Jedi Stitch
Well-Known Member
I don't remember the amount of times I tried to be the one to be King. Insert Sean Bean Meme "One does not merely enter the kingdom, and just become king"
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Think Disneyland ticket prices are high? Here’s why the theme park is underpriced - OCR/SCNG
- Thread starter Darkbeer1
- Start date
RollerCoaster
Well-Known Member
The article is ridiculous since it's a flawed comparison. The writer fails to take into account important factors that ultimately define why the other experiences command a higher price. Arguing that Disney is underpriced is an argument that only a fool would make.
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
I think they have the right idea with the flex pass. They just need to cap the amount of visits.
I think there are still enough pleasant days in that make the prices worth it. I just don’t like having to guess when they are and it’s getting harder to predict every year. I probably only truly enjoy 1 out of every three or four visits. I let my AP expire yesterday but of course it was one of the best days of the year.
SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
This hits close to home. Half the time I'm there I'm like "Man, I used to get so excited from this and now I'm just normally entertained". I don't want to say the allure is gone since I still absolutely love going but part of the oomph is gone. As if I used to be able to connect with the place at a far deeper level than I do now.
I start to wonder why I get so invested in the place- then I turn on the (1992) Fantasmic! soundtrack or something and it clicks. I'm 22- far to young to be in the "Back in my day Disneyland was way better" camp. Especially since so much at the resort now is far better than when I was going as a child. But with so many creative decisions across the resort made today that I feel like make little sense to anyone with even a cursory interest in Disneyland's mythology I really worry about how that place is gonna look in 10 years. Tomorrowland really needs to be a home run, as does the Snow White refurb and Avengers Campus.
Embrace the AP free life! I have no regrets letting my AP expire May of 2019.
I got my first "comp Card" in 1964, as my Dad arranged for me to have my own entrance card through HUBBS, since I was 4 and supposedly needed a ticket to enter, but he got in for free. And have had used regular tickets, group tickets, comp tickets, sign ins, Press/Media passes, VIP Passes and who knows what types I am missing. So it is hard to look at a single day price and not try and figure out to get in for less. But then, that isn't just for Theme Parks, I have been lucky enough to gain admission to other things in unique and different ways. I have non-profit memberships that allow entrance to places/events. And other things, I usually attend the Grand Prix of Long Beach for taking a test drive, for example.
Since I was involved in a Saloon across the street from the San Diego Sports Arena, I could walk in like an Arena employee to attend sports/concerts and other events. And since I knew a lot of folks, have been offered tickets to events from friends/family.
I got elite status at Vegas Casinos without even playing, heck, I was an United Platinum level member for years without having to take the required miles/flights, which was a great perk,
It is something I have never taken for granted, and as my wife has learned, well, a lot of hard work goes into earning those perks.
When you are given something, usually it is for something you did, or something someone wants from you.
Since I was involved in a Saloon across the street from the San Diego Sports Arena, I could walk in like an Arena employee to attend sports/concerts and other events. And since I knew a lot of folks, have been offered tickets to events from friends/family.
I got elite status at Vegas Casinos without even playing, heck, I was an United Platinum level member for years without having to take the required miles/flights, which was a great perk,
It is something I have never taken for granted, and as my wife has learned, well, a lot of hard work goes into earning those perks.
When you are given something, usually it is for something you did, or something someone wants from you.
smooch
Well-Known Member
I don't live near enough to Disneyland to have ever gotten an AP. Some of my friends from high school have moved to Anaheim / surrounding areas either for school or to work at Disneyland full time so they either have free entrance or APs and they go to the parks really often and it seems like such a different experience than taking an actual trip down. Even if you go to the parks from open to close and tried to treat it like a full park day it definitely has to have a different feel, knowing you can go back soon unlike my trips where I know I only get those two or three days in the park for the entire year or two years. I'm hoping to get accepted to the DCP for DLR for Fall 2020 and I would really like to know what it's like going to the parks as a more casual thing. For one of my friends down there, she has an AP and goes to school in that area so she goes in often for short times to just relax or sometimes takes her homework and sits down in a quieter area of the park and does homework while in Disneyland kinda like how people take their laptops to Starbucks to do work / homework / etc. and I just wonder how that would affect the excitement of going to the park. When she finishes school and potentially moves away, it would be interesting to know how her feeling of going to the park changes once she loses the easy access. If I lived down in Anaheim I know at this point in time I would save up and invest in an AP but I've always been curious about retention rates for APs as I am sure like people here are saying they get burnt out / find less joy in going to the parks.
Kram Sacul
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
The thing is is that DL will always be overpriced and underpriced at the same time. Overpriced for out of town tourists and underpriced for the local AP riff raff.
RollerCoaster
Well-Known Member
They do cap the number of visits. That's the point of the reservation component of the Flex Annual Pass.
There doesn't need to be a cap on an individual passholder. The reservation system imposes the limits if necessary, but if other passholders are not using all of the available capacity then why shouldn't someone who goes frequently not be allowed to use it?
Oh yes, going to parks on a regular experience is a lot different than a once in a rare time experience. Lisa and I regularly attend CoasterCons for new experiences, and now looking at International Coaster Group events. Heck, even a small amusement park for the first time is fun. Though we do a lot of comparison to other parks while doing it.
I know a lot of AP/SP, CM's and associates than have it for Knott's or Disneyland who love to go to the other park for a different experience.
I know there are a bunch of Stupid AP/SP stories, and have always tried to avoid doing them. We know what to expect, and don't expect special treatment, and you will find us to be helpful, including special trash pickups, though in this age, you need to be careful in doing it.
We have been asked to be mystery customers from senior folks at multiple theme parks, and even had some coaching to try and act as a new guest and not try to stand out. The best times is though being caught by employees who know us, and ask why we are acting strange. That is always worth a laugh, though sometimes it is delayed to stay in the role.
I know a lot of AP/SP, CM's and associates than have it for Knott's or Disneyland who love to go to the other park for a different experience.
I know there are a bunch of Stupid AP/SP stories, and have always tried to avoid doing them. We know what to expect, and don't expect special treatment, and you will find us to be helpful, including special trash pickups, though in this age, you need to be careful in doing it.
We have been asked to be mystery customers from senior folks at multiple theme parks, and even had some coaching to try and act as a new guest and not try to stand out. The best times is though being caught by employees who know us, and ask why we are acting strange. That is always worth a laugh, though sometimes it is delayed to stay in the role.
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
Capping visits and capping reservations are not the same thing.
If 8 out of 10 people are still going twice a week and 2 out of 10 are going once a month, it’s not really being all that effective. At the very least it’s distributing some APs amongst the busier days of the year.
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
Thanks! I have a feeling it will be short lived though. I’ll probably renew around this time next year. Might buy a day ticket this summer if Avengers Campus and Spidey look cool.
I think it’s just human nature right? I think a certain part of the magic wears off when you go too much as opposed to when we were kids going once or twice a year. It still a wonderful place to be if the conditions are right. But that’s a Big if. Tuesday was one of the days where the stars aligned. Extremely low crowds, beautiful weather, no or few tantrums. The low crowds provide a more pleasant atmosphere and the added benefit of less planning because everywhere you look are low wait times. Running for a FastPass isn’t such a priority. We were there from 2pm to close at 10pm and rode Pinocchio, Peter Pan, Casey Jr., Tea Cups, Dumbo, POTC, Space Mountain and Thunder Mountain at a very leisurely pace with plenty of stops including a nice 1.5 hour dinner at Cafe Orleans. Longest line was Peter Pan at 25 minutes. I’m only mad that we didn’t walk into Adventureland on Indys 25th and I didn’t get one of those 25th anniversary decoders (with purchase of Dole Whip). Just completely forgot about it while I was there but I guess that happens when your party has 3 toddlers in it.
I agree, Avengers Campus needs to be hit but the one I really care about is TL. I like the direction they are going but I just hope they don’t stop at retro style planters and go all the way. If they are going that direction they need to commit and bring some serious kinetic energy back to the land.
Not crazy about the color scheme they are going with for Snow Whites exterior but hope the inside is a net positive. Seems like a tall task without eliminating the cliff scene of a good chunk of the forest.
Oh ya, hot take here. I didn’t find Mickeys Mix Magic to be that bad. Somehow it was my first time seeing it. Well kind of seeing it as we exited the park. I found it fun and upbeat as we walked down Main Street. I guess I like “grim grinning ghosts” in any iteration. The show isn’t a classic by any means but it “felt good” as I was walking out. Maybe I just had a really good day?
One more oh ya, if they ever get rid of Casey Jr I’ll revolt. Easily the most underrated attraction at the park.
One last oh ya. It was great riding BTMRR with my son for the first time. He kept telling me he wanted to ride “Lightning McQueen” but it was closed all day. (Cost cutting on a low crowds day?) Anyway I just ended up telling him we were going to ride “Lightning McQueen Choo Choo” instead. Hey, the queue is similar enough right? I won’t say he loved but he didn’t scream or cry. Just kind of braced himself and grimaced the whole way through like I do when a masseuse goes too hard. During the descent from the second lift hill he muttered something that could only be deciphered as “you gotta be kidding me, please no more.”
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I pulled some strings, and got passes to two days of the BattleBots filming next month in Long Beach.
As a partial Thank You, I am posting a blatant plug for the taping in early April (Finals are being taped on the 15th, one of the days I am attending).
www.battlebotstickets.com
As a partial Thank You, I am posting a blatant plug for the taping in early April (Finals are being taped on the 15th, one of the days I am attending).
www.battlebotstickets.com
Purduevian
Well-Known Member
I know this is a Disneyland Forum, but I recently had a trip to WDW and thought about breaking down my experiences in Dollars per hour. I am not going to try to count the EPCOT day, because a lot of EPCOT is exploring the countries which is hard to quantify. Also not going to count my AK day as I left at 4pm that day (not a fair comparison as my ticket allowed me to stay until 9).
I spent $378 per person for a 4 day ticket = $94.70 per day including tax.
At magic kingdom I experienced: PotC (8.5), Jungle cruise (9), Carpets (1.5), Splash (11), BTMRR (3.5), HM (7.5), Pan (3), iasw (10.5), Philharmagic (12), 7D (2.5), Mermaid (6), Dumbo (1.5), Pooh x2 (3), Teacups (1.5), Buzz x2 (4), CoP (20), FoF parade (12), Happily Ever After (18), I also met Mickey&Minnie, Tink, Tiana, Rapunzel, Ariel, Goofy, and Donald (say 2 mins each?) Meaning I spent 156 minutes that day being entertained by Disney. This comes out to $36.42 per hour.
At DHS (pre star wars) I experienced TSMM x2 (8), Alien SS (1.5), Slinky (2), BatB (30), Indy (30), MV3D (17), RnRC (1.5), ST x3 (5), ToT (5), VotLM (14.5), Frozen show (30), F! (25), We also meet Olaf (2). Total time being entertained 3.15 hours. This comes out to $30.06 per hour
I think this is a much more reasonable comparison than just saying I was at Disney and being entertained. A lot of time is spent walking, shopping, eating, and waiting in lines. I am visiting Disneyland for the first time this summer and I can't imagine my numbers will be wildly different. I think Ill get on many more attractions per day over DHS, but DHS has much longer experiences.
I spent $378 per person for a 4 day ticket = $94.70 per day including tax.
At magic kingdom I experienced: PotC (8.5), Jungle cruise (9), Carpets (1.5), Splash (11), BTMRR (3.5), HM (7.5), Pan (3), iasw (10.5), Philharmagic (12), 7D (2.5), Mermaid (6), Dumbo (1.5), Pooh x2 (3), Teacups (1.5), Buzz x2 (4), CoP (20), FoF parade (12), Happily Ever After (18), I also met Mickey&Minnie, Tink, Tiana, Rapunzel, Ariel, Goofy, and Donald (say 2 mins each?) Meaning I spent 156 minutes that day being entertained by Disney. This comes out to $36.42 per hour.
At DHS (pre star wars) I experienced TSMM x2 (8), Alien SS (1.5), Slinky (2), BatB (30), Indy (30), MV3D (17), RnRC (1.5), ST x3 (5), ToT (5), VotLM (14.5), Frozen show (30), F! (25), We also meet Olaf (2). Total time being entertained 3.15 hours. This comes out to $30.06 per hour
I think this is a much more reasonable comparison than just saying I was at Disney and being entertained. A lot of time is spent walking, shopping, eating, and waiting in lines. I am visiting Disneyland for the first time this summer and I can't imagine my numbers will be wildly different. I think Ill get on many more attractions per day over DHS, but DHS has much longer experiences.
truecoat
Well-Known Member
I have a feeling your cost per hour will go down at Disneyland.
Phroobar
Well-Known Member
Now take out the waiting in line time unless you consider watching teenagers make out in front of you "entertainment". Some couples need to get a room.
D
Deleted member 107043
BAChicagoGal
Well-Known Member
When I saw the Disneyland trip prices go up, I thought they were ridiculous. Now that I am planning a WDW trip, I am not so sure about that assesment.
Professortango1
Well-Known Member
If I go see Hamilton, I don't need to show up hours before the show and enter a lottery to see my favorite musical number.
You can't look at theme parks and compare them to baseball games or Broadway shows. Recreation is not the same as a live event. Instead, Disneyland should be compared to other recreational parks or activities such as Renaissance Fairs, Dickens Festivals, street festivals, world fairs, and sports parks.
You can't look at theme parks and compare them to baseball games or Broadway shows. Recreation is not the same as a live event. Instead, Disneyland should be compared to other recreational parks or activities such as Renaissance Fairs, Dickens Festivals, street festivals, world fairs, and sports parks.
Model3 McQueen
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Slapping the Incredibles likeness, and a new coat of paint on a rollercoatser is NOT enough for a 20%+ price increase.
DavidDL
Well-Known Member
As long as the Haunted Mansion/HMH is still standing/operating, Disneyland will always have my money despite ticket prices. The only thing that changes is the amount of times I go a year but my love for that attraction will single-handedly get me through the turnstiles without fail.
While that may be the case, I would never, ever make the argument that it is cheap or "underpriced" to do so. Yes, to me, as long as certain attractions remain I will always see the value (based on my own personal preferences) in a park ticket but even I'm not foolish enough to argue that they are cheap to obtain.
While that may be the case, I would never, ever make the argument that it is cheap or "underpriced" to do so. Yes, to me, as long as certain attractions remain I will always see the value (based on my own personal preferences) in a park ticket but even I'm not foolish enough to argue that they are cheap to obtain.