Sorcerer Pass Increase

[nuhusky123]

Can't AP holders purchase up to 6 single day tickets for Epic? I interpreted this as if you had a family of 4 (all with APs), each person in the family could buy 6 tickets for his or herself.

Yes. I just purchased four tickets for two consecutive days in September

 

[New Mouse]

Epcot in the afternoon and evening was insane, just wall to wall people walking around. There are not enough rides or entertainment available even running rides at full capacity to take those people and make the park more navigable.

Part of this is because they've chopped entertainment at Epcot and neglected the World Showcase for decades as well as other pavilions.


Epcot was never meant to be a ride park.

 

[jimim]

As a Non-Florida Resident, I’m thankful for the Sorcerer Pass through DVC. That Incredipass price is nuts.

I concur. It’s stupid exspensive vs the sorcerer pass for the black out dates.

 

[jennypenny]

Are the blackout dates the same (albeit adjusted for holidays)? I'm afraid to check lol.

 

[erionm]

Are the blackout dates the same (albeit adjusted for holidays)? I'm afraid to check lol.

Yes.

 

[Bearval]

Just pay DVC an extra $99 then use 95 vacation points to get one, then just use the buy one get one deal on OTUP to refill your point balance. It’s a great deal if you don’t think about it.

Yeah you are not going to want to do that if you are going to be using points that have high MFs like OKW. Current MF is $9.87 and average increase has been ~ 4.5% a year which if that stays the course the new MF will be ~ $10.31 x 95 = ~ $980 + $99= $1079. You are way better off renting out those points and using the cash to buy the passes.

 

[Spivey378]

I need to renew my Sorcerer Pass. The website is only allowing me to renew it as an Incredi-Pass and says "The Disney Vacation Club Sorcerer Pass is no longer sold. Select a new pass to continue."

Is this for real?

 

[Sandisw]

Can't AP holders purchase up to 6 single day tickets for Epic? I interpreted this as if you had a family of 4 (all with APs), each person in the family could buy 6 tickets for his or herself.

I have not yet reviewed rules for AP holders so not sure.

I am referring to guests who had planned to do Universal in 2025 when this opened only to be disappointed that they will be limited to one day as part of their trip, and thus, pushing it off until it does.

So, given that this move has tempered access initially, the hit to Disney, that some think will be big, may not occur next year.

 

[Sandisw]

I need to renew my Sorcerer Pass. The website is only allowing me to renew it as an Incredi-Pass and says "The Disney Vacation Club Sorcerer Pass is no longer sold. Select a new pass to continue."

Is this for real?

You can only renew a Sorcerer pass in person or my calling MS. It can not be done online.

 

[Spivey378]

You can only renew a Sorcerer pass in person or my calling MS. It can not be done online.

Thank you Sandisw!

 

[Cfabar1]

To clarify, you CAN renew the FL Resident Sorcerer online, but not the DVC sorcerer member pass.

 

[bdrex28]

Last week. To be fair, it also included a few days of February, too. But the whole time was busy.

Touring plans predicted most of those days to be 6/7. To me anything over 5 feels busy.

Now, I've noticed the last month or so touring plans has over estimated and when they go back to show predicted vs seen it's been down most every day.

Always hit and miss. Epcot especially during food and wine or the arts. Lack of rides in Epcot and people crowding into the international area make it feel crowded.

 

[tjkraz]

My only point is Disney has major competition that last week they didn’t. And the same week epic goes on sale Disney increases prices. It’s just daft, makes me question if Disney executives are even paying attention

Is there actually a good time to raise prices?

In 2023, the four WDW parks drew about 50 million guests vs 20 million for Universal. Historically Disney is out-draws USF 2.5-to-1. But that never stopped Universal from raising prices.

Epic Universe will definitely cause attendance to rise at Univesal. And it MAY cause Disney attendance to drop. But that’s also why Disney announced major enhancements to 3 parks a few months ago. Competition is definitely good for consumers. But price increases are inevitable. Especially when Disney is committed to labor contracts which provide steady, substantial wage increases for 60 thousand cast members. A year ago, CM minimum wages rose to $18 per hour and it will be up to $20 by 2026. Who do you think is going to pay that? (We are).

15 years ago, fans made wild predictions about how the Harry Potter attractions would hurt Disney attendance. It never really happened. Sometimes a rising tide raises all boats.

 

[greeneyedchick]

Epcot in the afternoon and evening was insane, just wall to wall people walking around. There are not enough rides or entertainment available even running rides at full capacity to take those people and make the park more navigable.

That's true. If their top priority was an optimal guest experience, they would limit the number of people that could enter rather than continuing to try pricing more people out. They act like the only way to manage crowds is raising prices. Since people have to buy mostly date-based tickets these days, they could limit the number of tickets sold for that date (even by week) to a number that is 75% of what they sell now. But we know they won't do that.

The after hours parties were amazing because of the limited capacity. Each year, they seem to expand the number of tickets per event which has made the after hours parties a bit less appealing. The after hour events show that people are willing to pay a higher ticket price if they know they are going to get a better experience and have the opportunity to ride more rides (without having to worry about lightening lanes).

 

[tidefan]

Is there actually a good time to raise prices?

In 2023, the four WDW parks drew about 50 million guests vs 20 million for Universal. Historically Disney is out-draws USF 2.5-to-1. But that never stopped Universal from raising prices.

Epic Universe will definitely cause attendance to rise at Univesal. And it MAY cause Disney attendance to drop. But that’s also why Disney announced major enhancements to 3 parks a few months ago. Competition is definitely good for consumers. But price increases are inevitable. Especially when Disney is committed to labor contracts which provide steady, substantial wage increases for 60 thousand cast members. A year ago, CM minimum wages rose to $18 per hour and it will be up to $20 by 2026. Who do you think is going to pay that? (We are).

15 years ago, fans made wild predictions about how the Harry Potter attractions would hurt Disney attendance. It never really happened. Sometimes a rising tide raises all boats.

So...a wage-price spiral?

 

[Simba's Mom]

Rats! I just used my Sorcerer's AP for the first time this year this past week, and I they enjoyed having an AP again so much. On this trip, it was so nice to know I could park-hop although I didn't this time. And right after the trip, "Oh, by the way, we're raising the price." But what's this about using points to buy park passes?

 

[atthebeachclub]

That's true. If their top priority was an optimal guest experience, they would limit the number of people that could enter rather than continuing to try pricing more people out. They act like the only way to manage crowds is raising prices. Since people have to buy mostly date-based tickets these days, they could limit the number of tickets sold for that date (even by week) to a number that is 75% of what they sell now. But we know they won't do that.

The after hours parties were amazing because of the limited capacity. Each year, they seem to expand the number of tickets per event which has made the after hours parties a bit less appealing. The after hour events show that people are willing to pay a higher ticket price if they know they are going to get a better experience and have the opportunity to ride more rides (without having to worry about lightening lanes).

I have no issue with them raising prices to fix the supply vs demand issues. I think it is the most realistic solution.

 

[CarolynFH]

Rats! I just used my Sorcerer's AP for the first time this year this past week, and I they enjoyed having an AP again so much. On this trip, it was so nice to know I could park-hop although I didn't this time. And right after the trip, "Oh, by the way, we're raising the price." But what's this about using points to buy park passes?

The new Membership Magic Beyond, if you buy into it at $99, allows you to buy or renew your Sorcerer AP using points. DVC hasn’t published the price yet, but multiple owners have reported here that CMs told them a renewal will be 80 points and a new one 95 points. The MMB program has other perks included for the $99, see the thread on this forum for details.

 

[samsp99]

Ignoring the impact of epic on Disney attendance is equivalent to blackberry saying iPhones will never replace phones with physical keyboards

Is this the demise of Disney. No. Not even close but Disney increasing prices and expecting attendance to stay high is very much head in sand mentality. Universal will 100% see an increased market share and dumb moves by Disney will see revenue decline and brand loyalty along with it

Its not only the increased prices, but the diminished experiences. Most are small like magical express, magical express luggage, extra evening hours after a late park closing, pool hopping for DVC members, food getting worse and more expensive, lightning lane vs fastpass. The experience gets worse, prices are higher, less staffing and busier parks, and you feel nickle and dimed for things that used to be included.

 

[samsp99]

The new Membership Magic Beyond, if you buy into it at $99, allows you to buy or renew your Sorcerer AP using points. DVC hasn’t published the price yet, but multiple owners have reported here that CMs told them a renewal will be 80 points and a new one 95 points. The MMB program has other perks included for the $99, see the thread on this forum for details.

What price do you put on a DVC point, it doesn’t seem to be a good return at 80pts for a $904 renewal.