News Disney CEO Bob Iger says raising park prices and increasing capacity is not smart and criticizes previous policies

[Vegas Disney Fan]

There is no set of circumstances where a rational, reasonable person looks at these numbers and doesn't conclude that the people who have run Disney since Eisner are the worst human beings on the planet.

Good and bad doesn’t apply, this is purely supply and demand.

If a park ticket cost $45 they wouldn’t have spent billions redoing DCA, spent billions on Galaxy’s edge, spent billions on Pandora, etc, etc.

I’d rather pay $124 to go to a current Disney park than pay $45 to go to the parks we’d have if a ticket actually cost $45. If you want to see exactly what that would look like you can go to Knotts down the street, a moderately sized, well themed park full of teenagers.

 

[AdventureHasAName]

Good and bad doesn’t apply, this is purely supply and demand.

If a park ticket cost $45 they wouldn’t have spent billions redoing DCA, spent billions on Galaxy’s edge, spent billions on Pandora, etc, etc.

I’d rather pay $124 to go to a current Disney park than pay $45 to go to the parks we’d have if a ticket actually cost $45. If you want to see exactly what that would look like you can go to Knotts down the street, a moderately sized, well themed park full of teenagers.

If they looked like EPCOT did in 1982, I'd be delighted to take that deal at $45 over today's Epcot at $124. The Magic Kingdom, too - at the very least it was clean and the trash got collected.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

Eisner did oversee the addition of 2 waterparks and two theme parks, So of course there would have been an increase that is a higher margin.

Those two theme parks were an embarrassment to the company

 

[No Name]

1982 (opening of EPCOT):
One Day Ticket = $15
Annual Pass = $100

Adjusted for Inflation in 2022 (1982 prices):
One Day Ticket = $45
Annual Pass = $303

Actual Ticket Prices in 2022:
One Day Ticket = $124 ($189 over peak Christmas)
One Day Parkhopper = $194 ($268 over peak Christmas)
Annual Pass = $1490

There is no set of circumstances where a rational, reasonable person looks at these numbers and doesn't conclude that the people who have run Disney since Eisner are the worst human beings on the planet. None. And this doesn't include Genie+ and Lighting Lanes and all those other nickle-and-dime nonsense that have been implemented over time (parking increases, hotel fees, etc).

Raising your ticket prices in accordance with demand is a pretty normal business thing to do, and not a sign of “the worst human beings on the planet.” I agree they’ve made plenty of bad decisions but it’s not a charity.

Those two theme parks were an embarrassment to the company

That’s just false.

 

[Gringrinngghost]

Those two theme parks were an embarrassment to the company

Still enough to justify the increase in prices that he oversaw.

 

[Minthorne]

Somehow I feel another round of ticket price increases is about to drop…

 

[Sir_Cliff]

Raising your ticket prices in accordance with demand is a pretty normal business thing to do, and not a sign of “the worst human beings on the planet.” I agree they’ve made plenty of bad decisions but it’s not a charity.

Yes, I think there's a middle ground between price rises and nickel and diming having become excessive in recent years a

In terms of Iger's comments, I agree that the proof will be in the pudding. It does strike me, though, that when the CEO says the sky is the limit and they'll raise prices as high as they can, Disney fans get mad. When the CEO says Disney has realised it is not wise to raise the prices and attendance caps as high as the market will bear, Disney fans get mad.

 

[Touchdown]

Adjusted for Inflation in 2022 (1982 prices):
One Day Ticket = $45
Annual Pass = $303

No park that I know of anywhere in the country has an advertised price of $45. Add at least $10 probably $20. Now the inflation adjusted AP rates that’s slightly higher than most seasonal parks. Of course all of those parks price their annual pass low and daily rate high to convert a one time visitor to an AP. Disney does this in another way, by discounting multi day tickets. A more fair comparison would be the cost per day of a 5 day ticket ($99) so roughly 2x the cost of Six Flags which given the quality is not really unreasonable, granted this is the cheapest rate, more expensive days are a little harder to swallow. Going by that original 15/100 ratio of daily passes to AP APs should cost $660. That has seen a runaway cost increase and I believe is so out of whack that it only attracts super users. It used to be you made two week long trips in a year the AP paid for itself. It now costs 3 trips.

 

[AdventureHasAName]

Still enough to justify the increase in prices that he oversaw.

Not at all. New theme parks increase resort capacity, not daily user experience at the resort. A new theme park doesn't benefit the customer on a single-day basis; it allows for more customers on a daily basis. It should increase gross income through volume, not price increases. If you have one theme park and then you build a second, the customer can't experience both parks at the same time - he can still only physically be in one or the other.

 

[John park hopper]

Well Bob if you really believe what's coming out of your mouth and expect us to believe you ---when are you going to roll back prices on everything.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

Somehow I feel another round of ticket price increases is about to drop…

I really don't foresee a ticket or any other major price increase coming within the next 9-12 months. Disney is really trying to win back goodwill from it's guests and fans. Plus it would look ridiculous to raise prices when Iger has repeatedly said that it was a mistake and blames those price increases on his predecessor.

 

[FutureCEO]

Doesn't he do the same thing?

 

[lazyboy97o]

Iger spent billions trying to cram more people into the parks. He thought it would be the future of theme parks and define the Disney brand around the world.

 

[HauntedPirate]

I really don't foresee a ticket or any other major price increase coming within the next 9-12 months. Disney is really trying to win back goodwill from it's guests and fans. Plus it would look ridiculous to raise prices when Iger has repeatedly said that it was a mistake and blames those price increases on his predecessor.

They could raise ticket prices by shifting dates and never say a word.

 

[erasure fan1]

If a park ticket cost $45 they wouldn’t have spent billions redoing DCA, spent billions on Galaxy’s edge, spent billions on Pandora, etc, etc.

I’d rather pay $124 to go to a current Disney park than pay $45 to go to the parks we’d have if a ticket actually cost $45. I

Here's the problem. Yea they spent billions, that's great. But what capacity was gained? Almost nothing. Tron will be the first increase in decades. And that we won't even benefit from until Tiana opens in over a year. I don't care if the prices increase, but don't continue to take things away, give less of an experience and expect people to be happy. It's also pretty subjective if todays Disney is better than when it was $45 a day. My personal opinion is, absolutely not.

 

[DopeyRunner]

He really is a silly old bear. Get the heck out. New blood as much as possible please.

The real question is: is there anyone in the organization left who has worked under one of the 1st gen imagineers. I firmly believe that if there is anyone with close ties to the original imagineers (not likely), or even Tony and Joe, I’d feel more comfortable with the creative direction. We are on what, 3rd or 4th gen now (maybe 5th)? These people are still artistically talented, but I find myself truly inspired by the “old boring stuff” far more than the new stuff.

 

[celluloid]

The real question is: is there anyone in the organization left who has worked under one of the 1st gen imagineers. I firmly believe that if there is anyone with close ties to the original imagineers (not likely), or even Tony and Joe, I’d feel more comfortable with the creative direction. We are on what, 3rd or 4th gen now (maybe 5th)? These people are still artistically talented, but I find myself truly inspired by the “old boring stuff” far more than the new stuff.

Sadly not really anymore. Rolly Crump among a few others are still alive.
Listening to them be realistic is harsh and sad but truth. Rolly, brutally honest.

Scott Trowbridge was the last even of the IOA era theme park new age greets when he jumped from Uni's parks to Galaxy's,s edge. That is the only reason Rise is as good as it is. But it is just not there anymore.

But there is a better chance at a return to Form with Iger out(it would take others too) than with him staying in.

 

[Nottamus]

Maybe the prices we pay to get in wouldn’t hurt so much if we didn’t lose all we lost

Free fastpass
Street performers
Cultural representatives
Non limiting menus
Resort rooms with personality not stripped away

Just all the things that made it a place to make memories - and not regrets

So sure, blame the last guy even if it wasn’t all him- whatever it takes to restore some kind of value to your offerings.
I will look the other way for awhile- don’t let us down

 

[celluloid]

Maybe the prices we pay to get in wouldn’t hurt so much if we didn’t lose all we lost

Free fastpass
Street performers
Cultural representatives
Non limiting menus
Resort rooms with personality not stripped away

Just all the things that made it a place to make memories - and not regrets

So sure, blame the last guy even if it wasn’t all him- whatever it takes to restore some kind of value to your offerings.
I will look the other way for awhile- don’t let us down

And an entire other list of many micro things that make up the big place.

People don't mind paying a premium for quality.

People have recognized that quality has slipped.

They could have kept up with the parks and charged ten dollars more for admission and raised parking price higher than what they have now and no one would care because it is the best for your dollar. We know this because they have always done it.

 

[larryz]

Under Eisner:
Day he took over, $18.00
Day he left, $59.75

That is an increase of 231.9%

But one could argue that Eisner improved the WDW vacation experience by at least 200% with his additions to the complex. What value did Iger/Cheapek add?