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I know this topic has become a dead horse but the author does an excellent job in summarizing much of what has been expressed here often. 

http://micechat.com/145982-disney-world-upsell/

...Welcome to the era of Disney upcharges. Except in some ways, we’ve already been here for a long time. There’s a long history of upcharges at Disney parks. To put all this into perspective, let’s go all the way back to the beginning. In this case, the beginning means even before Disneyland itself opened. Walt was benchmarking amusement enterprises, shopping his ideas around, and the carnival and fair operators famously thought Walt had lost his mind, mostly because he didn’t want barkers, those midway upsell people constantly harassing (and in some cases conning) people into parting with their money...

 

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I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  Disney should embrace this and call it what it is.....The Year of a Million Schemes.  Then they could make money by making fun of making money....by sellin

There is a loophole though that might save you some bucks.  If you can be at AK the day The View is taping, you can observe the elephants for no additional charge.  

I know this topic has become a dead horse but the author does an excellent job in summarizing much of what has been expressed here often.  http://micechat.com/145982-disney-world-upsell/ ...

55 minutes ago, Tuke said:

I know this topic has become a dead horse but the author does an excellent job in summarizing much of what has been expressed here often. 

http://micechat.com/145982-disney-world-upsell/

...Welcome to the era of Disney upcharges. Except in some ways, we’ve already been here for a long time. There’s a long history of upcharges at Disney parks. To put all this into perspective, let’s go all the way back to the beginning. In this case, the beginning means even before Disneyland itself opened. Walt was benchmarking amusement enterprises, shopping his ideas around, and the carnival and fair operators famously thought Walt had lost his mind, mostly because he didn’t want barkers, those midway upsell people constantly harassing (and in some cases conning) people into parting with their money...

 

His closing argument says it all

 

Every seven days for the past month, Disney has unveiled a way to “spend more money.” Is this just a variation of the Long Tail discussed earlier? Or is it a money grab, designed to make profit off the venerable Disney name and coasting on the theme park laurels long ago established? Maybe. That’s the devil in this problem–you never really know. But from the outside, it certainly looks like Disney is now targeting the Long Tail and even the center part of distribution for “paying more”. And if you agree to buy there, it will cost you extra.

Are you excited or irritated that there is a Disney van to take you from one park (backstage) to another (backstage) for $15/person?

Your views are welcomed and encouraged. Do you think Disney is charging too much? What’s the straw the broke the camel’s back for you? Are we there already, or not yet?

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They mention Disneyland going to the all day passport in 1982. That change was supposedly driven by Magic Mountain that had a fixed admission fee from the beginning (originally $5). Starting in the late 70's they started upgrading a lot of their rides with 1st of this or first on the west coast and became a serious competitor for the teens to 20's folks.  

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My favorite quote from the article:

"....That brings us to late 2016. You might think to yourself that we’re dealing with the classic “frog in boiling water” scenario, where the frog doesn’t recognize until too late that it’s in water which is too hot. The upsell offerings are coming so fast and furious now, it’s possible more and more people are realizing the water is bubbling around them!..."

 

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15 minutes ago, DaveInTN said:

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  Disney should embrace this and call it what it is.....The Year of a Million Schemes.  Then they could make money by making fun of making money....by selling Year of a Million Schemes tshirts, coffee mugs, pins, etc.  

I hope you trademarked and copyright this before you posted. Otherwise I think your leaving money on the table.

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3 hours ago, bdm said:

The backstage park to park transport is silly.  Disney would be much better to create something like an uber for resort guests IMHO

They already have that... taxis. Disney Uber would be just as expensive. Uber works awesome now just how it is with the exception of getting to the MK. 

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15 hours ago, keith_h said:

Yes you could but you still ended up going home with something and even though they could be used later who ever remembered to grab them from the drawer?

That's why we started leaving our tickets for the rides at the boardwalk in the car. I can't tell you how many times we would be driving to the shore and realized our tickets were still home.

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Our family won't use the park to park vans for a price.  Luckily, at this point, we are still pretty mobile and don't mind waiting/bussing/walking around.  However, this van service will be used probably by those who are less able.  Folks who have various medical conditions or their children who might benefit greatly from the service.  Too bad Disney doesn't offer this service to those folks at little or no cost.  Yep, I know ...

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On December 9, 2016 at 1:52 PM, Tuke said:

In reviewing the comments to the article, I noticed various commenters pointing out similar themes that the shift has become that upsells are currently the bulk of what Disney is offering as a product. I can't disagree.

Yes, yes, yes.  

 

On December 9, 2016 at 3:37 PM, Avatab.... Steve said:

My favorite quote from the article:

"....That brings us to late 2016. You might think to yourself that we’re dealing with the classic “frog in boiling water” scenario, where the frog doesn’t recognize until too late that it’s in water which is too hot. The upsell offerings are coming so fast and furious now, it’s possible more and more people are realizing the water is bubbling around them!..."

 

Again yes, yes yes - and this frog hopped out!!!

On December 9, 2016 at 3:44 PM, DaveInTN said:

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  Disney should embrace this and call it what it is.....The Year of a Million Schemes.  Then they could make money by making fun of making money....by selling Year of a Million Schemes tshirts, coffee mugs, pins, etc.  

They've done at least 1,000 things except use your title - which is brilliant by the way - The Year of  a Million Schemes

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  • 1 month later...

It's February, so we are overdue for a new scheme.

Those $700 tents didn't go over so well.  Time to run something else up the flagpole.

Right on cue, the Disney Parks Blog let us know what it is today.

It's the Super Ultimate VIP Disney Classics Tour!

Woo!

For a mere $199 (plus tax) (saying $200 would make them sound greedy), ONE guest can go on a tour with a VIP Tour Guide which promises special access for "up to" 10 attractions!

That's it.

Two Hundred bucks per guest to skip the lines for up to 10 attractions.  That's only $800 for your family of four!

Hurry, space is limited!

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2017/02/book-your-spot-on-the-new-ultimate-disney-classics-vip-tour-at-magic-kingdom-park/

And please, no silly questions about whether or not theme park admission is included for this four hour tour.  You know better than that.

TCD

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35 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

It's February, so we are overdue for a new scheme.

Those $700 tents didn't go over so well.  Time to run something else up the flagpole.

Right on cue, the Disney Parks Blog let us know what it is today.

It's the Super Ultimate VIP Disney Classics Tour!

Woo!

For a mere $199 (plus tax) (saying $200 would make them sound greedy), ONE guest can go on a tour with a VIP Tour Guide which promises special access for "up to" 10 attractions!

That's it.

Two Hundred bucks per guest to skip the lines for up to 10 attractions.  That's only $800 for your family of four!

Hurry, space is limited!

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2017/02/book-your-spot-on-the-new-ultimate-disney-classics-vip-tour-at-magic-kingdom-park/

And please, no silly questions about whether or not theme park admission is included for this four hour tour.  You know better than that.

TCD

Something for someone who has lots of money, little time and no pre-planning skills.  So what are the 10 rides at MK that have no height restrictions (so not Mine Train?). Is Tiki Birds one of the 10 attractions?  Swiss Family Treeehouse?   And i'ts a four hour tour. So you're dragging your "kids of all ages" all over the park in 4 hours. 

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4 minutes ago, Seals said:

Something for someone who has lots of money, little time and no pre-planning skills.  So what are the 10 rides at MK that have no height restrictions (so not Mine Train?). Is Tiki Birds one of the 10 attractions?  Swiss Family Treeehouse?   And i'ts a four hour tour. So you're dragging your "kids of all ages" all over the park in 4 hours. 

Correct- aside from Peter Pan, you aren't promised any of the headliners.

Also, the Blog doesn't mention that the tours begin at 8:30 am or 1:30 pm., but the official description on the Disney site does:

Pricing and Reservations
Get details about pricing and reservations for the Ultimate Disney Classics VIP Tour:

  • Pricing: $199 per person, plus tax (valid admission to Magic Kingdom park is also required, and is not included in the price of this tour)
  • Dates: Offered on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays
  • Times: Tours begin at 8:30 AM and 1:30 PM, and last approximately 4 hours
  • Reservations: Call (407) WDW-PLAY or (407) 939-7529 to book

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/ultimate-classics-tour/?CMP=SOC-DPFY17Q2BookYourSpotontheNewUltimateDisneyClassicsVIPTouratMagicKingdomPark0010

  Anyone going on that 8:30 tour would do better with getting to the park at rope drop, and having some FP+ reservations for later in the morning- you could easily ride more than 10 attractions in 4 hours without having to pay for the VIP tour guide.

TCD

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31 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Correct- aside from Peter Pan, you aren't promised any of the headliners.

Also, the Blog doesn't mention that the tours begin at 8:30 am or 1:30 pm., but the official description on the Disney site does:

Pricing and Reservations
Get details about pricing and reservations for the Ultimate Disney Classics VIP Tour:

  • Pricing: $199 per person, plus tax (valid admission to Magic Kingdom park is also required, and is not included in the price of this tour)
  • Dates: Offered on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays
  • Times: Tours begin at 8:30 AM and 1:30 PM, and last approximately 4 hours
  • Reservations: Call (407) WDW-PLAY or (407) 939-7529 to book

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/ultimate-classics-tour/?CMP=SOC-DPFY17Q2BookYourSpotontheNewUltimateDisneyClassicsVIPTouratMagicKingdomPark0010

  Anyone going on that 8:30 tour would do better with getting to the park at rope drop, and having some FP+ reservations for later in the morning- you could easily ride more than 10 attractions in 4 hours without having to pay for the VIP tour guide.

TCD

But then you wouldn't have the bragging rights of doing a VIP tour!  

Remember that episode of Blackish?

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They list six attractions in the post, "... including everything from Adventureland must-dos Pirates of the Caribbean and the Jungle Cruise to Fantasyland favorites such as Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, “it’s a small world,” Peter Pan’s Flight, and more attractions throughout the park."  What the other four are your guess is as good as mine. I wonder if you get  list of attractions to choose from? It's still a lot of money for something that's included in the entrance fee.

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If I came into a bunch of money and/or lost my mind I would do the VIP tour with the family. I would strut around in a puffy shirt, drink and turkey leg in hand, while shouting "let them eat cake" in my best Marie Antoinette voice to the lowly peasants in the standby lines.

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