Ticket Prices Going up and Up

[mom2rtk]

Ah yes, we live FAR away, so the So Cal removal is not an issue, I think if they really wanted to cut back on pass holders though they should ditch the payment plan. That would thin the crowds as I am sure there are a lot of people who would not buy an AP without the financing they offer. I think it should be fair for everyone.

Agreed.

 

[mummabear]

It's no secret that locals make up a large percentage of park visitors, so the assumption that crowds will be thinned out a bit with the recent AP limitations is not a slam on locals.

Yes, my guess is that Disney has an idea of the ratio of AP/other guest they want in the park for best guest spend.
While they will want the loyal locals who keep everything afloat when the economy is bad and some of whom will spend well throughout the year they also want the once a year, once in a lifetime etc guests who may eat in park as much in one trip as some AP holders do in a year plus spend more on souvenirs, paying for hotel etcs. I'm sure its just a bit of a balance....

 

[Porturican]

No blackout tickets anymore either unless they change their mind in the future. They said not enough people were buying them so they suspended the program. Now if your pass is blocked your only option is to buy a one park ticket $96 or 1 day hopper $150 for your blackout day or more depending on your blackout days!

This really affects our trip this upcoming weekend for a few family members. So sad.

 

[crystal1313]

Ah yes, we live FAR away, so the So Cal removal is not an issue, I think if they really wanted to cut back on pass holders though they should ditch the payment plan. That would thin the crowds as I am sure there are a lot of people who would not buy an AP without the financing they offer. I think it should be fair for everyone.

Totally agree.

 

[FryingPansWhoKnew]

Ah yes, we live FAR away, so the So Cal removal is not an issue, I think if they really wanted to cut back on pass holders though they should ditch the payment plan. That would thin the crowds as I am sure there are a lot of people who would not buy an AP without the financing they offer. I think it should be fair for everyone.

This should have been a first step actually. Because there isn't even a finance charge, it's actually advantageous to get the payment plan. Remove it from the SoCal pass only though...at least start with that.

 

[sherilaine]

This should have been a first step actually. Because there isn't even a finance charge, it's actually advantageous to get the payment plan. Remove it from the SoCal pass only though...at least start with that.

But there is no SoCal pass anymore...or did I read wrong?

 

[dina444444]

But there is no SoCal pass anymore...or did I read wrong?

They are not currently selling any new SoCal passes, however if you currently have one you are able to renew it.

 

[FryingPansWhoKnew]

But there is no SoCal pass anymore...or did I read wrong?

Instead of removing the pass altogether, simply remove the payment option. That should have been the first option. If we are being pushed towards the Deluxe pass, we are just going to show up on the days they don't want us there (Weekends, Holidays, Summer, Christmas time).

The payment option is still there for renewals too. I just renewed this morning and was offered the 0% financing.

 

[elaw]

But there is no SoCal pass anymore...or did I read wrong?

 

[Viva Las Disney]

Instead of removing the pass altogether, simply remove the payment option. That should have been the first option. If we are being pushed towards the Deluxe pass, we are just going to show up on the days they don't want us there (Weekends, Holidays, Summer, Christmas time).

The payment option is still there for renewals too. I just renewed this morning and was offered the 0% financing.

Do you think that's true for most local AP holders though?

Maybe I am more picky about crowd levels since I'm 4 hours away and take multi-day trips but even with my premium AP I still avoid busy times like weekends and holidays, dealing with the crowds just isn't fun.

 

[Vintage Mouseketeer]

Do you think that's true for most local AP holders though? Maybe I am more picky about crowd levels since I'm 4 hours away and take multi-day trips but even with my premium AP I still avoid busy times like weekends and holidays, dealing with the crowds just isn't fun.

We are local, we only live 10 minutes away and have Premium AP's ... none payment plan. So this news does not affect us directly. I will say that I avoid Sundays at all costs because of the insane crowd levels, but this last year it has been just as crowded on Saturdays, when most AP are blocked.

The parks are just crowded, locals or not...

My guess is that a lot of locals who visited during Disney's SoCal sale, 2 parks for the price 1 converted those tickets into APs. These guest may have not even considered season passes till they visited the parks. Really, it is was too good of a deal to pass up and that is why they had to freeze AP sales.... That's my crazy theory.

 

[Vintage Mouseketeer]

Double Post

 

[FryingPansWhoKnew]

Do you think that's true for most local AP holders though?

Maybe I am more picky about crowd levels since I'm 4 hours away and take multi-day trips but even with my premium AP I still avoid busy times like weekends and holidays, dealing with the crowds just isn't fun.

I'm not sure what others will do. I guess I have trouble imagining why crowds are an issue.

We show up early and leave early. Crowds are almost never an problem at 8 in the morning even on the busy days. Just this Sunday with a crowd index in the high 80s, we rode Star Tours twice, Space Mountain twice, BTMRR twice, Indy, Splash, ToT, RSR twice, Rockets, Buzz Lightyear, Disneyland RR full loop, Autopia, King Arthur's Carousel. Still had time to catch the parade before we took off around 5.

 

[atmail35]

It stinks that the prices are rising, but it's all relative. I just paid more than a one day park ticket for a ticket to The Lion King musical (times 3!)....and that's only for a couple of hours of entertainment. It's kind of painful really when you can spend 12 hours or more at a DL park!

The nice thing is that it evens out a bit with a 3 day pass etc.

 

[kitayama]

The problem with removing the payment plan is that it us difficult to come up with the money to buy premium passes for an entire family at one time. I would probably still do it, but there are others who would not be able to. I understand that people who come from out of state can not make payments, but I believe there is a Disney Savings plan that they make available for people taking a vacation. They also allow people on vacation to make payments on their vacation as long as the total amount is paid a month before the trip. Not allowing payments would be like insisting on full payment as soon as a reservation is made a year in advance. I don't see how making locals pay for their entire trip for the year at one time would be fair.

A lot of people who come from out of state (I didn't say everyone, so please don't condemn me for this statement) also aren't as invested in Disneyland as locals are. A lot of us local annual pass holders spend yearly in the parks what many people spend on a once in a lifetime trip... But, instead if doing it once in a lifetime, we do it yearly! Without even accounting for park tickets I spend about $500 a month in the parks. If a birthday happens to happen during that month, the amount I spend goes up. I end up spending approximately $10,000 a year at Disneyland, and I do this every year! This is not $10,000 on a trip to Disneyland, it is $10,000 in Disneyland Resort! This is spread throughout the year, and it is my family's main source of entertainment, so it is manageable. It would be far less manageable if I needed to buy everything at once.

Disney has hooked me in. I started with a Southern California pass long before they offered payments. I was purchasing Premium passes before payments as well, but I didn't have a family yet. When I had a family, the payments for Premium passes was a no-brain-er. We are taking our vacation in Disney World this year and it is the Premier pass that cinched the deal. We were thinking about going to Hawaii this year, but Disney won. Because of the loyalty Disney has earned, I am spending my family's recreation money and vacation money at Disney this year. If they didn't offer payments, I would have been less likely to continue taking my family to Disneyland, and we wouldn't have thought of Disney World as a vacation spot.

 

[Dot2Vegas]

It stinks that the prices are rising, but it's all relative. I just paid more than a one day park ticket for a ticket to The Lion King musical (times 3!)....and that's only for a couple of hours of entertainment. It's kind of painful really when you can spend 12 hours or more at a DL park!

The nice thing is that it evens out a bit with a 3 day pass etc.

DH and I justify our Disney tickets this way....when you break it down per hour its a great value! And when other expensive family outings come up we are always saying "we could go to Disney for a day for the same price" ect.... We are grimacing over buying show tickets at $50/each but don't even bat an eyelash at what we pay for Disney! Kind of funny!

 

[mummabear]

Not allowing payments would be like insisting on full payment as soon as a reservation is made a year in advance.

And that is exactly what we have to do, and for us that is a few thousand, the airfares and accommodation have to be paid upfront the minute we book.
And for locals you are not paying for a vacation a year in advance-you can use it immediately (no different than our yearly membership to the zoo)

 

[mummabear]

A lot of people who come from out of state (I didn't say everyone, so please don't condemn me for this statement) also aren't as invested in Disneyland as locals are. A lot of us local annual pass holders spend yearly in the parks what many people spend on a once in a lifetime trip... But, instead if doing it once in a lifetime, we do it yearly! Without even accounting for park tickets I spend about $500 a month in the parks. If a birthday happens to happen during that month, the amount I spend goes up. I end up spending approximately $10,000 a year at Disneyland, and I do this every year! This is not $10,000 on a trip to Disneyland, it is $10,000 in Disneyland Resort! This is spread throughout the year, and it is my family's main source of entertainment, so it is manageable. It would be far less manageable if I needed to buy everything at once.

Agreed,but your cost to Disney is also higher. The once a year people may have a 5 day pass to the park, how many days are you there a year?

Also I have no idea which items have the highest margin on them: food? souvenirs? Photopass? Experience (BBB etc)? And which group buys the most of those high mark up item?

 

[mummabear]

DH and I justify our Disney tickets this way....when you break it down per hour its a great value! And when other expensive family outings come up we are always saying "we could go to Disney for a day for the same price" ect.... We are grimacing over buying show tickets at $50/each but don't even bat an eyelash at what we pay for Disney! Kind of funny!

Exactly on a per hour basis then movies, mini putt etc all cost the same or more...

 

[scoutingbear]

No more blackout passes? Crap. We are going next weekend and have a tour scheduled for Sat and were going to get blackout tickets for that day.