[Rumor] New Membership Options to Debut in July

[Captain Andy]

Recently recorded in a Theme Park Pulse podcast, one of the hosts was attempting to enter Disneyland when he accidentally pulled out his Annual Pass instead of his ticket. The Cast Member joked that they “don’t accept those anymore.” Then said: “Nope. Next month we’ll have a new AP program.” You can listen to the interaction below:

Exclusive: Disneyland’s Annual Pass Program Returning In July?
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas...-SOY7SBn8WAR0A

The CM could be misinformed... Disney changes its strategies almost all the time, and the company's communication with CMs is notoriously bad. However, if this were true, what are your thoughts?

[Mr Wiggins]

Recently recorded in a Theme Park Pulse podcast, one of the hosts was attempting to enter Disneyland when he accidentally pulled out his Annual Pass instead of his ticket. The Cast Member joked that they “don’t accept those anymore.” Then said: “Nope. Next month we’ll have a new AP program.” You can listen to the interaction below:

Exclusive: Disneyland’s Annual Pass Program Returning In July?
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas...-SOY7SBn8WAR0A

The CM could be misinformed... Disney changes its strategies almost all the time, and the company's communication with CMs is notoriously bad. However, if this were true, what are your thoughts?

Two thoughts -

- Whenever the new program is launched, the only questions will be what is it called, how much more will it cost, and how much less will it give the customer.

- If it is July, best to start popping popcorn now to insure having a good supply on hand for when the Dole Whip hits the fan on the internet.

[Captain Andy]

Two thoughts -

- Whenever the new program is launched, the only questions will be what is it called, how much more will it cost, and how much less will it give the customer.

- If it is July, best to start popping popcorn now to insure having a good supply on hand for when the Dole Whip hits the fan on the internet.

I already purchased my tickets to Knotts (between Disney and Knotts for July, I surprised myself and said 'nay' to app-happy D-land), so if news breaks and dole whip indeed hits the fan, well, you can find me smirking in the corner with a Boysenberry treat.

Conversion at work. ✌️

[Brian PieGuy]

- Whenever the new program is launched, the only questions will be what is it called, how much more will it cost, and how much less will it give the customer.

Yep. And the Disney press team will put out a pompous announcement detailing "a new system designed to enhance the guest experience".

[SuperHappyCM]

This is a perfect example of how anyone on social media can twist the facts and pass it off as legitimate news. The Cast Member NEVER said a new AP will come out next month. He said "next month we'll have something." That could mean new discounts on merchandise, food or maybe some giveaways.
In this field of crowded "experts" on social media, everyone has to elbow their way in. This clown from Theme Park Pulse probably knows damn well that there is no new AP. It's dead. But in an effort to get people to click on his BS, he has to hook em and reel em in with a completely false headline. As P.T. Barnum said..."There's a sucker born every minute."

[Brian PieGuy]

^ Oh, that's right, there is no AP, my bad, we meant the "YTBNDLMP". You're right that this is an unreliable source and we have no offical date for when YTBNDLMP will launch, but everything else in this thread still stands.

[Captain Andy]

For the people in the back that don't hear well, this is a "RUMOR" thread. Rumor means "a currently circulating story or report of uncertain or doubtful truth." It was never stated as a fact.

Don't bust a vein because you can't read.

[Chief Leaky War Canoe]

Oh there defiantly will be a new AP--- even if it is not a real AP, or anything that resembles a traditional AP. No way Disney is going to scrap those two letters "A" and "P" if they can be convoluted and regurgitated into anything which may be sold to people who just want to be able to say they are "APs".

Disney is big on using secret security titles for their film projects before they are released, so if I was Disney and wanted to come up with a secret security title for a new AP program, I would call it "Magic Beans".

[igmo]

The AP is dead now just like the Electrical Parade was dead in 1997.

[Mr Wiggins]

The AP is dead now just like the Electrical Parade was dead in 1997.

And if anyone wants proof of that, I have a closet full of "Genuine Main Street Electrical Parade Light Bulbs, Only Available Once" ($10 each) to show them.

[jish5555]

I wouldn't be surprised if they release a new ap that's similar to the old with a few slight changes and slightly more expensive. I've brought this up before that Disney's only waiting until they're sure things won't get screwed over, and once they can be comfortable, will bring an ap system back because, again, Disney's a company, and as a company, they want as many bodies in as possible so as to make the real money off food and merch sales.

[SuperHappyCM]

I wouldn't be surprised if they release a new ap that's similar to the old with a few slight changes and slightly more expensive. I've brought this up before that Disney's only waiting until they're sure things won't get screwed over, and once they can be comfortable, will bring an ap system back because, again, Disney's a company, and as a company, they want as many bodies in as possible so as to make the real money off food and merch sales.

Don't think so...

What Chapek said at the Disney Shareholder meeting...

Chapek stated that the per guest spending across the Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders was inconsistent, and the new program aimed to “get an adequate return to our shareholders for the type of experience that we do give to our guests”.
Essentially, Chapek and the company feel that the old program was offering too much at an inadequate price point, and also that spending at times was not strong enough amongst Annual Passholders.
This would indicate that the new programs will have members paying more money for less days of access (and maybe even lesser benefits), although it remains to be seen what all of this will look like once it is actually announced.

And what Chapek said at the JP Morgan Global Technology Conference…

Disney CEO Bob Chapek talked a little bit about some of the technology that has helped the Disney Parks operate safely during the pandemic. In particular, he spoke about two technologies – the Disney Park Pass theme park reservation system and virtual queues.

What D’Amaro had to say…

It should come as no surprise that Disney sees long-term value in the Disney Park Pass reservation system after Josh D’Amaro listed it as a technology that was “here to stay” all the way back in August 2020.

What the Micechat staff had to say…

Disneyland will be able to set the park capacity at whatever they want. However, Disneyland has committed to keeping park reservations for the foreseeable future. That’s VERY good news for guests as it prevents severe overcrowding. Expect capacity to slowly increase until the parks start to feel the pinch (don’t worry, you’ll hear me complaining). Then we’ll likely see Disney begin to play around with efficiency so they can start adding even more capacity here and there. But we don’t expect to see shoulder to shoulder conditions again for a very long time, if ever. The current park President, Ken Potrock, has prioritized guest experience and that means not setting the daily crowd limit to the insane levels of 2019 and before. Don’t worry about Disney’s profit margin either, with guests now gladly paying $154/day for a ticket, Disneyland is now making more money per guest than they ever have. Once capacity increases, this should be a very lucrative 2nd half of the year for Disneyland...perhaps their best ever.

[greenalfonzo]

Putting all APs on reservation will be a huge advantage for Disney. By limiting all levels of AP holder capacity, they will always be able to prioritize and maximize number of day/full price ticket buyers. That's where the real money is.

[Starcade]

Hmmm, July is two weeks away and as of today only 5 days are booked up so far ( mostly around the July 4th weekend ). Most people plan vacations weeks in advance so the tourists and out of state visitors it seems are not as eager to visit as chapek thought. Those willing to spend $154 per day it seems have also had mostly cycled through. The Affinity Program (AP) has been in the cards all along (no pun intended) despite what some have repeated ad nauseam. When I saw July was near fully wide open I knew that line team chapek was holding was about to break. If they think the program will just be a discount card than they will sadly fail as a simple discount card or membership card giving meager discounts will not be enough to move the needle especially if they require you to buy said discount card.

Will it cost more than past AP's? Likely (everything now has a post covid uncharge)

Will it provide as many unlimited days as prior programs? Very Unlikely.

Will all plans require reservations? You Bet.

Everything else is anyones guess.

[TacAlert]

Sounded like he said we will have a new "thing" next month.

[Starcade]

My hearing is pretty shot from playing drums in bands and more concerts than I can remember as a kid but sounded like he said "nope, next month we'll have a new plan" or "nope, next month we'll have a new thing" but I could easily be wrong on this one.

[lemuth0922]

I believe the exchange goes as such:

Jack: Legacy!
CM: Sorry, we don't accept those.
Jack: Whaaat??
CM: Nope, next month we'll have something.

Considering the conversation revolved around a currently void AP, the assumption is to be made that the CM is referring to that "something" being the replacement for the AP program. Why would he mean next month they'll have new entertainment? Or a new parade? Or discounts? Or new merch?

[Captain Andy]

My hearing is pretty shot from playing drums in bands and more concerts than I can remember as a kid but sounded like he said "nope, next month we'll have a new plan" or "nope, next month we'll have a new thing" but I could easily be wrong on this one.

My hearing ain't that great either. The person who runs the podcast had the interaction, and I posted his recollection (and recording) of the conversation. Part of me believes the CM just might be misinformed, but it's still a very curious thing.