Walt Disney World Introduces Date-Based Tickets and New Online Destination For Vacation Planning
The Walt Disney World Resort is constantly looking for new ways to deliver the best experience possible for Guests – from the moment they book their vacation through the very last attraction they visit in the theme parks. With all there is to see and do in the parks, Disney knows that Guests are increasingly looking for easier ways to plan a vacation with personalized options that fit their individual needs.
Beginning Oct. 16 on DisneyWorld.com, Guests will be able to access a new online vacation-planning destination and purchase tickets priced by the date of visit. These changes are designed to simplify the booking experience, give guests an enhanced way to purchase theme park tickets and help them more easily plan the Disney vacation of their dreams.
The new online vacation-planning destination features park offering overviews, travel tips from Disney Parks Moms Panelists, and customized suggestions based on each Guest’s personal preferences – helping guests make more informed decisions.
When Guests are ready to purchase tickets online, they may use an interactive online calendar, which displays different prices based on the dates guests choose to visit and states tickets will need to be used during a specific time period. The calendar also allows guests to quickly see the lowest-priced days within a month. For example, prices may be lower during off-peak travel periods.
Check out the video below for a first look at how it works.
Once tickets are purchased, Guests will be able to continue seamlessly planning their vacation on the website through My Disney Experience, which guides them through the different phases and steps of personalizing their vacation to make the most of their travel party’s unique interests. Guests can manage their plans through the My Disney Experience mobile app as well, where they will also be able to access the interactive calendar and purchase their tickets on the go.
Introducing date-based tickets and pricing will allow the Walt Disney World Resort to better distribute attendance throughout the year so that the company can continue to improve and deliver a great experience.
These updates are designed to help Guests plan their dream vacation – both now and for years to come.
The new online vacation-planning destination features park offering overviews, travel tips from Disney Parks Moms Panelists, and customized suggestions based on each Guest’s personal preferences – helping guests make more informed decisions.
When Guests are ready to purchase tickets online, they may use an interactive online calendar, which displays different prices based on the dates guests choose to visit and states tickets will need to be used during a specific time period. The calendar also allows guests to quickly see the lowest-priced days within a month. For example, prices may be lower during off-peak travel periods.
Check out the video below for a first look at how it works.
Introducing date-based tickets and pricing will allow the Walt Disney World Resort to better distribute attendance throughout the year so that the company can continue to improve and deliver a great experience.
IMAGES: © 2018 Walt Disney World Resort. All Rights Reserved.
So does this mean ticket prices will be cheaper than they currently are on slow days, or does it just mean that they'll be charging a premium for the times that most people would visit, with the current prices being the cheapest they'll ever get? Either way, it seems less like an attempt to improve the guest experience and more like another way for Disney to a) increase profits without actually doing anything and b) price out the very demographics Walt Disney had intended his parks to be for (i.e. working/middle class families who can't afford expensive vacations). If they're really interested in fixing crowd level issues (and, mind you, they ought to be), they should try investing in their parks. The recent push to build new rides (or revamp existing ones), which is really just a response to Universal Studios, doesn't begin to address the capacity problems they're having. At Epcot, the rides announced so far amount to a net increase of one ride. At Hollywood Studios, it's two (assuming you only count the tram tour as one ride, and assuming you don't count the shows that were also removed). At Animal Kingdom, they've recently added two, and will soon be removing one. Magic Kingdom hasn't opened a new ride since 2015, only has one in the works, and has closed others. Meanwhile, Universal is opening new parks and SeaWorld is adding (not replacing) at least one new ride every year. Even Busch Gardens is receiving some major investment. Maybe Disney should try following the other parks' lead on this.
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