Park Bloggin’
RIGHT: Breakfast in the Sky at Morey’s Piers
Upcharge this! R
In a Park Bloggin' special, Dr Jack Samuels examines
the scope and nature of the “enhanced experiences” now available to park
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guests, and their potential as revenue earners for attractions operators
Several
up-charge opportunities could be created at your park, not only to increase your offering but also add to the bottom line. Why not offer an enhanced experience of their own for the employee that comes up with the best idea?
BELOW: Walt Disney World’s Tomorrowland cabanas
ecently I read a blog entitled New Ways You're Getting Upcharged at Walt Disney World (
bit.ly/2iTBL5p). The title sounded like consumers
were getting ripped off, but in reality it was just about the added options guests could purchase to enhance their experience at the famous Florida resort. If people have a choice and it does not interfere with
other guests' experiences then such offerings seem quite acceptable within the realm of customer service. When they do interfere, it is harder to justify. Several years back I wrote how, with the exception of Disney’s Fast Pass, expedited line type experiences (virtual queuing or paid queue jumping depending on your outlook), take something away from other guests who do not chose to pay the price. The experiences and enhancements explained in the blog
referred to do not take away anything from the guest who chooses not to participate. They do, however, provide extra revenue for those operators that offer them. These types of services can be defined using three categories, which I will discuss as follows.
Convenience Enhancements These would include common ones such as preferred parking and virtual queuing/line privileges including those in theme parks and check-ins at hotels and airlines for frequent users. Disney now offers several new services including: A new express bus service between parks that enables
users to go directly into (not outside the gate where you need to hassle the security thing, get to the gate etc) another park. The service is $15 for single day use or $24 for multi- day ticket holders. There has always been a free water taxi rom the Grand Floridian Resort to the Magic Kingdom, but now Disney is offering a private water taxi service that will take you to other Disney water accessible locations such as the Wilderness Lodge and Contemporary Resort. It's $20 one- way for up to 10 passengers. Not a bad deal if you are a large group and in a hurry to get to your destination with the extra pleasantry of not having to go with the crowds! Who knows what else will appear?
General Participatory Experiences This category that has endless possibilities. Commonplace are VIP tours of parks and attractions, but there is also considerable potential when it come to offering bespoke dining experiences. Morey’s Piers in Wildwood, New Jersey, offers a
leisurely way to start your day with 'Breakfast in the Sky' on its Ferris wheel. For $95 + tax, two friends or a couple can take their pick from a menu prepared by Morey's executive chef Wally Jurusz as they sit back in one of the ride's open-air gondolas and take in the views of the Jersey shore. Two years ago I reported on the mini Ferris wheel at Milan Expo where you ordered your food when your car was at
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Increasing revenue through enhanced experiences and services
the bottom and after two rotations it was delivered to you! The Dinner in the Sky concept offered by the Belgian
company of the same name, where a specially-equipped table with chairs is hoisted by a crane over a city or other stunning landscape, has been providing memorable meals at high altitude for the past decade. Meanwhile Walt Disney World's Highway in the Sky Progressive Dinner uses the resort's monorail system to provide a meal on the move, starting and finishing at the Contemporary Resort hotel. Adding brief shows or experiences during a dining
experience is another option. Several years back I was dining in a restaurant where all of a sudden the waiter created a thunderstorm complete with lightning effects, running around spraying us with a water bottle. Pretty simple, but crazily memorable! Showcased recently at IAAPA Attractions Expo, The Producers Group and Premier Rides propose taking things to the next level with their Extraordinary Voyages concept, a restaurant on a motion base with immersive media content that surrounds diners as they sit at their table. Cabanas have been a popular revenue raising
opportunity with waterpark operators for some time, but now 'dry' parks are getting in on the act too, although the $649 (+ tax) offering introduced in November at Tomorrowland in Disney's Magic Kingdom was perhaps a little too pricey for guests given that it was due to be withdrawn this month.
Guest Immersion Experiences Here perhaps is the category that offers the greatest number of opportunities. Ten years ago I was in a restaurant in Interlaken, Switzerland, when the chef had already gone home. We only wanted chocolate fondue, so were invited into the kitchen to prepare it ourselves. At an educators' conference at Walt Disney World we took on various roles around the resort including helping to run an attraction, working at a guest services desk, and helping in the kitchen. These were all very memorable experiences.
Similar up-charge opportunities could be created at your park, not only to increase your offering but also add to the bottom line. Look at Sea World’s Discovery Cove in Orlando, which is basically an entire day based on premium experiences! Brainstorm with your staff. Why not offer an enhanced experience of their own for the employee or employees that come up with the best idea?
Dr Samuels has written over 150 articles for the amusement, theme park and entertainment industries. He provides diverse consulting services in general marketing and market research, facility development, customer service, safety, crowd, and event management and promotional activities programming such as birthday parties. He can be reached at
samuelsj@mail.montclair.edu
FEBRUARY 2017
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