Is Disney getting Greeeeeeeedy?

[BeachyMouse]

Have you seen the article about Disney looking at raising prices of park entry based on demand?.....Wow
http://time.com/3901243/disney-surge-pricing/

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

I don't think it is necessarily greedy to put out a survey for opinions on an idea, but they are a corporation with making money as their primary objective.

As someone who travels when school is out, I'm not crazy about the idea of tiered pricing based on dates, though there is a chance it might distribute crowds a little better.

 

[DebbieB]

I don't think it is necessarily greedy to put out a survey for opinions on an idea, but they are a corporation with making money as their primary objective.

As someone who travels when school is out, I'm not crazy about the idea of tiered pricing based on dates, though there is a chance it might distribute crowds a little better.

See this thread, over 300 responses:

http://www.disboards.com/threads/new-survey-proposal-tiered-ticket-prices.3413789/

 

[willowsnn3]

Not any greedier than the gas stations. Gas stations have gone up about 40cents a gallon in the last two weeks. How dare they, just because it is time for summer vacations.....they are only in it to make money.

To answer your question, no Disney is not being greedy. It is a business. They raise ticket prices every year anyway.

 

[ols386]

Yes I think they are greedy, yet I continue to pay their prices to visit WDW.

Go figure! Haha

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Pretty sure they have been "greedy" since day one. Wanting to turn a profit has a funny way of making non-charities seem greedy.

(And I do think this crazy ticketing thing they came up with to be confusing--but the net difference in ticket pricing doesn't make me jump to Greed.)

 

[mommycrawford]

I think so, and I think there has been a mental shift away from the Disney bothers' visions and goals! All this preplanning required is kind of un-magical IMHO. Discovery and wonder were so much of what I had loved in the past!...even a surprise fastpass for Philharmagic was great, when you were getting passes for POOH!

I think my first recognition of this all was when they shut down Pleasure Island, and wrote in the media that is was because guests wanted more shopping....Really?

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Supply and demand, etc. etc.

To be fair, the goal of every business is to make money. They are responsible for insuring their stakeholders are compensated for the risk of their investment. That's how capitalism works, unfortunately.

 

[tchrrx]

If they're going to tier things, I'd like to see PhotoPass on that list. Why not price it by the number of people and the amount of stay?

 

[phillymummer]

If they're going to tier things, I'd like to see PhotoPass on that list. Why not price it by the number of people and the amount of stay?

This is an awesome idea! I would totally go for that since my trips are always short (3-4 night). I understand why they do the tiered pricing for the resorts- it costs more to stay anyway on a weekends, holidays, and summers. But the parks?

 

[Minniesgal]

Disney is a business, making money is their job.

 

[HatBoxSteve]

if done right the tiering may be a good thing, but I agree that some of the prices are outrageous. I also think for prices to go down they have to sky rocket first. Things come in a cycles and right now Disney is doing great but sooner or later people will stop paying such high prices and they'll have to come back to earth.

 

[goofy4tink]

'Getting'?
While I understand that Disney is a business, and have no issues with that, I think that as a 'business' they are making too many changes and making costs higher. Raise the prices yet take stuff away? Seriously.....does anyone truly think that Epcot is a good experience lately? No Inoventions to speak of...empty buildings. Tons of construction, too many scrims up. It's nuts. Yet prices are steadily going up.
We own stock, not a lot, but some. But when Disney takes special parties and adds special ticketed parties within those special ticketed parties? Too much. Just one example.

 

[cakebaker]

As long as people will pay it, they'll keep increasing prices. Should they charge less than their product is worth? People keep complaing about high prices, lack of new attractions and a dozen other things, all the while planning their next trip.

 

[Spork24]

Disney has a lot of problems, and they always have. Running a theme park Resort of that size is difficult.

So it makes sense that disney is constantly researching ideas to solve their challenges.

One of their largest challenges has always been the swings in crowds causing the need for swings in cast members. Disney has done a lot over the years to try to even out the crowds. There is a reason that they have the marathon weekend in January and food and wine in the fall, they were slow times.

Anyway, I think this is another attempt at evening out the crowds even more, which I have no problem with.

I personally have no problem with Disneys pricing. Sure a 1 day ticket is really expensive, but a 7 day isn't bad at all IMO.

 

[BeachyMouse]

I understand Disney is a business. But come on. How much do you have to twist someones wallet just to get a few more dollars? They are starting to price themselves out of the average citizens vacation plans.

 

[Marionnette]

Greedy? No. They are not a charity and have a responsibility to their stockholders to turn a profit.

However, I believe that as a corporate entity, the current suits are more interested in short-term gains than they are in long-term profitability.

 

[TheDisneyNurse]

I wouldn't call it "greedy". Is Disney expensive? Yeah. But you have to remember-- Disney is a luxury, not a neccessity. Their prices are based on supply and demand, and ultimately they are a company looking to make a profit. Prices are calculated by how much $$ their target audience makes and can afford. Someone pointed out that a 1 day ticket is astronomical, however, a 7 day ticket really isn't that bad. True statement. Also, their snacks are noticeably cheaper than movie theaters. I'd know, I worked at one for 2 and a half year.

Then again, I'm a Florida resident and our prices really aren't bad at all. 3 parks for $139. Not bad at all. Can everyone afford it? Of course not. I'm a college student. My finances are pretty stable now that I have a better job, but I couldn't even afford THAT in the past. I'd imagine that Disney's "target audience" is not college students. If it were, they'd have a student discount. I just kept in mind that Disney is a luxury, and tried to save what I had so I could afford to go back.

 

[kbelle8995]

I did a Survey last summer that asked what your overall opinions of Disney's reputation.

One of the choices was this phrase. "Disney is greedy." So if Disney is putting it on a survey are they hearing this on the public or are they using this as a point when they've gone to far.

 

[gschon]

Most of us make our money from owning , or working for someone who owns a business. I'm glad I live in a (mostly) capitalist economy. People who live in non-capitalist places tend to have just enough for food and housing. When the cost of a ticket to the Ballet or Symphony goes up, do we assume they are being greedy?