yeah it's been getting worse and worse. We aren't local but have been regular visitors during historic "low" periods. And those low periods feel mythical now.
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Disneyland Cancels Annual Passholder Program - New Types of Memberships Coming in the Future (DisneyWorld offering renewals only)
- Thread starter TradedHats
- Start date
yeah it's been getting worse and worse. We aren't local but have been regular visitors during historic "low" periods. And those low periods feel mythical now.
Fuuuuuuck. Please no. I moved to SoCal literally for Disneyland. I know it's pathetic but this is why I'm here. Whatever the membership is will have to do, but I'm heartbroken.
Also the free parking with Signature AP is the only reason I could go anytime I wanted to.
Also the free parking with Signature AP is the only reason I could go anytime I wanted to.
Never been to Land, but I guess the increasing number of AP holders has been an issue for a while? They haven't even really been able to open during this whole pandemic so selling an "annual pass" might not even be feasible right now.
There's plenty of much calmer rides to enjoy. I'd say they might outnumber the more intense rides even. Plus the vibe of certain parks/areas can be very nice to just walk around.
I have a few friends who LOVE disney so much, they travel there multiple times each year. The only good thing about that is that being in the Disney Vacation Club is actually a decent deal if that's the only place you want to go.
Magical express was awesome, if you were staying on the property. Not needing to rent a car saved a fair amount on the cost of the trip, and from Disney's point of view kept you mostly locked to their resorts, so they got a better return. I wonder if they felt they were losing too many dollars to GrubHub and Uber services.
Magical express was awesome, if you were staying on the property. Not needing to rent a car saved a fair amount on the cost of the trip, and from Disney's point of view kept you mostly locked to their resorts, so they got a better return. I wonder if they felt they were losing too many dollars to GrubHub and Uber services.
I know at least 6 people who would unironically wear this.because the universe is devoid of abject hope
Same for me.
Rode Rise of the Resistance on the last day I was visiting (my flight back up to NorCal was scheduled for 9pm) with one of my best friends. After that, we just hung out at the park and ate food really.
Who knew that my last trip to Disneyland also coincided with the last anime con (Anime Impulse) I'd go to in 2020 😅
My local Cedair Fair amusement park wouldn't survive without season pass sales since it's smack dab in the middle of a suburban residential area
They couldn't open in 2020 and rolled all the passes over to 2021 but who knows if they'll be able to open in the Spring at this point or will have to wait for more vaccinating to be done. I fear what they will charge for food and other things when they are eventually able to open :|
They couldn't open in 2020 and rolled all the passes over to 2021 but who knows if they'll be able to open in the Spring at this point or will have to wait for more vaccinating to be done. I fear what they will charge for food and other things when they are eventually able to open :|
I stumbled upon that world randomly and was so into it for a period of time. But then i hear about the prices they pay for everything and my heart splits.
There's a station going from Orlando to Disney springs near epcot if I remember. Getting your luggage from some place like the Polynesian or animal kingdom all the way to Disney springs would be a pain compared to magical express
Yeah, as someone who is married to a Disney fan (and basically only likes going to Epcot), this was one thing that I was legitimately impressed by when I went. Made going way less painful.
I don't think they'll have any problems filling the parks, though, and in the unlikely event that they do they can easily reverse course...
I guess the sizable price hikes every year weren't enough of a deterrent to the diehards (though if they kept them and just made you pay all at once I'm sure they could cut down the number sold without cancelling the program outright)
This is devastating. I'm not a streamer or a blogger, I just go there once or twice a week, go on Alice, Snow White, Pinocchio, and Little Mermaid, eat at Lamplight or Carnation and go home.
I'm close to crying. I know how silly that is, but I need a replacement that I can afford. I moved here because flying here 3 or 4 times a year was getting ridiculous.
I have serious anxiety issues and Disneyland is the only place it seems to fade away. I still have a very hard time talking to people I don't know but it had been getting easier especially because cast members are generally so sweet and easy to talk to.
Ok, I take it back. I'm crying now. Fuck this. I still have 7 months on my ap. I'll literally move to Orlando if they keep the ap program at WDW.
I'm close to crying. I know how silly that is, but I need a replacement that I can afford. I moved here because flying here 3 or 4 times a year was getting ridiculous.
I have serious anxiety issues and Disneyland is the only place it seems to fade away. I still have a very hard time talking to people I don't know but it had been getting easier especially because cast members are generally so sweet and easy to talk to.
Ok, I take it back. I'm crying now. Fuck this. I still have 7 months on my ap. I'll literally move to Orlando if they keep the ap program at WDW.
hopefully they will have a new version in the future, but it does make sense during covid and early post covid. hopefully the placeholder will work for you
we were planning to get the flex pass for the family ourselves and coming down from norcal at least 4 times over the year. but alas. covid :(
Right? "This $30 dessert is just too sweet! But *begins to tear up* Bell and Cinderella are here!"
Watching a couple of vids and they're already sad and upset about the news.
It would be interesting to see the actual reasons for Magical Express shutting down. I can think of several issues. First of all, the service was run by Mears under contract from Disney and Mears isn't traditionally well-known as great to work with. Mears runs the buses and Taxi service in Orlando so maybe the relationship soured, or Mears is backing out because they feel they can make more money without it or something.
Or maybe it was time to replace the ME buses (they were getting kind of shabby the last time I used it), and they wanted Disney to foot the bill and they couldn't come to terms.
On a personal note I am of two minds about this. On the one hand ME was very convenient and helped Disney vacations feel that much more special, but they only ran out of Orlando International which meant that I had to take a much more expensive flight to take advantage of it. Our local budget airline flies to Orlando for dirt cheap but they fly into Sanford so no Magical Express if you go that route. Also when you use ME and you want to visit Universal/Harry Potter or anything else in the area you are stuck with Uber or Taxis and prices have been steadily rising for those too. There's something freeing about having a rental car and being able to go wherever you want when you want to, though car rentals are also expensive and a huge hassle.
That is a real shame if they cancel the WDW AP program. My wife and I were passholders and enjoyed going over 1 or two times a month. We have some great memories of the park and it was so much fun for us. We didn't use out passes this past year anyway due to everything going on and even not feeling safe when the park opened, though we now regret a bit not going over in mid-September when the crowds were very small and Disney had their most stringent precautions in place. I wasn't going to renew in February, but now it looks like I won't be renewing ever again.
We don't really know enough about that to call it a real replacement.
Magical Express, you checked your luggage in at the airport, and didn't have to think about it till they showed up in your room at the resort. You got on a Bus that went to your resort - possibly stopping at other Disney resorts on the way, but you got on a bus and a short time later you were at your hotel, generally with cast members welcoming you to your stay when they saw you get off. When it was time to leave, you checked your bags in at the resort, and again didn't have to think about them till you got to your home airport. No lugging them on buses, carrying them in, nothing.
All we know about the train at this point is that it will stop at Disney Springs. Nothing else. Luggage transport? Might be managing that yourself, lugging it on a train, kids and strollers in tow, transferring all of that to a resort bus at Disney Springs. Which is not a terribly convenient location to a lot of the resorts. And that Train isn't a Disney train, it's just gonna be a generic Brightline train with a stop at Disney Springs. My sister laughed at me and said "Man that's like every day life here in NYC." (she lives there we don't) And yeah that's true but is every day life what you want when spending thousands on a vacation?
Magical Express had a lot going for it. Not everyone liked relying on it, and I get that. But for a lot of us it was the perfect kick off to the vacation, and felt like we were entering that Disney bubble where we could sit back, relax, and let Disney do it's thing.
We did a rental car one year from Tampa when the flights in to MCO were kinda meh. Drove in to Animal Kingdom Lodge. it was fairly anti-climactic by comparison, and the car rental felt like such a hassle after years of DME.
I know not everyone gets it but.. yeah, Magical Express really was a big part of what made Disney Vacations special, convenient and relaxing.
The thing about Disney food (at least WDW) is that while all the food is very expensive, half of it is really just overpriced novelty "done with characters" or nostalgia food and half of it is in ironically some of the best food around. It's kind of like the mentality of the casinos in Vegas - in the way they have some of the rest restaurants in the country, Disney hired some of the best chefs around for a lot of restaurants to justify people visiting and to come spend the biggest bucks. The trick is just doing the research to steer away from the bad stuff.
I don't know if I'd consider that true anymore. Disneyland has been packed to the gills everytime I've visited. They probably could eliminate the AP which would both decrease crowd lines and still potentially increase profit. Locals are accustomed to going so a huge price hike won't stop the most devoted.
I wonder if the Tokyo parks will eventually get rid of theirs... Probably not I imagine.
As a former DL cast member I have mixed feelings about this. I was there in late 90's early 00's (remember when Tomorrowland was painted gaudy gold and Rocket Rods? lol). I remember there were some kids who had parents that would buy them AP's and then just drop them off at Disney and use it as a daycare. AP's shouldn't be allowed in during peak times or when park is over a certain capacity but off season non-peak times should be ok. Not sure just how much crowds have changed in the nearly 20 years since I was last there though.
As a former DL cast member I have mixed feelings about this. I was there in late 90's early 00's (remember when Tomorrowland was painted gaudy gold and Rocket Rods? lol). I remember there were some kids who had parents that would buy them AP's and then just drop them off at Disney and use it as a daycare. AP's shouldn't be allowed in during peak times or when park is over a certain capacity but off season non-peak times should be ok. Not sure just how much crowds have changed in the nearly 20 years since I was last there though.
Yea, Magical Express was amazing when I went recently. I just find it curious that they haven't announced a replacement yet and I can't imagine Disney won't replace it with something.
Half the Disney experience is how you don't have to think about things once you land in the airport, so I can't imagine they won't have something.
Guess we will see.
That makes sense! I'm mostly just dunking on the All Ears YT. I'm sure there is some truly incredible food there!
DVC owner here. Devastated over the loss of ME. It was my favorite perk and made arrival/departure with kids just so easy.
I'd also be pissed if they remove WDW annual passes, but I doubt they will. California is a locals park so it probably has a different format need than WDW. California prices were astronomical simply due to demand. They had too many pass holders.
Bummer. My fam had passes through 2019. We forgot to renew them (got the renewal notice in the mail a month after they expired). Since we had a grandfathered pass with parking and they were not going to allow us to renew. We said no thanks. With COVID we were going to stay the hell away from a place like that so it was good we didn't waste money on passes. I guess when it's safe to reopen tickets will be $200 per person.
Seems the pandemic has either forced them to change a lot of their operating model or given them opportunity to accelerate changes.
Whilst this doesn't affect me the other changes do as an over seas visitor.
As a family we come over to Disneyworld every other year or so for two weeks or more, we usually stay on site with the free dining plan, use magical express and take advantage of the extra magic hours.
Now there's no dining plan at present, no magical express going forward and EMH is replaced with 30 minute early opening which is nice but not a patch on the late night 2 hours you would sometimes get in the magic kingdom.
I think the next obvious announcement is the grand return of Fast Pass - now with extra tiers, I imagine a bare bones free offering with a MaxPass style up sell. Then there will be more paid Evening events.
We'll still likely visit but our plans will change, the kids are getting older so may do more fly drive type holidays and take in a little more and also spend more time at universal etc as the value proposition for the Disney bubble decreases
Whilst this doesn't affect me the other changes do as an over seas visitor.
As a family we come over to Disneyworld every other year or so for two weeks or more, we usually stay on site with the free dining plan, use magical express and take advantage of the extra magic hours.
Now there's no dining plan at present, no magical express going forward and EMH is replaced with 30 minute early opening which is nice but not a patch on the late night 2 hours you would sometimes get in the magic kingdom.
I think the next obvious announcement is the grand return of Fast Pass - now with extra tiers, I imagine a bare bones free offering with a MaxPass style up sell. Then there will be more paid Evening events.
We'll still likely visit but our plans will change, the kids are getting older so may do more fly drive type holidays and take in a little more and also spend more time at universal etc as the value proposition for the Disney bubble decreases
Yeah, Blue Bayou is legit a damn good restaurant even without the cool factor of being seated next to the PotC ride. Galaxy Edge food also surprised me with how good it was.
I don't know what's worse - that someone actually designed them or that anyone actually buys them. I assume someone must buy them otherwise they wouldn't be made.
It's hard to explain just how hardcore annual pass holders are. There are people who will be genuinely furious about this. And I can think of at least one person I used to work with who might become seriously depressed if there isn't something at least reasonably close to an annual pass in the new tier system.
Yes, Disney World is a big resort with a lot of activities besides rides. Golf, dining, shopping, swimming, etc. Plus there's a lot to do in Orlando. It's basically Vegas for kids.
Yes, Disney World is a big resort with a lot of activities besides rides. Golf, dining, shopping, swimming, etc. Plus there's a lot to do in Orlando. It's basically Vegas for kids.
Haha, too true. I just went and searched some that i used to watch and wow, they are still making trips to the park during the epidemic. Some even have children at home and still risked it.
Yeah, I listened to a podcast that had someone who would go every week just because they could. Seems like a huge change.
I mean this makes complete sense for now - the Disneyland parks in CA will have been closed for a year in March, Disney will likely be operating at a significant reduction in capacity when it does open - potentially in June/July this year and because the CA parks are much tighter than the Florida DisneyWorld parks, i imgaine at an even lesser capacity than they have been following. Having AP's would essentially swallow so much of those reservations, especially if they were given priority access like in World.
I am sure a version of AP will return in a few years but this needs to happen. Sucks for those that loved being AP's and could just go down to the park whenever but that is not the world we live in at the moment and likely wont be back to full normal for at least a couple more years.
I am sure a version of AP will return in a few years but this needs to happen. Sucks for those that loved being AP's and could just go down to the park whenever but that is not the world we live in at the moment and likely wont be back to full normal for at least a couple more years.
Hey, I totally get this.
My wife totally becomes much happier when she's on Disney property. We're planning on retiring near a Disney property because no matter how silly it may seem to others being in the park rejuvenates her mentally.
Yeah, I can see this biting Disney is the ass, I think they underestimate just how many times SoCal residents visit Disneyland per year, contrast that to DisneyWorld which actually is mostly people from out of state for a variety of reasons. But again, it all depends on what the new membership options will be...
:(
Hopefully something comes along that works for you my friend, we always feel happier knowing we are going back to our happy place even if it's a year away.
Everyone has something that lifts them, for me being in the hub of a castle park and just listening to the loop of the music is enough.
Yeah it's wild to see people risk their lives for Disney. I guess it's better than when people around here packed out the Applebee's when indoor seating opened again...
On the contrary, I think they know EXACTLY how many times their passholders or discounted area residents show up per year.
They're going to be running at a low capacity for the foreseeable future, it makes sense to make sure if you have, say, 20% of your normal attendance, that those 20% are people that spend more per visit (travellers).
I feel like the price hikes have an opposite effect. Back when the top tier pass was $350, I didn't mind going maybe once every month or two. But for $1200, I would feel like I need to go at least twice a month.
The more money a pass costs, the more often you have to go to make the price "worth it".