View Full Version : new hours for 2002
Hey, what's up with the shorter hours on Saturdays..DL closes at 11 PM. Remmeber when it was 1 AM????
Boo-hoo, no more Early Entry. Why do you guys think I paid the higher prices at the resort hotels anyway--for the ambiance??? Well, maybe a little. BUT, mostly for that extra 90 minutes.
Don't tell me it's because attendance is down. I was there this past week.
bluepearl
12-27-2001, 11:12 PM
Don't forget to consider the cost of labor to work that extra hour (or hours, whichever - it's 12AM so I'm a little out of it). I don't usually stay that late during the week, but it'll probably be disappointing when my mom, brother, cousin, and I have our annual visit for my mom's birthday in July - and they don't have APs so we have to do all the rides then.
Nigel2
12-28-2001, 01:13 AM
Yeah it's not like when 10/11/12/1 o'clock hit the cm's go home, they still have to cycle all the guests out of the ride and the closing procedures can probably keep them there for a long time.
driftwood714
12-28-2001, 01:35 AM
Also, now with Early Entry gone. You won't be able to come in 90 minute prior to park opening to ride those 14 attractions. But they are opening the park an hour earlier and that's even more rides. Which of the two situations do you think costs more?
Example, on a day that's usually 10 to 8. They might have EE at 8:30 to 10:00. There's 14 to 15 rides that'll be open. Then at 10 the rest of the park opens. Well, now on a day like that they open an hour earlier so at 9. So from 9 to 8 there'll be more rides open earlier. It wastes more labor, really. I liked EE. It should stay! Everyone needs to email disney
Nigel2
12-28-2001, 01:42 AM
Well lets see if they have everything open an hour early then the CM's would all show up (for example) 30 minutes early to open the ride up, but with EE only the affected rides would have to have the CMs there 2 hours early for their opening. But EE may have gotten a little more pay since they had to come in "early" for that ride, but I don't know how that works so its a shot in the dark here.
ionfreeway
12-28-2001, 04:47 AM
it seems to me that the most important thing is that people are able to keep their jobs. if that means shorter hours for a year or two, that's okay with me.
DisneylandKid
12-28-2001, 06:29 AM
Was Morning Magic the same thing as Early Entry? They should have early entry on a part-time basis (during busy seasons: summer/holidays/etc) and open it up to the hotel guests. Then they should open up a few days out of the year (5 or 6 maybe) to AP's.
merlinjones
12-28-2001, 08:03 AM
The DL midnight closes are an institution here in SoCal and I'll bet they are brought back more quickly than anyone expects. The locals like to go to DL at night on Friday and Saturday (and why wouldn't they?) - - Why would Disney be so stupid as to alienate this business when they are so needy of it ? - - Especially on Saturday/Summer when it is ALWAYS crowded.
At WDW they can manipulate everyone's times to route them around the complex more easily because most people are staying on site or at local hotels - - those 10 pm closings at MK are so lame, its one of the reasons I don't like to go to WDW, along with all of the other inconvenient shepherding time schedules. You can't have breakfast ANYWHERE after 11, and you can't have a late dinner at the MK and see fireworks - - You have to do everything at THIER time frame, not yours - - hardly my idea of a relaxing resort environment at those prices. Such facsist policies will never work at DL, because people who live in LA will just do something else - - It's not like Downtown Disney is going to replace midnight at the parks.
The only way to get your money's worth for a one day pass at Dl (most people) on a crowded day is to have those night hours when you can actually get on some of the rides after babies and grandma leave. Without this, it will be a far lesser value for more people. Prepare for many complaints at high season. They should simply keep cutting DCA's hours instead. There's nothing to do over there anyway.
Magic mornings are another story, as they only benefit a handful of customers. Most people won't miss it.
But midnight closes will change back - - You'll see. I still miss 1 am close.
driftwood714
12-28-2001, 11:06 AM
I agree with Merlinjones
Early Admission/Magic Mornings/Early Entry (all the same thing) was a free service is you stay in a Disney hotel or have a multi-day ticket booked through a travel agent. You're not paying anymore more for it. In all entirety, it is cheaper to run early entry like they have in the past then to open the entire park an hour earlier than usual.
And I believe it enough people put their concerns in writing, via letters or email, Disney will respond with extended hours. Like I've said on some other threads, it's like a game of tug-a-war, in the more agressive form. If one side pulls hard, the other side has to adjust appropriately. (Example: park guests spend less money on food... then the restaurants start closing a little earlier or not opening at all)
Nigel2
12-28-2001, 09:38 PM
Well the unusal summer hours at WDW were always strange to me, but I can see that they don't need to stay open as long since the guests are more spread out there also. On breakfast I don't think most places (well all the places arround here) serve breakfast after 11 am, so they probably are just imitating others (I am not really a breakfast person though). But yeah the only "late" dinner you can get in the parks would probably be arround 9 at EPCOT, but its more timing than anything else.
Gauchograd99
12-28-2001, 10:16 PM
I agree that EE should be kept and the later hours are a huge help. I work down in San Clemente and drive either directly from there to the park or back to Long Beach to change and then to the park. Either way, I would not get there until at least 6pm on most nights. Taking away my ability to spend evening cash is their perogative, but that is LOST MONEY! Hey Disney... see those words??? LOST MONEY! Remember that when you cannot understand why the money spent per entry seems to drop with the shortened hours.
If the suits get their head out and notice the drastic spending loss and act as a smart unit we will have Midnight back fast... if not I know of another park in the area that would LOVE some of our business (and their AP with parking is 50 bucks less). :)