It's a potentially smart move for a new park — especially one where management is concerned with crowds overwhelming a new park's capacity. Sell too many annual passes and returning visitors paying relatively little for each visit will crowd out the day guests who've paid a top price for their admission. That's not a good way to build strong word-of-mouth promotion from casual visitors.
The downside to this strategy reveals itself when those huge crowds don't show up, and the park is left without a base of annual passholders to keep attractions running, restaurants moving meals and stores selling merchandise. Yet that risk is easily addressed, as a park can begin selling extended passes at any time.
Now that's happening at Shanghai Disneyland. With reports of relatively light attendance at the park following its crowded public opening, Shanghai Disneyland will make seasonal passes available later this month. But, in keeping with the practice of a resort that appears to be operating very conservatively on attendance, the passes will be available for sale online for only one day — and good only through March.
The new Shanghai Disneyland seasonal pass will be available at shdr.alitrip.com on Nov. 11, which is Singles Day in China and the most popular online shopping day in the world, according to the park, thanks to the size of the Chinese market. (Why is Singles Day on that date? Look at it in number form: 11/11. Singles, get it?)
Anyway, the pass will be available in three tiers: an All-Day option, for ¥1,111 (US$164); a Weekday option for ¥811 ($120); and a Sundays-only option for ¥711 ($105). (Notice all those ones in the RMB prices?) For reference, one-day tickets to Shanghai Disneyland now cost ¥370, which is about $54.60, US.
Disney fans in China can start putting down deposits for their Shanghai Disneyland passes on Nov. 1 (which it is already now in China), but they must be paid in full by Nov. 11. Passes take effect the next day, Nov. 12, and are valid through March 31, 2017. Passes will not be honored during the Chinese New Year period, however: Jan. 28 - Feb. 2, 2017.
Guests can buy up to five passes, which can be transferred to anyone before first use, but once presented at the front gate, the pass will be tied to that user via a photo ID. A government ID is required for purchase, according to the park.
Previously from Shanghai Disneyland:
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