I’ve Got Disney News Exhaustion

[k5xs]

This latest batch of price increases has about done me in.

Intermingled with a few items of good news (GoTG, Connections Eatery, lights on Spaceship Earth, demise of Harmonius) it seems ever since Chapek arrived it’s a steady drip, drip, drip of bad news.

This week it’s demand based G+ pricing and menu price increases. Next week it will be something else.

I’m not given to depression (and I surely don’t want to make light of it), but this has become depressing.

In the past when I thought about WDW it brought 100% happy thoughts. Not so much anymore….

 

[B1GxFOOT]

Until people stop going, it won't change.

 

[RoseGold]

Price increases aren't bad news. It means the parks are doing well enough they can charge even more.

Discounts would be bad news.

The news I want is $30 G+.

The bad news IMO is what isn't there, and that's new stuff. Other than Tron and Moana (both 2023), there's nothing. The parks need to be building rides or hotels or something, especially if demand is high enough to keep raising prices. Good news IMO would be permits.

 

[lowlight]

I'm hoping that it's a "lead with the bad news first" type situation, and that they are going to follow up with the good news shortly, in the hopes that we all forget the bad news.

 

[BostonEd]

The bad news IMO is what isn't there, and that's new stuff.

We disagree on "what isn't there". The new stuff is coming, steadily if slowly. "What isn't there" for me is full staffing and the increased park hours and ride capacity full staffing would provide. And solid service. I totally get the "increase prices until you can't anymore" strategy. But don't cut service and hours at the same time you're gouging people.

 

[BrianL]

We disagree on "what isn't there". The new stuff is coming, steadily if slowly. "What isn't there" for me is full staffing and the increased park hours and ride capacity full staffing would provide. And solid service. I totally get the "increase prices until you can't anymore" strategy. But don't cut service and hours at the same time you're gouging people.

I will say that service levels were much better on my trip in September - they are getting there on that. That said, there is still a lot missing, like Fantasmic! and it is now coming "in November" but when in November? I'm betting Novemebr 30!

 

[Garyjames220]

I'm hoping that it's a "lead with the bad news first" type situation, and that they are going to follow up with the good news shortly, in the hopes that we all forget the bad news.

They have already some that. Fantasticmic is back next month

 

[RoseGold]

We disagree on "what isn't there". The new stuff is coming, steadily if slowly. "What isn't there" for me is full staffing and the increased park hours and ride capacity full staffing would provide. And solid service. I totally get the "increase prices until you can't anymore" strategy. But don't cut service and hours at the same time you're gouging people.

Right. Completing Dinoland is one thing, a big project, but putting Belle in her cottage seems like it should have happened by now. Or filling the Little Mermaid theater. Where is all of that?

BBB reopening was a big step IMO.

 

[B1GxFOOT]

I'm wondering if it would have been better to just raise park ticket prices and leave G+ and parking and all the other little ways they seem to be nickel and diming us to death included in the price. Sure there may have been a 20% increase but would you think the "magic" is still there if you were getting all the extras? Or, is it better to try and keep the ticket price down as much as possible and ala carte the "extras" so that at least some families can still go even if they can't do some things that used to be "free"?

 

[k5xs]

Price increases aren't bad news. It means the parks are doing well enough they can charge even more.

Discounts would be bad news.

The news I want is $30 G+.

Price increases aren't bad news. It means the parks are doing well enough they can charge even more.

Discounts would be bad news.

The news I want is $30 G+.

The bad news IMO is what isn't there, and that's new stuff. Other than Tron and Moana (both 2023), there's nothing. The parks need to be building rides or hotels or something, especially if demand is high enough to keep raising prices. Good news IMO would be permits.

I reflect fondly on our early years as a family, and a trip or two to WDW that we could just barely afford. I don’t think people like us then today would agree with your assertion that “Price increases aren’t bad news.

Smaller crowds are good news for some, but they’re bad news for families who aren’t there because they can no longer afford to be.

(If I thought the increased revenue was going to park improvements I might agree (but probably not). But my guess is it’s going into corporate coffers to amortize merger and acquisition debt.)

 

[AllieKG]

Until people stop going, it won't change.

Agree. They lost our family. I cancelled our Spring Break and June trip. Booked Hawaii and Great Wolf Lodge instead. And saved $$. I am sad though. It’s hard to pivot from annual trips to Disney-we already skipped Disney in 2022 after a lack luster trip in 2021. I have such a sour taste in my mouth now. We’re spending our $$ elsewhere and making new traditions and memories.

 

[Moliphino]

Agree. They lost our family. I cancelled our Spring Break and June trip. Booked Hawaii and Great Wolf Lodge instead. And saved $$. I am sad though. It’s hard to pivot from annual trips to Disney-we already skipped Disney in 2022 after a lack luster trip in 2021. I have such a sour taste in my mouth now. We’re spending our $$ elsewhere and making new traditions and memories.

I'm sad that trips like the ones I had in the past are gone. I'm not sad to not be going in WDW's current state.

 

[New Mouse]

When your solution to tanking stock prices is to just raise prices for the public, you have failed as both a leader and an organization.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

When your solution to tanking stock prices is to just raise prices for the public, you have failed as both a leader and an organization.

by that assertion pretty much every publicly traded company is failing currently

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

I reflect fondly on our early years as a family, and a trip or two to WDW that we could just barely afford. I don’t think people like us then today would agree with your assertion that “Price increases aren’t bad news.

Smaller crowds are good news for some, but they’re bad news for families who aren’t there because they can no longer afford to be.

(If I thought the increased revenue was going to park improvements I might agree (but probably not). But my guess is it’s going into corporate coffers to amortize merger and acquisition debt.)

I just can't align with that line of thinking, there have always been groups that cannot afford a Disney vacation, and always will be. I understand the frustration in the trip costing more (not one person has ever been excited with having to pay more), but not even Walt intended for everyone to be able to afford his parks. If I get priced out someday, I can either accept it, or if it means that much i can work to attain going again. I agree that price increases are a good indicator that the company is doing well, it means they can charge more because people are still willing to pay, the flip side would be good for me, but also bad news for Disney which in the long term is also bad news for me.

Just remember Disney owes no one anything, and if you were lucky enough to be able to go to one of their parks and create lifelong memories, consider yourself just that.

 

[New Mouse]

by that assertion pretty much every publicly traded company is failing currently

That's fairly accurate and with it, the economy and consumer confidence are going as well.

Corporations, in this case Disney, are like a mobster. They get their cut regardless of anything else. They refuse to lower their cut even if it bankrupts their income source. That customer is gone and they have to hope there is another one behind them. In this case there isn't. We've seen less customers are willing to spend a little bit more, which is great for the short term health of the company, but long term it will sink them.

When economic turmoil hits, corporations punishing the customers so they can maintain billion dollar profit levels is not a responsible move for the economy as a whole. They should be dialing back profits and trying to cushion the fall for everyone.


General question for the crowd. When inflation falls back to normal, do you expect Disney will drop their prices back to where they should be?

 

[HIRyeDVC]

The parks are more crowded then ever, despite the price increases. I see no reason why Disney would lower prices.

 

[BrianL]

The parks are more crowded then ever, despite the price increases. I see no reason why Disney would lower prices.

And that's the real issue - still criticism is still warranted for some of these moves. The answer isn't just to raise and raise and raise prices, especially when not delivering on service aspects. If more and more people are coming, they will need things to do or they will have bad experiences. Those will add up after a while and impact customer satisfaction and intent to visit. I honestly wouldn't complain a bit about prices if hours, staffing levels, and entertainment options were also higher than ever!

 

[BrianL]

They have already some that. Fantasticmic is back next month

Yeah, but not soon enough! They still can't even say when. It is desperately needed for HS.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

That's fairly accurate and with it, the economy and consumer confidence are going as well.

Corporations, in this case Disney, are like a mobster. They get their cut regardless of anything else. They refuse to lower their cut even if it bankrupts their income source. That customer is gone and they have to hope there is another one behind them. In this case there isn't. We've seen less customers are willing to spend a little bit more, which is great for the short term health of the company, but long term it will sink them.

When economic turmoil hits, corporations punishing the customers so they can maintain billion dollar profit levels is not a responsible move for the economy as a whole. They should be dialing back profits and trying to cushion the fall for everyone.


General question for the crowd. When inflation falls back to normal, do you expect Disney will drop their prices back to where they should be?

since inflation runs year over year (Oct 21 vs Oct22 for instance), they can still keep their prices, it would just mean they didn't raise them over the same time period the year prior, so when inflation starts coming down, it doesn't mean companies dropped their prices, they just didn't raise their prices more than they did the previous year. I think people get confused with this, companies typically don't lower prices, they just don't raise them as fast.