When WDW re-opens: Price hike or lots of discounts??

[RamblingMad]

Based on what I know now, I expect prices to go up given the limited attendance to maximize the profit per guest. If attendance is below their expectations, then they might cut later in the year after reopening.

 

[tiggerdad]

Gonna be hard to ask for same or more money when parks are offering less things to do. No fireworks, no parades, no meet and greets, etc. Not impossible, but certainly a hard point to try to sell.

 

[randumb0]

Sea World will be offering discounts and passholder perks. It would be nice if Disney did the same

 

[NWOhiogal]

I imagine the resort prices will stay the same, but I can't see Magic Kingdom getting a lot of takers for $150/ticket without parades, fireworks, or meet and greets. Add to that reduced seating in restaurants and reduced seating on rides and a LOT of people are going to say "Eh, let's skip it and go to the Grand Canyon, it's cheaper!" Especially families. No meet and greet? No parade? Kids like the rides but they LOVE the character experiences. Take those out and you might as well take them to the local park.

 

[TDSAXX]

I imagine the resort prices will stay the same, but I can't see Magic Kingdom getting a lot of takers for $150/ticket without parades, fireworks, or meet and greets. Add to that reduced seating in restaurants and reduced seating on rides and a LOT of people are going to say "Eh, let's skip it and go to the Grand Canyon, it's cheaper!" Especially families. No meet and greet? No parade? Kids like the rides but they LOVE the character experiences. Take those out and you might as well take them to the local park.

Well if there aren’t many people going to the parks, there will be a lot of empty rooms in the resorts. So they’d probably have to discount room rates.

 

[courtney1188]

Gonna be hard to ask for same or more money when parks are offering less things to do. No fireworks, no parades, no meet and greets, etc. Not impossible, but certainly a hard point to try to sell.

None of that is a known fact at this point - Disney has offered no information on the statuses of fireworks, parades, meet and greets, indoor shows, etc.

 

[NWOhiogal]

Well if there aren’t many people going to the parks, there will be a lot of empty rooms in the resorts. So they’d probably have to discount room rates.

Well, but the resorts are often destinations in and of themselves. People book rooms at the Contemporary or Animal Kingdom Lodge and don't ever go to the parks - they just stay at the pool, go shopping, etc. Aside from having hand sanitizer available I don't think a lot at the resorts will change. Plus, there will probably be MORE people who will book rooms at the resorts but skip the parks - so once everything opens back up, I think the resorts will fill up quickly. They offer a Disney vacation without the risk of going into a park.

 

[tiggerdad]

None of that is a known fact at this point - Disney has offered no information on the statuses of fireworks, parades, meet and greets, indoor shows, etc.

Nothing official, yes you are right. Just referring to what Pete had noted in the Dis Podcast from last week on a potential plan layout. Most folks feel this will be the case as it will be impossible to social distance doing meet and greets. Fireworks, like in front of castle cause mass gathering and standing, typically shoulder to shoulder as do parades.

You are correct, remains to seen, but most references site these things as the biggest obstacles to social distancing when the parks open.

We'll see. Hopefully they won't do it to be honest.

 

[courtney1188]

Nothing official, yes you are right. Just referring to what Pete had noted in the Dis Podcast from last week on a potential plan layout. Most folks feel this will be the case as it will be impossible to social distance doing meet and greets. Fireworks, like in front of castle cause mass gathering and standing, typically shoulder to shoulder as do parades.

You are correct, remains to seen, but most references site these things as the biggest obstacles to social distancing when the parks open.

We'll see. Hopefully they won't do it to be honest.

Yeah, while locals may disagree, as an AP person who lives 16 hours away, I won't be happy if they consider the parks to be open and count that time against our AP with all of those things missing. Financially, I can't justify the cost of a trip without all of those things being speculated about.

 

[tiggerdad]

Yeah, while locals may disagree, as an AP person who lives 16 hours away, I won't be happy if they consider the parks to be open and count that time against our AP with all of those things missing. Financially, I can't justify the cost of a trip without all of those things being speculated about.

Yes, you being an AP holder I can certainly see not being happy if it counts against it.

 

[NWOhiogal]

My sister and I booked a flight and hotel for October. If the parks open and they're really limited, we might do Magic Kingdom, cut the trip a day short, and just do the resorts and Disney Springs. There's no point in paying full ticket price for 1/4 of an experience.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Yeah, while locals may disagree, as an AP person who lives 16 hours away, I won't be happy if they consider the parks to be open and count that time against our AP with all of those things missing. Financially, I can't justify the cost of a trip without all of those things being speculated about.

It's probably why they offered the partial AP refund option...you may want to look into it if the open doesn't make you happy...

 

[courtney1188]

It's probably why they offered the partial AP refund option...you may want to look into it if the open doesn't make you happy...

But they're only refunding for days they are closed. If they're open but offering a very reduced experience, that still counts against our days and there is no refund for that.

 

[TwoMisfits]

But they're only refunding for days they are closed. If they're open but offering a very reduced experience, that still counts against our days,

Right, so if you see that's how they will open, I would do the refund now...it would backdate to whenever the last day they were open was and how much of your pass was gone by then...

 

[courtney1188]

Right, so if you see that's how they will open, I would do the refund now...it would backdate to whenever the last day they were open was and how much of your pass was gone by then...

No, that's not how the partial refund is set up for people who paid in full (which is the only option if you live out of state).

 

[randumb0]

Yeah, while locals may disagree, as an AP person who lives 16 hours away, I won't be happy if they consider the parks to be open and count that time against our AP with all of those things missing. Financially, I can't justify the cost of a trip without all of those things being speculated about.

I'm a local and I have no interest in visiting the park for several months. If you ask another local AP you may get a different answer

 

[WDWTRAVELLER]

I could see another round of free dinning for winter 2020. it will all depend on how many people book when parks reopen.

 

[RamblingMad]

I could see another round of free dinning for winter 2020. it will all depend on how many people book when parks reopen.

It’s really early. Disney can only guess right now. Once they have a solid opening date and start to receive reservations, they can start to tweak their pricing.

 

[TomServo27]

The headline says 48% of of Americans cancelled summer vacations. But 36% didn’t even have a trip planned only 16% did not cancel. So basically of those who had plans 2 out 3 cancelled there vacations. Pretty devastating for the travel industry.
https://www.valuepenguin.com/news/americans-cancel-travel-coronavirus

 

[tlmadden73]

I could see another round of free dinning for winter 2020. it will all depend on how many people book when parks reopen.

If people are truly fearful of traveling, especially to a major tourist destination .. free dining isn't going to be enough .. even for dinner. It will just give a discount to the diehards, but probably won't be enough to convince new vacationers to book and may not be enough to NOT have a lot of people cancel.

I see a need for some major discounts this summer (especially if they open with "modified experiences") .. no one is going to want to pay full price (even if already booked) for no fireworks, parades, no M&Gs and every "magical" castmember soullessly covered by a mask. Like:
- don't cancel your summer trip and come back any time in a year at like 50% off (tickets or resort)

Or . they may not care about cancellations and be happy to just run on the naturally reduced capacity without having to turn people away or cancel trips forcibly.

Heck .. I could see huge discounts on Annual Passes just to get some people locked in for a year. Disney would still make a ton of money if they sold passes at 25-50% off (considering they just raised the price of them by like 20% a year ago).

I bought an AP for an upcoming trip for my daughter (the rest of us have old tickets) .. but if they offered a discount -- I'd just buy APs for the whole family again and look to do 2-3 trips from late 2020 to 2021.

A guy can dream, right?