I've changed my opinion on park ticket prices

[Chuck S]

Fiddler on the Roof will be playing at the Majestic in San Antonio. in March. $27 for nosebleed section, up to $641 for Orchestra (main floor) seating. Last time I was at the Majestic was for Newsies a few years ago, orchestra seating was less than $150.

 

[Wakey]

$641 in San Antonio? That's bonkers.

 

[Brett Wyman]

I am not American. It amazes me what Americans will pay for stuff in good economy times. From park tickets to concert tickets to Broadway shows. For example you can go and see most West End shows for around $100 max in London (Hamilton more expensive, it’s about $250). Last one I saw was Dreamgirls at the Savoy theatre, think it was about £75 (if in London, highly recommended). One of the richest sports league in the World, the football (soccer to you lot) English Premier Leaugue, where teams have wage bills alone in some cases of £250m ($330m pa), has an average ticket price of £31 (1.32 to dollar so $41 including VAT at 20%) and people here moan about that !
I am not sure why such a discrepancy exists, but it is marked when we from Europe come over there.

That’s just a free market at work. If everyone in London was willing to pay more, then the would cost more there too. But rest assured we think all the items you mentioned are VERY expensive, but for some they are worthwhile splurges. And if you want to do it, that’s what it costs.

 

[Chuck S]

$641 in San Antonio? That's bonkers.

I agree.

 

[zavandor]

Fiddler on the Roof will be playing at the Majestic in San Antonio. in March. $27 for nosebleed section, up to $641 for Orchestra (main floor) seating. Last time I was at the Majestic was for Newsies a few years ago, orchestra seating was less than $150.

Fiddler on the Roof in London West End goes from £20 to £137.50 ($26-180).
I try to go to the theater once a week, sometimes twice, using discounts, lottery apps and last minute tickets. I can get decent seats from £15 to £25. Often, a theater ticket is cheaper than a movie ticket.

That's the same approach I have with WDW. Thanks to DVC I can save a lot on hotels, sometimes on tickets too (my $600 AP will be used over two stays for a total of 22 days, $27 per day, not bad) and a bit on food. Without DVC, I would stay offsite and visit much less frequently. I would never pay rack rates for a Deluxe, I wouldn't see the value.

 

[kboo]

Fiddler on the Roof in London West End goes from £20 to £137.50 ($26-180).
I try to go to the theater once a week, sometimes twice, using discounts, lottery apps and last minute tickets. I can get decent seats from £15 to £25. Often, a theater ticket is cheaper than a movie ticket.

To be fair, before kids, DH and I would go to the theater quite a bit, and through TKTS, and getting on every mailing list and getting preview tickets, we used to see quite a few shows for not that much. We've seen some duds but we've also seen Wicked with the original cast, 10th row, for about $50 per person, a few days before it opened.

 

[bobbiwoz]

To be fair, before kids, DH and I would go to the theater quite a bit, and through TKTS, and getting on every mailing list and getting preview tickets, we used to see quite a few shows for not that much. We've seen some duds but we've also seen Wicked with the original cast, 10th row, for about $50 per person, a few days before it opened.

Good for you!

We do not go to many high priced concerts. Last one was Paul Simon in Philadelphia, I think we paid a bit over $200 each for great seats. Was worth it.

 

[kboo]

Last one was Paul Simon in Philadelphia, I think we paid a bit over $200 each for great seats. Was worth it.

My DH was a fan of Van Halen and we got tickets about 3 years ago... I was the one in the leather jacket with my fingers in my ears. I have reached the age when I don't care how I look at a concert if it means protecting my hearing as I age. Most recent concerts - Billy Joel 2x, both at Madison Square Garden.

 

[siren0119]

Good for you!

We do not go to many high priced concerts. Last one was Paul Simon in Philadelphia, I think we paid a bit over $200 each for great seats. Was worth it.

Us too - the one concert we've been willing to spend $$ on has been the Def Leppard tours. I adore them, and they have consistently put on a great show every time we've seen them

One "luxury" we allowed ourselves this year was season tickets to the Providence Performing Arts center. We picked the less expensive seats on the least expensive night (Tuesdays) and the year of tickets with 2 seats was under $700 total. For 8 shows (including HAMILTON!) it was more than worth the cost - plus they allowed the payments to be made monthly, which meant we could fit it in the budget. I'm definitely looking things over to see if we can afford to do it again next year, we've really enjoyed having a bunch of set date nights on the calendar and feel like we got a good per-show seat price.

 

[mustinjourney]

I am not American. It amazes me what Americans will pay for stuff in good economy times. From park tickets to concert tickets to Broadway shows. For example you can go and see most West End shows for around $100 max in London (Hamilton more expensive, it’s about $250). Last one I saw was Dreamgirls at the Savoy theatre, think it was about £75 (if in London, highly recommended). One of the richest sports league in the World, the football (soccer to you lot) English Premier Leaugue, where teams have wage bills alone in some cases of £250m ($330m pa), has an average ticket price of £31 (1.32 to dollar so $41 including VAT at 20%) and people here moan about that !
I am not sure why such a discrepancy exists, but it is marked when we from Europe come over there.

One of the reasons sports and entertainment tickets have gotten out of control is that a lot of the tickets are purchased by businesses and are written off for tax purposes, which made them somewhat price inelastic. While that does not make them free to the businesses, it effectively makes them about 35% cheaper. I think with the latest change to our tax laws the tickets cannot be expensed, so I'll be curious to see if sports tickets will come down in price at all.

http://fortune.com/2018/01/13/tax-bill-recreation-deductions/

 

[heynowirv]

So my thoughts on park tickets have recently taken an about face. I had taken the thought that Disney was now only for the rich. I saw Disney filling its pockets with cash as park goers passed through the turnstiles each day. I empathized with the frustration of large families not being able to afford even one days park admission.

So while much of the above still holds true, I am OK with park ticket prices.

What changed my thoughts. I recently went to a New York Knicks basketball game at Madison Square Garden with my son. Tickets were $175 each. A steak sandwich and a beer was $31. The game was about 2 1/2 hours long.

Next weekend my wife and I are going to see To kill a mockingbird on Broadway. Tickets are selling for $300. The play is also 2 1/2 hours long.

Keeping in mind that a Disney tickets gives you a full day of rides, shows, and entertainment, it is actually a bargain compared to the above.

Just my thoughts.

 

[heynowirv]

I understand what you're saying, just a caveat here ,we saw to kill a mockingbird in december ,my wife ,daughter and her boyfriend.We sat in the balcony and spent 212 for all 4ticketsWe have a phillies 17 game plan 2 tickets and they cost little over 1000.Everything is relative.

 

[disney junky]

We live a town over from Hershey Park and get season passes for the whole family. $140 each which pays for itself in less than three visits. That's why Hershey Park is so popular with people from NY, NJ, MD and other nearby states. It's family friendly and for the most part, a really nice park and exceptionally reasonable price wise.

DW and I as DVC members have twice bought AP's for WDW when the discount is too good to pass up. We currently have active passes which we activated in September. So far we've gone in September and January, with trips planned in April and June. I like to get there enough so that my park admission is around $50 per day. Though we have been impacted by the rising prices, DVC does afford us an opportunity to save money in subtle ways. We do quite a few meals in the rooms, and between the AP's and DVC discounts, we knock the prices down as we are able. We don't usually go this often, more like once every two years with the whole family, but we've determined to use these this year.

The older we get, and the more our family changes and grows, the less I worry about the costs. We try to manage our money and we look for bargains, but the next trip might be our last. You just never know.

 

[Brian Noble]

One of the reasons sports and entertainment tickets have gotten out of control is that a lot of the tickets are purchased by businesses and are written off for tax purposes, which made them somewhat price inelastic.

That might be true for pro sports. I'm not sure it is true at the college level. I know that the people who sit around me in Michigan Stadium are the same people who've been there since I started buying season tickets almost 20 years ago, and all of them are "just" fans. The people up in the luxury boxes? Sure, almost certainly corporate spending. But that's an entirely different product.

 

[mustinjourney]

That might be true for pro sports. I'm not sure it is true at the college level. I know that the people who sit around me in Michigan Stadium are the same people who've been there since I started buying season tickets almost 20 years ago, and all of them are "just" fans. The people up in the luxury boxes? Sure, almost certainly corporate spending. But that's an entirely different product.

Businesses buy a lot of college sports tickets as well. And I'm not talking large corporations. Law firms and CPAs run their ticket purchases routinely through their businesses.

And with college sports -- don't forget that many schools typically make the tickets pseudo-cheap and make you "donate" to the athletic department in order to have the privilege of paying for tickets. The new tax law also changed this loophole.

With the growing number of people already choosing to say home and watch their big screen, and the new tax laws, I am guessing athletic departments are going to really have to do something to keep butts in the seats. I know at UT (Texas), the new AD has focused on enhancing the in-game experience and also trying to make the pre-game experience on campus more fun. They have started doing huge sponsored tailgates and mini-concerts outside the stadium, along with big screens showing other games in an effort to get people out and about.

 

[MJB62676]

Just renewed Chiefs tickets today...700 bucks a game for our family of 4. That's for tickets and parking. Probably at least 50 for drinks, snacks, etc.

Spent what...2200? on Platinum annual passes last year...went from 12/1/18-12/8/18, going from 8/9-8/18, and then 4 days over thanksgiving.

 

[Mumof4mice]

So my thoughts on park tickets have recently taken an about face. I had taken the thought that Disney was now only for the rich. I saw Disney filling its pockets with cash as park goers passed through the turnstiles each day. I empathized with the frustration of large families not being able to afford even one days park admission.

So while much of the above still holds true, I am OK with park ticket prices.

What changed my thoughts. I recently went to a New York Knicks basketball game at Madison Square Garden with my son. Tickets were $175 each. A steak sandwich and a beer was $31. The game was about 2 1/2 hours long.

Next weekend my wife and I are going to see To kill a mockingbird on Broadway. Tickets are selling for $300. The play is also 2 1/2 hours long.

Keeping in mind that a Disney tickets gives you a full day of rides, shows, and entertainment, it is actually a bargain compared to the above.

Just my thoughts.

Agree! We just returned from a trip yesterday. They quality of entertainment was amazing for the hourly cost.

I really don't think Disney gets above break-even until the guests start buying water and churros. The No-Bag express security queue is actually the "I commit to buying water and food today" queue.

 

[ABE4DISNEY]

Just an extra shout out for Dollywood! (Bobbiwoz, you are so right!!)

Until I visited it, I kind of thought it would be a little amusement park with a fair kind of appeal. But seriously, it's like Frontierland on steroids!

Dolly outdid Disney imho. Dollywood is a beautiful park with wonderful amenities. If you are ever in Tennessee, you should seriously visit!

 

[kydisneyfans]

Another angle to take is the various ways to save on Disney tickets, where you can't necessarily do that for sports tickets and other entertainment options.
We filled the tanks on our 3 vehicles last night for a total of $33.75-as a result of spending $250 on a Disney gift card for our visit last month at Kroger. It was a $35 savings. We could say the card cost $215 instead of $250. I then charged it on a cash back credit card.

We bridged tickets bought on UT for our DVC annual passes-the savings there was $70 each. We then used the Kroger discounted Disney cards to pay the difference. The true cost was closer to $525 each. I can get unlimited Disney days for the same price as 2-3 concerts or sporting events.

For the folks from England though-we visited for the first time last fall and was absolutely thrilled at the low cost of events. We were more than $900 under budget for the 10 day trip. We found everything to be much less in price than anticipated, so much so our bucket list one time visit has changed to multiple return visits planned. Considering we can fly to London for less than it takes to get to the west coast from Kentucky, it makes sense to return.

 

[siren0119]

For the folks from England though-we visited for the first time last fall and was absolutely thrilled at the low cost of events. We were more than $900 under budget for the 10 day trip. We found everything to be much less in price than anticipated, so much so our bucket list one time visit has changed to multiple return visits planned. Considering we can fly to London for less than it takes to get to the west coast from Kentucky, it makes sense to return.

It's funny - for YEARS I assumed Disney was one of those one-and-done vacations and we'd have to save for years to even think about making it happen. Then we saved up for it and were able to go a lot sooner than I expected. And once we had a vacation with that kind of ticket price under our belts, we realized it wasn't out of reach to make it a semi-regular thing. THEN with the looming opening of SW:GE and the desire to avoid WDW until the dust settles a bit, we started looking at international travel and realized how much of a bargain travel is to some countries. So in the 3-ish year lull between this year and our next WDW trip, we're putting some AMAZING experiences on the calendar!