New survey .. proposal .. Tiered Ticket Prices

[cakebaker]

But, yes, in terms of the new pricing structure, a survey is a little. too early to definitively say anything about it. So there we do agree.

Gotta love common ground!

 

[Dizlvr]

For those willing to pay more to have less crowds will you be OK with it if you get locked out? Because you know that buying admission tickets would become just like reservations at 180 days or FP+ at 60 days.

I don't really see that it would be any different than that for me now. I don't get park hoppers, so with making ADRs 180 in advance, I'm already scheduling myself to a specific park for a specific day.
Would I be happy with being locked out, no, but if its like you say and you'd have to actually schedule your park when you purchase your ticket, that would mean that if they reached capacity they wouldn't sell or allow more people to schedule that park for that day. So, you wouldn't be locked out, you'd just rework your schedule and visit a different park. Again, its no different than me not being able to get BOG dinner on Sat, but I can get it on Wed so I go to MK that day instead.

I'm not really going to get up in arms until whatever Disney plans to do is announced by them. We can speculate all we want how things are going to work, but until its official we really have no idea.
I have no problem paying a higher price for GUARANTEED lower crowds, but I'd like to know how they are going to guarantee that. Assuming the higher tier prices are going to shift crowd levels, is not a guarantee of lower crowds, so I would like to know what the actual "guarantee" is.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

I remember on an analyst call maybe a year and a half ago, Iger was asked about ticket pricing. His response was that Disney still saw "room" in the ticket pricing--i.e., that attendance hadn't yet suffered from the price of admission--and that Disney was going to continue to look at its ticket pricing to hit that sweet spot. My guess is tiered ticket pricing is an extension of that. With crowds being what they are, it's clear that they haven't really hit the limit yet on what they can charge and still pack the parks.

 

[Planogirl]

I'm sorry but I can remember a time when a vacation meant relaxing for the most part. Sure we had to plan a few ADR's and when to see certain parades but this is getting out of hand.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I'm sorry but I can remember a time when a vacation meant relaxing for the most part. Sure we had to plan a few ADR's and when to see certain parades but this is getting out of hand.

It is. The more they stick FP on everything, the worse it gets. Booking ticket days is crazy, this isn't Discovery Cove.

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

@ArwenMarie I so need to try DC some time....

 

[Planogirl]

It is. The more they stick FP on everything, the worse it gets. Booking ticket days is crazy, this isn't Discovery Cove.

Now before someone says it, I KNOW that we don't have to preschedule FP+ and ADR's and so on. It's a bit short-sighted not to do so but I know that we don't have to. It sounds like this ticket tiering will hit people no matter how they travel though.

 

[prettypatchesmsu]

I chuckled this morning when this possible "Disney price hike" hit our little morning news show. I thought something big had been announced from that headline and watched for a few minutes before my shower. But was just this, what I already known about the survey etc.

 

[G719]

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but I just noticed that this is happening with the water park pricing. It's more expensive for a ticket for the summer months. Is it also new that you can go between the 2 water parks with just one ticket?

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

View attachment 100333Not sure if this has been mentioned, but I just noticed that this is happening with the water park pricing. It's more expensive for a ticket for the summer months. Is it also new that you can go between the 2 water parks with just one ticket?

I could see them doing this with a theme park ticket. Basically the regular ticket and then reduced options with blackouts. I do think the chart is way too confusing.

So -- the Florida resident seasonal blocks out summer, and roughly the weeks before and after Easter and Christmas--give or take a few days.

But that chart is a nightmare to work with.

For us, we decide between AP and FRSP based on whether we plan to travel during black out. If we buy the seasonal pass but later decide to travel during the blackout, we know we can upgrade. Understanding that the upgrade clock back tracks to the first day we used our pass and that the pass still expires as scheduled unless (and when it is time) we renew and upgrade.

I don't see 3 tiers with blackouts being realistic.

But for Florida Residents--they will cut us a break so long as we don't go during forecasted busy times.

Lower prices are to encourage guests to travel at different times. If I had to guess, they won't reduce the cap during Gold periods. As posted above--they are looking for that sweet spot where attendance levels and the price is just right for profit and attendance. As they have plenty of room to stuff people into the parks--they still only hit the highest closure rate on a few days a year. So I don't see them raising the prices just a few dollars and lowering the caps. People complain about level 10 crowds. A $10 delta won't make up for the number of folks they would have to turn away for the guest to feel that the crowd is smaller. On their end they will notice and see some increase in profit. I just don't know of we would notice.

 

[larryz]

That's the way that it works with tangible goods that are available in finite quantities. However, when you're measuring an abstract such as perceived crowd size and its impact on the level of enjoyment, you're comparing apples to oranges.

There are those who would argue that ride capacity in the WDW parks is, indeed, tangible and finite.

 

[BugsDaddy]

A lot of assumptions being made from a survey question. I am not sure why people are up in arms over something that has not happened yet and there are no real details on. Some are just theorizing how it would work and people are taking that and running with it. I am sure there are already people writing letters to Disney about it.

 

[mom2rtk]

A lot of assumptions being made from a survey question. I am not sure why people are up in arms over something that has not happened yet and there are no real details on. Some are just theorizing how it would work and people are taking that and running with it. I am sure there are already people writing letters to Disney about it.

Do you think it would be more productive to wait until it's presented as a fait accompli?

 

[BugsDaddy]

Do you think it would be more productive to wait until it's presented as a fait accompli?

Isn't Disney already considering the customer perspective through the survey itself?

Logic says they will take that feedback, make adjustments or make no adjustments and then eventually deliver those changes to the public or do nothing. In effect, they will do what they want/need to do in order to accomplish their goals without sacrificing their customer base.

How is speculating on what the plan may or may not be, productive? Do you think any amount of speculation or discussion on what the final plan may or may not end up being will influence the final result more than the survey that is already being conducted? That being said, people can express anything they want on these message boards and some can consider those efforts futile.

 

[Angel Ariel]

. A lot of assumptions being made from a survey question. I am not sure why people are up in arms over something that has not happened yet and there are no real details on. Some are just theorizing how it would work and people are taking that and running with it. I am sure there are already people writing letters to Disney about it.

Re: the bolded - why shouldn't people write letters to Disney about it? As you pointed out, they are taking customer feedback via the survey - so clearly Disney is interested in hearing from its customers. Not all customers receive those surveys though. So if someone wants to share their thoughts with Disney on this now, why shouldn't they?

 

[BugsDaddy]

Re: the bolded - why shouldn't people write letters to Disney about it? As you pointed out, they are taking customer feedback via the survey - so clearly Disney is interested in hearing from its customers. Not all customers receive those surveys though. So if someone wants to share their thoughts with Disney on this now, why shouldn't they?

Where did I say they shouldn't write letters if that is what they want to do? All I am saying is that I think it is a futile effort until we understand the true scope of what is being considered. A lot of time and energy is being spent making arguments against something that has not even been defined yet. Disney will gain the perspective of the segment of their customer base that they are most interested in through their survey process. But, by all means, don't let that stop anyone from tilting at windmills.

 

[BugsDaddy]

One of the big things that has everyone so riled up wasn't even mentioned in the survey. The speculation that people will be forced to pick a park 60 days or 6 months in advance. That was complete conjecture on someone's behalf but has now worked its way into the conversation as a foregone conclusion by some.

It's like the telephone game. You whisper a fact or statement into one persons ear and as it goes down the line, it changes based on what people think they heard where by the time it gets to the last person, the meaning is changed completely.

 

[mummabear]

They should charge less for busy days as you get to do a lot less stuff. You only get to do 6 to 7 rides on those busy days with wait times benign 11/2 too 2 hour wait times for each ride. !

Dont be so sure, in the busier months the parks are open longer, there are less (if any) rides down, rides running at full capacity more shows, parades, all the "Summer fun" etc yes it feels busier but that doesnt mean you get less done.

 

[fla4fun]

I don't really see that it would be any different than that for me now. I don't get park hoppers, so with making ADRs 180 in advance, I'm already scheduling myself to a specific park for a specific day.
Would I be happy with being locked out, no, but if its like you say and you'd have to actually schedule your park when you purchase your ticket, that would mean that if they reached capacity they wouldn't sell or allow more people to schedule that park for that day. So, you wouldn't be locked out, you'd just rework your schedule and visit a different park. Again, its no different than me not being able to get BOG dinner on Sat, but I can get it on Wed so I go to MK that day instead.

I'm not really going to get up in arms until whatever Disney plans to do is announced by them. We can speculate all we want how things are going to work, but until its official we really have no idea.
I have no problem paying a higher price for GUARANTEED lower crowds, but I'd like to know how they are going to guarantee that. Assuming the higher tier prices are going to shift crowd levels, is not a guarantee of lower crowds, so I would like to know what the actual "guarantee" is.

To take your scenario one step further . . . OK, you can't get BOG on Saturday, but you can get it on Wednesday. What happens if you can't get admission to MK on Wednesday, but you can get it on Friday, but there's no BOG for Friday? Or you manage to get MK and BOG on the same day, but there aren't any good FP+ except on Thursday at MK? If this scenario works the way people are speculating, you need to get three sets of stars to align - FP+, ADRs, and now ability to access a particular park on a specific day - to make your plans. That could make things a lot more interesting for the super planners, especially those that like to tweak their plans a lot.

Since I buy a Florida Resident AP, I'm used to having the different admission dates to consider when I buy the pass, and I don't make a lot of advance plans for my trips because I visit so often. But I can see that there could be a lot of potential headaches for a lot of people, depending on how the plan is implemented.

 

[mom2rtk]

That is what people said about "pre-booking your attractions" and now we know this as Fastpass Plus. If Disney is asking about it, you better bet there is a plan.

I sort of get the impression that Disney doesn't survey whether to do something, but how to do it.