Views on the News from the WDW Update - Ticket Price Increases
by Jonathan Heigl, contributing writer
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I'm excited to share the news that I will be writing about my opinions on some of the larger news items shared in the weekly Walt Disney World Update. I will not write about everything, and it may not even be every week. It will be just on what I feel are the bigger, more important news items that may happen. With that being said, let's get right into it.
This week's discussion topic: Ticket Price Increase
In the Walt Disney World Resort Update published February 24, 2015, Marie wrote about the ticket price increase that happened for the Disney parks. There are many facets to this price increase, so let's discuss them.
First, one-day Magic Kingdom base tickets have now surpassed the $100 mark for the first time in history. Before this change, a lot of talk and speculation existed that questioned whether or not passing the $100 mark for a one-day ticket would negatively impact attendance and ultimately, the bottom line. It is my opinion that there will not be a negative impact at all. The parks feel like they have never been more crowded, and that is a trend that continues year after year.
Looking at attendance records since 2008, park attendance has steadily climbed, from an estimated 118 million in 2008 to 132.5 million in 2013. Disney has also been raising ticket prices annually, and sometimes even twice a year. Back in 2006, they raised ticket prices twice. The first time was in January 2006 (up by $3.25 to $63) and the second time was in August 2006 (up an additional $4 to $67), so by August 2006, it was $7.25 more expensive than it was in 2005. There were also some times where the increase happened within 12 months, but the calendar year was different. For instance, in June 2013, Magic Kingdom ticket prices were raised $6 from what they were previously (up to $95). In February of 2014, just 8 months later, they were raised another $4 (up to $99). During these times, attendance has not only held pace, but surpassed the previous year.
For me, I don't feel like the jump to $105 will put a dent in the attendance numbers. The new offerings at Magic Kingdom will keep people coming, and most visitors to Walt Disney World buy something other than one-day tickets anyway.
Second, the one-day ticket prices at the other three theme parks were raised by $3, up to $97. With the upcoming additions to Disney's Animal Kingdom (‘AVATAR-land’), Disney's Hollywood Studios (the rumored Star Wars and PIXAR Place expansions) and Epcot (the rumored Soarin' third theater addition as well as new film and also the closing of Maelstrom in favor of a Frozen themed attraction), it is reasonable to speculate that the one-day ticket to these parks will soon be joining the $100+ price party. While the ticket prices for all of the parks have risen, in my opinion, quite dramatically in the past 10 years, I don't foresee theme park attendance dropping because with these increased ticket prices come some pretty spectacular new and re-themed attractions, which keep people coming back.
A smaller (based on scale) discussion is the increase in the resident and annual passes. I understand the concern for any price hikes, but let's face it, you are still getting a great deal on these passes, in my opinion.
To me, the biggest news out of these changes has often gone overlooked: there is no longer an option to purchase a non-expiring ticket. Previously, you could purchase an add-on to your base ticket that would prevent any unused days from expiring. In essence, you could have purchased a multi-day no expiration ticket prior to the ticket price change and it would be good forever as long as there was at least one day left on the ticket.
With the regular ticket price hikes this was an option that, while requiring an upfront investment, could have saved money in the long run. However, this optional add-on is no longer available, and it's a significant loss.
Part of the reaction from hardcore Disney fans is the due to Walt Disney's intent when Disneyland opened; he wanted it to be a place where families could afford to be together and have fun together. He wanted it to be accessible to people of all classes and fortune.
People feel the company loses a bit more of Walt's vision and original mission every year, especially when ticket prices are raised. While this may or may not be true, the bottom line is that there is no other place in the world where you get to experience the fun, magic, wonder, and amazement found at Disney Parks. While some people may question the state of the legendary Disney guest service—whether the quality of it has dwindled or not—I still don't think anywhere else comes close.
Certainly ticket prices and the cost of vacation packages rise every year, requiring visitors to postpone visits so the can save more money to pay for their trips. However, once a family is there priceless, lifetime memories are made.
What are your thoughts on the ticket price change? What aspect of it do you think is the most noteworthy part? Will the price changes (and removal of the no-expiration option) impact or change your planning at all? Let's discuss.
Comments
The yearly price increases definitely get old, but they can do it so they do, what definitely bothers me most is the elimination of the non-expiring tickets, something my family and I have used nearly every time we have gone to WDW. We are one of those families that buys the 10-day non expiring park hoppers and gets 3 trips out of them, it's not fun to pay that big cost up front, but we know once it's paid we are good for a few years and don't have to worry about our tickets for a few trips. The yearly increases are bad enough, but now it will cost us even more to have to buy tickets for each trip. I guess they call that progress? I'm not so sure.
I think you hit the nail on the head, Jonathan - most folks who visit the World don't buy the one day tickets. This is strictly a case of supply and demand - as long as the crowds keep arriving in record numbers, Disney has no reason NOT to raise prices. It hurts, but I don't in the least blame them.
The high single day price actually helps to make visitors even more comfortable with the cost of the multi-day tickets as they appear to have significant savings.
While the ticket prices have certainly increased quite a bit you also have to look at how they compare to other recreational activities:
A one day ski-lift ticket to Squaw Valley costs $119
Bleacher tickets to a Spring Training Baseball game is $35
A movie is now $10-15
There will always be people who don't see the value received as exceeding the ticket price and they won't go to Disneyland or DisneyWorld.
Walt did want as many people as possible to be able to visit his park but it was done in a way that isn't possible now and that was with the park admission. He didn't think it was important that a ticket book with access to many rides was affordable; in fact he knew it was expensive. But before the "all you can eat" ticketing that started in the early 80's you could by an admission ticket to just the park. That allowed you to enjoy the beauty of Disneyland and also access to a lot of fantastic entertainment. That was the way that a wider group could enjoy the park but it didn't mean getting to ride everything.
I know my opinion is in the minority here, but I don't think they have raised them enough. We are DVC members who buy APs every year and get 2 or 3 trips out of them, so our daily cost is rather low compared to others. We also usually go during what is referred to as the "slower" times, but the parks are more crowded than ever. I would not have a serious problem if Disney upped the prices by 50% to get the crowds down while still making a profit. Of course, the service and everything still has to be kept to Disney standards! Less wait times at the rides, and the CMs would have more time to interact with everyone, since it wouldn't be wall-to-wall people.
At the same time, I also think all of these discounts and "free dining" need to go away as well. If a family has to wait an additional 6 months or a year to save the money for a trip, then so be it. With any kind of reduced crowds, they'll have an easier time getting into restaurants, and a much better experience over-all. Anyone remember when you could walk up to Le Cellier and get in? - I do - and the DDP and free DDP have killed it for all of us. We always purchase the TiW to save our 20%, but the restaurants have had to jack up the prices so high to cover the DDP cost, that those of us who pay out of pocket end up subsidizing the DDP folks.
Another area that Disney needs to reconsider is their resort prices. They are really getting out of hand. While they don't affect us at all since we always use our points (though it actually makes our DVC purchase more valuable and saves us even more), I really think they need to cut out the discounts, but price the rooms much lower. JMHO, and again, I know I'm in the minority here.
Honestly, I'm not sure I could morally get on board with the notion of pricing families out of a vacation. However, I do feel your sentiment about the parks being too busy/crowded and the notion of booking a restaurant 6 months ahead of time to me is insane. I don't even know what I want for dinner tonight, let alone 6 months from now! I'm not sure how they could cut down on the amount of Guests crowding the park without increasing prices drastically to price people out, nor am I even sure they would want to. With that being said, certainly Guest expectations and experiences are hurt by waiting 60+ minutes for a ride.
I see a lot of online negativity toward Disney every time they raise ticket prices. Typical arguments include:
- Disney is way too expensive. It's a ripoff!
- I'll go visit a National Park instead
- I went there once and never again! The lines were horrendous. Who would pay $100 for that?
When we back out a bit and look at the larger picture, sure, a Disney vacation is not cheap. But have you priced a National Park vacation lately? People like to talk only about the admission price. Let's look at Grand Canyon National Park. Sure, it's a lot cheaper to get into this park than a Disney park. Now look at nearby lodging, which is almost a requirement to fully experience a National Park. The hotels and motels are contracted out to businesses. Prices are very high with little or no incentives to provide a good value, good service or good experience. Most guests are one-time visitors. So, when you look at online reviews, you see some positive comments. But you'll also see constant complaints about these hotels being rundown, outdated, overpriced and offering horrible customer service. Most employees are college students and, unlike the Disney College Program, these people don't get the message about guest service. They are there to do as little as possible all day and party all night.
The stories about Disney parks being horribly crowded and a ripoff come from people who know absolutely nothing about the parks and made no effort whatsoever to learn about them. They assume it's like the amusement park back home, only bigger. They visit during one of the most crowded times during the year. They schlep in around the 10:30 AM when the parks are the most crowded. They wander around with no plan and no idea of what's available. And, unlike the glorified carnival back home, you can't see most Disney attractions by walking around. If you don't know what "Pirates of the Caribbean" or "Haunted Mansion" are, you'll walk right by and and wonder what all the Disney hype is about. (I've actually talked to people who visited a Disney park, walked around and saw Dumbo, the Teacups and a few other attractions which are completely outdoors and assumed that's all there was.)
Thus, even with these steeply rising prices, a Disney vacation is expensive, but still a good value. Of course, in order for it to be a good value, you have to plan, research and budget. Making no effort to do any of these and then complaining is just admitting you're a dunderhead.
While I'd have to agree with what you said, it brings up an interesting question: SHOULD that much planning, researching, and budgeting be necessary? I mean, if you want to eat dinner one night at a restaurant in the park, you pretty much have to book 6 months ahead of time. Should you now have to make FASTPASS reservations for rides sooo far in advance of your trip? Should you have to be an "expert" in order to visit the parks? These are all interesting questions and can lead to interesting conversations. A lot of people claim WDW takes them into a simpler time and a simpler world. Well, nothing is simple at THE WORLD!