Rumor - Disneyland Prices Going up and Tiered Pricing Introduced

[TP2000]

I wish the DLR would price like Legoland. Right now you can buy one day and get four days free at Legoland. Lol

There's a reason for that; very few people want to go there compared to Disneyland.

In 2014, the most recent year with available statistics, Legoland California didn't even crack into the Top 20 of attendance for American amusement parks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_amusement_park_rankings#North_America

1. Magic Kingdom = 19.3 Million
2. Disneyland = 16.8 Million
6. DCA = 8.8 Million
13. Knott's Berry Farm = 3.7 Million
20. Busch Gardens Williamsburg = 2.7 Million

Legoland had attendance that was something less than 2.7 Million. Let's be generous and say it was 2.6 Million. That's only 10% of the combined 25.6 Million attendance the Disneyland Resort got in 2014.

And Legoland only got 2.6 Million (or less) even though their tickets are cheap and they are doing deals like the one you mentioned. It probably also doesn't help that they have no parking lot tram and you have to walk uphill to get to the park entrance.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

They've been raising prices on a nearly exponential basis for a few years now and crowds have only increased.

Price increases will not reduce crowds, unless they are drastic ($300 for a 1 day, etc). Price increases happen because they know the same amount of people will still come and pay more. It has nothing to do with crowd control. If they were interested in crowd control, they would do a LOT of things differently.

Disney doesn't care if the parks are uncomfortably crowded. They'd prefer the parks be uncomfortably crowded 365 days a year if possible because money.

 

[Stevek]

They've been raising prices on a nearly exponential basis for a few years now and crowds have only increased.

Price increases will not reduce crowds, unless they are drastic ($300 for a 1 day, etc). Price increases happen because they know the same amount of people will still come and pay more. It has nothing to do with crowd control. If they were interested in crowd control, they would do a LOT of things differently.

Disney doesn't care if the parks are uncomfortably crowded. They'd prefer the parks be uncomfortably crowded 365 days a year if possible because money.

If they cared about crowd control they would get rid of AP monthly payments. But as long as they keep making tons of money, as you say, they don't care if the parks are packed. The people that aren't willing to pay anymore, like me and my family, will be more than financially covered by the increases in pricing...now inclusive of the rumored tiered pricing.

My question is will this tiered pricing entice even more folks to jump on the AP bandwagon? I get a guaranteed year long rate now (assuming no changes to AP pricing). Now, families like us that decided we will return once a year, may rethink that if the time we want to go will be significantly more expensive AND be just as unbearably crowded. I do blame Disney for creating this monster but I can't really blame them for the tactic they are now taking and pushing the pricing as far as they can. I'll miss the place but I have decades of memories that I'll always cherish.

 

[Curious Constance]

This is something they should have been doing for five years by now. Anyone who has tried to get into Disneyland during Christmas, or Spring Break, or any major holiday weekend from Columbus Day to Presidents Day knows the place is bonkers busy. The off-season disappeared sometime around the 50th Anniversary and not even the Great Recession could bring an off-season back.

Demand pricing is a concept that's worked well for many entertainment-based industries for decades; ski resorts, NFL and NBA games, big city philarmonic and opera, big name pop stars, glitzy Vegas shows, etc., etc.

Disneyland is late to this party by at least five years, if not a decade.

Plus the hotels already do this, so why not theme park tickets too?

 

[Curious Constance]

There's a reason for that; very few people want to go there compared to Disneyland.

In 2014, the most recent year with available statistics, Legoland California didn't even crack into the Top 20 of attendance for American amusement parks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_amusement_park_rankings#North_America

1. Magic Kingdom = 19.3 Million
2. Disneyland = 16.8 Million
6. DCA = 8.8 Million
13. Knott's Berry Farm = 3.7 Million
20. Busch Gardens Williamsburg = 2.7 Million

Legoland had attendance that was something less than 2.7 Million. Let's be generous and say it was 2.6 Million. That's only 10% of the combined 25.6 Million attendance the Disneyland Resort got in 2014.

And Legoland only got 2.6 Million (or less) even though their tickets are cheap and they are doing deals like the one you mentioned. It probably also doesn't help that they have no parking lot tram and you have to walk uphill to get to the park entrance.

What?! They don't have moving sidewalks?!

 

[Curious Constance]

They've been raising prices on a nearly exponential basis for a few years now and crowds have only increased.

Price increases will not reduce crowds, unless they are drastic ($300 for a 1 day, etc). Price increases happen because they know the same amount of people will still come and pay more. It has nothing to do with crowd control. If they were interested in crowd control, they would do a LOT of things differently.

Disney doesn't care if the parks are uncomfortably crowded. They'd prefer the parks be uncomfortably crowded 365 days a year if possible because money.

They have been raising prices more in the last few years, I do agree with that. However, I think that's mainly because they were underpriced for a long time. Disneyland has a premium product. Best in the US theme park business, yet their ticket prices aren't much more (if any) than USH, and pretty much all other forms of entertainment such as sporting events, performances, concerts, etc. USH has charged $95 for a one day ticket for a year now. If you want Fastpass, you're going to have to shell out $150-$239!!!!!!!! For one day! Before Harry Potter was ever close to being done. I really don't see how anyone can deny a Disneyland Resort ticket price increase is totally within reason. Do you think Disneyland should be charging less than USH? Shouldn't they be well above, since the demand is three times that of USH?

 

[flynnibus]

No kidding. Depending which list you look at Disney remains one of the top global consumer brands. At this point it's doubtful that tiered pricing is going to have any meaningful impact on the general perception of the company's reputation.

These changes don't happen overnight and the trends change slowly. The change in perception is already long underway.

 

[flynnibus]

This is something they should have been doing for five years by now. Anyone who has tried to get into Disneyland during Christmas, or Spring Break, or any major holiday weekend from Columbus Day to Presidents Day knows the place is bonkers busy. The off-season disappeared sometime around the 50th Anniversary and not even the Great Recession could bring an off-season back.

Demand pricing is a concept that's worked well for many entertainment-based industries for decades; ski resorts, NFL and NBA games, big city philarmonic and opera, big name pop stars, glitzy Vegas shows, etc., etc.

Disneyland is late to this party by at least five years, if not a decade.

Or they could have stopped selling unlimited admission....

The biggest swings in dlr still come around blackouts and promos.. Dlr created their own uncontrolled crowd date issues with their addiction to the ap cash stream

 

[dweezil78]

Well, of course they're not a charity. You say "comparable" and "what you'd expect when compared to," but Disney used to offer a bang-for-the-buck in experience and service that no other company could touch. That's how they got where they are; the only huge entertainment company on Earth that is genuinely "loved" and considered "family" by so many people. If you want them to be like every other cruise line, ski resort and sports arena in the way they do business, that's fine. But they will end up killing the golden goose.

When I say comparable to a cruise line, I mean it with the highest of regards. I've been going to WDW since I was an infant, DL since I was in my 20s -- with many on property vacations under my belt. As much as I will be among the first to praise Disney and their service for how it was back then and how it continues to be -- the level of service and personal attention I've received on most of the cruises I've been on has been just as good, if not better than those Disney vacations.

 

[Californian Elitist]

They have been raising prices more in the last few years, I do agree with that. However, I think that's mainly because they were underpriced for a long time. Disneyland has a premium product. Best in the US theme park business, yet their ticket prices aren't much more (if any) than USH, and pretty much all other forms of entertainment such as sporting events, performances, concerts, etc. USH has charged $95 for a one day ticket for a year now. If you want Fastpass, you're going to have to shell out $150-$239!!!!!!!! For one day! Before Harry Potter was ever close to being done. I really don't see how anyone can deny a Disneyland Resort ticket price increase is totally within reason. Do you think Disneyland should be charging less than USH? Shouldn't they be well above, since the demand is three times that of USH?

USH may charge that much for a Front of the Line pass, but it's not like one can't get everything done in one day at the park. For one day, you get more for your money at USH on a busy day in comparison to Disneyland.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

But as long as they keep making tons of money, as you say, they don't care if the parks are packed.

I'm not really sure if this is true. Overcrowding has to weigh negatively on guest experience, which is something that Disney should care about as it has a measurable impact on visitor spending. In short there's a limit to how long Disneyland can continue to keep packing people in without making some significant changes. They have no choice but to regulate traffic flow and increase the park's capacity.

 

[Stevek]

I'm not really sure if this is true. Overcrowding has to weigh negatively on guest experience, which is something that Disney should care about as it has a measurable impact on visitor spending. In short there's a limit to how long Disneyland can continue to keep packing people in without making some significant changes. They have no choice but to regulate traffic flow and increase the park's capacity.

Yes, they should absolutely care about it but at this point, they haven't really shown they do...unless this latest ploy truly thins the herd. Every price increase, whether day ticket or annual pass has caused an uproar online but it doesn't appear that significant numbers of people have "voted with their dollars" as they say and stopped going. Time will tell but to me, if they were truly serious about the problem, they would massively overhaul the AP program starting with the removal of monthly payments, at the very least for everyone except the top tier. But that's a guaranteed cash cow right now and I don't think they want to or financially can afford to take this measure.

 

[IMFearless]

My guess is they implement the change this year with slight increases on busy days. They know many have existing tickets in hand.

Once the system is in place and people are used to it, the actual adjusting of the prices within the system will not create headlines in the same way as the initial introduction does.

My concern is what will happen NEXT year. I think that is where we could see real changes in price.

 

[Curious Constance]

Yes, they should absolutely care about it but at this point, they haven't really shown they do...unless this latest ploy truly thins the herd. Every price increase, whether day ticket or annual pass has caused an uproar online but it doesn't appear that significant numbers of people have "voted with their dollars" as they say and stopped going. Time will tell but to me, if they were truly serious about the problem, they would massively overhaul the AP program starting with the removal of monthly payments, at the very least for everyone except the top tier. But that's a guaranteed cash cow right now and I don't think they want to or financially can afford to take this measure.

I have a feeling the monthly payments will go away in time for Star Wars opening. It can't happen fast enough as far as I'm concerned. I have a feeling the overcrowding is in large part due to the monthly payment APers.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

I've long suspected that Disney has a long term plan to phase out all but the most expensive ticket media. It's been a gradual march, but they're getting there. Monthly AP payments are the final frontier so to speak.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Prices will go up, but monthly payments won't go anywhere. That just isn't realistic and I don't know why people seem to think it is.

 

[flynnibus]

Yes, they should absolutely care about it but at this point, they haven't really shown they do...unless this latest ploy truly thins the herd. Every price increase, whether day ticket or annual pass has caused an uproar online but it doesn't appear that significant numbers of people have "voted with their dollars" as they say and stopped going. Time will tell but to me, if they were truly serious about the problem, they would massively overhaul the AP program starting with the removal of monthly payments, at the very least for everyone except the top tier. But that's a guaranteed cash cow right now and I don't think they want to or financially can afford to take this measure.

If overcrowding and guest experience were drivers they'd just close the gate earlier.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Monthly payments are a drug from which Disneyland doesn't wish to break its addiction. A free flowing money stream every month - guests treat DLR like a gym membership, whether they use their pass that month or not.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Eliminating the monthly payment option would also eliminate a nice chunk of APs, arguably Disneyland's main audience. It's not happening. Disney has never been one to shy away from monetary opportunities.

 

[Curious Constance]

The problem is, a large percentage seem to use their pass multiple times per month. Or per week!