Ticket Price Increase

[jakeman]

My reference to the "Patriotic" portion was only regarding the patriotic portion of one of the previous posts.

My point is valid....especially if you factor in the very well documented fact that Walt Disney himself was super patriotic... the foundation and philosophy upon which the Walt Disney company was built upon contains this.... For the record Walt Disney was paid for his ww2 films...and no matter what context of govt involvement there it is still on record that Walt Disney went way over and above during WW2 in creating the many artwork designs for the many squadrons and military units...and refused to accept any money for doing so....

So unless the arguement is to be made that the post-Walt execs have completely abandoned Walt's core values then the Walt Disney company is patriotic....and since manyt of the items I listed were from Walt's day or soon after his death for the most part, perhaps the experts among us could make that arguement.

So during Walt's lifetime and soon after it my conclusion is right on target....but as we approach the current day of the Walt Disney Company all I can say is I simply do not know, but I would like to think the answer is still yes!!!

I think we are essentially saying the same thing about the present day operations of TWDC though, just approaching it from two different angles.

You are right that there is a undeniable trend towards the patriotic in the past (the motives seem to be where we differ), but current day, other than those left over rides, attractions, parades, etc. there isn't much more than token displays. Certainly not enough, in my opinion, to declare that TWDC was overtly patriotic. :wave:

 

[WDWFigment]

Besides, film any company's Guest Services for a month and edit it for content, and you can make *any* company appear like a cesspool. I would love to see filming at City Hall in the Magic Kingdom, for people who demand their money back on their tickets because there isn't a water park inside the Magic Kingdom, or guests who want to get the autograph book (that was given to them for free) refunded, or the mass chaos of a cancelled parade. I bet there are a few people who go home dissatisfied, and showing just those guests would make Disney look like Six Flags.

I have nothing of substance to add to this thread; I just wanted to say that it's nice to see you posting again. Hopefully it's not just a one-day thing before you take another two-year hiatus! :wave:

 

[fillerup]

O'Sentinel's Jason Garcia's take on ticket prices:

Disney pricing strategy: Seeking more profits out of long-term visitors

First three paragraphs:

"Six years after Walt Disney World radically redesigned its ticket prices to steer guests toward longer stays, the resort is now aiming to wring more money out of passes once priced as irresistibly cheap.

During the past 10 months, the giant resort has begun increasing the premium it charges for longer ticket options — its five-, six- and seven-day passes — relative to the resort's single-day and shorter-term tickets.

It is a shift from the strategy behind Disney World's "Magic Your Way," the revamped pricing structure that Disney introduced at the start of 2005. That pricing scheme was designed to persuade travelers to make repeat visits to Disney World's four theme parks during their vacations by making the added cost for extra visits negligible — particularly when compared with the price of a one-day ticket charged by competitors Universal Orlando and SeaWorld Orlando."

 

[Lucky]

Also, for people who like to , gas prices have risen 38% from 6/11/10 to 6/11/11, from $2.68/gal to $3.71/gal.

Food prices and the generic consumer price index have also increased

Gasoline prices rise but they also fall.

Since 2000, single-day WDW ticket prices have increased at nearly three times the rate of inflation.

 

[epcotWSC]

Good thing I bought my ticket 10 day/no expiration ticket last month. Surprised they did this so early this year.

 

[Rook26]

Universal Announces Ticket Price Increase

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43468796/ns/travel-destination_travel/

ORLANDO, Fla. — Universal Orlando is following Walt Disney World in raising ticket prices.

Universal announced Monday that the price of a one-day admission is up from $82 to $85, matching Disney's increase announced earlier this month. Both resorts also have raised prices for multi-day, multi-park tickets.
Disney announces price hikes to take effect Sunday

Disney's increases also include annual passes and Florida resident tickets, while Universal held the line on prices in those two categories.

Universal is still drawing crowds with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction, which marked its first anniversary Saturday at the Islands of Adventure park. Analysts expect modest attendance gains at most central Florida attractions this year.

 

[Wilt Dasney]

I like this bit from the Sentinel story:

"Focusing on its longer passes also allows Disney to ease off on the price increases for its basic, single-day tickets, which are rapidly approaching $100 — potentially a psychologically significant threshold. Although single-day tickets account for only a small percentage of Disney's total ticket sales, they are a widely used barometer of the industry's pricing overall and can affect travelers' perception of theme parks' affordability."

It's funny to realize how significant single day prices are from a PR standpoint, despite the fact that almost nobody buys them.

 

[prberk]

I like this bit from the Sentinel story:

"Focusing on its longer passes also allows Disney to ease off on the price increases for its basic, single-day tickets, which are rapidly approaching $100 — potentially a psychologically significant threshold. Although single-day tickets account for only a small percentage of Disney's total ticket sales, they are a widely used barometer of the industry's pricing overall and can affect travelers' perception of theme parks' affordability."

It's funny to realize how significant single day prices are from a PR standpoint, despite the fact that almost nobody buys them.

I know a lot of visitors still who consider a "day a Disney" while visiting Florida for the beach or relatives.... and the price turns off some.

They usually go to the Magic Kingdom, of course, and sometimes EPCOT.

 

[Tom]

I know a lot of visitors still who consider a "day a Disney" while visiting Florida for the beach or relatives.... and the price turns off some.

They usually go to the Magic Kingdom, of course, and sometimes EPCOT.

Exactly. When I was growing up, one year would be the "Disney" trip, and we'd hop over to Daytona for my parents' sanity a day or two. Then the next year it would be the other way around, and we'd hop over to Disney for a day.

If Disney had charged then, what they charge now (relatively speaking), we would have never gone.

 

[Sorcerer Mickey]

Ugh, just made plans to go to MGM for a day on Saturday. We take single day trips and these one-day ticket prices are killing me.

 

[Monty]

Ugh, just made plans to go to MGM for a day on Saturday. We take single day trips and these one-day ticket prices are killing me.

If it's a regular thing and you expect to be doing it more, why not buy 10-day no-expire tickets if the trips are spread out or APs if they're closer together?

One-day tickets are never a good idea unless you're only going for one day ever.

 

[wannabeBelle]

Or Florida resident tickets which are even less expensive? Marie

 

[GrumpyFan]

I try to stay out of these discussions about ticket price increases, because they just stress me out. I've come to accept the fact that Disney is going to increase the prices every year. Something about this one though, just hits me and makes me a little frustrated. One, it's early this year, meaning the second time in less than a year, they've chosen to raise their prices. I understand Disney is a business, and they are geared to make money and turn a profit for their investors, of which I am one. But, raising prices twice in one year just comes across as greedy.

What really concerns me about this price hike though, is the cost that is now incurred for a family of four to visit for 7 days. The tickets alone are now $1068, pushing them out over the $1000 threshold. It's only an $80 bump from 2010, but the question is, will it make some families shorten their trip. Instead of 7 days, might they cut back a day or two to get the tickets under $1000? If so, then it means they will have to go to a 4-day ticket for four at $972. If this happens, then Disney could lose on this price hike. With this new price bump, might this family of four decide to spend a day or two at Universal or Sea World instead?

I know these questions come up every time Disney raises prices. And, over the past few years Disney has continued to see growth at WDW, until this past year when Harry Potter opened. Even with Universal adding their new attractions though, Disney saw only a drop in attendance of an estimated less than 1/2 a million visitors. So, maybe they're feeling confident about the parks and the fact that the new Fantasyland Expansion will be opening in the coming year. Will it pay off? Or, will it hurt them? My guess would be that Fantasyland will be a boost and the price hike will have a minor, barely noticeable impact on attendance. For the most part, people will still come and spend the same amount of days and the same amount of money. There will be a few families who shave a day or two off their trip, but not enough to hurt Disney's bottom line.

 

[mgf]

If so, then it means they will have to go to a 4-day ticket for four at $972. If this happens, then Disney could lose on this price hike. With this new price bump, might this family of four decide to spend a day or two at Universal or Sea World instead?

Really, this is the genius of the MYW ticket structure. The bulk of the cost of the ticket is in the first few days not the back end of the visit. As a result, even if a family decides to dump one or two days, they are not recouping enough ticket money to cover the entry price of the other Florida parks. The only way for them to significantly "save" money would be to cut the length of their entire vacation. Given that most people will not give up vacation days (especially considering the sunk costs of traveling to the destination), Disney has a near monopoly on the back half of vacations in Florida.

Moreover, (without intending a moral/ethical debate) the business arm of Disney is likely not interested in cultivating a client base that is sensitive enough to price fluctuations that $20 per person for example would cause them to reconsider the trip. Disney wants and needs guests who show up with at least moderate disposable income still in their budgets, both for food/merch sales but also for the lucrative impulse buys/experiences.

That is not to say that "price" is an objective measure of "value." In economics speak, the law of diminishing returns will naturally move some people to stop going to Disney even if the can afford it. Until this happens in mass and is clearly tied to the perceived value of the vacation, as opposed to a recession, high unemployment, the weak dollar, and/or an anomalous spike in competition (i.e. WWofHP), there is little incentive for Disney to adjust.

 

[Lucky]

Really, this is the genius of the MYW ticket structure. The bulk of the cost of the ticket is in the first few days not the back end of the visit. As a result, even if a family decides to dump one or two days, they are not recouping enough ticket money to cover the entry price of the other Florida parks.

Right - it wouldn't save much to cut a WDW vacation from 7 days to 5 or 6. To save money you just do fewer 7-day WDW vacations.

 

[Uncle Lupe]

I don't think that this bump in ticket prices will make people cut their vacations short. When you consider the amount of money you are spending for a week long family vacation it's a drop in the bucket. This is also an easy way to boost revenue. One small change over millions of tickets sold per year = big $$$$$.

My relatives had not booked their trip until after the price hike and are going to pay an extra $200+ on tickets. Procrastinators pay more.

On our next trip 2 yrs from now I'll have to eat the increase and be happy.