New 2013 WDW Ticket Prices

[BoarderPhreak]

Honestly, I think theme park ticket prices are INSANE. I'm not just talking about Disney, but Universal too. Typical families just can not afford this, and is a big reason Disney is a "dream vacation" or something that happens every couple of years. The sad part is, the parks are NEVER empty. So don't expect anything to change. Ever.

And don't even get me started on resort prices. Mods going for $250+/night... Seriously? Do you know what kind of hotel room you can get in pretty much the rest of the world for that kind of coin?!

I love Disney, don't get me wrong. But I love to travel more. And having just done two trips in rather quick succession - I won't be returning ANY time soon. This will give them time to add some things and hopefully improve upon the stagnant EC/AK/HS parks (MK will always be MK and I'll always go there, and to a degree EC too).

 

[ParentsOf4]

Honestly, I think theme park ticket prices are INSANE. I'm not just talking about Disney, but Universal too.

Universal ticket prices also have gone crazy lately. They tend to get a "pass" on these threads because it's obvious they are spending money at the parks. If they go into WDW's "rope-a-dope" mode, cut back on quality (Universal quality has actually improved in the last 3 years), and continue to raise ticket prices at their current rate, I'll be the first to jump all over them.

 

[flynnibus]

Cast members only get a raise if there is a provision within the contract from the labor union. Disney does not willingly give raises on its own like most companies.

That's why you work to get promoted. Shouldn't expect to do the same job and have your pay accelerate for doing the same stuff

 

[FutureCEO]

Does anyone know Disney's break-even price for the parks? Cost of running the park to the cost of admission. And by running the park I just mean the basics not employee pay or anything like that. Food and Beverage more than makes up for that.

Seems to me prices could easily go back down to $80 or lower. Course profits will be lower but they might be higher by enticing more people to come.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I was one of those who bought the 3-day passport ticket in 1983 for $35. (Price included tax.) At $3.35/hour minimum wage, that means it took about 11 hours (ignoring income tax) to pay for a 3-day ticket. Today, adjusted for inflation, that 3-day ticket would be about $82.

With the latest increase, a 3-day hopper costs $341.87, or about 47 hours of work at today's minimum wage of $7.25/hour.

You might find WDW more affordable today because of your circumstances but, as you can see from the above prices, most do not.

I suppose you are correct. I guess that I always looked at Disney as a voluntary expense and was in relation to what everything else was costing. I guess more correctly it is easier to pay for a ticket to the parks today then to pay the ridiculous prices for package deals.

Also if you only earned minimum wage in any time frame, taking a family to a place like WDW is not possible without giving up some other necessity. Which would you choose, food or shelter? The point is that it wasn't anymore doable then than it is now.

It's all relative in my mind. In this scenario, in 1983 you had two parks to choose from MK and EPCOT (EPCOT had a lot less to offer in 1983). Now there are 4 plus a gazillion more things to do then there was then. Why wouldn't it be more expensive?

 

[Alexis]

Ridiculous, like if it isn't expensive enough...

 

[ParentsOf4]

It's all relative in my mind. In this scenario, in 1983 you had two parks to choose from MK and EPCOT (EPCOT had a lot less to offer in 1983). Now there are 4 plus a gazillion more things to do then there was then. Why wouldn't it be more expensive?

No matter how much WDW has to offer, I can only be in one place at one time. In 1983, I could reasonably do an entire WDW vacation in 3 days. In 2013, people spend 7 days. Not only has the per day cost increased 4-fold but the total cost of a "full WDW vacation" has increased tremendously. Building more means I stay longer, means that corporate Disney generates more revenue. It's a case of the adage, "it takes money to make money."

Today, if I want to do the same 3-day vacation as I did in 1983 (i.e. MK and Epcot only) ticket prices are 4 times more than what they were in 1983. WDW is not 4 times better. In fact, I'd argue in terms of quality and "freshness", 2013 WDW cannot match 1983 WDW. In 1983, Disney had invested a considerably larger percentage of its capital (which needed a ROI) in WDW over the prior 15 years than it's spent today. Epcot was new and MK was "fresh".

It's been 15 years since DAK opened. Travel back to 1983 and MK was built out of nothing but swampland (in other words, an incredible infrastructure investment was needed) while Epcot, adjusted for inflation, was perhaps Disney's most expensive U.S. theme park ever.

Yet even with that tremendous capital investment, Disney changed me $35 for a 3-day ticket.

Today's Disney corporation invests a minuscule amount compared to what it invested in the 1968-1983 period and yet, adjusted for inflation, charges me 4 times as much.

CMs are still being paid about the same, perhaps even slightly less (adjusted for inflation) than they were paid in 1983. Disney is not investing in WDW the way it once did. Where is all the money going?

Just see Iger's bonus if you're not sure.

 

[71jason]

I honestly did not know you could do better on one-day tickets than the Disney price and have often allowed friends and family to buy the tickets at Disney.

My point is, no one, not even the rubes, buys 1-day tickets anymore. The general public doesn't know a lot, but they do know "going to Disney" is a multi-day trip. As for locals, there's APs, and there's usually the 3 or 4 day pass for like $130. And multi-day admissions look better and better the more single-day prices go up.

My point is, the 1980s model, where people drove over from Daytona for the day and bought a one-day ticket to MK, has passed.

 

[Nemo14]

My point is, no one, not even the rubes, buys 1-day tickets anymore. The general public doesn't know a lot, but they do know "going to Disney" is a multi-day trip. As for locals, there's APs, and there's usually the 3 or 4 day pass for like $130. And multi-day admissions look better and better the more single-day prices go up.

My point is, the 1980s model, where people drove over from Daytona for the day and bought a one-day ticket to MK, has passed.

Actually there are a few people I know who had business in the Orlando area and would have gone for 1 day had the price been more reasonable. We had friends visiting us for a few days while we spent the month of February in FL; they had planned to do a day at disney, but when they saw the prices, they changed their minds.

 

[Patrick_Ears]

Plus it don't help when flight prices is crazy already. That's why we drive, but I know for some they can't.

 

[Polydweller]

Actually there are a few people I know who had business in the Orlando area and would have gone for 1 day had the price been more reasonable. We had friends visiting us for a few days while we spent the month of February in FL; they had planned to do a day at disney, but when they saw the prices, they changed their minds.

And that's exactly the decision making I talked about. If a service or product is too expensive then don't pay for it. If the business feels a downturn then they'll change they're pricing schemes. All other argument's and rants ( i.e. Iger's salary, already ridiculous, etc) are meaningless as long as people will pay the price, and they will (I'll still bet on that). A smaller percentage won't but they will likely be replaced by new patrons anyway.

And UNI will raise their prices too.

 

[Californian Elitist]

And UNI will raise their prices too.

Yes, but at least they keep adding great things to their resort. Every time I blink, Universal announces something else. Disney may or may not announce anything, then will take years and years to build it.

 

[Californian Elitist]

The first DL ticket sold... How I wish things could be the same now.

 

[Bolna]

Actually there are a few people I know who had business in the Orlando area and would have gone for 1 day had the price been more reasonable. We had friends visiting us for a few days while we spent the month of February in FL; they had planned to do a day at disney, but when they saw the prices, they changed their minds.

Yes, and there are tourists who might be in Florida for the beach and think one day at Disney would be a nice excursion.

People here on the boards always claim that no one buys one-day tickets, but I am sure that is because people on Disney message boards don't buy them. I would love to hear an official number on this!

 

[Bolna]

Universal ticket prices also have gone crazy lately. They tend to get a "pass" on these threads because it's obvious they are spending money at the parks. If they go into WDW's "rope-a-dope" mode, cut back on quality (Universal quality has actually improved in the last 3 years), and continue to raise ticket prices at their current rate, I'll be the first to jump all over them.

However, if you go with the claim that people don't buy one-day tickets (which I don't believe) you will see that Universal's pricing starts to differ from WDW's pricing a lot if you go for multiday and multipark tickets. So, while the one-day ticket is nearly as expensive for Uni as for the MK, for longer trips they are still much more affordable.

 

[Goofyernmost]

No matter how much WDW has to offer, I can only be in one place at one time. In 1983, I could reasonably do an entire WDW vacation in 3 days. In 2013, people spend 7 days. Not only has the per day cost increased 4-fold but the total cost of a "full WDW vacation" has increased tremendously. Building more means I stay longer, means that corporate Disney generates more revenue. It's a case of the adage, "it takes money to make money."

Today, if I want to do the same 3-day vacation as I did in 1983 (i.e. MK and Epcot only) ticket prices are 4 times more than what they were in 1983. WDW is not 4 times better. In fact, I'd argue in terms of quality and "freshness", 2013 WDW cannot match 1983 WDW. In 1983, Disney had invested a considerably larger percentage of its capital (which needed a ROI) in WDW over the prior 15 years than it's spent today. Epcot was new and MK was "fresh".

It's been 15 years since DAK opened. Travel back to 1983 and MK was built out of nothing but swampland (in other words, an incredible infrastructure investment was needed) while Epcot, adjusted for inflation, was perhaps Disney's most expensive U.S. theme park ever.

Yet even with that tremendous capital investment, Disney changed me $35 for a 3-day ticket.

Today's Disney corporation invests a minuscule amount compared to what it invested in the 1968-1983 period and yet, adjusted for inflation, charges me 4 times as much.

CMs are still being paid about the same, perhaps even slightly less (adjusted for inflation) than they were paid in 1983. Disney is not investing in WDW the way it once did. Where is all the money going?

Just see Iger's bonus if you're not sure.

One more reminder then I'm done. Just because you only go to one park at a time doesn't mean that Disney doesn't have to fund all 4 parks. And remember that building EPCOT cost about the same as one attraction costs now. I'll be the first to agree that Iger's compensation is almost immoral. No one person is worth that much money and when you add in the fact that Disney Parks are still riding on the coattails of one Walter Disney and absolutely not on what Iger has done, it becomes more obscene. Then you have to take into account that his total compensation is based on everything that Disney owns, not just the parks. Still obscene though.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Yes, but at least they keep adding great things to their resort. Every time I blink, Universal announces something else. Disney may or may not announce anything, then will take years and years to build it.

True but that won't last forever, you can count on it. They cannot continue to spend at the rate they are now, and stay in business. It's good for an impressive spurt of growth when competing with the giant down the road, but the income cannot sustain the expense for any real length of time.

 

[Californian Elitist]

True but that won't last forever, you can count on it. They cannot continue to spend at the rate they are now, and stay in business. It's good for an impressive spurt of growth when competing with the giant down the road, but the income cannot sustain the expense for any real length of time.

As of right now though, the price hike for Universal is well justified. Right now, Universal is killing it with these announcements. Right now, Disney is hiking prices for almost nothing, especially when compared to Universal.

 

[flynnibus]

True but that won't last forever, you can count on it. They cannot continue to spend at the rate they are now, and stay in business. It's good for an impressive spurt of growth when competing with the giant down the road, but the income cannot sustain the expense for any real length of time.

If they spent the money on things that will keep you coming back for some period of time.. that's all they needed to do Immersing myself in The Simpsons... or Diagon Alley sure sounds a lot more enticing than Gastons or tangled toilets.

 

[ParentsOf4]

People here on the boards always claim that no one buys one-day tickets, but I am sure that is because people on Disney message boards don't buy them. I would love to hear an official number on this!

My favorite story (sorry for repeating it!) is the family I met while staying at the Dolphin a few years ago. We somehow got onto the topic of theme park tickets and they told me they were purchasing 1-day tickets each day they went to the parks. I tried to explain to them how expensive this was but, no matter how much I tried, they were absolutely convinced they were saving money by buying 1-day tickets every day.