Disney Grad Nites Returning in 2017?

[Nick]

There's a new rumor that has surfaced that seems to have some traction to it where Grad Nites will be returning to WDW in 2017... but not where you think.

Typhoon Lagoon.

"We’re always looking for ways to help Guests celebrate their special milestones, and we know our Guests like to celebrate their high school graduation at Walt Disney World Resort. With this in mind, we are reimagining a rite-of-passage event and introducing a new way for high school seniors to celebrate their achievements with friends and classmates.

Beginning with the class of 2017, Disney Grad Nite H2O will debut at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park on select Friday nights in April. Themed as a beach party, this special ticketed event will feature Disney characters, food and beverage, music, DJ entertainment and dance parties, along with the water park’s fun attractions."

Just asking for trouble being at a water park if you ask me, but Disney definitely lost money by backing out of Grad Nights 5 years ago.

 

[Viator]

There's a new rumor that has surfaced that seems to have some traction to it where Grad Nites will be returning to WDW in 2017... but not where you think.

Typhoon Lagoon.

"We’re always looking for ways to help Guests celebrate their special milestones, and we know our Guests like to celebrate their high school graduation at Walt Disney World Resort. With this in mind, we are reimagining a rite-of-passage event and introducing a new way for high school seniors to celebrate their achievements with friends and classmates.

Beginning with the class of 2017, Disney Grad Nite H2O will debut at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park on select Friday nights in April. Themed as a beach party, this special ticketed event will feature Disney characters, food and beverage, music, DJ entertainment and dance parties, along with the water park’s fun attractions."

Just asking for trouble being at a water park if you ask me, but Disney definitely lost money by backing out of Grad Nights 5 years ago.

...is it sad that'd i'd say that HWS would be much better for Grad Nite apposed..to a Waterpark?

 

[UNIrd]

...is it sad that'd i'd say that HWS would be much better for Grad Nite apposed..to a Waterpark?

Didn't they move it to DHS for one year before calling it quits?

 

[Nick]

...is it sad that'd i'd say that HWS would be much better for Grad Nite apposed..to a Waterpark?

CMs have always been super stressed during NoJ and Grad Nites in the past. I can't imagine the stress the lifeguards will feel, especially since many of the attendees will likely pre-game before going into the park.

I do disagree though that DHS would be better though with how poor of shape it's in. With Pandora open next year, throw it over at DAK lol.

Didn't they move it to DHS for one year before calling it quits?

They moved it to DHS in 2009 and 2010. Back to MK in 2011, which was it's last year.

 

[UNIrd]

I would think DHS would work too but then I think about it and it'd literally just be TOT, RNRC, TSM, Star Tours, and then dance party, after dance party, after dance party...

 

[Friar Tuck & Roll]

The biggest complaint when Night of Joy was at DHS was lack of attractions. I honestly think that Typhoon Lagoon may have DHS beat in number of attractions. What I notice about the Grad Nite post is no mention of national music acts, only DJs. (then again the acts at my Grad Nite were the Rembrants and PM Dawn so it might not be that big of a loss)

 

[s8film40]

Wow, not sure that's a good idea. Disney seems to be really having a hard time to figure out what to do with Grad Night. To me either have it at MK or do nothing at all.

 

[Nick]

Wow, not sure that's a good idea. Disney seems to be really having a hard time to figure out what to do with Grad Night. To me either have it at MK or do nothing at all.

The reasoning for moving it to TL is completely monetary imo. They get to keep MK open and also utilize a park that would usually be closed for profit.

That said, I don't think they are thinking how hard this will be on ops, it's purely a money grab (and i'm not surprised either, seeing Disney is trying to find more and more ways for upcharge events these days).

 

[s8film40]

The reasoning for moving it to TL is completely monetary imo. They get to keep MK open and also utilize a park that would usually be closed for profit.

That said, I don't think they are thinking how hard this will be on ops, it's purely a money grab (and i'm not surprised either, seeing Disney is trying to find more and more ways for upcharge events these days).

Yeah it definitely makes sense on that level, but knowing how these events go a water park actually seems pretty dangerous. I'm thinking the people making this decision have never seen a Grad Night before.

 

[IzzyB]

Yeah it definitely makes sense on that level, but knowing how these events go a water park actually seems pretty dangerous. I'm thinking the people making this decision have never seen a Grad Night before.

I am starting to believe the high up people don't visit the parks or do any real on hands research. It is all accounting books and blue prints. It sounds like that happened with the Frozen ride and a lot of their other decisions like After hours event and now this. Some bean counter or some high up manager that was an engineer 10 years ago are doing these things and not actually visiting or talking with people before making these decisions.

But this is very common in many places. When was the last time your bosses, boss talked to you? Never the less your bosses, bosses, boss.

I did an internship at this one company when I was in college. It was an old Westinghouse division that broke off into its own company. They couldn't figure out why their truck loading times were so poor that they were missing their shipping deadlines every night. So I was talking to my manager and asked if they had actually talked to the workers doing the job, the answer was no and that if I wanted to waste my time doing that I could since I had already finished my project I was hired for in way less time than they expected. So I went out and talked to them and discovered that they were being slowed down because the forklifts were consistently crossing each other. Because the packing lanes didn't match up with the track bays. So I got a map of the warehouse packing stations and truck bays and came up with a way to re-configure the warehouse system so that the packing lanes matched up as close as possible to the truck bays. So the FL shipments were all where the truck that picked up the FL stuff was sitting at. They implemented it and they were not only finishing on time, but way early. They ended up taking my plan and talking to the other warehouses across the country to do the same thing with those ones. A simple 2 hour conversation with the workers fixed a problem they had been having for over a year. It never crossed the managers or the executive workers to do such a simple thing.

 

[UK-Trigg]

Sounds like a knee jerk reaction to a certain Volcano, maybe they feel they will loose custom and this is a way to keep some revenue.

 

[Nick]

Yeah it definitely makes sense on that level, but knowing how these events go a water park actually seems pretty dangerous. I'm thinking the people making this decision have never seen a Grad Night before.

Exactly. Even Night of Joy gets crazy and that's a Christian Event.

I did the very last Grad Nite in 2011 and it was seeing MK as i've never seen it before.

 

[IzzyB]

Exactly. Even Night of Joy gets crazy and that's a Christian Event.

I did the very last Grad Nite in 2011 and it was seeing MK as i've never seen it before.

How does Universal do with Grad Nites? You would think they would have the same issues.

 

[Nick]

How does Universal do with Grad Nites? You would think they would have the same issues.

They do. It's also not necessarily that profitable when you consider all the crap they have to deal with.

 

[Mad Dog]

I would imagine it's more a marketing strategy with Universal. That's one of their prime demographic groups and they can get some brand loyalty out of them for the future. The profit is more what Universal will receive in the future from that guest rather than what they make off of them for that day.

 

[epcyclopedia]

The middle schoolers are worse than the high schoolers. The consensus is that high schoolers are just dumb, whereas the middle schoolers are malicious.

And from everything I've heard, the Christian events are the absolute worst. Some statistic like the highest number of arrests for shoplifting in the Magic Kingdom.

I can't imagine these in a water park. Surely someone is going to drown.

 

[Mad Dog]

The middle schoolers are worse than the high schoolers. The consensus is that high schoolers are just dumb, whereas the middle schoolers are malicious.

And from everything I've heard, the Christian events are the absolute worst. Some statistic like the highest number of arrests for shoplifting in the Magic Kingdom.

I can't imagine these in a water park. Surely someone is going to drown.

Yeah, we've heard from a number of Universal employees, on the forum, that they dread working during the Sept. Christian Music Festival, and that's the most rowdy group they encounter.

 

[Nick]

I can't imagine these in a water park. Surely someone is going to drown.

That's my thought too. A lot of people pre-game their way into these events or sneak pot in. Anyone who is drunk/high in a deep pool is simply a danger to themselves.

Also, let me be clear: i'm not against people doing any of this stuff most times... but at a private event where it will surely be an operational nightmare (just see Night of Joy for reference) is where I have an issue. Disney is thinking about strictly money, not ops.

 

[epcyclopedia]

Plus poor swimmers under the influence of peer pressure... Plus the usual antics. Dunking someone, never mind a legit fight breaking out.

 

[epcyclopedia]

Oh, and you have issues with the teens running off to bone in the bushes at s theme park?

Quick, put them in bath suits and then throw them in the water where they can't really be monitored below the shoulders.