Ticket Prices Going up and Up

[Vintage Mouseketeer]

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?

We spend a lot as locals...

If you're looking for a break out, in the last 5 months alone, we have done 2 character meals, breakfast at Steakhouse 55 a few times, Flo's, Rain Forest, planning on a tiki theme birthday party at Trader Sams .... At least a dozen dole whips, countless meals at CS, I don't like to carry a lot in to the park so we buy the 3.50 bottle water. Last week the hubby nor I felt like cooking so we got last minute reservation at BB. Have cocktails at the Hearthstone.

Park Merchandise , we have purchased collectibles, DD has several dresses from the park, watches, jewelry...

Last year we did Pirate League , have attended MHP the last 4 years, plan on attending this year too. I purchase the Photo Pass during the holidays.

Now that my DD will be 5, I plan on doing the Christmas tour. Her birthday is in November and
will more than likely have the BBB make over since she will be old enough to enjoy it.
Locals probably spend more over a year than a guest who visits once a year.

Disneyland is more than just rides and churros to us. It the whole experience, we are blessed enough to be able to spread out over year.

 

[kitayama]

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)

Disney does not get any money for airline tickets and they allow you to make a down payment for accommodations and finish paying it off until a month before arrival.
Unless you are staying off property in which case they do not make money on your accommodations.

 

[mummabear]

Disney does not get any money for airline tickets and they allow you to make a down payment for accommodations and finish paying it off until a month before arrival.
Unless you are staying off property in which case they do not make money on your accommodations.

My point was in response to you saying paying upfront was unfair/unrealistic. I understand Disney in not seeing these dollars but me paying the airline a year ahead is no different than you paying Disney a year ahead

 

[mummabear]

We spend a lot as locals...

If you're looking for a break out, in the last 5 months alone, we have done 2 character meals, breakfast at Steakhouse 55 a few times, Flo's, Rain Forest, planning on a tiki theme birthday party at Trader Sams .... At least a dozen dole whips, countless meals at CS, I don't like to carry a lot in to the park so we buy the 3.50 bottle water. Last week the hubby nor I felt like cooking so we got last minute reservation at BB. Have cocktails at the Hearthstone.

Park Merchandise , we have purchased collectibles, DD has several dresses from the park, watches, jewelry...

Last year we did Pirate League , have attended MHP the last 4 years, plan on attending this year too. I purchase the Photo Pass during the holidays.

Now that my DD will be 5, I plan on doing the Christmas tour. Her birthday is iin November and
will more than likely have the BBB make over since she will be old enough to enjoy it.
Locals probably spend more over a year than a guest who visits once a year.

Disneyland is more than just rides and churros to us. It the whole experience, we are blessed enough to be able to spread out over year.

Awesome!
Again though you have done in 5 months what we will do in 10 days, a tour, PL, BBB, BB, 3 character meals, photopass plus, rainforest, R! Dessert package and MHP, plus the CS, the sole whips, the autograph books and Princess dresses etc and staying on site. So the cost of me to Disney is lower because I am in the park fewer days while still spending a similar amount. I am not doubting that over a year you spend more, just that the higher spend doesn't mean more profit.
I do see though that you have a premium AP, maybe the guests with the SoCal passes were not found to be high enough spenders and that's why Disney removed the options.

 

[Vintage Mouseketeer]

Awesome! Again though you have done in 5 months what we will do in 10 days, a tour, PL, BBB, BB, 3 character meals, photopass plus, rainforest, R! Dessert package and MHP, plus the CS, the sole whips, the autograph books and Princess dresses etc and staying on site. So the cost of me to Disney is lower because I am in the park fewer days while still spending a similar amount. I am not doubting that over a year you spend more, just that the higher spend doesn't mean more profit. I do see though that you have a premium AP, maybe the guests with the SoCal passes were not found to be high enough spenders and that's why Disney removed the options.

Is sounds like you have a beautiful trip planned, and you do make a valid point. It is tough to say why Disney has cut AP sales.

 

[Ryan120420]

Good news for those renewing an Annual Pass. Like with last years price increase, Disney has also increased the renewal discount.

Premium- $60 off, up from $40.

Deluxe- $40 off, up from $20.

SoCal- $20 off, up from $10.

SoCal Select- $10 off, no change.

 

[Viva Las Disney]

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.

I've often wondered which group is more profitable for Disney, AP holders or once a year visitors. I know I spend a lot more money in the parks on food and souvenirs now that I have an AP than I did before simply because I'm not starting the day down $100 for a ticket. I go solo and on an average day probably spend $60-70 just for food, souvenirs, snacks, sodas, etc. Not a fortune but I've taken a 3 day weekend every month since I got my AP so I figure Disney gets $200 from me every month on top of the $700 cost of my AP. My last WDW vacation cost me $2500 for the week but that was all inclusive with $600 in airfare, staying at POFQ, and the DDP, I'm on track to spend that at DL this year just on food and souvenirs.

Good news for those renewing an Annual Pass. Like with last years price increase, Disney has also increased the renewal discount.

Premium- $60 off, up from $40.

That makes me very happy, next years AP will still be cheaper than this years, just barely but cheaper is cheaper.

 

[whoever]

If I were running Disney from a pure $ perspective, I would try to get the most amt of $ out of the least amount of user hours of park time. There's some equilibrium there, but even with that, nearly EVERY business has seasonality, and trying to flatten those peaks and valleys is where the AP option comes into play. Problem being they've screwed it up by not flattening, but ELIMINATING valleys all together.