I'm paying the regular price of a Disney World ticket but getting so much less? Does that make sense?

[Jonfw2]

I would pencil in early next year if you're concerned about going under current conditions- it won't be totally back to normal until there's a readily available vaccine, which will very likely be early next year.

 

[LaDonna]

Chomping at the bit to go back ourselves but also using the first ones in as guinea pigs. I'm ok with no parades/fireworks and dealing with masks all day.

But man, if reports come back that ride wait times are through the roof for headliners (we would normally only do the big E-tickets with early entry and FP+ and those are gone) - or worse, on a boarding system where you can't get on at all if you didn't click fast enough??

If bus capacity issues are causing people to wait through multiple arrivals just to get on one? Dining impossible to grab just from less options being open? These are all adjustments that would make the tickets no longer worth the money.

So August/September crowd, my eternal thanks for being brave and getting us those answers!

I had some of the same thoughts I’m gonna be looking at some of August and July Reports as we are set to go beginning of September
I just had a thought I wonder how busy the parks parking lots would be we might just opt to drive to the parks every day instead of taking the buses. We’ve always drove to Orlando but then park or car and Don’t see it until we leave

 

[nkereina]

For us, as two adults, we don't care much for the shows, meet and greets, or parades or fireworks. We like the atmosphere, the service, the dining, and the rides. For us, we won't be missing out on much this year except for not being able to resort hop and perhaps one or two restaurants we'd like to dine at. Plus masks. So while its true the park ticket costs the same and doesn't include as much, the value is too subjective for Disney to make any changes about it. It still holds the same value to us, even with these things out of commission.

What I am glad to see though is that they don't have staggered entry times for the park passes. Sucks that park hours are shorter, but its better than paying for a full day's admission and missing the first couple hours of the day.

 

[Jonfw2]

My guess on park hours is that the second time listed isn't necessarily the closing time, but rather the last time you'll be able to re-enter. For instance, if the reservation calendar says 10-8, I'm guessing the park is likely open until 10, but you wouldn't be allowed to come back in after 8.

 

[eagleoneoh]

My feeling on this is we are in times nobody seen coming. Disney going to provide us the best experience possible and keep us as safe as possible. They are running the parks a reduce levels for saftey reasons. I have no problem paying the same money for going

 

[nkereina]

My guess on park hours is that the second time listed isn't necessarily the closing time, but rather the last time you'll be able to re-enter. For instance, if the reservation calendar says 10-8, I'm guessing the park is likely open until 10, but you wouldn't be allowed to come back in after 8.

What makes you think that? The park hours have been changed on the calendar, and they are limited indefinitely. Until further notice, AK is open 8-6, DHS is open 10-8, Epcot is 11-9, and MK is 9-7. Presumably, the end time would be the time they will stop letting people into queues, but will finish out the queue until everyone is done like they did before.

 

[dina444444]

What makes you think that? The park hours have been changed on the calendar, and they are limited indefinitely. Until further notice, AK is open 8-6, DHS is open 10-8, Epcot is 11-9, and MK is 9-7. Presumably, the end time would be the time they will stop letting people into queues, but will finish out the queue until everyone is done like they did before.

The park hours are intentionally staggered like that

 

[nkereina]

The park hours are intentionally staggered like that

Right... no snark intended, but what's your point? The poster I quoted was suggesting that the listed park closing time won't be the actual closing time, and I was curious why they believed that. If they had heard/read something or if it was just speculation. To my knowledge, the park closing time is the time they will stop letting people into queues just like it used to be.

 

[rotlex]

The fact they have not reduced ticket prices and are providing a reduced Disney experience is the primary reason we cancelled our August trip. To pay full price and not have shows, fireworks, normal hours, plus having to wear masks in the heat was really a deal breaker for our family. First time in 15 years we are not vacationing at WDW.

 

[Angeliki19]

For me it's not about a certain set of experiences not being available... my fear comes from the "feeling" I get at Disney being absent. Disney is an escape from reality for me.... as much as I love the attractions, the food, the fireworks, etc... no one thing would make or break it for me. What is making me want to cancel for this year is the fear that it won't feel the same. Even watching videos the past few days of the podcasters and others walking around makes me sad.... it looks so empty. I think I would miss the excitement and hustle and bustle of all the people around.

 

[Von Westy]

It depends on what’s of value to you. If your park enjoyment centers around WDW ambiance, architecture, and landscaping, then it might be worth the price of admission. For others, the PPE (Price Per Experience) may be too high to deliver the return on the full price of that ticket.

The cost of a regular ticket and the reduction in park experience means each available experience costs park guests a lot more. Riding Haunted Mansion will cost you significantly more than last year. Will park conditions allow you to ride it more frequently to get your money’s worth of that full price ticket? TBD.

It’s a rock and hard place for the company, park guests, and investors. For me, 2020 is looking like a lost season, especially for out of state park guests like myself. It may be better to bank 2020 WDW trip funds for 2021, buy some Magic Candles of favorite resorts and attractions, and dust off our imaginations.

 

[Paul70]

I would not pay for a ticket right now or use a purchased Theme Park Ticket until hours and experiences open up further. We're going to go using our AP which was extended to expire on 7/20. We're approaching the visit as a bonus, so we're willing to accept whatever experiences will be available.

 

[JM23457]

Well, we have $1,200 per person APs that were supposed to provide 365 days worth of access to all 4 parks at will, plus 2 water parks, with park hopping privileges. What we now have (no money back) is reservation-only access to 1 park per day with limited hours, no water parks, and we can only have 14 days of park access reserved at a time, regardless of how many resort nights we have booked. Is this what I paid for? No.

But regardless, I'll live with it as long as WDW stays open and we can go on our 3 scheduled trips between now & next March. We are so sick of being at home, and WDW is a great place to go & have fun, regardless of the restrictions. I'm looking on the bright side & anticipating less crowding & not having to deal with FastPass use slowing down lines & making things uber-scheduled. I look forward to riding Spaceship Earth & Splash Mountain before they're ruined- I mean, "renovated". I'm also hoping at least one water park will be open during our March trip next year.

We also value the resort experience as much as the park experience. I think that helps, for us.

 

[Meglen]

With my Dec trip I'm taking it as being the worst Disney trip or possibly the best. We don't care to much about shows and such but if the crowds are lighter and lines shorter it would be amazing for my family and once in a lifetime chance to be in the parks with so few ppl. As long as the travel ban is lifted and covid is not rampent we will go.

 

[OKW Lover]

What we now have (no money back) is reservation-only access to 1 park per day with limited hours, no water parks, and we can only have 14 days of park access reserved at a time, regardless of how many resort nights we have booked. Is this what I paid for? No.

But you do get an extra 4 months worth of park admission.

 

[JM23457]

But you do get an extra 4 months worth of park admission.

No, I don't. I have 3 months added at the end that replaced the 3 months of my pass year when the parks were closed. That still is 12 months of park admission.

Beyond that they added a month, but that month is useless for us given our schedule. That in no way makes up for the compromised nature of our passes.

As I said, I'm accepting it. But it is a loss & not what was advertised when I purchased them for our family.

 

[Summer2018]

For us, part of the biggest draw of WDW is the entertainment.
It's what sets Disney apart from every other theme park brand.
I understand that for reasons of social distancing, they're not going to have fireworks or parades, or apparently most entertainment.
This includes our 2 favorite shows on property: Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo, the Musical.

So no Happily Ever After fireworks, no Magic Kingdom Parade, no Move it Shake it mousekedanceit street party, no Fantasmic, no Star Wars fireworks, no Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage, no Voyage of the Little Mermaid, no For the first time in forever frozen singalong, no Festival of the Lion King, no Finding Nemo the Musical, and of course no character meet and greets, including the charming Enchanted Tales with Belle.

And those are just the things we really enjoy, there well could be others that i didn't notice.

so again, i get the social distancing aspect of all this.

But does anyone else feel that paying the regular price for a ticket seems a bit much when there's so much missing?

.

And that would be one of the many reasons we cancelled our trip and rescheduled for next year. The other reason being the pandemic and our underlying health issues.