheap resorts. The Fairmont next to the 4 Seasons on Maui is cheaper than the Poly. Why would I pay more for pretend Hawaii? That doesn’t register for me. The pricing is nuts. But I guess some will pay for a trip of a lifetime. I won’t. And I love Disney.

It is a better investment than vacation to me right now compared to WDW. DL still makes sense to me.

I will go back to DL when fireworks return. I do like Disney vacations. I just don’t want to pay too much. Then alternatives start to make more sense. I can stay at a great hotel in London for the price of a moderate.

While in Hawaii you can take a submarine excursion and get up close to the reef dwelling marine life, not to mention a helicopter excursion to see the amazing waterfalls in the rainforest and this is all REAL.

Or you can stay in a 5 star hotel in india I recommend the ITC Windsor in Bengaluru for the price of a value and visit an amazing and ancient culture juxtaposed with modernity. When I was there we had a falcon who would perch on the railing outside the lunchroom, I learned how to eat indian food correctly (with you hands) and what wonderful friendly people Indian's are. For trips to India I recommend either Emirates or Qatar airlines.

 

[luv2cheer92]

Man I'm just so glad I feel so incredibly differently than some people in this thread. Must be hard.

 

[soniam]

https://www.businessinsider.in/thel...naffordable-for-them/articleshow/83210255.cms

I am curious if the responses would be the same in 2019 or when the pandemic isn't so fresh. I kind of suspect some of that it related to the idea that theme parks are dirty and just ground zero for contagion.

no the lower boundary was 150,000 with increasing disinterest as income level scaled higher. Now this was a survey of potential domestic guests.


nowhere did I imply that high income peeps cant be disney fans but they are a lot rarer.

We own an airplane, I know a few multimillionaires who are rabid Disney fans. What the study said was for incomes 75,000 more than half 64%) wanted a Disney vacation.

When you got to the 150k and above level only 8% wanted a Disney vacation.

sociologically remember lower income parents much more involved with their kids both time and activity wise. My DBIL works for govt but he’s home every night for his kids, I fail miserably in that regard in that I can be away for months fortunately DW is a teacher

Once you hit 150k and above. Day Care, Boarding Schools and Summer camp start to become the norm or a nanny/au pair who takes care of children while parents do their demanding professional job.

I am not talking about a prop plane; I am talking about owning a jet. Everyone I work with makes $150,000+, and very few of them have nannies and none do boarding school. Most of the people we know in town make that much or way more, and very few of them do this either. Many do daycare and summer camps, but they do daycare all year if both parents work. Well, in a non-pandemic year. We only know one other family going to Disney this year, and that's because of the pandemic. Most of them are doing very little traveling. I think there are a lot of generalizations in your statements. I think some of the poll results are affected by the pandemic. Also, it's just a one-time poll from a magazine. It's not like it was a real study.

 

[ford91exploder]

I don’t disagree. Even a page or two back I commented that Disney should be held to the highest standard especially for the cost. But what I’m referring to goes a little beyond that. People want upgrades, they thrive off pixie dust, they want to feel like Disney is somehow secretly catering to them/their family. Maybe it’s because the cost of a Disney vacation is already a stretch for them, or maybe they get satisfaction from Disney treatment they don’t get elsewhere. Not saying this is right or wrong, just my impression.t

We go enough that I don’t feel this way. I just want Disney to be fair, and to deliver on what is being paid for, and to communicate effectively... things that has been missing for a year now.

Here's the thing though pixie dust is not necessarily things or special treats sometimes it's just the welcome you receive from a CM. I had lost a day and a half of vacation with family because of a series of mechanical flight cancellations spent the first night of my 'vacation' sleeping in a chair in Houston,

Made it to Disney family was at BLT, when I arrived they had gone out and left me a shopping list anyway went down to the store in the Contemporary and was greeted by a matronly southern lady,

First thing she said I can tall Y'all havin a bad day tell me about it, So I did as I shopped she told me about her grandkids and at the end of that my outlook from the day went from black to sunny and I made sure to find that lady's supervisor and gave her a nice note on how her actions really made my day and my vacation. That cost Disney nothing but it made my day and I was happy and smiling when I left the store. That's the REAL pixie dust That's the pixie dust that people remember and makes us want to go back.

 

[ford91exploder]

I am curious if the responses would be the same in 2019 or when the pandemic isn't so fresh. I kind of suspect some of that it related to the idea that theme parks are dirty and just ground zero for contagion.



I am not talking about a prop plane; I am talking about owning a jet. Everyone I work with makes $150,000+, and very few of them have nannies and none do boarding school. Most of the people we know in town make that much or way more, and very few of them do this either. Many do daycare and summer camps, but they do daycare all year if both parents work. Well, in a non-pandemic year. We only know one other family going to Disney this year, and that's because of the pandemic. Most of them are doing very little traveling. I think there are a lot of generalizations in your statements. I think some of the poll results are affected by the pandemic. Also, it's just a one-time poll from a magazine. It's not like it was a real study.

I know people who own a G7, Know more people who own older learjets King Air's, Cessna 310's and Mooneys,

Think on this a brand new Cessna 172 is 475K a used learjet is 350K or so. The Cessna is about $80/Hr to operate assuming you own it outright for fuel/annual/and engine overhaul reserve (overhaul generally 15,000 or so)

As to salaries 150K in Santa Clara CA you are living in your car or you have a bunch of roomates. 150K north and west of boston and you are living very well.

 

[luv2cheer92]

Here's the thing though pixie dust is not necessarily things or special treats sometimes it's just the welcome you receive from a CM. I had lost a day and a half of vacation with family because of a series of mechanical flight cancellations spent the first night of my 'vacation' sleeping in a chair in Houston,

Made it to Disney family was at BLT, when I arrived they had gone out and left me a shopping list anyway went down to the store in the Contemporary and was greeted by a matronly southern lady,

First thing she said I can tall Y'all havin a bad day tell me about it, So I did as I shopped she told me about her grandkids and at the end of that my outlook from the day went from black to sunny and I made sure to find that lady's supervisor and gave her a nice note on how her actions really made my day and my vacation. That cost Disney nothing but it made my day and I was happy and smiling when I left the store. That's the REAL pixie dust That's the pixie dust that people remember and makes us want to go back.

I've had multiple experiences just like that this year, last year, the last few years. That hasn't changed. Really, my CM interactions during both pandemic trips were some of the best I've ever had.

 

[RamblingMad]

I know people who own a G7, Know more people who own older learjets King Air's, Cessna 310's and Mooneys,

Think on this a brand new Cessna 172 is 475K a used learjet is 350K or so. The Cessna is about $80/Hr to operate assuming you own it outright for fuel/annual/and engine overhaul reserve (overhaul generally 15,000 or so)

As to salaries 150K in Santa Clara CA you are living in your car or you have a bunch of roomates. 150K north and west of boston and you are living very well.

It's all relative to where you live and your living expenses. For me it's not how much I make. It's how much I have left over after paying for my living expenses.

 

[Chicachick]

I’m not worried about Disney shooting itself in the foot since there aren’t a lot of alternatives.

I think Disney’s not worried about shooting itself in the foot. Agree demand far outweighs supply. Hence never ending price increases for fewer experiences.

 

[RamblingMad]

I think Disney’s not worried about shooting itself in the foot. Agree demand far outweighs supply. Hence never ending price increases for fewer experiences.

Pretty much. Did you see the pricing for the new Halloween party? Insane. But people will pay.

 

[BorderTenny]

Pretty much. Did you see the pricing for the new Halloween party? Insane. But people will pay.

It's. Not. A. Halloween. Party. It's a Halloween-themed After Hours, and the pricing is pretty much in line with how those have been priced in the past.

 

[ChipnDale79]

In a nutshell that's the whole problem with Disney right now, It USED to be one of the premier vacation destinations and a place to be seen by the world (the Beatles broke up at the Poly). Now it's just a good financial investment. and that makes me sad.

The pricing is insane literally insane because when people with 6 figure incomes are 'priced out' the pricing has officially checked out from reality.

You know, i was thinking about this the other day and wondered what had changed, then i think i finally realized that it was because Roy E Disney is now gone. Yeah, he's been gone for awhile now, but when he saw things going away from the Disney way, he got them back in the right direction.

Now that a Disney family member is no longer a part of the company, that's not happening. it's never going to get better.

 

[ford91exploder]

You know, i was thinking about this the other day and wondered what had changed, then i think i finally realized that it was because Roy E Disney is now gone. Yeah, he's been gone for awhile now, but when he saw things going away from the Disney way, he got them back in the right direction.

Now that a Disney family remember is no longer a part of the company, that's not happening. it's never going to get better.

Agreed with no Disney on the board or someone who sees themselves as the caretaker of Walt’s legacy as Eisner did even to the point of doing talks in Walts office as the lead in to ‘Wonderful world of Disney,

its not going to get better, Right now the best hope is for some really ugly financials leading to dismissal of current senior leadership and bringing Eisner back, His financial success went to his head and he made a bunch if bad decisions. A team like Eisner and Matt Ouimet could right the ship i think. And instead of trying to market as a hyper growth company becoming a ‘widows and orphans’ stock with steady and reliable returns would be better for all lines of business

 

[RamblingMad]

It's. Not. A. Halloween. Party. It's a Halloween-themed After Hours, and the pricing is pretty much in line with how those have been priced in the past.

It’s $199 a person for three hours. Yes, there are cheaper dates. But for a family of four, you can still expect to spend upwards of nearly $500 for three additional hours in the park. And the thread about this has people waiting hours to get these tickets. Again, this confirms my Disney as an investment instead of a vacation.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

It’s $199 a person for three hours. Yes, there are cheaper dates. But for a family of four, you can still expect to spend upwards of nearly $500 for three additional hours in the park. And the thread about this has people waiting hours to get these tickets. Again, this confirms my Disney as an investment instead of a vacation.

Don't forget the DVC discount! For the low price of $30,150 (minimum DVC purchase price at Riviera to get a blue card), you can save $10! At that price they're practically giving it away!

 

[RamblingMad]

Don't forget the DVC discount! For the low price of $30,150 (minimum DVC purchase price at Riviera to get a blue card), you can save $10! At that price they're practically giving it away!

That’s all I have to spend to save $10. What a deal.

 

[ST1TCH]

I know people who own a G7, Know more people who own older learjets King Air's, Cessna 310's and Mooneys,

Think on this a brand new Cessna 172 is 475K a used learjet is 350K or so. The Cessna is about $80/Hr to operate assuming you own it outright for fuel/annual/and engine overhaul reserve (overhaul generally 15,000 or so)

As to salaries 150K in Santa Clara CA you are living in your car or you have a bunch of roomates. 150K north and west of boston and you are living very well.

Dude...that post is dripping with so much "look at me I'm rich" nonsense......your opinion of all the benefits of life making $150k tells me otherwise... $150k is comfortable living.....but it's a FAR cry from owning a plane, having an au-pair/nanny, etc. I'm in TX where cost of living is pretty low compared to the rest of the country and I can assure you, those of us making around $150k don't have a G7 waiting at the local airport to whisk us away.

And this notion that Disney as a corporation is in dire financial straits? HAHAHAHAHAHA. Another example that what you spout about all over this board should be taken with a whole shaker of salt.