No arguments here.
I just think they’ve fallen victim to the trap of “Quarterly Revenue” above “strategic planning” and “long-term growth curve”
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Ha true! I wish I could take advantage of that, but I’m enamoured with HEA.
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Yikes, my Sadness and Disgust have awakened others’ Sadness and Disgust. I fear Joy has left many a Control Room because of me. I heartily apologize! BRING BACK JOY!
I probably read too much Disney social media. I let my APs expire in January (money, of course!), and so reading is supposed to keep me linked to the magic. But then I read days’ worth of WDW posts - “Here’s a new trading pin you can BUY”, “Here’s a new bar with a drink you can BUY”, “Here’s a new event ticket you can BUY”, " BUY this merch, STAND AROUND in Avatar Land and LOOK at splatter paint that glows, then BUY this dragon bird". They said BUY, I said BYE.
I used to spend days in Communicore, with the talking robots, and the touch screen computers (ooh, living the future now!), and the Disney polling center. I could spend at least half a day in Innovations (Piggy Bank, Habit Heroes, my Hoodlums would B2B2B Sum of All Thrills). Now, it’s a rest stop and a M&G. They closed everything, and replaced it with almost nothing, except curtains. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. He’s counting, and counting a lot!
Disney is indeed now “Charge what you want, they’ll come anyway”, and that’s as it should be, because it is a business. But loyalty is supposed to be important to business, too. I would feel better about it if they had at least a bone to throw to those of us that kept and would keep them solvent in the times that were, and times that might be again.
Did you know there are now NO Florida Resident Annual Passes which have zero blackout dates? Florida Residents (yes, I’m one of them)! We visit in heat waves, we visit in ice storms, we visit in HURRICANES! Can you offer us no loyalty? How about a lounge in the empty Innovations building? Waive our hotel parking fees (we’re the ones bringing cars anyway)? 1% discount on renewal based on total spent per annum? How about a couple of Mickey bars a year?
Mr. Iger does not want repeat guests, in my most humble opinion. Repeat guests will point out things that have not been changed, improved, spruced up, or added. Mr. Iger wants first time Disney guests who will be dazzled by whatever little there is, and pay more and more and more because (after all) it’s a once-in-a-lifetime trip.
And. We. Let. Them. Do. It.
We pay it, or we suffer silently while not paying it.
OK, I’m kicking Sadness and Disgust to their circles in the back part of the tower. I’m happy that I’m not kicked off of the playground because of my negativity, and I’m relieved to see I’m not entirely alone in my musings. Those of you planning, plan with Joy! Those of you saving, save with Joy! I will not intrude on your excitement further.
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Almost completely off-topic…
My son’s religion class is watching Inside Out … what do you suppose the message of that “lesson” is supposed to be? I’m going with "teacher needs a break, so don’t bug her while you figure out how a Disney movie might be related to ‘empathy and the ways we treat each other’ ".
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While, as I said, I understand the frustration, I have a hard time with using language like “suffer silently”. Wow. Going to Disney is SUFFERING?
I do get you are venting here. But in that, be careful not to let hyperbole overshadow the fact that MOST people who pay an arm and a leg to go to Disney leave wanting to return. That doesn’t sound like suffering, unless you’re a masochist.
Personally, I can’t believe how incredibly expensive it is to go to the movies. $10+ for a single ticket? Crazy. And yet, from time to time, I choose to pay it. I have grown increasingly pick about what I will pay to go see, however. Likewise, Disney is expensive, and so I plan carefully when I go to make the most of it. But after I leave and my pockets are considerably lighter, I still find myself longing for the day I can return!
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I think she means she is suffering because she no longer has an AP and cannot go. Not that she suffers at Disney, she suffers not going because it is too expensive.
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I’m not s cynical person and for me the magic is still very much there. But I disagree with you on this one.
My point was that it grew to this point naturally, not that they came up with a diabolical plot to start charging more. Rather, they found ways to start charging more because demand necessitated/allowed for it.
BUT, I’m not all rose-colored on this either. Personally, I think what Disney did on the whole parking fees for resort guests is shameful. THAT was a money-grab, no way around it whatsoever.
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I’ll admit that I haven’t had time to do more than skim all the replies, but I’ll toss in my perspective from the position of a relative newcomer.
Our first real family trip was in 2014. Our trip this upcoming November will be our third. I feel like in that time we have experienced things both ways. We did one trip where we paid for one hard ticketed add on event (MVMCP), we did another where we did no extra events at all and only at QS meals (no ADRs at all), and for this upcoming trip we have purchased multiple hard ticketed events. So we’ve been on both ends of the spectrum.
Personally, I don’t feel short changed or upset by the options for the hard ticketed events even on trips that we opt to not go to any of them. There is still so much to do with a basic ticket that you can’t possible do it all in a typical standard 7 day trip, even without purchasing any add-ons. My experience would only be lessened if I sat around thinking about all the things that others were doing that I couldn’t afford to do, and well…frankly, life in general would be miserable if I chose to think like that.
As for investments back in the parks, I think the plans for the next 3 years show that there are incredible changes coming for major attractions that will be fabulous! Ratatouille in Epcot…EEEKKK!!! 
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EVERYONE NEEDS TO CALM DOWN!
Stop blaming Disney this has been going on for a long time. Ever go to a sporting event the closer you are to the action the more $$$ you pay. Ever heard of the “cheap seats” same goes for concerts. General admission, preferred seating these are not new terms nor are they Disney term. E ticket that is a Disney term that refers to the cost one pays for a ride. “A” tickets were free B,C,D,E, you paid extra. I’ve had box seats, I’ve had front row seats, I’ve had nosebleed seats. It comes down to what you’re willing to pay that nothing NEW. I look at it this way, I will not pay for a desert party when for a few dollars more I could get a whole dinner. I will not pay for a Mickey or Minnie van when the bus is free.
I’m joefishing209 and this is my opinion.
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I agree.
It is also impossible to know what Walt would be doing if he was still alive. It is very romantic to say he would have kept it exactly as it was, but he was also an innovator and willing to change when necessary.
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Try being a Canadian. That $79 US is $102 CDN. Ouch
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Also Canadian the sticker shock is a real thing!! Thankfully this time around we got our passes at 20% off so it covered our exchange
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I think I agree with those above who have reminded us that Disney is a business, not a charity. I do remember going as a kid and being able to just hop in line for rides, show up at a restaurant and wait for a table, and grab a spot for fireworks 30 minutes beforehand. While I’m having fun planning, it’s a little overwhelming and it’s sad to think that if I don’t spend time planning that we won’t get to eat with princesses or ride the coasters my kids are most likely to enjoy. The idea of Minnie Vans makes me a little sick, as does that you now have to pay for parking if you drive and stay on property.
All that being said, I think the thing that bothers me the most is when other people make it seem like we can’t have a great vacation without all the extras. We have a small budget for our upcoming 2-week trip ($5000 for 5 people, plus paying for whatever meals my mom decides to join us for). Every single extra is not necessary for us to have fun. Heck, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that we could have a great vacation without a single daily expense aside from tickets. There are many ways to do Disney “cheaply.” I have a friend who went last fall. She stayed off-site, took the free shuttle, packed her own food (she budgeted $100 for ONE day of F&W festival but aside from that didn’t buy a single thing in the parks), etc. She LOVED it and said it’s truly the most magical place on earth.
So I guess I’m all for the upcharges. I don’t really care. It does bother me when other people make it seem like someone can’t have a wonderful time without them.
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I absolutely agree that high food/merchandise costs don’t bother me. I’m perfectly fine not purchasing a Disney Dooney or eating QS or bringing my own food into the park. Those that want to do 3 character meals a day are more than welcome to. The same with hotels. My family stayed offsite for many years and we had an amazing time at Disney. I have never stayed deluxe but don’t begrudge Disney the fact that $700 club level rooms fill up night after night.
Where I agree with other posters is with the parties/after hours/etc. (Caveat, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE MNSSHP.) These parties are actually de-valuing the service for others to create value-add (for $$) elsewhere. For instance, during party season, 3/7 days of the week your $100+ ticket doesn’t buy you fireworks! Now during some seasons, your same ticket doesn’t buy you late hours, you have to buy another ticket! Same with the dessert parties. If you want a calm view of the fireworks, you have to pay extra. I’m not saying you can’t enjoy the fireworks, but Disney could have made viewing better for everyone, but instead they made it better for only the few who are willing to pay extra. Lastly, same with the stupid Minnie Vans. They could have added more buses or improved the monorail, etc, but they invested a ton in a fleet of vans for those willing to pay extra.
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We were at Magic Kingdom a couple years ago on a day that had the MNSSHP in the evening. So, yes, we had to leave early. But the crowds during the day were noticeably less, which meant our wait times were less than on the other day we went to MK when there was no party. Despite the fewer hours, I think it was about the same in terms of opportunity.
The exception might be the fireworks, but we caught the fireworks on our OTHER MK day, so we didn’t miss out on that at all.
And I’d be remiss not to say I appreciate the fact that Disney does NOT do a Halloween party during normal park hours. We don’t celebrate Halloween in any way, shape, or form. And most amusement parks make going to them in the month or so up the Halloween a non-starter. But Disney limits anything Halloween to party nights only.
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Well, except for the decorations, which were up during our trip in August.
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You know, you’re right. I think I’m going to drop some of our extras and focus more on free stuff at the parks.
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The decor that is up is less Halloween and more just fall. Pumpkins are just seasonal, etc. We didn’t really notice any decorations that seemed explicitly Halloween. Perhaps a few here or there, but we didn’t notice.
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