Tiered Pricing Coming to Walt Disney World

[IzzyB]

I understand. That's what I thought you were saying. No harm done. Your parents did exactly what I was talking about. They managed their budget so they could get away with their family for a nice vacation. And they did what many Pittsburghers do, they went to Myrtle Beach on many of their vacations. That's the kind of people I was referring to.

Yes, Myrtle Beach is a popular Pittsburgh vacation spot. Sad part is I still drive North to visit at least every other year if not every year. Holds a lot of good memories and no beach in Florida has the kind of places Myrtle Beach has. My dad took a golf trip ever year. He ran the trip so it was free for him. He also sometimes got invited back down at the end of summer at the hotel he used. So he would always bring us and pay for a couple extra days. I remember meeting kids my age on the beach and them saying how fancy the hotel was I was staying at and how their hotel was not. I was clueless since my parents were not fancy people. My dad was a blue collar worker. But I now know at the time it was one of the top tier hotels, but half the trip was free and the other half was heavily discounted. So my parents easily could afford it. Anyway, this got way sidetracked into my memories.

Back to price raises and how the parks really love money, our money

 

[Disneyhead]

I spent many a summer at Lake Arrowhead Campground in North Myrtle Beach.

I used to love the Pavilion and the amusement park across the street. But The Swamp Fox wooden coaster at Family Kingdom is a special coaster for me. It was designed by John Allen. He designed the Racer at Kings Island, the Shooting Star at Lakeside in Roanoke, VA, Rebel Yell at Kings Dominion, Thunder Road at Carowinds, and he reworked The Pippin into The Thumderbolt at Kennywood. I'm a big fan of his work.

 

[Mad Dog]

I spent many a summer at Lake Arrowhead Campground in North Myrtle Beach.

I used to love the Pavilion and the amusement park across the street. But The Swamp Fox wooden coaster at Family Kingdom is a special coaster for me. It was designed by John Allen. He designed the Racer at Kings Island, the Shooting Star at Lakeside in Roanoke, VA, Rebel Yell at Kings Dominion, Thunder Road at Carowinds, and he reworked The Pippin into The Thumderbolt at Kennywood. I'm a big fan of his work.

You keep the memories rolling. I believe you said you were from West Virginia, so you're really akin to us Pittsburghers. I remember they used to call Myrtle Beach, Pittsburgh South since so very many people spent their vacations there. And I remember the Pippen as a young child, though I couldn't ride it. But I certainly rode Thunderbolt many a time. It's a great wooden coaster, especially as it dives from the hill top down towards the Monongahela River at the site General Braddock made his ill fated crossing moments before his army was slaughtered by the French & Indians. Before all of these coasters were built in the new coaster parks, the NY Times named Thunderbolt the world's best coaster. Well, enough of off topic memories.

 

[Jon84]

Yes, but there are those who shouldn't travel but still do. Obviously for someone across the pond, it's a little harder than say someone from Florida/GA.

Good point, it's much easier to vacation in your own country!!

 

[Jon84]

Me too. My parents could have been considered paycheck to paycheck when I was growing up because they didn't have a ton of savings. However, they did put aside money for vacation and we did go to Disney 3 or 4 times as kids, myrtle beach a lot, etc. I wouldn't consider them paycheck to paycheck because they could afford a vacation (they made more than was needed for bills, groceries, and cloths), but I guess some people would consider them it since they didn't have savings for the future, only savings for luxury items. I consider paycheck to paycheck people those who after paying bills, buying groceries, and buying NEEDED cloths and toiletries they have no money left over.

Exactly, I'm meaning people who are really struggling and can only buy the essentials. Or people who are claiming benefits/social security because they can't or won't work.

 

[IzzyB]

I spent many a summer at Lake Arrowhead Campground in North Myrtle Beach.

I used to love the Pavilion and the amusement park across the street. But The Swamp Fox wooden coaster at Family Kingdom is a special coaster for me. It was designed by John Allen. He designed the Racer at Kings Island, the Shooting Star at Lakeside in Roanoke, VA, Rebel Yell at Kings Dominion, Thunder Road at Carowinds, and he reworked The Pippin into The Thumderbolt at Kennywood. I'm a big fan of his work.

Wow, that is a resume. I am sure I went on it as a kid, but never as an adult. We were going to go there this last trip now that my LO is tall enough for more rides, but their hours were odd and we ended up not being able to go. So I will make a point to go next trip. I love the Thunderbolt, so if the same guy did this, I imagine I would love it too. Also, some people still rank the thunderbolt in the top 10 wooden roller coasters.

Some of the Pavilion rides have moved to Broadway on the Beach and we try to go there each year. My daughter really likes some of those rides. But we go in September, so the hours of some of these things makes it tough for us to do everything since they are moving into off season.

 

[Mad Dog]

Fred Hazelton, who does the crowd calendars for Touring Plans, said in his article today that apx. 8% of WDW daily attendance is single ticket holders, so he doesn't expect this pricing to have any significant impact on crowds. But he did say that may change once they extend that system to multi day tickets. I thought that might clarify some of our recent talking points.

 

[IzzyB]

Fred Hazelton, who does the crowd calendars for Touring Plans, said in his article today that apx. 8% of WDW daily attendance is single ticket holders, so he doesn't expect this pricing to have any significant impact on crowds. But he did say that may change once they extend that system to multi day tickets. I thought that might clarify some of our recent talking points.

Thanks Mad Dog!!! I over estimated with my 10 to 15%. I was basing it off of what someone once said about Universal and their % of single day single park tickets. Looks like Disney has even less single day tickets than Universal. Which doesn't shock me.

So again, this is much ado about nothing lol

 

[Mad Dog]

Thanks Mad Dog!!! I over estimated with my 10 to 15%. I was basing it off of what someone once said about Universal and their % of single day single park tickets. Looks like Disney has even less single day tickets than Universal. Which doesn't shock me.

So again, this is much ado about nothing lol

Another interesting point I forgot to put in the above comment. He said many of those single day tickets are presumably Harry Potter fans vacationing at Universal, that, if they leave Universal at all, are making a one day trip to WDW.

 

[IzzyB]

Another interesting point I forgot to put in the above comment. He said many of those single day tickets are presumably Harry Potter fans vacationing at Universal, that, if they leave Universal at all, are making a one day trip to WDW.

Interesting. With the new tiered pricing I imagine in the busy season that % could drop down a good bit because those people may go to Sea World or just spend all their time in Universal. I wonder what that number was pre-HP.

 

[Jon84]

Another interesting point I forgot to put in the above comment. He said many of those single day tickets are presumably Harry Potter fans vacationing at Universal, that, if they leave Universal at all, are making a one day trip to WDW.

Unless someone has actually surveyed people, that's complete opinion, you can't presume anything with the general public!!

 

[Mad Dog]

Unless someone has actually surveyed people, that's complete opinion, you can't presume anything with the general public!!

That's true. No doubt, his opinion.

 

[epcyclopedia]

Unless someone has actually surveyed people, that's complete opinion, you can't presume anything with the general public!!

That is literally what TPlans does.. they survey people.

 

[Jon84]

That is literally what TPlans does.. they survey people.

Do they publish the results?

I'd like to see evidence that Potter fans take a day out to hit WDW and buy a day ticket

 

[Mad Dog]

Do they publish the results?

I'd like to see evidence that Potter fans take a day out to hit WDW and buy a day ticket

From the way the article was written, it sounded like he was just doing a guess estimate concerning Potter vacation people, as you indicated previously.......... His statement on the single day ticket 8% buy, in contrast, was phrased "alluding" he knew it from Disney sources he wasn't going to divulge, usually for obvious reasons.