From the OC Register:
https://www.ocregister.com/2021/01/22/what-will-replace-disneylands-annual-pass-program/
The sudden death of
Disneyland’s annual pass program left die-hard passholders reeling from the shock and wondering what will replace the four decade-old AP program.
Disneyland resort President Ken Potrock said during an interview with reporters that the Anaheim theme park will be seeking feedback from passholders on factors such as price, frequency, spontaneity and the time of day, week and year they’d like to use the new replacement program.
Potrock spoke in broad terms about a “membership offering” that would replace Disneyland’s AP program and provided some clues about what that could look like.
Disneyland and other California theme parks are unlikely to return to full operation until spring or summer under COVID-19 health and safety reopening guidelines issued by the state.
Disneyland’s new membership program — which is already in development — will deliver choice, flexibility and value, according to Potrock. The goal: Spread out attendance at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure while satisfying the largest number of people.
“We’re going to use this time as an opportunity to develop new offerings and a new way to think about the business given the situation we find ourselves in,” Potrock said.
Past and potential passholders will be surveyed about what Disneyland’s new membership program should look like.
“We’re trying to understand: What do people want in this new world?,” Potrock said. “When do they want to access our parks? How frequently do they want to access our parks? With what level of spontaneity? With what level of value? All of those kinds of things and many more.”
Only two things are certain: The old AP program is dead and not coming back. And a new membership program based on passholder feedback will replace it.
“There’s nothing off the table as we begin to think about things that are important for people,” Potrock said. “Whether it’s the number of times that they visit on a product offering. Whether it’s when. Is it midweek or weekend? Is it morning or afternoon? Is it day-part oriented? It’s all of those kinds of things that we’re incredibly curious to hear back from the guests about.”
Disneyland’s new membership program promises to offer a hybrid of what passholders enjoyed about the old AP program with a new slate of experiences and features.
“This is not designed to limit choice and flexibility. It’s designed to enhance choice and flexibility,” Potrock said. “People may say, ‘Here’s how I’ve always used it.’ People may say, ‘Here’s what I bought, but I didn’t quite use it and optimize it.’ People may say, ‘I have a different family structure or my financial situation is different. I would love to do it a little bit differently than I’ve done in the past.’ What we’re hoping to be able to provide is the choice and flexibility for all of those different evolving states.”
Dennis Speigel, an industry expert with International Theme Park Services, expects Disneyland’s new membership program will mirror the park’s five-tiered dynamic pricing model for daily tickets.
“When you boil it down, people who come to parks can pretty much be put in two categories: Time-sensitive and price-sensitive,” Speigel said during a phone interview.
Time-sensitive passholders will pay top dollar to visit Disneyland any time they want while price sensitive APs will be hunting for bargains, according to Speigel.
Martin Lewison, a theme park expert at Farmingdale State College in New York, expects restrictions and reservations will be integral elements of Disneyland’s new membership program.
“I would expect to see more restrictions on lower-priced passes and extremely high prices for passes with no restrictions,” Lewison said via email. “I think reservations for visits will become more common for all types of tickets. Disney may find other ways to reward its most loyal fans — like exclusive merch, dining and events.”
mine was at least 10 screens of 4 options each (plus 1/2/3 day tickets). Made my head spin.
