Disneyland fans right about Disneyland execs greed

I understand the need to cut down on crowds. Being there this past Saturday, I was certain that capacity closures would be hitting any minute. They didn't, but on the other side of that, I couldn't walk anywhere in the park and ended up leaving earlier than planned because it was so miserable. IF the price hikes actually help crowds, great. I don't think they will though. I think the majority of people who buy a pass for $750 will just go ahead and spend an extra $100 or $200 because when you're talking prices that high, if you can afford it as is, and especially if it's available on a payment plan, the amount difference isn't much. So, yes, greed does come into play in the back of my mind. Especially when you consider that a quarter of the park is going to be blocked off and/or closed for construction and there won't be any new rides or attractions for a while, so the value for the money paid goes down a bit. I had already decided not to renew our APs and to go with one longer trip every year instead now that we're paying for my entire family of 5. While I'm sure I'll go through withdrawals, the prices are out of control. I think Disney's hope is that there will be a lot of people like me, sort of on the fence, who decide not to renew at all. Only time will tell though. I can say for sure though that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter/Universal, Legoland, and even Knott's are about to get a lot more business from my family.
 
I just don't understand how the average family could afford to pay over $1k each for an annual pass it just seems crazy to me (and I love DL from afar in Australia and brought my kids last year and used the 10 day Aussie pass). But as said in the previous post there must be plenty of people who can afford it and if that keen yes they will pay the extra $300. My mind boggles at the pricing.
 
I feel for families and the costs associated with a visit.
So much stress already involved with simply planning
to get the most out of a visit.
 


There is no doubt that Disneyland is an expensive vacation. So are many other entertainment choices. When you look at the value that you get for the price of a ticket, it seems like a good deal to me. You get all day entertainment like rides, shows, music, fireworks, etc. That is not cheap to do well, and Disney does it well!

Now on to AP's. They seem to me to be a great bargain, even with the price increases, when you compare them with the cost of tickets. I'm surprised they don't charge even more! They could, and I think that would be fair considering the cost of their regular tickets.

That being said, I have never had an AP, despite the fact that it would be a dream come true. We have been fortunate to visit the parks probably a dozen times as the kids were growing up. Wonderful, magical visits. Expensive, but manageable. Could we have afforded multiple trips a year with AP's? We could have swung it, but we were more concerned with saving for college! That is a choice we made.

Not everyone can afford Disneyland. Not everyone can afford college! People make choices with their money. But I don't think Disney raising the prices of their AP's make them greedy. They run an amazing park that many people want to go to, and their prices while expensive also seem fair,
 
As much as I adore Disneyland and have so many happy memories tied to it, I must accept that the greed is real :scared::rolleyes:. However, Disney is a corporation like any other and the bottom line is $$$. At the end of the day, I don't think the big wigs really care about hurting the feelings of some fans (maybe I'm wrong?) because there are plenty others willing to take their place.

My family and I have chosen to save the nearly $3K we would spend on annual passes and use the money to go on a vacation each year from now on. I'm not faulting Disney for inflating their prices. Do I wish Disney was more affordable? Heck yeah! But at the end of the day, they are within their rights and honestly, they will have no problems filling their parks, even as their prices keep climbing.

I have to accept that my visiting patterns must change. We'll visit Disneyland only once a year now, for the Mickey's Halloween Party (which I still think is a very good deal for 8 hours in the park + free parking + decent crowds).

It was good while it lasted anyway! :cool1:
 
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I mean lets say you buy the signature plus pass and live local enough to be able to go when you please. It has a two week black out from the 19th through new years eve. It is $849. If you are buying that pass and say go 2 times each month (seems incredibly low for a local who would buy the 2nd most expensive pass) you end up at $35.38 a day. Now say you are like the average teenage DL AP holder and go 1 time a week. Your cost is down to $16.33 a trip and you are going 4 times a month. Still once a week is kind of low. I know people who lived in LA and would go every other day after work. Let's say that averages out to 3 times a week. At that point you are at $5.44 a trip. That is an incredible savings.

If you aren't local and only make a couple trips a year then the AP isn't worth it for your family. You can get a 4 day ticket for $220 bucks. You need to make between 3 and 4 trips with 4 day tickets to break even and make a savings with the AP so if you aren't doing that it is much more cost effective to just buy regular tickets.

I think one issue is people don't look at their use vs. cost when they buy the AP. They figure they must be saving. We have priced it out several times based on when and how we travel and so far haven't come up with an average year where we break even on the APs at the moment. The only year we should have probably bought one was the year we made 5 trips (WDW not DL) but we got a lot of CM maingate tickets that year so ended up not paying anyways.
 
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First, execs answer to share holders. They have to bring investors maximum value. And have you seen the price of Disney stock lately? If i buy some, I better be getting a good return.

Second, more and more people are buying APs and the parks are feeling crowded because of it. Instead of someone like me buying 5 day passes every 12-18 months, I bought APs and came what will be about 25 different days. If all AP holders do that, the parks will get packed. So with all this demand and the supply (space at the parks) finite, economies of scale dictate a price increase. Is the price increase steep? Oh yeah. But it will get the desired effect. I won't buy APs for sure, so I won't be packing the park other than the weeks we choose each year to go there.

As far as "greed" goes, we all try to find a way to make more money. I'm trying to get more money from my company all the time. Why? Not because I'm greedy. Because I want to have more for vacations, more for college funds, more to give to my church, and more to keep the wolf outside my door.
 
GatorChris said:
As far as "greed" goes, we all try to find a way to make more money. I'm trying to get more money from my company all the time. Why? Not because I'm greedy. Because I want to have more for vacations, more for college funds, more to give to my church, and more to keep the wolf outside my door.
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This is exactly how I feel about it.
 
I guess I always viewed the annual pass as one of those things that always was quite expensive and, just like most things, gets more expensive over time. Yes I get that going from $700 something to just over $1K is a big increase but averaged over a year it really isn't that much. I guess, right or wrong, I figure if you could afford to shell out $700+ you can shell out $1K.
 
OneThree said:
I guess I always viewed the annual pass as one of those things that always was quite expensive and, just like most things, gets more expensive over time. Yes I get that going from $700 something to just over $1K is a big increase but averaged over a year it really isn't that much. I guess, right or wrong, I figure if you could afford to shell out $700+ you can shell out $1K.
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Except when you have more people to buy for. So that extra $300 is all of a sudden an extra $1500. That's not easy to swallow.
 
Butterfly123 said:
Now on to AP's. They seem to me to be a great bargain, even with the price increases, when you compare them with the cost of tickets. I'm surprised they don't charge even more! They could, and I think that would be fair considering the cost of their regular tickets.
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The APs really are a good deal. I was trying to explain this to my mother, but she doesn't get it. She said why don't you just buy tickets each year and go once a year. Essentially our idea is buying Deluxe APs every other year or so. To us that means we can go once per year for a better deal, but she didn't understand it...

Cost for 2 adult and 2 child 5-day park hoppers (at current prices) $1228.
Cost for 4 Deluxe APs is $2396.

She says you're paying twice as much. I say no, because it is the cost of 2 annual trips. $1228 X 2 years = $2456. And that would assume the price of the 5-day hoppers didn't increase from one year to the next, which they always do.

Add to that the Deluxe APs have 10% discounts on most food and 15% discount on most merchandise. And, because we do live within a long drive, we can technically go more than the two times. It really is a good deal if you can go for two vacations in the 365 days.
 
agamble said:
The APs really are a good deal. I was trying to explain this to my mother, but she doesn't get it. She said why don't you just buy tickets each year and go once a year. Essentially our idea is buying Deluxe APs every other year or so. To us that means we can go once per year for a better deal, but she didn't understand it...

Cost for 2 adult and 2 child 5-day park hoppers (at current prices) $1228.
Cost for 4 Deluxe APs is $2396.

She says you're paying twice as much. I say no, because it is the cost of 2 annual trips. $1228 X 2 years = $2456. And that would assume the price of the 5-day hoppers didn't increase from one year to the next, which they always do.

Add to that the Deluxe APs have 10% discounts on most food and 15% discount on most merchandise. And, because we do live within a long drive, we can technically go more than the two times. It really is a good deal if you can go for two vacations in the 365 days.
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We're doing the same thing this year. We bought Deluxe AP's (at the old rate) and will get two yearly trips out of them.
We end up saving $400+ and that doesn't include the discounts on food and junk.
Now at the new rate I'm not so sure it makes sense for us. The savings will be much smaller and we have to take into account the fact that we have no early morning entry with AP's.
 
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Disneyland is not a necessity, it is a luxury. Let's start with that.

I don't like the new prices, obviously. But Disney is a business and if there is demand...

I will renew when the time comes (and I am sure the prices will be even higher, as mine expire until Oct '16) because it is still a good value (time we spend/number of visits) for us. Plus, the crowds will be less for the looks of it.
 
Disneyland's attendance has increased every year, in spite of skyrocketing ticket prices. People are attending because the product is so phenomenal. There is SO much to do and experience at the Disneyland Resort parks! Demand is so phenomenal that the walkways are overflowing with people, navigation between lands is crowded, wait times are high, parking structures are often maxing out. All of these problems contribute to diminishing customer satisfaction. Guests complaints about being miserable are growing louder and more frequent. How can Disney fix the crowd problem? They can either make the parks less magical so people won't come, or they can increase ticket and Annual Pass prices to the point where fewer people can afford unlimited access to a premium vacation destination.

The perception that Disneyland should be accessible at any and all moments was never the point of an Annual Pass. APs were originally offered to help fill days when tourist traffic was historically low. But the popularity of both the AP *and* the fan base of the Disney Parks has evolved into something that has turned a premium vacation destination into a place people frequent after school or work. Maybe Disney execs are right to use financial tactics to scale back premium AP membership. Yes! They want to solve the complaints arising over crowding issue! They want that top tier membership to shrink! They want AP members, but they want them to have blackout dates! Maybe consumer expectations should be adjusted and more people should perceive Disneyland and DCA as a premium vacation destination and visit less often with limited APs, in return making each future visit an experience more special. (dons flame suit)

I don't think that Legoland, Knott's, or Universal offers amazing weekend fireworks like Disneyland, or shows and parades that rival Fantasmic! and Paint the Night, or the sheer number of rides and attractions accessible to the ticket holder and Annual Pass holder. People can do Universal in a day or two, but it takes at least five days to really experience Disneyland and DCA. All those other parks are neat and exciting, but they are nowhere near the same caliber as the Disneyland Resort.

In the past and into the future, we guests are getting our money's worth. Disney Parks has invested back into the park system with Carsland, DCA, new parades, World of Color, and plans to expand with Star Wars and Marvel. Disney IS investing in its company and its parks, even if we grouse about how we have to pay for it. I don't *want* to pay more, but in the end I'm willing to pay more if it keeps improving the park experience.
 
Kittyskyfish said:
Disneyland's attendance has increased every year, in spite of skyrocketing ticket prices. People are attending because the product is so phenomenal. There is SO much to do and experience at the Disneyland Resort parks! Demand is so phenomenal that the walkways are overflowing with people, navigation between lands is crowded, wait times are high, parking structures are often maxing out. All of these problems contribute to diminishing customer satisfaction. Guests complaints about being miserable are growing louder and more frequent. How can Disney fix the crowd problem? They can either make the parks less magical so people won't come, or they can increase ticket and Annual Pass prices to the point where fewer people can afford unlimited access to a premium vacation destination.

The perception that Disneyland should be accessible at any and all moments was never the point of an Annual Pass. APs were originally offered to help fill days when tourist traffic was historically low. But the popularity of both the AP *and* the fan base of the Disney Parks has evolved into something that has turned a premium vacation destination into a place people frequent after school or work. Maybe Disney execs are right to use financial tactics to scale back premium AP membership. Yes! They want to solve the complaints arising over crowding issue! They want that top tier membership to shrink! They want AP members, but they want them to have blackout dates! Maybe consumer expectations should be adjusted and more people should perceive Disneyland and DCA as a premium vacation destination and visit less often with limited APs, in return making each future visit an experience more special. (dons flame suit)

I don't think that Legoland, Knott's, or Universal offers amazing weekend fireworks like Disneyland, or shows and parades that rival Fantasmic! and Paint the Night, or the sheer number of rides and attractions accessible to the ticket holder and Annual Pass holder. People can do Universal in a day or two, but it takes at least five days to really experience Disneyland and DCA. All those other parks are neat and exciting, but they are nowhere near the same caliber as the Disneyland Resort.

In the past and into the future, we guests are getting our money's worth. Disney Parks has invested back into the park system with Carsland, DCA, new parades, World of Color, and plans to expand with Star Wars and Marvel. Disney IS investing in its company and its parks, even if we grouse about how we have to pay for it. I don't *want* to pay more, but in the end I'm willing to pay more if it keeps improving the park experience.
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I really agree with what you've said here. I have nothing against those who frequent the parks on a whim, I am an AP holder myself, but I do think that Disney wants to change the perception that some locals have of the parks. Instead of it being an after-school/work hangout, they want it to be a special family day. I think you summed it up nicely with the phrase "premium vacation destination." I can see how, in their eyes (not saying this is how I feel), having so many local APs who come just to hang out for a couple of hours actually cheapens the Disneyland image, while at the same time making crowds worse for all parkgoers, which lessens the total experience. It makes complete sense that they would want to make a shift towards the parks being viewed as a true resort that you visit on special occasions, not an everyday thing.

Whether I agree with this logic or not, to be honest I see this benefiting us all in the long run. Will I renew my AP when it expires? Probably not. However, I was already considering not renewing because my latest experiences have been less than magical. The crowds are frustrating at the best times, and unbearable at the worst of times. I have definitely felt this thing that used to be a minor annoyance growing into a focus on some trips. Just try to walk anywhere around DLR in the evenings, with people arriving/waiting/leaving various nighttime entertainment, and it becomes clear how unsustainable and frankly unsafe the crowd levels are. This move can hopefully help to alleviate some of that.

This means that I, as well as many others, will be able to visit DLR less within the span of a year. I will likely only go once a year instead of the multiple trips I have done this year. On the one hand, I feel sad about not being able to be there more often, but on the other hand, if the visits I do have are less crowded and more magical, then I think that is a fair trade-off.

And frankly, I think that regardless of crowd levels or other factors, forcing myself to go less often makes the trips I take more magical for me anyway. When I was growing up we went about once every two years, and each trip was something really special that I looked forward to for months. Now that I have gone more often this year, there is less buildup, less anticipation, less "specialness" associated with each trip, just because they are so frequent. Something rare is more valuable, and I find that this has applied to my Disney trips as well. And I think that's what Disney wants to maintain. I mean, that's the whole point of the "Disney vault" concept, right? They want to apply the same logic to their parks.
 
I think you have to consider what the product is worth, based on the demand.
With attendance increasing every year, and with the cost of new rides, shows, more cast to accommodate the increased masses, they really put our hard earned money to work. If Disney was never improving or even maintaining the park, there would be less demand. With less demand , lower prices.
So, I would rather pay higher prices for an awesome park. I want to be wowed every time I go. I'm not looking for an affordable vacation, I'm looking for a memorable one, worth the price tag.
The demand is certainly there, and considering as others have stated, the monthly payment plan is so affordable that if we lived close enough we would absolutely spend the extra money to get the premium passes.
 
Kittyskyfish said:
People are attending because the product is so phenomenal
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Kittyskyfish I couldn't agree with you more. In fact, I'm sure most of us would pay even more to be able to access less crowded times or have "front of the line" passes. They increase because the demand demands it :)!
 
Kittyskyfish said:
I don't think that Legoland, Knott's, or Universal offers amazing weekend fireworks like Disneyland, or shows and parades that rival Fantasmic! and Paint the Night, or the sheer number of rides and attractions accessible to the ticket holder and Annual Pass holder. People can do Universal in a day or two, but it takes at least five days to really experience Disneyland and DCA. All those other parks are neat and exciting, but they are nowhere near the same caliber as the Disneyland Resort.
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THIS!!! People are complaining and saying they will buy passes for these other parks instead, but the other parks are not the same and do not offer the same!!! And as for Universal, well all of their current passes expire in February and you can't buy a new one! Know why???? Because they are going to jack their prices up when HP opens!!! I wonder if people will be complaining about that???

I am sick of people who don't even have AP's complaining about the price increase! How does it even affect you if you don't have an AP???? I have friends on FB who have been complaining since this happened and none of them have been to Disneyland in years!!!!

I understand DL is an expensive vacation for most families, but what isn't? We did a weekend trip to Monterey over the summer and it cost us a small fortune for just one night at a hotel and two days in Monterey! I'd love to go to Paris or Autralia, but I can't afford that. Do I complain about it constantly? NO! I vacation where I can afford to vacation!!!
 
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