I'm sure a lot of people will pay these prices and the events will sell out but when I think of what I can do for $600-$700 for my family of four, whether its a full day at Universal or some other experience that lasts far longer than 3 hours (plus 2 hours crowded together with other day guests), its a definite no for me. If people evaluate what makes sense for them and their families and come to a different conclusion, than great. To each their own.
My concern is that Disney will see this and come to the obvious conclusion that they can continue to charge more and more for what once was included (many of us will remember when the parks were open after midnight for on-site guests). If I'm there for 2 weeks and I don't want to pay for this event, than fine. I don't go. But all of a sudden, this starts to creep into other aspects of the vacation and other experiences (like paying $65 for "enhanced ride experiences"). Of course this has no bearing on what others are willing to shell out to buy smaller and smaller slices of the magic, and there will be many that say, "fine, don't go....more room for me" and I guess that is exactly what Disney wants. But this is a slippery slope and how long is it before they start charging for the buses or towels at the pools or even pool access (resorts fees)? Its really hard to feel the magic when you feel like you are being nickel-and-dimed all day long.
I think a lot of us will remember a time when we weren't constantly being marketed to, when we weren't just consumers useful only for buying what corporations produced. Almost every successful entrepreneur says that they never started their businesses with the sole intention of becoming rich. They saw a need in society and they knew how to fulfill that need. Walt Disney saw a need for parents to share in moments of enjoyment and fun together with their children. He fulfilled that need and that is why all of us have so many great memores together with our parents and now with our children. I know my dream this year is to sit in the lobby of the Grand Floridian and listen to the piano player play my father's favorite song like we did together 30 years ago (hopefully the piano will still be there!). Its hard to feel like those memories exist to be monetized.
My feeling is the company is too beholden to the shareholder, who demands ever increasing profits. But I think think the company needs to focus more on the concept of the stakeholder, which includes not just the shareholders but also the employees and the guests. We all have a stake in this company and while some of us may not own shares, we all have invested a lot in Disney. We don't go to maximize shareholder profit (They can do that with
Disney+ now).
I've gone on a lot longer than I expected, but I guess my point is I've reached my limit in what I'm willing to pay and I wonder what the limit will be for everyone else. If current trends continue, we are certainly going to find out.
