Disneyland Price Increases and Elimination of So Cal AP

[Stevek]

So Disneyland pulled a fast one on everyone overnight and increased ticket prices along with the complete elimination of the So Cal annual passport...which I am currently a holder of.

$150 for a 1 day park hopper...crazy.

After 13+ years as an AP, we are finally priced out. Not going to step up to the Deluxe, which we had for a few years, and not going to step down to the Select which basically blocks out the days we normally attend. It sucks but is probably a smart move my Disney. Parks are packed, people have continued to pay after every increase and by eliminating the So Cal AP, they have potentially reduced the crowds on Friday and Sunday...likely very high attendance days for the So Cal AP level.

Details at the link below:

http://www.dlandlive.com/news/2014/4/disneyland-resort-raises-ticket-prices-for-2014

2014 DISNEYLAND RESORT ADMISSION PRICES

• 1-Day 1 Park
  • $96 Adult, increased by $4
  • $90 Child, increased by $4
• 1-Day Park Hopper
  • $150 Adult, increased by $13
  • $144 Child, increased by $13
• 2-Day, 1 park per day
  • $178 Adult, increased by $3
  • $165 Child, increased by $3
• 2-Day Park Hopper
  • $217 Adult, increased by $7
  • $204 Child, increased by $10
• 3-Day, 1 park per day with Magic Morning
  • $226 Adult, increased by $1
  • $215 Child, increased by $6
• 3-Day Park Hopper with Magic Morning
  • $265 Adult, increased by $5
  • $254 Child, increased by $10
• 4-Day, 1 park per day with Magic Morning
  • $250 Adult, increased by $0
  • $235 Child, increased by $5
• 4-Day Park Hopper with Magic Morning
  • $289 Adult, increased by $4
  • $274 Child, increased by $9
• 5-Day, 1 park per day with a Magic Morning
  • $266 Adult, increased by $1
  • $250 Child, increased by $6
• 5-Day Park Hopper with Magic Morning
  • $305 Adult, increased by $5
  • $289 Child, increased by $10

2014 DISNEYLAND RESORT ANNUAL PASSPORT PRICES

• SoCal Select Annual Passport - $289, increased by $10. Monthly Payment option, $16.09 (SoCal Resident Only) $159 to add parking.

• SoCal Annual Passport - Eliminated

• Deluxe Annual Passport - $519, increased by $20. Monthly payment for SoCal Resident, $35.25. $159 to add parking.

• Premium Annual Passport - $699, increased by $30. Monthly payment for SoCal Resident, $50.25. Includes Parking and No Blockout Dates.

• Premier Passport - $1,029, increased by $50

Disneyland Resort parking is also on the rise. The new prices are:

• • $17 for Auto / Motorcycle, increased by $1
  • $22 for Oversized, increased by $1
  • $27 for Buses, increased by $1

 

[Californian Elitist]

We were talking about this on MiceChat yesterday, so I'm not shocked about the increases. What I didn't see coming was the elimination of the SoCal pass. Wow.

It won't be long before I'm priced out as well. I've said this before... I don't think I'm going to be able to take my future kids to Disneyland.

 

[Stevek]

We were talking about this on MiceChat yesterday, so I'm not shocked about the increases. What I didn't see coming was the elimination of the SoCal pass. Wow.

It won't be long before I'm priced out as well. I've said this before... I don't think I'm going to be able to take my future kids to Disneyland.

We were going less and less due to soccer and other priorities in life so our primary days were Friday night and Sunday...hence, we were part of the crowding problem. I think Disney is really trying to weed people like us out and they know that the serious folks will still upgrade to the deluxe or downgrade to the so cal select and give up those prime days. We won't do either. We have our passes until Jan 2015 so at least we'll get one last Halloween and Christmas season in.

 

[Californian Elitist]

We were going less and less due to soccer and other priorities in life so our primary days were Friday night and Sunday...hence, we were part of the crowding problem. I think Disney is really trying to weed people like us out and they know that the serious folks will still upgrade to the deluxe or downgrade to the so cal select and give up those prime days. We won't do either. We have our passes until Jan 2015 so at least we'll get one last Halloween and Christmas season in.

They're definitely trying to get rid of people. I have not renewed my pass this year, but I do plan on getting one next year for the 60th. After 2015, I don't know if I'll get one for 2016. I'll be at Universal Studios Hollywood anyway. Potter is opening in 2016, not to mention the new things opening next year in 2015. Their passes are actually affordable. I've been a passholder there as well.

 

[Stevek]

They're definitely trying to get rid of people. I have not renewed my pass this year, but I do plan on getting one next year for the 60th. After 2015, I don't know if I'll get one for 2016. I'll be at Universal Studios Hollywood anyway. Potter is opening in 2016, not to mention the new things opening next year in 2015. Their passes are actually affordable. I've been a passholder there as well.

Here's an article from the OC register. It's not that the So Cal AP doesn't exist, they are just limiting sales. If you currently have that AP, you can renew it. Appears they will limit it's sales to manage attendance. I would imagine this will occur with both the So Cal and So Cal Select with the So Cal clearly being the biggest concern for them.

As for other parks, we did Knotts last year and it was ok. I actually went there more as a kid but DL has always been my favorite. Uni is just a bit of a roadtrip for us though I expect we'll visit a couple of times at least once Potter opens.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/annual-614733-disney-passes.html

 

[Californian Elitist]

Here's an article from the OC register. It's not that the So Cal AP doesn't exist, they are just limiting sales. If you currently have that AP, you can renew it. Appears they will limit it's sales to manage attendance. I would imagine this will occur with both the So Cal and So Cal Select with the So Cal clearly being the biggest concern for them.

As for other parks, we did Knotts last year and it was ok. I actually went there more as a kid but DL has always been my favorite. Uni is just a bit of a roadtrip for us though I expect we'll visit a couple of times at least once Potter opens.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/annual-614733-disney-passes.html

Well in that case, that's good news for you and others. Will you be renewing?

I like Knott's. My sister has passes there for her and her children. I like Six Flags as well. It doesn't take much to entertain me. I visit other places besides theme parks as well. We live in California, and so there's plenty to do here. I'm dying to go north, to hit up Yosemite and see the redwoods. Also planning on going to Big Bear this Christmas.

 

[TP2000]

This is a wise move by Disney, and the suspending of new sales of the SoCal Select is an interesting twist. It's obvious that Friday nights and Sunday afternoons were a complete madhouse on days the cheapest APs were unblocked. They have to do something.

Still, the AP sales suspension is unprecedented. And it speaks volumes!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I can tell you from when we were just there, the lines just to get into both parks were insane on the Friday evening. We made the mistake of leaving DL to hop over to DCA. We took one look at the turnstile lines and heck no. We spent our last evening in our room instead of a park.

The fact that Disney is looking to limit or reduce the number of all APs out there (according to the article) tells me they feel they have too many out there. We live in Texas and bought the deluxe APs through way.com because the cost to do so was only $10 more per pass over the price of a 5-day park hopper + 1-day/1-park ticket. If Disneyland had a longer length ticket for US residents or even did length-of-stay admission for the onsite hotel guests I think they might not have as many people who may only go the 1 week out of the year buying APs. I realize fraud was an issue but with the pictures attached to the tickets now, I don't see why they haven't gone to a longer length ticket.

 

[radiohost]

We were there Friday as well. Main problem I saw was that it was grad night, and let me predict now, they will soon eliminate this party like they did at Disney World a few years ago. Was absolutely nuts and from our observations security had there hands full.

Out family is Disney world folks, and Friday was like July 3rd at MK at WDW.

 

[Travel Junkie]

This is a wise move by Disney, and the suspending of new sales of the SoCal Select is an interesting twist. It's obvious that Friday nights and Sunday afternoons were a complete madhouse on days the cheapest APs were unblocked. They have to do something.

Still, the AP sales suspension is unprecedented. And it speaks volumes!

Agreed. Friday nights and Sundays are really out of control and something had to be done. Several things they have done in the past to try and alter AP visiting patterns has had little to no effect.

 

[Nicole220]

They really need to cut back on a lot of APs. They made them too affordable when the monthly payment plans came out. Disneyland is just too crowded these days. I miss real off seasons.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I don't think crowds are going to really shrink overall. We saw sooooo many people there sporting first time buttons. A lot of people are trying out the west coast parks that might not have previously because they don't like the way of things in Florida. I bought plane tickets on a whim back out to California for our anniversary getaway but we've since been second guessing that choice. Big time. If the crowds are like what we experienced already I can guarantee we won't return anytime in the foreseeable future. Crowds are our A#1 beef with the WDW parks. We find as we get older we have less and less tolerance for crowds of people. We simply can't enjoy ourselves after a certain point.

The old man had a point when we were discussing all this earlier: at least Disneyland is trying to do something about the crowds. Right?

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

They are basically admitting there are way too many people lining up for Pirates of the Caribbean and clogging up half of New Orleans Square and that Disneyland is going to implode like the Poltergeist house unless they remove the bodies.

 

[Gabe1]

Wow! What a great position for Disney to be in. Needing to get rid of excess guests.

Now if Disney could only duplicate that overcrowding problem at Animal Kingdom in Florida nobody would be able to wipe the smirks off their faces.

 

[Stevek]

Well in that case, that's good news for you and others. Will you be renewing?

I like Knott's. My sister has passes there for her and her children. I like Six Flags as well. It doesn't take much to entertain me. I visit other places besides theme parks as well. We live in California, and so there's plenty to do here. I'm dying to go north, to hit up Yosemite and see the redwoods. Also planning on going to Big Bear this Christmas.

I don't know. My wife and I have talked about it and it's less of a value to us now as we a) don't use it as much and b) have the desire to do other things when we have the luxury of free time. We have a family cabin in Big Bear and I haven't been there in a year. Hard to carve out time for Disneyland when I should be spending time in the mountains.

I can tell you from when we were just there, the lines just to get into both parks were insane on the Friday evening. We made the mistake of leaving DL to hop over to DCA. We took one look at the turnstile lines and heck no. We spent our last evening in our room instead of a park.

The fact that Disney is looking to limit or reduce the number of all APs out there (according to the article) tells me they feel they have too many out there. We live in Texas and bought the deluxe APs through way.com because the cost to do so was only $10 more per pass over the price of a 5-day park hopper + 1-day/1-park ticket. If Disneyland had a longer length ticket for US residents or even did length-of-stay admission for the onsite hotel guests I think they might not have as many people who may only go the 1 week out of the year buying APs. I realize fraud was an issue but with the pictures attached to the tickets now, I don't see why they haven't gone to a longer length ticket.

We visited today, Sunday, and both parks were nuts. Part of the problem was Bats day bringing in more, um, "interesting" guests but the bigger issue was ride problems and refurbs. In DCA, Racers went down for awhile and TOT had one elevator go 101 while we were in line. We were told that our 35 minute posted wait would increase by +10 minutes but 1 hour+ later, we finally got out of line and got a FP for later in the day. Even Mermaid had a 25 minute wait and used an extended queue...something I haven't seen since it opened (BTW, Mermaid looks much better post refurb).

As for Disneyland, Matterhorn, Thunder and Splash all went 101 during the day. Add to that, no Pirates, no Alice, no Subs, no IASW and with big crowds, that's big waits. It was one of the most challenging days to visit the park that we've had in years...far worse than previous years where we just happened to be there on Bats Day.

 

[Travel Junkie]

No question DLR is a nightmare on Friday nights and Sunday’s. One of the busiest times I have ever seen DL was on a random Friday night in February. No special occasion, simply a nice warm February night that AP’s came in and overwhelmed the park. Short term capping AP’s is the right thing to do.
Long term they need to build that 2nd parking structure off Disney Way and build up the rest of their infrastructure. They also need to add more capacity at both parks and begin looking at a 3rd gate. DL will always be a problem with its small walkways but adding more attractions would go a long way in helping relieve congestion. They also need to reexamine the AP program as a whole. I wouldn’t be surprised to see So Cal select to only be valid Monday through Thursday and either alter the So Cal pass or eliminate it entirely.
Or they could nothing and let USH take some business away when Potter opens.

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

I don't think crowds are going to really shrink overall. We saw sooooo many people there sporting first time buttons. A lot of people are trying out the west coast parks that might not have previously because they don't like the way of things in Florida. I bought plane tickets on a whim back out to California for our anniversary getaway but we've since been second guessing that choice. Big time. If the crowds are like what we experienced already I can guarantee we won't return anytime in the foreseeable future. Crowds are our A#1 beef with the WDW parks. We find as we get older we have less and less tolerance for crowds of people. We simply can't enjoy ourselves after a certain point.

The old man had a point when we were discussing all this earlier: at least Disneyland is trying to do something about the crowds. Right?

Big crowds are such a nightmare! We have already said that if we go back to WDW in the future, we will go in September. When we went after the girls cruise last year, crowds were so small, we walked onto Splash Mountain on a hot sunny day at noon!

I do agree that we did see the most people Sunday at the DL parks. And with the closures of so many rides it really was crazy! I bet that had a LOT to do with how busy it seemed for us. DCA didn't seem so bad as DL. We want to do a trip out west again November 2015 to see the Christmas decorations but if we do it will be midweek to midweek so we only have to deal with 1 Friday and 1 Sunday of crazniess (which we will probably use those days as our days to do stuff other than the parks!) and can have the weekdays where the crowds are more managable.

 

[JillC LI]

Sorry about this for you locals. I'm glad I bought my passes through Way.com last week for our trip next week.

 

[Axoman]

I'm in the process of planning a trip to DL this winter, probably the week after Thanksgiving (hoping crowds will be low since just after Thanksgiving), are Fridays and Sundays still really busy then?

We were there last September from a Monday-Thursday and crowds and wait times for rides were really low. I'm thinking of going Sunday-Wednesday or Thursday this time, but if Sunday is extra bad, we'll do Monday-Thursday again.

 

[Travel Junkie]

I'm in the process of planning a trip to DL this winter, probably the week after Thanksgiving (hoping crowds will be low since just after Thanksgiving), are Fridays and Sundays still really busy then?

We were there last September from a Monday-Thursday and crowds and wait times for rides were really low. I'm thinking of going Sunday-Wednesday or Thursday this time, but if Sunday is extra bad, we'll do Monday-Thursday again.

Yes, any Friday night and Sunday that So Cal AP’s are unblocked will be crowded, unless weather is an issue (Californian’s are weather wimps.) Especially considering the holiday’s at DLR are in full force and the AP’s are only valid the first 3 weeks of December before they are blocked out the rest of the month, the locals need to get their holiday fix in November and early December. Friday morning’s are ok, but the after work crowd begins to pour in around dinner time. Sunday’s when So Cal AP’s are unblocked are the busiest day of the week, no question.
Monday thru Thursday is the way to go to miss crowds. Crowds will be low during the week this time of year. You will miss Fireworks and F! however as they only run on the weekends in early December. DLR is truly great over the holiday’s. There is a lot to do and see that is unique to this time of year.