Hugs to all of you DL-goers.
I am in shock that they would end the quests so suddenly. And unfortunately, I'm sure WDW will soon follow suit.
I have to agree with Pink here, I do feel that WDW will eventually follow and suffer the same fate. I will have to really try to enjoy our trip next month as it may be the last time we can get quest cards at WDW as well.
There is a lot of speculation as to the why, but this is a business and a lot of the driving force behind a lot of what they do has to do with payroll dollars and profit margins. I went to DLR in February and while the park itself was incredibly crowded - wall to wall people over President's weekend - when I walked up to the kiosk, I was the only one there. And while they have a really nice set up with the computers inside innoventions, there were only about four or five people on them. And to have to wait in a queque line just to get inside was not fun. Perhaps you will all have something come down the pipeline and it may be better, perhaps not. Still sad all the same.
For those that believe that they are going to lose a lot of business, the truth is that this will not happen. VMK players, just like pin traders are just a huge drop in the bucket when you look at the big picture. Disney's appeal is world wide and VMK players along with various other groups add up to a small percentage of the tons of people who visit the parks each year.
[QUOTEWhat I believe they are overlooking is how many people buy annual passes or regular tickets mainly for VMK purposes. They may be shocked at how much revenue they lose from this.][/QUOTE]
You would be surprised to learn that they actually make LESS money from the AP visitors than they do from the one-time visitors. Most AP guests do not stay on property and tend to purchase less gifts. Those that are there for a vacation, tend to stay on or near property, eat at the restaurants and buy gifts to remember their visits. There is a higher percentage of AP holders at
Disneyland than at WDW and having a chance to speak with some managers at DLR on my last trip, mechandising profits at DLR is considerably less than at WDW.
Several of my friends are managers at WDW, and again, I know that it all revolves about the bottom line. They are paying for castmembers to man these stations at DLR but there is no profit in it. At least at WDW, it is within a shop where merchandise may be purchased, so the same castmembers who hand out the cards, are also ringing up and generating sales. Again, just some speculation here, nothing more.
I am sad for those that attend DLR on a regular basis, but like one poster said, they still live in a wonderful place and DLR still has that special appeal to it.
As for the Magic fading............I have to disagree. I love playing VMK, but I do NOT visit the parks for the sole purpose of getting more cards. I go for the atmosphere, the entertainment, the pure joy of acting like a kid and getting away with it. I go to relive precious memories from my youth and share them with my kids. Should VMK cards end entirely at WDW as well, that will NOT stop me from going each and every year. I went before this game started, I will continue to go even after if they decide to end it all together. There is just so much more to Disney Parks than VMK cards, truly there is.............