Pixie Dust was sprinkled!!!

[LaurenT]

Disney is not a philanthropic organization.
ALL extra expanses or freebies are just add to the prizes. No matter how much some people like to believe there is "Pixie Dust" that is just dumb. Pixie Dust comes out of all our pockets.

So much freebies and pixie dust spent this year? Okay we have to raise the prices that amount. That is just how a business works.

Except that this was not an expense or a freebie that they would otherwise have made money on. If the CM had simply said "sorry, can't help you" the woman would have walked away with her two sad children. She would not have paid for the upgrade or bought one day tickets, so Disney didn't forego income by giving her pixie dust. In fact, whatever Mickey bar or balloon she may have purchased that day is income that Disney would not have seen without the pixie dust, not to mention the good will that was created that will keep this family coming back for generations.

 

[eeyoresmom]

This can work both ways. I have personally witnessed families turn away for various reasons. A few years ago at AK a dad and his kids were arriving around 2 pm and when he realized the park closed at 5 he refused to spend the money for just a few hours. They left. If it becomes public knowledge that CM's can comp tickets etc, there will be a lot of ill will when they don't. I don't think there will be a lot because most guests don't hang out enough on discussion boards to hear these things, but I bet the policy gets challenged a bit just from this thread.

 

[WDSearcher]

That is great, but like I said. not being sure they are allowed this latitude, I wouldn't call attention to the free admission. Now that we know it is allowed ( I am assuming you are or have been a CM), I think it's great that OP aknowledges the pixie dust. However, if the official policy is that cm's can use their own judgement and the public knows it..........

CMs have always been able to use their own judgement, and I think people have known that for decades. The CMs who have that latitude -- ticket CMs, Guest Relations, etc -- are pretty good at separating the people who are truly just confused and upset from the people who are trying to scam something for nothing. Disney CMs have been doing this kind of thing since the parks opened, and it hasn't been stopped yet due to misuse. Remember that the majority of people visiting the parks do not read the DIS or any other planning board and have no idea that these types of situations are even happening.

If more people read the boards, then the OP's situation wouldn't even be an issue, because they would have known that they couldn't use two tickets on one day.

 

[WDSearcher]

You may not like it but yes every Disney Dollar that goes out the door as a freebie or pixie dust has to be paid by other guests.

Thats just what I mean. Nobody is begrudging the OP for the free tickets. We just all have to realize that every time we think we get something for free we have to pay more next time.

But don't you think that Disney builds "Guest Recovery" into their budget? They know that there are going to be these kinds of situations every day, and I imagine they have a line item in the budget that covers it. And if Disney expects to pay out a certain number of dollars each year in free tickets or merchandise for situations such as this -- or just for miscellaneous "pixie dust" to maintain its image -- then how does that affect ticket price any more than any other thing Disney has in their budget?

 

[DVCBELLE]

But don't you think that Disney builds "Guest Recovery" into their budget? They know that there are going to be these kinds of situations every day, and I imagine they have a line item in the budget that covers it. And if Disney expects to pay out a certain number of dollars each year in free tickets or merchandise for situations such as this -- or just for miscellaneous "pixie dust" to maintain its image -- then how does that affect ticket price any more than any other thing Disney has in their budget?

Yes - exactly - but they have to PAY for Guest recovery somehow.

Think of it this way.

You get a footlong sub every weekday for $5 for lunch. So you spend $25 a day each week for lunch. But once a week you also give the homeless guy on the corner a sub. So you actually spend $30 a week on lunch.

Since you gave that sub away for charity - do you not count that in your budget?

Of course you do - and that is how this works.

Your budget would look like this.

I need to make $30 a week to cover my expenses.
I get paid $5 an hour after taxes. So I have to work 6 hours to pay for the sandwiches.

Lunch - $25
Charity $5
Total - $30


This is really simplified but lets say Disney's budget
Cost per guest in park per day to Disney $15 (cast members, electricity etc.)
49 guests paid $15 to get in - revenue is $735
1 guest was let in for free
But they need $750 to pay for the guests. They are short $15.

So they have to raise the prices for the paying guests to get in. So now they need each guest to pay $15.30.

So yes - they will have to raise the prices or the guests they let in for free will cost them money. Yes they might spend money in the park but they might not. They will have to charge through admission to make up this cost.

Look at how many people are sent free tickets when they get mad about something. Or how many tickets Disney donates to charity.

Yes - Pixie Dust or charity or good will is built into their budget - but they have to get the money to pay for it somewhere

 

[mom2rtk]

Do you really think your ticket price would go down one penny if this hadn't happened? I bet they charge what they think the market will bear, as long as it's over the minimum amount needed to cover costs.

We've had a few small instances of guest recovery. And I'll gladly pay a small amount more on my ticket to vacation in a place where that is possible.

 

[Love Tink]

We've had a few small instances of guest recovery. And I'll gladly pay a small amount more on my ticket to vacation in a place where that is possible.

To me, that's the crux of the matter. Disney costs more than most other vacations, and certainly more than other theme parks. But when you have problems at Disney - your fault or their fault - they bend over backwards to "make it right." That isn't true at other places. And yes, this is one of the reasons we pay more...but it is also one of the reasons it is worth it to pay more.

Guest recovery like this happens all the time. It isn't rare and it isn't going to get anybody in trouble. Disney wants their guests to be happy and the money it costs to make that happen is part of smart business. General maxim for anyone who sells to the public - it is much more expensive to bring in a new customer than it is to keep a customer you already have.

 

[WDSearcher]

Yes - exactly - but they have to PAY for Guest recovery somehow.

Think of it this way.

You get a footlong sub every weekday for $5 for lunch. So you spend $25 a day each week for lunch. But once a week you also give the homeless guy on the corner a sub. So you actually spend $30 a week on lunch.

Since you gave that sub away for charity - do you not count that in your budget?

Of course you do - and that is how this works.

Your budget would look like this.

I need to make $30 a week to cover my expenses.
I get paid $5 an hour after taxes. So I have to work 6 hours to pay for the sandwiches.

Lunch - $25
Charity $5
Total - $30


This is really simplified but lets say Disney's budget
Cost per guest in park per day to Disney $15 (cast members, electricity etc.)
49 guests paid $15 to get in - revenue is $735
1 guest was let in for free
But they need $750 to pay for the guests. They are short $15.

So they have to raise the prices for the paying guests to get in. So now they need each guest to pay $15.30.

So yes - they will have to raise the prices or the guests they let in for free will cost them money. Yes they might spend money in the park but they might not. They will have to charge through admission to make up this cost.

Look at how many people are sent free tickets when they get mad about something. Or how many tickets Disney donates to charity.

Yes - Pixie Dust or charity or good will is built into their budget - but they have to get the money to pay for it somewhere

OR -- to use your example -- they already pad their budget by determining that cost per day per guest is $15 PLUS an additional $2 per guest to cover contingency or incidentals. So they charge guests $17.

49 guests come into the park at $17 each = $833
Actual cost to Disney for those 49 guests = $735
Extra available to Disney for "pixie dust" = $98

Disney builds Guest Recovery into the budget on the front end. The price you're paying today already includes the free ticket the OP got last week. To say that "they have to pay for it somewhere" is true. But that's true of everything at Disney, from adding another trash can to Main Street to adding another character experience in DAK. You can't say that Disney is raising prices because they're giving away free stuff. The giving away of the free stuff is already factored in.

 

[sharadoc]

Whenever I hear these kinds of stories, I find myself going "No, don't tell anybody!!!" because I fear that people will read about it and try to "use" the information to get something for free.

I don't begrudge the OP anything and I'm glad it worked out. I just think that, in general, we here on the DIS are afraid that our secrets are going to be found out and ruined by too many people knowing

That's why I think folks will pounce on a post negatively. Not necessarily on the OP but for the readers who file that information away for the future. We hear a lot of stories about jerks who yell and scream and demand until a poor CM in tears gives in. We just don't want to encourage that kind of behavior.

Just trying to explain why it looks like people "pounce". It's not on the poster, it's on the information more often than not.

 

[siskaren]

That's why I think folks will pounce on a post negatively. Not necessarily on the OP but for the readers who file that information away for the future. We hear a lot of stories about jerks who yell and scream and demand until a poor CM in tears gives in. We just don't want to encourage that kind of behavior.

That's my concern, especially considering this post:

That might be worth a try.

 

[Luv2CtheMouse]

How wonderful! Thanks for sharing your smile.

 

[Love Tink]

Whenever I hear these kinds of stories, I find myself going "No, don't tell anybody!!!" because I fear that people will read about it and try to "use" the information to get something for free.

I hardly think this post is letting the cat out of the bag. Disney has worked very hard for many decades to brand itself as being all about "magic" and working hard to make every guest happy. It's why they have such great policies for disabled guests. It's why they have free pins for your birthday or your anniversary or your first visit. It's why the cast members don't act like employees anywhere else.

It's why you hear story after story after story about free shirts when someone spills, or free upgrades when the hotel room has an issue, or free treats for your birthday, or free tickets when you make a mistake.

It's what they are all about, and it's how they sell themselves, and the occasional fraudulent claim is worth it to them. (And I don't think anyone who is of a mind to try to weasel free tickets needed a story like this to get the idea in their head. Everyone knows Disney is a soft mark. But you have to spend a lot just to get there to try to get something smaller for free.)

 

[becca1976]

How neat! I love Disney because they can be so accommodating! I would have tried the exact same thing you did - I had no idea that two separate park tickets couldn't be used the same day. Now I know for the future. It makes perfect sense when you think about it, but I just assumed like many people that a ticket was for an occurrence. And I know I haven't posted on the disboard much at all...been lurking a LOT lately. After reading thread after thread, I do think there is a lot of unnecessary arguing that goes on. Let's just be happy for the pixie dust and forgo the verbal brawling!

 

[sharadoc]

I hardly think this post is letting the cat out of the bag. Disney has worked very hard for many decades to brand itself as being all about "magic" and working hard to make every guest happy. It's why they have such great policies for disabled guests. It's why they have free pins for your birthday or your anniversary or your first visit. It's why the cast members don't act like employees anywhere else.

I agree that this one is no big deal. I was just commenting on the general reason that pouncing occurs, and using this one as an example.

I love the "got something free because my kid got hurt, lost, etc." stories for example. Would never begrudge that.

 

[FortForever]

Had I known, I wouldn't have even tried it. I am not that type of person. I wouldn't have wasted so much time of our last day, or disappointed my kids had it not worked out, all to save money from park hoppers.

I can't imagine many people would put themselves or their children in this situation had they known in advance. The quote above is exactly why it is clear to me that the OP had no idea.

It's crazy how people assume the worst. Most people would pay any price not to disappoint their children at the GATES OF MAGIC KINGDOM! Seriously, who would do that?

And, assuming a person was lowlife enough to scar their kids for life to save a few bucks, would they then post about it for all the world to see? I doubt it.

I have been going to Disney for over 25 years and I would have thought a ticket is a ticket and is based on occurrences not days.

Very happy for the OP.

Yep, me too. I've been going 41 years and had no idea this was the case. I would have thought I could use all my tickets on the same day if I wanted to do that.

We've always bought park hoppers and now have annual passes, so this has never come up.

I'm happy for the OP's children that it worked out.

When you're on the Dis, you have to have a thick skin!

That's the truth!! This is the most rude forum I have ever been on. The second most rude is a cruise forum. How ironic that vacation discussions are the nastiest out there.

What a shame that people just can't be happy for the kids who got to experience a little pixie dust...

 

[LaurenT]

I agree that this one is no big deal. I was just commenting on the general reason that pouncing occurs, and using this one as an example.

I love the "got something free because my kid got hurt, lost, etc." stories for example. Would never begrudge that.

My DD left her jack sparrow sword on top of a fp machine and it was taken. She was in tears on the Winnie The Pooh line when a CM asked her what was wrong. DD told her and the CM went off and came back with a voucher to go get a new one. Totally unexpected, made my DD's day and probably cost Disney 48 cents.

 

[jjas]

That's the truth!! This is the most rude forum I have ever been on. The second most rude is a cruise forum. How ironic that vacation discussions are the nastiest out there.

What a shame that people just can't be happy for the kids who got to experience a little pixie dust...

THIS!!!! I'm almost to the point where I am afraid to post or reply to anything or ask a simple question for fear of what the response will be.

For this being a forum about the "Happiest Place on Earth" there seem to be A LOT of people on here who don't seem very happy !

 

[Angiea1114]

What a wonderful gesture from that CM!

Our family has been fortunate to have vacationed at WDW 4 other times and we have just booked our 5th trip yesterday! In the past we have also always used park hoppers and we have always booked with Disney directly rather than go through a travel agent. This particular trip was a little more difficult as we have 4 children but 2 of them are traveling with thier school this time and then we will be adding them to the end of the vacation for an extra few days. So, this reservation was a little more difficult for me to figure out so I turned to an Authorized disney agent.

I was trying to be cost efficient (as most of us are) but specifically asked for PH tickets. When the agent called back, she priced out several pkgs but THEY suggested we purchase the base tickets and add extra days on to it and use those to go to multiple parks in one day because it was cheaper. I never really had a need to decipher the differences b/t the tickets so I went with it. In talking to a friend the day we were booking I found out and I couldn't use the tickets that way and I turned to disboards and found out the same.

This mixup caused our flights to increase (b/c we had to refigure the reservation which caused a delay), a huge change in our expenses and just lots of unneeded stress! We ended up booking directly into a different resort also bc by that time rooms we wanted were no longer available. All of this happened with a 7 day time frame!


I wasn't trying to purposely cheat the system. This option was given to me by an agent I trusted knew the ropes better than me, and I had never bought a base ticket before to have seen the rules on it! Thank goodness for my friend and Disboards to have saved me from the exact situation this poor woman and her family endured!

 

[WEDWDW]

CMs have latitude as to what they can give away and under what conditions. The CM here has nothing to worry about.

Thanks for the confirmation WDSearcher!

 

[DisneyFive]

Great cm to do that, but A hopper is a hopper and you knew you paid for non hoppers. I'm confused as to why you thought you could do both parks on the last day of your tickets? Not being mean just curious.

This is a very common mistake. (Thinking you can purchase tickets for more park days than you actually plan to be there, and then using the extras to visit multiple parks in one day)

Dan