$85 for a ticket, these are the glory days!

[rachel09985]

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Hi Rachel! No you were NOT attacking the OP but there are a few here on this thread that are. Sorry for misconstruing my initial reply to you. brunette

Ok, good. I felt bad =)

 

[Mister Skellington]

If your into broadway shows at all, try a price comparison: For $80 you get 2 hours of first class entertainment. The same money at Disney will buy you a whole day of entertainment.
When you think about what you actually receive it is not unreasonable. It is not a cheap outing (especially with the high food cost) but is in line with everything else out there. As long as they keep the quality up, I dont mind paying.

 

[SarahD]

I see you edited your post in response, stupid me forgot to quote the original. I'll rephrase. It's also called supply and demand. When the price gets "too high"--whatever that is--attendance will drop and Disney will stop raising prices too much, if they're smart.

I find it hilarious that someone with I'm guessing little to no experience running a theme park thinks they know what the entrance price point should be.

I'd suggest you work on suggesting reasonable prices for us for health care and college tuition first. Solve those, and I'll start to pay attention to you.

Wow...little hostile. It's just a website about a vacation place.

 

[sparks19]

No one is forced to go to Disney...so complaining about price is a bit silly. If you don't like it, don't go. Just like some of the PP's noted, it is a business and of course it makes decisions to remain profitable...It is a business that I do not mind giving my money too though, so I do. If you're not happy with the price or product, don't buy. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but seriously, you don't have to go, there are plenty of places on earth to visit.

I'm kind of in this camp too.

how many threads do we need about ticket prices? I can think of three right off the top of my head that are active.

If you don't like the price increases... don't go. It's the best way to change things. if people stop spending the money they will do what needs to be done to bring people back to the parks.

I personally don't find the park tickets that outrageous considering you get parades (some of which are expensive to put on), fireworks every night, enough castmembers that you never have to wander around for half a hour trying to find someone that works there just to ask a simple question, stage shows, etc etc. when I compare it to pricing for other amusement parks where you get a fraction of the "entertainment" and a fraction of the park size... I really don't find it that outrageous.

 

[megswdw]

It's funny to me when people coplain about the prices of Disney. We live in the middle of nowhere in nebraska. It costs us about the same whether we go to colorado to ski (you want to see ridiculous prices for food, grab a quick lunch on a mountain, it's easily twice what a disney meal is), go to kansas city for the weekend, or go to Disney. As a matter of fact, i think our last trip to Mt Rushmore cose more than disney if we're not counting the price to get there (flying vs. driving). One big difference is that Disney includes everything except souvenirs in their price, other places nickel and dime you for every activity you want to do. Everytime we go on another trip, i can't help but think we could have had a much more magical time at Disney.

Also, when you compare 1 or 2 day tickets, it's not really a good comparison. After you've been there for 3 days, ticket prices drop to under $10 a day. Pair that with free dining or a room discount and you've got some pretty big savings. The high one and two day tickets just capitalize on the people who don't commit fully to a Disney vacation, but just work disney into a day or two of a vacation. If you're going to try to do it all in one trip, ofmcourse it's going. To be more expennsive.

 

[danny1649]

Will charge what the market will bear

 

[elainesj]

I dn't like the price increase, but it's still good value for my dollar.

Amusement parks typically cost between $30 - $50 a day. If I go someowehere else and do tours/excursions/entertainment, I can also expect to pay about that much per person.

I do agree $80 a day is crazy. When I didn't know any better for my first trip I paid that and only did a quick 2 day trip.

Disney is smart and makes it REALLY more "worth it" to stay longer with MYW tickets. iwas planning a quick 4 day trip before my March Break cruise and I'm pretty sure I'm cancelling that in favor of a 10-12 day WDW trip at the end of August. It's really not "worth it" to go for a few days without an AP and longer trips definitely give you much more bang for your buck.

For a longer trip, everything, food, lodging, and tickets are costing me about $80 per person per day. That's reasonable. My cruise is about the same price (although excursions etc may still bump that price up) so it's pretty on par with other vacation opportunities.

For a day at our local amusement park I would probably end up spending per person:
$25 for food ($30+ if eating at TS style places)
$30 for tickets (on sale somewhere)
$25 for lodging (1/4 of a $100 hotel)

So there's $80 already....and it's NOT WDW! (I Much much much prefer WDW)

So no, I don't think disney has reached the limits on their price increases...sad to say

 

[mesaboy2]

For further clarification, this forum was not meant as a complaint (although re-reading it I feel I could have worded it better), as much as it was to see how fellow DISers felt about price hikes (also to let those who protest for lower ticket prices know that it probably won't happen). Disney has been an avid part of my life, and a place I enjoy going to and will continue to enjoy going to. This was simply a response to complaints I have heard across the Internet. I enjoy hearing everyone's opinions for I think it broadens not only mine but all of ours. I just ask we all respect each other. Thanks! Have a great day!

Prices go up--its that simple. Inflation is a general indicator of those prices going up across a broad spectrum of the economy. Some go up faster than others, some slower--see my earlier references to health care and tuition, two things that have increased far faster than Disney ticket prices, are far more expensive, and far more important in the grand scheme of things.

I apologize for coming across as disrespectful or hostile, but when you mention specific dollar amounts then I'm going to call you out on that. I want to know how you came up with those numbers. Is it based on some projections based on inflation, on maintaining a profit for investors, what it would be if andyman8 ran the place, or something else? It's a discussion board, right?

And Kumbaya and Like and all that stuff too.

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Hi Rachel! No you were NOT attacking the OP but there are a few here on this thread that are. Sorry for misconstruing my initial reply to you. brunette

Just go ahead and say my name.

Wow...little hostile. It's just a website about a vacation place.

See above. In my opinion, the OP's original "complaint"--to use his own term--came across as a simplistic explanation for price increases, and then offered a couple of hard price points that he thought it should be. That kind of logic runs counter to the economic concept of supply-and-demand and one that I think works pretty well.

And for the record, I don't like price increases at Disney just as much as the next person. When I don't like them enough, I'll stop buying Disney tickets--or Universal Tickets or cruises or hotel stays in the Ozarks or electronics or fancy cars.

 

[LaurenT]

The current pricing structure rewards lengthy stays and keeps people from going to both WDW and universal during the same trip. Why go to universal on day 5 when it will only cost $8 to go repeat your faves at WDW?
If you stay for a week, or get an annual pass, you're not paying anywhere near $85 per day.
And even if you were,an entire day in Disney for 85 is a much better deal than a 2 hour broadway show for 150!

 

[KSDisneyDad]

OP-

I agree whole heartedly. Ticket prices are increasing much faster than the rate of inflation. It's funny that Universal used to have the 99.00 a day ticket PLUS get one day FREE. Disney never did that. Here's a link that gathers the ticket pricing data from WDW vs inflation..............

http://www.studioscentral.com/column/jentasmic/wdw-ticket-prices-vs-inflation

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Universal tickets are discounted more than Disney. They are now priced at $120 for a 2 DAY TICKET for an adult PLUS $150 coupon book for discounts on their various restaurants PLUS some of their restaurants KIDS EAT FREE. That is my comparison. People are saying that Disney is going up the same as inflation which is not true. Disney is a business yes, I'm all for Capitalism, but there will soon be a breaking point for Disney in my humble opinion.

Not sure why the OP has to be attacked for posting HIS opinion.

Universal's ticket pricing link.

http://www.universalorlando.com/Theme-Park-Tickets/General-Admission.aspx

To paraphrase: universal was offering cheap tickets at $50 per day to try to steal away a few guests from Disney pre-wwohp. Now they raised prices $10 a day and still have to offer discounts on dining to try to compete. Their ticket prices jumped more than inflation too.

Disney tickets are just a part of the overall package for most guests. Disney offers free tickets to kids at times. They offer various resort discounts too. It doesn't make sense for them to discount to tickets as that would encourage guests to stay off-site. Overall, our per day Disney cost has not increased dramatically since 2000 given all the resort discounts.

 

[larryz]

Not sure why the OP has to be attacked for posting HIS opinion.

Looks like someone didn't like being smacked with facts...

other posters have said it -- Disney's one-day price is designed to make you want to buy multiple-day passes, making you more likely to come into the parks and buy more food, more souvenirs, and more trinkets for the kiddies.

 

[DeaverTex]

I will agree that Disney prices aren't out of line with other similar types of operations, meaning other full-fledged theme parks. What they offer may be more valuable than the others, but only if you love all things Disney. Otherwise, they're all competing for the exact same tourist dollar.

People are always going to complain about prices going up, so telling them not to is like telling a cat not to hawk up furballs. But right now, I think that the reason that there are so many threads on these forums about prices is twofold:

1. The overall cost of a Disney trip is very high when compared to the "average American's" budget. Simple fact. You can say that it compares favorably to cruise, or to a ski trip, or to a resort in Acapulco, or to a week in England, but you know what? Most people will never be able to afford any of those things either.

2. People are seeing their cost of living go up steadily without any corresponding increase in income. Every time a price goes up, it means something else has to give. A cell phone plan is downgraded, a repair doesn't get done, less goes into savings or retirement, trips to the doctor are postponed or cancelled -- eventually there is nothing left but food and shelter. There are already an alarming number of people at that point, you know. (Think of your local school budget.) Disney isn't essential for life. No, really, it isn't. When it's pay the rent for 6 months or take a week trip to WDW, and it is literally either/or, well...

It's not just Disney that needs to understand that the American public is losing buying power with every passing year. As long as people come in the gates in sufficient numbers and spend sufficient dollars to provide a good profit to the shareholders and bonuses to the executives, prices will continue to climb. And remember that if you DO decide to vote with your feet, the first thing that will happen -- not pointing a finger at Disney here, because it's pretty much a given across the business world these days -- the FIRST thing that will be done to make up for the lost income will be to lay off employees and cut expenses, because that ALWAYS works and because it brings immediate results.

Oops... now we're getting the "is Disney going downhill" territory. Sorry, I didn't mean to thread hop.

 

[disnut8]

And using the one-day ticket is not accurate. Most people use multi-day tickets. A five-day adult base ticket is only $50.20 per day.

And yes, think about it. Can you really find enough different things to do at Universal to have you get a five day pass? I don't think so. You can barely do enough of the four theme parks at Disney World to get everything you have on your "to do" list in five days. And that's where all those discounts or whatever that Universal offers for two days come into play at Disney World. Five day passes drop in price. My son is going in January with us and I had him only get six day passes because if he can do the seventh day, it will cost him $8/person. So why aren't we talking about $8/day tickets? Why focus on the one day passes?

 

[torinsmom]

Forget Acapulco or skiing in Colorado, I can do Disney just as cheap as going to the beach for a week. Let me add that I live only 3 hours from my favorite beach, right here in NC. Even a house on the second row will cost $1400/week on average. Food for two is easily $100 day, then you add in the aquarium, miniature golf, water slide and go carts, which adds at least $150. So, not counting gas or souvenirs, you're looking at around $1700 for just me and my son.

At Disney, I can rent a condo offsite for $500/week. I could PL a hotel for even cheaper, but I prefer a house. Regular price 7 day tickets are $284.36 each, so $570. That's a little more than $40/day, BTW. $100/day for food is doable for the two of us. So, again not counting souvenirs or gas, you're looking at around $1200. Now, I tend to go during the YES individual enrollment times, and tickets are more like $160 each, so my total tends to be less. Last year, we added Universal APs and still came close to what we would have spent for a week at the beach.

 

[CatelynnMarie]

i also think it has to do with the current economic status here in the US. prices for food, gas, etc.. go up, so will prices of things they are selling. they need to make a quota as well. it's not just disney wanting to wash people out of their money, just whats happening in the world.

 

[glammadiva]

I like Cheshire Figment's response. I imagine a big chunk of $$ goes to employee costs. Living expenses for CMs keep going up too. If they got paid what they are worth, no one could afford the tickets!!! And no, I am not a CM!!!!!

 

[kerplop]

I didn't know anyone went for one day, unless they had an AP.

 

[Alye]

I didn't know anyone went for one day, unless they had an AP.

I've known some fellow floridians to only go to the magic kingdom for one day, skipped wishes, referred to the MK as Disneyland and thought Epcot was a hotel.

And there are multiple families like that.

 

[duffy]

I've known some fellow floridians to only go to the magic kingdom for one day, skipped wishes, referred to the MK as Disneyland and thought Epcot was a hotel.

And there are multiple families like that.

Yup, I've known families that only consider the Magic Kingdom to be Disney World. They go to Florida to visit relatives, and maybe go to the Magic Kingdom for a day...and complain about how expensive it is.

Back to the original post, it's really a non-issue, as far as I'm concerned. If prices go up so high that attendance drops, well, then Disney will drop prices to bring in more people. It's called supply and demand.

And if I really, really REALLY want to go, well, I'll go.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

the only thing that CAN do something is Disney's biggest competitor Universal. If they kept their prices the same, while Disney raised theirs than more people would want to visit them, and suddenly Disney would notice that they are loosing significant amounts of people to Universal, but that is yet to happen.

It doesn't happen because Sea World, Universal and Disney keep very close tabs on one another. No one dares to raise their prices...until one finally does and that is the green light for others to do the same.

HOWEVER--you will notice that multi-day tickets and AP's to Disney are much more expensive than for Sea World or Universal. We even did the Sea World Florida Resident "pay one day and go the rest of the year for free". We went the first day. And then later in the year we went again. We stayed half a day and then went over to Disney with our active Florida Resident Seasonal passes.

Disney knows they won't lose a significant amount of people by upping the price a dollar or two or three. It's the classic Frog in the boiling pot of water...

The single day ticket---may actually be priced as such to DISCOURAGE a one day purchase. I know that we balk at paying for 1 day and won't. Especially now that we are no longer Florida residents. It just doesn't make good fiscal sense. Disney knows that if you balk at 1 day, you will be more likely to purchase the multi-day passes.

Anyway--there is little hope that the competitors will wise up--much like in airfare price increases. If they can get away with it, they will follow suit. And we all continue buying.