Disney After Dark - The CM phone call

[grinningghost]

Once again, Disney hands me the company line. I e-mailed a while back that it was disappointing that MK was closing so early the final week of August. We really appreciate the park after dark, it's really pretty and it's a whole different experience.

Well, Michelle (who I've spoken with before) at WDW just called me to explain that the MK is a "day park" once school gets back in session (never mind that the schools here are still out on summer vacation). She said she's been at WDW since 1985 and it's "always been a day park during the school year".

Blah, blah, blah... she also said that Disney can no longer predict how many guests they'll have based on incoming flights, as more people are driving. OK, sounds sensible, but why punish those of us who are AT LEAST making the effort to drive????

I don't know, I've tried to make the best of the short hours with the idea that we'll get more pool time and resort hopping time, etc. But it just sounds like the more we have to pay, the less we get.

 

[disneysteve]

I certainly agree that shorter hours hasn't lowered the cost any. As for MK being a day park, thats absurd. If that were true, why would they have created Electrical Parade, SpectroMagic, Fantasy in the Sky, etc. Years ago, the park used to close at midnite! That hasn't happened for ages.

The thing about schools is at least partly true. Most schools in the Southern states go back in early to mid-August. I know several people whose kids start school next week.

It would be nice to have the old hours back, but until the crowds justify the expense, we're just not going to see it.

Steve

 

[onecoolmama]

The kids here start that last week of August too. I thought that the price (not counting the FTP) always was lower the second half of Aug - Thanksgiving. Am I wrong? I dunno, I think for years I have been a sucker anyway. i always book off season, but I always book a package even if we go two or three times in one year. I finally smartened this past year and got a DC membership only to have it taken away. So much for that. But, now that I have all of you, I think I will be getting the AP..I think in the long run it ends up being a huge money saver. I digress...

Anyway, I am sorry that that they gave you a run around answer. I hate that.

DisneySteve..I think I remember the parks being open until Mid-night..when was that..in the 80's or 70's? If it was like 87 or later I think that was the case the first time I went to Disney, but I was sooo young, it could have just felt like midnight!

 

[Castillo Mom]

I understand that kids on the east coast may go back to school sooner than kids from other parts of the country, but what about the rest of us? Out here on the West coast they don't go back until Sept. Even then, Disneyland is still open later (10-11)Fri-Sun. During the summer months they stay open until 11:00 even mid week. I don't go to WDW until next August but I'm not feeling to good about they hours I'm seeing this year. Maybe I'll get lucky and Disney will listen to their guests and increase the hours next year. I'm shelling out a lot of money for this trip.

 

[disneyjunkie]

Originally posted by Castillo Mom
I understand that kids on the east coast may go back to school sooner than kids from other parts of the country, but what about the rest of us? Out here on the West coast they don't go back until Sept. Even then, Disneyland is still open later (10-11)Fri-Sun. During the summer months they stay open until 11:00 even mid week. I don't go to WDW until next August but I'm not feeling to good about they hours I'm seeing this year. Maybe I'll get lucky and Disney will listen to their guests and increase the hours next year. I'm shelling out a lot of money for this trip.

Kids in the Northeast also return to school after Labor Day. During our August 2001 trip, there were tons of families from NY and NJ.

I don't think they should close the parks early until after Labor Day.

 

[mickeysaver]

School in the county above us opened last Friday, August 1st, and the schools in our county open on the 11th. I don't understand what the rush is to get the kids back to class. We never started until right at Labor Day when I was a kid. Mickey

 

[disneysteve]

Originally posted by onecoolmama
DisneySteve..I think I remember the parks being open until Mid-night..when was that..in the 80's or 70's? If it was like 87 or later I think that was the case the first time I went to Disney, but I was sooo young, it could have just felt like midnight!

The parks were definitely open until midnite in the 70's and into the early 80's at least. I used to go down with a friend when we were in high school. We stayed in Fort Wilderness and it was usually approaching 2 am before we got back to our campsite.

Steve

 

[smiten]

I just looked at the Disneyland park hours for today Aug. 6th, they were 8am-till 11pm..Why the longer hours at Disneyland as compared to WDW? Are the crowds that much better at Disneyland over WDW?

 

[disneysteve]

Originally posted by smiten
I just looked at the Disneyland park hours for today Aug. 6th, they were 8am-till 11pm..Why the longer hours at Disneyland as compared to WDW? Are the crowds that much better at Disneyland over WDW?

Disneyland's demographics are very different than those of WDW. Disneyland has a much higher percentage of guests who are local residents. They also have many more AP holders in general and specifically AP holders who are locals. There are far more people who make Disneyland a day trip or weekend trip as compared to WDW which depends much more on guests traveling from a distance and staying for multi-day vacations.

Steve

 

[Kallison]

The historic August hours have been reduced around mid-month for the past couple of years. The reasoning being as has been said, Southern schools start back early. I'm hoping to trade off shorter hours for lesser crowds. We'll see. Grinning ghost stop the frownie posts -- you're gonna have a great trip (keeping my fingers crossed!)

 

[jctwizzer]

Trying to keep this on an even keel, but what did you expect her to say???? Put another way, what answer, short of saying they'll keep the park open for you, would have satisfied you?

 

[TChrist05]

Hello all....I work for a major supermarket chain in New York. We have 50 stores, and we can track our business in every store in 15 minute slots. We know what business we do, how much help is scheduled and what each hour costs us to operate. I would imagine that Disney, being a much larger company than our's could figure out the expense versus the profit of keeping the Magic Kingdom open later. We have always noticed how busy the shops are when people are leaving the park. They would also have to factor in the soda and ice cream and popcorn sales at the carts in the park....I guess if they get the people back to the hotel a little earlier it does help the food courts and pizza sales.......and I bet they have done these studies....would love to be a fly on a wall when they discuss the hours of operation planning......What do you guys think?
Tom

 

[smiten]

TChrist05-- I think you are close to right on..I guess the HUGE savings in labor cost by closing a couple hours earlier here and there, such as the 6pm closing time in FW at Epcot are the driving factor in their decision to reduce the hours of operation.

 

[clkelley]

The reason for schools starting earlier is around here they are going to a modified year round system.

We started July 28th. The kids will go for 9 weeks, be out for two weeks, in for 9 weeks, out for two weeks at Christmas, back in for 9 weeks, out for two weeks for spring break, back in for 9 weeks, and then out for 8 weeks in the summer.

Personally, I love it, it gives us two weeks in October to go to WDW and other places when it is not so hot. We can't go during spring break cause of baseball season, we spend that going to tournaments.

Plus, 12 or 13 weeks was just too long in the summer for them to be home, the 8 weeks is just about right

Carol

 

[grinningghost]

Originally posted by jctwizzer
Trying to keep this on an even keel, but what did you expect her to say???? Put another way, what answer, short of saying they'll keep the park open for you, would have satisfied you?

Let's not be crazy, of course I didn't expect her to say they'd keep the park open for me. It was more her approach than anything. I suppose without ever hearing this particular CM talk, you couldn't understand. She's very... nope, I can't think of a word to describe her, but let's just say she's not my idea of what a Disney CM should be like.

But enough of that. I really do remember the days when it seemed that Disney would bend over backward to make a guest feel welcome and excited to go to their parks. She was actually in "turn off" mode. That's kind of sad.

As someone else said, to say that MK is a day park is silly. Whoever heard of Fantasy in the Sky and Spectromagic in daylight? Why would MK invest in thousands of lights to light up their buildings?

I know I'm going to have a good time, no matter what, it's just that MK is so enjoyable after dark, and it's a shame that it's getting more and more difficult to experience it at night.

All that said - I'm a happy camper and can't wait until I get there.

 

[dgaston]

I'm from New England and just wanted to add that many schools here start either the week before Labor Day or after Labor Day. We only have one week off at Christmas, but also a week at President's Birthday, and another week the second or third week of April. School does not get out until the third week of June. None of this schedule seems to work well with WDW. It always seems to be peak season when poor DH is not teaching his high schoolers! And his principal will never let me take him out of school! LOL

 

[Cinderella37]

Actually, up until three or four years ago, the Magic Kingdom was open until midnight during the summer. I just came across some old World Updates and Grand Floridian "Around and Abouts" that listed the Magic Kingdom hours for all of July. The later closing hours not only enabled more time in the parks, but provided a better window for priority seatings - when the park closes at midnight you don't feel as rushed to eat dinner (I know I have to remind myself to slow down and I'm 26, traveling with my 28 year old fiance, I can't imagine how kids feel).

As for the Magic Kingdom being a "day park," the cast member better read up on how Walt Disney thought that the most magical time of the day at Disneyland was after dark. There is even an old Disneyland special that concetrates on the lights, parades, and fireworks - "Disneyland After Dark." I saw it several times on Vault Disney before the Disney Channel transformed itself into a "preteen" network...

 

[Dznefreek]

she also said that Disney can no longer predict how many guests they'll have based on incoming flights, as more people are driving

Driving, flying, sailing or crawling they have 30 years of statistical data and I am sure WDW employs actuarials to examine trends and come up with a pretty good idea as to attendance.

 

[Camping Griswalds]

Might sound silly, but the least they could do is keep the MK open late. The other parks aren't as crowded period, no matter what time you go. I'm okay with Epcot closing partially at 6pm and Ak closing at 5 pm, but the Mk could stay open until 1000pm all year round in my opinion. We've been in Jan and Oct both "off peak" times and the park is full at closing. What I mean is, the lines aren't like Aug, but for those months the crowds are the same all day and they seem to literally shove all of us out at once. If there excuse is not as many people in these off times, then why do they bother to even open the parks at all?? Next thing they'll only have the parks open for three days a week with those excuses. Boy they''ll be pleased with the attendence in those parks on those days then. How silly!! Just make the hours the same all year long and budget accordingly. Isn't that what they are expecting us to do by raising prices?? Oh well sorry about the complaining, but at times I get upset remembering our first couple of trips in the 1980's and really it did seem they bent over backwards to make sure you had the trip of a lifetime, not just a trip until next time. My DH has informed me that after this trip in Aug and the one in Jan, he is "Disneyed out" We'll probably still go to Fla but do Seaworld, Universal and other attractions where they don't seem to yank your chain. I get caught up in the "magic" my Dh gets into the particulars, oh well

 

[DebbieB]

Our local park, Kennywood, usually opens at 11am. August 25 to 29 they only open for the evening at 5pm. Value season at the value & moderate resorts starts August 24, deluxe is value from July 3. I think you're going to find that MK is not very crowded that week. Looking at the schedule, they are open until 8:30 on Mon & Wed, later than usual during value season.