News Disneyland ticket prices go up as much as 8%, with parking rising 20%

[Sirwalterraleigh]

It's not as if the place was a great value on Sunday, and suddenly a rip off on Monday. On Sunday there were lines to get into the place going out the door. Crowds lining Harbor Blvd in the morning. Thrill Data is saying that Oct was the busiest month at Disneyland since it reopened. And this spike in attendance is occurring with reduced hours, reduced service and less entertainment offerings. APs are booking out reservations and the place is becoming harder and harder to get into. Every Disneyland price hike has come within the context of rising attendance, and this one is no different. Whether some people think it's a rip-off or not, doesn't really matter: it's more that too many people still think it's an amazing value.

And we will all be back next year (or maybe March?) to complain about the next ticket price increase with absolutely no repercussions at all.

I don’t completely disagree with your point…

but I’m a little fuzzy on details: didn’t California have the most strict capacity limits/protocols that only eased fairly recently?
And wouldn’t that by default make October the busiest month?…and maybe then November?…and then maybe December?

so I don’t know how that directly correlates to the price point? You get partial credit on that math. Starved, large clientele is gonna show where they had long closure and/or limited supply.

other side of the coin in the East…plenty of supply, embarrassing demand so far for daddy bobbucks big show

and it worked too…by the way. Cali has the lowest transmission rate now…and one of the highest vax rates…

huzzah! Stay the course…science and all.

 

[Stevek]

All I did was book through Priceline’s bundling option and searched the hotel my parents used to frequent when I was a kid. I’m sure the farther you book out, the better. I booked back in March for the August trip so.. at least 5 months in advance?

I’d keep an eye on it. Maui seemed to be in the process of changing their mind back and forth between encouraging tourists to visit and not allowing them (with prices fluctuating accordingly). We managed to hit the sweet spot (just after we left, tourists were actively discouraged from visiting). Not much else I can say. Just keep an eye on things and hopefully you’ll snag a good deal. Our hotel was also only a 3 star resort so keep that in mind, too. It wasn’t anything super fancy but it also wasn’t a Days Inn or Motel 6, haha.

Also, make sure you allow for lots of extra time at the airport when you return home. Their travel advisory was recommending arriving at the Maui airport 3 hours early for your flight since it’s so small and so many people were trying to push through it. Can confirm and verify that it’s a good idea since we were cutting it close to that and only got to our airplane 20 min before it took off.

Thanks. Will have to look into it. Can you share the name of the hotel? No judgement

We stayed at the Kaanapali Beach hotel during our honeymoon and it's prices have gone through the roof. There is a part of me that would love a resort but we are considering Air BnB instead. 4 days on Maui, 4 on Kauai.

 

[SuddenStorm]

All I did was book through Priceline’s bundling option

Kind of off topic- but worth mentioning because this forum does discuss travel as well as Disneyland- but I strongly recommend booking direct through the hotel/airline/car rental/etc. instead of using any kind of online travel agency like Priceline, Hotels.com, Expedia, Hotel tonight, etc.

When you book through an OTA, usually the way it works is you pay the OTA and then the OTA pays the hotel. This limits the hotel's ability to help you if anything goes wrong with the reservation. You need to move the days of your stay? Tough luck- the hotel can't just move the days you need to call the OTA, get someone from India who will tell you they can't, and you're out money. You flight is cancelled last minute and you won't be able to get to the hotel until the next day? Tough- the hotel can't just cancel the day since they can't modify the reservation. Your stay will likely be no showed and your whole reservation gets screwed up.

During your stay, the ac goes out and the hotel is sold out so they can't move you rooms? Good luck getting a discount since the hotel can't just adjust the rate since the OTA has your money, not them. And if you decide to leave early, the hotel can't just check you out and not charge you since the OTA is paying them, not you. You're also probably gonna get their worst rooms since the better rooms will be held for people who book direct using the hotel's loyalty program. And if the hotel is oversold, you're gonna be first on the list to get walked to a different property.

I also recommend against any kind of prepaid hotel rate in general- which is what Priceline typically offers. Your kids get covid so the trip is cancelled? You probably aren't getting your money back. It's not worth the minor cost savings, you're better of paying the normal rate directly through the hotel where you provide a CC to hold the reservation when booking and a CC to pay for the reservation at check in since those rates usually have far more generous cancellation policies and if you call the hotel the front desk will be able to do far more to accommodate any changes that need to be made prior to arrival or during your stay.

 

[SuddenStorm]

I’m being charged more for the same experiences, essentially. Genie+ isn’t activated yet, but Disney wants to charge me money to experience RSR faster. For what? It’s been the same ride for nearly a decade now, sometimes with broken effects.

I heard this point made somewhere, but it's worth repeating- if you're paying $15 extra per person for a ride, your expectations go way up. So if you pay for RSR and half the effects are broken it's far more disappointing then if you waited single rider for 20 minutes. Or the cannons on Rise that have been in B mode basically since the ride opened.

The one benefit of a 'pay per play' system like the old ticket books is Disney could identify which rides directly drive revenue and focus spending on making those experiences better (like upgrading the Mine Train, adding the Grand Canyon Diorama, etc.). Now they have to rely on surveys, which while effective, are far more subject to different answers depending on the guest's mood and how the survey was phrased.

So I would hope that at least some of the money that they're gonna get by the pay per play Genie system will go directly back to the attraction that generated it- but who am I kidding we both know that isn't gonna happen.

 

[DrAlice]

Kind of off topic- but worth mentioning because this forum does discuss travel as well as Disneyland- but I strongly recommend booking direct through the hotel/airline/car rental/etc. instead of using any kind of online travel agency like Priceline, Hotels.com, Expedia, Hotel tonight, etc.

When you book through an OTA, usually the way it works is you pay the OTA and then the OTA pays the hotel. This limits the hotel's ability to help you if anything goes wrong with the reservation. You need to move the days of your stay? Tough luck- the hotel can't just move the days you need to call the OTA, get someone from India who will tell you they can't, and you're out money. You flight is cancelled last minute and you won't be able to get to the hotel until the next day? Tough- the hotel can't just cancel the day since they can't modify the reservation. Your stay will likely be no showed and your whole reservation gets screwed up.

During your stay, the ac goes out and the hotel is sold out so they can't move you rooms? Good luck getting a discount since the hotel can't just adjust the rate since the OTA has your money, not them. And if you decide to leave early, the hotel can't just check you out and not charge you since the OTA is paying them, not you. You're also probably gonna get their worst rooms since the better rooms will be held for people who book direct using the hotel's loyalty program. And if the hotel is oversold, you're gonna be first on the list to get walked to a different property.

I also recommend against any kind of prepaid hotel rate in general- which is what Priceline typically offers. Your kids get covid so the trip is cancelled? You probably aren't getting your money back. It's not worth the minor cost savings, you're better of paying the normal rate directly through the hotel where you provide a CC to hold the reservation when booking and a CC to pay for the reservation at check in since those rates usually have far more generous cancellation policies and if you call the hotel the front desk will be able to do far more to accommodate any changes that need to be made prior to arrival or during your stay.

I was just about to post this! Agree completely with all of this.

I'll add this:
We stayed in a condo at Ka'anapali that was managed by Outrigger However, some of the units could be rented directly from the owners (VRBO, etc.). I'm SOOOO glad that we chose to go with an Outrigger unit because we had a SERIOUS problem with the original condo. Outrigger was fine with moving us to a new (fabulous) unit right away. If we'd gone with a VRBO unit, we would've been stuck.

 

[Sailor310]

Kind of off topic- but worth mentioning because this forum does discuss travel as well as Disneyland- but I strongly recommend booking direct through the hotel/airline/car rental/etc. instead of using any kind of online travel agency like Priceline, Hotels.com, Expedia, Hotel tonight, etc.

When you book through an OTA, usually the way it works is you pay the OTA and then the OTA pays the hotel. This limits the hotel's ability to help you if anything goes wrong with the reservation. You need to move the days of your stay? Tough luck- the hotel can't just move the days you need to call the OTA, get someone from India who will tell you they can't, and you're out money. You flight is cancelled last minute and you won't be able to get to the hotel until the next day? Tough- the hotel can't just cancel the day since they can't modify the reservation. Your stay will likely be no showed and your whole reservation gets screwed up.

During your stay, the ac goes out and the hotel is sold out so they can't move you rooms? Good luck getting a discount since the hotel can't just adjust the rate since the OTA has your money, not them. And if you decide to leave early, the hotel can't just check you out and not charge you since the OTA is paying them, not you. You're also probably gonna get their worst rooms since the better rooms will be held for people who book direct using the hotel's loyalty program. And if the hotel is oversold, you're gonna be first on the list to get walked to a different property.

I also recommend against any kind of prepaid hotel rate in general- which is what Priceline typically offers. Your kids get covid so the trip is cancelled? You probably aren't getting your money back. It's not worth the minor cost savings, you're better of paying the normal rate directly through the hotel where you provide a CC to hold the reservation when booking and a CC to pay for the reservation at check in since those rates usually have far more generous cancellation policies and if you call the hotel the front desk will be able to do far more to accommodate any changes that need to be made prior to arrival or during your stay.

Happened to me. I booked a hotel in Acapulco through Expedia or one of those. On checking in, they added all these extra taxes to my Expedia rate. Pre-cell phones, I'm in Mexico trying to get Expedia on the line to straighten things out. I think I just paid the extra. Same thing with airlines. Trying to get a refund for a double-booked flight was nearly impossible.

 

[SuddenStorm]

I was just about to post this! Agree completely with all of this.

I'll add this:
We stayed in a condo at Ka'anapali that was managed by Outrigger However, some of the units could be rented directly from the owners (VRBO, etc.). I'm SOOOO glad that we chose to go with an Outrigger unit because we had a SERIOUS problem with the original condo. Outrigger was fine with moving us to a new (fabulous) unit right away. If we'd gone with a VRBO unit, we would've been stuck.

I work as a front desk supervisor for a hotel in a town that gets lots of tourist travel in the winter months, so I've been on the receiving end of people who are beyond frustrated at various situations and it's really frustrating for the hotel because our ability to fix the problem and the relationship with the guest is hindered by the fact they booked through an OTA or booked prepaid.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I heard this point made somewhere, but it's worth repeating- if you're paying $15 extra per person for a ride, your expectations go way up. So if you pay for RSR and half the effects are broken it's far more disappointing then if you waited single rider for 20 minutes. Or the cannons on Rise that have been in B mode basically since the ride opened.

The one benefit of a 'pay per play' system like the old ticket books is Disney could identify which rides directly drive revenue and focus spending on making those experiences better (like upgrading the Mine Train, adding the Grand Canyon Diorama, etc.). Now they have to rely on surveys, which while effective, are far more subject to different answers depending on the guest's mood and how the survey was phrased.

So I would hope that at least some of the money that they're gonna get by the pay per play Genie system will go directly back to the attraction that generated it- but who am I kidding we both know that isn't gonna happen.

Exactly this. If Disney is individually pricing attractions, that tells me that one’s experience for those attractions is premium, top-notch, way above average, etc. Therefore, as you stated, my expectations for the ride experience naturally increase. It’s just like going to a regular movie theater and paying typical prices for movie tickets versus one that charges more than usual for a movie ticket, but offers reclining seats, higher quality food, Dolby vision, etc. I am paying more, but I’m also expecting more and am aware that the theater will provide more with my expensive ticket, and therefore I’m fine with paying more for said movie ticket. It makes sense. Again, as you stated, some parts of Rise have been in B mode for months. Paying a premium to experience it makes no sense to me personally.

But Disney knows they can and will get guests to pony up the cash to skip standby lines. It’s already happening at WDW. I’ve said this before but we do benefit from having just several rides available for the individual payment option. I’m sure that will change in the future, but several is better than a dozen or more at WDW. I know they’re being charged an extra $15 per person for Rise and $11 per person for Frozen. Not sure of the other prices, but those prices alone are insane.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Kind of off topic- but worth mentioning because this forum does discuss travel as well as Disneyland- but I strongly recommend booking direct through the hotel/airline/car rental/etc. instead of using any kind of online travel agency like Priceline, Hotels.com, Expedia, Hotel tonight, etc.

When you book through an OTA, usually the way it works is you pay the OTA and then the OTA pays the hotel. This limits the hotel's ability to help you if anything goes wrong with the reservation. You need to move the days of your stay? Tough luck- the hotel can't just move the days you need to call the OTA, get someone from India who will tell you they can't, and you're out money. You flight is cancelled last minute and you won't be able to get to the hotel until the next day? Tough- the hotel can't just cancel the day since they can't modify the reservation. Your stay will likely be no showed and your whole reservation gets screwed up.

During your stay, the ac goes out and the hotel is sold out so they can't move you rooms? Good luck getting a discount since the hotel can't just adjust the rate since the OTA has your money, not them. And if you decide to leave early, the hotel can't just check you out and not charge you since the OTA is paying them, not you. You're also probably gonna get their worst rooms since the better rooms will be held for people who book direct using the hotel's loyalty program. And if the hotel is oversold, you're gonna be first on the list to get walked to a different property.

I also recommend against any kind of prepaid hotel rate in general- which is what Priceline typically offers. Your kids get covid so the trip is cancelled? You probably aren't getting your money back. It's not worth the minor cost savings, you're better of paying the normal rate directly through the hotel where you provide a CC to hold the reservation when booking and a CC to pay for the reservation at check in since those rates usually have far more generous cancellation policies and if you call the hotel the front desk will be able to do far more to accommodate any changes that need to be made prior to arrival or during your stay.

Yes, yes, yes. I learned this the hard way, but now I know to book directly through the actual airline and hotel of my choice and not a third party.

I’ve been using Justfly to book airline tickets for years, though now I most likely won’t anymore. I booked tickets with Delta to fly from Los Angeles to Boston this summer for a wedding, which was ultimately cancelled for the SECOND time (). Because I had booked through a third party, I had to go through them to reschedule (no refund option available). I have credit to use for another flight, which I tried to use to go to New York to attend my grandmother’s funeral. She passed away over a month ago and my request for tickets is STILL pending today. I’m very disappointed and irritated.

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

Sorry to hear about your grandmother, @raven24. They place a special part in our lives! I miss both of mine, and they lived into their nineties. But when you love someone, it's never long enough.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Sorry to hear about your grandmother, @raven24. They place a special part in our lives! I miss both of mine, and they lived into their nineties. But when you love someone, it's never long enough.

Thank you so much! Losing a grandparent creates lots of pain. You’re right, nothing is ever long enough for those we love.

I’m down to one grandparent now. I’m trying to cherish the time I still have with him as much as I can.

 

[DavidDL]

Kind of off topic- but worth mentioning because this forum does discuss travel as well as Disneyland- but I strongly recommend booking direct through the hotel/airline/car rental/etc. instead of using any kind of online travel agency like Priceline, Hotels.com, Expedia, Hotel tonight, etc.

When you book through an OTA, usually the way it works is you pay the OTA and then the OTA pays the hotel. This limits the hotel's ability to help you if anything goes wrong with the reservation. You need to move the days of your stay? Tough luck- the hotel can't just move the days you need to call the OTA, get someone from India who will tell you they can't, and you're out money. You flight is cancelled last minute and you won't be able to get to the hotel until the next day? Tough- the hotel can't just cancel the day since they can't modify the reservation. Your stay will likely be no showed and your whole reservation gets screwed up.

During your stay, the ac goes out and the hotel is sold out so they can't move you rooms? Good luck getting a discount since the hotel can't just adjust the rate since the OTA has your money, not them. And if you decide to leave early, the hotel can't just check you out and not charge you since the OTA is paying them, not you. You're also probably gonna get their worst rooms since the better rooms will be held for people who book direct using the hotel's loyalty program. And if the hotel is oversold, you're gonna be first on the list to get walked to a different property.

I also recommend against any kind of prepaid hotel rate in general- which is what Priceline typically offers. Your kids get covid so the trip is cancelled? You probably aren't getting your money back. It's not worth the minor cost savings, you're better of paying the normal rate directly through the hotel where you provide a CC to hold the reservation when booking and a CC to pay for the reservation at check in since those rates usually have far more generous cancellation policies and if you call the hotel the front desk will be able to do far more to accommodate any changes that need to be made prior to arrival or during your stay.

Appreciate the advice! I just do it that way to keep things simple for me. What I did do though, was pay about 200 bucks extra for the "trip protection". I was taking a gamble with the trip to begin with because I booked in March (pre-vaccine rollout) so I really had no way of knowing if Maui would even be in a situation that could allow us in by August. So the extra fee promised me a full refund up to the last second on the trip should anything have happened anywhere along the chain or with COVID. Yeah, I was out the extra 200 in either case but it granted me the peace of mind.

-and while I can't speak to what would happen if they were totally sold out, we actually did have an issue with the room we received when we arrived and were thankfully accommodated elsewhere without any extra charges or hassle.

Thanks. Will have to look into it. Can you share the name of the hotel? No judgement

We stayed at the Kaanapali Beach hotel during our honeymoon and it's prices have gone through the roof. There is a part of me that would love a resort but we are considering Air BnB instead. 4 days on Maui, 4 on Kauai.

I will send you the info directly!

 

[mickEblu]

Yes, yes, yes. I learned this the hard way, but now I know to book directly through the actual airline and hotel of my choice and not a third party.

I’ve been using Justfly to book airline tickets for years, though now I most likely won’t anymore. I booked tickets with Delta to fly from Los Angeles to Boston this summer for a wedding, which was ultimately cancelled for the SECOND time (). Because I had booked through a third party, I had to go through them to reschedule (no refund option available). I have credit to use for another flight, which I tried to use to go to New York to attend my grandmother’s funeral. She passed away over a month ago and my request for tickets is STILL pending today. I’m very disappointed and irritated.

I’m so sorry to hear about your grandma. My prayers go out to you and your family. I lost my grandma in June so I know the feeling . I also have one grandparent left. My maternal Grandma.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I’m so sorry to hear about your grandma. My prayers go out to you and your family. I lost my grandma in June so I know the feeling . I also have one grandparent left. My maternal Grandma.

Thank you, my friend! I’m so sorry to hear about the recent loss of your grandmother. Words can’t describe the pain. Had to turn off notifications on my Instagram for a bit because with every “my condolences” comment, I felt more and more sad.

Cherish your last grandma while she’s still living and breathing. God bless you and your family.

 

[Model3 McQueen]

Hmm.. 2 day park hopper at disneyland for 2 adults 1 child, or one months worth of Tesla payment + mortgage. Wonder which option makes more sense

 

[TP2000]

We are not going next summer. For me, this ledge IS different.

There's a great, big, beautiful tomorrow world out there to explore.

I had so much travel, often international, that was cancelled and delayed in 2020 and 2021, that I'm chock full of places to be and people to see in 2022 and 2023. (That rhymes!)

I'm willing to back away from Disneyland for now.

That Spiderman version of Midway Mania, the re-re-re-return of Richard Nixon's Electrical Parade, and spending an extra $9 per hour on Genie+ to ride 50 year old E Tickets isn't worth it.

There's other stuff out there that's more important, stuff that I had to cancel for the past two years.

Until Disneyland wows me again, I'm happy to let the Magic Key kids Tik-Tok their Genie+, or whatever the hell they do now at a theme park besides go on rides.

 

[TP2000]

I’m down to one grandparent now. I’m trying to cherish the time I still have with him as much as I can.

Make sure you get him to tell stories! Especially about the family.

The stories the older generations have are priceless, and often only now exist in their memories.

 

[mickEblu]

So sorry to hear about your loss. Best wishes to you and your family.

Thank you!

 

[mickEblu]

Thank you, my friend! I’m so sorry to hear about the recent loss of your grandmother. Words can’t describe the pain. Had to turn off notifications on my Instagram for a bit because with every “my condolences” comment, I felt more and more sad.

Cherish your last grandma while she’s still living and breathing. God bless you and your family.

Thank you! God Bless you and your family as well. You do the same with your grandpa.

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

It does get easier and harder at times. I started turning on the record function on my phone (discreetly) and getting them to talk and tell stories. When my father in law died, I had over an hours worth of him speaking to share with my wife. A gift. Time goes by so quickly, doesn’t it?