Tiered/surge park pricing coming soon

[Lorilais_mommie]

I'll take that bet. I heard this for awhile with all the FP+ naysayers.......still waiting for that decrease to occur.

And I bought our DVC contract for what they are - discounted rates on "deluxe" accommodation at WDW. "Perks" are just that - perks. People thinking those are forever guaranteed needed to have done more research. I think a lot of DVC'ers go during the off times and will like the discount Gold AP option. We'll see.

I agree.. We also bought knowing it was just a "room" Perks can go away at anytime!
However We also did buy enough AP vouchers to cover are trips until 2020..
This has saved us a TON of money already. $690 per trip to be exact! (At the new AP prices)
We had to give up one of our annual trips to pay for it, but it is more then paid off! And has assured our trips until my oldest start high school. Which is how we planned it, since we don't know what her grades and schedule will be like.


That being said I do think the Surge pricing will upset a lot of DVC members..
Not just the high prices during peak times, but also If the prices vary by a lot Those slower times we all enjoy may not be so slow anymore...

 

[freediverdude]

What's next, pay a lower price if you enter the turnstiles at rope drop and surge pricing for entering the turnstiles at 10am?

 

[Lorilais_mommie]

Shhhhh. Don't give them any ideas!

What's next, pay a lower price if you enter the turnstiles at rope drop and surge pricing for entering the turnstiles at 10am?

 

[Ninja Mom]

I agree.. We also bought knowing it was just a "room" Perks can go away at anytime!
However We also did buy enough AP vouchers to cover are trips until 2020..
This has saved us a TON of money already. $690 per trip to be exact! (At the new AP prices)
We had to give up one of our annual trips to pay for it, but it is more then paid off! And has assured our trips until my oldest start high school. Which is how we planned it, since we don't know what her grades and schedule will be like.


That being said I do think the Surge pricing will upset a lot of DVC members..
Not just the high prices during peak times, but also If the prices vary by a lot Those slower times we all enjoy may not be so slow anymore...

So what would you say if Disney declared that pre-purchased park vouchers could only be applied to present day ticket prices for the original amount that you paid for them? I'm thinking that Disney would have some way of knowing that information, if only to prevent ticket fraud. The mouse seems pretty focused on profits with two Annual Pass price increases in one year. What is to stop them from doing something like that? It's their park, they make the rules, as we seem to be finding out.

Concerning the DVC promotional videos that I have seen, the fact that you can save money on a Disney parks vacation by using the discounted tickets and merchandise was pretty heavily promoted in the sales pitch. It's nice that some people didn't swallow the kool aid as Disney was pushing the pitcher across the table but it was definitely promoted as what was helping to make a DVC purchase such a great deal.

~NM

 

[Lorilais_mommie]

So what would you say if Disney declared that pre-purchased park vouchers could only be applied to present day ticket prices for the original amount that you paid for them? I'm thinking that Disney would have some way of knowing that information, if only to prevent ticket fraud. The mouse seems pretty focused on profits with two Annual Pass price increases in one year. What is to stop them from doing something like that? It's their park, they make the rules, as we seem to be finding out.

Concerning the DVC promotional videos that I have seen, the fact that you can save money on a Disney parks vacation by using the discounted tickets and merchandise was pretty heavily promoted in the sales pitch. It's nice that some people didn't swallow the kool aid as Disney was pushing the pitcher across the table but it was definitely promoted as what was helping to make a DVC purchase such a great deal.

~NM

It is a possibility.. However unlikely..
If anything I think they would do what they have done before and start the " for AP passes bought from this date forward" or just start putting " if voucher is not redeem by this date it will be no longer be vaild"
They have done the later of the two before with discounted dvc ap.

Also
When you receive the vouchers in the mail there is a 2 page "info sheet"
In the sheet it states all the details of a passes and how to exchange them. On the sheet it states it can not be returned/refunded. .. I also have email confirmations about no expiration on the AP vouchers from the Disney ticket CM and her Lead that was on duty when I order the vouchers.. They were completely helpful and understanding since I was spending so much money at one time..

FYI:
From Reports/CM on these boards have stated the computers have/will automatically adjust to the cloest AP that has all of the parks access of the orginal ones we purchased

 

[Lorilais_mommie]

Concerning the DVC promotional videos that I have seen, the fact that you can save money on a Disney parks vacation by using the discounted tickets and merchandise was pretty heavily promoted in the sales pitch. It's nice that some people didn't swallow the kool aid as Disney was pushing the pitcher across the table but it was definitely promoted as what was helping to make a DVC purchase such a great deal.

~NM

I always felt that was underhanded of disney.. I do also think this is why a lot of people end up selling their DVC.
It took us 3 years to buy in.. We did are research from top to bottom.
Thank goodness for dis! So many rules and things not mention I ended up reading here.

One of them was don't plan on the perks..

I really think there should be a waiting /research period for all buyers

 

[GusGus77]

We are planning on going for one day mid-February to the MK. (Not on a holiday.) Wondering if I should suck it up and buy those passes now or wait....

 

[mshanson3121]

Actually, they are not making anything up. Districts that have attendance issues have been imposing fines and penalties in order to manage their state and federal funding. School systems need to meet and maintain a certain threshold to maintain their funding. This will hold true even in some Community Colleges.

Yup, truth. My husband is a college instructor, and yup, their funding is driven by attendance. And we homeschool But unfortunately, because DH teaches, we are one of those families who are only able to travel during summer or Christmas Break (they don't get a spring break at his college program). So homeschooling doesn't give us Disney travel benefits - but I love the freedom to do field trips whenever we want. Or... to hold a math class out on the golf course DD practices writing her numbers, DS practices his addition, lol.

 

[mshanson3121]

...AND.... I truly feel like this is an affront to those families who will be 'shut out' from visiting Disney,if these special prices take effect.... if you truly must travel in busier times, but you don't have extra income- then that takes away the experience from yet another income level group. I'm sorry, but is expensive enough as it is.(not arguing Disney's value per dollar,but it is expensive) and from what I have read, when Walt Disney created the parks I believe his idea was to be inclusive enough so that all types of families could enjoy it- while he was a businessman, I still feel like the moneygrubbing that is happening right now is just....off.

This will be us. We can only travel during the times when they want to raise prices, and chances are, we'll be priced out. Disney is fast becoming a high-middle/ upper class only vacation destination. Exactly the opposite of what Walt Disney had envisioned.

 

[epcotty]

Right, Walt wasn't perfect but definitely ran the parks better and cared about customers. This philosophy generally continued later throughout, up through Eisner's time. Iger and the current management are so much more greedy than any previous management

 

[EvieBug]

No, we're not. Funny how with all the other replies, you are the only one to try and act like we are.

It's amazing how quickly some people will "LOL" it off, without a shred of proof except one person saying 'making stuff up'.


I'd usually agree but since the person saying "they're just making stuff up" actually tricked someone into believing it, I will respond. For the sake of any other people being fooled by a person offering nothing to back up their baseless accuasions.

The Google is a simple and easy tool. You can ask it almost anything and you will get answers, in the case of "school funding child count" (if you live outside the US, specify US schools) you'll get thousands of hits, each one detailing schools and districts from all over the country.

Here is just one of the thousands of stories you can read-
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2011/jun/27/chronically-absent-students-cost-county-schools-mi/

There is this gem out of California


We aren't making anything up. It's all pubic information and readily available as you can clearly see.

All I can say is that my district does not appear to have any anti vacation policies and that I still find it unreasonable (not untrue, but unreasonable) that a district could encounter funding problems because of family vacations.

Someone upthread specified it better: districts with funding problems. That I believe. (But still disagree with and would fight because a reasonable vacation absence should not be penalized since the parent is excusing it.)

 

[bwang123]

Iger and the current management are so much more greedy than any previous management

agreed, but look how much is being built under Iger while stock prices and attendance continue to rise. and all of the acquisitions (marvel, star wars, etc). he definitely hasnt ignored the parks

 

[kittyab]

I see this being a hardship for many families. They will wait till their kids are out of school to go on any trip.

We come to Florida for a vacation when it is not so hot.

 

[epcotty]

agreed, but look how much is being built under Iger while stock prices and attendance continue to rise. and all of the acquisitions (marvel, star wars, etc). he definitely hasnt ignored the parks

Until the announcements now (and who knows how long that'll take) the FL parks were largely ignored with the main exception being New Fantasyland

 

[disneynutz]

Here is the attendance policy from a local school district in Texas.
"Vacations or family trips will not be counted as excused even with parent notification. The days missed will count toward the 10 days within 6 months that trigger a truancy filling".

According to Texas Education Code 25.093, a parent is subject to prosecution when the child fails to attend school regularly.

Bill

 

[kittyab]

Here is the attendance policy from a local school district in Texas.
"Vacations or family trips will not be counted as excused even with parent notification. The days missed will count toward the 10 days within 6 months that trigger a truancy filling".

According to Texas Education Code 25.093, a parent is subject to prosecution when the child fails to attend school regularly.

Bill

Wow, I wonder how many other states have this?

 

[Maleficent's Dad]

Wow, I wonder how many other states have this?

Other states have the policy. Enforcement of said policy is another discussion.
In NY, for example, some districts will choose to enforce a similar rule (10-15 years ago, a parent lost a court case to a district because of a grade their child received in a class - based on absences). However, most districts don't want the headache, and don't enforce.

To those bashing public schools - in most cases, at least in my experience, districts are following government (state & federal) laws... The harsh penalties for absences should be blamed on politicians.

I never understood all the hatred for teachers.
I mean, really, don't they have one of the most important jobs on earth? And no, I'm not an educator. Just someone who appreciates the incredible schooling my kids have been receiving.

Regardless, back to the topic at hand, Disney will charge what they can. Plain & simple.
If we pay it, they'll charge it (and raise it). It's basic, simple economics 101.

 

[aretha30]

I am a teacher and for years have gathered up work for a week and grudgingly smiled as I handed it over to a child taking a vacation with his/her family. I say grudgingly because I have never been able to travel at off times. If this goes through I won't be able to afford a Disney trip in the summer so I guess I will cash in all those saved up off days and take a week vacation during the cheap (hahaha) season.

I'm a teacher as well and can only go in the summer; this may price us out of going every year. Disney may become a once every 2-3 yr trip if they really jack up the prices.

In my state, funding is calculated by attendance during the first 2 weeks of school.

We are funded in a similar manner in my state. We do an attendance count after the first 20 days and this is how we receive funds. This is when students who haven't shown up are dropped from our rosters even if they haven't been registered elsewhere and such.

 

[averysmom]

One thing my wife and I came across while doing research in college (using the peer reviewed journals we had access to back then) was student performance in from various school backgrounds. The research showed that homeschooled students tended to outperform public school and private school students on SAT/ACT as well as in college. What was interesting was that this was true even if the parents had only a high school education with no college. Highly qualified teachers make no difference in public school education because they aren't allowed to truly teach anymore and they face constant interruption.

Actually, studies have shown that teacher competencies and pedagogical knowledge is the second highest factor in school success. The first is, of course, support from home, where students have their basic needs met, food, housing, clothing, stability, etc. It would make sense that homeschooled children would do better than the average, because I think it would be safe to assume that all of those basic needs are being met, as well as having that loving parent genuinely interested in what you are learning.

 

[larryz]

I agree, it's a money grab. Charge more for high attendance periods and black out available discounts.

Bill

Resorts are still a bit squishy, then, since they have the room-only discount deal going thru June 7th...