Disney Debt!

[Twilghtsprkle]

Sounds like the CNE,, or EX here in Toronto. But wife and I just went and watched 2 comedians and it was $250 for both tickets, and if I wanted a beer,,cough cough $14 per. So for just a few dollars more instead of 2.5hours of a show, I can have a whole day of entertainment. Hmm lets see what I would pick. Yes all those expenses are wrapped up into 1 week, but its something we remember until the next year. I dont think we will be talking about the comedians next week.

We’re taking the kids to Les Miserables when the touring version comes to our city. Tickets for 4 are $764. Now it is orchestra level, but if you get anything but that, it is very hard to see. The theater isn’t like NYC or the West End where the theaters are small and there is no bad seat for the most part.

 

[mort1331]

We’re taking the kids to Les Miserables when the touring version comes to our city. Tickets for 4 are $764. Now it is orchestra level, but if you get anything but that, it is very hard to see. The theater isn’t like NYC or the West End where the theaters are small and there is no bad seat for the most part.

Love Miz...fav all time...took whole fam couple of months ago in TO..yes not cheap...but so worth it....doing Mama Mia next month.....
Enjoy Miz

 

[kathy884]

Just for fun – long – so skip if not interested

I did some google searches on the increase in price of WDW tickets and the increase in prices for tickets for popular concerts over the past 50 years or so. Prices for both appear to have increased similarly at a rate that is considerably higher than the rate of inflation. These are not apples to apples comparisons as they are different dates and sources, but you get the idea. Both types of entertainment have pricing that DH and I both comment on. We can’t believe how high the prices are, and it’s hard to believe that people are paying this. Our kids make the same comments. Yet we and our grown children participate in paying these exorbitant prices too from time to time as a special treat.

WDW Single day tickets
1971
When WDW opened, tickets cost $3.50, which is equivalent to $27.07 after adjusting for inflation.

2023
A single-day ticket to WDW costs between $144 and $189, and adding park hopping can increase the price to $272.

From the New York Post: The tab for admission tickets to the Disney World and Disneyland theme parks has jumped more than 3,871% in the past 50 years — dwarfing increases in visitors’ wages, as well as the cost of rent and gas, according to figures compiled by a data-tracking firm.

Disney shuttered its parks during the height of the pandemic, only to reopen them and hike prices to make up for some of the losses. An animated chart released by the UK-based consulting firm shows ticket prices at the theme park steadily soaring since 1971, ratcheting higher through various financial disasters from the 1973 oil crisis to the 2008 financial crisis, ending with the pandemic.

By comparison, wages as well as the cost of rent and gasoline have all risen by percentages well below 1,000% during the same timeframe, according to Pie Chart Pirate

Concert Tickets:
From Marketplace: Other acts in the ‘70s sold cheap tickets, including Elton John, who charged $10 for a show in 1975, which is equivalent to roughly $58 today. Elvis Costello charged only $5 in 1977, the equivalent of nearly $26 after adjusting for inflation.

AI Generated
In 2023, the average price of a ticket to a top 10 grossing concert was $152.97. This is higher than the average price for the top 100 music tours, which was $122.84 in 2023.

2023 Concert Average cost examples from WDBJ (They listed the top 10 concerts, but only had data on average ticket prices for five of them). (e.g. No average cost on Taylor Swift’s concert, etc.)
The Weekend: $155
Ed Sheehan – $107
George Strait -- $264
Morgan Wallen $172
Beyonce - $147

Broadway
I didn’t do the google searches on Broadway and traveling Broadway ticket prices now vs. in the past. I don't have a historical perspective on these. This year though I just went to two traveling shows: I paid $125 a person for one of them and $175 a person for another one. That’s right in the ballpark of a one day WDW ticket too. Sometimes shows are so great they really feel worth it (amazing experience). For the two traveling shows I saw this year, though, for my money, I would have much rather spent a day at the Magic Kingdom or another Disney or Orlando theme park.

All I can say is there seems to be a demand for premium entertainment. And despite my baulking at prices I still go, and I am part of the problem.

 

[MickeyP]

I totally agree with Kathy884.
I'm a big part of the problem as well. I'm not happy at all with prices soaring, but still pay them with lots of others so we can enjoy ourselves in a crowded theme park, convincing ourselves how magical it is.
You can't even begin to explain it to your neighbor, or friends at work.

Maybe the hassle of getting there and escaping from reality, is the price of our therapy? I mean, IF we needed therapy. LOL

 

[Minnie1222]

WDW Single day tickets
1971
When WDW opened, tickets cost $3.50, which is equivalent to $27.07 after adjusting for inflation.

The $3.50 was the entrance fee for one park, since that's all we had in 1971. If we had all 4 parks back then, the entrance fee could have been $14, equivalent to $108.28 today. Had MK of 1971 contained all the attractions of today, the entrance fee would have been even higher.

Anyway, this is how I justify the price changes.

 

[Genie+]

The $3.50 was the entrance fee for one park, since that's all we had in 1971. If we had all 4 parks back then, the entrance fee could have been $14, equivalent to $108.28 today. Had MK of 1971 contained all the attractions of today, the entrance fee would have been even higher.

Anyway, this is how I justify the price changes.

Yeah I think alot people forget how different WDW was as a resort in 1971 than it is today, and that $3.50 admission price didn’t include the attractions (they had to be purchased separately). I cringe at every news article siting the $3.50 ticket like it is somehow comparable to WDW today.

 

[Genie+]

I’m going to write an article about what a ripoff it was to pay $3.50 for WDW in 1971 compared to today

 

[gmi3804]

The $3.50 was the entrance fee for one park, since that's all we had in 1971. If we had all 4 parks back then, the entrance fee could have been $14, equivalent to $108.28 today. Had MK of 1971 contained all the attractions of today, the entrance fee would have been even higher.

Anyway, this is how I justify the price changes.

The $3.50 also just got you inside the gate. You needed to then purchase ticket books to experience the attractions. There were a handful of FREE attractions as well.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Slowly?!

Yes, I put slowly because I don't think WDW's decline happened all at once. It was a death by a thousand cuts situation.

 

[peabody58]

Absolutely!!! Hear me out....

Our average 5 night stay for 2 using our DVC is $1,700-$2,000, or $340 - $400 a day This includes travel, MF's, food, gifts, tics, LL,s, etc. Hence with the relatively affordable price, we ended up going 4-5 times a year for several years. Hence, .

Well now I hate to say it as we always love our WDW trips, but we have become itchy to resume our pre-Covid overseas travels. So we now have trips to Scotland/London and Croatia lined up as we take a break from our AP years. Maybe one WDW trip a year for a while.

The costs of our upcoming overseas travel will be around $850/day for 31 days of travel. Air fare is a killer!

So YES, a 100%+ cost increase in vacation costs indirectly due to vacationing 'a lot' at WDW.

Spending our kid's inheritance is exhausting!

 

[gmi3804]

Yes, I put slowly because I don't think WDW's decline happened all at once. It was a death by a thousand cuts situation.

Yes, there have been many cuts, but there was a definite line crossed at some point where prices just started skyrocketing, park reservations went into effect, APs were discontinued, etc. And they weren't all completely pandemic-related, though that's what they'd have you believe.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

I’ve always been of the mindset that making memories and having fun is the most important thing in life. That’s why we have no problem pulling our kids out of school for trips (as long as they’re doing well in school and don’t object to missing time) or spending lots of money on vacations and day trips. If a family has to go into debt to take a vacation, I say that as long as it won’t stress them out and take away from their happiness then go ahead. Life’s too short. People who would have to go into debt for a vacation are typically the ones who need one the most. That being said, we ourselves don’t take on any debt for any trip, because we luckily don’t have to, but if we didn’t have the cash to pay for it we would charge it in a heartbeat. Although it is ridiculous how expensive Disney is getting, and the fact that a middle class family may have to take on debt to go there is so sad.

 

[gmi3804]

I’ve always been of the mindset that making memories and having fun is the most important thing in life.

I'd argue that it's the second most important thing. If you don't have the means to pay for trips with discretionary funds, almost everything else in life will be a struggle.

 

[barkley]

1971
When WDW opened, tickets cost $3.50, which is equivalent to $27.07 after adjusting for inflation.

2023
A single-day ticket to WDW costs between $144 and $189, and adding park hopping can increase the price to $272.

The $3.50 also just got you inside the gate. You needed to then purchase ticket books to experience the attractions. There were a handful of FREE attractions as well.

here's where i see at difference (granted-my experiences were at disneyland back then but they were also charging $3.50 at the time along with the ticket book structure)-

i think back to when i went in the 60's and 70's and it seemed like you could go to disneyland and get an awful lot of enjoyment out of just being IN the park-there seemed to be allot more free entertainment. i clearly remember characters being abundant and interacting with us kids and roaming entertainment/performances. i also remember being able to do some things absent a ticket at all-my earaliest memory of disney was the old 'indian village' and doing some pre-school'ish hands on activities. it could be a relaxed visit for a family of little ones or a grandparent wherein buying a bunch of tickets was not an absolute necessity so it kept costs down. as far a tickets went-many if not most of the attractions/rides young ones were interested in (as well as being height eligible for) were at the lowest end of the alphabet so that could net less cost as well. it was not unusual for a family with older and younger kids to buy a couple of ticket books with the olders getting the d/e tickets and being sent off while the youngers with the parents going off and using the lower level rides (many of which were longer experiences like the main street vehicles).

i guess what i'm saying is that it was possible to make a visit to disney individualy fit a person/couple's/family's budget a bit easier back then. as a teen i could get in and end up spending more than it cost my parents who only wanted to go on a couple of rides who spent even less than older relatives who rode no rides but enjoyed the ambiance/entertainment-all equaly enjoying their visits but spending at different levels.

 

[gsdweller]

I think that people extolling for virtues of 'the good old days' at Disney are missing one critical point.
People paying to go there now are not interested in what some people think is now missing. They for the most part want super cool rides. In the 70s and 80s the rides were actually fairly low key and not the reason people went to Disney. Now the rides are a major factor. The stuff people think is missing was fun for sure, but no longer in demand by the people that want to have fun at Disny.

 

[Willow Ufgood]

I think that people extolling for virtues of 'the good old days' at Disney are missing one critical point.
People paying to go there now are not interested in what some people think is now missing. They for the most part want super cool rides. In the 70s and 80s the rides were actually fairly low key and not the reason people went to Disney. Now the rides are a major factor. The stuff people think is missing was fun for sure, but no longer in demand by the people that want to have fun at Disny.

I respectfully disagree.

 

[DCLMP]

Isn’t credit card debt in the US over 1 trillion? Highest ever.
I imagine people are taking on debt for a number of things. It’s not surprising that a vacation is one of them.
I guess the question is why?

 

[gsdweller]

I respectfully disagree.

If people really wanted it, Disney would provide it. People don't want it enough to pay for it now.

 

[Willow Ufgood]

If people really wanted it, Disney would provide it. People don't want it enough to pay for it now.

I think that the Disney execs are clueless when it comes to what people want, especially, but not limited to, the parks.

If all I want is thrill rides, I can head to the closest Six Flags for a lot less than the cost of a Disney trip.

 

[gsdweller]

I think that the Disney execs are clueless when it comes to what people want, especially, but not limited to, the parks.

If all I want is thrill rides, I can head to the closest Six Flags for a lot less than the cost of a Disney trip.

Disney execs know exactly what people want. Prices keep going up, but people keep coming in droves. They totally know.
The problem for us is that Disney doesn't really care what DVC members want. We are a small percentage of their guests.