Tiered tickets based on season?

[Splashboat]

"Based on a recent survey sent out to guests via email, it appears that Disney is at least considering introducing a tiered ticket price based on season."
This was not a sentence I made up. It is a quote from an article. Link is included in the original post.

My speculation is based on DVC peak season being different from non-DVC peak season. If the tiered system extends beyond the current FL AP could the DVC AP be structured around DVC peak?

 

[JimMIA]

"Based on a recent survey sent out to guests via email, it appears that Disney is at least considering introducing a tiered ticket price based on season."
This was not a sentence I made up. It is a quote from an article.

Right, you quoted the article perfectly accurately. But I think the writer of the article is mistaken in two major ways.

First, in the already existing Florida Resident passes, the dates blacked-out are December 18, 2014 to January 2, 2015 (15 nights), March 28 to April 10, 2015 (14 nights), and the school summer vacation period of June 6 to August 13. One could argue that the excluded period in the summer constitutes a "season," but certainly a few days on either side of Christmas and Easter don't constitute "seasonal pricing." Those periods are simply blackout periods one accepts in order to get a greatly discounted price -- a $213 savings from the regular Florida Resident (or DVC) AP.

And secondly, there is absolutely nothing new about this pricing structure. It's the same pricing structure they have used for Florida Residents since about 2007. They also have allowed Florida Residents to pay monthly for their annual passes for several years. None of the pricing strategy is new -- what is new is the consideration of offering that same deal to ALL WDW guests.

My speculation is based on DVC peak season being different from non-DVC peak season. If the tiered system extends beyond the current FL AP could the DVC AP be structured around DVC peak?

That's possible, but it seems more logical to me that they would base theme park ticket prices on theme park demand rather than DVC demand. They're selling rides, not lodging.

My personal opinion is that this "new" strategy, if they go with it, is simply offering two Florida Resident discounts to everyone. And that will be a good thing for many visitors.

I suspect they have 7-8 years of market research that tells them that many Florida residents have bought the "Seasonal" annual pass or the weekday pass when they would not even have considered purchasing a discounted Florida AP. They're going after that market segment that simply won't pay $600 per pass for APs. They're going after the people who are going to Orlando for a week, but only spending 1-3 days at WDW and the rest of the time elsewhere -- and that is a LOT of people.

We're in that group. We wouldn't even consider buying an AP because we no longer want to visit WDW 2-3 times a year -- or, if we do, it is within another vacation as a stop-off on the way. So for us, the weekday pass works well. We don't go during the busiest times, and we hang at our resort or go somewhere else on the weekends when WDW is slammed with local residents. It's a better vacation for us.

IF Disney implements the existing Florida "Seasonal" and weekday passes for everyone, that will be a plus for DVC owners, IMHO. It will give you two more options you don't have now, provided you can accept the blackout periods. If they'd throw in the 3-4 day options, that would be an even bigger plus.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

So I'm confused on where the writer of the article writer is confused about seasons @JimMIA since that article is all based on daily tickets and the charts definitely show seasons. Did I miss a continuation of that article that speculates on AP's? I thought the AP speculation was just here? I have seen others suggest that the survey was sent to AP holders but I've missed seeing the survey that asked about AP's.

For my speculation - and it's all based on the part where the lowest tiered ticket costs what a ticket currently does is that AP pricing structure would all change. Don't forget they did a structure change at DL while increasing prices - a lot. If they did a change to AP's and offered seasons I think DVC AP's would just follow the same seasons as any AP. Like was said - this will follow theme park attendance, not DVC popular booking times. I don't know if I'd count on the pass with the most blackout days to be significantly less than what a full pass is now though. Disney does not work that way - everything is about charging more for the same, or in some cases more for less. I don't think this survey bodes well for WDW visitors, but it's a good way to eventually say that visitors asked to pay more.

 

[Splashboat]

That's possible, but it seems more logical to me that they would base theme park ticket prices on theme park demand rather than DVC demand. They're selling rides, not lodging.

Yes, except DVC owners aren't using theme park tickets unless they are using their DVC points for lodging. It could be a way to disperse heavier DVC crowds without restructuring points. If the first couple of weeks of December cost a lot more for park tickets it might detour some from using their points at that time. It doesn't appear as though anyone thinks it will happen so hopefully it won't.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Disney has sent versions of this survey to LOTS of people In ALL of them there is a "tiered" pricing component. Prices are not the same and other details are changed but.... considering the volume of surveys reported, the variety reported etc... I think it's coming.


I also think if you want an anytime access AP think several hundred more then it currently costs.. Your reduced access AP will be close to the current pricing IMHO

And for that what do you get in the parks? Where's the investment in "guest experience" at Epcot, Studios etc...? Charging more needs to come with more to do, not less or "we can clone a 10 year old attraction for you" LOL!

 

[JimMIA]

The more I look at the charts in the article OP referenced, the more I think this more closely resembles pricing models used by major sports teams. It's not seasonal; it's really almost day-by-day pricing.

The main impact of the new plan is basically a 25% increase in the price of the daily ticket. Yes there would be some "bargain days," but as others mention above, it would be very difficult to get a batch of tickets without having to upgrade to "Gold."

The potential impact to DVC owners IF this happens, is twofold.

Obviously, we would expect the cost of the DVC/FL APs to go up correspondingly creating a considerable increase in the cost of a trip. A 25% increase in our AP would be from $563 to $704, and the renewal from $478 to $598...per pass.

Whether the DVC owner buys APs or not, how will such an increase affect owners?

Will the increased cost of the overall trip finally outweigh the perceived benefit of DVC?

Or will owners change their visitation habits? By making fewer trips? By visiting the well-worn theme parks for the same old attractions fewer days each trip? By doing the parks the same way but staying offsite? Or...?

 

[kristenrice]

I find it interesting (and a little sad) that the tiered structure requires you to purchase the highest level of ticket applicable to your stay. If you are staying a full week, you will be hard-pressed to find a 7-day stretch that falls entirely during one season. They have bumped weekends into a higher bracket so if you want all 7 days, you are paying for 7-days at the higher price, even if only two of them are on the peak days. If this is the case, I see a lot of people shortening their vacations, perhaps going only on weekdays.

I know that our family will probably be taking our last family trip in 2016, even though our kids will only be 12 and 10. The tickets have become too expensive and the value is just not what it used to be. I will still go and use my DVC, but I will probably bring a friend (so I only need to buy 1 ticket) or alternate years with the kids, taking one at a time. Otherwise, we will go as a family and skip the parks. I cannot justify spending close to $2K on a week of park tickets. The entertainment value is just not there.

 

[JandD75]

Disney has sent versions of this survey to LOTS of people In ALL of them there is a "tiered" pricing component. Prices are not the same and other details are changed but.... considering the volume of surveys reported, the variety reported etc... I think it's coming.


I also think if you want an anytime access AP think several hundred more then it currently costs.. Your reduced access AP will be close to the current pricing IMHO

And for that what do you get in the parks? Where's the investment in "guest experience" at Epcot, Studios etc...? Charging more needs to come with more to do, not less or "we can clone a 10 year old attraction for you" LOL!

Amen!

 

[Minniesgal]

If WDw ever goes to a pay for express pass, like Univ. ($70+PP at peak times), that will end our visits. We will likely get 1 more annual pass next year and then be done for a while. They will have to grandfather in old (still valid) tickets, so maybe I will stock up on a few more if they announce the tiers. Elaine

I'm the opposite I would love if they sold an express pass

 

[gdrj]

I wonder if Disney is at long last seeing some push back on ticket prices. Could you bring up attendance (say 50%) by reducing ticket prices by 10-20% during low capacity periods?

Hmmm. Looking at the proposed price charts, it seems like Disney would like to maximize returns where the demand is least elastic. That said, tiered pricing seems like a quick path to guest dissatisfaction, particularly for those that straddle seasons. I think tiered pricing is just a tool to measure how much Disney could raise prices in the next round. Note that the Bronse price is the current rate.

Agree with your points. Disney will position it as an added value allowing guest to only pay for what they need. Just like Park hopping/magic your way tickets were just a way to significantly increase prices. As a Disney fan and supporter, this is just another way to keep taking from guests. I am at the point now with AP for me is close to max where I will buy. We have been contemplating purchasing additional points but it is getting hard to justify. I realize some will be go with the flow, but I'm getting close to tipping point.

 

[delilah]

We used to go at times that corresponded to non-blackout times for the Florida seasonal pass because we wanted to vacation with family members who lived in Florida. That changed several years ago when my son became a boy scout. His troop goes to the summer camp the first week of June, which was the only week of summer vacation that wasn't in the blackout period. Spring break and Christmas break are always blackout times. Fortunately for us, my son is going to be a senior in HS this year. That means probably no more boy scout camp, no more grade school/high school calendar considerations. Son will be going to university, so, maybe, at least one break would be doable. Or else, mom and dad can go alone anytime they want like we did 18 years ago. Might even go back to arriving on Sunday and leaving Saturday, like we used to do when weekends cost twice as many points as weekdays.

 

[kangaroodle]

We already have tiered pricing at DVC resorts!

 

[kristenrice]

I assume that any regular, multi-day tickets purchased now would still be honored at any time should this tiered pricing go into effect, right? I'm thinking that I should start buying 6-day park hoppers one at a time as I save the money so that way at least I have our tickets covered for our next trip and I won't have to worry about the dates.

And another question...if/when this tiered-pricing takes effect, will unused tickets still be upgradeable?

 

[DebbieB]

We already have tiered pricing at DVC resorts!

There's tiered pricing at all resorts, more now than ever. It used to be there were 4 seasons for cash reservations - value, regular, peak & holiday. Now there are several, with weekday and weekend differences.

For example, an All Star Sports standard room can run between $96 and $199. A Grand Floridian garden room can run between $582 and $856. Before discounts of course.

 

[Lorilais_mommie]

I wonder if this will affect any per bought AP vouchers???
Right before the increase this year, we bought enough for 5 years..
We were told the vouchers would never expire. (There no expiration on them)
And when we exchange the voucher for AP they would be good for 1 year from the date we exchanged them.

Would the new tier only effect tickets or AP (for non locals) as well?

 

[CarolynFH]

Yes, except DVC owners aren't using theme park tickets unless they are using their DVC points for lodging. It could be a way to disperse heavier DVC crowds without restructuring points. If the first couple of weeks of December cost a lot more for park tickets it might detour some from using their points at that time. It doesn't appear as though anyone thinks it will happen so hopefully it won't.

DVC owners don't always stay on site! In January 2014 we used our 2013 and most of our 2014 points for a GV and brought the whole family for a wonderful trip. We returned to WDW in March, May, October and November using our APs for park admission but staying off site since we were out of DVC points.

So I agree that tiered ticket prices would likely be lower in early December in order to bring in more visitors to the parks themselves at a historically lower-attendance time of year. That's one of the reasons early December is such a popular time with DVC members - less crowded parks, as well as lower points costs for villas.

 

[Splashboat]

DVC owners don't always stay on site! In January 2014 we used our 2013 and most of our 2014 points for a GV and brought the whole family for a wonderful trip. We returned to WDW in March, May, October and November using our APs for park admission but staying off site since we were out of DVC points.

So I agree that tiered ticket prices would likely be lower in early December in order to bring in more visitors to the parks themselves at a historically lower-attendance time of year. That's one of the reasons early December is such a popular time with DVC members - less crowded parks, as well as lower points costs for villas.

My comment was in direct response to the reply regarding DVC lodging and the theme park tickets.
(I initially started this thread because I was thinking about DVC demand in relation to theme park ticket demand)
The beginning of December is actually a very high demand time for DVC. We have been going this time of year for the last several years.
That was what my initial question was considering.
Could tiered theme park tickets, with the DVC discount, be adjusted specifically for DVC (lodging) demand?
Could December be a lower tiered AP for the general public but higher tiered AP for DVC?
Apparently the answer is no.