This is not a screed against Annual Pass holders. They are important if not essential to the economics of the Resort on the west coast. WDW may be different.
This is not whole-hearted support for the nit-pickers who jump on every little scratch or unpainted spot nor is it in defense of AL's DoM who overlook the long-standing problems or egregious neglect of routine maintenance.
But I think there is a connection between the wear and tear that the large numbers of people that come to the parks again and again as AP'ers impose and the non-proportional increase in revenue that they represent. It's not that as individuals they are more abusive to the property - in fact many may be less so because they are more respectful - but the sheer number of visits magnify the normals effect of just serving people.
So, what's the solution ?
It's not clear that increasing the Annual Pass prices will contribute enough additional revenue to significantly mitigate the load effects. Unless there is a humongous increase it is unlikely to reduce their numbers sufficiently to reduce the load.
So, if they are part of the problem, make them part of the solution.
Every 5th (the number is fudgible) visit of a pass holder, hand them a paint brush or a broom or a polishing cloth or other other simple tool and assign them to perform some routine maintenance task for an hour of their visit. (Minors and elderly excepted.) Frequent visitors clearly have time to spare and plenty of (other) opportunities to visit the park so they should be able to spare this little time to support the park they so clearly love. Just make this appreciation more tangible.
Now I know that some of you naysayers are going to say "You can't to that". I say just make it a condition of an Annual Pass Agreement that they have to sign when they purchase them.
This is not whole-hearted support for the nit-pickers who jump on every little scratch or unpainted spot nor is it in defense of AL's DoM who overlook the long-standing problems or egregious neglect of routine maintenance.
But I think there is a connection between the wear and tear that the large numbers of people that come to the parks again and again as AP'ers impose and the non-proportional increase in revenue that they represent. It's not that as individuals they are more abusive to the property - in fact many may be less so because they are more respectful - but the sheer number of visits magnify the normals effect of just serving people.
So, what's the solution ?
It's not clear that increasing the Annual Pass prices will contribute enough additional revenue to significantly mitigate the load effects. Unless there is a humongous increase it is unlikely to reduce their numbers sufficiently to reduce the load.
So, if they are part of the problem, make them part of the solution.
Every 5th (the number is fudgible) visit of a pass holder, hand them a paint brush or a broom or a polishing cloth or other other simple tool and assign them to perform some routine maintenance task for an hour of their visit. (Minors and elderly excepted.) Frequent visitors clearly have time to spare and plenty of (other) opportunities to visit the park so they should be able to spare this little time to support the park they so clearly love. Just make this appreciation more tangible.
Now I know that some of you naysayers are going to say "You can't to that". I say just make it a condition of an Annual Pass Agreement that they have to sign when they purchase them.
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