new MYW is going to say me close to $1000.....

[flea1267]

I am so excited the new MYW options are going to save our family close to $1000 when we head to see Mickey in May!!!

 

[Tiggerlover91]

I am so excited the new MYW options are going to save our family close to $1000 when we head to see Mickey in May!!!

Cool!

Not everyone sees the savings like you do. Have fun planning!

Denise

 

[LovePug]

That's great news. For my immediate family of 3 we'll save $210 for our June trip. For our large family trip next December (13 of us) it'll save a total of about $600. So far I'm loving this new plan .

 

[Karibeth19]

Wow! That's fantastic! We will save about $150 right now, and maybe even more, once we find out what the advance purchase price on the 5, 6, and 7 day base tickets with the park hopper and/or magic plus pack options will be. This whole new ticket thing has made me so happy!

 

[disneysteve]

We'll save $558 on our next 2 trips. Can't complain about that.

 

[Disneycrazymom]

Is the saving because you will not buy the options? I think we will come out ahead since we never go to the water parks. I have several sets of hoppers with left over water park days sitting here at home! Are there other savings I have not noticed yet?

Also DisneySteve, I know you have found some great off site deals. Will the new evening hours change your plan? I have been over on the off site hotels board and was all ready to try a condo, now I don't know what to do for June. Those extra hours when it's cooler would be great but the extra space and less cost would be great too! What to do? Hope for a REALLY great code I guess!

 

[Brian Noble]

How old are your kids? If they are younger, the late evening hours may not be as useful as you are hoping. Plus, since the resort guests will be "trained" to stay out late rather than get up early, the "go to a non-EMH park first thing in the morning" strategy is likely to work even better under the new EMH system. Plus, as a parent of younger kids, I loooove having a private bedroom for them so that I don't have to lay on the bed pretending to be asleep at 8:30.

If your kids are older, it might make more sense to go on property. If you need the space, two connecting value rooms might work for you, or the Ft. Wilderness cabins.

 

[disneysteve]

Is the saving because you will not buy the options?

Here's my comparison:
Current prices:
5 day park hopper: $265
If I buy 3 this year and 3 more next year, I'd spend $1590.

New prices:
10 day non-expiring park hopper: $344
If I buy 3 this year and use 5 days this trip and 5 days next trip, I'll spend $1032.

Savings with the new system: $558.

Also DisneySteve, I know you have found some great off site deals. Will the new evening hours change your plan?

I don't know anything about the new hours, but I can't think of anything that would ever entice me to stay onsite (unless Disney opens an all-suite hotel for $50/nite). In our opinion, there is absolutely no comparison between what is available offsite and onsite. The offsite accomodations are way better for us and way cheaper.

 

[RescueRanger]

The new tickets will save us about $300 for our trip in March.

 

[Doug123]

I'm the worst case scenario, but here's someone against the new ticket program (upon initial figuring).

Situation: my wife and have reservations to go down to Disney World for a quick three-day trip (our first since our second child was born).

Current Prices: our plans were to get an Ultimate Park Hopper pass, for about $57 a day. This allowed us to hop from park to park, and -- if I'm not mistaken -- allowed us to hit Pleasure Island for free. The two of us, then, would pay a total of $228 for two days (before taxes and such).

New Plan Prices: Under the new plan, we apparently start with a $126.74 base price, add $47.93 in order to park hop and go to Pleasure Island once, for a total of $174.67 per person, or $349.34 for the two of us. That averages out to a price of $87.34 A DAY for tickets.

Results: Again, that is $349.34 as compared to $228. Quite a hike in prices, unless I'm missing something.

 

[tinkerbeth]

I'm the worst case scenario, but here's someone against the new ticket program (upon initial figuring).

Situation: my wife and have reservations to go down to Disney World for a quick three-day trip (our first since our second child was born).

Current Prices: our plans were to get an Ultimate Park Hopper pass, for about $57 a day. This allowed us to hop from park to park, and -- if I'm not mistaken -- allowed us to hit Pleasure Island for free. The two of us, then, would pay a total of $228 for two days (before taxes and such).

New Plan Prices: Under the new plan, we apparently start with a $126.74 base price, add $47.93 in order to park hop and go to Pleasure Island once, for a total of $174.67 per person, or $349.34 for the two of us. That averages out to a price of $87.34 A DAY for tickets.

Results: Again, that is $349.34 as compared to $228. Quite a hike in prices, unless I'm missing something.

It sounds like the new tickets are designed to encourage people to stay longer in the parks...which makes sense b/c if they sell you the park tickets for less and you stay longer, you'll drop more money other places I guess.

We have APs so I'm not sure if the MYW is going to help us at all. But it might be the difference between buying APs next year. We'll have to see how it all works out.

 

[Grog]

It sounds like the new tickets are designed to encourage people to stay longer in the parks..

I believe you're right. We're going in April, and will need four-day park hoppers with no plus features. We plan to use all the days, so we don't need the non-experation feature. The price under the new plan works out to be about what we would pay for the current four-day hoppers. No real savings or loss for us.

 

[Disneycrazymom]

Kids ages: For this trip in June we will have our 2, DS 12 and DD 5, we are also taking our neice 17 along. So if we are on-site the older 2 can stay late if they stay together and take the bus back to the hotel. I can take the 5 year old and put her to bed. She and I can hit the parks early while the older ones sleep in from being out late. I don't know, if we stay off site then we all come and go together. Sometimes good, sometimes not. As far as tickets go all is equal but in terms of room space off site is better. That's a whole 'nother thread!

 

[OLT2004]

Doug123 - If I am reading you correctly and if I understand the new price structure - it will cost you $398 + 6.5% Sales Tax for a total of $424 for a 2 Day Park Hopper with admission to PI...These tickets WILL Expire..

That is a Huge Price Increase!

 

[Doug123]

Bottomline, of course, is that Disney World is a business. If the people that run it think the demand to support higher prices is there, then I suppose that's the way it goes.

For my wife and I, who love Disney World, it simply encourages us to consider other options. We'll certainly go back to Disney World, but not as often. It makes a lot more sense now to wait until a longer trip is possible. Disney may be encouraging people to stay longer with this new plan, but they are also discouraging those considering shorter visits from going at all.

 

[disneysteve]

Doug - If you buy a longer non-expiring ticket, your cost per day drops dramatically. You do have to lay out more money upfront but it will save you a lot in the long run. It sounds like you visit regularly so just save the tickets for the next trip.

In my example, I'll be buying 2 years of tickets at once but saving $558 in the process. Makes sense to me.

 

[PolyHereWeCome]

Bottomline, of course, is that Disney World is a business. If the people that run it think the demand to support higher prices is there, then I suppose that's the way it goes.

For my wife and I, who love Disney World, it simply encourages us to consider other options. We'll certainly go back to Disney World, but not as often. It makes a lot more sense now to wait until a longer trip is possible. Disney may be encouraging people to stay longer with this new plan, but they are also discouraging those considering shorter visits from going at all.

I absolutely agree! Despite all the hype, we ran the numbers, and for our upcoming trip (2 adults, 2 kids, 4 park days, don't want to be stuck visiting only 1 park per day -- afterall, it'll be crowded Easter Break), the new tickets are a big increase!! Think we are a pretty typical family.

 

[Pigsty333]

Walt Disney World Revamps Vacations


Walt Disney World Resort has unveiled an innovative new product lineup that will allow travel agents to better tailor clients’ vacations by allowing them to build customized theme park tickets and packages.

New Magic Your Way Tickets and vacation packages will be available for booking and travel beginning Jan. 2, 2005, and will provide a wider range of options that allow travel agents to design a Walt Disney World vacation that matches clients’ needs and desires.

For the first time ever, the new Magic Your Way Tickets will offer significant year-round savings that grow the more days a client visits. A seven-day theme park ticket, for instance, averages just $29 per day, or less than half the price of a single-day ticket ($59.75 per adult, before tax).



With the flexibility of adding options like Park Hopping or water park visits to theme park tickets or selecting a vacation package that includes meals, Disney’s Magic Your Way Vacations put travel counselors in control of framing the vacation that best suits their client’s desires and budgets.

“People today expect flexibility and customization whether they’re buying a computer or a cup of gourmet coffee,” said Randy A. Garfield, CTC, executive vice president of sales and travel operations, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, and president of the Walt Disney Travel Company. “And now travel agents will have that same ability to customize their clients’ dream vacations, creating the ticket or package that is just right for them.”

Some clients may choose the new affordability of a 7-day Magic Your Way Base Ticket to the four Walt Disney World theme parks. Others may be interested in the added flexibility and fun of a ticket that includes admission to water parks, Downtown Disney Pleasure Island and other great venues. Or some may even choose to maximize a single day at Walt Disney World with a ticket that lets them visit multiple parks in the same day. Ultimately, this expanded menu of ticket add-ons puts the power of building a customized Walt Disney World itinerary into the travel agent’s hands.

With Disney’s Magic Your Way Vacations, a Walt Disney World vacation also becomes even more affordable. A family of four will be able to enjoy a weeklong (6-night/7-day) Walt Disney World vacation – including a stay at an on-property Disney Value Resort hotel with tickets to all four theme parks during regular or value season – for less than $1,500.

“This new vacation product puts a weeklong Walt Disney World vacation within the financial reach of millions of additional families, literally growing the market of Disney fans that can benefit from a travel agent’s services,” added Garfield. “We think it will also result in increased client loyalty and an up-tick in business for those who successfully cultivate the new market of travelers Disney’s Magic Your Way Vacations will attract.”

The Walt Disney World Resort will switch to Magic Your Way tickets – available to all guests, whether or not they stay at a Disney resort hotel – beginning Jan. 2. The move is aimed at putting value, flexibility and relaxation back in family vacations while giving guests customized options, so they choose the ticket features they want.

“Recent research shows that longer vacations are high on the wish list for families,” Garfield added. “With so much to see and do at Walt Disney World, guests want to take a week to experience it all, at their own pace, without the rush. Now they can, at prices more affordable than they ever imagined, thanks to new value pricing that rewards longer stays.”

“Simply put,” he said, “the longer you play, the less you pay, per day.”

The Magic Your Way Tickets also offer clients more flexibility, allowing them to customize their tickets to create their dream vacation no matter its length.

With the Magic Your Way tickets, clients first choose the number of days they want on a base ticket that allows them to enter one theme park each day. Then, they can decide which options they want to add, paying for only those features they want, such as the ability to visit multiple Disney theme parks each day or to visit Disney water parks, Downtown Disney Pleasure Island or other exciting venues.

Add-on purchases to the base ticket include:


Park Hopper Option - Adding the Park-Hopper Option lets the guest come and go as they please through all four Disney theme parks on the same day or every day for each day of their pass. Extra cost to the base-price ticket: $35 – or just $5 per day on a seven-day ticket.

Magic Plus Pack - For Disney fun beyond the four theme parks, this option provides the choice of admission to Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park, Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park, DisneyQuest, Downtown Disney Pleasure Island or Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex. Extra cost to the base-price ticket: $45 (includes 2-5 visits to Magic Plus Pack attractions, depending on the number of base ticket days purchased).

No Expiration Option - New Magic Your Way Tickets expire 14 days after their first use. Electing the No Expiration Option means the guest is free to come back and take advantage of unused tickets at any time. Extra cost to the base-price ticket: $10 if 2-day ticket purchased, up to $55 if 7-day ticket purchased.

Magic Your Way Premium Ticket - To capture all that Walt Disney World has to offer, this ticket combines the benefits of the Park Hopper Option and the Magic Plus Pack Option.

Advance Purchase Savings Tickets - The savings get even sweeter when clients purchase select, multi-day Magic Your Way Tickets of 5-days in length or more with either the Park Hopper Option and/or the Magic Plus Pack Option in advance, before leaving home.


Packages
These same, new ticket options are the cornerstone of a new menu of Walt Disney World Resort vacation packages offered by the Walt Disney Travel Company and other Disney select wholesalers. These new vacation plans, which no longer require a minimum length of stay of at least three nights, also become available for sale and travel beginning Jan. 2, and include the following options:

Disney’s Magic Your Way Package – This base package helps clients experience the magic of a Walt Disney World vacation at an affordable rate. The package includes accommodations at a Disney-owned and –operated resort hotel, and Magic Your Way base tickets for everyone in the group.
Disney’s Magic Your Way Package Plus Dining – This exciting new package features a new option that seasoned Disney guests have longed for – the ability to include convenient and affordable meals in vacation plans. The package includes everything from the Disney’s Magic Your Way Package, and adds a dining plan that includes two meals and a snack per person, per package night at more than 100 restaurants across the Walt Disney World Resort.
Disney’s Magic Your Way Premium Package – This deluxe package includes everything from Disney’s Magic Your Way Package as well as breakfast, lunch and dinner per person, per package night, along with other exciting options like recreation, theme park tours, and admission to the Cirque du Soleil show La Nouba, and more.

Even More Choices: Disney Resorts, Benefits

Staying in the “middle of the magic” at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel is the best and most relaxing way to enjoy a Walt Disney World vacation. With 22 uniquely themed Resorts – Value, Moderate, Deluxe, Disney Vacation Club Resorts, and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground – there’s one for every taste and budget. Now that a longer Disney vacation just became more affordable than ever, clients will be able to enjoy their hotel like never before – spending quality “R & R” hours between park visits, whether it’s swimming, napping, shopping or dining.

Benefits of staying at a Disney resort include more time in the parks, more convenient transportation and more magic all around:

Extra Magic Hours: Each day, one of Disney’s magical theme parks opens one hour early exclusively for resort guests, or, as a new feature, stays open up to three hours extra after regular park hours so Walt Disney World Resort hotel guests can enjoy select attractions (valid theme park ticket and Resort ID required).

Convenient Transportation at No Extra Charge: Motor coaches, monorails or boats arrive steps from any Disney resort door to get guests to and from Disney theme parks, water parks, Downtown Disney Area and more.

Dining Plan: Guests selecting accommodations at a Disney-owned and –operated resort hotel can book Disney’s Magic Your Way Package Plus Dining, which includes two meals per day and a snack per person, per package night at more than 100 select restaurants across the Vacation Kingdom.

 

[uneamie]

So basicaly if you want to only spend 3 or 4 nights at Disney your actually going to be paying more now for the park tickets.

We usually drive from NJ when we go to Disney so staying 7 nights is not good for us since we do not like using more than a weeks vactions time from work. We usually book 3 or 4 nights at a Deluxe Hotel and buy a 4 day hopper pass. It certainly looks to me like we will be paying considerably more for these tickets unless we just buy day passes with no hooper option. Hmmm

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

I still have a few days left on our old PH tickets, so we are not yet ready to make an investment in the new tickets. I ran our numbers through out of curiosity, and the 10 day passes with all the options are very attractive to us. We only go to WDW for 4-5 days at a time, twice a year, using only 3 days at the attractions per visit. When the time comes, I hope the costs are still as attractive.

Does anyone know what happens if you purchase, say, a 10 day all inclusive pass for a child, and then the child becomes an "adult"-in Disney's eyes-before using all the days up? Would you have to upgrade the ticket and pay the difference? If I am not mistaken, currently with the PH passes, Disney will upgrade the remaining days for no charge....anybody know about this??