Eliminate the Park Reservation Requirements

[tigger2002]

How is Disney squeezing out another penny with the new reservation system?

The reservation system allows them to run at the lowest level of resourcing people, rides, restaurants, shops, etc. Move people to the place they want them to go. I don't think they are doing it to enhance the guest experience.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

The reservation system allows them to run at the lowest level of resourcing people, rides, restaurants, shops, etc. Move people to the place they want them to go. I don't think they are doing it to enhance the guest experience.

You could look at it another way and say Disney is beefing up the cast members where they know there will be the most people. It works both ways. I'm not a huge fan, but from a supply/demand standpoint, it can also be a positive for the guest experience (once you're in the park!). I just don't like how it cuts into my options when I'm planning a stay.

 

[tigger2002]

You could look at it another way and say Disney is beefing up the cast members where they know there will be the most people. It works both ways. I'm not a huge fan, but from a supply/demand standpoint, it can also be a positive for the guest experience (once you're in the park!). I just don't like how it cuts into my options when I'm planning a stay.

The problem is that Disney is creating the supply and demand. Right, flexibility has been greatly reduced.

 

[mom2rtk]

The reservation system allows them to run at the lowest level of resourcing people, rides, restaurants, shops, etc. Move people to the place they want them to go. I don't think they are doing it to enhance the guest experience.

Exactly that.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Ride throughput has little to do with staffing. That is, if you staff a ride with '2x' - you don't get twice the throughput. In fact, you don't get any increase at all. Every ride must be staffed with a certain number of CM's to ensure customer safety - regardless of crowd size.

Entirely untrue. Staffing levels very much affect ride capacity on some rides (not on all). HM for example is a continuously moving ride and the staffing has little effect on how fast they can move people. The track will not go faster or slower based on people.

At the other end of the extreme are rides like RMT or SM where more CM's mean you can run both sides of the loading bay (instead of just one), and you can triple up CM's on the loading area so that one figured out where to place the groups, another assists with loading and another does safety checks. Also more CM's mean you can have more trains running and you can clean / sanitize faster.

The curve is not linear - 2x staff doesn't mean 2x people. It's much more complex than that based on if that staff are assisting on one loading bay or opening up both sides of the tracks. Disney actually has some very serious formulas that can tell them exactly how much throughput they get on the ride based on how much staff and where they put them.

Many of the rides fall between those extremes. More staff at flying carpets for example has some impact but not as much. The ones with the biggest impact are the ones with double loading bays like PoTC, SM, Dumbo, RMT, etc. In EPCOT, rides like Mission Space or Soarin can also dynamically increase or decrease loads by opening or closing bays depending on staffing levels. In Hollywood Studios, TSM, TOT, Star Wars all can increase or decrease capacity. You get the point.

 

[cakebaker]

You could look at it another way and say Disney is beefing up the cast members where they know there will be the most people. It works both ways. I'm not a huge fan, but from a supply/demand standpoint, it can also be a positive for the guest experience (once you're in the park!). I just don't like how it cuts into my options when I'm planning a stay.

You could, but then again, there's absolutely nothing Disney has done over the past few months that should lead anyone to the conclusion that their priority is guest satisfaction. I'm not sure how my experience will be enhanced should the weather be lousy the day I choose to go to Blizzard Beach and I have no option to move it. Or if I can't get ROTR on my HS day and can't try another day during my trip.

They aren't doing this to enhance the guest experience. They're doing it to cut costs.

 

[Grumpy Mouse]

Entirely untrue. Staffing levels very much affect ride capacity on some rides (not on all). HM for example is a continuously moving ride and the staffing has little effect on how fast they can move people. The track will not go faster or slower based on people.

At the other end of the extreme are rides like RMT or SM where more CM's mean you can run both sides of the loading bay (instead of just one), and you can triple up CM's on the loading area so that one figured out where to place the groups, another assists with loading and another does safety checks. Also more CM's mean you can have more trains running and you can clean / sanitize faster.

The curve is not linear - 2x staff doesn't mean 2x people. It's much more complex than that based on if that staff are assisting on one loading bay or opening up both sides of the tracks. Disney actually has some very serious formulas that can tell them exactly how much throughput they get on the ride based on how much staff and where they put them.

Many of the rides fall between those extremes. More staff at flying carpets for example has some impact but not as much. The ones with the biggest impact are the ones with double loading bays like PoTC, SM, Dumbo, RMT, etc. In EPCOT, rides like Mission Space or Soarin can also dynamically increase or decrease loads by opening or closing bays depending on staffing levels. In Hollywood Studios, TSM, TOT, Star Wars all can increase or decrease capacity. You get the point.

Again, increasing staff beyond the MINIMUM required to operate a ride will not increase throughput. Yes, obviously it would if say Disney were only operating half the ride - and so additional staff would be needed to operate the other half - but in all my years of going to Disney, I have NEVER seen them only operate half (or a portion) of a ride. Demand is just never low enough for that consideration. Maybe it was during the few weeks right after reopening, but it certainly will never be a possibility under normal operating conditions - or even near normal operating conditions. It certainly was NOT a consideration when we were at the parks last week.

The idea they're doing staff balancing for ride optimization is nonsense.

If anything, the PPRS has much more to do with staff balancing for all the other stuff. Staffing at the larger shops, restaurants, and the big one: bus transportation. Apparently they're having issues getting the 'formula' correct for timely transportation between the resorts and parks - and this is likely a staffing issue. When we were there, if the Skyliner was working (another story), it was God's gift to the Disney park-goer; if not, and you were left in the hands of the bus system, good luck on getting anywhere in a timely fashion. When we checked in, we asked our bellboy how much time should be allocated to getting to our destination on the bus system - and he said that previously they'd been telling people to plan on one hour - now they've been instructed to tell people 1.5 HOURS. And sure enough, on several instances the bus just never showed - and it was Uber/Lyft/Taxi time.

But there is another reason why Disney REALLY loves the PPRS: you MUST buy your tickets early (assuming no AP), and therefore Disney gets to book the revenue early. And there are no refunds for changed plans or cancellations - they got your money. Now if you don't use the ticket, Disney will honor it later on - but they still got your money early.

The PPRS stinks - and even the CM's know it (talked with several of them about it). It's one more thing to suck the magic out of your Disney trip.

 

[mom2rtk]

Again, increasing staff beyond the MINIMUM required to operate a ride will not increase throughput. Yes, obviously it would if say Disney were only operating half the ride - and so additional staff would be needed to operate the other half - but in all my years of going to Disney, I have NEVER seen them only operate half (or a portion) of a ride. Demand is just never low enough for that consideration. Maybe it was during the few weeks right after reopening, but it certainly will never be a possibility under normal operating conditions - or even near normal operating conditions. It certainly was NOT a consideration when we were at the parks last week.

The idea they're doing staff balancing for ride optimization is nonsense.

If anything, the PPRS has much more to do with staff balancing for all the other stuff. Staffing at the larger shops, restaurants, and the big one: bus transportation. Apparently they're having issues getting the 'formula' correct for timely transportation between the resorts and parks - and this is likely a staffing issue. When we were there, if the Skyliner was working (another story), it was God's gift to the Disney park-goer; if not, and you were left in the hands of the bus system, good luck on getting anywhere in a timely fashion. When we checked in, we asked our bellboy how much time should be allocated to getting to our destination on the bus system - and he said that previously they'd been telling people to plan on one hour - now they've been instructed to tell people 1.5 HOURS. And sure enough, on several instances the bus just never showed - and it was Uber/Lyft/Taxi time.

But there is another reason why Disney REALLY loves the PPRS: you MUST buy your tickets early (assuming no AP), and therefore Disney gets to book the revenue early. And there are no refunds for changed plans or cancellations - they got your money. Now if you don't use the ticket, Disney will honor it later on - but they still got your money early.

The PPRS stinks - and even the CM's know it (talked with several of them about it). It's one more thing to suck the magic out of your Disney trip.

But the drive to book early is only there as long as attendance is limited. And that won’t be the case much longer. They won’t limit sales to force early booking. Pretty soon it will be all wide open again except for the occasional day around a major holiday.

 

[shawthorne44]

but in all my years of going to Disney, I have NEVER seen them only operate half (or a portion) of a ride. Demand is just never low enough for that consideration.

But it is, and they do. You just don't see the pulled vehicles. Low crowd days they pull vehicles, but you'd never know. That is why low-crowd days don't have as low of wait as you'd expect. They don't want rides to be walk-on. Disney's reasoning is that people don't value what other people don't seem to value. If people see no lines or short lines, they think that no one likes the ride, and they like it less.

 

[luv2cheer92]

Again, increasing staff beyond the MINIMUM required to operate a ride will not increase throughput. Yes, obviously it would if say Disney were only operating half the ride - and so additional staff would be needed to operate the other half - but in all my years of going to Disney, I have NEVER seen them only operate half (or a portion) of a ride. Demand is just never low enough for that consideration. Maybe it was during the few weeks right after reopening, but it certainly will never be a possibility under normal operating conditions - or even near normal operating conditions. It certainly was NOT a consideration when we were at the parks last week.

Wow, that's shocking. I've seen Space and Big Thunder running only one side of the station more times than I can remember. And those are the obvious examples, but taking cars off the track can be harder to see, but 100% happens.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Wow, that's shocking. I've seen Space and Big Thunder running only one side of the station more times than I can remember. And those are the obvious examples, but taking cars off the track can be harder to see, but 100% happens.

Yeah, I was about to say the same thing. Not sure how many years Grumpy has been going, but I can't tell you the number of times I have seen SM or BTM running only one track. And like you said, they are the ones that are EASY to spot. Much more difficult to tell if 7DMT is running at reduced capacity. Also seen POTC run only one side quite often. Seen Dumbo only running one side, too. And that's just MK.

I RARELY see Soarin running all theatres.

 

[amgodinich]

Cedar Point, my home park up here in the north, announced today they are eliminating park reservations as of July 1.

 

[luv2cheer92]

Cedar Point, my home park up here in the north, announced today they are eliminating park reservations as of July 1.

I was thinking/hoping they would do that since they did the same thing last year. Park reservations didn't last too long last year either.
(though they did add it back in briefly for the Halloween time period)

 

[glocon]

Entirely untrue. Staffing levels very much affect ride capacity on some rides (not on all). HM for example is a continuously moving ride and the staffing has little effect on how fast they can move people. The track will not go faster or slower based on people.

At the other end of the extreme are rides like RMT or SM where more CM's mean you can run both sides of the loading bay (instead of just one), and you can triple up CM's on the loading area so that one figured out where to place the groups, another assists with loading and another does safety checks. Also more CM's mean you can have more trains running and you can clean / sanitize faster.

The curve is not linear - 2x staff doesn't mean 2x people. It's much more complex than that based on if that staff are assisting on one loading bay or opening up both sides of the tracks. Disney actually has some very serious formulas that can tell them exactly how much throughput they get on the ride based on how much staff and where they put them.

Many of the rides fall between those extremes. More staff at flying carpets for example has some impact but not as much. The ones with the biggest impact are the ones with double loading bays like PoTC, SM, Dumbo, RMT, etc. In EPCOT, rides like Mission Space or Soarin can also dynamically increase or decrease loads by opening or closing bays depending on staffing levels. In Hollywood Studios, TSM, TOT, Star Wars all can increase or decrease capacity. You get the point.

Off topic... but what is RMT? I just can’t seem to figure that one out.

 

[jkh36619]

Off topic... but what is RMT? I just can’t seem to figure that one out.

Im guessing Runaway Mine Train. aka Big Thunder Mountain

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Im guessing Runaway Mine Train. aka Big Thunder Mountain

Yeah, sorry. I meant BTMRR

 

[BrianL]

Im guessing Runaway Mine Train. aka Big Thunder Mountain

You know, I've known so many people who call it that - "Runaway Train" or "Runaway Mine Train" - why is that exactly?

 

[MartinoHeat]

You know, I've known so many people who call it that - "Runaway Train" or "Runaway Mine Train" - why is that exactly?

If it's Brit's it's because its the name of the equivalent one in Alton Towers probably the same in other theme parks.

 

[monstermash23]

You know, I've known so many people who call it that - "Runaway Train" or "Runaway Mine Train" - why is that exactly?

I’m one of them. And tbh, I couldn’t tell ya. I started calling it that when I was a kid way too many decades ago and it stuck for me (maybe I heard it from someone or made it up).

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

You know, I've known so many people who call it that - "Runaway Train" or "Runaway Mine Train" - why is that exactly?

Not a Brit, but we often referred to it in similar fashion. Even though that's not the name of the ride, it is the premise of the ride.