Waiting two hours in line to buy plastic cup at Disney

[briesas]

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-hc-disneyland-beauty-beast-pirates-20170320-story.html

[slugline]

“It's about teaching young girls to stand up for themselves,” she said. “It's like, 'I want to be smart.' Be smart. Don't be ashamed.”

This is simply the best.

Smart ones will just wait about a year and find one in a garage sale. And the very smart ones -- well. they know that they really don't need another cup.

[Just Joe]

OMG! Are real people getting more like the WALL-E people or what??? Its a plastic cup with pictures on it! -sigh-

[briesas]

But the biggest thing is that you have already paid to get in the park, so it's not really only $13. The cost of the cup should be added to your ticket price, parking price(if any), food prices for the day and any other expenses acquired during your visit.  So that $13 cup is really $84.56(guesstimate). Crazy.

My current favorite guilty pleasure is reading the DIS boards budget board -- and mentally mocking people for doing things like pulling equity out of their homes to go on spendy vacations connected to Disney (apparently there are cruises and time shares and all manner of things beyond the parks), or going into debt to get annual passes for their family. So yes, this  ^^^^ . Crazy !

[I'm a red panda]

Disneyland is still often a "locals park", so ticket price is kinda moot. It's just time and the expense of the cup for season ticket holders.

[briesas]

It's $500-600 for an annual pass per person, I think? And $13 for a plastic cup.  Seems like the very definition of un-mustachian. Although I can't decide if 'feeling like a princess while you drink pink lemonade' is awesome or just crazy for an adult.

[TheGrimSqueaker]

It's $500-600 for an annual pass per person, I think? And $13 for a plastic cup.  Seems like the very definition of un-mustachian. Although I can't decide if 'feeling like a princess while you drink pink lemonade' is awesome or just crazy for an adult.

Well, if they use it every Saturday for a year it would only cost them $10-$12 per visit. A person who goes to a movie once a week will generally spend more than that. For a person who lives in the area, it could be worth doing. I hear locals get a better deal, something like $459 for Disneyland.

Meanwhile, if there are free refills for that princess cup, using it to get pink lemonade all year long becomes cheaper than buying and bringing your own bottled water.

[Villanelle]

But the biggest thing is that you have already paid to get in the park, so it's not really only $13. The cost of the cup should be added to your ticket price, parking price(if any), food prices for the day and any other expenses acquired during your visit.  So that $13 cup is really $84.56(guesstimate). Crazy.

My current favorite guilty pleasure is reading the DIS boards budget board -- and mentally mocking people for doing things like pulling equity out of their homes to go on spendy vacations connected to Disney (apparently there are cruises and time shares and all manner of things beyond the parks), or going into debt to get annual passes for their family. So yes, this  ^^^^ . Crazy !

My sister and her husband have a Disney time share.  They actually just upgraded it because they can sell their poitns at a profit.  I don't fully understand how it works, but I guess trips are paid for by points, with different level of hotel (or whatever) costing different points.  Those how own time shares get a certain number of points per year, and there are different levels of membership.  You can also buy and sell points on the open market.  (The person who checks in the the hotel need not be Mr. or Mrs. Timeshare.)  So if Susie wants to go stay at a Disney resort for a week, it would be cheaper for her in many cases to buy points from a timeshare holder than it would be to just book a reservation.  But for the timeshare owner, it costs less to buy 100 more points than she can get selling those 100 points to Susie. 

(Note, I'm not arguing that a Disney timeshare is a money maker, or is mustachian in any way.  I just thought that was pretty interesting.  Sister, who isn't mustachian but also probably has no non-mortgage debt and has retirement savings so she's not the average American either and is generally pretty fiscally moderate in most things as far as I can tell, has found a way to offset some of their annual Disney spending.)

I grew up about 20 minutes from DLand.  Having annual passes was pretty common, but they were much cheaper then, even considering inflation.  It actually ended up probably saving money for a lot of teens, because on a rainy Sunday or a Wednesday after school or college, you could head to Disney for free, rather than doing all the other things teens tend to do that cost money (like seeing a movie or getting pregnant :lol).  We never bought $13 cups though.  Or anything else, most of the time.

[briesas]

Well, if they use it every Saturday for a year it would only cost them $10-$12 per visit. A person who goes to a movie once a week will generally spend more than that. For a person who lives in the area, it could be worth doing. I hear locals get a better deal, something like $459 for Disneyland.

Good Point. That would be a fair bit of fun, what with all the fireworks and parades, as well as the rides.

Meanwhile, if there are free refills for that princess cup, using it to get pink lemonade all year long becomes cheaper than buying and bringing your own bottled water.

Still un-mustachian. Health is subverted by pink lemonade every weekend, as is efficiency -- BYO bottle of water and skip the refill lines and the sugar. Happiness, though, maybe. Especially since one might feel like a princess :) Now reselling the cups for $50 a piece,  as apparently people initially did. That's badass.

My sister and her husband have a Disney time share.  They actually just upgraded it because they can sell their poitns at a profit.  I don't fully understand how it works, but I guess trips are paid for by points, with different level of hotel (or whatever) costing different points.  Those how own time shares get a certain number of points per year, and there are different levels of membership.  You can also buy and sell points on the open market.  (The person who checks in the the hotel need not be Mr. or Mrs. Timeshare.)  So if Susie wants to go stay at a Disney resort for a week, it would be cheaper for her in many cases to buy points from a timeshare holder than it would be to just book a reservation.  But for the timeshare owner, it costs less to buy 100 more points than she can get selling those 100 points to Susie

Mystery from the DIS boards solved. I hadn't figured out the points, though there is a lot of chatter about them. There are a fair number of people, it seems, who love all Disney, all the time -- kudos to them for figuring out how to make it work. I had a friend of a friend in the last place I lived (Indiana) who took his five kids 2x a year to the Disney parks in Florida, and went with his wife on separate anniversary trips. I had thought he was something of an anomaly, but it seems like it's a thing somehow -- brand loyalty to Disney, in a sense.

[TheGrimSqueaker]

Meanwhile, if there are free refills for that princess cup, using it to get pink lemonade all year long becomes cheaper than buying and bringing your own bottled water.

Still un-mustachian. Health is subverted by pink lemonade every weekend, as is efficiency -- BYO bottle of water and skip the refill lines and the sugar. Happiness, though, maybe. Especially since one might feel like a princess :) Now reselling the cups for $50 a piece,  as apparently people initially did. That's badass.

The sugar water might not be entirely bad: a person who wanders around the House of Mouse often enough is going to wear out some pedometers. One could also fill the cup with water or iced tea.

[Villanelle]

Well, if they use it every Saturday for a year it would only cost them $10-$12 per visit. A person who goes to a movie once a week will generally spend more than that. For a person who lives in the area, it could be worth doing. I hear locals get a better deal, something like $459 for Disneyland.

Good Point. That would be a fair bit of fun, what with all the fireworks and parades, as well as the rides.

Meanwhile, if there are free refills for that princess cup, using it to get pink lemonade all year long becomes cheaper than buying and bringing your own bottled water.

Still un-mustachian. Health is subverted by pink lemonade every weekend, as is efficiency -- BYO bottle of water and skip the refill lines and the sugar. Happiness, though, maybe. Especially since one might feel like a princess :) Now reselling the cups for $50 a piece,  as apparently people initially did. That's badass.

My sister and her husband have a Disney time share.  They actually just upgraded it because they can sell their poitns at a profit.  I don't fully understand how it works, but I guess trips are paid for by points, with different level of hotel (or whatever) costing different points.  Those how own time shares get a certain number of points per year, and there are different levels of membership.  You can also buy and sell points on the open market.  (The person who checks in the the hotel need not be Mr. or Mrs. Timeshare.)  So if Susie wants to go stay at a Disney resort for a week, it would be cheaper for her in many cases to buy points from a timeshare holder than it would be to just book a reservation.  But for the timeshare owner, it costs less to buy 100 more points than she can get selling those 100 points to Susie

Mystery from the DIS boards solved. I hadn't figured out the points, though there is a lot of chatter about them. There are a fair number of people, it seems, who love all Disney, all the time -- kudos to them for figuring out how to make it work. I had a friend of a friend in the last place I lived (Indiana) who took his five kids 2x a year to the Disney parks in Florida, and went with his wife on separate anniversary trips. I had thought he was something of an anomaly, but it seems like it's a thing somehow -- brand loyalty to Disney, in a sense.

Glad I could help.  It's actually pretty complex, and that only scratches the surface.  At one point, Husband and I were considering a Disney cruise, and remembering what my sister had said about points, I called her to see what it would cost.  She said that buying points for a cruise is almost always a terrible deal, but buying them for a hotel stay is almost always cheaper.  There are all sorts of complications, but my take away is that if we ever decide to stay in a Disney hotel for some reason, I need to at least look into points and compare.  (The way the reservations need to me made is also complicated.  Something about the Timeshare owner needing to be the one to make the reservation, or something.)

[I'm a red panda]

Disneyland is still often a "locals park", so ticket price is kinda moot. It's just time and the expense of the cup for season ticket holders.

$97 for a One-Day pass.

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/destinations/disneyland/

That was a 2 minute search, I'm positive you can find them cheaper but I'm just going off their site. I don't care to search more ;)

You missed the point of my post. Sure, some tourists pay the day rate, but unlike Disney World, most people at Disneyland are locals, not tourists. They regularly stop in just for a few hours. People going for this cup are not paying $97 to do so.

[I'm a red panda]

"Just a bit outside..."
Yes, I completely missed the point. My apologies.

I still think the cup is completely stupid, and waiting for it crazy. But no different than camping out at the Apple store or something.

My SIL regularly stops by Disneyland just to get a Dole Whip on the way home!

[Just Joe]

"Just a bit outside..."
Yes, I completely missed the point. My apologies.

I still think the cup is completely stupid, and waiting for it crazy. But no different than camping out at the Apple store or something.

My SIL regularly stops by Disneyland just to get a Dole Whip on the way home!

I don't know what that entails - is it like stopping by a mall to buy food - i.e. huge parking lot (that you might need to pay to park in) and a long walk inside, etc.? For the trouble I'd be motivated to make my own at home.

[paddedhat]

Don't know if land is much different than world, but the mouse has put a lot of effort into marginalizing season ticket holders in FL. We have retired relatives who are such addicts that they moved to a nice town 1/2 hour from the park, just to get more use out of their passes. Every year they complain bitterly of how many additional changes are there to drain the wallets of local pass holders. Like to watch the parade at one of the parks? You used to be able to stand on the sidewalk for free. Now you make a diner reservation, pay for a hellaciously expensive meal, and get an assigned seat for the temporary bleachers taking up most of the parade route. Between these types of never ending changes, the magic band billion dollar cluster-f, and other issues, our relatives did what a lot of other FL. residents did, and stopped buying the passes  a few years ago. When you can't get on major attraction since magic band holders booked them solid weeks before, can't do a lot of things you previously enjoyed since they have been monetized, and are asked to pay $5-600 for a pass that just gets you in the gate to empty your wallet, being a local isn't what it once was.

[Khaetra]

Don't know if land is much different than world, but the mouse has put a lot of effort into marginalizing season ticket holders in FL. We have retired relatives who are such addicts that they moved to a nice town 1/2 hour from the park, just to get more use out of their passes. Every year they complain bitterly of how many additional changes are there to drain the wallets of local pass holders. Like to watch the parade at one of the parks? You used to be able to stand on the sidewalk for free. Now you make a diner reservation, pay for a hellaciously expensive meal, and get an assigned seat for the temporary bleachers taking up most of the parade route. Between these types of never ending changes, the magic band billion dollar cluster-f, and other issues, our relatives did what a lot of other FL. residents did, and stopped buying the passes  a few years ago. When you can't get on major attraction since magic band holders booked them solid weeks before, can't do a lot of things you previously enjoyed since they have been monetized, and are asked to pay $5-600 for a pass that just gets you in the gate to empty your wallet, being a local isn't what it once was.

+1.  Haven't been in a couple years and I have no desire to go back.  I hate the fact that you now have to make food reservations six months in advance (I have a hard enough time figuring out what I want for lunch today, never mind six months from now!), lines are horribly long and food prices themselves are so expensive it makes me cringe to even look at the menus.

Speaking of food, the DIS Boards just kill me when I see and exchange like this: "My kid is 10 and a picky eater (Disney considers 10 to be an adult), which buffets (which cost between $30-$60 per person) have nuggets/mac and cheese?".  Paying that much for your kid to eat a few nuggets or mac and cheese just...jeez.

[honeybbq]

You can still stand on the sidewalk for free and watch the parade... though usually the sidewalk space fills up an hour or so before the parade...........

[StarBright]

My sister and her husband have a Disney time share.  They actually just upgraded it because they can sell their poitns at a profit.  I don't fully understand how it works, but I guess trips are paid for by points, with different level of hotel (or whatever) costing different points.  Those how own time shares get a certain number of points per year, and there are different levels of membership.  You can also buy and sell points on the open market.  (The person who checks in the the hotel need not be Mr. or Mrs. Timeshare.)  So if Susie wants to go stay at a Disney resort for a week, it would be cheaper for her in many cases to buy points from a timeshare holder than it would be to just book a reservation.  But for the timeshare owner, it costs less to buy 100 more points than she can get selling those 100 points to Susie. 

My parents bought into the Disney time share almost 20 years ago and they do the same thing on years when they don't take trips there. They end up covering a few years of annual fees whenever they rent them out. I think if you actually like multiple trips to Disney it is the least worst timeshare option out there :)

[FIT_Goat]

$146.20

$146.20 a month is what my Disney annual passes cost (me, my wife, and my son).  It's actually more, if you count the initial upfront cost from several years ago.  I forget what it was, because my wife paid it.

$4.81 a day.  If I spent $4.81 a day at Starbucks, you would think I was crazy and blowing my retirement.  Sure, it works out to $11-$12 a week, per person.  That's like going to the movies each weekend! Except that we wouldn't go to the movies each weekend.  It costs too darn much.  I only go the the movies when we have at least one ticket free from donating blood.  Actually, I prefer to wait until I have two free tickets and we leave the kid at home and make it an adult's night.  It's true, I can sometimes be a little cheap.

I hate the tickets.  I don't hate Disney.  It can be fun.  But, those tickets represent a huge, burning, pile of money to me.  When my wife and I started dating, she already had annual passes for her and her son.  I refused to get my own.  When things got serious, and she moved in, she insisted on getting me an annual pass.  I fought it.  I didn't want to pay for it.  She got it for me anyway, because I wouldn't be able to go on the family trips to Disney without it.  Now that we're married, it's part of our household budget.  There are no plans for it to go away.  It's important to her, it's "affordable" with our income.  We could be retired sooner, without it, but it's worth it to my wife.

Disney is a dangerous money trap, though.  Even with free parking and 10-20% off at all the stores, it is easy to waste inordinate amounts of money at Disney.  I've never waited two hours in line to buy a plastic cup, but I have a fair amount of Disney cups in the cupboard.  We try and do it cheap.  We bring our own food, or eat outside the park.  We don't buy things, on most trips.  It can be good exercise.  I won't get the boy out hiking 8+ miles on a normal Saturday.  But, we can get that distance in at Disney.

[WhiteTrashCash]

I used to waste lots of money on crap like cups with licensed characters on them. When I came down off Hillbilly Mountain, though, I got a lesson in just how little I needed for eating: one mug I got as a souvenir at a Las Vegas casino, one plate given to me by a co-worker at a previous job, one set of cheap silverware I bought for nearly nothing at Target. Then I washed them after every meal I made in the kitchen I shared with two strangers in the apartment I found on Craigslist. Makes you reevaluate your priorities when you realize exactly how little you need to survive.

[Villanelle]

Don't know if land is much different than world, but the mouse has put a lot of effort into marginalizing season ticket holders in FL. We have retired relatives who are such addicts that they moved to a nice town 1/2 hour from the park, just to get more use out of their passes. Every year they complain bitterly of how many additional changes are there to drain the wallets of local pass holders. Like to watch the parade at one of the parks? You used to be able to stand on the sidewalk for free. Now you make a diner reservation, pay for a hellaciously expensive meal, and get an assigned seat for the temporary bleachers taking up most of the parade route. Between these types of never ending changes, the magic band billion dollar cluster-f, and other issues, our relatives did what a lot of other FL. residents did, and stopped buying the passes  a few years ago. When you can't get on major attraction since magic band holders booked them solid weeks before, can't do a lot of things you previously enjoyed since they have been monetized, and are asked to pay $5-600 for a pass that just gets you in the gate to empty your wallet, being a local isn't what it once was.

I haven't been to World in several decades.   But Land has always been much more of a locals park than World.  I am very skeptical that you can't watch a parade for free at World.  I'm sure there are options to pay for things that allow you better views or less time camped on the sidewalk, but I'd be pretty surprised if you must spend money in order to view a parade.  But Land is certainly not like that.  Land does not have Magic Bands.  They have regular old Fastpass, for day-of tickets.  I think if you stay in a Disney property you get to enter the park an hour early, which give you an opportunity to snag at least one Fastpass and go on a ride or two before the crowds.  It really is a much better park not only for locals, but for those less obsessed with planning every detail and making sure they see 100% of the things on Their List.  Yes, you might not get to have lunch with Cinderella and you may miss a few of the lesser rides, but you aren't on a strict schedule that you had to make 6 months out, either.  The parks in Toyko are the same way.  Day-of-Fastpass, and a Magic Hour for hotel guests.  I'm sure there are lunches and dinners you can pre-book, but I've never bothered.  I've even brought my own food (left in a backpack in a locker). 

[Chris22]

Don't know if land is much different than world, but the mouse has put a lot of effort into marginalizing season ticket holders in FL. We have retired relatives who are such addicts that they moved to a nice town 1/2 hour from the park, just to get more use out of their passes. Every year they complain bitterly of how many additional changes are there to drain the wallets of local pass holders. Like to watch the parade at one of the parks? You used to be able to stand on the sidewalk for free. Now you make a diner reservation, pay for a hellaciously expensive meal, and get an assigned seat for the temporary bleachers taking up most of the parade route. Between these types of never ending changes, the magic band billion dollar cluster-f, and other issues, our relatives did what a lot of other FL. residents did, and stopped buying the passes  a few years ago. When you can't get on major attraction since magic band holders booked them solid weeks before, can't do a lot of things you previously enjoyed since they have been monetized, and are asked to pay $5-600 for a pass that just gets you in the gate to empty your wallet, being a local isn't what it once was.

I haven't been to World in several decades.   But Land has always been much more of a locals park than World.  I am very skeptical that you can't watch a parade for free at World.  I'm sure there are options to pay for things that allow you better views or less time camped on the sidewalk, but I'd be pretty surprised if you must spend money in order to view a parade.  But Land is certainly not like that.  Land does not have Magic Bands.  They have regular old Fastpass, for day-of tickets.  I think if you stay in a Disney property you get to enter the park an hour early, which give you an opportunity to snag at least one Fastpass and go on a ride or two before the crowds.  It really is a much better park not only for locals, but for those less obsessed with planning every detail and making sure they see 100% of the things on Their List. Yes, you might not get to have lunch with Cinderella and you may miss a few of the lesser rides, but you aren't on a strict schedule that you had to make 6 months out, either.  The parks in Toyko are the same way.  Day-of-Fastpass, and a Magic Hour for hotel guests.  I'm sure there are lunches and dinners you can pre-book, but I've never bothered.  I've even brought my own food (left in a backpack in a locker).

We're starting to have the "should we go to Disney" talk, and that's my biggest stumbling block.  I HATE being on a schedule on vacation.  I don't want to watch the clock and stress about where I have to be at what time.  I also think the idea of paying a small fortune and burning PTO to take my daughter to Disney and then having to drag her past, say, It's a Small World that she suddenly spotted and wants to go on because we have a reservation at Pirates of the Caribbean would be just the worst. 

[StarBright]

We're starting to have the "should we go to Disney" talk, and that's my biggest stumbling block.  I HATE being on a schedule on vacation.  I don't want to watch the clock and stress about where I have to be at what time.  I also think the idea of paying a small fortune and burning PTO to take my daughter to Disney and then having to drag her past, say, It's a Small World that she suddenly spotted and wants to go on because we have a reservation at Pirates of the Caribbean would be just the worst.

FWIW - reservations are an hour long window so unless you go at a super busy season you can probably still hop on IASM and then hit your reservation towards the end of your window period. We made the trip in December with a 3 and 5 year old and it worked out very well and the reservations were actually great because the little ones aren't so good at standing in line.

[Chris22]

We're starting to have the "should we go to Disney" talk, and that's my biggest stumbling block.  I HATE being on a schedule on vacation.  I don't want to watch the clock and stress about where I have to be at what time.  I also think the idea of paying a small fortune and burning PTO to take my daughter to Disney and then having to drag her past, say, It's a Small World that she suddenly spotted and wants to go on because we have a reservation at Pirates of the Caribbean would be just the worst.

FWIW - reservations are an hour long window so unless you go at a super busy season you can probably still hop on IASM and then hit your reservation towards the end of your window period. We made the trip in December with a 3 and 5 year old and it worked out very well and the reservations were actually great because the little ones aren't so good at standing in line.

Thanks, that's good to know.