Looks like the anti-Disney brigade is out. In all of the years I've been to Disneyland I've never seen anything like that. I have, however, seen plenty of ill-mannered teenagers and foreigners.
Posted on 08/03/2007 8:56:30 PM PDT by ChildOfThe60s
POSTED: 5:15 pm EDT August 3, 2007 UPDATED: 9:59 pm EDT August 3, 2007
Walt Disney World is raising ticket prices for third time in two years, company officials announced Friday.
An adult one-day, one-park pass will increase 6 percent, $67 to $71 beginning Sunday. Discount packages also will be affected, but the per-day cost could be less than $23 for adults who buy as large as a 10-day package.
The change is due to an annual planning cycle of travel wholesalers, tour organizers and commercial publications, Disney officials told the Orlando Sentinel.
"We strongly believe that Walt Disney World represents a great entertainment value. Our guests agree," spokesman Rick Sylvain told the newspaper. "In our guests surveys, nine out of 10 rate their theme park experience from good to excellent."
Disney last raised prices last August when a one-day, one-park ticket went from $63 to $67.
When the theme park raised its price from $59.75 to $63 plus tax in January 2006, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld Orlando also raised their ticket prices. Price wars have become an annual rite between the three major theme parks.
Universal Orlando officials declined Friday to discuss with The Associated Press pricing strategies for its park or its competitors. SeaWorld officials did not immediately return a message left by AP.
SeaWorld is owned by a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch Cos., and Universal Orlando is part-owned by a unit of NBC Universal Inc., a unit of General Electric Co.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
In my world "price wars" do not mean raising your prices right after your competitor does. Stupid statement.
I would also point out that charging someone $10 to park before buying a $71 entrance ticket is simply a ruse to avoid saying the entrance price is really $81. Indeed, IMO this is more insulting than the overpriced tickets.
How would it look if Target "lowered" prices, but starting charging to park in their lot? Same thing, but at theme parks in Florida no one seems to have the strength of will to simply find something else to do. Until customers say no, they can expect to get reamed.
Anecdote:
Years ago I was at Disney and they had employees going around with clipboards taking "surveys". Question? "If tickets went up $5 would you still come to Disney?" Most of the common sense challenged tourists said "oh yeah, I sure would."
Disney raised ticket prices. Duh.
81 bucks to enter the gates of the happiest place on earth along with (last time I went) the purchase of “E” tickets to ride the rides?
Who is running the place? Tony Soprano..LOL
I will still go to Disneyland but instead of going for three days I will go for two, spending only one night at the Grand Californian instead of two. Tough luck, Mickey, you lose!
Jeez, if The Mouse keeps this up, only the gays will be able to afford it...
/s
Doesn’t matter. I’m never going to the homosexual pandering “Magic Kingdom” ever again anyways. I was there once back in 1995, never missed it again.
For me, I couldn’t care less if it burned to ashes.
I’ll just need to get one of those instate resident annual passes...
if I ever have the time to go...
that’s in the range of a barrel of oil.
/s
Wow, I oughta see what my “books” of tickets from the 50s will bring on eBay!
It’s terrible that it is so expensive to go now. The place gets too crowded.
WTF do you do for 10 F-ing days at Disney?
Last (and only) time I was at Disney World was probably ’82 or so.
Even then it was around $110 for a 3 day pass to Disney/Epcot Center.
Three days was probably about right to hit the main attractions but was probably two days too long to be around the relatives I was with.
The best show was in the parking lot where you could listen to families fight after driving from New Jersey (or wherever) while waiting for the tram to go to the park.
On a recent trip to Florida, we opted for Silver Springs instead of Disney for our theme park day. (I can ride roller coasters at the local Six Flags). We had a great time.
Is the “Gay Days” floorshow included in the $71?
Wow, lots of anti-Disney people here. Well, frankly, I adore Disneyland, and priced out per hour of entertainment, it’s a great deal. A much cheaper deal per hour than movies or sporting events are.
I have 3 boys, ages 11, 9, and 4, and I have very little in common with them (what is great fun for boys is not for me, usually)—Disneyland is a place the whole family can enjoy.
We go once a year for 3 or 4 days. We go in the off season, no crowds, stay in a moderately-priced hotel, and have always had a great time with great family memories.
Not to say other vacations aren’t great too, but Disney vacations are very special and, in the eyes of a child, quite magical. Worth every penny.
Knoebels is a perfect example. It is world famous for it's coasters, bumper cars, Grand Carousel, and cheap food.
Free parking and free admission. You buy tickets for the rides you want to ride once you are in the park. Also a great campground and incredible swimming pool.
It’s like movies. That’ll be $19.50, hey, why’s the place empty, better raise the price.
We bought annual passes when our daughter was young. We home schooled so my wife took her frequently. Epcot was a "science field trip"...take that public schools. At the time that pass entitled one to "free" parking. Don't know now. Quit going long before I left the state.
But, as regards parking, I consider it grossly insulting when any business charges me exorbitant "fees" to park my car in order to spend money at their place of business.
Back to the ticket prices, my point is that when consumers show no resistance to price increases, they are asking for more of the same.
You want lower cable TV prices? Fine. When 50% of the subscribers in a city cancel their service, watch prices come down. Monopoly or not. But people say to me when I suggest this, "oh, but I can't live without my cable". Well. tough noogies then.
Obviously if the place is too crowded, the problem is that the prices are too low!!
I never did see the attraction of theme parks. It’s all so fake. It’s hard to see plunking down that kind of cash, especially when there are so many wonderful natural wonders to witness in our nation, not to mention historical sites and museums.
‘Course, even as a kid I never bought into the whole “Disney” thing, so I’m kind of a weirdo there. :p
Doesn’t include lunch @ $29.95 each for a hamburger ,soda and chips.
Naaah. I can see the same thing for free watching the '08 Dhimmocratic Convention.
When I lived in Clermont, Florida I received free passes to Disney from customers that worked at Disney. My daughters were young and got a kick out of going every summer when I had them.
After a couple years they got tired of Disney as it never changed (Pre-Epcot Days) and much preferred Sea World, which updated partially often.
Unfortunately, I never received free passes there.
Still, I think everyone should visit Disney World at least once.
I’ve often noticed that really rich people avoid crowd scenes. Maybe if Disney becomes more exclusive they will be more in evidence.
Looks like the anti-Disney brigade is out. In all of the years I've been to Disneyland I've never seen anything like that. I have, however, seen plenty of ill-mannered teenagers and foreigners.
You little pack rat, you. LOL
Disney...(Spit!)
Universal has been running a special for months. They're offering a 2-park ticket/7 days for $80-odd. Not a bad deal at all.
Part of the trouble with the theme parks (as a consumer) is that they make it only reasonable to buy a large ticket (7-10 days).
It's outrageously more expensive if one wanted to spend a couple of days at Disney along with a couple of days at Universal. I understand why they do it, but it's still slightly aggravating.
You sure haven’t been to WDW in a looooooong time. The entrance ticket now covers all the rides. I remember the A-e’s, but don’t think they’ve been around for 20 years or more.
The $10 parking doesn’t automatically = $81 entry fee, because 5, 6 or more people can be in one car, so the parking would be divided by number of passenger.
My sister recently was reminiscing with her grownup kids and asked them what was their favorite thing about Disney World. They said they didn’t remember anything. Oh, well.
Disneyland is now up to $359 for the Premium Annual Passport (no restrictions, free parking). Nice, but it was $189 back in 2001. A single day pass (no park-hopping) is $63, $83 if you want to waste the $20 to go to DCA and see the two rides worth a darn.
The last amusement park we went to was Busch Gardens in Williamsburg last year. The whole family got in free under a active duty appreciation pass, which was very cool. We had a good time but I was a little shocked to see it would have cost over $200 for all of us if we had had to pay, plus parking and food.
My family can get 5 season passes to the water park that is 2 miles away for $300 plus a season parking pass for $20.
Why would I pay $350 plus travel and lodging to go to the Gay Wonderland?
Sad, because Disneyland was my favorite place when I was a child, when it was still wholesome.
” Course, even as a kid I never bought into the whole “Disney” thing, so I’m kind of a weirdo there. :p “
That makes two of is ! My wife and daughter have been to Tokyo Disneyland a couple of times , and Disney Sea once , but I stayed home with the dogs and chugged some cold ones and dug the sunsets and clouds . Hehe...
Went last week to DW florida and it was so very crowded the experience was seriously degraded.
Well then Disney has plenty of room to raise prices even further then. If they didn't have that room, it wouldn't be crowded.
It's been years since I went to Disney but I remember I was quite disappointed in Space Mountain. Didn't seem to have a lot of rollercoasters at the time. I thought Pirates of the Carribean (long before the movie came out) was better than Space Mountain. If I had kids, I would probably enjoy Disney a lot more. As I don't, I'll stick to Six Flags. But for those with kids I hear it's a great experience
Disney will charge what the traffic will bear. I would do the same too, then I could become so rich I could get to spend my millions on useless toys and useless women. They in turn would give birth to useless children to perpetuate the glorious cycle
Having said that - No one but a fool would pay what Disney is asking unless they are forced to go there by their children
Back in the mid 70s, we arrived in Florida late in the p.m. Kids were clamoring to go to Disney World and we all psyched up.
We got there at 10 p.m. and I asked the gate guy how long the park was open. “2 a.m.” sez he, so I lay out the eye-watering $40 and go in. LONG lines everywhere and we got the kids on one ride by midnight. Then all the rides went dark. WTH? “You said the park was open until 2.m.” I complain. “Oh yes, the PARK is open ‘til then but the RIDES close at midnight. You’re from California so you can still used your tickets at Disneyland.”
Never visited anything connected with Disney again. Took the kids to Universal Studios or deep sea fishing from then on.
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