Disneyland: Priciest Place on Earth

[kikismom]

There are many factors that explain why attendance is higher even though the price is higher:

• Capacity is higher because the park has been greatly expanded. Compared to 1986, we now have Star Wars land and California Adventure. The park literally has more attractions and space for folks.
• Demand has gone way up comparatively. I think the late 80’s-90’s Disney renaissance created an entire generation of kids in love with Disney (think Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Lion King). They have also acquired new franchises like Star Wars and Marvel. The addition of Carsland also greatly boosted demand.
• Population growth! There are a lot more people now than back then.

Other folks mention other factors like decreases in real dollars of some other things associated with travel like plane tickets.

I realize that it looks like price doesn’t seem to be impacting demand but if Disney hadn’t raised prices, things would only be worse. There really isn’t a more agreed upon economic theory than Supply and Demand.

You said this so well! In 1986 Toon Town wasn't there either. My first trip was 1989.

I am one of the many who will just keep going. I purposefully choose where to spend my money, I will save on other things but don't take my Disney!

 

[pennym]

This Kiwi is flabbergasted by the hotel prices! What is going on? $450 per night for places like Hojo for my dates! Unbelievable. Let alone ticket prices.....but I've promised my youngest niece her trip and the others have all had their trips, so I've gotta suck it up!

 

[MonocularVision]

You said this so well! In 1986 Toon Town wasn't there either. My first trip was 1989.

I am one of the many who will just keep going. I purposefully choose where to spend my money, I will save on other things but don't take my Disney!

I forgot about Toon Town!

I also just looked up population and it was much higher growth than I expected: ~237 million in 1986 vs ~338 million in 2022. 42% more people in the US alone!

 

[gelatoni fan]

This Kiwi is flabbergasted by the hotel prices! What is going on? $450 per night for places like Hojo for my dates! Unbelievable. Let alone ticket prices.....but I've promised my youngest niece her trip and the others have all had their trips, so I've gotta suck it up!

If you're willing to stay a little further, there's lots of options that are usually less than $150 per night. Examples include hotels near the convention center if nothing big is going on or hotels in Garden Grove where you can take a $6 shuttle to get to the parks.

 

[pennym]

If you're willing to stay a little further, there's lots of options that are usually less than $150 per night. Examples include hotels near the convention center if nothing big is going on or hotels in Garden Grove where you can take a $6 shuttle to get to the parks.

We like Homewood Suites, it's by the Convention Centre already, and $450pn currently! Another much cheaper option is the Doubletree Buena Park which has a free shuttle pretty much everywhere so it might have to be that....

 

[DodgerGirl]

I also think Disneyland might be trying to compete with the other Southern California theme parks because when I was doing Youtube a morning ago Universal Studios just announced a new deal and it is a slightly better deal than what Disneyland has and it's cheaper too in ticket prices too though I cannot recall how much the new deal for Universal Studios is. But I had been going to Disneyland since 1991 and since my last Disneyland trip in 2004 I cannot believe how pricey it has become. But what I also think makes a Disneyland trip more pricier when you plan it is not only the hotel room if your family wants to stay on-site but also the character dining and other stuff as well. Also when you go into Disneyland you'll notice that the food has gotten pricier and even the food from the carts like ice cream sandwiches and popcorn has doubled in price and if you look at the shops stuff like toys and even Disney plushies are even pricey and the same thing with clothing and important stuff like autograph books have had prices raised too. I have always believed that when your traveling with family to Disneyland it's better to have your kids carry juice boxes while walking in the park and if you want to save money avoid the character breakfasts and carry breakfast items such as cereal or even buy packets of Quaker Instant Oatmeal to use in your room microwave and the kids and the rest of the family can have breakfast in your room just before you leave for the parks and that is a huge moneysaver and as for food you can easily store small snacks such as peanut butter crackers string cheese and little bags of chips in your purse for kids who complain of being hungry while in the park or wait until you have your break at your room where you can have sandwiches and you can buy slider rolls and lunchmeat and your family can have simple sandwiches for a easy lunch as a money saver. My family used to do this and it worked even better than paying for the food at a Disneyland restaurant. But as I mentioned in my previous post I think Disneyland will improve it's ticket prices at the beginning of 2023 because I think Disneyland will be better by that time and more people will come to see as Dinah Washington says in her classic song "what a difference a day makes"

 

[PirateBrigade]

I've always hated the "Disney increased prices more than inflation!" argument.

It's like, rate of inflation makes sense for commodities like corn, gas, and oil, the fundamental make-up of which has not changed in 30 years (corn is still corn!)

If the parks have changed zero since the 60s, I'll buy that argument. But the parks today are vastly different. I mean, they're expensive, but I don't expect them to fall in line with inflation.

And I mean, as an investor, I would be mad if all you did was keep up with inflation. I want more than that, darn it! If I wanted inflation, I'd buy TIPS from the US Treasury and call it a day.

 

[ddwlms]

I've always hated the "Disney increased prices more than inflation!" argument.

It's like, rate of inflation makes sense for commodities like corn, gas, and oil, the fundamental make-up of which has not changed in 30 years (corn is still corn!)

If the parks have changed zero since the 60s, I'll buy that argument. But the parks today are vastly different. I mean, they're expensive, but I don't expect them to fall in line with inflation.

And I mean, as an investor, I would be mad if all you did was keep up with inflation. I want more than that, darn it! If I wanted inflation, I'd buy TIPS from the US Treasury and call it a day.

I also can't understand calling a company greedy that is only setting the price at what the market can handle. If I own a company and can sell my product for X amount of dollars, I certainly would not sell the product for less. --I would likely have a different mind set if my product was life sustaining, but a trip to DL is not a need.

I don't keep up with their finances, but a quick google search shows that their 2021 earnings (park earnings) are less than half their 2020 losses.

They are not a charity.

 

[starlite_]

I don't get it, a drink from starbucks is the same price as a mint julep lemonade for example. A coke in the local mall vending machine is almost if not as expensive as a coke in the Disney snack carts. it's not a Disney specific issue, everything is expensive. You just notice it more at Disney because you are "trapped" in the bubble without cheaper options. You pay convenience and location.

 

[DizMe]

I think that people are using the word "greedy" because they're seeing cuts to so many previously enjoyed experiences, foods, perks, and overall upkeep while the ticket costs have continued to increase. The constant ride closures don't help that perception. Of course, the public doesn't see all of what's going on behind the scenes or the increased expenses that the company is dealing with on their end. It can't be cheap to have had to ensure that every ride was safe following 2 years of non-use, or to re-hire and train a bunch of people at once.

 

[MICKEYFIL]

I'm looking forward to my trip next week. With everyone complaining about the prices and the crappy service, I am certain that the line-ups for rides will be at a minimum.

 

[whoever]

Just plunked down $1500 for three 4-day hoppers with G+. Whew. Used to be able to take the family of 5 for that price. Thankfully I have $4500 in Disney rewards points to spend.

 

[whoever]

I think that people are using the word "greedy" because they're seeing cuts to so many previously enjoyed experiences, foods, perks, and overall upkeep while the ticket costs have continued to increase. The constant ride closures don't help that perception. Of course, the public doesn't see all of what's going on behind the scenes or the increased expenses that the company is dealing with on their end. It can't be cheap to have had to ensure that every ride was safe following 2 years of non-use, or to re-hire and train a bunch of people at once.

Disney is paying short-term interest on the debt they incurred during the shutdowns just to remain solvent, and both the stock price and lack of dividends create shareholder abrasion (of which I am one). I'm more irked I would say not about the price increases, but the reduction of what you get for said price. Limited hopping windows which LITERALLY costs Disney nothing. Reduced EMH are two of my biggest peeves.

 

[disneyerin]

Supply is limited, demand is high, prices go up. At some theoretical price point demand would go down, but they don’t seem to even be close to that yet.

What makes me more curious is why weren’t the parks packed to capacity every day back in the days when tickets were a few bucks? It wasn’t all that long ago when tickets were only $25.

We went in the 70's 80's and 90's (and still go) It was so easy to pick a slow time of year and have super low crowds...
We used to always go to WDW the week after Thanksgiving and most of the days were heaven.
No more...

 

[Pluto468]

I don't get it, a drink from starbucks is the same price as a mint julep lemonade for example. A coke in the local mall vending machine is almost if not as expensive as a coke in the Disney snack carts. it's not a Disney specific issue, everything is expensive. You just notice it more at Disney because you are "trapped" in the bubble without cheaper options. You pay convenience and location.

I was noticing that during our June trip. I've always thought of food at Disneyland as so expensive, but if I buy dinner for our family of 4 in my hometown, it can still easily be over $60 unless we are just getting fast food. Even that can be $30 depending on where we go. When I get lattes around here it's $5.50, but I'd rather have a Dole Whip for around the same price

I think that people are using the word "greedy" because they're seeing cuts to so many previously enjoyed experiences, foods, perks, and overall upkeep while the ticket costs have continued to increase. The constant ride closures don't help that perception. Of course, the public doesn't see all of what's going on behind the scenes or the increased expenses that the company is dealing with on their end. It can't be cheap to have had to ensure that every ride was safe following 2 years of non-use, or to re-hire and train a bunch of people at once.

I think you're so right about this. With price increases people are paying more to get in than in years past, yet feels like they are receiving less for their money. All of those free things like fastpass, hopping whenever you want, early entry with a 3 day pass etc.

Also there are are hardly any "slow" times at the parks anymore, and I think people get frustrated because that are paying so much to get in but can't even do everything they want to due to crowds, long lines, closures etc.

I'm used to Disney increasing prices every year. I always used to buy my tickets in January before an expected February price jump. But when you look at cost now vs then it's startling. When I bought my Socal APs it would be $95 for the year. We bought the premium (I think that's the name) for a few years and even that was $200 or less and included parking. The first time I ever went it was around $30. Of course that was before DCA was even built, so there was less to do in the parks.

I doubt I'll ever get to a point where I don't want to spend money going to Disneyland. The prices do make it harder to go as often as I'd like, though.

 

[starlite_]

I was noticing that during our June trip. I've always thought of food at Disneyland as so expensive, but if I buy dinner for our family of 4 in my hometown, it can still easily be over $60 unless we are just getting fast food. Even that can be $30 depending on where we go. When I get lattes around here it's $5.50, but I'd rather have a Dole Whip for around the same price

I think you're so right about this. With price increases people are paying more to get in than in years past, yet feels like they are receiving less for their money. All of those free things like fastpass, hopping whenever you want, early entry with a 3 day pass etc.

Also there are are hardly any "slow" times at the parks anymore, and I think people get frustrated because that are paying so much to get in but can't even do everything they want to due to crowds, long lines, closures etc.

I'm used to Disney increasing prices every year. I always used to buy my tickets in January before an expected February price jump. But when you look at cost now vs then it's startling. When I bought my Socal APs it would be $95 for the year. We bought the premium (I think that's the name) for a few years and even that was $200 or less and included parking. The first time I ever went it was around $30. Of course that was before DCA was even built, so there was less to do in the parks.

I doubt I'll ever get to a point where I don't want to spend money going to Disneyland. The prices do make it harder to go as often as I'd like, though.

100% agree with everything you said. While I don't normally spend $50 on dinner for example, it can def cost that if you are going all out in my hometown or even more. At least at DLR I can see Fantasmic from the first row as an addon.

 

[DizMe]

I was noticing that during our June trip. I've always thought of food at Disneyland as so expensive, but if I buy dinner for our family of 4 in my hometown, it can still easily be over $60 unless we are just getting fast food. Even that can be $30 depending on where we go. When I get lattes around here it's $5.50, but I'd rather have a Dole Whip for around the same price

I think you're so right about this. With price increases people are paying more to get in than in years past, yet feels like they are receiving less for their money. All of those free things like fastpass, hopping whenever you want, early entry with a 3 day pass etc.

Also there are are hardly any "slow" times at the parks anymore, and I think people get frustrated because that are paying so much to get in but can't even do everything they want to due to crowds, long lines, closures etc.

I'm used to Disney increasing prices every year. I always used to buy my tickets in January before an expected February price jump. But when you look at cost now vs then it's startling. When I bought my Socal APs it would be $95 for the year. We bought the premium (I think that's the name) for a few years and even that was $200 or less and included parking. The first time I ever went it was around $30. Of course that was before DCA was even built, so there was less to do in the parks.

I doubt I'll ever get to a point where I don't want to spend money going to Disneyland. The prices do make it harder to go as often as I'd like, though.

Oh yes, exactly! I've been going for many years and while it's true that the prices have steadily increased, so has the overall quality of the park(s). But that, I think, is one of the main issues now--people are not seeing the same quality of experience they did right before the parks closed but are paying higher ticket costs. The fear that Disney will permanently offer a lesser experience (and by that I mean most of the things that are related to staffing issues, like behavior/attitude of CMs, inability to fix rides, slow service, reduced food options etc) but continue to raise prices gives the appearance of greed. I think it's too early to tell yet. Do I think it's possible that Disney will sacrifice quality for increased revenue? Yes, I do. But I also think they have a pretty good idea as to how far they can go before they hit the magic point at which consumer perception of the value of Disney is tarnished enough to endanger their corporate image. I'm hoping that they need just need some time to rebuild their cast, reestablish things that were cut or replace them with something of similar value, and get the wheels running smoothly again. I had hoped that a certain person in power would not have his contract renewed, but sadly, that hope was dashed.

 

[Jason2015]

I was noticing that during our June trip. I've always thought of food at Disneyland as so expensive, but if I buy dinner for our family of 4 in my hometown, it can still easily be over $60 unless we are just getting fast food. Even that can be $30 depending on where we go. When I get lattes around here it's $5.50, but I'd rather have a Dole Whip for around the same price

I wish I could take out my family of four (two adults and two teens) for just $60 for dinner. We are lucky to be under $25 a person and this is for your national type chains. We can't even get a sit down breakfast for under $60.

 

[Jason2015]

Recently I was driving down the road and I asked my wife to look how much tickets were for a concert we heard being discussed. It was for Pet Shop Boys and New Order, two bands before my time when it came to music but still a decent set of bands from that era. The cheapest ticket was $105 per seat with floor level seats at the stadium at $345. Front row was over $600 per person. I came home and was talking with a friend and the subject came up. He told me that he was looking to go see a comedian and heard that Bill Burr was coming to town. Tickets were $450 per person for a middle of the row seat. In our local area the closest NFL team runs around $400 to $800 per seat for a game and our NHL team is around $75-$125 for the nose bleeds and $250 to $450 per seat for the lower level.

The money that is being spent on entertainment is shocking. I will be heading back to the parks next week for the first time in 3 years and can honestly say that the cost will be nearly double what it was 9 years ago when I started taking the kids. Of course, so has my pay, house values, price of gas and just about everything else.

You have a great point about the cost of entertainment. My wife and I will often break things down to an hourly cost. For example we took our family of four to the movies last weekend (Top Gun-highly recommend). We paid $40 for tickets (discounted via perks at work) and about $50 for concessions. This came to roughly $10 per person per hour ($90/4people/2.25 hours). As you mentioned a concert or sporting event now a days is going to run towards $50 or more an hour. We are going to Hamilton in August and our tickets cost over $600 for the four of us. Before dinner or souvenirs that will be about $50 per hour ($600 for tickets/4 people/3 hours)

My daughter and I went to Disney last month for one day. We got one day park hoppers with Genie+ (About the most expensive ticket one can buy) This ran us $458. We spent about another $150 in the park so we'll call it $600 for the day at Disney. Yet, this ran less than $20 per hour ($600/2/16 hours). . Yes, not cheap and I felt every dollar, yet when compared to other entertainment Disney still does give some value.

 

[kirstyfly]

This Kiwi is flabbergasted by the hotel prices! What is going on? $450 per night for places like Hojo for my dates! Unbelievable. Let alone ticket prices.....but I've promised my youngest niece her trip and the others have all had their trips, so I've gotta suck it up!

Have you looked at Candy Cane Inn?
That is where we are going to be staying when we head over from New Zealand.

The prices are $$$ for hotels with the exchange rate on top but hey what can you do right. We are going to do a split stay as I have always wanted to stay at Disneyland hotel but can't justify the price for the whole stay so have tagged it on the end of the trip for two days.