Is Disney Really Cutting Hours?

[AngiTN]

You've been throwing that hater term around a lot lately. Not liking something Disney does is not the same as hating on them.

Sure other parks close earlier. But I imagine their attendance is not comparable with that of the Magic Kingdom.

When SOOOOO many of posts by some posters are nothing but negative it does come across as hating them.
And I know I see a trend that it is very trendy to dis on Disney these days. At times it feels like people are hunting for things to be negative about.
They are far from perfect and have plenty of faults. But not everything they do is a fault.

 

[AngiTN]

When we were there in November 2014, the last show of the day for FOLK and finding nemo was 6pm, the park closed at 8p. All of the other shows ended before FOLK and Finding Nemo and the animal attractions were closed around 5ish.

As I said, perhaps they have changed show schedules and there are more offerings now, but *when we were there* there was not enough open once the vast majority of the park shut down around 5/6 to occupy 6 hours of time. Riding EE alone was worth the park hop over there (we started at DHS that day), but we were happy that we could hop over to MK to finish the night.

No, they really have not changed the show schedules. FotLK and Nemo both end before dark, or at dark. Animals trails still close at sunset.
But, one would have to like AK as much as MK (we are in this category) or maybe there wouldn't ever be enough to keep those who aren't AK fans busy

 

[mom2rtk]

When SOOOOO many of posts by some posters are nothing but negative it does come across as hating them.
And I know I see a trend that it is very trendy to dis on Disney these days. At times it feels like people are hunting for things to be negative about.
They are far from perfect and have plenty of faults. But not everything they do is a fault.

Well, I can't speak for everyone. But I just assume they love Disney and have very strong feelings about what they have been seeing out of them lately.

It's your right to dismiss it as trendy. But it's missing the point. Many of the posters who have been unhappy with things at Disney lately have been posting on the DIS for years.

 

[jade1]

Be interesting if they give up on JB/ROL and N Safari and just go back to 6PM but add an hour to MK.

 

[Kristine316]

Well, I can't speak for everyone. But I just assume they love Disney and have very strong feelings about what they have been seeing out of them lately.

It's your right to dismiss it as trendy. But it's missing the point. Many of the posters who have been unhappy with things at Disney lately have been posting on the DIS for years.

Exactly. It's not like Disney hasn't warranted the criticism in many ways. Maybe the fact it seems trendy now should be a red flag that there are actually things going on that deserve criticism. No?
Disney is not being picked on.. Much of the criticism is coming from loyal forum members who are just getting frustrated.

Also the poster complaining about Disney bashing as being trendy is also one of the biggest Disney apologists on this forum. It seems every thread this poster is defending Disney no matter what the topic is.
If Disney bashing is just the "trendy" thing right now, it seems predictably defending Disney never goes out of style for some. Lol

 

[Angel Ariel]

Well, I can't speak for everyone. But I just assume they love Disney and have very strong feelings about what they have been seeing out of them lately.

It's your right to dismiss it as trendy. But it's missing the point. Many of the posters who have been unhappy with things at Disney lately have been posting on the DIS for years.

I agree. I *love* Disney. I wouldn't be on the DIS at all if I hated Disney. The hater language is very disheartening.

 

[Angel Ariel]

No, they really have not changed the show schedules. FotLK and Nemo both end before dark, or at dark. Animals trails still close at sunset.
But, one would have to like AK as much as MK (we are in this category) or maybe there wouldn't ever be enough to keep those who aren't AK fans busy

We quite enjoy AK. It just hasn't taken us as much time to do the 1/2 park worth of attractions that are open past 5/6p when we've been there as crowds have also been low in AK. For us, the things that have always taken the most time are the animal attraction/trails and shows. Without those open, we haven't found the rest to take much time. Just *our* experience. Yours may vary.

 

[AngiTN]

Exactly. It's not like Disney hasn't warranted the criticism in many ways. Maybe the fact it seems trendy now should be a red flag that there are actually things going on that deserve criticism. No?
Disney is not being picked on.. Much of the criticism is coming from loyal forum members who are just getting frustrated.

Also the poster complaining about Disney bashing as being trendy is also one of the biggest Disney apologists on this forum. It seems every thread this poster is defending Disney no matter what the topic is.
If Disney bashing is just the "trendy" thing right now, it seems predictably defending Disney never goes out of style for some. Lol

Yes, I find the bright side when it's not always all that easy to find. Because I sure as heck wouldn't be spending my money at Disney if I had as much negative to say about them as some here do. No way, no how. I'd find somewhere else to go, somewhere else to spend my money. When I can no longer find the bright side then I won't be going. Not till things change. I continue to be amazed people can be so unhappy about the state of things yet continue to go.

 

[grimley1968]

When SOOOOO many of posts by some posters are nothing but negative it does come across as hating them.
And I know I see a trend that it is very trendy to dis on Disney these days. At times it feels like people are hunting for things to be negative about.
They are far from perfect and have plenty of faults. But not everything they do is a fault.

I've tried in the past to be positive about changes occurring at WDW lately, but even Elmer Fudd couldn't help but notice negative things about WDW these days.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Yes, I find the bright side when it's not always all that easy to find. Because I sure as heck wouldn't be spending my money at Disney if I had as much negative to say about them as some here do. No way, no how. I'd find somewhere else to go, somewhere else to spend my money. When I can no longer find the bright side then I won't be going. Not till things change. I continue to be amazed people can be so unhappy about the state of things yet continue to go.

Disagreeing with decisions the company makes doesn't change my love of the attractions and experiences in the parks themselves. I will also say there is a reason we have been choosing to go to DLR over WDW.

is it really so difficult to understand that people can dislike decisions that corporate wdw makes, but still get lost in the magic of the Disney park - whether it is WDW or DLR or one of the foreign parks - when they are there?

life is not so black and white.

 

[mom2rtk]

Be interesting if they give up on JB/ROL and N Safari and just go back to 6PM but add an hour to MK.

Why does something new always have to come at the expense of losing something else? Don't you think ROL and N Safari will cause attendance (and revenue) at AK to grow? It's not a zero sum game.

 

[jade1]

Why does something new always have to come at the expense of losing something else? Don't you think ROL and N Safari will cause attendance (and revenue) at AK to grow? It's not a zero sum game.

ROL hasn't happened, just saying if there is no interest it could (maybe should) go away, like after hours did. Be a lot cheaper to keep MK open an hour than 5 hours at AK.

 

[Angel Ariel]

ROL hasn't happened, just saying if there is no interest it could (maybe should) go away, like after hours did. Be a lot cheaper to keep MK open an hour than 5 hours at AK.

I doubt we will see that happen, given all the money they have already put into creating the viewing area/infrastructure/etc. not to mention just designing the show.

 

[mom2rtk]

ROL hasn't happened, just saying if there is no interest it could (maybe should) go away, like after hours did. Be a lot cheaper to keep MK open an hour than 5 hours at AK.

Oh, I'm sure it's still coming. It's part of the entire nighttime in the AK experience they were counting on. I'm sure they know better than to gauge interest on the actual ROL show off of how a hastily thrown together replacement has done.

And I really have no idea if it's a "lot" cheaper to keep MK open one hour than to keep AK open 5 hours. I'm sure it's more. But given the number of attractions involved, it might not be as much more as you think.

 

[jade1]

Oh, I'm sure it's still coming. It's part of the entire nighttime in the AK experience they were counting on. I'm sure they know better than to gauge interest on the actual ROL show off of how a hastily thrown together replacement has done.

And I really have no idea if it's a "lot" cheaper to keep MK open one hour than to keep AK open 5 hours. I'm sure it's more. But given the number of attractions involved, it might not be as much more as you think.

Yeah, they could scrap it though and go back to last year's hours as folks prefer those.

 

[JimmyV]

I am here to challenge that narrative.

Comparing June 2015 and June 2016 is as follows:

There are many ways to parse the data. One way would be to add up "ride hours" instead of park hours. That is, add up the total number of hours that were cut on each ride at the MK, then add up the total hours that were added to each attraction at AK and you will get an entirely different result. And that is precisely why the crowd here is about 75% in opposition to the idea that the added hours at AK are a fair offset for the lost hours at the MK. Distill this down to its base level. If Park A has 60 attractions that each lost two hours per day, that would be 120 ride hours lost per day. Multiply that by 30 days and that would be 3,600 lost ride hours. If Park B added 4 hours per day for the month, but only had 10 attractions that took advantage of those added hours, that would be 40 added ride hours per day, or 1,200 added ride hours for the month. If you look only at how the turnstiles operated, you would see that Park A lost 2 hours per day for 30 days, for a total of 60 lost hours for the month. Park B gained four hours per day for 30 days, or 120 added hours. So the owner of the Parks has graciously bestowed upon us a net of 60 hours for the month. Yeay!!! But did the customer win or lose? Did the customer gain any dollar value for their ticket?

This accounting does not even attempt to account for the intangible of "ride popularity". It assumes that all rides and attractions are valued equally. But once you add in a multiplier for the fact that Park A's rides and attractions are valued more highly than Park B's, (assuming that is the case), then the disparity becomes even greater. (Conversely, if the rides and attractions at Park B far outshine the popularity of Park A's, then the lost ride hours might level things out.) Another example. If Disney reversed course and kept the MK open until midnight each day and in turn closed AK at 5:00 each day, the reaction might be one of resounding joy. But if Disney then announced that the only rides and attractions that would remain open from 10:00 until midnight were going to be the Hall of Presidents and Stitch, people might fight to get the extra hours added back to AK.

So you see, total hours only tell a part of the story. You have to factor in what rides, attractions and entertainment people are gaining versus losing. And it is very clear here that people feel as if they are losing a lot more by having the MK close earlier than last year than they are gaining by having AK open later than last year. Disney could keep AK open 24/7/365 and it would not make up for the lost hours at the MK. It really is that simple.

 

[snoopy352]

There are many ways to parse the data. One way would be to add up "ride hours" instead of park hours. That is, add up the total number of hours that were cut on each ride at the MK, then add up the total hours that were added to each attraction at AK and you will get an entirely different result. And that is precisely why the crowd here is about 75% in opposition to the idea that the added hours at AK are a fair offset for the lost hours at the MK. Distill this down to its base level. If Park A has 60 attractions that each lost two hours per day, that would be 120 ride hours lost per day. Multiply that by 30 days and that would be 3,600 lost ride hours. If Park B added 4 hours per day for the month, but only had 10 attractions that took advantage of those added hours, that would be 40 added ride hours per day, or 1,200 added ride hours for the month. If you look only at how the turnstiles operated, you would see that Park A lost 2 hours per day for 30 days, for a total of 60 lost hours for the month. Park B gained four hours per day for 30 days, or 120 added hours. So the owner of the Parks has graciously bestowed upon us a net of 60 hours for the month. Yeay!!! But did the customer win or lose? Did the customer gain any dollar value for their ticket?

This accounting does not even attempt to account for the intangible of "ride popularity". It assumes that all rides and attractions are valued equally. But once you add in a multiplier for the fact that Park A's rides and attractions are valued more highly than Park B's, (assuming that is the case), then the disparity becomes even greater. (Conversely, if the rides and attractions at Park B far outshine the popularity of Park A's, then the lost ride hours might level things out.) Another example. If Disney reversed course and kept the MK open until midnight each day and in turn closed AK at 5:00 each day, the reaction might be one of resounding joy. But if Disney then announced that the only rides and attractions that would remain open from 10:00 until midnight were going to be the Hall of Presidents and Stitch, people might fight to get the extra hours added back to AK.

So you see, total hours only tell a part of the story. You have to factor in what rides, attractions and entertainment people are gaining versus losing. And it is very clear here that people feel as if they are losing a lot more by having the MK close earlier than last year than they are gaining by having AK open later than last year. Disney could keep AK open 24/7/365 and it would not make up for the lost hours at the MK. It really is that simple.

We have been waiting for your voice of reason and perspective, JimmyV. Thanks!!!

 

[jade1]

There are many ways to parse the data. One way would be to add up "ride hours" instead of park hours. That is, add up the total number of hours that were cut on each ride at the MK, then add up the total hours that were added to each attraction at AK and you will get an entirely different result. And that is precisely why the crowd here is about 75% in opposition to the idea that the added hours at AK are a fair offset for the lost hours at the MK. Distill this down to its base level. If Park A has 60 attractions that each lost two hours per day, that would be 120 ride hours lost per day. Multiply that by 30 days and that would be 3,600 lost ride hours. If Park B added 4 hours per day for the month, but only had 10 attractions that took advantage of those added hours, that would be 40 added ride hours per day, or 1,200 added ride hours for the month. If you look only at how the turnstiles operated, you would see that Park A lost 2 hours per day for 30 days, for a total of 60 lost hours for the month. Park B gained four hours per day for 30 days, or 120 added hours. So the owner of the Parks has graciously bestowed upon us a net of 60 hours for the month. Yeay!!! But did the customer win or lose? Did the customer gain any dollar value for their ticket?

This accounting does not even attempt to account for the intangible of "ride popularity". It assumes that all rides and attractions are valued equally. But once you add in a multiplier for the fact that Park A's rides and attractions are valued more highly than Park B's, (assuming that is the case), then the disparity becomes even greater. (Conversely, if the rides and attractions at Park B far outshine the popularity of Park A's, then the lost ride hours might level things out.) Another example. If Disney reversed course and kept the MK open until midnight each day and in turn closed AK at 5:00 each day, the reaction might be one of resounding joy. But if Disney then announced that the only rides and attractions that would remain open from 10:00 until midnight were going to be the Hall of Presidents and Stitch, people might fight to get the extra hours added back to AK.

So you see, total hours only tell a part of the story. You have to factor in what rides, attractions and entertainment people are gaining versus losing. And it is very clear here that people feel as if they are losing a lot more by having the MK close earlier than last year than they are gaining by having AK open later than last year. Disney could keep AK open 24/7/365 and it would not make up for the lost hours at the MK. It really is that simple.

And the "drink" hours.

And the "cooler" night hours.

And the additional dining hours.


But again, go back to last years hours then. I will accept that.

 

[JimmyV]

We have been waiting for your voice of reason and perspective, JimmyV. Thanks!!!

Sorry. I was enjoying Florida's "original tourist destination" (Miami) over the past several days on business and a bit of pleasure. (Man, was it hot.) So I didn't get on my computer all that much.

 

[jade1]

Sorry. I was enjoying Florida's "original tourist destination" (Miami) (Man, was it hot.)

Try AK during the day.