Ticket prices going up?

[Brian Noble]

On a not-unrelated note:

Q3 results released in the past day or so. Accounting for the fact that Easter moved from Q3 to Q2 in 2008, attendance is flat to slightly higher in domestic parks. Guest spending is higher, in part on higher ticket prices. Profits are up.

So much for "the economy will keep people away."

 

[culturenthrills]

I think the issue isn't that ticket prices are going up $3 or 4 bucks it is the fact that they have gone up so much in the last few years that it is getting ridiculous. WDW is the only place in the entire theme parks industry that has jacked up their ticket prices the way they have. Some places have even reduced their prices. I am getting tired of the fact that their answer for everything is to raise prices while diminishing the experience.

 

[Tinkwings]

Got my tickets today and the salesperson said they had no clue ticket prices were going up soon, but as I had called another store earlier this week they said in the past they were never notified til same day of increases. One thing is for certain...they are not going DOWN!:lookaroun I want to go to Disney so am willing to fork out for whatever it costs....I forego other things to make that happen...would be nice to see a freeze on increases for a few years though.:animwink:

 

[Brian Noble]

I am getting tired of the fact that their answer for everything is to raise prices while diminishing the experience.

The Powers That Be will change this approach only if people stop coming.

Hasn't happened yet. Until it does, expect status quo.

 

[sbkline]

The Powers That Be will change this approach only if people stop coming.

Hasn't happened yet. Until it does, expect status quo.

Which leads back to my original observation that Disney must not be expecting people to stop coming, since they are raising their prices rather than lowering them, as opposed to the popular opinion that they must be expecting lower attendance, which is why they are cutting Fantasmic down to two nights.

 

[MousDad]

On a not-unrelated note:

Q3 results released in the past day or so. Accounting for the fact that Easter moved from Q3 to Q2 in 2008, attendance is flat to slightly higher in domestic parks. Guest spending is higher, in part on higher ticket prices. Profits are up.

So much for "the economy will keep people away."

To clarify, attendance and spending were both down at Anaheim. Attendance was down but spending up at Orlando. Attendance and spending both up in Paris. Worldwide, Disney Parks up 5% in Q3.

TWDC attributes the lower attendance in North America to the early Easter, as you said.

Also, there was a mention in the podcast of resort bookings in the 90+% at both WDW and Anaheim. Future bookings were flat in this quarter and up in the next quarter (from last year's numbers).

Also, Iger stated that there has been no reduced flights to Orlando.

So, yes, Disney's official position is that things are still okay and there has been no adverse effect from the bad economy.

 

[DisneyJoe]

which is why they are cutting Fantasmic down to two nights.

The reason for this cutback has yet to be determined.

 

[sbkline]

The reason for this cutback has yet to be determined.

I know, but I was refering to the popular view expressed on these boards that the reason they are cutting back Fantasmic to two nights is because of expected drops in attendance. I was disagreeing with that notion, in this case citing the increase in ticket prices and my belief that if the current economic situation was keeping that many people away (as some are speculating), then Disney's response would be to cut prices, not raise them.

Here is my original quote:

Which leads back to my original observation that Disney must not be expecting people to stop coming, since they are raising their prices rather than lowering them, as opposed to the popular opinion that "they must be expecting lower attendance, which is why they are cutting Fantasmic down to two nights."

The part about "which is why they are cutting Fantasmic down to two nights" is partof the "popular opinion" that I was disagreeing with.

 

[pacochran]

Don't know if tickets are going up, but just in case bought ours today. All set for our December Trip now. Have room, flights and tickets, just need rental car.

 

[The Oggmonster]

Thank god I just bought a 10 day park hopper plus a week ago before I go down there tonight!

 

[ImaYoyo]

*yoyo steps up to the tee*
*swings*


*FORE!!!*

...

 

[culturenthrills]

I guess one of my issues is that thanks to Disney the 1 day ticket in the Orlando market is insane. This is the only area in the country that can somehow get away with this. Everyone else(SW,BGT,Uni) does severly discount there 2 day plus tickets and there annual passes are a way better deal than WDW and you can pay for them monthly instead of having to come up with all your money at once.

I have the Busch Platinum Pass which gets me into all Busch parks for 2 years for $389. That is about $50 more than I payed for my renewal on my WDW pass. It is worth it alone for the Florida parks cause I get preferred parking, special seating at SeaWorld shows and it is a bonus for me because I have family in Virginia I usually go to BGW and Water Country every year.

I guess one thing that irks me is that while other parks usually have a justification for raising ticket prices(usually a major new ride) it almost seems totally arbitrary with WDW. It is almost like they are pushing it to see how far they can go. In 4 years the one day ticket price has gone up $19. Name another park that has done that. I keep wondering when the breaking point will be. I guess we may see starting this fall with 16000 less seats flying to Orlando and with people cutting back and if they are doing vacations not booking until the last minute.

 

[danirae]

I think the issue isn't that ticket prices are going up $3 or 4 bucks it is the fact that they have gone up so much in the last few years that it is getting ridiculous. WDW is the only place in the entire theme parks industry that has jacked up their ticket prices the way they have. Some places have even reduced their prices. I am getting tired of the fact that their answer for everything is to raise prices while diminishing the experience.

Universal's flex ticket 2 parks for 7 days was 79.99 just a month ago and then they went up to 89.99. Then within the last week went up to 99.99. That's a pretty big increase in just less than a couple months.

 

[Brian Noble]

They've also included Wet-n-Wild in that new price, though.

 

[firemandisney]

I have no issues with the price increase.
Business is going very very well at DisneyWorld and DisneyLand..
Thats the way it works..if attendence is up the price WILL go up.
Personally, I see no reason to take issue with the increases, thats life.
I work alot of O.T. when i can and save as much as possible.
We go to Disney every three years and have NEVER been let down.
Besides, Even IF the price DID affect us (which it wont) then instead of staying at a Deluxe or Moderate resort, We would just downgrade to save money. No problem. Also, we could stop using the park hopper option.
There is a thousand ways to save money.
Complaining about it is not one of them and is not proactive at all.
Our next trip is in 2 WEEKS! then again in 2011!!
In the end, It is NOT Disney's responsibility to see to it that it provides a price that we all can be comfortable with..It OUR responsibility to save and work more if needed to afford Disney.
I consider it a priviledge not a right to go to Disneyworld.

 

[KnK]

Also, Iger stated that there has been no reduced flights to Orlando.

Not true.....a number of us can atest to that. I know the direct flights from Louisville to Orlando via Delta have been stoped. The only direct flight we have now is through Southwest.

 

[sbkline]

I have no issues with the price increase.
Business is going very very well at DisneyWorld and DisneyLand..
Thats the way it works..if attendence is up the price WILL go up.
Personally, I see no reason to take issue with the increases, thats life.
I work alot of O.T. when i can and save as much as possible.
We go to Disney every three years and have NEVER been let down.
Besides, Even IF the price DID affect us (which it wont) then instead of staying at a Deluxe or Moderate resort, We would just downgrade to save money. No problem. Also, we could stop using the park hopper option.
There is a thousand ways to save money.
Complaining about it is not one of them and is not proactive at all.
Our next trip is in 2 WEEKS! then again in 2011!!
In the end, It is NOT Disney's responsibility to see to it that it provides a price that we all can be comfortable with..It OUR responsibility to save and work more if needed to afford Disney.
I consider it a priviledge not a right to go to Disneyworld.

I don't entirely agree with that. Well, from a legal standpoint, I do. Disney is free to charge whatever price they want, and if we don't like the price, we're free not to go. However, from a business standpoint, it IS Disney's responsibility to see to it that they provide a price that the general public can be comfortable with. They are a business whose goal is to make money. And if they have their prices so high that they are losing business because the general public can't afford to go (and I'm not saying that this is the case right now), then someone's jobs may be on the line if they can't make the right choices on how to get more people into their resort. And the right choices would include having the prices set such that people can afford to go and will want to go.

So I would say that it's not only our responsibility to make the right financial choices on our end to enable us to go, but it's also their responsibility, as people who are trying to market a product, to make their product appealing to the public so as to make them willing and able to come, and this, again, would include seeing to it that the prices are within the means of enough of the public to be able to make a profit.

 

[firemandisney]

I don't entirely agree with that. Well, from a legal standpoint, I do. Disney is free to charge whatever price they want, and if we don't like the price, we're free not to go. However, from a business standpoint, it IS Disney's responsibility to see to it that they provide a price that the general public can be comfortable with. They are a business whose goal is to make money. And if they have their prices so high that they are losing business because the general public can't afford to go (and I'm not saying that this is the case right now), then someone's jobs may be on the line if they can't make the right choices on how to get more people into their resort. And the right choices would include having the prices set such that people can afford to go and will want to go.

So I would say that it's not only our responsibility to make the right financial choices on our end to enable us to go, but it's also their responsibility, as people who are trying to market a product, to make their product appealing to the public so as to make them willing and able to come, and this, again, would include seeing to it that the prices are within the means of enough of the public to be able to make a profit.

Point understood.
now i will play devils advocate,
Mercedes Benz makes cars i cant afford.
I buy Honda or Toyota even a Mazda now and then.
IF Disney is un affordable to some folks then thats OK. Those folks just need to go elsewhere. Kinda like me not going to a Mercedes dealership. ( Mercedes) will still make huge profits from THEIR customers. Just not from ME.
But i do understand your point.

 

[sbkline]

Point understood.
now i will play devils advocate,
Mercedes Benz makes cars i cant afford.
I buy Honda or Toyota even a Mazda now and then.
IF Disney is un affordable to some folks then thats OK. Those folks just need to go elsewhere. Kinda like me not going to a Mercedes dealership. ( Mercedes) will still make huge profits from THEIR customers. Just not from ME.
But i do understand your point.

I see your point as well. In the case of your car analogy, Mercedes has a client base that is perfectly willing to pay their price and therefore, Mercedes isn't suffering if people like you and me buy a cheaper car. Any company needs to make sure that they have enough people who are willing to pay for their product, or else they aren't going to be successful in business. However, it's probably not the "country club" elite that makes up most of Disney's business, whereas it is that group, presumably, that keeps Mercedes in business. The country club elite probably go to Europe or Hawaii or someplace other than Disney, and WDW (in my unresearched opinion) is probably more dependent on the middle class to keep them in business...which means that if they want to continue to be successful in business, they need to make sure that their key customer base continues to be able to afford to go. But ya, you're right...ultimately, a company doesn't care about those that can't afford to go, as long as there are plenty of other people who can.

And I'm not saying that Disney is at the point, or is even approaching the point where their key customers can't afford to go. Again, I don't think a small increase in ticket prices is that much to panic about.

 

[firemandisney]

I see your point as well. In the case of your car analogy, Mercedes has a client base that is perfectly willing to pay their price and therefore, Mercedes isn't suffering if people like you and me buy a cheaper car. Any company needs to make sure that they have enough people who are willing to pay for their product, or else they aren't going to be successful in business. However, it's probably not the "country club" elite that makes up most of Disney's business, whereas it is that group, presumably, that keeps Mercedes in business. The country club elite probably go to Europe or Hawaii or someplace other than Disney, and WDW (in my unresearched opinion) is probably more dependent on the middle class to keep them in business...which means that if they want to continue to be successful in business, they need to make sure that their key customer base continues to be able to afford to go. But ya, you're right...ultimately, a company doesn't care about those that can't afford to go, as long as there are plenty of other people who can.

And I'm not saying that Disney is at the point, or is even approaching the point where their key customers can't afford to go. Again, I don't think a small increase in ticket prices is that much to panic about.

I think we agree more than disagree..
And i also agree that disney shouldnt and i dont think will become un affordable to the majority of "middle class" travelers.
As of now though, I think a vacation to Disney is VERY affordable compared to other destinations for the same given time period.