Not sure $149 Disney After Hrs event is doing well... (ETA: reviews in 1st post)

[Nancyg56]

It seems like one of the problems for some people with this event is that they resent the special Disney experience that others are getting that they themselves are unwilling to pay for.

Yep!

 

[TwoMisfits]

It seems like one of the problems for some people with this event is that they resent the special Disney experience that others are getting that they themselves are unwilling to pay for.

I think what people are resenting are the obviously reduced hours they are receiving for their prime theme park ticket and the likely increased crowds during those reduced hours in the evening. The former may or not have happened anyway in the era of Disney penny-pinching; the latter would not have. And even 1 extra person at the event 3 hours early is one more person taking 3 late FPs on prime rides away, so to say to them there is no effect is untrue. Minimal, maybe, but still an effect. And when one's 4 - 5 digit vacation is affected with less than 60 days prior to arrival, when Disney makes everyone plan so far ahead and spend so much, hard feelings are not unexpected or unwarranted.

 

[Mikie]

It seems like one of the problems for some people with this event is that they resent the special Disney experience that others are getting that they themselves are unwilling to pay for.

I can't read everyone's minds, but I think it looks like the complainers or skeptics (including me) are generally feeling like there will be negative repercussions on those who choose not to pay. I choose not to pay for VIP tours, but I've never noticed one in the park nor identified any way in which they affect me, therefore I resent nothing WRT those.

I fully admit that last night's event seemed to show no adverse effects for day guests and that I'm making assumptions that may not come true in the future. I usually try not to "borrow trouble from tomorrow" but admit I am doing it here. I read most negative posts as similar to my complaint: a fear (concern? Conviction?) that these events, if successful in Disney's eyes will not remain exactly as they are and will not continue to be free of repercussions for non participants.

 

[pens4821]

It seems like one of the problems for some people with this event is that they resent the special Disney experience that others are getting that they themselves are unwilling to pay for.

I've been thinking this too. Whether they can't afford it or don't think it's worth it, I think some are a bit jealous of others that will go. I know I am. I wouldn't spend that on my family of 5, but if I could afford it or if we were only going to the parks a day or two I'd make it happen.

I just don't get people wanting it to fail. I know it's expensive, but if it was cheap then it would be more crowded. I hope everyone that goes has as great a time as I would riding rides for 3 hours.

 

[ITALIANNYC]

Part of the disney experience is the crowds. Is the craziness. Is the beauty of the place in the daytime. Sure it would be fun to have an empty park, but at the same time, it just seems like " hey lets go ride as many rides as we can in 2 or 3 hours ". You aren't sitting back and really taking in what the park is really about.

I won't be spending a dime on it..

On a side note, if they add that on the day I have extra magic hours and cancel mine, I will be severely pissed

 

[nicko]

It seems like one of the problems for some people with this event is that they resent the special Disney experience that others are getting that they themselves are unwilling to pay for.

Nope. I resent that once again this year I pay more for my theme park tickets but this year on top of price increases I get rewarded with an earlier closing time. Last year MK was open until 11 PM or midnight during the summer. This year it's 10 PM. Also, if the parks have unexpectedly heavy attendance on a particular day, Disney will no longer extend hours to accommodate heavier crowds. This used to happen in the past but now won't happen because of the after hours event.

I only resent it when my experience is reduced in order to provide a premium (upsell) event to someone else.

 

[jknc]

Nope. I resent that once again this year I pay more for my theme park tickets but this year on top of price increases I get rewarded with an earlier closing time. Last year MK was open until 11 PM or midnight during the summer. This year it's 10 PM. Also, if the parks have unexpectedly heavy attendance on a particular day, Disney will no longer extend hours to accommodate heavier crowds. This used to happen in the past but now won't happen because of the after hours event.

I only resent it when my experience is reduced in order to provide a premium (upsell) event to someone else.

Keeping my fingers crossed they don't keep the MK closing hours at 10 for an upcharge event.
Last year closing - NON EMH - was 1.

 

[Hikergirl]

Part of the disney experience is the crowds. Is the craziness. Is the beauty of the place in the daytime. Sure it would be fun to have an empty park, but at the same time, it just seems like " hey lets go ride as many rides as we can in 2 or 3 hours ". You aren't sitting back and really taking in what the park is really about.

I won't be spending a dime on it..

On a side note, if they add that on the day I have extra magic hours and cancel mine, I will be severely pissed

If I get to ride as many rides as I can in 2 to 3 hours that is taking in what the park is really about for me. I go to WDW because I love the theming of the attractions. I don't believe there is another place that does it as well as they do.
You can have the crowds and craziness, that is one of the main reasons I haven't been to WDW in a couple years.

Everyone that is upset is upset about the what if's. It seems pointless to get yourself all worked up over it when it hasn't happened yet.
And the poster that say's this is a direct threat to you. Really, a direct "threat", that is a little dramatic don't you think.

 

[dfb]

Plenty of legitimate companies give the first sample free to entice customers. Probably even before drug dealers.

I compare a Disney addiction more closely to a drug addiction. If you want to compare the Extra hours freebie to a free sample pack of cheerios from General Mills or a free tube of hemorrhoid cream from proctor and gamble, fine. I'd say it would have a closer effect to a free hit of crack cocaine. Just saying! Besides it was a joke!!!

 

[whiporee]

Nope. I resent that once again this year I pay more for my theme park tickets but this year on top of price increases I get rewarded with an earlier closing time. Last year MK was open until 11 PM or midnight during the summer. This year it's 10 PM. Also, if the parks have unexpectedly heavy attendance on a particular day, Disney will no longer extend hours to accommodate heavier crowds. This used to happen in the past but now won't happen because of the after hours event.

I only resent it when my experience is reduced in order to provide a premium (upsell) event to someone else.

On a go forward basis, I think everyone has to accept the MK is going to start holding to posted hours pretty firmly. So that means a 10 pm close most nights for non-EMH or DAH guests. Same thing in the mornings -- you'll have the chance to buy EMM or if there are EMH, but otherwise the park is going to be consistently open from 9-10. If I were planning, that's what I'd assume the hours are going to be. If they run later, great, but I doubt that is going to happen nearly as much in the future as it has in the past. Or maybe that's how tiering will eventually be utilized -- that the high-priced days will be longer than the lower-priced ones. That would make sense to me -- why should a ticket with a 10 pm close cost as much as one with a midnight close?

But I do take exception with the prognosicating aspect of this post. Because WDW has done something in the past should not be assumed to be a guarantee of them doing it in the future. So, as long as Disney is open during the hours they said they'd be open when you bought your ticket, they're not doing you wrong. It may not be as much as you wanted it to be, but they haven't taken anything from you that they promised. They may have denied you an extra benefit you thought was coming, but those assumptions were yours, not theirs.

 

[DoingDisney]

There are plenty of people who hope that endeavors which do not benefit them personally fail. We see examples throughout this thread.

It might also be that, as I do, the pp imagines if this even succeeds this will end up digging in to regular park hours. We wont see as many, or any late MK nights, etc.

I am all for up charge or hard ticket events if they don't impact my ability to use the parks, especially since I keep paying more and more for the tickets, but as soon as things start to, or to some extent even appear as if they might, further devalue my ticket or eat into the time available in the parks without paying an additional fee, I generally don't like them.

 

[DoingDisney]

On a go forward basis, I think everyone has to accept the MK is going to start holding to posted hours pretty firmly. So that means a 10 pm close most nights for non-EMH or DAH guests. Same thing in the mornings -- you'll have the chance to buy EMM or if there are EMH, but otherwise the park is going to be consistently open from 9-10. If I were planning, that's what I'd assume the hours are going to be. If they run later, great, but I doubt that is going to happen nearly as much in the future as it has in the past. Or maybe that's how tiering will eventually be utilized -- that the high-priced days will be longer than the lower-priced ones. That would make sense to me -- why should a ticket with a 10 pm close cost as much as one with a midnight close?

But I do take exception with the prognosicating aspect of this post. Because WDW has done something in the past should not be assumed to be a guarantee of them doing it in the future. So, as long as Disney is open during the hours they said they'd be open when you bought your ticket, they're not doing you wrong. It may not be as much as you wanted it to be, but they haven't taken anything from you that they promised. They may have denied you an extra benefit you thought was coming, but those assumptions were yours, not theirs.

Thats fair, but I'd say its also fair then to say the ticket is worth less, or devalued, regardless of whether Disney "promised" anything or not. If last year my "X" day ticket offered my 60 hours access to MK, and this year at the same time, even if they held the ticket price the same I was only offered 50 hours access to MK, the ticket is worth less. And of course they have in fact increased the price of the ticket.

 

[Mikie]

It might also be that, as I do, the pp imagines if this even succeeds this will end up digging in to regular park hours. We wont see as many, or any late MK nights, etc.

I am all for up charge or hard ticket events if they don't impact my ability to use the parks, especially since I keep paying more and more for the tickets, but as soon as things start to, or to some extent even appear as if they might, further devalue my ticket or eat into the time available in the parks without paying an additional fee, I generally don't like them.

I realize many factors would have to be considered more thoroughly to make this scientific, but party season is the most readily available comparison (paid event, after hours, with overlapping admission of day and event guests). In another thread, I just posted a count of days with various closing times in October 2013, 14 and 15.

MK closed at 7 pm 51 times for the after hours party event.

In those 3 years, if never had an 8:00 closing time (unless you count 1 occurrence of 8-10 EMH)
In that time it closed at 9:00 pm 3 times and 3 more 9-11 EMH
Closed at 10 pm 3 times plus the one 8-10 EMH and 4 10-12 EMH
Closed at 11 pm 10 times plus the 3 9-11 EMH and 3 11-1 EMH
Closed at 12 7 times plus 4 10-12 EMH
Closed at 1 pm (non EMH) 3 times plus 3 11-1 EMH

It's hard to say what "normal" closing times were.
Do we claim that 7 pm was the "usual" closing time, Disney added parties to 51 regular closing days and extended park hours on all the other days?
Do we say that the "regular" October hours would have been 10-12 and sometimes 9p or 1:00am, but it got closed early 51 times to accommodate parties?

Regardless, I travel in fall and know it is hard to plan around these parties and highly variable closings. I hope that DAH events don't grow and change to create this kind of challenge in other times of year.

 

[DoingDisney]

I realize many factors would have to be considered more thoroughly to make this scientific, but party season is the most readily available comparison (paid event, after hours, with overlapping admission of day and event guests). In another thread, I just posted a count of days with various closing times in October 2013, 14 and 15.

MK closed at 7 pm 51 times for the after hours party event.

In those 3 years, if never had an 8:00 closing time (unless you count 1 occurrence of 8-10 EMH)
In that time it closed at 9:00 pm 3 times and 3 more 9-11 EMH
Closed at 10 pm 3 times plus the one 8-10 EMH and 4 10-12 EMH
Closed at 11 pm 10 times plus the 3 9-11 EMH and 3 11-1 EMH
Closed at 12 7 times plus 4 10-12 EMH
Closed at 1 pm (non EMH) 3 times plus 3 11-1 EMH

It's hard to say what "normal" closing times were.
Do we claim that 7 pm was the "usual" closing time, Disney added parties to 51 regular closing days and extended park hours on all the other days?
Do we say that the "regular" October hours would have been 10-12 and sometimes 9p or 1:00am, but it got closed early 51 times to accommodate parties?

Regardless, I travel in fall and know it is hard to plan around these parties and highly variable closings. I hope that DAH events don't grow and change to create this kind of challenge in other times of year.

Great post / data - Indeed this plays well against the PP's post to who I was responding who suggested a Ticket that was bought for 9 - 10pm isn't devalued if they offer something extra (which logic I DO get) and that they shouldn't compare to other years/expect the same (I get not expecting, but I don't agree that comparing isn't viable, though they didn't actually say that). Part of the assertion was that a ticket shouldn't get more hours just because its the summer .... ok fair, but then why should a ticket get fewer hours in the fall while they sell all these up charge events ?

In fact I have often thought tickets should be discounted at that time. Last year we were there for MVMCP ... and the offerings of Wishes at MK were dang near non-existent, and the hours were terrible. We compared that to our May trip ... wow, much more value for a 10 day ticket in may than during the Christmas season.

 

[Planogirl]

Wow. So now people who don't think this is worth the money and worry that it will eat into regular park time are jealous? At least that's what I assume is meant by resentful. That's a bit of a leap. In fact it's borderline rude.

 

[jon18uk]

The reviews I've read sound pretty much like my experience at the E ticket nights that cost $10 - $12 back in the 90s. I'd have to eat a lot of ice cream to make up the difference for that. We even got some cool character photos back in those days with the fab 5 in their Tomorrowland costumes.

But wasn't e-ticket night $12 on top of regular park admission? Therefore for current prices it would be $129 for admission and e-ticket night. So if this evening is your only park time, $149 is comparable to the old e-ticket nights. But if you already have seven day tickets it's not worth it.

 

[Nancyg56]

On a go forward basis, I think everyone has to accept the MK is going to start holding to posted hours pretty firmly. So that means a 10 pm close most nights for non-EMH or DAH guests. Same thing in the mornings -- you'll have the chance to buy EMM or if there are EMH, but otherwise the park is going to be consistently open from 9-10. If I were planning, that's what I'd assume the hours are going to be. If they run later, great, but I doubt that is going to happen nearly as much in the future as it has in the past. Or maybe that's how tiering will eventually be utilized -- that the high-priced days will be longer than the lower-priced ones. That would make sense to me -- why should a ticket with a 10 pm close cost as much as one with a midnight close?

But I do take exception with the prognosicating aspect of this post. Because WDW has done something in the past should not be assumed to be a guarantee of them doing it in the future. So, as long as Disney is open during the hours they said they'd be open when you bought your ticket, they're not doing you wrong. It may not be as much as you wanted it to be, but they haven't taken anything from you that they promised. They may have denied you an extra benefit you thought was coming, but those assumptions were yours, not theirs.

I think that Disney will keep their gates open later thatn posted hours when the crowds are especially heavy and the cancer for evening entertainment during the week is reduced. I belive that we will continue to see the MK open until 1 AM o Saturday nightsduring the party season, for instance.

 

[Nancyg56]

Great post / data - Indeed this plays well against the PP's post to who I was responding who suggested a Ticket that was bought for 9 - 10pm isn't devalued if they offer something extra (which logic I DO get) and that they shouldn't compare to other years/expect the same (I get not expecting, but I don't agree that comparing isn't viable, though they didn't actually say that). Part of the assertion was that a ticket shouldn't get more hours just because its the summer .... ok fair, but then why should a ticket get fewer hours in the fall while they sell all these up charge events ?

In fact I have often thought tickets should be discounted at that time. Last year we were there for MVMCP ... and the offerings of Wishes at MK were dang near non-existent, and the hours were terrible. We compared that to our May trip ... wow, much more value for a 10 day ticket in may than during the Christmas season.

I know that when I purchase my trips in DEcember or October, the planning is different than planning any other time of year. I consider my money well sent but I have to fine tune my days, and I will say that when I am in the MK on Saturday night watching Wishes and trying to see the MSEP, I forget how empty the park was on Tuesday when the park closed early. The park stayed open an extra 3 hours after the original posted closing time, but it was crowded. On the Tuesday prior most attractions were not "walk on" but pretty close.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Same thing in the mornings -- you'll have the chance to buy EMM or if there are EMH, but otherwise the park is going to be consistently open from 9-10.

Do we claim that 7 pm was the "usual" closing time, Disney added parties to 51 regular closing days and extended park hours on all the other days?

I can't find the source now, but base operating hours for MK are 9 AM to 7 PM.

So, as long as Disney is open during the hours they said they'd be open when you bought your ticket,

Thats fair, but I'd say its also fair then to say the ticket is worth less, or devalued, regardless of whether Disney "promised" anything or not. If last year my "X" day ticket offered my 60 hours access to MK, and this year at the same time, even if they held the ticket price the same I was only offered 50 hours access to MK, the ticket is worth less. And of course they have in fact increased the price of the ticket.

Because tickets aren't sold for specific days, this isn't really a valid comparison.

 

[Lucius Best]

We don't know the operating cost per hour for any park, but even with low initial ticket sales, they're probably making money.

Word of mouth should increase sales.

Disney is a business after all, let me grab my trusty calculator to see how much money Disney made!

$149 X 300 paid guests = $44,700 We don't know it was exactly 300 paid guests, but that's a lot of money!

Divide by 3 hours that's $14,900 per hour. Divide by 26 attractions, that's $573 per hour per attraction.

If there were 300 paid guests and 700 free entries, they probably ate 2 ice creams each, thats 2,000 ice creams!!! At $4.25 apiece, that would have been $8,500 in revenue...

But the park might have stayed open later than it did if there wasn't an After Hours event, so Disney maybe only paid to keep the park open an extra 1 or 2 hours...

But word of mouth = priceless!