Annual Passholder and DVC Member Preview Dates Announced for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Disney World; Virtual Queue to Be Used for All Guests

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

May 14, 2024

 

The new “Tiana’s Bayou Adventure” ride in Disney World’s Frontierland will officially open to all visitors on June 28th, 2024.  But a few groups will get a sneak peek ahead of time.  Disney Vacation Club (DVC) members and Disney Annual Passholders will get to preview the attraction before it’s officially open to other park visitors. 

Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

While that’s not unusual for new rides, there are a few changes to the access process this time around.  (And, spoiler alert, the process is not going smoothly on the first day of the sign-ups.  Within mere minutes of the Passholder email hitting our inbox, Stitch was already showing up with “Somebody Ate the Page” messages for those trying to sign on to My Disney Experience to make park reservations, the first step in snagging a ride for Tiana’s new adventure. By 11:00 a.m., all the Magic Kingdom reservations were gone, and in trying to make a park reservation at another park, in order to follow Disney’s instructions of park hopping for access to the ride, we got a message that read, “Thank you for your patience. Please keep this page open and do not refresh it as you prepare to make a park reservation.… wait time more than an hour.”  Hmmm… never had THAT happen when trying to make a park reservation before! Apologies to those unlucky guests who were just trying to make park reservations for other non-preview days, as the Tiana-wanna-rides brought the system to a grinding halt.  Ah, Disney technology!)

In the past, Passholders have been able to reserve specific dates and times to jump on a new ride by signing up ahead of time at a designated link. While it sometimes meant hours of waiting for your turn in the online queue to reserve said space and use this special Passholder perk, you knew you had a guaranteed seat when you arrived at the park on your preselected day.  And if you didn’t manage to snap up one of the limited number of spaces in the registration process, you knew you’d been shut out weeks in advance of the big day.  This time, it’ll be more of a game of chance, with Annual Passholders, who still have to make park reservations on most days, using the park reservation system to gain access. Even after you have a park reservation, however, you will still be relying on the luck of the draw to get into a virtual queue that morning.

Most Passholders received an email from Disney this morning (May 14), detailing how the new process will work.  Here are the important points:

 

• First, make a park reservation for Magic Kingdom Park on a preview date to have the opportunity to join the 7 a.m. virtual queue for that day. Or, you can make a Park reservation to any Theme Park on a preview date to have the opportunity to join the 1 p.m. virtual queue.

• Next, on the day of your park reservation, it's time to request to join the virtual queue using the My Disney Experience app. There will be two opportunities to join each day of previews.

• The 7 a.m. virtual queue will be available to Passholders with a park reservation to Magic Kingdom Park for that day.

• The 1 p.m. virtual queue will be available to Passholders with a park reservation to any Theme Park for that day. As a reminder, Passholders must enter the theme park where they have a reservation prior to visiting Magic Kingdom Park. Or, on June 13, 14, 17, 18 or 20, they can enter Magic Kingdom Park without a reservation after 2 p.m.

• Passholders do not need to have entered a Theme Park when they request to join the virtual queue.

(As a sidenote, you can also hold a TRON or Guardians virtual queue at the same time as the Tiana virtual queue during this event.)

Annual Passholder previews will take place:

• June 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, and 20

DVC previews will take place on two dates:

 

• Wednesday, June 12, 2024, from 1 PM to 4 PM Eastern Time

• Wednesday, June 19, 2024, from 9 AM to 12 PM Eastern Time

 

For DVC members, (who will also get an email from Disney with the specific details of their registration process), event registration via registration link access opens on Thursday, May 16th at 10AM ET.  Pre-registration is required.  DVC members must hold a qualifying Disney hotel reservation, using your DVC Membership, and must have valid park admission and park reservations to Magic Kingdom on the day of the preview events (unless otherwise noted on your admission type.)  See your DVC email letter for the longer version of the details.

 

For all other guests:

When the ride opens to all guests on June 28, there will be two ways to ride: virtual queue, or Disney Genie+.

For the virtual queue process, guests can use the My Disney Experience (MDE) app to request to join the (free) virtual queue either at 7 a.m. or 1 p.m.  You can check out more information about how the virtual queue process works at disneyworld.com/virtualqueue.  

 

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will also be included as a Lightning Lane entrance in the paid-for-service Disney Genie+.  Prices for Genie+ are available on the MDE app on the day of your visit, and vary by date and park.  Visit disneyworld.com/lightninglane for more details on using the Genie+ service.   (The Individual Lightning Lane rides are not being used for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.) However, access is still not guaranteed with Genie+.  When the slots for the day are gone, they’re gone, even if you purchased Genie+ for the day. You’ll just have to use Genie + for other rides in the park.

Disney notes that while a standby queue will not be available during the attraction’s initial opening days, they expect to open a standby queue soon after the attraction’s opening, once the initial swell of guests slows down.

Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

So, with this somewhat convoluted data dump, we wish you more luck in getting to be among the first to head down the bayou than the success we had… We’ll be watching you from the sidelines apparently, with one of the brand new “Tiana’s Famous Beignets” that will be dished up at the Golden Oak Outpost in our hands. (Or maybe not, since those fluffy beignets will be limited time only as well.)

 

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

 

Get The Disney Planner: The TO DO List Solution by Ray Keating. More information at

https://raykeatingbooksandmore.com/shop/ols/products/disneyplanner. And please listen to the Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating podcast. 

New Passholder Lounge Packed on Opening Day

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

May 3, 2024

 

Disney’s V.I.Passholder Days runs from May 1st through June 26th this year, and among the perks offered up during this promo, Passholders are welcomed  at the new Passholder lounge in the Morocco Pavilion.

On opening day, this temporary spot in the former Restaurant Marrakesh location was a beehive of activity.  You would have thought they were giving away something for free… oh, wait, they were!   The line to sign up for the Passholder lounge stretched from the restaurant’s entrance, all the way back to the archways.  That was just to sign up to get a text to come back when a table would be open in the lounge.  In our case, the text came about an hour and fifteen minutes after signing up.

Was it worth it?  Yes, it was a pleasant spot to take a break.  Strong air conditioning was a big draw, but the free bag of Chex Mix or Planters Fruit and Nuts were tasty.  You could also choose between ice water, or a lovely cup of mint tea with honey.   Comfortable seating gave guests a chance to relax, while a bank of lockers provided a spot to recharge your phone.  On the way in, you were also given a Passholder button to wear.

  
The unexpected surprise, though, was the chance to meet the Genie, and have your photo taken with the big blue guy.  (On our visit, Genie was in rare form, and because of the small capacity inside the lounge, kids had a nice chance to interact and joke around with Genie.  He was granting only 3 wishes at a time, however.)

The Passholder Lounge will be open through June 18th from noon to 8PM each day, and you’ll need to show your Annual Passholder ID and a photo ID to get in.

In addition to the Passholder lounge, Passholders can pick up their free Passholder souvenir magnet, this new one themed to Stitch.  Pick it up at Creations Shop in EPCOT.  Stitch will also be the focus of a Passholder exclusive treat at Sunshine Seasons in EPCOT.  The bright blue Stitch Cake Cone is slathered in coconut buttercream and mango crisp pearls.

   
Over in World Celebration Gardens, near Dreamers Point in EPCOT, Annual Passholders can have their photo taken with a few different Disney PhotoPass Magic Shots.  From May 1- 31, there will be a giant Mickey Mouse ice cream bar prop, while from June 1-26, there will be an oversized Mickey donut prop. (Some guests were also seeing Stitch show up in their Magic Shot, but he didn’t appear in ours.)

  
And in another cool bonus, from May 5th through May 24th, Annual Passholders can get 20% off all DisneyStore.com purchases.

  
Check back in the Disney Passholder section on the home page of the My Disney Experience (MDE) app for updates.

 

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

 

Get The Disney Planner: The TO DO List Solution by Ray Keating. More information at

https://raykeatingbooksandmore.com/shop/ols/products/disneyplanner. And please listen to the Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating podcast. 

Exclusive Passholder Treats Debut This Week

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

September 20, 2023

 

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit is having his day in the sun. Starting today (September 20, 2023), Disney World’s Annual Passholders will be seeing a lot of the happy-go-lucky bunny.

  
Not only will Passholders be able to pick up a free Annual Passholder magnet featuring Oswald (at EPCOT’s Creations Shop through October 23, or while supplies last), but they’ll also be able to head over to Sunshine Seasons in the Land Pavilion at EPCOT to find more of the historic icon.

Courtesy of Disney

From September 20 to October 23, 2023, two specialty, “cake and shake” treats will be available for purchase. They are:

 

• Oswald Triple Chocolate Cake: Chocolate cake, chocolate ganache, chocolate mousse, crisp pearls and a white cookie dome (with adorable chocolate ears!)
• Oswald Cookies ‘n Cream Shake: Garnished with an Oswald the Lucky Rabbit chocolate coin

 

You’ll need to have your valid Annual Pass ID and a valid government-issued photo ID to snap up these exclusive treats, though, because they aren’t available to other guests.  (You’ll also need either an EPCOT park reservation to enter EPCOT, or you can enter EPCOT after 2:00 PM without a theme park reservation with your Annual Pass, subject to your Passholder blockout dates, of course).

 

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

Annual Passholder Previews Scheduled for New Moana Attraction

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

September 8, 2023

 

There’s no waiting in a virtual queue on your computer to grab a spot for the newest Disney offering this time around – you can head right to the attraction, no pre-registration required!

EPCOT’s Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana will welcome guests for a special Annual Passholders preview later this month as the attraction gears up to open to the general public.  Cast member previews have also been ongoing.

The Preview Dates for Annual Passholders will take place at EPCOT from park open to park close on these dates:

• September 24 to September 29, 2023

• October 1 to October 4, 2023

“Journey of Water” harkens back to EPCOT’s mission of education as well as entertainment, and offers guests an exploration trail where they can “connect with water and discover its magical personality.” A series of both wet and dry paths encourage participants to interact with the experience, learning about water’s natural cycle from the skies to the seas. Some of your favorite characters from the film Moana keep an eye out for the guests throughout the lush vegetation and pathways. The attraction is located in the World Nature section of EPCOT, at the front of the park, with its entrance across from the Coral Reef Restaurant.

To participate in this preview, Passholders must have a theme park reservation for EPCOT on the day they would like to attend the preview. Reservations for other parks that day do not count; it must be an EPCOT reservation. Disney also notes that, “If you enter EPCOT without a theme park reservation after 2:00 PM, then you will not be eligible to participate in a preview that day.”  That means that even though Annual Passholders can normally come into the park without needing a reservation after 2:00 p.m., they will be unable to participate in the preview without first holding that EPCOT reservation.

To check in for the preview, head directly to the entrance to “Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana.”  There, you will show your active Annual Pass card, Disney MagicMobile pass, MagicBand or MagicBand+, along with valid photo identification to check in.

The preview is limited only to Annual Passholders; you won’t be able to bring guests on your card. Disney reminds, “Everyone in your party must be an Annual Passholder to attend this preview experience.”

“Journey of Water” is currently scheduled to open in late 2023.  There are no age or height restrictions to enjoy the new area.

 

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

 

V.I.Passholder Month Underway at Disney World

 by Beth Keating

News/Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

June 5, 2023

 

Passholders are getting their day in the sun this month, with Disney World offering up a pretty lengthy list of expanded perks for Annual Passholders until the end of June.  

 

Among those special promos are extra merchandise discounts, larger dining discounts, a loveable Figment Passholder magnet, a limited time Passholder lounge area at EPCOT, specialty snacks, and new Photopass shots for Passholders.

 

As huge Figment fans, we knew we had to head over to EPCOT to grab our Figment magnet, so we decided to see how many of the Passholder perks we could fit into one visit. Our first stop was straight to the Creations shop to snap up our magnet, just in case they ran out. Not to fear, though, there were huge stacks of the magnets available, and the line was fairly short and very efficient. We were through the line in less than ten minutes. These Annual Passholder-exclusive magnets will be available at the Creations Shop through June 30, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (Bring your ID.)

 

Of course, the magnet line empties into the Creations shop, where we perused the various themed merchandise, before leaving with a Guardians tee-shirt, at a 30% Passholder merch discount. The Passholder merchandise discount at select Disney owned and operated merchandise locations is temporarily increased from 20% to 30%, which can be a big chunk of change, especially on higher priced merchandise.  It knocked $9.00 off our tee-shirt purchase.

 

Next stop was the BRUNCHCOT food kitchen, where we were able to get our 20% discount on the yummy avocado toast. There are roughly 15 Flower & Garden Festival booths offering the special, limited time 20% off discount on food and non-alcoholic beverages, and our $6.00 avocado dish rang up at $4.80 with our Passholder card.  (You also need to use a cashless form of payment to get the discount.)  If you are wondering, the avocado toast was good, though the ciabatta itself was a little soggy rather than “toast” crisp, but the layer of avocado was thick and creamy, with a hint of lemon.  The multi-colored Toy Box tomatoes were super sweet and juicy, the radish slices crisp, and the sprinkle of cotija cheese added a touch of saltiness.

 

Photo by Jonathan Keating

The Passholder discount applies to a wide array of dining locations as well, with an increase from the normal Passholder discount of 10%, to 20% on food and nonalcoholic beverages at select locations throughout Walt Disney World. We dined at Trattoria al Forno on the BoardWalk, one of our favorite Disney restaurants, before they close for a short refurb next week. It was delicious, with outstanding service from our waiter, Alejandro, and our Passholder card garnered a $22.00 discount for dinner.  We’ve always had superior service at Trattoria al Forno, and the discount was a great bonus.

 

One of the perks that we missed along the way was the special Photopass Magic Shot for Passholders. Since it was pouring that afternoon, the Photopass photographers had also ducked for cover, so we’ll have to try to collect those shots another time.  They’ll be available exclusively for Passholders until the end of June. The EPCOT spot provides props inspired by the new Figment Annual Passholder magnet. You can find it near the fountains outside of Journey Into Imagination with Figment from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily.  If you find yourself at Animal Kingdom instead, you can queue up for a Magic Shot with WALL-E and Eve. This shot was originally available for a limited time during Earth Week, but is now back exclusively for Annual Passholders. Find it near Discovery River and the Tree of Life, between Africa and Asia, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily.

 

We also had limited success with our visit to the Passholder Lounge at Sunshine Seasons in the lower level of The Land Pavilion. Of course, since it was pouring, every other Passholder in EPCOT probably had the same idea in heading for a dry, air-conditioned hideout. The area is small, with maybe 15 or so tables, a charging station, and a water station, so it was filled to capacity by the time we arrived late afternoon. The cast members were standing at the entrance to the seating area, scanning IDs and handing out small bags of M&Ms, Figment stickers, and bags of Guardians of the Galaxy zargnuts to guests. We were able to make our way to the water station to grab a few cups of cold water, but there wasn’t a seat to be had.

 

Instead, we headed back out to the main section of Sunshine Seasons to find a table. There we enjoyed one of the two Passholder exclusive offerings, the Figment dessert cake. There’s also “A Spark of Grape Shake,” a combination of grape, guava, passionfruit, orange and lime, topped with whipped cream, that others seemed to enjoy.  The treats are available until the end of June at Sunshine Seasons, from park open to park close.

 

Photo by Jonathan Keating

The Figment cake ($6.99) was adorable, but I can’t say it tasted all that fabulous, and it was a “one and done” for us.  Described as a raspberry “lemonade” tart, it was a firm shortbread shell filled with a very tart lemon mousse, and a raspberry mousse dome that was not nearly as strongly flavored as the lemon mousse. The dome was covered in the traditional Disney gel in a bright purple hue, with white chocolate “wings” colored orange for our favorite Figment.   

 

As an additional June plus for Passholders, Disney is offering “Bonus Reservations” as part of V.I.PASSHOLDER Days. Every day until June 30, bonus reservations are available for EPCOT and Animal Kingdom, and the bonus reservations don’t count against your Annual Pass’s allotted park reservation hold.  There’s no limit to how many you can make (so go crazy!), and there’s a good chance Disney may be adding more bonus locations to the schedule, so be sure to check back on the reservations calendar.

 

To take advantage of any of the discounts or freebies, including the lounge or magnet, Passholders must present their valid Annual Pass ID from the Tickets and Passes section of their My Disney Experience app, and a valid photo ID to receive the discount. We even needed to show our Annual Passholder ID to purchase the Passholder treats at Sunshine Seasons. 

 

Enjoy your extra goodies this month!

 

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

Disney World to Bring Back Dining Plan

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

May 8, 2023

 

There’s HUGE news out of Disney World today! The long-absent and greatly missed Disney Dining Plan will be returning in 2024, but you won’t have to wait quite that long to put those packages on your vacation itinerary. The plans begin going on sale May 31 for trips next year. The return of the Dining Plan is just one of five updates shared by Disney for park guests, including changes to the park reservation system.

Disney dining plans will be an add-on option for guests staying at Disney Resort hotels with packages after January 9, 2024. If you’ve never used the Dining Plans before, essentially, the Dining Plans are a way of pre-paying for your meals during your stay.  For some guests, it’s a money saver, while for others it is simply a matter of convenience, knowing that your trip, including food, is paid for before you step on property. The plans give you a set number of prepaid meals and snacks to enjoy during your stay. (Perhaps you’ve noticed the little DDP logo on menu boards at dining locations throughout the park, with the DDP tag indicating that those options are included in the Dining Plan.)  Two of the Dining Packages will be returning: the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan, and the Disney Dining Plan, which includes more sit-down restaurant options. 

     

As for the other announcements:

 

Among the most hated of the COVID-era changes was the “theme park reservation requirement,” and Disney has announced that they will be removing that requirement for date-based tickets. Beginning with park visits on January 9, 2024, theme park reservations will no longer be required for date-based tickets. There are still a few exceptions to the rule (such as non-dated tickets) for which you will still need to make park reservations, and you can check out those exceptions on Disney’s website.

For Annual Passholders, following on the heels of the current policy of not needing a park reservation after 2 p.m. (unless it’s Magic Kingdom on a weekend, when you still need a reservation), Disney will be expanding to “Good-to-go days” for Annual Passholders and cast members in 2024.  While this sounds like it might be confusing things a bit at this point, Disney promises there will be more details released on “Good-to-go days” shortly. The basic premise is this: Disney plans to offer select days on which Annual Passholders and Disney cast members can visit Walt Disney World theme parks without needing a park reservation. According to Disney Parks Blog, “Good-to-go days” may vary by park.  (Like we said, this may be muddying the waters just when we thought we were making progress…we’ll wait and see… sounds like we’ll still be checking the blasted calendars! God bless the cast members who will be manning the tapstyles as we all try to make sure we’ve followed the plan.)

 

In addition, Early Theme Park Entry for Disney Resort hotel guests will continue through 2024 each day for all four theme parks. Disney Deluxe Resorts and Deluxe Villas will continue to be able to take advantage of extended evening hours on select dates at select parks through 2024.

 

And last, but not by any means the least, Disney shared that they are working on simplifying the Disney Genie+ experience, including figuring out the logistics of allowing guests to make Disney Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane selections before the day of a park visit. They “look forward to sharing more information at a later date.”  

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

 

Big News Day at Disney! TRON Launch Date; Changes to Annual Passes; and New Nighttime Entertainment Dates Released

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

January 10, 2023

 

Yowza, what a busy news day from the Disney Empire!

 
First came the news that the long-awaited TRON Lightcycle/Run at Magic Kingdom in Florida will open on April 4, 2023, with special preview days coming up before then for Cast Members, Annual Passholders, and Vacation Club members (watch your Disney email accounts for notifications on how and when to sign up).

Then came the new dates for the closing, and opening dates for the nighttime entertainment shows at Magic Kingdom and EPCOT.  Harmonious (and its ugly “taco” barges) will see its last performance at EPCOT on April 2, 2023.  The next day, EPCOT Forever will make a brief return, and will serve as an interim show until the newest EPCOT show is ready to debut.  The barges will begin being dismantled the day after the final Harmonious performance.

Over at Magic Kingdom, “Disney Enchantment” will come to a close on April 2, 2023, with the glorious return of “Happily Ever After” with its well-loved fireworks extravaganza on April 3, 2023.  The show will be even better this time around, with projections stretching all the way down Main Street.  

 

And if all those tidbits weren’t enough to bring joy to the hearts of Disney fans, the Disney team announced a few very welcome changes to the Annual Passholder program, changes which will be warmly embraced by Disney guests.  Here are the three new updates:

 

1) Walt Disney World Annual Passholders will see their Park reservation requirements relaxed for visits after 2 p.m. 

According to the Disney Parks Blog, “Beginning in the next few months, Walt Disney World Annual Passholders will be able to visit the theme parks after 2 p.m. without needing a park reservation, except on Saturdays and Sundays at Magic Kingdom Park. Pass blockout dates will continue to apply like they do today.”  Woohoo! We can make a last-minute drop in to EPCOT to hit up the festival booths for dinner without scheduling it eons in advance!

2) Attraction photo downloads will be included with Disney Genie+ service.

Also beginning in the next few months, guests purchasing the Disney Genie+ service will receive digital downloads of their Disney PhotoPass attraction photos, taken in the park on the day of their purchase, at no additional charge. Some of these rides and attractions include: Space Mountain, Slinky Dog Dash, Test Track, and Expedition Everest. Passholders will also receive access to Disney PhotoPass lenses and one complimentary Cinderella Castle Mural of Memories experience.  

 

3) Passholders can now enjoy complimentary overnight self-parking, when staying at a Disney Resort hotel (beginning January 10). This one is a big money saver for Passholders, who, while they do get free parking at the Theme parks, found themselves shelling out $15 and up per night to park at the Resort Hotels they were staying at.

 

While the above changes are specific to Disney’s Florida resort, there are a number of changes coming for Disneyland as well.  At Disneyland Resort in California, Passholders/Magic Key Holders can:

 

1) Switch between parks even earlier with a Park Hopper ticket, beginning at 11 a.m. PT starting February 4.

Beginning February 4, 2023, guests who enter a Disneyland Resort theme park with a Magic Key pass or a Park Hopper ticket may begin crossing over between the parks two hours earlier – starting at 11 a.m. PT.

 

2) More opportunities to visit with a $104 park ticket.

The Disneyland Resort reservation calendar will offer nearly two months worth of $104 park ticket dates throughout 2023 (the lowest one-day, one-park ticket price). 

With the 100th Anniversary celebration underway, January 27 will see several new attractions on the west coast. Two new nighttime spectaculars –”Wondrous Journeys” at Disneyland park and “World of Color – ONE” at Disney California Adventure park will debut, and the Disneyland version of  Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway will chug its way down the tracks.

 

3) Complimentary Disney PhotoPass digital attraction photos.  

Disney PhotoPass digital photo downloads captured on any Disney PhotoPass available attraction during a park visit will be complimentary for all ticketed park guests on the Disneyland app starting February 4, throughout the Disney100 celebration at the Disneyland Resort. 

 

4) And here’s a biggie: More opportunities coming to join the Magic Key program.

Like Annual Passes in Florida, Magic Key passes in California have been hard to come by.  When they went back on sale last year, certain levels of the program sold out within hours.  As the Disney Parks Blog promises, “Disneyland Resort will make select Magic Key passes available for new sales from time to time throughout 2023 as pass inventory becomes available.” 

 

Keep an eye on Disneyland.com/MagicKey for sale dates and availability. And move quickly when you spot them!

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

Does Bob Chapek Fully Get the Idea of Customer Service?

 by Ray Keating

Commentary

DisneyBizJournal.com

September 12, 2022

 

If any major company was built on leadership and the idea of customer service, it would have to be The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney set the bar high, and few entrepreneurs and CEOs will ever come close to his achievements. But there are times when one wonders just how far short Disney’s current CEO, Bob Chapek, might fall?

Chapek, of course, took over as Disney CEO days before COVID-19 shutdown the company, and he and Disney, like most other businesses, have been working to get back on track ever since. But Chapek heads up Disney, which often seems to be the most closely watched company on the planet given that it has so many dedicated fans, and many of them with video blogs and podcasts. So, to say that Chapek has been put under the microscope is to understate things.

 

Over the D23 weekend, however, Chapek attempted to put himself out there with his own, unencumbered vision of the company. The strange thing is that, based on two interviews he did – one with The Hollywood Reporter and another with the Los Angeles Times – Chapek still stumbled in odd ways, and by doing so raised some additional questions.

 

For example, in his interview with Hollywood Reporter, Chapek was asked about getting some blowback from “superfans” regarding price increases and whether that might create some problems for the brand. The “superfans” mention was hardly the centerpiece. Instead, this was a pricing question during a time of inflation. Here’s Chapek’s answer as supplied by HR, and I quote it in full given that he has received some criticism for this:

 

We love all our fans equally. We love the superfans, obviously. But we also like the fans that don’t have the same expression of their fandom. We want to make sure that our superfans who love to come with annual passes and use [the parks] as their personal playground — we love that. We celebrate that. But at the same time, we’ve got to make sure that there’s room in the park for the family from Denver that comes once every five years. We didn’t have a reservation system and we didn’t control the number of annual passes we distributed and frankly, the annual pass as a value was so great that people were literally coming all the time and the accessibility of the park was unlimited to them, and that family from Denver would get to the park and not be let in. That doesn’t seem like a real balanced proposition. I guess it’s possible that the superfans look at that as a disadvantaging of the way they consume the park, but we’ve got to make sure that not only are we heeding the needs of our superfans, but we’re heeding the needs of everyone who travels from across the country one time every five years. We have a real high-class problem: We have much more demand than there is supply. What we will not bend on is giving somebody a less than stellar experience in the parks because we jammed too many people in there. If we’re going to have that foundational rule, you have to start balancing who you let in. … Our ticket prices and constraints we put on how often people can come and when they come is a direct reflection of demand. When is it too much? Demand will tell us when it’s too much.

 

What’s most striking is that even as businesses across industries are being forced to raise prices due to inflation and labor market issues, Chapek seems to go out of his way to pick on annual passholders, that is, on the company’s most loyal customers. Yes, he says that Disney loves all its fans, including superfans with annual passes. But he walks the line by saying that annual passholders treat the parks as their “personal playgrounds” (yikes, poor choice of words), but again he says “we love that.” And then he decides to pit a family from Denver who visits once every five years against annual passholders. Why? What’s the upside? The answer: There is none. 

 

He goes on talk about managing demand, etc. Obviously, Disney, like other theme park operators, has to figure out how to manage demand and not suffer from overcrowding. But again, why go out of your way to basically pick a fight with superfans, including annual passholders, or at least give the appearance of doing so? This either illustrates a disregard for certain customers (again, your most loyal), or a tone deafness on Chapek’s part as to how his words will be received.

 

On the matter of leadership, at another point in the HR interview, Chapek is asked about the Scarlett Johansson controversy. His answer for a CEO of a company was striking. He said, according to HR, “There were a lot of people that got a vote in how we handled that. And I was one voice, and I’ll just say that our relationship with her agency and her has never been better.” Hmmm, apparently, the buck doesn’t stop at Chapek’s desk. 

 

As for the Los Angeles Times interview, Chapek was asked about the Florida so-called “Don’t Say Gay Bill” that Disney got itself entangled in. Chapek spun it as turning out to be “a big opportunity” to get input from employees. Really? In reality, it seems like no one came out of that pleased with how Disney handled matters, including assorted employees and many customers, and many shareholders, no doubt, weren’t enthralled with the company becoming a political football. The hope, with issues like this, is that they quickly fade in the public’s memory as many, if not most, political issues do. But this was anything but a stellar example of leadership.

 

Staying focused on customer service and leadership in these interviews – a good number of issues were covered – Chapek was absolutely right in declaring that the “consumer essentially dictates everything.” Now, has Disney’s CEO taken that to heart? On the job training is tough anywhere, but particularly as the CEO of Disney. And if customer service turns out to be seen as mere lip service, then, yes, consumers will punish a company accordingly.

 

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com; and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries, and the Alliance of Saint Michael novels; and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right? Full disclosure: Keating is Disney shareholder.

 

Two great ways to order Cathedral: An Alliance of Saint Michael Novel, which is Ray’s sixteenth work of fiction, and the first in the Alliance of Saint Michael series. Signed paperbacks here and the Kindle edition here. 

 

Two great ways to order Ray Keating’s new nonfiction book – The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist. Signed paperbacks here, and paperbacks, hardcovers and Kindle editions here.  

 

Get all of Ray Keating Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries in paperback and for the Kindle at Amazon.com and signed books at www.RayKeatingOnline.com. 

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.