Ticket Price Increase - Feb 2014

[Animaniac93-98]

Not all jobs are meant to support a standard of living.

Yet tax-payers are the ones who foot the bill when they don't.

I'm also pretty sure there's no one, true "standard" of living. But people should probably be able to feed, clean and shelter themselves before starting their shift.

 

[Hakunamatata]

Yet tax-payers are the ones who foot the bill when they don't.

That's a direct result of tax payers not voting the people into office that have the interest of the tax payer in mind.

 

[alphac2005]

Although not too happy about the price increase, I am still amazed at how fast society throws the greed card in to these types of conversations. I know it's cool to go along with the corporate hate group and all, but dang.

Well, some of us have been throwing out the "corporate greed" card way before it was en vogue. To not see the factual correlation between what is almost becoming an oligarch type society in many sectors and the profiteering by corporations is looking blindly at the situation then.

A company like the Walt Disney Company used to be comprised of small investors including the family with a share or two, medium sized investors, pension systems, and a cabal of various investment firms and/or individuals. That's not what is going on today. Most of our major corporations are controlled by investment groups-firms/private equity and/or corporate raider "activist" slime like Carl Icahn. The job of the corporation is to be a money making press for these small number of individuals today. I'm quite a firm believer in a very capitalistic society, but what's going on here is insane.

There is a reason why this is being called the Guilded Age Part 2. For all the crap that people own from their iPhone to tablets to whatever, they pay rates that are off the charts here in the United States compared to the same services throughout the world and think that they have it great, yet have no savings and their money bleeds to these companies. When it's now considered a great deal to get cell phone service for $45 a month or cable TV for less than a $100, ask our friends elsewhere and their eyes pop out at high those costs are compared to theirs.

Bob Iger's only true job is to create a return for these few groups that control the vast interest in the Walt Disney Company and only the naive would think that he doesn't look to continue to line his own pockets. If the company goes to mush in five years, why'd he care? He's out and he's cashed out. For all of Eisner's ills, ego (duh, it's the entertainment business), I think it was always clear that he gave a damn about the company and it's heritage actually meant something. I wonder when a MARVEL (R) comic staring superhero Walt Disney is coming from the Iger crowd?

 

[Animaniac93-98]

That's a direct result of tax payers not voting the people into office that have the interest of the tax payer in mind.

I've yet to meet a politician that did.

 

[MasonDuo]

i hate to say it...but at 100 bucks a day you keep the people that you don't want out of there. I live in pittsburgh and it takes 25 min to get into our theme park through metal security gates, bag checkers and other fun stuff and they have 1/100th of the guest that disney does. If you were selling tickets for 10 bucks you would see people in their jammies walking around mainstreet with their butt cracks blowing in the wind...just saying.

We have seen a parent take there kid and tell to pee in the bushes. Right by the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom (Spiral Location), we were just in shock then mom said to us this is why boys are a lot easier to deal with then girls. So the prices have not effected the clientele. This was just in the past year

 

[ParentsOf4]

We are Teamsters. And the job market in central Florida does not allow you to just change employers.

I knew I wasn't going to get rich working at WDW, but they could at least pay a living wage to the cast that make the magic everyday.

What's particularly frightening is some of the arguments being used today closely echo the language used by the Robber Barons before Teddy Roosevelt's reforms and the great labor movements of the 20th Century, when families were forced into disgusting living conditions while the nation's wealth was concentrated among a few powerful individuals who believed in Social Darwinism.

As has been said before, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

I really wish a history of Big Business was a required curriculum at most schools.

 

[jeff59rt]

The orlando flex pass for 6 parks for 14 days is still only 339.95+ tax. That seems like a good deal. Vs. a 10 day park hopper at 380.28+ tax. Yes these aren't in the same place but not that far of a drive except Busch Gardens.
http://tickets.visitorlando.com/Orlando-FlexTicket-6-Park-Adult-4106/

 

[alphac2005]

But my salary is what it used to be. Minuscule 2-3% raises at work don't even keep up with inflation. Disney is outpacing "regular" inflation. Which is already absurdly too high to begin with.

Excellent point. The calculator that is used for core inflation is very suspect and doesn't reflect the true increases in cost that households actually bare. When the fed has an inflation policy with a 2% annual target, it's laughable and any of us that have dealt in financials know that it's a bogus metric. Heck anyone with any common sense can see that inflation has blown by the Fed's target. True household inflation has exploded, it's just the weights in the official calculation get to mask it all. Look at a regular household: Groceries, gas, trip to Disney. Um, that's not a 2% or increase a year the past five years, let alone the cable bill that has gone from average of $55 to nearly $100 in the past decade.

 

[RSoxNo1]

So the Premier is $979, that hasn't changed yet (at least not on the website).

 

[ratherbeinwdw]

There's a lot of legitimate discussion regarding MM+ being a source for the price increases. However don't discount (pun intended) the effect of ACA/Obamacare. Businesses across the country are raising prices or adding surcharges to cover increases healthcare costs.

No they're not. They are putting the increases on the employees and making out like bandits.

 

[Nubs70]

The price increase will pay for a lot of signs.

I could see the wait time combined with a price for a la carte FP+. The longer the FP+ wait time, the lower the price. Inverse supply/demand.

Immediate availability = $5
10 min wait = $3
20 min wait = $1
30+ min wait = $0

 

[Epcotbob]

Not all jobs are meant to support a standard of living. "Living wage" is a fallacy touted by politicians and poverty pimps, and secretly longed for by corporate cronies.

That is a great point. When I was going to school, I never expected my grocery stock-boy job to support an apartment, car, food and insurance.

That being said, I do think it would pay off for Disney to pay their CM's better since they are the face of the company.....you get what you pay for.

 

[ParentsOf4]

I could see the wait time combined with a price for a la carte FP+. The longer the FP+ wait time, the lower the price. Inverse supply/demand.

Immediate availability = $5
10 min wait = $3
20 min wait = $1
30+ min wait = $0

I believe Six Flags already employs a similar pricing strategy, with various levels of FLASH Pass available at some of its theme parks.

So Six Flags is the "industry leader" that Disney wants to emulate?

Oops, based on the condition of the Monorail the last time I rode it (with water dripping on us), I may have spoke too soon.

 

[Nubs70]

I am not familiar with what Six Flags does. I see this in addition to the 3 free FP+/day. If you have used up all FP+ scheduled appointments or on an unscheduled FP+, one could bypass standby for a price. Wave your MagicBand, punch in key code, and on the ride you go, for an additional fee. Want to ride Splash 40 times in a day? Sure you can!!!! for an additional $200.

 

[Mouse_Trap]

Has anyone posted a year to year attendance comparison? If attendance is staying consistent or even ticking up then why wouldn't they raise the prices? I was there in August and they certainly were not hurting for people, if they lower it then you would all be complaining about the parks being even more crowded. Supply and demand, I agree that they haven't done anything lately to justify the raises but the numbers must be telling them that this is something they can get away with. Another thing I was thinking about, how often do you hear foreign languages being spoken at the parks? All the time. With the value of the US dollar going down it makes a trip to WDW more affordable than ever keeping the turnstiles moving. Plus the bands are worth the extra cost alone (sarcasm).

Agreed the attendances keep increases, so does profits - where is the motivation for them to hold their prices.

True, at least against the pound, the value of the dollar is increasing. However, it still is nowhere near to where it was from the early to late 00's. Currently around 1.65, is a good bit below the long term average of 1.8 from 1970 to the present day. From my own experience, when it's around $2 to £1 we find the US very cheap, however the many trips when we've got around 1.4 then really don't find things so good. My best was in January '08 and was getting almost 2.1 - things felt so cheap and I spend loads that year.

 

[englanddg]

No they're not. They are putting the increases on the employees and making out like bandits.

Incorrect. I won't get much more into it, outside of saying...Both employees and employers have been saddled with increases due to the legislation. Some of it due to premium increases, some due to the mandates (which keep getting pushed for the employers, but that doesn't mean that many employers aren't already compliant, as there isn't much on the market they can purchase and were forced into compliant, generally more expensive, plans.)

Some employers have decided to trim down as much of their workforce as they can to part time employees (where the employer mandate does not apply), some have dropped health benefits altogether (which also clears them of the mandate)...but many have sucked it up.

 

[WDW1974]

I am not dead yet, but this bronchitis really has me down so I won't be going back and forth today.

I just want to know how many of you have called WDW's switchboard and demanded to be (politely, of course) connected to Georgie K's office? Or to Phil Holmes (he has no power, but he is such a cretin, he deserves folks clogging his voicemail and making his secretaries crazy!) How about Meg Crofton?

How many have you emailed?

How many nasty comments have you placed on Disney's FB or Twitter?

How many of you will call tomorrow and harass (legally, of course) the Celebration Place social media cabal that pretends its buddies with Orange Bird loving, wall-carpet rubbing fanbois? That spins $hit like this because that's what they are paid (very little) to do. Why not get after Crazy Gary over Disco Yeti? He loves the parks just like you do, after all. Why not pounce on Dr. Blondie about all that tree removal? She is the mother of a young child. I'm sure she doesn't want him getting heatstroke because 500-pounders need wider walkways and Phil doesn't want to staff enough $8 an hour workers to use walkways that should be fine.

Threads like this are great ... great research for WDW ... BTW, @ParentsOf4 you could have posted your way into an accidental meeting with a high level TDO exec at that Jambo House Grand Villa with some of these posts. I think they'd really like to shut you up and there's nobody (to my knowledge anyway) that has personal animus towards you unlike myself (people either love me or hate me ... what can I say ... I am a Spirit of substance, most are not!) Future career spinning for the Mouse? Or just disappearing from MAGIC?

here is like me in the bathroom trying to cough up and spit all of this vile guck out of my lungs. Too little ... and not direct enough.

Also, local media ... we all know Jason Garcia is a waste of space, but why not fill up his voicemail on a Sunday? Why not send notes saying the Sentinel should be more hard-hitting and not letting Dewayne Bevil write PR pieces that state how amazing the food is at Be Our Guest?

Y'all never get your voices heard because you come off like a fly buzzing around the of a cow.

Sure, it's a Sunday and you can't expect to reach anyone (they don't work weekends, after all), but you can get started. And you can continue tomorrow ... and you can Tweet it to your pals.

You don't need anyone else. This is the info age and much of what you desire is at your fingertips.

Start doing it and stop wasting time about it. Remember, the issue isn't Disney raising prices. It's Disney gouging the consumer and offering less for the money than ever before at higher prices. Again, look at WDW's pricing from say 1971-1999. Look at inflation. Look at what you got for your money. Now, compare ... and also compare to say UNI and even other Disney resorts around the world. Do you know how inexpensive it is to visit HKDL? ... OR TDR?

 

[WDW1974]

And, please, stop ... just STOP bringing Obamacare and unions into this. It's an absolute crock of total fetid BS that either are playing ANY role in this.

So, go hate the Prez and unions elsewhere. They have nothing to do with this.

The fact Bob Iger can't deliver results to Wall Street that he guaranteed has everything to do with this.

 

[Andrew C]

And, please, stop ... just STOP bringing Obamacare and unions into this. It's an absolute crock of total fetid BS that either are playing ANY role in this.

So, go hate the Prez and unions elsewhere. They have nothing to do with this.

The fact Bob Iger can't deliver results to Wall Street that he guaranteed has everything to do with this.

Sorry but the state of the economy in general has a lot to do with the current morons in DC (on both sides) as well as unions. Not an excuse for Iger sucking at life in general though, I will give you that. haha

 

[Darth Sidious]

I LOVE this post! haha I actually thought The LEGO Movie was very well done.