Disney justified in raising buffet prices due to customer demand

[MODisFan]

The cost doesn't bother too bad or I wouldn't keep taking my family back so much

 

[DisneyKevin]

Ok...play along.

*********************************************************
Disney has decided that due to customer demand, they are going to raise the price of admission when children are out of school.

Jersey Week, Christmas week, Presidents week, All Spring Break weeks and Summer vacations increase the demand placed on Disney parks and facilities.

In light of this, Disney has decided charge a 25% increase in the cost of admission during these times.
**********************************************************

Now...I need to ask.

Are you still ok with this scenario?

Trust me, we understand what Disney is saying and we are poking fun at their wording and pointing out that we feel it's ridiculous.

 

[WaltD4Me]

Ok...play along.

*********************************************************
Disney has decided that due to customer demand, they are going to raise the price of admission when children are out of school.

Jersey Week, Christmas week, Presidents week, All Spring Break weeks and Summer vacations increase the demand placed on Disney parks and facilities.

In light of this, Disney has decided charge a 25% increase in the cost of admission during these times.
**********************************************************

Now...I need to ask.

Are you still ok with this scenario?

Trust me, we understand what Disney is saying and we are poking fun at their wording and pointing out that we feel it's ridiculous.

Exactly. I said basically the same thing during the Stroller debate. Disney keeps pushing the envelope with the price increases, stroller rental price increase doesn't effect me and neither does the "holiday" dining increase, but I gotta think if the trend keeps up, something eventually will.

 

[aldango]

Ok...play along.

*********************************************************
Disney has decided that due to customer demand, they are going to raise the price of admission when children are out of school.

Jersey Week, Christmas week, Presidents week, All Spring Break weeks and Summer vacations increase the demand placed on Disney parks and facilities.

In light of this, Disney has decided charge a 25% increase in the cost of admission during these times.
**********************************************************

Now...I need to ask.

Are you still ok with this scenario?

Trust me, we understand what Disney is saying and we are poking fun at their wording and pointing out that we feel it's ridiculous.

They already do this with the hotels... perhaps because people 'expect' it, whereas they wouldn't expect them to do what you described. There's a precedent against it. But they also do that at skiing resorts! Lift tickets cost more during peak times.

I'm not saying that I like any kind of price increases. Like people have said, they're just milking us for all they can, and until people stop paying for it it's not going to change.

 

[DisneyKevin]

They already do this with the hotels... perhaps because people 'expect' it, whereas they wouldn't expect them to do what you described. There's a precedent against it. But they also do that at skiing resorts! Lift tickets cost more during peak times.

I'm not saying that I like any kind of price increases. Like people have said, they're just milking us for all they can, and until people stop paying for it it's not going to change.

Ski resorts are not advertising during prime time that you can take a family of four to their resort for $1600.

And yes..there are precedents to be found for this practice, but it is usually not found at restaurants.

I understand that holiday buffets are usually a higher price, but that is most often because there are more, or the very least different selections.

And I understand that lunch is often less expensive than dinner, but you often receive a smaller portion for lunch and the restaurant is attempting to fill empty seats.

But again, the practice of increasing cost due to demand is not often seen in restaurants. If that were the case, why arent we seeing higher prices between 6 and 8pm, as thats when demand is the greatest.

Why isnt Denny's jacking up the price of a Grand Slam for the after church crowd?

The answer is simple. It's because customers wouldnt stand for it. The restaurant would lose business.

The difference is that Disney has large and rabid enough fan base that these seats will be filled pretty much no matter what price is charged.

Until people start responding with their wallets, this kind of increase will continue.

To put another spin on this....

Each year Florida goes through another hurricane season. During those times when the storms are severe and they blow out all electricity, batteries become scarce. This equates to an increase in (guest) demand.

Each year some yahoo gets caught charging (guests) exorbitant prices for batteries because the supply is low and demand is high. The police and news channels swoop in and arrest the yahoo for "price gouging."

It sorta seems like the same idea when Disney announces that they are raising the price on an already expensive character meal because their park is busy.

Is it illegal? No.

Is it going to cause empty seats in the restaurant? Probably not.

I guess my point in all of this is that I understand why they are doing what they are doing, I just dont particularly like it.

 

[aldango]

Ski resorts are not advertising during prime time that you can take a family of four to their resort for $1600.

Fair point.

And yes..there are precedents to be found for this practice, but it is usually not found at restaurants.

I understand that holiday buffets are usually a higher price, but that is most often because there are more, or the very least different selections.

And I understand that lunch is often less expensive than dinner, but you often receive a smaller portion for lunch and the restaurant is attempting to fill empty seats.

But again, the practice of increasing cost due to demand is not often seen in restaurants. If that were the case, why arent we seeing higher prices between 6 and 8pm, as thats when demand is the greatest.

I disagree. Frequently I've seen the exact same portion being offered for a lower price at lunch. You said it yourself - they're attempting to fill empty seats - it is the exact same principle working in reverse.

Why isnt Denny's jacking up the price of a Grand Slam for the after church crowd?

The answer is simple. It's because customers wouldnt stand for it. The restaurant would lose business.

I agree and disagree. There are a couple of reasons: first, it's a logistical nightmare. Second, when you're at WDW, they've already got you there at the resort. You're probably only going to eat there once - it's a one shot game - and they don't have to worry about repeat customers. Denny's does, so the game is different.

The difference is that Disney has large and rabid enough fan base that these seats will be filled pretty much no matter what price is charged.

Until people start responding with their wallets, this kind of increase will continue.

I can't disagree here!

To put another spin on this....

Each year Florida goes through another hurricane season. During those times when the storms are severe and they blow out all electricity, batteries become scarce. This equates to an increase in (guest) demand.

Each year some yahoo gets caught charging (guests) exorbitant prices for batteries because the supply is low and demand is high. The police and news channels swoop in and arrest the yahoo for "price gouging."

Yeah, that sucks, and it is illegal because it's during a civil emergency.

It sorta seems like the same idea when Disney announces that they are raising the price on an already expensive character meal because their park is busy.

Is it illegal? No.

Is it going to cause empty seats in the restaurant? Probably not.

I guess my point in all of this is that I understand why they are doing what they are doing, I just dont particularly like it.

And I agree with you! I understand why they're doing it, and I don't like it either.

 

[WaltD4Me]

The difference is that Disney has large and rabid enough fan base that these seats will be filled pretty much no matter what price is charged.

I wonder if this would be true if so many people didn't buy the DDP? I know I don't use DDP and did not book as many nice TS restaurants or characters meals as I probably would have because of the higher prices and I'm not even going during a time when they are charging the extra holiday rate. Disney may start to see some backlash, the ecomony isn't good, people are cutting back, paying more attention to what they are spending and I think Disney is going to start to notice people cutting back.

 

[DisneyKevin]

You're probably only going to eat there once - it's a one shot game - and they don't have to worry about repeat customers.

Look around these boards. You might find a few repeat customers.

 

[aldango]

Look around these boards. You might find a few repeat customers.

Yes, I know and perhaps they won't be repeat customers anymore! Haha. That's a bit besides my point though... my point was that the majority of visitors are going to be one-time patrons, that's all.

(The population of the Dis is not an accurate representation of the actual WDW clientele)

 

[DisneyKevin]

Yes, I know and perhaps they won't be repeat customers anymore! Haha. That's a bit besides my point though... my point was that the majority of visitors are going to be one-time patrons, that's all.

(The population of the Dis is not an accurate representation of the actual WDW clientele)

I dont agree with your assessment.

I believe Disney wants their customers to come back again and again. Thats why they build new attractions and sell DVC.

Disney also does EVERYTHING in their power to get and keep their guests on property. (Magical Express, MYW tickets that get cheaper the longer you stay.)

Disney is definitely not marketing to the "one shot and your out" crowd.

Remember the parade "It's time to remember the magic"?

 

[WaltD4Me]

Yes, I know and perhaps they won't be repeat customers anymore! Haha. That's a bit besides my point though... my point was that the majority of visitors are going to be one-time patrons, that's all.

(The population of the Dis is not an accurate representation of the actual WDW clientele)

Very true, but big picture here...yes, Disney has some amazing advertising and they don't seem to spare a penny on it, but never disallow the power of word of mouth. I know I have personally talked at least 5 families into going to Disney who would probably never would have otherwise. We may not be an accurate representation of clientele, but wiping the Disney stars from our eyes isn't a good idea either.

 

[miss missy]

that was me, i didn't think it was expensive enough to vacation in WDW, so I wrote letters asking them to raise the prices.

figures

 

[aldango]

I dont agree with your assessment.

I believe Disney wants their customers to come back again and again. Thats why they build new attractions and sell DVC.

Disney also does EVERYTHING in their power to get and keep their guests on property. (Magical Express, MYW tickets that get cheaper the longer you stay.)

Disney is definitely not marketing to the "one shot and your out" crowd.

Remember the parade "It's time to remember the magic"?

You definitely have a point. But does the average WDW customer visit each character buffet more than once? I don't know; I'd like to. I wasn't really referring to the whole vacation experience, but whatever. It's certainly a different situation than a regular neighborhood restaurant that you might visit up to ten times a year.

Look, it doesn't make an ounce of difference. What they do with their prices makes economic sense, whether we like it or not. We're the ones who make the decision to buy this crap; no one's forcing anybody to buy anything. It doesn't matter. I, for one, don't care to spend the regular price on a character meal because I can spend my money on other great things at WDW (like the Plaza).

 

[aldango]

Very true, but big picture here...yes, Disney has some amazing advertising and they don't seem to spare a penny on it, but never disallow the power of word of mouth. I know I have personally talked at least 5 families into going to Disney who would probably never would have otherwise. We may not be an accurate representation of clientele, but wiping the Disney stars from our eyes isn't a good idea either.

I don't see what this has nothing to do with what I was talking about.

 

[Disneybridein2k3]

I was wondering when Kevin was going to chime in on this one - thanks Kevin!

 

[happy2go2wdwmom]

that was me, i didn't think it was expensive enough to vacation in WDW, so I wrote letters asking them to raise the prices.

SO glad you fessed up as I thought it was my free salads from the burger fixin's bars and e-bay resort cup purchases that were the culpirits.

 

[global-mouse]

But again, the practice of increasing cost due to demand is not often seen in restaurants. If that were the case, why arent we seeing higher prices between 6 and 8pm, as thats when demand is the greatest.

Has any one ever heard of an early bird special? This for all intensive purposes does the same thing, higher prices during peak periods.

I wonder if Disney just raised the prices, and then discounted them at slow times, would there would be such an outrage.

 

[Linus Van Pelt]

Ok...play along.

*********************************************************
Disney has decided that due to customer demand, they are going to raise the price of admission when children are out of school.

Jersey Week, Christmas week, Presidents week, All Spring Break weeks and Summer vacations increase the demand placed on Disney parks and facilities.

In light of this, Disney has decided charge a 25% increase in the cost of admission during these times.
**********************************************************

Now...I need to ask.

Are you still ok with this scenario?

As two childless adults traveling to WDW, heavens, yes, we're okay with that scenario!

 

[nikjd68]

To put another spin on this....

Each year Florida goes through another hurricane season. During those times when the storms are severe and they blow out all electricity, batteries become scarce. This equates to an increase in (guest) demand.

Each year some yahoo gets caught charging (guests) exorbitant prices for batteries because the supply is low and demand is high. The police and news channels swoop in and arrest the yahoo for "price gouging."

"Price gouging" can be a crime. However, it only applies to civil emergencies, like your example above. But even in those situations, there is an exception for increased cost of supply (I don't want to say "customer demand").

Needless to say, increased prices for buffets at WDW do not constitute price gouging.

 

[disneydad78]

Great ,I make so much money and WDW is so cheap,,yea I sent them a letter also, saying please raise your prices!! YEAH RIGHT!!