Reached our limit, we're out

[lovethattink]

We are done with special event add ons, but certainly not done with Disney!

$99 and $129 priced me out of Club Villain.

$149 is way out of my league for Extra Magic.

We've changed our way of doing Disney back in June. Dh and I didn't renew our PAP, we got regular AP for the first time since 2000. Dh's renewal in October went from PAP to Platinum.

We're staying on site less and for less days at a time. We're driving from home more often on weekdays, but eating before or after. We use to dine at WDW once a week.

I still feel the Disney magic! These adds on are not necessary for that.

 

[akadada]

I understand the OP post as well and agree with most of the post. We too have actually stopped going as much. In fact after our most recent trip, we're likely 3-4 years out now if that (as opposed to historical 18-24 months). I also would never justify paying extra for a couple hours of park time morning or night. We keep making changes to cut expenses away from Disney just to go to Disney (offsite for example)

But I respectfully don't agree with the idea Disney is greedy. I think it's not that simple.

They have major crowd issues (i.e. major demand for the parks right now). The US economy is currently pretty strong. Global economies are not as strong, but Disney Parks only needs to peel off a smaller percentage of global customers to attract to the parks since space is so limited and Orlando is easy for foreigners to get to. Note the increase in foreign visitors over the past few years.

They're also a publicly traded company that requires they answer to shareholder growth over time or Disney ultimately faces economic problems plus capital market problems. For example, if they are not profitable, they can't get favorable debt to finance projects, which spirals. If their stock drops relative to the index, they lose favor with money managers. That puts major pressure on making decisions (good or bad).

They are also putting in Billion$ improvements over the next decade and have to cash flow that.

They are also operating an entire city (Reedy Creek) that can hold well over 250,000 people per day, not to mention Disney has to use highly profitable places like WDW and the studios to cover unprofitable places like Paris as an example. (I might be off on the analysis of where they have profitable v unprofitable holdings, but you get the point)

The combined forces (right or wrong) makes it expensive and inevitable that Disneyworld, specifically, would require way above inflation capital and fee increases.

Because they're cost increases are way beyond inflation currently, they incrementally force people out at the margin. They currently have a huge demand push though, so the marginal forcing out of customers is not going to be noticeable for a while EXCEPT by individuals like us, who are at the margin like we are (or have been for a few years now).

I concur that they're ultimately shooting themselves in the foot because it appears they are no longer able to grow organically (folks like OP and myself) and they appear to be gradually hurting their brand which is a poor long-term decision. Public companies are often forced to think short-term whereas private companies (Walt Disney himself) thought long term. No company can really last forever in it's original or even (Eisner) state though. As companies grow, their value diminishes. It's as close to a law of nature as you can find in secular capital markets.

Anyway, it's just not greed. Disney is just way too big to be "greedy." Disney is not owned by a few people or organizations, it's one of the largest companies in the world and owned by almost anyone who has investment and retirement funds whether directly or through index funds and/or money managers. Index fund companies and index institutions alone own 25% of the company. In other words, one fourth of the world index fund owners own Disney. That's huge. That doesn't even count the active mutual funds who add Disney to portfolios. Millions, if not Billions, of people own Disney. They have a lot of responsibility to shareholders good or bad.

Whether the decisions they are making today turn out good for shareholders remains to be seen. Recently, the stock markets don't seem to like it given in the last year Disney is underperforming the index by about 8%. . . and I know at my own home, I and perhaps the OP can't simply continue to support it either.

 

[IrishNYC]

I'm not totally bothered by it either. I just see it as something I don't have to purchase if I don't want to. If Disney starts getting rid of EMH and charging these prices for it, I'd be upset.

I'm not bothered by it either. I see it as Disney's response to people thinking it's their "right" to be first in line for 7DMT or other rides after having an early ADR. Now you can pay for that right.

 

[loves to dive]

I can sort of see your point about change but alas, it is the way of things. Imagine if things didn't change, so many people would be saying how boring, everything always stays the same. I've lived in the same smallish town for over 38 years (or in proximity of it). It was a quaint little southern town when I first moved here, there was a real downtown with shops and restaurants, it was safe. The University of Georgia is here, was here then, but now it practically owns the town. The shops like Penneys, Belks, Macy/Davidson/Richs (or whatever it is going by this week) all moved out to a mall which is the saddest excuse for a mall on the earth. Now downtown is bars, bars, bars, bars, a restaurant, bars, a restaurant, bars, specialty shops that cost more than your mortgage and bars. Seriously, on a Friday night our downtown looks a lot like Bourbon Street. Homeless people on every corner begging for money. Not safe any more. I hate it, I miss the old town, the city government has so many laws now and the taxes are silly. But, change happens, my son loves it here, grew up here, goes to UGA, my honey loves it here, went to UGA, my parents went to UGA but thankfully died before it got as bad as it is now, my brother went to UGA (it's a cult). Students can't even get tickets to sporting events, it's a lottery. There is no free parking on campus so if you want to visit their beautiful museum, which your tax dollars paid for, you have to pay to park. Every year UGA adds more fees to tuition, yet they turn people away. Things change.

Having said all that, I remember WDW from the early 80s, it was different but things change. We still go, we still enjoy it, we choose what we want to pay for, we choose if we want to do EMH (we rarely do) we choose if we want to do FP (we rarely do) we choose if we want to books ADRs (we rarely book any further in advance than the day before, usually I'm on my phone the morning of). We choose how we wish to enjoy our vacation, is it the same? No, things change.

 

[capegirl]

Right now I am a disheartened Disney fan. As RD family we put morning EMH to good use, so I am hoping that these special paid events will not be offered every day, or severely limit the number of EMH days offered. We will not be paying for any of these special events, so I am a little concerned about the impact that this will have on our July trip. I have already made ADRs revolving around EMH, and I can't come up with a plan B until TPTB give us more information. Disney promotes advance planning, and then delays announcements that tie our hands. July will make us, or break us.

 

[Nancyg56]

I'm not bothered by it either. I see it as Disney's response to people thinking it's their "right" to be first in line for 7DMT or other rides after having an early ADR. Now you can pay for that right.

I think this is hitting the nail right on the head. You can still have your early morning breakfast but no more grace when it comes to the Mine Train. Bet you a buck the line forming for BOG is reduced drastically. I will still go, we like that breakfast, but I think that the folks who were trying to figure out how to stretch that one meal between a table will probably drop back.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Breakfast and a chance to ride your kid's favorite rides in Fantasyland, theoretically without long lines. If you want to do it, now you can. Disney has found a way to make use and profit from a park without extra magic morning hours on particular days.

It's OK with me.

Bobbi

 

[IrishNYC]

I think this is hitting the nail right on the head. You can still have your early morning breakfast but no more grace when it comes to the Mine Train. Bet you a buck the line forming for BOG is reduced drastically. I will still go, we like that breakfast, but I think that the folks who were trying to figure out how to stretch that one meal between a table will probably drop back.

Yep! BOG breakfast was our favorite meal other than Boma. Well worth the price. And when we were done with our 8:15 breakfast, everyone leaving at the same time as us headed to the Mine, we headed to an empty Tomorrowland. It was wonderful.

 

[mom2rtk]

I'm not bothered by it either. I see it as Disney's response to people thinking it's their "right" to be first in line for 7DMT or other rides after having an early ADR. Now you can pay for that right.

Not everything Disney does is a response to over-the-top entitled guests.

 

[IrishNYC]

Not everything Disney does is a response to over-the-top entitled guests.

Yes, you keep saying that. IMO they're capitalizing on that sense of entitlement, and as long as people keep paying for it, Disney will keep cashing in on it. Just like they'll keep raising prices and people will still keep coming back year after year.

 

[bbjunkie]

Yep! BOG breakfast was our favorite meal other than Boma. Well worth the price. And when we were done with our 8:15 breakfast, everyone leaving at the same time as us headed to the Mine, we headed to an empty Tomorrowland. It was wonderful.

And you will still be able to do exactly this, so it will still be wonderful.

 

[Nancyg56]

Yep! BOG breakfast was our favorite meal other than Boma. Well worth the price. And when we were done with our 8:15 breakfast, everyone leaving at the same time as us headed to the Mine, we headed to an empty Tomorrowland. It was wonderful.

We usually head to Peter Pan. I love the SB queue, and since everyone else headed to the Mine Train, we had a relatively short wait. SO we will head to another section of the park. I liked Frontierland early morning when we had CP ADR's