WDW considering implementing a tiered ticket price system

[lockedoutlogic]

I don't disagree that they may very well be raising and doing tiered pricing. But the savings for staying extra days will stay the same. Which that price structure there is no reason for families to extend their trip past 2-3 days. I've been enough times and know what I'm doing that I can do everything I want in 2 days if I have to. But I prefer to stay a week so I can take my time and do multiple things. And I do because going for 2 days is not cost efficient. With this price structure it will be. And even worse, people will "make the trip worth it" but staying off site and visiting the competition to round out the week instead. You can get a season pass to Universal for what a 2 day park hopper costs at Disney. If day days costs $700, then they are going to have to nearly double the cost of a season pass. Unless their goal with this is for everyone to just buy a season pass so it's cheaper.

It's going to be massive increases in multi days and presumably annual passes to follow.

Look at the feeler charts they sent out....they quote "savings" in percentages...using $105x __ number of days as a basis...


"Look at what you'll save"...

Except its completley whack because its still double the old model.

I'm telling ya...this was not sent out on a whim they don't joke about prices.

 

[rteetz]

Hawaii is loaded with beautiful resorts. I price compared and I could get a lot more at a comparable resort fro about 1/2 the price. Same thing with DCL, and ABD.

I agree but I'm just saying it has incredible reviews. Royal Caribbean is much less expensive and has ships that are the largest in the world. ABD the only trip that intrigues me is the backstage magic trip to disneyland you can't do that one through anyone else so. I know some have price compared a few trips and I believe a couple Europe trips are the only comparable ones to other travel companies.

 

[Barnabe]

They've been trying to shutdown the TTC for years anyway...I bet they'll love longer/slower lines

You take cynicism to a whole new level!

 

[minnie-apple-mouse]

Only a recession will really knock them on their cans. Look out there...next one will be brutal for them.

I think they are on the same page as you on this.

Slow, methodical expansion, "sure thing" expansion (Soarin/TSM/Frozen), College Program for every job possible, minimize pay and benefits, the IT thing, outsourcing everything they can, MM+ system to offer additional FP+ perks/planning for slow times coupled with free dining etc, guests actually building the hotels for them (DVC), the DTD expansion store/dining is being built by tenants (the BoatHouse was like $40 million?), on and on.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I think the idea is that something like this should also be easier to implement with My Disney Experience.

Put in your days, get price, insert credit card, done, tickets on your MagicBand. Easy peasy (just don't deviate from that!)

 

[oddman]

I agree but I'm just saying it has incredible reviews. Royal Caribbean is much less expensive and has ships that are the largest in the world. ABD the only trip that intrigues me is the backstage magic trip to disneyland you can't do that one through anyone else so. I know some have price compared a few trips and I believe a couple Europe trips are the only comparable ones to other travel companies.

I believe that these new prices will go through, and I believe the vast majority of people will just pay it.

But for us it places Disney World into a higher more competitive bracket, one where we would consider a lot of other options. Much as if Honda decided to increase its prices too much and ended up going head to head with luxury brands.

Disney would want to increase the value prop a lot if they want me to pay a lot more. And it does not look like they intend to increase the value proposition in anyway.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

True...

But I definitely won't be at the kiosk

Enjoy the one time visit from the Dexter family of Zanesville, Ohio.

I've spent likely 25+ times the amount on that property...just saying.

 

[Josh Hendy]

I think that this whole tiering ticket idea just sounds Confusing. Can you picture the ticket line at TTC? "Hey honey, What color ticket do we get? The Bronze, silver, or the yellow?"

You can imagine the conversations that will go on there thousands of times every day.

"OK I found out that today is silver but on Thursday it goes up to gold. What day did you and the kids want to go to Universal?"

"Yeah it's gold this week and it's pretty expensive. Should we just do Magic Kingdom today, go to mini-putt tomorrow, then eat at Pizza Hut and watch the Epcot fireworks from the bridge?"

"Honey give me your other credit card. There's no more bronze days this week and I just found out that Katie is technically an adult. And Frozen isn't at Magic Kingdom by the way, they told me it's at Epcot."

 

[Barnabe]

I think the idea is that something like this should also be easier to implement with My Disney Experience.

Put in your days, get price, insert credit card, done, tickets on your MagicBand. Easy peasy (just don't deviate from that!)

I might agree with this, if it didn't take 2 days for me to purchase theme park tickets on Disney's website!

 

[kbelle8995]

I think the idea is that something like this should also be easier to implement with My Disney Experience.

Put in your days, get price, insert credit card, done, tickets on your MagicBand. Easy peasy (just don't deviate from that!)

I'm so cynical these days. I don't think that it will be easy.

 

[Dean Marino]

I think they are on the same page as you on this.

Slow, methodical expansion, "sure thing" expansion (Soarin/TSM/Frozen), College Program for every job possible, minimize pay and benefits, the IT thing, outsourcing everything they can, MM+ system to offer additional FP+ perks/planning for slow times coupled with free dining etc, guests actually building the hotels for them (DVC), the DTD expansion store/dining is being built by tenants (the BoatHouse was like $40 million?), on and on.

Now, I MUST comment on this - because what Disney is doing (Restaurant wise) is pure gold....

The REASON it's pure gold? They are loosing control of higher end dining. Sure, it's cheaper in the front end to bring in STK .... but at the back end? They've clipped their ability to raise prices to compensate for "free dining", and the DDP in general. We always compare the costs of a fine dining establishment ON property to the cost of the same (there are several), OFF property, tossing in the cost of a cab. Disney is making it easier for us - by inviting a bunch of non-Disney owned Fine Dining Restaurants ON property . No DDP "menu offering clip", AND we can use Disney Transportation . What we are watching for: avoid any non-Disney owned Restaurant that takes DDP (we understand Boathouse just did this). To us? Same as going to a Hospital, and paying for all the bills coming from folks without insurance .

 

[rteetz]

Now, I MUST comment on this - because what Disney is doing (Restaurant wise) is pure gold....

The REASON it's pure gold? They are loosing control of higher end dining. Sure, it's cheaper in the front end to bring in STK .... but at the back end? They've clipped their ability to raise prices to compensate for "free dining", and the DDP in general. We always compare the costs of a fine dining establishment ON property to the cost of the same (there are several), OFF property, tossing in the cost of a cab. Disney is making it easier for us - by inviting a bunch of non-Disney owned Fine Dining Restaurants ON property . No DDP "menu offering clip", AND we can use Disney Transportation . What we are watching for: avoid any non-Disney owned Restaurant that takes DDP (we understand Boathouse just did this). To us? Same as going to a Hospital, and paying for all the bills coming from folks without insurance .

They are compensating for free dining by making people pay rack rates on hotels and making them buy a park hopper or water park and more ticket. STK isn't going to be cheap by any means.

 

[minnie-apple-mouse]

Now, I MUST comment on this - because what Disney is doing (Restaurant wise) is pure gold....

The REASON it's pure gold? They are loosing control of higher end dining. Sure, it's cheaper in the front end to bring in STK .... but at the back end? They've clipped their ability to raise prices to compensate for "free dining", and the DDP in general. We always compare the costs of a fine dining establishment ON property to the cost of the same (there are several), OFF property, tossing in the cost of a cab. Disney is making it easier for us - by inviting a bunch of non-Disney owned Fine Dining Restaurants ON property . No DDP "menu offering clip", AND we can use Disney Transportation . What we are watching for: avoid any non-Disney owned Restaurant that takes DDP (we understand Boathouse just did this). To us? Same as going to a Hospital, and paying for all the bills coming from folks without insurance .

My larger point was the minimal investment/capital/expense/expenditures they have been doing at WDW, might be to hedge against a recession as mentioned.

 

[Josh Hendy]

My larger point was the minimal investment/capital/expense/expenditures they have been doing at WDW, might be to hedge against a recession as mentioned.

I have a theory, that the significant cap-ex taking place at Disneyland Paris, Tokyo and Shanghai is because in those monetary jurisdictions, the massive "easing" (printing money) happens to be earmarked or steered by the authorities towards infrastructure projects such as theme parks. Meaning that interest rates or terms are set so low that it would be foolish not to borrow a few billion and throw it at park creation and expansion.

Inflationary money-printing is usually earmarked for something ... in order for governments to claim that they're building for the future not ruining the economy by wrecking the currency. But what they build is a bubble in that is always followed by a crash. For example the money aimed at hi-tech leading up to Y2K followed by the tech crash. The US Fed then deliberately aimed its monetary spigot at housing, which blew up a bubble whose aftershocks will not die down for decades (in other words not until they quit trying to prop those suckers up).

In the USA right now I gather that the massive money-printing is partly aimed at propping up housing, and also somewhat at hi tech which I infer from the zany activity of certain stocks. And last of all, the Fed appears to be trying to prop up the stock market to give the illusion of a recovery.

Whatever the Fed is trying to do, you can see that Disney is using its cash (or borrowed money) for 3 fairly big uses right now in the USA ... in no particular order, timeshare condo development (housing), IT infrastructure (hi-tech), and stock buybacks (propping up their share price). Coincidence ... or ...

The lack of investment in new lands and new rides may be because east-coast vacationers are suckers who will keep coming in droves no matter how few new rides are built ... or it may be because when it comes to borrowing nearly-free money, theme parks are not the US Fed's priority target right now.