New survey .. proposal .. Tiered Ticket Prices

[WillAustin]

I have no grudge against Disney for wanting to make money. It's a good thing. Especially as a stockholder that got in under $40.

The negative part is how they go about it.

I did just go and sign up for a TP subscription though.

 

[baler31]

I have no grudge against Disney for wanting to make money. It's a good thing. Especially as a stockholder that got in under $40.

The negative part is how they go about it.

I did just go and sign up for a TP subscription though.

What is the negative part ? There is no other way for Disney to eek more out of the Parks division without cutting costs or raising prices. They have already cut costs to the bone, now they are exploring what raising prices will do to the paradigm.

 

[mesaboy2]

What is the negative part ? There is no other way for Disney to eek more out of the Parks division without cutting costs or raising prices. They have already cut costs to the bone, now they are exploring what raising prices will do to the paradigm.

For me, the additional layer of complexity to an already convoluted system.

 

[LATJLP]

Hmmm...I just went and took the survey but it never asked me about ticket prices, only about my experience modifying a hotel reservation. It did ask if I'm a passholder (which I am) so I wonder if I didn't get the ticket questions because I won't be buying tickets only passes.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Hmmm...I just went and took the survey but it never asked me about ticket prices, only about my experience modifying a hotel reservation. It did ask if I'm a passholder (which I am) so I wonder if I didn't get the ticket questions because I won't be buying tickets only passes.

This survey was apparently sent specifically to Ap holders as far as I have read.

 

[LATJLP]

This survey was apparently sent specifically to Ap holders as far as I have read.

Guess they didn't want my opinion then, lol....I've given it to them enough they know what I'd think of this cockamamie idea.

 

[Barnabe]

What amuses me is when Tom Corless posted the FP+ was going to be arriving at DLR by August 2016, no one uttered peep. http://wdwnt.com/blog/2015/05/break...stem-this-summer-hong-kong-launching-in-2016/ Even though, it was an unconfirmed rumor.

But Len Testa writes a blog based on an actual tiering price chart provided by Disney and he's blasted out of the water?

What? So it's OK to write blogs about FP+ coming to DLR, because this reinforces the idea that everyone loves FP+ and Disney was right?

On the other hand, to extrapolate from a survey that Disney published is not all right because raising ticket prices is negative publicity? Therefore Len Testa is dishonest. Sounds to me like it's more about the messenger being blamed for posting information about the tiered system.

Like Will Austin, I just renewed my subscription to touring plans.

 

[Anonygoose]

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[WillAustin]

At what point, then, are they "allowed" to stop? The parks are making money. At some point, they need to be able to say that the parks are making enough money. Otherwise, you get things like outsourcing, lowered customer service, higher prices for lower value, etc. At some point, there's nothing left to cut that doesn't cut quality and customer experience.

As people have repeatedly told me on this forum, as long as there are people to take the place of those who stop coming to WDW, it won't matter. I agree the value vs. cost has constantly dropped.

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

This survey was apparently sent specifically to Ap holders as far as I have read.

Do we know if this is true? It seems odd to send a survey about one day/ multi day tickets to a demographic that normally doesn't buy them.

 

[Marionnette]

This survey was apparently sent specifically to Ap holders as far as I have read.

Do we know if this is true? It seems odd to send a survey about one day/ multi day tickets to a demographic that normally doesn't buy them.

I made that observation earlier in this thread and a PP replied that they had gotten the survey and they are not AP holders.

 

[wisblue]

This survey was apparently sent specifically to Ap holders as far as I have read.

If you look at the item from Theme Park Insider which is linked in the TP article it would seem that it isn't just AP holders who are being asked about this.

The screen shots in that article (which show items being asked at the back end of a longer survey) asks if the person (who was "intercepted" at DAK on December 7) would have changed his plans or bought an annual pass if that structure had been in place.

 

[dawgsgirl]

All the "discussion" does not change the fact that this is nothing but a complicated price increase. I have no doubt that it will be a substantial increase. Which chart you are looking at does not really matter. Disney is just surveying the masses to see how much of a price increase the market will bear.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I made that observation earlier in this thread and a PP replied that they had gotten the survey and they are not AP holders.

Thanks for clarifying that, I missed your post earlier. I didn't mean for it to come across as saying it was exclusively sent to AP holders, but that ap holders had received it (since the person I was responding to was assuming he didn't get it because he was an ap holder). I worded it poorly, sorry about that!

 

[Planogirl]

I'm mulling over the thought that Disney might prefer if at least some visitors stay for a shorter period of time. You could really see that with offsite visitors too when you consider that most of the profit for tickets comes during the first few days in a way. Interesting approach if true.

As for Mr. Testa's article, I enjoyed it. I saw it as him analyzing one proposed pricing scheme and it appeared to be written before he was aware of other proposals. He's a blogger so I don't expect him to backpedal once a piece is done.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I'm mulling over the thought that Disney might prefer if at least some visitors stay for a shorter period of time. You could really see that with offsite visitors too when you consider that most of the profit for tickets comes during the first few days in a way. Interesting approach if true.

It is interesting to consider, especially after their discussions about how MM+ helped them get more guests into MK over the Christmas period. IIRC, that was at least in.part due to guest turnover, not just the NFL increase.

 

[SmithSmith]

He explained a lot of this on the last WDW Today Podcast. But according to the survey, Disney isn't looking at just raising prices on the 2 weeks of the year the parks are usually filled to capacity. That might make sense. They are including all of July, the end of June and the beginning of August. That whole time doesn't have level 10 crowd levels. Don't rates for deluxe hotels usually decrease after July 20th? Easy WDW has most of Juy at a 7 with weekdays at an 8. Easy WDW has the first half of June predicted as 8's and 9's but those were silver days on the survey. He was also basing his commentary on the observed (not presicted) wait times for last year. Also, there are only 2 or 3 full weekend that are bronze. If you are using the information provided in WDWmagic's version of the survey, that would make a week long trip with a bronze ticket almost impossible.

I figured this already and pointed it out in my first post of this thread by showing there would only be 2 small windows of opportunity to hold a 7 day bronze ticket: beginning of September & end of April/beginning of May. I have a huge problem with this for a variety reasons. One of them being... fall is now essentially silver season even though hours are much shorter, in part due to hard ticket events. So paying more, and getting less. That's so not cool!

Many others however, have found their wait times to be fairly reliable. Lots of people find the predicted wait times in the lines app more accurated than Dosn'ey's posted wait times.

Yep. I like the Lines App very much, and find it pretty reliable. Just to be clear, I do not have an issue with Len or TP at all. I've held a subscription for the last 2 years and rely on their website and unofficial guide on a regular basis. This may be weird, but out of everything they do, I think my favorite is the Hotel Room Views they provide. I absolutely love those!

I'm just not sold on their crowd predicting/observed capabilities. For example, I have a hard time believing that (per the article), weekends during last July for the resort/MK were observed at just a 6. It just seems low. Either way, that's another discussion for another thread.

 

[cakebaker]

Yep. I like the Lines App very much, and find it pretty reliable. Just to be clear, I do not have an issue with Len or TP at all. I've held a subscription for the last 2 years and rely on their website and unofficial guide on a regular basis.

I used them many years ago on our first trip to DL- back when as I recall, all they did was DL? I just purchased another subscription a few weeks ago. I like the site, I use it and I support it. Heck, I was chewed on pretty good a few months ago when I defended the owner from comments that he was a hack who wasn't objective because of his business interests when his results of increased wait times didn't match easywdw.


That doesn't mean that when I read an article that comes off as imbalanced or not showing the entire picture, I won't say so.

 

[SmithSmith]

If Mr. Testa lacks credibility because he did not include information about the other surveys in his original post, nor has he updated the article itself since learning of them (even though he has acknowledged it in writing in his comments as well as on his podcast), then the same should apply to WDW Magic as well (who has not updated their article to include this information, nor do they have responses to comments on the article page).

If you agree that the same standard applies to WDW Magic, then that would not be a double standard, and you have my apologies.

WDWMagic doesn't have a comments section, but at the end of their articles is a link to discuss the topic/article in their forums. So it's very similar to a comments section. The WDWMagic news feed was published on May 27. On the very same day, the corresponding forum where they discussed the topic, a poster provided multiple charts for both WDW and DL. It clearly shows both charts, the one TP cited and the one WDWMagic cited.

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...tiered-ticket-pricing-by-season.899893/page-3

Again, this was a full week before Len researched and published his blog post.

I've barely been paying attention to WDW news recently and even I knew about the different charts right away. I find it hard to believe that a WDW expert, who lives and breathes Disney, and has a paid staff, was so late to the game on this one.

Again, I'm a fan of him and his work. I'm not knocking the guy. I just find it puzzling.

 

[trainingupmy4princes]

Disney is going to have to raise prices. Demand outstrips supply for the parks. In less than a decade MK attendance has increased from 16.5 million to 19.5 million. Disney cannot grow in Orlando, they are already the largest single site employer in the US with over 70,000 CM's . They cannot build a 5th gate, there is no way they can support even any hotel growth at this point. Hence building more DVC and utilizing existing facilities and employees.

IMO, Disney could raise ticket prices 25% and not experience any significant attendance drop. Personally, I would pay much more for a better experience and/or less crowded parks. However, I won't hold my breath that they will plow that money back into the experience.

They don't need to build a fifth gate to help with crowds. They need to simply put do something about the ghost towns in HS and Epcot. Imagination is a huge building, they have an entire second floor sitting there as well as a theater that with an updated movie could help with crowding. There is I think 1 or 2 pavilions just sitting there. Why not rework either with a new theme or new rides for the existing and open them up? If the Imagination pavilion was brought back to it's full potential (thinking of the 80s) and the other pavilions open with some new experiences, Epcot could absorb a lot of crowds. They are going to need something because, Frozen in Norway fan or not, they are going to get some huge crowds when Norway/Arrendale opens.

HS is simply sad in it's current state. Some of the shows have become quite dated and are not drawing crowds away from the few rides this park has. They have a lot of empty buildings as well that they could be doing something with but they just keep shutting more down with nothing new announced.

This is the problem with the ticket hike for those prices people are going to avoid the parks that don't deliver the value for what they are charging. So this will only worsen the crowds at MK.