Evening Magic Hours for Deluxe Guests Only

[Rosanne]

I think in general my biggest downside is that I just love Magic Kingdom at night and for me it's not so much about the quick rides as it is the beauty of the park at night. I do like the Poly very much but I also like Pop so it's just kind of sad that perhaps I can only see Magic Kingdom at night if I stay at Poly but not at Pop. I'm concerned that other than the mid of winter MK won't be open long enough to see it at night unless staying Deluxe. I have stayed at other Deluxes but just really like the Poly.
If they were having MK open to 9 for everyone and then 9-12 for Deluxe it probably wouldn't bother me too much but I fear they will close it for everyone else around 6 or 7.

 

[Meglen]

Delete me Im checking if what I posted was correct...

 

[cakebaker]

If they were having MK open to 9 for everyone and then 9-12 for Deluxe it probably wouldn't bother me too much but I fear they will close it for everyone else around 6 or 7.

.

Historically, they did not close parks early for emh and I don’t think they’ll start. They only do that for things like parties and private events. These are extra hours, not hours that they should’ve been open for anyway.

 

[dato63]

I think in general my biggest downside is that I just love Magic Kingdom at night and for me it's not so much about the quick rides as it is the beauty of the park at night. I do like the Poly very much but I also like Pop so it's just kind of sad that perhaps I can only see Magic Kingdom at night if I stay at Poly but not at Pop. I'm concerned that other than the mid of winter MK won't be open long enough to see it at night unless staying Deluxe. I have stayed at other Deluxes but just really like the Poly.
If they were having MK open to 9 for everyone and then 9-12 for Deluxe it probably wouldn't bother me too much but I fear they will close it for everyone else around 6 or 7.

For us it is seeing AK at night. I've not been to WDW since Pandora opened. My DDs went once with the school orchestra (3/2020) right before things shut down. Because of school priorities they didn't get to see Pandora lit up at night, and it is high on their wish list. Our trip is a combination of them turning 18, and being their senior year.

I was hoping for the Disney after dark tickets to return for AK, hoping I could swing the price. But, we are staying at a deluxe, so maybe this could work out in our favor, and save us that $$. Now, I would have been just as happy if the EMH were returned back to the way they were - I just selfishly am hoping for one late night at AK.

 

[cakebaker]

https://www.disboards.com/attachments/e243780a-1bcf-4300-bcad-6a0f5f1b5493-jpeg.587089/
So um.. good neighbor hotels are "deluxe" im so confused now this I can see ppl staying on site being peeved...

They weren’t considered deluxe. For some unknown reason they ust decided to allow them access to EMH’s. They aren’t included in this “new” event. I was really irked when they did.

 

[Meglen]

They weren’t considered deluxe. For some unknown reason just decided to allow them access to EMH’s. They aren’t included in this “new” event. I was really irked when they did.

Yea I didnt see Early morning.. but non of the value/mods are ont he list I found this on the swan thread gonna check into it

 

[Lee Matthews]

Because it's always been available to them until now...but you know that don't you? Are you just here to stir the pot some more?

Not here to stir the pot at all.I get like everyone else that Disney has constantly taken away the last few years but me personally, if they are going to offer EMH then why not DVC and Deluxe resort guests who have paid the most.

for all we know this may be just a temporary thing for the 50th to boost the deluxe resort bookings.

 

[FCDub]

I'll repost something I wrote earlier to show that there once was a time when a WDW offered a good value.

Walt Disney envisioned Disneyland as a place for everyone to enjoy. Walt frequently spoke about providing his customers with "value", and DL was intended to be affordable (even if it was not cheap).

Still, Walt needed sponsors for the pavilions he was creating for the 1964 World's Fair, so he added a sponsor's lounge. The first hint of exclusiveness traces its origins to this 1964 World's Fair lounge.

Seeing the success of the World's Fair lounge, Walt wanted corporate sponsors for Disneyland to build more attractions. (Many of Walt's designs were expensive and reportedly Walt loved the idea of getting other corporations to pay for them.) Although Club 33 did not open until May 1967 (5 months after Walt's death), Walt envisioned Club 33 as a way to attract corporate sponsors to Disneyland.

Sorry, the basic premise here is wrong. “For everyone to enjoy” meant parents and kids could ride rides together – not that everyone should be able to afford it.

The very idea of the ticket books is proof that Disney parks were NEVER meant to be egalitarian. Want more? Pay more. That’s just the way the world works.

“What Walt wanted” is such a tired trope, especially when people twist it in ways to suit their own arguments. The parks were separating people by purchasing power the day they opened. If we’re going down that road, making people pay more to ride better rides is what Walt wanted.

 

[Meglen]

Not here to stir the pot at all.I get like everyone else that Disney has constantly taken away the last few years but me personally, if they are going to offer EMH then why not DVC and Deluxe resort guests who have paid the most.

for all we know this may be just a temporary thing for the 50th to boost the deluxe resort bookings.

Most of the rooms in OCT are booked up besides the deluxe resorts charging 600+ a night.. So I can def see this as a reason.

 

[luv2cheer92]

We are booking Badlands NP, Custer State Park, Mt Rushmore, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone for 2022 today.

ive priced it out, this trip is actually cheaper for my family of 4 to fly and rent a car for a week than it was for our 2021 week long trip at pop, we drive to wdw, so no flights or rental car needed.

not too long ago there wasn’t a comparison, Disney was the hand down choice, the value was too good. Not now.

I guess if you're doing one vacation per year, I can see that. I usually do at least one or two trips like that every year and a couple trips to WDW. I would expect a trip like that to be significantly cheaper. But for me the value of WDW keeps going up, so I don't mind paying more for a great experience.

 

[Disneylover99]

I never considered WDW a good "value" in terms of cost. I've always thought it was super expensive and any of the other vacations we took were less money, outside of cruising. The problem was, we loved WDW more than any other vacation we've ever done- and we've done a lot. We still feel that way today. We took a vacation to a Florida beach in May. We loved the beach, had a great time, cost a fraction of Disney, but not turning towards WDW when we left was hard to do. We're going on a trip this week to a camping spot that looks to be really fun ( pools, slides, lake water park) and we're spending very little. But in the end, it's not summer for us if there's not a trip to WDW.

We love what they sell and have hope they'll come out of all this in a way we can still enjoy going. We'll see. I do feel for those who felt the same as we do, but the changes aren't what they can accept.

I think a lot depends on your length of stay. We started going yearly as a family back in 2010 because of the excellent value for our family of 4.

2 weeks at a value for under $100 per night with free dining. 10 day tickets were about $400 each.

It was $3000 for a 2 week, all inclusive trip for a family of 4 back in the day. So, just over 10 years ago, it was a great deal! Now. Not so much.

 

[StuckInKS]

I never considered WDW a good "value" in terms of cost. I've always thought it was super expensive and any of the other vacations we took were less money, outside of cruising.

Same for us. It is an expensive vacation destination for us, even when trying to do it on a "budget" However, when we started going, it was pretty cheap. I have a receipt from 2011on the Kids Stay Play Dine package and it was $917 for 2A/2C 7-day tickets, 3 nights at a value (we must have booked 4 more nights somewhere else) and the regular dining plan. Today that would cost just about $3,650 if the dining plan were still available (it is $3,000 without the dining plan). That is a big difference!

 

[Illinois76]

Excellent summary. Thank you.

Here’s the thing that impacts the pricing as it stands today - supply and demand.

I think the EMH for deluxe guests is in response to the Moderates and Values being fully booked (or almost so) for the 50th while there is still availability at the deluxe hotels and the Villas that have been converted to hotel rooms as part of a points exchange (with the new Wish ship, I imagine that happened a lot). It is simply about analyzing what people want more of and what they can’t get. If Disney can convert a fraction of those booked Mods to booked Deluxe rooms, they create more space for others to visit and stay on property. Win-win.

Is it a money grab? Sure. But I don’t think it was created in a vacuum of “how can we make more money?” It’s in response to “people aren’t booking hotel stays because there’s no availability in these two categories. How can we solve that problem?”


Don’t get me wrong, Disney is a corporation who has to answer to their shareholders, especially after the last 15 months. They’re here to make money, no doubt. But I don’t think they sit around and contemplate how to make it an Elite level experience to cut out the working class. They simply analyze the data and make business choices.

Your last paragraph does a really nice job of summarizing everything that happens on here.

Disney fans might literally be the most rabid of all fans. There is an emotional attachment unlike any other brand - they still reference what the founding CEO wanted, they bag on the ‘bean counters,’ and they remember a simpler time that doesn’t match what they see today.

The unfortunate reality for them is yes - there are hoards of BAs and DAs driving business cases that drive their business decisions. And yes - the economics of those outcomes are king. The guest experience isn’t the weighted variable it once was… because for those who think it’s been degraded, the dollars don’t reflect that at all.

I hope those who can’t stand that the Disney experience is for the haves now aren’t shopping exclusively at Amazon - because they’re putting your local hardware stores out of business - all in the name of money.

 

[karen4546]

I have not stayed at a "deluxe" Universal Orlando hotel but I do believe that they include the Express Pass. I think there is a paid option for other resorts and if available can be purchased in the park.

So, what is so different about what WDW is doing? Deluxe resorts free but who knows, there may be an option to pay for the option at Moderate and Value resorts in the future.

I personally would like EMH for the morning since I am a morning person and not a night owl, but I will most definitely change my touring plans to include the extra evening hours.

 

[ChipnDale79]

I guess if you're doing one vacation per year, I can see that. I usually do at least one or two trips like that every year and a couple trips to WDW. I would expect a trip like that to be significantly cheaper. But for me the value of WDW keeps going up, so I don't mind paying more for a great experience.

Its done nothing but go down for us.

 

[Meglen]

Its done nothing but go down for us.

But disneys wallet has gotten fatter and fatter

 

[cakebaker]

Same for us. It is an expensive vacation destination for us, even when trying to do it on a "budget" However, when we started going, it was pretty cheap. I have a receipt from 2011on the Kids Stay Play Dine package and it was $917 for 2A/2C 7-day tickets, 3 nights at a value (we must have booked 4 more nights somewhere else) and the regular dining plan. Today that would cost just about $3,650 if the dining plan were still available (it is $3,000 without the dining plan). That is a big difference!

I really can't tell you what I've spent per vacation over the years. My ability to budget and track money is less than stellar.

The overwhelming memory I have is of our first trip way back in 1987. We stayed at FW Cabins for 5 nights, rack rate- well, almost rack rate. They had some club I can't recall the name of and you got a small discount as a member- maybe 10%. At any rate I took $2000 in cash and came back with $200. That was for lodging, food, driving expenses and a very few souvenirs. We ate almost all of our meals at the cabin, just snacks in the park. But what makes me recall it, is that my girls were 7 yrs old and I decided no matter what I had to do, they were going to get to go to WDW. So....I did a re-fi cash out on our home. Seriously, I look back now and realize I was insane, but we did get a better interest rate and I never really regretted doing it. At any rate, we had no money, no savings, nothing- but we were going to go and we did. That less than $2 trip was the hardest trip to swing financially we would ever make. It very well may color my opinions on how costly it is now vs how it was back then.

 

[Spyral]

I think in general my biggest downside is that I just love Magic Kingdom at night and for me it's not so much about the quick rides as it is the beauty of the park at night. I do like the Poly very much but I also like Pop so it's just kind of sad that perhaps I can only see Magic Kingdom at night if I stay at Poly but not at Pop. I'm concerned that other than the mid of winter MK won't be open long enough to see it at night unless staying Deluxe. I have stayed at other Deluxes but just really like the Poly.
If they were having MK open to 9 for everyone and then 9-12 for Deluxe it probably wouldn't bother me too much but I fear they will close it for everyone else around 6 or 7.

I agree with you.. to me the Magic Kingdom (or heck, any of the parks) are wonderful at night. I hope will be able to stay in the park at nights as long as in before limited to Deluxe resort guests starts. Just won't be able to ride the rides.

 

[cakebaker]

I agree with you.. to me the Magic Kingdom (or heck, any of the parks) are wonderful at night. I hope will be able to stay in the park at nights as long as in before limited to Deluxe resort guests starts. Just won't be able to ride the rides.

That's how emh's have always been before. They check for eligibility at the rides. Disney is more than happy to let people stay in the parks- all that shopping and eating? They aren't going to push that money walk out the door. They do clear the park for parties and After Hours events, but not evening EMH's.

 

[ChipnDale79]

I never considered WDW a good "value" in terms of cost. I've always thought it was super expensive and any of the other vacations we took were less money, outside of cruising. The problem was, we loved WDW more than any other vacation we've ever done- and we've done a lot. We still feel that way today. We took a vacation to a Florida beach in May. We loved the beach, had a great time, cost a fraction of Disney, but not turning towards WDW when we left was hard to do. We're going on a trip this week to a camping spot that looks to be really fun ( pools, slides, lake water park) and we're spending very little. But in the end, it's not summer for us if there's not a trip to WDW.

We love what they sell and have hope they'll come out of all this in a way we can still enjoy going. We'll see. I do feel for those who felt the same as we do, but the changes aren't what they can accept.

There were times it was as much, or cheaper for us to take a family of 4 to disney than the beach, those days are over now.