Mid Day Discount - Why no love for this?

[jbehr12]

They are for Disney park going veterans but to those general guests they don’t realize that most of the time and I could certainly see how this ticket would then appeal to them.

I can agree with that, at the end of the day it’s situational. I still consider DW a destination that most visit only a couple times in their life - with that, they would in most cases want full hours if they know they have limited time, especially with the increasing number of foreign visitors. There are definitely still situations where the opposite applies though, for whatever reason.

 

[GeneralTso]

People are wrong every day. Even these guys. They have their opinions and express them. That's all.

These tickets are going to work out great for a lot of people.

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

These wouldn't work for us but anything that makes the park less crowded makes me happy. I get too excited to go see things to sleep in on vacation.

I didn't get why they were so opposed to it either. Even for those who are coming from out of town, on arrival days, it gives the option of going into the park for a few hours without the full cost. Also, with the amusement parks around where I live, they have had discounted rates for those going in the afternoon on and off for years and I often used it (I'd go for the evening after work).

Mid-day magic tickets are only available in 2, 3, and 4 day so you can't just buy one for your arrival day.

Not sure it would make sense to buy them even if they were offered for a single day as once you are buying a 4+ day pass, adding an additional day is really cheap.

 

[OKW Lover]

I missed the cost of this ticket. How does it compare to simply adding a day to a 5-day pass?

 

[SaintsManiac]

I like this ticket very much. 8 hours of park time is fine for me and I don't like feeling the pressure of rope drop for an entire trip.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I missed the cost of this ticket. How does it compare to simply adding a day to a 5-day pass?

it varies a little bit as these have a flat cost vs the variable pricing based on what day you go for the regular ticket, but seems like the minimum would be ~$20/day cheaper (and then more on the "peak" days) - and they currently only offer them for 2, 3, or 4 days.

So looking at the longest one, a mid-day adult ticket costs $316 and just checked, the same 4-day regular ticket, starting today, would be $400.22 ... so a savings of $84. For a family of 4 that adds up (>$300)


Now, if you go longer, the per day cost on regular tickets really gets lower as you get to 5, 6, 7, days, etc. - so this is really for the people going for a shorter trip (or at least, fewer park days). Obviously not for everyone but for some people this is a nice option (and I think Disney acknowledging they need to find "cheaper" options for people as for some, they feel priced out)

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I haven't watched the podcast but I'm just bouncing off comments from this thread.

I don't think the target audience for these tickets are people who would just add a day because that ends up being a better value--that's an entirely different type of guest.

These are great ticket options for people who for whatever reason get to the parks a bit later (and I mentioned this on the News Thread). It can be a savings depending on when you're going because of the dynamic pricing.

I remember reading a trip report one time and the traveling party never made it to the parks before 1-1:30pm because their child was never a morning person and did so much better with a wake up, breakfast and a tiny bit of time at the pool. Their trip was also after a beach vacation. That's just one type of traveler who would benefit from this ticket. Another might be someone who is adding on park days maybe before a cruise, maybe whose flight doesn't arrive til later and they are ok with not having access to the parks the other days they buy a ticket for before noon.

It will work out for at least some people. Not everyone takes longer vacations, not everyone is in the parks for longer days, etc.

 

[neopolitech]

I have health issues and it is very difficult for me to get to the parks early. Mornings are the worst for me. So I’m lucky if I can get to a theme park before 11:30. I live in CA so I go to WDW once a year or every other year. For me these tickets would be perfect. I always hear people say you can’t do everything without arriving at rope drop, but at least for me personally, I’ve always managed to do everything I wanted to do by staying at the parks from noon to park closing each day of my trip.

 

[lanejudy]

these have a flat cost vs the variable pricing based on what day you go for the regular ticket

The Mid-Day Magic ticket has date-based pricing when I look it up. It may not be as variable as a regular ticket, but it does change by date. A 2-day Mid-Day Magic ranges from $171.34 to $218.50.

And you are correct that the savings could add up, particularly for a family of 4+ with 4-day tickets. I could see some families opting for this, especially if they aren’t early risers and would

 

[V.B.]

These wouldn't work for us but anything that makes the park less crowded makes me happy. I get too excited to go see things to sleep in on vacation.


Mid-day magic tickets are only available in 2, 3, and 4 day so you can't just buy one for your arrival day.

Not sure it would make sense to buy them even if they were offered for a single day as once you are buying a 4+ day pass, adding an additional day is really cheap.

Ah, I see. So, I guess this does apply more for locals then.

 

[NeuroCindy]

This ticket has 0 appeal to me, but if it works for you, great! It's not feasible, but if there was an inverse of this ticket, that I would jump on. Get to the parks at rope drop, but have to leave by 7pm or whatever? I'd take that in a heartbeat.

I'm an extreme early bird, I could get into the science why, but just believe me when I say that I naturally wake up, and easily, between 3:30 and 4 each day, and when I try to reset myself to 4:45 or 5, I end up back at 3:30. I find myself, even on vacation, up early, ready, and antsy for the parks to open. Often at the turnstile reading a book just waiting (not going to rush back to SDD or FoP or anything).

People have different touring styles, and that's great. It can help balance the crowds of the park.

 

[PamNC]

I have love for it!! Especially if doing Food and Wine. The parks are amazing at night so I would so do this. In fact, trying to figure out a way to afford another trip this year - a long weekend or something like that - and I'll go this route. And, let it be said... I'm a rope dropper so this says something. Disney has gotten so expensive i have to find ways to save.

 

[peabody58]

DW is not an early riser. These tickets would be a great option for us as we are DVC and only stay for 4-5 nights at a time. We still have AP vouchers and NE+ tickets to hold us through 2024, so it would be a while before we'd need to utilize something like this.

I hope this is a test case for eventually introducing a new line of tickets for DVC and out-of-state frequent visitors.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

This ticket has 0 appeal to me, but if it works for you, great! It's not feasible, but if there was an inverse of this ticket, that I would jump on. Get to the parks at rope drop, but have to leave by 7pm or whatever? I'd take that in a heartbeat.

I'm an extreme early bird, I could get into the science why, but just believe me when I say that I naturally wake up, and easily, between 3:30 and 4 each day, and when I try to reset myself to 4:45 or 5, I end up back at 3:30. I find myself, even on vacation, up early, ready, and antsy for the parks to open. Often at the turnstile reading a book just waiting (not going to rush back to SDD or FoP or anything).

People have different touring styles, and that's great. It can help balance the crowds of the park.

I think if they could figure out a way to do the inverse they would (just hard to kick people out)

Sort of moving to having three slots though:
- mid-morning entry is "base"/cheapest option
- you can pay extra to enter early
- pay extra/separate ticket for after hours


So more and more they are moving to having multiple tickets per day

And would be great if you and my wife could share a ticket as she struggles to get up before 8am

 

[disneysteve]

I wonder how many guests really do the parks all day every day. I'm sure my view is skewed by being a veteran visitor and on the older side. Do families with young kids do rope drop to closing? We never did when DD was little. She couldn't be on the go all day like that. Even in her teens, we didn't spend 12 hours or more in the park each day so this ticket seems like a great way to still have a full day and save some money.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I wonder how many guests really do the parks all day every day. I'm sure my view is skewed by being a veteran visitor and on the older side. Do families with young kids do rope drop to closing? We never did when DD was little. She couldn't be on the go all day like that. Even in her teens, we didn't spend 12 hours or more in the park each day so this ticket seems like a great way to still have a full day and save some money.

I think a lot do as they want to get the most value out of their vacation and try to do as much as they can. Others also prefer to take a midday break when it is the hottest after leveraging rope drop

I know we have had days where we planned to do a midday break but then caught up doing stuff and wound up staying all day - when kids were younger they would often just nap in the stroller

I think if you go opening to close after a few days you get worn out and need an "off day" but I do think a lot of people have the view that "I paid for a ticket for today, I want to get the most out of it"

 

[MKCP5]

I think they're great! Going in September w my DD who is 23 and likes to sleep in more than I do. I'll get up, go for a walk and relax a bit and then we'll take off for the day. I always feel so much pressure to "get up! hurry up and have fun!!!" this will quell a lot of that and I think I'll love it. The $$ saved is awesome too!!!

 

[Fred M]

I'm an early bird, rope drop, could do a park every day sort of person.

My wife loves to sleep in, thinks getting to the parks at 11:30 am-Noon is "early," and only wants to go to the parks every third day. I'm definitely going to price these tickets for her on our May 2020 WDW vacation!

 

[DisneyKevin]

A couple of things...

I think its funny that folks posting here see us as "locals" and themselves as typical Disney guests. Typical Disney guests don't have enormous post counts and spend this much time discussing the finest of Disney details. Nothing about this thread is "typical".

As travel agents, we often work with guests that are going for the first (and maybe only) time. They want to get every single second out of their Disney time. (early morning, late evenings etc) and are often willing to pay extra for these things. . These a large part of the folks we work with on a daily basis.

Its always been the collective common knowledge to go to the parks early, ride as many things as possible, use your morning fast passes and then take a break. Go back to the parks later in the day when it's not as insanely hot. This ticket puts you in the park at the busiest, hottest and most crowded part of the day. We understand that YOU don't visit that way. Again, a huge majority of Disney guests are not here discussing this issue.

Im not an early riser and haven't seen a rope drop in a very long time...but I have an annual pass and have that option should I want it. I think folks who are not veteran Disney warriors (and they out number us Disney geeks) are looking to maximize their Disney time.

I believe I mentioned that this is like going to the theater at intermission once...only once...and I believe to the first time (maybe only time) guest this would be an apt description. The guests that we work with often have questions about what time they should arrive at the turnstiles. Which major attraction they should run to first. Can they get to the park earlier if they make the FIRST breakfast ADR? Which hotel will offer early morning hours for the days they want to visit...and they want to choose a resort based on that. The majority of Disney guests that we work with would see being kept out of the parks until mid day as torture and huge loss of valuable time.

We need to alter the definition of "typical Disney guest". This was brought home when I was heavily into pin trading. An executive told me that the pin trading "community" needed to realize that they were a microcosm of the guests that visited Disney and purchased a pin or two.. He explained that we were not "typical".

These were the reasons that this ticket got "no love", not because we are "locals".

 

[tguz]

This is an issue where I don't know why anyone is strongly in favor or strongly not in favor. I don't feel anyone is "right" or "wrong" if they buy these tickets. Everyone has their own style as far as park strategy and if it works for you, awesome and if you prefer rope drop and it wouldn't work for you, awesome. Let's face it, a Disney vacation is expensive. If the savings on this ticket option helps a family extend a vacation by a day or two or saves them enough money to make a trip possible at all, I'm good with it.