Agree to Disagree! DISUnplugged Show March 22!

[JimmyV]

They had to pay to be members of AAA.

I suppose this holds true if the person bought the AAA membership specifically for the purpose of booking their Disney vacation. But I suspect that most people purchase(d) their memberships for other benefits, so that the cost of membership was already embedded. Also, did the membership net the guest any offsetting discounts that would recoup the cost of the value of the parking? Don't know.

By the way....we agree pretty much and you are restating what I have said in the last 19 pages.

It comes down to time or money and thats the way of the world.

I agree. We are pretty much lockstep on this issue. Some people (and all businesses) value money first and foremost and some people value time. And hence, the best anyone can do is, as the OP suggests, "agree to disagree".

 

[disneyseniors]

Yes, but the park hours vary so long as you know the hours before punching your ticket, it becomes a planning thing. if we're not doing MVMCP but want to do MK we plan for that to be our day that we do Rope Drop and not take a break in the afternoon.

Yes, you are right; you must plan your hours. BUT if the parks are normally open to all guests til 10pm and the extra admission is from 10p to 2am, that's great. But the reality is that the floodgates open at 7pm, which does definitely cause huge crowds. Don't the people who pay for regular admission til 10 pm have the right to actually be able to use these last hours, not to be fighting the extra crowds, huge lines, etcs? I know as I was at the MK on a MMCP day. At 4pm they let all the partiers in and it got very crowded very quickly. Sure, we could have stayed til 10pm as we paid for, but what quality is there? You can choose to stand in long, long lines, try to walk through the crushing crowds, but how many are going to subject themselves to that? I think Disney counts on the regular park guests getting fed up by this and leaving before their allotted and paid for time!
If they are going to have a special 3 hour opening, then they need to make it a true 3 Hour Opening, not open the floodgates on the regular park guests 3 or 4 hours early? Why not call it extra early admission with extra 3 hours. Call it what it is. Don't make the regular paying park guests suffer.
It was not fun, and we left early before we got crushed! Not fun. We arrived in the afternoon, so that didn't help. But shouldn't the regular park guests have the right to think they will have a normal experience til 10pm, as advertised? That's the point. And yes, these added events DO effect the regular park guests. There are fewer EMH as I understand it, so guess who is going to show up to these, and guess what their experience will be like?

 

[WebmasterJackie]

About the donation to MAW; they get tax credit for that. I'm sure they have a lot of charitable deductions for tax purposes only, as do other giant corporations.
It's not right or wrong it just is. So it's Not just out of the goodness of their heart; it helps them too. I'm glad they do it. MAW is one of my favorite charities too. Just making a point.

I totally get that they are able to write off their donation, but they still made a donation [for two times their original commitment] and that was the point I was trying to make. I just choose to pay attention to the fact that not all huge conglomerate corporations donate and this one did. I don't think they'd make that choice if they couldn't afford to.

Fair enough, however; a donation is a donation and it helps the 'cause' whether it's $5 or $5,000. It's also not something that anyone is required to do.

That's just how I see it. I mean, yes, they're a giant corporation and there are benefits for donating, but they don't have to do it. Their dollar amounts are gigantic - expenses, donations, taxes, admission prices, extras, etc. On a side note - man, I'd love to see their P and L.

 

[DisneyKevin]

I suppose this holds true if the person bought the AAA membership specifically for the purpose of booking their Disney vacation. But I suspect that most people purchase(d) their memberships for other benefits, so that the cost of membership was already embedded. Also, did the membership net the guest any offsetting discounts that would recoup the cost of the value of the parking? Don't know.

Regardless of any suspicion, there was a cost involved in VIP parking.

It wasn't "free" and it wasn't open to everyone.

 

[DisneyKevin]

All true. But I think the real issue is that none of the things you listed above entailed stripping access from other people. The VIP experiences didn't take anything away from anyone. But yesterday's guest who arrived early to get front row parking and who staked out a spot on the train station platform in time for the parade is now roped off from what they used to be able to do. Their experience has been altered in a way that didn't happen with the examples you listed.

This is not necessarily true.

Private entities have always been able to rent out the viewing space near France (in Epcot) for private functions to watch Illuminations.

Wedding parties can rent the train station platform for weddings.

 

[Boski]

I think what some of us are trying to say is you don't get a trophy for participating, but now the trend is you also don't get a trophy if you put in the work (get to the park early, research how to tour properly, etc), you get a trophy if you can pay for it. I'm not saying they are 100% there yet, but they are heading that direction.

 

[JimmyV]

Private entities have always been able to rent out the viewing space near France (in Epcot) for private functions to watch Illuminations.

How often did that occur? (A real question and not one borne of cynicism). Back when the earth was cooling, we would routinely walk down to the lower tier of the island to watch Illuminations or its predecessors. I don't doubt that it was sometimes closed to the general public, but we succeeded in getting down there each and every time we went to Epcot. Today, I don't think it is ever an option for the general public. If I am wrong about that, then...nevermind. But if it is never available to the general public anymore, then this would be an example of something that has been "completely removed" from the public's use where once it was "sometimes removed" from the public's use. And same goes for the train station.

 

[KingLlama]

Wedding parties can rent the train station platform for weddings.

Wow. This is the first time I've ever heard this. That would be unbelievable. I assumed on-property weddings were limited to the Grand Floridian, or at least steered that way.

 

[JimmyV]

Regardless of any suspicion, there was a cost involved in VIP parking.

It wasn't "free" and it wasn't open to everyone.

I guess, as the title suggests, we have to agree to disagree on this one. If I paid AAA $50 for towing service privileges and battery jumping privileges, and they handed me a parking pass for WDW, I wouldn't for a minute allocate any of my membership fee to that pass.

 

[DisneyKevin]

I guess, as the title suggests, we have to agree to disagree on this one. If I paid AAA $50 for towing service privileges and battery jumping privileges, and they handed me a parking pass for WDW, I wouldn't for a minute allocate any of my membership fee to that pass.

Whatever your reason for having an AAA membership, you couldn't park in AAA Diamond Parking without it.

VIP parking is not new. There has been a cost involved for a very long time.

 

[DisneyKevin]

Wow. This is the first time I've ever heard this. That would be unbelievable. I assumed on-property weddings were limited to the Grand Floridian, or at least steered that way.

I had a guest start the process and then found out the cost.

Needless to say.....it didn't happen.

 

[DisneyKevin]

How often did that occur? (A real question and not one borne of cynicism). Back when the earth was cooling, we would routinely walk down to the lower tier of the island to watch Illuminations or its predecessors. I don't doubt that it was sometimes closed to the general public, but we succeeded in getting down there each and every time we went to Epcot. Today, I don't think it is ever an option for the general public. If I am wrong about that, then...nevermind. But if it is never available to the general public anymore, then this would be an example of something that has been "completely removed" from the public's use where once it was "sometimes removed" from the public's use. And same goes for the train station.

I don't have statistics and I'm not invested enough to search for them.

My point is that none of this is new.

Walt allowed companies to rent parts of Disneyland for private events.

Most successful businesses look for way to monetize what they have.

Because there is an emotional attachment to Disney, this seems personal.

It's not.

 

[KingLlama]

I had a guest start the process and then found out the cost.

Needless to say.....it didn't happen.

Well, I have the money for it....just need to decide if I want to spend it on THIS, or on three rides and a continental breakfast at Pinocchio's Village Haus.

 

[DisneyKevin]

Well, I have the money for it....just need to decide if I want to spend it on THIS, or on three rides and a continental breakfast at Pinocchio's Village Haus.

The second option includes bacon.

<mic drop>

 

[KingLlama]

The second option includes bacon.

<mic drop>

You obviously don't know me well enough, Kevin. BOTH options include bacon.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Wow. This is the first time I've ever heard this. That would be unbelievable. I assumed on-property weddings were limited to the Grand Floridian, or at least steered that way.

You clearly don't spend any time scoping out cakes and neat stuff on the Disney Wedding Blog!

 

[DisneyKevin]

You obviously don't know me well enough, Kevin. BOTH options include bacon.

As long as I'm invited......

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I think what some of us are trying to say is you don't get a trophy for participating, but now the trend is you also don't get a trophy if you put in the work (get to the park early, research how to tour properly, etc), you get a trophy if you can pay for it. I'm not saying they are 100% there yet, but they are heading that direction.

I think that is a succinct way to put it - though how much of what they have officially announced taken away from what you are referring to. You can still research and wait to get a great spot for the parade (perhaps 1 or two of the good spots are taken, but not all of them), rope drop still happens every day and only a select few days will have that Fantasyland event (so your research should tell you not to do rope drop that day if you want to rope drop for Fantasyland). So is this heading in a negative direction, I think so, to some extent. But I don't think they are close to 100% of the way there where you have to pay for every single "trophy" at WDW

I think it actually has more to do with tying into the general climate of this country and the reduction of the middle class and greater divide between "haves" and "have nots" - and that this feels like Disney catering to the "haves" and is one more thing that sucks for the "have nots" and that Disney can be emotional for people

 

[TheMaxRebo]

You obviously don't know me well enough, Kevin. BOTH options include bacon.

As long as I'm invited......

Just be sure to ask first if their is an upcharge for adding said bacon to your Bloody Mary

 

[DisneyKevin]

I think it actually has more to do with tying into the general climate of this country and the reduction of the middle class and greater divide between "haves" and "have nots" - and that this feels like Disney catering to the "haves" and is one more thing that sucks for the "have nots" and that Disney can be emotional for people

I apologize for being picky, but you are describing people visiting what everyone has agreed to be a "not inexpensive" Disney theme park as "have nots" based on their parade seat and parking spot.

I am almost 100% certain that these are what is known as "first world problems".

It might be time to broaden our world view.