Whaddya know The Herr Baron may be right about ticket prices...

[Bstanley]

I just ran across the following pass pricing data on the Thrillmountain website. $ Prices are for an adult one day pass to Disneyland - I'll assume that although the actual prices are different at WDW the percentages probably changed in a similar fashion. The percentages are the increase from the previous year's price followed by the inflation rate from the previous year to that year.

1982: $12.00
1983: $13.00 ( 7.7% : 6.2%)
1984: $14.00 ( 7.1% : 3.2%)
1985: $16.50 (15.2% : 4.3%)
1986: $19.00 (13.2% : 3.6%)
1987: $21.50 (11.6% : 1.9%)
1988: $23.50 ( 8.5% : 3.7%)
1989: $25.50 ( 7.8% : 4.1%)
1990: $27.50 ( 7.3% : 4.8%)
1991: $27.50 ( 0.0% : 5.4%)
1992: $28.75 ( 4.3% : 4.3%)
1993: $30.00 ( 4.2% : 3.0%)
1994: $31.00 ( 3.2% : 3.0%)
1995: $33.00 ( 6.1% : 2.6%)
1996: $34.00 ( 2.9% : 2.8%)
1997: $36.00 ( 5.6% : 3.0%)
1998: $38.00 ( 5.3% : 2.3%)
1999: $38.00 ( 0.0% : 1.6%)
2000: $43.00 (11.6% : 2.2%)
2001: $45.00 ( 4.4% : 3.4%)
2002: $45.00 ( 0.0% : 2.8%)
2003: $47.00 ( 4.3% : 1.6%)

So the biggest increase in pass prices occurred during the first three years of the 'New Regime'.

 

[YoHo]

Not surprising, Eisner has always maintained that the parks were underpriced. what's more telling is the more current numbers. I'm willing to dismiss a percentage point here or there to a discrepancy between inflation and hotel/entertainment inflation which many claim is different, but these last few years where inflation has been low, but ticket prices are up is cornfusing.

 

[KNWVIKING]

Last I read, WDW did not raise prices for 2002-2003 even though US and SW went up $2.00.

Also,inflation and the CPI ARE funny numbers to throw around. The national CPI for Dec 01 thru Nov 02 was 1.58%- very low number. Yet, where I work, our health ins shot up approx 25%, wages increased 3%, SUI up 5%, etc. The cost to operate our business went up many times the rate of inflation or the CPI. Things like gas dropping a few cents,or the price of bread,milk,cloths dropping or remaining the same may keep my personal CPI down, but business are affected differently.

 

[raidermatt]

There shouldn't be any real doubt that Disney park prices were raised faster than could really be justified by looking at any index. The main reason the company was almost a victim of corporate raiders was underutilization of assests. This did not only include the film vault, and real estate, but it also included pricing of the parks and resorts, at least from a market pricing point of view.

The only question is whether each effort to bring something into line with what the market would bear was in the best long term interest of the company. To use an example of something Disney has not done, a case could probably be made that guests would pay a dime, or maybe even a quarter to ride the tram from the parking lot, without a noticeable drop in useage. But just because they CAN charge, doesn't mean its in the best overall interests of the company.

 

[DVC-Landbaron]

Whaddya know The Herr Baron may be right about ticket prices...

Thanks!!!

So the biggest increase in pass prices occurred during the first three years of the 'New Regime'.

I never had a doubt. And now I do hope this is the final word on the subject!!!!*

Not surprising, Eisner has always maintained that the parks were underpriced.

Under priced or such a superb value that it created undying brand loyalty the likes of which no other company has ever enjoyed (as evidenced by this and other Disney dedicated sites, even twenty years after the tremendous price hikes)!!!?? I still maintain that it’s all part of that hard-to-define "Magic" package!!

But just because they CAN charge, doesn't mean its in the best overall interests of the company.

As usual, Sir Matt hits the preverbal nail right on the head!! And in doing so beat me to the punch once again! (This is getting real old, real quick!! I gotta find some way to post during the day!!)




*(see other thread, I have a trophy to hang onto!!)

 

[crusader]

Under priced or such a superb value that it created undying brand loyalty the likes of which no other company has ever enjoyed (as evidenced by this and other Disney dedicated sites, even twenty years after the tremendous price hikes)!!!?? I still maintain that it’s all part of that hard-to-define "Magic" package!!

That loyalty continues to be tested year after year. There is an invisible pull which keeps disney fans coming back for more, when ironically they are getting less. These increased ticket prices are a clear example of that. Inflation is a convienent excuse. And I am impressed at how much "magic" is going for these days.

 

[YoHo]

Under priced or such a superb value that it created undying brand loyalty the likes of which no other company has ever enjoyed (as evidenced by this and other Disney dedicated sites, even twenty years after the tremendous price hikes)!!!??

Lets be quite honest there are thousands of foolish Disney fans that fell in love with the World and its magic after Eisner started hiking the price.


Now don't get me wrong, Gcurling provided us with this exact same data over a year ago, so its not as if its new info. And its entirely reasonable that they drove the price hire then they needed to, but think on this. Walt never came out and said I decree that the cost of Disney WOrld should be X. It could have been magic, or more likely, it could have been some rather dull sharp pencils. Or perhaps some executives with no sense of how much needed to be charged. The people that actually built and doped out the price of the Walt Disney World Resort in 1971 had very little magic in them. That's why Walt didn't like em.