Fireworks party price increase

[Elle23]

The tipping point is "what is being out of a crowd worth?" To those that really want the "prime spot" with less crowding, they'll book it with no regrets, no matter what the cost.

I guess so.

And as I said, it did make a huge difference and made the event much more enjoyable. I guess you have to look at it as paying for a spot and not the deserts.

 

[JerseyJanice]

If people will throw money at a solution in Disney, Disney will take their money and give them an option. Hence why we have Halloween parties in the middle of August.

Somebody posted their trip dates for mid-November on the Theme Parks board, and MK has 4 party nights inside a week. Are there seriously that many people willing to pay about $100 per person to go to a Christmas party in the middle of November?

Anybody going that week is hosed. MK will close at 6:00 four nights and the other three days will be slammed with crowds. Just try seeing HEA that trip. Oh, wait for the low price of only $84 per person plus tax and admission, you can see it just fine and get a cup of sparkling juice too.

 

[mousehockey37]

I guess you have to look at it as paying for a spot and not the deserts.

That's exactly what it is. Nothing more, nothing less... and add in like I said earlier, in the rare event the fireworks themselves are cancelled, the dessert party still happens.

 

[mousehockey37]

Somebody posted their trip dates for mid-November on the Theme Parks board, and MK has 4 party nights inside a week. Are there seriously that many people willing to pay about $100 per person to go to a Christmas party in the middle of November?

Anybody going that week is hosed. MK will close at 6:00 four nights and the other three days will be slammed with crowds. Just try seeing HEA that trip. Oh, wait for the low price of only $84 per person plus tax and admission, you can see it just fine and get a cup of sparkling juice too.

 

[Donna M]

It doesn't bother me that they are charging $80 now. People have a right to spend their money any way they want. I don't have to buy it. It does bother me when the park closes early for a special event, but the admission price does not reflect the cut in hours. Or the whole pay for parking at resorts now.

Disney is in business to make money. They will keep raising prices till people stop buying.

 

[Capang]

Somebody posted their trip dates for mid-November on the Theme Parks board, and MK has 4 party nights inside a week. Are there seriously that many people willing to pay about $100 per person to go to a Christmas party in the middle of November?

Anybody going that week is hosed. MK will close at 6:00 four nights and the other three days will be slammed with crowds. Just try seeing HEA that trip. Oh, wait for the low price of only $84 per person plus tax and admission, you can see it just fine and get a cup of sparkling juice too.

Parties in November make more sense than parties in mid-August though. Anyone going that week could use a party ticket instead of a day ticket and get on all the rides with little wait. The parties can be worked around if planned out.

 

[mousehockey37]

Parties in November make more sense than parties in mid-August though. Anyone going that week could use a party ticket instead of a day ticket and get on all the rides with little wait. The parties can be worked around if planned out.

They can, but what that poster was saying (I believe) is that due to how many parties there are that particular week, it leaves only 3 normal MK nights. So there's going to be a heavier volume of people on those 3 nights. Again, it's workable, like you said, but it's a little much.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I don’t see a problem with dessert party people getting their own nice area for fireworks viewing. They paid for it. I have no problem with the fact people pay for this or get preferred viewing. Think about it, that garden area would be super crowded if open to anyone and I don’t think it is really big enough for FP viewing. So I don’t mind that they reserve it for the party folks. But would I pay for it? Nope. More power to those that would.

That garden space was open to the public for decades, then it became a Fastpass only spot until someone came up with the idea of expanding the dessert party offerings.

The Tomorrowland Terrace was where they started the dessert party. When demand grew, they took away the FP area and now they sell it packaged with some cake.

 

[Doug M]

They can, but what that poster was saying (I believe) is that due to how many parties there are that particular week, it leaves only 3 normal MK nights. So there's going to be a heavier volume of people on those 3 nights. Again, it's workable, like you said, but it's a little much.

If Disney insists on partys in August, maybe they should have 1 or 2 a week and not 4. Why screw normal guests by forcing them to go 3 days only with larger crowds or a shortened day with no price drop?

I also know the desert parties are paying for the spot and not the food, but 80 os highway robbery. They will keep raising the cost as long as they sell it out, but man does Disney not care anymore about "magic" or is bottom line the only issue now. Don't try to sell us on pixie dust or other nonsense if you want to just be another business.

 

[Capang]

That garden space was open to the public for decades, then it became a Fastpass only spot until someone came up with the idea of expanding the dessert party offerings.

The Tomorrowland Terrace was where they started the dessert party. When demand grew, they took away the FP area and now they sell it packaged with some cake.

Maybe I’m thinking of the wrong space. In the hub? I thought when the renovated the hub they redid that area? I could be way off. I still don’t think it is a big deal that people pay for it though. There are tons of places to watch.

 

[mousehockey37]

If Disney insists on partys in August, maybe they should have 1 or 2 a week and not 4. Why screw normal guests by forcing them to go 3 days only with larger crowds or a shortened day with no price drop?

I also know the desert parties are paying for the spot and not the food, but 80 os highway robbery. They will keep raising the cost as long as they sell it out, but man does Disney not care anymore about "magic" or is bottom line the only issue now. Don't try to sell us on pixie dust or other nonsense if you want to just be another business.

Those are great points. Highway robbery? It's only highway robbery to those that see it that way. To you, yup, it's robbery, to others, it's just another way of keeping the crowd down in their "VIP" area. I've never even glanced at doing one. I'm fully capable of finding a great spot to watch the fireworks, and I'll keep that extra money for something else. As far as Disney magic, I'm convinced that it is on each guest to determine what is Disney magic, not the business itself. Yes, if they keep taking things away or upcharging for more, yes, that's going to hamper the magic, but there's still a ton of magic there, you just have to let it happen for you (and it may or may not happen on visits). There can be big magical things, but a lot more, it's the small things that tend to add up over the course of a vacation.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Parties in November make more sense than parties in mid-August though. Anyone going that week could use a party ticket instead of a day ticket and get on all the rides with little wait. The parties can be worked around if planned out.

Extra days on a multi-day ticket cost about $20 each after you buy 4 days. A party ticket is flat-out about $100.

And I speak from experience when I say that 4 party nights a week ruins everyone’s trip that week. Aside from what it does to the ability to enjoy the MK, Epcot is slammed with people going there instead. Try as they might, AK is not a night time park. Maybe when the Studios construction is finished, it will help, but this year will be horrible during party season.

The only way parties can be worked around has nothing to do with planning. It is all about how much more money you’re willing and able to spend. Want to see HEA during party season without being stuck in a sea of humanity? That will cost you $84 plus tax and admission for a dessert party. Want to stay in the MK late one night? That’ll be $100 each. Oh wait, you can just hop to another park for another $75 on top of your ticket.

It makes me sad that Disney is actively trying to price out entire segments of their market.

 

[Capang]

Extra days on a multi-day ticket cost about $20 each after you buy 4 days. A party ticket is flat-out about $100.

And I speak from experience when I say that 4 party nights a week ruins everyone’s trip that week. Aside from what it does to the ability to enjoy the MK, Epcot is slammed with people going there instead. Try as they might, AK is not a night time park. Maybe when the Studios construction is finished, it will help, but this year will be horrible during party season.

The only way parties can be worked around has nothing to do with planning. It is all about how much more money you’re willing and able to spend. Want to see HEA during party season without being stuck in a sea of humanity? That will cost you $84 plus tax and admission for a dessert party. Want to stay in the MK late one night? That’ll be $100 each. Oh wait, you can just hop to another park for another $75 on top of your ticket.

It makes me sad that Disney is actively trying to price out entire segments of their market.

I get that, I do. But people will pay, people like the parties, and if it is making money it won’t stop. We did a one day ticket and a Halloween party and it worked well for us. People can plan ahead and choose not to visit during party seasons. At any rate, we veered way off from fireworks dessert party increases. I think I said my piece on that so I will return to lurkdom so the thread can get back on track.

 

[mousehockey37]

I get that, I do. But people will pay, people like the parties, and if it is making money it won’t stop. We did a one day ticket and a Halloween party and it worked well for us. People can plan ahead and choose not to visit during party seasons. At any rate, we veered way off from fireworks dessert party increases. I think I said my piece on that so I will return to lurkdom so the thread can get back on track.

I don't think we really veered too much. It's actually a good conversation. That said, planning to choose to not visit during party season is going to be soon almost as hard as trying to plan visiting when Epcot doesn't have a festival going on.

 

[Capang]

I don't think we really veered too much. It's actually a good conversation. That said, planning to choose to not visit during party season is going to be soon almost as hard as trying to plan visiting when Epcot doesn't have a festival going on.

Valid point. Festival season is almost year long, although it doesn’t impact guests as much as parties.

 

[disneygirlsng]

I keep seeing people say it's 84 for the garden when it's $69.
I did the HEA garden party on January 1st and felt that it was wellllll worth it. To be able to sit down and enjoy some (what we thought were) pretty good desserts and then stroll into the garden 10 minutes before the show. Seeing the absolutely massive wall to wall crowds of people outside. With our unobstructed view with a rail to lean against, we could have sat down too if we wanted. I don't do well in crowds so this is easily something I would do again. I only visit WDW every 3-4 years or so, so I like to make the most of it and make the trips as stress-free as possible. Seeing HEA was at the top of my list for this past trip and being there right after New Years, I didn't want to be standing in a spot for an hour or more to then be blocked by iPads/phones/tall people. I wanted to do something special for my parents for that trip, and we all thought it was completely worth it. And I would do it again, even being $10 more.

 

[Capang]

I keep seeing people say it's 84 for the garden when it's $69.
I did the HEA garden party on January 1st and felt that it was wellllll worth it. To be able to sit down and enjoy some (what we thought were) pretty good desserts and then stroll into the garden 10 minutes before the show. Seeing the absolutely massive wall to wall crowds of people outside. With our unobstructed view with a rail to lean against, we could have sat down too if we wanted. I don't do well in crowds so this is easily something I would do again. I only visit WDW every 3-4 years or so, so I like to make the most of it and make the trips as stress-free as possible. Seeing HEA was at the top of my list for this past trip and being there right after New Years, I didn't want to be standing in a spot for an hour or more to then be blocked by iPads/phones/tall people. I wanted to do something special for my parents for that trip, and we all thought it was completely worth it. And I would do it again, even being $10 more.

Prices just increased. Not sure what date they go up, but the have gone up.

 

[mousehockey37]

Prices just increased. Not sure what date they go up, but the have gone up.

The $84 is for Tomorrowland Terrace. It's going up to $69 for the Garden. The $84 is what we've been using throughout the conversation, but there's actually 2 prices.

 

[Linkura]

Are there seriously that many people willing to pay about $100 per person to go to a Christmas party in the middle of November?

Apparently, or Disney wouldn't do it.

Every single new price increase or money grab makes me more and more angry with Disney. And there have been a lot of them lately. Just add this to the pile....

 

[disneygirlsng]

Prices just increased. Not sure what date they go up, but the have gone up.

I'm aware. The increased prices are the ones I listed, they start for parties May 28th and after. I paid 59/person in January, so it's $10 more (as I stated, I would pay the extra 10 for it). It's $5 more for the terrace view parties (79 to 84).