Originally Posted By barboy /// What struck me was your idea about making fastpass a "luxury guest only" option. That, to me, would upset far more people than it would benefit (and I could imagine a real uprising happening as a result)./// Universal Orlando has something sort of like that: all on property guests--Royal Pacific/ Hard Rock/Portofino-- enjoy front of the line access on every ride aka the 'Universal Express' line(I think every ride???....well every or most 'E ticket' ride and show at least)throughout their stay. Does this elitism piss off the the lowly non-resort hotel guest? I don't know. Universal also has a front of the line access add-on to a park entry ticket for $20 to $46(depending on time of year) that any 'commoner' can buy. Does this piss off those ever lower on the economic-social scale who don't stay on property nor upgrade to the front of the line with 'Express Plus'? I don't know.
Originally Posted By barboy ///I think that the real debate is whether or not Disney needs to appeal to their "Whales", Methinks the regular folk outweigh the Whales down in O-Town.../// O-Town has always seen far more common 'sheep' than Whales. And in these times we are seeing 'beached whales' left and right. The O-Town 'whale' is truly an endangered species.
Originally Posted By u k fan <<<all on property guests--Royal Pacific/ Hard Rock/Portofino-- enjoy front of the line access on every ride aka the 'Universal Express' line(I think every ride???....well every or most 'E ticket' ride and show at least)throughout their stay. Does this elitism piss off the the lowly non-resort hotel guest? I don't know. >>> The difference for me here is that they haven't taken anything away here just added the express part as a perk. Dave's suggestion creates a tier system which makes me uncomfortable and also removes a perk for most guests. Dave keeps mentioning those big bucks rooms at DLP, but they didn't take anything away from guests in cheaper lodgings so that they could offer it just added more as a perk for spending more!!!
Originally Posted By barboy ///Dave keeps mentioning those big bucks rooms at DLP/// Yes, I've noticed that and we should be very careful when enlisting comparisons of spending habits from Tokyo, Paris and/or Hong Kong when the mode of guests to WDW are US dwellers. Euros do come over to the 'World' and drop coin, come over indeed, but they are nowhere near the numbers of US folk. The thrust of WDW's financial well being programs and or adjustments must encourage us locals foremost. The Canadians, Brazilians and Eros just pick up the slack.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom I really think Disney needs to pay more attention to the parks by throw their money at park maintenance { fix and repair rides} while filling in parks with more rides like DHS which is half empty. Focus on the parks. This is not a good time for Disney to make poor decisions like closing PI ( huge revenue lost on that blunder ). Disney should know that many people would like thing to do after the parks close and personally I would prefer that there were more things for people to do so Ghirardelli was not nearly as crowded at night.
Originally Posted By u k fan <<<we should be very careful when enlisting comparisons of spending habits from Tokyo, Paris and/or Hong Kong when the mode of guests to WDW are US dwellers.>>> I'm always very aware when discussing WDW that I am not the average guest for many reasons not least of which my posting here on the boards. Just reading this thread means I'm not the average visitor!!!
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Agreed, but remember, the thrust of this thread is how to make cuts (or in my case, I offered incentives to bring more money in). Let's go for cutting FP all together using the maintenance and casting on park cleaning and maintenance instead.
Originally Posted By barboy ///Let's go for cutting FP all together using the maintenance and casting on park cleaning and maintenance instead./// YES!!! The parks must be maintained **before** anything else. When they become spotless, well staffed with a smiling helpful cast and serve quality food then move to the next most important feature to WDW...... hotels. I am one of the few who does like FP but I'd gladly give it up immediately if the expenses were channeled to a working Yeti! ---Working attractions first, please.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Agreed. I could not believe how bad the maintenance was on our last trip. And it is the key reason why I have been going to the other resorts instead. If they bring the quality of the place back up to Disney standards, then I am more likely to return. But then again, we are not the usual guests. I keep hearing Joe the Plumber et al does not notice. It's a great shame. Remember when the sweeping people joke in HISTA was funny?
Originally Posted By MPierce >> Agreed, but remember, the thrust of this thread is how to make cuts (or in my case, I offered incentives to bring more money in). Let's go for cutting FP all together using the maintenance and casting on park cleaning and maintenance instead. << >> YES!!! The parks must be maintained **before** anything else. When they become spotless, well staffed with a smiling helpful cast and serve quality food then move to the next most important feature to WDW...... hotels. << Would you two quit trying to make sense. After all we are talking about WDW here.
Originally Posted By MPierce >> Is it just me or does some of the post in this thread seem elongated? As in twice their normal width. << >> Not just you, it's been that way on some threads for several days now. << I plan on moving into a monastery, and devoting my remaining years to learning the truth of why some post have been elongated.
Originally Posted By u k fan Whilst I often use FP I also agree that I would rather see it shuttered altogether if it meant that funds could be used to maintain the parks better and possibly pay for a new attraction. My biggest beef with Dave's suggestion was that it created haves and have-nots. I'm not comfortable with a class system in the parks. I know it exists to a certain extent with resort guest perks, but as they're open to resorts in every price bracket I'm happy to turn a blind eye. The idea of dark days and attractions going down for "maintanance" is very sad to me so if cuts can be made that avoid guest disruption I think these should be looked at first!!!
Originally Posted By Mr X ***Whilst I often use FP I also agree that I would rather see it shuttered altogether if it meant that funds could be used to maintain the parks better and possibly pay for a new attraction.*** It won't. Fastpass is a revenue EARNER, and a very cheap one at that. The very nature of it puts people in a position to have to kill time. What do people do in those cases? When they only have 10 or 20 minutes to wait around before Space Mountain? Not enough time to bother waiting for another ride, of course. So, they poke around in the shops (and maybe find sometime to impulse purchase), buy an ice cream cone, or in the case of longer waits you most certainly have a number of people who exclaim "Great! We have an hour now, let's find a nice restaurant to sit down in and have a relaxing lunch.", whereas before fastpass they'd have slogged through the lines and probably grabbed a quick and cheap meal when they got too hungry. Really, this line of thinking is pretty bizarre. If it wasn't good for revenue, Disney never would've bothered with it in the first place!
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< Really, this line of thinking is pretty bizarre. If it wasn't good for revenue, Disney never would've bothered with it in the first place! >>> That's probably the best analysis I've seen so far.
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< I think that the real debate is whether or not Disney needs to appeal to their "Whales", or just the regular folk. >>> I don't think it's an issue of an either/or: whales or regular folk. I interpret davewasbaloo's comment as being that adding certain high-end experiences that only a few would be willing to pay for is a revenue opportunity that could and should be explored, especially in these times of financial difficulties.
Originally Posted By u k fan I don't expect FP to go nor do I really want it to and I totally get that it makes money, I was just agreeing that if getting rid of it meant better maintenance it's a trade off I'd be willing to make!!!
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 If they get rid of FP, then we're stuck with all the machines they set up. Wasted money, or does anyone know what they could be used for?
Originally Posted By Bob Paris "Someone in another thread mentioned closing one park a day during the week. Would you implement that and how?" Just close MGM/HDDHDVDS or whatever it's called these days for four days per week. Can't really stand that place and I would gladly shutter it for half the week if it meant quality suddenly shot up at the other three,
