Grasshopper2016
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2016
- Messages
- 759
I have been reading a lot here, and on other reputable sites, about how Disney has been reducing capacity on a number of rides during less-than-peak hours. Running only one side of Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Dumbo, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc., during the first few and/or last few hours of the day, or all day when the crowds are lower. I have witnessed this myself: watching every other boat at Pirates being sent out empty, even as the line posts a 45 minute wait.
Simple question: Why?? Why is Disney doing this? I guess this saves a minimal amount of money in labor costs. I don't know how many extra Cast Members it takes to run a ride at full capacity, rather than half capacity. Maybe 4? I don't know exactly how much those cast members get paid, but I can't imagine that it is a huge amount. (Abigail Disney's recent comments seem to confirm that.) Let's say 4 cast members at $15 per hour. And let's say there are 8 non-peak hours most days where Disney is doing this. That's about $500 per day that Disney is saving in labor costs, per ride with reduced capacity. In return for saving $500, Disney is inconveniencing tens of thousands of guests, who have collectively paid millions of dollars in ticket fees. People are seeing lines of 30-45 minutes, rather than 10-20 minutes. Which means that they and their kids get frustrated and angry, spending much more time in line, and much less time on rides or otherwise having fun. And the effect is not limited to just the rides running at reduced capacity. If Disney were to operate those rides at full capacity, that would pull customers out of the lines for many other rides (since twice as many people could now be riding these rides), which would substantially reduce the wait times at the other rides as well.
But they don't do that. And therefore, guests leave the part at the end of the day feeling cheated, rather than thrilled---even on days with smaller crowds. "We spent hundreds of dollars on tickets---thousands of dollars on this vacation---and we only got to go on five or six rides all day. We spend the vast majority of our day waiting in interminable lines in the hot sun. What a waste of money!"
How does this make business sense?
Disney is a company that trades on goodwill---a company that counts on its hard-earned reputation for "pixie dust," as "The Happiest Place on Earth" or "The Most Magical Place on Earth." Why on Earth would they think that it is a good idea to cause tens of thousands of customers to have a significantly more miserable time at their parks, just to save a few hundred bucks in labor costs? Many of those people will become one-and-done guests, rather than repeat customers. And they will tell their families, friends, and co-workers that Disney was just not worth it. And their kids won't sing the praises of Disney to their classmates. Etc.
If you are going to charge much more for your product than you did just a few years ago, it is not a good idea to simultaneously cut way back on the quality of that product. Obviously, in the short run, with the economy humming, Disney seems to be able to cut back on service and increase prices at will without affecting the bottom line. But penny wise, pound foolish. In the long run, they risk alienating the next generation of devotees, and squandering the good will they have spent decades building up. (Look at the frustration even among us fanatics on this website!)
When it comes to ride capacity, I can't help wondering why they are doing this. How are these massive downsides worth it to them just to save a few hundred bucks in labor costs---literally a drop in the bucket given Disney World's reported $13 million per day operating budget?
I'm sure that reducing capacity means reducing wear and tear on the rides, which in turn saves Disney money in long-term maintenance costs. That must be a huge part of it. But, on the other hand, customers who are stuck in line all day are not spending as much time shopping, eating, and otherwise spending money at the parks.
The people running the show are smart. And they have no doubt concluded that this makes financial sense. But I just don't see it. Thoughts?
Simple question: Why?? Why is Disney doing this? I guess this saves a minimal amount of money in labor costs. I don't know how many extra Cast Members it takes to run a ride at full capacity, rather than half capacity. Maybe 4? I don't know exactly how much those cast members get paid, but I can't imagine that it is a huge amount. (Abigail Disney's recent comments seem to confirm that.) Let's say 4 cast members at $15 per hour. And let's say there are 8 non-peak hours most days where Disney is doing this. That's about $500 per day that Disney is saving in labor costs, per ride with reduced capacity. In return for saving $500, Disney is inconveniencing tens of thousands of guests, who have collectively paid millions of dollars in ticket fees. People are seeing lines of 30-45 minutes, rather than 10-20 minutes. Which means that they and their kids get frustrated and angry, spending much more time in line, and much less time on rides or otherwise having fun. And the effect is not limited to just the rides running at reduced capacity. If Disney were to operate those rides at full capacity, that would pull customers out of the lines for many other rides (since twice as many people could now be riding these rides), which would substantially reduce the wait times at the other rides as well.
But they don't do that. And therefore, guests leave the part at the end of the day feeling cheated, rather than thrilled---even on days with smaller crowds. "We spent hundreds of dollars on tickets---thousands of dollars on this vacation---and we only got to go on five or six rides all day. We spend the vast majority of our day waiting in interminable lines in the hot sun. What a waste of money!"
How does this make business sense?
Disney is a company that trades on goodwill---a company that counts on its hard-earned reputation for "pixie dust," as "The Happiest Place on Earth" or "The Most Magical Place on Earth." Why on Earth would they think that it is a good idea to cause tens of thousands of customers to have a significantly more miserable time at their parks, just to save a few hundred bucks in labor costs? Many of those people will become one-and-done guests, rather than repeat customers. And they will tell their families, friends, and co-workers that Disney was just not worth it. And their kids won't sing the praises of Disney to their classmates. Etc.
If you are going to charge much more for your product than you did just a few years ago, it is not a good idea to simultaneously cut way back on the quality of that product. Obviously, in the short run, with the economy humming, Disney seems to be able to cut back on service and increase prices at will without affecting the bottom line. But penny wise, pound foolish. In the long run, they risk alienating the next generation of devotees, and squandering the good will they have spent decades building up. (Look at the frustration even among us fanatics on this website!)
When it comes to ride capacity, I can't help wondering why they are doing this. How are these massive downsides worth it to them just to save a few hundred bucks in labor costs---literally a drop in the bucket given Disney World's reported $13 million per day operating budget?
I'm sure that reducing capacity means reducing wear and tear on the rides, which in turn saves Disney money in long-term maintenance costs. That must be a huge part of it. But, on the other hand, customers who are stuck in line all day are not spending as much time shopping, eating, and otherwise spending money at the parks.
The people running the show are smart. And they have no doubt concluded that this makes financial sense. But I just don't see it. Thoughts?
