Greedy Drawf

[Andy Clark]

I'm I the only one that thinks with the advent of all the extra cost of " add on " specialty services, price increases and the like, is making Disney seem greedy?
Seems like more & more things are becoming an " add on " I thought the days of ticket system were over. Want a good viewing of the fireworks? Sure pay $80 a person and we'll throw in a few snacks. Want to ensure you get a viewing of a show? Sure, make an advanced dinning reservation and pay for your family's character dinning experience & you get a so called " free " fast pass for the show.
I'm sure with in new renovations & installment of the gondola system we'll see a significant price point increase to certain " value & moderate " resorts.
Maybe I'm " wishing upon a star " here but I'm missing the Disney of the 90's where the " mouse " was king, not marvel, Star Wars and the like.

 

[Mickey's Best Girl]

Many folks agree with your stance.

Many don't.

I fall somewhere in the middle. Most of the add-ons I find zero value in. I don't get my money's worth at a desert party because I don't drink alcohol and can't eat $80 worth of sweet treats in an hour so I don't book those events.

I do however find great value in the parties. Both MNNSHP and MVMCP we do twice per visit. We enjoy these events greatly, therefore I don't mind shelling out the $85+ per ticket for myself and my DD. Now, would I feel the same way if I had to pay for a family of 5/6/7+ people? No idea. It's always been just myself and my daughter so I can't answer that.

The add-on that was a head scratcher for me were the tents that were made available to rent in the MK last year for $650(?) per day. I found that one a little odd. But they sold out from what I understand.

To each their own.

 

[AllieBoo]

I do tend to agree with you. I would never pay $80 for a dessert party just to get a better view of a fireworks show; or shell out $150.00 + for a TS meal just so we could get front row seats for Fantasmic. The problem? There are a lot of people who will. I don't get it, but as long as there are people out there willing to blow money on things like that, Disney will take advantage of it.....

 

[danielocha30]

specially when in reality those dessert parties do not have THE best views, Disney will come up with all kinds of stuff to get your money, desserts parties not my thing, but many people do have enough money to do them without even tinking the kind of rip off they are, but the one that takes the cake is the ticketed event for extra magic mornings OMG that's beyong greedy, and as long as there are people willing to pay, Disney will continue to do it.

 

[Westcoastwild]

I didn't plan trips in the 90's but for as long as I have been planning trips, there has been add ons. And the only ones I've ever been tempted by are the holiday parties, which really aren't that expensive.

However- You don't pay to make ADRs. You always paid for character dining. So I'm scratching my head over those two.

Not to mention the parks have never been entirely mouse or princess oriented. If there was a movie about star tours or thunder mountain or Matterhorn, I've never seen them.

And we can speculate all we want over the gondola, but no one knows if that will significantly bump up the prices. So it seems kind of premature to use that in a Disney greed argument.

 

[Westcoastwild]

specially when in reality those dessert parties do not have THE best views, Disney will come up with all kinds of stuff to get your money, desserts parties not my thing, but many people do have enough money to do them without even tinking the kind of rip off they are, but the one that takes the cake is the ticketed event for extra magic mornings OMG that's beyong greedy, and as long as there are people willing to pay, Disney will continue to do it.

Are they still doing the charge for emm? I thought that was an experiment that went away.

 

[agavegirl1]

I belong to a number of theme park sites (not under this name". ) DIS, the corporation, has recently introduced a new position within the theme parks division dedicated to "upcharge events". So.., there is that.

 

[Amelia :)]

I don't mind them making more money as long as they are spending more money to enhance our experience, and on the whole, I think they are. We've had a whole new land this year, and looks like there'll be a new land 2018 and 2019. In general I think the more money they make, the more we get in return.

 

[maxiesmom]

I have no problem with it. That is how the whole world functions, the more money you have, the more and better experiences you can have. I would only be upset if I couldn't see the fireworks without paying the upcharge. If I couldn't see Fantasmic at all. Otherwise it is just whining that people spend their money on nice things and you don't want to.

 

[JerseyJanice]

ITA. I've said it before and I'm saying it again--I wouldn't pay for a dessert party if I hit a Powerball jackpot.

The parties are what really frost my cookies though. When they are held four nights a week, those are four nights that you can't enjoy the Magic Kingdom without paying through the nose. As stupid as I think the dessert parties are, they don't negatively affect my vacation like those darn parties.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I have zero problem with it. The events don't impact our experience at all and, in some cases, we find value in them. We gave up on the MK fireworks for years because of the crowding, pushing and the stampede to exit. We finally saw them this past December because I booked the plaza garden viewing party (it wasn't $80 per person, but I think you are probably referring to the new Frozen party). It was such a great experience for us. Very relaxed, no crowds and we could simply sit on the grass and wait for the crowds to disperse. I'm actually not upset that it costs us more money. I budget it into our trip and am actually happy they have offered it so we can see the show without my DS having a panic attack. We will also do the Pixar live dining package. We would be eating at a TS for dinner anyway, so for a very slight upcharge, we get the same meal we would have eaten anyway, a guaranteed seat at the show and it will lessen our wait time to get in.

I actually think whoever came up with the Frozen Illuminations party is genius. Personally, we would never consider the sparkling dessert party because it presents no value to us (I emphasize "to us" because I know others enjoy it). It's MUCH easier to find a good spot for Illuminations than it is for the DHS and MK fireworks. With the addition of Frozen to the party, you get all of the benefits of the former party, plus you get a Tier 1 FP+ ride making it much easier to ride all 3 Tier 1's in a day. If I could only go to EP for one day and we were interested in riding all 3 as efficiently as possible, I would consider this. And I'm sure there are still many Frozen obsessed fans who will absolutely enjoy this.

I'm not buying the argument that all we are seeing are upcharge events. With Pandora opening and Star Wars Land and Pixar Land on the horizon, Disney is literally spending billions of dollars to "up" the general public's experience as well. I also question the notion that people with money aren't discerning with how they spend it. We could afford virtually any of the upcharge events offered but we absolutely pick and choose what we feel will add to our overall experience of our vacation. Worth and value are completely subjective. If you don't find value in these things, don't book them.

 

[Andy Clark]

I'm all for expansion and bringing in the new etc but in my opinion Disney has plenty of their own material to choose from without diving into other franchises. But I'm not a Star Wars or marvel fan either.
The upcharge events..... I have enjoyed the Halloween & Christmas parties, but I do think they opened the door for them to upcharge on other things like dessert parties etc.
To me it just seems like the parks have become more commercialized over the last few years & have lost some of their intimacy. Maybe some of that is due to the high occupancy level and a limited off season now days?

 

[glassslippergirl]

Not to mention the parks have never been entirely mouse or princess oriented. If there was a movie about star tours or thunder mountain or Matterhorn, I've never seen them.

Aren't there seven, soon to be eight, movies about Star Tours?

I'm mixed about the upcharges. We can have plenty of fun using just our base ticket to visit one park per day. In other words, we don't need the upcharges. I've never been to a dessert party of a MNSSP or MVMCP, though I would consider them as a special treat when my son is a little older. Before DS was born, we found great value in the Candlelight Processional dinner packages-- not because it was a great price for dinner (the opposite is true), but because we often drove to WDW for the day just to see a particular narrator, and guaranteed seating allowed us to enjoy our day at the Epcot without spending it just camped out in line. I'm guessing the other upcharges exist because other people find value in them. If it gets to a point where it's impossible to enjoy WDW without a bunch of upcharges, then it will be time for us to find a new place for vacation.

 

[Kellykins1218]

Nope. They're a business and nobody is being forced to buy anything.

 

[CAS239]

Are they still doing the charge for emm? I thought that was an experiment that went away.

They've always charged for EMM

Extra morning magic is an early ticketed event where people pay to ride a few rides with no wait and have breakfast. It's very popular for those that want to do it.

Extra magic hours is what comes "free" with on site hotel stay.

 

[zebrastreyepz]

I'm always surprised when people forget Disney is a business.

 

[Kellykins1218]

Just because something doesn't work for you, is not your thing, or you are too cheap to pay for it, doesn't mean it is a ripoff.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Disney is selling these things because there is a market for them. They will stop selling them if people stop paying. The only thing that you can do is vote with your wallet. Others will do the same. Right now, the election results are in and the people want more of these events, not fewer. That could change.

 

[CAS239]

I don't care about any of the extra cost items because none of it affects me. And at the end of the day, Disney is a business, and if people are willing to pay out extra money to do some stuff that will make their trip that much enjoyable, then let them.

I don't do dessert parties because I would never pay that amount of money for some snacks and a view that I can get on my own. If not a better view than the dessert parties.

I'd never pay for EMM to be able to ride 7dmt 5 times and have breakfast, but I understand why some families would do it

If it's not affecting my trip then idc how others spend their money.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Just because something doesn't work for you, is not your thing, or you are too cheap to pay for it, doesn't mean it is a ripoff.

I beg to differ. While you don't have to choose to pay for a dessert party, $80 for a few pastries and a view of fireworks that you already paid for with your admission is a ripoff no matter how you look at it.

If you're a family of four, that's $320. No way can you say that someone is "cheap" for not wanting to spend that on top of what a Disney vacation costs without it.