Am I the only one that cringes at ticket prices?

[poeticdiabetic]

I know, I know, I know... Harry Potter's coming.

But this is just my big issue: I will be going on two Florida vacations this year: One later this month and one in September. In September, we're doing the Disney cruise and spending a few days at WDW. Later this year, we were thinking about spending a couple of days at US/IOA. Perhaps 3 days.

We went twice to US/IOA last year. We were in the parks 5 days one trip and 2 days the other trip. We paid $89.99 per person for all of those days. We planned on going to US/IOA for only 2 or 3 days, but we will have to spend more than that. See, there's something about "Spending more for less days" that gets to me. It's a hurdle that is difficult to overcome.

Now I know that there's going to be a few more rides but $139 compared to $89.99... and for less days? For us, that's $200 more for our family for 5 days less riding time! Does Harry Potter justify that jump in price? (I used the $89.99 Costco card 3 month pass last year.)

Part of the novelty of US/IOA is that it's almost insanely less expensive than WDW. We will probably still go, but part of that appeal is gone. And if we go there and HP isn't as big a deal as other rides, then we will not be back until they bring the prices back down.

Oh, and here's my thought: have someone checked to see if the hotels at US have filled up around June/July time frame? Has anyone checked to see if tickets have been selling like hotcakes? This is a huge gamble!

Whew! Good venting... now I guess I will go and spend the money now.

 

[Singinglizzie]

I agree with you, no one wants to spend more for less , but I guess they have to re-coup all the money they spent to make the Harry Potter World. I wonder what it cost them in the end? I just wish we had bought our tickets last year for the $99 special. Looks like it will be almost $135 per person this year, and yet we will pay the price since we all want to see WWOHP! I guess we could show them and not go !

 

[damo]

I look at it differently. I feel that we got an absolute steal of a deal for many years with those prices. We've been saying for the past year here on the boards to buy the passes because the rates were surely going to change.

If the crowds aren't coming in, there will be some deals. I don't anticipate that happening for a bit. The people who have never been to Universal aren't going to view these prices as high because they are used to Disney pricing. My niece and husband went to Orlando for a bit of their honeymoon and couldn't believe that they could get Universal for $99 after what they were paying at Disney.

I've checked hotel vacancy for weekends in June and July. Pickings are very slim.

 

[keishashadow]

I know, I know, I know... Harry Potter's coming.

But this is just my big issue:I will be going on two Florida vacations this year: One later this month and one in September. In September, we're doing the Disney cruise and spending a few days at WDW. Later this year, we were thinking about spending a couple of days at US/IOA. Perhaps 3 days.

We went twice to US/IOA last year. We were in the parks 5 days one trip and 2 days the other trip. We paid $89.99 per person for all of those days. We planned on going to US/IOA for only 2 or 3 days, but we will have to spend more than that. See, there's something about "Spending more for less days" that gets to me. It's a hurdle that is difficult to overcome.

Now I know that there's going to be a few more rides but $139 compared to $89.99... and for less days? For us, that's $200 more for our family for 5 days less riding time! Does Harry Potter justify that jump in price? (I used the $89.99 Costco card 3 month pass last year.)

Part of the novelty of US/IOA is that it's almost insanely less expensive than WDW. We will probably still go, but part of that appeal is gone. And if we go there and HP isn't as big a deal as other rides, then we will not be back until they bring the prices back down.

Oh, and here's my thought: have someone checked to see if the hotels at US have filled up around June/July time frame? Has anyone checked to see if tickets have been selling like hotcakes? This is a huge gamble!

Whew! Good venting... now I guess I will go and spend the money now.

at least you got to enjoy 'that appeal'!

as much as i'd like it, U isn't in the entertainment business to subsidize cheap trips. They have stockholders to appease & i'd like to think they'll use their increased profits from the tix prices to make the park even betterglad i have a handful of the $70 AAA tix stockpiled

Perhaps you'll want to keep an eye out for a U annual pass offer or consider the power pass? Currently, less than $140 with minimal blackout dates...think of it as less than cost of 2 days' worth of tix @ WDW...not sure if non FL res can still purchase though?

fyi - if you've already purchased your tix, U has typically allowed upgrades @ the gate to whatever, good luck

 

[mjohnson96]

Perhaps you'll want to keep an eye out for a U annual pass offer or consider the power pass? Currently, less than $140 with minimal blackout dates...think of it as less than cost of 2 days' worth of tix @ WDW...not sure if non FL res can still purchase though?

Non Fl Residents cannot purchase the Power Pass anymore, nor can they get a Fl Resident to do it for them. You can still buy an AP, and if you plan on going back or if you want to stay onsite sometimes it is a better deal than paying AAA or rack rate for your hotel and then buy tickets.

 

[damo]

Non Fl Residents cannot purchase the Power Pass anymore, nor can they get a Fl Resident to do it for them. You can still buy an AP, and if you plan on going back or if you want to stay onsite sometimes it is a better deal than paying AAA or rack rate for your hotel and then buy tickets.

Non FL residents have purchased the power pass at the parks. Don't know if this is was just temporary but it has been recently reported.

 

[mjohnson96]

Non FL residents have purchased the power pass at the parks. Don't know if this is was just temporary but it has been recently reported.

That is good to know, we got lucky and was able to get the PP for the rest of my family here in Kansas before they changed the policy. I made sure they put a note on record that it is okay for them to use them even though they are non Fl. residents. I don't need an AP pass for everyone else, one is enough

 

[Metro West]

I don't need an AP pass for everyone else, one is enough

But you realize the Power Pass doesn't have any discounts associated with it...don't you? No free parking and no park discounts on food or merchandise. You should consider getting a Preferred AP so you can take advantage of the discounts.

 

[damo]

But you realize the Power Pass doesn't have any discounts associated with it...don't you? No free parking and no park discounts on food or merchandise. You should consider getting a Preferred AP so you can take advantage of the discounts.

I think that is what she means by ``one is enough`` One person in the family has a preferred pass and everyone else has the power pass.

 

[donaldduck352]

But you realize the Power Pass doesn't have any discounts associated with it...don't you? No free parking and no park discounts on food or merchandise. You should consider getting a Preferred AP so you can take advantage of the discounts.

To add to that it cost $75 less to renew per year.Well so far as long as they don't raise this also.

 

[ppony]

I don't know if I'm missing something but I just today looked at the base ticket price for one day and nearly choked. Honestly, I don't want to go. It's my husband and oldest son that want to go. I don't feel like paying about $200 for me and my toddler (newly 3 then) to just stand around because I don't like most of the rides there and my toddler will have limited interest there. The only reason we did venture off of WDW property in the past was because it wasn't overly expensive to do so. Now???? If the employees over there made is a somewhat similar experience, then maybe, but I hate being harassed to buy timeshares (or whatever those sales people wandering around were hocking) and the employees were almost always sullen. More per day at IOA than WDW??? I don't think so. Not for us anyway. I wish I had bought an 8 day WDW ticket rather than a 7 day. I wonder if I can add on.
In short, I agree w/ you OP. It may have been cheap for a long time, BUT IMO, the draw isn't there for US to pay more to go.

 

[Purseval]

I don't know if I'm missing something but I just today looked at the base ticket price for one day and nearly choked. Honestly, I don't want to go. It's my husband and oldest son that want to go. I don't feel like paying about $200 for me and my toddler (newly 3 then) to just stand around because I don't like most of the rides there and my toddler will have limited interest there. The only reason we did venture off of WDW property in the past was because it wasn't overly expensive to do so. Now????

Well, if it makes you feel better, we haven't bought ticket to WDW since they switched over to that "Magic Your Way" scam where they charge even more than Universal then try and get you to "save" money by buying more days than you really need, adding park hopping, paying for tickets that don't expire when it used to be that all tickets never expired (for free), etc., etc., etc. So your "value" is basically the same ripoff you are complaining about now, only it happened a lot sooner at WDW.

We still go to WDW only we get our tickets from those timeshare sellers. They annoy us for a little while then give us exactly the value we used to expect from Disney. On the bright side, at least WDW doesn't charge you hundreds of dollars to print your name on a brick nobody looks at anymore.

 

[donaldduck352]

Well, if it makes you feel better, we haven't bought ticket to WDW since they switched over to that "Magic Your Way" scam where they charge even more than Universal then try and get you to "save" money by buying more days than you really need, adding park hopping, paying for tickets that don't expire when it used to be that all tickets never expired (for free), etc., etc., etc. So your "value" is basically the same ripoff you are complaining about now, only it happened a lot sooner at WDW.

We still go to WDW only we get our tickets from those timeshare sellers. They annoy us for a little while then give us exactly the value we used to expect from Disney. On the bright side, at least WDW doesn't charge you hundreds of dollars to print your name on a brick nobody looks at anymore.

How true!!

 

[ppony]

Well, if it makes you feel better, we haven't bought ticket to WDW since they switched over to that "Magic Your Way" scam where they charge even more than Universal then try and get you to "save" money by buying more days than you really need, adding park hopping, paying for tickets that don't expire when it used to be that all tickets never expired (for free), etc., etc., etc. So your "value" is basically the same ripoff you are complaining about now, only it happened a lot sooner at WDW.

Big difference tho. It's not the same for you and I I guess. We plan on going to DWD parks for that many days so it's not a big deal and not a rip-off to us for that at all. Spending more than 5 days in the WDW parks is easy for us and I'd wager most. Obviously not you. Which is fine. We did one of those time share things...ONCE (DVC not included). Won't do it again. Espcially now that we own DVC. We come to FL for Disney, period. Venturing off site for other parks, if not financially appealing, just won't happen. I'm not saying for them to take a bath in it but over a hundred for a day? 2 days for us is even pushing it there. Nope. Not us.

Oh and BTW, we bought one of those bricks! We still look.


Edit to add:
I swear, I'm not trying to be argumentative. I really only looked today for the first time so I may be missing something or a lot of things. I do see now that comparing apples to apples, the 1 day tickets are identical. I had been looking at the park to park ticket compared to the WDW base single park ticket. Now I see them as the same price. Big difference in cost there when I wasn't comparing apples to apples. Sorry for the misunderstanding. Makes a little mroe sense now. $79 for one day is much different than $109. Still not sure I want to go but DH and DS10 might.

 

[glocon]

I think that if going to Universal is going to make you miserable, you should not go. Going to a theme park is supposed to be a happy and fun thing, and no matter how you look at it, spending $150 for you and your younger child to go to a park where you think you will be so unhappy is not a good idea. Why not let your husband and older chilld come alone if they want, and stay at WDW with the younger?

 

[Metro West]

I think that if going to Universal is going to make you miserable, you should not go. Going to a theme park is supposed to be a happy and fun thing, and no matter how you look at it, spending $150 for you and your younger child to go to a park where you think you will be so unhappy is not a good idea. Why not let your husband and older chilld come alone if they want, and stay at WDW with the younger?

That's exactly what I was thinking.

 

[poeticdiabetic]

All value is perceived value. That's the issue here for me. (Let me say this before I continue... I will be there later this month. I will be going to US/IOA for 3 days. I'm going to hold my breath and purchase the tickets.)

To continue... all value is perceived value. WDW charges high prices. They can because those prices are perceived to many in the public as a good value. Plus, they have made a marketing effort to make sure that many of those who goes to Disney stay on Disney property. They make more money that way. And it seems to the patrons that they get more out of the experience. Sure, you pay more, but you get more out of the experience.

For instance, when our family first went to WDW- it was Spring Break 2006. We paid one price and that price paid for hotel, tickets and park-hoppers for all 4 parks, meals (appys, entrees, desserts and drinks... plus tip.) Plus, transportation and all of that was included.

All together, we paid about $2k for the 4 of us for 5 days. If we piece-mealed the same deal with US/IOA, we probably would have paid less. But we liked the fact that we could basically leave out money and car keys in the safe. We liked the fact that we could flash our cards and go to the parks, eat food and have a good time. Everything was pre-paid.

Now when we first went to US/IOA as a family, we went last Spring Break. And again the end of May. The reason why we went was because we couldn't afford WDW (had a kid over 10 and the price skyrocketed.) Plus, we really wanted to try US/IOA. Because of the recession, we only had about $1200 to spend for a vacation. We paid for EVERYTHING (transportation to Orlando, parking, tickets, food, hotel, trinkets, EVERYTHING) for $1200. And we had a great time! I posted a trip report on this blog.

So if you ask me why we went to US/IOA last year, the value proposition was that is was the most fiscally responsible vacation we've ever taken. We justified the lower price in our minds because we saw US/IOA as 2 parks and not 4. We didn't stay onsite as a cost-saving thing, so we had to pay for parking and ride the car to the park.

We justified the fact that we weren't in the park riding rides late at night like at WDW during evening EMH (which is our custom), or even being in the parks at 8 or 9PM for those w/o EMH because we paid $360 for 4 3-month passes. When we had feelings like we didn't escape the 'real world' and were transported to some fantasyland, like we feel at WDW; it was because we paid so much less. In short, the value of US/IOA was nestled in the fact that the prices were so low and that they had more thrill rides.

The reason why I posted this thread was because I felt that the advent of adding 3 more rides with a Harry Potter theme isn't enough to justify the large price hike. I thought it would have justified a price hike, but not of that magnitude.

To be fair, we haven't been back to WDW since our boys turned 10. We will be back to WDW later this year, though... during free dining.

 

[goofy4tink]

Does Universal offer the same type ticket upgrade that you can do at WDW?? About 2 months ago, I bought the special '2 parks, one day, plus transportation' pkg for my dd and myself for this coming August. But, we'll be heading to US/IoA again in April. Just wondering if there was some way to upgrade our passes to passes with more days on them.

 

[Metro West]

Does Universal offer the same type ticket upgrade that you can do at WDW?? About 2 months ago, I bought the special '2 parks, one day, plus transportation' pkg for my dd and myself for this coming August. But, we'll be heading to US/IoA again in April. Just wondering if there was some way to upgrade our passes to passes with more days on them.

You could updgrade to an AP but I think that's all. Universal doesn't sell non-expiring tickets.

 

[goofy4tink]

You could updgrade to an AP but I think that's all. Universal doesn't sell non-expiring tickets.

THanks...that's kinda what I thought.