New ticket system coming to WDW - Begins October 16th

[lanejudy]

The loss of the 14 day I think is a bigger deal than Disney may realize.
I haven't checked.... but what is the price of the flex option compared to just adding more days to your ticket? So, for example you buy a 5 day ticket, want to use it for 3 days, then go to where-ever for 4 days, then back to WDW for your last 2 days. Would it be cheaper to get a 7 day hopper vs. the flex option? giving you the extension of the 2 days you need. I know doing this you actually won't use all 7 days, but is it cheaper than the flex option??

Actually, you've got it a bit mixed up. If they want 3 days in the park, they can buy a 3-day ticket which has a 5-day use window. Adding another 2 days (a 5-day ticket), allows up to 8 calendar days to use it. In your example, it still wouldn't be long enough for a 4-day gap in the middle. Whether or not the Flex option would be more/less cost-effective may well depend on the dates - but I priced a "low cost" time in late January and the Flex option (at $62.95) was still less expensive than buying a 5-day ticket.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Actually, you've got it a bit mixed up. If they want 3 days in the park, they can buy a 3-day ticket which has a 5-day use window. Adding another 2 days (a 5-day ticket), allows up to 8 calendar days to use it. In your example, it still wouldn't be long enough for a 4-day gap in the middle. Whether or not the Flex option would be more/less cost-effective may well depend on the dates - but I priced a "low cost" time in late January and the Flex option (at $62.95) was still less expensive than buying a 5-day ticket.

I priced it out in October (17th) and the Flexible option is more than purchasing a 7 day park hopper over a 5-day park hopper. The difference is you get 14 days to use with Flexible and your tickets aren't date specific anymore.

Jan is considered Disney's cheapest month (and they're happy to tell you that). So it's truly going to depend on when exactly (and to the date like starting on a Thursday over starting on a Friday) one goes.

 

[Yarbogash]

The 10 day ticket has 14 days to use it in.
Drop to 9 and it's 13 days to use it.
Drop to 8 and it's 12 days to use it.
Drop to 7 days and it's 10 days to use it.
Drop to 6 and it's 9 days to use it.
Drop to 5 and it's 8 days to use it.
Drop to 4 and it's 7 days to use it.
Drop to 3 and it's 5 days to use it.
Drop to 2 and it's 4 days to use it.
Drop to 1 and must use it that day.

So 8 - 10 day tickets have 4 extra days to work with.
4-7 day tickets have 3 extra days to use the tickets.
And 2 or 3 day tickets have 2 extra days to use the ticket in.

Who the heck comes up with this stuff?!

I had not expected this. Thought it was just going to a slight price increase. We are doing a 12 day visit to Orlando next spring with extended family. Most of us will only be at 2 parks, on a Friday and a Wednesday. Glad we bought those tickets last night.

Imho the flexible dates option is just yet another example of Disney creating a problem and then trying to sell you the solution.

 

[robinb]

I see many people say that here but obviously this isn't a mass thought as Disney crowds keep increasing in the grand scheme of things.

That is because Disney isn't really that into us (return guests). With every year a whole new slew of "once in a lifetime" WDW vacationers are born. Almost everything is geared toward them because Disney gets more buck for the bang from them v/s us. THEY stay onsite, I stay in my prepaid DVC villa. THEY get the DDP, I pay OOP and eat offsite. THEY don't know how much a 7-day park pass cost 10 years ago, I know and care. It was $254 for a 10-day PH ($297.46 in 2018 dollars with inflation) and as of today it's $599.31 (for my dates). THEY buy lots of souvenirs, I recycle my mouse ears from my trip 5 years ago. THEY pay for extras and all kinds of stuff to make their one-and-only trip to WDW be the most superfracimagical it can be, I enjoy the parks for what they are without the extras.

The reason why the parks are full is because there will always be another family with a full open wallet to take the place of the family with an empty wallet who just left.

 

[Madame]

I know for a fact that the FP+ reservation system allows you 24 hours to add tickets after cancelling a package before deleting your reservation, a loophole that allows people to get the benefit of an onsite stay without actually staying onsite. I know for a fact that quite often, I have to call Disney Dining to make my 180+ ADRs because the dining reservation system doesn't acknowledge my DVC reservation. So for you to make the statement that the flex option will be extended to non-package reservations leaves me with great feelings of doubt. The systems that you cite as working (ADRs and FP+ at 60 days) operate differently because they are RESERVATION systems. They simply do a check to confirm a resort stay is attached to the individual making the reservation, and for FP+ that ticket media are attached to each name for which reservations are being made. The ticketing system is completely different and would require more than just a check. It would need to confer the flex option to the tickets tied to the guests' names. That's not going to be as easy as just a look-see confirmation. It actually requires a change to the tickets' benefits.

Not to get the thread off track, but it hasn’t been recognizing my DVC reservations either. In desperation I did online checkin for our March reservation & miraculously it gave me the +10. Try that next time.

 

[Mikey15]

Well duh but they didn't do just for purely money. If that was the case they would have done it years ago.

Ever hear the saying to the effect of "if you toss a frog into a pot of boiling water, he'll jump out, but if you slowly raise the temperature with him already in it, he won't"? I'm not sure the saying's scientifically correct, but it definitely applies to the microeconomics of what price increases humans will bear. Gradual ones, and ones that are less obvious like this one (Hidden Price Increase, like Hidden Mickeys) by trimming back flexibility to softly push upgrades are better implemented piecemeal than bringing it in "years ago."

Also, they're fine tuning pricing based on the fact that the global economy is good, demand is high, and thus attendance is up. The market can currently bear what they're doing, where that may not have been the case years ago.

Date-based variable ticket pricing is about making money in a way that's most practicable in years of high demand like this. They're able to smooth demand by directing more of it away from "peak" days and towards "value" days; just like an airline that makes more with every flight leaving full, they'll make more with full parks in what used to be quiet times. They'll also happily milk the poor souls who can only go in peak season, because they're stuck going at those times.

It hasn't been that many years since they discontinued No-Expiry tickets. The gradual change from those to Magic Your Way with expiry dates, plus the building of new attractions to increase demand at the three non-MK parks, has made the variable pricing implementation possible.

 

[heath92681]

That is because Disney isn't really that into us (return guests). With every year a whole new slew of "once in a lifetime" WDW vacationers are born. Almost everything is geared toward them because Disney gets more buck for the bang from them v/s us. THEY stay onsite, I stay in my prepaid DVC villa. THEY get the DDP, I pay OOP and eat offsite. THEY don't know how much a 7-day park pass cost 10 years ago, I know and care. It was $254 for a 10-day PH ($297.46 in 2018 dollars with inflation) and as of today it's $599.31 (for my dates). THEY buy lots of souvenirs, I recycle my mouse ears from my trip 5 years ago. THEY pay for extras and all kinds of stuff to make their one-and-only trip to WDW be the most superfracimagical it can be, I enjoy the parks for what they are without the extras.

The reason why the parks are full is because there will always be another family with a full open wallet to take the place of the family with an empty wallet who just left.

Superfracimagical That made my day.

 

[Omarhs]

Do you think the new system is messing with the app? I booked 2 packages with 5 days park hopper plus (holiday inn Disney springs) yesterday before the prices increase and now I have 4 days tickets twice for each guest

 

[cindyfan]

The 10 day ticket has 14 days to use it in.
..........

So 8 - 10 day tickets have 4 extra days to work with.
4-7 day tickets have 3 extra days to use the tickets.
And 2 or 3 day tickets have 2 extra days to use the ticket in.

Who the heck comes up with this stuff?!

Why would a guest buying a 7-day PH over a 5-day PH not be to Disney's advantage? Park passes burn a hole in people's pockets and they will likely use the extra two days and make more money for Disney while in the parks.

But it can save money.
OK, so I just checked..... I just picked random dates in January.
Say we plan WDW the 15th and 16, Then maybe the cruise for 4-5 days, or Universal... whatever...
Then want to go back to WDW for 2 more days on the 22nd and 23rd (old way gives 14 days so allows this)
New 4 day park hopper...... Can only be used from Jan 15 thru 21st ... $488
Add the flex option.... $553
But..... if I buy a 6 day hopper..... Can be used from Jan 15th thru 23rd ... $513 ... no need to add flex as it will include the 22nd and 23rd!
Savings of $40!!

Nice chunk of change for a family in this situation!

I agree with another post that the cost/savings will differ for time of year.... but here's a good example!

And Disney says this is supposed to make it easier????!!

 

[lanejudy]

Say we plan WDW the 15th and 16, Then maybe the cruise for 4-5 days, or Universal... whatever...
Then want to go back to WDW for 2 more days

Someone posted that DCL will have tickets good for 14 days for those who do a WDW-cruise-WDW split.

 

[cindyfan]

Someone posted that DCL will have tickets good for 14 days for those who do a WDW-cruise-WDW split.

I didn't say Disney cruise! Just using that as an example.

 

[Princess Katelet]

So I bought my tickets last week from Undercover Tourist, four day hopper plus one day. Because they were purchased last week they are good for 14 days, correct? I know the new pricing and guidelines went into effect today and just for kicks I went through the motions of buying tickets from the Disney site. I am headed down November 9 and 10, then a week cruise, then resuming Disney on November 18, 19, and 20. If I bought the current tickets offered today they would have expired on November 16th! The trip I have planned never would have worked. This is nuts! I would have had to buy a two day hopper and then a three day hopper and that would cost more.

But please reassure me that the ticket I bought last week will cover me on all my dates. Thanks!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Yep, you're good

 

[epcotty]

Is anyone else having the site redirect to the Ireland site? I live in Florida

 

[hiroMYhero]

I would have had to buy a two day hopper and then a three day hopper and that would cost more.

No; you would have needed to add on the Flexible Option to a 5-day ticket.

You’re fine with your UT tickets.

 

[fla4fun]

Is anyone else having the site redirect to the Ireland site? I live in Florida

Not recently, but I had an issue with it redirecting me to the Canada site, and I am in Florida too. I rebooted my computer and cleared the cache and cookies, and didn’t have the problem again.

 

[Roxyfire]

Imho the flexible dates option is just yet another example of Disney creating a problem and then trying to sell you the solution.

Essentially, yup! Sales and Marketing at it's best. "Yes we made the tickets less flexible but for a little more money they can be somewhat flexible again. It's magical!" Excuse my cynicism, I guess.

 

[brockash]

But it can save money.
OK, so I just checked..... I just picked random dates in January.
Say we plan WDW the 15th and 16, Then maybe the cruise for 4-5 days, or Universal... whatever...
Then want to go back to WDW for 2 more days on the 22nd and 23rd (old way gives 14 days so allows this)
New 4 day park hopper...... Can only be used from Jan 15 thru 21st ... $488
Add the flex option.... $553
But..... if I buy a 6 day hopper..... Can be used from Jan 15th thru 23rd ... $513 ... no need to add flex as it will include the 22nd and 23rd!
Savings of $40!!

Nice chunk of change for a family in this situation!

I agree with another post that the cost/savings will differ for time of year.... but here's a good example!

And Disney says this is supposed to make it easier????!!

And this is part of what they love... we're now not only accepting, but happy to be paying more for something that was free yesterday, because we've "found" a way to not pay the even more extremely insane price raise...we got a deal because we're only paying "part" of the new price increase. We "save" $40/person and think that's a good deal, when in reality we're really paying $40/person more.

I don't mean anything negative towards you at all...this is just how Disney has been working for years now and we (myself included) just keep buying into to the BS.

 

[quagmire0]

I'm looking at a $478 difference between 7-day PH for our family of 6 on WDW.com and UT.com. Not chump change, IMO. Makes me miss having kids under 3.

 

[tinkerhon]

Is anyone else having the site redirect to the Ireland site? I live in Florida

It's been doing that too me constantly ! Goes to Europe and Canada ! I have to switch back to US/English - the clear cookies - log out and then log in again ! Every single time I leave "my plans"