Thoughts on ticket price increases?

It infuriates me that people's first though it's a fat cat profit hunger that is stealing your money to line some bank Iger has hidden under the parks.
You are right they are not hiding it in off shore bank accounts. I would be furious if I was a Disney stock holder and I probably am in my 401k, that they are paying their CEO over $45 million. No person is worth that much. He did not build the company. It is not his vision. All of this was here before he got here. That is not even mentioning what the higher ups at all the divisions are making. It is obscene.
 
One thing we are doing for the first time this year is setting up our annual trips to get two annual trips out of one annual pass. Owning DVC lets us do longer stays of around 4 weeks at a time. So if we can get 8 weeks of park entry from one annual $500 pass, I'm okay with that.
 
Actually, I think Disney has already started to respond partially -- just not regarding DVC.

Last Friday, I received an email announcing Florida Resident Discover Disney tickets (as if we didn't know it was there!). Discover Disney is a 4-day, one park per day ticket formerly about $220, and offered recently to DVC for $199-- $159 now for Florida residents. And there is a 3-day, one park per day ticket, formerly about $200 for $139. $60 discounts for both.

So they are raising overall ticket prices, but offering discounts to certain other targeted groups. I haven't done any detailed market research on this, but I'm inclined to believe that Florida residents are more likely to respond to a nice discount like that with a spur of the moment short trip than DVC owners who tend to plan further ahead and take longer trips.

Is this just for FL residents. I didn't receive this
 


All I can do is go with the flow, But to hedge everything, I have Disney stock which typically goes up more than the price increases. So between that, my Disney Visa points of about 800 per year, I can minimize the expenses while eating free.
Then again DS 19 is going to Barcelona for summer school and if DW and I visit him, that's about $5000 for a week. That is a waste.
 
Is this just for FL residents. I didn't receive this
Florida Resident promotion. As far as I know, it has not been offered to anyone else.

Of course, that doesn't mean it won't be offered to other groups. DVC discounts tend to be close to Florida resident deals -- sometimes a little better, sometimes not quite as good.
 
Florida Resident promotion. As far as I know, it has not been offered to anyone else.

Of course, that doesn't mean it won't be offered to other groups. DVC discounts tend to be close to Florida resident deals -- sometimes a little better, sometimes not quite as good.
Thanks I will be on the lookout!!!
 


Except that price gouging is a crime in several states, Florida included. Yes, it's a market demand, but when that market demand takes advantage of certain conditions to the detriment of a local community, it then becomes a crime in some states. Your example of prices rapidly increasing before and after a disaster is by legal definition in some states, Florida included, a crime and is in fact....price gouging.

As I said, economic ignorance is rampant. The fact that they managed to get it codified into law doesn't excuse the ignorance. What the law does is put a ceiling on prices, period. Since when is restricting prices in any way part of a free market? The emotionally charged word "gouging" engenders envy in people and logic goes out the window.

This doesn't apply to Disney tickets of course. No one would state that not going to Disney causes a detriment to society. Demand is high due more to international travel than anything else (although with a strengthening dollar against many currencies, I'll be curious to see how much it continues). Disney is taking advantage of this and pricing a certain population segment out. Do I think it's a good long term strategy... No. Yes, I saw the salary and benefits argument but Disney is making significant profits in its Theme Park division... And that's fine. Every company and person sets their own greed.

Why does it have to be greed that drives profit? In a free market system, you get paid in regard to how much value you provide to the marketplace. Why should there be a cap on that? Does not Disney provide great value to the marketplace?

I think the point you and the people who for some strange reason seem to have a need to defend the price increase for some reason is this... While Disney has the right to do it, doing so makes it harder for many people to experience the joy of a visit to WDW than many of us want others to be able to experience.

I'm guess I'm just pretty flabbergasted by this statement. You really think my intention is to deprive people of "the joy of a visit to WDW"?

You can make a statement of "Figure out how to make more money" but any study of sociology will tell you that's a very simplistic statement. Some groups just have very little ability and opportunity to change their socioeconomic situations. They don't have the access to the education or resources. Individuals from these groups can defy the norm, but ultimately, the group as a whole needs generational change to improve the socioeconomic situation. To some of these groups, making a statement of "Figure out how to make more money" is about the equivalent of saying "Figure out how to win lotto". There may not be a realistic way to do so.

And for those people who are stuck in such situations, they don't have the ability to even travel to WDW let alone pay admission. Your statement therefore is a non sequitur.

My statement was to those who understood what I was saying. To those who have ears to hear, let them hear.

But to offer another point.... You are mistaken. Price increase is not the only way to prevent the parks from being overrun. Offering caps on entry, which Disney does, is actually the only true way to prevent parks from being overrun.

That's just silly. Let's take that to it's natural conclusion. Let's cut the price to the point where everyone can afford a ticket. Disney makes money (a reasonable amount let's not forget) and everyone shows up to the gate for entry. Lo and behold, there isn't enough room for everyone so Disney has to refund their money to try again tomorrow. And tomorrow the same thing happens: tickets are so cheap everyone buys and tries to get in. Perhaps some new people get in but the vast majority will be the same ones that got in the previous day. Eventually people get very mad that they are buying these tickets but can't get into the park and bad feelings promulgate on both sides.

Is that what you really want? Tell half the people that the ticket they bought is worthless?

And since Disney rarely hits these caps, overrun parks is not an issue... Although I concede the term overrun is subjective.

Disney rarely hits these caps because they price their product correctly. They know how many people are likely to buy at every given price point.

Let me be very clear. A scarce resource is by definition a resource that cannot be had by everyone. No matter how much you or anyone else wants to share Disney with everyone in the world, that simply is not possible. The only way to ration access to a scarce resource is by the pricing mechanism. Any other mechanism has been proved a failure throughout history.
 
snip

Let me be very clear. A scarce resource is by definition a resource that cannot be had by everyone. No matter how much you or anyone else wants to share Disney with everyone in the world, that simply is not possible. The only way to ration access to a scarce resource is by the pricing mechanism. Any other mechanism has been proved a failure throughout history.

You are really stretching this with regard to Disney.

The parks are busy but filled to capacity rarely happens. I've been in MK when it was filled to capacity. Moving was extremely difficult. Felt like a sardine. Trying to do rides? Tough. Disney let every single body they could through the gates.

They are not rationing access.
 
You are really stretching this with regard to Disney.

The parks are busy but filled to capacity rarely happens. I've been in MK when it was filled to capacity. Moving was extremely difficult. Felt like a sardine. Trying to do rides? Tough. Disney let every single body they could through the gates.

They are not rationing access.

I'm quite certain they are to a degree. Disney does need to give SOME consideration to balancing price with the quality of the experience.

Consider this: How would your satisfaction level change if the trade-off for cheaper tickets (or lower increases) was larger crowds and longer waits? Would you be equally satisfied if tickets cost half as much, yet the pathways & shops were crowded with twice as many people and attraction & restaurant wait times twice as long?

About three years ago, Annual Pass prices for Disneyland increased in price by something like 30-40% in one year. Disney made it known--either overtly or through back channels--that their goal with the increase was to reduce the number of passholders and thin out the crowds.
 
I'm quite certain they are to a degree. Disney does need to give SOME consideration to balancing price with the quality of the experience.

Consider this: How would your satisfaction level change if the trade-off for cheaper tickets (or lower increases) was larger crowds and longer waits? Would you be equally satisfied if tickets cost half as much, yet the pathways & shops were crowded with twice as many people and attraction & restaurant wait times twice as long?

About three years ago, Annual Pass prices for Disneyland increased in price by something like 30-40% in one year. Disney made it known--either overtly or through back channels--that their goal with the increase was to reduce the number of passholders and thin out the crowds.

They also stopped selling the cheapest Southern CA resident AP's for awhile to keep the crowds down.
 
Actually Eisner got $98 million in his final year so $47 million is just chump change
 
You are really stretching this with regard to Disney.

The parks are busy but filled to capacity rarely happens. I've been in MK when it was filled to capacity. Moving was extremely difficult. Felt like a sardine. Trying to do rides? Tough. Disney let every single body they could through the gates.

They are not rationing access.

Micro vs macro. Your example doesn't mean they aren't rationing access. Sure there are days like this but if they weren't rationing, EVERY day would be like this.

Pricing is an inexact science and it's always safe to err on the low side. Erring on the low side leads to days like this. Since Disney only resets prices once a year, they have to try and predict how much the market will bear and rarely if ever get it exactly right.

But let's say they decided to raise prices $100. Do you think the parks would be less well attended? By how much? How much more would Disney make? How many less tickets would they sell? These and many other questions including how much it costs to run the parks are asked by Disney every year. Given that, it's not hard to see how hard it is to raise prices exactly right. Disney therefore errs on the low side to be as helpful as possible. They still have to raise prices to continue to ration tickets, cover inflation, pay their employees, and make a profit. Everyone hopes they raise prices as little as possible but complaining when it's higher than you like is like tilting at windmills.
 
I have no problem with the price increase. Going to Disney is a luxury not a necessity as some seem to think. For us for the amount of time you can spend in a park and what all you can do, it is still a great entertainment value compared to sporting events, concerts and Broadway shows. I paid over $100 per ticket to see Lion King for a 2.5 hour show.
 
They can charge whatever they want to as long as the market indicates it's OK. Parks are packed, so yeah I guess they are good with the increases.
 
I'm disappointed for folks like my sister who joins me each year, and has always gotten the NE tickets. DH and I use the APs enough to make them worthwhile.
 
Guess it depends on where you live +/or vacation, compared to a night out or a ball game a day at Disney is a bargain, especially on multi day or Ap purchase. Broadway is a couple hundred a person for a couple hours. Go to a football or basketball game $120 or more for a decent seat, baseball is catching up fast. Room rates are comparable to similar hotels in resort areas like Jersey shore. food and drink is the same as I pay downtown at any other restaurant or boardwalk prices counter food.
 
We can't afford our yearly WDW trip this year. Not with a DD in college and all the off campus living expenses that go along with it. We are going to Vero exclusively this year instead of most of our trip being WDW with a few days added on for Vero. We are getting a one bedroom and cooking in the villa. Looks like next year will be the same.
 
Guess it depends on where you live +/or vacation, compared to a night out or a ball game a day at Disney is a bargain, especially on multi day or Ap purchase. Broadway is a couple hundred a person for a couple hours. Go to a football or basketball game $120 or more for a decent seat, baseball is catching up fast. Room rates are comparable to similar hotels in resort areas like Jersey shore. food and drink is the same as I pay downtown at any other restaurant or boardwalk prices counter food.
Yup, priced out Lion King off broadway a few years ago....nope, not if we're going to Disney and not paying $100+ for a 2yo who may or may not sit through it.

Priced out Disney on Ice this year. A family of 4 would cost over $300... going through Groupon!
 
Yup, priced out Lion King off broadway a few years ago....nope, not if we're going to Disney and not paying $100+ for a 2yo who may or may not sit through it.

Priced out Disney on Ice this year. A family of 4 would cost over $300... going through Groupon!

Well, maybe they aren't supposed to tell you - but I've asked before and they've even told me an exact number. Had it happen more than once too.

I must be nicer than you. :-)

Exactly and if you figure it out per hour, Disney World is a much better bargain.
 

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