What Should I Expect?

[Mugglemama]

Last Summer we treated the in-laws and 2 nieces to a 5 day DLR vacation. We thought it would be MIL's last time to get to go (she had not been in very good health for several years).

That trip breathed new life into her, lol. After more than a year of barely being able to walk, soon after getting back home from that Disneyland trip she was doing things like rearranging all the furniture in her house!

It's a full year later and she is doing well. We can't go this year, but I just told them I'd like to take them again next year, and she is SOOOO excited!!

My question (sorry for the novel-length intro, lol) is, since I can't buy their tickets (we'll be buying AP's for ourselves) until close to the time of the trip (probably August of 2012)...should I expect 2 more ticket price increases between now and then?

 

[WannaseePooh]

If you check the disneyland website, the new ticket prices say valid until Dec 31, 2012. Not the summer promotion ones, but the regular ones. So you could buy them now, or trust that Disney has decided not to raise prices next year, and hope for another summer special next year.

 

[Mugglemama]

If you check the disneyland website, the new ticket prices say valid until Dec 31, 2012. Not the summer promotion ones, but the regular ones. So you could buy them now, or trust that Disney has decided not to raise prices next year, and hope for another summer special next year.

Hmmm, no I *didn't* notice that...thanks for pointing it out!!

That would be GREAT if they didn't raise prices next year. A summer special would be WONDERFUL, but I'm not getting my hopes up. Was waiting with baited breath for the 5 for 3 this year that never panned out.

I can't buy the tix now. I have to wait. I sure hope those prices stay fixed until next Spring!!

 

[Gisele]

For as long as I can recall, Disney has offered from Jan - April their special promotion where adults pay the kids price. I would be very surprised if it was not offered next year. If you purchase that promotion via AAA you will also receive free parking and also still receive one MM.

 

[Sherry E]

Unfortunately, that "valid until" date on the website doesn't hold much weight in terms of being an indicator that there will no price increases until that time. There were "valid until December 2011" dates on the DLR website until they just raised the ticket prices. Then all the prices went up (including the online prices) and the "valid until" date changed to December 2012.

What it will mean is that if you were to buy your tickets now - or before the next price increase - you will have until December 2012 to use them.

I am not a betting woman but I would almost bet money on DLR raising the prices again by Summer of next year. I think the sole reason DLR chose to raise the prices in June of this year (ahead of when they would normally do it) is because - if they time it out and wait a full year for another increase - it will give them a chance to hike up the prices in June of next year, just as all the work in DCA is complete and the Summer crowds descend upon DLR to see CarsLand, etc.

There are rumors that the ticket prices will be adjusted to seasonal pricing - meaning tickets purchased for trips during peak seasons like Summer and the holiday season would cost more money. Months like September would probably see lower ticket prices. But this has not yet been confirmed, and if it does happen there's no telling when that will go into effect.

So for right now, unless and until any seasonal ticket rates go into effect, since the prices just went up last month I don't think you will see another ticket/Hopper increase until next June of 2012...right before CarsLand opens. (It's possible AP prices could hike up before June of 2012 and then again in June, but we'll see.)

 

[Mugglemama]

Unfortunately, that "valid until" date on the website doesn't hold much weight in terms of being an indicator that there will no price increases until that time. There were "valid until December 2011" dates on the DLR website until they just raised the ticket prices. Then all the prices went up (including the online prices) and the "valid until" date changed to December 2012.

What it will mean is that if you were to buy your tickets now - or before the next price increase - you will have until December 2012 to use them.

I am not a betting woman but I would almost bet money on DLR raising the prices again by Summer of next year. I think the sole reason DLR chose to raise the prices in June of this year (ahead of when they would normally do it) is because - if they time it out and wait a full year for another increase - it will give them a chance to hike up the prices in June of next year, just as all the work in DCA is complete and the Summer crowds descend upon DLR to see CarsLand, etc.

There are rumors that the ticket prices will be adjusted to seasonal pricing - meaning tickets purchased for trips during peak seasons like Summer and the holiday season would cost more money. Months like September would probably see lower ticket prices. But this has not yet been confirmed, and if it does happen there's no telling when that will go into effect.

So for right now, unless and until any seasonal ticket rates go into effect, since the prices just went up last month I don't think you will see another ticket/Hopper increase until next June of 2012...right before CarsLand opens. (It's possible AP prices could hike up before June of 2012 and then again in June, but we'll see.)

Thanks VERY much for this great insight, Sherry!

I can definitely buy the tix before next June, so hopefully I will be able to avoid the next increase. I was going to hold off on buying the AP's until around the same time, but now.....hmmmm. Do AP's usually go up twice per year as well??? If so, would your experience tell you that I should expect the next increase around the first of the year? And in your experience, do the prices usually go up in a predictable amount? For instance, $20 per increase, per annual pass?

Sorry, I know it's a lot of questions...we haven't owned AP's in 8 years, so I'm more than a bit out of the loop.

 

[Sherry E]

Thanks VERY much for this great insight, Sherry!

I can definitely buy the tix before next June, so hopefully I will be able to avoid the next increase. I was going to hold off on buying the AP's until around the same time, but now.....hmmmm. Do AP's usually go up twice per year as well??? If so, would your experience tell you that I should expect the next increase around the first of the year? And in your experience, do the prices usually go up in a predictable amount? For instance, $20 per increase, per annual pass?

Sorry, I know it's a lot of questions...we haven't owned AP's in 8 years, so I'm more than a bit out of the loop.

You're very welcome!

The AP's usually just increase once per year, when the other ticket prices go up. But it was either last year or maybe 2009 when there were 2 increases within 5 months - the usual one in August (when August was the regular increase month) and then another, smaller $10 increase the following January. I would not normally expect there to be 2 increases within 5 months of each other, but the only reason why I would think it could again be a possibility within the next year is because of all the big changes happening around DLR in 2012.

So if there were to be an extra AP increase thrown in between now and June 2012, it would probably just be another $10 or so, and it probably would be in December or January. Otherwise, the increase in June 2012 could be $20 or $30 or $40. It's odd how they do it, because sometimes they will raise the AP's and 3 of them will have the expected increase while one of them suddenly has a much larger increase than expected. The Premium could be expected, but suddenly the Deluxe AP will see a lofty increase or one of the SoCal AP's will spike out of nowhere. Next year, who knows? It could be that the Premium sees a big price hike in comparision to the others because it offers the most value and there will be so many new things to see at DLR with that Premium AP, 365 days a year.

 

[Mugglemama]

You're very welcome!

The AP's usually just increase once per year, when the other ticket prices go up. But it was either last year or maybe 2009 when there were 2 increases within 5 months - the usual one in August (when August was the regular increase month) and then another, smaller $10 increase the following January. I would not normally expect there to be 2 increases within 5 months of each other, but the only reason why I would think it could again be a possibility within the next year is because of all the big changes happening around DLR in 2012.

So if there were to be an extra AP increase thrown in between now and June 2012, it would probably just be another $10 or so, and it probably would be in December or January. Otherwise, the increase in June 2012 could be $20 or $30 or $40. It's odd how they do it, because sometimes they will raise the AP's and 3 of them will have the expected increase while one of them suddenly has a much larger increase than expected. The Premium could be expected, but suddenly the Deluxe AP will see a lofty increase or one of the SoCal AP's will spike out of nowhere. Next year, who knows? It could be that the Premium sees a big price hike in comparision to the others because it offers the most value and there will be so many new things to see at DLR with that Premium AP, 365 days a year.

Thanks, again.

We're planning to buy 4 Deluxe AP's and then one Premium (to get the parking pass and higher dining discounts, obviously). I have to get through Christmas before I can fork over the money on these passes, though. So, I'm probably not going to be able to avoid the next increase. I hope the increase isn't too much.

We're already planning to get 3 Disney vacations out of these passes, and I am SOOO excited to be getting them again after so long. It feels like an awful lot of money upfront, but it will save us money in the long run.

 

[geekypeach]

That's so great to hear. Sometimes, we just need a reminder of how magic life really is. Cheesy, but totally true!