What is going on with Disney parks?

[Brianstl]

Not sure this is the thread for it but this is where I get a bone to pick. I'm okay with people not liking The Last Jedi. I didn't like the prequels myself. The way TLJ challenged Star Wars tropes and turned them on their heads isn't for everyone, and that's totally okay. I listen to what people say they didn't like about it, and sometimes I understand where they're coming from. Trying to call it "a bad movie" though is ridiculous.

If TFA erred too close to imitating ANH, TLJ took the opposite tack and erred on the side of breaking the cycle. It was conscious, deliberate, and the film did exactly what it set out to do, even if it's not everyone's cup of tea.

And yes, I'm an "old school" Star Wars fan too. The people who dislike TLJ don't get a monopoly on "OG fan" status.

By trying to reinvent the wheel, it was a bad movie. You want to do that you go out and make a non Star Wars movie. You explore what was explored in a sci-fi non Star Wars movie with the same players, it would have been a good movie. Doing what was done in a Star Wars film is a big middle finger to the audience.

 

[FrankieWinthrop]

We’re 2nd year AP holder from north GA. We bought our 3rd year AP at SAMS before the price increase and plan to activate it on Spring Break next year when ours expire. After that, I don’t know if we’ll be able to afford to keep them! We go often (2 week long trips and 3 or 4 shorter ones) since we have AP, but you won’t find us on property again unless we win a contest or something. I can’t justify over $100/night for two beds and a bathroom when I can get a full condo for the same price or cheaper that’s closer than AKL.

 

[disneygirlsng]

I mentioned that on some thread about rack rates and some people scoffed that "who pays rack rates" well obviously some do (and it shouldn't be a way to look down on someone) but I kinda felt like some of those people scoffing missed the point of the raising of the rack rates. Great that you don't ever pay it but if the rack rate has gone up and up and up you're paying way more with a discount than you did even at rack rate just a few short years later and your rack rate is what is really important as that's obviously what the discount is being taken from.

Yea, I booked a trip for the end of this month back in like March or so. When the AP discounts came out a couple months ago, the AP discount was about $40-50/night more than what I paid rack rate in March for the same room, same weekend. The rack rate had increased that much in just those few months. So my rack rate pricing I got was still cheaper than what the AP discount would have been had I waited much longer to book.

 

[Mikey15]

By trying to reinvent the wheel, it was a bad movie. You want to do that you go out and make a non Star Wars movie. You explore what was explored in a sci-fi non Star Wars movie with the same players, it would have been a good movie. Doing what was done in a Star Wars film is a big middle finger to the audience.

It wasn't a middle finger to me.

I'm glad Rey wasn't another Skywalker/Kenobi/insert-fan-theory here. I'm glad things didn't work out as we figured we knew. I'm glad the SW galaxy is bigger than a handful of characters from prior films and their descendants. Even the handling of Luke was well done when you step back and look at it as the answer to the question JJ created of "Okay, so why would he just go into hiding while there's a First Order out there trying to recreate the Empire?"

 

[LizzyS]

Not sure this is the thread for it but this is where I get a bone to pick. I'm okay with people not liking The Last Jedi. I didn't like the prequels myself. The way TLJ challenged Star Wars tropes and turned them on their heads isn't for everyone, and that's totally okay. I listen to what people say they didn't like about it, and sometimes I understand where they're coming from. Trying to call it "a bad movie" though is ridiculous.

If TFA erred too close to imitating ANH, TLJ took the opposite tack and erred on the side of breaking the cycle. It was conscious, deliberate, and the film did exactly what it set out to do, even if it's not everyone's cup of tea.

And yes, I'm an "old school" Star Wars fan too. The people who dislike TLJ don't get a monopoly on "OG fan" status.

I totally agree with all of this.

 

[LizzyS]

It wasn't a middle finger to me.

I'm glad Rey wasn't another Skywalker/Kenobi/insert-fan-theory here. I'm glad things didn't work out as we figured we knew. I'm glad the SW galaxy is bigger than a handful of characters from prior films and their descendants. Even the handling of Luke was well done when you step back and look at it as the answer to the question JJ created of "Okay, so why would he just go into hiding while there's a First Order out there trying to recreate the Empire?"

I can understand people who have criticisms and explain their point of view, too.

I would have made Luke more distraught and less grumpy, were it my film. It's not perfect, but it's certainly not a middle finger to anyone and I find that line of thinking ludicrous.

 

[Tink-osophy]

...Taking away the night parade at MK is not acceptable to me.

...

No welcome ceremony in MK. No parades in any of Epcot/AK/HS. No evening parade in MK. (Fewer evenings at all in MK, given all the special events.) Far less live entertainment in general. Camera boxes! -- They really don't want any more CMs than they can get away with, do they!

As for the pressed pennies...

Is there no end to what they'll take away?

What's next?

 

[Waiting2goback]

No welcome ceremony in MK. No parades in any of Epcot/AK/HS. No evening parade in MK. (Fewer evenings at all in MK, given all the special events.) Far less live entertainment in general. Camera boxes! -- They really don't want any more CMs than they can get away with, do they!

As for the pressed pennies...

Is there no end to what they'll take away?

What's next?

Yes, there are a lot of things that were taken away and it isn’t going to stop as long as Chapek is in charge.

 

[kandb]

I started looking at pricing for the spring and WOW. It’s only been a year since we’ve been there but prices have jumped significantly! Frankly I closed my browser and said nope. I’m simply not paying that when there is so much construction going on. We will be going the following spring for sure with my sons marching band, but I’m seriously thinking of staying off site. We also talked about my daughter and I flying in for her birthday in August, two park days and flying out—two night stay only at the all-stars. After pricing that out, frankly we went to Vegas instead for 5 days, spent less money and had just as much fun with a WAY better hotel. We are exploring other places more instead of going back to WDW repeatedly. This year we’ve been to Florida (beach trip), DC, NYC and Vegas, with no Disney planned. First time in years we’ve had no Disney plans. It’s almost not even tempting anymore, which is something I never thought I’d say.

OMG, this is us!!! We went to Disney for 12 years straight and loved our vacations but every year we paid more and got less. The last few years the prices are just way too much for the hotels and the ticket prices. I refuse to spend almost $100/person to go to a park that is packed and spend almost $400/night for a moderate hotel that is not as nice as a Marriott/Hilton that I can get for $150/night or cheaper with a full breakfast. I can't do Disney when I feel like I am getting ripped off everywhere I turn.

 

[NickC]

The sad part is, a lot of the price increases and reduced customer relations are a result of large investments in SWGE...and no one is happy. If this is the case, I wonder if WDW learns anything from this. In my opinion, they have been imitating (keeping up with Universal) instead of innovating (offering the feeling that you can't get anywhere else in the world). They should focus on what they do best.

 

[Mattimation]

The sad part is, a lot of the price increases and reduced customer relations are a result of large investments in SWGE...and no one is happy. If this is the case, I wonder if WDW learns anything from this. In my opinion, they have been imitating (keeping up with Universal) instead of innovating (offering the feeling that you can't get anywhere else in the world). They should focus on what they do best.

I imagine some of the price increases are also due to the astronomical amount they paid for Fox, which was also a very unpopular move. Disney+ seems to be getting a lot of buzz, and I know a few non-Disney fans who have already signed up for it because of how much it’s going to have, so maybe that move will pay off eventually. It’ll be a long time though, and since Disney is definitely profit-focused, I’m sure we’ll be paying extra at the parks for Fox for a long time.

 

[cm8]

What drives me nuts is that they are caring about attendance numbers instead of actual profit. Unless I missed something they are still making more money than ever.

I have zero issues with higher prices just give me a trade off of lower crowds.

Since when has this ever worked? Higher pricing does not ever mean lower crowds

 

[DGsAtBLT]

Those rates are bananas for the hotels and I have no idea what we would do if DVC rental was no longer an option for us.

We’re paying less than the cost of a moderate in 2020 to stay at BWV this month. Our Poly stay over spring break is not much more than a moderate. Craziness.

 

[Tink-osophy]

Yes, there are a lot of things that were taken away and it isn’t going to stop as long as Chapek is in charge.

I know! I don't want to agree...

...but... !!!

I'm just having a rant, because the more I think about the parks, the more I'm reminded of all they have taken away from the experience.

I'm not unaware of the need for the parks' evolution, or against some () IP-'inspired' stuff - but it's the way they're going about it all, isn't it!

Less is not more!

EDITED: Because I wrote it in a rush and it didn't make sense. Thanks Snappy for knowing what I meant anyway!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Yeah, I think it's kind of weird there are so many Dis'ers that think "no one pays rack rate". Not everyone is on Disney social media sites waiting for discount news to drop or moving their vacation dates around to make the discount work, etc. I assume most families are going to just look on the Disney site, they have their dates set for when they can take off work or school or whatever, and that's it. Especially if they've never been before... probably lots of rack rate packages to get it all done in one place. I'd say a lot of people probably check Orbitz or Priceline too for good measure but the availability isn't always there. I would assume a very large percentage of WDW's average guests are not The Dis-level type aficionados. So to assume that no one pays rack rate is a little out there.

huh?
I can't speak for what every DISer thinks, but when anyone prices out any vacation on the WDW website WDW's "discounted" rates automatically come up, not rack rates.

There's no big grand secret search or social media required. I'm not sure what you're talking about.

Further, visiting the WDW webpage just once triggers a bunch of WDW ads.

WDW TV ads are also very common.

 

[DGsAtBLT]

I thing WDWs discounts are a lot like Gap/Old Navy’s, Gap/Old Navy even occurring more. Yet still when I talk to people about where I buy my kids clothing, they often talk about how expensive Gap is and are surprised when I say it’s almost always 40% off.

I think WDW is similar. It might seem obvious, but there are still people not getting discounts. There are also large number of people who travel during holidays where the rooms are at their most expensive and also without discounts. I wouldn’t do it, but someone out there is paying these rates.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Yeah, I guess, as long as your trip happens to fall into those visit windows. But if the discount isn't advertised on the site that day,

Again, huh?

What are you talking about?

As soon as anyone does a browser search for WDW ads for WDW discounts pop up.

WDW "discounts" have been offered year round for over 20 years. The ONLY exception, and only SOME years - is Christmas.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

huh?
I can't speak for what every DISer thinks, but when anyone prices out any vacation on the WDW website WDW's "discounted" rates automatically come up, not rack rates.

There's no big grand secret search or social media required. I'm not sure what you're talking about.

Further, visiting the WDW webpage just once triggers a bunch of WDW ads.

WDW TV ads are also very common.

You've entirely missed the point. Then again that's sorta how the conversation went on the other thread too.

To give some information just from my 2017 trip:

~Booked resort on 2/21/17. At that time no discounts had been released right then and there for my 9/8/17 start date. On 4/24/17 discounts were released. Now just imagine, suspend your knowledge, and just imagine a person who went on Disney's website and booked on 2/21/17 and again just imagine they.never.looked.again.

When the person was talking about social media sites and waiting for discounts I believe they were referring to the DIS and the like. You know the places that know a discount will be released and often have a tad bit of lead information on it. There's watch threads out there. Now just imagine, suspend your knowledge, and just imagine a person who doesn't know these sites exists much less even thinks about them.

There's such a huge difference in what one would do and understanding that not everyone else does that.

You wouldn't catch my step-father-in-law on social media---for reals he just got FB, they haven't had cable in several years, he likes to call places not search the web, he would absolutely just accept the rate as is not going around hunting and hunting, etc. If we're all traveling together they leave the big planning to us, if they were going on their own all bets are off and they do things their way which means they'll pay the higher price and be fine with it because that's just how they roll.

 

[The Pho]

As soon as anyone does a browser search for WDW ads for WDW discounts pop up.

Except for the 20-40% of the country using ad blockers (depending on which data you look at).

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I thing WDWs discounts are a lot like Gap/Old Navy’s, Gap/Old Navy even occurring more. Yet still when I talk to people about where I buy my kids clothing, they often talk about how expensive Gap is and are surprised when I say it’s almost always 40% off.

I think WDW is similar. It might seem obvious, but there are still people not getting discounts. There are also large number of people who travel during holidays where the rooms are at their most expensive and also without discounts. I wouldn’t do it, but someone out there is paying these rates.

That's actually a good analogy.

My jeans that I buy are like $42 full price at JCP. Have I ever paid that? Heck to the no. I always get them on sale-often waiting when they are $14.99 (mostly during black friday/christmas season) but sometimes when they are $19.99 or whatever the price structure is now (they've gone back and forth between whole pricing and using $.99 pricing structure I can't keep up lol).

Despite knowing that JCP has sales quite frequently I know without a doubt that there are people who buy the jeans at full price. Would I? Nope. Is it fairly easy to get them on sale at some point throughout the year? Yup. I still know there are people for one reason or another have paid full price.