Would Someone Please Explain Why???

[jnadelman]

I'm sure they have their business reasons and justifications. But I agree it stinks. The FL residents already don't have to pay airfare so it is cheap enough for them to begin with. If the ship isn't full, lower the price for everyone. Not just a group of people based on where they live.

 

[kileybeth]

what's even harder to stomach is when you have family (extended) who live in Orlando area and don't do Disney at all! Just no interest they say! Or it's just sooo expensive! oiy!~

here's a question? Can a college student who resides in FL but retains a drivers liscense "back home" get a FL discount? over 21, legal age so to speak.

 

[lbgraves]

what's even harder to stomach is when you have family (extended) who live in Orlando area and don't do Disney at all! Just no interest they say! Or it's just sooo expensive! oiy!~

I was thinking this just the other day! They just don't get it yet we keep driving 11 hours to get there.

 

[Mom24Princesses]

I have never thought much about this.

I believed that it was to fill cabins that would otherwise go empty. I know that the APs for the parks that are offered at a discount have blackout dates. Disney is huge in every way in FL. They need to do nice things for the locals. It never bothered me at all. Someday we may move into FL and enjoy the perk too.

Honestly - it bugs me more that for the price of a park ticket in say June you get 15 hours in a park and in February you get 11 hours!! I don't mind the heat - I prefer the heat . I know it is not good for the very young or very old but it is not much cooler in GA. That's what bums me out!

 

[PrincessDuck]

If you have a college ID or get a Florida ID because of college then you should be able to partake of FL discounts. I went to college in Florida, but was already a FL resident. I do believe that friends were able to use these methods to get deals.

what's even harder to stomach is when you have family (extended) who live in Orlando area and don't do Disney at all! Just no interest they say! Or it's just sooo expensive! oiy!~

here's a question? Can a college student who resides in FL but retains a drivers liscense "back home" get a FL discount? over 21, legal age so to speak.

 

[kjd469]

I have a relative who works for a major cruise line based out of Florida. They offer these rates to FL residents for the reason of filling the ship on short notice. If rooms are empty, the room stewards, don't make money, the table wait staff don't make money, etc. etc. Most of the service staff working on the ships are only paid with the gratuities from passengers. The cruiselines would prefer to take a loss on the cost of the cruise, knowing full well that most will spend money on excursions, spa, souvenirs, etc....this keeps the "business" running and employees employed so to speak. Any money they earn from filling these rooms is better than nothing they would get for sailing with an empty room. If they offered these discounted rates to everyone, as previous posters have said, people would wait until the last minute to book, and it would throw the whole thing off kilter. While it seems unfair to those of us who can't take part in these great deals, the cruiselines are not concerned with our feelings, only running a profitable company...that is the bottom line.

 

[jilljill]

here's a question? Can a college student who resides in FL but retains a drivers liscense "back home" get a FL discount? over 21, legal age so to speak.

I know they are entitled to FL resident discounts at WDW with a FL college ID, not sure about DCL FL resident discounts with a FL college ID.

 

[papaof5boys]

I live 30Min. from Branson MO. They don't offer any discounts for Mo. for Silver Dollar City, the water parks, or the Music shows. But I can understand why the Disney co. offers these discounts, it helps fill the seats, to keep the parks evenly full and get some money for the cabins on the ship, insted of sailing empty.

 

[tvguy]

It's just good marketing. They are a captive audience sitting right on your door step and with the right incentives, they will cruise.
Why do restaurants offer senior discounts, when in most cases, seniors have more disposable income than younger folks?
Why do grocery stores offer two for one sales, instead of just selling one item for half off?
Why do other cruise lines offer HUGE discounts for off season cruises? 3 years ago, my mom did a 7 day cruise from San Francisco to Cabo and back in March for $299.

 

[dizzi]

It's to pay us back for having to deal with tourists all the time!

I was reading through to see if anyone said this.....as this is my take on the situation!!!!!!

 

[DCL Repeaters]

I'm sure they have their business reasons and justifications. But I agree it stinks. The FL residents already don't have to pay airfare so it is cheap enough for them to begin with. If the ship isn't full, lower the price for everyone. Not just a group of people based on where they live.

There's an easy solution to this. MOVE HERE!

In all honesty if the residents didn't have an incentive to go to the parks especially with the current economy, the parks would be in major trouble. Ever notice how crowded the parks are on weekends? Well, it's us locals filling them up and spending money. As for the ships, Disney and other cruiselines know that if they offer a decent discount to the locals they'll fill up the ships. Full ships are full of people with full wallets. Isn't that what business is all about? Obviously it works as the discounts keep on coming!

 

[devores]

This comment is for those who say its smart to offer a roving state discount. This is a very very bad idea marketing wise.

Think about it, if they offer a state discount for Alabama in January, then those residents would all wait for January to plan thier trips. This would take people out of the parks in all of the other months with no way for Disney to make up the loss except for offering more incintives to get people in. Disney has to make so much per month to stay operating. If they do not have the attendance to meet that number, they cold be forced to close.

Offering the discount to FL residents allows them to get people in during the slower periods. It is not a constant discount. They release the dates the discounts are available on a very short notice based on the expected attendance. Not to mention, if we as FL residents had to pay full price all of the time, we would not go as often as we do. Better to get one person in 3 or 4 times at a discount, then one person once at full price.

 

[Dreamsoftravel]

There's an easy solution to this. MOVE HERE!

In all honesty if the residents didn't have an incentive to go to the parks especially with the current economy, the parks would be in major trouble. Ever notice how crowded the parks are on weekends? Well, it's us locals filling them up and spending money. As for the ships, Disney and other cruiselines know that if they offer a decent discount to the locals they'll fill up the ships. Full ships are full of people with full wallets. Isn't that what business is all about? Obviously it works as the discounts keep on coming!

I agree...with both statements.

1) I WOULD LOVE TO MOVE TO FLORIDA!!!! My in-laws are all there and my parents have a house in Clermont. As soon as they retire next year, they will be there full time. But for now, i will continue shoveling snow.

2) Of course they want to keep Florida residents to vacation in Florida. it is an incentive for them to keep their money in the state. And with it being a large state, there is a large number of people to entice. I could be completely wrong, so please forgive me if I am...but I do not think other cruise lines provide Fl resident discounts. So disney has captured that audiance.

 

[jodifla]

Also, Fla. residents are Disney's base audience, so they want to keep them coming back and spending cash in their restaurants and stores.

Also, in an economic downturn, you want the locals. They are the ones most likely to be able to come back. They can drive, cutting out the plane/car rental costs, they can bring a lot of stuff with them like food, and they can stay cheaply in offsite rooms, DVC rooms or with friends.

 

[jrabbit]

I guess that I am going to throw some gas on this discussion...

At least in So Cal, the local AP folks really do not support the operations of Disneyland / DCA because 1) they really do not pay that much for an annual pass, 2) the bored HS kids come and cause problems, 3) theres WAY too many of them and most important 4) they really don't spend much money in the parks.

I don't know if all of that holds true for the Florida parks, but I assume that the locals do not spend as much on stuff once in the park (how many WDW mugs can one person own) and if they happen to buy a meal, they as AP holders get what, 25% off of the meal price!!

And now lets move on to DCL, the locals periodically (now more than ever except for after 911) get great rates on rooms onboard. Since the cruise is "All Inclusive" the only way DCL "makes" any extra money from this group is through souvineers, shore excursions and any onboard activities that carry a fee (hey, maybe that's why the spa is full - they are all FL residents!).

I understand the need to fill the rooms so they can have consistant staffing levels (can't be adding and dropping staff cruise to cruise), but if DCL is able to "break even" on the FL residents sailing with the discount, that means they are making a killing on the rest of us.

And finally FL residents - don't complain about the tourists. I wonder what percentage of your state taxes we pay. My favorite example is: I have rented cars in Orlando and So Cal. The same $25/day car in Florida runs me close to $50 after all of the "recovery taxes, fees and surcharges". The same car in So Cal ran me under $27.

Sorry about the rant, we now continue with the civilized conversation that we have been having!

 

[jship210]

I dont want to make anyone angry but I have wondered about something for years so I am just going to come right out and ask!!! Why should Florida residents get additional discounts for Disney and DCL??? It makes no sense to me - Floridians do not have the extra expense of airfare, etc that the guests that travel for hours experience. I am just curious - please dont anyone get angry!

Perhaps because their State Tax helps support the Port an other infrastructure DCL and tourist use.

 

[jlowejd5]

I always assumed it was a trade-off based on the massive amounts of state tax money used for the construction and upkeep of the highways and other infrastructure in and around WDW. Somebody's got to pay for all of that, and for the most part that money comes from state taxes that those of us living outside Florida don't pay.

Without a discount, Disney would be saying "hey, thanks for the free roads and offramps and such, now buy your full-price ticket and eat some chicken fingers". My guess is that Disney has gotten more out of the Florida tax dollars than they've given back in the discounts. But that's just a guess.

 

[skohrs]

I guess that I am going to throw some gas on this discussion...

At least in So Cal, the local AP folks really do not support the operations of Disneyland / DCA because 1) they really do not pay that much for an annual pass, 2) the bored HS kids come and cause problems, 3) theres WAY too many of them and most important 4) they really don't spend much money in the parks.

I don't know if all of that holds true for the Florida parks, but I assume that the locals do not spend as much on stuff once in the park (how many WDW mugs can one person own) and if they happen to buy a meal, they as AP holders get what, 25% off of the meal price!!

And now lets move on to DCL, the locals periodically (now more than ever except for after 911) get great rates on rooms onboard. Since the cruise is "All Inclusive" the only way DCL "makes" any extra money from this group is through souvineers, shore excursions and any onboard activities that carry a fee (hey, maybe that's why the spa is full - they are all FL residents!).

I understand the need to fill the rooms so they can have consistant staffing levels (can't be adding and dropping staff cruise to cruise), but if DCL is able to "break even" on the FL residents sailing with the discount, that means they are making a killing on the rest of us.

And finally FL residents - don't complain about the tourists. I wonder what percentage of your state taxes we pay. My favorite example is: I have rented cars in Orlando and So Cal. The same $25/day car in Florida runs me close to $50 after all of the "recovery taxes, fees and surcharges". The same car in So Cal ran me under $27.

Sorry about the rant, we now continue with the civilized conversation that we have been having!

As an Orlando resident, I don't really care much about WHY they offer FL resident discounts. I am just really glad they do. They are usually only offered on less desirable (off-peak) times, and they are offered with fairly short notice. For families with school-aged children, it is difficult to take advantage of many of the discounts because they are usually not offered during spring break or over the summer (both peak periods). However, this year, with the economy being what it is, they actually did offer the discount during spring break. Lucky me. We were able to book 2 veranda staterooms for less than half the regular rate about a month prior to the cruise date. There are downsides to the late-booking such as no Palo reservations available, no choice of staterooms, etc. The discount more than makes up for that.

To all of the out-of-staters, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!! We love tourists here. JRabbit is correct about the taxes. Tourism does keep our taxes much lower than most states (no state income tax). Additionally, in Central Florida specifically, hotel "bed taxes" pay for new sporting arenas, stadiums, performing arts centers, and many other things.

As for the residents with AP for the theme parks, it definitely makes sense from a business standpoint. Disney AP are blacked out for the entire summer, for spring break, and for the December holiday time. Therefore, the AP holders do not make the park more crowded during peak times. On off-peak times, those AP holders visit the parks all the time. We pay $12 to park each time, we buy food and drink every time we go, and in general we just spend a lot of money in the park that Disney would not make otherwise. The parks are never filled to capacity during times when the passes are not blacked out, so the AP holders do not prevent other guests from entering the parks. Therefore every resident who enters the park on a pass and spends even $1.00 is giving Disney money they would not otherwise have. Even if they allowed residents to get in for free, Disney would be making money by having them there.

 

[Pluto 2]

i always wonder why to.
im a dvc member i get no discount
i served in the us military i get no discount, didnt do enough years

 

[tvguy]

I guess that I am going to throw some gas on this discussion...

At least in So Cal, the local AP folks really do not support the operations of Disneyland / DCA because 1) they really do not pay that much for an annual pass, 2) the bored HS kids come and cause problems, 3) theres WAY too many of them and most important 4) they really don't spend much money in the parks.

I don't know if all of that holds true for the Florida parks, but I assume that the locals do not spend as much on stuff once in the park (how many WDW mugs can one person own) and if they happen to buy a meal, they as AP holders get what, 25% off of the meal price!!

And now lets move on to DCL, the locals periodically (now more than ever except for after 911) get great rates on rooms onboard. Since the cruise is "All Inclusive" the only way DCL "makes" any extra money from this group is through souvineers, shore excursions and any onboard activities that carry a fee (hey, maybe that's why the spa is full - they are all FL residents!).

I understand the need to fill the rooms so they can have consistant staffing levels (can't be adding and dropping staff cruise to cruise), but if DCL is able to "break even" on the FL residents sailing with the discount, that means they are making a killing on the rest of us.

And finally FL residents - don't complain about the tourists. I wonder what percentage of your state taxes we pay. My favorite example is: I have rented cars in Orlando and So Cal. The same $25/day car in Florida runs me close to $50 after all of the "recovery taxes, fees and surcharges". The same car in So Cal ran me under $27.

Sorry about the rant, we now continue with the civilized conversation that we have been having!

Disney is a master of marketing. I'm sure they carefully researched what price they had to charge for AP to get the maximum number of visits out of locals. Hey, they don't lose a penny if a local makes a visit that they normally wouldn't make if they didn't have an AP. You buy just one soda in the park, and they have a profit they would not have had.
As I posted elsewhere, Denny's did the same thing with their "free" Grand Slams last month. Not only was it great PR.....but Denny's admitted it only costs them 75 cents to make a Grand Slam........and almost everyone bought a beverage to go with the "free meal"....so in most cases, they MADE money on every customer who came in for a "free meal".