Closing at 7pm on October Fridays is a Joke!

[cyclenut]

I will chime in here that I think special ticket events are wrong. Whatever the OP's motives, does Disney reduce the price of their day ticket because they close 5 hours early? It is chipping away at the core value of their product.

I totally agree with you on this one HydroGuy. Disney has tried to accomodate for this by having DCA stay open later, which is some solace the AP holder but not to those who purchased a ticket to DL for that day. They should offer the PH free on those days for those customers. I consider it a "double dip" by Disney and I don't like it one bit. It is greedy and in that sense absolutely erodes the brand.

 

[KCmike]

If you buy a Deluxe Annual Pass (or whatever the highest level is) then you should be entitled to use it 365 days of the year in my opinion. I understand why DL chooses to do hard ticket events but I don't agree with it. People will come and spend money on quality products but when they feel like they are being cheated they will stop coming. Some people are coming from out of town and them being closed early affects these tourists adversely.

I hope I don't see the day when they start hard ticketing the Christmas parade and fireworks.

 

[taaren]

My frustration are all the private parties. We planned our dates before the hours were released (as most others do too) and then discovered that on Monday, the parks are closing early for a CM party. It happened to us last year (Dec) when they moved the CM party a week later. Arggg! Another trip the parks closed early for a private company party. So, I don't mind the published programs where you can kind of plan in advance, but it frustrates me when there are these private things that you have no advance warning on...you just discover it when the hours are finally released. However, I keep buying my tickets and dealing with it, so little chance of change.

I totally agree with you on this one HydroGuy. Disney has tried to accomodate for this by having DCA stay open later, which is some solace the AP holder but not to those who purchased a ticket to DL for that day. They should offer the PH free on those days for those customers. I consider it a "double dip" by Disney and I don't like it one bit. It is greedy and in that sense absolutely erodes the brand.

We just got back from a late Sept - early Oct trip.
For this year in particular, we were disappointed with when everything was announced. Since we are DVC we have to pick our dates 8-11 months in advance. We still had a lovely trip, but with 3 Halloween parties the week we were there plus the private Microsoft party the week we went we could be in Disneyland after dark less than half of our park days without buying a special ticket (we have Deluxe AP's).
California Adventure was jam packed with way too many people for too few attractions once DL closed, and the traffic work-arounds they have for pedestrians getting into and out of the park were terrible ... surely an Imagineer could have come up with something better for the many months that the main pavilion area was to be closed.
I think our solution will be to stop planning fall trips, though we have loved them for the last 6-7 years. Currently talking about moving to mid-November or early December trips instead, since the last few Octobers have been higher crowds than we previously saw, along with more ride closures every year, and the Halloween party and private events getting in the way of us having full days in the park. We know summer is too full for us, and we like May so will keep short trips then most likely. Too bad since we love the pumpkin decor and weather (our favorite are rain days in Oct ... got some great pics with Vadar and Maul this year when Jedi Training Academy was rained out).
It does seem like the scheduled closures at DLR could be released farther out than they currently have them so that guests could plan their trips better at the very least.

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

I can't believe that it closes at 8 This is why I don't like special events that require tickets.

 

[Kittyskyfish]

Scheduling is a huge flaw with Disneyland. They are too deep in the AP mindset and neglect their customer base who book flights and schedule vacation days well in advance in order to make their pilgrimage. There shouldn't be any reason why the park can't post and maintain an annual "in progress" calendar and fill in events as soon as they are contracted. It's not like Microsoft execs were kicking around a holiday party idea and decided to do one next week spur-of-the-moment. Or the CM parties. I could go on.

They should switch over to ticket sales by calendar dates, just like hotels do. I think this idea is being kicked around, but not sure the status. Anyhow, visitors who plan in advance can pick the days they will attend and pay pro-rated prices, depending on the season or park hours. So for MHP dates, they can get a discount for shortened park hours.

I do agree with selling tickets to MHP, though, as it is a great crowd mangement tool to restrict the number of trick or treaters. Trick or treating in the park is fun, but if the event was included with general admission and AP passes I believe the park would turn into a crowded nightmare on party nights.

Or they can skip the free candy/trick or treating and just have a general admission price seasonal event.

 

[skiingfast]

Scheduling is a huge flaw with Disneyland. They are too deep in the AP mindset and neglect their customer base who book flights and schedule vacation days well in advance in order to make their pilgrimage.

They should switch over to ticket sales by calendar dates, just like hotels do. I think this idea is being kicked around, but not sure the status. Anyhow, visitors who plan in advance can pick the days they will attend and pay pro-rated prices, depending on the season or park hours. So for MHP dates, they can get a discount for shortened park hours.

DLR visitors are probably 25% APH, 60% locals and 15% from further away. Just look at how much parking there is for people coming in cars to the parks compared to the hotels in the area. People on big vacations are not the customer base at DLR. They are at WDW, and Disney doesn't lessen the prices there.


There is a huge reason why Disney would not want to price tickets likesome hotels do. You could go to business school and study for a semseter about it. If you really want it, would you also like Disneyland to degrade into a park like Magic Mountain? That would be a likely result.


I know it's been gone over in this thread and others. What are you really missing?

Without the season and parties DL would be closing earlier have less entertainment and more rehabs from after Labor Day until thier next special season in November. By bringing in more people with special seasons and events it justifies more of everything guests like, including hours of operation. Would it be better to go back 30 years and close the park a couple days a week because it was slow?

 

[Armadillo4]

I do understand the frustration of those out-of-town visitors who have to plan a trip many months in advance and find out afterwards that a private party shortens park hours. I wish there was a better way for Disney to schedule things out in advance, so that trip planning could take these events into consideration. Things like the recent Microsoft party and similar events would bum me out, especially if I traveled from a long way for once-a-year (or once-every-few-years) trip.

However, I certainly won't begrudge the company for closing the park early so that their cast members can have a Holiday Party with their families. It's a tradition that goes back several decades and it's a wonderful way to acknowledge the hard work of thousands of cast members. CMs get to see senior executives working the front lines, while mingling and introducing their parents and/or children to their fellow CMs. Many of these cast members have to work *during* the holidays and might not be able to spend as much time with their loved ones as they would like--so closing the park early for the Cast Member Holiday Parties is okay in my book.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

I do understand the frustration of those out-of-town visitors who have to plan a trip many months in advance and find out afterwards that a private party shortens park hours. I wish there was a better way for Disney to schedule things out in advance, so that trip planning could take these events into consideration. Things like the recent Microsoft party and similar events would bum me out, especially if I traveled from a long way for once-a-year (or once-every-few-years) trip.

However, I certainly won't begrudge the company for closing the park early so that their cast members can have a Holiday Party with their families. It's a tradition that goes back several decades and it's a wonderful way to acknowledge the hard work of thousands of cast members. CMs get to see senior executives working the front lines, while mingling and introducing their parents and/or children to their fellow CMs. Many of these cast members have to work *during* the holidays and might not be able to spend as much time with their loved ones as they would like--so closing the park early for the Cast Member Holiday Parties is okay in my book.

I agree! And in most cases, Disney makes up for it by opening earlier than usual on those days.

 

[HydroGuy]

DLR visitors are probably 25% APH, 60% locals and 15% from further away. Just look at how much parking there is for people coming in cars to the parks compared to the hotels in the area. People on big vacations are not the customer base at DLR. They are at WDW, and Disney doesn't lessen the prices there.


There is a huge reason why Disney would not want to price tickets likesome hotels do. You could go to business school and study for a semseter about it. If you really want it, would you also like Disneyland to degrade into a park like Magic Mountain? That would be a likely result.


I know it's been gone over in this thread and others. What are you really missing?

Without the season and parties DL would be closing earlier have less entertainment and more rehabs from after Labor Day until thier next special season in November. By bringing in more people with special seasons and events it justifies more of everything guests like, including hours of operation. Would it be better to go back 30 years and close the park a couple days a week because it was slow?

Matt, I have not paid close attention to the Halloween parties but aren't some of them on weekends when the parks would normally stay open late? On weekdays when DL would have closed at say 8PM anyways I can see the issue is not an issue.

 

[cyclenut]

DLR visitors are probably 25% APH, 60% locals and 15% from further away. Just look at how much parking there is for people coming in cars to the parks compared to the hotels in the area. People on big vacations are not the customer base at DLR. They are at WDW, and Disney doesn't lessen the prices there.


There is a huge reason why Disney would not want to price tickets likesome hotels do. You could go to business school and study for a semseter about it. If you really want it, would you also like Disneyland to degrade into a park like Magic Mountain? That would be a likely result.


I know it's been gone over in this thread and others. What are you really missing?

Without the season and parties DL would be closing earlier have less entertainment and more rehabs from after Labor Day until thier next special season in November. By bringing in more people with special seasons and events it justifies more of everything guests like, including hours of operation. Would it be better to go back 30 years and close the park a couple days a week because it was slow?

That is an interesting perspective. I do agree, it is about money and I do understand why Disney does this, but the real complaint here isn't just about the 5 Firday nights that DL closes early for the HP, it is about the sum total of early closures due to all of the special events. There are the regular events such as Grad night, this HP and the CM party. Then there are the special events such as the Microsoft party (I did attend one of those at WDW a few years back), special movie premier events and a few others. Years ago they used to close the park for large company "picnics" too.

Yes, all of those bring in additional revenue and it is certainly one perspective that this additional revenue funds park operations for other such events. I suppose you could also argue that it works as a sort of marketing tool, increasing ticket sales overall by exposing the parks to a broader customer base.

The chief complaint really isn't so much the shorter hours, it is the notice that Disney gives for these things. They have tried to increase the reach for DLR by making it a multi-day destination for out-of-town guests, but they haven't taken steps notify these guests who are trying to play their trips far in advance of these differences in park hours. I can't believe they don't really know.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

Matt, I have not paid close attention to the Halloween parties but aren't some of them on weekends when the parks would normally stay open late? On weekdays when DL would have closed at say 8PM anyways I can see the issue is not an issue.

They are on Fridays and Tuesday's.


I think the complaints are higher this year for a few reasons:
1) not everyone is paying to get a PH. There is the option of not PHing for longer stays.
2) DCA is in such disarray.

I agree that some events arent given a lot of notice, but those are typically scheduled during the week when the park would close early anyways. The Halloween party dates were announced in May and next years grad nights are already set. Those are easier to plan around if you do your research.