Evening Magic Hours for Deluxe Guests Only

[shoegal9]

At the end of the day, Disney is a business. Not a family member who opened up their home out of the goodness of their heart. A business trying to make a profit off of all of us.

Do I agree with them doing evening EMH just for the deluxe, no. . not really. But, I do understand if they open it up for everyone on property, it because less of a perk due to crowd issues. They had to draw the line somewhere.

I'm kind of surprised they didn't draw the line with DVC. I'm not a DVC owner, but people that purchased DVC did so based on what they got as perks during the year they bought in. So, more locked in than visitors like me. I can change my plans based on change to those perks. But, while I can disagree with Disney all day long - it isn't up to me.

Some of these posts sound like Disney owes us something. All they owe us is whatever they offered when we gave them our money. Whatever promotion was in effect when we booked. If they changed the perks and it directly took something away from what they promised when we booked that is different. They didn't. They did not offer anyone an EMH of any kind. People booked. Then they added EMH for some resorts. . . .taking away nothing from other's, since it was not offered to begin with.

I agree. As a DVC member I understand that the "perks" of membership are just that- perks. And can [and likely will] be taken away or changed at any time. Right now I have a DVC gold AP. Am I positive I will still be able to get one next year? Nope. Am I upset Top of the World is closed? Yep. Does it bother me that there is no Moonlight Magic events? Yup. Those are things that drove us to purchase DVC direct from Disney. But I understood when I signed up that they are EXTRAS. I guess I always felt Extra Magic Hours are the same- they are an extra they are giving you- that can be taken away at any time- and yes, perhaps given back only to some to drive business where they need it.

I love staying at moderates when DVC is fully booked and I want to go to WDW. I won't pay the deluxe cash rate- that is why I joined DVC. I will still stay at moderates even if I am losing an extra hour or two a week in a park.

 

[bsmcneil]

I have no problem with people sharing their viewpoint. Not sure how my post says otherwise. It's when people project their viewpoint on to others and are wanting others to stop going just because they want to, even though there are plenty of people continuing to have a great time at the parks.

"But don't tell others to stop going" seems to say don't share your viewpoint.

 

[bsmcneil]

Some folks are never satisfied and just whine to be whining. Everything Disney is based on the $$$$.

But that's the point. Extra Magic Hours was not based on the $$$$. If you spent 120 at Pop or 320 at POFQ or 720 at Poly, you had the same access to extra magic hours. Now, you do not. Is it Disney's right to handle their business as they want? Sure. Does it mean that a lot of people who developed brand loyalty may become disappointed (especially given any number of other perks taken away)? Definitely. It's weird to me that instead of recognizing someone may have a legitimate frustration, people like you gloss over the details and claim it's whining just to whine. Aren't you, then, whining about the whining (and if so, which is more ridiculous)?

 

[chasgeese]

I agree. As a DVC member I understand that the "perks" of membership are just that- perks. And can [and likely will] be taken away or changed at any time. Right now I have a DVC gold AP. Am I positive I will still be able to get one next year? Nope. Am I upset Top of the World is closed? Yep. Does it bother me that there is no Moonlight Magic events? Yup. Those are things that drove us to purchase DVC direct from Disney. But I understood when I signed up that they are EXTRAS. I guess I always felt Extra Magic Hours are the same- they are an extra they are giving you- that can be taken away at any time- and yes, perhaps given back only to some to drive business where they need it.

I love staying at moderates when DVC is fully booked and I want to go to WDW. I won't pay the deluxe cash rate- that is why I joined DVC. I will still stay at moderates even if I am losing an extra hour or two a week in a park.

I agree that perks have always been something that Disney could add or take away at any moment and I have viewed them as such. Also, the core perks for staying on-site have not fundamentally changed. Being on site/Disney transportation/staying in the Disney bubble have always been the core perks for staying on-site vs. staying off-site, everything else has been gravy.

Also, to those saying that this is the equivalent of taking away a perk from value/moderate guests, I disagree. When EMH started, WDW had significantly fewer resorts and it truly was a perk, because on-site guests were a much smaller percentage of park guests. As time went on and Disney built more resorts and added the Good Neighbor program hotels, it became less and less useful to the point that by the time they pulled it to COVID the best strategy was to spend your morning/evening in a different park than the designated EMH part. Now there are so many Disney resorts (which doesn't represent greed on their part, it just represents how much of a market there was for DVC and on-site hotels) that even if they brought EMH back and limited it just to on-site guests, the would still end up being so crowded to be useless to most people. The EMH perk in its old form was already gone since there are simply too many on-site rooms now for it to work effectively (there's a reason that Universal caps the number of Express Passes it sells or gives to on-site guests). Sure, if Disney wanted to be fair, they could have just taken it away from everybody, but they are a business and always have been since Walt started the company. Bringing back EMH just for Deluxe was a relatively cheap way to give people a reason to upgrade to a Deluxe (which typically have the lowest occupancy rates of all Disney hotels) if they were considering a Moderate and get more of their money. It would be silly for Disney not to take advantage of that opportunity just because it wasn't "fair."

 

[BrianL]

I don't necessarily mind that the redistribute the "perks" and give more to the higher-end hotels, but I do think tha tthe lower price resorts should still have SOME perks. There's not much point ot staying at them if you don't really get anything. That 30 minutes in the morning isn't much, especially once Magical Express is gone. There needs to be some incentive to sell those rooms at those prices. Sure the Deluxe should get more, but the Values have to get something - FP, free parking, something. That's the concern I see.

 

[chasgeese]

But that's the point. Extra Magic Hours was not based on the $$$$. If you spent 120 at Pop or 320 at POFQ or 720 at Poly, you had the same access to extra magic hours. Now, you do not. Is it Disney's right to handle their business as they want? Sure. Does it mean that a lot of people who developed brand loyalty may become disappointed (especially given any number of other perks taken away)? Definitely. It's weird to me that instead of recognizing someone may have a legitimate frustration, people like you gloss over the details and claim it's whining just to whine. Aren't you, then, whining about the whining (and if so, which is more ridiculous)?

But Disney has expanded so much that EMH was never going to work the way it did at the beginning, even if only limited to on-site guests. The options were to bring it back and have it end up frustrate all guests due to overcrowding, to never bring it back, or only to bring it back to a smaller portion of on-site guests. Option 1 doesn't make sense because Disney would be spending more to keep the parks open all for something that no one really benefits from, Option 2 is the most "fair", but Disney is a business so they chose Option 3 and limited it to Deluxes and DVC. DVC has always had special perks no one at the regular resorts got, regardless of type so that shouldn't have been an issue. Deluxe resorts have always had the lowest occupancy rates relative to the other resort types, so this is a good way to convince people on the fence to bite the bullet. I don't see why Disney is so wrong for choosing between making a choice that will make some people happy and also probably make them extra money instead of making everyone mad by taking away evening EMH for everyone.

 

[PaladinButters]

To those that are staying at Deluxe resorts and are ok with this, do you really expect those that are staying at value and moderates to not be upset about this?

As someone who always stays Moderate anyway and will not see the extra hours...... Yes? You pay more, you get more.

That's like being upset that that a tour group cut the line at Space Mountain. Everybody got the same entry but that group paid more to get more. The option to purchase that tour is available to everyone. I didn't take it, I wait in the line.

Magic Kingdom is closed early unless you paid for a Halloween party ticket? The people that bought the special ticket get to be in the park when I don't, even though I have a totally otherwise valid day ticket. I chose not to pay more to extend my hours with a party ticket, I gotta leave the park.

If the "pay more" comes at the gate or the resort or with DVC or where ever - somewhere people gave the Disney company more money. I'm actually surprised there wasn't more segregation of perks before and am personally expecting a Universal express pass type bonus to come with whatever FP+ morphs in to.

 

[chasgeese]

I don't necessarily mind that the redistribute the "perks" and give more to the higher-end hotels, but I do think tha tthe lower price resorts should still have SOME perks. There's not much point ot staying at them if you don't really get anything. That 30 minutes in the morning isn't much, especially once Magical Express is gone. There needs to be some incentive to sell those rooms at those prices. Sure the Deluxe should get more, but the Values have to get something - FP, free parking, something. That's the concern I see.

The core perks of staying on-site have always been location, ease of transportation, and immersion/theming. EMH was pretty much a lost cause due to overcrowding. The FP/ADR windows were nice, but once they were opened up to the Good Neighbor hotels it really wasn't a perk that justified staying on-site. True, DME was a huge perk that was taken away, but even then, its still not as crucial as the big three on-site perks I mentioned above.

 

[justdoip]

Thank goodness the U.S. still has a relatively free market economy. At least when it comes to amusement parks.

 

[luv2cheer92]

"But don't tell others to stop going" seems to say don't share your viewpoint.

Yea, no clue at all how you get that from that, but you seem to have made your mind up so I won't continue to try and explain it.

 

[Marionnette]

Thank goodness the U.S. still has a relatively free market economy. At least when it comes to amusement parks.

This has nothing to do with a free market economy, which is an economy based on supply and demand with little to no government control. I don't see anyone here advocating for greater government regulation of theme parks because they lost evening EMH. What I see are people who are upset with the loss of a perk and/or the optics of this move. I think that all of them know that they can vote with their wallets and thereby reduce demand. They're still allowed to be upset and express it.

 

[Letsoflyakite]

Thank goodness the U.S. still has a relatively free market economy. At least when it comes to amusement parks.

Disney is just about to show the world very soon what supply and demand is really all about.

DVC resale, air travel, food, annual passes, anything associated with Disney is going to the moon very soon.

 

[Jaybrad]

But that's the point. Extra Magic Hours was not based on the $$$$. If you spent 120 at Pop or 320 at POFQ or 720 at Poly, you had the same access to extra magic hours. Now, you do not. Is it Disney's right to handle their business as they want? Sure. Does it mean that a lot of people who developed brand loyalty may become disappointed (especially given any number of other perks taken away)? Definitely. It's weird to me that instead of recognizing someone may have a legitimate frustration, people like you gloss over the details and claim it's whining just to whine. Aren't you, then, whining about the whining (and if so, which is more ridiculous)?

Nope I am not whining. Speaking about brand loyalty, my family has made 44 trips to WDW from Texas since 1973. Everything Disney is absolutely all about the $$$$ and always has been. At a Deluxe Resort I expect more than I do at a Value. Such at the room, restaurants, activities and so on. If you pay more you should get more. If I receive a service/perks a at Deluxe Resort that is not provided to a Value or Moderate Resort it is because I paid more. That is $$$$. If I am eligible for a EMT during our October trip that is not provided to a Value or Moderate Resort is is because I paid more. It is certainly more disappointing to me about the price of a meal, bottle of water or Disney's diminishing care for the guest's experience than an Extra Magic Hour. When I get disappointed enough I will stop going. And what exactly is "people like you"? You don't know me or anything about me. I don't know you and certainly don't judge you.

 

[cakebaker]

I don't necessarily mind that the redistribute the "perks" and give more to the higher-end hotels, but I do think tha tthe lower price resorts should still have SOME perks. There's not much point ot staying at them if you don't really get anything. That 30 minutes in the morning isn't much, especially once Magical Express is gone. There needs to be some incentive to sell those rooms at those prices. Sure the Deluxe should get more, but the Values have to get something - FP, free parking, something. That's the concern I see.

That's where I am too. We usually stay Deluxe or DVC and I was always a little bothered that while spending more, we really didn't see better perks like they do with Universal. When you could get a value for $100 a night ( not that long ago), then no, I don't think there needs to be incentives for that kind of price. But you can't now and moderates are very high priced for what they are. Disney needs to give them a reason to stay as well because just the room isn't near enough.

And of course people who don't stay Deluxe are upset. It can be worded any way we want, but it was a perk that existed and was taken away, then given to only a specific group. It's a vastly improved perk, but that only makes it harder for other guests to take, and it's a loss no matter how you say it. I've seen them cut perks before and the Deluxe crowd yelled just as loud as anyone did- while they weren't ever guaranteed, once Disney gives you something, it's a loss when they take it away and it's a lesser offering.

 

[Jaybrad]

This has nothing to do with a free market economy, which is an economy based on supply and demand with little to no government control. I don't see anyone here advocating for greater government regulation of theme parks because they lost evening EMH. What I see are people who are upset with the loss of a perk and/or the optics of this move. I think that all of them know that they can vote with their wallets and thereby reduce demand. They're still allowed to be upset and express it.

Thank you for your post.

 

[BrianL]

That's where I am too. We usually stay Deluxe or DVC and I was always a little bothered that while spending more, we really didn't see better perks like they do with Universal. When you could get a value for $100 a night ( not that long ago), then no, I don't think there needs to be incentives for that kind of price. But you can't now and moderates are very high priced for what they are. Disney needs to give them a reason to stay as well because just the room isn't near enough.

And of course people who don't stay Deluxe are upset. It can be worded any way we want, but it was a perk that existed and was taken away, then given to only a specific group. It's a vastly improved perk, but that only makes it harder for other guests to take, and it's a loss no matter how you say it. I've seen them cut perks before and the Deluxe crowd yelled just as loud as anyone did- while they weren't ever guaranteed, once Disney gives you something, it's a loss when they take it away and it's a lesser offering.

Exactly. Thay want to start selling the Values at real value prices and no perks, okay, fair enough, but when they are as high as they are, what makes them worth booking over the other hotel chains that are less expensive and only a little further away?

 

[Nabas]

To those that are staying at Deluxe resorts and are ok with this, do you really expect those that are staying at value and moderates to not be upset about this? You’re paying a inflated rate to stay on property, but so are those at value and moderate resorts. They arent paying $100 a night at a value. We aren’t paying as much as you, but your hotel rooms and your resorts are much nicer.

Value, Moderate, or Deluxe, all Disney hotel prices are inflated, sometimes by a lot, compared to local hotels.

You used to be willing to pay the extra cost because:

• Extra Magic Hours (gone)
• Disney's Magical Express (gone)
• 60-day booking advantage for FastPass+ (gone)
• free parking (gone)
• free MagicBands (gone)

Now with Uber and other ride sharing services, you don't even need to worry about drinking and driving back to your offsite hotel.

Exactly why are people going to stay onsite now?

For a 30-minute head start in the morning?

And for the "magic"?

Is that really going to be it?

 

[cakebaker]

I have no idea what teb

Value, Moderate, or Deluxe, all Disney hotel prices are inflated, sometimes by a lot, compared to local hotels.

You used to be willing to pay the extra cost because:

• Extra Magic Hours (gone)
• Disney's Magical Express (gone)
• 60-day booking advantage for FastPass+ (gone)
• free parking (gone)
• free MagicBands (gone)

Now with Uber and other ride sharing services, you don't even need to worry about drinking and driving back to your offsite hotel.

Exactly why are people going to stay onsite now?

For a 30-minute head start in the morning?

And for the "magic"?

Is that really going to be it?

I'm willing to bet that when they introduce the paid FP system, it's going to have some perks for on site guests. I would also guess it's going to be on a scale where the higher end resorts get more, but all get something. That's my guess as to what will be their hook to get moderate and value resort guests to stay on site. If they make it good enough, they won't have to add anything else.

But honestly, look at what's available to book- with very little incentive right now. The higher end resorts. People are still booking up values especially, when there's nothing but a bubble and transportion as a perk. Even with Uber, nothing is going to get to you at the gates to the MK but Disney Resort Transportation. As long as that continues, Disney has 0 reason to give incentives.

 

[jujubiee4]

I have no idea what teb

Value, Moderate, or Deluxe, all Disney hotel prices are inflated, sometimes by a lot, compared to local hotels.

You used to be willing to pay the extra cost because:

• Extra Magic Hours (gone)
• Disney's Magical Express (gone)
• 60-day booking advantage for FastPass+ (gone)
• free parking (gone)
• free MagicBands (gone)

Now with Uber and other ride sharing services, you don't even need to worry about drinking and driving back to your offsite hotel.

Exactly why are people going to stay onsite now?

For a 30-minute head start in the morning?

And for the "magic"?

Is that really going to be it?

I wonder why it is taking so long for them to release more information. Surely it can't be that hard to
decide between 1 hour 2 hours or 3? Afraid of cancellations?

 

[Nabas]

I'm willing to bet that when they introduce the paid FP system, it's going to have some perks for on site guests. I would also guess it's going to be on a scale where the higher end resorts get more, but all get something. That's my guess as to what will be their hook to get moderate and value resort guests to stay on site. If they make it good enough, they won't have to add anything else.

But honestly, look at what's available to book- with very little incentive right now. The higher end resorts. People are still booking up values especially, when there's nothing but a bubble and transportion as a perk. Even with Uber, nothing is going to get to you at the gates to the MK but Disney Resort Transportation. As long as that continues, Disney has 0 reason to give incentives.

Please keep in mind 3 points.

First, there’s a tremendous pent up demand for vacations. Give it a year or two and that will pass.

Second, it’s WDW’s 50th anniversary. We’ll be past that in a couple of years.

Third, there still are 2 Moderate Resorts and 2 Value Resorts that have not yet opened. These are among WDW’s largest and represent about 30% of Disney’s room inventory.