Park hopping option to end?

[doubletrouble_vb]

I could actually see re-routing the busses to the nearest access point for the mono-rails. The one exception should be FW and WL/VWL because they are already past the TTC and the bus would be back tracking. Also the other MK resorts would have to catch the monorail to get a bus anywhere.

This would mean for the EPCOT resorts that the bus would run to the front entrance of EPCOT rather than over to MK.

The negative would be having to change transportation frequently. The positive would be that there shouldn't be as long a wait for a bus to get somewhere...instead it would be a long ride. Perhaps this would inspire them to put in some type of light rail between EPCOT, MGM and AK.

 

[racefanof88]

Disney will have to watch closely the changes they are making. With Universal offering 2 park 7 day passes for 90 bucks...........hmmmmmmmmmmm can you say SpongeBob?........ With all the rumored changes Disney will become more expensive with less offerings? I hope they have their eye on the economy real close and realize if you keep taking away things and add costs people will find less expensive things to do with their money to still be able to take a vacation. I know that doesn't affect the foreign trade as our dollar is very weak right now. I know there will be price increases as this happens every year(sometimes more than once a year..... ). If they take the park hopping away it was be very bad for the DDP, if they get rid of the buses, as stated prior, international travelers and people who fly in will have more expense and trouble, if they change the fastpass system then they are excluding alot of their visitiors due to the fact that there are day visitors who buy APs because they live within driving distance and Disney just does not have enough rooms to house all the people who visit the parks in a given day.

WOW did I run on enough

 

[disneymath]

If the transportation options were taken away, a major reason for my family returning to WDW (so often) would disappear.

We love the parks and atmosphere and dining and .... but one of the big draws for us is that it truly is a vacation for my dad (the primary out of town driver). He, more than any of the rest of my family, REALLY appreciates not having to worry about driving anywhere on vacation.

 

[binkytell]

hi, we booked this package last year, the uk has always this ticket package and it is only available to uk residents, but they definately make up for it in the price we pay, the only part not on package was the preferred viewing for fireworks, this maybe new.

i have booked this years holiday through US disney and i have saved us $2000, yes thats $2000 not $200, wot a bargain.

sarah

 

[bytheblood]

If this happens, I would expect that it would be mandatory on any ticket instead of an option. Disney would not benefit at all by ditching the option altogether.

Not that Disney ever really cares about anything outside of their bottom line, but it would be ridiculous of them to do away with hopping considering that their 180-day reservation window makes it hard for people to always eat in the park they are visiting.

It would be especially hard at peak times if a park reaches capacity during the day, say you leave for dinner and want to come back but cannot get back in because the park is packed? It would be unfair for them to tell you that you cannot enter any park at all because they did away with hopping.

 

[racefanof88]

If this happens, I would expect that it would be mandatory on any ticket instead of an option. Disney would not benefit at all by ditching the option altogether.

Not that Disney ever really cares about anything outside of their bottom line, but it would be ridiculous of them to do away with hopping considering that their 180-day reservation window makes it hard for people to always eat in the park they are visiting.

It would be especially hard at peak times if a park reaches capacity during the day, say you leave for dinner and want to come back but cannot get back in because the park is packed? It would be unfair for them to tell you that you cannot enter any park at all because they did away with hopping.

Just what I said. So if we are thinking this, the powers that be must be thinking it too.

 

[bytheblood]

hi, we booked this package last year, the uk has always this ticket package and it is only available to uk residents, but they definately make up for it in the price we pay, the only part not on package was the preferred viewing for fireworks, this maybe new.

i have booked this years holiday through US disney and i have saved us $2000, yes thats $2000 not $200, wot a bargain.

sarah

 

[jfinke]

The current rumor is that bus service will no longer take you from your hotel directly to either the Magic Kingdom or Epcot, but to the TTC, where you can use the Monorail or Ferry. DHS and DAK will obviously still have direct service.

I don't understand the benefit in that. To save on gas for going the last mile around the lake?

 

[nless_dream]

i dont' think they'll get rid of it but probly have it built into park tickets. i don't mind paying a little more.

 

[daannzzz]

I don't understand the benefit in that. To save on gas for going the last mile around the lake?

Can you also imagine all of the resort buses dropping everyone who wants to go to Epcot at the TTC and them all trying to get on the monorail!!!! And then when Illuminations is over everyone taking the monorail back to the TTC and transferring to buses!!!! Sounds like a little bit of a bad idea to me.

 

[CanadianGuy]

The current rumor is that bus service will no longer take you from your hotel directly to either the Magic Kingdom or Epcot, but to the TTC, where you can use the Monorail or Ferry. DHS and DAK will obviously still have direct service.

While Disney certainly has a ready track record of equally poor decisions in select instances.. any effort that would try to funnel every WDW Resort Guest who rode a bus to Epcot thru the monorail to the TTC ... would a nightmare of monumental proportions that would completely fall apart on the very first night it was implemented.

UNLESS of course they were to add a crapload of new monorails to the system. But given the cutbacks, that kind of expense seems unlikely and there is a practical limit to the number of trains that can be operating on the same track concurrently. Ad the monorail is powered by a 600v line. And that electricity has to be paid for just like diesel fuel....

Knox

 

[Another Voice]

And that electricity has to be paid for just like diesel fuel....

The monorails might be powered by electricy that, it's said, Disney generates in the North Service Area. Of course some wags claim Disney can make more money by selling it into the state's power grid and then buying power back off the grid for a lower price (you people in Florida really ought to write your laws better).

Also, cheap busses "are rumored" to be part of the large sponsorship deal General Motors has for 'Test Track'. Who really thinks GM is in much of position these days to spend millions and millions and millions of dollars just to have their logo displayed to amusement park goers? Suddenly, the economics of having a massive bus fleet aren't so magical once you actually have to pay for the busses.

As for park hopping, doesn't it make sense that Disney would be more concerned about coming up with an incentive for people to book $200+ a night motel rooms rather than worrying about what some off-property-staying loser might spend on a hamburger if they hop parks? The cheapest way to create a new "perk" for some people is by denying it to other people.

 

[yitbos96bb]

The 7 Day premium ticket is a UK option and it's basically a 7 day ticket with park hopping and WPFM. The UK ticketing options include 14 and 21 day tickets with "all in" -- unlimited WPFM admissions and access to the themeparks for those 14 or 21 days. None of these options are new.

As for the bit about the buses..



A/V has been saying for a while now that the Disney transportation system is due for a bunch of major changes and Disney will either completely remove the buses between resorts and themeparks and/or possibly begin charging for DME from the airport etc (which I highly doubt) or dramatically alter the service quality such as to render it useless for the vast majority of guests (somewhat more likely).

Disney has a habit of changing things such that people are far less inclined to use those products or services and then eliminating them by saying "fewer guests wanted or used" the product or service etc.

While this would be a boon to the car service and car rental agencies in the Orlando area.. I just don't know if Disney is willing to go quite that far.. just yet. Everything depends on the price of diesel (and therefore oil in general).

I still suspect this oil situation is in fact a 'bubble' and not a 'new reality' and that the price of oil on a per barrel basis will probably fall back down to between 100$ and 110$ ... which while still overpriced on a demand/supply basis.. is more operationally feasible for Disney.

Knox

I can't see ANY POSSIBLE BENEFIT for Disney to remove transport between the busses and Resorts.... I'd love to hear A/V's logic behind this rumor... HOW would people get to the parks and WHY would they stay on property? There would be LITTLE LOGIC to this, unless they replaced it with a new transport system.... but Disney will ALWAYS have some way to get people from Disney Hotels to Disney Theme parks... otherwise the whole system at WDW won't work.

Now they may run them LESS. I could see that. Personally, I think we may see a change to the busses to a more green (and cheaper) fuel alternative... electric, natural gas, biodeisel, etc. Maybe more centralized hubs to lessen fuel usage but requiring transfers... But No way will they kill transportation from the resorts to the parks.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

The 7 Day premium ticket is a UK option and it's basically a 7 day ticket with park hopping and WPFM. The UK ticketing options include 14 and 21 day tickets with "all in" -- unlimited WPFM admissions and access to the themeparks for those 14 or 21 days. None of these options are new.

As for the bit about the buses..



A/V has been saying for a while now that the Disney transportation system is due for a bunch of major changes and Disney will either completely remove the buses between resorts and themeparks and/or possibly begin charging for DME from the airport etc (which I highly doubt) or dramatically alter the service quality such as to render it useless for the vast majority of guests (somewhat more likely).

Disney has a habit of changing things such that people are far less inclined to use those products or services and then eliminating them by saying "fewer guests wanted or used" the product or service etc.

While this would be a boon to the car service and car rental agencies in the Orlando area.. I just don't know if Disney is willing to go quite that far.. just yet. Everything depends on the price of diesel (and therefore oil in general).

I still suspect this oil situation is in fact a 'bubble' and not a 'new reality' and that the price of oil on a per barrel basis will probably fall back down to between 100$ and 110$ ... which while still overpriced on a demand/supply basis.. is more operationally feasible for Disney.

Knox

IMHO I think Disney uses buses as part of the plan to keep people on property. If they dump this then they could lose dollars from those who will find out YIKES there is a whole big bright world outside the parks.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

I can't see ANY POSSIBLE BENEFIT for Disney to remove transport between the busses and Resorts.... I'd love to hear A/V's logic behind this rumor... HOW would people get to the parks and WHY would they stay on property? There would be LITTLE LOGIC to this, unless they replaced it with a new transport system.... but Disney will ALWAYS have some way to get people from Disney Hotels to Disney Theme parks... otherwise the whole system at WDW won't work.

Now they may run them LESS. I could see that. Personally, I think we may see a change to the busses to a more green (and cheaper) fuel alternative... electric, natural gas, biodeisel, etc. Maybe more centralized hubs to lessen fuel usage but requiring transfers... But No way will they kill transportation from the resorts to the parks.

Of course there is the new Disney Tread Mill Attraction. The more you ride the tread mill (which would be a power source) the more benefits you get. Walk 100 mi get a fast pass for Winnie the Pooh! lol. They can turn anything into an attraction.

 

[CanadianGuy]

Also, cheap busses "are rumored" to be part of the large sponsorship deal General Motors has for 'Test Track'. Who really thinks GM is in much of position these days to spend millions and millions and millions of dollars just to have their logo displayed to amusement park goers? Suddenly, the economics of having a massive bus fleet aren't so magical once you actually have to pay for the busses.

Yeah.. umm.. those rumors would be about as reliable as Jim Hill these days..

GM hasn't been in the bus making business for years. And any rumors of this deal would have to take into account it would be long since expired... since GM sold the RTS brand, designs, trademarks and intellectual property (basically the entire bus division) in 1987 by all accounts, and since then they have passed on to other companies. Did Disney offer bus service in 1987 to the resorts? I dunno, I never went to Disney til the mid-nineties. Even so, in order for those agreements to have ever existed, they would have had to be part of the "World of Motion" deal vs. the Test Track deal based on the dates of GM's sale of that division.

Disney Transport operates a fleet of TMC RTS, Nova Bus LFS, and Gillig Advantage bus models. The RTS models (and certain models from the Nova line) were originally based on a General Motors design but it's been years since GM has had a hand or a dollar in the creation of either models ... near as I can tell.

And at least one of the bus makers above is pretty much owned lock, stock and barrel by Volvo Group - AB Volvo (the commericial vehicle division of the Swedish automaker that was NOT sold to Ford); the second is owned by a cooperative of employees and the State of New Mexico, and the third of the manufacturers, Gillig, is based in Hayward, CA ... is privately held and isn't owned by GM either.

As stated earlier in this thread, Disney DOES get subsidies for public transportation based on a percentage of the sales tax collected on their property and frankly that subsidy is quite generous in paying for a good chunk (definitely not all) of the Disney transportation system.

Now, Disney could be receiving some fine cash compensation from GM for their transportation system.. but given that they are using everything BUT GM products for the buses -- for the life of me, I couldn't possibly figure out why.

But then again, GM hasn't exactly been run by "top drawer" talent lately.

As for the idea of 'greener' buses, Disney did in fact test an alternative fuels bus earlier this year (February). I haven't heard if that bus is still being tested or not.

Knox

 

[SpaceAce]

I wanted to mention the problem with the current optional park-hopping option. Disney does not allow guests to use an additional day of admission to get into a 2nd park on the same day (at least not without a fight to try to get the parkhopping money first.) This causes great angst.

Disney's point of view: "If you wanted to park-hop, you needed to pay us for that priveledge."

Customer's point of view: "I paid for a day of admission, and you won't admit me for even part of the day."

Since the MYW ticket was so cheap for extra days, many people bought extra days instead of park-hopping option. This is a nightmare at the turnstyles and park relations desks that didn't exist before the MYW ticket pricing (becuase the incremental costs for extra days are so low on these.)

I really think they want to get rid of this nightmare, but probably by making all tickets park-hoppers. The only other option I see is to stop the MYW madness!

 

[Another Voice]

Did Disney offer bus service in 1987 to the resorts? I dunno, I never went to Disney til the mid-nineties.

Well there's your problem.

It used to be that if you wanted to go from the Polynesian to the Contemporary you could have taken the monorail, taken a motor launch, or taken a bus. Disney has always provide bus service - and this used to include all the non-Disney owned hotels down at the hotel plaza. Disney has also always provided bus transportation to all of the parks (or to the TTC for the Magic Kingdom). Sadly, the history of transporation at WDW is one of cutbacks and shortfalls ever since the Eisner era.

Technically, use of transportaiton required a separate ticket - one that was included in the cost your hotel room. That's what Disney is trying to get back to - transportation as a perk for paying Disney's hotel rates. The busses between the resorts and the parks will continue. But don't look for busses serving the needs of park hopping or off-property quests*.

As for GM, I don't know the specifics and that's why I labeled it a "rumor". Disney has all kinds of business deals that it cuts with sponsors both past and present - marketing dollars are very likely part of the mix. From the executive motor to parts and service there are many place were GM still works with deeply with DIsney (although they did draw the line at paying $15 million to design the Black Beauty for the now-abandoned Green Horent project).

Again - a key element in a lot of the changes coming is to make staying at Disney hotels seem like a better value. Park Hopping and transportation are nothing but extension of practices like Extra Early Magical Dream Wishing Hours.

* I can already see the press release now..."guests surveys show that most families enjoy a relaxing stop back at their resort between parks, so Disney is magical granting another wish come true as only dreams can at Walt Disney World".

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

If true.. Disney could have a number of tricks up their sleeve..

1. The most obvious is a major realignment of the ticket pricing sometime in August 2008 that could mean a pretty hefty increase across the board -- BUT -- park hopping would no longer be optional. It would/could come with every ticket.

2. They could decide to roll Waterpark Fun & More and Parkhopper together in to something like a "PLUS PACK" - charge more and only sell them as a pair.

A few minutes of thinking and you can probably come up with a number of other scenarios that gets rid of the "Park Hopping" option off the ticket menu but may or may not mean you can't actually hop parks..

I actually read option one in an article on another board but with a slight twist. They said they would make all the tickets hoppers and then raise the price a hefty amount.

 

[racefanof88]

We will know in a few days. One of the monthly newsletters I receive said the price hike will take place on Sunday, August 3 rd.