Disneyland APs Discontinued

[WilsonFlyer]

and are apparently going to be refunded. According to chapstick, they are "reimagining the ticket model for our guests."

I'll tell you one thing. If he wants to find the camel's straw in FL, he need look no further. That would be it.

 

[jimim]

i just posted this over in the general parks refund thread. . .

When this happens in florida cause we know it will and we know it will not be a "better" "program" I am officially done. there is no way i will pay full ticket prices for 2-3 trips a year for my family of 4. there will be no value left at all.

at that time someone can have my DVC points. I got my money out of it and i'm fine with it.

if anyone here thinks a new "program" will actually be good. . . i don't even know what to say.

that announcement is pretty sad. i know the park side of disney has to be really hurting, but there is sooooo many other parts of the corporation that should be able to stabilize it.

this is one of the really sad things that has happened since this all started back in march. a lot of the other changes so be it. they aren't great but i can roll with it, but ending season passes is pretty drastic. how can pass holders be bankrupting the system? there 100's of other thousands of packages which are so expensive which have to be balancing it all out before all this.

i have said it for the past 10 years disney can care less about season passholders and this is the final nail.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

That pretty much sums up my feelings exactly and ties a nice little bow around it. Like a lot of people, I can sell DVC, make money, and expand my vacation options. If it happens in WDW, I am so done.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

Tom Bricker wrote an article about this on his site yesterday. When I first heard the news I was like "uh-oh, people are going to flip out". But then I read his article and it lays out why Disney had to do this. Disneyland is much different than WDW. Disneyland is much more limited. This had to be done, unfortunately. I added the article below...
https://www.disneytouristblog.com/disneyland-cancels-all-annual-passes/

 

[bookwormde]

While I do think APs will return to DL and WDW, I increasingly believe that unlimited days APs are likely not to.

For those who visit between 10 and 30 days/year with their AP, I think the cost will change only moderately and may even slow the dramatic increases in AP prices that we have seen over the past few years.

Those that visit parks more than 25 to 30 days per year will be the ones that take the big hit.

 

[New Mouse]

Tom Bricker wrote an article about this on his site yesterday. When I first heard the news I was like "uh-oh, people are going to flip out". But then I read his article and it lays out why Disney had to do this. Disneyland is much different than WDW. Disneyland is much more limited. This had to be done, unfortunately. I added the article below...
https://www.disneytouristblog.com/disneyland-cancels-all-annual-passes/

This was another classless move. If you cant support the amount of passes you sold, thats on you. Offer them a full refund or ride it out with set expectations and an equivalent discount.

I do completely get the why behind it, but the response is with the best interest of the company in mind, not the paying customer.

Disney is thrashing any concept people had of their comittment to customer service.

 

[bwvBound]

FWIW, I’m hopeful.

We had active APs at the time of closure and did not request the optional refund. Casually following the storyline as the closure continued and the likely restrictions on attendance grew ... it was pretty clear that the restrictions would ‘mess’ with the AP community. The situation was moving towards a brick wall, at a snail’s pace given the prolonged CA shutdown policies, but towards a brick wall all the same. (A train wreck in slow motion?)

I’m hopeful that Potrock will be able to lead a new AP program, sometime in the future, that piggybacks multiple ‘loyalty’ options w/in the Disney family. I’m very hopeful that DVC, part of Potrock’s career history, will be recognized within his plan and, perhaps, richly rewarded! (Wouldn’t that be great?)

The first several weeks of closure and CA shutdown were difficult for me. I couldn’t get my brain wrapped around it ... I drifted through my days bathed in a sensation of surrealism. 10 months have passed and I’m OK. Life has rebalanced, in sorts, and we have new activities to pursue. (As I mentioned in another post this week ... I may have just discovered that I’ve outgrown Disney. Weaned off of it, I s’pose.)

Strangely, for as often as we used to visit WDW (2x or 3x yearly) .. I have zero interest in going to WDW. Might be time to sell one or two of our DVC contracts?? Not from anger or resentment but from changing interests over time ...

Good luck to each of us!

 

[keishashadow]

DL is a whole other demographic than WDW. A very large % of locals, many who visit several X week just for a churro

when they open it will be at greatly reduced capacity. Likely far stricter measures than WDW due to CA restrictions...they won’t leave things up to the parks to decide what’s safe.

DL will want to churn $ via new ticket sales/pricer offerings vs Current AP holders

they did have existing black out periods standardly in place already.Fully expect to see some sort of local, seasonal pass Rolled back out there Probably will increase the dates available once things normalize.

FYI my DS manages that territory for large, international medical company. His guys in the field describe a war zone like atmosphere Right now in those hospitals. Arizona is not much better. God help them! Last thing they are likely worried about is amusement parks

that said, glad DH & I are still able to renew our WDW APHs. Reading this has me seriously considering renewing them early (as we have res in place they12/21)

 

[CarolMN]

I do not believe eliminating annual passes at WDW is under serious consideration for WDW. They are still allowing new annual passes to be sold in select circumstances. California is not Florida. They do not have to be treated the same.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I am convinced half the daily attendance of DLR are vloggers. Under the rules likely to be in place when they reopen, which I don't expect until summer at the earliest, they just cannot absorb the APs that are out there.

 

[zavandor]

Disney Tourist Blog has a good analysis:
https://www.disneytouristblog.com/disneyland-cancels-all-annual-passes/

Basically, he says this is just temporary: when the park reopen it won't have the capacity to accommodate all the AP (a much bigger precentage than in Florida). So rather that dealing with compailnts from people who cannot book any day, they'll suspend the programme for now and reintroduce it when they're back to full capacity.

 

[Chuck S]

One thing to remember, though, is that Disneyland is primarily a regional day-tripper destination, with two gates and 3 hotels. WDW, on the other hand, has to support 4 gates, and nearly 20 resorts. It is doubtful, in my opinion, that APs will be totally discontinued, but they may discontinue or modify some of the specialty passes, like the EPCOT after 4 pass for locals, and they may place more seasonal restrictions on things like the Gold Pass.

 

[jimim]

if they gave me a ticket which allowed 25-30 days a year at a very very very good price i would be fine with it. but it would have to be priced very well.

then what about tables in wonderland? no annual passes can you buy tables? i forgot now i just assumed it was cause of our AP's not our DVC membership. I just for years renewed for both and didn't think where discounts were coming from.

 

[VWLforever]

if they gave me a ticket which allowed 25-30 days a year at a very very very good price i would be fine with it. but it would have to be priced very well.

Agree with your sentiment, but it won't happen unless they dramatically increase full-year AP prices. Reason being, AP's are priced now at a break-even around the price of a 10-day regular entry ticket. So there's really no room for a discounted 30-day pass that makes good economic sense for Disney.

Now, knowing Disney math, I could in fact see them start selling a new 30-day pass at the current full AP prices, while concomitantly doubling the full year AP prices. You could easily imagine Disney writing this marketing campaign: "Get 30 days for the price of 10, and get 365 for the price of 20..."

Time will tell, I guess.

 

[CarolynFH]

then what about tables in wonderland?

The TIW office is still closed, CMs still on furlough, no new TIW being sold, and when one expires, no renewal. It's entirely possible TIW won't return at all.

 

[Sandisw]

To me, it seems like it was the best decision to refund all, with no opening date on the horizon.

I too do not see it being implemented at WDW either because those are up and running and as mentioned, they are allowing passes to be renewed or purchases for select people, My pass is now good until March 2nd, 2022.

 

[Castillo Mom]

DL is a whole other demographic than WDW. A very large % of locals, many who visit several X week just for a churro

when they open it will be at greatly reduced capacity. Likely far stricter measures than WDW due to CA restrictions...they won’t leave things up to the parks to decide what’s safe.

DL will want to churn $ via new ticket sales/pricer offerings vs Current AP holders

they did have existing black out periods standardly in place already.Fully expect to see some sort of local, seasonal pass Rolled back out there Probably will increase the dates available once things normalize.

FYI my DS manages that territory for large, international medical company. His guys in the field describe a war zone like atmosphere Right now in those hospitals. Arizona is not much better. God help them! Last thing they are likely worried about is amusement parks

that said, glad DH & I are still able to renew our WDW APHs. Reading this has me seriously considering renewing them early (as we have res in place they12/21)

This.

Oh boy, my posts in a couple of threads regarding recent changes might make me seem like a Disney apologist, but I truly am not.

As both a DLR and WDW AP holder, I can confirm that the dynamic between both are apples and oranges. Out here in California, DLR AP holders are die hard fans, to the point where we have what we call Disneyland gangs who wear denim biker-type vests. Seriously, Google it! I've never seen such a thing in WDW. Many of us refer to ourselves as Disneyland babies, our parents took us on a regular basis as little ones, so now as adults it's become part of our identity, some of us visiting the parks weekly. It's a locals park and we make up the larger percentage of visitors as opposed to the casual tourist. We have only two parks, so less square footage in which to spread out. Don't get me started on the elitist, entitled attitude of many AP holders out here, the likes of which doesn't appear to exist in WDW. We (the collective we, not me personally) hoard the best viewing spots for shows and know how to legally work the MaxPass system to our advantage and can get on pretty much all of our chosen/favorite rides most days and if we're to be honest, all to the detriment of those families who have scrimped and saved to take a once-in-a-lifetime trip to DLR and may not ever get to experience it again.

I don't know that there are many of us who would admit to everything I've just said, but I'm 54 and have been visiting DLR since I was a young child. There's absolutely no way Disney would be able to limit capacity at reopening with the current system. If I'm going to call Disney out on anything, it's overselling APs and oversaturating the parks. The pent up demand of DLR being closed for a year, actually longer than that by the time we're able to walk back through those glorious gates, it's just crazy. Many of my friends, relatives and even work colleagues are AP holders and chomping at the bit to get back to their happy place, so Disney had to do something drastic to wipe the slate clean. Don't get me wrong, I'm more than a little sad that my multi-year streak has been broken, but I need to wait and see what Disney comes up with. Either way, I'll likely shed many tears of relief, joy and gratitude my first day back, whenever that is.

 

[jimim]

The TIW office is still closed, CMs still on furlough, no new TIW being sold, and when one expires, no renewal. It's entirely possible TIW won't return at all.

tats were we really save money. we only eat at signature places so when we take my parents we can save easily over 1 grand each trip just on diners.

 

[jimim]

To me, it seems like it was the best decision to refund all, with no opening date on the horizon.

I too do not see it being implemented at WDW either because those are up and running and as mentioned, they are allowing passes to be renewed or purchases for select people, My pass is now good until March 2nd, 2022.

I really don't think they are thinking now. I think they are thinking long game.

 

[DebbieB]

This was another classless move. If you cant support the amount of passes you sold, thats on you. Offer them a full refund or ride it out with set expectations and an equivalent discount.

I do completely get the why behind it, but the response is with the best interest of the company in mind, not the paying customer.

Disney is thrashing any concept people had of their comittment to customer service.

When they sold them, they didn’t know a time would come where they would need to cut capacity to 25%.