Ticket Price Increase - Fall 2018?

[anomamatt]

I can't believe they would raise the tickets more than 5%. But who knows.

When Iger introduced tiers for multi-day tickets, he mentioned the Shanghai model. In that model, peak holiday tickets are 200% more than regular tickets (peak is 40% higher than regular). As @TheMaxRebo said above me, perhaps they will lower regular season price by a very nominal amount. But I'd be prepared for shockingly high price increases on peak times (which will likely include every weekend day (if they follow the Shanghai model)).

 

[Doug M]

You're going to need an MBA to plan your disney trip......

And to afford one.

 

[firefly_ris]

I still am picturing some nightmare scenarios of some nice family turn up at a park and being told "oh, this ticket isn't valid today as today is a different level than yesterday or tomorrow ... though EPCOT has a lower zone today so you could go there today, but not tomorrow as that has a higher zone tomorrow. However, if you'd like you can pay and extra $20/ticket to get in today"

Yep... I think it can either be expensive OR complicated... but you can't do both and expect return visitor loyalty.

This is the thing that's irritating more than ticket hikes really.... yes it's getting harder for me to afford and maybe eventually can't go again, BUT I might try to make it work more if they did more on their end to make planning it less of a fiasco on top of it. I don't want to pay more money AND the app has a huge, catastrophic issue that they are taking forever to fix (see present day), now I also have to look at calendar dates for peak/value times that change day to day and figure out how to structure the ticket I'm trying to buy, reserve dining 6 freaking months ahead of time, on and on....

 

[DazzleT]

I think the problem with saying well a corporation is supposed to make money is that very few of us in real life are motivated by just one factor and we want that from companies as well. No one I know works just to make money (the teachers I know want to help kids, the doctors to cure people, the scientists to increase human knowledge, the lawyers to enforce fairness). Yes, we wouldn’t go to work if not paid, but if that other value wasn’t attached, we also wouldn’t work there. These other values are what elevate a group of people searching to meet their needs into a civilization.

When I look at Disney, I don’t see just a business, I see a place that brings joy to millions. When the greed aspect of the company reaches a certain point, the magic drops and it is just a group of people meeting their needs- nothing greater.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

When Iger introduced tiers for multi-day tickets, he mentioned the Shanghai model. In that model, peak holiday tickets are 200% more than regular tickets (peak is 40% higher than regular). As @TheMaxRebo said above me, perhaps they will lower regular season price by a very nominal amount. But I'd be prepared for shockingly high price increases on peak times (which will likely include every weekend day (if they follow the Shanghai model)).

I was wondering how many levels they will have - I stuck with 3 like I think they have for the MK tiering and like they do with the hotel levels (for now) - but I do wonder, given that it is like New Years and July 4th and stuff like that when they get to capacity if they would introduce a really high. like Ultra premium (or the Peak Holiday at Shanghai) that is way more expensive

And if they do, expect DHS to see that for like every day for the first few months after Galaxy's Edge opens ... I really think they are going to try to monetize the heck out of that!

 

[anomamatt]

I think the problem with saying well a corporation is supposed to make money is that very few of us in real life are motivated by just one factor and we want that from companies as well. No one I know works just to make money (the teachers I know want to help kids, the doctors to cure people, the scientists to increase human knowledge, the lawyers to enforce fairness). Yes, we wouldn’t go to work if not paid, but if that other value wasn’t attached, we also wouldn’t work there. These other values are what elevate a group of people searching to meet their needs into a civilization.

When I look at Disney, I don’t see just a business, I see a place that brings joy to millions. When the greed aspect of the company reaches a certain point, the magic drops and it is just a group of people meeting their needs- nothing greater.

I totally understand your sentiment. All of it. But the problem is that the parks are consistently over-crowded in almost every season (based on visitor perceptions, read TPAS for evidence of this). It's an issue of supply and demand. To alleviate demand (and increase customer experience at the parks), their choices would be to build a 5th gate or to increase prices. I'm sure they will choose the latter.

I would love for the parks to cost $50 a day or less. I'd love more people to experience the magic of WDW. But if they did make it so everyone could afford a Disney vacation, the experience would be so awful (due to park closures for capacity daily) that no one would want to visit.

 

[ChipnDale79]

I totally understand your sentiment. All of it. But the problem is that the parks are consistently over-crowded in almost every season (based on visitor perceptions, read TPAS for evidence of this). It's an issue of supply and demand. To alleviate demand (and increase customer experience at the parks), their choices would be to build a 5th gate or to increase prices. I'm sure they will choose the latter.

I would love for the parks to cost $50 a day or less. I'd love more people to experience the magic of WDW. But if they did make it so everyone could afford a Disney vacation, the experience would be so awful (due to park closures for capacity daily) that no one would want to visit.

I think a big issue disney has created is that when we have a downturn in the economy again (we will at some point) they are going to have to offer massive discounts to get people in the gates. The current prices and discounts won't work. I personally think you'd have to see discounts like the ones offered back in 08 - 09.

 

[mshanson3121]

I totally agree what @manning said and with this, and that shows market forces at work. In fact, a few years ago I received a survey from Disney where I was asked to what extent I agreed with the statement, “Walt Disney World is greedy.” I was really surprised! I stated this in an earlier post, but yes, they certainly can run the risk of injuring their brand at some point, especially if Guest Satisfaction goes down, i.e., people stop feeling like their WDW trip was “worth it.”

I think it always comes back to this - do people feel it was worth it. I know it's been discussed before, and while obviously most people on this group think it would be worth their first born, lol, there are a growing number on here who are dissatisfied. And, outside of here, there are plenty of people who no longer feel it was/is worth it.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I think it always comes back to this - do people feel it was worth it. I know it's been discussed before, and while obviously most people on this group think it would be worth their first born, lol, there are a growing number on here who are dissatisfied. And, outside of here, there are plenty of people who no longer feel it was/is worth it.

 

[MommaBerd]

You are on a comedic roll today!

 

[Dean Marino]

GO DISNEY! PLEASE get those ticket prices UP, and eliminate 50% of Park overcrowding .
Just us - we will PAY for a non-overloaded park .

All personal opinion - I'm not necessarily right, no one else is necessarily wrong.

 

[firsttimemom]

And to afford one.

I have an MBA and we are downsizing from BWI club level to coronado springs for our next trip...

 

[MommaBerd]

When Iger introduced tiers for multi-day tickets, he mentioned the Shanghai model. In that model, peak holiday tickets are 200% more than regular tickets (peak is 40% higher than regular). As @TheMaxRebo said above me, perhaps they will lower regular season price by a very nominal amount. But I'd be prepared for shockingly high price increases on peak times (which will likely include every weekend day (if they follow the Shanghai model)).

What is even worse in Shanghai is that the FP Premier Access, which really IS a necessity on holidays, seems to have surge pricing as well! And, at least when I was there, you couldn’t purchase the Premier Access in advance. So, at least WDW isn’t quite *there*...yet.

 

[Zbugz]

The admin of a Disney FB group I am in suggested that today is the best day to buy tickets, as tomorrow the new pricing will happen. IDK where/how he gets his info, but I thought I should share it here just in case. Dining plans also are rumored to be affected.

 

[Planogirl]

I see it as greed personally. I don't care if Disney is a business and so on. They can control how much profit they want.

However I do support their right to be greedy. I also support my decision to no longer contribute.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

The admin of a Disney FB group I am in suggested that today is the best day to buy tickets, as tomorrow the new pricing will happen. IDK where/how he gets his info, but I thought I should share it here just in case. Dining plans also are rumored to be affected.

I think I’m in that same group. I keep looking to see if it’s reported anywhere else.

@rteetz Have you heard anything from your sources?

 

[MommaBerd]

The admin of a Disney FB group I am in suggested that today is the best day to buy tickets, as tomorrow the new pricing will happen. IDK where/how he gets his info, but I thought I should share it here just in case. Dining plans also are rumored to be affected.

Yikes! Usually Mousesavers and Undecover Tourist get wind of these changes in advance, and neither have rang the alarm. So, if it IS tomorrow, it must be catching everyone by surprise.

 

[snappy]

Sounds right. Disney needs $$ fast to fix MDE. First billion wasn’t enough

 

[samsonjs]

Yikes! Usually Mousesavers and Undecover Tourist get wind of these changes in advance, and neither have rang the alarm. So, if it IS tomorrow, it must be catching everyone by surprise.

I remember last year UT had a big alert about the price going up and I purchased our tickets before it took affect. I also saw the FB post. We have a trip planned for early May. I over booked our room only stay by a few days so I can adjust it when I buy our flights. Now I don't know if I should buy tickets now. It seems crazy that a huge price increase would happen overnight. Husband thinks I'm crazy for suggesting we buy. I guess we aren't looking at a holiday/peak time so I'm not sure if it will make a difference for us.

I plan for this to be our last trip for a while until Star Wars cools down.

 

[anomamatt]

Yikes! Usually Mousesavers and Undecover Tourist get wind of these changes in advance, and neither have rang the alarm. So, if it IS tomorrow, it must be catching everyone by surprise.

Tomorrow seems unlikely. But it does seem to be very imminent. According to Len Testa (and others), ticket resellers spent last month re-coding their systems to be able to sell the new tickets. So it's coming... but I'd be surprised if there were not more leaks leading up to the exact day.

I'd also be surprised if they released them before they have 100% corrected the bungled mess of MDE they created by adapting MDE to these new tickets. People are still missing their old tickets, etc. I assume they would wait for that storm to die down before introducing the new tickets.