$100 a day? Soon. VERY soon.

[lebeau]

That's the business model they want (and have since the late 80s to be sure), but that isn't necessarily the way the guests chose to visit. Again, while many folks (especially here) may find 11 nights at the BW (never moving off property at all) to be MAGICal, many folks are happy with a day at EPCOT and a day at DAK as part of a larger trip.

Alienating guests who won't come and spend $9,000 in 11 nights at the BW isn't the smartest way of growing a business ... and attendance figures that are flat would support my view.

This is how the vast majority of people I know visit WDW. I hear a lot of comaplaints about the price of one-day tickets.

 

[bubbles1812]

This is how the vast majority of people I know visit WDW. I hear a lot of comaplaints about the price of one-day tickets.

Agreed. I know one family who I actually just talked to today who usually go down to Florida for the beach (much cheaper and still fun option for them) who includes a day or two at one of the parks because they can't afford the prices WDW charges. They give their kids the choice of which parks they want to visit and their kids have always chosen MK and if they do a second day, DHS or AK. And then it's back to the beach.

They just went to Florida in June and guess where their kids chose to spend the one day the reserve for a theme park after years of loyalty to spending a day at WDW? ... Islands of Adventure with the World of Harry Potter. And guess where they want to go back to on their next trip? Their kids certainly didn't say Disney.

And this was one family. I've talked to many more and it's gone much that same way for their family's as well.

 

[wannab@dis]

Yes, because blind faith with unquestioning loyalty always is the best... Well, it is if you want to be a cult leader. For everyone else, they want the best for the company long term, not to simply praise them no matter what they do.

Really? You and the other '74 parrots are going to talk about a cult? LOL

No blind faith or loyalty here. Just a little more open minded than some of you that are continually upset by every little thing. And then make up imaginary issues like this one when you can't find something else to whine about.

Universal raised prices first this year.
Disney matched them.
Universal raised their prices again! To be more expensive than Disney!

The hypocrisy is astounding. So, why no whining about Universal?

 

[lebeau]

Agreed. I know one family who I actually just talked to today who usually go down to Florida for the beach (much cheaper and still fun option for them) who includes a day or two at one or two of the parks because they can't afford the prices WDW charges. They give their kids the choice of which parks they want to visit and their kids have always chosen MK and if they do a second day, DHS or AK. And then it's back to the beach.

They just went to Florida in June and guess where their kids chose to spend the one day the reserve for a theme park after years of loyalty to spending a day at WDW? ... Islands of Adventure with the World of Harry Potter. And guess where they want to go back to on their next trip? Their kids certainly didn't say Disney.

And this was one family. I've talked to many more and it's gone much that same way for their family's as well.

Our next Orlando theme park trip (after WDW in the fall) won't be for at least a couple of years. Maybe a few. As it stands right now, I plan to go to Sea World and Universal. If a one or two-day ticket were affordable, we would consider visiting Disney too. But since it's not, we will spend all our time with Disney's competition. It will likely be 2017 or later before we go back to Disney. And when we do, it may be on the West coast.

 

[bubbles1812]

Really? You and the other '74 parrots are going to talk about a cult? LOL

No blind faith or loyalty here. Just a little more open minded than some of you that are continually upset by every little thing. And then make up imaginary issues like this one when you can't find something else to whine about.

Universal raised prices first this year.
Disney matched them.
Universal raised their prices again! To be more expensive than Disney!

The hypocrisy is astounding. So, why no whining about Universal?

First, they matched Disney I believe. I'm not saying it was right or that I liked they raised their prices twice, but they didn't make themselves more expensive that Disney. They matched their pricing.

Second, while little things looked at individually aren't that big of a deal, lots of little things add up.

Third, many don't just talk about the "little things." There are big picture problems like AK/DHS being half day parks or the decline of FW at Epcot. Also that Disney has approved fewer and fewer "mega projects" over the past decade or so while their competition continues to up their game. Just to name a few.

Fourth, most people do praise Disney...when they do something right...when there is something to be praised. They just haven't presented as much to be praised in recent years. Or would you like people to praise such things as EMH hours being reduced?

 

[MAF]

Good, lets keep those pesky poor people out of our parks....

 

[flynnibus]

The hypocrisy is astounding. So, why no whining about Universal?

Try going back to the threads when uni did the double lift and you will see my posts being critical of uni.

I don't subscribe to your 'you must follow or not be a true fan' mentality.

 

[flynnibus]

First, they matched Disney I believe. I'm not saying it was right or that I liked they raised their prices twice, but they didn't make themselves more expensive that Disney. They matched their pricing.

No, uni decided they didn't want to be the lower priced ticket anymore and set their price above Disney. Disney then raised and uni set their price to be ABOVE Disney again. They wanted to be the 'premium' and no longer in wdw's shadow

 

[bubbles1812]

No, uni decided they didn't want to be the lower priced ticket anymore and set their price above Disney. Disney then raised and uni set their price to be ABOVE Disney again. They wanted to be the 'premium' and no longer in wdw's shadow

Oh, I didn't know that. I apologize at least then for that statement. While I wish they hadn't raised the prices even higher, I guess I understand not wanting to be in the Disney shadow...but hey, at least they will be offering a lot of new stuff so I might be able to swallow it a little easier. Though again, I wish they hadn't just like I wish Disney hadn't.

 

[FutureCEO]

the question is how far can tickets go? or in 2015 or whenever Michael 2 is retiring, will the new CEO finally have some balls and make proper business decisions. I know Iger's been great for Disney but so was Eisner in his early days. The CEO takes the hit because he is the one with Orlando Management is place.

If my parents didn't own a time share, I wouldn't be going to Disney that much.

 

[Tom]

the question is how far can tickets go? or in 2015 or whenever Michael 2 is retiring, will the new CEO finally have some balls and make proper business decisions. I know Iger's been great for Disney's stockholders, but so was Eisner in his early days. The CEO takes the hit because he is the one with Orlando Management is place.

If my parents didn't own a time share, I wouldn't be going to Disney that much.

Fixed it for you.

 

[WDW1974]

I'm curious how Toms views might change once he lives here for six months. Viewing from afar and life styling are two very different things.

He's moving to O-Town too?!??! Not that I know what he looks like (I always thought he was 40-something, not a snot-nosed 20-something), but I really hate going to WDW these days and ALWAYS seeing the Lifestyle Brigade because they live at the place.

 

[WDW1974]

No, uni decided they didn't want to be the lower priced ticket anymore and set their price above Disney. Disney then raised and uni set their price to be ABOVE Disney again. They wanted to be the 'premium' and no longer in wdw's shadow

Yeah, but that didn't last long did it?

I believe (too lazy to check now) that WDW is $89 a day, while UNI is $88. Is that right?

 

[RKS Taiwan]

I’ll add a bit of kindling to the conversation and let you all know why I felt compelled to take part in this discussion. 1992 was my second to last trip to the resort. My next and last trip was in 1999. Epcot was my first park on that trip in 1999 ‘cause I was impressed with it’s progress through the 80’s and early 90’s and I wanted to see what they had done to improve the place and see the new countries represented. Of course there weren’t any new countries and, to be honest, I felt let down. I was disappointed with the whole place in fact and vowed I would not return, to any of the parks, unless new countries were added to WS (that felt good to say “out loud” for the first time in 12 years). I have been back to Orlando several times since then and I just don’t go to Disney (granted I haven’t been back to SW or Uni either). I have been back to the Kennedy Space Center numerous times, head to the Florida Keys for some golf and my favorite park BGT. I bring this up in this thread because 1) I honestly don’t remember what I paid for the tickets in 1999, so my reasoning is if I can’t remember what I paid, the $100/person/day/gate increase (or higher) wouldn’t bother me in the least (to a point of course), 2) When buying the tickets in 1999 (offsite) the lady at the front desk at the hotel asked me if I wanted the park hopper for all 4 parks. 4? Huh? I had no idea that DAK existed (I can’t believe I remember this). This to me is the “value” that many have talked about.
The point being is that a price hike seems right to me at least while TDO is starting to maintain a few things and there is certainly value there at WDW but dang it, give me a reason to go back.

 

[Jeff456]

Unbelievable to think It could cost that much... but then I guess one day guests Disney does not overly want, I am reasonably happy with the price we pay for tickets in the UK its about £250 for 14 days at the moment which is approximately $385 dollars so $27.50 a day which seems very reasonable.

 

[devoy1701]

This is how the vast majority of people I know visit WDW. I hear a lot of comaplaints about the price of one-day tickets.

I would love to see a breakdown of what % of the annual visitors actually use a one-day ticket? I imagine that a good amount still do. There are many people (including the 10mil-ish that live within a 2 hr drive) who get enough of a Disney Fix with just a one day visit every now and then, and IMO, $90+ is too much to pay for that fix. I still think it's bad business to not offer a reduced rate 1-day ticket for FL Residents.

Fixed it for you.

Agreed wholeheartedly. With the stock pushing $50/share, I wish I hadn't sold the majority of my stake 3 years ago. Instead of doubling my money I could have quadrupled it. But alas, I the increased stockholder wealth does appear to have come at the expense of the brand, and I still to this day believe that the increased wealth still would have happened (and still can happen) if they would stop focusin on the bottom dollar and just focus on being "Disney" again.

I keep telling my wife that I have no idea when we'll ever go back to Disney World. It seems that without the burden of being passholders that we've been able to take off the rose-colored glasses that forced us to find value in everything that was being offered. We can afford a trip without a problem, but we just aren't willing to pay for it, knowing that the product hasn't changed from what we were given 4,5,6 years ago, but the prices have gone up 25-45% depending on what you're breaking down. I have a feeling that it won't be until we have kids that we have a change of heart on this one...though I can't see us ever going back to being repeat passholders for a 5-year stint like we were just recently.

 

[BigThunderMatt]

I have a feeling those days will seen be coming to an end as well. At least the structure that we now know. In Florida anyways. I think WDW management sees how cast members are getting tourists and guests in for free...and I am sure they are not happy. At the VERY least, in the duture, I would expect a reduction in number of guests you can get in a year - and the requirement that you stay with them for the duration of their stay.

Many of these guests that get in with Cast tend to purchase more food and merchandise than guests who have to pay for all three. Disney makes no profit on admission, it only covers the bottom line. Food and merch are where profits are generated and if you are making more revenue per guest because that guest did not have to pay for park admission, you're not going to cut off that revenue stream.

Not only that, but the ability to have access to that free admission for friends and family is one of the few things keeping a lot of Cast Members employed. I can't even count how many people I know who would just up and quit right now if they didn't have access to that, and they would be right to do so. It's one of the few last genuine perks that you get for being a Cast Member and to reduce it or take it away when they've already cut so many benefits would likely be the last straw for many people if they didn't raise pay to compensate for the loss of such a benefit.

 

[RKS Taiwan]

We may not see it at Walt Disney World, but the art for Antartica: Empire of the Penguins continues to suggest something similar will be opening at SeaWorld Orlando next year.

This too is disappointing. I would of thought/hoped that this type of attraction would have been planned and built for the Antartic pavilion at DAK Complete with some Club Penguin "synergy" $100 or more a day for DAK? I just might have abandoned my vow not to go to Disney unless new countries were added to WS and checked this out.

 

[RKS Taiwan]

It sure is an eye opener discussing one day tickets. Coming from Canada or from overseas where your going to stay a couple/three/seven days, it never registered that there are folks out there that would use one day tickets. Duh. I can see now that even a small up tick in a day ticket might deter people from making a trip to a single park for a single day, especially when there is "nothing new to see here".

 

[alphac2005]

Anecdotal evidence from both sides of the discussion. Reality is we won't know unless Disney chooses to release figures. With millions of guests per year, any individual knowledge is inconsequential in regard to actual corporate-held statistics. My guess is that despite your individual experiences, there are still comparitively few people who would buy short-stay tickets, but it's just a guess.

It's quite obvious that this is all anecdotal, but let me expand a little here. Besides personal experiences, our family lived in Orlando and we founded our business down there, which has since been relocated. Throughout the year, we attended many trade shows in Orlando and Orlando is one of the largest convention markets in the United States, competing with Chicago, Atlanta, and Las Vegas for the top numbers of conventions and visitors in a year. There is a sizable amount of these convention goers that would attend a park for a day, as multiple-day passes weren't a possibly as most of the shows are 3-4 days, and the visitors are tied up in business during many hours of those days.

There used to be decent park ticket discounting for conventions, now that's virtually nil. Most of the non-local business people that we would associate with would go to a park for an evening, or part of a day. I know a lot of them going down to Orlando today and none of them care to buy a park ticket as they don't see the value in three hours of a Disney theme park at nearly a $100.

It's a lot of pieces being put together here, but it's foolish to think that long-term they aren't harming their brand. I grew up visiting the parks year after year, later lived in Central Florida and visited regularly, and watched the quality nose dive. I know of so many people pulling back from visiting. It's all "anecdotal," but when it's one person after another, family after family, you see a trend, it's a micro-trend as it pertains to only the cluster of people that I know. But, it's pretty fair to think that this is going around all over the place. None of the people that I know aren't going because they are impaired by finances, they just see a lesser product that costs more now and isn't worth the inflated prices.

Disney inflates the the single day ticket to essentially force visitors to a higher price ticket. So, they get higher revenues even offsetting the single day ticket losses. I've been in business a long time and I get how it works. It's quite interesting to see how the company now merges their attendance figures. It makes sense. They don't care about bodies, they care about revenue. As long as the bottom-line numbers increase for the shareholders and the market, they don't care. It's all typical. HOWEVER, it still does not negate the fact that this is again short-term vision and not too brilliant for long term vacation loyalty. WDW is run by MBA's with spreadsheets and I've encountered many of them in business. The funny thing is that they always think that they have the answers and I've been business long enough to see that they end up on the wrong side time after time. They tend to forget the human element and that is awfully important in business.

I know that we're visiting Orlando and going to Universal Orlando in September. It's our first Universal only trip, ever, and I look forward to visiting Tokyo to get a taste of the quality that WDW used to be known for. I grew up loving the Disney theme parks, but I'm not being an apologist for yet another company in this country where they give you less and charge us more. I don't accept the notion that I should pay $500.00 a night for a hotel room and see peeling paint and burnt out lightbulbs, it's just not acceptable.

So sorry to go off on that a bit, but I wanted to just kind of expand on what I was posting before.