Will you pay $150 for the new "Disney After Dark" event in the MK?

[scrapquitler]

I wish the 7.5% of you that voted 'not sure' would have simply voted 'no'. You're likely voting that way instead of 'yes' because of the cost. You conceptually like the idea of lower crowds, but aren't sure you can justify the cost. If the Disney consumer doesn't make a stand about costs at some point, we'll continue to see things like this. And, in the end, 95% of Disney customers suffer for the benefit of the 5% that can actually afford these over-priced perks.

If this poll was trending 97%-98% 'no', the Disney decision makers would be squirming right now. As it is. they may see enough potential in 12%-13% to think it's a smart move.

Only a tiny percentage of people partake of VIP tours but Disney isn't getting rid of those. It doesn't take many people paying for them to make it worthwhile and profitable. If 3000 people buy into this in one night, that's a revenue of $450K for three hours. I doubt it costs that much to keep the park open for three hours, so the are still going to make a lot of cash. If they closed the park at 10 as normal, that makes zero cash.

 

[JimmyV]

Just a little factoid, if daily attendance is 50,000 at MK, and per the current results from this poll a mere 6% will purchase a ticket to DAH, that would mean 3000 people would attend the event. Let's say there's a slightly higher percentage of people who are willing to buy tickets that would pump up attendance to around 6000 per night, which I think most here would consider a very low crowd condition. It would also mean Disney makes an additional $900,000 for the day.

Hypothetically, if they could get rid of EMH and put this in it's place and add one other night DAH per week they would pump up yearly revenues by almost $94,000,000 . Add in the new early morning event and you're looking at yearly revenue enhancement of over 100 million dollars.

Now go re-do your math and ignore the 50,000 people at the MK that day, because I honestly think that these are the people who are least likely to buy the ticket. If you have been in the park all day and you already rode all the rides, are you going to pay $149 for a few more rides? Instead, figure out what 5% is when you start with all the people who:

• were in the other 3 parks that day, plus
• the number of people who spent that day at a water park, plus
• the number of people who went to US/IO or SW that day, and
• the number of people who are in the Orlando area for a conference at the Gaylord, or Swan/Dolphin, or Marriott World, or Hyatt Grand Cypress, or any of the other major convention hotels in the area. Those people were locked up in windowless conference rooms all day learning about boosting sales of pharmaceuticals.

I think this is your target audience from which to draw the 5%.

 

[Delirium]

I'll go so far as to say this. There is a very real possibility that you will end up spending MORE time in line during a paid event like this than you would in the last hour of the FREE evening magic hours that you have today.

Now, I'll admit, we've not been since the Mine Train was opened, but the last time we went a couple of years ago in October, in the last hour of the evening magic hours at MK, everything, including rides like Thunder Mountain and Peter Pan, was essentially walk-on and we didn't have to pay $150 to experience that. Why is that, well there was no forced incentive to keep anyone there after the parade/fireworks

Fast forward to what will likely be your experience at this event. Will any group/family that forks over $150 per person be leaving the park before the last second on their special three hour tour expires? I highly doubt it. Now, people will feel obligated to stay until the bitter end and your wait times will actually be higher. Just wait and see.

Disney wins. The Disney consumer loses.

 

[BayouQueen]

Another "no" vote. I've paid for a lot of different premium experiences, but this one doesn't appeal to me.

 

[huntconn]

I wouldn't personally pay that much but I could understand people that would. There are so many factors that go into whether or not someone would, or even could, do it. I've been going to WDW since I was a child in the 70's. We go at least once a year and have been on every single attraction many many times. So I wouldn't personally feel a need to pay that much to get that kind of access to the MK. But I could understand someone else, who maybe has never been there or doesn't get to visit regularly, be willing to pay. "To each his own" I suppose.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I'll go so far as to say this. There is a very real possibility that you will end up spending MORE time in line during a paid event like this than you would in the last hour of the FREE evening magic hours that you have today.

Maybe not. When the Halloween and Christmas parties first launched, you could ride any ride with no wait even when the party was sold out. Disney got greedy and sold more and more tickets until things became what they are today.

Depends on how many tickets are sold.

 

[JimmyV]

I'll go so far as to say this. There is a very real possibility that you will end up spending MORE time in line during a paid event like this than you would in the last hour of the FREE evening magic hours that you have today.

Now, I'll admit, we've not been since the Mine Train was opened, but the last time we went a couple of years ago in October, in the last hour of the evening magic hours at MK, everything, including rides like Thunder Mountain and Peter Pan, was essentially walk-on and we didn't have to pay $150 to experience that. Why is that, well there was no forced incentive to keep anyone there after the parade/fireworks

Fast forward to what will likely be your experience at this event. Will any group/family that forks over $150 per person be leaving the park before the last second on their special three hour tour expires? I highly doubt it. Now, people will feel obligated to stay until the bitter end and your wait times will actually be higher. Just wait and see.

Disney wins. The Disney consumer loses.

Interesting observation. And even if you don't wait less on a free night, you still have to ask yourself which was the better evening: The one where you waited 5-7 minutes each for Space, Splash and Thunder for free; or the one where you had no wait whatsoever for $149. It's one thing to pay $149 to avoid the lines that you find at 2:00 p.m. But that is not what you should be comparing it to. The true comparison is whether the $149 was worth the cost of avoiding the lines that you would have encountered on Wednesday's EMH which were free.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

I don't think Disney is going to squirm all that much about a poll on the DIS.

 

[JimmyV]

I forwarded the link on the Disney website to a friend for his reaction. It was priceless so I thought I would share it:

"This could only be worth $149 if the Princesses are giving lap dances inside Fairytale Hall. And even then it is a toss-up."

 

[pigletgirl]

I'll go so far as to say this. There is a very real possibility that you will end up spending MORE time in line during a paid event like this than you would in the last hour of the FREE evening magic hours that you have today.

Now, I'll admit, we've not been since the Mine Train was opened, but the last time we went a couple of years ago in October, in the last hour of the evening magic hours at MK, everything, including rides like Thunder Mountain and Peter Pan, was essentially walk-on and we didn't have to pay $150 to experience that. Why is that, well there was no forced incentive to keep anyone there after the parade/fireworks

Fast forward to what will likely be your experience at this event. Will any group/family that forks over $150 per person be leaving the park before the last second on their special three hour tour expires? I highly doubt it. Now, people will feel obligated to stay until the bitter end and your wait times will actually be higher. Just wait and see.

Disney wins. The Disney consumer loses.

Bitter much? Honestly, if this is still around by the time DH and I go alone, yes we WOULD pay for an experience like this. Disney isn't forcing anyone to pay for an experience such as this.

Remember this is DISNEY, not the IRS.

 

[JimmyV]

I don't think Disney is going to squirm all that much about a poll on the DIS.

Do you think the results would be statistically different amongst the general population? And if so, do you think that non-Disers are more or less likely to reach into their pockets for $600 for a family of four to do this? I am always amazed at the number of people who think that the opinions of the people here don't matter or are somehow non-representative of guests at large. When a company is taking surveys, it absolutely wants to know what its most loyal customers think. You can rest assured that American Airlines cares more about what its Gold and Platinum members think about a proposed change than a passenger who flew the airline for the first time yesterday.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Do you think the results would be statistically different amongst the general population? And if so, do you think that non-Disers are more or less likely to reach into their pockets for $600 for a family of four to do this? I am always amazed at the number of people who think that the opinions of the people here don't matter or are somehow non-representative of guests at large. When a company is taking surveys, it absolutely wants to know what its most loyal customers think. You can rest assured that American Airlines cares more about what its Gold and Platinum members think about a proposed change than a passenger who flew the airline for the first time yesterday.

No idea how the general public will react, but I know for a fact that Dissers are not typical WDW patrons. I know hundreds of people who have visited WDW, and I am the only one in my circle who posts here. No in in my circle is even remotely interested in WDW between visits.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

With that price, they are not looking for a huge audience for this one, nor are they looking for the approval of fans or frequent visitors. It would be nice, but what they are after is they want to make a little money when the park would normally be closed. At that price point it won't take a huge amount of guests for that to happen. If they don't make any money, they won't do it again. They will try something else. But they're betting there is enough of a market for it.

 

[JimmyV]

I know for a fact that Dissers are not typical WDW patrons.

That's a given. But in and of itself, that tells us nothing. The question is, as atypical guests, are we more or less likely to buy into a new venture. If we are more likely to buy into something new, and refuse to do so, that reveals that the non-Diser is even less likely to do so.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

That's a given. But in and of itself, that tells us nothing. The question is, as atypical guests, are we more or less likely to buy into a new venture. If we are more likely to buy into something new, and refuse to do so, that reveals that the non-Diser is even less likely to do so.

It tells us a great deal. But maybe nothing relevant to this particular discussion.

 

[pigletgirl]

Do you think the results would be statistically different amongst the general population? And if so, do you think that non-Disers are more or less likely to reach into their pockets for $600 for a family of four to do this? I am always amazed at the number of people who think that the opinions of the people here don't matter or are somehow non-representative of guests at large. When a company is taking surveys, it absolutely wants to know what its most loyal customers think. You can rest assured that American Airlines cares more about what its Gold and Platinum members think about a proposed change than a passenger who flew the airline for the first time yesterday.

Families of 4 will pay for a $350/night room!

If the incentive is there, folks will pay. I'm sure Disney will see profit from this.

 

[JimmyV]

With that price, they are not looking for a huge audience for this one, nor are they looking for the approval of fans or frequent visitors. It would be nice, but what they are after is they want to make a little money when the park would normally be closed. At that price point it won't take a huge amount of guests for that to happen. If they don't make any money, they won't do it again. But they're betting there is enough of a market for it.

Agree 100%. I just think that they started out too aggressively with the pricing. In order to "make a little money" as you suggest, perhaps they should have come out of the chute at half that price and if it proved to be successful, raised the price in slow increments and slowly cooked the frog in the pot.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

If all the speculation is true that this event is not going to sell, then anybody who buys a ticket to this thing may wind up being one of a couple hundred guests in the park, which means they would for all intents and purposes have the park to themselves...would that not be worth it I wonder. If so, might be a chance to rip off the mouse instead of the other way around. Nobody else would have to worry about crowding after 7 either.

 

[JimmyV]

It tells us a great deal. But maybe nothing relevant to this particular discussion.

Not sure what that is supposed to mean. There can only be three options:

• Disers and non-Disers behave no differently than one another and the reaction expressed here will be reflected in the general public;
• Disers are more likely to spend $149 per person for an event like this and the reaction here spells trouble for the general public, or;
• Disers have already done it all and seen it all and are less likely to spend $149 for this event which means that there is great hope for the general public to grab onto this event.

Either way, the result is relevant to this particular discussion.

 

[mickeymom629]

This event is not for me unless they offer something really spectacular that I can't experience any other time, and even so.... Too much money and, while I don't like huge crowds, I find that a lot of the attractions are more fun with more people. Also, I am a rope-drop person so I would find it hard to stay up until the wee hours.