New survey .. proposal .. Tiered Ticket Prices

[PirateD]

Touring Plans has a blog entry explaining 3 things to like about the new plan, and 3 things to despise:
http://blog.touringplans.com/2015/0...twitter&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitter

Thank you so much for posting this link! It's a very interesting and informative blog post. After reading Len's explanation and the comments following, it makes me hate the idea even more! Maybe it's not productive, but I think I'm going to go ahead and contact Disney and voice my opinions. I find it crazy to think that Disney is moving to targeting only families in the top 10-20% of household incomes. I concur with Len and don't see how they feel that business will be able to be maintained consistently with reliance solely on that target. I guess when I said that my family could eventually be priced out of going, I was right.

I also find it interesting that we shouldn't be talking about this when clearly everyone else in the Disney community is.

 

[ougrad86]

I've read this whole thread and I'm confused (not hard to do).

Do you have to pick a park each day and buy the ticket for that park for that day? Or do you just buy the silver package (If that's what your week is) and you can still go to any park on any day - and buy hoppers additionally?

It appears you can by the package for the number of days you want. The speculation is that the entire package would reflect the highest tier on the days you visit. The MK price is only if you visit MK for one day without the package - that is how I see it. Two days is just a bit less than two normal park days, and then it gets less per day overall from that point. If you buy more than one day, they sweep MK in as a bonus. Hopper sare additional, depending on how many days. That is listed underneath the costs for the days.

 

[wisblue]

Touring Plans has a blog entry explaining 3 things to like about the new plan, and 3 things to despise:
http://blog.touringplans.com/2015/06/03/3-things-like-hate-disneys-tiered-ticket-price-proposal/?utm_campaign=twitter&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitter

As I said at the beginning of this thread, this concept doesn't bother me at all and doesn't come as a surprise because different pricing for different dates and different times is so common in the entertainment industry (note Universal's pricing for Express Passes). What I do care about is how the pricing translates into actual dollars and how any increases compare to the usual increases that Disney has implemented for decades.

We can quibble about things like complication and fairness, but when you factor in things like special promotions, seasonal pricing for resorts, package pricing, etc., when has planning for a Disney vacation (or travel to any popular destination for that matter) ever been that simple. When we travel to Disney, we look at dates, resort (usually DVC availability), airfares and so on, and then decide on park tickets based on how long we are staying and whether we are likely to be making other trips in the near future (to decide if annual passes make sense). Based on the dates of our trip, it wouldn't be any more difficult to make these decisions because we will know what tier we are in. Unless the differences in prices are dramatic, we aren't likely to fudge our dates just to save something on park tickets. With schoolteachers in the family, we can't usually be that flexible.

The biggest thing that jumps out at me from the Touring Plans article is that the sample price chart he uses is very dramatically different than the one shown earlier in this thread. In that chart from WDW Magic, the bronze price seemed to be about like current prices, silver was a little higher, and gold was a little higher than that. But all of the examples continued the current structure of extra days costing $10 after the first 4 days. In that chart, a 10 day gold ticket was $405. In the chart in the Touring Plans article, that same 10 day ticket is listed at $732.

It would appear that different people are seeing different proposed price charts. I don't know exactly where the point would be that price increases would significantly affect how often we would visit WDW. The chart from WDW Magic wouldn't really faze me, but the one from TP definitely would. There is a big difference between what I can afford and what I am willing to pay.

 

[Praying Colonel]

Can you share a link, please? Thanks!

http://blog.touringplans.com/2015/0...twitter&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitter

 

[MKMomma]

http://blog.touringplans.com/2015/0...twitter&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitter

TY! Off to read

 

[ougrad86]

As I said at the beginning of this thread, this concept doesn't bother me at all and doesn't come as a surprise because different pricing for different dates and different times is so common in the entertainment industry (note Universal's pricing for Express Passes). What I do care about is how the pricing translates into actual dollars and how any increases compare to the usual increases that Disney has implemented for decades.

We can quibble about things like complication and fairness, but when you factor in things like special promotions, seasonal pricing for resorts, package pricing, etc., when has planning for a Disney vacation (or travel to any popular destination for that matter) ever been that simple. When we travel to Disney, we look at dates, resort (usually DVC availability), airfares and so on, and then decide on park tickets based on how long we are staying and whether we are likely to be making other trips in the near future (to decide if annual passes make sense). Based on the dates of our trip, it wouldn't be any more difficult to make these decisions because we will know what tier we are in. Unless the differences in prices are dramatic, we aren't likely to fudge our dates just to save something on park tickets. With schoolteachers in the family, we can't usually be that flexible.

The biggest thing that jumps out at me from the Touring Plans article is that the sample price chart he uses is very dramatically different than the one shown earlier in this thread. In that chart from WDW Magic, the bronze price seemed to be about like current prices, silver was a little higher, and gold was a little higher than that. But all of the examples continued the current structure of extra days costing $10 after the first 4 days. In that chart, a 10 day gold ticket was $405. In the chart in the Touring Plans article, that same 10 day ticket is listed at $732.

It would appear that different people are seeing different proposed price charts. I don't know exactly where the point would be that price increases would significantly affect how often we would visit WDW. The chart from WDW Magic wouldn't really faze me, but the one from TP definitely would. There is a big difference between what I can afford and what I am willing to pay.

I noticed that price difference as well. My head is foggy this morning, but I need to take a closer look at it. Like you said, the one from TP would make a huge difference as to whether we can afford to go once our old NE tickets are used up.

 

[Airb330]

It would appear that different people are seeing different proposed price charts. I don't know exactly where the point would be that price increases would significantly affect how often we would visit WDW. The chart from WDW Magic wouldn't really faze me, but the one from TP definitely would. There is a big difference between what I can afford and what I am willing to pay.

The one he is showing in that link is probably the worst case scenario. it does seem like there are 3-4 different price structures out there in these surveys. A big yes to what I bolded in your post. Just because we might fall into the 10% Disney wants...doesn't mean we will pay it. We're paying $60ish a day to enter a gate today with our non-expiration tickets with park hopping and water parks. No way we're going to pay $130 a day just to enter. We already spend too much on drinks and dining as it is!

 

[jimim]

We are in the "targeted demographic". That doesn't mean we don't watch where our money goes and have limits on spending, look at value, etc. And until they put some serious help into EP & HS, they are dangerously close to exceeding what we perceive to be the "value" of park tickets.

I can see ticket discounts going by by for us dvc owners. The ticket discount is what pays for our plane fare for our second or third trip each year. I don't know what to think about all this yet until something is concrete. You then regroup and see where else u can save. Tables in wonderland alone gets us plane tickets one way each trip for my family of four.

 

[TXTransplant]

Wow, Len Testa is coming out with guns firing. He says Disney is specifically targeting people in the upper 10 to 20% of household income and he has marketing material to prove it. That's the audience Disney wants to attract.

This price increase seems to be a culling of the heard.

While I don't doubt this at all, I think Disney is making a HUGE mistake with this strategy. I am in the top 10% of income earners and the LAST thing I want to do is give Disney a blank check for my vacation. One of the reasons FP+ annoys me so bad is because you have to buy non-refundable tickets at least 60 days in advance. How does Disney think I got to be a top 10% income earner? Certainly NOT by giving companies like Disney hundreds and thousands of dollars in interest-free loans!

 

[wisblue]

While I don't doubt this at all, I think Disney is making a HUGE mistake with this strategy. I am in the top 10% of income earners and the LAST thing I want to do is five Disney a blank check for my vacation. One of the reasons FP+ annoys me so bad is because you have to buy non-refundable tickets at least 90 days in advance. How does Disney think I got to be a top 10% income earner? Certainly NOT by giving companies like Disney hundreds and thousands of dollars in interest-free loans!

I agree with you.

Of course, with today's prevailing interest rates most low risk short term investments are like interest free loans.

 

[SMorgan711]

I didn't get to read everyone's responses so I'm not sure if DL has been mentioned yet.

DH and I went to DL in February and I just recently received a survey from Disney. I was thinking it must have been some mistake (since they usually send them within a week or two after you arrive home) but I opened it up anyway and it was this exact same survey about pricing structures and gold/silver/bronze days. What a headache.

There was even a question in there to rate how other guests have on your experience at DL. I thought that was interesting.

 

[Anonygoose]

-----------------------------------

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

My immediate thought is that just because a guest has money, that is no guarantee that they will be a certain kind of person. Lots of people that have $$ are rude and can negatively impact the trip for others. They can be from any country and have any amount of money, it might in no way mean that you will experience a 'nicer' kind of trip. Only now, we all pay more. Harumph.

 

[mom2rtk]

There was even a question in there to rate how other guests have on your experience at DL. I thought that was interesting.

LOL, are they looking for justification to weed out the riff raff other guests?

 

[kyomagi]

so this is all conceptual right? not, hey btw here is the new 2016 pricing

 

[trainingupmy4princes]

One thing that I wonder about (if these new increases take effect based on a target demographic of highest 10% of earners) is level of service. Yes, these are the types of consumers who have no issue with paying thousands of dollars on a vacation. However, they're also the type of consumer for whom this isn't a "once in a lifetime" expenditure, or even a rare expenditure. They expect a certain level of service which, frankly, Disney doesn't provide. Disney provides good service. It does not, though, provide the kind of service which can compete with a true "luxury vacation" and which higher-end consumers expect for that kind of money.

Examples:
long wait times to speak with a CSR
issues with Disney website
waiting 10-20-30 minutes to be seated at an ADR
luxury resorts on par with a Holiday Inn
quality of food
flexibility of service
Disney transportation times
etc.

That is the problem I think Disney isn't looking at realistically. We are middle class by no means the 10% but everyone I know that goes to Disney is like us middle class. I have a relative who is definitely in the 10% and they have taken their entire family kids and grand kids to places like the Mediterranean and Europe. No way would they think that the Polynesian or even the Grand Floridian is true deluxe accommodations. They would expect way better food and service than places like Narcoose's offers.The wife is a clean ocd (goes through housekeepers quickly because her standards are so high) and would not be impressed by the cleanliness standards of today's parks, don't even get me started on the monorail that is the transportation at their highest deluxes. Disney parks were built and made their bread and butter on the middle class. Even back in the 80s to 90s my family took around 4 trips to WDW and most of the families we knew who went like us were solid middle class. I just think this pricing model will not work as even my relative expects to see a value for their money as they didn't get to be rich by throwing it away.

 

[cigar95]

so this is all conceptual right? not, hey btw here is the new 2016 pricing

No details at all so far.

 

[Networth]

If they could guarantee less crowds I actually would pay more. I just would like to know I receive a refund when I don't see the fewer crowds I paid for.

 

[trainingupmy4princes]

If they could guarantee less crowds I actually would pay more. I just would like to know I receive a refund when I don't see the fewer crowds I paid for.

The parties were supposed to follow this model. We have gone to WDW 4 times in the fall and done the MNSSHP. Each time the price went up but the crowds also went up. They are not going to turn away customers unless they are at capacity so no I don't believe the would guarantee less crowds just PR spin it.

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

No way would they think that the Polynesian or even the Grand Floridian is true deluxe accommodations.

Now THAT is a luxury family!

If what you say is fact, better let Disney know or they will be desperate to get their regulars back (verses the 1%'er of the world...)