Disney needs to admit what it is doing

I know Disney is a business that only exists to make money.
Disney is in business to (a) profit by (b) entertaining. What businesses are you aware of that exist not to make money?
Take away the free FPs other than for deluxe resort guests like US.
Express Pass for Universal's Deluxe guests is not comparable to FastPass. Express Pass for guests who choose to pay for it is closer, in that each attraction is allowed once. At least with FP, there could be the opportunity to use it more than once on a single attraction on a single day. Not possible with paid EP.
Make it a paid option like every other theme park.
Disney isn't every other theme park. Clearly they're trying to make almost everything available to every guest by not charging extra.
 
Disney is a business.

You can easily get a parade spot or fireworks spot without paying an upcharge. It's there so those that want to splurge can and Disney reaps the benefits.

It doesn't affect me at all and I've never paid for a dessert party, special ticketed event, etc

People have this strange egalitarian mindset that extends only to Disney and nowhere else.
 
So why are you even doing it?
By doing it you are helping to "create" the problem that you think should be eliminated.
Just find a good spot and wait and then you don['t have to pay extra.
The reason Disney pairs the view with the food is so you're not paying all that money just for what they deem is a "better view".
My next trip I'm splurging and doing an Illuminations cruise for a new experience but I'm also not complaining about it.
And I have a great spot I always view Illuminations from and its certainly not the FP+ "better viewing" area.
 


OP aren't you the same person that was saying Deluxe resorts should get more FP+ and be able to book them farther in advance because of the amount of money you spent on a room?
Maybe Disney just is not the best vacation destination in your case?
 
A slight alternate view to this. The issue is made bigger/compounded by people booking these "extras". This is a win/win for Disney, since they are getting 100% occupancy EVEN if the food is mediocre. Since this is a combined offering, people are more forgiving of a crappy meal, than if they were paying for the meal as a standalone cost. This (thanks to our human nature) dilutes the quality we expect and as a result our overall expectations are lower allowing Disney to lower the bar on quality.
From Disney's (or ANY entity that is trying to maximize revenue) this translates to selling out a product while cutting corners. This does hurt people who are not interested in the package, but want/need to eat.
As multiple people have posted, the only way to make a company increase quality of a product is if the product sales start hurting. Personally, I do not see that happening in the near future. Disney knows it and will continue to find ways to monetize premium (or what some perceive as premium) opportunities.
 
I guess I was just mainly irritated that the pairing was with Tony's because of the super bad reviews and it just is generally distasteful to me that Disney has not made a better effort to make this a decent restaurant as Italian is one of my favorite foods. I cancelled the package for the parade. I will just take the advice of some of those on the boards that say you can get a decent spot for the parade without waiting too long.
 


OP aren't you the same person that was saying Deluxe resorts should get more FP+ and be able to book them farther in advance because of the amount of money you spent on a room?


Maybe Disney just is not the best vacation destination in your case?
Yes it is me. I guess I'm just used to getting what I want because generally money is no object to that for me however at Disney that is not always the case and I agree that if I choose to vacation there I need to accept those types of things. My only point was I wish Disney had more ala carte offerings for different activities and viewings as opposed to bundling everything as a package.
 
Yes it is me. I guess I'm just used to getting what I want because generally money is no object to that for me however at Disney that is not always the case and I agree that if I choose to vacation there I need to accept those types of things. My only point was I wish Disney had more ala carte offerings for different activities and viewings as opposed to bundling everything as a package.
Hi OP, if money is no problem maybe you could look into a VIP tour one day? That would give you the extra FP’s and parade viewing you’re after.
 
I think the meal / parade or desert party with prefered viewing for parades and or fireworks is great! We get to relax and enjoy a comfortable meal or desert and don't have to worry about getting a good view. It's a great value for me and my family. The bottom line is no one is forcing you to purchase either. Your free to do as you like. I am a firm believer that anyone should be able to sell something at the value they feel its worth and people have the freedom to make a choice to purchase it or not.
 
Disney is a business.

You can easily get a parade spot or fireworks spot without paying an upcharge. It's there so those that want to splurge can and Disney reaps the benefits.

It doesn't affect me at all and I've never paid for a dessert party, special ticketed event, etc
Same here. Nowadays I barely even line up early for parades/fireworks and when I do it's under mild protest. If I want dessert I just buy dessert without any strings attached. To me it's like that Africa Trek, you want a better view of the animals you pay a fee. Disney offers perks for a price and there's guests who desire that so it all works out.
 
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Hey, I am NOT eating at Tony's no matter what parade view i have! NO WAY! :crazy2:
QUOTE="AngiTN, post: 58659574, member: 355902"]Me either! It could come with seats and I am not doing it. Blech@[/QUOTE]


I just have to reply to this. I am a person who can eat almost anything. I am not picky at all. Therefore since we were going over Christmas and had free dining, I thought, surely we can find something at this place that everyone hates and booked a parade package for Christmas Eve. The view we had of the Christmas parade was awesome. However, I ordered the trio thinking that if I didn't like one thing maybe I would like one of the other. I took one bite of the alfredo and it was awful. I then tried the parmesan and thought I was going to be sick. I simply pushed my plate away as did my daughter. The waitress came by and asked if something was wrong and I simply said "no, I just don't like it." The next thing I know, the manager is over there questioning us and apologizing. I told him it was no big deal, it just wasn't my taste and asked for my bill. He said don't worry about it. I took out some cash to give the waitress and he said that's not necessary. I told him it wasn't the waitresses fault that I didn't like the food and that she was great. He told her it was okay and she took the tip. Then a lady came over and gave us two anytime fastpasses. We had not complained and even told them that it simply was just not something we liked. I believe, they are well aware of their reputation and went overboard to rectify what they thought was a problem. I learned a valuable lesson. I will continue to watch the parade in Frontierland and I will NEVER eat at Tony's again even if it is 'free'.
 
Here’s what I don’t get.

You are complaining that Disney is squeezing money out of guests by offering the dining+parade package.

But, you are okay with them charging for a preferred view only. Isn’t this also squeezing more money out of guests by offering something that was previously free (standing in any spot for the parade- pre-FP, pre-package) as a paid view?
 
Here’s what I don’t get.

You are complaining that Disney is squeezing money out of guests by offering the dining+parade package.

But, you are okay with them charging for a preferred view only. Isn’t this also squeezing more money out of guests by offering something that was previously free (standing in any spot for the parade- pre-FP, pre-package) as a paid view?
I'm glad I'm not the only one that was left shaking my head.
May be the first time someone complained about the very thing they opted to purchase.
I mean, sure, there are lots of folks who have complained about the add on dessert parties, etc but none of those did it and then went on to buy them too
 
A few years ago, you could get a FP for parade viewing. You no longer can do that for Festival of Fantasy but low and behold you can book a Disney dining experience, and one for Happily Ever After too. I think this is just a way for Disney to squeeze more money out of people. Why cant Disney just come out and say "hey give us X more dollars for this view" instead of paring it with some food event and pretending its some magical experience. I am willing to pay for a better view/seat etc but I dont want to pair it with an event that costs additional money. I dont want to eat lunch at Tony's and pay for it and then pay more to get a good view of FOF. why cant I just pay for the view. I think it is because Disney doesn't want to admit they are charging people even more money to just stand in a certain spot and they pair it with some so-so food. I am doing HEA dessert and FOF Tony lunch, but i would really rather just pay for the view and skip the food part (and not pay for it).
I think it would be a bit redundant for Disney to admit that they're trying to maximize profit. People already know that.
 
to watch the parade in Frontierland and I will NEVER eat at Tony's again even if it is 'free'.

And here’s what I don’t get. It’s in Magic Kingdom. Some of the best location location location out there. How hard is it to get a restaurant in that space that isn’t horrible? How hard is it to make pasta? Why don’t they improve the food instead of using a parade viewing package to con people into eating there? If they put in something halfway decent, it would be filled to capacity all the time. They could then sell some other parade dessert party and make profit both from a good restaurant and a dessert party.

Sometimes Disney just misses the boat.
 
I do book these things because, honestly, it makes things more relaxing for me when I'm not worried about making sure to be early to save a spot or find a spot. It's especially handy for me since I often travel solo and have no one else to hold a spot while I use the washroom, get a snack or anything else.

I don't at all mind a meal being grouped with, though I do wish there were more restaurant options for the FOF parade viewing. I'm really not a Tony's fan, so I never book anything grouped with it. But I have booked the ROL viewing package, the HEA dessert party (this time) and the Broadway dining package for FOA (this time as well). I am a little concerned about the value of the dessert party because I have dietary restrictions, but we shall see how it goes.
 

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