Are you averse to the 'new' 5-day pass only? Please read and comment...

[MICKEYFIL]

Sent the following a few minutes ago....

I had intended bringing my extended family to your 'Vacation Destination' in May. This would involve nine individuals, three rooms along with numerous events and meals. I see by your website that we can no longer purchase tickets for the duration we had intended on travelling (7 days) and instead will be limited to five days. What was the reasoning behind limiting families travelling considerable distances to shortened experiences? May I suggest allowing individuals from outside of the Southern California area the ability to purchase these extended stay tickets.

What I found really funny was that in the response area they ask what is the duration of your intended stay and they provide the option of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 days along with 1, 2 and 3 weeks. Do they have tickets for those durations?

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

I agree that it doesn't make sense from a business perspective for Disney not to offer 6 and 7 day tickets for Disneyland, and it would be very disappointing for those tickets not to be available to me if I wanted them.

Also, it doesn't make sense for Disney to offer these 6 and 7 day tickets for as tiny a price bump as they used to. What would probably make sense from a business perspective (after looking over current pricing and cost per day and some other numbers) would be for a 6-day ticket to cost $320 and a 7-day ticket to cost $350. Better yet from the Disney end of things would be to push 5-day hoppers up from $290 to $300, then 6-days for $325 and 7-days for $350.

As for the fraud thing, if this truly is the reason they aren't offering longer length parkhoppers and not just a line they're feeding everyone, then there are certainly ways around it. It seems like the biometric scanners might be a pricier investment than is truly necessary for Disneyland considering its demographics, ratio of passholders to hoppers to day guests. There are certainly other things they can do though. Not all of these may be the easiest fix from the consumer standpoint, but Disney could certainly require a 6-day or 7-day ticket holder to show more proof of ownership of these tickets. One thing they can do is make 6-day and 7-day tickets only available as upgrades from 5-day tickets for instance. Yes, a bit of a pain for the ticket-holder, but if you really want that 6th and 7th day, you will go to the trouble. Six day and seven day tickets could also then be flagged in the system to have the ticket holder show ID when entering the parks. It's what any AP holder has to do until their picture is taken and entered into the system. Also, there are probably programs that can be written to track who is actually buying these passes, and Disney as a business should have the right to refuse to sell to someone upgrading tickets in suspiciously large quantities or high frequencies.

For all we know, Disney is already looking at this problem and figuring out how to make it work so the customers can get the number of days they want and Disney can get the financial satisfaction they want. If enough demand is there and Disney figures out how to make it worth it to their bottom line, it seems that six and seven day passes would return.

 

[L&Lfan]

My boyfriend and I visit Disneyland every other year from NEW JERSEY! We stay 7-8 nights at a Disney resort, usually the Grand Californian, premium (theme park) view. To not be allowed to purchase a "length of stay" (7-8 days) pass for the parks is INSANE! I hope this policy changes before our upcoming vacation in May 2013!

 

[jory29]

I agree that it doesn't make sense from a business perspective for Disney not to offer 6 and 7 day tickets for Disneyland, and it would be very disappointing for those tickets not to be available to me if I wanted them.

Also, it doesn't make sense for Disney to offer these 6 and 7 day tickets for as tiny a price bump as they used to. What would probably make sense from a business perspective (after looking over current pricing and cost per day and some other numbers) would be for a 6-day ticket to cost $320 and a 7-day ticket to cost $350. Better yet from the Disney end of things would be to push 5-day hoppers up from $290 to $300, then 6-days for $325 and 7-days for $350.

As for the fraud thing, if this truly is the reason they aren't offering longer length parkhoppers and not just a line they're feeding everyone, then there are certainly ways around it. It seems like the biometric scanners might be a pricier investment than is truly necessary for Disneyland considering its demographics, ratio of passholders to hoppers to day guests. There are certainly other things they can do though. Not all of these may be the easiest fix from the consumer standpoint, but Disney could certainly require a 6-day or 7-day ticket holder to show more proof of ownership of these tickets. One thing they can do is make 6-day and 7-day tickets only available as upgrades from 5-day tickets for instance. Yes, a bit of a pain for the ticket-holder, but if you really want that 6th and 7th day, you will go to the trouble. Six day and seven day tickets could also then be flagged in the system to have the ticket holder show ID when entering the parks. It's what any AP holder has to do until their picture is taken and entered into the system. Also, there are probably programs that can be written to track who is actually buying these passes, and Disney as a business should have the right to refuse to sell to someone upgrading tickets in suspiciously large quantities or high frequencies.

For all we know, Disney is already looking at this problem and figuring out how to make it work so the customers can get the number of days they want and Disney can get the financial satisfaction they want. If enough demand is there and Disney figures out how to make it worth it to their bottom line, it seems that six and seven day passes would return.

I bolded the part I wanted to comment on. The perks for Disneyland with a tiny price bump means that many guests who had not thought of or planned for more than 5 days may very well stay in the park for 6 or 7 days instead of 5 days once they see the small price bump, and spend more money in the parks, which can only mean more profit for Disneyland. We have always appreciated that the price bump was reasonably priced, as we knew that to feed a family of 4 in the parks for a few more days would add up, so we greatly valued the savings that a higher than 5 day pass offered us. Also, ticket prices have continually gone up every single year since we have been going for the past 7 years as a family. I understand upgrades, etc. cost money, but know that they are still profiting from selling the 'more than 5 day' park passes. I for one would really love it if they bring them back, but still with the same reasonable cost to add on days, as before.

Your idea about the upgrading at the park seems plausible for sure - I would be willing to do that if it would help them to keep supporting the 6, 7, etc. day passes (that are longer than the 5 day passes.)

I still think a quick (paper sticker) photo and signature added to the park hoppers once in the parks for the first visit could work, and would be cheaper than biometric devices installations, but, would also take a considerable amount of time for guests. I would be game for this, if it were set up in such a way.

 

[jory29]

Sent the following a few minutes ago....

I had intended bringing my extended family to your 'Vacation Destination' in May. This would involve nine individuals, three rooms along with numerous events and meals. I see by your website that we can no longer purchase tickets for the duration we had intended on travelling (7 days) and instead will be limited to five days. What was the reasoning behind limiting families travelling considerable distances to shortened experiences? May I suggest allowing individuals from outside of the Southern California area the ability to purchase these extended stay tickets.

What I found really funny was that in the response area they ask what is the duration of your intended stay and they provide the option of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 days along with 1, 2 and 3 weeks. Do they have tickets for those durations?

They currently only have the 5 day Park Hopper passes available. You would have to add on other days at regular ticket cost with the system they currently have in place, as far as I know.

My boyfriend and I visit Disneyland every other year from NEW JERSEY! We stay 7-8 nights at a Disney resort, usually the Grand Californian, premium (theme park) view. To not be allowed to purchase a "length of stay" (7-8 days) pass for the parks is INSANE! I hope this policy changes before our upcoming vacation in May 2013!

I hope Disneyland has gotten someone to monitor this thread, so they can see the level of dissatisfaction with their new ticket protocol of offering nothing of longer duration than a 5 day Park Hopper.

 

[MamaChelle]

Disney had recommended an AP. Are the kidding me? An annual pass for a once a year trip? How does that benefit me in any way. I looked into it and none of the days we are travelling have blackout dates but still for us to enjoy 6 days in the park for that price is ridiculous. Now say if the annual passes were good for 13 months, that would make more sense since we do travel to DL once a year we could use it for 2 trips and be able to enjoy the perks of having an AP. Travelling from Hawaii in the first place is expensive enough.

So if you stay on property is the 6-day pass available for purchase? We don't have the dough to splurge staying on property but maybe we could change our trip to every other year and stay on property because that is one of my dreams! Or is the 6 day taken away completely from everyone? Hoping Disney rethinks their decision!

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

I bolded the part I wanted to comment on. The perks for Disneyland with a tiny price bump means that many guests who had not thought of or planned for more than 5 days may very well stay in the park for 6 or 7 days instead of 5 days once they see the small price bump, and spend more money in the parks, which can only mean more profit for Disneyland. We have always appreciated that the price bump was reasonably priced, as we knew that to feed a family of 4 in the parks for a few more days would add up, so we greatly valued the savings that a higher than 5 day pass offered us. Also, ticket prices have continually gone up every single year since we have been going for the past 7 years as a family. I understand upgrades, etc. cost money, but know that they are still profiting from selling the 'more than 5 day' park passes. I for one would really love it if they bring them back, but still with the same reasonable cost to add on days, as before.

I don't disagree with what you're saying about the small price bump and the psychological effect on the consumer. My point though is that with the healthy attendance numbers and hotel bookings that they are seeing now, there's really not enough in it for Disney anymore to do it your way. But let's say they do and that Disney does see that people are happier with a smaller bump in price for those extra few days and it's the small bump that helps them get over the psychological hump. What they are most likely to do then is bump up the other prices again first, to get that in line with whatever per day average pricing they are comfortable with. After looking over Disneyland and Disney World ticket prices and taking into consideration Disneyland clientele and California prices and so on, I've settled on the $50 average for 7 days. Who really knows what number Disney has their sights set on? So working backwards from my theory, maybe 7-day tickets would be $350 and 6-day tickets would be $340 and 5-day tickets would be $330 and so on. This is just me tinkering with numbers. The reality though is that we're not going to see ticket prices go down. Disney doesn't even wait an entire year anymore before raising prices, so it would probably surprise no one to see another increase in less than a year since the last. I think that whenever 5-day tickets align with whatever target number Disney thinks their product is really "worth" and what the consumer will pay, then maybe the little bumps might reappear to help push people over that hump of paying for a longer stay. In the meantime, it sounds to me Disney doesn't "need" the business of people who are staying longer unless they want to spend a premium to do so. If fewer people stay longer, more people come visit, starting the cycle over at a higher price point than someone on their sixth or seventh day and possibly raising Disney's profits even more overall. Not saying I agree that this is a good way to do business, but it certainly suggests that the current attitude is that there are more than enough people willing to come so Disney doesn't need to bend over backward keeping those there who have already come and played for a few days. If demand goes down, then the company's incentive to cater to the individual customer a bit more again may return.

 

[ValpoCory]

I've settled on the $50 average for 7 days. Who really knows what number Disney has their sights set on? So working backwards from my theory, maybe 7-day tickets would be $350 and 6-day tickets would be $340 and 5-day tickets would be $330 and so on. This is just me tinkering with numbers. The reality though is that we're not going to see ticket prices go down.

Currently, 6 days of park hoppers costs $415 and 7 days costs $490. Give me that $350 price!

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Currently, 6 days of park hoppers costs $415 and 7 days costs $490. Give me that $350 price!

That's what I'm saying. $350 starts to sound reasonable, doesn't it? It doesn't make sense that Disney is not doing this. However, I don't think that $300 for a 7-day ticket is a "reasonable" price to Disney in the climate of their current success, and that leaves them "stuck" at the moment trying to figure out what to do and how to market whatever it is they decide to do. Why? Because it also doesn't look good to go from $275 for 4 days to $290 to 5-days to $320 (a larger price jump between 4 day and 5 day) for 6-days. I agree that the current idea of just buying more full price hoppers or upgrading to an AP if you truly want no more than 7 days seems even more silly, but the average guest who really doesn't care about more than 5 days will never know about these mathematics since they aren't posted right there at the ticket booth or website that way. They are going to scratch their head though when they see a $15 upgrade for one more day (4 to 5 days) and then a $30 day upgrade cost for one more day again (5 to 6 days), and how many will get over that psychological hump to add the 6th day then? If you see a 5-day ticket for $290 and a 6-day ticket for a choice between $320 or $415 though, that's a no-brainer decision even if the 4-day ticket did cost $275.

 

[Mel522]

Disney had recommended an AP. Are the kidding me? An annual pass for a once a year trip? How does that benefit me in any way. I looked into it and none of the days we are travelling have blackout dates but still for us to enjoy 6 days in the park for that price is ridiculous. Now say if the annual passes were good for 13 months, that would make more sense since we do travel to DL once a year we could use it for 2 trips and be able to enjoy the perks of having an AP. Travelling from Hawaii in the first place is expensive enough.

So if you stay on property is the 6-day pass available for purchase? We don't have the dough to splurge staying on property but maybe we could change our trip to every other year and stay on property because that is one of my dreams! Or is the 6 day taken away completely from everyone? Hoping Disney rethinks their decision!

Why don't you just take the second trip 11 1/2 months after the first trip? Or even just a week before your AP would expire? That's what we do when we plan on going 2 years in a row.

 

[MamaChelle]

Why don't you just take the second trip 11 1/2 months after the first trip? Or even just a week before your AP would expire? That's what we do when we plan on going 2 years in a row.

Thought about that one, but the week after thanksgiving always works best for my family and our work schedules and whatnot. Wish that could work out cause weve been talking about it but right now it won't work! But it does in the future we are going to go that route

 

[Kristina]

Oh my, I just today started seriously planning for my next trip and thought to come on the Dis to research or ask which week I should visit during March or April in 2013. I live in Sweden so, with that and, what with DCA's upgrades, well I need a week in the parks. I don't know what I'm going to do now, this is so upsetting !

I totally get that Disney want to stop those creepy ticket brokers who as one site said, "rented" used tickets to people. Denying me my properly purchased 7 day hopper isn't the way to combat those thieves however!

 

[allgrownup]

I just emailed them. I will be staying at a Good Neighbor Hotel when I go, but only being able to purchase a 5 day ticket WILL affect my stay.

I let them know that suggesting an AP or additional single day tickets is a very poor suggestion for someone who travels from Alaska.

I hope between now and my actual trip a change is made!

 

[Lucille1963]

Why don't you just take the second trip 11 1/2 months after the first trip? Or even just a week before your AP would expire? That's what we do when we plan on going 2 years in a row.

That is what we try to do, but with my son's school schedule (an alternative extended year) mixed with my husbands work schedule (he works with many who have their vacation time written in stone with very little flexibility) I don't think it will be as possible in the future.

 

[jory29]

I don't disagree with what you're saying about the small price bump and the psychological effect on the consumer. My point though is that with the healthy attendance numbers and hotel bookings that they are seeing now, there's really not enough in it for Disney anymore to do it your way. But let's say they do and that Disney does see that people are happier with a smaller bump in price for those extra few days and it's the small bump that helps them get over the psychological hump. What they are most likely to do then is bump up the other prices again first, to get that in line with whatever per day average pricing they are comfortable with. After looking over Disneyland and Disney World ticket prices and taking into consideration Disneyland clientele and California prices and so on, I've settled on the $50 average for 7 days. Who really knows what number Disney has their sights set on? So working backwards from my theory, maybe 7-day tickets would be $350 and 6-day tickets would be $340 and 5-day tickets would be $330 and so on. This is just me tinkering with numbers. The reality though is that we're not going to see ticket prices go down. Disney doesn't even wait an entire year anymore before raising prices, so it would probably surprise no one to see another increase in less than a year since the last. I think that whenever 5-day tickets align with whatever target number Disney thinks their product is really "worth" and what the consumer will pay, then maybe the little bumps might reappear to help push people over that hump of paying for a longer stay. In the meantime, it sounds to me Disney doesn't "need" the business of people who are staying longer unless they want to spend a premium to do so. If fewer people stay longer, more people come visit, starting the cycle over at a higher price point than someone on their sixth or seventh day and possibly raising Disney's profits even more overall. Not saying I agree that this is a good way to do business, but it certainly suggests that the current attitude is that there are more than enough people willing to come so Disney doesn't need to bend over backward keeping those there who have already come and played for a few days. If demand goes down, then the company's incentive to cater to the individual customer a bit more again may return.

Thanks for taking the time to explain your point! I surmise from all of it, that right now, Disney is probably already about as full (ticket sales from guests) as it wants to be on a regular basis, so offering slightly discounted daily rates for a 6 or 7 day pass maybe are not on their radar right now when they can make more money per day by selling the current up-to-5-days Park Hoppers. I agree it might be a case of Disneyland not actively soliciting ticket sales as business is so brisk right now.

On the other hand, I feel that Disneyland should understand that it will always be worth it to keep their current loyal guests as loyal guests, and not as disgruntled ones if made to pay an inflated price (compared to before, when tickets were only a few dollars more per each additional day after 5 days, for tickets higher than 5 days.)

For my family, $1400 (IF the prices on a 7 day hopper were to be raised to $350) would be FAR out our price range.

 

[jory29]

Currently, 6 days of park hoppers costs $415 and 7 days costs $490. Give me that $350 price!

Not for my family of 4... I know it sound ok when comparing to $490, etc., but honestly, it still costs more than what an annual pass cost us just a couple of years ago [when it was just cheaper to upgrade a week long pass to an annual, the one year we spaced our trip 11.5 mos. apart.] I know prices have increased a lot over the years, but just the fact that it used to pan out to do that, but now, it doesn't, seems odd.

That's what I'm saying. $350 starts to sound reasonable, doesn't it? It doesn't make sense that Disney is not doing this. However, I don't think that $300 for a 7-day ticket is a "reasonable" price to Disney in the climate of their current success, and that leaves them "stuck" at the moment trying to figure out what to do and how to market whatever it is they decide to do. Why? Because it also doesn't look good to go from $275 for 4 days to $290 to 5-days to $320 (a larger price jump between 4 day and 5 day) for 6-days. I agree that the current idea of just buying more full price hoppers or upgrading to an AP if you truly want no more than 7 days seems even more silly, but the average guest who really doesn't care about more than 5 days will never know about these mathematics since they aren't posted right there at the ticket booth or website that way. They are going to scratch their head though when they see a $15 upgrade for one more day (4 to 5 days) and then a $30 day upgrade cost for one more day again (5 to 6 days), and how many will get over that psychological hump to add the 6th day then? If you see a 5-day ticket for $290 and a 6-day ticket for a choice between $320 or $415 though, that's a no-brainer decision even if the 4-day ticket did cost $275.

Thanks for all of your responses! I wish they would just see that it can be profitable to maintain currently existing good relationships with their guests by offering something that is so highly valued by the guest, which is more time in the parks, at a reasonable rate. I feel that it does make sense that the more time one can spend in the park, the cost per day should go lower per day, not remain the same, because the guest is not only spending more money overall on tickets, but also on food and merchandise.

Oh my, I just today started seriously planning for my next trip and thought to come on the Dis to research or ask which week I should visit during March or April in 2013. I live in Sweden so, with that and, what with DCA's upgrades, well I need a week in the parks. I don't know what I'm going to do now, this is so upsetting !

I totally get that Disney want to stop those creepy ticket brokers who as one site said, "rented" used tickets to people. Denying me my properly purchased 7 day hopper isn't the way to combat those thieves however!

I really hope they will change things quickly, as it is important for you to be able to spend time in the Parks. Good luck!

I just emailed them. I will be staying at a Good Neighbor Hotel when I go, but only being able to purchase a 5 day ticket WILL affect my stay.

I let them know that suggesting an AP or additional single day tickets is a very poor suggestion for someone who travels from Alaska.

I hope between now and my actual trip a change is made!

I hope so, too!

Thought about that one, but the week after thanksgiving always works best for my family and our work schedules and whatnot. Wish that could work out cause weve been talking about it but right now it won't work! But it does in the future we are going to go that route

It is hard to have to schedule and balance a trip around everything sometimes, and that's why it was nice to have a 6 or 7 day Park Hopper option.

That is what we try to do, but with my son's school schedule (an alternative extended year) mixed with my husbands work schedule (he works with many who have their vacation time written in stone with very little flexibility) I don't think it will be as possible in the future.

Let's hope that things change in the current Park Hopper policy.

 

[TeddiBarra]

Jory I am in total agreement with you. I don't feel comfortable right now writing as my DH works for a Dis company so we fall into the "CM" family of things right now, but I disagree with what DLR has done in every way. We've been AP holders in the past and I know DH won't work for TWDC forever (shoot I'll be shocked if it's more than another year) so things will again apply to our family directly but I still have friends and extended family who are affected. I completely understand wanting to reduce/eliminate fraud and am 100% behind efforts to do so. That said, there MUST be a way to address this without losing honest money for Disneyland Resort AND it's customers!

I am sure most true Dis fans don't mind verifying the info about where they bought the ticket and/or showing ID or proof of ticket purchase or proof they intend to be the sole user of their ticket. Whatever is needed, DLR needs an OFFICIAL policy about selling longer than 5 day tickets OR a consistent written policy on upgrades at the ticket booth. This hodge-podge CM A knows how to upgrade but CMS B & C don't is ridiculous and hurts all parties.

DLR needs to realize that the expectation from a stockholder perspective is to make profit. To achieve that, Disney has invested *billions* into remaking Disneyland into the Disneyland Resort, complete with 3 hotels and 2 parks. The idea was to make DLR a multi-day stay destination, much like it's WDW counter-part. They have been successful in this. Now make it so folks can come and enjoy a comparable CA vacation like they can in WDW. Since DLR has approximately 75%-80% of the park attraction base, making folks shove that into 5 days isn't very practical.

Disney has booming business with it's local base, especially with APs. It works for APers now it's time to make the model work for Annual Trippers/those coming from far away (the *high spenders*).

 

[jory29]

Jory I am in total agreement with you. I don't feel comfortable right now writing as my DH works for a Dis company so we fall into the "CM" family of things right now, but I disagree with what DLR has done in every way. We've been AP holders in the past and I know DH won't work for TWDC forever (shoot I'll be shocked if it's more than another year) so things will again apply to our family directly but I still have friends and extended family who are affected. I completely understand wanting to reduce/eliminate fraud and am 100% behind efforts to do so. That said, there MUST be a way to address this without losing honest money for Disneyland Resort AND it's customers!

I am sure most true Dis fans don't mind verifying the info about where they bought the ticket and/or showing ID or proof of ticket purchase or proof they intend to be the sole user of their ticket. Whatever is needed, DLR needs an OFFICIAL policy about selling longer than 5 day tickets OR a consistent written policy on upgrades at the ticket booth. This hodge-podge CM A knows how to upgrade but CMS B & C don't is ridiculous and hurts all parties.

DLR needs to realize that the expectation from a stockholder perspective is to make profit. To achieve that, Disney has invested *billions* into remaking Disneyland into the Disneyland Resort, complete with 3 hotels and 2 parks. The idea was to make DLR a multi-day stay destination, much like it's WDW counter-part. They have been successful in this. Now make it so folks can come and enjoy a comparable CA vacation like they can in WDW. Since DLR has approximately 75%-80% of the park attraction base, making folks shove that into 5 days isn't very practical.

Disney has booming business with it's local base, especially with APs. It works for APers now it's time to make the model work for Annual Trippers/those coming from far away (the *high spenders*).

Very well-stated, and you are right on all of your points! I really appreciate that you understand it from the point of view of those who live farther away, as that generally is who this type of 5-day only Park Hopper system will most likely affect. It would also affect others as well, though, I'm sure. They succeeded in making it a multi day resort, but have they themselves failed to see the big picture for what it now is, (that so many people love and view the parks as an actual resort where they want to stay for a week?) Maybe they work so hard they no longer enjoy their time at the Parks, and can't fathom others really want to, but from a vacation standpoint, it is the ONLY place we want to be when we go somewhere. Your comment about the shareholders is so true - they would probably rather have business coming in from all angles as positive, and the fact that so many people are viewing the limited 5-day Park Hopper pass as a detriment gives me hope that Disney will start to try to please the guests who are so feverishly requesting this. Thank you for your post!

 

[dmband]

I probably should have added in my email that had that (lack of) option been clear when we made our plans then we WOULD have booked a shorter stay.

Even better, that was a great email

 

[Mickey&JoshNut]

I understand that fraud is the reason for the change, but why doesn't Disney require photos for 5 day or longer park hopper tickets, that would eliminate people being able to "rent" the tickets.

I too sent an email. We have an upcoming trip and also like to tour the parks at a leisurely pace (traveling with a senior) so mid day rest breaks work the best...we are staying before and after our upcoming DCL cruise and it would have been nice to have been able to buy a 7 day pass. If a 5 day pass is the most we can buy, I guess we will be spending the time before the Halloween party hanging out at the pool instead of spending time and $$$ in the parks.