Ticket Prices...Feeling ripped off

[lorli]

Although I feel the prices are exhorberant (excuse any spelling errors), it's all about the consumers needs, wants, priorities and final line. For those of us with very young children Disney fits the needs and the wants for the children. The book, online, and first hand experience research has taught me, other amusement parks are not comparable to the very young consumers. For our family the theming is also a major priority and keeps us coming back to Disney. I respect the decisions of those that find the prices too high to continue frequenting. We as a people make the best decisions to fit our personal situations sometimes financial wins out, and sometimes Disney corners the market or the hearts.

 

[Sylvester McBean]

the most flagrant WDW ticket price increase I've seen is the FL resident Playpass. 2 years ago it was Play4 days with hopping. last year it shot to Play 3 days for $119.00 with no hopping allowed. but you can get the hopping feature for an additional $20.00. so it's gone from $25.00 per day to pay full price for 2 days and get 1 day free. huh. for $40.00 more you can get an AP to Universal with $99.00 renewals. huh.

 

[MO Disney cruiser]

As you mentioned Universal is an alterative for Disney. If you are frequent visitors to the Orlando area, the Power Pass (some days blocked out) is only $120 for an entire year. Otherwise their current offer is great. Buy and adult 2 (maybe 3 can't remember) pass for $99 and get a child fee is a really good buy. A 9 and 11 year old will really have a good time. They're kinda at the age for US/IOA.

Good luck in whatever you choose.

 

[NancyIL]

Nancy...thank you! My other pet peeve is the Disney website, but don't get me started. I called Disney and they explained what you just alluded to. A 10 day is really a 16 day ticket when you choose the water park option. If that's explained on the website, it went right past me.

OK, I'm good. The math is still high, and my sister-in-law who is looking at just three days at Disney, is still overpaying (IMHO), but this makes a little more sense. They need to give the infrequent guest a better incentive to go.

I've bought from Ticketmania before and will gladly do it again. Thanks again.

Just to clarify - the 6 water park fun & more are admissions and not days. If you go to Pleasure Island, Disney Quest, and a water park on the same day - you've used 3 out of the 6 "plus" features.

 

[airtime]

Yes, no question about it. Ticket prices are headed up, and that's the way it is. Is Disney pricing out their core market? Maybe. I am amazed when I look at some people's signatures and see how many times they have stayed on-site! I mean, for me, dw, and 3 dc, 5 nights in a Contemporary Tower and 5-day (non plus) hoppers? Yikes! It must be $3000, and that's before food. Disney clearly feels they can continue to charge what I consider to be incredible prices on their lodging, so they apparently have no issues there with pricing out their market.

Disney understands that many people may only want to "check it out." That's why they are willing to nail you for $65 for one day, and they can get that price. They also understand very few people will take the time to do 10 park days on a trip, so they make those last 5 days pretty cheap (unless you want to use them more than 2 weeks later!) IMO, Disney is trying to encourage "immersion" in their parks and their culture with this pricing arrangement.

Yes, USF/IOA is a lot cheaper. A 2-park annual pass is only $120 plus tax; the equivalent WDW pass is $415! Short period admissions are a little cheaper too.

Few people want to vacation at WDW the way my family does , but here's what we do. We will buy an AP in Jan 2007, and use it for the 8 days we are in Orlando. We will also visit sometime during the spring or summer, again maybe in the fall, and again just before they expire in Jan 2008. Then we will go a year WITHOUT (easy folks - we can handle it! ) and do it all over again starting in Jan 2009. So, for our family, we get unlimited visits over two winter vacations for $221 per person per year after tax, plus additional visits in between as we please. We get 25 or more days out of our APs, making our daily cost $17.68. Not everyone wants this kind of WDW overload, but we love it. The year off makes us all the more anxious to go back. Take a look at my trip countdown in my signature!

I'd buy the 10-day hopper plus with no expiration and use it over 3 or 4 years, but that's just my thinking. That will cost between $100 and $130 per year per person. Yes, laying out $1800 on the front end is painful, but it will pay off over the time you use the tickets.

Tim, who doesn't mind being labeled a WDW maniac!

 

[DisneyGeek2000]

Is Disney pricing out their core market? Maybe. I am amazed when I look at some people's signatures and see how many times they have stayed on-site!

I don't see them pricing anyone out yet - with the introduction of Magic Your Way in 2005, and the 6 night 7 day vacation for a family of 4 for $1500, I think that they have things priced just right - and they know it - because they do the research!

Personally, we live less than an hour away from the Jersey shore, and to do a week there in a rental home costs at least $2000, and that is before food and boardwalk, games, movies, etc. Once you consider airfare, our Disney vacations don't cost that much more than our Jersey shore vacations! (sometimes less!)

On the rare occasion that we visit Six Flags Great Adventure - we would easily spend $60 per adult and $30 per child, so I don't really feel that prices are out of line - we get much greater value from our Disney park trips!

Michael

 

[disney's daughter]

I see that Ticketmania offers the 10 day non expiring park hopper with 6
"plus"...I purchased mine from Ticketmania several months ago ..Adult 10 day, non expiring park hopper with 5 "plus"....for $358.00...When did it change from a "5" to a "6"?

 

[daisy2000]

I know this is not an apples to apples comparison, but the price of a ticket for a professional sports game or concert is incredible too. We are seeing the NY Rangers at Madison Sq. Garden @ $65.00 per person. We've gone to several concerts over the last year, Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw, Elton John, Kenny Chesney and about 4 others. We always have a fantastic time, but none of these tickets were less than $50 and most were just barely under $100. I think Elton John was over $100, and these were the regular prices, not scalped.

I too, feel the ticket prices are high, and I don't feel its fair at all that Disney lowered the child "age." However, when I compare the price to the games and the concerts, I feel the value is better at a Disney park, where I am entertained for an entire day, as opposed to 90 minutes at a concert.

 

[NancyIL]

I see that Ticketmania offers the 10 day non expiring park hopper with 6
"plus"...I purchased mine from Ticketmania several months ago ..Adult 10 day, non expiring park hopper with 5 "plus"....for $358.00...When did it change from a "5" to a "6"?

I bought mine from Ticketmania at the end of 2005 also. The extra "plus" changed with the 2006 prices. Also - the cost of the non-expiration feature on the 10-day went from $100 plus tax in 2005 to $135 plus tax in 2006!

 

[Straitlover]

Just wnated to point out a couple of things (may or may not matter to anyone):

1) The old 5 day hopper normally only had 2 plusses. The one w/ 4 plusses was a special one that Ticektmania had (maybe others too? Don't know where the OP bought their tickets. I bought the special one from Ticketmania myself). So you were getting 2 free plusses that were not reflected in the price of the tickets which technically makes those tickets not exactly "apples to apples".

2) The plusses now include DisneyQuest as an option, so IMO the value of a plus now is more than on the old tickets.

So, using these two things, I don't think you can generically say the price of an old 5+4 was X amt, and it's now Y amt. That's JMHO; maybe you don't agree, and that's OK.

Also, according to the Ticketmania website, the price for 5 day non-exp hoppers w/ 4 WP & More visits w/o the Mousesavers discount is $320 Adult & $284 child. So if you're comparing to what was bought before, 2 A's & 2 C's would be $1,208.00 plus $5.00 for shipping for a total of $1,213.00, not $1,574.00, which is a 37% increase. If you bought using the Mousesavers discount, your cost would be less.

Just wnated to throw that out there. Carry on!