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View Full Version : Why are there no good deals in off season?



ima_mickeyfan
03-26-2006, 09:55 AM
I would think that they would offer better perks in the off season to bring more visitors in..I understand "off" season means not many people show up, but why can't we get perks?
:confused:

Tinkermommy
03-26-2006, 10:08 AM
I don't think there has been an "off" season this year. Since 5/5/05, the park has been crowded every time we went.

We bought our first passes in 2003, and I remember going many times when we had the place almost to ourselves. This year, every single day we've gone has felt like a Saturday, crowd-wise. I don't know anything about attendance at Disneyland, but it would surprise me if this wasn't one of their most heavily-attended years.

It's interesting to note that the park seems to get more crowded even though the prices keep going up. The first year, our passes were $225. If we bought them today, they'd be $349. It gets more and more expensive, but that doesn't seem to be keeping anybody away. (Not a complaint, just an observation.)

ima_mickeyfan
03-26-2006, 10:28 AM
well I do know that people would say the deal is that you get shorter lines in the park...but that is not what I'm talking about...I am talking about things like everyone pays kids price for tickets, the $150 gift card? I would think they would offer things like this to us that go in the "off" season to help bring more $$ in the the area..

Tinkermommy
03-26-2006, 10:35 AM
You're right, and I realize I didn't explain my thinking, which is since there doesn't seem to be an off-season this year, there probably isn't much motivation to offer perks to bring people in at this time. They seem to be coming without them! They do have the everyone plays for kids price multi-day park hoppers right now, as well as the So. Cal. 2-Fers...

ktrm
03-26-2006, 10:51 AM
I got a good perk through AAA. I bought two adult tickets and got two kid tickets for free. Each of the four day hoppers for the adults were $169. My total bill for tickets(all four of us) was $338. This is was less than I paid for four 3 day hopper tickets in November which I bought through the Disney Store. By the way, I did not buy this as part of a package with the hotel. Just the tickets. The tickets can still be bought this way through AAA. They have to be used by April 27th.

vicbella2
03-26-2006, 10:52 AM
well I do know that people would say the deal is that you get shorter lines in the park...but that is not what I'm talking about...I am talking about things like everyone pays kids price for tickets, the $150 gift card? I would think they would offer things like this to us that go in the "off" season to help bring more $$ in the the area..

I thought they are offerring this. Kids play free with adults and adults pay kids fare are running through the end of April. I believe it began in Jan. The $150 giftcard with 4 night stay onsite has also been running within this time period. Last Oct we took advanatge of stay 4 nights get the 4th night free for DLR properties. Tinkermommy is right though. There really hasn't been an off-season since the 50th began. I think the month of January was pretty slow, they were great AP night rates to be had onsite. They are offering deals during the off-season though.

ktrm
03-26-2006, 11:31 AM
I forgot to mention some other perks about the AAA deal. The travel agent told me every January is considered Disney month at AAA. In addition to getting 4-four day hopper tickets for $338 I also got

1. 4-refillable mugs. These mugs could be filled for free at Pizza Port, Pizza um Mow Mow, and Rancho Del Zalcolo. The mugs ended up being kind of a pain to drag around, but it was a perk none the less. You had to book through AAA in January to get this deal.

2. My kids entered a Disney coloring contest at AAA and all participants got free stuffed animals. My kids got a Marlin and Gil from Finding Nemo. Price tag was still on these animals ($15 each)

3. My mom ordered for $3 extra the lanyard and pin. The lanyard was not too exciting but the pin was real cute.

4. The tickets came in a really cute tinker bell expandable file. In the file, I got a Disney map which had the original map from opening day on the back. Goofy, I know, but I love these sort of little extras. I got 4 tinker bell luggage tags and my vouchers for the refillable mugs. The 4 hopper tickets were held together with a mickey mouse paper clip. Too cute!.

5. The only perk I missed was that my AAA office had an actual Disney Day (in January--their Disney month) where refreshments were served. If I had gotten my ticket package on this day (I think it was January 25th) instead of when I ordered them on January 10th, each of my family members would have also gotten a Disney Tee-shirt.

So for all you bargain hounds out there like me who are also AAA members, I would suggest checking AAA out every January for good deals. By the way, my neighbor who is also a AAA member got her tickets at Safeway for "Everyone pays the Kids Price." She went to Disneyland the exact same week I did. She paid $119 for each 3 day hopper pass for her family for a total of $476. While this is a good deal (better than buying at the gate for sure) She could have done better at AAA. She did not realize that you could just buy tickets through AAA. She thought you had to get the hotel as well.

Susan L
03-26-2006, 01:53 PM
I don't think there has been an "off" season this year. Since 5/5/05, the park has been crowded every time we went.



Geeze, isn't that the turth. We usually go in Feb to avoid the crowds and on our last visit this Feb it was non stop. We used fastpass more then we ever have in all of our trips combined. I really hope after the 50th is over it gets back to normal, whatever that is anymore. I wish they would have better deals in the off season for their hotel rooms. We usually stay at least 8 nights, you think they could come up with some kind of deal for the more nights you stay you get so much off.

gimp_boy76
03-26-2006, 01:54 PM
ima_mickeyfan, it looks like you are planning a vacation towards the end of the year. If you're asking why there are not deals for that time period yet, just be patient they will come. For instance the Kids Play for Free or Adults Play For Free Deals were not announced until just before they went into effect in January, if they feel like they need the extra attendance I'm sure Disney will put out some sort of offer. BTW there are virtually no deals offered during "peak" season as they know the attendance will be high anyway.

JSKoehler
03-26-2006, 02:27 PM
There are a number of reasons that DLR does not have the same kind of "Value Season" (WDWR's term for off season when attendance is the lowest) perks that WDWR has:

1. Occupancy Rates. DLR has far fewer hotel rooms than WDWR, so there is less need to bring in guests. During slower times, DLR can fill rooms with tours (mostly from overseas). Many off-site hotels do offer discounts and perks at slower times.

2. LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION. DLR is situated in a heavily urbanized area. Even with the explosive growth of central Florida, there are still about 10 times as many potential customers within a few hours of the DLR as there are in the WDWR area, so DLR has an easier time of bringing in the local crowd.

3. Relative size. WDWR is HUGE. DLR is easier to tour, so a two or three (or even one) day visit is typical, whereas at WDW the average is more like five days, with many guests now staying ten days or more. Perks and discounts are "paid" for by the incidental costs guests incur when in the parks and at related properties. The less time you are at the DLR, the less opportunity they have to recoup the "loss leader" on tickets and hotel rooms, thus the less of an incentive to offer the perk or discount in the first instance.

4. Competition. DLR, despite the addition of CA, two hotels (three, really, since Disney did not originally own the DLH) and DTD West does not have the same level of on-site staying power that WDWR has with larger DTD area, PI, DQ, Boardwalk, the water parks, and the restaurants at Epcot and the resorts. Even off-site guests at WDWR will stay on-site to dine at the Epcot and resort restaurants, both because of the variety of dining experiences possible, and also because leaving WDWR to go to an offsite restaurant cuts into to touring time. By contrast, many DLR guests, even those staying at a Disney property, will venture offsite to nearby dining (and entertainment) alternatives. Similar to no. 3, this cuts way down on the return per guest for incidentals, and, thus, reduces the incentive to entice guests to the park.

5. Crowd Management. Rehabs disappoint guests and increase crowd management issues. DLR, being smaller than WDWR, cannot afford to have lots of down time for its attractions during its busiest season when crowd management (and guest enjoyment) are critical. By not artificially increasing crowd size during the off season, DLR can take some rides out of commission for rehab without impacting guest enjoyment as much. By contrast, WDWR is so HUGE (I mentioned that, didn't I?), they can take rides and attractions down anytime without have a significant impact. In fact, WDWR has a number of attractions (less popular, high volume shows mostly) that are dark during the Value Season simply because the low attendance (despite perks and discounts) does not require the additional volume-handling capacity. (The most notable of these was Timekeeper, but it has been permanently shuttered now).

Having said all this, it is possible that with so many people going for the 50th Anniversary, DLR will see a drop off in attendance late this year into 2007, and then they may choose to sweeten the deals they offer somewhat . . . but don't count on it :)

hlbtimes2
03-26-2006, 05:32 PM
There are currently specials that go thru April 27- an entire month left. They have not yet announced any for the rest of the year, but that doesnt mean they wont be offering some.

samkj
03-26-2006, 05:40 PM
There are currently specials that go thru April 27- an entire month left. They have not yet announced any for the rest of the year, but that doesnt mean they wont be offering some.
Exactly, the deals will be offered, but not until summer is almost over! If you book a Walt Disney Travel Company package now, you should be able to convert it to the new package once it becomes available.

hlbtimes2
03-26-2006, 06:54 PM
Exactly, the deals will be offered, but not until summer is almost over! If you book a Walt Disney Travel Company package now, you should be able to convert it to the new package once it becomes available.

They might even come out a little earlier then that. I know that for our Oct. trip last year, we booked in late April. They were offering the 4th night free at that time. I'm guessing sometime in the next few weeks or so we'll see something for the coming months.

ILovePoker
03-26-2006, 07:07 PM
I would think that they would offer better perks in the off season to bring more visitors in..I understand "off" season means not many people show up, but why can't we get perks?
:confused:
I think the Simpsons said it best about Disney.

"Sorry but there's profit to be made!"

Malcon10t
03-26-2006, 08:47 PM
I would think that they would offer better perks in the off season to bring more visitors in..I understand "off" season means not many people show up, but why can't we get perks?
:confused:
I'm confused a little about what you are looking for. The off season is generally Feb-May and Sept-Nov. Currently, they are offering several deals thru May (Kids play Free, Everyone Plays for Kids price, and 2-Fer are just 3.) They offered deals last Oct - Dec if I remember correctly also. What kinds of deals are you looking for? Or what perks?

hlbtimes2
03-26-2006, 09:52 PM
I'm confused a little about what you are looking for. The off season is generally Feb-May and Sept-Nov. Currently, they are offering several deals thru May (Kids play Free, Everyone Plays for Kids price, and 2-Fer are just 3.) They offered deals last Oct - Dec if I remember correctly also. What kinds of deals are you looking for? Or what perks?

Actually, the current specials end April 27- leaving the month of May without specials, and still the value season. The way the onsite hotels look right now (very full) I dont think they need to offer anything!

cstephens
03-27-2006, 06:12 AM
What kinds of deals are you looking for? Or what perks?

Yep, that's what I'm curious about as well. We haven't had an off season in quite a number of years. Every time it's supposed to be off season, they at least offer some kind of reduced admission price for the duration. The park has been extremely busy the last couple of weeks, but it's been that way even before Spring Break season.

ima_mickeyfan
03-27-2006, 11:27 AM
just like i stated above. the 150 dollar gift card, and adults pay kids price..seems that all travel has to be done around the end of june to get these freebies...We went last sept. and our only perk was get the 4th night free which was great since we had to stay in a suite...yes we had to- cause we have 4 kids and it was cheaper than getting 2 rooms.

Malcon10t
03-27-2006, 12:18 PM
just like i stated above. the 150 dollar gift card, and adults pay kids price..seems that all travel has to be done around the end of june to get these freebies...We went last sept. and our only perk was get the 4th night free which was great since we had to stay in a suite...yes we had to- cause we have 4 kids and it was cheaper than getting 2 rooms.OK, I think I see where you are coming from. The Adults Play for Kids pricing has been good since Feb I believe and is good til Apr 27, with the passes expiring 5/10 or so. The $150 gift card is still going on, til who knows when. All their specials are happening now. Rarely do they start a special now for fall. It was 2004 when they offered specials in Sept/Oct, but they didnt offer them til July. This past fall had few "perks" because business was pretty busy and they didn't need to entice people t the parks. I have a feeling they bit off mor ethan they expected this year with the specials, as they are packed every day. I have 4 kids too, so I do understand the suite/2 room issue. Right now, other than the gift cards, and a few places offering 4th night free, there aren't too many deals for the end of June. What I usually do is book a room via phone or internet, then keep watching for specials. If I find a special, take it and cancel my room.

ima_mickeyfan
03-30-2006, 08:48 AM
we book our pkgs. with WTC and from what I experience you can get your room cheaper if you call the hotel directly, but because I need to make payments on our vacation, we are stuck with the prices they give us...ie: paying for 6 airline tickets up front is not possible, as with buying everything seperatly...

Wesley815
03-30-2006, 09:11 AM
Well it's pretty much common sense... Why should they offer any discounts (besides the 2fer local deal) since the crowds are ALREADY HUGE *and* hotels sold out (so it's not just the 2fer guests). Plenty of money coming in.

AcuraTL
03-30-2006, 01:06 PM
I am just wondering where I can find more about the $150 giftcard when you stay 4 nights. Do you have to book through Disney for that or can it be from AAA or Expedia?

hlbtimes2
03-30-2006, 02:06 PM
I am just wondering where I can find more about the $150 giftcard when you stay 4 nights. Do you have to book through Disney for that or can it be from AAA or Expedia?

It is good through pretty much anyone. However, the 4th night needs to be before April 27th.