MYW Tickets are a clever (and hefty) price increase!

[OCDisney]

I've always purchased tickets based upon the overall price per day for my family to enter the parks, and I'm convinced now that the Magic Your Way tickets are a monster price increase for my family.

In the past, my daily cost analysis has led me to purchase 7+4 park hoppers. I have crunched numbers in Excel and determined that Disney pluses were approximately half price admissions to the water parks. Since I do use plusses, I used the half price figure and subtracted the plus values from the 7+4 expense. This yields $102.89 daily park expense for my family of 3 (2 Adult, 1 Child).

Now the Magic Your Way tickets clearly discount the water parks even more than old 7+4 Hoppers did. But if you drop the plusses completely and just look for a way to get my family in the park gate for better than $110 a day the ONLY way you can do it is by buying:

Plus 7-Day Advance Purchase = $80.18 daily
Basic 7-Day at the Gate = $84.90 daily
Plus 6-Day Advance Purchase = $93.01
Hopper 7-Day Advance Purchase = $96.15 daily
Premium 7-Day Advance Purchase = $96.15 daily
Basic 6-Day at the Gate = $97.45 daily
Plus 7-Day No Expire Advance Purchase = $105.28 daily
Basic 7-Day No Expire at the Gate = $110.00 daily

Notice that all but two of the tickets expire after 14 days and all but two of the tickets are non-hoppers and there is no overlap.

The daily cost of a non-expiring hopper ticket comparable to what we normally would buy after adjusting costs to omit plus values:

Hopper 4-Day No Expire at the Gate = $177.86 daily
Hopper 5-Day No Expire Advance Purchase = $155.70 daily
Premium 5-Day No Expire Advance Purchase = $155.70 daily
Premium 6-Day No Expire Advance Purchase = $135.61 daily
Premium 7-Day No Expire Advance Purchase = $121.26 daily

If you go to the parks and water parks every day for a week or more and don't get sick or take a day off you will pay less for the 6th, 7th, nth day. But the average daily expense is still higher.

If you're like me, you don't go to the parks everyday and you re-use old tickets on return trips -- the Magic Your Way ticket system is at LEAST a 20% price INCREASE to your typical daily ticket expenses. YMMV

 

[mark smith]

Excellent, and I believe accurate analysis. Further, as an AP holder(not knowing, if they will continue to be offered), I would further surmise, MYW will of course not be the value of AP.

 

[Brian Noble]

OCDisney: the advance-purchase and child prices aren't out yet, but the 10-day premium no expire might be what you want. Here's a back-o-envelope for three adults; your actual costs (1 child's ticket, advance purchase) will be lower.

209 base + 35 hop + 45 plusses + 100 no expire is 389
subtract 75 for five half-price waterparks gets you to 314
three of those is 942, divide by ten in-park days, and you are looking at a shade under $95 daily. Add taxes and it's a bit over $101 daily. It will probably drop by $1-4 after you figure advance purchase and child discounts.

Not horrible. You'll save a few bucks a day over today's prices, but will have to shell out more in advance. Given ticket prices rise faster than inflation (modulo this changeover) that's probably a win if you can swing the cash flow.

 

[OCDisney]

Brian_Noble: The plusses valued at half price doesn't apply to the MYW tickets since it's a flat $45.

But you are correct that the 10-day hopper no expire ticket may be the way to go in the MYW ticket scheme for people like me.

Assuming the Child price is same as the Adult price (unlikely - but will serve to box us in from the top) then the daily cost would be $209 + 35 + 100 plus tax = $366.36 * 3 = $1099.80 which yeilds $109.91 daily. The smallest price increase yet (still an increas though); about 7%. Like you said though you have to buy big -- which is ok with me but not to some.

 

[OCDisney]

Some have kicked around the idea that the APs would go away. I doubt they will -- but I do expect to see a 7%+ increase in thier prices.

 

[mlobbia]

OCDisney, I think in most respects you are correct, this is a price increase. It will be a bigger increase for few days, more options, whatever else, but Disney is raising prices, at least on average. Someone else compared it to a cable company raising prices by continuing to charge the same amount for the basic package, but adding a charge for the converter, remote, or something else. In the end, Disney expects to make more money this way.

Imagine the potential scenarios...(Fade into your favorite family sitcom)

Parent #1: "Honey, if we go to Disney for one more day it will only cost us $1 more"

Parent#2: "But we are already planning to be there 4 days, and we want to go to Seaworld and Universal"

Parent#1: "Yeah, but those cost like $50 per person each, Disney will only cost $1 or so..."

(Fade back to reality...whatever that is)

Disney is trying to work a way to give people more options (and charge them for it), get more money (either in ticket prices or concessions/souvenirs), and become your destination of choice in the Orlando area (at the expense of US/IOA and Seaworld). I think it is a great business move and I think I can work the system to make it a money saver for me, but I do not consider myself the average Disney patron.

 

[PneumaticTransit]

I was told that APs are not going away.

But I think that $95 for a 1 day park hopper is astronomical, but I'm sure people will pay it. Personally, I think the idea of paying $ to make the ticket never expire is ... well... just in poor taste. Disney tickets shouldn't expire PERIOD.

 

[HillPete]

My math shows me that a 5-day PH w/ advance purchase discount is $244.95 and a MYW 5-day with hopping add-on is $221.00. Since we're only going to be there 1 week and we have 1 day left on our old PHs, doesn't this seem like a price DEcrease rather than the 20% INcrease you all mention?

Just wondering...

 

[mlobbia]

HillPete, you are right, but you are forgetting that you new ticket will expire 14-days after you first use it compared to the old ticket being good forever. Not a big deal to everyone, but everyone is different.

I think, on average, there is a price increase in this offer (we would need to know the ticket purchase demographics to be certain). It seems cheaper to me for the longer stays, but more expensive for shorter stays.

Just my $0.02

 

[OCDisney]

HillPete: You forgot the 6.5% tax on the MYW ticket. That brings the price to $235.37. But you are technically correct.

With the old 5 day hopper you were paying $48.99 everytime you went to the park.

Now you are paying $47.08. Are you saving money? Only if you would have been buying the old 5 day hopper anyway. You could get in the gates for a lot less on a 7+4 hopper.

Many are gleefully happy to have the daily $1.91 in their pockets... but best hope you don't change your day plans, get sick, or have to cut you vacation short for any reason...

 

[puffkin]

It really depends on what you are going to be using the passes for. If you are the type to use all the plus options on a hopper, it probably is an increase. After much analysis, I think I like the new passes better.

1. My dh and i are DVC owners and buy AP's. They announced last week that starting 1/2/05, DVC owners will get a $100 discount on AP's, so they won't be eliminated.

2. For an upcoming 8 day trip, we are taking my inlaws. They will probably not be back for a long time so we didn't want to buy longer passes and save unused days. We were going to get them 6 day park hopper plusses (total $290 on Ticketmania). We planned on 6 days in the park and 1 day in a waterpark, leaving 2 unused plusses. With the new passes, we are going to get 7 day passes with the hopper add on. Advance purchase price is around $237 with tax. Even if we decide to do a waterpark and buy a ticket, we are still significantly cheaper. We get an extra day in the parks. Yes, we can't save any unused days, but we plan on using all of them.

3. The new tickets allows our guests to get more days in the park for less money. This is nice since my DH and I have AP's and can get in the parks as much as we want.

I think it really depends on your vacationing situation, but I think the new way will benefit a lot more people than it will hurt.

 

[OCDisney]

I think it really depends on your vacationing situation, but I think the new way will benefit a lot more people than it will hurt.

Without question it helps infrequent visitors.

I too own DVC, and use plusses during the AP years. I'm interested in the lowest cost per day because I know I'm coming back next year. Most folks trafficking the DIS are frequent (many yearly) visitors as well and they will be hurt by MYW.

It will benefit one time visitors no doubt. For frequent visitors... MOO...

 

[FINFAN]

Well I for one, am bummed that I need the 7 or 10 day MYW ticket this month! It is killing me to pay $316 (pre-tax) for a 7/4 PHP knowing we are not going to use the waterparks this Dec. I know, I know, they never expire..but I don't know when e are going back and would rather pay for the waterparks when I know we are going to go...not a few years in advance! I would choose the 7 or 10 day hopper option myw pass, I would not get the no expiration option. So the 10 day would be 245 pre-tax, and for our trip in 2 weeks I have to pay 316 to be allowed to hold onto plusses. For the 71 difference and 3 more park days...I feel as if I am TOTALLY overpaying this trip.. I realize that no one is making us go, but for a family of 4, saving $280 on tickets and getting to be in the parks 3 extra days for that savings is HUGE! This is gonna bug me the whole time we are there. I have time to cancel, and I just may and go next year. UUUgghhhhh! A short 2 week difference....

Pam

 

[puffkin]

Without question it helps infrequent visitors.

I too own DVC, and use plusses during the AP years. I'm interested in the lowest cost per day because I know I'm coming back next year. Most folks trafficking the DIS are frequent (many yearly) visitors as well and they will be hurt by MYW.

It will benefit one time visitors no doubt. For frequent visitors... MOO...

True, only if you use plusses. My family MAY visit one waterpark on our summer trips. Sometimes, we don't. PI and DQ are out for a long time when we have children. So, I see these passes as a substantial savings for those whose primary focus is the 4 main parks, which I believe it is for a majority of guests, not just first timers. For those that only visit the "plus" places once in awhile, I think there is a significant savings.

Since we are AP holders, I like the fact that are guests can get longer passes for the 4 main parks for less money.

I believe the new pricing structure really only hurts frequent visitors who use their plus options a lot, and people who are close to the break even point for an AP (since the break even point is now higher).

 

[DisDarling]

I think also you need to remember not to get the add-ons of the water parks in the colder months, such as January-February, because they are usually being refurbished then. Typhoon Lagoon is closed for this reason in the coming months, so it wouldnt be worth it to pay for them. For people who dont know this info, those add-ons will be useless to them.
D.D.

 

[elastigirl]

I think the new structure is a good thing...overall for guests and for Disney.

Sure, it will change things, and for some guests it may be a negative change. But I really like the customization options, if you are willing to sacrifice hopping, expiration or plusses, you can save money. That may help keep costs down for guests who may not have been able to afford the trip otherwise.

I also like the possible benefit that this will have for Disney, in keeping people in the parks for more days, in the expiration of tickets, and in hopefully more (customized) tickets bought straight from Disney instead of discount resellers. I'm sure I'm just dreaming, but I would love extra revenue from ticketing to translate into more resources going back to the front line (maintenance, cleanliness, service). :sigh: Does anyone know how the parks are doing finance-wise these days?

 

[DavidNYC]

I was told that APs are not going away.

But I think that $95 for a 1 day park hopper is astronomical, but I'm sure people will pay it. Personally, I think the idea of paying $ to make the ticket never expire is ... well... just in poor taste. Disney tickets shouldn't expire PERIOD.

Well, this is a half empty / half full issue. The price increase overall is not much more on average than their standard increase. You're just getting options now. You could just as easily look at this by saying they're now giving a discount if you use all your days in one trip.

 

[DavidNYC]

Without question it helps infrequent visitors.

I too own DVC, and use plusses during the AP years. I'm interested in the lowest cost per day because I know I'm coming back next year. Most folks trafficking the DIS are frequent (many yearly) visitors as well and they will be hurt by MYW.

It will benefit one time visitors no doubt. For frequent visitors... MOO...

My wife and I go to Disney yearly and love the new plans. Frequent visitors can take advantage of the 10 day ticket. For only $55 more than a 7 day ticket you're getting 3 add'l park days (under $20 a day!) (I got this by adding the $10 extra for the 10 day pass and the $45 difference between the $55 and $100 expiration fee). Since a MYW version of a 7-day non-expiring hopper is not going up by much (and now includes 5+ and DQ so it's worth a bit more) I'm getting to buy 3 add'l days at a great value. A 10 day pass with 5 pluses is perfect for us since we do tend to use one plus for every two park days.

Who this hurts is people who don't take the time to figure out their options since the cost increase could be great if you don't take a bit of time to figure out how to best use your park days and plusses (which my guess is the majority of Disney visitors but the minority of people who are actually reading this post).

 

[jordanyosh]

We always used the UPH option when travelling to WDW. We liked being able to go to a park for just a hour or two and not feel like we were wasting a day on the hopper pass. The UPH was also the only option that included DisneyQuest which we would visit 2x during our stay. Unfortunately, they were only good for the Length of Stay. Now we will save money even with the no expiration add on AND we can hold on to our plus options for the next visit or if(and that's a BIG if), for some reason we don't use all our theme park days, now we can save those too....We like the options and savings that we will be getting.

I think folks who frequent WDW will be able to work the system to maximize their savings.

 

[PneumaticTransit]

Well, it doesn't affect me at all, I work for Disney - and if I didn't I would get an AP. And, in work for Disney I can say most people know diddly squat about the tickets they've pre-purchased. They usually end up paying for more days than they want to use. They figure if there here for a week they want a 7 day park hopper until they realize they want to spend 3 days at US, IOA, and SeaWorld. Their unused days never expired, however with the new plan if they get the base 7 day park hopper ticket they WILL expire. I can forsee many unhappy guests. Hopefully they will be able to upgrade to non-expiring tickets after the fact. It just goes to show it pays to do your homework! But honestly, haven't we all run across completely clueless people who did no planning whatsoever for their trip?