Putting it in perspective: Ticket Prices Over the Years

[bcrook]

It's almost impossible to write a good poll.

I couldn't choose any of those choices.

 

[hakepb]

I don't understand your last column. Shouldn't it say that tickets today are 300% more than in 1971, adjusted for inflation?

I was just providing the same comparison column (with better math) as the OP

But, I agree, saying current prices are like 192% higher would mean more than saying inflation adjusted prices are 66% lower than reality.

 

[Planogirl]

I could get behind this if the current product was impressive. For the most part it isn't to me.

 

[Dan Murphy]

That tells quite a story.

I would like to see a similar chart for buffet prices to see how they stack up. Free Dining did a number on those offerings.

'Free' dining, and the dining plans in general, have destroyed the dining experience at WDW.

 

[bcrook]

'Free' dining, and the dining plans in general, have destroyed the dining experience at WDW.

Yes, you are right. ALL the dining plans contributed to the staggeringly rapid increase in food prices - specifically the buffets and character meals.

 

[Slapshot1188]

Yes, you are right. ALL the dining plans contributed to the staggeringly rapid increase in food prices - specifically the buffets and character meals.

There is no such thing as a free lunch... literally
Everything Disney does is designed to maximize revenue and profitability. Just like the Magic Bands.. now they give them to you (although you can buy your own) bu it's simply to increase revelue and spending elsewhere.

 

[goofyernmost]

I couldn't choose any of those choices.

Nor could I. The reason is because we have to remember that Disney is a luxury item. It is not needed for our continued survival, we won't keel over dead because we cannot afford to go there. It is strictly an entertainment venue. The numbers that they charge are not included in the calculation of cost of living and are not in anyway erroneous in not being concerned if they continue to raise prices above that figure. It is meaningless to think that it even should be connected. It's like saying that you cannot afford a Mercedes so they should all be priced the same as a Ford Focus. If you cannot afford it, you just don't buy it, you find a cheaper means of transportation. The exact principle applies in this case.

Their only concern is with the basic economic principle of supply and demand. The demand is high and the supply is low... (there aren't all that many Disney Parks). When, and if, they ever reach the point when a significant number of people no longer go there, then the demand will drop and the prices will have to do the same thing if they intend to survive. Right now that isn't even a remote possibility. It doesn't matter if it keeps pace with an individual salary amount. As long as people find a way to go there, it will remain expensive.

 

[disneymayz]

What I got out of this was what I paid the first trip to what I pay now. Also even with the price increase, I still found a way to go to Disney every year.

 

[DoingDisney]

Um, $5.75 in 1971 adjusted for inflation to 2016 is actually $34 .... there are a TON of inflation calculators. The entire premise of your argument is off.

 

[DoingDisney]

$33.62 =5.75*1.032*1.062*1.11*1.091*1.058*1.065*1.076*1.113*1.135*1.103*1.062*1.032*1.043*1.036*1.019*1.036*1.041*1.048*1.054*1.042*1.03*1.03*1.026*1.028*1.03*1.023*1.016*1.022*1.034*1.028*1.016*1.023*1.027*1.034*1.032*1.028*1.038*0.996*1.016*1.032*1.021*1.015*1.016*1.001

The math is quite simple, a $5.75 ticket in 1971, would cost $33.62 today. SO, Disney has increased the price of tickets at more than 3 TIMES the rate of inflation. At least according to the CPI numbers posted by the Bureau of Labour Statistics ...

 

[DoingDisney]

I even redid it using your numbers for inflation, and the Ticket Price today should be, according to your numbers, $35.75...

$35.75 = 5.75*1.0529*1.0327*1.0365*1.0939*1.118*1.0672*1.0522*1.0684*1.0928*1.1391*1.1183*1.0839*1.0371*1.0419*1.0353*1.0389*1.0146*1.0405*1.0467*1.052*1.0565*1.026*1.0326*1.0252*1.028*1.0273*1.0304*1.0157*1.0167*1.0274*1.0373*1.0114*1.026*1.0193*1.0297*1.0399*1.0208*1.0428*1.0003*1.0263*1.0163*1.0293*1.0159*1.0158*0.991*1.0137

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Umm I'm a bit confused on the original premise of the figures the OP used..sure I understand that we are using baseline of 1971 but to compare year to year back to back at least to me is confusing and maybe I'm just not understanding it so that could be my problem.

As others have pointed out it is very difficult to compare prices of tickets over the years because WDW has completely changed since 1971. Now maybe if you compared in chunks years that had roughly the same experiences it may make more sense (i.e. compare only the years where ticket books were used together, compare the years where only certain parks were open, then compare the year when a new park opened, changes to magic your way type of pricing, etc. There really are a lot of variables.

For what it's worth I actually recently found my actual ticket I used from 1999 purchased for $44.00 and according to the U.S. Department of Labor's inflation calculator (yes other have pointed out there are multiple types of calculators) that $44 in 1999 is equal to $62.57 in buying power for the year 2016.

 

[andyman8]

Umm...OP as others have pointed out, your math doesn't seem to line up. I have a chart somewhere on my computer (downloaded from another site) showing the price of a one-day ticket to MK from 1971 to present with another line showing inflation. The two had quite a gap between them.

Look, I may not love Disney raising their prices but I accept that they're a business and they can do that, but you can't use inflation as an excuse. It's generally accepted that Disney ticket prices have way outpaced inflation. Sorry OP.

 

[Nancyg56]

Umm...OP as others have pointed out, your math doesn't seem to line up. I have a chart somewhere on my computer (downloaded from another site) showing the price of a one-day ticket to MK from 1971 to present with another line showing inflation. The two had quite a gap between them.

Look, I may not love Disney raising their prices but I accept that they're a business and they can do that, but you can't use inflation as an excuse. It's generally accepted that Disney ticket prices have way outpaced inflation. Sorry OP.

I agree. I still go though! LOL!

 

[mshanson3121]

When you lay it out like this, it seems logical. If you want to take it one step further, you could itemize price per ride based on the average number of ride options in 1971 vs. now. Price per ride would be lower, right? Note that while I'd love a lower price, Disney is certainly keeping up with the times. Universal is keeping up as well, they're charging $105 for one park/one day and $155 park hopping.

Though universal offers much cheaper multi-day passes. Their one day is the same, but they're significantly cheaper than Disney when you look at multi-day. Though I know the examples in the charts are one day.

 

[mshanson3121]

With the influx of threads discussing ticket price changes, I thought I'd have some fun and look at ticket price changes since WDW opened in 1971. I've charted one-day adult tickets over time to see how annual rate hikes grew. Then, I made annual inflation adjustments to match the change in consumer price index year over year.

As it turns out, Disney isn't just pulling prices out of themselves! Ticket prices correlate very strongly with inflation, and although there may be a disparity for a few years at a time where prices may grow notably faster or slower than CPI changes, over the long run there is virtually no difference between the actual price at the gate versus the inflation-adjusted 1971 ticket.

The current 2016 ticket price of $105 for a one-day MK ticket is only 0.09% higher than the $104.91 that a 1971 ticket would cost today (it cost $5.75 in 1971).


What does the DIS think about putting price hikes in context? The cost on the price sheet is increasing, sure, but it's keeping in line with the increase of everything else we consume and, presumably, annual salaries.



Note: In 1970s, 12 ride tickets were used.
In 1980-1990s, one-day tickets were used
In 2000s-2010s, one-day MYW base ticket for MK was used

Small chart:

Big chart with prices overlaid:

Chart of prices, inflation, and disparity

I can't really answer this poll, because the entire basis of your question (the charts, the math) is wrong. As others have pointed out, Disney is NOT increasing per inflation, they're increasing at roughly double the rate of inflation, especially if you look at the last 10-15 years. So, would I be okay with them increasing at the actual rate of inflation? Sure. Am I okay with them increasing at double (or more) than the rate of inflation? Definitely not. Especially since they're cutting attractions and services. They're getting greedy, plain and simple.

 

[JACKNAG]

My test on inflation has always been the following:
1981 min wage Connecticut $4.00 an hour 1981 ticket price $11.00

2016 min wage Connecticut $9.60 an hour 2016 ticket price $105.00

All other indicators are misleading